C660 Crush the Imprint
Constantly examining oneself with spiritual awareness is a method of cultivation at the Penetrating Stage.
After his exhausting battle, Yu Yuan exchanged a few words with Lau Ying before delving into introspection.
He employed his freshly solidified Spiritual Sense to scrutinize crucial acupoints and essential organs.
He acutely felt that the fight with Chu Jing, while depleting his Spiritual Sense and energy, paradoxically left him feeling more at ease.
The strands of Spiritual Sense entwined with the souls of Heaven, Earth, and Man were coaxed out, coursing through his Yellow Court acupoints, circulating within his Qi and blood, threading through muscles and bones. With each circuit completed, his Spiritual Sense grew increasingly refined.
Self-examination is, in itself, a practice of cultivation.
His Spiritual Sense meandered through his body like a gentle stream, acting as silent eyes that observed his inner self. Details once overlooked now stood out with clarity and depth.
His focus was drawn most to the microcosm of Qi and blood.
The crystalline Life Altar, as clear as blood jade, had engulfed a finger from the Golden-eyed Winged Centipede and was slowly assimilating it.
Golden beams of blood radiated from the finger, integrating into the altar.
The finger was diminishing bit by bit.
This was a process of assimilation.
The altar, forged from the Giant Beast Amber of the Chaos Roc, swelled with stored vitality as the finger dwindled, eventually imparting to him a sense of vastness akin to the ocean.
"Recently, after being bestowed with the essence of a formidable demon by Chen Liangquan in the depths of Luan Bird City, and now capturing a finger from the Golden-eyed Winged Centipede in my battle with Chu Jing, a Ninth Level Great Demon, I've acquired something truly remarkable," Yu Yuan mused with quiet elation.
The higher the rank of the Great Demon, the more potent the energy within the Demonic Beast's flesh and blood. A single bone or finger from a Ninth Level Great Demon could rival the entire life force of a Sixth Level Great Demon.
The finger from the Golden-eyed Winged Centipede was part of a Ninth Level Great Demon's body, a trophy from his confrontation with Chu Jing.
The object was in the process of being refined by the Life Altar, transforming into the purest essence of flesh and blood, imbued with the creative power of life. It served to nourish his body and fortify his physique.
However, his elation was short-lived as his spirit was jolted.
During the refinement by the Life Altar, he noticed an extremely fine stream of air solidifying from within the severed finger of the Golden-eyed Winged Centipede.
This delicate air stream swiftly expanded within the demonic beast's severed digit, growing to the thickness of a hair.
It solidified into a crystal chain, which seemed intent on seizing control of the Ninth Level Great Demon's finger, threatening to shatter the Life Altar and cause Yu Yuan's microcosm of Qi and Blood to burst apart.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The hair-like crystal chain burst apart suddenly, with sparks flickering like tiny flames, carrying a fearsome force that sought to shatter the Life Altar and breach Yu Yuan's Qi and Blood microcosm, potentially ending his life in an instant.
Yu Yuan's consciousness trembled intensely, with every ounce of his Spiritual Sense, thoughts, and focus converging upon the altar.
A profound bond formed between him and the Life Altar, creating a seamless and extraordinary connection.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the essence of his flesh and blood, along with his condensed Spiritual Power and Spiritual Sense, surged into the altar.
The altar glowed radiantly within the Qi and Blood microcosm, casting a mesmerizing blood-red luminescence that transformed the entire realm into a bizarre world where Qi and Blood churned like a tumultuous sea, on the verge of manifesting a miraculous spectacle of life's regeneration.
In that moment, the altar seemed to connect to every acupoint in Yu Yuan's body, including the Yellow Court and Niwan acupoints.
The Life Altar, for a brief time, became akin to his heart, the core of his being, drawing upon every bit of power at his disposal.
The Life Altar rotated slowly, the enigmatic force of the Starry Behemoth enveloping every spark in an instant.
These sparks, born from the shattered Crystal Chains, harbored an odd power not of the Great Demon's origin.
Suddenly, the sparks were snuffed out, one after another, as if quenched by unseen hands.
The Crystal Chains had finally vanished without a trace, leaving no more turmoil in their wake.
"The mark of the Spirit Void Taoist!"
In an instant, Yu Yuan pieced it all together, grasping the unfolding events.
...
Hundreds of miles away.
Seated motionless in a corner of the Crystal Boat, Chu Jing's eyes suddenly flickered open, a hint of surprise within them. In a whisper inaudible to anyone else, he mused, "The mark my master left inside my finger, designed to suppress and control the residual will of the Great Demon, was triggered and erupted, yet it failed to kill him. This Yu Yuan has truly brought me a wealth of surprises."
He had instructed Han Xu to pilot the Crystal Boat and disregard the severed finger, but his intentions were far from innocent.
The spiritual link to the finger had been cut, yet Chu Jing was certain that the mark of his master, the Spirit Void Taoist, wouldn't just fade away.
Chu Jing had gambled on the idea that by sacrificing a finger from a Ninth Level Great Demon, the moment Yu Yuan attempted to harvest and refine it, the mark left by his master would sense an imposter and trigger the finger's self-destruction.
The explosive force of a Ninth Level Great Demon's finger would be lethal, especially if Yu Yuan were caught unawares.
Chu Jing had never imagined that Yu Yuan, without any sect lineage or known cultivation method, could withstand another onslaught from the formidable demon finger.
"This is becoming increasingly intriguing."
He closed his eyes again, feeling a renewed sense of excitement about his journey through the Crimson Desert, now that Yu Yuan had emerged as a worthy adversary.
