96: Chapter 96 Observing the Battle, He Plans His Move and Receives a Shocking Insight into the Yin Meridian Cave

Inside the cave, the Yin Qi was dense, and ghost fires flickered on and off.

The Withered Elder, a Golden Core deacon of the Bone Demon Sect, held a pitch-black "Seal-Breaking Awl" in his hand. Yin Qi surged around him, resonating with the "Nine Nether Yin-Gathering Formation" set up by his two Disciples.

The Formation Flags fluttered violently, emitting a brilliant dark light. They gathered the surrounding malevolent Yin Qi, transforming it into streams of grey-black Qi columns that poured into the elder's body.

The elder's aura climbed steadily, and the cold glint at the tip of the "Seal-Breaking Awl" in his hand surged, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of destruction. It locked onto the phantom of the yin vein in the sinkhole, which was entwined with pale golden rune chains.

From behind the rocks opposite, two long-hidden shapeshifted Yao Race generals could no longer restrain themselves and revealed themselves simultaneously!

The one on the left was tall and thin with a sinister face, his hands covered in fine cyan scales. He was clearly a "Cyan Scale Python" Yao general, with his cultivation at the Golden Core Early Stage.

The one on the right was a burly man with red skin and a single horn on his head. He was the "Red Flame Rhino" Yao general, also at the Golden Core Early Stage, but his aura was even more violent.

"Old Ghost of Withered Bones! You want to swallow the yin vein all by yourself? Did you ask us first?" the Cyan Scale Python Yao general said coldly, his voice hoarse.

"Hmph, do you two beasts think you can stop me?" A fierce glint flashed in The Withered Elder's eyes. Without hesitation, he thrust the "Seal-Breaking Awl" in his hand forward!

"Break!"

The pitch-black awl shadow left his hand and grew in the wind, transforming into a black, piercing ray several zhang long. Carrying a terrifying aura capable of tearing, destroying, and defiling various restrictive Spiritual Qi, it struck fiercely at the pale golden rune chains surrounding the phantom of the yin vein in the sinkhole!

"Stop him!" the Red Flame Rhino Yao general roared, opening his mouth to spew a scorching crimson fire pillar. It arrived later but reached the target first, attempting to intercept the black awl shadow.

The Cyan Scale Python Yao general flickered, turning into a cyan afterimage, and lunged directly at the two Bone Demon Sect Disciples maintaining the Formation behind The Withered Elder. It was clear he intended to break their Formation first before joining forces to deal with the elder.

"You're courting death!" The Withered Elder shouted angrily. He formed a Seal with his other hand, and the pale white bone banner in front of him moved without wind, spewing out a large amount of thick black smoke. Within the black smoke, ghostly shadows loomed and shrieked, forming a thick shield wall of ghost Qi that blocked the Red Flame Rhino's fire pillar.

At the same time, the two Disciples behind him each deployed bone Magical Artifacts, engaging in battle with the lunging Cyan Scale Python Yao general.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A fierce collision erupted in the cave!

The piercing ray formed by the black "Seal-Breaking Awl" and the Red Flame Rhino's scorching fire pillar hit their targets almost simultaneously.

The fire pillar and the ghost Qi shield wall frantically cancelled and annihilated each other, emitting a deafening roar. The shockwaves plowed deep trenches into the floor of the cave.

The black awl shadow, however, passed through the aftermath of the ghost Qi and fire pillar without obstruction, striking fiercely against a relatively dim pale golden rune chain!

Clang—!!! A piercing sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the cave!

The rune chain trembled violently, its surface luster flickering rapidly, emitting an unbearable "click-clack" sound. Finally, with a "bang," it shattered, dispersing into golden light spots that filled the sky.

As the chain broke, the phantom of the yin vein it bound trembled violently and let out a low whimper, as if from the Nine Nethers. Even thicker grey-black Yin Qi poured out like a burst dam from the break, instantly filling a small half of the cave. The temperature plummeted, and thick frost condensed even on the surface of the rocks.

"Haha! The Restriction has been broken at one corner! yin vein Origin, come out for me!" The Withered Elder laughed wildly. Ignoring the attrition against the Red Flame Rhino, he fully activated the "Seal-Breaking Awl," which transformed into a piercing ray once again, striking at another rune chain.

