With a solemn expression, Qing Xuanzi took out a Qingxin Jade Pendant and hung it on Rong Jiaojiao's waist, saying, "No matter what you see, you must guard your true self."
Rong Jiaojiao took a deep breath, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the watch her parents had given her: "Master, don't worry, I understand."
Qing Xuanzi then took out three more array flags and planted them around: "This is a mind-stabilizing array, which can help you calm your mind."
At this moment, Yue Ling transmitted her voice to Rong Jiaojiao, "Master, you'd better break through in the small secret realm. The laws there are complete, and you might even face a tribulation after your breakthrough, which can help you strengthen your physique."
Rong Jiaojiao asked worriedly, "But what if someone discovers you exist?"
Yue Ling said, "Master, don't worry, I will set up a barrier outside your cultivation room so that others will not be able to tell whether you are in the room or not."
Rong Jiaojiao pondered for a moment, then looked up at Qing Xuanzi and said, "Master, I want to break through inside the treasure artifact."
Qing Xuanzi frowned, thought for a long time, and nodded: "Very well, everyone has their own destiny. Master will not ask you the reason, but remember, if anything goes wrong, come out immediately, understand?"
"I understand, thank you, Master!"
"Alright, go ahead, I'll wait for you in the yard!"
After saying that, Rong Jiaojiao turned and left. She closed the door, set up an array, and had Yue Ling set up another barrier before she entered the small secret realm.
Yue Ling had already set up an array in the central open space, with twelve ancient bronze lamps arranged in a circle, their flames displaying a strange silvery-white color.
The moment Rong Jiaojiao stepped into the secret realm, her spiritual energy surged.
The previously tranquil spatial laws suddenly began to writhe as if alive, condensing into a dazzling vortex of starlight above her head.
Yue Ling had already set up a spirit-gathering array in the core area, and countless strands of spiritual energy poured in like the Milky Way, enveloping Rong Jiaojiao in a cocoon.
"Boom!" A roar came from the depths of the sea of consciousness, the "Divine Soul Technique" started to operate automatically, and the "Primordial Spirit Pearl" burst out with dazzling light.
Twelve Yuan Chen Pearls rose from her sea of consciousness, hovering and rotating around her. The spatial runes on the pearls resonated with the laws of the outside world, actually outlining miniature versions of the twelve zodiac animal images in the void.
The Rat rune created countless spatial rifts, while the Ox rune stirred up illusions of the earth cracking, each phantom carrying a terrifying pressure.
"This is... a breakthrough phenomenon?" Yue Ling stared in shock at the ever-expanding vortex of laws in the sky.
In the past, when cultivators broke through, it would at most cause a surge of spiritual energy, but Rong Jiaojiao's breakthrough actually affected the laws of space!
Just then, the void suddenly twisted, and a pitch-black crack tore open overhead.
Rong Jiaojiao's expression changed drastically—this was clearly a sign of a tribulation at the Earth Master realm!
Unlike the heavenly lightning of ordinary cultivators, she triggered a spatial tribulation lightning, with each bolt of lightning carrying the power to tear space apart.
"Master, quickly activate the Nine Dragons Seal!" Yue Ling urged urgently.
Rong Jiaojiao suppressed her shock and pressed her fingertips on the Nine Dragon Seal.
A cyan dragon shadow roared and charged out, colliding violently with the spatial lightning.
"Boom!" The first wave of lightning struck down, and under the protection of the Nine Dragon Seal, it transformed into thousands of tiny spatial blades, cutting the surrounding rocks into dust.
During the third wave of the lightning tribulation, the Illusionary Realm of Inquiry suddenly descended.
The scene before Rong Jiaojiao suddenly changed. Twelve immortals with ethereal bearing sat around an altar, while Rong Jiaojiao, also dressed in immortal robes, sat in the center of the altar.
