Eerie Space

The Black Bone Relic emitted a faint, ghostly glow. Its Bone Body grew increasingly smooth and rounded, losing some of the stark jutting quality of bone and gaining a touch of gentleness. A breath of life suffused it. The fluctuations of power also intensified without cease, as though some vital force were moving in time with the bone's contractions.

This was the relic bone's breathing. It was drawing in and exhaling energy, replenishing its own consumption.

Ji Tian devoured a portion of the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's residual consciousness, and it greatly surprised him to find that those remnants of consciousness were actually independent of one another.

Each one was a speck of light drifting in his Sea of Consciousness. The instant he touched a speck, a wisp of smoke suddenly spilled from it, transforming in midair into an illusory creature with twin horns growing from its head. The creature stared at Ji Tian in terror. Ji Tian stirred up the seawater in his Sea of Consciousness and sent it surging toward the phantom. The creature tried to flee, but its body moved against its will toward the seawater, where it was unwillingly dissolved. Ji Tian felt its struggle, its helplessness, and its unwillingness.

A fragmentary soul—no, this was the remnant soul of a fusion of two consciousnesses. Apart from the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's consciousness, which held the dominant position, there was also the consciousness the creature had possessed in life. Its own consciousness from before death was already on the verge of dispersing, only revealing itself when it was about to be devoured.

Ji Tian moved, pouncing toward the specks of light. Countless smoke-thread creatures like the one before took form all around him. They struggled desperately, yet involuntarily rushed into the seawater like moths flying into a flame and were swallowed. In the end, every last one was absorbed by Ji Tian's soul. His Sea of Consciousness grew ever stronger.

His understanding of his cultivation technique and divine abilities also deepened.

"This is a Soul Refining Technique. It gathers the scattered remnant souls of powerful beings between Heaven and Earth. It can also seize the complete souls of living creatures and refine them into a part of oneself. It is one method of strengthening one's soul."

"The Nine-Headed Monster Lion's origins must be far from simple. According to the fragmented memories of Great God Pangu, Yang Mei was certainly an expert of the Chaos. The Nine-Headed Monster Lion was likely of roughly the same level. Its cultivation methods are truly something to look forward to."

"Death Spirit Technique, a peculiar divine ability. It refines the Death Qi between Heaven and Earth. Death Qi possesses a yin attribute. Then, using the Death Qi one has refined and a wisp of one's own Spiritual Sense, it condenses a death spirit, transforming it into a force of death that enters the opponent's body. It separates a trace of icy yin qi from the opponent's spiritual power, merges with it, and attacks the opponent's soul and primordial spirit."

Ji Tian opened his eyes and pointed with one finger. A strange ripple suddenly appeared before him, and a void instantly spread from the point his fingertip touched.

A strand of Spiritual Sense flew out from his Sea of Consciousness, wrapped in Death Qi. A death spirit like a clump of smoke appeared in the void.

A strange light flickered in Ji Tian's eyes. Without moving, he said lightly, "Die." The death spirit shattered and dispersed in the void, turning into ripples.

Yet at the same time, the entire void shattered, causing Ji Tian's Sea of Consciousness to quake. There were even signs of backlash. A force of death circulated through his body. How had he cursed himself instead?

Ji Tian devoured Demonic Qi to temper his primordial spirit while comprehending divine abilities and spells. Now, as he fully employed the method he had grasped, his cultivation was indeed a hundred times faster than before. He refined everything now. Though only a small portion became spiritual power that solidified his primordial spirit, all the rest clung tightly to it, forming a protective layer around it and emitting different lights. The black primordial spirit, wrapped within them, seemed filled with mystery.

The Black Bone Relic began to expel large amounts of smoke, which gradually solidified into Ji Tian's form. This was Ji Tian's primordial spirit body. At the same time, the relic bone transformed into bone armor and wrapped around Ji Tian's arm.

"You fled underground, but you cannot escape. I hope you can bring me a few surprises."

Ji Tian carefully searched every inch of the great hall, yet he found no entrance leading underground. He had clearly sensed that most of the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's soul had seeped beneath the ground. It was truly strange.

There was only one possibility: this place contained a formation.

Since he could not find it, he would destroy it.

"Sky Covering Seal."

A giant hand that covered the sky appeared in the air. Its palm rapidly shrank, and exceptionally clear palm lines emerged upon it. This was the divine ability Ji Tian had comprehended, somewhat different from before. He had etched his understanding of the patterns of Heaven and Earth into this divine ability. With the addition of those patterns, it looked like a real palm!

Even more remarkably, after appearing, the palm inscribed with the patterns of Heaven and Earth absorbed Heaven and Earth Power, continuously increasing the energy it contained. Though the effect was much weaker in this sealed land, its power could not be underestimated.

As the palm continuously absorbed Heaven and Earth Power, it slowly shrank to normal size and crashed down toward the floor of the great hall. During its descent, an immense pressure fell from the heavens. The moment it struck the ground, the earth shook. A blast of air rolled skyward and spread in all directions, shrouding the entire hall in mist.

