Li Yundong's nascent spirit continued to expand, causing Zhang Ling’s nascent spirit to startle. Her expression sharpened, and she spoke coldly, "To reach your level at such a young age is truly rare in this era!"

Suspended in the air, Li Yundong assessed Zhang Ling’s nascent spirit. Her appearance was devastatingly beautiful, her immortal grace ethereal, like a celestial maiden from the heavenly palace. He scoffed, "Your nascent spirit has manifested quite beautifully. Is this to compensate for your physical body’s deficiencies?"

A flicker of anger crossed Zhang Ling’s eyes, but she quickly burst into laughter. "The physical body is merely a skin suit. What we cultivators train is the body of the nascent spirit; the nascent spirit itself is what deserves cultivation. Only the nascent spirit can transcend birth, old age, sickness, and death—the flesh cannot! Li Yundong, Li Yundong, for someone who has made such a name for himself, you fail to grasp this point? Why should I care about this stinking hide? Furthermore, the nascent spirit body represents your true divine essence, it isn't something I deliberately conjured! You don't even understand this—what kind of cultivation are you even practicing!"

Zhang Ling roared, "My true divine essence is the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden (Jiutian Xuan Nü). Li Yundong, you are no match for me; surrender now!"

With that, Zhang Ling’s true essence surged, her form wavering slightly. In moments, she split from one person into two, and then from two into four.

Li Yundong was alarmed. He saw Zhang Ling’s nascent spirit attacking from all directions. With both fists, he couldn't fight four hands; he was instantly stretched thin, struggling to cope.

"Damn it, what kind of sorcery is this? If you have the guts, face me one-on-one!" Li Yundong cursed inwardly, clenching his jaw, and roared aloud.

Zhang Ling controlled her four avatars, battering Li Yundong until he had no room to counterattack. She laughed heartily, "Li Yundong, the profound mysteries of the magic and techniques of the Orthodox First Sect (Zheng Yi Jiao) allow changes according to the will. How could a beginner like you possibly comprehend them!"

Li Yundong’s heart stirred upon hearing this. He suddenly recalled that moment when he first successfully cultivated the nascent spirit realm and his spirit left his body. He and Su Chan had been frolicking playfully in the room. He had instantly transformed from an infant into a youth, and then into a young man. These changes were utterly subject to his will; he could become as large as he desired, so long as his true essence could sustain it.

In that instant, Li Yundong felt as if a door in his mind had been forcefully pushed open, ushering him into a brand new world. Matters he previously could not comprehend suddenly integrated seamlessly.

When Li Yundong first began his cultivation journey, he always felt the entire endeavor was highly unreliable. The goal of constant cultivation for practitioners was to transcend birth, aging, sickness, and death, to jump clear of the inevitable laws of the natural world, thereby achieving immortality.

Yet, the more cultivation classics Li Yundong read, the more he discovered that almost no cultivator’s physical body remained immortal. Whether it was Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, or Sun Lutang from the Republic era, their deaths were historically recorded facts. Especially Wang Chongyang, whose bones were later exhumed and discarded in the wilderness after his death.

In Li Yundong’s view, if even such enlightened cultivators could not escape the finality of death, what was the point of cultivation?

But now, this question suddenly brought him enlightenment!

Although Zhang Ling had just been berating him, her words revealed a crucial secret of the cultivation world: the ultimate goal of cultivation is not to make the physical body immortal and indestructible, but to render the nascent spirit immortal and indestructible! The flesh is destined to die; it is merely the skin bag housing the nascent spirit, while the nascent spirit is eternal and lasting.

Li Yundong thought: The nascent spirit is a spiritual entity; it can change according to the will! If Zhang Ling can split into four, and transform her own nascent spirit into her true divine essence, why can’t I?

As soon as this thought arose, Li Yundong’s nascent spirit began to undergo a distinct transformation. A dark aura erupted from his entire body, making him look as if shrouded in dark clouds. His skin became as dark as steel, and from his nostrils erupted a stream of crimson energy mixed with a stream of black energy.

Zhang Ling had no idea that a casual remark from her had inadvertently caused Li Yundong to achieve enlightenment. She saw Li Yundong’s nascent spirit suddenly become incredibly ferocious, especially the two streams of energy spewing from his nostrils. She was secretly shocked and stated coldly, "You really have cultivated the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art, and reached the Eighth Revolution! To cultivate to your level at such a young age is truly rare! But do you think the Eighth Revolution stage is enough to deal with me?"

