NABC Chapter 2108 The Massive Harvest Begins
Chapter 2108 The Massive Harvest Begins
Chapter 2108 The Massive Harvest Begins
This time, Cao Feiyu didn't give Chen Fei a chance to refuse, and looked at him with a firm gaze.
Chen Fei understood the persistence and deeper meaning in Cao Feiyu's eyes. He knew that if he refused again, it would be pretentious and would also disappoint her good intentions.
Chen Fei said no more and reached out to take the wisp of demonic essence that emitted a dark light.
"Senior sister, where should we go next?" Chen Fei asked, looking up.
The dark side of the ruins is fraught with danger, having just witnessed a fierce battle. Although the vengeful demon was slain, it may have alerted other beings. Whether to continue exploring further or to temporarily hide is a decision that Senior Sister Cao Feiyu must make.
“If it were before, I would have let you come with me, but now that you can see through illusions, you are more suitable to lead me to explore these ruins.” Cao Feiyu’s face showed a gentle smile.
This smile softened the usual aloofness between her brows, like a snow lotus blooming on an iceberg, clear and moving.
Upon hearing Cao Feiyu's words, Chen Fei was slightly taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "How about we find a place to stay first, and then take action once the sunny side of the ruins appears?"
If Rong Xiuyuan was already so troublesome, what would happen if he encountered an even more powerful one, or was besieged by multiple vengeful demons? Even with the Undying True Light Mirror that could see through illusions, he would still be under immense pressure.
Rather than taking risks in an unfavorable environment, it's better to temporarily avoid the limelight and wait for the environment to change.
Based on the previous pattern of yin and yang circulation in this area, the yin and yang sides of the ruins will periodically alternate.
When the yang aspect appears, the yin energy dissipates, the power of vengeful demons and evil spirits returns to normal, and the cultivator's perception and strength are no longer suppressed. Taking action at that time will undoubtedly greatly improve both safety and efficiency.
"As you say, Junior Brother." Cao Feiyu glanced around, smiled, and nodded without raising any objections.
"Please wait a moment, senior sister."
With a slight thought, a faint glimmer of light appeared between Chen Fei's brows, a sign that the Immortal True Light Mirror was in operation.
However, this time he did not fully activate the mirror light, but instead integrated the power into the black bead in his sleeve and spread his spiritual sense in all directions.
The power of the Immortal True Light Mirror is like an invisible stream of water, brushing across the darkness, skimming over ruins, and seeping into the cold air.
Chen Fei's vision became clear and real. He could keenly capture the residual resentment fluctuations in the air, the obscure energy flow in the darkness in the distance, and whether there were other resentful demons like Rong Xiuyuan spying from deeper within.
Soon, Chen Fei used his spiritual sense to roughly identify several directions where the resentment was relatively weak. He turned around, gestured to Cao Feiyu in the chosen direction, and then took the lead.
Cao Feiyu followed silently, maintaining a tacit distance from Chen Fei that allowed her to provide support at any time without interfering with his perception.
As she watched Chen Fei's focused figure moving forward, and the faint yet calming ripples of clear spiritual light emanating from him, the last trace of tension in her heart caused by the environment eased slightly.
The two of them, one after the other, silently disappeared into the deeper darkness and ruins of the shady side of the ruins, avoiding the hidden gathering points of resentment and the areas of energy disorder.
Although Cao Feiyu's divine sense was suppressed by the power of the dark side of the ruins, her spiritual perception at the peak of the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm was still sharp, and she was always vigilant about the dangers that might come from the surroundings.
Although the longsword in her hand was sheathed, its power was still palpable, ready to be unleashed.
The two of them walked through the boundless darkness and ruins for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, seeing only broken walls and rubble along the way.
The shattered palaces and pavilions are now only vague outlines, and the collapsed jade pillars and stone statues are half-hidden under dust and eerie black moss. The air is filled with an ancient sense of decay and deathly silence.
Occasionally, a chilling wind would sweep through from some unknown corner, stirring up dust and making a wailing sound, adding to the eeriness of the place.
Finally, Chen Fei stopped on a relatively open, dilapidated platform.
At the edge of the platform, several broken white jade pillars and the ruins of a pavilion with only half a roof and a few crooked beams and pillars can still be seen.
This was once a scenic tea pavilion built high up. Perhaps in the ancient times of the Heavenly Court, immortals and gods once enjoyed tea and discussed philosophy here, overlooking the sea of clouds and the celestial palace.