"Don't even think about it!" The Red Flame Rhino Yao general's eyes were splitting with rage. He forcibly steadied his body, which was churning from the backlash, and spewed a fire pillar again. At the same time, his massive body lunged toward the elder, the red light on his single horn blazing, clearly intending to engage in close-quarters combat to stop him from continuing to break the Restriction.

On the other side, the Cyan Scale Python Yao general and the two Bone Demon Sect Disciples were locked in an inseparable battle. The Cyan Scale Python's movements were erratic, and poisonous mist filled the air, but the two Bone Demon Sect Disciples cooperated tacitly, and with the support of the Formation, they were not at a disadvantage for the time being.

Inside the cave, the battle was a chaotic mess. Spiritual power and Yao power raged wildly, gravel flew everywhere, and ghosts wailed and wolves howled.

Ye Qing, however, remained hidden in the shadows of the rock wall where he had first concealed himself, watching coldly like an outsider.

His wisp of Divine Sense, imbued with the power of the "Void Dao Seed," had long since drifted quietly to the edge of the sinkhole like the finest dust, avoiding the intense battle. It attached itself to several nodes of the pale golden rune chains that had become extremely fragile and whose light was nearly extinguished due to the previous battle and the impact of the "Seal-Breaking Awl."

"Void Imprint, silent, soundless, traceless, fix."

With a slight shift of his mind, inside those fragile nodes, traces of imperceptible special fluctuations—carrying the characteristics of a Void "mark" and "resonance"—were quietly imprinted within, establishing an extremely faint connection with the rune structure.

This "Imprint" was not a destruction, but rather like leaving an extremely secretive "coordinate" and "backdoor" on the chain that only Ye Qing could perceive. In the future, he could use the "Void Dao Seed" to sense these coordinates, or even, at a critical moment, use special techniques to trigger them, causing subtle interference or guidance to the Seal.

At the same time, he was carefully observing the battlefield, assessing the strength and state of both sides.

The Withered Elder was at the Golden Core Early Stage. Relying on the "Seal-Breaking Awl" and the "Nine Nether Yin-Gathering Formation," his attacks were sharp, but his consumption was clearly not small, and he was being entangled at close quarters by the Red Flame Rhino Yao general, making it difficult to break the Restriction with full force.

The Red Flame Rhino Yao general was also at the Golden Core Early Stage, with a formidable Physical Body and vigorous Yao power, but he did not seem adept at long-range entanglement and was slightly at a disadvantage in the war of attrition against the elder.

The Cyan Scale Python Yao general had the upper hand against the two Foundation Establishment Late Stage Disciples, but he could not win in a short time.

"The strength of both sides is close, and it's hard to tell the winner in a short time. However, that old ghost's 'Seal-Breaking Awl' is indeed powerful and poses a great threat to the Seal. If he is allowed to break a few more key chains, the yin vein might really be triggered by him, and part of its Origin extracted."

Ye Qing's eyes flickered, and he had a plan in mind.

"I cannot let one side succeed easily. It would be best if... they fought even harder, resulting in both sides suffering, and then I can step in to clean up the aftermath, and while I'm at it... test my current Golden Core Perfection strength."

He was no longer content with just leaving an imprint.

Taking advantage of the moment when The Withered Elder activated the "Seal-Breaking Awl" again to strike at another rune chain, while the Red Flame Rhino Yao general was spewing a fire pillar to intercept, leaving his own defense relatively empty.

Ye Qing's figure, hidden in the shadows, slightly raised his hand and flicked his finger toward the spatial area behind the Red Flame Rhino Yao general, which had become extremely unstable due to the battle.

A tiny, imperceptible chaotic starlight, containing a trace of "Void Disorder" Dao rhyme, silently merged into that space.

The next moment, that space, which was already turbulent from energy impacts, suddenly rippled with an abnormal and violent spatial ripple, like a small pond into which a stone had been thrown!

The ripples spread instantly, affecting the Red Flame Rhino Yao general who was spewing the fire pillar with all his might.

The Yao general was caught off guard. He felt the space behind him stagnate, and his Yao power circulation suffered a momentary disorder, causing the power of the fire pillar he was spewing to drop by thirty percent!

