Each formation flag contained a vast amount of spiritual energy. Setting the flags in designated positions established the formation, and placing Spirit Stones at its core activated it.
The Array Disks Mo Caihuan had invented were all fixed, with each disk corresponding to a single formation. Formation flags, however, could be repositioned to set up different formations.
Formation flags were also magical treasures and were no easy task to refine. Mo Caihuan could not replicate them at her current level.
Afterward, she continued cultivating inside her Array Disk, converting Spirit Stones into life force and drawing it into her body. No matter what she tried, however, she could not generate internal energy. Everything was converted into brute physical strength.
She still hoped to recover her internal energy. With it, she could use Striking the Ox Through the Mountain and apply subtle force. Now, with nothing but brute strength, all she could do was charge straight ahead, without any finesse.
She continued cultivating as before, but in a different location. Previously, she had used her underground laboratory; now, she moved to the rooftop.
She placed the Array Disk on the rooftop and sat beneath the stars to cultivate.
Mo Caihuan had a few theories about the little vortex in her stomach. It might be a phenomenon unique to body tempering-a mysterious aperture.
When immortal cultivators reached the True Immortal realm, they developed immortal apertures. Body temperers who trained to the utmost likewise developed similar apertures-mysterious apertures.
Cultivating mysterious apertures required absorbing stellar power, which was extremely difficult. Even in the Upper Realm, only certain major sects built formations to draw in stellar power.
Absorbing stellar power was difficult because the stars were so far from the earth. Yet body temperers all needed stellar power to temper their bodies and open their mysterious apertures, a process that was excruciatingly painful.
She suspected that the little vortex was a mysterious aperture. Cultivating one required not only stellar power but also a cultivation method. Right now, she was not trying to open an aperture, merely to confirm her suspicions.
If the little vortex could absorb stellar power, then it was a mysterious aperture.
Months of training yielded no results whatsoever, but Mo Caihuan was not impatient. She waited and waited.
That night, the sky was clear and the air crisp, with stars hanging high overhead. Jia Yuan City blazed with lights as everyone began their nightlife. Music played over the broadcasts, and people danced in the squares...
None of that bustle had anything to do with Mo Caihuan. She sat within her Array Disk, her heart utterly tranquil, as threads of white light slowly emerged between heaven and earth and gathered toward the little vortex.
The white threads slipped into her fair skin, passed through her flesh, and entered the vortex within her organs, like streams flowing into a river.
"Stellar power? This is stellar power?! How is that possible? Why?" Food Immortal was so shocked that his words became incoherent. He knew how difficult stellar power was to wield. Had he not once seen an ancient Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure that harnessed it, he would never have recognized this power.
Stellar power was simply too rare. A mortal had actually drawn it forth. Though there were only a few wisps, that was enough to shock someone who had once been an old Nascent Soul monster.
Although his cultivation had fallen to the early Golden Core stage, his discernment had not diminished, and he had inherited his Nascent Soul memories. He could not help sizing up Mo Caihuan. Isn't she a little too lucky? One brush with death, and she gained insight into stellar power?!
Mo Caihuan quietly felt the movements of the vortex, excited herself. It truly was a mysterious aperture used in body tempering. Then helplessness set in, because cultivating a mysterious aperture also required a cultivation method.
Without a cultivation method, recklessly absorbing stellar power was suicide. Her body would burst, killing her.
Mysterious apertures were scattered throughout the body and had to be opened in sequence. She could not simply do as she pleased. Such cultivation methods were rare even in the Upper Realm, let alone the Lower Realm.
Forget it. I'll worry about all that later. I'll cultivate the first mysterious aperture for now. I paid for it with my life, after all.
Time flew, and another half year passed. The demonic path's offensive grew ever fiercer, and many small sects and schools either surrendered or were destroyed.
That day, a handsome man and a beautiful woman barged straight into the Assembly Hall and stood before Mo Caihuan.
The man was handsome, but his manner was arrogant, looking down his nose at everyone. He wore black robes and had a tall, straight figure.
The woman's beauty seemed beyond that of mortals, but her delicate brows were slightly furrowed and her eyes melancholy.
"Heh, Jia Yuan City is indeed as extraordinary as the rumors claim." Ignoring the wary mortal guards, the man walked straight up to Mo Caihuan and asked arrogantly, "You're the leader of the Whale-Jiao Society?"
"Immortal masters, what guidance do you have for me?" Mo Caihuan hurriedly stood and cupped her hands.
