Chapter 64: Shaoyang Star

This incredibly primeval and dense jungle, with its towering ancient trees, thorny old vines, shrubs, and wild grasses—including the thick layer of dead branches and fallen leaves beneath Li Weiyi—was gradually torn and smeared like a painting, disappearing into a blood-red mist.

The ground beneath him was bare, leaving only an expanse of brownish-red earth.

The soil was neither hard nor dry; it was like a dried-up seabed, steeped in blood for eons.

Li Weiyi sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut, meditating peacefully, unaware of the changes outside.

When Senior Spirit Tablet taught the Spirit God Path meditation method, he explained it this way:

Light, he said, could penetrate indestructible metal, boil seas, burn the heavens, and illuminate the universe. It was the most incredible thing between heaven and earth, the source of all energy, and the fundamental origin of consciousness.

He further explained that thought power was a force cultivated through spiritual consciousness, representing a path completely distinct from the magical power cultivated through the physical body.

Spiritual consciousness, he stated, was a phenomenon of light particle transformation.

To cultivate thought power, one absorbed light particles from the world and converted them into spiritual light particles within the body. When these spiritual light particles accumulated sufficiently, they would converge into a ball of spiritual fire, which would then break open the Yintang Spiritual Realm located between the eyebrows.

Li Weiyi understood the greatness and mystery of light in nature, much like how almost all energy on Earth originates from the sun.

That enormous star suspended in the void was arguably the most awe-inspiring sight one could behold on Earth, possessing overbearing energy that surpassed all deities. It was precisely because it was always there that people perceived it as common and ordinary, merely a speck of light in the sky.

The meditation method taught by Senior Spirit Tablet was called the "One Blade of Grass Meditation."

It involved imagining oneself as a tiny plant with the ability to continuously absorb light particles.

Li Weiyi really wanted to imagine himself as a blade of grass, but in his mind, the magnificent sight of the Fusang Divine Tree, which he had gazed upon from the bronze battleship that day, kept appearing.

So, he simply followed his intuition.

He imagined himself as two Fusang Divine Trees, capable of drawing all light particles from heaven and earth into his body to forge his own Golden Crow or sun.

Under the blazing sun, Xue Zheng stood with his long saber atop a hill in the Mang Mountain Range.

He had tracked Li Weiyi's escape route all the way to this spot.

Yang Yun’s blood scent had indeed led him astray for a while. After turning back, he finally found Li Weiyi’s true escape trail on the opposite bank of the Sui River, which had caused a considerable delay.

By the time he reached this point, it was already noon.

In his sight, mountains loomed high, a vast forest stretched between the peaks, and mists ascended.

Many enormous exotic birds flew in flocks through the mist.

Unfamiliar, deafening roars echoed from the depths of the mountains, inspiring awe and deterring any rash actions.

There were too many legends about the Mang Mountain Range concerning spiritual phenomena, dangers, and strangeness. Even Xue Zheng, with his firm resolve and confidence, felt immense pressure once he ventured deep inside.

Tens of miles away, a large area suddenly grew dark.

There were no clouds or mountains above, so how could such a strange phenomenon occur?

"Whoosh!"

Murong Xiao caught up, folded her black wings, and landed beside Xue Zheng. The quiver on her back was full of arrows. "Xu Changlin, the leader of the Changlin Gang, has personally escorted Yang Yun back to Jiuli City to claim credit," she reported. "Deputy leader Tang Yan will arrive here in about another fifteen minutes at most."

Xue Zheng said with a clangorous voice, like metal striking metal, "Li Weiyi is severely wounded and can't have gotten far. We must find him before he recovers, otherwise killing him will become an extremely troublesome matter again."

Murong Xiao knew well the prowess of Xue Zheng, the fourth-ranked member of the Seven Springs Hall, known as the "Unbeaten Saber Master"—a title he genuinely earned, having never been defeated.

Although three older individuals ranked above him, even they couldn't breach the defenses of his Silver Demigod Body. Their higher rankings were simply due to their more dazzling achievements and longer lives.

Xue Zheng was far younger than them, and the reason he hadn't yet reached the Five Seas realm was because he aimed to achieve the Nine Springs Supreme status.

Though Murong Xiao was ranked twenty-first, she knew that in a one-on-one confrontation on the ground, Xue Zheng could kill her with just one saber strike.

She said, "Miss Yang has increased the bounty several times over, and also added the information about Li Weiyi possessing multiple magical artifacts to the kill order. This is sure to cause a significant ripple. I predict some Five Seas realm cultivators might even be drawn here. We need to hurry!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The two vanished from the hilltop, tracking Li Weiyi's remaining traces.

Countless light particles from all directions converged towards Li Weiyi's Yintang acupoint between his eyebrows.

More and more accumulated.

They coalesced into larger, brighter light points, filling the entire acupoint, followed by a sensation of distending pain.

"Boom!"

The acupoint vibrated.

A small space, barely an inch square, was suddenly torn open between his eyebrows. Inside, a rice-grain-sized spiritual light flame hovered, with countless spiritual light particles circling around it, merging into the flame.

"A world born within the eyebrows—the human body truly is a mysterious and unfathomable treasure trove."

"I've only just had a spiritual epiphany, and I've already accumulated enough spiritual light particles to open the Yintang Spiritual Realm? Is the speed at which I'm absorbing light particles perhaps too incredible?"

