Chapter 63 The Divine Armor Fades, Doubts Arise

Wu Tianli stumbled back into his Immortal Cave, the heavy stone door slamming shut with a "clatter," yet it seemed unable to block out the sounds of laughter coming from outside.

He haphazardly grabbed an outer robe to wrap around himself, his fingertips trembling slightly from shame and indignation. The tremors in his Dantian had not yet subsided, but compared to the physical pain, the wealth within his Storage Pouch made him even more anxious—it contained the Medicinal Pills and Spirit Treasures from his decades of bitter cultivation, as well as the cultivation resources distributed by the Sect. If lost, his reputation and strength as a Golden Core Cultivator would be significantly reduced.

"Damned ant! How dare you seize my treasures!" Wu Tianli gnashed his teeth. After sitting cross-legged, he immediately closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing his roiling blood. A faint but condensed Divine Thought slowly extended from his Golden Core.

He had refined his Storage Pouch and all his Magic Treasures with his own Golden Core Divine Essence. Even from ten thousand miles away, he could recall them instantly with a single thought.

The Divine Thought spread out like a silk thread, and it should have easily touched his own imprint on the Storage Pouch. But just as the connection was about to be made, a sharp, stabbing pain suddenly exploded from deep within his Sea of Consciousness!

"Ah—!"

Wu Tianli snapped his eyes open, clutching his head tightly. Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked the outer robe he had just put on.

That pain was by no means an ordinary obstruction of Divine Thought; it was more like an invisible sharp blade tearing at his Divine Sense. Every inch of the Divine Thought threads was collapsing, causing his Golden Core to tremble violently along with them. A mouthful of blood overflowed uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, splashing onto the bluestone floor tiles in front of him.

"How can this be... my Divine Essence Imprint..." He twitched all over in pain, rolling onto the ground. The stabbing pain in his Sea of Consciousness continued to spread, as if something was forcibly gnawing away at the imprint he left on the Magic Treasure. It was a severe pain belonging to the total deprivation of "ownership."

He tried to withdraw his Divine Thought, but that tearing force firmly locked onto his Divine Sense. For every inch he retreated, the pain deepened, as if it were about to churn his Sea of Consciousness into fragments.

The stone door was not tightly closed, and the commotion leaking through the gap soon attracted passing Disciples.

The first to peek in were two Outer Sect Disciples responsible for cleaning the Immortal Cave area. Upon seeing Wu Tianli rolling on the ground with a pale face, they were startled by his shrill screams.

Then, several more Disciples gathered around, all with faces full of confusion...

"Get lost, all of you!" Hearing the discussions outside, Wu Tianli's eyes turned red with rage. He struggled to crawl up to drive them away, but the stabbing pain in his Sea of Consciousness left him without even the strength to lift his hand. He could only watch helplessly as the mocking gazes peeked through the door gap, humiliation and anger roiling in his chest like lava.

He finally understood that Lin Yue hadn't just temporarily taken his treasures, but had a way to completely erase his Divine Essence Imprint!

That power, capable of forcibly destroying his Golden Core Divine Thought, was definitely not something a Qi Refining Cultivator should possess. This caused fear to rise in his heart for the first time—what kind of monster had he actually provoked?

"Lin Yue... if I don't kill you, I am not human!" Wu Tianli clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms, completely oblivious to the dripping blood.

Intense pain and humiliation intertwined, forming a poisonous vow that took root in his heart. But at this moment, other than rolling on the ground in pain, he could do nothing, only allowing the laughter outside the door to slowly crush his final shred of dignity.

...

"What an interesting little fellow..."

Liu Qingyan watched the light on the prajna divine armor on Lin Yue's body fade bit by bit, her gaze deepening.

Even she couldn't quite see through the fellow in front of her—the secrets hidden on him were probably more numerous than the Spiritual Plants in the East Mountain Spirit Garden.

