C1202 Secretly Investigate the Yin Meridians
In a world tinged with a yellow haze, smoke billowed and scorched earth stretched as far as the eye could see, painting a picture of apocalypse. The sky's dome was punctured by a sharp blade, the breach widening as the chaotic energies of the starry sea cascaded down like a waterfall.
Members of the Star Race wept and wailed, suffocating in the murky air, their bloodlines congested until their cries slowly dissipated into silence. A once-common Star Race warship lay in ruins, shattered into a landscape of debris.
Within the towering black stone palace, a Celestial Star Beast, once used for communication, had its massive skull split open, its radiant eyes now just fragments of crystal scattered on the ground.
Atop the plaza's elevated platform stood Xu Jingyao, his hair braided in a carefree style, adorned with the prominent Universe Ring. He squinted at the increasingly visible yellow sun, now clearer due to the rift in the realm's wall. With a smirk, he mused, "That sun is just what I need to temper my Yang God Body."
Loo Rui, Huang Baiqi, and Wan Jing—the stern-faced woman from the Cold Yin Sect—alongside Yu Yuan, were among those present, including several practitioners from the Primordial Yang Sect, Thunder Sect, Cold Yin Sect, and Spirit Void Sect, all showing due respect to Xu Jingyao.
Having just ascended to the Yang God Stage, Xu Jingyao had already earned the Fire God Spear's recognition, becoming the Artifact's latest master. Unlike Cao Jiaze, he was a true prodigy, a native cultivator from the Heavenly Source Continent through and through.
Born to parents who were both formidable figures within the Primordial Yang Sect, he was marked for greatness from birth, personally chosen by the sect master as a direct disciple. His progress was meteoric, his breakthroughs lightning-fast.
Younger than Cao Jiaze, he had already forged his Yang God, earning his place in the celestial realms. His stature within the Primordial Yang Sect far surpassed that of Tang Cann, making him the foremost figure among his peers.
While Yu Yuan had been making a name for himself in the Boundless Land, battling across regions and honing his skills, Xu Jingyao had been diligently cultivating his Yang God. Now, having finally purified his Yang God, he was ready to follow the traditions of the Boundless Land and seek further refinement in the Heavenly Realm.
After Lee Tianxin's passing, the masterless Fire God Spear, imbued with an Artifact Soul, sought out a new owner. Without any surprise, it selected Xu Jingyao, who willingly allowed it to refine him. Together, they ascended to the Heavenly Realm to restore the glory of both the Primordial Yang Sect and the Artifact.
The barrier of this microcosm was shattered by the Fire God Spear. As fiery meteors rained down, many of the Star Race's experts, whose bloodlines were not of high caliber, were incinerated.
With no Galaxy Ancient Starship for escape and overwhelmed by the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent, those of the Star Race with lesser bloodlines faced their doom. They were left with two grim fates: death or corruption, the latter transforming them into monstrous beings. There was no alternative.
"Young Sect Master, Rong Xun, Xie Binn, and others are in this Starfield," Loo Rui reported respectfully from a lower platform. "We pursued them for a time and wounded them, but they managed to elude us."
Huang Baiqi and Wan Jing from the Thunder Sect and Cold Yin Sect, respectively, wore looks of embarrassment.
Xu Jingyao's gaze shifted from the yellow sun as he contemplated briefly. "Can you sense their approximate location?" he inquired.
Huang Baiqi nodded affirmatively, "I can sense it."
"Since the Clouds Sect and the Silver Moon Sect have aligned themselves with the Divine Soul Sect, they've become our adversaries," Xu Jingyao lamented with a sigh. "It's a pity about Lau Ying. I've always been fond of her, yet now I'm compelled to eliminate her and those in the Silver Moon Sect who would inevitably heed her command."
"I've heard that girl is on the verge of breaking through the Vast Expanse," Wan Jing from the Cold Yin Sect murmured softly.
"Yes, she from the Silver Moon Sect, Chen Qingyan from the Sword Sect, and a few others blessed by the heavens have found fortune amidst the turmoil of the Vast Expanse," Xu Jingyao scoffed. "With the old guard gone, the new generation can advance more swiftly. It's all part of the natural order."
"Young Sect Master, the ruler of this Starfield is General Gheirat of the Star Race. He possesses a Ninth Level bloodline and is a loyal follower of Leo," Loo Rui cautioned earnestly. "Besides him, there are at least two other Ninth Level bloodline warriors of the Star Race. They are either here in this Starfield or have ventured into the Dim Starfield."
The Qilin of the Demon Palace made a personal appearance, and with the backing of the Devil Palace, practitioners from the Red Devil Sect, Fiend Sect, Voodoo Cult, Sword Sect, and Profound Sky Sect all set out for the starfield in question. The Dim Starfield, dominated by the Blood Devil Clan, turned into the most fearsome battleground in the cosmos.
The Primordial Yang Sect, aware that the starfield had become the focal point for all major powers, strictly prohibited Xu Jingyao—who had recently taken up the Fire God Spear and refined the Yang God—from venturing into the Dim Starfield for his own protection.
This precaution inadvertently led Xu Jingyao to the remote starfield of Gheirat.
"With the Fire God Spear in my grasp, not even the so-called Gheirat of the Star Race can defeat me," Xu Jingyao declared with supreme confidence, assuring the surrounding sect practitioners. "Rest easy. This starfield is so remote that the Star Race's mightiest warriors couldn't possibly reach us in a mere moment."
"That's true."
"There really is nothing to be concerned about."
"Let's search for Rong Xun and the others!"
...
In the Epitaxial Realm.
Yu Yuan, who harbored a deep secret, took time to understand the origins of the Epitaxial Realm after consulting with the Yimo. He came to the realization that his presence in the Epitaxial Realm was laden with significance.
