Chapter 503: Cave Dweller

Three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

On the desolate peak of a low mountain, Meng Chuan sat cross-legged, the endless extraterrestrial void stretching behind him.

"It's been three months, and I've investigated it thirty times," Meng Chuan murmured, gazing at the ancient cave abode. "My probes show that no matter which direction I attempt to enter from – the main entrance, courtyard walls, from above, or from below – I'm immediately trapped in a void cage upon entry. At my current cultivation level, I simply cannot break free from this void cage."

"However, if I launch a long-range attack from the main entrance's threshold or from outside the cave abode, the White Star ore flies into the abode and crashes against an unknown object."

"Conversely, when I'm confined within the void cage and attack in all directions, the White Star ore vanishes soundlessly after flying out."

"Considering all these observations, I can conclude that the void cage formation doesn't activate when a weapon flies into the cave abode, allowing it to strike freely. However, if a living being enters, the void cage instantly activates and traps them." Meng Chuan revealed a slight smile. "I know how to break this formation now."

With a thought.

*Whoosh, whoosh.*

Two dark Essence Soul avatars flew out simultaneously. This was Meng Chuan's first time deploying two Essence Soul avatars for an operation.

Both avatars positioned themselves directly above the cave abode.

"Whoosh." One of the Essence Soul avatars instantly swooped down, entering the cave abode below. Mist permeated the air, and the avatar was promptly ensnared in the void cage, then assaulted by numerous sword energies. Relying on 'time flow alteration' and his Cloud Mist Dragon Serpent movement technique, Meng Chuan's avatar evaded the attacks within the void cage for a moment before the sword energies dissipated.

Meng Chuan's Essence Soul avatar was now trapped within the void cage.

"The void cage below has now been activated," thought the other Meng Chuan avatar from high above, looking down. "If I attack again, I'll be striking the void cage itself, not an unknown object."

With a wave of its hand.

Primordial True Essence enveloped a White Star ore, transforming it into a streak of light that plummeted downwards, directly impacting the activated void cage.

"A formation without a master has a critical weakness: its power source," Meng Chuan mused. "Extraterrestrial power is far more volatile and ferocious than the world energy of a living realm. Even King Gods and Demons cannot refine extraterrestrial power; they would 'starve' even in a safe haven. That's why this formation prefers to endure a direct hit from my long-range weapon attacks. Resisting with stable space consumes less energy. However, activating the 'void cage' inherently consumes power, and the void cage resisting attacks depletes significantly more energy than stable space resistance – often ten times more."

"What I need to do is launch sufficiently fierce attacks."

"Fierce enough to completely deplete the energy of this cave abode's formation."

"Without energy, the formation becomes a joke."

Meng Chuan was filled with confidence.

"Let's begin."

The Essence Soul avatar of Meng Chuan, positioned high above, immediately began to accelerate the White Star ore.

It accelerated, covering tens of thousands of li, then hundreds of thousands of li, in a single flash...

The White Star ore circled and accelerated within a thousand-li radius. The resistance in the extraterrestrial void was negligible, allowing the ore's speed to increase rapidly.

Meng Chuan did not employ 'time flow acceleration,' as the impact of the White Star ore on the target would only be at its true speed. True speed directly correlates with impact power. By not using time flow acceleration, he could also conserve his Primordial Chaos True Essence.

When the White Star ore's true speed surged to an astonishing '350,000 li' per flash, even with Meng Chuan's mastery over Primordial Chaos True Essence at his current level, he could only manage to make the ore fly in simple circles, precise manipulation becoming impossible.

"Go."

The White Star ore, now moving at a terrifying speed, resembled a dazzling, burning meteor as it plummeted towards the cave abode.

If such a powerful strike were to hit Meng Chuan, his body would be utterly pulverized! However, achieving such speeds in the extraterrestrial void requires prolonged acceleration, making control increasingly difficult. In a genuine life-or-death battle, no one would allow an opponent to build up such momentum, and such an attack could easily be dodged.

*Boom!* The White Star ore, resembling a meteor, flew into the cave abode's void cage. The void cage exerted all its power to weaken the impact, yet a resounding tremor still erupted. The other Meng Chuan avatar, trapped within the cage, clearly heard it and felt the entire void shuddering.

"Excellent. Just as I predicted, a sufficiently powerful attack against a relatively fragile void cage requires even more energy to resist."

"Continue."

The Essence Soul avatar of Meng Chuan then launched White Star ore, one after another.

After firing a total of 122 White Star ores, this avatar returned to Meng Chuan's true body to replenish its Primordial Chaos True Essence.

"The consumption of Primordial Chaos True Essence is immense," Meng Chuan noted, sitting cross-legged. He fully absorbed the volatile extraterrestrial power, his dantian's chaotic void continuously drawing in external energy and refining it into Primordial Chaos True Essence.

