Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

"Shut up." Yu Changsheng's voice was icy. His right hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers like hooks, swirling with chaotic purple-gold light and wisps of mysterious spatial ripples. Ignoring the thin defense that the Bone Owl had desperately rebuilt, he slammed it down on the head of the man wearing the bone mask!

"Imperial Technique: Soul Searching and Refining!"

"what--!!!"

An indescribably shrill scream erupted from the bone owl's throat!
His entire body trembled violently as if being sieved, and his eyes instantly became bloodshot and then turned deathly gray!
Countless fragments of chaotic memories, like a flood bursting its banks, were brutally extracted, stripped, and sorted out by Yu Changsheng's incomparably powerful imperial soul will!
The Bone Owl's struggles grew weaker and weaker until it finally collapsed completely, like a lump of mud. Blood mixed with brain marrow flowed from its seven orifices. Its soul had collapsed, leaving only an empty shell.

The bone talisman he crushed emitted only a faint fluctuation before being annihilated by Yu Changsheng's imperial might.

Yu Changsheng closed his eyes and concentrated, quickly processing the key information he had extracted from the Bone Owl's soul. Wang Cheng and the others tacitly kept watch over their surroundings, while Mo Heng reinforced the chains to ensure that the two Void Refinement prisoners, who had been purified to the point of near death, could not self-destruct or send messages.

A moment later, Yu Changsheng opened his eyes, a flash of purple-gold light disappearing in an instant, carrying a profound insight that seemed to know everything.

"The Shattered Star Wasteland... the Fallen Star Sea... the Heavenly Ruins... the Spirit Realm—the three domains are so clearly defined." He muttered to himself, sharing the information he had obtained with everyone.

Originally, the spirit world was vast and boundless, roughly divided into three major regions:

Shattered Star Wasteland: The area they are currently in is located on the edge of the Spirit Realm. It is a graveyard of remains from an ancient war, with a harsh environment, scarce resources, and filled with stardust miasma and various dangers.

This is a gathering place for exiles, sinners, rogue hunter groups, and some weak alien races that cannot survive in the core area.

Chaos prevails, and the strong prey on the weak.

This region is ruled by several powerful fortress forces with cultivators at the Integration Stage in charge. "Black Star Fortress" is one of them. Its lord, Black Fiend Old Demon, is the Integration Stage expert mentioned by Bone Owl.

Fallen Star Sea: Located deeper within the Shattered Star Wasteland, the environment is relatively stable, containing purer spiritual energy and abundant resources. It is the main stronghold of many sects, families, and dynasties in the spirit world.

Competition there is equally fierce, but a relatively stable order has been established.

Rumor has it that the core of the polluted ascension passage may be hidden in a forbidden zone deep within the Fallen Star Sea.

Tianxu: The most central, mysterious, and dangerous area of ​​the Spirit Realm. Legend has it that it is the center of the ancient battlefield of gods and demons, filled with shattered laws, spatial-temporal turbulence, and unimaginable terrifying beings and opportunities. It is a perilous place, and also a death trap, for prodigies seeking ultimate breakthroughs.

Regarding Ascended Ones:
Cultivators who travel from the lower realm to the spirit realm via the "Abandoned Star Abyss" are called "Ascensioners" or "Abyss People" in the spirit realm, a term with obvious discriminatory connotations.

Because their foundations are often different from those of native cultivators in the spirit realm, and they are relatively weak when they first arrive, they are very likely to become easy prey in the eyes of the lower-level native forces of the spirit realm.

The major powers in the spirit realm have a complex attitude towards ascendants, both wary of their potential and coveting the unique resources or inheritances they may bring from the lower realms. If an ascendant wants to establish themselves, they must either attach themselves to a powerful force, struggle to survive at the bottom, or demonstrate strength sufficient to make the major powers wary or recruit them.

The Bone Owls are a group of hyenas that roam near the exit of the "Abandoned Star Abyss" to hunt or plunder newly arrived ascendants.

