Wayfarer

Chapter 451: Mirror of True Yin

Xiao Nanfeng had returned to the abyss not because he was forced to do so by Yin Tianci, but because that had been his plan from the beginning.

He was wondering how to explain himself to Yaoguang, but fortunately she left before he needed to worry about it.

He passed through the cracks in Heaven's Hand and returned to the mouth of the abyss once again.

He was preparing to deal with the gathered cursed effigies when he suddenly discovered that they were all nowhere to be seen. Even the three Heaven's Hands that had been chasing after the cursed effigies had vanished. It was easy to guess that the cursed effigies had all scattered.

Without any hesitation, he ran off into the distance, taking cover within nearby forests and avoiding this land of calamity.

By dawn, he was far from the mouth of the abyss. He found a secluded valley within which to rest and inspect the Thousand-Flame Divine Pearl.

"Yaoguang, you really do know me well. This relic is precisely what I need right now." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

He immediately sat cross-legged as he circulated his qi in accordance with the Imposing Avatar of Rulai, absorbing the flames that lay within the pearl. Huge bursts of flame surged into his body as golden light emanated from him.

The Thousand-Flame Divine Pearl boasted a thousand different types of flames. Although they weren't of particularly high quality, the quantity more than made up for it. Indeed, this was a relic beyond the level of a Heaven Immortal, and the flames that it contained were no smaller in quantity than that present within the sea of karmic flame from the abyss.

Perhaps because of the manner of construction of the pearl, it was slower for him to absorb the flames from the pearl than when he was immersed in the sea of karmic flame. It took him the entire day to finish absorbing all that lay within.

With a crack, the pearl split open. The cracks propagated until the entire pearl dissipated in the form of powder.

Then, a huge wave of fire emanated from his body.

Golden light blazed for a moment as he opened his eyes and released a deep breath. "The fourth stage of Earth Immortal..."

He was just about to sit up when he blinked. His eyes widened.

He sat back down, his golden robes transforming into silver ones as he transformed into his yin body.

A full moon appeared to the back of his head as a frosty air filled the entire valley.

Just then, the blood peach tree appeared out of nowhere. It scattered more peach blossoms on the ground. "Haven't you just broken through? Why are you seated in meditation again?"

"My avatar has been meditating on a star map all this time, and had a flare of insight just now. I'd like to take the opportunity to advance to True Yin," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"This quickly? Your spiritual cultivation is progressing far too fast. It's easy for something to go wrong if your foundation is unsound. You had better wait and strengthen your foundations first."

"There's no need. I'm confident in my foundations. Nothing bad will happen," Xiao Nanfeng replied with supreme confidence.

"True Yin lies above Yin Body, and is a realm of manifest strength. Advancing to True Yin is a precarious ordeal, and a moment's carelessness could easily damage or even shatter your yin body. Think twice," the blood peach tree urged.

"Why do you suddenly care so much about my cultivation, Senior?"

"I simply don't want you to die recklessly. Of those who strive to reach the realm of True Yin, at most a tenth can successfully break through. The others doom themselves to death. Your cultivation has progressed too quickly. Any mistake will only be magnified."

"Only a tenth will be successful? Well, I'm confident I'll be among that tenth. Senior, I've made up my mind. Please help guard me."

The blood peach tree wanted to continue dissuading Xiao Nanfeng from proceeding, but it knew that it wouldn't be able to do so.

"If you don't believe me, then try it and see for yourself. I can't guard you. I've suffered significant injuries from my fight against the Rabbit Yanluo. Fortunately, I was able to devour her cursed spiritual avatar. I'll have to recuperate and distill her soul fragments for myself. If you think this place unsafe, I recommend secluded cultivation within your divine seal."

"There's no need. This valley would be better. Advancing to True Yin requires that I absorb an immense quantity of yin qi, which is most concentrated here in the Netherworld Palace. The environment here is most suited for my breakthrough."

The blood peach tree was silent for a moment. It didn't attempt to deter Xiao Nanfeng further. "I have a question. During the fight at the mouth of the abyss, when the Rabbit Yanluo and I were trapped in Heaven's Hand, the Rabbit Yanluo destroyed her own cursed spiritual avatar and sent the three Yanluo Courts flying out. Did you manage to claim them?"

Xiao Nanfeng hesitated. Was the blood peach tree going to ask for relics from him again?

He nodded. "That's right. The Rabbit Yanluo was willing to surrender the three Yanluo Courts to the other Yanluo Lords rather than give them to you. It took me a great deal of sacrifice to snatch them from the cursed effigies' and Yanluo Lords' hands."

