C414 Sixth Level!!
Whoosh!
A chilling gust swept through Skullcairn, carrying with it endless grains of crystal that coalesced into a gleaming Sunsilver demonform, radiant with the power of a Solar Spirit. The spiritual energy within was so dense and vast it threatened to spill over, filling the form to the brim.
Skullcairn itself began to resonate with a formidable magic power, one that stood toe-to-toe with the demonic might of Lord Dusk Raven. At the emergence of the demonform, Xu Zixi, a cultivator of the Spirit Walk realm, visibly paled.
The seven pythons entwined around her shivered in terror, compelled to draw upon her vitality to stay rational and calm, lest their natural fear betray them and reveal a stance of enmity.
The demonform, as solid and imposing as Sunsilver itself, underwent another transformation, now cloaked in a black robe. Its visage subtly shifted under the influence of demonic light, ultimately settling into the figure of a tall, burly middle-aged man crowned with golden regalia.
He cast a glance at Xu Zixi.
With an awkward smile and a respectful gesture, she greeted him, "Greetings, Lord Hei Xun."
He nodded in acknowledgment. "Your work in the Forgotten Ruins was commendable. The Hellbreed of the Ruby Hand has proven quite promising. His recent actions have afforded us considerable advantages."
"You honor me with your praise," Xu Zixi quickly responded, well aware of the stature of the man before her.
Hei Xun, the overseer of the Embers Sea and a late-period Solar Spirit cultivator, had once clashed with members of the upper sects of Euwrea in the extraterrestrial realms. For his transgressions, the Devil Palace had recalled him from the Everlands as a punitive measure, restricting his movements within the Embers Sea as a concession to the upper sects.
Renowned for his bloodlust even during his time in the Everlands, Hei Xun bore a deep-seated vendetta against the sects of the Euwrea Continent. His fiery temper proved difficult to quell even after ascending to the Solar Spirit stage and venturing into the extraterrestrial realms.
Hei Xun, who should have been uniting forces to combat the Star-Spawned Terror and exterminate the Otherkin of the Star River, frequently found himself at odds with the cultivators of the upper sects, leading to clashes and battles.
To temper his character, the Devil Palace had assigned him to oversee the Embers Sea, forbidding him from venturing into the Star River again and preventing further clashes between the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea.
"Leave us."
Dusk Raven grunted, gesturing dismissively with her gnarled hand, signaling that she needed to speak with Hei Xun.
Xu Zixi dutifully exited the Skullcairn.
"Why is that Yu Yuan kid in there?" Hei Xun asked, his brow furrowed, his eyes dark and fathomless, like an abyss that could swallow everything. On closer inspection, it seemed as though mighty rivers flowed in the depths of his gaze. "We can't sense that place with our remnant souls, nor can we discern it with our eyes."
"Hei Xun! You're asking me?!" Dusk Raven was livid, stamping her foot and pointing at him as she yelled, "I noticed that boy before he even reached the Embers Sea. He was aboard the Silver Rainbow Shuttle, escorted by the Dark Herald into these waters! And now you, from the Devil Palace, have the nerve to question me?"
"You're just a noisy crow," Hei Xun muttered, massaging his temples in frustration. "I'm not here to blame you, so calm down. The three locations beneath the sea are our joint responsibility. Only the two of us know about those places since we were stationed here."
"I've come to you to figure out what we should do about this situation," Hei Xun stated.
"There are rules to follow; it wouldn't be right for us to go down there," Dusk Raven replied, her tone softening slightly. "We could send some of the younger ones to check it out, but..."
Hei Xun shook his head, "Better not. They're too conspicuous. One slip-up and they could give themselves away. It would be a mess if the upper sects found out about the three uncharted areas beneath the Embers Sea."
Historically, there have been unexplained deaths among the trial-takers from the three upper sects and the seven lower sects.
The Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep have always maintained that these individuals strayed beyond the bounds of the Embers Sea, seeking their own demise, and thus could not be pitied.
In truth, there was more to the story than met the eye.
With the three enigmatic sites now revealed, the previous fabrications could no longer be sustained.
Should the geniuses of the sects perish, the sects would undoubtedly seek retribution and demand justice from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep.
"So, what do you propose we do?" Lord Dusk Raven grumbled.
"I sought you out to caution you against making any rash decisions in your fury," Hei Xun said, selecting his words with care to avoid provoking the elder and inviting further complications. "Remain composed and refrain from action. Allow me to handle this matter, agreed?"
