623: Chapter 623 Not Cultivating Spiritual Qi?

Su Ming leaned against the cold rock wall, his eyes like two bottomless ancient wells, staring fixedly at the xuantian ring.

His left thumb and index finger unconsciously rubbed against the wooden handle of a discarded Formation Flag, a small habit he only exhibited when extremely nervous.

Time ticked away, drop by drop. One incense stick. Two incense sticks.

Inside the xuantian ring, the last wisp of cyan light completely dissipated within the deep blue soul body fire, like snow melting into boiling water, without causing a single ripple.

Lin Yu slowly opened his eyes.

His soul body, which had previously been somewhat illusory and transparent, now took on a texture that was almost substantial.

The deep blue luster flowing across the surface of his soul body was more profound than before the refinement by more than just a level; the radiance was no longer a light, floating glow, but resembled some kind of deep blue crystal condensed to the extreme.

Su Ming's back, which had been tensed for over an hour, finally relaxed slightly the moment he saw this.

"Master." Su Ming called out softly within his Sea of Consciousness, his voice kept very low.

Lin Yu's soul body stretched its illusory arms in mid-air, a gleam flashing in his eyes that even he hadn't anticipated.

He looked down at the disheveled Su Ming in the crevice, curled the corner of his mouth, and let out a soft scoff.

"Disciple, I didn't end up sleeping." Lin Yu's voice carried an undisguisable sense of relief, "This Qing Yan looks intimidating, but he's actually just a hollow shell; the material inside isn't even as chewy as that resentful woman in the broken lantern from back in the day."

Hearing this, Ying, who was on guard at the edge of the Formation, immediately turned its head and let out a "chirp." Its previously bristled black feathers smoothed back against its body, and a hint of human-like joy flashed through its golden pupils.

Su Ming did not smile, but the fingers that had been tightly gripping the wooden handle of the Formation Flag silently loosened.

"You didn't fall into a deep slumber; that is the best news of the day." Su Ming nodded slightly, then pressed a blank Jade Slip to his forehead, "Master, since you've digested the material, tell me, what was hidden inside?"

Lin Yu sat cross-legged within the xuantian ring, the luster of his soul body flickering slightly as his tone grew somber.

"This material wasn't hard to chew, but the intelligence left behind is quite potent." Lin Yu scoffed, "Which do you want to hear first? How the Dark Current Sect slaughtered the Qiming Sect until none were left, or how they plan to lead the calamity of this Abandoned Land, intact, into the Human Realm?"

Su Ming's fingers holding the Jade Slip paused slightly, and his brows locked together instantly.

"Lead it to the Human Realm?" Su Ming's voice was cold as ice, "Master, per your habit, tell me the most critical part first, and let's sort it out from the beginning. What exactly is the situation with the Spirit Race?"

Lin Yu crossed his arms over his chest, his illusory fingers tapping lightly against his arm.

"The Spirit Race isn't as united as you think. Their internal affairs have long since rotted into a mess." Lin Yu slowed his speech, as if organizing the memories he had just extracted, "Currently, the Spirit Race is divided into three major factions. The ones in power are the Dark Current Sect; these guys are complete lunatics who advocate opening the Seal of this Abandoned Land above our heads, to borrow the power within to reshape the Law of the Spirit Realm."

"The second faction is the Neutral Faction, mostly comprised of old folks who transformed into spirits from vegetation. They hold their ground in the tree cities deep underground, avoiding the world, and turn a blind eye to the actions of the Dark Current Sect."

As Lin Yu said this, the luster of his soul body suddenly dimmed for a moment, and his voice carried a hint of imperceptible mockery.

"As for the third faction, that is the so-called Qiming Sect in Qing Yan's words. These idealists who advocated for peaceful coexistence with the Human Race were long ago slaughtered by the Dark Current Sect until only a handful remained; they are effectively wiped out."

Su Ming's eyes shifted slightly as he immediately grasped the key point: "Then what about Qing Yan? Since he is the last Elder of the Qiming Sect, why would he know so many core secrets of the Dark Current Sect?"

"That is the most ironic part." Lin Yu scoffed, "Qing Yan himself is not some die-hard loyalist of the Qiming Sect. He is the most Advanced spy the Dark Current Sect planted in the Qiming Sect since he was young."