When Zhang Ling spoke, her four avatars spoke simultaneously. The sound came from all directions, carrying immense power and pressure. The surrounding air visibly trembled, truly sounding like the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden issuing a stern reprimand.

But as soon as Zhang Ling finished speaking, Li Yundong’s nascent spirit body roared, and a complete human torso sprouted sideways from his shoulder, gaining an extra head and two arms. Immediately after, another human body sprouted from the other side, gaining another head and two arms.

This stunned Zhang Ling. She stared intently at Li Yundong’s nascent spirit and gasped in horror, "Acala (Fudō Myō-ō)? This, this is impossible! You are clearly a Daoist practitioner, how can your true divine essence transform into a Buddhist Ming King?"

Li Yundong roared with laughter, "Are there things you don't know? Watch this!"

Saying this, Li Yundong lunged toward one of Zhang Ling’s avatars like a black whirlwind.

Zhang Ling was riddled with surprise and doubt, her fighting strength significantly diminished. This avatar was beaten back repeatedly, while the other three avatars shouted in unison and lunged at Li Yundong.

The nascent spirits of the two fought fiercely in mid-air, while their physical bodies on the floor of the Sanxian Shop remained perfectly still, like two stone sculptures.

The customers in the shop were utterly bewildered, murmuring amongst themselves. "What’s going on? Why is there no movement?"

"Yeah, what is Young Master Li doing?"

"Why is he frozen?"

"Can’t he retrieve the cup?"

"He hasn't even moved an inch; how does he know he can’t retrieve it without even trying?"

"Maybe he's thinking of a plan?"

Liu Fei’er quietly asked Cao Kefei, "Sister Cao, what are those two doing? Seeing who can stare longer?"

Cao Kefei shot her a look, "Quiet!" She was secretly anxious for Li Yundong, worried that if he lost, she wouldn't be able to salvage any of his dignity.

But Cao Kefei’s concern made her reckless. Especially since the floor above and below were packed with celebrities and dignitaries, none of whom she could afford to offend. Being of low status and little influence, she had no means to speak up. Cao Kefei clenched her fists in agitation, her palms slick with sweat.

However, Ziyuan, Su Chan, and Zhou Qin, being cultivators themselves, were even more tense than the surrounding crowd. Their eyes were wide open, fixed on Li Yundong, occasionally glancing at Zhang Ling, trying to gauge the battle's progress from the expressions on their faces.

When they saw Li Yundong’s initial grimace, their hearts sank. They thought: Not good, Li Yundong must be at a disadvantage!

After a while longer, seeing Li Yundong still looked like he was gritting his teeth in struggle, they couldn’t help but anxiously look toward Zhang Ling, only to find Zhang Ling also frowning and staring, the two seeming to compete to see who could glare the other to death first.

Zhou Qin, having cultivated for a shorter time, couldn't help but whisper to Su Chan, "Su Chan, what is happening? Why aren't they moving?"

Su Chan whispered back to Zhou Qin, "I guess their nascent spirits are engaged in a secret battle of wills. That’s why they are both concentrating completely on controlling their spirits, daring not to relax for even a second."

Zhou Qin was startled, "A battle of nascent spirits? Where? Why can’t I see it?"

Su Chan whispered, "Didn't you see them both throw out a talisman just now? Though I couldn't make out the design, I suspect it was the Heaven-Extending Maiden Seal, which is an invisibility talisman. These two invisibility talismans are secretly concealing their nascent spirit forms, which is why we can’t see them fighting."

A sense of awe and curiosity swelled in Zhou Qin’s heart. She looked around and whispered, "Are they near us?"

Su Chan shook her head, "Probably not. I guess they are up in the sky."

Zhou Qin sighed softly, "Su Chan, you know so much!"

Su Chan giggled, "Sister Zhou Qin, you are the one who knows a lot!"

Zhou Qin smiled slightly and said nothing more.

While the two were whispering, Ziyuan, standing nearby, frowned slightly. She looked up at the sky outside, then looked around at the crowd. Seeing everyone's gaze fixed on the central conflict, she quietly walked outside.

As her figure moved, Du Fei and Zheng Yuan noticed and followed her out.

