C474 Robbing!
The Bone Devouring Shuttle pierced deep into the head of the Chaos Roc, throwing its blood and soul into utter turmoil. A radiant brilliance burst forth from its body, causing more streams of light to fracture into shards.
From across the sea, onlookers could witness the harrowing spectacle within its body, seeing finger-sized holes emerge and multiply within its flesh. The emaciated elder had become a veritable hornet's nest, with endless light spewing from its myriad openings.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" The light zipped about like rainbow lightning, darting and splashing in serpentine paths.
It was at this chaotic juncture that the Evil Cauldron made its sudden entrance. Yu Yuan, master of the cauldron, flashed a wild grin as he activated the Evil Body Refining Skill. His body and the cauldron, like a colossal whale, greedily swallowed the chaotic lightnings erupting from the Chaos Roc.
With eight suns looming behind him, Yu Yuan, seated upon the cauldron, drew closer, eagerly capturing the light refined and suppressed by the Chaos Roc. He couldn't resist taunting, "Old friend, to see you ensnared here truly pains me. Rather than letting the Muddy Devil Embryo slowly corrode your flesh and soul, enduring the agony of being flayed, why not let me hasten your release?"
"We've shared experiences, and you've even bestowed upon me the Sun Essence Fire, allowing us to soar together through the ocean depths. It breaks my heart to see you in such distress."
Yu Yuan's voice was tinged with a genuine pathos. Hou Tianzhao, of the Red Devil Sect, watched his performance and couldn't help but laugh silently, nodding in agreement, "Truly worthy of being the chosen Demonic Seed of our sect. Heh, should we survive this ordeal, I'll make it my mission to endorse him as a direct disciple of the Red Devil Sect."
Lin Yue, with his crimson eyes, gave him a cold glance and simply stated, "Not a bad idea."
"Have they all forgotten that a Devaputra still lingers among us?"
Yan Lu of the Devil Palace, observing Lim Zhuyun enveloped in her emerald flames, was struck by an eerie sense of foreboding.
As the Bone Devouring Shuttle embedded itself in the Chaos Roc, the crowd seemed to lose themselves in the moment, seemingly oblivious to the carnage wrought by Lim Zhuyun just moments before. Most astonishing of all was that Lim Zhuyun, still aflame, remained utterly still.
She refrained from attacking the trial participants, didn't rush into the Muddy Devil Embryo, and avoided any extraneous actions.
Yet, the others maintained their distance from her.
They all kept a safe distance, wary of the chilling, dark green flames that could incinerate both flesh and soul into ash.
"She probably can't control the Bone Devouring Shuttle. Realizing the situation is irreversible, she's stopped resisting," someone speculated.
Fei Yi, Sheh Si, Wu Pei, and Hu Tianyang, who were closer to Mo Yan, exchanged surprised glances upon hearing this.
Mo Yan, seated upon the Kyara Demon Blade, gazed down at the Blood Offering Altar with a puzzled look.
After a prolonged struggle, the altar, which had nearly overwhelmed the Kyara Demon Blade's gravitational field, had become eerily still.
The mountainous piles of white bones ceased their explosive reactions, and the twisted flesh at the altar's edge was no longer being drained of its vital essence.
The altar, settled in the deep sea trench, lay motionless as if it had perished.
Mo Yan no longer needed to exert his power; he even had the leisure to retrieve a treasured pellet and swallow it whole.
"She, she..."
Chi Nandou moaned feebly, a golden thread unwinding from his finger and latching onto a glass bottle, drawing it back to him.
The bottle's green flame, which had transferred to Lim Zhuyun's body when the Bone Devouring Shuttle entered the Muddy Devil Embryo, now seemed to act on its own.
Chi Nandou, casting cautious glances at the ablaze Lim Zhuyun, waited for any sign of protest or attention. When none came, he relaxed and proceeded with confidence.
With the glass bottle safely returned, Chi Nandou breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "She must be pleased to see the Bone Devouring Shuttle target the Chaos Roc. She likely assumed Yu Yuan aimed to obliterate the Muddy Devil Embryo. Perhaps she believed Yu Yuan intended to rescue the Chaos Roc..."
At his words, a collective realization dawned on the group.
Mo Yan, momentarily taken aback, suddenly grasped the truth and slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Exactly! The Aura Altar and the Chaos Roc are the true adversaries of the Ember Waters! The Blood Altar desires the death of both Yu Yuan and the Chaos Roc! The sentient altar's greatest fear must be Yu Yuan falling under the sway of the Chaos Roc!"
Yu Yuan, who harbored a fear of practicing the Evil Body Refining Skill and wielded the Evil Cauldron, purified all manner of impurities within the Muddy Devil Embryo in an effort to rescue the Chaos Roc. That's why she had so desperately tried to intervene earlier.
Upon realizing that Yu Yuan intended to use the Bone Devouring Shuttle against the Chaos Roc, aiding the Muddy Devil Embryo in triggering the explosive powers within the Chaos Roc, he was naturally pleased with the prospect.
