Ruo Xianxue, sitting cross-legged upon the altar, tilted her head back and opened her dual eyes—one reflecting the Sun, the other the Moon. "He is about to reach Soul Transformation."

  Inside Zhi Xuan’s body, a fundamental change began. The spiritual blood, forged from the Blood Transformation phase and the awakening of his half-Ancient Heaven race lineage, began to boil. Under the influence of pure stellar energy, the blood shed its old form and reconstructed itself.

  Every drop now carried a thick gold-silver shimmer—the formation of Divine Essence Blood. A searing heat spread from his heart, incinerating the final remnants of mortality within him.

  Zhi Xuan groaned, yet his body remained motionless. He focused his consciousness on the Heavenly Samsara Wheel, which now spun so fast its form became a blur. At the center of the wheel, his Soul Fire—once sapphire blue—began to transform.

  The fire condensed, radiating a divine aura so oppressive it slowly formed a miniature figure resembling himself: the Divine Spirit. As the Divine Spirit reached perfection, the Heavenly Eye floating before him suddenly shot into his eye socket.

  BOOOOM!

  A shockwave of energy swept across the altar, nearly throwing Ao Sheng and Xiao Die off if Ruo Xianxue had not immediately shielded them. A blinding golden light exploded from Zhi Xuan’s right eye, merging with the nerves of the newly born Divine Spirit.

  This process of union was a torture beyond death. Zhi Xuan felt as if his head were being split by the axe of a primordial god repeatedly. Every pulse of the Heavenly Eye took root within his skull, seeking oneness with his inner being. Simultaneously, his new Divine Essence Blood flooded his meridians, nourishing his divine organs.

  "Unite... do not let them separate!" Zhi Xuan’s inner voice roared, commanding every meridian to submit.

  The Divine Spirit within his mind opened its eyes—one sapphire and one golden heavenly eye. The miniature figure spread its arms, drawing all the Divine Essence Blood to envelop itself. This was the crucial stage: the Great Union.

  Slowly, Zhi Xuan’s physical frame began to fade beautifully, turning into strands of transparent light, while his soul—now transformed into a Divine Soul—began to manifest a solid form. The boundary between body and soul utterly collapsed.

  He was no longer a human who possessed a soul; he was a Soul that commanded a body. Purple and golden light soared from the altar, piercing the astral mist of the Great Constellation, creating a pillar of light that seemed to connect the ground he stood upon directly to the throne of the Gods in the Nine Heavens.

  The Great Constellation shook faintly; the explosion of light rose so high it created a vortex of dark clouds reflecting the Heavenly Tribulation. From the blast of light, Zhi Xuan’s Dharma slowly materialized—a silhouette dozens of zhang tall with two magnificent wings behind it, glowing with darkness and eclipse patterns.

  Even Ruo Xianxue was shocked, unable to believe her eyes. "He skipped the early stage of Soul Transformation and went straight to the mid-stage! He truly shakes Heaven and Earth."

  The Dharma manifestation represented his mid-stage Soul Transformation status. While the early stage yielded only a tiny spiritual form, Zhi Xuan’s towering Dharma was a sign of his direct leap.

  Before that Dharma, Zhi Xuan’s physical form solidified once more. His long black hair fluttered like an Eternal God; his body was as hard as gold, radiating the weight of the Ancient Heaven race from his bloodline. Every contour of his body emitted a majestic divine aura.

  He looked up, staring at the writhing vortex of clouds—his Heavenly Tribulation. "Come!" Zhi Xuan roared lowly. He pulled his arm back, and the Dharma behind him mimicked the movement as he lunged a fist toward the starry sky.

  The strike was not merely a physical hit, but a manifestation of the newly born Divine Soul's will. When the giant Dharma fist collided with the base of the tribulation clouds, the space around the altar cracked like glass struck by a sledgehammer. The resulting boom surpassed the limits of hearing—a primordial vibration that forced the distant stars to blink.

  DUUUMMM—!

  The Heavenly Tribulation clouds, previously writhing in pitch blackness, were instantly split in two by the pressure of Zhi Xuan’s strike. However, the Heavens would not allow a mortal to step into the divine realm without equal atonement. From the split in the clouds, dark purple lightning emerged—Violet Destruction Lightning—carrying the law of pure annihilation.

  The lightning struck, not as a bolt, but as a lightning dragon large enough to coil around a mountain. "Only this much?" Zhi Xuan hissed, his lips curling into an arrogant, cold smile.

  His right eye—the recently merged Heavenly Eye—throbbed wildly. The golden pupil within began to rotate in reverse, emitting a web of light that created a silver-shrouded disc, allowing him to see the weak points of the lightning laws attacking him.

  In Zhi Xuan’s eyes, the terrifying dragon was no longer a threat, but a collection of energy dust moving in predictable patterns. Zhi Xuan stomped the void. His body shot upward, meeting the lightning dragon without any protection. The giant Dharma behind him spread its eclipse wings, creating a shield of darkness that swallowed the surrounding astral light.

  CRAAAAASH!

