C1324 Sitting Quietly in Meditation

Chen Qinghuang departed without a second thought, not dragging her feet in the slightest.

Yu Yuan watched the greylag gracefully unfurl its broad grey wings at her soft whistle, setting off toward the Wingkind's designated Astral Domain.

Brie, perched atop his giant scepter, gathered his strength and followed in pursuit. With the Azurewood Sceptre leading the way and the greylag trailing behind, they gradually disappeared into the distance.

This image etched itself into the depths of Yu Yuan's heart, sparking a profound realization within him. From this moment on, the roles of the Shadowkin and the Wingkind would once again be inverted.

In the days to come, the Wingkind would reassume their leading role, rising irresistibly, while the Shadowkin might experience a period of quietude.

And just as the Shadowkin had shielded the Wingkind for many years, it would now be the Wingkind's turn to protect the Shadowkin.

The awakening of Chen Qinghuang, the convergence of her power, her return after a hundred millennia, and the appearance of three elders who seemed on the brink of their final days, all pointed to the Wingkind reaching unprecedented heights.

Perhaps the elders had already foreseen the potential in a remarkable individual from the Wingkind, awaiting Chen Qinghuang's return to aid in their ascent to the tenth level.

With the emergence of a tenth-level warrior among the Wingkind, numerous ninth-level warriors would spring forth, inspired by Chen Qinghuang...

Consequently, the Wingkind would naturally reclaim their position at the first level.

"Clearly, she has her own duties and destiny," Yu Yuan mused, nodding thoughtfully before breaking into a knowing smile.

The reach of the Origin Deity had officially extended to this vast Star River, initiating the first conflict in the Brugeth Astral Domain.

The allegiance of the Voidweaver, the creation of the Blightwood, and Diggs's undying existence—these extraordinary events would soon become widely known.

Intelligent species from beyond, such as the Sky Fiend, Dawnbringers, Shura, and enchantresses, along with the Everlands' humans, archdemons, and even entities like the Abyssal Leviathan and cosmic giant beasts...

Without much contemplation, Yu Yuan understood that all clans and formidable powers would now turn their full attention to the Origin Deity, treating this matter with utmost importance.

Chen Qinghuang, welcomed back by the venerable elders of the Wingkind, surely had many affairs to attend to.

Alone in the vast, desolate, and chillingly dark expanse of the starry sky, Yu Yuan stood solitary.

He settled himself slowly onto the modest meteorite and began to quietly comb through his thoughts. When he was drawn into that bizarre realm, confronted by the Origin Deity, did Diggs perceive the intricacies of his soul? Was he aware of his past spanning three lifetimes? Especially the first one—did the Origin Deity detect anything about it? If so, what actions would the Origin Deity take next? Could the Voidweaver, Blightwood, and Diggs be manipulated by him? Was there a chance he might be covertly attacked by them?

"What kind of enigma is the Origin Deity?"

Yu Yuan's mood darkened as he silently replayed the setbacks he had experienced in the Brugeth Astral Domain. The Dragon Slaying Stage had ceased its infinite glow, retreating back into the acupoint, and with a subtle attunement, he realized that if not for the critical moment when the soul mark from his first life had slowly awakened within his dominant soul—thereby unleashing the Dragon Slaying Stage's formidable power—he might never have returned to this realm.

Perhaps he, along with Diggs, the Voidweaver, and the Blightwood, had been tainted by the Origin Deity. Consequently, they would have become its devoted acolytes, serving with unwavering loyalty. If that were true, Chen Qinghuang in the external reality might have sustained severe wounds! The Azurewood Sceptre would have been absorbed by the mature Blightwood upon its fracture, and Brie would have perished...

A more catastrophic disaster could unfold, accelerating the dissolution of this starry expanse into nothingness. So swiftly that the greylag, the snow bear, Yan Qiling, and others would not have the slightest chance to flee. Such an event would signify the end of all beings.

"Origin Realm..."

Chilled to the core, Yu Yuan glanced down instinctively. Thankfully, it was merely an expansive emptiness, not the colorful undulations of a sea's surface. Beneath him, there was no abyssal darkness concealing a massive, unknown entity eager to burst forth.

After a self-deprecating smile, he summoned the Titanblade's scabbard, the Baneblade, and the Bloodhell. He caressed each item, absorbing their essence, then released the Lunar Spirit to explore whether this void harbored any presence.

There was silence, no breeze, no illumination, and no trace of psionic power that could be sensed.

Yu Yuan was unable to feel the Dragon Slaying Stage, the sword's sheath, or the Baneblade, nor could he gather the faintest whisper of psionic power from this void.

"Legend has it that the Abyssal Greater Basilisk is the only entity capable of touching the Abyss. It began its exploration of the cosmic frontier long ago, roaming beyond our realm. Some believe that the very edge of the cosmos is an eternal wasteland of nothingness. It's also said that the remnants of the Boulderdawn sect once sought to pioneer this void, making it their domain."

Yu Yuan mulled over these thoughts with a heavy heart.

"Could the Abyssal Greater Basilisk originate from beneath the colorful ripples? Like a massive unknown being constantly hammering against the spatial ripples in the Land of Nothingness, attempting to shatter some enigmatic barrier and reveal itself in our cosmos?"

"..."

Thoughts streaked through his mind like flashes of lightning.

In the Land of Nothingness, devoid of time, Yu Yuan sat motionless, the duration of his solitude unknown.