"You are to hunt poisonous insects and harvest toxic plants in the Epitaxial Realm to bolster your strength. But remember, you are not to leave without my permission. And be cautious—keep a wide berth from those two from the Clouds Sect," Yu Yuan instructed, dismissing the Yimo with a wave of his hand.
"Understood!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Streams of dark green, deep brown, and dark cyan poison oozed out from the refined body of the Celestial Star Beast, floating away after discerning their direction in the void.
Seven venomous rivulets, each infused with the soul energy of the Yimo, emerged. Yu Yuan was initially taken aback but soon realized that the Celestial Star Beast's body must have been specifically prepared for him by the Yimo.
The Yimo feared that stepping out of its cave would leave it vulnerable to the lightning vortex, with no protection. To prepare for this, it selected the skeleton of a mighty Celestial Star Beast and refined it in secret.
The idea was to withstand the lightning's assault when the time came to emerge, enduring it a bit longer.
However, with the lightning vortex dissipated and Rong Xun and Xie Binn absent, the body of the Celestial Star Beast had become more of a hindrance than a help.
Shedding this form allowed for swifter movement, akin to lightning, enabling the Yimo to hunt poisonous insects and various toxic herbs with unparalleled efficiency, quickly amassing strength.
The faint chirping of insects soon faded from Yu Yuan's hearing.
Using his Yin God to probe the area, he discovered that the Yimo had devoured every naturally poisonous insect within the forbidden zone.
The seven streams of venom, steering clear of Rong Xun and Xie Binn, stealthily made their way to other regions of the Lower Continent.
"Out of respect for your connection to Yu Zhu, I'll cut you some slack," he grumbled, frowning. His gaze then shifted to Chen Qinghuang, the unparalleled first empress of ancient times, whose green eyes were pure and unblemished.
The Luan Bird Queen's soul, vitality, and spiritual fluctuations were utterly concealed.
Yu Yuan, having just regained his soul power, could not detect any extraordinary force emanating from her, nor could he discern her current condition.
"I'm fine," Chen Qinghuang stated coolly, as though reading Yu Yuan's mind.
"That's a relief," Yu Yuan responded with a slight nod, choosing not to press further. Instead, he released his Yin God and descended deeper into the shadowy cave.
He was intent on closely examining the Yin Meridian that had been stripped from Mingdu's body.
Freed from physical constraints, the Yin God was exceedingly swift, reaching the cave's depths in an instant.
In its ethereal form, the Yin God observed the cave's interior, inscribed with a multitude of lightning runes and arrays designed to suppress souls, alongside numerous copper coins and blade money faintly crackling with electricity.
He had only just noticed the thunderous array, which, in fact, stretched from the bottom of the cave right to the top.
After a moment's thought, he realized that the cave imprisoning the Yimo was lined with arrays from its mouth to its base.
He could draw upon the force of lightning from the nearby whirlpools to sustain the lightning formations and the magical inscriptions.
Yu Yuan had gleaned as much from the previous conversation between Rong Xun and Xie Binn.
They had mentioned that many regions within the forbidden zone, places where alien beasts and Demonic Beasts dared not linger, concealed iron objects engraved with lightning patterns and runes.
This indicated that the arrays and the caverns were interconnected.
However, with the arrival of Rong Xun and Xie Binn, the lightning whirlpools had already converged, rendering the secret arrays in this area ineffective before they even reached the forbidden zone.
As a result, the Yimo found it easy to break free.
Yu Yuan, delving into his Yin God form, expanded his soul's awareness within the cave, unaided by any array. His consciousness seeped through the solid rock, reaching deeper below.
Before long, he faintly discerned a vein resembling a smoky cloud.
This vein, winding through the upper and lower lands of the Epitaxial Realm, was imbued with a lifeless, withered essence.
It was akin to a once-vibrant serpent, now drained of blood and flesh, reduced to a mere husk of skin and elongated bones.
Yu Yuan's soul vibrated with insight, realizing that when mortals, Demonic Beasts, and insects of the Epitaxial Realm perished, their residual souls and memories would converge into the Yin Vein. After being assimilated and reconstituted by the Yin Vein, they would endow new mortals, Demonic Beasts, and insects with soul and intellect.
In this cycle, the Yin Vein too was nourished, becoming replete with strength.
Much like humans breathe, inhaling air rich with spiritual energy into their lungs before exhaling, this cycle of breath sustains and nourishes both body and soul, facilitating their survival and cultivation.
Similarly, the Yin Vein, by absorbing the remnants of sentient beings' souls and thoughts, disassembling and recombining them, and then nurturing new life, is sustained in a manner comparable to human respiration.
The two processes are fundamentally the same.
Under the meticulous perception of his Yin God, this Yin Vein had withered away, shrunk to its utmost limit.
For the alien beings of the Epitaxial Realm, such as the Celestial Star Beast, the cycle of life and death within the Yin Vein held no significance.
"Only species born in the Boundless Land can aid in the restoration of the Yin Meridian."
With this thought, Yu Yuan cautiously probed once more, yet he detected no intact soul clusters within the Yin Meridian.
He speculated that Jiang Yuan's residual soul consciousness had either dissipated over time or had become exceedingly faint.
As he was about to delve deeper, his true form on the surface witnessed Denise's frantic return. He also observed a dilapidated Galaxy Ancient Starship breaching the realm barrier and entering the Lower Continent.
The Yin God swiftly resumed its rightful place.
"My close friend, she came looking for me out of the blue," Denise said with urgency, stamping her foot in frustration. "I was supposed to meet her, but I got held up with things here. She probably waited too long and decided to come find me herself."
