Gazing at the scattered starlight, Yu Ci suddenly came to a realization.
The power of the Divine Bronze Mirror remained consistent, devoid of any chaos or alteration. It still followed its predestined course, and its suction was merely a natural demand created by the Yin Spirit controlling the Treasure Mirror. However, due to the high rotational speed, the required Divine Soul power also increased correspondingly, giving rise to the sensation of the Yin Spirit being torn apart.
The power of the Divine Soul, after all, has its limits and needs rest and replenishment. Previously, due to Yu Ci's possession of "Primordial Qi," his connection with Divine Soul Vitality far surpassed that of ordinary Nature-Connecting Cultivators. When the power of the Divine Soul was consumed excessively, the Primordial Qi naturally supplemented it. This was not apparent when the Yin Spirit was in the body, but now, without the physical body to rely on, the Divine Soul was clearly insufficient.
"The rotation speed must be slowed down!"
Strangely enough, when this thought became clear, the external force's rotation speed actually decreased. It was unclear whether it was due to the diminishing impact of Jin Huan, or the long-standing Aura connection and the mental link formed through months of refining.
The "deep-sea vortex" became calmer, but it did not disappear, still demanding the power of the Divine Soul. In the end, as long as Yu Ci remained in the state of Yin Spirit Manipulation, to maintain this state, the Yin Spirit would continue to weaken, and to break this state...
"Good heavens!"
Yu Ci's Yin Spirit experienced a massive shock, nearly collapsing. Thankfully, he stabilized in time, re-entering the state of Yin Spirit Manipulation.
One trial left him with lingering fear. Stopping the Yin Spirit Manipulation state was not a problem, but once it ended, he recognized the Treasure Mirror, but the Treasure Mirror did not recognize him!
At that moment, Yu Ci nearly met the same fate as the devoured Yin Demons!
The Treasure Mirror had an extraordinary interest in things like the Yin Spirit, seemingly possessing an instinct to devour. Once he stopped the Yin Spirit Manipulation state and gave up that bit of control over the Treasure Mirror, he immediately entered a state of opposition with the Treasure Mirror. In that instant, the operating mode of the external force showed signs of drastic change—of course, the direction of change was not in his favor.
If it were not for Yu Ci's Aura connection with the Treasure Mirror over the past decade, giving him a slight sense of awareness, he would have been devoured and digested by now. Compared to the previous "deep-sea vortex" suction, it was far too gentle.
It seemed that the operating mode of the power contained within the Treasure Mirror had at least two sets: one for enhancing Soul Sensing, and another for devouring Yin Demons.
This was an interesting new discovery.
Yu Ci found joy in adversity. He then silently recited the mantra of "tranquil void" from the "Primordial Root Qi Method," calming his thoughts. He was not helpless, at least he had a rather risky plan in his mind, ready to risk his life in desperate times.
But now, the situation didn't seem to have reached such a dire stage, perhaps he could still find someone to assist him.
His Yin Spirit was still trapped within the Treasure Mirror, but as the starlight was cast, it illuminated the Brain Palaces of the creatures in the forest, reconnecting him with the outside world. His Soul Sensing was still in operation, he wasn't truly blind. He even discovered that the Divine Consciousness starlight, which was just cast from the Sky Wing Tower, was still effective, clearly presenting the situation on the other side of the cliff.
On the contrary, this slope of the shadowy mountain was a gathering place for a group of Golden Elixir cultivators. Even the dense radiance of the starlight couldn't penetrate their strong barrier. He could only vaguely sense the powerful aura mixed within, all else was irrelevant.
Previously, Jin Huan seemed to be at his wit's end, perhaps he had already been executed by now. In that case, he could completely seek help from someone trustworthy. Unfortunately, there were no birds or the like in the vicinity...
Yu Ci had long discovered that the starlight didn't only act upon humans, it could affect all birds, beasts, insects, and snakes. As long as they were creatures with a basic Divine Soul, they could be stationed by the starlight, opening their unique perspectives. However, due to the limited range of its influence, the reflection range varied.
For instance, this shadowy mountain slope, due to a previous battle, all the birds and beasts in the forest were scared away. Only a few small insects remained. How could they construct a complete view of the world? Without a complete worldview, how could he find someone trustworthy to help?
Things became strange. Even though he was separated by a mountain peak, the Sky Wing Tower a mile away was still clearly visible to Yu Ci, but he just couldn't see the changes in the shadowy slope close at hand. There was a lack of a creature nearby that could carry his Divine Consciousness starlight and had a sufficiently wide perception range.
Upon thinking of this, Yu Ci's heart suddenly moved. There was indeed such a creature.
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Across the mountain peak, on the shaky Sky Wing Tower, there was a small creature leisurely wandering among the damaged floors and broken pillars, forming a stark contrast to those who were rushing downstairs.
It was the Fish-Dragon.
When Yu Ci set off "fireworks" on the Sky Wing Tower, the Divine Consciousness starlight automatically sought out creatures to lodge in, and the Fish-Dragon was no exception. However, when Yu Ci was attacked by the Shadow Puppet, things happened so suddenly that he didn't have the mind to take care of it, so the Fish-Dragon stayed on the Sky Wing Tower.
The Fish-Dragon, simple-minded and with a special constitution, was not affected by the Shadow Puppet's "Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse". Instead, the dissipated Divine Souls of the deceased after the incident were to its liking. After a few rounds, it cleaned up these Divine Soul residues, enjoying some dessert.
Being a notorious glutton, a little Divine Soul residue couldn't satisfy it. Driven by instinct, it began to look for new food. At this time, the "delicious food" that had been generously provided for it over the past few days was emitting a faint "fragrance", tempting it to come.