The great hall was forcibly blasted through, forming a deep pit. A flash of light came from within, swallowing that force.

An aura unlike that of this world rushed toward him, as though it had crossed countless starry skies and countless spaces.

Anyone would fear the unknown. The space before him held too many unknowns, but cultivation was about comprehending Heaven and Earth. Once one's realm was reached, so long as one had sufficient spiritual power, one could attain a certain level of cultivation. But how much one could comprehend depended on one's heart. Cultivation was fundamentally the cultivation of the heart, making it whole step by step. Cultivation did not necessarily mean endlessly challenging the unknown; rather, it meant gradually freeing one's heart from its fear of the unknown and continuously perfecting one's state of mind.

Seeing this, Ji Tian was greatly astonished. Had he somehow punched through this world? Why did it seem as though he had arrived in another space?

He suddenly discovered rows upon rows of densely packed black lines appearing ahead. Pieces of rubble were continuously swallowed by those black lines. These were Space Rifts.

When Space Rifts first formed, they were like this. Some of the thin lines slowly expanded, becoming dark cracks. Others grew larger and larger, eventually forming enormous black-hole belts that swallowed everything.

What kind of space was this? The ground was covered with a layer of tiny, white substance, delicate and pure.

"Bone powder." The ground was covered in snow-white bone powder. It gave off peculiar energy fluctuations, and the energy within had not dissipated. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary material. Ji Tian wondered whether it could be gathered together again.

Ji Tian sat cross-legged on the ground and expelled Primordial Spirit Fire. Black flames wrapped around a clump of bone powder on the ground. The bone powder became crystalline and translucent within the flames, but there was not the slightest possibility of it melting. He sighed, wondering when he would be able to wield that omnipotent Purple Fire.

At that moment, Ji Tian's heart stirred. He took out the Black Stone he had obtained from the pool, which was wrapped within his primordial spirit. Although the Black Stone had been partially refined by the Purple Fire, that Purple Fire's power was far from pure. The Black Stone remained indestructible as ever; he could do nothing with it now.

There was a trace of marrow inside it. Perhaps it could absorb this bone powder.

Disappointed, he realized he had been indulging in wishful thinking.

Following the advice of Great God Pangu's remnant soul within the Black Remnant Bone, Ji Tian had always nurtured the Black Stone within his primordial spirit. Perhaps because they shared the same origin, he could now actually control it and move it. Once he became capable enough, refining it into a weapon would not be a bad idea.

After taking several steps, Ji Tian found that the space ahead was surrounded by even more Spatial Rifts. The bone powder on the ground vanished into thin air. Could it have been swallowed by the Spatial Rifts? That was impossible; he had merely taken a few steps.

Ji Tian carefully examined this space. The entire place was empty, as though nothing existed except for the Spatial Rifts of varying sizes before him.

He carefully threaded his way between the Spatial Rifts, and the entire space changed drastically again. The Spatial Rifts around him vanished out of nowhere, leaving only a few in the distance.

Ji Tian took several steps back, but the scene before him differed from the previous one as well.

Could these be overlapping spaces—spaces already tangled and chaotic, even constantly shifting?

How could that be possible? Unless this space itself was a formation, a restriction.

Ji Tian raised the arm wrapped in the Black Bone Relic and extended that black remnant-bone finger, pointing forward.

A stream of Death Qi surged from within his body, gradually solidifying into a finger that shot forward.

"Ah!" Ji Tian let out a pained roar as intense pain swept through him. He knew that the Spiritual Sense within that Death Qi had dispersed, shredded by countless Spatial Rifts.

"Since I can't get out, then I'll destroy you." Ji Tian clenched his fist and punched at the space ahead.

The space before him instantly shattered, and darkness rushed toward him. It was not mist—it was darkness.

Ji Tian's heart jolted in terror, and he hurriedly moved aside. The space had shattered; that darkness was a black hole. If he were drawn into it, even if he did not die, he would lose himself within it, forever lost.

Ji Tian was utterly speechless now. In this bizarre space, he was completely shackled. His Spiritual Sense would be swallowed, his attacks would be swallowed, and they could even bring about more terrifying consequences.

Step by step. He could only avoid the Spatial Rifts bit by bit.

Ji Tian wandered without direction, not knowing how long he had walked. He was on the verge of breaking down. This was a space that never repeated itself, yet the monotonous walking was tormenting him to death.

Loneliness—just like the loneliness of ten thousand years ago. But back then, he had barely possessed any awareness, everything hazy and indistinct. Now, all he could hear was the sound of his own footsteps.

Ji Tian could not even calm his mind to cultivate now. His heart was in turmoil.

He was shrouded by monotony, loneliness, and a faint, lurking dread.

The Dao, the Dao—cultivating the Dao meant cultivating the heart, forging a Dao Heart. Possessing the power of conviction was a step toward elevating one's Dao Heart. It was precisely because one had a conviction that the heart would not be lonely, would not grow weak, would not age away bit by bit. A chaotic heart would only walk step by step toward death.

Without a Dao Heart, no matter how great one's cultivation, one was merely a Savage Beast possessing immense strength, fit only to become another's quarry.