Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

In an instant, the 108 starlit azure islands seemed to be adorned with different colors, and their auras became even more diverse and mysterious!
The sharpness of metal, the vitality of wood, the fluidity of water, the explosiveness of fire, the weight of earth, the swiftness of wind, the righteousness of thunder, the profundity of darkness... all these laws and their essence began to merge with the power of the starry space and the life essence of the Bitter Sea, making the miniature formation at the core of the Bitter Sea more perfect and magnificent!
Ying Xuan quietly sensed the earth-shattering yet orderly changes within his body, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his pale face.

This adventure was worth it.

Not only have their natal magic weapons begun to integrate with the Shrouding the Heavens system, but their spiritual roots also seem to have found a new home and a new way to grow.

This adds many more possibilities to his future path.

He slowly closed his eyes and began to absorb the pure life essence that was being fed back to him, to recover from his exhaustion. At the same time, he carefully experienced the various profound sensations brought about by the combination of the Sea of ​​Bitterness, the array, and his spiritual root.

Ying Xuan slowly opened his eyes. Before the divine light in his eyes had fully subsided, two thin, hair-like, yet extremely refined, pale golden lightning bolts shot out uncontrollably from his pupils, like two tiny lightning whips.

With a "whoosh," it fell into the vast, ocean-like phantom of the sea of ​​suffering below!
"boom!"

The illusory image of the Bitter Sea churned violently. The large area of ​​the "sea" struck by the lightning evaporated instantly, turning into a torrent of pure life essence and a trace of lightning Daoist rhyme, which rose up and were quickly absorbed back into the newly formed miniature "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Formation" and the spring of life at the core of the Bitter Sea, in an endless cycle.

Ying Xuan's face paled, and his breathing became slightly disordered. He quickly composed himself and suppressed the slight loss of control caused by the initial integration of the new system and the incomplete mastery of his power.

He felt his body's condition and couldn't help but frown.

Although the newly formed spring at the core of the Bitter Sea is continuously feeding back even purer life essence to nourish his cells and life essence, which are almost overdrawn due to the forced refining of his natal magic weapon, the speed of this feeding back is... too slow!

Judging from the current rate of recovery, it would probably take thousands of years of natural nourishment to fully make up for the almost insane energy expenditure just now and restore the body to its previous peak condition!
Ying Xuan simply didn't have the time. Let alone thousands of years, even hundreds of years, he couldn't afford to wait. While the Qin world was temporarily stable, who knew what changes might occur? His own cultivation was also progressing at breakneck speed; how could he allow such a long period of "weakness"?
"Source Crystals! A large quantity of Source Crystals, or even higher quality Divine Source Crystals!"

This thought immediately and clearly surfaced in Ying Xuan's mind. According to the records in the Daoist scriptures and his understanding of this world, this was due to the enormous loss of life essence caused by cultivation or the forging of magical treasures.

The fastest way to replenish one's life force is to devour and refine "Source" stones that contain the pure essence of heaven and earth, especially the higher-quality "Divine Source"! This item can not only replenish life essence, but also assist in enlightenment, making it a panacea for cultivators in this world.

"I miscalculated... If I had known that refining such a large and top-tier natal magic weapon would require such a terrifying amount of life essence, I would never have rashly plunged it into the Sea of ​​Bitterness."

Ying Xuan smiled bitterly to himself.

He thought that his vast accumulation of his Earth Immortal-level primordial spirit would be enough to support this "fusion," but he underestimated the true power of the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation" and the terrifying "quantity" required by the Heaven-Covering Technique to nurture his natal magic treasure.

It's like a bottomless pit.

The first thing that came to his mind was a famous source crystal producing area in this world—Purple Mountain—that he remembered.

Not only does it contain a massive amount of Originium, but it is also related to the ancient races and the Great Emperor Wushi. Although dangerous, it is undoubtedly one of the best targets for obtaining a large amount of Originium in the short term.

But before that, Yingxuan still habitually tried another possibility.

He took a deep breath, and his powerful divine sense spread out once again. This time, it was not a large-scale exploration, but rather like the most delicate tentacles, penetrating deep into the earth, trying to sense the flow of the earth's own ley line energy.

However, a moment later, Ying Xuan withdrew his divine sense, a hint of understanding and helplessness flashing in his eyes.

The earth's veins are dormant, and its energy is depleted.

Just as he had expected, Earth, as the core of the Dharma-ending Age, had its earth energy nearly depleted by the "Ten Thousand Dragons Paying Homage" formation in the Kunlun Mountains. The spiritual energy circulation of the entire planet was almost stagnant, and the earth veins deep within the earth were like an old man in his twilight years, flowing slowly and with thin energy, unable to provide him with any effective replenishment.