Without any hesitation, the slender body of the Fish-Dragon contracted and expanded in the void, transforming into a streak of black light, shooting out, and in a blink of an eye, it crossed over the cliff.
However, it was unaware that as it moved, its tiny head was flickering with light, and layers of color spread rapidly along its flight path.
"Little fellow! Come here, come here!"
Yu Ci hadn't expected things to progress so smoothly. With the revival and expansion of his Soul Sensing, he had reestablished contact with many targets in the outside world. Of course, these were all things that were originally closely connected to his Aura. His flesh body, naturally located about ten yards away, was one of them, and the Dharma Seal he had refined in his sleeve was another. The last one was the Fish-Dragon.
After ten days of "Soul Feeding Method", the Fish-Dragon had already developed a mutual understanding with him and could accept simple commands. Even though he couldn't control it completely at will, it was no problem if he used his own aura as a guide.
The Fish-Dragon demonstrated its extraordinary speed, crossing over the mountain in a blink of an eye. Upon reaching the vicinity, it no longer needed Yu Ci's command and guidance, instantly locating Yu Ci's flesh body, and joyfully flew over to it, intending to feast as usual. In this way, within its range of perception, Yu Ci saw everything he wanted to see.
On the shady slope of the mountain, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
When Red Yin took the Ten Thousand Rays Piercing the Clouds Bead into her hand, someone sneered. If it had been anyone else, Red Yin would have put them in their place, but it was none other than Xu Hui of Sunset Valley who spoke, his signature yellowish beard and hair being the giveaway. Even with her pride, she couldn't act rashly against such a high-level expert of Vacuum Walking.
Xu Hui, however, was holding back a fire inside. He and Xie Yan had bitterly fought in the high sky, nearly shattering their friendship of over a hundred years. When he rushed down, he couldn't even find Jin Huan's body. How was he supposed to explain this when he went back?
Just at this moment, Red Yin's action of taking the bead ignited his anger. He stepped forward and said, "This Ten Thousand Rays Piercing the Clouds Bead was a treasure given by our Sect's Jin to his secular bloodline. Now that the bloodline is extinct, it's best to return the object to its original owner."
As he spoke, he had already approached Red Yin and reached out to take the bead. He had made up his mind that if Red Yin showed the slightest resistance, he would take advantage of the situation and at least kill most of the Golden Elixir juniors who had besieged Jin Huan, including this female cultivator, to satisfy himself.
However, Red Yin's reaction was beyond his expectation.
The normally arrogant female cultivator actually smiled faintly, "It's 'Sun Stopping Halberd' Immortal Xu, isn't it? Immortal Xu is magnanimous, seeing through life and death, which is quite admirable. Since the bead is an object of your sect, it's best to return it to its original owner, so as to avoid us, these fame-seeking profiteers, from tainting its aura."
As she spoke, her slender fingers delicately held the bead, gently placing it in the open palm of Xu Hui.
This was a classic case of gaining an advantage and then playing innocent, her words were laced with such well-timed sarcasm. Xu Hui squinted his eyes. If Xie Yan weren't present, he wouldn't bother with such verbal sparring and would have already struck down this woman. But now, Xie Yan had defined the matter as an internal affair of the Lichen Sect. If he were to forcefully intervene, he might end up in another battle with Xie Yan...
You should know, Xie Yan's mood was absolutely terrible at the moment.
Xie Yan stood upright, his aqua-colored eyes filled with unabashed gloom and chill. Shi Song and Hu Dan, both considered local powerhouses, felt as if their spines were immersed in ice, unable to straighten their backs.
Shi Song had already briefed Xie Yan on the previous situation and the current state of Yu Ci, now he was waiting for Xie Yan's decision while struggling with his injuries.
At this moment, he was filled with both regret and melancholy: originally, with the extinction of the White Sun Mansion, the Thousands Spirits Sect was naturally poised to become the ruler of Sheer Cliff City. However, fate had other plans. Yu Ci, who played a crucial role, was now in this state. It was uncertain whether they could withstand the wrath of Xie Yan, Yu Zhou, and even the Lichen Sect, let alone replace them.
He had already prepared for the worst.
Surprisingly, Xie Yan said nothing. He bent down, seemingly indifferent to the snow and mud, and picked up Yu Ci, appearing ready to leave.
He can't leave!
Through the reflection of the Fish-Dragon Starlight, Yu Ci took in the general situation around him. Seeing Xie Yan's appearance, he felt uneasy.
He knew Xie Yan's thoughts too well. This man was a creature of emotion. Seeing Yu Ci in this state, he must have thought that Yu Ci was unfortunate and was full of regret and self-blame. He wanted to properly lay Yu Ci's "remains" to rest and would not stay here for long.
His departure was not the issue, but the Divine Bronze Mirror that sealed his Yin Spirit could not be left behind!
In the forest, the Divine Bronze Mirror lying in the snow and mud suddenly moved.
Yu Ci intended to control the Treasure Mirror with his Yin Spirit, flying it into the air to alert Xie Yan. However, his previous consumption was far more severe than he had imagined. Even with all his strength, he could only slightly lift the Treasure Mirror, and his unformed Yin Spirit nearly dispersed.
What's worse, Xie Yan's attention was not drawn, but Red Yin's cold gaze was cast over.
The second update is here. For those who are used to reading in the afternoon or evening, remember there's a chapter ahead. Brother Fishbone's great crisis and turning point will arrive tomorrow morning. New and old readers, don't skimp on the red tickets! Of course, after reading, why not move your fingers and see if you've added this book to your collection, thanks!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e