"What?!" The Red Flame Rhino Yao general turned his head in shock and anger.

Across from him, the piercing ray of The Withered Elder's "Seal-Breaking Awl" passed through the weakened fire pillar without obstruction and struck another rune chain fiercely again!

Clang! Crack! Another chain broke in response!

The phantom of the yin vein vibrated violently again, emitting a higher-pitched whimper that seemed to carry pain. Even more surging Yin Qi poured out, almost shrouding the entire sinkhole.

"Haha! Heaven helps me!" Although The Withered Elder didn't know why, seeing that the Restriction was broken smoothly, he laughed wildly and his offensive became more urgent.

"Damn it! Who is playing tricks in the dark?!" The Red Flame Rhino Yao general roared, his eyes scanning the surroundings in shock and suspicion, but he found nothing. He had to vent his anger on The Withered Elder, his offensive becoming even more frantic, and he even began to trade injuries for injuries.

Due to this small "accident," the battle situation instantly became more tragic and deadlocked.

Both sides were truly fired up and no longer held back. All kinds of trump cards, Talismans, and even secret techniques that burned essence blood were unleashed.

Inside the cave, the sounds of explosions, roars, bones breaking, and Yao blood splashing were incessant.

In just half an incense stick of time.

The Red Flame Rhino Yao general was covered in blood, his single horn broken, and his aura withered, but he had also left a charred fist mark on The Withered Elder's chest, deep enough to see bone.

The Withered Elder was not faring any better. His face was as pale as paper, his left arm bent unnaturally, clearly with broken bones, and the light of the "Seal-Breaking Awl" in his hand had dimmed significantly.

On the other side, the Cyan Scale Python Yao general finally found an opportunity and used a stream of his life-source venom to severely injure one of the Bone Demon Sect Disciples. However, he was also pierced in the abdomen by the other Disciple's bone Magical Artifact, and snake blood sprayed wildly.

The scene was incredibly tragic.

"Now is the time."

A cold light flashed in Ye Qing's eyes, and he no longer hid.

His figure flickered, and he stepped out from the shadows. His aura was no longer suppressed, and the majestic Spiritual Pressure of the Golden Core Perfection, like a sleeping dragon waking up, erupted with a boom, instantly shrouding the entire cave!

"Who is it?!" "Golden Core Perfection?!"

The Withered Elder, the Red Flame Rhino Yao general, and the Cyan Scale Python Yao general, who were in the heat of battle, all turned their heads in shock, looking at the suddenly appeared figure in green robes whose aura was like an abyss and an ocean, their eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

They were fighting to the death, completely unaware that a third person had been hiding on the side all along—and one who was a Golden Core Perfection Cultivator with cultivation far exceeding their own!

"I am merely passing by, and seeing this yin vein has an affinity with me, I have come to take it. You may withdraw."

Ye Qing's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable majesty as his gaze swept over the ruined battlefield and the dying Seal of the yin vein.

"You... don't even think about it!" The Withered Elder forced a breath, shouting sternly, "This yin vein was discovered by my Bone Demon Sect first. Does Your Excellency intend to make an enemy of our sect?!"

"My Yao Race has also set our sights on this item. Your Excellency would do well not to make a mistake!" the Red Flame Rhino Demon General also roared, though his voice was weak and he was merely blustering.

"Noisy."

Ye Qing couldn't be bothered with idle talk. He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and pressed down into the void toward the three remaining, dying opponents.

"Suppress."

A terrifying Spiritual Pressure, formless and intangible yet heavy as a mountain, as if capable of freezing a region of heaven and earth, suddenly descended!

The Withered Elder, the Red Flame Rhino Demon General, and the Green-Scaled Python Demon General felt their bodies sink as if bearing a mountain. Their heavily wounded bodies could no longer support them, the circulation of their demon power and magical power nearly stalled, and even their thoughts became sluggish.

Before they could make any reaction.

Ye Qing joined his fingers on his left hand and slashed through the air toward the three.

"Void, Slash."

Three pale silver sword auras, thin as cicada wings, nearly transparent, and rippling with spatial distortions at their edges, silently streaked through the Void Realm.

Ssh. Ssh. Ssh.

Three soft sounds, almost simultaneous.

