C1292 He Was Pleasantly Surprised
Yuan Lianyao and Faang Yao were transfixed by the sight of the three solar nuclei, their eyes wide with astonishment. Meanwhile, Yu Yuan slipped away unnoticed.
"Yu Yuan!" Yuan Lianyao called out in a frantic voice, realizing he was gone.
Whoosh!
The bald Faang Yao transformed into a massive fireball, interposing himself between her and Yu Yuan, obstructing her view. She couldn't see which direction Yu Yuan had taken with the Crucible of Evil.
Faang Yao, with a grave look, shook his head. "Don't go after him. He's doing this for your benefit."
A profound sense of loss washed over Yuan Lianyao, and the once-mesmerizing solar nuclei lost some of their luster in her eyes.
"You really don't appreciate what you have, do you?" Faang Yao scolded her, pointing at the three Fire Crystals—the largest the size of a watermelon, the smallest no bigger than a toddler's fist. "Do you have any idea how valuable these three Fire Crystals are?"
His gaze intensified with passion.
"Girl, it's only because I'm honorable that I don't stoop to vile acts," Faang Yao said through clenched teeth. "Were you in the company of sects like the Skyblight Cult, the Taintborn Sect, or the Poison Cult, with elders harboring sinister intentions, they might have risked everything for these solar nuclei—even killing you to seize them!"
Yuan Lianyao was jolted by his words, momentarily pulled from her sorrow over parting with Yu Yuan.
"Is that really possible?" she asked, bewildered.
She was well aware that the mighty cultivators of the Everlands, bound by their sects' strict codes, would rarely engage in such treachery.
Within the same sect, if cultivators were to betray and plot against each other in the extraterrestrial Star River, the resulting punishment from their sect would be severe and not easily borne.
"You're unaware of the true worth of a solar nucleus," Faang Yao said, taking a deep breath and gazing at the Fire Crystals with an enraptured expression. "You don't realize that not every intense sun can give birth to a nucleus. Often, in Astral Domains inhabited by Otherkin, there are no suns or moons. Without millions of years of formation, such a nucleus could not exist."
The neighboring Starborn's Kuvrepros, the Shura's Glimmerdrift Nebula, and the Silverscale Tribe's Silver Sands all boast suns that have formed at various times. Yet, none of these celestial bodies harbor a solar nucleus within them!
It's only the sun within the Brugeth Astral Domain, which has existed for an extended period and is rich in fiery energy, that has managed to slowly accumulate a solar nucleus over eons.
For the cultivators of the Sunlit Order and our Ruby Hand, using a solar nucleus to purify the Solar Spirit Body is sheer extravagance! The sunfire alone is sufficient to repeatedly temper the Solar Spirit Body, cleansing it of all impurities.
The solar nucleus, on the other hand, is a Divine Level treasure that can be utilized to craft Divine Visages in the late stages of the Solar Spirit realm!
For me, and for the Hellbreed, such an item is the stuff of dreams!
...
Faang Yao shook his head and gestured wildly, his excitement palpable.
Yuan Lianyao, initially taken aback, took another look at the three solar nuclei and could faintly discern delicate threads of lightning within them, seemingly embodying the cosmic order.
At last, she grasped the true rarity of these items!
"Quick, store them in the Red Demon Bell! I can't bear to look at them any longer!"
Faang Yao urged her on, gesturing emphatically, "Initially, your Red Demon Bell couldn't contain such items. But I noticed a shimmering green light that slightly subdued the arcane secrets within the solar nucleus, preventing them from becoming unstable and erupting. My dear, once we're back at the sect, you'll only need the smallest of these solar nuclei to trade with the Hellbreed for enough heavenly-grade magic items to render your Solar Spirit flawless."
"The middle solar nucleus, combined with other heavenly magic items, can perfect your Solar Spirit."
"The largest one should be reserved for when you reach the late stages of the Solar Spirit realm. Then, you can seek out rare materials to refine your Divine Visage with a Divine Level primary component!"
...
Faang Yao genuinely had her best interests at heart, having already planned everything for her even before their return to the Ruby Hand.
