C660 Shattering the Mark
Continuously using one's spiritual sense to meticulously examine oneself is also a method of cultivating in the Subtlety Realm.
After the battle, an exhausted Yu Yuan briefly conversed with Liu Ying before delving into introspection.
He employed strands of his freshly condensed spiritual sense to scrutinize the crucial acupoints and essential organs.
He acutely felt that the fight with Qu Jing, despite depleting his spiritual sense and energy, had paradoxically left his mind feeling more serene.
The spiritual sense, entwined with the three souls of heaven, earth, and man, was directed outwards, flowing through his Golden Sanctum, the little world of vitality, the meridians, and the joints. As it completed each cycle, his spiritual sense became even more refined.
Self-examination is, in itself, a form of practice.
The spiritual sense meandered through his body like a gentle stream, acting as silent eyes that scrutinized every part of him, revealing intricacies that had previously gone unnoticed.
What captured his attention the most was the little world of vitality.
The Altar of Rebirth, resplendent like blood jade, had engulfed a finger from the Golden-eyed Ape and was slowly assimilating it.
Golden rays of light burst forth from the finger, merging into the altar, causing the finger to diminish gradually.
This was a process of transformation.
The altar, forged from the Sunsorrow of the Abyssal Leviathan, was filling up with vital energy as the finger shrank, giving Yu Yuan the impression of an overwhelming, oceanic force.
"Recently, I received a gift from Chen Liangquan in the depths of Afnetalos City—a powerful archdemon's vital energy. The finger I seized from my battle with Qu Jing belongs to a ninth-level archdemon, which is, of course, quite remarkable."
Yu Yuan felt a surge of quiet elation.
The higher the archdemon's level, the more potent the vital energy within the Fellbeast. A single bone or finger from a ninth-level archdemon could rival the entire vital energy of a sixth-level archdemon.
The finger from the Golden-eyed Ape, a part of a ninth-level archdemon, was a trophy from his fight with Qu Jing.
Now, the Altar of Rebirth was refining it into the purest essence, rich with the vital energy of life, to nourish and fortify his physique.
His elation was short-lived as his mind was rocked to its core.
During the refinement process in the Altar of Rebirth, a wisp of incredibly fine air flow emerged from within the severed finger of the Golden-eyed Ape, transitioning from an ethereal state to a tangible one.
This slender stream of air swelled rapidly within the archdemon's severed finger, growing to the thickness of a hair and solidifying into a crystal chain.
It appeared intent on commandeering the broken finger of the ninth-level archdemon, threatening to consume the Altar of Rebirth and shatter Yu Yuan's little world into oblivion.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The hair-thin crystal chain burst apart suddenly.
Tiny sparks flickered like flames, wielding a fearsome power as they sought to shatter the Altar of Rebirth and breach Yu Yuan's little world of vitality, threatening to end his life there and then.
Yu Yuan's heart quaked intensely, his spiritual sense, thoughts, and focus converging on the altar in an instant.
He felt an immediate, profound connection with the Altar of Rebirth, as if they were bound by blood and sinew.
Whoosh!
His spiritual energy, spiritual sense, and the vital essence residing within his flesh surged into the altar.
The Altar of Rebirth shone resplendently within the little world of vitality, casting a brilliant blood-red glow that transformed the entire world, making it seem as though it was on the cusp of a miraculous rebirth, with vitality churning like a tumultuous sea.
In that moment, the altar seemed to interlink with every acupoint in Yu Yuan's body, including his Golden Sanctum and mud pellet acupoints.
For a brief time, the Altar of Rebirth became the beating heart at the core of his being, drawing upon every ounce of power at his disposal.
The Altar of Rebirth rotated slowly, its mysterious strange power, derived from the cosmic giant beast, swiftly enveloping all the sparks of light.
These sparks, born from the shattered crystal chain, held an eerie force alien to the archdemon's finger.
One by one, the sparks were snuffed out as if crushed by unseen colossal hands.
The crystal chain was finally extinguished, ceasing to stir up any further turmoil.
"The mark of Sage Lingxu!"
In an instant, Yu Yuan pieced it all together, grasping what had transpired.
...
Hundreds of miles away.
Qu Jing, sitting motionless in a corner of the Starskiff, quietly opened his eyes.
With a look of surprise, Qu Jing whispered to himself in a voice unheard by others, "The mark left by Master within his finger, meant to suppress the residual will of the archdemon, was disturbed and yet failed to kill him. This Yu Yuan has truly brought me many surprises."
He had instructed Han Xu to pilot the Starskiff and disregard the severed finger, harboring a cunning plan.
Although his connection to the soul within that finger was severed, he was aware that the mark of his master, Lingxu, wouldn't simply vanish.
Qu Jing had considered that by sacrificing a ninth-level archdemon's finger, when Yu Yuan attempted to harvest and refine it, the mark left by his master would detect it wasn't him and cause the finger to self-destruct.
The explosion of demon energy from a ninth-level archdemon's finger would be lethal to Yu Yuan if he were unprepared!
Qu Jing had not anticipated that Yu Yuan, lacking a sect's lineage and ignorant of the ways to cultivate a peculiar spell, could actually withstand another onslaught from the archdemon's finger.
"This is becoming increasingly intriguing."
