Chapter 460: Thunder Pond Baptism of the Nascent Soul

Seeing this, Han Li's heart tightened, uncertain whether to be pleased or worried.

However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that beneath the black threads at that acupoint, faint white light was shining through, like a white umbrella propped up inside, blocking the black threads.

"This is... Star Power!" Han Li murmured to himself, his mind stirring.

It turned out that this immortal acupoint coincided with one of the thirty-six mysterious acupoints he had previously opened. He had never imagined that the Star Power contained in the mysterious acupoints would be so effective in resisting acupoint decay.

Seeing this, he felt relieved and instead of taking immediate action, he decided to continue observing the process of acupoint decay.

If this scene were witnessed by an ordinary True Immortal realm cultivator, they would likely be furious—who could face the calamity of acupoint decay so calmly?

The black threads of acupoint decay and the Star Power in the mysterious acupoint were now wrestling like two warriors. The former had the advantage of timing, the latter of position, and they were locked in a stalemate, seemingly evenly matched.

But Han Li could see that in each struggle, the black threads of acupoint decay gained a slight edge. This was not because their power was truly stronger than Star Power, but because even mysterious acupoints fall within the category of acupoints.

They indeed greatly enhanced the immortal acupoint's resistance to decay force, slowing the process significantly, but they could not fundamentally prevent acupoint decay.

In other words, the Star Power in mysterious acupoints could buy cultivators precious time to resist the third decay, but if they still couldn't find a way to resist, they would ultimately succumb to acupoint decay.

After watching for a while, Han Li found it somewhat dull. He suddenly formed hand seals, and a brilliant golden light burst from behind him. The Wheel of Truth roared out, spun rapidly, and then hovered before him.

Three hundred and sixty Time Dao patterns on the wheel simultaneously emitted translucent light, emanating waves of intense Time Law fluctuations. The golden eye at the center spewed a beam of golden light that fell upon that immortal acupoint.

As the golden light descended, it immediately transformed into visible golden threads that intertwined with the black threads in the acupoint, pulling them outward like pulling a radish.

The moment these two forces made contact, Han Li felt as if the skin there was being pulled, not cut by a knife but torn downward, causing him to gasp sharply.

An indescribable pain instantly transmitted from that immortal acupoint directly into his sea of consciousness.

Han Li quickly clasped his hands and pointed forward with his fingers. The golden wheel immediately spun rapidly, its Time Dao patterns growing brighter. From the light released by the Eye of Truth at the center, a golden crystal thread shot out.

That golden crystal thread was none other than the single Time Law Thread he had painstakingly condensed, containing extremely pure Time Law power.

Like a straight arrow, it flashed and shot into Han Li's immortal acupoint.

As the golden thread entered the acupoint, it rippled with a layer of golden light, enveloping the entire acupoint.

The black threads in the immortal acupoint, upon contact with the golden light containing Law power, immediately dissipated like snow under the scorching sun, quickly cleansed away.

This process seemed long but actually took only a few breaths.

After the black light completely receded, the surrounding spiritual energy surged in again, pouring back into the immortal acupoint.

The calamity of acupoint decay, which would terrify ordinary late-stage True Immortal cultivators, dissolved silently under the Time Law Thread, one of the three supreme laws.

Han Li breathed a sigh of relief and continued to cultivate with his eyes closed.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the thirty-sixth immortal acupoint was finally opened.

A rumbling sound emanated from Han Li's body. All thirty-six immortal acupoints on his body lit up simultaneously, and a dazzling golden light shot up from his body, piercing into the layers of dark clouds.

"This... what's happening? The acupoint decay calamity passed so quickly? The combination of Mystic Immortal Body and Time Law is truly..." In the void not far away, the Crab Immortal watched, a rare look of surprise on his face as he murmured.

But since the crisis had passed, he flickered and returned to the green bamboo pavilion at the edge of the city.

"Rumble..."

High above, thunder rumbled continuously. The dark clouds gradually dispersed, revealing not a clear sky but a golden thunder pond a hundred zhang in diameter, where lightning had condensed into liquid, reflecting shimmering light.

Han Li looked up, raised his hand, and grabbed. The exquisite jade box that had been before him flew into his hand.

He casually waved his hand, removing several talismans sealing the box, and with a "pop," opened the lid.

As the lid opened, a strange medicinal fragrance emanated. Inside the box lay a golden pill the size of a dragon's eye—the Golden Soul Pill, made from a Golden Immortal's nascent soul as the main ingredient.