Chu Jing, who never shied away from a challenge, feared no opponent.
...
Two days later.
Thanks to a pellet and several high-grade spirit jades, Yu Yuan's parched Yellow Court acupoints, nearly depleted of spiritual consciousness, were once again brimming with vitality.
To his amazement, he noticed that the spiritual consciousness entwining his soul had noticeably intensified.
Moreover, the freshly solidified spiritual consciousness seemed to shimmer with an imperceptible luster.
"Progressing through the Penetrating Stage is crucial for refining and transforming one's spiritual consciousness. At this level, continuous introspection with the spiritual consciousness to probe the body's mysteries is not only a way to refine the spirit but also a means of cultivation itself."
Yu Yuan had a breakthrough, grasping the essentials of advancing to the next level of the Penetrating Stage.
The microcosm of Qi and blood had regained its tranquility, now more serene than ever before.
The Life Altar fell silent after he refined a severed finger from a Ninth Level Great Demon. Inside, light swirled ceaselessly, hinting at some bizarre transformation underway.
Yu Yuan was aware that the Life Altar, a rare artifact of high-tier intelligent races, was said to be a gift to those favored by the cosmos. Yet, his understanding of it was limited.
He was uncertain about the nuanced changes that might occur after the Life Altar consumed the finger of the Ninth Level Great Demon.
He intended to watch it unfold gradually.
On another blisteringly hot day, the sun scorched the Crimson Desert, leaving everyone irritable.
It was fortunate that only the disciples from the major sects traversed this wasteland. An ordinary mortal, unversed in cultivation, would likely perish from the heat within days.
Yu Yuan opened his eyes and leisurely rose from his seated position. He glanced around and noticed Lau Ying engaged in conversation at the edge of the Fallen Star Eyes.
He was taken aback that someone had arrived unnoticed.
He approached Lau Ying.
"You're awake," she greeted him with a smile that hinted at deeper feelings, causing Yu Yuan to feel a twinge of unease.
"Greetings, Yu."
Standing beside Lau Ying was a man with shoulder-length silver hair, wearing a robe adorned with crescent moons.
The man's smile was inviting, and he had a tall, handsome presence, appearing to be in his forties. "I am Tan Junshan from the Moon Sect of the Silver Moon Sect, recently returned from beyond our realm."
He introduced himself, then continued, "The Chaos Roc had its sights on the Fallen Star Eyes and struck across the vast starry river. I feared the ferocious Starry Behemoth aimed to kill Lau Ying. She was unaware, so it seems the Chaos Roc's strike was meant for you."
"After all, it was just the two of you there at the time."
Tan Junshan revealed the truth that Yu Yuan had kept to himself.
He downplayed his use of the Evil Cauldron to fend off the Starry Behemoth's assault, and Lau Ying didn't dwell on it, assuming he had acted to counter Taoist Yeyin's attack.
Lau Ying was unaware that Taoist Yeyin's assault was merely the second wave.
"Silver Moon Sect?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in mild surprise.
The Silver Moon Sect had long been responsible for the sect's affairs, with the Star Sect lineage—where Lau Ying's master belonged—holding the reins.
The Moon Sect was shrouded in far more mystery than the Star Sect; even Lau Ying was unclear about the identity of the Moon Sect Master.
Tan Junshan, who claimed to be from the Moon Sect and had returned from beyond, possessed a cultivation level at least at the Yang God Stage, which deeply impressed Yu Yuan. He made no attempt to conceal it, admitting, "He's indeed targeting me."
"I had a feeling that was the case," Tan Junshan said, his eyes reflecting admiration as he smiled. "That Starry Behemoth's strike, spanning the galaxy, gave away its location. It must have paid a hefty price for that attack. It's beyond me why such a fearsome creature, once notorious across the Boundless Land and the galactic depths, is so fixated on you."
"How should I know?" Yu Yuan shrugged.
The fact that Yu Yuan had been oblivious to Tan Junshan's arrival and conversation with Lau Ying during his meditation was a testament to Tan Junshan's exceptional abilities.
Yu Yuan was not about to divulge anything to someone from the Moon Sect whose origins were a mystery to him.
As Tan Junshan was about to speak further, both he and Lau Ying's brows twitched in unison.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Instantly, Tan Junshan and Lau Ying materialized at the spot Yu Yuan had just vacated, their gaze fixed on the scene within a moonstone that gleamed like a mirror.
Yu Yuan, momentarily taken aback, quickly joined them.
Displayed within the moonstone was a colossal Flood Dragon, over a hundred feet long with a girth matching a barrel, its body sheathed in gleaming, icy silver scales. It was devouring Taiyuan Sect cultivators one by one.
The highest among these cultivators were at the late Penetrating Stage.
As the Flood Dragon feasted, the five Taiyuan Sect cultivators, who had ventured to the Crimson Desert to vanquish evil, stood petrified, utterly immobilized.
"The Flood Dragon's aura has muddled their minds," Tan Junshan observed with a sigh, turning to Lau Ying. "This is an ominous sign. The deaths of these five Taiyuan Sect disciples suggest that the nefarious demons and strange creatures of the Crimson Desert are likely gearing up for a counteroffensive. They've been skulking in the shadows until now, but I doubt they'll continue to do so."
"How could they dare?" Lau Ying exclaimed in disbelief.
Tan Junshan lifted his gaze to the heavens and mused, "It seems someone has informed them that the era of dominance by the three great upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and the Demon Palace, over the Boundless Land, is coming to an end."
