At almost the same instant, a look of astonishment flashed across Mu Lengxing’s eyes; there was another development outside the Mu Ling Hall. The colossal vortex, formed entirely of vitality and death energy, displayed alternating hues of green and black, yet now, they began to slowly merge, signifying the fusion of life force and the aura of death.
“Vitality and death energy fusing?”
Mu Lengxing exchanged a glance with Mu Yaofei, both seeing an expression of utter disbelief reflected in the other’s eyes.
While vitality and death energy could perfectly intertwine within the “Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine,” that did not mean the same could occur within a human body. Even the sliver of spiritual thought from that “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable,” after merging with the “Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine,” had only manipulated the death energy within the mental aspect, not achieved true integration.
If grass is mowed, new shoots will sprout; if a tree’s branches are all broken, new ones will likewise emerge. But if a person is severed in half at the waist, survival is utterly impossible; if limbs are torn away, new ones cannot regrow. For this very reason, the fusion of vitality and death energy could manifest in a vine like the “Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine,” a tendril from the Abyss of Corruption, but it was difficult to achieve within a human being.
Yet, what was unfolding outside the Mu Ling Hall now defied this most fundamental common sense! “Just as you said, Xueyi truly gave birth to a monstrous anomaly.”
Mu Lengxing chuckled. “However, for a normal Half-Spirit Clan member, the chance of surviving past eighteen without their bloodline awakening is infinitesimal. Yet, not only did he survive, but his cultivation is quite exceptional among his peers, and he even managed to return to the Yin Ruins via the spiritual meridian…”
“Indeed. If it weren’t for him, who knows what the Yin Ruins would have become under the influence of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s spiritual thought. Now, Xueyi has been rescued, Qingyi is free from control, and several of us have gained our liberty. Despite the Yin Ruins boasting so many Celestial Spirit Masters, in the end, we were reduced to relying on a junior Spirit Transformation Master to save the day…” Gazing at the vortex outside the Mu Ling Hall below, a wry smile touched Mu Tianfei’s lips.
Mu Lengxing offered no reply, but a sigh, as if from the very air, escaped his lips…
Beneath the vortex, Nie Kong’s spirit remained submerged within the Spiritual God Acupoints. Unaware of the passage of time, unlike the tranquil merging in the external vortex, Nie Kong’s great acupoints were nearly boiling. Within the rapidly spinning “Yin-Yang Diagram,” green waves constantly surged up from the inky black death energy, while in the vibrant green vitality, streams of death energy perpetually floated upward.
After an unknown duration, the surface of the death energy was completely overtaken by waves saturated with vitality, while the vitality above was similarly shrouded in dense death energy.
“Boom!”
A deafening explosion suddenly ripped through the quiet, and the spiritual power within Nie Kong surged like a raging tidal wave. The formerly distinct vitality and death energy began to squeeze toward the center…
“It’s been another month,” Mu Yaofei sighed softly, a hint of anxiety coloring her tone. Standing beside her were two graceful figures: Mu Lengxing and Mu Yulin.
Mu Yulin nodded. “There are still four months left. If he can’t wake up within those four months, Xueyi will be in danger.”
“I’m growing increasingly curious now about what the little fellow will be like when he wakes up. To merge vitality and death energy like the ‘Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine’—I wonder if his physique will grow closer and closer to that of the Vine. If such an anomaly truly appears among our Mu Ancestor’s descendants, that would be excellent. Perhaps the heavy burden of eradicating the ‘Dark Blood Spirit Worm’ from the Mu Ancestor will fall to him too…” Mu Lengxing mused with a smile.
“Boom!”
As he spoke, a massive roar resonated from the vortex. For a moment, the entire surrounding heaven and earth seemed to tremble. Mu Lengxing and the other two hastily looked over, seeing the vortex, now turned an inky green, beginning to contract toward its center. However, a potent and violent force rapidly emanated outward in all directions.
“Not good!”
Mu Lengxing’s expression changed drastically, his words becoming incredibly rapid. “That power will disperse before long! Mu Kong will be fine, but the vicinity of the Mu Ling Hall is dangerous. If that mass of energy below is allowed to spread completely, not only will the Mu Ling Hall be pulverized, but the entire Yin Moon City might be destroyed!”
As Mu Lengxing spoke, Mu Tianfei and Mu Yulin both grew grave.
“Whoosh!”
The Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip instantly materialized, and Mu Lengxing immediately merged into it. With a swoosh, the black stream of light shot downward, growing increasingly massive as it descended. In an instant, the “Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip” resembled a soaring giant dragon, coiling itself around the vortex.
“Swish! Hiss!”
Two figures cut through the air, landing beside Mu Tianfei and Mu Yulin. They were Mu Yijun, the Lord of Yin Moon City, and Mu Yaotong, the Lord of Dongwu City. Seeing Mu Lengxing’s colossal mental image projection and feeling the immense power undulating beneath them, Mu Yijun and Mu Yaotong also changed expression. Immediately, their figures flickered repeatedly in the void, and Mu Tianfei and the other three positioned themselves around that mass of power.
The Mind-Heart Resonance Imprint on their foreheads flashed with a soft, shimmering light. Though the four had not yet attacked, their eyes were fixed tightly on Mu Lengxing, who had enveloped the vortex…
“Boom!”
Explosions erupted one after another within Nie Kong’s Spiritual God First Acupoint. The Yin-Yang Diagram spun rapidly, and the fusion of vitality and death energy accelerated. At the juncture where they met, a splash of inky green luminescence appeared. Moreover, as time passed, this sliver of dark green continuously spread to both sides.
Immense pressure undulated ceaselessly from the center of the “Yin-Yang Diagram,” a fierce sense of oppression generating from within the “Spiritual God First Acupoint.”
“Boom!”
Suddenly, the Spiritual God First Acupoint convulsed violently, and the first pair of smaller acupoints on the second layer burst open, communicating with each other. Nie Kong rejoiced internally, but before he could shift his attention, continuous booming sounds rang out. In the blink of an eye, all five pairs of small acupoints on the second layer were unblocked.
The eleven pairs of acupoints operated simultaneously, and their rotational frequency increased by another level.
Inside the Yin-Yang Diagram, the fusion speed of vitality and death energy accelerated dramatically. The central inky green luminescence expanded toward both sides at a speed visible to the naked eye. After only a few minutes, nearly half of the constantly spinning “Yin-Yang Diagram” was occupied by the dark green glow.
Sensing the still-spreading dark green, a feeling of increasing familiarity rose continuously in Nie Kong’s heart. Involuntarily, Nie Kong thought of the “Spirit Treasure Essence Qi” the Mu Ancestor had given him to dispel the spiritual thought of the “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable”; the two bore a startling similarity.
“That ‘Spirit Treasure Essence Qi’ was drawn from the heart of the tree and condensed by the Mu Ancestor. Could it be that what is generated when vitality and death energy fuse with the spiritual power inside my body is a new spiritual power similar to the ‘Spirit Treasure Essence Qi’? Or perhaps, this nascent spiritual power is the ‘Spirit Treasure Essence Qi’?”
Nie Kong’s thoughts raced, his mind filled with doubts.
However, regardless of whether the newly generated spiritual power was the “Spirit Treasure Essence Qi” or not, there was one thing Nie Kong could confirm: once the vitality and death energy completely merged within his spiritual power—once his internal spiritual power was fully transformed—he would no longer be threatened by the flaws of the “Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art.”
With that thought, Nie Kong reined in his focus, turning his attention back to the “Yin-Yang Diagram.” The dark green mass continued to grow stronger. After several more minutes, the remaining slivers of vitality and death energy were finally entirely consumed, and the Yin-Yang Diagram was completely dyed a dark green hue.
Almost simultaneously, a gale seemed to sweep through Nie Kong’s body. Raging torrents of spiritual power flooded incessantly into the Spiritual God First Acupoint.
“Roar!”
Faintly, an invisible barrier shattered with a crash. The vibrant green mutated wood spiritual power transformed into dark green spiritual power and swept mightily back through every meridian.
Spirit Transformation Rank Three!
Nie Kong smiled inwardly; this advancement was within his expectations.
Last time in the Moon Gazing Tower, after cultivating diligently for nearly thirty days, Nie Kong had already sensed the existence of that invisible barrier within his acupoints. Now, at the moment vitality and death energy merged and the mutated wood spiritual power completed its conversion, Nie Kong’s spiritual strength experienced a sharp surge.
Indeed, as the spiritual power dispersed back into the meridians, the feeling of growth continued to intensify wildly. In the space of a few breaths, another invisible barrier manifested in the “Spiritual God First Acupoint,” and Nie Kong’s perception of this barrier grew increasingly distinct.
