"Hmph. You're truly daring to attempt to refine my true essence into a immortal soul pill. In the Immortal Realm, merely this alone would trigger the Iron Laws—enough to warrant immediate execution by the Celestial Judges, who would send down the Heavenly Punishment and wipe out the entire clan." Upon hearing this, the towering figure slightly trembled, his face flushed with indignation, and he emitted a sharp, scornful hum. "Heh, you must understand this place isn't the Immortal Realm. Though the Celestial Overseers possess great powers, as long as no event of cosmic significance disrupts the realm's very existence, they simply won't notice what's unfolding here. Once my master consumes the Immortal Soul Pill, my cultivation will advance one more level—enough to secure the prosperity and strength of our clan within this realm. This risk, our clan is quite willing to bear! Moreover, beyond this method, there's no other way to extinguish a true immortal's soul essence. I have no alternative!" The elderly voice remained unwavering, speaking with cold resolve. "Well, well! Then it seems my own presence has indeed been overshadowed—like a tiger stranded in its own plain, now being outwitted A mere Mahayana being—had I placed you in the past, even a single finger of mine would have erased you. Now, dare to act so arrogantly before me! I shall see just how you manage to seal and refine my true essence. Upon hearing this, the towering figure's eyes flashed several times, yet instead of anger, he broke into a smile. Then, with sudden vigor, he sharply shook his hands toward the sky, sending out a series of consecutive hand seals with his ten fingers, which swiftly vanished into the silver vast network formed by the Capturing Spirit Weave high above. Instantly, a tremendous roar erupted within the network, its aura amplified by more than a factor of ten. As it surged upward, it powerfully lifted a massive silver orb in the sky, raising it several dozen feet. The eight celestial spirits who had been channeling the great array, upon witnessing this, were struck with astonishment and immediately poured all their inner energies into their hand-held platforms. The platforms burst forth with brilliant, piercing light, and a series of resonant murmurs echoed through the array. To the surprise of all, the incantations swirling around him rolled down and coalesced into several thick chains of symbols, rushing toward the towering figure. Yet, this move clearly came too late! As soon as the figure felt a loosening in his body, the previously stagnant magical energy within him surged back to full vitality. Though only a brief moment, it was enough for him to activate his life-saving spell. With a low roar, the dozen shadowy forms behind him burst open, splashing into his body as streams of blood mist. His form, which had been somewhat indistinct, suddenly became vividly clear. His armor and garments swelled dramatically before fracturing into fragments, revealing a bronze-toned torso. Upon his chest, a lifelike golden flower was clearly engraved. As the golden bloom materialized, the figure moved his lips, and a primordial incantation—never before heard in the spiritual realm—rushed forth. The golden floral pattern trembled slightly, then instantly turned vividly red, like fresh blood, and a tangy scent filled the air. As the surface of the red glow rippled and flowed, the flower gently drifted upward from the chest, solidifying into tangible form. "Blood-Infused Poria Flower! You are no longer a mortal body—you have become a flower spirit!" An elderly voice from within the golden palace expressed astonishment. Yet the towering figure paid no heed to these developments, merely lowering his head and blowing gently into the crimson great bloom. "Pop!" At once, the ambient qi of the surrounding realm surged like a funnel, rushing violently into the flower. The sky dimmed, and vast, five-colored cloud masses, each as large as an acre, surged forth, as if the very heavens had been shaken. With the influx of abundant celestial qi, the blood flower swelled, growing ten times its original size, and exuding an eerie, chilling presence. "You're mad! You intend to explode this flower!" Dare you not know that at the very moment this flower bursts, your physical form will likewise be reduced to ash and utterly annihilated? Seeing this, the elderly voice grew suddenly startled, with a faint undercurrent of alarm. Even more astonishing—waves of energy rippled from the highest spire of the golden palace, and suddenly, a figure materialized there in an eerie fashion. A white-robed elder with snow-white hair and youthful features emerged, a corner of his sleeve bearing a patch of crimson maple leaf. Yet, gazing down at the blood-red giant bloom, he appeared deeply tense. "Heh, even self-sacrificing my physical form is far better than having my true essence transmuted into a pill. With the strength of my true essence, I can simply spend another several ten thousand years laboring to reassemble a new body. If you're wise, release the spell array and remove the Seal of Immortality now. I'll settle the matter from earlier and then promptly depart. Since you recognize this immortal flower, you must surely understand its explosive power. Even if it doesn't obliterate the entire scene, it will certainly instantly reduce your several companions to ash and dust." The towering figure did not look at the colossal bloom pulsing with eerie bloodlight, but instead glanced sharply at the elder in the air, speaking with a cold, stern tone. Upon hearing the words of the figure below, the white-robed elder remained silent for a moment, yet his expression grew increasingly gloomy. The eight Saint Spirits surrounding the method array had already grown pale upon sensing the formidable power radiating from the blood-red bloom and upon hearing the figure’s words. However, under the watchful presence of the elder above, none dared to take any further action, each striving desperately to maintain the integrity of the array. "You may go!