  Zhi Xuan allowed the purple lightning to strike him directly. The sound of thunder exploded in every inch of his pores, attempting to shatter the newly condensed Divine Essence Blood. Yet, Zhi Xuan’s body—now as hard as meteoric gold—absorbed the lightning energy, using it as the final forging fire to perfect his meridians.

  "Crazy! He’s using the Heavenly Tribulation to wash his own Divine Soul!" Ao Sheng exclaimed, trembling so much he didn't realize he was gripping Xiao Die’s tiny shoulder too hard.

  "Argh, Gold Dragon Brother! Let go of my shoulder," Xiao Die cried out, though her eyes remained wide and fixed on the tribulation.

  Ruo Xianxue stood tall, her dual eyes never leaving the figure bathing in purple lightning. "He doesn't just want to reach Soul Transformation; he wants to use the Heavenly Calamity to temper it."

  Indeed, Zhi Xuan’s left hand—filled with silver marks—gripped the lightning dragon’s neck. With impossible strength, he crushed the lightning energy into shards and inhaled them. Every gulp of lightning made the pillar of light behind him sturdier and taller.

  The tribulation clouds above seemed insulted. The vortex spun faster, and this time, it was not lightning that fell, but nine giant swords of light—the Nine Heavens Judgment Swords. These blades carried the karmic weight of every living being he had ever killed; each sword possessed the weight of an entire continent.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The nine swords hung in the astral sky, radiating an aura of judgment capable of turning an ordinary cultivator’s courage to ash. Each blade vibrated, resonating a frequency that tore at the spirit, calling back the shadows of the lives Zhi Xuan had taken to demand vengeance.

  "Judgment?" Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice now carrying an authoritative divine echo. "If the Heavens wish to judge me with the weight of karma, then I shall be the scale that breaks justice itself!"

  Zhi Xuan did not wait for the swords to fall. He moved his consciousness, and the giant Dharma behind him roared silently, yet the vibration cracked the vacuum of space. The eclipse wings flapped once, launching feathers of darkness that transformed into thousands of inner daggers to meet the sky.

  TRANG! TRANG! TRANG!

  The first blade fell at the speed of light. Zhi Xuan raised his right hand, meeting the tip of the giant sword with only an open palm. The collision created ripples that expanded to shatter small asteroids drifting around the Great Constellation altar.

  Zhi Xuan’s body shook violently; the Divine Essence Blood in his veins surged like boiling lava. However, instead of breaking, he gripped the blade. The Heavenly Eye in his right socket glowed sharply, dissecting the law structure of the light sword.

  "Shatter!" Zhi Xuan decreed. With one squeeze of his Divine Soul’s hand, the first sword broke into light fragments that were then absorbed by his skin. The other eight swords fell simultaneously, forming a prison formation to lock him from all sides.

  The eight blades struck at once, creating a giant cage that emitted an aura of forced purification. The space within the sword formation instantly became a suction center for spiritual essence, attempting to suffocate Zhi Xuan’s newly born Divine Soul.

  "He’s trapped!" Xiao Die screamed, covering her eyes with her wings. "That energy... those swords want to extinguish Senior’s Soul Fire!"

  Ruo Xianxue narrowed her eyes, her nine tails of darkness moving wildly. "Not just extinguish; the Nine Heavens Judgment wants to erase his existence from the universe's memory. But look at him... he doesn't even blink."

  At the center of the sword prison, Zhi Xuan stood calmly. His pitch-black hair fluttered amidst the storm of blinding white light. He felt every sin and bad karma being pulled out by the resonance of the swords, trying to create a crack in his Dao Heart. However, Zhi Xuan’s Dao Heart was no longer a rigid fortress, but a vast depth.

  DUMMM!

  He stomped his foot in the void and clapped his hands before his chest. Instantly, from the same eight directions as the swords, giant hands made of stone with lava-like veins emerged. These giant hands seized the eight swords with sharp thuds, forcing Ruo Xianxue to flare her nine tails to protect the formation altar from the tribulation's impact.

  WHUMMPP! WHUMMPP! DUMM!

  The eight giant hands were not merely spiritual essence; they were manifestations of the Primordial Earth Law Zhi Xuan had absorbed during his travels, now strengthened by a Divine Soul that had reached the mid-stage of Soul Transformation. Each hand gripped a judgment blade so tightly that the light runes on the swords began to crack and fade.

  Zhi Xuan looked up, his sapphire eye glinting coldly while his Heavenly Eye radiated an oppressive golden aura. "Cruel Heavens, your laws are not enough to imprison my soul!"

  With a single surge of will, the eight giant hands crushed the light swords. The sound of breaking heavenly metal echoed across the stars. The shards of the judgment swords exploded, but instead of vanishing, they were sucked into the vortex of the Heavenly Samsara Wheel now manifesting behind the head of Zhi Xuan’s Dharma, forming a halo that was both majestic and terrifying.

