C1292 Surprised and Delighted
Yuan Lianyao and Faang Yao were staring in astonishment at the three solar nuclei when Yu Yuan slipped away unnoticed.
"Yu Yuan!"
Yuan Lianyao cried out in a panic.
Whoosh!
The bald Faang Yao transformed into a massive, blazing fireball, positioning himself between her and Yu Yuan, obstructing her view. She couldn't see in which direction Yu Yuan had taken the Evil Cauldron.
With a grave expression, Faang Yao shook his head. "Don't go after him. He's doing this for your benefit."
A profound sense of loss washed over Yuan Lianyao. The three mystical solar nuclei suddenly lost their luster in her eyes.
"You really don't appreciate what's been done for you, do you?" Faang Yao scolded, glaring at her. He gestured toward the solar nuclei, ranging from the largest, the size of a watermelon, to the smallest, no bigger than a toddler's fist. "Do you have any idea how valuable these three solar nuclei are?"
His gaze intensified with passion.
"Girl, I'm an honest man; I wouldn't stoop to base acts!"
Faang Yao spoke through clenched teeth. "If you were with the Fiend Sect, the Filthy Spirit Sect, or the Voodoo Cult, and under the guidance of elders with malicious intent, they might have risked everything for these solar nuclei! They would have killed you in cold blood just to seize them!"
Yuan Lianyao's heart pounded with the realization, momentarily pulling her from her sorrow over parting with Yu Yuan.
"Is that so?" She murmured, bewildered.
She was well aware that the mighty beings wandering the outer realms were bound by their sects' strict codes, making such treachery as Faang Yao described highly unlikely.
Within the same sect, if practitioners were to betray and plot against each other in the Outer Star River, the resulting punishment would be severe and not easily borne.
"You simply don't understand the true worth of a solar nucleus!" Faang Yao inhaled deeply, his eyes fixated on the three fiery stones with longing. "Not every intense sun can condense and refine a nucleus. Often, in starfields inhabited by alien beings, there are no suns or moons. Even if a sun does form, it cannot produce such a nucleus without millions of years of accumulation."
"The Illusion Starfield of the Star Race, the Firefly Starfield of the Asura Clan, and the Silver Sand Starfield of the Silver Scale Clan all have suns that have existed for varying lengths of time, yet none of them have managed to form a solar nucleus!"
"Only the suns of the Deep Starfield within the Illusion Starfield, having formed over eons, with their abundant fiery energy, can slowly coalesce into a solar nucleus over countless millennia."
"For practitioners of the Primordial Yang Sect and our Red Devil Sect, using a solar nucleus to cleanse the Yang God's body is sheer extravagance! The Sun Essence Fire alone is sufficient to repeatedly temper the Yang God, purifying any impurities within."
"A solar nucleus, on the other hand, is a Divine Level treasure that can be used to forge a transcendent form in the late stages of the Yang God Stage."
"For me, and for the Demonic Seed, such an item is the stuff of dreams!"
"..."
Faang Yao shook his head and gesticulated wildly, his excitement palpable.
Yuan Lianyao, initially taken aback, peered once more at the three solar nuclei. She could just make out the delicate, thread-like lightning within the crystals, seemingly imbued with the very laws and order of the Dao.
At last, she grasped the true rarity of these items!
"Quick, put them into the Red Demon Bell! I don't want to see them anymore!"
Faang Yao urged her on, gesturing emphatically, "Originally, your Red Demon Bell couldn't contain such things. But I noticed a cyan luminescence slightly suppressing the arcane laws within the solar nucleus, preventing any catastrophic loss of control. Girl, once you're back at the sect, you'll only need the smallest solar nucleus to trade for a Demonic Seed, which will garner you an abundance of Heaven Level spiritual materials to perfect your Yang God without flaw."
"The middle solar nucleus, combined with some Heaven Level spiritual materials, will ensure your Yang God reaches perfection."
"The largest one should be reserved for when you enter the late period of the Yang God Stage. Then, you can seek out rare items to use as the Divine Level primary material for your transcendent form!"
"..."
Faang Yao genuinely had her best interests at heart, having planned everything for her even before their return to the Red Devil Sect.
