That's What You Get for Running Your Mouth!

"Her name was..."

Little Pagoda suddenly stopped short.

What was his mother's name?

Ye Tianming was actually a little curious about that too. So far, he knew nothing about his own origins.

Seeing Tower Ancestor fall silent, Ye Tianming said inwardly, Tower Ancestor, is it inconvenient for you to tell me now?

Little Pagoda said, "Yes."

Ye Tianming smiled. "Then I won't ask."

Little Pagoda said, "Let her tell you herself in the future."

Ye Tianming nodded. "All right."

Just then, Mu Yong suddenly handed the scroll back to Ye Tianming. "Your cultivation art is very special. Although its level isn't all that high yet, its potential is limitless... I'll transmit my cultivation art to you. Don't resist."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Tianming felt information flood into his sea of consciousness. A moment later, he looked at Mu Yong and asked curiously, "Dao Star Method?"

Mu Yong nodded. "It's our civilization's cultivation art. Actually, you can't cultivate it."

Ye Tianming was puzzled. "Why not?"

Mu Yong said, "Because cultivating this art requires Star Core Crystals. You probably don't know what a Star Core Crystal is..."

Ye Tianming answered honestly, "I really don't."

Mu Yong looked at him. "One Star Core Crystal can be exchanged for at least three million True Source Crystals, and one True Source Crystal can be exchanged for over a million Spirit Crystals..."

"Holy shit!"

Ye Tianming stared, dumbfounded. "Holy shit!"

"That's a conservative estimate," Mu Yong said. "In reality, even three million True Source Crystals wouldn't get you a single Star Core Crystal. Cultivating this art requires a great, great many Star Core Crystals. Back then, our civilization was bankrupted by it."

Ye Tianming was stunned. After calming himself, he said, "That's fine. I'll just use it for reference. Still, I'm getting the better end of this deal. Your art is much, much more powerful than mine."

Mu Yong smiled. "You saved my life. What's one cultivation art compared to that? Besides, your art isn't bad either. It's a great help to me."

Ye Tianming asked, "How much have you recovered from your injuries?"

Mu Yong smiled bitterly. "Only thirty percent."

Ye Tianming turned to look at the demon beast in the distance. It was still staring at them, looking determined not to stop until one of them was dead.

Puzzled, Ye Tianming asked, "Why is it hounding you so relentlessly?"

Mu Yong said, "When I passed through its territory earlier, I beat it up. Later, after I was ambushed, it saw that I was injured and chased me relentlessly."

Ye Tianming glanced at him. "Serves you right."

Mu Yong: "..."

Ye Tianming said, "It doesn't dare come over anyway. Let's rest a little longer."

Mu Yong said gravely, "There's something wrong with this place. I have a bad feeling about it."

Ye Tianming shook his head. "There's nothing we can do. We can't leave right now."

Mu Yong's expression darkened.

Ye Tianming said, "You recover first. I'll study your Dao Star Art and see if I can come up with something to defeat that demon beast."

Mu Yong: "..."

Ye Tianming sat down cross-legged and began studying the Dao Star Art. He soon discovered that it was related to the stars-or rather, the power of the stars.

The stars have energy too?

Ye Tianming looked up, but the dense forest blocked his view. He couldn't see a thing.

The power of the earth veins is inexhaustible, and the stars are endless too. If I could draw on both kinds of power at once...

At that thought, his eyes lit up.

It's not impossible!

But he soon calmed down. He hadn't even fully mastered the power of the earth veins yet, so trying to master the power of the stars was a little unrealistic. Besides, even if he could master it, his current mental strength wouldn't allow him to control it.

I'd better study this Dharma Aspect first!

Sure enough, he found that the Dao Star Art taught how to condense a Dharma Aspect.

A Dharma Aspect meant connecting with the Qi of heaven and earth and emulating their scale: copying the heavens, imitating the earth, becoming as tall as the heavens and as broad as the earth, standing as high as heaven and earth themselves...

The method of condensing a Dharma Aspect in the Dao Star Art, however, did not involve connecting with the Qi of heaven and earth. Instead, it connected directly with the power of the stars to condense a Star Dharma Aspect...

As he studied it, Ye Tianming's expression grew increasingly solemn. He realized that the Dao Star Art was truly vast and profound, boundless as the universe and inexhaustible. His earlier offer to share cultivation arts with Mu Yong had really been somewhat presumptuous.

At that thought, he felt a pang of guilt. He took out a Blood-Healing Pill and handed it to Mu Yong. "Have another one."

Mu Yong was puzzled. "Why are you suddenly so generous?"

Ye Tianming said, "It's nothing. Go on, take it."

Mu Yong glanced at him. "You..."

Ye Tianming continued cultivating. He had no way to connect with the power of the stars, but he could connect with the power of the earth veins. So he began drawing on the Dao Star Art's method of condensing a Dharma Aspect, connecting with the power of the earth veins...

About half an hour later, Ye Tianming suddenly rose and walked toward the demon beast.

