HSSB196: Expressing admiration
Within the ruins of the tower there seemed to be something hidden, as a faint, dark light could be seen faintly glowing from within.
After observing the ruins for a moment, Yan Zhaoge extended his palm, his aura-qi surging as he blew the shattered stones away.
A black crystal appeared before him.
After staring at the black crystal for a moment, carefully feeling the pulsing aura within, Yan Zhaoge then reached out with his fingers, gently tapping the crystal’s exterior, infusing his aura-qi within.
Yan Zhaoge’s aura-qi entered the black crystal, circulating a full cycle before returning within Yan Zhaoge’s body.
What accompanied it were wisps of pure, refined qi previously contained within the black crystal that had been drawn out.
Looking internally, Yan Zhaoge could see that along with the returning flow of his aura-qi, an existence like a black line flowed from his fingertips into his body, arriving at the qi ocean within his dantian alongside his aura-qi.
That flawless, refined qi that resembled a black line was pure and concentrated as it evoked a sense of coldness.
However, feeling that coldness, his heart seemed restless and about to surge up in unrest as it felt as though it was being drawn in by something.
With Yan Zhaoge’s mind, a figure seemed to appear. While that figure was blurry, its features and appearance actually seemed identical to Yan Zhaoge’s.
It was only that meeting Yan Zhaoge’s gaze, that figure’s gaze seemed somewhat wrong as it revealed a devilish qi that could not be concealed.
Looking calmly at this scene, Yan Zhaoge laughed lightly, “A crystallisation following the formation’s reversal?”
In his dantian’s qi ocean, the clear qi spread to the sides, revealing the chaotic qi mass within.
The chaos surged, integrating that pure, refined qi that resembled a black line within, wisps of white smoke instantly coiling up from within as the black line entered!
Within Yan Zhaoge’s mind, that figure carrying devilish qi immediately began to slowly dissipate.
Accompanied by Yan Zhaoge increasing his infusion of aura-qi into the black crystal, the pure, refined qi drawn out from within also became denser and denser, till finally, a stream of black light seemed to move through Yan Zhaoge’s fingertip, following his meridians all the way to his dantian.
As more and more black light was integrated within, the chaotic qi mass gradually expanded.
After a long time, a cracking sound suddenly resonated from the black crystal, before cracks appeared on its exterior, following which it completely shattered.
The fragments of the shattered black crystal quickly turned to sand, before finally dissipating away with the wind, turning into dust.
After expanding, the chaotic qi mass within Yan Zhaoge’s dantian’s qi ocean quickly shrunk once more, resuming its original size, as though nothing had ever happened.
However, Yan Zhaoge could feel that his aura-qi was more vigorous and well-connected than before. At the same time, it possessed even more spirituality as it gradually seemed able to move as he liked, with him having progressed a step closer to the late Xiantian stage.
As the chaotic qi mass calmed, the clear qi surfaced to surround and conceal it once more.
Ending his cultivation, Yan Zhaoge scanned the surroundings, as he saw that the surrounding devilish qi had already gradually dissipated, revealing that he was currently located on the mud at the bottom of Clear Concealed Lake, the lake water in the vicinity having completely dried up as this place currently seemed like the bottom of a massive basin.
The devilish qi dissipated and the devilish domain collapsed, no longer influenced by the devilish qi, the lake water that had been kept cut off further away made to fill up the empty space once more as it began surging over.
Yan Zhaoge could hear the rushing noise of water resounding from all around, resembling rapids.
On the other side, Liu Shengfeng had already died at Ruan Ping’s hands, as Ye Zhongzhou, Li Jingwan and the others were also supporting one another.
Pushing out with his palm, Yan Zhaoge externalised his aura-qi, forming a massive hand which lifted Ye Zhongzhou and the other few up as he rose into the air along with them.
Very quickly, the rapids surged in from all directions, the land beneath them gradually turning into a lake country once more.
However, the current Clear Concealed Lake was destined to be different from before.
For example, Clear Concealed Island and the other islands in its central region already no longer existed, while at the bottom of the lake, a massive crater signaled that something had happened.
Gazing into the distance, Yan Zhaoge felt that Clear Concealed Lake appeared completely different from before.
