“Come here!” Yu Lian taunted the amorphous monsters again today.
For an ordinary Four-Ring, if he truly witnessed that black mist, especially the black mist that emerged from his own body and soul, and gradually condensed into a massive, sky-obscuring demon that seemed capable of devouring stars, he would likely have lost all his Sanity.
When a spiritual energy user loses all his Sanity, it means that his spirit will very likely be completely devoured by those defilements. Then, his body in the material world will also mutate.
Yes, a normal spiritual energy user should absolutely not tamper with his own soul in any unconventional way; just follow the paths explored by predecessors, step by step, to upgrade. As long as you are diligent and your luck is within the normal average, by diligently cultivating, fighting, and living, you will always reach a high position one day.
As long as you can live long enough!
The spiritual energy users in this universe are actually quite fortunate. At least they are much stronger than some miserable individuals who have to worry about losing control and turning into monsters with every upgrade.
However, to have greater prospects, one must face greater challenges and greater risks.
Yu Lian, however, knew that if he cultivated step by step as he did in his previous life, as long as he didn't die prematurely, he would eventually reach the peak—at least he would definitely not be worse off than in his previous life.
However, this was not the path he should choose.
“Come here, either you devour me, or I devour you!” Yu Lian spread his arms, standing above the Star Ring, adopting a posture full of openings. His smile slowly began to show madness and ferocity, and he licked the corner of his mouth, as if the amorphous black monster was merely an ingredient.
Whether it was the impurities expelled from refining the spirit or the so-called evil of the soul, Yu Lian felt that this was a kind of theology without scientific basis. Could it be that by expelling these “impurities,” spiritual energy users would lose their evil thoughts and desires? In the final analysis, wasn't it just a kind of self-aggrandizement based on theological concepts?
“This is an illusion! Or rather, a quantum-level illusion, which can then interfere with matter! But it’s still an illusion!” Yu Lian deeply believed this. In his previous life, every time he encountered such a situation, he firmly believed this. The result was that he was fearless every time.
The black mist slowly stopped pulsating, and its body seemed to be shrinking.
In fact, it wasn't the monster that was shrinking, but Yu Lian, and the Star Ring and universe beneath his feet, that were expanding.
The shimmering starlight grew brighter and brighter. Under the illumination of the brilliant halo, the black mist was retreating little by little, completely losing its ferocious, all-devouring appearance.
At the edge of the Sea of Consciousness, a gap seemed to appear between light and darkness. The amorphous defilement continuously retreated in that direction, instantly shrinking to just a tiny speck.
However, Yu Lian, above the Star Ring, stretched out his hand. With a gentle reach, his hand had already crossed the Star Ring, crossed the universe, crossed all spatial constraints, and grasped that pitch-black unknown object.
“Actually, you should be a part of my spirit, right? So, why do you need to run away? If you escape into the Void Realm, you will eventually become nourishment for other transcendents. Isn't it better to stay in your own home?” Yu Lian said.
The irregular mist seemed to accept Yu Lian's questioning, slowly ceased its struggles, and stabilized.
Yu Lian casually tossed the black mist into the vast nebula beneath his feet.
This so-called defilement thus merged into the starry sky, then transformed into a part of the shimmering starlight.
The nebula subtly expanded a bit more. Taking this opportunity, Yu Lian's finger touched a void, illuminating the second star and forming a cosmic vortex.
The spreading Star Ring traversed the Sea of Consciousness, acting upon memory, and then influencing Yu Lian's spirit. He gained a deeper understanding of the proper use of spiritual energy.
“Mind Lash? Many Four-Ring spiritual energy users still haven't mastered this ability! Very good,”
Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief. He was very satisfied with the gains from this adventure! He also had more confidence to deal with the remaining few days of his holiday.
This was certainly going to be a rather busy holiday.
Big Apple City is located on the eastern coast of the North American continent, at the mouth of the Hudson River.
Of course, that's how it's referred to in Yu Lian's hometown. In this universe, America is called Ming Continent. The Hudson River is called the Friendship River, supposedly named to commemorate the friendship between the Dairuilo people and the Earthlings.
