The streets of Grand Dominance City were adorned with lanterns on the eve of the lunar new year.
Children ran down the street, leaving footprints in the heavy snow as they watched the fireworks and the various acrobatic performances.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao were sitting in a tea shop, listening to a storyteller narrate fantasy stories as they watched the thickly-clothed children run.
Qin Yun recalled his memories of raising Meng Huan when he saw these children. "Huan'er has long grown up and even entered the Jade Tripod Sect, a top cultivation sect. But my daughter? She was taken away just after she was born. What sort of life does she lead with Yellow-robed Supremacy?"
Yi Xiao was also looking at the children outside the window in a daze.
Qin Yun stretched out his hand and grabbed his wife's hand.
Yi Xiao turned to look at him.
"Xiaoxiao, I will save our daughter no matter what," said Qin Yun.
"Brother Yun, how confident are you of condensing an Essence Soul?"
"Thirty to forty percent," said Qin Yun. "After all, in the entire Three Realms, only the Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor has ever succeeded. Although the other mighty figures had only inferred from nothing while I cultivate it myself and have actual experience… my level of insight and experience is just too low compared to those mighty figures. Even so, I believe I should take my chances with thirty to forty percent."
Yi Xiao nodded gently.
She was very worried, but her husband was resolved to attempt to condense an Essence Soul in a few more days. She did not wish to say anything demoralizing.
"Whoosh."
A blurry figure gradually turned corporeal to their side. A black-haired man walked over, and although it was bustling inside the tea shop with it being new year's eve, the crowd did not see him.
"Senior Skydragon." Qin Yun and Yi Xiao stood up to greet him.
"Qin Yun, Yi Xiao." East Sea Skydragon walked over and sat down with a smile. Only then did the couple sit down.
"I just heard that the Ancient Skydragon Palace in the West Sea has appeared in its entirety, with many of its array formations cracked." East Sea Skydragon looked at Qin Yun. "I instantly thought of you, Qin Yun. Only you of all people in the Great Chang world are capable of such a thing."
Qin Yun nodded slightly. "Yes, I went to the Ancient Skydragon Palace not long ago."
"I wish you would hand the Ancient Skydragon Palace's corpse over to me. After all, he is a member of my Dragon race. There are even a small number of dragons from the Four Seas that are his descendants. Back when the Ancient Skydragon Palace was overrun, there were other dragons outside who luckily escaped the calamity. I have to bring his corpse back and bury it," said East Sea Skydragon. "Of course, all the treasures in the Dragon Palace will be yours to keep."
"The ancient Skydragon, Ba Yun, had a last wish." Qin Yun said with a wave of his hand.
Hua!
Qin Yun presented the scene before the death of ancient Skydragon, Ba Yun in midair.
East Sea Skydragon watched silently, and when it ended looked anguished. "I've heard of the matter regarding Dragon Mountain world. Unfortunately, we have not been able to take it back. It's still occupied by Old Fiend Fire Puppet. Although we dragons are a powerful species in the Three Realms, we are still far inferior to the Daoists and Buddhists, as well as the Heavenly Courts. It's the same with even the Fiendcelestials."
The Heavenly Courts ruled over the Three Realms.
The Daoists, Buddhists, and Fiendcelestials all had numerous experts.
The dragons were relatively weaker! They were similar to the Magi. Although they were a faction that filled the Three Realms, there was only the Ten Magi that had reached the Ancestral Magus realm. There were fewer than ten dragons that reached the Ancestral Dragon realm. How could they compare with the Daoists, Buddhists or Fiends?
"He had a last wish, so I have cremated his corpse, leaving only ashes behind," explained Qin Yun.
"Since Ba Yun has a last wish, we naturally should abide by it." East Sea Skydragon stood up. "Alright, it's the human's new year's eve. I won't disturb the two of you any longer."
Days passed one by one.
Qin Yun spent them with his wife, either strolling leisurely or going out to listen to tunes or even meet Chen Shuang.
Qin Yun appeared to be relaxed, but his mind was constantly pondering over many things.
The longer he pondered, Qin Yun found that the number of modifications he could make to the Essence Soul condensing Dharmic formulation was decreasing.
The nineteenth day of the new year seemed like a very ordinary day in Grand Dominance City. Qin Yun did not make it known to the public, but on that day he began to condense a sword immortal Essence Soul!
Outside the chamber, Qin Yun looked at his wife, Yi Xiao.
"If I succeed in condensing an Essence Soul, I'll have a chance of being recruited into Green Touring Palace as Senior Zhang suggested," said Qin Yun. "I'll then be Yellow-robed Supremacy's junior brother. Although his character has changed drastically, he is not overly ruthless to his fellow disciples."
"Yea." Yi Xiao nodded.
"If I fail…" added Qin Yun.
Yi Xiao was taken aback.
She never spoke of the possibility, afraid that it would be a tragic taboo.
"Xiaoxiao." Qin Yun looked at his wife. "If I fail, I will still save our daughter. If I were to really die in the Skywolf world, I'd probably have to reincarnate. Should that happen, you will have to wait for me for another ten plus years. I'll be received and, after awakening my memories, I'll return to the Great Chang world for you once I recover my cultivation level."