Su Ming's pupils contracted sharply.

Lin Yu continued, "He was responsible for inducing the high-level members of the Qiming Sect to trust him, disintegrating the opposition from within. Later, when the Qiming Sect was slaughtered, the Dark Current Sect felt this chess piece still had utility, so they sent him to contact the last Emperor of Great Yan, Emperor Yan Wuji."

"He disguised himself as a surviving Elder of the Qiming Sect, using that rhetoric of peaceful coexistence and mutual exchange, combined with an incomplete Formation Legacy, to induce Emperor Yan Wuji to expend the national fortune to build the Realm Gate."

Nearby, Ying seemed to understand something and uneasily scraped the gravel on the ground with its claws, emitting a faint "clack clack" sound.

"Then what is the true purpose of the Dark Current Sect building the Realm Gate?" Su Ming took the Jade Slip down from his forehead, the uneasy premonition in his heart growing stronger.

Lin Yu's soul body lunged forward in the Void Realm, his deep blue gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the surface of the ring.

"This is the second critical matter I want to tell you about." Lin Yu's voice was icy cold, "The Dark Current Sect is sparing no cost to destroy the three Seals left behind by the ancient mighty ones. Now, only the last one remains."

"Once this last Seal is completely destroyed, the calamity that has been suppressed in this Abandoned Land for countless years will completely awaken."

Su Ming took a deep breath: "Who do they want to deal with using the power of the calamity? The Human Race?"

"Deal with the Human Race?" Lin Yu sneered repeatedly, the luster of his soul body flickering violently due to emotional fluctuations, "You underestimate the calculations of these scumbags. They cannot control the calamity at all! They intend to use the coordinates of the Realm Gate at the moment the Seal opens to dump the calamity like trash directly into the Human Realm!"

Su Ming gripped his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"They don't want to dirty their own territory, so they want the Human Race to clean up their mess and block this apocalyptic disaster." Su Ming's voice had no fluctuations, but every word seemed squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Correct." Lin Yu sat back, his tone carrying a sense of dread, "At the last moment, Emperor Yan Wuji realized the conspiracy of these Spirit Race members, so he would rather destroy his own national fortune than fail to smash the core Formation eye of the Realm Gate. Qing Yan failed his mission and, fearing he would be silenced by his Masters in the Dark Current Sect, fled in a panic into the remnant Formation of the Guixu Hall, lingering on until today."

Su Ming fell silent.

His brain was spinning rapidly, beginning a silent deduction.

Currently, the Dark Current Sect does not know that the Realm Gate has already been "grafted" and opened by him, nor do they know that he, Su Ming, a member of the Human Race, has arrived in the Spirit Realm. This is his advantage: he is in the shadows, and the enemy is in the light.

Since the Dark Current Sect is still destroying the last Seal, it means the calamity has not yet descended. But if the Seal of the Spirit Realm is completely shattered, and the coordinates of the Realm Gate have already been activated once, will this calamity follow the residual spatial fluctuations and find the Human Realm?

He is currently severely injured and his spiritual power is exhausted; let alone stopping the Dark Current Sect, even walking out of this mushroom forest is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Master." Su Ming raised his head, his gaze becoming absolutely calm again, "The conspiracy of the Dark Current Sect is not something we can worry about right now. When the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. I don't even count as a tall person right now; I am just an ant trapped in a crack in the rock."

Lin Yu's soul body paused slightly, then gave a satisfied "Hmm."

"If you can think this way, then I am relieved." Lin Yu nodded approvingly, "The Cultivation World fears nothing more than a savior who doesn't know their own limits. Your attitude, while looking cowardly, allows you to live long."

"Then, what is the third piece of intelligence?" Su Ming asked, carving the final record onto the Jade Slip.

Lin Yu held up an illusory finger.

"The third point is about the power system of the Spirit Race. This is also the root of the deadly predicament you are facing now." Lin Yu's speech slowed down, every word enunciated heavily, "The Spirit Race does not cultivate Spiritual Qi at all."

Su Ming was slightly stunned: "Not cultivate Spiritual Qi? Then what do they rely on to cast spells?"