Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Moments later, Yuan Ming couldn't wait to land on another island.
His eyes were tinged with threads of blood, a result of his soul being eroded by the malevolent aura while controlling the white ape through the possession of the soul crow.
As the white ape's strength surged, the malevolent aura within it grew denser. Controlling it with the soul crow multiplied the burden on his own soul. Had it not been for his Death Moon method reaching the third layer, he wouldn't have lasted until now.
Yuan Ming quickly found a secluded spot on the island to sit down, set up a barrier with spirit-sealing talismans, and began to meditate with his eyes closed, circulating the Death Moon method.
As soon as he sat down, he felt the world spin and his body became unbearably hot. However, the warmth flowing from the mark of the Heaven-Defying Cauldron on his arm kept the last bit of clarity in his heart.
"Ugh… Ah!"
Biting the tip of his tongue, Yuan Ming let out a low growl, suppressed with effort, filled with a bloodthirsty ferocity, but he finally regained some control over his body.
He hurriedly circulated the Death Moon method within his body, and his consciousness cleared.
***
A quarter of an hour later, with the mutual support of the Death Moon method and the Heaven-Defying Cauldron, he finally expelled all the malevolent thoughts from his mind.
Yuan Ming let out a sigh of relief, opened his eyes, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
At this moment, he realized why soul cultivation was so unpopular in the world of cultivation.
The process of soul cultivation, whether it was training or casting spells, was fraught with danger, deterring most people. Yet, the formidable power of soul cultivation always attracted those unafraid of death to continue on this path, with the few who succeeded almost invincible among their peers, even able to defeat those of higher levels.
Naturally, this was a situation most people did not want to see.
Chen Cangqiong, the great elder of the Biluo Cave, even without resorting to heinous methods, as long as there was hope for his cultivation to break through the late stage of Foundation Establishment, the forces behind Dawn would probably find other reasons to eliminate him quickly.
It seems that I must be more cautious in my actions from now on, especially when I return to the Central Plains. It's better not to reveal my identity as a soul cultivator in front of others.
He composed himself, took out the carcass of the vortex beast, and probed its interior with his divine sense.
His two soul crows and the black needle artifact were still inside the beast and had not been retrieved, which was quite strange.
Yuan Ming carefully examined the carcass of the vortex beast with his divine sense, finding nothing until his divine sense swept over the stomach of the beast, raising his eyebrows.
Inside the pitch-black stomach of the vortex beast seemed to be a special power that blocked his divine sense. Could it be that the black needle artifact and the two soul crows were inside?
According to the sea beast compendium, although many parts of the vortex beast's body were precious spiritual materials, the stomach was not included.
Yuan Ming took out his Cold Star Sword and carefully cut out the stomach, removing it.
As soon as the stomach was separated from the body of the vortex beast, the special power leaked out, and Yuan Ming clearly sensed the presence of the black needle artifact and the soul crows within the stomach.
He carefully cut open the stomach, and the black needle artifact along with the two soul crows flew out.
Yuan Ming put away the black needle and soul crows and continued to cut the stomach open completely.
A silver-white token lay quietly inside, engraved with strange patterns, the source of that special power.
Yuan Ming tried to probe the token with his divine sense but found that his divine sense was repelled by an invisible force when it was about a foot away.
After pondering for a moment, he used a spell to make the silver token float up without any abnormality.
Yuan Ming then wrapped the token with a surge of mana, and the token remained unresponsive, reassuring him to take it. The silver token was cool to the touch, smooth, as if carved from a piece of cold jade.
He infused mana into it, and the surface of the token emitted a faint silver glow, but nothing else happened.
Yuan Ming, not giving up, continued to try to probe it but still had no clue.
He remembered something, picked up the stomach of the vortex beast to examine it, and found that the stomach no longer had any abnormalities, indistinguishable from ordinary viscera.
Yuan Ming's eyes flickered as he placed the token back into the stomach, but no change occurred.
He smiled wryly, unable to understand the reason, and decided not to bother with it anymore, about to store the token in his storage ring.
Just as his palm touched the stomach of the vortex beast, which was coated with mucus, the silver token, slippery in texture, slipped from his fingertips and fell to the ground.
As soon as the token touched the ground, liquid-like silver light surged from its surface, spreading rapidly along the ground, quickly reaching the barrier formed by the spirit-sealing talismans.
In a few breaths, the ground and the barrier were covered with a layer of silver light, and Yuan Ming's divine sense could not penetrate the barrier to explore the outside; the inside and outside seemed to be completely isolated.
He looked surprised, glanced around, and picked up the token from the ground.
As it left the ground, the silver light on the barrier quickly dissipated, and his divine sense could once again extend freely inside and out.
Yuan Ming understood a bit, took out a wooden box, threw the token into it, and closed the lid. The inside of the box was immediately enveloped by an invisible force, and his divine sense could not probe inside.
He opened the lid of the wooden box, and everything returned to normal.
A smile appeared on Yuan Ming's lips. Just as he thought, as long as the token was in a closed space and touched any side of the space, it would immediately release silver light, sealing the closed space.
Although he didn't know why it was so, this silver token was clearly a strange treasure, and if used well, it could have remarkable effects.