A hairline-thin bloodstain appeared simultaneously on The Withered Elder's glabella, the Red Flame Rhino Demon General's neck, and the Green-Scaled Python Demon General's seven-inch mark.

The three bodies stiffened abruptly, the light in their eyes quickly dimmed and dissipated, and then they collapsed to the ground with a thud, devoid of all life.

Three Golden Core Early Stage level Cultivators and Demon Generals, while in a heavily wounded state, faced Ye Qing—who was at Golden Core Perfection and possessed strength far exceeding his peers—and were instantly killed without even being able to withstand a single move.

Inside the cave, silence returned.

Only the phantom of the yin vein in the sinkhole, struggling in pain due to the damaged Seal and surging with Yin Qi, emitted a low whimpering sound.

Ye Qing's expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand and beckoned, drawing the storage pouches and Magical Artifacts of the three opponents, as well as their undissipated demon cores and Golden Core essence, entirely into his Cave Heaven World.

He then quickly cleaned up other valuable corpses and Materials within the cave.

Only then did he cast his gaze toward the massive yin vein phantom in the sinkhole and the surrounding broken pale golden Talisman chains.

"The ancient 'Yin-Suppressing Dragon-Locking Formation' is already in ruins, and the Origin of the yin vein is leaking. Perfect, it saves me the effort of breaking the Restriction."

He arrived at the edge of the sinkhole and felt the pure, vast, dual-attribute earth and yin Spiritual Qi rushing toward him, feeling satisfied in his heart.

"With a yin vein of this scale, after devouring it, my Cave Heaven World will surely take another step forward, evolve to be more complete, and provide inestimable help for me to condense my Nascent Soul."

He did not hesitate any longer and communicated with the Cave Heaven within his body with a thought.

The eight-thousand-zhang Cave Heaven World, sensing the high-quality, vast yin vein of the same Origin outside, transmitted an unprecedented, nearly "famished" violent throbbing.

Ye Qing formed hand Seals, using his own Golden Core Perfection cultivation as a guide, and operated the Hunxu Yandao Scripture to communicate with the core of the Cave Heaven.

Before him, a hazy, massive gateway composed of Chaos currents and star light points slowly emerged.

Behind the gateway was the vast, vibrant, and rule-primed scene of the Cave Heaven World, and from it emanated a unique Dao aura that had a natural attraction to Spiritual Veins and objects of Origin, as if it were a "homecoming."

"With the Cave Heaven as the Foundation, take the Spiritual Vein into the body. Devour!"

Ye Qing gave a low shout and guided with his hands in the air.

The Cave Heaven gateway shone brightly, and a powerful, gentle, yet irresistible suction force enveloped the massive yin vein phantom in the sinkhole, as well as the real yin vein body sealed beneath.

The yin vein phantom struggled violently, causing the surrounding remaining pale golden Talisman chains to clatter as it attempted to resist.

But the Seal was already broken and had lost its maintainer (The Withered Elder had destroyed it with the "Seal-Breaking Awl"), and coupled with the profound and deep suction force of the Cave Heaven World, which had a primordial attraction to Spiritual Veins.

The stalemate lasted no more than a few breaths.

Crack, crack...

The remaining key Talisman chains finally could not bear the burden and collapsed and dissipated one after another.

Having lost its final restraints, the yin vein phantom let out a low, relieved groan. No longer resisting, it transformed into a condensed, grey-black giant Dragon phantom made of pure earth and yin Spiritual Qi, and followed the suction of the Cave Heaven gateway, slowly "swimming" into it.

Immediately afterward, the bottom of the sinkhole shook violently, as if some colossal object were being forcibly pulled up from the depths of the earth.

Rumble...

Accompanied by a low roar, as if the earth vein were breaking, a grey-black torrent of Spiritual Qi, even more massive, solid, and exuding endless yin coldness and the heavy aura of the earth, rose into the sky like a true Dragon from the depths of the sinkhole and submerged into the Cave Heaven gateway.

The entire process lasted for about a quarter of an hour.

When the last trace of pure yin vein Spiritual Qi was absorbed, the Cave Heaven gateway slowly closed and vanished.

In the sinkhole, the originally roiling, dense Yin Qi rapidly became thin, eventually leaving only a scene of chaotic ruins and a bottomless, dark hole, with no more Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

That yin vein, which had been sealed for who knows how many years, had already been completely devoured by Ye Qing and integrated into the Cave Heaven World.