Today, however, the pavilion's roof has mostly collapsed, and the carved beams and painted rafters have long since decayed and become mottled, leaving only a broken skeleton stubbornly pointing towards the dim sky. In the center of the pavilion, where there should have been a stone table and benches, only rubble remains.
Chen Fei stopped and quickly scanned the ruined pavilion and the surrounding area. His perception, like mercury flowing across the ground, meticulously examined every inch of land and every broken stone.
After a moment, he felt somewhat at ease.
This ruined pavilion had no remaining formations, and there were no other vengeful demons within a radius of 100,000 miles. In the perilous dark side of the ruins at this moment, it could be considered a rare safe zone.
"Senior sister, let's stay here." Chen Fei turned around and looked at Cao Feiyu, who was following behind, seeking her opinion.
Cao Feiyu had already surveyed the surrounding environment. Although her senses were suppressed and not as clear and thorough as Chen Fei's, she still had a basic sense of danger.
This ruined pavilion is situated on relatively high ground, offering a wide view. Its simple structure makes it difficult to hide or ambush, making it a suitable place for a short rest.
"Okay." Cao Feiyu nodded, without objection.
Immediately, Cao Feiyu found a spot to lean against a relatively intact pavilion pillar, gently brushed away the dust, and sat down cross-legged. With her long sword resting on her lap, she began to silently circulate her internal energy, adjusting her breathing to recover from the injuries sustained in the previous fierce battle.
Chen Fei walked to the other side of the ruined pavilion, chose a spot where he could observe Cao Feiyu's direction, and sat down cross-legged there as well.
After settling down, Chen Fei took out the essence of the vengeful demon and floated it in his palm.
The dark ball of light slowly rotated, emanating a pure yet chilling and resentful energy fluctuation.
Chen Fei could sense that the source of this ball of origin in his palm, which came from a mid-stage Tai Cang Realm vengeful demon, was far more difficult to extract than the source of the early-stage Tai Cang Realm evil creature he had dealt with before.
That stubborn resentment, like a persistent carbuncle, tightly entwined the fragments of his personality.
Fortunately, Chen Fei's Devouring Heaven Divine Forging technique is a top-tier inheritance of the Tai Cang Realm, and Chen Fei has already comprehended it to the Great Perfection Realm; otherwise, separating the fragments of his rank would have been even more troublesome.
In Chen Fei's palm, a wisp of light containing countless tiny runes quietly emerged, enveloping the dark source of the vengeful demon.
Under the scorching golden flames, the source of the vengeful demon emitted a faint hissing sound, like cold water dripping into hot oil.
The pure resentment energy and residual soul power impurities were rapidly and systematically stripped away and decomposed under the burning of the golden flames and the unique refining method of the Devouring Heaven Divine Forging.
Those corrosive resentments melted and dissipated in front of the golden flames, turning into wisps of black smoke, which were then completely purified by the golden flames, leaving only the most primordial fragments of the personality.
This process must ensure that the fragments of the dimensional space are not damaged, while also thoroughly purifying all resentment and impurities.
On the other hand, Cao Feiyu was not fully in a meditative state.
As she slowly recovered from her injuries, she spared a sliver of attention to observe Chen Fei, who was intently peeling away the fragments of his personality.
Her gaze fell on Chen Fei's focused profile. If one looked closely, one could see that deep within Cao Feiyu's clear and cold eyes, there would occasionally be a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation.
The peeling process lasted for about several dozen breaths. The source of the vengeful demon in Chen Fei's palm had shrunk considerably, and its color had changed from dark to much more transparent.
As the last wisp of stubborn resentment dissipated into blue smoke in the golden flames, several brilliant fragments, shimmering with different colors like shattered stars, quietly floated above Chen Fei's palm.
Chen Fei's tightly pursed lips curled up slightly, revealing a genuine smile. The separation was successful, and the results were even better than expected.
Chen Fei quickly estimated in his mind that these fragments of the rank could probably form about 15% of the sixteenth-rank mid-grade rank spiritual materials.
This is already a considerable gain. You should know that many early-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivators may hunt monsters for hundreds of years and still not be able to collect this many rank fragments.
This confirms Chen Fei's previous conjecture: the vengeful demons born from these ancient heavenly court ruins are of special nature, and their origins often contain fragments of rank that surpass their current cultivation level.
