Yu Shan was correct. Without splitting apart the Nine Heavens, no one could learn the Nine Heavens Transformation.
In that case, how did one go about splitting apart the Nine Heavens? How were the Nine Heavens connected? How did each Heaven preserve a single power?
This was something Lu Yin could not discover, and Yu Shan was also unable to provide an answer.
The man continued to demonstrate the technique for several days. Lu Yin saw through the style of each Heaven, yet he was still unable to learn the technique.
Yu Shan helplessly said, "That's all of it."
Lu Yin looked at him. "Being protected by Boundless comes with a price, and that price is high."
Yu Shan replied, "I have nothing. I’ve taught you as much of the Nine Heavens Transformation as I can, but you can’t learn it without splitting the Nine Heavens. That isn’t my fault."
Lu Yin nodded. "It’s not your fault, so we’ll change the price."
"What price?" Yu Shan asked in confusion. Before he could even react, he was imprisoned in the Champions' Stage Purgatory.
Lu Yin wanted the man to experience the cycles of karma, re-experiencing what it was to cultivate the Nine Heavens Transformation. This was something that Yu Shan had already experienced. If Yu Shan failed to see through the technique the first time, it did not matter. He could try again and again. This was something that was not only tied to Yu Shan’s karma, but also the High Seraph’s. Lu Yin wanted to see if it was truly impossible for him to learn the Nine Heavens Transformation.
While Lu Yin was attempting to learn the Nine Heavens Transformation, the Spirit Nidus’s thirty-six domains were thrown into chaos because of the resources that Lu Yin was collecting.
Sage Qian was missing from the Vast Qian Domain, and the Skyriver had been taken away. This caused most of the cultivators who had followed Sage Qian to leave the domain. Many had fled, taking whatever they could carry. Of course, a few had stayed behind, and they were led by Sage Qian's disciple, Liu Zhang.
Liu Zhang stared up at Mu Zhu in a daze. The woman was looking down at him from high above. Sorrow covered the man’s face. "We... we don’t have that much."
Mu Zhu’s eyes were frigid as she looked down at the man. "Seraph Lu is collecting resources. Your refusal is an act of defiance against a Seraph."
Liu Zhang started to despair. "My master was captured by Seraph Lu, and our Skyriver is gone. Most of the disciples have fled. How could we have any resources left? If you don't believe me, feel free to search for yourself."
Mu Zhu soon left the Vast Qian Domain and moved onto the next domain.
In the Alin Domain, the Aqua Rift had been restored. Wilderness God returned to the domain, accompanied by the Megalith to collect spirit seeds. The cultivators of the Alin Domain were furious, but no one dared to argue.
Lu Tianyi, Luo Shan, and all the others arrived at the domains that they had been assigned to gather resources from.
Sovereign Dou Sheng arrived in the Consciousness Domain, along with Progenitor Xi.
Progenitor Xi stared blankly in one direction. Is that... Wu Wei?
The Revolt Alliance stepped forward, led by Shi Lin. "Are you two from the Grandverse Manor? What business do you have here?"
Sovereign Dou Sheng held his golden cudgel and pointed it at Shi Lin. "Seraph Lu is gathering resources. Quickly prepare a few hundred trillion spirit seeds for us to take back to him."
Progenitor Xi was stunned. A few hundred trillion?
Shi Lin was similarly stunned, and the members of the Revolt Alliance who stood behind him were completely dumbfounded. A few hundred trillion? That had to be a joke. Since when had the Consciousness Domain become a target to collect resources from?
Shi Lin answered in a low voice, "Please return and report to Seraph Lu that the Consciousness Domain has no resources for him to collect."
Sovereign Dou Sheng sneered. "Are you provoking Seraph Lu?"
Shi Lin stared at Sovereign Dou Sheng. "While we certainly do respect Seraph Lu, the resources of the Consciousness Domain are limited to the conscients here. This is a rule of the Spirit Nidus. Please leave."
"You're quite bold! Why don’t you show me what gives you the courage to drive us away." As he spoke, Sovereign Dou Sheng swung his golden cudgel straight at Shi Lin.
Daoist Fengzhi stepped forward from where he had been standing behind Shi Lin. "Don't go too far!"
The cudgel slammed down upon Daoist Fengzhi's head, scattering his sequence particles. The attack startled him, and his consciousness lashed out at Sovereign Dou Sheng. The Sovereign met the attack with his own consciousness, which caused his body to sway slightly, though he avoided taking any damage. The golden cudgel then slammed down again, forcing Daoist Fengzhi into the ground.
Shi Lin grew furious. "Stop!"
His eyes were cold as he released his Celestial-level consciousness to attack Sovereign Dou Sheng.
The Sovereign pulled his cudgel back, even as blood streamed from his seven orifices. While he struggled to fight against Celestial-level consciousness, he would not be defeated.
As his blood started to flow, the man’s aura surged dramatically. He had activated Triumphant Brawl, and a copy of Sovereign Dou Sheng that was a hundred times larger than the man appeared behind him. His cudgel rose up once more as he prepared to strike Shi Lin.