In a certain sense, Elder Chu's words were indeed the most accurate.
When Yu Ci activated the "Method of Returning to Void and Combining", his body and mind were in an extremely peaceful and harmonious state, as if returning to nothingness, with only the Primordial Qi pulsating vividly. At this moment, all fluctuations seemed extraordinarily clear, especially the excitement from previously killing the Hawk Monkey. It was like a burning flame, with its lively demeanor, interfering with the operation of the technique, and also having some impact on the Divine Soul Vitality.
If this continued, the efficiency of Yu Ci's cultivation would naturally decrease. However, soon, a sense of warm and hazy comfort spread from the bottom of his heart, like a pool of warm water, immersing Yu Ci's body and mind. The "flame" was extinguished, and the extremely comfortable sensation that followed allowed Yu Ci to naturally enter a state of body and mind virtualization.
This was the merit of the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade.
This piece, originally belonging to the Ten Thousand Images Sect's Guardian Treasure, had passed through several hands and ended up with Yu Ci, slowly revealing its unique effects. Especially after the Divine Soul was damaged, this warm jade continuously nourished Yu Ci's Divine Soul, purifying the Heart Demon's Evil Energy that was breeding and invading due to the weakness of spiritual energy. Its effect was slow and gentle, and the healing seemed less effective than the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, so much so that Yu Ci initially overlooked it. However, over time, its role was not to be underestimated.
Yu Ci realized this because of his practice of the "Method of Returning to Void and Combining". As He Qing said, this method indeed would not increase the Cultivation Level, but it could cleanse the body and mind, make the mind peaceful and stable, and be very sensitive to changes in Primordial Qi. In this state, the purple mist emanating from the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade could not hide, and was detected by Yu Ci.
In this state, the "Inner Void of the Heart" was opened, and Yu Ci's mind entered it.
The "Inner Void of the Heart" was still raining, pattering non-stop, and the "Fish-Dragon" was flying through the clouds in the sky.
Now Yu Ci understood that this rain was a manifestation of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form integrating with his own Divine Soul Vitality. The "raindrops" were the essence of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, sprinkling down, symbolizing the nourishment of Yu Ci's flesh and Divine Soul; and the "Fish-Dragon" influencing the rotation of the "Inner Void of the Heart" was also the adaptation process of Yu Ci's flesh and Divine Soul. This kind of communication was not a question of "who absorbs who", but from "coexistence" to "integration", ultimately becoming one.
Only the unique physical and mental image integration of the "Primordial Root Qi Method" could achieve its goal in such a natural manner. Switching to another method, regardless of whether it could absorb the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, even if it could, the digestion process would be laborious, requiring a strenuous transformation process, not to mention the losses from forced transformation.
During this process, the "Method of Returning to Void and Combining" played a significant role. The most profound effect of this method is to revert all innate and external Qi back to their origins, reducing them to the most primordial Yin and Yang energies, with no distinction between "self" and "non-self". It allows all different Qi to be integrated, leaving no divisions, making it a highly effective method for refining alien Qi. Used in conjunction with the "Primordial Root Qi Method", they complement each other perfectly.
However, for Yu Ci, the combination of the two methods had another advantage. When Yu Ci initially established the structure of the "Inner Void of the Heart", he followed the simple Path of Yin and Yang as described by Meng Wei. But that was merely a conceptual thing, lacking direct comprehension. It wasn't until he practiced the "Method of Returning to Void and Combining" that his grasp of Yin and Yang energies deepened, allowing the basic structure of the "Inner Void of the Heart" to be gradually optimized.
This adjustment, carried out bit by bit as Yu Ci's understanding deepened, came naturally, without taxing his mind, which is also one of the features of the "Primordial Root Qi Method".
Like now, although the "Inner Void of the Heart" has undergone a tremendous transformation, Yu Ci remains indifferent, focusing his mind only on areas of interest.
