Chapter 156.2: The Yin Spirits Are Too Powerful. I Need to Devour Some Stars

At Cuiyun Continent, Cloud City.

Qi Yuan had now moved into the Cloud Court.

Outside the great hall, the Cloud Court Master bowed deeply, saying in a low and deferential voice, "Alliance Leader.”

Qi Yuan opened his eyes. A fleeting trace of ages past glimmered within them, like dust stirred by ancient time. "Come in."

The Cloud Court Master entered together with a stooped old man. Both wore expressions of deep respect.

The Cloud Court Master presented another storage pouch. "Alliance Leader, these are the newly gathered cultivation manuals.”

Inside were jade slips packed so densely they were almost overwhelming. Qi Yuan glanced at them, his mood brightening.

This is far more efficient than slaughtering old fogey one by one for their cultivation manuals. No wonder everyone likes being in charge! Exploiting others is great!

"Well done. Keep it up," he said casually.

The Cloud Court Master hesitated. "Recently, some hidden forces seem to be investigating your background. In particular, they're looking into everyone in the Divine Flower Society from the Hundred Nations.”

Qi Yuan's gaze sharpened.

Someone is digging into my alts? That is crossing a line. Do I have no right to privacy anymore? Even my alts are being exposed, this is a blatant violation!

"Who?" he asked.

"Most likely people from the Heaven Earth Cave."

The Hundred Nations bordered the Cuiyun Continent. Anyone investigating that region would inevitably come into contact with Cuiyun's forces.

"Venerable Ye Qiong?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Did he say anything threatening? Like he wanted to wipe me out?"

The Cloud Court Master gulped nervously and answered in a small voice, "No."

"Really none at all?"

"Really none."

By now, the Cloud Court Master had a decent grasp of the Blood-Clothed Sword God's temperament. The man was unhinged and truly fond of killing. Still, there was a certain logic behind his killings. He wasn't some mindless butcher who slaughtered innocents.

Qi Yuan’s expression hardened. "

Hm

, he may not have said it, but he definitely thought about it."

Suddenly, he paused and dismissed the thoughts. That would be unreasonable. Even when writing an essay, one would require evidence. Qi Yuan would never wrong a good man, but wronging a bad one hardly mattered.

"When I have time, I might run into this Venerable Ye Qiong. I'll ask him directly whether he's ever wanted to kill me," he said casually.

Cold sweat nearly formed on the Cloud Court Master's forehead. A mere Violet Palace cultivator marching up to a Yin Spirit to ask, "Have you ever thought about killing me?" That was courting death! Even if said Yin Spirit hadn't before, that question alone would do it.

The Cloud Court Master's thoughts tangled in knots. He genuinely couldn't tell whether acknowledging such a person as alliance leader was a blessing or a curse. What if their leader was killed after provoking some Yin Spirits before the great calamity even arrived?!

Finally, he shot a subtle glance at the old man beside him, signaling quietly. "Alliance Leader, I will take my leave."

Since Heaven Earth Cave was investigating the alliance leader's identity, he would have to intervene and obstruct them. No one dared to probe into the Alliance Leader's identity. It’d be great if nothing turned up, otherwise, the Cuiyun Continent would be finished.

The situation felt eerily familiar. It was like a cultivation clan whose ancestral founder had been slain, only for the enemy to seize his place and masquerade as him. Yet in spite of knowing the truth, the elders still kneeled, served, and flattered him—too afraid to speak.

The Cloud Court Master departed, leaving only Qi Yuan and the old man in the hall.

Qi Yuan glanced at him, and a chair silently formed behind the old man. "Sit.”

He had always treated the elderly with respect and special consideration. Even after arriving in the Canglan World, his virtue of honoring elders and cherishing the young remained intact.

"Thank you for granting me a seat, Alliance Leader," the old man said, his heart pounding.

"I hear you've lived nearly a hundred thousand years and have seen quite a few Yin Spirits?"

The old man was of the Earth Turtle Clan. Not only was he an ancient demon cultivator, he was also the oldest living being in the Cuiyun Continent.

Qi Yuan had summoned him for one reason only: to understand just how terrifying Yin Spirits truly were.

"I have," the Earth Turtle Elder replied. He seemed frail, as though a breath could knock him over.

Regardless, Qi Yuan knew better. It was a mere illusion. The old turtle’s defenses were likely even stronger than the Bright Palace’s grand palace master.

"How strong are the Yin Spirits?" he asked.

The Earth Turtle elder fell silent, recalling the Cloud Court Master’s earlier warnings. It wasn't complicated, just made Yin Spirits sound as powerful as possible. Truthfully, without needing that to be said, the old turtle only had one conclusion: Yin Spirits were unfathomably terrifying.

"The Yin Spirit is the realm of true immortals and divine beings. I once met the owner of the Emperor Dragon Shock Crown, Venerable Wu Long. He was a Yin Spirit who had reached Step Two of Heaven-Treading."

"Step Two?" Qi Yuan asked.

