C584 Second Bane

In the cramped stone cave, a pool of blood lay on the ground, its pungent scent of blood thick in the air.

Yu Yuan dragged Chen Qingyan inside, and as soon as they entered, the Blood Altar within his little world of vitality sprang to life!

"Hmm?"

Chen Qingyan was startled and turned to him, "Why is there such a violent disturbance deep within your Profound Gate acupoints?"

Before Yu Yuan could respond, the pool of blood shot toward him!

Throughout the Sword Prison, he had come across many restrained cultivators, yet none had retained enough strength to attack an intruder.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

In the center of the stone corridor, a flurry of sword lights split into dozens, slicing through the serpentine blood.

The blood was instantly segmented by the sword lights.

Once it hit the ground, the blood slithered and merged back together.

The blood surged forth once more, stubbornly continuing its assault on Yu Yuan.

Streams of sword light emerged from various directions in the corridor, effortlessly severing the reformed blood without Yu Yuan lifting a finger.

The blood gathered and lunged at Yu Yuan yet again.

The cycle repeated.

"This entity seems to have lost its spiritual wisdom long ago, leaving only its instincts," Chen Qingyan observed, her brow furrowing as she watched the relentless blood attack time after time. "It's a cultivator who practiced the Colddeath's mystique, forged from blood and spiritual energy... a Solar Spirit!"

"Solar Spirit!" Yu Yuan exclaimed, taken aback.

Chen Qingyan gave a slight nod, "Indeed, this is a Solar Spirit of a great cultivator from the Colddeath. Unlike many cultivators, the followers of the Colddeath forge their Solar Spirits from a blend of blood and spiritual energy, with the heaven soul as the transformative core."

The Solar Spirit is distinct from the Lunar Spirit, which is derived from the earthly soul and exists in an ethereal state.

The Solar Spirit, on the other hand, is solidified by the heaven soul and is a tangible presence.

In the three great sects, such as the Devil Palace and the Ruby Hand, the Solar Spirits are typically composed of pure spiritual energy with a touch of vitality for refinement.

The Colddeath, however, is crafted from both blood and spiritual energy.

"Let me examine this more closely!"

Yu Yuan's consciousness stirred within the Sword Prison, and without any further concealment, he silently invoked the Soul Forging through Enlightenment technique, mentally commanding, "Open the Third Eye!" It was as though a divine eye had abruptly opened, capable of discerning the most minute details.

The once dark chamber was suddenly awash with light.

Yu Yuan's gaze fell upon a pool of blood, now shimmering with innumerable tiny crystals. Within this pool, the minuscule crystal lights numbered in the thousands, reminiscent of distant, cold stars in an extraterrestrial sky. From these crystals, he detected the scent of Otherkin blood and glimpsed the fleeting forms of Sky Fiends and the elusive shadows of unknown Otherkin.

A myriad of peculiar auras intermingled within the blood, rendering the power within chaotic and unprecedented.

At the heart of this blood was a Colddeath Sect cultivator of the Solar Spirit Realm, whose refined soul was so tumultuously packed that it was in utter disarray, his spiritual wisdom and consciousness completely obscured.

"He has practiced the Colddeath Sect's mystique and has been driven to madness," Yu Yuan quickly deduced. No longer sustaining the active state of his Third Eye and disregarding Chen Qingyan's astonishment, he explained, "The Colddeath spell involves refining blood, drawing the power of blood from one's own race, from Fellbeasts, and from the Star-Spawned Terrors."

"Yet, this individual has been overly ambitious, failing to fully refine before hastily engulfing more fresh blood, dragging it into his body without discrimination."

"The consequence is an overwhelming influx of unassimilated blood that was not his own, amalgamating into a single crucible and gradually eroding his rationality, leading to the loss of his self-identity."

Many cultivators, like this one, have strayed from their path during their spiritual journey.

Numerous cultivators from the Devil Palace, Ruby Hand, and Terror Claws, among others, could fall victim to their inner demons, permanently losing their sense of self and becoming malevolent entities driven by their base instincts to wreak havoc.

Such individuals are summarily executed by the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep without a second thought.