Chen Fei raised his head and looked at Cao Feiyu, who was sitting quietly in the distance. He gently raised his right hand, and about half of the fragments were lifted by a gentle force and floated towards Cao Feiyu. At the same time, he spoke, preparing to explain the situation and make allocations.
However, before he could even speak, Cao Feiyu had already taken action.
“Junior brother, as I just said, this origin is for you, and the fragments of the separated rank are naturally for you as well. Don’t give any more to me.” Cao Feiyu’s voice was clear and firm, her gaze fixed on Chen Fei, her eyes bright and clear.
She valued the life-saving grace and Chen Fei's crucial role in the battle far more than these fragments of personality.
Moreover, once a promise is made, there's no going back. When you give, you give sincerely, without expecting anything in return.
Chen Fei swallowed back the words he was about to say. For any cultivator aspiring to break through to a higher realm, fragments of rank are a crucial strategic resource, and no one would complain about having too many.
Cao Feiyu has been stuck at the peak of the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm for many years because of the lack of rank-level spiritual materials. Although these mid-grade rank-level fragments are of slightly lower grade, they can still be used to condense rank-16 high-grade rank-level spiritual materials later.
But seeing Cao Feiyu's determined look, Chen Fei understood that she really didn't intend to have it.
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Chen Fei bowed respectfully to Cao Feiyu, her tone sincere.
With a thought, Chen Fei summoned back the fragment of his rank that had drifted toward Cao Feiyu, combined it with the fragment he had left behind, and then stored it in the Void Realm.
Chen Fei glanced at the Guixu Realm. With the addition of some rank fragments he had obtained before, the total number of rank spirit material fragments he had accumulated had reached about 25% of the progress required for mid-grade sixteenth-rank spirit materials.
If the half portion of the sixteenth-grade mid-level spiritual material from Cuiping Peak is included, Chen Fei is now only a few steps away from condensing a complete sixteenth-grade mid-level spiritual material.
This progress far exceeded Chen Fei's previous expectations.
Cao Feiyu entered a state of complete meditation, and the originally restrained sharpness around her completely subsided, leaving only faint fluctuations of Yuan energy.
Her breathing was long and deep, her breath lingering, and she seemed to blend into the surrounding dilapidated pavilion pillars and cold stone platform. Unless one deliberately looked for her, it would be almost impossible to detect her presence.
This is an extremely sophisticated method of concealing one's presence, which can not only restore one's health efficiently, but also minimize one's own presence and prevent being discovered by unknown entities in the dark.
Chen Fei then focused his mind on the sea of consciousness between his eyebrows, sending a clear and transparent thought, like an invisible tentacle, continuously and gently spreading outwards.
He saw a dense, living aura surging in the darkness in the distance, and even deeper, the faint glow of ancient, ancient, and still dangerously structured protective barriers remaining in some dilapidated palaces.
The long-decayed fragments of spiritual materials buried deep in the soil beneath my feet, and the occasional blurry and distorted shadows that flit by from a great distance, are other vengeful demons or unknown evil creatures active in the shadows.
Their presence mingled with the deathly aura of the ruins, adding to the eeriness. Fortunately, these beings were still far away and did not approach the ruined pavilion.
Chen Fei remained absolutely clear-headed and calm. He never felt the slightest bit of pride in killing Rong Xiuyuan and the previous early-stage Tai Cang Realm vengeful demon.
On the contrary, having personally experienced the cunning and power of the vengeful demon, he knew better than anyone the extent of the danger here.
If they were to encounter a vengeful demon at the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, with Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu's current strength, even escaping would likely become extremely difficult.
Time seemed to stand still, and in this ancient ruin perpetually shrouded in yin and demonic energy, the sense of time blurred. Chen Fei maintained his awareness throughout, his vital energy and mental focus slowly and steadily dwindling, yet he felt no anxiety whatsoever.
At that very moment, the dense, impenetrable darkness and chilling demonic energy that seemed to have existed for eternity began to recede madly like a tide.
Chen Fei suddenly opened his eyes, only to find that the thick, inky dark demonic energy had vanished. In its place was a magnificent, ancient, and resplendent golden light.
The light was warm but not scorching, bright but not dazzling, carrying an aura of sacred majesty, yet also of profound loneliness.
Broken palaces, collapsed halls, broken jade bridges, dried-up fairy pools... everything, under the golden light, seemed to be instantly coated with a golden cloak, vaguely revealing their former splendor and magnificence.
Almost at the same moment the light descended, Cao Feiyu on the other side also instantly awoke from her meditation.
