Space-Time Power

"Hiss!"

Little Marten reacted, drawing in a sharp breath of cold air as a chill ran down his spine.

Fortunately, that great one meant them no harm; otherwise, even the two of them working together would likely be wiped out with a wave of the hand.

At first, Little Marten didn't know Cang Wu's identity. The reason he'd urged Lin Dong to try awakening that ancient expert's remnant soul was partly because the man had saved him before, and Little Marten felt he wasn't the type to be a demonic cultivator.

Another reason was that Little Marten, relying on his identity as the Heavenly Demon Sable Demonic Spirit and some tricks, plus Lin Dong's mysterious stone talisman—the new owner of the Ancestral Stone—figured they could join forces to suppress him.

After all, no matter how strong that ancient expert was, he was just a single remnant soul. Little Marten, as the son of the Heavenly Demon Sable clan leader and a candidate for young master, had that much confidence.

But Cang Wu's move nearly scared Little Marten's spirit out of its wits.

The Ancestral Stone was clearly inside Lin Dong's body, yet that great one could control it with ease and even knew it so well. Could it be that this Ancestral Stone was left behind by Ancestor Fu?

Little Marten suddenly realized something, and the fur on his back nearly soaked through with fear—luckily, as a spirit, he couldn't sweat.

"Hey, Little Marten, what's wrong with you?"

Lin Dong, seeing Little Marten looking dazed and completely unlike his usual self who loved to play the big shot in front of him, asked softly.

Startled, Little Marten quickly shook his head and waved his claws.

"Nothing, nothing. But, kid, are you really going to try this Spirit Grinding Mill? Don't say Lord Marten didn't warn you—this thing will grind your spirit to dust. The pain isn't something just anyone can endure."

Little Marten pointed at the two giant crystal millstones before them, speaking with a pointed hint to Lin Dong.

Lin Dong's breath caught. Something that Senior Cang Wu had used many times was no ordinary thing, and the pain it brought was bound to be extraordinary.

Just as Lin Dong was about to back out, he suddenly felt the power of the Life Spirit Talisman inside him. He steeled himself and nodded firmly.

"Senior Cang Wu passed me the talisman. I don't dare claim to be his disciple, but I can't disgrace him either. No matter what, I have to give it a try!"

"As expected, anyone that great one takes a liking to is a monster."

Little Marten muttered under his breath, then, as if realizing something, quickly covered his mouth with his paw, glanced left and right cautiously, and let out a sigh of relief.

Clearing his throat, Little Marten pointed his small claw at the junction of the two crystal millstones ahead. Where the white light gathered, even space seemed to twist.

"See that spot? If you want to temper your Spiritual Power, sit there. Remember, you have to hold out until your spirit is reshaped before stopping. Otherwise, it could damage your original spirit, or even leave lasting effects."

"Mm, I understand."

Lin Dong nodded firmly, leaped up, and landed in the ball of light at the junction of the two giant crystal millstones.

The next moment, a tremendous force enveloped Lin Dong's spirit body, and a searing pain surged in like a tide, wave after wave crashing over him.

Beneath the crystal millstones, Lin Dong's body began to be crushed inch by inch. As more and more cracks spread across him, at a certain moment, it finally burst apart into countless specks of light.

Just then, within the millstones, a mass of white light wrapped around all the spiritual specks, fused them together, and once again formed Lin Dong's shape.

Reformed, Lin Dong felt his Spiritual Power had condensed a bit and was overjoyed, but the next instant, he was swallowed by pain again.

Little Marten watched the scene, swallowed hard, and muttered under his breath.

"Which freak came up with this method? It's too insane. Could they have some kind of weird fetish?"

But as soon as he said it, a chill swept over him, making him shiver. He looked around but found nothing.

Deep in the darkness, Cang Wu withdrew his gaze from Little Marten and looked at Lin Dong gritting his teeth inside the crystal millstones, nodding with considerable satisfaction.

No matter what, this kid counted as someone from his Devouring Lineage. If he performed too poorly, it would be an embarrassment.

After a few glances, Cang Wu pulled his attention away and stopped watching Lin Dong.

Returning to his former resting place, Cang Wu sank his consciousness into the depths of his remnant soul's essence, then let out a long sigh.

Cang Wu's situation was complicated. His soul was a remnant—incomplete. Besides the part burned away by the Reincarnation flame, another part remained in his physical body.

An incomplete soul meant that for Cang Wu to become the true Eight Ancient Lords and return to his peak, he had to merge with the remnant soul in his body and restore his soul whole.

Before that, he could make do by first gathering a mass of Yin Yang Qi to condense a temporary physical body.

But for now, Cang Wu wasn't in a hurry about the body. First, without a physical form, it was inconvenient to leave the Ancestral Stone Space. Second, he was very interested in the Space-Time Power within his soul.

Among the Eight Ancient Lords, before his final breakthrough, Cang Wu wouldn't claim to be the strongest, but he was definitely the most talented and gifted!

Back then, Cang Wu was the second disciple because Eldest Senior Sister, the Lord of Life and Death, had joined earliest. But she was from the Immortal Holy Whale clan, a beast lineage, with a long lifespan that also meant relatively slow progress.

When Cang Wu first joined, Eldest Senior Sister was already several hundred years old, but among the Immortal Holy Whales, she wasn't even considered young.

So by the time Cang Wu's cultivation caught up, he was the highest among the eight. Ancestor Fu was often busy, so most of the time, teaching the junior disciples and even Eldest Senior Sister fell to Cang Wu.

In other words, while the other eight lords each cultivated only one Dao, Cang Wu, besides the Devouring Dao, had considerable mastery over the other seven Ancestor Talismans—except for the Ice Ancestor Talisman.

Naturally, this included the Space Dao!

That was why Cang Wu's strength was once considered first among the eight lords, of course, before the Ice Master's breakthrough.

Sensing the Space-Time Power in his soul, Cang Wu gradually sank his mind into contemplation. Through the changes in space within the Space-Time Power, he felt the might of time, and occasionally even perceived the shifts of time and space.

Cultivation knows no time. In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.