“Boom!”
With a thought, Nie Kong commanded his vast spiritual power to surge back, striking the Spiritual God Acupoints with the force of an overwhelming tide, while the connection between his physical body and the external vortex quietly severed. The immense power contained within the vortex violently burst apart, an aura of world-ending destruction permeating the air…
“Boom!”
Like the shattering of the heavens and earth, a powerful roar echoed for a hundred miles.
At the precise instant the vortex power collapsed and exploded, Mu Lengxing’s “Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip” mental image abruptly expanded by nearly double its size, yet not a single wisp of power leaked out from the illusory projection. However, Mu Lengxing simultaneously let out a muffled groan, causing the expressions of Mu Tianfei and the others to tighten.
Yin Moon City.
Hearing that thunderous explosion, nearly all the hundreds of thousands of people in the city simultaneously looked up toward the direction of the Mu Ling Hall. The formidable aura emanating from there caused the minds of many with lower cultivation levels to tremble involuntarily.
What exactly was happening there?
The crowd was deeply perplexed. For days, those with high cultivation had sensed the powerful fluctuations emanating from that direction. However, without permission from the City Lords, no one was allowed to enter the range of the “Mu Ling Hall,” so they could only suppress their doubts.
No secrets are kept forever. The news that had leaked from the Great Evolution Hall had already allowed the populace to understand the cause of the upheaval during Princess Qingying’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
The Green-Clothed Mu Sect, for some unknown reason, had become possessed by the spiritual thought of the “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable,” leading to a sudden surge in his cultivation. Twenty years ago, that spiritual thought controlled the Green-Clothed Mu Sect to attack the Mu Ancestor and the Five City Lords, and then, taking advantage of the weakened state of the Xueyi Mu Sect, sealed her within the Mu Ling Hall.
Several months ago, a man named Mu Kong appeared from nowhere. Taking the opportunity of participating in the Heart Rite Competition, he approached the Green-Clothed Mu Sect, released the Mu Ancestor’s “Spirit Treasure Essence Qi,” forced the spiritual thought of that spirit out of his body, and then, by some unknown means, drove out the “Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine” attached to the Green-Clothed Mu Sect’s mental aspect. Only then was the Green-Clothed Mu Sect freed from the spiritual thought’s control, the Five City Lords gained their freedom, and the Xueyi Mu Sect in the Mu Ling Hall was rescued.
When these events became public knowledge, the populace was dumbfounded, and even now, they could not help but marvel. Now, noticing the disturbance outside the Mu Ling Hall, their thoughts grew restless. Could it be that the spiritual thought of the so-called “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable” had not been completely annihilated?
At the juncture where they met, a splash of inky green luminescence appeared. Moreover, as time passed, this sliver of dark green continuously spread to both sides.
Immense pressure undulated ceaselessly from the center of the “Yin-Yang Diagram,” a fierce sense of oppression generating from within the “Spiritual God First Acupoint.”
Suddenly, the Spiritual God First Acupoint convulsed violently, and the first pair of smaller acupoints on the second layer burst open, communicating with each other. Nie Kong rejoiced internally, but before he could shift his attention, continuous booming sounds rang out. In the blink of an eye, all five pairs of small acupoints on the second layer were unblocked.
The eleven pairs of acupoints operated simultaneously, and their rotational frequency increased by another level.
Inside the Yin-Yang Diagram, the fusion speed of vitality and death energy accelerated dramatically. The central inky green luminescence expanded toward both sides at a speed visible to the naked eye. After only a few minutes, nearly half of the constantly spinning “Yin-Yang Diagram” was occupied by the dark green glow.
Sensing the still-spreading dark green, a feeling of increasing familiarity rose continuously in Nie Kong’s heart. Involuntarily, Nie Kong thought of the “Spirit Treasure Essence Qi” the Mu Ancestor had given him to dispel the spiritual thought of the “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable”; the two bore a startling similarity.
“That ‘Spirit Treasure Essence Qi’ was drawn from the heart of the tree and condensed by the Mu Ancestor. Could it be that what is generated when vitality and death energy fuse with the spiritual power inside my body is a new spiritual power similar to the ‘Spirit Treasure Essence Qi’? Or perhaps, this nascent spiritual power is the ‘Spirit Treasure Essence Qi’?”