Finally, a crucial piece of information caught Yu Changsheng's attention:

In Bone Owl's memory, they unexpectedly discovered a faint spatial fluctuation near a dangerous place called "Black Wind Valley" deep in the wilderness, which seemed to indicate the presence of an unmined "Star Source Mine" vein!
Star Origin Ore is a specialty of the Shattered Star Wasteland. It contains pure star power and spatial crystals, making it a top-tier material for refining spatial magic treasures and constructing stable cave dwellings. It is extremely valuable!
Blackstar Castle was determined to acquire this mine. Bone Owl and his men originally planned to concentrate their efforts on mining or monopolizing the intelligence after robbing Yu Changsheng and his group of "fat sheep".

"Star Origin Ore...containing the power of stars and spatial crystals..." A glint of light flashed in Yu Changsheng's eyes. This item could have miraculous effects on his repair of the Annihilation Sword, consolidating the cracks in his Dao Foundation, and even on building more powerful spatial abilities in the future!
His gaze swept over the two Void Refinement prisoners who were tortured by purification and were left barely alive, his eyes devoid of warmth.

"Mo Qing, dispose of it. Loot the spoils and erase all traces," he ordered calmly.

The hollow shell of the skeletal owl collapsed to the ground, its filthy blood seeping into the glassy surface, emitting a rusty, metallic stench. The winds of the Shattered Star Wasteland still howled as they swept over the jagged skeleton, stirring up fine stardust and rustling as if mocking this brief but cruel encounter.

Mo Heng remained expressionless, his withered finger pointing into the air. The Void Chains binding the two Void Refinement prisoners instantly shone with a blinding gray light, tightening and coiling like greedy venomous snakes!
"Ugh—!"

The piercing screams, tormented to the extreme by the power of purification, came to an abrupt end.

The terrifying tearing and annihilating power attached to the chains instantly shredded and devoured the two people's physical bodies and withered primordial spirits, turning them into two plumes of blood mist mixed with gray and deathly energy. They were then swept away by the Returning to Nothingness Array pattern and disappeared without a trace.

Only a few broken magical artifacts and a storage bag with dim spiritual light remained on the spot.

Ling Wuying's figure slowly emerged from the shadow of a huge star beast rib, his Guixu metal prosthetic limb gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

He moved silently across the battlefield, his movements swift and imperceptible, like the most efficient scavenger. The corpses of the bandits killed by Wang Cheng or those who died from the backlash of Gui Yin Zi's Yin Sha were dealt with by him using a special method—his fingertip annihilation finger force precisely penetrated into the Purple Mansion, completely annihilating the remnants of their souls. Then, the corpses were enveloped by a viscous shadowy substance, which rapidly corroded and decomposed, eventually merging into the glassy ground or the gaps between the huge skeletons. Even the bloodstains were swallowed up and smoothed away by the shadows.

The entire battlefield, apart from the energy impact marks left by the battle and a few cracks in the glass floor, was completely cleaned up in just a dozen breaths, as if the bloody plunder had never happened.

Gui Yinzi's face was still pale; forcibly activating the "Yin Sha Backlash" had taken a heavy toll on him. Panting, he quickly gathered up the scattered, not completely destroyed, bandit storage bags and several reasonably good bone artifacts and banners, deftly erasing the divine soul imprints from them.

He respectfully presented these items to Yu Changsheng: "Your Majesty, these are some spoils of war. Please take a look."

Yu Changsheng glanced at them. The bone artifacts and banners exuded a filthy and sinister aura. Although the materials were taken from the bones of powerful star beasts, the crafting techniques were inferior and crude, and the deathly resentment contained within them was even more mixed and unbearable.

"These filthy things are useless to us. Mo Qing, throw them all into the Ruins Furnace and refine them into base materials," he said calmly.