Han Li gently picked up the pill with two fair fingers, brought it to his eyes for a brief look, then tilted his head back and swallowed it.

As the pill slid slowly down his throat, a soft golden glow lit up in his chest and abdomen, making his entire face seem coated with gold paint.

A strange energy generated from his chest and abdomen did not descend into his dantian but surged upward, flooding into his sea of consciousness and merging with his divine soul.

Han Li first felt a sharp pain in his head, then became extremely clear-headed. In that instant, his five senses were elevated to a state of ethereal emptiness.

The world before him was still the same world, yet it seemed no longer the same.

His eyes could see traces of spiritual energy flow in the void; his ears could hear the sound of dust particles colliding in the air; his pores seemed fully opened, allowing him to feel the vibrations of every passing breeze.

Without even using divine sense to probe, he could perceive every corner of this secret realm and every change occurring, even detecting the faint pulsations within the Crab Immortal's core with perfect accuracy.

Just then, his ears twitched slightly, as if he heard something unusual from under a stone platform in the abandoned garden. Was there something there?

Just as Han Li wanted to listen further, this brief state of emptiness vanished. His five senses returned to normal, but his divine soul became more solid.

Han Li immediately focused his mind, no longer distracted. He knew that the final barrier before achieving Golden Immortal had arrived.

After taking a deep breath, he slapped the top of his head. His crown suddenly opened, and a small figure, a few inches tall and enveloped in golden light, shot out. Its golden light was solid, and its face was identical to Han Li's—naturally, it was his nascent soul.

After leaving the body, the nascent soul circled his physical form once, then soared upward and plunged into the golden thunder pond.

The reason why a Golden Immortal's nascent soul is extremely difficult to kill, vastly different from the True Immortal stage, is that before a True Immortal advances to Golden Immortal, a Nine Heavens Thunder Pond appears in the sky. Only if the True Immortal's nascent soul undergoes the baptism of the pond's golden liquid in the thunder pond can its quality undergo a qualitative leap.

As Han Li's nascent soul entered the thunder pond, it was like a drop of water splashing into a hot oil pan, causing the entire pond to boil.

The purest golden liquid of the thunder pond surged up, crashing like monstrous waves against Han Li's nascent soul. The latter, however, formed hand seals and sat cross-legged on the surface of the pond.

His figure rose and fell with the golden liquid, but he remained motionless, letting the golden lightning bolts continuously strike him.

"Crackle..."

Dense strands of golden electric threads, like a golden garment, wrapped around the golden figure, colliding with its own golden light and flashing with dazzling brilliance.

Han Li's physical body sat cross-legged, maintaining its original posture, eyes tightly shut, brows furrowed, his face full of pain.

At this moment, his sea of consciousness was also a terrifying scene of raging storms and towering waves.

Dazzling golden lightning flashed in crisscrossing patterns, almost filling his entire sea of consciousness. Each thunderclap felt like a direct strike on his divine soul.

He could clearly perceive every electric strike his nascent soul received in the thunder pond. The pain, reaching directly to his soul, was even more unbearable than flaying and dismemberment.

Han Li knew little about the thunder pond baptism of the nascent soul. He had originally planned to consult Hu Yan after this trip to the Immortal Mansion, but unexpectedly, he was trapped here and now broke through.

In fact, for a True Immortal cultivator, opening thirty-six immortal acupoints only meant one foot was across the threshold of Golden Immortal. Whether the other foot would cross depended on the result of the thunder pond baptism.

The baptism depended partly on heaven's will and partly on human effort.

Once the nascent soul entered the thunder pond, it was like entering a thunder prison. When it would reopen was entirely up to heaven's will. Some would end in half a day, while others could last several days.

Generally, the longer the tempering, the greater the improvement in nascent soul quality, but also the greater the likelihood that the nascent soul would not withstand the process and collapse.

Differences exist between individuals. Some have light divine souls and unstable nascent souls. Entering the thunder pond rashly would be like seeking death; they could never withstand the purest Nine Heavens Thunder in the golden liquid of the thunder pond and would ultimately end in the destruction of both the nascent soul and the body.

Han Li was different. His nascent soul was already much stronger than that of an ordinary True Immortal. He had also cultivated the Soul Refining Art to the fourth layer, though not yet fully mastered, his divine soul was more stable than that of many Golden Immortals. Additionally, having taken the Golden Soul Pill, he had a clear advantage in facing the thunder pond baptism.

But how long would this thunder pond last for his tempering?

The Crab Immortal watched from afar, his gaze calm, his expression serene, lost in thought.