Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: Chapter 62 – Big Dipper Stage

The Big Dipper Stage, the pinnacle of spiritual energy sublimation, seemed as distant as the stars. Though Takamagahara was beyond reach, it resonated deeply with her heart and soul.

Beyond the Big Dipper Stage lay the Celestial Stage or the Infernal Stage. Upon reaching either, the spiritual energy within one’s body would undergo a profound transformation, becoming divine power!

The Big Dipper Stage, however, was the highest realm of spiritual energy one could attain.

For most adepts in the Heian Dynasty, the Big Dipper Stage was an unattainable realm. This was because the inhabitants of the Heian Dynasty, also known as Ashihara or the mortal realm, could not absorb or manipulate divine power.

However, in Takamagahara and Yomi, many experts had reached the Big Dipper Stage. In Yomi, nearly two out of every hundred demons possessed Big Dipper-level strength, and even more so in Takamagahara. This was due to environmental differences, higher levels of innate strength, and acc.u.mulated advantages over generations.

If the three realms were fully connected, any Big Dipper Stage powerhouse could easily dominate a region in the mortal realm, making it impossible for the mortal realm to sustain a dynasty.

Thus, the three realms had restrictions on their inhabitants.

Though Lily had fought countless times against Big Dipper Stage archdemons, breaking through to that stage herself was not easy, primarily due to the lack of time.

With Lily’s talent, even though the Lunar Blossom secret manual was one of the most difficult spiritual methods to practice, she could achieve a breakthrough within eight to ten years, even without fortuitous encounters!

However, Lily didn’t have that much time, leading to bottlenecks in her Lunar Blossom practice. For most, this wouldn’t even be considered a bottleneck—her cultivation was simply slow.

But now, with the combined aid of the Scar of Heaven and the statue of Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, Lily began overcoming these training difficulties one by one.

At this moment, she was preparing to break through to the Big Dipper Stage, unshackled. For most adepts in the Heian Dynasty, this step was akin to ascending to heaven, but for the current Lily, everything flowed like a waterfall!

“Time to prepare for my breakthrough!”

Lily sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and focused on the spirit palace within her body.

Within the spirit palace, the crystal-clear Higanbana flower—Lily’s throne palace—overflowed with awe-inspiring divine power.

Above the Higanbana flower, the ethereal hazel moon radiated light.

“I hope I can succeed in one go!”

For Lily, breaking through to the Big Dipper Stage wasn’t the issue; it was a matter of how many attempts and how much time it would take. It would be best if she could succeed in one go. Failing on the first attempt could mean that her future achievements might be limited.

So, even though there was little suspense in breaking through, Lily remained focused and cautious.

She began applying the Lunar Blossom secret manual’s breakthrough method. The spiritual energy within her began to accelerate, flowing according to the Lunar Blossom secret manual.

“Mmh…” Lily couldn’t help but blush as an involuntary hum escaped her lips.

In her current state, accelerating the flow of spiritual energy heightened her sensitivity. But now, it was more important than ever to stay focused!

As a woman, it was difficult to concentrate when experiencing certain sensations. However, if one could effectively channel it, it could become an additional gift from the heavens.

The heavens were fair to male and female adepts alike.

Lily’s hazel moon slowly transformed into a full moon, emitting a stronger radiance.

The Higanbana flower began to bloom, the purest spiritual energy flowing and brewing within its crystalline petals.

Amidst the vast spirit sea, snowy cherry blossoms gently drifted down, transforming into silver-white streams that were absorbed by the Higanbana flower, deepening its crimson hue to an even more mesmerizing shade.

The heart of the Higanbana flower trembled delicately, releasing tiny droplets of transparent liquid. These colorless drops were the essence formed from the initial creation of Big Dipper spiritual energy!

As the transparent liquid dripped from the flower’s pistil, it transformed into a dense white mist within the spirit palace, ascending into the sky.

The sky now reflected the deep shades of night, and around the luminous moon, the mist spread like an ancient nebula.

The nebula began to swirl around the moon, condensing and transforming…

The entire breakthrough process involved converting the Throne Stage spiritual energy within one’s body into Big Dipper spiritual energy, initiating a profound metamorphosis.

Continuous streams of spiritual energy flowed into the heart of the flower, which in turn released liquid. This liquid transformed into mist, rising into the air to form a nebula… And the cycle repeated.

Finally, within the swirling nebula, a sparkling crystal formed, shimmering like a star.

This was the first Big Dipper stellar soul!

The next step in breaking through to the Big Dipper Stage was to condense one’s Big Dipper stellar souls. The number of stellar souls formed during a breakthrough depended on personal qualifications, individual strength, and the level of secret technique used. Most people condensed one or two stellar souls during a breakthrough, though it was rare to condense three!

Achieving four stellar souls required the world’s blessings. Only naturally formed creatures of heaven and earth were capable of such a feat…

Anything beyond that was the stuff of legends…

“I wonder how many stellar souls I can condense during this breakthrough,” Lily thought.

Lily felt a surge of energy. Not only did she have an abundance of spiritual energy, but her body, infused with a hundred lunar crystals, could withstand any backlash from breaking through to the Big Dipper Stage as if it were a mere tremor.

Everything proceeded naturally. Two souls… three souls… No difficulty at all.

Four souls, five souls…

“Five already? Impossible!”

The Higanbana flower continued to release liquid. Though the remaining nebula was thin, it still coalesced into a sixth stellar soul!

Six souls!

“This… Forming a sixth stellar soul during a breakthrough is unheard of. Not even the Lunar Blossom records mention anything like this!”