In the hazy drizzle, the "Inner Void of the Heart" was filled with a chaotic play of light and shadow, emanating from the distant periphery, with images of mountains, rocks, plants, and animals flickering in and out of view, their positions and ranges uncertain. After a long period of concentration, one might feel dizzy, but Yu Ci had become accustomed to this over time.
This situation was quite different from the previous projection within the "Inner Void of the Heart" through the Divine Bronze Mirror. It was not a rigid impression of a forest, but a lively, ever-changing scene. Unfortunately, the images were scattered here and there, appearing and disappearing without forming a complete outline.
This difference had arisen after Yu Ci retrieved the Divine Bronze Mirror from Red Yin. Over the past few days, Yu Ci had already adapted, now only steadying his mind amidst the shifting images. He had a clear goal in his mind. The speed of the changing images suddenly accelerated, with countless scenes flowing by, then abruptly stopped after a moment.
Suddenly, Yu Ci opened his eyes, and in tandem, a starlight shot out from his sleeve, piercing through stones and walls, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
This was the divine consciousness starlight emitted from the Divine Bronze Mirror. Yu Ci's spirit had been in constant contact with it. Unlike in Cliff City, he was now able to control and manipulate the starlight's trajectory slightly through his thoughts, eventually penetrating the mountain belly and soaring above the mansion on the hillside.
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In the mansion, two distinct life energies were like magnets, attracting the restless starlight, yearning to plunge down and embed itself within them.
Yu Ci could not visually ascertain the cultivation level of the two individuals, but in this state, he could feel it most directly.
Using himself as a benchmark, Yu Ci was somewhat surprised.
The dark-faced Taoist, known as Lake Sea Wanderer, had condensed into a Yin Spirit, possessing an intermediate nature connecting cultivation level. He seemed to be a master indeed. However, the enchanting woman in the red robe, Chu Yan, who appeared flirtatious and dependent on others, surprisingly had a cultivation level even higher than Lake Sea Wanderer... that is, the upper stage of nature-connecting, a level of Yin Spirit out of the body.
What was more interesting was that under the perception of the divine consciousness starlight, although Chu Yan's cultivation level was strong, her aura was dim and unclear, as if intentionally concealed. If not for the acute sensitivity of the divine consciousness starlight to aura, Yu Ci would have been deceived by her.
Who was she hiding from? Naturally, it was the person beside her.
Yu Ci grew interested. The divine consciousness starlight did not linger. It shot down in a streak of light and, due to its unique nature, easily entered Lake Sea Wanderer's crown and resided in his Brain Palace. The effect was immediate. Lake Sea Wanderer's figure manifested from the void, transforming from a sensed aura into a clear image. The surrounding environment also instantly colored and materialized.
Through the starlight, Yu Ci took in everything around him. It just so happened that Chu Yan was laughing charmingly, her posture flirtatious and enticing. Unfortunately, her jade hand was covering her lips, so Yu Ci couldn't see her lip movements and didn't know what she was saying. Lake Sea Wanderer, however, burst into laughter upon hearing her. At this point, the two had already tidied up the room and were heading out. Judging by their direction, they were heading towards Sky Rift Valley.
Zhao Xi Qiao's judgement seemed to be correct. Lake Sea Wanderer was likely here to join in the excitement of Sky Rift Valley. However, Chu Yan, who concealed her upper stage of nature-connecting cultivation level and catered to Lake Sea Wanderer, the lecher, would not have done so without some sort of scheme. Only a fool would believe otherwise.
After some thought, Yu Ci decided to disperse the starlight that was prepared in the Divine Bronze Mirror, no longer intending to dwell within the female cultivator.
It had been over three months since the Yin Spirit began controlling the mirror from atop the Sky Wing Tower, triggering the unique power of the Divine Bronze Mirror. Despite his inability to restore the Divine Map, Yu Ci's understanding of the Divine Bronze Mirror had deepened. He discovered that although the Divine consciousness starlight could invade any living creature's Brain Palace Divine Soul below the level of a Golden Elixir cultivator, and could be used for manifestation and observation, its existence in the Brain Palace was limited to six hours. After that, it would dissipate. If he wanted to continue monitoring, he would have to set it up again.
