C1173 The Weak

In the Otherworld, Yu Yuan awoke on the beach with a splitting headache. He rubbed his sore forehead and instinctively looked up at the sky. A massive yellow sun dominated the heavens, casting the wall and the firmament in the same hue. The dark yellow sea churned with relentless waves, their constant crashing filling the air. The atmosphere held a sparse amount of spiritual energy, mingled with a greater abundance of psionic power, seemingly more suited for the Otherkin to consume and refine. The power of corrupted flesh and blood was notably scarce. Clearly, this was no place for ordinary humans to survive.

"What's this..." Yu Yuan, puzzled, glanced down to see both the gray-white Dragon Slaying Stage and the unconscious Chen Qinghuang lying serenely amidst the weeds.

He sat up abruptly, piecing together his fragmented memories. He recalled that Demon Gods Adler and Mitts, under the orders of the Star-Spawned Terror patriarch, demanded he surrender Qinghuang. When Tan Junshan learned that the High Priest of the Star-Spawned Terror was lurking in the shadows, he made his move against Yu Yuan.

Tan Junshan's intent was to capture him and hand over Qinghuang to defuse the crisis. Yu Yuan understood that Tan Junshan's actions were well-intentioned. Yet, he was reluctant and attempted to awaken his former self. As a will, tearing through his mind, began to fill his body, his memory faded.

He had assumed that awakening his first life's self would mean the erasure of the God of Medicine Hong Qi from his past life and Yu Yuan from his current one, allowing him to reemerge as his original self. He thought that as Yu Yuan, his consciousness would become a thing of the past, never to return.

But things didn't turn out as expected. He was still Yu Yuan, complete with his memories, independent consciousness, and sense of self. The self he believed had fully awakened did not manifest, leaving no trace to be found.

"Did I just escape the encirclement like that?" He pondered, uncertain of what had transpired, stroking his chin and lost in thought.

After some time, Yu Yuan managed to collect himself and sought to understand his predicament in this peculiar Otherworld. A mere thought caused his expression to shift dramatically. In his Mindscape, not a trace remained of the Soul Power refined by his Lunar Spirit. The vitality within the Profound Gate acupoint, along with the vital energy in his muscles, bones, and organs, had vanished. The spiritual energy within the Golden Sanctum's little world was similarly depleted. He was utterly stunned.

Soul Power, vitality, and spiritual energy are the cornerstones for any cultivator, the very wellspring of their might. The loss of the power he had so arduously cultivated signified his extreme vulnerability. If faced with a formidable foe, he would be unable to engage in immediate combat.

He hastily retrieved and consumed several pills from his Cosmos Ring, which were designed to bolster his physique and Soul Power. As he did so, his thoughts raced, and he swiftly pieced together what must have happened. His first-life self, having briefly assumed control of this body, must have utilized the available "resources" to engage in battle and wield some form of theurgy.

To his first-life self, the power Yu Yuan had accumulated over the years must have seemed meager. A mere use of theurgy by his first-life self, and his modest reserves were squandered in a heartbeat, leaving him drained of Soul Power, vitality, and spiritual energy.

"Ugh!" he groaned involuntarily when the pill's effects began to manifest, transforming into vitality and threads of Soul Power. As it infused his veins and flowed into his Lunar Spirit, he was struck by a grim realization. The Soul Power and vitality generated by the pill were being ruthlessly stripped away by the transforming Altar of Rebirth within him.

The interconnectedness of the three souls meant that his heaven soul instantly understood the situation during contemplation. The heaven soul's refinement of the Altar of Rebirth was progressing toward the transformation into a Solar Spirit Body, necessitating an infusion of extra power.

This metamorphosis was inching toward a pivotal juncture, with the crimson Altar of Rebirth relentlessly siphoning vitality and Soul Power from his being. This was a trial many cultivators in the Spirit Walk realm endured while forging their Solar Spirit.

Moreover, since everyone's circumstances are unique, the time it takes for transformation varies greatly.

Some cultivators may spend months shaping their Solar Spirit, while for others, it could take years.

During this time, most cultivators remain in prolonged seclusion, relying on pre-prepared magic items and pills for constant replenishment.

Only after successfully undergoing the transformation and forming the Solar Spirit would they emerge from seclusion.

But for him...

At this thought, Yu Yuan's face was etched with bitterness.

His Solar Spirit transformation began abruptly after integrating a blood crystal into his Altar of Rebirth, without any forewarning or preparation.

Subsequently, he was thrust into a series of battles and tribulations. Facing certain death, he even resigned himself to his fate and summoned the self from his first life.

This former self was once a God-King, capable of wielding a few powerful theurgies.

As a result, the strength he had painstakingly built up in this life was completely depleted.

Yet, the forging of his Solar Spirit within him continued unabated.

The ascension and growth of the Solar Spirit demanded an unending supply of Soul Power and vitality, a task that would have required extreme caution even in his prime, let alone now.

"At this rate, I fear I'll be running at a deficit for a very long time," he mused, his expression tinged with sorrow.

He moved to the Dragon Slaying Stage and the grassy area where Chen Qinghuang was. Gazing at the elongated Dragon Slaying Stage, his Lunar Spirit and remnant soul were too feeble to glimpse the scene within.

With his Soul Power completely siphoned off and his Lunar Spirit unable to venture from his Mindscape, any nascent Soul Power was immediately sapped by the Altar of Rebirth, leaving him utterly powerless.

Crouching down, he tenderly grasped the Dragon Slaying Stage, guiding it with his faint vitality.

With a whoosh, the Dragon Slaying Stage took flight autonomously, shrinking before settling into the acupoint he had previously opened.

He let out a soft "huh" as he distinctly sensed that, in addition to the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Baneblade Bloodhell was also resting in that same acupoint, its stillness hinting at an underlying mystery.

Shouldn't the Baneblade have seized the opportunity to consume me when I was at my weakest?

The Baneblade, known as Bloodhell, was no benign entity. Given the chance, it would mercilessly possess its owner, transforming them into part of the Baneblade itself.

Its former masters all met their end this way, becoming nothing more than Bloodwraiths trapped within the blade.

Why then, was the Baneblade so docile with me?

He couldn't make sense of it.

The Baneblade, the Dragon Slaying Stage, and the sheath of the Titanblade were all accounted for.

Yet, the Crucible of Evil was missing.

"Strange..."

Yu Yiyi, the cauldron spirit, had originally been a maid tasked with guarding the Dragon Slaying Stage, and thus should have heeded the commands of my first self. So why, upon arriving in this unfamiliar world, did I not bring along Yu Yiyi and the Crucible of Evil?

Had the Crucible of Evil been here, I wouldn't have been so passive upon awakening, nor would I have felt such unrest.

Even with my powers temporarily depleted, having Yu Yiyi by my side to protect me would have allowed me to calmly and methodically devise a plan to swiftly regain my strength.

"Your words..."

His gaze shifted to Chen Qinghuang, and his brow furrowed subtly.

To his astonishment, he noticed that Chen Qinghuang's exquisite features seemed to be undergoing subtle changes.

It appeared that the Songbird Queen, influenced by the forces of time and space, was being infused with time magic, causing her realm and power to diminish and her age to regress, altering her appearance accordingly.

From the poised and elegant woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties, she was reverting back to her younger self.

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