"Hei Xun! That young man. He was able to enter, wasn't he?" Lord Dusk Raven raised his voice, "We both know what lies within the place he entered! Did your Devil Palace take a liking to him, intending to curry favor and recruit him into your ranks by subtly revealing those secrets?"
Hei Xun felt an even greater headache coming on. "We would never do that. Let me take care of this. You don't need to concern yourself with it for now."
...
Hiss!
Another speck of sunfire descended into the vortex created by the nine "miniature suns," to be smelted by the "Nine Glories Wheel."
In the Otherworld, Yu Yuan was in high spirits!
Above the Golden Sanctum's little world, five crimson lightning bolts had appeared amidst the thick spiritual energy clouds!
These five crimson bolts arced across his Golden Sanctum's little world like vibrant rainbows!
With a mere thought.
The five bolts converged and solidified, transforming into five clusters of crimson flame.
"After refining the five points of sunfire, they will be integrated into the acupoints of the Golden Sanctum. In battle, the sunfire, now in the form of flames, should be able to be unleashed as crimson lightning."
"A single bolt of crimson lightning should suffice to slay a Veil Breaking Realm adversary. That shouldn't pose a problem."
"As for someone like Tang Cen, who practices a flame spell and possesses the cultivation of the Subtlety Realm, and being Tang Zheng's grandson, he carries a significant treasure. A single cluster of sunfire might not be lethal to him, as he may be shielded by some artifact. But what if two clusters are used, or three, or even five simultaneously?"
As Yu Yuan refined the sunfire, he pondered the mysteries of this extraordinary object and how to unleash its power. Slowly, the sixth sunfire transformed into a crimson thread under the influence of the Nine Glories Wheel, shooting out from the vortex.
The Golden Sanctum Acupoint's suction was reinvigorated!
Swoosh!
As the sixth sunfire, now a scarlet streak of lightning, entered the lower elixir field of the Golden Sanctum, the little world underwent a sudden transformation. The sixth bolt of scarlet lightning burst like a dazzling firework within his little world, scattering tinier sparks of fire toward the base of the Golden Sanctum.
These small fire sparks resembled a magnificent meteor shower in his little world. As the meteor shower cascaded down, it interacted with the spiritual energy he had meticulously refined in the Golden Sanctum's little world, prompting this unique space to expand once more.
"The Way of Heaven is bound by numerous limitations and follows its own rules, just as the Everlands do, and so does the small world within the acupoint," Yu Yuan realized in a moment of epiphany, feeling excitement rather than shock.
His Golden Sanctum Acupoint had undergone five expansions and reconstructions. Each refinement and expansion broadened the expanse of the Golden Sanctum's little world. After reaching the fifth level of refinement, his lower elixir field could only hold five clusters of sunfire, forming five scarlet rainbows.
The number five represented both the number of refinements of the lower elixir field and the maximum amount of sunfire it could contain. But what was his current level of cultivation?
The Golden Sanctum's cultivation level was typically insufficient for gathering sunfire from extraterrestrial realms and integrating it into oneself. Yet, due to the wondrous Nine Glories Wheel and the existence of the Otherworld, he had begun refining sunfire in a manner unforeseen even by its creator.
Still, the cosmic order maintained its decrees, seemingly permitting him to refine only five portions of sunfire within the acupoint of the elixir field. Once the sixth cluster of sunfire was refined, it burst forth into the Golden Sanctum's little world, transforming into a fiery essence that fell and mingled with the spiritual energy, further expanding the little world.
"That's fine!"
Yu Yuan, having grasped this concept, gained a deeper understanding of the foundational laws of the cultivation world. He realized that in his humble state within the Golden Sanctum, refining and absorbing more sunfire might require multiple refinements of his little world.
Could it be that after the sixth refinement, his inner little world would boast six rainbows? And after the seventh, seven rainbows? If he managed to advance to the late period of the Golden Sanctum and then step into Veil Breaking, could he shatter the cosmic constraints, allowing him to freely condense sunfire into his Golden Sanctum's little world? Might he even integrate the vitality and the Profound Gate into his middle elixir field?
With these thoughts spurring him on, Yu Yuan became increasingly fervent and diligent. He utilized the Nine Glories Wheel to its fullest potential, drawing out and refining the sunfire before fusing it into the acupoint of the Golden Sanctum. Following the explosive process, he refined the Golden Sanctum's acupoint to the sixth level with remarkable speed!