Mu Yong, who was recuperating, suddenly asked, "What are you doing?"

Ye Tianming said excitedly, "I think I can do it."

Mu Yong: "..."

Ye Tianming stopped a dozen or so zhang from the demon beast. When it saw him approach, it immediately stood up.

Just then, Ye Tianming suddenly formed a hand seal. "Rise."

Boom!

The earth split open, and countless streams of power from the earth veins shot into the sky. They gathered behind Ye Tianming in an instant, then gradually condensed into a giant phantom...

A Dharma Aspect!

Seeing this, Mu Yong, who was nearby, stared with eyes as wide as a bull's. "Holy shit?"

The demon beast in the distance also froze. What the hell? Isn't this guy in the Major Tribulation Realm? How can he condense a Dharma Aspect? And there's something a little abnormal about it, too.

Once the Dharma Aspect behind Ye Tianming had fully formed, it stood two hundred zhang tall, its majestic stature far surpassing that of ordinary Dharma Aspect Realm cultivators. More distinctive still, it had been condensed from the power of the earth veins, so its entire body gleamed with a pale golden luster. It was a magnificent, dazzling sight.

An Earth Dharma Aspect!

The entire Dharma Aspect radiated a powerful pressure. Under its crushing weight, the dense forest within a hundred zhang was instantly reduced to dust. It was immensely formidable.

Across from Ye Tianming, the demon beast stared fixedly at him, a trace of disbelief entering its eyes.

A Major Tribulation Realm cultivator had actually condensed a Dharma Aspect, and a fucking abnormal one at that.

What the hell is this?

Feeling the immense power contained in the Dharma Aspect behind him, Ye Tianming was thrilled. He had succeeded. He had really succeeded.

An Earth Dharma Aspect!

What delighted him wasn't just that he had condensed a Dharma Aspect. What truly delighted him was that he saw many possibilities. He could use his cultivation art to draw on the power of the earth veins, and he could draw on other powers too. In other words, he could condense many different Dharma Aspects...

Just then, the demon beast in the distance suddenly leaped, hurtling toward him like a cannonball.

Ye Tianming clenched his right hand into a fist, and the Dharma Aspect behind him clenched its enormous fist in unison. As Ye Tianming punched, the Dharma Aspect followed, smashing its fist fiercely toward the demon beast.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, Ye Tianming's Dharma Aspect actually blasted the demon beast back more than a dozen zhang with a single punch. The terrifying force of the blow also shook an enormous crater into the ground in front of Ye Tianming.

The might of a single punch was terrifying indeed!

But after that punch, Ye Tianming collapsed. He had exhausted too much mental strength, and a deep weakness swept up from within him like a tide, nearly knocking him unconscious.

Just then, Mu Yong rushed to him, hoisted him up, and retreated into the pile of rocks.

Ye Tianming hurriedly took out a pill and swallowed it. But apparently feeling that wasn't enough, he took out another and swallowed that too.

Mu Yong turned to look at the demon beast. When he saw its condition, he was startled. Its head was covered in blood, and a closer look revealed that its skull had split open, blood pouring out. Its head wasn't the only injury; numerous cracks had appeared across its body, and blood covered it from head to toe.

Its defenses had been breached!

Mu Yong turned to Ye Tianming beside him, his gaze strange. "You really are a monster."

He wasn't just shocked that Ye Tianming had gravely wounded an Immortal Realm demon beast while at the Major Tribulation Realm. What shocked him even more was that Ye Tianming had condensed a Dharma Aspect in such a short time. Moreover, he could tell that Ye Tianming had combined his own cultivation art with Mu Yong's. Though he had only combined part of them... it was still outrageous.

And he had combined them right after looking at it... Damn, he really was a freak!

At that moment, Ye Tianming felt terrible. His mental strength was severely overdrawn, and if not for his willpower holding him up, he would have passed out. In a place like this, he naturally didn't dare let himself lose consciousness.

Although he had successfully condensed an Earth Dharma Aspect, the drawback was obvious: his current mental strength was still severely lacking.

Of course, he didn't realize that at his realm, he shouldn't have been trying to condense a Dharma Aspect in the first place.

"Roar!"

Just then, the demon beast in the distance suddenly roared and furiously pounded the earth.

It was enraged.

It glared at Ye Tianming and roared, "Come out!"

Ye Tianming was startled. "It can speak human language?"

The corner of Mu Yong's mouth twitched. "What are you saying...? It's an Immortal Realm demon beast. Not only can it speak, it can also take human form."

Ye Tianming said, "I see..."

Mu Yong asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Ye Tianming smiled bitterly. "Still very weak."

Mu Yong said, "You've overdrawn your mental strength."

Just then, the demon beast in the distance roared again, "Come out! Come out!"

Irritated by its shouting, Mu Yong taunted it. "Come over here if you've got the guts!"

But to his surprise, the demon beast charged straight toward them...

Mu Yong's expression froze.

Ye Tianming's face darkened too. "That's what you get for running your mouth... Fuck."

Mu Yong: "..."