Zi Yao fluttered like a graceful butterfly, brilliant, multi-hued radiance bursting from her body. The light spanned nine distinct colors: orange-red, cyan, purple, blue, white, green, yellow, black, and grey.
These nine different hues of light emerged one by one from Zi Yao’s form, gradually transforming into ribbons of color that made her appearance even more captivating and varied.
The fluctuations within her divine body also became more condensed and profound as the light streamed forth.
It seemed, just as she had claimed, that even in the turbulent flow outside the spatial rift, she could absorb energy, and moreover, do so with greater efficiency and speed than in the normal expanse of the Star Sea!
It was utterly incredible.
Suddenly, Shi Yan recalled Zi Yao’s words from long ago, those spoken regarding the definition of her profound secret art.
It was a peculiar secret art of light, distinctly different from the Light Secret Art cultivated by the Divine Race, diverging vastly in both aura and characteristics.
Zi Yao’s secret art was comprehended from the Extradimensional Divine Light—an exceedingly rare and unique source of illumination. This light originated from profound, mysterious places beyond the dimensional boundaries, often possessing a simple form of consciousness. Some could pierce through everything, others could bind living beings, and still others manifested bizarre phenomena…
This Extradimensional Divine Light darted and weaved through the Star Sea like a meteor, appearing fleetingly, rarely noticed by the general populace.
Let alone binding it, slowly merging it into oneself to form a unique secret art of light.
Zi Yao was one such individual who had obtained the Extradimensional Divine Light, integrated it into herself, and thereby cultivated it into her secret art, using it to slowly advance.
She was truly an unparalleled genius.
However, because this secret art was so rare and unconventional, few could cultivate it, and even fewer could advance it to the higher echelons. It was rumored that those cultivating this art faced a significantly harder path to breakthrough than ordinary cultivators; only by continuously integrating the Extradimensional Divine Light could their progression quicken.
Alas, the Extradimensional Divine Light was exceptionally scarce; many might never glimpse it in their entire lifetime. Even cultivators of this secret art, while capable of sensing the light, found the notion of locating and absorbing much of it within the vast Star Sea to be pure fantasy.
Yet, now, as Zi Yao lowered her divine body's protective shield, exposing her true form to the turbulent outlands, her face radiated contentment. She was actually able to cultivate here.
And the speed of her cultivation was astonishingly fast—quicker than on any high-grade planet of life she had encountered in the outside cosmos!
The strange energies seeping into her body were impossible for Shi Yan, Xia Xinyan, and the vast majority to absorb. But she could; without even needing to consciously direct it, that power actively converged within her meridians and bones. In a short span, she was enveloped in a radiant, nine-colored glow, like a magnificent, colorful celestial fairy.
“Truly peculiar. I never imagined that the place Xinyan views as a scorpion’s nest is your sanctuary,” Shi Yan exclaimed genuinely.
“I also never expected to be able to continue cultivating here. It’s truly magical; the energy here closely resembles the Divine Light aura I absorb and fuse with. There’s a direction where the aura is even thicker and richer; I shall go investigate,” Zi Yao said with a radiant smile.
Her figure moved gracefully, transforming into a river of light, suddenly drifting toward the distance at an extreme velocity.
“Aren’t you going to follow and see?” Xia Xinyan asked, a smile playing on her lips, the panic and fear gone from her expression, her beautiful eyes shimmering faintly.
“I don’t think I need to worry for her. Here… she seems to be in little danger,” Shi Yan mused, stroking his chin as he gazed in the direction Zi Yao vanished. “I left a trace of my mark on her. Here, I can lock onto her with my divine sense unimpeded and reach her side instantly.”
“Oh? How thoughtful. When did you become so attentive to detail?” Xia Xinyan teased, her tone sharp with jealousy.
Shi Yan was taken aback.
The saying that a woman’s heart is unfathomable resonated deeply with him once more. Earlier, on Black Horn Star, while he was transmitting power to the Blood Demons and the others, his hearing had not been affected at all. He had overheard the conversation between Xia Xinyan and Zi Yao, and he had assumed the two women were as close as sisters.
He had only shown a slight measure of concern for Zi Yao, only to immediately find Xia Xinyan’s jealousy ignited, her tone instantly turning sour.
“Always so,” Shi Yan replied with a dazzling grin. With a move, he spanned the void, appearing ghost-like beside her. His large hand enveloped her delicate hand, and a surge of pure life essence instantly flooded into her limbs and bones, circulating through her meridians.
He could not, as he did with the Blood Demons and Cato, infuse the purified essence into Xia Xinyan’s divine body. He could only use the life essence he himself had refined, the energy within his demonic blood, to nourish her.
As the wave of life entered, Xia Xinyan’s delicate frame trembled. Feeling the warm current inside, she whispered, “You don’t need to do this. The energy within my divine body is already sufficient. Also, earlier, when you were in the Lei Xiao Star Domain, a surge of potent energy was suddenly bestowed upon me. That energy… it was related to you.”
Shi Yan held her slender jade hand, knitting his brows. “Are you sure?”
“I can view the past,” Xia Xinyan said, her beautiful eyes flashing with a strange light. “That segment of the past occurred right here within this turbulent outland. That person coalesced the energy here and brought it to me. I can show you a blurred scene from the past; enter my Primeval Realm.”
Shi Yan looked astonished, then separated a strand of his essence-soul, allowing it to drift into the Primeval Realm she had opened.