Lim Zhuyun, ablaze with flames, became host to a Heavenly Devil, which likely descended from the Spiritual Sacrificial Altar.
The Spiritual Sacrificial Altar, the Blood Sacrificial Altar, and the Muddy Devil Embryo were intrinsically linked.
Yu Yuan, entrusted with the Evil Cauldron and the practice of the Evil Body Refining Skill, and wielding an enigmatic sword sheath, posed a significant threat to the Aura Altar.
Yet, the Chaos Roc presented an even greater danger!
After Yu Yuan's identity as the Divine Soul Sect's heir was exposed, the Aura Altar, once uncontrollably agitated, settled down and realized that Yu Yuan and the Chaos Roc, often seen together, were not the staunch allies they appeared to be. They harbored deep-seated animosity and relished in their mutual combat.
Yu Yuan was unconcerned with others' speculations, focusing solely on amassing the radiant, rainbow-like energy spilling from the Chaos Roc's body.
To not take advantage of this extraterrestrial anomaly, to not capture the immense power it had accumulated over millennia during its moment of blood and Qi turmoil and soul fragmentation, would be a flagrant squandering of celestial gifts.
He was acutely aware that such an opportunity, once missed, would not come again.
The Chaos Roc, a Starry Behemoth, possessed a blood essence that was a true marvel of the ages, exceedingly rare even in the depths of the Outer Star River.
The myriad of strange powers and impurities contained within the Muddy Devil Embryo paled in comparison to the essence currently flowing from him.
Even the Aura Altar, which drew forth the blood essence from the remains of powerful demons and the strange forces of various sea creatures, could not match the Qi and blood essence that had been refined within the Starry Behemoth for tens of thousands of years.
The chaotic, darting streaks of light, resembling both rainbows and lightning, were the Qi and blood essence of the Chaos Roc—resplendent and filled with boundless, hidden wonders.
If not for the Chaos Roc's millennia-long imprisonment, if not for its fall from grace, if not for the prolonged corruption by the Muddy Devil Embryo, if not for the timely strike of the Bone Devouring Shuttle that shattered its body and unleashed the invasive powers it could no longer contain, it would not have met such a tragic fate.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Yu Yuan's smile radiated brilliantly as he watched the beams of radiant lightning vanish within the Evil Cauldron. The assorted impurities from the Muddy Devil Embryo had the power to ravage his bones, flesh, and blood, causing his organs to burst—a truly devastating effect.
Yet, the rebirth of his physique, the regeneration of his flesh, the mending of his veins, and the reinforcement of his bones could not depend on the chaotic flow of these tainted energies. Instead, he had to rely on the Qi and Blood Mystic Technique within his middle dantian, meticulously refining and tempering it day and night.
The lower, middle, and upper dantians served distinct purposes: one to store spiritual energy, the other to reserve and refine Qi and blood. The capacity of the dantian was largely innate, vast and expansive by nature.
While there were Devil Spells capable of altering one's innate endowments, such instances were exceedingly rare. Moreover, attempting such modifications came with numerous drawbacks and risks, not to mention the ever-present threat of peril. Take the Metaplasia Spell, for instance, which could alter the Yellow Court's acupoints—if mishandled, it could lead to the annihilation of one's Yin God and certain death.
Legends spoke of artifacts that could transform the middle dantian's microcosm in the Innate realm, but those who had witnessed such wonders kept their knowledge closely guarded.
The Evil Cauldron, a creation of the Evil Sect, was renowned throughout the world for its body-tempering techniques. The sect's expertise in refining the flesh and blood at the Profound Break Stage was unparalleled.
Given their profound emphasis on the cultivation at the Profound Break Stage, the cauldron soul within the Evil Cauldron was aware of a rare item that could bless the microcosm of Qi and blood when the middle dantian was opened during this critical phase of advancement.
This extraordinary object doesn't exist within the Boundless Land; it's only occasionally glimpsed deep within the Outer Star River.
Regrettably, the cultivators who encounter such rarities are at least at the Yang God Stage, if not higher.
And even when encountered, it's exceedingly difficult to acquire, let alone utilize for oneself.
This object is none other than the Starry Behemoth, the largest and most elusive creature dwelling in the depths of the Outer Star River beyond the Boundless Land!
To be exact, it's the condensed essence of the Starry Behemoth's lifeblood.
This potent essence has the power to enable human cultivators to forge a miniature cosmos of Qi and blood during the Profound Break Stage!
Currently, Yu Yuan is harnessing the Evil Cauldron to gather the radiant lightning spewing from the Chaos Roc's body!
The Muddy Devil Embryo harbors a tumultuous array of diverse and chaotic abilities, as boundless as the ocean, yet their true worth pales in comparison to the lifeblood essence of the Starry Behemoth!
Indeed, this is the supreme treasure of the cosmos!