The vortex beast must have found this token somewhere and swallowed it, which gave it the ability to devour artifacts.
Yuan Ming stored the token and disposed of the vortex beast's carcass, then summoned the Azure Cloud Crane and flew towards Ning City.
Unlike his eagerness on the way there, now that his goal was achieved, he was not in a hurry to travel, allowing the Azure Cloud Crane to gallop freely above the sea.
Standing against the wind, he looked at the vast sea and the rolling waves, feeling the sea breeze on his cheeks and the warm sun on his face. Suddenly, he felt his chest broaden, as if all the hardships he had experienced seemed so insignificant in front of the vast sea, as if they were nothing.
At the same time, a heroic spirit arose in his heart. One day, he would master the legendary divine powers that could move mountains and fill seas, traverse the unknown thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, and truly see the world for what it was.
The "White Horse Youth Dream" of his childhood had settled deep in his memories, never to return. The rivers and lakes were no longer the same, and now he, reborn from the cocoon, would start his own journey. "A laugh over the vast sea, past dreams drift far away, unaware of the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, how many dawns have passed? I cultivate the soul against the heavens, why fear the disapproval of the world, what do immortals fear? Stealing the heavens to embrace the Death Moon, all shackles become fleeting!"
Riding the Azure Cloud, wielding the Cold Star, the needle without a shadow. Where is the shadow of the past? No one accompanies my drunken song.
Thousands of miles from my homeland, thoughts of return are as swift as arrows, people's hearts as deep as the sea. With a magnanimous spirit, I roam the world freely!"
Yuan Ming took out a flask of wine, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp, singing a ballad that came naturally to him.
A man and a crane, in the vastness of the sea and sky,
become more distant as they go.
***
Half a day later.
Yuan Ming returned to Ning City, not immediately seeking out Master Xuanhua. Such a quick round trip to kill a second-level peak beast would be too shocking. Master Xuanhua and the others would probably be scared.
Yuan Ming found an inn to rest for the night, and early the next morning, he casually entered the Xuanhua Temple.
"Daoist Yuan, was there a problem with the beast hunting? No matter, the vortex beast has the strength comparable to a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's not so easy to deal with." Seeing Yuan Ming return so early, Master Xuanhua's heart sank, but he maintained an indifferent demeanor.
Yuan Ming didn't speak, instead handing over a storage bag.
Master Xuanhua was taken aback, accepted the storage bag, and probed it with his divine sense.
His eyes immediately widened, his mouth half-opened in disbelief, and then his face lit up with ecstasy. It took a while before he could compose himself.
"Daoist Yuan, you and your friends are truly remarkable, to have hunted down the vortex beast so quickly! With this beast, Xuanhua Temple can avoid this disaster, thank you!"
Master Xuanhua bowed deeply to Yuan Ming.
"There's no need for such formality, Master Xuanhua. I also did it for the Foundation Establishment Incense." Yuan Ming returned the bow.
"Rest assured, Daoist Yuan, if I get the Heavenly Water Glue, I will do my utmost to refine the Foundation Establishment Incense as a token of gratitude," Master Xuanhua said earnestly.
Just then, footsteps approached from outside, and a disciple of Xuanhua Temple rushed in, his face full of panic.
"Master, it's not good, a group of people have broken in and blocked our gate!"
"It seems that Bailin has arrived; he really is impatient. I have no intention of meeting him, so I'll leave everything to Master Xuanhua to handle," Yuan Ming said, stepping into the inner chamber.
"Don't panic, let them in," Master Xuanhua said calmly, turning around.
"Heh, has the master of Xuanhua Temple come to his senses? It should have been like this from the start. Hand over the incense-making secret manual, and we can all end this on good terms." Before the disciple could speak, a group of people strode in, led by Bailin.
Beside Bailin was a blue-robed man, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, his demeanor also that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Blue Lizard Daoist has also come, I'm afraid you will be disappointed," Master Xuanhua said, looking at the blue-robed man and shaking his head calmly.
"I've always said that old Daoist Xuanhua is stubborn and unyielding, why waste time with him?" Blue Lizard, the layman, sat down on a chair beside him and said.
"So, Master Xuanhua intends to remain obstinate? If so, then don't blame Bailin for being ruthless!" Bailin's face darkened as he raised his hand.
The cultivators behind him slowly surrounded them, and a faint white light appeared around Xuanhua Temple, quickly solidifying into a white light screen, enveloping the entire temple.
"Don't rush, Elder Bailin. Take a look at this first," Master Xuanhua's expression changed slightly as he threw the storage bag over.
Bailin caught it and subconsciously probed it with his divine sense, then froze on the spot, his expression identical to Master Xuanhua's earlier.
"What's wrong?" Seeing this, Blue Lizard couldn't help but ask.
"With Xuanhua Temple's strength, how could they possibly hunt down this fierce beast!" Bailin ignored Blue Lizard and asked Master Xuanhua.
"Our temple has the help of a great expert," Master Xuanhua said proudly.
"A great expert? Is it the friend in the back room? Why not show yourself and make friends?" Bailin looked towards the inner chamber and called out.