Once his Lunar Spirit detached from his body, it could traverse from this barren expanse to another point of nothingness thousands of miles away in an instant.

But it was pointless.

Even after the Lunar Spirit's departure, it found itself in the same desolate void.

Beyond that, there was simply nothing...

An immense loneliness welled up within him, as if he were the sole living being in this boundless space, the only consciousness in existence.

And indeed, that was the truth.

His Lunar Spirit continued to soar freely, unbound by any constraints.

Out of sheer ennui, he directed his focus and mental energy to the spirited form of his Lunar Spirit, experimenting with the intricate techniques of Wraithbinding.

To his astonishment, he discovered that in this barren void, the Lunar Spirit could move effortlessly, with hardly any expenditure of energy.

As he channeled Soul Power and shaped it into various forms of Spirit Magic, his Lunar Spirit responded, morphing into myriad shapes.

It could solidify into the towering visage of a Demon God, transform into majestic mountains, expansive rivers, and vast lakes, or even take on the guise of great archdemons.

All these transformations were executed with ease, presenting no challenge whatsoever.

Additionally, the perceptive reach of his Lunar Spirit had significantly expanded.

With a whoosh, a trace of Shadow Moon Essence, previously concealed within an acupoint, silently emerged and merged into his Lunar Spirit, which he was channeling through Wraithbinding. Astonishingly, it began to cleanse and purify the minute impurities within his Lunar Spirit.

Subsequently, more Shadow Moon Essence appeared, seemingly summoned by the Lunar Spirit. The supply of Shadow Moon Essence, originating from the Root of the Lunar Meridian in the Land of Terror, was already dwindling.

This wondrous substance, when combined with the Nine Celestial Slashes, would unleash a fearsome power capable of annihilating alien souls and malevolent spirits.

At that moment, the Lunar Spirit had drawn out all of the remaining Shadow Moon Essence. He refined the Shadow Moon Essence with his Lunar Spirit, purifying his soul and enhancing his perception, intelligence, spirituality, and various other mystical aspects related to the soul.

He had an epiphany: even without forging his Solar Spirit, his Lunar Spirit could continue to refine and grow indefinitely. Such was the profound mystery of Wraithbinding!

The Bloodwraith and Baneblade on the Dragon Slaying Stage also yearned for the Shadow Moon Essence. It seemed that both the stage and the blade could gain an augmentation if infused with the essence.

Yu Yuan was astounded by this revelation, his curiosity about the Shadow Moon Essence piqued, and his desire to acquire more intensified.

Yet, the Shadow Moon Essence appeared to exist solely in the Land of Terror, perpetually hidden at the Root of the Lunar Meridian. To obtain more, he would need to return to the Everlands and venture back to the Land of Terror.

Fortunately, an ancestor of the Yu family had ascended to become the exalted God of Ghosts in the Land of Terror. Should Yu Yuan make his way back, he might indeed be able to harvest new Shadow Moon Essence to nourish his Lunar Spirit and unlock more miniature realms within his acupoints.

"Hmm?" Yu Yuan suddenly became aware of something.

In a distant Land of Nothingness, the fiend Qiyan was scurrying about aimlessly, like a fly without a head. This was a vision glimpsed through the Infinite Awareness of his Lunar Spirit.

In a mere moment, his spirited body, in the form of the Lunar Spirit, manifested in the vicinity of the disoriented Qiyan.

Stripped of its corporeal form, the fiend Qiyan, now reduced to seven deadly streams, assumed a liquid state. It gazed upon the spectral wraith before it and was immediately seized by an urge to flee in terror.

"It's me," Yu Yuan communicated proactively.

Startled by his message, the vibrantly colored Qiyan momentarily hesitated before solidifying abruptly.

It morphed into a rough approximation of a human. "You, you're still alive?" Qiyan spoke, its voice hollow and otherworldly, as though it echoed from a different dimension.

"What I find curious is that you're still alive," Yu Yuan remarked coolly, his voice emanating from his pure spirited body.

For some reason, as he observed the Qiyan before him, feeling the bizarre liquid form refined from the seven toxic streams, he sensed that his Lunar Spirit could consume Qiyan, leaving not even a wisp of remnant soul or consciousness.

What the Blightwood had failed to do seemed trivial to him now, in his pure spirit form.

What was more astonishing was that as soon as this thought emerged, his Lunar Spirit underwent a natural transformation, morphing from its original spirited form into a swirling vortex.

The vortex resembled the Soul Prison formed by the multitude of Banes within the Crucible of Evil.

Qiyan, sensing the immense terror, let out shrill cries and retreated continuously.

"Yu Yuan, I never betrayed you! I had no idea why the Spirit World suddenly overflowed with a mysterious psionic power, causing that malevolent divine tree to grow wildly and pierce endlessly into the outside world."

"That woman, she only looked after Brie of the Shadowkin and completely ignored me!"

"And with you gone, what was I to do? I had no choice but to flee, just like Yan Qiling, Wei Zhuo, and the greylag – to escape as far as possible."

"…"

As Qiyan backed away, it wailed and lamented its grievances.

Sensing a power within Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit that could annihilate him, Qiyan believed Yu Yuan resented his desertion in the heat of battle, so it continued to plead its case.

Qiyan's behavior gave Yu Yuan a renewed appreciation for the profound art of Wraithbinding.

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