Yu Ci had formulated a perfect plan. Seizing the opportunity during the Divine Soul's tremor, he projected his divine consciousness starlight into Monk Zheng Yan's Brain Palace. If he could distract him and implant a deeper layer, it would be ideal.
The initial stage went smoothly. According to the method of Divine Soul tremor derived from "Iceberg Information", he transformed his Yin Spirit into invisible but substantial shock waves, striking the location of the opponent's "Soul Source" at the Divine Soul level. Yu Ci took an unexpected approach and acted suddenly. Even Shi Song, with his cultivation level, felt his spirit shaken in that instant. Zheng Yan was slightly dazed, and by this time, the divine consciousness starlight had already penetrated. Under the illumination of the "starlight", the interior of the Monk's Brain Palace was bright and generous, revealing the state of the Divine Soul without reservation.
Then, Yu Ci was stunned.
In reality, Yu Ci could not possibly see what the target's Divine Soul "looks like", but under the illumination of the divine consciousness starlight, the state of Monk Zheng Yan's Divine Soul was reflected back to Yu Ci in a unique way.
Accustomed to discerning the Physical Image and Mental Image of the "void within the heart", Yu Ci was adept at visualizing abstract information. At this moment, before his eyes, he seemed to see a gloomy and dim world, shrouded in darkness, as if heaven and earth were about to merge into one. The earth in his "field of vision" was fractured and lifeless, like the ruins after a catastrophe.
Through the divine consciousness starlight, Yu Ci had seen the Brain Palaces and Divine Souls of thousands of people, but he had never had such an experience.
Is this the state of Monk Zheng Yan's Divine Soul? So fragmented and devoid of life, how can he still be alive?
Yu Ci's expression changed slightly, fortunately, Monk Zheng Yan was frowning at the moment, contemplating the issue of the recent Divine Soul tremor, and didn't notice this. At this moment, as the Monk's heart intent concentrated, a subtle change occurred in this Divine Soul world.
In the deeper layer of the Divine Soul, a force was gathering. It was like the boiling magma beneath the heavy earth, not only emitting a tremendous energy but also generating an astonishing suction, causing the fragmented Divine Soul to converge towards the center. In the blink of an eye, the fractured "earth" showed signs of merging.
The divine consciousness starlight still hung in the sky, illuminating everything, and the activation of Monk Zheng Yan's Divine Soul power allowed him to observe even better.
Now he confirmed that although the outer appearance was unbearable to look at, Monk Zheng Yan seemed to possess an incredibly astonishing Divine Soul core. According to the three-layer structure of Manifest Consciousness, Hidden Consciousness, and Original Soul, it seemed to suggest that his core Original Soul was abnormally powerful. That's why it could gather the fragmented outer shell of the Divine Soul.
As for why this effect was achieved,
From the little cultivation knowledge Yu Ci had, he remembered that Buddhist Practice cultivation was different from the dual cultivation of life and mystery, there was the concept of Reincarnation. Many great monks and virtuous individuals would forsake their physical bodies, enter the cycle of reincarnation, and only protect a true seed to forever shine brightly. Suddenly, after tens or hundreds of lifetimes, they would be Sculpting the Golden Body, and finally achieve transcendence.
If one were to forcefully interpret it through the principles of mystery, then it would probably mean that one only works on the True Essence of the Original Soul, and from the beginning, they aim for the Yang Spirit.
But after those great monks and virtuous individuals reincarnate, would they all have such virtuous character?
The cultivation of the Original Soul was still a distant matter for Yu Ci who had just had his Yin Spirit leave his body. As for Zheng Yan's situation, he could only guess, it was ultimately boundless.
Speaking of which, Monk Zheng Yan's condition was more conducive for the Divine consciousness starlight to parasitize: "Let's just plant the Divine consciousness starlight and see how it goes!"
Time was pressing, Yu Ci had a thought, and the Divine consciousness starlight directly penetrated Monk Zheng Yan's shattered Divine Soul outer layer, found a corner in the inner position, extended a "root", and parasitized. Monk Zheng Yan was completely unaware of this.
Moving his thoughts out, Yu Ci looked at their faces and saw that they had not discovered his methods. Zheng Yan even admired the so-called God-shocking method, smiled slightly, and chatted with them intermittently, slowly walking to the mountainside. This was where the original gate of the White Sun Mansion was located. When the White Sun Mansion was destroyed, most of the town below was also destroyed. This was a newly built one, with only one archway still noticeable. Sending guests here was already a complete courtesy. Zheng Yan knew the moment and said goodbye, but before Yu Ci could speak, a person suddenly turned out from behind the archway.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Senior Brother Zheng Yan, the abbot has summoned you, please return quickly!"
Looking at the dress and appearance, the person was a monk from the Pure Water Sect, exuding some caution of a lower-ranking disciple, of course, his ordinary face revealed his status.
Monks of the Pure Water Sect with a slight entry-level Cultivation Level all have a serpentine posture, both Zheng Yan and Zheng De were like this. With monks like this, the Pure Water Sect had more than a hundred, and the deeper the Cultivation Level, the more similar they were, which was a very strange thing.