Ye Qing's face was slightly pale, and his aura was slightly fluctuating.

Devouring a Spiritual Vein of this scale, even with the cooperation of the Cave Heaven World itself, was a significant drain on his spirit and Dantian essence.

But his eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation.

He immediately sank his consciousness into the Cave Heaven.

He saw that the Cave Heaven World had undergone a complete transformation!

The massive grey-black yin vein, upon entering the Cave Heaven, was like a Dragon returning to the sea, instantly merging into the depths of the earth. It resonated and fused with the previously devoured miniature earth-attribute Spiritual Vein, transforming into a brand-new "ancestral earth vein" that was more vigorous, more complete, and possessed both the characteristics of "Thick Earth" and "Netherworld"!

The ancestral earth vein, like a true Dragon, wound its way through the underground of the Cave Heaven. Wherever it passed, earth energy surged, the earth rumbled, and it became thicker, more stable, and hidden with vitality at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The grey fog of Chaos at the edges of the Cave Heaven rolled and expanded frantically!

Eight thousand zhang... nine thousand zhang... ten thousand zhang... twelve thousand zhang... fifteen thousand zhang!

It expanded until it reached nearly eighteen thousand zhang in radius before the expansion trend gradually slowed down!

The entire area of the Cave Heaven World had more than doubled!

In the center of the Cave Heaven, that vast plain began to undergo even more violent changes.

Under the action of invisible forces, the earth rose and sank, forming a clearer and more majestic prototype of "mountain ranges"! The mountains were towering, with craggy rocks, and earth energy faintly flowed within them.

Those tiny prototypes of "streams," also supplemented by the water-attribute Yin Qi (Essence of Gui Water) contained within the yin vein, began to converge and grow, forming several winding "yin rivers" that emitted a faint chill, weaving between the "mountain ranges."

In the sky, the star core shone brightly. The falling starlight and moonlight echoed with the heavy Yin Qi and exuberant earth energy emitted by the newly born "ancestral earth vein," forming a more complete and harmonious cycle of heaven and earth.

The Floating Landmass also surged again, the spiritual plants upon it grew crazily, and the silver light of the moonlight star seed soared into the sky, already beginning to show signs of grandeur.

The entire Cave Heaven World, due to the integration of this medium-sized yin vein, underwent a qualitative leap! The rules were more perfect, the space was more stable, and the ecology was more complete. It had truly begun to evolve toward a Small World possessing complete mountains, rivers, sun, moon, stars, and the vitality of earth veins!

The feedback "Power of the Primordial World" also leaped again in quality and total amount due to this great change, becoming more vast and pure. The "Thick Earth" and "Netherworld" Dao auras contained within it had incomparable benefits for Ye Qing in comprehending the great Daos of earth, life and death, and nirvana.

"Good! The Cave Heaven World finally has the prototype of a true world! With this Foundation, my condensation of the Nascent Soul will surely be smoother, and my Foundation will be even more unshakable!"

Ye Qing was excited in his heart. He guided this unprecedented, vast feedback power, injecting it into his Dantian to nourish his Golden Core, consolidate his cultivation, and simultaneously repair the consumption brought about by devouring the Spiritual Vein.

His Golden Core Perfection cultivation, under the irrigation of this power, became even more perfect and flawless, thick as the sea, steadily advancing toward the final threshold of condensing the Nascent Soul.

Exiting the Cave Heaven, Ye Qing looked around at the sinkhole that had become a ruin and did not stay any longer.

The disturbance here was too great, and the disappearance of the yin vein would inevitably attract subsequent investigations. He needed to leave as soon as possible.

His figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light. Following the path he came from, he quickly left the cave, passed through the crevice tunnel, rushed out of the rift valley, and plunged into the never-ending wind and sand of the White Bone Wasteland, speeding away in a direction far from Jinsha Market.

Inside his body, the eighteen-thousand-zhang Cave Heaven had earth veins like Dragons, a sea of stars across the sky, yin rivers flowing, and vitality hidden. The feedback "Power of the Primordial World" was like a great river, surging endlessly.

Condensing the Nascent Soul, the time was approaching.