The avatar laughed heartily. Just then, a sudden surge of force ripped through his chest. His body could no longer withstand it, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. "Pff... maybe this is fate, or perhaps this is what I'm ant to do as the first avatar."
However, his speed in extracting Lu Chen's obsessive mories only increased.
Endless streams of obsession swirled from Lu Chen, forming dark-gray vortices in the air. The avatar swung his left hand, drawing all the floating vortices into himself.
Inside him, the dark-gray whirlpools accumulated rapidly. The relentless force battered him, leaving irregular dark-gray marks across his forehead, arms, abdon, and waist, intensifying his agony.
"Sigh... Why are you doing this?" Lu Chen finally broke free from the avatar's restraint, turning to strike him with a palm. The fierce force expelled most of the black vortices from the avatar's body. "You're reckless. Attacking like this... even the rebound could kill you."
"Heh, Original... We may share a mind, but there's still a slight delay in mory reception. By now, I've absorbed enough obsessive mories," the avatar clutched his chest and knelt, ignoring the backlash of obsessive energy on both himself and Lu Chen. He stared at Lu Chen with wild laughter. "Even if you've forced out part of the vortex, it's already too late. The obsession left in has begun to grow."
"Why would you bother? Is it necessary to claim this obsession?" Lu Chen asked, his face twisting, his inner conflict reflecting in his eyes.
"It is necessary for . I was born for this." The avatar spat blood again, propping himself into a half-kneeling position, reaching toward Lu Chen with his right hand. "Original... Could you now grant the na 'Lu Qing'?"
Lu Chen let out a long sigh. "Fine, fine. If you're so determined, I'll give you the na. But you won't carry this obsession alone. We all share the sa burden. Together, we must find Grandpa, uncover the true culprit, and avenge the villagers."
At that mont, Lu Chen's gaze grew resolute. He stepped before the avatar, extending his right hand to et the avatar's. Behind him, the Good Self's eyes cleared completely.
"I am the Good Self. Original, I have awakened," the Good Self stepped forward, placing a hand atop theirs. "I don't yet know what obsession I have, but I'll bear a part of this one too."
The Evil Self groaned softly, "Ugh... ugh..."
He swayed, then placed a hand on top, signaling his agreent.
"The Good Self has awakened?" Jun Laoye asked, bewildered. "What kind of technique is this? How does it awaken self-awareness in two avatars at once?"
Observing the Good Self's awakening, Wind Dragon remarked, "To think the second avatar has gained self-awareness as well. Little Lu's progress is astonishing. He's already faster than the geniuses of the past. He may still be the Good Self, but it shouldn't be long before he becos the true Good Corpse."
"Two avatars gaining awareness... that's impressive," Standing beside Nantian Wan'er, Nantian Yijian nodded in amazent. "More than impressive. It's extraordinary. I knew it... I knew it. Our boss just keeps getting stronger."
"I know Lu-gege has always been strong," Nantian Wan'er said softly, stepping beside Lu Chen. "I'll share this burden of obsession with him."
"Since all of you seem eager to claim this obsession, let join in too."
Jun Laoye laughed, placing his hand atop Nantian Wan'er's. "I'll be pursuing my clan's obsession along the way, so I don't mind how heavy Little Lu's burden is. No matter how severe it is, it could never outweigh the consequences of pursuing the Heavenly Dao."
Nantian Yijian leapt to Lu Chen's side and placed his hand atop Jun Laoye's. "I may not understand the full impact of this obsession, but as a brother, I won't fall behind."
"Hahaha... What a scene!" Wind Dragon laughed heartily. "It's exactly like when Lord First absorbed Lord Green Emperor's obsession. To think the sa scene would play out again... History really repeats itself."
Wind Dragon flew forward, pressing his dragon claw atop Nantian Yijian's hand. "Since you little brats dare to bear the consequences of obsession, how can I, an old beast, shrink back?"
"You all... hahaha..." Lu Chen watched as they placed their hands together, his heart stirring wildly. "Good. We shall not only bear my obsession, but yours as well. Together, we carry them."
