Chapter 148: Fusion

Within the Serpent-Clan, though the High Priestess's cultivation was not the most formidable, her status was supremely elevated and her prestige immense. Upon her passing, a profound sorrow inevitably stirred in everyone's hearts. She had sacrificed her life for the future of the Serpent-Clan.

"Issue the command throughout the clan: wear mourning attire for the High Priestess, and bid her farewell!" These solemn words echoed within the grand hall as Mo Feng lifted the High Priestess into his arms, slowly walking out toward the hall's exterior.

In the blink of an eye, a year had slipped away. Ever since the High Priestess passed, Mo Feng frequently recalled her parting words. Throughout this entire year, he had been waiting—waiting for the arrival of the person she had prophesied. Yet, she had left not a single trace or clue concerning that individual.

To search for him would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Even if this person were to stand right before him, he feared he might not recognize him at all.

As time slowly drifted by, the opening of the sacred grounds they had guarded for generations grew closer and closer. Within the Serpent-Clan tribe, although everything appeared remarkably tranquil, Mo Feng knew clearly that this peace could not endure for long.

Once the day of the sacred grounds' opening arrived, the Serpent-Clan would likely suffer a devastating calamity because of it.

On this day, Mo Feng stood upon the terrace before the grand hall. Standing here, he could take in the entire Serpent-Clan settlement at a single glance. This peak was the highest in the clan, save for the Holy Mountain itself, and it served as a symbol of his status and authority.

Overlooking the entire clan and watching those tribesmen still immersed in a peaceful and serene life, Mo Feng felt a heavy weight press down upon his heart. As the clan leader, his duty was to protect his people, ensuring they lived stable and happy lives.

However, ever since the ancestors passed down that scroll from the Holy Mountain, he had realized just how heavy the burden on his shoulders truly was. When this catastrophe struck, even those formidable ancestors residing within the Holy Mountain would find it inescapable.

In Mo Feng's eyes, those ancestors were immensely powerful entities. Throughout the endless years, nothing had ever been able to cause them such deep concern.

Yet this time, even the ancestors of the Serpent-Clan were consumed with worry, let alone Mo Feng himself.

If even the ancestors could not shield the Serpent-Clan, how could someone of his current cultivation level enable the clan to safely weather this disaster?

"Sigh!" Standing atop the peak and gazing down at his tribesmen, Mo Feng let out a long sigh, filled with a deep sense of helplessness.

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly. His gaze turned toward a certain spot among the mountain ranges, and in an instant, his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing before an ordinary hill.

With a slight flick of his mind and a wave of his hand, an invisible barrier of light isolated the surrounding area from the rest of the world. He then stood quietly in place, watching the small mountain with amused interest.

Within the mountain, a figure sat quietly in cross-legged meditation. At this moment, his expression was utterly serene. In the depths of his mind, three clusters of light were enveloped by a faint golden radiance, lacking only a final touch to completely separate from one another.

Beside these three light clusters hovered a tiny golden sword, while a golden true dragon coiled within his sea of consciousness, its massive form occupying the greater part of it.

The moment Mo Feng arrived near the mountain, the golden true dragon had sensed his presence. However, seeing that Mo Feng made no aggressive move and had instead isolated the area, the golden true dragon did not manifest. Instead, it remained within Yin Tianfang's sea of consciousness, observing the subtle spiritual changes occurring within.

Several hours later, the three light clusters in Yin Tianfang's sea of consciousness finally split apart, becoming independent entities. The faint golden light enveloping the clusters also vanished.

The three light clusters represented three souls—three independent souls, one primary and two secondary. The secondary souls possessed independent thought yet remained subservient to the primary soul.

The Art of Tri-Division had finally divided Yin Tianfang's soul into three. A breath of relief escaped Yin Tianfang's heart. Although the art appeared simple, practicing it was extraordinarily agonizing. The torment of soul fragmentation was something ordinary people could hardly endure.

Moreover, the art was exceedingly extreme; once practiced, it was a matter of life or death. Who among ordinary people would be willing to risk their lives practicing such a seemingly useless technique?

To others, it was a useless technique, but to Yin Tianfang, its utility was immense. This was because he possessed three golden cores. If he possessed only a single soul, he could ultimately cultivate only one golden core to the Great Perfection realm, while the other two would remain forever stalled at the mid-stage of core formation with no possibility of further advancement.

Forming hand seals with both hands, he instantly summoned converging spiritual energy. The surging currents stirred the air, whipping up violent gales within the dark cavern. Boundless spiritual energy poured into Yin Tianfang's body, where it was absorbed, refined, and channeled straight into his dantian. Within the dantian, the golden cores revolved, and Yin Tianfang's aura steadily climbed.

Outside the cavern, Mo Feng stood quietly, his expression calm and devoid of the slightest trace of impatience. Several hours later, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged violently, and a trace of astonishment flickered in Mo Feng's eyes.

The speed at which the spiritual energy converged was even more intense than breaking through to the Great Perfection of Core Formation!

"Who on earth is this?" A flicker of curiosity arose within Mo Feng's heart. Anyone capable of triggering such a dramatic shift in the forces of nature was certainly no ordinary person.

"Could it be someone from my Serpent-Clan?" Mo Feng wondered, but he immediately shook his head. He was well aware of all the talented individuals within the clan. Furthermore, since they shared the same bloodline, he should have been able to sense them.

Yet, he sensed no kindred bloodline whatsoever! This meant that the person breaking through at this moment was not a member of his clan.

Inside the cavern, Yin Tianfang was naturally unaware that an immensely formidable entity was waiting outside for him to emerge.

His mind and focus were entirely devoted to the breakthrough. Boundless natural energy poured in, and his golden cores acted like bottomless pits, continuously devouring the energy.

At last, the three golden cores reached their limits, broke through that threshold, and entered a brand-new realm. At that very moment, Yin Tianfang's cultivation realm stepped into the mid-stage of core formation.

Yet, it did not stop there. The natural energy continued to converge relentlessly.

Upon reaching the mid-stage of core formation, embryos began to gestate within the golden cores. Once the embryos matured, the core would shatter and the nascent soul would be born, but before that, the soul had to fuse completely with the golden cores.

Having broken through to the mid-stage of core formation, the golden cores within Yin Tianfang's body continued to absorb the energy of heaven and earth. Within the cores, embryonic forms gradually began to take shape, growing larger as time passed.

When the embryos finally acquired the distinct outlines of infants a month later, Yin Tianfang altered his hand seals. Inside his sea of consciousness, the three soul-light clusters directly departed the mental realm, descending into the dantian to merge with the three golden cores.