  The Heavenly Tribulation clouds above seemed enraged to see their laws not only broken, but stolen. The black cloud vortex shrank drastically, compressing all its remaining energy into a tiny point of white light—the Eye of Heavenly Punishment—possessing a density capable of collapsing an early-stage Soul Transformation soul.

  "The final strike," Ruo Xianxue whispered, her beautiful face showing visible tension. "This final punishment does not attack the body; it strikes directly at the origin of the soul. If he wavers even slightly, his Divine Soul will unravel into nothingness."

  The point of light blinked once, and instantly a beam of pure white light shot down, erasing all color in the Second Great Constellation. The beam moved beyond the concept of speed, striking Zhi Xuan’s forehead directly. Zhi Xuan did not dodge. Instead, he spread his arms wide, letting his body become an easy target.

  As the light of judgment touched his forehead, Zhi Xuan’s body shook violently. The scenery around him faded; he no longer saw the altar or Ruo Xianxue. He stood once more in a white void, facing a giant projection of the cold, emotionless Heavenly Order.

  “Arrogant mortal, submit to your limitations,” a formless voice echoed through his entire existence.

  Zhi Xuan smiled, but his smile this time carried the darkness of the fully merged Devil Seed. "I have swallowed the falsehood of my past, and I have purified the darkness within. If you call yourself the Heavens, then know this... I am the point where the Heavens themselves end."

  Zhi Xuan activated his Heavenly Eye to its maximum limit. The golden beam from his right eye clashed directly with the white beam of judgment. Within his mind, he envisioned the Slaughter Karma Crystal stored in the Divine Furnace. That purified evil energy now exploded outward—not as a rebellion, but as a tamed shield.

  BOOOM!

  The white light shattered. The sky above the Second Great Constellation split, revealing a glimpse of the Nine Heavens before the clouds vanished completely, swallowed by Zhi Xuan’s divine aura. A heavy silence once again enveloped the altar.

  Zhi Xuan floated down slowly. His giant Dharma shrank, re-entering his pores and leaving a body that now radiated the fragrance of Divine Essence. His long black hair reached his waist, and as he landed on the ruined altar floor, no sound was made—it was as if he stood upon the air itself.

  The radiance sent out a pleasant golden spiritual wave, washing over the consciousness of Ao Sheng and Xiao Die like a divine blessing typical of a Soul Transformation breakthrough. His white-and-black robes re-materialized over his frame, and his long black hair was tied with snow-jade, though leaving a low, elegant drape.

  Xiao Die was the first to speak, her face radiating an awe that made her look like a little girl in love. "God and Devil, Senior Zhi Xuan is so different! It's like seeing a God reborn!"

  "Senior Zhi Xuan, you..." Ao Sheng’s voice beside Xiao Die shimmered with the same admiration as he stared at the drastic change in Zhi Xuan’s body. "You look so majestic, like a pillar of heaven itself! Look, if I brought a ruler from a silk tailor in Zhao Country, Senior would be nearly six chi tall!"

  Zhi Xuan did not immediately reply. He stood still, feeling every inch of his Divine Soul resonate with the heartbeat of the universe. The vision from his new Heavenly Eye could now capture the flow of natural laws previously hidden.

  He turned toward Ao Sheng, his lips forming a thin curve of indescribable majesty. "Physical height is but a worldly measure, Ao Sheng. But this body you see has now become a vessel for something far broader than mere flesh and bone."

  His voice was no longer just a vibration of vocal cords, but a resonance of the Divine Spirit capable of shaking the spirit of anyone who heard it. Zhi Xuan stepped forward, each footfall creating ripples of golden light on the cracked jade altar, as if he were walking on the surface of a calm lake.

  Ruo Xianxue approached, her cold aura clashing with Zhi Xuan’s oppressive divine radiance. "Mid-stage Soul Transformation," she murmured, observing the pillar of light still lingering behind the youth’s back. "You didn't just cross the gate; you tore it down and built a throne there. That Heavenly Eye... how does it feel?"

  Zhi Xuan touched his right temple. The golden eye was now calm, yet in its depths lay a sharp power. He wiped his eye, hiding the golden glint as his sapphire pupil returned. "The world feels... as if I can see behind any illusion. I can see the fragility behind strength. This eye can be called an Eternal Law, forged by the Heavenly Calamity in this Second Great Constellation."

  Zhi Xuan shifted his gaze to the horizon of the Great Constellation. In the distance, spiral galaxies that once appeared as distant clumps of light now looked like intricate webs of law-threads through his right eye. He could see where energy was born and where it would perish. This was the essence of Soul Transformation—a vision that transcended the mortal veil.

  "Two hundred years," Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice sounding like the chime of a bell in a silent, ancient temple. "Time enough to turn mountains into valleys and men into dust. Great Saint, do you think the world out there still remembers my name?"

  Ruo Xianxue flicked her sleeve, walking gracefully until she stood right beside Zhi Xuan. "A name is a burden for those who fear being forgotten, brat. For one like you, your name will be written as the genius of two hundred years ago who carved history in the Yao Gu Sacred Plains. The world might not remember you, but that is a hidden blessing to avoid trouble."