It was originally an observation point established by the Empire here. These (at the time) very elegant Imperial nobles wanted a place not easily influenced by the powers of the Old World nations, to collect historical and cultural intelligence on Earthlings nearby.
By the time Earthlings finally understood that these were not divine beings descended from heaven but a higher civilization, they gradually gathered to form towns in order to learn advanced knowledge and culture. Later, the observation post became an Embassy, and the town became a city. Even later, the Embassy began to expand, becoming the location of the Governor's Office, and the city naturally expanded into a metropolis. There were also quite sizable Imperial citizen settlements within the urban area.
Time flies, and this city has now become the Commonwealth's second-largest city on Earth, and also the second-largest city in the entire Commonwealth, with a permanent population exceeding 30 million.
Additionally, the reason it's called Big Apple City is because the founder of the earliest observation post, that Imperial Star Seer, planted a golden apple tree from the Celestial Realm here. He originally just wanted to observe the social and natural effects of species invasion, but unexpectedly, the species not only didn't invade but integrated quite harmoniously.
Now, a large golden apple orchard has become one of the city's landmark attractions.
The large golden apple orchard in the city center is naturally a grand sight. The original Governor's Office, a masterpiece of Imperial architectural design, now the Independent War Museum, and the former gathering area for Imperial nobles, can also be considered to have some cultural charm.
Other than that, Big Apple City is a thorough science fiction metropolis. It is overflowing with towering skyscrapers, busy traffic and crowds shuttling through them, unavoidable light pollution advertisements visible at all times, and urban villages hidden in their shadows, overlooked by the skyscrapers.
Yu Lian bid farewell to his uncle and others and took an atmospheric shuttle plane to Big Apple City. It was already the afternoon of February 4th.
He didn't have time to go to the bustling uptown for shopping, or to eat at a luxurious restaurant in the golden apple orchard, or to make a pilgrimage to the Independent Museum. Instead, he went directly to some older, larger downtown areas with older buildings.
After emerging from the inner-city rail, Yu Lian's stomach started rumbling, and he immediately recalled the “commoner” delicacies he had tasted in Big Apple in his previous life, and his mouth began to water. He calculated his route and found that it was exactly on the way; after finishing his business, he could go for a treat.
As Yu Lian thought, he walked along the underground passage extending from the subway station, crossing a block, and then took the stairs to the ground. What greeted his eyes was the central crossroads of the downtown area. Before he could even discern his direction, he saw a dense crowd completely filling the street. They held banners, various posters, and signs, jamming the street and blocking traffic.
“We want jobs! We want food! We want to live!” The crowd pushed forward step by step, shouting slogans that weren't very uniform.
“The factory is our home!” A man who seemed to be a leader shouted loudly from a makeshift platform.
“Our home!” the people echoed loudly.
Yu Lian was silent for a moment, then looked up at a huge airship slowly drifting across the sky. Light projected from the airship, forming a giant light screen high in the air.
“The addition of the Aphro Group will inject new vitality into Big Apple City! It will inject new hope into the citizens of Big Apple City! Let us join hands and create a harmonious and prosperous tomorrow together?”
On the light screen, with the Golden Apple Orchard City Park as a backdrop, a handsome, domineering CEO from the Alliance tenderly lifted the hand of a timid Earth girl.
The two smiled at each other, looking at the endless stars in the sky, as if facing the future hand in hand.
Their eyes were full of vivid hope, about to embark on the path to happiness.
However, “beneath” them, more and more people were gathering.
Yu Lian sighed silently and turned into a secluded alley before being blocked by the crowd. In that instant, it was as if he had entered a narrow mountain path from a wide plain; his vision suddenly narrowed.
The alleys in Big Apple's downtown area are said to be winding and quite complex. During the Independent War, the ancestors fought guerrilla warfare against the Imperial Guard here for several years, right under the nose of the Governor's Office. Of course, this did not trouble Yu Lian, who had experience from his previous life.
Yu Lian continued to walk through the alleys. He heard police sirens, whistles, and even the mechanical sound of external power skeletons rubbing, as well as increasingly angry clamor and curses. Fortunately, he did not hear gunshots.