"As you command." Mo Heng waved his hand, and a miniature Void Vortex appeared, swallowing all the spoils of war. The phantom of the Myriad Transformations Void Furnace flashed behind him, accompanied by a deep smelting sound. Wang Cheng retracted his Chaos Bone Arm, the light on his dark gold scales receding, but the domineering aura of creation still surged around him. He frowned, took a deep breath of the desolate air, and then spat.

"Damn it! The spiritual energy in this godforsaken place smells strong, but inhaling it feels like swallowing knives! And this ghostly dust feels so itchy on my skin!" On the surface of his skin, fine gray-black stardust miasma was trying to erode him, but it was forcibly repelled by the power of his domineering blood, making a faint hissing sound.

Chen Xueqing walked to Yu Changsheng's side, the illusory image of the Pure World Green Lotus appearing and disappearing behind her, emitting a soft emerald halo that dispelled the uncomfortable stardust miasma and bloody stench within several feet.

She extended her slender fingers, a wisp of pure blue lotus light swirling around the tip, and gently touched Wang Cheng's thick arm.

The irritating itching sensation vanished instantly, and the stardust miasma clinging to it was purified into wisps of smoke and dissipated, as if it had met its nemesis.

"Thank you, Fairy Xueqing!" Wang Cheng grinned, feeling much more comfortable.

“General Wang, there’s no need for such formalities.” Chen Xueqing’s voice was ethereal, but her gaze was solemn. She looked at Yu Changsheng and said, “Brother Yu, although the spiritual energy here is abundant, this ‘Stardust Miasma’ is like a maggot clinging to our bones, constantly eroding us. We need to adapt to it or find a solution as soon as possible, otherwise it may become a hidden danger during long journeys or fierce battles.”

Yu Changsheng nodded slightly; this was precisely the question he had been pondering. He condensed another wisp of Chaos Emperor Blood at his fingertips, forming a miniature vortex that forcibly absorbed the spiritual energy mixed with stardust and miasma from the surrounding area.

The purple-gold light flowed, domineeringly disintegrating and annihilating the hazy miasma, leaving only a wisp of pure chaotic energy to merge into the Emperor's blood.

"The blood of the Chaos Emperor can refine this miasma, but the efficiency is not high and the consumption is also large."

Wang Cheng's attempt to withstand the attack with his domineering bloodline, and Xue Qing's purification with the Azure Lotus, are neither long-term solutions. He looked at Mo Heng, "Mo Qing, do you have a better plan?"

Mo Heng's withered face was full of thought, his fingers unconsciously moving in the air as he deduced something.

"Your Majesty, the spiritual energy here is not inherently 'poisonous,' but rather contains fragments of shattered stellar laws and inert death energy. 'Stardust miasma' is the manifestation of these fragments mixed with death energy. Forcibly repelling or purifying it would consume a tremendous amount of energy. Perhaps... we could try 'guiding' and 'assimilating' it?"

A glint of light flashed in his eyes. "This old minister observes that General Wang's Chaotic Bone Arm seems to have a natural resistance to or even affinity for this environment? The evil techniques cultivated by Bone Owl and others are also compatible with the deathly aura of this place. Although they are filthy, they can utilize the Stardust Miasma to a certain extent."

He paused, then pointed to a huge, half-buried star beast skull in the distance.

"If we can grasp even a fraction of the principles of the extinction of stars in this realm, or refine a simple magical artifact that can initially filter and transform stardust miasma, and integrate it into our protective spiritual power, we should be able to significantly reduce consumption, or even turn harm into benefit and accelerate the transformation of spiritual power."

“Old Mo is right!” Wang Cheng’s eyes lit up as he patted his dark golden bone arm.

"When we were fighting just now, I felt that these bones seemed a bit more 'lively' here? Like they could absorb some of that lifeless stuff? Although it's not as good as the blood of the gods and the green lotus, it doesn't feel as suffocating!"

