The wind blew with an unusual intensity, as if the very elements were feeling the growing tension in the air. Xie Zhen stood at the summit of the mountain, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the faintest glow of dawn was just beginning to appear. It was here, on this solitary peak, that the process of fusion was set to begin.
The Realm of Spirit Fusion, as described in ancient texts, was a domain where the separation between Qi and the soul was erased. But more than that, it was a stage where complete mastery of spiritual energy allowed one to manipulate reality itself.
At this moment, Xie Zhen felt a tremor in the air, a subtle vibration that resonated with his own Qi. He was no longer just an ordinary cultivator; he was on the verge of becoming a being of an entirely different nature.
The ancients had spoken of Spirit Fusion as a long and painful process. Some said the soul risked dissolving into the vastness of the cosmos, while others claimed that cultivators lost themselves in their pursuit of power.
But for him, none of this mattered. He was not here to become a mere spiritual master; he was here to erase any resistance to his ascension.
"Fusing the mind and energy…" he murmured, a calculating gleam in his eyes. "This will allow me to control everything."
The wind stopped abruptly. The world seemed to freeze. Xie Zhen sank into meditation, his body as still as a stone statue. The shadows of the mountains slowly dissipated, and a bluish mist began to rise around him, enveloping his form.
His hands came together in front of him, forming complex mudras, and ancient symbols began to glow around him, imbuing the air with a palpable energy.
It was a mystical seal he had created, a combination of celestial meditation and spiritual manipulation—something that had never been achieved before.
The mist around him thickened, like a sea of energy ready to swallow everything. This was the point of no return.
By fusing with the Qi, Xie Zhen would transcend his human form, but it would not come without risks. The slightest deviation in his concentration could cause his soul to dissolve in this sea of energy.
Yet, he felt no fear. He had made his decision.
His thoughts quieted, giving way to absolute silence. A silence that no longer seemed to belong to this world. The Qi began to concentrate around him, forming vortexes of pure energy.
It was a dance of cosmic energy, where every filament of light seemed to merge in an endless, eternal dance. He was no longer an individual but a presence in the universe, a point of convergence for all things.
A blinding flash of white light passed through his body, and for a moment, he felt as if he were both everything and nothing at once. His eyes closed, but he did not feel as if he were falling into sleep. He felt more awake than ever before, his senses amplified beyond anything imaginable.
Then, a silent scream tore through the air.
Xie Zhen's soul stretched across space and time, penetrating the corners of the world, fusing with the laws of the universe.
An unnamed vastness opened to him. The threads of reality unfurled, and he could grasp them, twist them to his will. He felt the movements of the stars, the currents of energy flowing through the world, and, more importantly, he felt the weaknesses of the other cultivators around him.
He could feel everything. Their fear, their ignorance, their ambitions. And in that instant, he knew that nothing could stop him now.
**A few hours earlier, in the valley…**
A group of cultivators stood at the foot of the mountain. They had come here to test their own power, convinced that the summit hid a secret.
But what they did not know was that Xie Zhen, in his solitary quest, was already evolving far beyond what they could imagine.
The youngest among them, a cultivator from the Qi Initiation Realm, clenched his fists as he felt a strange pressure. He had seen many accomplished cultivators, but he had never felt such a level of energy. It was as if the very summit of the mountain was reacting to Xie Zhen's presence.
"Someone else is achieving something…" he murmured, his heart pounding faster.
"Don't worry," replied another, older cultivator. "It's probably someone already in the Spirit Perception Realm. We shouldn't linger here."
But something in the air was off. The Qi around them was becoming denser, and the atmosphere was charged with an inexplicable tension. The ancients had said that such a level of energy manipulation could attract supernatural phenomena.
And the cultivators, even the most experienced, had no idea what they were risking by approaching such phenomena.
**Back with Xie Zhen, the fusion continued…**
He was now at the center of an energy vortex of unimaginable power. His body and soul were no longer separate. He no longer felt any distinction between the Qi and his own essence. The entire universe seemed to bend to his will. He was no longer a mere man, but a transcendent being, a master of the invisible forces that wove the fabric of the world.
His eyes snapped open, glowing with a strange light. In this new form, he no longer needed words. His will had become the Qi, and the Qi had become his weapon. He could sense the presence of every living being around him, every breath of energy moving through the air.
He could even see the weaknesses of the cultivators nearby, sensing their movements before they even realized them.
With a barely perceptible motion, he raised a hand and, with the tip of his fingers, drew a circle in the air. The energy he manipulated solidified, creating invisible chains that coiled around his enemies.
"All who oppose me… will fall," his voice, devoid of emotion, echoed through the air, spreading like an invisible shockwave. The cultivators around him began to tremble, but they couldn't understand why.
Time seemed suspended. They had not yet grasped the full extent of Xie Zhen's power. And soon, they would understand… but it would be too late.
The Spirit Fusion was complete.