Many martial practitioners, especially many Martial Grandmaster experts, fighting in a huge battle on Clear Concealed Lake and the surrounding regions, easily affected thousands of kilometres away as the heavens roiled and the earth was overturned.
The Clear Concealed Lake of beautiful scenery completely faded away into history, as the clouds that once enveloped the lake’s surface all year round had completely disappeared, the spiritual qi flow of the region chaotic till it had completely changed.
With regard to the strength of the battle participants, if not for the Devilish Domain Grand Formation and the grand formation that Turbid Wave Pavilion had previously installed here, the vast Clear Concealed Lake might have been completely wiped off from the surface of the earth.
Hovering in mid-air, Yan Zhaoge’s heart suddenly moved slightly. Swivelling his head, he saw a figure speedily approach from the distance.
The newcomer was a big, burly man, who instead had the look of wanting to cry out to the heavens and slam his head into the ground, “Young Master, it’s just so good that you’re okay!”
Who was it if not Ah Hu?
Yan Zhaoge laughed, “Luckily, it was alarming but not dangerous, with the problem having been successfully resolved.”
Behind Ah Hu followed a giant being, with fur both black and white, with massive black rings around its eyes, simple and pure, walking with trademark knees bent inwards.
This giant fellow was naturally Pan-Pan. Not thinking about the Sikong Qing on his back, he opened his stride, shooting straight towards Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge was of course happy that Pan-Pan was close to him. However, he didn’t want such a giant fella to lunge onto him, as he hurriedly raised his hand to stop Pan-Pan.
Yan Zhaoge patted Pan-Pan’s huge head. Pan-Pan extended his tongue, gently licking Yan Zhaoge’s palm.
Looking at the lake which was gradually recovering before their eyes, feeling the fluctuations of spiritual qi in the distance from the large scale battle that had still yet to end, Sikong Qing’s eyes sparkled.
As Sikong Qing and Ye Zhongzhou and the others exchanged greetings, Yan Zhaoge looked towards another direction.
There, Xu Fei’s figure appeared.
Seeing that Yan Zhaoge and the others were all safe, Xu Fei first heaved a sigh of relief before he asked Yan Zhaoge, “The Devilish Domain Grand Formation collapsing, the aura of the Nine Underworlds also vanishing-all of this was…”
Yan Zhaoge laughed, “Luck, luck.”
Xu Fei gently punched him on the shoulder, “You’re good, actually managing to resolve the matter!”
“This is much more major in scale than the matters in the Heavenly Connection Meet,” Xu Fei sighed in praise, “It is hard to imagine that this is something a Martial Scholar was able to achieve.”
Yan Zhaoge smiled slightly, “As you know, senior apprentice-brother Xu, I had a fortuitous encounter, coming by a Sacred Artifact fragment. Otherwise, I would be like ‘a skilled housewife is also hard pressed to cook a meal without rice’.”
Xu Fei shook his head, “It’s a Sacred Artifact fragment, not a Sacred Artifact. Being able to wield it sufficiently as a Martial Scholar is already very good in itself.”
“Much less the fact that this fortune came from you clashing with opponents, and did not drop down from the sky without any rhyme or reason.”
As he was speaking, a figure appeared in the distance. As Yan Zhaoge looked over, he saw that it was Tang Yonghao from whom they had been separated earlier.
Tang Yonghao had also known of Yan Zhaoge’s intentions to enter the core of the formation, just that they had later lost contact in the midst of their journey together.
Currently, the Devilish Domain Grand Formation having fallen, the first one Tang Yonghao thought of was Yan Zhaoge, and after knowing that it was precisely Yan Zhaoge’s work, he said from the bottom of his heart, “Junior Brother Yan, no matter the relationship between our two clans, on this matter, I have to express my admiration, also thanking you on behalf of the ordinary people of the Eight Extremities World whom you have saved from disaster.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “Senior Brother Tang overstates things.”
He looked into the distance, knitting his brows slightly, “This matter having turned out so troublesome also stems from the Decimating Abyss’s encroachment and corrosion being too deep. Exactly who was it that came up wrong, I wonder?”