He had emphasized what he had lost in order to claim the Yanluo Courts as warning to the blood peach tree against trying to make a claim on them.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't think he was being petty. The three Yanluo Courts were originally his to begin with, and the blood peach tree had just refused his request to guard him. Why would he give away his relics for nothing?

This time, however, the blood peach tree didn't ask for them at all. It scattered some more blossoms. "I understand."

Then, it vanished from sight, disappearing into Xiao Nanfeng's mental world.

Xiao Nanfeng considered what had happened thoughtfully, but didn't press the matter. He closed his eyes again and returned to meditation.

His Dazheng Code of Laws was made of the Heavenly Dao Scroll, which contained all manner of star maps that dictated the natural laws of the universe. His enhanced intuition and experience had led to a considerable number of insights, which had accumulated to the point of another breakthrough.

The silver moon to the back of his head released blinding silver light, illuminating the entire region around him. His deific domain manifested and expanded. A blizzard howled, its snowflakes forming arcane star maps in the air. The nascent formation boasted tremendous suction and began to extract yin qi from the world around him.

He was like a black hole, one that was furiously devouring yin energy from its environment.

He remained that way for the entire night as his yin body slowly turned into a sculpture of ice, before melting and becoming a human body once again. It froze and melted repeatedly, incessantly, in a neverending cycle.

This was the result of his furious absorption and distillation of yin qi. The ice sculpture was initially formed out of turbid ice that gradually clarified after repeated crystallization, until it reached such purity that the ice couldn't even be seen.

By dawn, within his deific domain, Xiao Nanfeng seemed to have vanished entirely. Only his silver moon remained hanging in the air.

From within the seemingly empty deific domain, Xiao Nanfeng's astonished voice could be heard. "I've become one with my deific domain—I've reached the realm of True Yin!"

His voice echoed, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was nowhere; he was everywhere. He could feel what it was like to be a snowflake, to be a gust of wind, to be the snow heaped on the ground.

He had combined with the world at large. In his domain, he could be anything within it; he was the master of all.

After an indefinite amount of time, upon growing used to such sensations, a human body slowly materialized. He returned to his original state—seemingly unchanged, and yet completely changed.

His deific domain consumed an incredible amount of spiritual power. He dematerialized his silver moon as the blizzard around him stopped short.

"Senior, as I said, I would be that one cultivator in ten who succeeds in the True Yin breakthrough. I've reached a new realm, and I can become one with the world around me." Xiao Nanfeng smiled triumphantly.

Peach blossoms scattered to form words. "To what extent?"

"What do you mean, Senior?"

"Early-stage True Yin cultivators can hide themselves within their domain at most. Only those at late-stage True Yin can truly become formless and omnipresent. You looked to me as though you were in late-stage True Yin."

Xiao Nanfeng considered this information. He had reached a state of omnipresence, but that had to be because of his spiritual cultivation technique, Body of Yin. His True Yin cultivation was stronger than those of others at his realm.

"Didn't you see me cultivate, Senior? I'm at early-stage True Yin. Perhaps my cultivation technique made me seem to hide my body more completely, but I'm still quite a while from reaching that formless stage you describe." Xiao Nanfeng deliberately hid the extent of his strength.

"Even so, that's incredible. What spiritual technique do you cultivate?"

"It's nothing impressive, Senior. Please don't ask about it further." Xiao Nanfeng didn't intend to explain.

The blood peach tree didn't press the matter. It and its scattered peach blossoms slowly vanished from sight.

Just then, a voice came from afar. "I found him! Xiao Nanfeng's over there!"

"Inform His Highness immediately. We've found Xiao Nanfeng!" someone shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to see a number of golden arhats shouting from the snowscape in the distance. They were far more cautious than before; they didn't charge forward recklessly, and only kept an eye on him from afar.

"Yin Tianci's back in the Netherworld Palace and is searching for me. I really can't get rid of him, can I? If he's so insistent on pursuing me, then I suppose I'll test my newfound strength on him." Xiao Nanfeng's eyes turned cold.

Rather than run, he waited patiently. The cultivators in the distance grew puzzled, but didn't attempt to test him. They waited patiently in the distance until more figures emerged.

Not too long later, Yin Tianci arrived himself. He smirked. "Xiao Nanfeng, you stayed here to wait for me despite knowing that I had my eyes on you?"

With a wave of his hand, the golden arhats surrounded Xiao Nanfeng.