Meanwhile, in the sky above, the battle between Li Yundong and Zhang Ling had reached a fever pitch.

Li Yundong, with three heads and six arms, maintained flawless defense. Zhang Ling’s four avatars could not land a single strike, and any spells they cast were dispersed by Li Yundong’s great hand seals, leaving Zhang Ling grinding her teeth in fury.

Especially Li Yundong’s true form manifesting as Acala, with three heads and six arms, chanting true mantras and spewing dual energies from his nostrils—he truly seemed like the descent of Acala. When he unleashed the Acala Fundamental Seal, Zhang Ling dared not intercept it directly. When Li Yundong struck out with a palm, the golden light of the seal flashed brilliantly, flying to the horizon until it vanished from sight. Such might was truly terrifying and awe-inspiring!

The more Zhang Ling fought, the more alarmed she became. She mused: Could this Li Yundong be the reincarnation of Acala? How can he be so powerful? But she quickly dismissed the idea: No, impossible. Acala is benevolent, possessing radiant wisdom, the king who commands all phenomena! This hateful Li Yundong could never be Acala’s reincarnation.

Li Yundong was unaware of Zhang Ling’s thoughts, but seeing her attacks growing weaker, he grew more invigorated. His true essence flowed like a great river, ceaseless and surging. The great hand seals unleashed by his six arms were like cannonballs, pounding Zhang Ling’s four avatars so heavily that they couldn't even get close.

Initially, Zhang Ling relied on her agility to dodge the hand seals, hoping to drain Li Yundong’s true essence. But after seeing Li Yundong unleash over a hundred hand seals consecutively, not only showed no sign of his true essence depleting, but his hand seals grew more ferocious and his true essence more potent!

Zhang Ling inwardly lamented. She regretted starting a battle of nascent spirits with Li Yundong. Once cultivators reach the pinnacle of the nascent spirit realm, it becomes difficult to widen the gap in their cultivation levels. In terms of realm, Zhang Ling and Li Yundong were equal—both at the peak nascent spirit stage. However, in terms of divine abilities and techniques, she was far superior to Li Yundong, especially since the divine spells she knew far surpassed his.

But Zhang Ling’s greatest specialty was the Earth Fire Divine Ability: drawing true fire from the Nine Lands to battle opponents. That was her most potent skill, especially when she deployed her ultimate move, drawing the Samādhi True Fire from the Nine Lands—a terrifying spell capable of incinerating everything, something even the True Mantra Great Hand Seal couldn't disperse.

Yet, now fighting Li Yundong in the sky, she had nowhere to draw leverage from. She couldn't deploy the Earth Fire Divine Ability, and her other techniques were all shattered by Li Yundong’s strikes, leaving her unable to harm him in the slightest.

Zhang Ling was grinding her teeth in hatred when her focus faltered. One of her nascent spirit avatars reacted a fraction too slowly and was seized by Li Yundong.

Li Yundong grabbed this avatar of Zhang Ling with his six arms and yanked hard, instantly tearing it into scattered pieces.

The remaining three avatars of Zhang Ling shrieked mournfully. The avatar shattered by Li Yundong instantly dissolved into a puff of green smoke, escaping Li Yundong’s grasp, swiftly coalescing, and reforming into its original shape.

Zhang Ling roared in agony, "Li Yundong, you dare injure my nascent spirit!"

Li Yundong sneered, "If you don't concede, I will tear you apart until you can never reform! Let’s see how much true essence you can afford to waste!"

Zhang Ling raged, "You insolent brat who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, daring to be so presumptuous!"

Zhang Ling was furious and instinctively wanted to fly back to the ground to summon the Fire of the Nine Lands, engaging Li Yundong in an all-out battle regardless of the consequences. But before her form could move, she suddenly saw a vast expanse of dark clouds rapidly drifting in the sky above them. Clouds churned overhead, punctuated by flashes of lightning.

Both Li Yundong and Zhang Ling were startled, feeling a pair of tremendously terrifying and majestic eyes fixed upon them.

Zhang Ling roared, "Li Yundong, you are cheating! Using such a shameless and despicable trick! Aren't you afraid of drawing down heavenly lightning and harming the innocent?"

Li Yundong was also shocked and angry, "It wasn't me who summoned it! Do you think I'm crazy?"

Zhang Ling paused, "If it wasn't you, then who? Could it be someone else is trying to reap the spoils of our fight?"