Her long eyelashes trembled, her eyes opened, and a glint of light flashed in them. Her aura was full and harmonious, clearly indicating that the meditation she had just undergone had restored her to her best condition.
Cao Feiyu's gaze fell on Chen Fei, with a questioning look in her eyes.
Chen Fei felt Cao Feiyu's gaze and hesitated for a moment.
"Senior sister, let's try to find a lone vengeful demon, or some well-preserved buildings, to see if they contain any rare and precious treasures," Chen Fei said, revealing her plan.
"As you say, Junior Brother." Cao Feiyu nodded in agreement with Chen Fei's plan almost without hesitation.
Chen Fei did not rush to set off, but closed his eyes again and fully activated the Undying True Light Mirror.
This time, it was no longer the concealed perception of before, but rather it was unleashed to the maximum extent that the current realm could bear, like an invisible, clear ripple that instantly covered an area of tens of thousands of miles.
Beneath the yang side, the vengeful demons that had previously roamed the yin side with their distinct auras have all vanished.
They did not leave, but rather completely integrated their aura and physical form into the ancient array formations and restrictions of the ruins, which were broken but still slowly operating.
These remnants of the formation contain complex energy, enough to conceal the presence of the vengeful demons. Ordinary cultivators, even those in the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, would find it difficult to detect deliberately hidden vengeful demons on the sunny side without special detection methods.
However, these vengeful demons habitually used the power of illusion arrays, which made them more obvious in Chen Fei's eyes.
Chen Fei saw several points of discordant illusory energy fluctuations in different directions, some stronger and some weaker, corresponding to vengeful demons of varying strengths.
"In this direction, about 150,000 miles away, there is a point of illusory energy fluctuation, with an intensity roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm. The surrounding remnants of the array are quite broken, making it a suitable place to make a move," Chen Fei said to Cao Feiyu, opening his eyes and pointing in a direction.
A glint of surprise flashed in Cao Feiyu's eyes. "Okay, let's go."
Cao Feiyu spoke succinctly, and her figure quietly floated up, hovering about a foot above the ground.
In the next instant, the two figures transformed into two faint streaks of light, one in front of the other, and silently flew away in the direction Chen Fei had indicated.
Although the ruins on the sunny side remain empty and desolate, without the suppression of the yin energy, more details that were hidden by darkness on the shady side can be seen along the way.
The broken remains of a colossal statue, the dried-up sacred spring ditch, the dust-covered jade plaza, and the distant, hazy outlines of a palace complex that seem to stretch to the horizon.
Everything was bathed in that eternal golden light, magnificent and poignant.
The two flew at great speed, encountering no other cultivators or triggering any obvious dangerous restrictions along the way.
The entire sunlit ruins were so vast they were breathtaking, yet so deathly silent they were unsettling, as if the two of them were the only living beings in this magnificent wasteland.
"Senior Sister, the vengeful demon we sensed just now is five thousand miles away." Chen Fei slowed down and transmitted his voice to Cao Feiyu.
Five thousand miles away lay the ruins of a garden. Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Cao Feiyu's beautiful eyes.
She nodded slightly and replied telepathically, "Junior brother, you break his illusion directly, and leave the rest to me."
"Okay." Chen Fei nodded and began to quietly enhance the operation of the Undying True Light Mirror. A clear light flowed between his brows, ready to be unleashed.
Cao Feiyu was slightly behind Chen Fei by half a body length. Her jade hand was already gently placed on the hilt of her sword. Her aura was completely contained, but an invisible, sharp sword intent was accumulating within her body like a volcano.
Three thousand li... two thousand li... one thousand li...
As the distance closed, Chen Fei's mirror-like perception firmly locked onto the point of illusory energy fluctuation deep within the artificial rockery.
Five hundred li...
This distance is already within the attack range of a cultivator in the Tai Cang Realm, which can be reached in an instant.
The illusory image of the Spiritual Mirror in Chen Fei's sea of consciousness shone brightly. A point of extremely clear light suddenly appeared between his eyebrows, then quickly stretched and expanded, condensing into a clear and transparent illusory image of a light mirror above his head.
With a thought, Chen Fei activated the mirror, causing it to tremble slightly. At the center of the mirror, an indescribably brilliant radiance suddenly shone, transforming into a clear beam of light that ignored spatial distance and illuminated the area above the artificial rockery.
This mirror light had neither scorching temperature nor violent energy impact, but wherever it passed, space seemed to be cleansed, and all illusions, distortions, and disguises melted away rapidly, like snow under the sun.
