459: Chapter 459 "Devouring Stars" - Introduction, Nurturing a Clone

The three of them stayed in the Mecha World for a while longer, chatting about this and that.

Eventually, the topic turned back to King Xuanyin.

"What if King Xuanyin actually finds a solution after coming out of her secluded cultivation?"

Ziyi said, "It's useless for us to be anxious right now."

Moli folded her arms and grunted noncommittally.

After a few more lines of conversation, the three dispersed.

The light of the Virtual World faded from her eyes, and Moli's consciousness returned to reality.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought for a long while.

Then she turned over, buried her face in the quilt, and let out a long, muffled whimper.

"...If I had known, I wouldn't have gone to join in on the fun."

Her voice was muffled in the quilt, slurred and filled with aggrieved regret.

"Watching others make a spectacle every day... now I've become the spectacle myself..."

She rolled around on the bed twice more.

She wrapped the quilt into the shape of a silkworm cocoon, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Gazing at the twilight outside the window, she muttered something softly.

After muttering for a long time, she finally quieted down.

Yet in those eyes, a complex storm of emotions clearly swirled, refusing to dissipate.

...

On the other side, inside the Lin Family Manor.

Su Yingxue was sitting around a long table with the sisters.

A projection was spread across the table, clearly listing three targets: King Feiyun, Ziyi, and Moli.

Everyone gathered together, excitedly discussing the subsequent plan of approach.

Qiao Feifei leaned over the table, poking at Moli's avatar in the projection.

"Fairy Moli is the easiest to talk to.

Next time, we'll prepare more rare spirit fruits, pastries, and limited-edition mecha merchandise. I don't believe we can't ask her out."

Shen Youqing added in a gentle voice:

"As for Ziyi, we can have Lu Shan visit her more often.

After all, they are relatives, so there will always be a chance to start a conversation."

Su Yingxue tapped her fingertips on the tabletop, her gaze landing on the name "King Feiyun" at the top.

"There's no rush for Her Highness King Feiyun.

Since she's in secluded cultivation, there will always be a day she comes out.

We can wear her down slowly; we will surely find a Breakthrough."

The group chimed in one after another, laying out the subsequent steps clearly.

Full of fighting spirit, their minds were entirely occupied with how to invite those people over.

From "what gifts to bring for the next visit" to "how to start a conversation when meeting".

Every single detail was analyzed and scrutinized repeatedly.

Everyone was in high spirits, as if trying a few more times would cause those three tightly shut doors to open for them.

No one expected...

...that the three targets they were eyeing had already, all at once, made up their minds.

To hide.

Hide for as long as possible, and definitely never offer themselves up voluntarily.

...

In the center of the Universe Secret Realm.

The Diyang Giant Beast Clone had already paused its cultivation of "Swallowing Stars".

After a full day of comprehension and refining, this Ordinary Secret Method barely crossed into the "Entry Level" Realm.

It would take at least two to three months to reach Perfection.

Lin Yun was in no rush for the moment.

With a thought, he turned the Diyang Giant Beast's attention to another, more important matter.

Nurturing a Clone.

The Diyang Giant Beast possessed two innate secret techniques.

One was "Devour", which could swallow all kinds of celestial bodies.

The other was precisely "Clone".

At Seventh Order, Eighth Order, and Ninth Order, each rank allowed it to nurture one Clone.

The owner of the genetic information used to nurture a Clone could not have a cultivation level exceeding that of the Diyang Giant Beast itself.

He was currently at the Seventh Order, and the spot for his first Clone was still empty.

Earlier, due to the excitement of discovering this newly nurtured Universe Secret Realm, he had actually forgotten about this.

Now that he finally remembered, he naturally delayed no longer.

With a slight thought, Lin Yun took out two Void Purple Thunder Bamboo branches and leaves from his Space Ring and swallowed them into his Internal World.

The branches and leaves fell into the surging sea of fire, enveloped by scorching energy.

One was Sixth Order, and the other was Seventh Order.

They faintly glowed purple throughout, with tiny electric arcs shimmering across their surfaces.

Lin Yun hesitated no longer and activated his innate secret technique, "Clone".

Deep within his Internal World, two streams of pure Origin power surged forth simultaneously, wrapping around the two Void Purple Thunder Bamboo branches and leaves respectively.

Energy rushed over like a tide, covering the branches layer by layer and slowly penetrating them, beginning to analyze the genetic information within.

This process was not fast, but by no means slow either.

Vast energy coiled and spiraled around the branches, like countless invisible hands meticulously dismantling and reassembling them.

About an hour later, the analysis was complete.

Two sets of information surfaced in Lin Yun's consciousness:

Using the Sixth Order Void Purple Thunder Bamboo branch to nurture a Clone would take an estimated three years, resulting in a Sixth Order cultivation level upon completion.

Using the Seventh Order one would require three years and two months, resulting in a Seventh Order cultivation level upon completion.

Lin Yun hardly hesitated and directly selected the Seventh Order one.

The difference was merely two months, yet the Clone's cultivation level would be a whole major Realm higher.

There was no need to weigh the options at all.

If he used the Sixth Order to nurture it, after the Clone was completed, he would still have to spend a lot of time cultivating it to the Seventh Order, taking longer and causing more hassle.

Using the Seventh Order branch meant waiting just two months longer to get a Seventh Order Clone right out of the gate, saving time and effort.

Once selected, Lin Yun poured all the energy into the cluster containing the Seventh Order Void Purple Thunder Bamboo.

The orb of energy surrounding the branch began to expand rapidly.

From an initial one or two meters, it expanded to tens of meters, then to hundreds of meters.

The surface of the light orb was no longer just a dark red.

Faint purple lightning patterns flickered indistinctly across the surface of the orb.

Intertwining with the Diyang Giant Beast's own dark red energy...

...forming a strange and gorgeous pattern.

Inside, the faint outline of a bamboo branch could be seen growing slowly.

As energy continued to pour in, the orb began to throb.

Once, twice, thrice.

Soon, the throbbing became more and more rhythmic.

Resembling more and more the beating of a heart.

Thump, thump, thump.

The rhythm was slow yet powerful, carrying a primitive cadence of a new life taking form.

Sensing the structure gradually taking shape inside that energy orb, Lin Yun felt at ease.

Next, all he needed to do was wait for three years and two months.

With the Clone beginning its nurture, Lin Yun wasted no time and turned his attention back to cultivating "Swallowing Stars".

Although he had already concealed the spatial rift at the entrance of the Secret Realm, that was ultimately just a stopgap measure.

The existence of the Universe Secret Realm was, after all, a hidden danger.

If a passing expert accidentally discovered it and snatched it first, the loss would be too immense.

The sooner he succeeded in cultivating it and swallowed the Secret Realm into his Internal World, the safer it would be.

The breathing of the Diyang Giant Beast Clone gradually stabilized.

Tiny specks of light began to shimmer across its massive dark red body.

Those specks of light flowed slowly along the patterns of its scales, like some ancient formation being activated.

The energy within its body circulated along the unique pathway of the "Swallowing Stars" secret technique—one cycle, two cycles, three cycles...

With every single circulation, Lin Yun's understanding of this secret technique deepened by a degree.

He closed his vertical pupil, completely immersing his mind within.

His entire body resembled a dark red mountain, cultivating quietly and steadily.

Lin Yun intended to wait until he cultivated "Swallowing Stars" to the Perfection Realm before swallowing the Secret Realm in one gulp.

When that time came, the Eighth Order would be within reach.