With a content smile, Wei Wuyin left the Yuhei Clan's hidden valley with brisk steps. He was overjoyed by his gains. Gains gained without having to take a single life at that. In the beginning of this incursion, Wei Wuyin had only seeked to offer support and engage in a fight with high-level figures; thus, he hadn't killed a single person today. Despite that, he definitely obtained the most out of the four parties.
In fact, the fates of those that remained amongst the Sky Sword Sect, Earth-Sky Alliance, and Scarlet Solaris Sect was dealt with by the Yuhei Yan, the Yuhei Clan's Godlord. Without Mei Yang, Jian Daiyu, and Dong Fa to fend off the top-tier experts of the Yuhei Clan, the others were mere fodder before their attacks. The resulting delivery of vengeance was brutal, with many of the members captured, likely to be abused or enslaved.
This was the fate of losers. This was the fate of the ill-prepared, the weak, and the greedy. He saw no reason to intervene, with his relationship with the Scarlet Solaris Sect being effectively severed in his heart. In his mind, only Mei Mei and Du Ling had any form of importance to him. The rest was essentially strangers, or even possible enemies of the future.
Since Mei Yang had abandoned them and the two peak-Mortal Gods were obliterated, their fates were a matter of course. In fact, if he hadn't arrived today, this sequence of events would've happened regardless. Therefore, he felt no guilt from his inaction. Even Dao Shin, an individual he had a little connection with, was left to his own devices in the counterstrike of the Yuhei Clan.
As for the gains, he obtained what he had wanted for a long time: Qi Condensation Realm's complete and thorough explanation of the Nine Phases, information about the realm beyond Qi Condensation, and Spiritual Qi Arts. Spiritual Qi Arts were the Godlord level arts that utilized Spiritual Qi as its foundation, unlike his current repertoire of Qi Arts or Spiritual Spell that merely used one or the other.
Among these arts were arts such as the Spiritual Incarnation Art, an Avatar-based art that used Spiritual Qi and Spiritual Sense to navigate and control an avatar of oneself. It was fascinating, but far, far less complex and lacked the exquisiteness of his False Mortal God Avatar Art. That being said, within it was a trove of foundational information in the appropriate means to conjure an incarnation, allowing speech and simulated physical senses via spiritual sense. It was quite enlightening, allowing Wei Wuyin to make instant corrections to his own art.
With the rest of these Spiritual Qi Arts, he could improve his own strength by several degrees, and truly embrace the boundless benefits provided by the Infused Spirituality Phase of the Qi Condensation Realm. Moreover, he didn't just obtain Spiritual Qi Arts, but Clan-exclusive Spiritual Spells and Qi Arts. While they were reluctant to accept it, Wei Wuyin was in an invincible position and his demands brokered no negotiation.
Without a hint of shame, he explored every last record they had to its fullest without holding back. He even dug into their secret trove, forcefully prying open their secrets, and snatched ancient records of the continent.
Fweet!
Wei Wuyin called for Bai Lin. He held a jet-black crystal that glinted with traces of spiritual energy. In this crystal was spiritually inscribed characters that contained the details of the cultivation realm beyond Qi Condensation—Astral Core Realm! Just like the Qi Condensation Realm, it was divided into nine phases. The first phase of which was named the World Sea Phase.
"Astral Core Realm! Such a name. Astral...Relating to the stars," Wei Wuyin paused for a moment as he gazed at the sky. In the night sky, there were numerous stars that could be seen. His older brother had always told him that the stars that lit up the night were souls of the undying Immortals of this world. Was it possible that each star was a cultivator at the Astral Core Realm?
One day, could he become a star in the night sky, beheld by countless in wonder and awe. How great would that be? His eyes became cloudy as the light of the future gleamed within his pupils, emanating boundless hope and dreams. Yet, within that light was the shadow of Hell and the Calamities that wished to collapse it into nothingness, destroying him and those dreams of his.
While he didn't choose to be an Inheritor of Sin, if it wasn't for it, his life would've already been lost and so would his future. But perhaps being dead was better than knowing that death, an inevitable death, was coming. If the Scripture of Sin was correct, then each corresponding Calamity of Hell will be greater than the last. If he failed without a Soul of True Sin, his entirety would forever be condemned to suffer in Hell, never to reincarnate for eternity.
If it wasn't for the fact the Realm of Sages seemed far, far too distant to ever reach, he would garnish his will and fight with his everything with each passing second. But, the Astral Core Realm was the next stage of cultivation, and according to the brief information described within the jade, it related to controlling a unique form of energy, not cultivating one's soul. Therefore, the Soul of True Sin was truly too far away. If he needed to ascend the Astral Core Realm and into the next realm with forty years left before the Calamity struck, he...didn't want to even think about it.
Furthermore...furthermore...furthermore...what if the realm after the Astral Core Realm wasn't the Realm of Sages? WHAT IF?! This question, if he even dwelled on it for a microsecond would cause his heart to drop into a never-ending blizzard of despair and depression.
Kree!
Just as his mind was about to descend into a never-ending chasm of utter hopelessness, Bai Lin's cry brought his mind back to reality. Those dark, despairing thoughts were shoved away by his subconscious as he reveled in the present, not the future. Right now, he was likely invincible beneath the Astral Core Realm, so his opportunities to explore were endless. After the Wu Country, he fully intended to search throughout the Myriad Yore Continent till completion; to explore this world fully.
Bai Lin and Su Mei landed. Wei Wuyin could see Su Mei's body emit faint traces of smokey darkness and glimmering light. It was chaotic and distorted. "You've made some progress in your Cultivation Method?" He was shocked to see how fast she was advancing. The cultivation method she obtained from the Warring States Pagoda or the Myriad Creation Dao Palace—Tenebrous Light of Night Method—had displayed its profoundness as it slowly nurtured Darkness and Light Qi. With her current headway, Wei Wuyin felt that she might be able to merge the two and form Shadowlight Qi.
Every single time he witnessed Su Mei's cultivation and talent, he couldn't help but marvel in awe. At times, he suspected her talent even exceeded his own.
Su Mei nodded, "I've formed the basis structure for darkness and light energy, but only the most basic forms of them." While her words didn't seem to contain any pride, they severely downplayed her achievements over the course of a few days. Even if the Yuhei Clan's Astral Core Realm Ancestor were to witness her, they'd be absolutely shocked into disbelief by her accomplishments thus far.
"Keep working hard," was all he could and needed to say. With her swift and direct nod, he knew the emotions and belief he conveyed through those three words were understood and received.
"Let's go!"
The next stop: Wu Central Lands!