He tried to actively absorb a wisp of stardust miasma into his bone arm. Sure enough, a dark golden light flowed slightly, and the miasma was slowly decomposed and absorbed by the chaotic patterns inside the bone arm. Although the efficiency was very low and it brought a slight feeling of stagnation, it did not cause any obvious damage.

“The ‘Star Origin Mine’ from Bone Owl’s memories!” A flash of purple-gold light appeared in Yu Changsheng’s eyes as he pointed out the key point. “This substance contains pure star power and spatial crystals, and is a specialty of this region.”

If we can obtain it, using it as a base material, combined with Mo Qing's array techniques and our own strength, we might be able to refine a magical artifact or array plate that can efficiently convert and utilize the spiritual energy and stardust of this region.

It even... has miraculous effects on repairing the Sword of Annihilation and stabilizing cracks in one's Dao foundation.

Star Origin Mine! These three words invigorated everyone. Based on the information obtained from Bone Owl's soul-searching, this was undoubtedly a crucial resource for their survival and even rapid advancement in the Shattered Star Wasteland!

"Your Majesty, what are we waiting for?" Wang Cheng's fighting spirit soared, his chaotic bone arm clenched into a fist, producing a metallic clang.

"Who cares about Black Star Fortress or White Star Fortress? They dare to rob our mines? We'll chop up that damn fortress lord first! Where is Black Wind Valley? This humble general is willing to be the vanguard!"

Mo Heng quickly sketched a simple star map in the void, which was a partial terrain of the Shattered Star Wasteland sorted out from the fragments of Bone Owl's memory. A point of eerie light flickered in one of them: "According to this Fiend's memory, Black Wind Valley is located about three thousand miles northwest of this place, adjacent to a forbidden land known as the 'Soul-Devouring Sand Sea'."

The valley is perpetually swept by black winds carrying stardust and divine attacks, making it an extremely harsh environment and a potential hiding place for star-source mineral veins. Black Star Fortress seems to have already noticed this, and Bone Owl's squad is one of the scouts they've sent out.

“Three thousand miles… Soul-Devouring Sand Sea…” Chen Xueqing repeated softly, a hint of worry in her eyes. “This realm suppresses spiritual senses, and its spatial structure is completely different from the lower realm, making long-distance travel impossible. There are too many variables along the way if we travel on foot.”

"It's alright." Yu Changsheng's expression was calm, his gaze sweeping across the desolate and lifeless land like lightning. "Speed ​​is of the essence in war, but even more so is stealth. Ling Wuying!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Ling Wuying appeared silently from the shadows.

"You will scout ahead, with Guiyinzi assisting. Proceed stealthily, reconnoiter the route, and mark potential dangers and possible outposts and patrols of Black Star Fortress. Focus on scouting the outskirts of Black Wind Valley and the movements of Black Star Fortress. If you encounter small groups of enemies, eliminate them silently; if you encounter powerful enemies or large forces, warn them immediately and do not engage in direct combat." Yu Changsheng's orders were concise and clear.

"Yes, sir!" Ling Wuying accepted the order, her figure rippling like water before disappearing once more into the shadow of a massive star beast spine, her aura vanishing completely. Gui Yinzi also made a hand seal, his figure blurring as he transformed into a barely perceptible wisp of gray mist, following closely behind Ling Wuying. The two, like ghosts, vanished in an instant behind the jagged rocks and enormous skeletons in the northwest.

"Mo Qing, immediately perform a divination and attempt to initially harmonize our spiritual energy characteristics with the power of the desolate stars in this region. Even if it only improves the conversion efficiency by a little and reduces the erosion of miasma by a little, it will be fine. Xue Qing, use the power of the Azure Lotus to protect everyone's heart and soul and resist the insidious harm of the stardust miasma. Wang Cheng, conceal your aura and follow me."

Yu Changsheng made arrangements in an orderly manner.

"Yes!" the three answered in unison. (End of Chapter)