—yes, you may go! But once I have sealed you, perhaps then I will reconsider this matter." The white-robed elder's facial expressions shifted several times before suddenly transforming into a fierce, somewhat incongruous grimness. With a mere flicker of his form, he vanished silently, as if by magic, leaving no trace. "If you truly wish to die, then I shall make it so!" Upon seeing this scene, the massive figure below instantly grew pale and roared in alarm. Yet, even after glancing at the blood-red giant bloom, his movements betrayed a subtle hesitation. Though his earlier words had sounded composed and relaxed, he was well aware in his heart that should he once again lose his physical form and need to rebuild it, the task would be exceedingly difficult. Reacquiring a new body after tens of thousands of years—unless he were extraordinarily fortunate—was simply beyond the realm of possibility. This very body, formed from the essence of the drooping cloud-lichen fairy blossom, was exceptionally rare. He had poured countless efforts into it, spending no less than several tens of thousands of years to gradually shape and solidify it. With this body, as long as he diligently practiced and refined his cultivation, restoring his former peak strength and divine powers was very much achievable. But should he lose this fairy-embodied form, he had little confidence in ever securing another such suitable body, and the restoration of his divine abilities would then become a distant and uncertain prospect. But this figure was no ordinary cultivator. Such hesitation lasted only a moment. After biting her lip, she once again uttered a series of incantations, and with a single finger, gently pressed upon a dense, blood-red, magnificent bloom that shimmered with a heavy, blurred intensity. The massive blood bloom emitted a piercing, mournful cry, swelling in volume as fine white streaks suddenly appeared on each petal. At the same time, a terrifying aura, several times stronger than before, radiated forth from within the bloom. At the same time, under the surge of celestial and terrestrial vital energies, clusters of five-colored spiritual clouds in the sky gradually coalesced into a single, unified mass, forming a vast, five-colored lid resembling a celestial cauldron, which then descended slowly and steadily toward the gathered crowd. The eight holy spirits, drenched in sweat, felt their bodies suddenly grow heavy, as though crushed beneath an immense mountain, their movements now rendered sluggish and hesitant. Startled, they heard a resonant hum emanating from within, and simultaneously, dozens of luminous orbs burst forth from their bodies, forming a layered shield of radiant light that protected them. It was precisely their protective spiritual treasures that surged forth, taking the lead in defending them. Though they momentarily remained unharmed, they were all deeply startled, and as soon as they moved, they swiftly retreated in all directions. Their movements, though swift as lightning, were still several times slower than their normal flight speed—far too slow to escape the enveloping range after the blood-spurting explosion. The eight Holy Spirits clearly recognized this limitation, simultaneously retreating while a flurry of various treasures spiraled and darted out in all directions. The towering figure, struck by the vivid spectacle, narrowed his eyes with a flash of cold intensity, then altered his hand seal, finally uttering a single character: "Explosion." As the blood-colored flower swayed, the white streaks on each petal instantly thickened by more than a factor of two, and a vibrant, molten-red liquid surged forth from the streaks in a powerful rush. And at the very instant these fresh crimson liquids came into contact with the air, they burst forth into dense clusters of glowing red flames, so densely packed that they nearly dyed the entire void a deep red—yet as the red light swelled and contracted, they began to crack and explode one after another. At the same time, the towering figure flickered and instantly shrunk to the size of a common person, a striking silver light shield emerging on his body. Though he had sacrificed his physical form, he still sought to protect his true essence from significant damage, thus naturally preparing a measure of defense against the self-explosion force. As the entire region seemed poised to be completely erased, the calm, cold voice of the white-robed elder suddenly resonated above the blood-red flower: "Desire to self-explode? Then let me see whether I agree. I shall endure the damage to my own body for a thousand years, and still fully subdue you." As soon as the words were spoken, a brilliant white light flashed in the void, and a colossal tower, towering over a hundred zhang, materialized instantly. The tower is crystal clear and translucent, its surface inscribed with countless transparent glyphs, radiating a luminous, milky glow, as though forged from cold ice. More remarkably, at its apex sits a blue orb the size of a human head—smooth and jade-like at first glance, yet upon closer inspection, reveals an intricate array of transparent symbol arrays etched across its surface. Larger arrays encircle smaller ones, which in turn connect to miniature arrays, forming a complex, interlocking network of symbols that is both elaborate and profoundly mysterious. Simply gazing at it for a moment can leave one dizzy and disoriented. This very ice tower is the original, true form of the highest being of the Saint Spirit race. As soon as it descends, a dense, ethereal cold radiates from its base, swiftly sweeping up the flames and the crimson giant blooms. Within the white, shimmering light, everything instantly freezes and halts—time itself seems to have been abruptly suspended within the tower. At the same time, the ice tower itself roared and plunged downward. "Glory Crystal Tower! You are indeed the spirit servant born from this treasure. Impossible—all copies of this treasure should have been destroyed during the great upheaval of the North Ming Immortal Palace millions of years ago. How could a spirit servant have arisen at all!" The figure below, who had been glaring at the figure in the sky with intense resentment, now turned pale as a sheet, emitting a sound of sheer astonishment.