Chapter 410: Ascension

After an in-depth exchange with Anthony Braden, Li Mochen also entered a state of seclusion.

To successfully rescue the 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne from certain death, his own strength was indispensable.

But his current magical power was truly too weak. Even running the divine authority of 'Battle Wind' for just one second felt strenuous.

Li Mochen urgently needed to elevate his cultivation level, which required him to train his physique to near perfection in the shortest possible time.

However, Li Mochen's composure far exceeded that of ordinary people. Though anxious and plagued by the curse of Dugu Tianyi, he maintained a steady pace during body refinement, unhurried, striving to perfect every detail.

In addition, he had to divert energy to help the Little Blazing Dragon refine its body. The bond between Li Mochen and the dragon vein was maintained through the 'Beast Taming Spirit Contract'. This beast-taming method from the Beast Taming Sect, regardless of the Little Blazing Dragon's willingness, would forcibly synchronize and respond when Li Mochen's cultivation rose, tracing bloodlines and soaring upward.

Thus, before that, he had to help the Blazing Dragon reach the limit of seventh-level physique.

Fortunately, although the Blazing Dragon was a sub-dragon, after three consecutive bloodline purifications, its bloodline had been gradually elevated, nearly becoming a true dragon descendant.

But its potential ceiling was ultimately inferior to Li Mochen's. After seven days, Li Mochen had already perfected the Blazing Dragon's body using the 'Zhou Tian Xuan Ling Lei Qi Curse'.

Li Mochen, on the other hand, only completed the final step on the fifteenth day of the sea voyage.

At this point, his strength, after testing, had reached 1,042 tons!

His ultimate sword speed was 930 meters per second at room temperature, nearly three times the speed of sound. Without regard for source power consumption, his maximum speed could reach 1,800 kilometers per hour, 1.5 times the speed of sound.

His source power had reached the level of a twelfth-level Outlaw, allowing him to initially cover his arms and weapons completely with source armor.

On the afternoon of that day, Li Mochen used Lind Emerson as labor to carve a complex array forty meters in diameter on the deck of the 'Troia'. He also fed the dragon vein a drop of Amphitrite's Tears, a bottle of Sacred Oak Potion, and a large quantity of rare herbs.

Then, as the sun set and stars appeared in the night sky, Li Mochen smoothly broke through to the eighth level of his magic class.

Li Mochen's 'Binary Xuanhua Great Art' remained at the fourth realm, only advancing from early to late stage. But his magic, source power, mana, and true qi all underwent subtle changes. In Daoism, this change is called 'returning to the primordial' or 'returning to the origin'; in the West, it is 'returning to the mystical'.

However, the greatest change was in his physique, which was now vastly different. The solid foundation built over the previous months began to burst forth, like a sluice gate opening, releasing a torrent of internal energy.

Li Mochen also felt the two bloodlines within him purifying and sublimating, with three new powers emerging from within.

Indeed, East and West are the same: when a cultivator's cultivation steps into the eighth level, or the late innate realm, during the process of true qi and mana transitioning from acquired to innate, the latent potential and dormant gene sequences within the body are also released and awakened.

Li Mochen did not carefully sense his three new powers, nor did he experience his greatly enhanced physique.

Next, without any pause, he began to assault the fifth realm of the 'Binary Xuanhua Great Art'.

This time, the star deity he chose was 'Mengzhang Divine Lord', and the constellation was 'Taurus'.

Many might not know 'Mengzhang Divine Lord', but mention the 'Azure Dragon' among the Four Symbols, and it is thunderously famous.

And 'Mengzhang Divine Lord' not only governs the eastern celestial domain in astrology but also the power of wood.

Li Mochen had considered visualizing the more powerful Eastern Green Emperor Lingweiyang, but after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea. From Daoist texts, it is known that Lingweiyang has transcended the limitations of star deities, while 'Mengzhang Divine Lord's' dharma form is easier to control.

As for 'Taurus', it is an earth sign, second among the twelve zodiac signs, and also a symbol of 'Zeus' in Greek mythology.

Legend has it that Zeus, as king of the gods, did not want the earth's authority to be controlled by his mother Rhea, but he could not contend with her. She was his mother and had the support of Gaia, the 'Mother of the Gods' who controls the mystical source. So he took a different approach, usurping the power of 'Taurus' to gain part of the earth's authority.

Of course, these old tales of the Olympian divine court are irrelevant to Li Mochen. He only intended to use the power of 'Taurus' to strengthen 'Mengzhang Divine Lord', granting it authority and divine might comparable to the Xuanwu incarnation, 'Zhenwu Emperor'.

At this realm, he did not plan to create yin-yang opposition, but rather the mutual generation of the five elements, forming water generating wood, wood generating fire, and fire generating earth.

Here, 'earth' corresponds to 'death', and 'wood' corresponds to 'life', which could also enhance his control over the forces of life and death, further increasing his magic source reserves.

But before this, Li Mochen deliberately diverted a portion of power to protect the Blazing Dragon's spirit and brain.

That was the life force of the Southern Pole Longevity Emperor, ensuring the Blazing Dragon would not faint or suffer irreversible harm during the process.

This was because the upcoming leap in his cultivation might be significant, and the Blazing Dragon's bloodline tracing would not only cause a massive mental shock but also impose a huge burden on its body.

The dragon vein must endure in a conscious state to gain the greatest benefits from the bloodline and level ascension.

At this moment, Li Mochen's spirit was rapidly expanding, and his magic, source power, true qi, and mana were all growing swiftly and wildly.

Under the illumination of the stars, in just one hour, he had crossed this realm.

The ninth and tenth levels of the magic class were achieved in a very short time, and then he stepped into the eleventh level.

This time, the constellation Li Mochen chose was Ophiuchus, a powerful constellation on the ecliptic but excluded from the twelve zodiac signs.

In Western magic, there is no concept of the five elements; instead, there are the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth.

However, in the view of many astrologers, Ophiuchus represents the wood element, a power that cannot be encompassed by the four elemental signs.

And this time, the Yuanchen deity Li Mochen chose to condense was the 'Yellow Dragon' of the 'Five Celestial Beasts'.

The Daoist 'Wuxing Dayi' states: The five celestial beasts: on the left the Azure Dragon, the appearance of the Great Fire; on the right the White Tiger, the pattern of the Great Beam; in front the Vermilion Bird, the body of the Quail Fire; behind the Black Tortoise, the substance of the turtle-snake; in the center the Great Horn and Xuanyuan!

The Yellow Dragon, also called Yinglong, is the master of gentle winds and rain, and the symbol of the 'Three Enclosures' in the central celestial domain, equal to the Four Symbols.

And 'Great Horn' and 'Xuanyuan' are the brightest stars in the central sky.

The Yellow Dragon belongs to earth, and Ophiuchus to wood, which could further allow Li Mochen to control earth and wood, life and death.

Thus, he now had four of the five elements within him: water, fire, earth, and wood. Even the power of metal was partially controlled due to the Gouchen Emperor.

Afterward, with a slight reinforcement, he could gather the metal generating water and earth generating metal of the five elements, further evolving yin and yang.