Chapter 176 - 174: Three-Layered Ring, Jade Crystal?
Wei Wuyin and Su Mei exited the Hell Layer of War with Eyles and a completely unconscious Zuhei. Carried by Su Mei’s qi, he was completely unable to recover his mental awareness after the Desolate Resurrection Pill. However, he had experienced some notable changes.
His hair seemed to become more lush and brighter, regaining a silver gleam to natural light, and his skin was neither pale nor ash-white, but fair and white. While his body still remained malnourished and emaciated, his physical aura was complete and interconnected as a singular whole. Those who investigated his body would notice that he had an infantile Astral Soul within his dantian.
However, it lacked any hint of quality or specifics to its nature. As for his innate bloodline aura, it was vigorous and surging within his heart.
For beastmen, their cultivation originated from their hearts, not their dantian, and their bloodline powers were heavily influenced by their cultivation base. Wei Wuyin finally realized that beastmen were a true cross between beast and human/demon/elf. This was just like his Draconic Spirit of Blood, but there was a slight difference.
While their Natal Soul was stored in their hearts, it wasn’t one with the hearts. Wei Wuyin’s Draconic Spirit of Blood had thoroughly merged with his heart, making it exceptionally difficult to discern for anyone that hadn’t split his chest open and look at it.
Their hearts acted as a dantian, but Wei Wuyin’s heart acted as a heart. It was more similar to Bai Lin and standard beasts than beastmen who cultivated like humans/demons/elves. This discovery made him understand that his cultivation path was slightly different.
Furthermore, their bloodline was like Han Yu’s aquatic bloodline in the Scarlet Solaris Sect, and while it can interact with the spirit, it wasn’t capable of evolving the spirit, only influencing qi. For example, Han Yu couldn’t create an Aquatic Heart of Qi, but a Heart of Aquatic Qi. This was the fundamental factor that defined the true differences between him and those beastmen.
In truth, he hadn’t known that Han Yu was a beastman until he was exposed to others on the Myriad Monarch Sect. Even today, he was still shocked by how human beastmen could look. Oftentimes, they lacked any difference outside of a few racial traits, such as gills or sharpened canines, abnormal hair growth, odd instincts, but these could be brushed aside as the person being abnormal.
To think it meant they had the bloodline lineages of beasts.
Truly enlightening.
"Lord Wei, what’s next?" Su Mei asked for the side as they walked towards the Pegasus, leaving the two knights of enforcements smiling idiotically as they stared at bottles in their eyes in amazement. They were filled with low-tier, seventh-grade products, elixirs and pills, suitable for cultivation and recovery. This was a literal fortune to them!
Wei Wuyin looked towards Zuhei and then to Sky Layer. "I’ve checked the other candidates. None of the other ones in the sect suit my needs. There are, however, two in particular on the Bloodforge Continent. We’ll venture there after I’ve reached the Astral Core Realm and made some...preparations." Wei Wuyin said.
He knew that there were countless people investigating and keeping track of his movements at all times. These people might even include the San Clan, the number one hegemonic power in the entire starfield. If he was going to act outside the sect, he needed sufficient individual power and protective plans in place. Out there, he wasn’t protected by the elite experts of the sect.
Ohn!
An abrupt yet incomparably familiar prick of pain stabbed into the back of his mind and right arm. He simultaneously felt the influence, the faint whispers of the Heavenly Daos influence. His eyes were attracted to his ring, the three-layered ring.
Karmic Luck Value: 565.7 → 565.6.
First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.
Second Calamity: Suppressed - 39 Years.
After lifting his sleeves, his eyes narrowed. After a brief delay, he jumped onto the pegasus. After Su Mei followed while carrying Zuhei, they shot into the skies. They sped through the levels and flew to the Extreme Creation Mountain before piercing into the Sky Layer.
-----
A few hours later.
Wei Wuyin sat within his study, his silver eyes fixated on the three-layered ring on his right index finger. Subconsciously, he touched the crescent necklace that hung upon his neck. As the two materials that survived the inferno incident with Bai Lin, he knew they were far from ordinary.
He had obtained this three-layered ring and necklace from the Commander in the Myriad Yore Continent that hunted and attempted to kill Jiao Ning and those other two youths. It had been embedded into his flesh, hidden away from prying eyes very carefully.
If it wasn’t for his exceptionally powerful spiritual sense, he would’ve missed it. When he first obtained it, he thought it was like normal storage rings that acted as a gateway to some concealed box in another location, but the more he investigated its internal space, the more he felt that wasn’t the case.
It seemed like an independent space that was spoken on in legends. Only Mortals believed that rings could store independent spaces, and this was often refuted. In fact, in the Myriad Monarch Sect, this was similarly the case. The idea of rings being able to contain independent living spaces was a fantastical concept that could never be applied.
The closest thing he obtained from it was that, those at the peak of this world, those two in the San Clan, had minor spaces that they could store things in, and this could be connected with storage rings allowing them to be personal vaults. Besides this, he didn’t find any information regarding this. Moreover, each layer was protected by a spiritual barrier that had to be pierced to enter.
When he obtained the ring from the corpse of the commander, the first layer was opened and empty, likely taken away by the commander. His theory was that it contained a special Spiritual Spell that could bring about unique effects, capable of reading the book located in the second layer.
The second layer had a three-page book and this crescent moon necklace that he wore to this day. Through all his struggles, he had kept this necklace. Even when he lost his memories and nearly died, he still had this necklace around him.