"Back in my home world, when I broke through to the Chaotic Void realm, I freely absorbed the world's energy for a full year and two months," Meng Chuan reflected. "Out here, with such volatile extraterrestrial power, it would likely take ten years to absorb the equivalent amount. In the future, for me to advance from the early to mid-Chaotic Void realm, relying solely on absorbing external extraterrestrial power would also require about ten years to fully consolidate my cultivation."

"It seems I will need extraterrestrial essence stones during my time in the Chaotic Void realm," Meng Chuan mused to himself.

In the extraterrestrial regions.

Venerables can sustain their cultivation and combat by absorbing external extraterrestrial power.

Emperors, however, are a different case.

For an Emperor to break through from early to mid-stage, the amount of power required for absorption is immense! If they rely solely on slowly absorbing extraterrestrial power, it would take a full century.

As for Tribulation Realm mighty figures, each breakthrough, such as from the third to the fourth Tribulation Realm, would require over a thousand years of absorbing extraterrestrial power!

Thus, for Emperors and Tribulation Realm mighty figures, the external extraterrestrial power is too sparse, making absorption painstakingly slow. They cannot afford to waste so much time absorbing it gradually, which is why 'extraterrestrial essence stones' become essential. Extraterrestrial essence stones are formed when 'extraterrestrial essence power' condenses into solid matter. Although most contain impurities, they hold a highly concentrated form of power.

For Venerables, 'extraterrestrial essence stones' can quickly replenish their power when it's exhausted during combat.

They are even more crucial for Emperors and Tribulation Realm mighty figures.

Consequently, extraterrestrial essence stones are the hard currency of the extraterrestrial regions. However, Venerables consume relatively less during their daily cultivation and thus rarely need to use them.

*Boom!* As Meng Chuan's true body sat cross-legged, a dark vortex spanning over ten li appeared above him, continuously drawing vast amounts of dim extraterrestrial power into his body.

The chaotic void within him absorbed extraterrestrial power at a speed only slightly inferior to that of an Emperor.

He continuously absorbed and refined this into Primordial Chaos True Essence.

Simultaneously, his Essence Soul avatars repeatedly returned to replenish their Primordial Chaos True Essence before continuing their relentless assaults on the cave abode.

Although he had acquired over eight hundred extraterrestrial essence stones after killing Fang Chang, he hadn't yet brought himself to use them. For now, he maintained a balance between absorption and consumption by relying on his 'limit absorption' speed.

"Although the formation technique is more ingenious, a lifeless formation's ability to absorb extraterrestrial power is fundamentally inferior to mine," Meng Chuan thought. "I'll wear it down slowly first. If there's truly no other option, then I'll use the extraterrestrial essence stones."

One after another, White Star ores, like furious meteors, crashed down, causing the void cage to tremble with each impact.

He launched three thousand furious strikes each day.

One day, more than three months later.

*Boom!*

One of Meng Chuan's Essence Soul avatars had remained within the void cage, meditating for a long time. As long as it was there, the void cage continued to be maintained.

As another White Star ore furiously smashed into it, the void cage instantly dissipated amidst the tremors.

The surrounding mist also dispersed.

The cave abode was now clearly visible, its various structures inside distinctly revealed. Not far from the main entrance, the incomplete corpse of a burly, yellow-haired man lay – the former companion of Venerable Qinggu.

*Whoosh.* With the void cage gone, the hundreds of thousands of White Star ores that Meng Chuan had continuously launched over the past three months now became visible, raining down like a torrent of stones.

With a wave of its hand, the Essence Soul avatar collected all the White Star ores.

The other Essence Soul avatar also descended, observing the cave abode now fully revealed below.

"A cave abode without a master will only run its formation until its power is fully depleted. By now, the entire cave abode's formation must be almost out of energy, making it easy to completely occupy," thought the avatars. Both Essence Soul avatars released their Essence Soul domains, and this time, the domains met no resistance, easily enveloping the cave abode below.

The very moment it was enveloped—

The entire cave abode rippled as if it were a reflection on water.

Ripples spread in all directions, instantly extending ten thousand li around the cave abode.

Meng Chuan's true body on the distant low mountain peak, and Venerable Qinggu, who was on guard at the edge of the stellar fragment, were also directly enveloped by these ripples.

"What is this?"

Meng Chuan was greatly alarmed.

Instantly, twenty-four blood blades encircled him, and his Primordial Chaos domain fully protected his surroundings as he cautiously surveyed the area.

The surrounding scenery had drastically changed.

It was now another world, surrounded by towering mountains and raging rivers.

On the summit of a towering mountain, a bearded man with a gourd at his waist sat cross-legged. He now opened his eyes and looked towards Meng Chuan.

"One thought, one world... an Essence Soul Tribulation Realm mighty figure?" Meng Chuan thought, raising his guard.