He closed his eyes once more, suddenly finding the presence of an adversary like Yu Yuan made the journey through the Scarlet Dunes far more engaging.
Qu Jing never shied away from a challenge, nor did he fear any rival.
...
Two days later.
Aided by a pill and several high-grade Soul Crystals, Yu Yuan's parched Golden Sanctum acupoints and nearly depleted spiritual sense were replenished and brimming once more.
To his amazement, he noticed that the spiritual sense intertwined with his soul had noticeably increased.
Moreover, the newly condensed spiritual sense seemed to shimmer with an invisible luster.
"Progressing through Subtlety is crucial for the refinement and transformation of spiritual sense. In this state, continuously introspecting with spiritual sense to probe the body's mysteries is both a refinement of spiritual sense and an act of cultivation."
Yu Yuan had discovered the knack and was beginning to grasp how to advance his cultivation in the realm of Subtlety.
The little world of his vitality had returned to tranquility, now even more serene than in the past.
After refining the severed finger of a ninth-level archdemon, the Altar of Rebirth fell into an unusual silence. Within, light cascaded ceaselessly, hinting at some bizarre transformation taking shape.
Yu Yuan lacked understanding of this Altar of Rebirth, which Xie Bin and the Second Bane had described as a gift only bestowed upon the favored intelligent life from beyond the stars.
He was uncertain of the delicate changes that would ensue after the Altar of Rebirth consumed the finger of a ninth-level archdemon.
He intended to observe the process gradually.
The day was scorching, the sun searing the desert sands, stirring restlessness in everyone.
It was a blessing that only the disciples of the various sects were braving the Scarlet Dunes; ordinary mortals unfamiliar with cultivation would likely perish from the heat within days.
Yu Yuan opened his eyes, rising leisurely from his meditative pose. He scanned his surroundings and noticed Liu Ying engaged in conversation with someone at the edge of the Fallen Star Eyes.
He was mildly taken aback, unaware of when this individual had arrived, and that he had been completely oblivious to their presence.
He approached Liu Ying.
"You're awake," she noted, her lips curving into a smile. Her enchanting eyes flickered with affection as they met Yu Yuan's, causing him to feel somewhat abashed.
"Greetings, Yu," said the man beside Liu Ying, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders, his robe adorned with crescent moons.
The man, exuding a warm and handsome aura, appeared to be in his forties. "My name is Tan Junshan, from the Moon Sect of the Starmoon Sect. I've just returned from extraterrestrial realms."
He continued, "Recently, the Abyssal Leviathan spotted the Fallen Star Eyes and struck it from across the Infinite Galaxy. I feared that the brutal cosmic giant beast was targeting Liu Ying. However, when I asked her, she was completely unaware, so it seems that the Leviathan's assault was actually aimed at you."
"After all, at that time, you were the only two present above the Fallen Star Eyes."
Tan Junshan revealed a truth that Yu Yuan had kept hidden.
He didn't elaborate on his use of the Crucible of Evil to fend off the cosmic giant beast's strike. Liu Ying didn't dwell on it, assuming it was meant to counter Yingye's attack.
Liu Ying was unaware that Yingye's assault was merely the second wave.
"Moon Sect?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.
The Starmoon Sect, long responsible for the sect's affairs, was led by members of the Star Sect lineage, to which Liu Ying's master belonged.
The Moon Sect was shrouded in more mystery than the Star Sect, and even Liu Ying was unclear about who led it.
Tan Junshan, claiming to be from the Moon Sect and having returned from beyond the stars with at least the cultivation level of a Solar Spirit, deeply impressed Yu Yuan, who did not attempt to conceal his reaction. "Indeed, he came for me."
"I suspected as much," Tan Junshan said, looking at Yu Yuan with admiration. "That cosmic giant beast's strike across the Star River also betrayed its location. It paid a hefty price for that attack. I can't fathom why a beast that once terrorized the Everlands and was notorious in the depths of the Star River 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 Liu Ying's exchange with him during his meditative cultivation was proof enough of Tan Junshan's exceptional nature.
Yu Yuan was cautious about revealing anything to someone from the Moon Sect whose intentions were unknown.
As Tan Junshan was about to speak again, both he and Liu Ying sensed something, their brows twitching in unison.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Instantly, Tan Junshan and Liu Ying were standing where Yu Yuan had just been, gazing into a moonstone that reflected images like a polished mirror.
Yu Yuan, momentarily taken aback, quickly joined them.
Within the moonstone, a flood dragon, over a hundred feet long with a girth as wide as a barrel and clad in gleaming silver scales, was seen devouring Abyssal Dawn cultivators one by one.
The five cultivators from the Abyssal Dawn sect had reached the late stages of Subtlety.
When the flood dragon began devouring people, the five who had ventured to the Scarlet Dunes to vanquish evil stood frozen in shock, unable to move a muscle.
"The flood dragon's presence has muddled their minds."
Tan Junshan let out a sigh and turned to Liu Ying, "This is an ominous sign. The deaths of these five disciples from the Abyssal Dawn sect suggest that the malevolent demons and creatures of the Scarlet Dunes 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 possibly dare?" Liu Ying exclaimed in astonishment.
Tan Junshan looked up towards the heavens and said, "It must be that someone has informed them that the era of dominance by the Upper Sects, Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep over the Everlands is coming to an end."