Upon entering her Primeval Realm, Shi Yan froze. Her realm was remarkably unique, composed entirely of countless fragmented images, like screens displaying sequential movie frames. His soul swam within her realm as if reading her memories, enabling him to experience her entire life and all her worldly experiences across her incarnations.
She had completely opened herself, revealing her deepest secrets, letting Shi Yan view them all.
Suddenly, one of the broken images zoomed in, and the figures and scenes within instantly sprang to life…
Shi Yan saw the turbulent outlands within it, he saw Dicaro, he witnessed the gathering and condensation of his power, and he saw Dicaro snatching up, washing, and purifying the energy body formed from the fusion of Cook and Jeremy’s Light and Fire secret arts, then directly throwing it into the spatial fissure, causing it to descend into Xia Xinyan’s body.
Shi Yan stood dumbfounded.
What Xia Xinyan said was indeed true; that energy was connected to him. It was because of his pressure that Cook and Jeremy exerted their full strength, creating that shocking fluctuation. He had intended to guide it into the spatial fissure, but it was intercepted mid-transit by Dicaro and taken away, granting Xia Xinyan an unexpected fortune.
Lost in thought, Shi Yan withdrew from Xia Xinyan’s Primeval Realm and said, “That person is named Dicaro, currently the most masterful cultivator of the Space Secret Art in the Star Sea. To my knowledge, his cultivation has reached the Second Heaven of Immortality—extraordinarily accomplished. Why would he transfer that condensed energy to you? It makes no sense…”
“I don’t understand either,” Xia Xinyan shook her head.
Dicaro, being the one who understood the Space Secret Art most profoundly in the Star Sea, would never act without reason. The fact that this man condensed and bestowed that pure energy upon Xia Xinyan must hold some deeper meaning…
Shi Yan’s expression darkened. After thinking for a while, unable to fathom the reason, he temporarily shelved the matter. “Now that you have received that, are you able to face the inner demons in your heart, free from that invisible sense of restraint?”
“It’s not that fast. I need more time to adapt here, to not fear this place,” she said, lightly pursing her lips in a faint smile, her bright eyes flickering as she softly asked, “Will you stay with me here until I can adjust to all the horrors of this place, before I overcome my shackles?”
“I should…”
Shi Yan looked into the distance, considered for a moment, and then encouraged her, “In this turbulent outland, the gale-force winds, the biting cold, the explosions, and the streaking lights are all lethal. At the very least, an ordinary Primeval God could not easily escape. The power of many great horrors might even severely wound someone in the Immortal realm. You should try moving around, don't stay static the whole time. I will watch over you and warn you well in advance should you encounter mortal peril.”
“Alright.”
Xia Xinyan lowered her head and chuckled softly, her body flickering like a phantom shadow, and she immediately began to move, heading in the direction Zi Yao had previously taken.
Shi Yan followed with a smile.
The two of them flew through the endless seams of the void, one ahead and one behind, occasionally glancing at each other, exchanging a few words, their souls calm and serene.
Vast, sweeping streams of light exploded, displaying a dazzling and bizarre beauty. Icy crystals, chillingly cold, appeared from nowhere, sometimes carrying a frigidity capable of cracking the void of stars. Mysterious flames, raging and fierce, seemed intent on incinerating heaven and earth—terrifying in the extreme.
In this realm of spatial turbulence, teeming with deadly hazards, Xia Xinyan felt supremely secure, experiencing a joy she had never known before.
Because Shi Yan was constantly by her side.
The nightmare-like experience from many years ago seemed to fade gradually after days wandering in the spatial turbulence and surviving many perilous encounters.
She slowly recognized a truth: she was no longer the same person; she could survive even in a place more dangerous than that past ordeal.
Here, there was no concept of time. Neither Shi Yan nor she knew how much time had passed. They simply sped along together, occasionally embracing for a moment, sometimes smiling hand-in-hand, savoring the rare tranquility of life, enjoying the wonderful solitude of lovers.
Until, until one day, Shi Yan’s expression suddenly jolted, and the tranquility was instantly shattered.
“What is it?” Xia Xinyan frowned suddenly.
They were surrounded by the brilliant and strange conflagrations resulting from colliding streams of light. They had been sitting embraced upon a strange, floating rock, discussing various matters from their past.
Suddenly, Shi Yan’s divine body trembled, and a look of horror crossed his face. “I can no longer sense her existence.”
Xia Xinyan naturally knew who he was referring to, and her pretty face also changed. “How is that possible? Didn’t you say you left a mark on her, that you could easily lock onto her presence as long as you were here? Could it be that she accidentally left this place and returned to the Fire Rain Star Domain and the Marya Star Domain?”
“Impossible. She hasn’t cultivated the Space Secret Art; it would be hard for her to find the spatial ingress to leave,” Shi Yan shook his head, his brow deeply furrowed, his expression growing solemn.
“What level of existence can erase the mark you left?” Xia Xinyan whispered softly.
“An Immortal-level entity could erase it, but it shouldn’t be that. Because if it were erased, my soul should ache. And I feel no pain. The mark should still be there, but I just can’t perceive her location. It’s truly strange,” Shi Yan said with a grim expression, his eyes flickering uncertainly.
…
ps: It’s Monday. For friends who just finished Singles’ Day, please cast a recommendation vote. Good deeds are rewarded; I wish you never have to celebrate that day again in the future.