txolops Chapter 252 The Void Heaven Palace Opens
Chapter 252 The Void Heaven Palace Opens
Beneath Red Sand Island, in an extremely secluded cave, Luo Ming, dressed in a black robe, sat cross-legged on a stone platform in the center. In front of him, the Gathering Spirit Cauldron contained a ball of Geng metal essence the size of a walnut, as brilliant as the sun, which was slowly being burned and tempered by the crimson-gold supreme yang spirit fire.
The Zhiyang Bird hovered beside the cauldron, its small beak constantly spitting out thin lines of fire. It was focused, but the progress was visibly slow. Although the liquid Geng essence remained fluid under high temperature, the "sharp metal energy" at its core was unusually condensed and stubborn, resisting being separated and purified.
"At this rate, it would take at least several more months of hard work to extract even a single wisp of usable Geng essence." Luo Ming frowned, staring at the scene inside the cauldron, and muttered to himself. The hardness of Geng metal was beyond imagination. Even with the help of a rare treasure like the Spirit Gathering Cauldron and the innate spiritual fire of the Fat Sun Bird, it was still much more difficult to achieve the desired result with his Core Formation stage cultivation.
"Hehe, kid, be content." The voice of Tianjing Sanren came from the Xuan Yuan Pearl floating to the side, with a hint of emotion, "Geng Jing is a treasure of the sharpest metal in the world. Refining its original energy is a skill that Nascent Soul cultivators should slowly refine with Nascent Soul Fire. You have already been fortunate enough to achieve this at this stage with the help of magic treasures and spirit birds. You should know that haste makes waste."
Luo Ming understood this principle perfectly well, but the estimated opening date of the Void Heaven Palace flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
This Gengjing Qi has greatly enhanced his strength. Although he already possesses the Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror, he has only had it for a short time and cannot unleash its full power. It would be better to let the Heavenly Mirror Hermit control it directly.
If he could extract a wisp of Geng essence and refine it into the Xuan Yuan Pearl, it would multiply the defensive capabilities of his Xuan Yuan Heavy Sword, instead of the previous sword that, although it looked like a giant sword, relied mainly on its immense gravity for power.
Just as he was racking his brains for other ways to speed things up, a special spiritual power that was warm yet scorching stirred slightly in his dantian, catching his attention—it was a strange magical power that had been slowly nurtured and accumulated in his dantian since the awakening of the Flame Wood Body.
Its color was azure, containing specks of golden dust, brimming with vitality like an ancient tree blossoming in spring, yet deep within it lay an indescribable, intense heat, like a spark within the wood, ever-burning. The Heavenly Mirror Hermit once said that those possessing special spiritual bodies often cultivate unique spiritual power, the wondrous uses of which they themselves know. Luo Ming, previously busy refining treasures and dealing with crises, hadn't delved deeply into this energy, only noticing that its power was indeed amplified when used to activate ordinary wood or fire-based spells.
"Wood can ignite fire... This energy is full of vitality and contains fiery power, which may be even more effective at fueling combustion than ordinary wood-attribute magic!" A thought flashed through his mind like lightning. Without further hesitation, Luo Ming's thoughts stirred slightly, and he opened his mouth to utter the words.
A wisp of azure energy emerged like a serpent from its cave, with golden light swirling within it, as if containing stars. It plunged directly into the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, where it coiled around the liquid Geng essence enveloped by the crimson-gold flame.
A sudden change has occurred!
The moment the azure aura came into contact with the terrifyingly high temperature inside the cauldron, it burst into flames with a "boom"! The flames were completely different in shape and color: the core was an intensely rich azure color, as deep as ancient jade, while the outer layer was wrapped in a bright, pale golden flame.
The interweaving of lapis lazuli and gold is neither as domineering and fiery as the Yang Spirit Fire of the Fat Sun Bird, nor as restless and flamboyant as ordinary flames. Instead, it appears exceptionally gentle and peaceful, even giving people a strange and vibrant sense of "comfort".
"This..." Luo Ming was taken aback and cautiously probed with his divine sense. Sure enough, this cyan-gold flame did not have the scorching pressure of the Supreme Yang Spiritual Flame. Instead, when it touched his divine sense, it brought a warm and pleasant feeling, like being bathed in the spring sunshine, which invigorated his spirit.
"Strange!" Luo Ming muttered to himself, slightly disappointed. It seemed this fire wasn't suited for brute force. A thought flashed through his mind: "However, this fire is so 'affinity' with divine sense; perhaps it's more suitable for cultivating the 'Spiritual Fire Forging Technique'..." Just as he was pondering this, his gaze swept over the cauldron, and his pupils suddenly contracted!
Enveloped in the seemingly gentle cyan-gold flame, the edge of the originally stubborn liquid Geng essence, which was only slowly softening in the supreme yang spiritual fire, began to show extremely subtle but clearly visible changes—wisps of golden mist, as light as smoke yet incomparably pure, were rising gently!
"The essence of Geng!" Luo Ming was shocked and could hardly believe his eyes.
He focused his attention and examined it closely to confirm that it was correct. The cyan-gold flame seemed to possess some incredible ability to "penetrate" and "catalyze." It did not burn with brute force, but rather in a way that was closer to "guiding" and "awakening," allowing the most fundamental "sharp metal energy" of Geng Jing to naturally precipitate and sublimate. The process was more than ten times smoother!