Yi Xiao was a little worried so she could not help but say, "Brother Yun, if there's really no way to save our daughter, there's no need for you to fight a hopeless battle. I have already lost my daughter. I do not wish to lose you as well. All kinds of unexpected complications might happen during the receiving of a reincarnator too."
There were cases of delayed receiving in history.
When they happened, they caused the feelings and memories of the brand new incarnation to take over, causing a drastic change in character. It would make the previous incarnation nothing but a fleeting memory.
"She's our daughter. As her parents, we owe it to her." Qin Yun looked at his wife. "Letting her suffer makes me feel unrest. Alright, whether I succeed in condensing the Essence Soul or not, I am prepared for everything that follows."
He was determined.
He would risk it all!
Qin Yun turned to head into the chamber as the door closed behind him.
Yi Xiao watched the door close silently.
"Am I being selfish?" she muttered.
On one hand, she felt extremely guilty about her daughter.
On the other hand, Qin Yun was her husband, someone more important than her own life.
"I hope Brother Yun succeeds in condensing an Essence Soul. That would really be a meteoric rise for him." Yi Xiao reeled with anticipation.
A faint fragrance filled Qin Yun's cultivation chamber as he sat cross-legged. He held a black bottle and pulled out the stopper.
With a gulp, a beam of light flew out of the bottle and into his mouth.
Qin Yun felt his entire body turn cold as his soul felt an icy chill. His soul felt an unprecedented emptiness.
"I believe I have created a sufficiently complete and intricate Dharmic formulation. It should be capable of condensing an Essence Soul sword. I will definitely succeed." Qin Yun calmed his mind.
Although he had three conjectures regarding a sword immortal Essence Soul, he still lacked complete confidence. Only when he learned that the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage used a sword for an Essence Soul did Qin Yun see a glimmer of light in the darkness.
It was the stroke of god!
Truly a stroke of god!
The Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor was indeed powerful. Ordinary Essence Souls of the Daoist lineage were in the shape of humans but the Essence Souls of sword immortals were swords.
And it was that particular shape that allowed one the foundation to condense the sharp and oppressive Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers into an Essence Soul!
Qin Yun finally inferred a Dharmic formulation that could condense an Essence Soul through the aid of the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma, the three sword immortal manuals, as well as his own experiences.
"It's time. Success or failure will all depend on this."
Qin Yun closed his eyes.
He looked inwardly at the purplish-gold Golden Core inside his dantian.
The round Golden Core that suffused purple light was truly in its perfect state.
"Condense!"
His soul started to descend as he began the process of condensing an Essence Soul.
"Boom!!!"
The first step was about being violent.
Only by being violent could he fuse his soul deep into the sharp and oppressive Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers.
"Rumble!" The purplish-gold Golden Core hummed but his soul had seeped in slightly through its sheer potent force.
"Next, it should be silent. The seeping should happen gradually and from the silence, an Essence Soul will be born." Qin Yun felt his soul resonating but it was actually rather comfortable.
Second after second passed by.
Qin Yun felt nervous but was also filled with anticipation.
No problems had cropped up after such a long period of time, and this gave him hope!
Moments later.
"Crack."
The round purplish-gold Golden Core suddenly produced its first crack inside his dantian. Like a chain reaction, the second and third cracks began permeating his Golden Core.
"Ahhh." Qin Yun felt his eyes go black as he suddenly felt a sharp, excruciating pain as though his soul was being ripped apart.
The Golden Core was now shattering.
While it shattered, massive amounts of Sword Qi and Dharmic powers seeped out of the cracks. They began coursing through his body without control. With what was left of his consciousness, Qin Yun tried his best to bind the Dharmic powers in his body. If he allowed them to surge through his body heedlessly, it would cause his body to explode.
"Phuah!"
Even so, the outpouring of Dharmic powers caused his lifeblood to surge. Instantly, he bled from all of his seven orifices.
Qin Yun spat out a mouthful of blood.
"No, no—" Qin Yun gritted his teeth immediately. He took out a green jade bottle and pulled out its stopper. Without any hesitation, he swallowed the six Nine Revolutions Spirit Pills contained within all in one go.
His hands held onto the ground as veins all across his body protruded out.
The Nine Revolutions Spirit Pills quickly restored his soul and Golden Core.
"I failed. I failed. Where did I go wrong? Where?" Qin Yun's soul remained in great pain. The Nine Revolutions Spirit Pills' effects had allowed him to maintain his basic level of thought. He knew he had failed in condensing an Essence Soul. It also meant that his Dharmic formulation was wrong.
But which part was wrong?
Qin Yun did not know.
"Where did it go wrong?"
"Hahaha…"
"I can't even tell where I went wrong! To think, I believed I could condense a sword immortal Essence Soul? What a joke." Qin Yun muttered. "Xiaoxiao, I let you down after all."
To be the second person in the Three Realm's history to create a sword immortal Essence Soul realm Dharmic formulation by himself?
How could it be that simple?
That path was destined to be fraught with difficulties!
Either he became a disciple of the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage, where the sword immortal Dharmic formulation was long created, allowing a smooth path ahead, or he had to forge a path for himself. He could not get his bearings and he had to do everything by trial and error. It was thousands of times more difficult.