Li Weiyi remembered that Cai Yutong had spent seven days accumulating spiritual light after her epiphany before she managed to open her Yintang Spiritual Realm.

Even so, a figure like Senior Spirit Tablet had repeatedly praised her, calling her a natural genius in the Spirit God Path.

Although Li Weiyi's eyes were closed, he could clearly see the small world below his eyebrows and the spiritual light flame hovering at its center. The walls of this world shimmered with colorful light, appearing exceptionally divine and mysterious.

This was the first stage of a Nian Master's three realms: "One-Inch Flame."

"One-inch" referred to the size of the Yintang Spiritual Realm.

"Flame" referred to the size and intensity of the spiritual light flame.

The second and third realms of a Nian Master were "One-Inch Fireworks" and "One-Inch Bright Flame."

As for Li Ling’s Earth Fire realm, it belonged to the first of the Great Nian Master’s three "Square-Foot" realms.

The combat power of a Great Nian Master corresponded to the Five Seas realm in martial cultivation.

Further up were the Spirit Nian Master’s three "Square-Yard" realms, which corresponded to the Dao-Seeding realm in martial cultivation.

One-inch, Square-Foot, Square-Yard...

Nian Master, Great Nian Master, Spirit Nian Master...

It was said that only upon reaching the Spirit Nian Master level did one truly begin Spirit God cultivation and thought power transformation. The preceding two realms were merely about absorbing light and nurturing the flame.

Li Weiyi opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Just as he felt the fatigue, pain, and weakness in his body seemed to greatly alleviate, he was instantly startled by the dramatic change in his surroundings. He looked around and immediately stood up.

"What is this place?"

Blood-red mist was everywhere, drifting in wisps like gauze or smoke.

The muddy ground underfoot left an imprint with every step, and bloody water oozed from the footprints.

He was horrified, clearly remembering that before meditating, he had been sitting in a primal dense forest, with a large tree whose bark was as hard as iron just three steps away, and the ground covered in thick, decaying leaves emanating the scent of rotting vegetation.

It couldn't be...

...that he had encountered something eerie, could it?

The Mang Mountain Range itself was a cluster of imperial tombs, heavy with Yin energy, and countless strange occurrences like departed spirits and ghosts were rumored to originate there. Moreover, the other side of the mountain range was connected to the boundless, endlessly dark Realm of the Dead.

Because Li Weiyi knew the Cang King's Tomb was in the Mang Mountain Range, he had specifically inquired about it. It was precisely his extensive knowledge that made him feel so uneasy.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

He quickly took out the Evil Camel Bell and removed the Stone Coffin, Spirit Tablet, and Urn from inside the bell.

Those three surely knew about the Mang Mountain Range; if he had accidentally stumbled into some forbidden land, they might have a way to help him escape.

The Blue-and-White Urn, as soon as it landed, seemed to sniff out something, becoming exceptionally excited. It bounced around on the blood-muddy ground, exclaiming, "How are we here? How did you do this, how did you do this... Haha, I thought your cultivation would have to reach the Longevity realm before you could bring us here. This is too sudden, I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Seeing Master Urn so excited and knowledgeable about the place, Li Weiyi immediately felt his anxiety ease. He asked, "Master Urn, please stop bouncing. What exactly is this place?"

Senior Spirit Tablet, perplexed, asked, "You don't know where this is? Then how did you get here?"

Li Weiyi recounted his earlier spiritual epiphany and how he had opened the Yintang Spiritual Realm in one go.

The three were long accustomed to his heaven-defying cultivation talent, but they still fell into a despondent silence for a moment.

Senior Stone Coffin was the first to speak: "It seems it's not too difficult for the owner of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish to enter the Shaoyang Star; cultivating spiritual light is all that's needed."

Senior Spirit Tablet exclaimed, "This is too incredible!"

"What are you two exclaiming about?" Master Urn said. "How can we fathom a supreme treasure like the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish? Besides, for him to become its owner suggests he already has some inherent connection to it."

Listening to their conversation, Li Weiyi pondered. His fingers went to his neck, and he pulled the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish from his collar.

Of the two bronze Yin-Yang fish's eyes, only the pale cyan Dao Ancestor Brow Bone remained. The other, the light red Buddha Relic, was missing again, leaving a bean-sized hole where it should have been.

Disbelieving, he tentatively asked, "Are we now... on the Buddha Relic? Is the Buddha Relic the Shaoyang Star you mentioned?"

Li Weiyi remembered Zhao Meng describing in detail how, when viewed under a microscope, the Buddha Relic was a light red planet, like Mars, with towering mountain ranges, dried-up ancient riverbeds, and a vast, deep red desiccated sea. The bronze battleship had been docked on the shore of that desiccated sea.

Senior Spirit Tablet confirmed, "The Shaoyang Star is that fish eye! This bloody muddy ground beneath our feet must be a corner of that star. The reason we three know about it is that all participants in the great war a thousand years ago gathered on this very planet on the eve of the conflict. Its profound mystery, or rather, the profound mystery of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, far exceeds your imagination."

Senior Stone Coffin said, "You can try walking outwards to see if you can get out of the blood mist."

If they were truly on a bean-sized Buddha Relic at this moment, how utterly preposterous would that be?

Li Weiyi tried hard to calm himself. He walked seven steps forward, reaching the edge of the blood mist, and extended his hand to touch it.