It seemed that little Monk had been standing guard here for quite some time, his face bearing an expression of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Facing his junior disciples, Monk Zheng Yan exuded an imposing aura, responding to their words with a nonchalant hum. The little Monk, however, appeared unfazed by this indifference. He hastily bowed in respect before excusing himself to leave.
Yu Ci, with a smile, addressed Zheng Yan, "Since Master Yi Xin has summoned you, I will not keep you any longer. I owe my escape from Tu Du's clutches largely to Master Zheng Yan's prior warning. This kindness, I will forever remember. In the future, we can frequently interact, exchanging views on scriptures. Wouldn't that be delightful?"
Given Yu Ci's current status, any cultivator from Cliff City's various sects would be greatly encouraged upon hearing this. Yet, Monk Zheng Yan's reaction was merely to crack a smile, an inexplicably strange aura about him.
Taken aback, Yu Ci didn't think he had said anything wrong. Zheng Yan, however, quickly regained his composure, his ordinarily stern face relaxed as if the earlier odd expression was merely a facial twitch. After a few modest words, he bid the two of them goodbye with a bow.
Everything seemed normal, but the fleeting change in the Monk's expression left a deep impression on Yu Ci. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Doubting his own perception, he turned to Shi Song, a seasoned character who, after a moment of silence, said, "Zheng Yan, as the chief disciple of the Pure Water Sect, may seem eccentric, but he is actually very measured. Among the younger generation in Cliff City, he is a top-tier figure."
Shi Song didn't continue, but Yu Ci fully understood. He nodded, thinking that with Zheng Yan's capabilities, he wouldn't have shown such a clear change in expression that could be detected by him and Shi Song. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked, "What is the relationship between Zheng Yan and Yi Xin?"
Shi Song thought for a moment before replying, "I haven't heard the details, but Zheng Yan and his master are very different in character. Zheng Yan is eccentric, sometimes jovial and slick, but he is very strict with his fellow disciples, often resorting to punishment. Monk Yi Xin, on the other hand, is reticent and never disciplines his disciples. The Pure Water Sect's bad reputation largely stems from his indulgence."
"What a peculiar master-disciple pair."
Yu Ci casually responded, but his mind was on a scene he had witnessed in Sky Rift Valley through the Divine Map: Monk Yi Xin had temporarily lodged his soul in Zheng Yan's body to converse with Ming Lan of the Xuan Yin Sect. After the incident, Zheng Yan was extremely resentful, while Ming Lan comforted him by patting his face, leaving a deep impression on Yu Ci.
Wait!
Yu Ci abruptly realized that his thoughts seemed to have strayed into a misunderstanding. There was no need for him to follow He Qing's train of thought, from Zheng Yan to Yi Xin, and then to the "reason for taking action." Because he held a clue that He Qing had not yet noticed, or perhaps had noticed but was still not certain of.
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"Please announce, Immortal Yu of the Lichen Sect has arrived."
The robust voice of the coachman was enough to penetrate through two courtyards, attracting the gaze of the devout followers outside the You Qiu Palace. It also stirred up a commotion in the front hall of the You Qiu Palace.
The next moment, a front hall attendant hurried out to greet the visitor. Yu Ci lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage, not wanting to waste time, he waved his hand and headed inside:
"Is Master Bi Chao present?"
Yu Ci's casual demeanor left the front hall attendant wondering about the proper etiquette. Seeing this, he no longer needed to rack his brain. However, facing a formidable figure who could choke the sect's throat with just a few words a few months ago, the attendant couldn't help but feel nervous. A thin layer of sweat appeared on his handsome face, and he spoke softly:
"The master is not in the palace. Master Ming Lan is temporarily handling the affairs of the sect master."
"Oh? Not at home? Where is Master Ming?"
Just as the front hall attendant was about to speak, an inner servant came forward, bowed, and said, "Master Ming is unwell. Please, Immortal Yu, come inside to meet her."
"Eh?" Yu Ci still remembered Ming Lan's calm and unfathomable demeanor in front of Xie Yan, He Qing, and others. How could she be "unwell" after just a few months?
It was only an hour since the family feast on Cinnabar Cliff ended, and Yu Ci's actions could be described as swift.
His purpose for coming to You Qiu Palace was clear: he wanted an answer from the Xuan Yin Sect!
He still remembered the day when He Qing analyzed the eight clues to the Sky Rift Valley disturbance. The last two were the Pure Water Sect and Yu Ci, and the penultimate one was Xuan Yin Sect. The assessment of it was just the vague words "puppet master."
But Yu Ci knew: the Xuan Yin Sect, or more precisely, the Rakshasa Sect behind it, although not the chief culprit of the Sky Rift Valley disturbance, was very clear about every move of the mysterious forces represented by the Pure Water Sect. The relationship between the two sides was very complex, seemingly cooperative but also undermining each other. It was incredibly strange.
Yu Ci was going to start here.
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