The old man explained, "The Yin Spirit realm is divided into seven minor stages of Heaven-Treading, from Step One to Step Seven. Steps One to Three are collectively known as Venerables. Step Four is a Great Venerable. Only after completing all seven steps could one be called a Yang Spirit.

"To enter the Yin Spirit realm, a cultivator has to form a divine aperture, transforming their mana into divine spiritual energy. Yin Spirit cultivation focuses on expanding said apertures. Each doubles one’s strength: twelve reach Heaven-Treading Step Two, thirty-six Step Three."

Qi Yuan frowned slightly. "When you say 'doubles,' do you mean linear growth or exponential?"

If it was the latter, that would be terrifying.

The old Earth Turtle seemed puzzled, clearly not understanding the term.

Qi Yuan rephrased, "How many one-aperture Venerables could an eleven-aperture Venerable defeat?"

"At least ten," the old turtle replied without hesitation. "Possibly dozens. Even hundreds. The further one progresses, the more terrifying the divine spiritual energy within each aperture becomes. Having opened thirteen apertures, Venerable Wu Long was a Step Two Yin Spirit. Even the incomplete Emperor Dragon Shock Crown’s strongest strike was on par with a Yin Spirit with six or seven apertures."

"And Venerable Ye Qiong?" Qi Yuan asked. "How many apertures does he have?"

The old turtle gave a helpless smile. "Such matters are deeply secret. How could a lowly one like me possibly know?"

Qi Yuan nodded slowly. He now had a rough grasp of the Yin Spirit realm and the enormous power gap within it.

After a brief hesitation, the Earth Turtle Elder said again, his voice lowered, "When you fought the Bright Palace in the void world, remnants of that battle fell into the Cuiyun Continent. I personally went to take a look."

His summoned Star Golden Core had caused disturbances within the void world, leaving remnants behind.

"Judging from those remnants," the old turtle said, his face pale with lingering shock. "The level of that battle was approximately Heaven-Treading Step Two."

Qi Yuan didn't react, but calculated inwardly. His star projection was only Step Two? On second thought, that made sense. After all, not only was it a projection, it had also crossed an entire universe.

Still, too weak.

A sense of urgency settled over Qi Yuan's heart.

"What about the strongest Yin Spirits in the Canglan World?" he asked. "What step are they on? Are there any Yang Spirit?"

"That I do not know," the old Earth Turtle replied. "But I can be certain of one thing: there are no Great Venerables in the Eastern Lands. Only Venerables."

Qi Yuan nodded. At most, Venerable Ye Qiong would be Step Three.

The Earth Turtle Elder soon took his leave.

Once again, Qi Yuan stood alone in the vast palace. He stared at the cultivation manuals in his storage pouch, his gaze strange and contemplative.

"Yin Spirits really are powerful," he murmured. "What a pity my Star Golden Core is in another world. What if Ye Qiong really is Step Three?"

According to the Earth Turtle, Step Three meant at least thirty-six divine apertures, and eighty-one at full completion. If Venerable Ye Qiong truly possessed eighty-one apertures, Qi Yuan knew his defeat was certain.

"No," he said firmly. "My Golden Core Path can't be delayed any longer."

He turned inward, peering into his dantian, and discovered that the True Sun Fire had accumulated to a considerable degree. Only a dozen days had passed, but a thousand years had already gone by in the other universe.

In that instant, Qi Yuan activated it. "True Sun Fire, devour!"

His dantian became searing hot.

***

In the boundless universe, flames flickered and surged upon a blazing star.

A cold, beautiful girl dressed in black slowly opened her eyes. A strand of True Sun Fire burned quietly in her palm. She gazed ahead at thirteen massive planets, delight flashing across her delicate features.

"True Sun Fire, go," she commanded.

Golden flames erupted violently from the star. In no time, the star's volume swelled tenfold, then a hundredfold.

In the Canglan World, the small sun hanging in the sky flared brighter, flickering once with dazzling intensity. Countless mortals and even cultivators instinctively looked up, their faces filled with confusion and unease.

Back in the vast universe, the True Sun Fire surged in all directions. Mythic flames devoured everything in their path, opening a scorching path in the endless universe.

Thirteen colossal stars, worlds that mortals could never measure in a lifetime, were reduced to dust before the merciless Solar True Fire.

One, two, three—all thirteen stars were swallowed whole. They were either solid planets, gas giants, or frozen worlds.

A hint of joy flickered in Ning Tao's eyes. "A few more celestial palaces."

***

Back in the Canglan World, Qi Yuan let out the first hiccup of his cultivation life. Looking inward once more, he saw the star projections within his dantian.

Calling it a "cluster" was generous, since there were only fourteen in total. One colossal star and thirteen smaller planets. To him, these were but a handful of insignificant fragments, hardly worth counting.

"Time to start collecting." Qi Yuan grinned. "Next target is to devour another star."

He felt the True Sun Fire still raging, far from exhausted.

"If one star can't crush Venerable Ye Qiong, what about two?"