C1078 Surrounded by Strange Things
In the far-flung reaches of the Oblivion Starfield, a starry expanse lay desolate and eerily cold. Towering gray withered trees, thousands of meters tall, stood like colossal feathers swaying uncertainly in the void. These gargantuan trees radiated an aura of decay, antiquity, and chilling solitude.
Perched and dangling from their thick, elongated branches were numerous mutated monsters. Among them were the so-called great demons from the Boundless Great World, vicious beasts from the Outland Star River, and a multitude of mutated beings from various races. Each of these towering gray withered trees was home to thousands of these vibrant mutated monsters.
Their flesh emitted bizarre auras; some oozed pus, while others had rotting limbs that gave off a nauseating stench of blood. Some had eyes that glowed green, seemingly searching for something. Yet, these mutated monsters were unnaturally peaceful, not engaging in the typical slaughter and consumption of one another, which lent an eerie silence to the scene.
Dozens of such immense and peculiar withered trees existed here. Each was teeming with mutated monsters, all exuding an uncanny sense of order and discipline that surpassed even that of a regular army from alien races. It was as if some unseen power held sway over them, causing them to forget their inherently chaotic and frenzied nature.
Suddenly, a silver-white bolt of lightning, shaped like a crescent moon, pierced the desolate skies—a beautifully crafted Galaxy Warship belonging to the Mondnacht Clan. The crescent-shaped Galaxy Ancient Starship was manned by nearly a hundred Mondnacht Clan members, mostly of the Sixth and Seventh Levels, with the most formidable among them being warriors of the Eighth Level.
This Galaxy Ancient Starship was merely passing through the Oblivion Starfield, having heard rumors of a grand celebration soon to take place in the Plover Realm, and had decided to attend unbidden. As it entered the Oblivion Starfield, a young Mondnacht Clan sentry caught sight of the startling tableau and was so terrified that he froze.
"My God, have all the formidable mutated monsters of the infinite galaxy been drawn here?" he whispered in disbelief. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he urgently cried out, "Retreat! Retreat quickly! The Oblivion Starfield is far from the tranquil place we imagined!"
His scream jolted the other members of the Mondnacht Clan from their meditative state, prompting them to rise to their feet. As they too caught sight of the towering, withered trees carrying hundreds of terrifying mutated monsters drifting majestically through the cold, silent Outland Star River, they were struck with paralyzing fear.
Suddenly, a scarlet vicious beast perched atop the nearest gray withered tree fixed its glowing red eyes upon them. The massive tree, resembling an enormous fan, violently struck at the Galaxy Ancient Starship they were aboard.
...
On the fringes of the Oblivion Starfield, Lim Zhuyun drifted alone on a star that had been lifeless for a hundred thousand years. The descent of the Secular Bird had left this part of the universe devoid of life, yet the remnants of a once-magnificent city remained, its ancient stone halls marked by the passage of time.
Among a dozen giant gray pillars lay the towering corpses of the Djinn Clan. Their flesh was withered, their bodies exuding an intense presence of death. Lim Zhuyun frowned as she approached the bodies, recognizing the city beneath her as an ancient Djinn stronghold.
The Secular Bird had been besieged by numerous Peak experts at the Tenth Level, and the uncontrollable burst of deathly power had resulted in the harrowing scene before her. A Djinn nation, a Djinn world, had vanished in the blink of an eye.
She was tracing the echoes of that past, searching for any clues that might emerge...
Abruptly, she looked skyward. Through the barrier-less expanse above, a Galaxy Ancient Starship from the Mondnacht Clan plummeted uncontrollably. The crescent-shaped ship was covered in bloodstains, bearing the scars of a brutal conflict, yet there was no sign of any Mondnacht Clan members.
With a thunderous crash, the warship plummeted into the wilderness beyond the city. Hesitating only briefly, Lim Zhuyun transformed into a streak of ice light and soared towards the crash site. Upon meticulously inspecting the wreckage, she confirmed the absence of any Mondnacht Clan members.
"The Oblivion Starfield prohibits all forms of private combat, yet this warship has been attacked," she mused, a series of icy sparks emanating from within her. She meticulously scoured every inch of the warship's remains, employing her unique methods in her investigation.
"Ugh!"
A strand of icy lightning, upon contact with a puddle of dark green blood, was infiltrated by a potent, violent blood aura that tried to surge into her body. This connection to Lim Zhuyun was intimate and immediate.
Subsequently, more strands of icy lightning she had released encountered the blood aura, which seemed to possess its own consciousness.
Lim Zhuyun's initial instinct was to repel and resist with her own strength. However, as she prepared to do so, she sensed that her blood and Qi world, frozen within, showed faint signs of fracturing under the assault of this mysterious force.
After a moment's hesitation, she shifted her approach.
Unable to resolve her own predicament, she would struggle to survive in the Outland Star River and would likely meet her demise. Facing death either way, she decided to let the unknown external force enter her body, hoping it might offer a chance to reclaim a thread of vitality.
With this in mind, she dropped her defenses, allowing the enigmatic blood aura to permeate her being.
...
In a cultivation chamber within the Plover Realm.
Yu Yuan sat in meditation, his true form breathing deeply, clutching two clear Spirit Stones, drawing in their purest spiritual essence.
In this realm, the spiritual energy was mixed and scarce, and his Yellow Court Little World required a constant influx of spiritual power.
Beyond pellets, high-purity Spirit Stones were the optimal supplement.
Hovering half a meter above his head, his Yin God form shimmered, refining the silvery Yin Sunflower Essence within, purging his soul of impurities and stray thoughts.
Before him, a rainbow-hued glass jar contained the rare Yin Sunflower Essence, brought by Luo Yue from the dreaded Horror Land.
This jar of Yin Sunflower Essence, a gift from the current White Bone King, was a treasure exclusive to Horror Land, renowned for its extraordinary ability to cleanse ethereal souls, much like how bones and marrow must be purified in the flesh.
Often, the acts of meditation, quiet contemplation, and the expulsion of distractions serve as a ritual to cleanse and purify the soul.
However, this method was significantly less efficient compared to the purifying effects of the Yin Sunflower Essence on the soul.
As Yu Yuan felt the essence dissolve into his Yin God, taking on a spiritual form, he clearly realized that his Yin God had become more pure as a result.
Devouring and refining the Outland Devaputra, along with absorbing the soul energy spilling from the Life Altar, had left minute foreign substances within the Yin God. These were gradually cleansed by the Yin Sunflower Essence.
His Yin God became lighter and more ethereal, seemingly better at resisting external forces.
"Let's try again."
With that thought, his Yin God flew out of the cultivation room and soared upwards.
Before long, his Yin God broke through the barrier of the Plover Realm and entered the foreign territory where corrupt soul energies roiled. He immediately sensed numerous harmful soul energies infiltrating.
The spiritual form of his Yin God was thrown into disarray; its meridians clogged, soul energy stagnant, and the pain intense.
A sudden onset of discomfort erupted, yet it was far more tolerable than his previous experience in Gloomy Paradise.
The Yin Sunflower Essence truly had an infinite number of marvelous uses. Its effects on refining, strengthening, and enhancing the Yin God were remarkably evident!
Feeling a surge of excitement, Yu Yuan was about to return to his body when he suddenly spotted a tall soul with a green face and fangs, clad in ancient armor, drifting towards him.
The towering soul and his Yin God faced each other.
"Yu Yuan!"
"Green Incubus!"
