Clearly, this spiritual tide far surpassed the initial spiritual storm.
And as this spiritual energy spread in all directions, a considerable amount even passed through spatial rifts, reaching deeper into distant realms.
An unknown world.
“I thought that in this age of declining spirituality, cultivators would never again have the chance to reach the pinnacle. I never expected to witness a spiritual resurgence in my lifetime.”
“Truly, the heavens have not forsaken me.”
“In such a golden age, I will surely rise and ascend to the highest peak of cultivation!”
In that unknown world, an elderly man clad in a green robe spoke with tears in his eyes, his voice trembling with emotion.
Then, in the blink of an eye, his aged face grew visibly younger, until it settled into the form of a youthful man.
As for what was happening in other worlds, Bai Xuan had no knowledge of it.
In fact, if not for [Natural Authority] alerting him, he wouldn’t have anticipated the second spiritual tide arriving so soon.
And the sheer volume of this tide far exceeded his imagination.
At this moment, everywhere the spiritual energy spread across Earth, flowers, grass, and trees burst into full bloom. Countless medicinal herbs and fruits began to undergo a transformation under the spiritual energy’s influence, turning into genuine treasures of heaven and earth. Even the ores buried deep beneath the ground underwent some unknown change.
Humans and mutated creatures alike were also undergoing a new round of evolution under the spiritual baptism.
In the boundless deep sea, terrifying spiritual fluctuations surged in all directions.
“ROAR!”
The entire ocean trembled. Countless sea creatures swam and roared wildly, accepting the baptism of spiritual energy.
Slowly, their bodies underwent changes even more remarkable than those from the first wave.
Their forms continued to expand; their scales grew tougher, even shimmering with a faint silvery light. But before they could even recover from the baptism, an overwhelming suction force devoured them all.
“ROOOAR!!!”
A terrifying howl echoed across the ocean. A massive white serpent, hundreds of meters long, slithered through the sea. Wherever it passed, endless spiritual energy poured into its body, and faint thunderous rumbles could be heard from within.
What was most unbelievable were the two throbbing lumps on its head, which constantly writhed. Its cold, piercing pupils gleamed with a golden light.
Those were not the eyes of a snake!
They looked more like — a dragon’s!
At the same time, in an unknown mountain range.
A colossal crimson tiger lay coiled within the peaks, absorbing the spiritual baptism.
“ROAR!”
With a mighty roar, boundless spiritual energy surged into its beastly form. A crimson lotus mark emerged on its forehead.
Within its majestic gaze, a trace of clear confusion and bewilderment could be seen.
Then it closed its eyes once more, continuing to absorb the vast spiritual energy in the air.
All across Earth, countless creatures were undergoing transformations. But the volume of spiritual energy this time was incomparable to the last, and it was far from gentle.
Some creatures could endure it — and naturally, others could not.
“BANG!”
“BANG!”
“BANG!”
…
Deep within the forest, countless creatures, unable to withstand the impact of the spiritual energy, had their bodies burst apart, their blood staining the ground red.
Endure it, and the trapped dragon ascends to the heavens.
Fail to endure, and the body explodes into oblivion.
Even more mutations continued to unfold.
Sometimes, the extraordinary wasn’t as beautiful as people imagined. The acquisition of power always came at a price too heavy to bear.
Within China, across various Spiritual Energy Bureaus.
“Though we anticipated the arrival of a spiritual tide, we never expected it to come so soon — or to be this violent.”
“Even I, to be honest, am having some difficulty enduring it.”
Ning Guang felt the surging spiritual energy in the air and couldn’t help but sigh, then let out another breath.
“The scariest thing isn’t the spiritual energy itself — it’s our own instinctive craving for it.”
“That hollow emptiness from the very soul drives our bodies to keep absorbing spiritual energy even after we’ve hit our limits.”
“The end result will be either evolution or death.”
“Push through, and you ascend to the next level. Fail, and it’s a dead end.”
“I can only hope that people’s fear of danger will be enough to suppress that soul-deep yearning. Otherwise, the casualties this time will be immense.”
The key was that such casualties were impossible to control or avoid. All they could rely on was people’s instinctive fear.
Or alternatively, if one’s aptitude was too low, the spiritual tide wouldn’t force too much energy into their body, which was another way of avoiding death.
Before Ning Guang could dwell on it too long, a massive glowing dot appeared on his monitor.
His expression shifted, and he quickly spoke:
“A spiritual energy surge — a superhuman has lost control.”
“Notify nearby Spiritual Energy Bureau members to provide support.”
“Keep monitoring. I’m heading over now.”
A superhuman’s spiritual surge signified unpredictability. This was entirely different from the gentle awakening of the first wave, where most people’s awakened abilities were incredibly weak.
But this time was different. If someone truly underwent a transformation, they could rival the destructive power of figures like Huo Yu and Qin Tian. The devastation caused by a loss of control was beyond question, and it had to be contained from the very start.
Only then could casualties be minimized.
This kind of situation wasn’t unique to Ning Guang. Similar spiritual surges erupted in cities all across China. And across the entire world, the second spiritual tide was reshaping everything in earth-shattering ways.
A new era had arrived.
Bai Xuan sat cross-legged on his bed, already enveloped in a radiance of seven-colored light.
The second spiritual tide was nothing short of a terrifying evolution and sublimation for Earth. Whether human, animal, or plant, anyone who endured it would experience a monumental leap. And precisely because of this, Bai Xuan’s power was growing at an incomprehensible pace.
His physique, his spirit, and even the derivative abilities of [Natural Authority]…
The sky, the earth, mountains, forests, streams, oceans — one natural scene after another flickered and shifted before his eyes. Eventually, the entire planet appeared within his mind.
His spirit transformed into a pair of enormous golden eyes, hovering above all living things.
“Ding—”
“Spiritual tide detected. [Natural Authority] is undergoing transformation…”
“Natural coverage range expanding…”
“Natural representative concepts expanding…”
A cold, mechanical voice echoed within Bai Xuan’s spirit. It sounded like the voice of the chat group, yet somewhat different. As for the specifics, Bai Xuan had no spare attention to distinguish them. At this moment, he was fully focused on receiving the spiritual tide.
As time passed, the aura around Bai Xuan grew fainter and fainter. Even though he sat right there, your eyes could see him, yet you would unconsciously overlook him. At this moment, Bai Xuan seemed to have merged entirely with nature itself.
And within his body, his once flesh-and-blood form gradually turned transparent and pure, soft and radiant like crystal — yet carrying a faint, elusive sense of nothingness.
As if he were beyond reach.