She had seen quite a few Geniuses! Within the Qingyun Sect, there were several who could jump ranks to kill experts with higher Realms than themselves, but no one had ever been like Lin Yue—with a cultivation not exceeding the Qi Refinement Stage, he could actually pummel a Golden Core, and the kind where the opponent fled in panic.

Of course, she also knew that this power did not belong to Lin Yue, but rather the power remaining within the prajna divine armor had been triggered...

Thinking of this, her gaze couldn't help but sweep over the lion-head mark on Lin Yue's chest once more. The phantom that had just roared with its head held high had long since dissipated, and the emblem had become blurred again, with only a few faint golden lines clinging to the armor like a faded painting.

Meanwhile, the surging spiritual energy around Lin Yue was also receding at a speed visible to the naked eye. The gold and silver armor light that had been burning fiercely seemed to have its flames withdrawn, its scorching temperature gradually fading, leaving only a faint halo on the edges of the armor plates.

The prajna divine armor... She had seen brief mentions of it in the Sect's ancient texts, saying it was a supreme protective treasure from ancient times that required Soul Power to recognize a master. Ordinary Cultivators would find it hard even to approach. How could it end up in the hands of a Qi Refining Disciple? And even trigger the Golden Core Remnant Soul of its previous master?

"Your spiritual energy..." Liu Qingyan finally spoke, her voice carrying a trace of undetectable probing, "And the power within the Divine Armor, what's going on?"

Lin Yue was looking down and touching the prajna divine armor. He could feel the temperature of the armor plates dropping. The Golden Core Remnant Soul power that had been galloping through his Meridians just now had receded as cleanly as a tide. Only his original spiritual energy at the Peak Ninth Level of Qi Refining remained in his body, flowing peacefully.

Hearing Liu Qingyan's words, when he looked up, the smile from collecting the treasures still hung on the corners of his mouth, but he deliberately feigned a dazed expression: "I don't know. When we were fighting just now, the Divine Armor suddenly got hot, then a surge of power rushed in, and now it's gone."

He certainly couldn't mention the System, nor could he bring up the Hongmeng Space—the fewer people who knew about secrets, the better.

Liu Qingyan took two steps forward, her gaze falling on his armor. Her fingertips almost touched the lion-head mark but stopped mid-air.

She could feel that the remnant Soul aura of the "previous master" within the Divine Armor had completely vanished, as if it had never appeared. Only a faint Soul fluctuation belonging to Lin Yue remained, lightly wrapped around the armor plates—it was the mark of a successful master recognition.

She had many questions in her heart, none of which had answers. However, Liu Qingyan did not press further; even if she asked, the other party would not tell the truth.

Just then, Ling Wei ran over and said to Lin Yue with a proud face: "This prajna divine armor, didn't I say it was a decent treasure! Look, it can even defeat a Golden Core... How do you think you should thank me?"

"You picked this armor for him?" Liu Qingyan finally understood. So this prajna divine armor was actually something this girl Ling Wei had taken a fancy to!

"My eye for things is pretty good, right?" Ling Wei nodded, her face still showing her previous pride. "It's a treasure I spotted at a glance in the Remnant Treasure Area. I just didn't expect it to have such power!"

But Liu Qingyan gave her a sidelong glance, her voice deepening: "You almost killed him, do you know that? This Divine Armor contains the remnant Soul Power of its previous master and requires a special opportunity to recognize a master. Just now, three forces were clashing within him, which would have destroyed his Meridians. If it weren't for this fellow's luck... he would have likely suffered from a shattered heart and Soul. Don't go buying ancient objects randomly anymore."

Ling Wei stuck out her tongue, still looking playful: "How was I to know this armor was so 'irascible'... But isn't this also a close call without any actual danger!?"

Hearing this, Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a wave of lingering fear.

How was it just a close call? If the System hadn't saved him once again, he would have likely perished, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering...

However, the process of pummeling Wu Tianli just now was truly damn satisfying...

I really want to do it again!

But he quickly remembered the new task the System had given him—it was actually to conquer the Sect's youngest Golden Core Elder before him! And he was only given three months!!