The fact that this Colddeath Sect's Solar Spirit cultivator was not exterminated but instead confined within the Sword Prison was indeed unexpected.

Yu Yuan mulled over the situation briefly before realizing, "He must have earned significant merits in the Star River beyond our world, causing the demise of many Sky Fiends and Otherkin. Though a follower of the Colddeath sect, his consumption of too much unrefined blood led him to lose his sense of self. However, considering his substantial achievements, he's likely only been confined."

"Whoosh!"

The puddle of blood that had landed on the ground now surged and shot toward him once more. Simultaneously, the Crucible of Evil, nestled within the Zigong acupoint, burst forth without Yu Yuan's summons.

As soon as the Crucible of Evil emerged, the blood instinctively panicked, attempting to turn back and flee.

Whoosh!

The Crucible of Evil gave chase and, with its mouth facing downward, absorbed the blood into its inner little world.

The cauldron spirit's voice, filled with delight, reached Yu Yuan immediately, "Master, this entity's spiritual wisdom is in disarray, its vitality a jumble of conflicting forces. It's ripe for refinement! He will become the second Bane!"

The cultivator, who had delved too deeply into the forbidden spells of the Colddeath and ended up in the Sword Prison, had absorbed the blood of numerous Otherkin, Fellbeasts, and Sky Fiends, leading to his current state.

The Sword Prison had sapped most of his strength, leaving him exceedingly frail.

The Crucible of Evil's inner little world, capable of devouring even the more tumultuous psionic power within the Azurefiend's Spawn of Chaos, would surely be able to handle him.

"He could become the second Bane?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.

"Nothing could be more fitting!" exclaimed the cauldron spirit, visibly thrilled. "Master, once he's purified and refined, there's a chance he may regain his spiritual wisdom and a coherent consciousness!"

"Wonderful!" Yu Yuan laughed joyously.

He considered that if this Colddeath adept could be transformed into a Bane by the Crucible of Evil and truly recover his spiritual wisdom, he could then ascertain why he had instinctively attacked him.

Yu Yuan had a hunch that this formidable Colddeath figure, once a terror of the celestial expanses, might have been driven mad by the Blood Altar.

Why did the Blood Altar, crafted from the Sunsorrow of a giant beast, bear such a resemblance to the Sky Fiend's Blood Altar?

And why had such an enigmatic structure been built within his own little world of vitality? The secrets and purposes of this altar continued to perplex him.

He was eager to unravel the mysteries and origins of the Blood Altar.

The Colddeath cultivator, who had consumed the blood of various races and had gone mad with power, was likely privy to the secret!

"That blood?"

As Yu Yuan led Chen Qingyan toward the next cave, the Sword Sect's prodigy was momentarily bewildered. "How did it suddenly... disappear?"

"Haha, no need for alarm." Yu Yuan chuckled and explained, "As you're aware, I refined a Crucible of Evil at the bottom of the Embers Sea. That cauldron happens to be the nemesis of that very thing."

"I've heard of the Terror Claws' Crucible of Evil, but I never imagined it to be so formidable," Chen Qingyan remarked.

They continued their conversation as Yu Yuan guided her into a new cave.

In one corner, a short, stocky old man with a bald head grinned at Yu Yuan.

His hands hung naturally, extending past his knees, and were significantly larger than those of anyone Yu Yuan had encountered before. The old man's joints appeared exceptionally sturdy.

Despite his muscles being withered from depleted vitality, Yu Yuan had encountered numerous evilkind and Otherkin cultivators on his journey. Upon seeing this old man, he was convinced that none of them could boast a more robust physique.

A thought struck him, and he surmised the old man's identity.

"Could you be a senior from the Forgeroses?" Yu Yuan ventured.

"Hahaha! I practice the Ancient Echoes of the Void, and Shen Feiqing is my disciple," the bald elder laughed heartily, giving Yu Yuan a scrutinizing look. "To cultivate the Terror Claws' Body Refining Technique to such an extent is truly impressive. I would never have expected that after my departure from the Everlands, someone could achieve such formidable physical strength at the Veil Breaking level!"

With those words, the elder rose to his feet and bellowed, "Let me assist you once more!"

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