He even suspected that if the 9,999 dragon veins were forcibly removed at this moment, would the fragile Earth collapse directly due to the loss of its last "earth energy" support?
"This world... is it really so dilapidated and barren? In terms of the concentration of absorbable energy, it's even inferior to the growing Qin world?"

Ying Xuan found it hard to believe. But the facts were undeniable.

This may be one of the main reasons why cultivators in the world of Shrouding the Heavens rely so heavily on "Source" Stones, and why, despite their strong combat power at the same level, their overall cultivation level is limited by the environment.

However, he soon noticed another phenomenon.

As his consciousness sank into the earth, the spiritual root light clusters in the sea of ​​bitterness that had just merged with the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array Base" seemed to brighten slightly, faintly resonating with some extremely obscure and incomplete fragments of laws deep within the earth.

"Although Earth is lacking in energy, it seems to contain quite a few fragments of laws? Is it because these 9,999 dragon veins have accumulated and settled over the years, absorbing and settling the law information scattered in the starry sky, and possibly even originating from an even more ancient era?"

Ying Xuan seemed to be deep in thought.

"Perhaps this is one of the reasons why this star was able to produce so many exceptionally talented and powerful individuals in ancient times? The laws are relatively 'rich,' and although the energy is insufficient, the traces of the 'Dao' are clearer?"

This explains why, even in the Dharma-ending Age, Earth can still produce some cultivators with unique insights, and why people like Ye Fan can embark on the path of cultivation here.

If we disregard the issue of energy replenishment, from the perspective of comprehending the laws, Earth might indeed be a good place for "enlightenment," especially for a cultivator like him who possesses a primordial spirit and can mobilize his own energy to sustain his consumption.

However, this is only theory. For Ying Xuan, who urgently needs to replenish his life essence, comprehending the laws is too slow and inadequate.

He sensed the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Grand Array" rooted in the core of the Bitter Sea, its radiant light causing it to appear slightly weak due to initial fusion. However, its inherent strength and potential still brought him a sense of relief. With a soft sigh, he no longer hesitated. Auspicious multicolored clouds appeared beneath his feet, carrying him slowly into the air, leaving the desolate volcanic island.

Just as Ying Xuan left the island's boundaries and flew over the nearby sea, a sudden change occurred!
"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Four figures dressed in bright red robes, with blond hair and blue eyes, clearly Westerners, shot out from the sea below like ghosts, forming a fan shape to block Ying Xuan's path!
They emanated strong energy fluctuations, roughly equivalent to the late stage of the Dao Palace Secret Realm in this world. Their eyes were sharp and greedy, fixed on Ying Xuan, or more accurately, on the spatial fluctuations and faint signs of life essence around him that had not yet completely subsided.

The leader, a middle-aged man in a red robe, had a hooked nose and sinister eyes. He looked Ying Xuan up and down, especially when he sensed that Ying Xuan's outward aura seemed to be only at the "Life Spring" realm. His eyes became even more greedy and even showed a hint of undisguised contempt.

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was unusually concentrated in this sea area just now. So it was you who was behind this?"

The middle-aged man in red robes spoke, his voice hoarse, in some variant of ancient Latin, but Ying Xuan understood it without any difficulty with his divine sense. "A mere Life Spring Realm cultivator can actually trigger such a large-scale spiritual energy tide? Boy, you must possess some extraordinary treasure! Hand it over, and perhaps I can spare your life."

The three people behind him also let out cold chuckles, subtly blocking Ying Xuan's retreat.

They came from an ancient Western organization affiliated with the Vatican, responsible for patrolling this "wild" sea area. They sensed Ying Xuan cultivating his array and assumed it was some rare treasure, so they rushed over immediately. However, they only found a young man from the East who appeared to have low cultivation.

In their view, it was impossible for a cultivator at the Life Spring Realm to cause such a fluctuation of spiritual energy. The only explanation was that this person was carrying a treasure that could gather spiritual energy! In the Western cultivation world, spiritual veins were even scarcer, and a treasure that could gather spiritual energy on one's person was of immeasurable value, enough to make them take the risk!
"Leave the treasure behind, you can get out of here."

Seeing that Ying Xuan remained silent, the middle-aged man in the red robe assumed he was intimidated and spoke with even greater arrogance.

"Remember, this is the Lord's territory, not a place for you Eastern cultivators! Once you have the treasure, leave quickly, and you may still be able to save your life and find a place to cultivate in seclusion."

Before he finished speaking, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Perhaps to establish his authority, or perhaps to eliminate any potential accomplices who might share the spoils, he suddenly turned around without warning, his speed as fast as lightning.