Naturally, Yu Ci couldn't possibly keep his eyes glued to these two at all times, but he was indeed a little curious...
"Let's use that method then."
Yu Ci sat up and took out the Divine Bronze Mirror from his sleeve. As it was in the state of Yin Spirit Controlling the Mirror, this old friend of his was emitting a Misted Green Glow, and the mirror body was hot to the touch. Yu Ci let go, allowing the precious mirror to hover in mid-air, while he formed a seal.
This seal was derived from fragments of a mystical incantation used in the consecration of the mirror. Over the course of several months of research, Yu Ci had found some interesting things within it. Through this seal, Yu Ci focused his mind and established a deeper connection with the Divine consciousness starlight that was just leaving the hillside courtyard.
Inside the Brain Palace of the Lake Sea Wanderer, the Divine consciousness starlight suddenly intensified, then quickly receded. Neither the Lake Sea Wanderer nor Chu Yan noticed this change, but in that instant, the nature of the Divine consciousness starlight had indeed changed.
Inside the mountain, Yu Ci laughed.
After several months of research, Yu Ci had initially figured out the principle of how the Divine consciousness starlight worked in the Brain Palace of living beings. The Brain Palace is where the Divine Soul resides, the central hub of the human body. When the Divine consciousness starlight enters, it is essentially copying and transmitting back some of the information sensed by the human body, allowing the practitioner to perceive it. During this process, the Divine consciousness starlight mainly revolves around the other party's Divine Soul. This state is somewhat like the Fish-Dragon circling around Yu Ci's body, drawing Primordial Qi from him.
Throughout the process, the Divine Consciousness Starlight did not have any particularly intimate contact with the other's Divine Soul. It merely circled around the periphery until the foreign power was exhausted and dissipated like smoke in the wind.
Yu Ci, a man, specifically addressed this situation by refining his control, altering the state of the Divine Consciousness Starlight. He made it actively "attach" to the other's Divine Soul, even delving deeper. At this point, the Divine Consciousness Starlight was akin to a flea, clinging onto the Divine Soul to "suck blood," the information it received was evidently clearer and more diverse, and its duration was extended.
As for the duration, Yu Ci tested it on his own Fish-Dragon body. The Divine Soul of the little creature, still somewhat weak, had been hosting this "parasite" for a while. From the first time it was infested a month ago, there were no signs of it fading away!
Yu Ci was preparing to grasp the information of the Lake Sea Wanderer through this. Of course, this was limited. According to the experiment, the Divine Consciousness Starlight could still transmit sensory images within the maximum range of the Divine Bronze Mirror, which was within fifty miles. Beyond this range, only a bit of sensory perception remained, which grew weaker with increasing distance.
Moreover, this method had already directly affected the Divine Soul and could no longer go unnoticed like before. Yu Ci had tested it on several people in the dock. Those with stronger Cultivation Levels like Old Chu and Zhou Hu could sense it and instinctively repel it, causing the starlight implantation to fail halfway. As for those weaker than him, like Zhao Xi Qiao, their perception was much fainter. If the technique was swift, it would probably only feel like an illusion.
The Cultivation Level of the Lake Sea Wanderer was similar to Yu Ci's. At this moment, he was completely focused on his lover, which was a perfect opportunity for Yu Ci to take advantage of. He tried it and succeeded immediately. However, Yan Chu, an enigmatic woman with a higher Cultivation Level, was not someone Yu Ci could startle.
After completing this task, Yu Ci found it amusing. Just as he was about to further investigate the situation with the Lake Sea Wanderer, someone knocked at the door, and Zhao Xi Qiao's voice came in:
"Brother Yu, you have a guest!"
"A guest?"
Yu Ci put away the Divine Bronze Mirror, got up from his bed, and laughed, "Who could it be?"
"It's Master Bi Chao from Xuan Yin Sect!"
...