This bald man, who had once benefited greatly from Yu Yuan's kindness and had looked after Yuan Lianyao so well, now watched her with a sense of pride. Contemplating the wonders of the three solar nuclei, he envisioned a not-so-distant future where Yuan Lianyao successfully forged her Aspect and ascended to the Unrestrained Stage, becoming yet another powerful champion for their sect.
His words stirred Yuan Lianyao's emotions profoundly.
"The Unrestrained Stage? I too can aspire to the Unrestrained Stage!"
After some time, Yuan Lianyao's demeanor solidified, her eyes ablaze with an intense longing for power.
Following Faang Yao's guidance, she used the Red Demon Bell to gather the three solar nuclei and readied herself to return to the Red Devil Sect to commence the refinement of the Yang God.
Now that she had ascended to the Yang God Stage, she could decide when to venture to the Outland Star River.
Her mind settled considerably.
...
"A Divine Level treasure? You're quite lavish. You really don't hold back."
Yu Yuan and the Ice Concubine stood shoulder to shoulder within the Evil Cauldron, soaring among the meteorites. They were guided by the soul connection with Yu Yiyi on their journey home.
"An entity like her, at the beginning, sought out wonders in the vast starry river that could aid her own being. The essence of stars, the heart of the sun and moon, objects of extreme cold, and celestial fire—all could be integrated into her very self, fortifying her flesh and bones. Thus, for her, finding scarce items in this shattered star river is not a challenge."
Ice Concubine's tone was filled with respect and a hint of subservience when she spoke of Her Majesty.
Her heart overflowed with gratitude and utmost reverence for Her Majesty.
Yu Yuan nodded in agreement. "Divine Level spiritual materials pale in comparison to the intact sun and moon. She was once among the mightiest. Now, as she slowly regains her strength and consolidates her memories, she indeed has such capabilities and power."
A man and a formidable Evil Demon exchanged words as they glided through space.
In the midst of this, Yu Yuan subtly tapped into the collective might of numerous Evil Demons to covertly probe for any signs or movements of the Void Spirit Succubus.
The rare stone that had concealed Lim Zhuyun and the Yin Corpse King had vanished without a trace.
Could the Void Spirit Succubus, who had stealthily propelled itself into the rare stone and emerged richly rewarded, truly have had benevolent intentions?
Yu Yuan was skeptical.
He suspected that the Divine Butterfly was lurking in some concealed corner, observing him with detached indifference from the spatial crevices, silently scheming.
The intuition was so overwhelming that he found it nearly impossible to disregard.
Whoosh!
The Evil Cauldron, which had been hurtling through the air, came to an abrupt halt.
A peculiar shiver shot up from the soles of his feet to his forehead, leaving Yu Yuan's entire body tingling.
He was fixated on a seemingly insignificant meteorite ahead!
Atop the meteorite, flecks of spatial light converged, seemingly opening a portal...
Within that portal, myriad streams of light intertwined, creating a breathtaking spectacle that nearly brought him to tears.
At the center of the resplendent swirls of light, an ephemeral, almost unreal figure emerged.
This figure was not only familiar to Yu Yuan but also recognized by him!
It was Benin, the young girl from the Void Spirit Succubus Clan, whom he had first encountered in the Outland Star River during his time in the Nirvana Realm.
Benin had been by his side since the Nirvana Realm!
Together, they battled, boarded a damaged warship, and left the Nirvana Realm, only to find themselves in the Gloomy Paradise before reaching the Plover Realm.
Then, a fierce battle erupted in the Plover Realm, where Fisher, the elder of the Void Spirit Succubus Clan, perished.
Benin, however, vanished without a trace...
Yu Yuan had resigned himself to the belief that the young lady from the Void Spirit Succubus Clan must have perished amid the turmoil of the Plover Realm long ago.
When he and Chen Qinghuang departed aboard the Destruction Fortress, there was no sign of her in the Plover Realm.
Being a Void Spirit Succubus, she had every reason to be targeted for death in the Plover Realm.
So why was she still among the living?
"Ben..."
Yu Yuan's lips struggled to form a strained and awkward smile as he attempted to greet her.
But as he spoke, he realized that his words were fragmented, as if different spaces were muting them, preventing them from reaching the enigmatic gateway of light.
Within the dazzling circles of light, the faint and otherworldly Benin's eyes rippled.
Each ripple seemed to manipulate the spatial powers of distant galaxies, enabling her to project her influence through the so-called "Origin Realm Gates" to every nook and cranny of those star systems.