"You now have two choices. One, die. Two, betray the Covering Moon Sect and join our Ghost Spirit Sect," the man said.
"May I ask who you are, immortal master?"
"The young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect," the man said proudly. He did not give his name. Mortals had no right to know it.
"My apologies for not welcoming you." So they've finally come, Mo Caihuan thought. The demonic sects had begun clearing out the mortal powers. Many mortal organizations had immortal cultivators backing them. Spirit Beast Mountain stood behind the Five Colors Sect, while the Covering Moon Sect stood behind Mo Caihuan.
The Whale-Jiao Society was a powerful organization. Naturally, the Ghost Spirit Sect would not leave it alone.
"Enough pleasantries. Choose." The young master wore a faint, mocking smile. "You're a clever woman. I'm sure you won't make a foolish decision."
Mo Caihuan thought that the entire Yue Kingdom was about to become Ghost Spirit Sect territory. If she refused to surrender, she would never get past this hurdle.
Although the Covering Moon Sect possessed many low-level talismans, they could not overturn the demonic path's advantage. The Yue Kingdom's seven great sects already had their hands full protecting themselves. The Covering Moon Sect could not possibly face the demonic path alone. It would certainly have to flee.
Mo Caihuan said solemnly, "If you agree to one condition, young master, I will join you."
"A condition?" Wang Chan's gaze turned cold, and he said icily, "What right does a mortal like you have to bargain with me? Even for a blood sacrifice, I wouldn't deign to use mortal flesh and blood. I didn't come to negotiate. I came to inform you. If you don't want to die, stop talking nonsense."
He unleashed his spiritual pressure. A pungent stench of blood filled the Assembly Hall, leaving everyone nauseated and deeply uncomfortable.
Mo Caihuan felt dizzy too, but she still said, "The Covering Moon Sect is my sect. It did not hold me at arm's length simply because I was a mortal. I only hope you will show mercy, young master, and kill fewer of its disciples, preserving more sparks for the sect's future."
Hearing Mo Caihuan speak on behalf of her sect, the silent woman could not help thinking of herself. For the sake of her family, she too had been forced to become engaged to a man she did not love.
Seeing Mo Caihuan being coerced just as she had been, she said in a clear voice, "Young master, someone this loyal is precisely the sort of person worth winning over."
The moment the young master heard his fiancée speak, his expression changed completely. Grinning, he said, "My wife is right. If she were someone with no principles who betrayed her own sect, the sight of her would disgust me. I might even kill her if I were in a bad mood. The fact that she can speak up for what is right without fearing my Blood Spirit Art shows that she has talent. Very well. The Covering Moon Sect is full of women, and women are meant to be cherished, not harmed. I'll tell my subordinates when I return that if they encounter Covering Moon Sect disciples, they may spare their lives so long as they don't resist."
"Thank you, husband." Hearing that the young master was willing to accept her suggestion, Yan Ruyan cupped her hands in gratitude.
Mo Caihuan knelt and bowed instead, saying, "As long as you keep your word, young master, everyone in the Whale-Jiao Society is willing to join the Ghost Spirit Sect and follow its lead."
"Hahaha, excellent." The young master sat directly in Mo Caihuan's seat and withdrew his bloody aura, curiously examining the various documents on her desk. They concerned not only the Yue Kingdom but other countries as well.
A cursory look revealed that several countries surrounding the Yue Kingdom had already changed hands and come under the Whale-Jiao Society's administration.
"To unite the mortal nations of the Heavenly South," Mo Caihuan said.
Yan Ruyan's eyes flickered, but she said nothing.
The young master, however, said appreciatively, "You may be a mortal, but you have no shortage of ambition. If you can unite the mortal nations of the Heavenly South, the Ghost Spirit Sect might make you an honorary elder. You've overthrown the emperors of the surrounding small nations, so why hasn't the Whale-Jiao Society made a move against the Yue Kingdom?"
"War requires the right timing, and I don't believe that time has come yet. We still need to consolidate the fruits of our victories. The Yue Kingdom isn't going anywhere. There's no need to rush."
"Tsk, tsk. I'm curious. Why do you want to unite the Heavenly South?" the young master asked.
"I've heard that far to the south lies a nation called Great Jin, a unified country. The nations of the Heavenly South are divided, which is why the Mulan from the south keep invading. If we can gather the strength of the Heavenly South, we can settle the matter once and for all and put an end to the Mulan invasions forever."