As he spoke, it felt as if heaven and earth had responded. A blessing descended, enveloping them. The gray-black smoke of hidden obsession surged from their joined hands, revealing the obsessions buried within each of them.
"These... could these really be our obsessions?"
Nantian Yijian stared at the dark gray smoke swirling at the center and shouted, "Boss's obsession is finding Grandpa and avenging the villagers, while Little Jun's obsession is reclaiming the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. What about mine and the others'? What exactly are our obsessions?"
"Boy, just feel the blessings the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth brings. This is a rare opportunity," Wind Dragon replied with a light chuckle, looking at Nantian Yijian. "What you just ntioned aren't true obsessions. Any obsession that can be spoken aloud isn't real. Only the story buried behind it counts. That is the true obsession."
"The story buried behind it is the obsession?" Lu Chen and the others were stunned for a mont, then spoke in unison. "If that's the case, then let us cultivate. Let us face the obsessions in our hearts together."
In an instant, the aura of the seven, along with Wind Dragon's, surged violently. Lu Chen, Nantian Wan'er, and the three avatars stood facing one another, each radiating dense, blue primordial spirit qi.
The Innate Bagua Diagram beneath their feet flickered with blue light and began to expand outward. From the center of the Taiji Diagram, the Green Sovereign Divine Tree shot skyward, carrying the mories of their obsessions with it.
Jun Laoye's Heavenly Lightning Eye suddenly opened, while the divine ability on his abdon flared. The Heavenly Dao Spear appeared behind him, its purple lightning illuminating his body. Nantian Yijian, anwhile, kept his gaze fixed on the obsessions swirling above him.
The Heavenly Pool erupted with crisp, resonant sounds. The spirit qi mass in the sea of qi, previously stable, contracted sharply and shattered at its limit. At the sa ti, a faint yellow light within the pool surged into the sea of qi.
The yellow light swirled at the center, expanding rapidly until it pushed the sea of qi's boundary to the very edge of the Heavenly Pool. Only then did it slow, repeatedly contracting and expanding in a continuous cycle.
"Boss, my spirit qi... It's gone. All the energy I've accumulated over the years just vanished." Nantian Yijian's panic was evident. "I can't absorb any spirit qi now, and it seems my sea of qi has been occupied by that Wish Power."
The sea of qi continued its relentless cycle. The yellow light washed over Nantian Yijian's body, and his Heavenly Pool gradually expanded. The faint blue spiritual glow surrounding him shifted inward and outward, slowly transforming into a pale yellow light.
Wind Dragon's forehead was pierced by the Hunyuan Greatsword, his body enveloped in black and teal mists that intertwined, darkening his entire form.
Hearing Nantian Yijian's words, Wind Dragon extended a claw toward the sea of qi in Nantian Yijian's abdon.
"Don't worry, boy. Strictly speaking, Wish Power is a form of spirit qi. For you, this might even be a fortunate encounter," Wind Dragon said, withdrawing his claw with a chuckle. "You've already advanced to the Qi Regulation Realm. Now, you are a true cultivator."
"Is that so? Let see." Nantian Yijian listened carefully to Wind Dragon's explanation and sensed his cultivation again. But instead of excitent, a worried frown creased his face as he glanced at Lu Chen.
"What's wrong, Little Jian? Haven't you always wanted to break through?" Lu Chen asked, puzzled. "Now that you've reached the Qi Regulation Realm, why the long face?"
While repeatedly checking his body, Nantian Yijian explained, "I am excited... but I just realized sothing. Boss, did you notice that I didn't trigger the Heavenly Tribulation? There was no on of Heavenly Lightning striking either. It's well known among cultivators that if the Heavenly Tribulation doesn't co at a breakthrough, it ans heaven and earth haven't recognized the cultivator."
After checking himself dozens of tis and still finding no sign of the Heavenly Tribulation, his mood sank even further. "I've checked over and over, but there's nothing. Boss... what should I do? Does this an I can't beco a true cultivator?"
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