Unfortunately, the third layer was impenetrable regardless of his actions. If it wasn’t for the jolt by the Heavenly Daos, he might’ve forgotten about it until he reached the Astral Core Realm. The whisper was two-fold, in fact.
It wasn’t just trying to influence him to investigate the ring, but to seek help in opening its third layer. Perhaps it was capable of calculating the karmic ties he possessed, wanting him to use them to his advantage.
This meant there was something in the ring that could help him somehow. At first, he thought it was for him, but he quickly shook his head at this thought. If it was specifically for him, then the Heavenly Daos influence would’ve happened far sooner.
The only new variable added at that moment was his decision to visit the Bloodforge Continent. This likely meant something in this ring was capable of helping him obtain something from the Bloodforge Continent. While he couldn’t be absolutely certain, he felt this deduction was correct.
’A 0.1 deduction? A meeting? Or a fortuitous encounter?’ His thoughts were clearer than ever before as he made some brief calculations. According to all other 0.1 deductions of his Karmic Luck Value, they all included meetings of opportunities, such as with Qing Qiumu’s father, Qing Qi, and that Blessed before. However, this was the first time it was directed towards an inanimate object.
He knew that the Heavenly Daos can’t assess his strength properly. Perhaps his current cultivation was sufficient to open the ring, and perhaps he could bring out the greatest benefit from this. Since there was no sense of urgency in his mind, he realized this meeting or encounter didn’t have a particular timetable.
He no longer hesitated. His spiritual sense entered the three-layered ring, bypassing the first and second layers, and meeting the barrier to the third layer. His eyes glowed brightly as his spiritual strength was gathered and focused before smashing into the barrier!
Boom!
He felt a rebound! His four Natal Souls shook slightly, but this shake was like provocation!
Shiing!
His Divine Saber Natal Soul released a sharp, domineering keening sound that seemed as if it was provoked into a grand battle. Wei Wuyin barely got a chance to take action when his Nascent Saber Soul flew out of his sea of consciousness and his Divine Saber Natal Soul externalized, merging with his Nascent Saber Soul. As one, they zoomed into the ring.
He was taken aback as the saber sliced against the barrier with dauntless momentum! With its edge, it seemed willing to shatter all obstructions, end all things!
Riiip!
The barrier was mercilessly split apart, ripping at its seams as it split into two and trembled fiercely! Slowly, it started to break down as sharp spiritual energies bit at its endlessly until it became nothing!
Wei Wuyin’s eyes observed this all, a sharpness within his gaze. After this, his Divine Saber Natal Soul and Nascent Saber Soul separated, returning back to his dantian and sea of consciousness respectively.
"You can control the Nascent Saber Soul with your Saber Intent? Or..." Wei Wuyin was deeply suspicious. From what he knew, while Intent was a part of a Natal Soul, it was birthed by the Mind’s Eye which linked to one’s comprehension.
Shiing!
A keening sound echoed in his dantian, and Wei Wuyin understood why. His eyes glowed with frightening brightness as he learned that his Divine Saber Natal Soul and the Nascent Saber Soul was one in the same, merging with his Saber Intent. That’s why they could control each other, but the Nascent Saber Soul lacked its own sentient will.
This caused him to enter an unfathomably deep level of thought for several minutes. After that time, he let loose a long, calm breath. He no longer pondered on this matter, inspecting the third layer that was just opened.
As he did, he couldn’t help but once more realize a truth: the Heavenly Daos was unable to gauge his ability or trump cards. Unfortunately, he didn’t know to what extent he was shielded. Was it his Natal Souls? Was it his cultivation base? Was it his skills and talents?
Did it know of his level of Alchemic skill? Did it know of his pellet-based trump card?
Did it want him to bring Bai Lin to the Sky Layer via the Void Gate or...
He was really unsure.
"Oh?" His senses swept the third layer and discovered only a single object: A Jade Crystal.
It was tetragonal, emitted no light, merely the size of a fingernail but faint ripples were visible within it. It was like a constant and endless rippling of a water’s surface, and it felt very familiar somehow. It felt like...the Void Gates aura.
"A spatial material?" He lightly frowned as he inspected the crystal with his senses before he withdrew it, holding it within his hand. He felt a slight vibration force enter his palm and quake his entire body. He clenched his fingers around it and exclaimed slightly. A repulsive force pushed his fingers away.
When he opened his palm, he tossed it slightly upwards.
"Impossible!" He said as it started to levitate. However, when he inspected it, there was no energy being emitted or exerted on it. It was floating naturally and without any external or internal power, not even the world’s mana was being manipulated to sustain its flight.
It was as if all of its power was coming from an invisible, untouchable, yet existed outside his perception. He softly touched the crescent moon necklace and realized the materials were different.
"What the hell is this thing?" This abnormal crystal seemed to be an otherworldly object that existed outside his understanding, likely even the understanding of the current era. He swallowed slightly as he inspected it thoroughly.
’Could this be a lucky chance of the Commander? Wait...if I estimated the overall strength required to break that barrier, perhaps only Third Stage of the Astral Core Realm experts could do so. At that realm, they form their Soul Idol and receive a tremendous boost in spiritual strength and sense.’
If he thought about it a little more, this ring seemed to be carefully prepared so that only those of a certain level could procure the benefits each layer contained.
’The 0.1 gain of Karmic Luck was after I killed the commander. Could I obtain Karmic Luck by killing Blessed?!’ His eyes bulged and his pupils shivered ceaselessly at this revelation. This was possible?! While he had suspicions, this was the only time he felt it with certainty!
Then, if he killed Long Chen...