With three consecutive punches, each imbued with the blazing power of holy light, they slammed into the chests of the three companions behind him!
"you……!"

"Boss?!"

"what--!"

Caught off guard, the three red-robed cultivators never expected their leader to suddenly turn on their own people. With screams, their chests caved in, blood gushing from their mouths, and they were sent flying like kites with broken strings, crashing into the surging waves below, their fate unknown.

In the blink of an eye, only the middle-aged man in the red robe remained on the scene.

He flicked his wrist, a cruel and triumphant smile spreading across his face as he looked at Ying Xuan.

"Now, the treasure is mine. Hand it over, or let me take it from your corpse myself?"

He was full of confidence, believing that after eliminating the "burden," dealing with a mere Life Spring Realm kid would be a piece of cake.

However, Ying Xuan merely glanced at him indifferently, his gaze calm and unwavering, as if he were looking at a buzzing fly.

Just as the middle-aged man in red robes felt uneasy under that gaze and was about to draw the two-handed greatsword behind him—

"Sizzle—!!"

Without any warning, not even a slight energy fluctuation was leaked beforehand, a pure white lightning bolt tinged with pale gold burst forth from the red-robed middle-aged man's body as if it had been born out of thin air! The lightning instantly filled every inch of his flesh and blood, every cell!
The sinister smile on the red-robed middle-aged man's face froze instantly, his eyes filled with extreme fear and disbelief. He couldn't even let out a scream before his entire body melted and vanished completely in the blinding white lightning, like ice and snow under the blazing sun, leaving not a trace of ashes, as if he had never existed in this world.

The sea breeze carried a faint smell of burning, and the place was empty.

Ying Xuan didn't even move a finger.

With a mere thought, he activated a wisp of thunderous essence that had dissipated within his body during the evaporation of a portion of the sea in the Bitter Sea, and with precise control of his primordial spirit, detonated it directly within the opponent's body. Dealing with this kind of person simply didn't pique his interest.

With the auspicious cloud beneath his feet still pointing in the same direction, he was about to continue flying towards the starry sky.

"Outrageous! Who dares to kill my Papal Inspector in the Holy Land of the West?!"

A roar filled with fury and majesty, like a thunderclap, came from the depths of the sea below! Immediately afterward, a dazzling holy light burst through the sea surface, and a middle-aged man dressed in magnificent silver knight's full armor, holding a cross sword, with a resolute and majestic face, surrounded by a powerful aura, rose into the air on the holy light, blocking Ying Xuan's path.

He stared at the empty sea, where only a trace of thunder remained, both shocked and furious, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Ying Xuan.

"An Eastern cultivator? How dare they..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Because Ying Xuan was too lazy to listen to his nonsense, and didn't even look at him. She simply raised her hand casually and gently pressed down in his direction.

"Om-!"

Above the middle-aged knight's head, space suddenly distorted, and a palm-sized, shimmering, starlight-filled jade tablet phantom flashed by. The next instant, the jade tablet phantom seemed to transform into a pillar supporting the heavens, a falling star, carrying a terrifying power capable of suppressing eternity and shattering the universe, and without any embellishment… it crashed down!

"Do not!!!"

The middle-aged knight only had time to let out a desperate roar, raising his cross sword with all his might and unleashing all his holy light power in an attempt to resist.

"boom--!!!!"

There are no techniques, no methods, just pure overwhelming power and the crushing force of the essence!

The cross-shaped sword shattered, the holy light vanished, and the sturdy silver knight's armor twisted and deformed like paper! The middle-aged knight, armor and all, was smashed to pieces by the invisible force. Flesh, bone, and armor fragments mingled and rained down on the sea below, staining a patch of water red. A huge crater was blasted into the sea, and towering waves surged forth!
The illusory image of the jade tablet had already vanished, as if it had never appeared.

Ying Xuan withdrew his hand without expression.

This was the first time he had used this formation as a purely "brute force" type of magic weapon, and the effect was... simple, brutal, and clean.

He didn't linger. The auspicious clouds beneath his feet shone brightly, transforming into a streak of light that tore through the clouds and shot straight into the outer starry sky. Following the direction he had come from, he sped towards the Big Dipper Star Region, where the Tai Xuan Sect was located.

……

Several days later, at Tai Xuan Sect, at Zhuofeng.

Unlike the other 107 main peaks of the Tai Xuan Sect, which are shrouded in celestial energy and teeming with disciples, this peak appears exceptionally desolate and silent. Weeds grow rampant on the peak, ancient trees are withered, and only a simple, dilapidated thatched hut, seemingly about to be blown down by the mountain winds, stands on the mountainside. (End of Chapter)