A man with a face resembling a middle-aged version of Jun Yuangui stood outside the altar, his eyes filled with barely suppressed tears: "Jiaojiao, do you know that by doing this, you may not only fail to achieve your goal, but you may also cause your soul to be scattered? Are you still determined to not regret it?"
Rong Jiaojiao changed from sitting to kneeling, kowtowed to Lao Jun Yuangui and said, "Master, if it weren't for you, Jiaojiao would have been destroyed on the day she ascended. Now you only have one or two hundred years of lifespan, and your disciple is the most suitable candidate. Your disciple has no regrets!"
Lao Junyuan was reluctant, but the others were in favor, since they would also benefit if things went well.
A woman dressed in elegant clothes said, "Alright, time's up. If you have no regrets, then let's begin!"
Rong Jiaojiao kowtowed deeply to Lao Jun Yuangui again: "Master, wait for Jiaojiao to break through Yuangui!"
Lao Jun Yuan Gui burst into tears and nodded, "Alright! Your master will wait for you!"
Meanwhile, the lightning tribulation within the secret realm became increasingly violent.
When the seventh bolt of lightning struck, cracks appeared in the Azure Jade Nine Dragon Seal, and the twelve Yuan Chen Pearls spun wildly, automatically forming a protective array.
In the illusion, twelve immortals poured their magic into the altar, and at that moment, Rong Jiaojiao's body in the center of the altar disintegrated, turning into blood mist that covered the entire altar.
A spatial rift slowly opened, and Rong Jiaojiao's soul entered the rift. But at that moment, a bolt of lightning struck the rift without warning.
"Oh no!" Everyone's expression changed drastically.
Lao Jun Yuan Gui disregarded everything and rushed towards the lightning, shielding Rong Jiao Jiao's soul from it.
The powerful lightning struck his body, tearing his skin and flesh apart, the wounds so deep that bone was visible, but as he watched the cracks gradually close, he grinned.
He closed his eyes and fainted, but no one noticed that a wisp of his soul drifted into the crack.
After the initial chaos subsided, the altar returned to calm, and the twelve presiding over the formation remained silent.
One of the old Taoist priests kept making hand seals and calculating. Everyone looked at him expectantly. After calculating for a long time, the old Taoist priest shook his head: "Because of that lightning, spacetime was disordered. I can't tell whether the child successfully entered that small world, but her soul is safe and sound."
Hearing this, the crowd felt a little relieved. Even if they couldn't succeed, they didn't want to bear the consequences of a girl's soul being scattered.
The woman who spoke first asked, "Then is there any chance that our plans will succeed?"
The old Taoist priest shook his head again: "I also cannot calculate it."
The scene abruptly ended. Rong Jiaojiao didn't even need to break the illusion; she was merely an observer, but she had some guesses in her mind.
When the soul returned to its place, it saw the spatial rift of the Rat rune begin to devour the lightning, and the Ox rune condensed into a thick spatial barrier. The twelve runes were truly fused together for the first time!
"So that's how it is..." Rong Jiaojiao suddenly realized in the gap between illusion and reality. "No matter who I was before, I will only be who I am now from now on."
As the words fell, the final bolt of world-destroying lightning descended, and the twelve Yuan Chen Pearls erupted with dazzling light, completely merging with the power of the Nine Dragon Seal.
At this moment, the laws of space completely surrendered, condensing into dazzling spatial patterns around Rong Jiaojiao.
As the lightning dissipated, Rong Jiaojiao slowly opened her eyes.
She raised her hand and waved it lightly, and the space in front of her cracked like a mirror, then instantly returned to normal.
The pressure of the Earth Master realm swept across the entire small secret realm. Twelve Yuan Chen Pearls floated behind her, and as the runes flowed, they faintly formed a miniature spatial array.
"Congratulations, Master! You have finally broken through to the Earth Master Realm!" Yue Ling was very happy for Rong Jiaojiao, and Rong Jiaojiao was equally happy.
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