“Hm?” Lily paused. Just as she thought the process was complete, a surge of heat rose from her lower body. It was a fluctuation of charm intent!

The crystal-clear fluctuations of charm intent merged into the spirit palace, forming a dense purple mist that filled the s.p.a.ce entirely. Under the guidance of the Lunar Blossom secret manual and the strength of Lily’s body, the purple mist condensed into a solid form.

The seventh stellar soul took shape!

Seven souls! Unbelievable! It was unprecedented to condense seven stellar souls during a first breakthrough! As far as Lily knew, such a feat had never been accomplished before

¹!

Her heart pounded with excitement, but she knew there was still one final step!

The seven original stellar soul embryos had to be brought close to the hazel moon, where they would fuse, and seven strands would separate from the divine soul, merging to form true stellar souls!

This step was extremely difficult, with the challenge increasing for each additional stellar soul!

Lily remained careful and focused, meticulously following the instructions of the Lunar Blossom secret manual.

The seven original stellar soul embryos circled the moon, tracing mysterious and complex trajectories, creating intricate patterns that seemed to embody the underlying laws of heaven and earth.

As the stellar souls drew closer to the misty moon, the soul within it began to emit ripples, like strands, that connected with the stellar souls.

All seven stellar souls connected.

“Success or failure hinges on this final step!” Lily steeled herself at this critical moment.

She initiated the final step of the secret manual!

The hazel moon emitted a brilliant light, illuminating the entire spirit palace in pure white! It was like the birth of a new star!

After the intense light faded, the hazel moon emitted a mesmerizing crystalline halo. Though the soul within was divided into seven strands, it had grown even stronger!

In the night sky of the spirit palace, seven stars formed, creating a constellation around the moon, slowly revolving! Together, they formed a celestial realm of their own.

Each stellar soul was more powerful than the last. The energy contained in each crystal surrounding the stellar souls was comparable to Lily’s previous Higanbana throne palace. At this moment, Lily’s Higanbana flower, the source of her origin soul’s energy, had naturally become even more powerful!

With the seven stars and one source operating in perfect harmony, the entire spirit palace emanated an unimaginable power, far beyond anything it had before!

“It’s done!” Lily opened her eyes, her long hair fluttering. A newfound confidence, unseen since her descent into Yomi, radiated from her demeanor.

In that moment, Lily had not only successfully broken through to the Big Dipper Stage but had also reached the septuple-soul level in a single attempt!

This was partly due to her strength, which had far exceeded that of ordinary adepts even when she was at the Throne Stage!

“Almost time to go back,” Lily said coldly as she stood up.

The poignant images of celestial maidens crushed and eradicated by the powerful beings of Yomi remained vivid in her mind.

Scenes of her own fall into Yomi, being pursued by countless demons, facing danger at every turn, and suffering capture and humiliation were etched into her memory. It was time to settle the score!

With a cold gaze, Lily leapt forward, jumping over the Scar of Heaven.

“What?!” On the opposite side of the chasm, Jamako and the female demon were stunned to see Lily leap over. They had been pondering how to capture her, unable to sense her aura from across the Scar of Heaven.

“Hehehe, is this woman really that foolish?” Jamako sneered as he watched Lily land on their side of the chasm, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

“Hmm?” The female demon’s spiritual energy swept over Lily, and she frowned slightly. “This woman has absorbed a lot of lunar crystals, and her aura feels different from before.”

Jamako felt a twinge of apprehension but quickly dismissed it. He strode toward Lily with a fierce gaze, greedily scanning her. “She hasn’t broken through to the Celestial Stage; she’s just a Big Dipper Stage wretch! What’s there to worry about? Fusing countless lunar crystals? Impossible. It must be some trick. She can only fuse a few at most; the rest must be hidden.”

“That’s right! Hehehe,” the female demon chuckled, brandishing her whip as she approached Lily. “You think fusing a few lunar crystals means you can challenge us? You’re truly ignorant. You haven’t even reached the Celestial Stage, and even if you had, a newly ascended female adept wouldn’t stand a chance against us!”

“Woman! Whatever your reason for jumping over to fight us, it’s futile! In the face of overwhelming power, what difference can your small improvement make? You’d be better off kneeling and surrendering now to avoid suffering!”

As he spoke, Jamako’s burly body erupted with tremendous power. He rushed toward Lily with great speed.

His large hand gathered terrifying power, reaching out to seize Lily’s delicate shoulder. Normally, a woman at the Big Dipper Stage would fall to her knees, unable to resist such force.

However, Lily regarded Jamako with cold indifference, as if he were already dead.

She lifted Oborozuki Muramasa’s sword sheath with one hand and gripped the hilt with the other, lowering her body slightly as she calmly gathered Big Dipper spiritual energy.

Jamako’s large hand reached for Lily’s shoulder, but she bent down and drew her sword!

A purple crescent blade of light formed with a sharp clang.

Jamako antic.i.p.ated Lily’s attempt to unleash a sword light. Knowing her sword had some power, he swung his iron fan with his other hand to block it, intending to suppress Lily after deflecting her strike.

With unimaginable force, Oborozuki Muramasa dented the iron fan—a high-level spirit artifact—and drove it into Jamako’s broad chest.

Jamako’s cheeks bulged as he spat out a mouthful of blood. A large hole was carved into his chest, and his ma.s.sive body was sent flying backward by the impact.

Meanwhile, Lily, holding Oborozuki Muramasa, stood her ground, surrounded by incredible ripples of moonlight.

Footnotes:

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   Robinxen: Literally n.o.body saw it coming, honestly.