"What...what kind of flame is this?!" The Heavenly Mirror Hermit, standing nearby, also noticed the strange phenomenon inside the cauldron. His divine sense was filled with astonishment and disbelief. "It can so gently and efficiently extract the Geng Metal Qi? In all my years of life, I have never heard of any spiritual fire with such characteristics! It doesn't harm the source, nor does it damage the spirituality. Your spiritual body is truly mysterious!"
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Luo Ming suppressed his elation as a concept from his past life surfaced in his mind—a catalyst. Could this azure flame have played a similar role? Could it have significantly reduced the terrifyingly high temperatures required to refine Geng metal energy, allowing the process, which would normally require a lengthy refining process using infant fire, to proceed at a much faster pace under relatively gentler conditions?
"Heaven is helping me!" Luo Ming's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Without hesitation, he fully activated the cyan-gold flame. At the same time, he used two things at once, controlling the flame to refine the Geng essence while carefully experiencing the unique "nourishment" and "tempering" sensation when the flame came into contact with his own divine sense.
He seemed to have found a safer and more efficient alternative path to cultivating the "Spirit Fire Forging God Technique".
Inside the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, a cyan-gold flame burned steadily, while wisps of pale golden Geng metal energy gathered like clouds and mist, gradually solidifying. Within the cave, time seemed to speed up amidst the leaping flames and rising golden energy. Luo Ming's figure, seated cross-legged, flickered in and out of the firelight, yet a confident smile played on his lips.
Deep within the earth's veins of Red Sand Island, Luo Ming, who was immersed in the profound tempering of the cyan-gold spiritual fire, was suddenly awakened by an unusual rhythm in his storage bag.
He suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. With a wave of his hand, a seemingly worn and ancient leather map appeared in his palm. At this moment, the map was emitting a soft and stable silvery-white halo, and the originally blurred patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, flowing slowly and pointing to a certain direction that existed in the dark.
"The Void Heaven Palace... has finally opened!" A mix of anticipation and caution welled up in Luo Ming's heart. He quickly withdrew his cultivation technique, and the Spirit Gathering Cauldron transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into his body. The Fat Sun Bird also let out a soft cry and flew back into the Five Spirit Bracelet.
The remaining Geng metal energy and strange flame aura in the cave were carefully cleared away. The next moment, a faint, wisp of light silently merged into the soil and sped off in the direction it had sensed, without alerting any cultivators on Red Sand Island.
At the same moment, in all parts of the Chaotic Star Sea, whether on bustling islands or in desolate seas, cultivators who possessed the "Fragment of the Void Heaven Map" felt this call that spanned three hundred years.
From within a cave dwelling built of rugged, massive stones, a deafening laugh boomed out: "Hahaha! Void Heaven Palace, I've been waiting for you for ages!"
A burly man, nine feet tall with muscles bulging like steel, suddenly stood up, his tiger eyes wide open. He grabbed a brocade handkerchief that emitted a faint glow beside him and transformed into a golden beam of light filled with violent power. He broke through the cave's restrictions without any concealment and shot straight into the sky.
In the center of Nanhe Island, on the shore of a large lake with mirror-like blue waters, a gaunt old man dressed in a simple blue robe, holding a jade slip, was leisurely fishing. The unusual movement in his storage bag made his hand stroking his beard pause slightly, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper solemnity.
"A cycle of three hundred years, with opportunities accompanied by calamities... Last time it opened, less than 30% came out alive. So many cultivators perished inside, dying without knowing why." He muttered to himself, putting away his fishing rod. Although his body did not move, his divine sense had already begun to carefully examine the many protective treasures and talismans he carried, striving for complete safety.
On a desolate island, scarred and ravaged by a recent battle, a chilling wind howled. An old man with a gaunt face, sunken eyes, and an aura of palpable coldness emanating from him examined the traces of the fight with a grim expression.
The tremor of the Void Heaven Remnant Map made him abruptly raise his head, gazing into the distance, a chilling smile creeping across his lips: "Hmph, old bastard, I'll let you live a few more days. Once I obtain that thing from the Void Heaven Palace... I'll dig three feet into the ground to extract your soul and refine it into a corpse puppet, to suffer for eternity!" Before his words had even finished, he had already transformed into a rolling, dense dark cloud, carrying an icy chill, and rolled away in a specific direction.
A month later, an inconspicuous streak of azure light, after passing through a strange mist that never dissipated and could confuse direction and perception, slowly came to rest above a seemingly empty sea. The light dissipated, revealing an extremely ordinary yet calm face—it was Luo Ming, who had disguised his appearance.
He has quite a few enemies now, so it's best to keep a low profile. He'll plunder the place and then quickly run to the outer sea. He won't return to the inner star sea until he reaches the Nascent Soul stage.
He looked down at the increasingly intense glow of the illusory map in his hand, then looked up at the empty space before him, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. Before him, where the once empty sea and sky met, it was as if an invisible hand had slowly unveiled a scroll, revealing a magnificent and indescribable palace, clearly suspended above the clouds!
The palace appears to be constructed from some kind of pure white material that is neither gold nor jade. Its eaves and brackets are decorated with dragons, and the details are carved with countless intricate and mysterious runes and ancient mythical beast patterns, exuding an aura of vicissitudes and antiquity.
It was not still, but undulating slightly in a rhythm that harmonized with the heavens and earth, as if it were breathing. Wisps of seven-colored light emanated from all parts of the palace, dyeing the surrounding sea and clouds with a mesmerizing glow, and a powerful and majestic spiritual pressure spread out, causing those who approached to feel awe involuntarily.