Chapter 365 - 364: Yunqi Realm

It was the Yunqi Realm, the Realm of Fortune!

The Yunqi Realm was not an ordinary cultivation stage, nor was it a conventional breakthrough that increased a cultivator’s realm through the accumulation of spiritual Qi.

Instead, it represented a state in which Heaven’s blessing fundamentally altered the density and output of a cultivator’s power. The practitioner’s base cultivation remained the same, but the fortune surrounding them allowed their spiritual Qi and combat prowess to reach a level far beyond what their realm should permit.

When a cultivator entered this state, the difference between their cultivation realm and actual combat strength could become astonishing. A Core Formation cultivator who entered the Yunqi Realm might possess power normally associated with a much higher realm, provided their fortune and the artifact amplifying it were sufficiently extraordinary.

It was a rare phenomenon that could not be reproduced through ordinary cultivation, because its foundation depended upon the mysterious relationship between an individual’s destiny and the Great Dao.

The golden light gradually receded, drifting away in slow, glittering motes that dissolved before they ever touched the ruined ground.

Bai Qingyue remained suspended above the ruined plaza, her pale blue gown pristine once more and her silver hair flowing gently in the turbulent wind. The Fortune Banner stood firmly in her hands, its golden fabric fluttering behind her as ancient runes continued to shimmer across its surface.

Her cultivation had not changed in the conventional sense, and she remained at the Middle Stage of Core Formation, yet the aura radiating from her crystalline blue body had become incomparably heavier.

The spiritual Qi surrounding her was no longer merely abundant; it was something else entirely.

It possessed a density and intensity that caused the surrounding space to tremble. The Heaven and Earth luck enveloping her body had become so concentrated that even the remaining demonic energy recoiled when it approached her, while the crystalline blue light around her formed a natural pressure that ordinary cultivators could barely withstand.

She opened her eyes slowly, and the radiance within them carried the unmistakable authority of someone whose fortune had resonated with the heavens themselves.

In terms of actual combat strength, Bai Qingyue had reached a level equivalent to the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

The transformation had not granted her a conventional breakthrough in any sense, but it had elevated her combat prowess beyond the limitations normally imposed by her cultivation. Her Golden Core remained perfectly stable, her spiritual Qi circulated with extraordinary efficiency, and the Fortune Banner continued amplifying the natural luck that had always quietly accompanied her.

She was no longer simply a fortunate Core Formation cultivator in the eyes of anyone watching. For the duration of this blessing, she had become an opponent capable of confronting enemies whose cultivation should have placed them far beyond her reach.

Across the plaza, the Elephant Demon King stared at her in disbelief, its enormous frame going rigid as it processed the sheer scale of the shift that had just occurred before its eyes.

The creature had spent countless years relying heavily upon its monstrous physique and innate abilities to overwhelm opponents of the same realm.

Its ten arms allowed it to dominate close combat with ease, while its silver fortune-stealing arm provided a terrifying advantage against cultivators whose strength depended upon Heaven and Earth luck. Yet the woman standing before it had somehow transformed the very advantage it had stolen from her into the foundation of an even greater power.

The demon’s expression gradually, visibly twisted into something resembling genuine fear.

"How is this possible?" it muttered, its crimson eyes fixed upon the Fortune Banner. The stolen fortune still flowed through its silver arm, but the amount of Heaven and Earth luck now surrounding Bai Qingyue made its earlier gains seem insignificant. "She was only at the Middle Stage of Core Formation moments ago. How could a single artifact elevate her combat strength to such a degree?"

Lin Yuan heard the demon’s words clearly, but he did not look away from his opponent for even a moment. He had already confirmed that Bai Qingyue’s condition had stabilized.

Although the surrounding realm continued collapsing around them, he could sense that the situation on the plaza had changed dramatically. The enemy who had previously possessed a clear advantage now faced him and a woman whose power had risen beyond the limits of her cultivation realm.

Then, a familiar chime echoed through his mind.

[DING!]

[Host has an investment package...]

The system’s notification appeared amid the chaos, its mechanical voice remaining as calm as ever despite the destruction surrounding them, utterly indifferent to the war raging only a breath away.

Lin Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly as he received the message, but he kept his attention fixed on the Elephant Demon King. Whatever reward the system had prepared, he would examine it once he had dealt with the enemy standing before them.

The Elephant Demon King slowly, warily tightened its grip on its weapons. Its ten arms shifted into a defensive formation, and the silver light surrounding its fortune-stealing limb began to flicker uncertainly, as though even the stolen power itself had begun to doubt its own master.

For the first time since entering the Sacred Grounds, the demon no longer looked at Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue as prey waiting to be slaughtered. It had finally, belatedly realized that the two cultivators before it were far more dangerous than the rumors surrounding them had ever suggested.

The battle was far from over, but the balance of power had unmistakably changed.

And as the Sacred Grounds continued to collapse around them, Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes settled upon the Elephant Demon King with an expression of absolute indifference.

The demon had attempted to take his wife’s fortune, threatened the lives of his companions, and treated the fallen cultivators as trophies. Now that Bai Qingyue had awakened the Fortune Banner, Lin Yuan intended to make certain that the creature understood, in full, the consequences of its arrogance.