Xie Zhen had taken another step in his ascension, and the road before him was paved with infinite possibilities.
But deep inside, he knew this was only the beginning. The universe had accepted him as one of its own, but now, he would impose himself as a master, and no force, divine or human, could challenge him.
At the summit of the mountain, Xie Zhen felt the stability of his existence waver for an instant. He was no longer just a cultivator. The invisible chains he had created stretched and tightened around the other cultivators, like an unseen web, preventing them from moving.
Their Qi, like their essence, was dominated by his own will. The weaker cultivators fell immediately, their energy dissipating in a pale flash of light. The stronger ones resisted, but their struggle was futile.
He was no longer human.
What he had become transcended the limits imposed by his physical nature. His soul, fused with universal energy, traveled across the world. His thoughts became waves, and these waves swept away all who crossed his path.
With a silent breath, he extended his right arm, directing his energy toward the remaining cultivators. Their Qi became an extension of his own will. In that instant, he was no longer an individual, but a cosmic force in itself.
A scream pierced the air, but it was not one of suffering. It was a scream of pure horror. A young cultivator, collapsed on the ground, watched his own body twist under the pressure of the energy Xie Zhen had unleashed. He felt his soul tear, fragment.
The fusion of the spirit was not merely a process of mastering energy. It was the dissolution of the ego.
The destruction of the barriers between the body, the soul, and the universe. And this young cultivator was not ready. Within seconds, he vanished, his body leaving behind a fleeting trace of light before dissipating into the air like a forgotten breath.
Xie Zhen observed the scene without a movement, without emotion.
This was the price of achieving such power. He felt no pity, for he knew that true ascension required sacrifices. He had paid the price in his own time, and now he waited for the other cultivators to recognize their weakness.
His gaze fell on the last group of cultivators. Their resistance was impressive. These people, though imperfect, had enormous potential. But there was nothing he could not manipulate. Nothing he could not destroy and recreate in his image.
The surviving cultivators, those from the Spirit Perception Realm and beyond, began to understand the magnitude of what was happening. They began to form spiritual formations, twisting their Qi into countless defensive shapes, hoping to repel Xie Zhen's invisible assault.
"You think your little formations can challenge me?" he whispered, almost amused. His fingers rose, and a wave of invisible energy exploded around him, destroying the formations in an instant.
The defenders wavered, some collapsing immediately. Their Qi was like a fragile candle being engulfed by an endless storm. But there was no escape. The sea of energy he had unleashed swallowed them whole.
And then, the sense of domination he felt intensified. A deeper hold over the world settled in. Everything around him was under his control. The light, gravity, heat—everything could be manipulated at his will. The realm of Spirit Fusion was far broader than he had imagined.
He closed his eyes, and the world bent to his thoughts. He felt himself extend beyond his body. He stretched through space, traversing time. His soul extended through the universe. He felt the waves of space-time break and reform, rushing like invisible rivers.
**The first transformations were incomprehensible.** But as the energies gathered, merging with his being, he adapted.
Around him, crystals of energy began to form. He was no longer just a spectator of the universe; he was becoming the universe. He manipulated the elements, the natural laws, all while remaining unshaken in his own heart.
He opened his eyes, fully understanding what he had accomplished. His movements were no longer dictated by physical will. They were the result of an endless flow of energy, where every action was both a thought and a motion. He went beyond the perception of his own body.
He was one with the winds, the sky, and the earth. And for the first time, he smiled—a smile filled with a satisfaction that was beyond human.
"I am inevitability…" he whispered softly, as a promise to the universe. "This world belongs to me."
The remaining cultivators, those who had survived the initial explosion of his power, began to retreat. Their Qi scattered like leaves carried away by the wind. To his eyes, they were nothing but shadows.
What he had achieved could not be defended. It was no longer about strength; it was a matter of existence itself. They were nothing in the face of such power.
"Retreat!" ordered one of the older cultivators, a master from the Divine Spirit Realm. But even his voice carried the weight of fear. He knew they were all already lost. None of them could compete with what stood before them.
Xie Zhen took a step forward. A surge of energy flowed around him, and in an instant, all those who opposed him were swept away, their bodies disintegrating under the pressure of the energy he had infused into the air.
"The time of the weak is over," Xie Zhen concluded, his voice resonating through the air like a divine decree.
He turned then, walking toward the valley. This was only the beginning. More powerful beings had ventured into this realm—beings who could, on some level, challenge him. But he did not care.
Those who were not ready to bow before him had no place in this world. Their existence no longer had meaning.
Xie Zhen walked toward the valley, the ground twisting beneath his steps. He knew he was now a monster, a transcendent entity.
But he had no regrets. The path to divine ascension was not one for the timid or the weak.
And far in the shadows, powerful forces began to stir. Xie Zhen's ascension was but the first step in a much larger, far more complex plan… And the consequences of his rise would be felt far beyond this world.