Nie Kong’s thoughts raced, his mind filled with doubts.
However, regardless of whether the newly generated spiritual power was the “Spirit Treasure Essence Qi” or not, there was one thing Nie Kong could confirm: once the vitality and death energy completely merged within his spiritual power—once his internal spiritual power was fully transformed—he would no longer be threatened by the flaws of the “Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art.”
With that thought, Nie Kong reined in his focus, turning his attention back to the “Yin-Yang Diagram.” The dark green mass continued to grow stronger. After several more minutes, the remaining slivers of vitality and death energy were finally entirely consumed, and the Yin-Yang Diagram was completely dyed a dark green hue.
Almost simultaneously, a gale seemed to sweep through Nie Kong’s body. Raging torrents of spiritual power flooded incessantly into the Spiritual God First Acupoint.
“Roar!”
Faintly, an invisible barrier shattered with a crash. The vibrant green mutated wood spiritual power transformed into dark green spiritual power and swept mightily back through every meridian.
Spirit Transformation Rank Three!
Nie Kong smiled inwardly; this advancement was within his expectations.
Last time in the Moon Gazing Tower, after cultivating diligently for nearly thirty days, Nie Kong had already sensed the existence of that invisible barrier within his acupoints. Now, at the moment vitality and death energy merged and the mutated wood spiritual power completed its conversion, Nie Kong’s spiritual strength experienced a sharp surge.
Indeed, as the spiritual power dispersed back into the meridians, the feeling of growth continued to intensify wildly. In the space of a few breaths, another invisible barrier manifested in the “Spiritual God First Acupoint,” and Nie Kong’s perception of this barrier grew increasingly distinct.
“Boom!”
With a thought, Nie Kong commanded his vast spiritual power to surge back, striking the Spiritual God Acupoints with the force of an overwhelming tide, while the connection between his physical body and the external vortex quietly severed. The immense power contained within the vortex violently burst apart, an aura of world-ending destruction permeating the air…
“Boom!”
Like the shattering of the heavens and earth, a powerful roar echoed for a hundred miles.
At the precise instant the vortex power collapsed and exploded, Mu Lengxing’s “Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip” mental image abruptly expanded by nearly double its size, yet not a single wisp of power leaked out from the illusory projection. However, Mu Lengxing simultaneously let out a muffled groan, causing the expressions of Mu Tianfei and the others to tighten.
Yin Moon City.
Hearing that thunderous explosion, nearly all the hundreds of thousands of people in the city simultaneously looked up toward the direction of the Mu Ling Hall. The formidable aura emanating from there caused the minds of many with lower cultivation levels to tremble involuntarily.
What exactly was happening there?
The crowd was deeply perplexed. For days, those with high cultivation had sensed the powerful fluctuations emanating from that direction. However, without permission from the City Lords, no one was allowed to enter the range of the “Mu Ling Hall,” so they could only suppress their doubts.
No secrets are kept forever. The news that had leaked from the Great Evolution Hall had already allowed the populace to understand the cause of the upheaval during Princess Qingying’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
The Green-Clothed Mu Sect, for some unknown reason, had become possessed by the spiritual thought of the “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable,” leading to a sudden surge in his cultivation. Twenty years ago, that spiritual thought controlled the Green-Clothed Mu Sect to attack the Mu Ancestor and the Five City Lords, and then, taking advantage of the weakened state of the Xueyi Mu Sect, sealed her within the Mu Ling Hall.
Several months ago, a man named Mu Kong appeared from nowhere. Taking the opportunity of participating in the Heart Rite Competition, he approached the Green-Clothed Mu Sect, released the Mu Ancestor’s “Spirit Treasure Essence Qi,” forced the spiritual thought of that spirit out of his body, and then, by some unknown means, drove out the “Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine” attached to the Green-Clothed Mu Sect’s mental aspect. Only then was the Green-Clothed Mu Sect freed from the spiritual thought’s control, the Five City Lords gained their freedom, and the Xueyi Mu Sect in the Mu Ling Hall was rescued.
When these events became public knowledge, the populace was dumbfounded, and even now, they could not help but marvel. Now, noticing the disturbance outside the Mu Ling Hall, their thoughts grew restless. Could it be that the spiritual thought of the so-called “Great Evolution Spirit Venerable” had not been completely annihilated?