"laugh!"
A crisp sound, seemingly echoing through the soul, resounded, and where the mirror shone, the artificial rockery rippled and twisted violently, like water with pebbles thrown in.
A phantom shrouded in thick gray mist, its form twisted and distorted, exuding a chilling aura of resentment, was forced out of its hiding place. It was none other than the resentful demon of the early stage of the Tai Cang Realm.
Illuminated by the sudden light of the broken illusion mirror, the vengeful demon was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting that the illusion would be broken so precisely in what it considered an absolutely safe hiding place.
Almost the instant the vengeful demon manifested, Cao Feiyu's figure appeared directly in front of it.
The speed was so fast that it was like true teleportation, leaving only a barely perceptible sword mark in the air.
Without any dazzling sword light or earth-shattering momentum, a cold star condensed on the tip of the longsword in Cao Feiyu's hand, followed by a simple straight thrust.
"Wow!"
The demon, its sword already at the center of the brow, let out a shrill, inhuman shriek filled with extreme resentment and fury.
The howl directly impacted the soul, carrying boundless resentment, unwillingness, and madness, like thousands of ice needles piercing fiercely into Cao Feiyu's sea of consciousness, which was right in front of her.
At the same time, the body of the vengeful demon, formed from dense resentment and yin energy, suddenly turned pitch black.
The endless resentment transformed into tangible black ripples, spreading wildly outwards from the vengeful demon like a tidal wave, with Cao Feiyu bearing the brunt.
Wherever the ripples passed, the space seemed to be stained with ink, the temperature plummeted, and even the eternal golden light of the sky dimmed. The air was filled with a despair and curse that made one's soul tremble.
This surge of resentment strikes directly at the heart of one's Dao. If a cultivator with a weak will and a frail soul is caught in this wave of resentment as a death throes, at best their mind will waver and their movements will become sluggish; at worst, their Dao heart will be damaged, their soul will be injured, and they may even be eroded by the resentment, sowing the seeds of inner demons.
However, faced with this overwhelming tide of resentment, Cao Feiyu's clear and cold eyes did not even show the slightest ripple.
Within Cao Feiyu's sea of consciousness, it seemed as if an invisible sword was suspended in the air, radiating a chilling, clear light that could cut through everything.
The surging tide of resentment crashed against the clear light of the sword intent, like waves hitting a reef, shattering and scattering in all directions, yet failing to shake it in the slightest.
At the very moment the vengeful demon shrieked and unleashed its vengeful energy, its fighting instincts also attempted to resonate with the remnants of the surrounding environment.
All around him, the broken stones, withered vines, and even the patterns on the ground faintly glowed with an extremely weak spiritual light. An obscure spatial fluctuation enveloped him and pulled him backward.
This was the vengeful demon's last means of escape, and also its advantage as a native of this place, allowing it to barely draw upon the remaining array power of the ruins for its own use.
"Clang!"
With a strange sound of metal clashing and corrosion dissolving, the vengeful demon's spear of resentment was knocked out of its hand by the terrifying power contained in the cold star at the tip of the sword.
The sword's momentum was already established, and there was no further obstruction.
That single, cold star, under the terrified gaze of the vengeful demon, carried an unwavering and resolute sword intent, ignoring the chaotic spatial fluctuations that were trying to envelop him, and pierced straight into the head where the soul fire was located.
Death is just around the corner!
However, just as Cao Feiyu's sword tip was about to touch the core of the Vengeful Demon Soul Fire, his pitch-black body was like a reflection in water being shattered by a stone, suddenly twisting and then completely dissipating into nothingness.
Cao Feiyu's sword moved without the slightest hesitation or delay. With just a tiny flick of her wrist, the blade traced a small arc in the air, like a gazelle's horns.
"Pfft!"
This time, there were no surprises.
The sword tip, condensed to its ultimate form, pierced through a thin sheet of paper with ease, sinking into the head of the vengeful demon, which was composed of black mist of resentment. The chilling sword intent contained within the blade, as if finding an outlet, poured in with a roar from the sword tip.
On the head of the vengeful demon, the eerie green core of the soul fire sizzled like an ice block thrown into a raging fire, quickly dimming and extinguishing, eventually turning into nothingness.
The demon's pitch-black body stiffened abruptly, then, like a punctured ball, began to expand and contract violently, with the black mist on its surface churning and dissipating wildly.