This bald man, who had once been greatly favored by Yu Yuan, looked at Yuan Lianyao with pride. Contemplating the wonders of the three solar nuclei, he envisioned a not-too-distant future where Yuan Lianyao successfully crafted her Divine Visage and ascended to the Unbound Stage, becoming yet another formidable warrior for the sect.
His words stirred Yuan Lianyao's emotions profoundly.
"The Unbound realm, I too can aspire to the Unbound realm!"
After a moment, Yuan Lianyao's demeanor solidified, her eyes alight with an ardent flame of ambition.
Following Faang Yao's guidance, she used the Red Demon Bell to gather the three solar nuclei, readying herself to return to the Ruby Hand sect to commence the refinement of the Solar Spirit.
Having attained the status of Solar Spirit, when she would venture to the extraterrestrial Star River was now at her discretion.
She found herself enveloped in a newfound tranquility.
...
"A Divine Level rare treasure, you're quite the spendthrift, and so willing to part with it."
Yu Yuan and the Frost Queen stood shoulder to shoulder within the Crucible of Evil, soaring amidst the meteorites. Following the soul connect with Yu Yiyi, they embarked on their journey home.
"Someone of her caliber, in the early days, scoured the vast Star River for items to enhance herself. The essence of stars, the heart of the sun and moon, the coldest of elements, and celestial fire—all could be integrated into her being, fortifying her flesh and bones. Thus, locating scarce items within this fragmented Star River poses little challenge to her."
The Frost Queen's voice carried a tone of deep respect when she spoke of the empress, her head bowed slightly in veneration.
She was profoundly grateful and held the utmost awe for the empress.
Yu Yuan nodded in agreement. "Divine Level magic items pale in comparison to the complete sun and moon. She was once among the mightiest, and now that she's regaining her strength and merging her memories, she certainly possesses the capability and power required."
Together, a formidable Bane and a cultivator, they exchanged thoughts while gliding through the cosmos.
In the midst of this, Yu Yuan discreetly tapped into the collective might of numerous Banes, probing the shadows for any sign of the Voidweaver.
The rare stone where Lin Zhuyun and the Ghoul King had taken refuge was now without a trace.
Could the Voidweaver, who had covertly propelled itself into the rare stone with its Lunar Spirit and returned laden with treasures, truly have benevolent intentions?
Yu Yuan was skeptical.
He had a nagging suspicion that the butterfly was lurking in some hidden crevice of space, observing him with detached interest, silently scheming. This intuition was so potent, he couldn't simply dismiss it.
Whoosh!
The Crucible of Evil came to an abrupt halt.
A peculiar shiver surged from the soles of his feet to his forehead, leaving Yu Yuan tingling all over.
He was fixated on a nondescript meteorite ahead!
Specks of spatial light converged on the meteorite, seemingly opening a portal...
Within that portal, countless streams of light wove together, creating a resplendent tapestry that nearly brought him to tears.
At the heart of the opulent, layered luminescence, a vague and otherworldly figure emerged.
This figure was not only familiar to Yu Yuan, but he also recognized her!
Back in the Nirvana Realm, she was the first Otherkin girl he encountered in the extraterrestrial Star River—the Voidweaver named Benin!
Benin had been with him since the Nirvana Realm!
They had fought side by side, escaped aboard a wrecked warship, left the Nirvana Realm, ventured through the Ashen Hollow, and finally reached Ionodios together.
Then, a brutal battle erupted in Ionodios, and the Voidweaver elder, Noeyr, perished on the spot.
Benin, however, vanished without a trace...
Yu Yuan had believed that this Voidweaver girl had perished in the turmoil of Ionodios.
After all, when he and Chen Qinghuang departed aboard the Dissolving Fortress, there was no sign of her in Ionodios.
As a Voidweaver, she had every reason to be targeted for death in Ionodios!
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 found his words breaking apart, as if fragmented by different dimensions, unable to reach through the enigmatic portal of light.
Within the dazzling circles of radiant light, the faint and spectral Benin's eyes rippled.
Each ripple seemed to activate space magic from another part of the Star River, enabling her to project her influence through the so-called "Origin Gates" to every nook and cranny of the Star River.
