Aptitude improved! Mystical bloodline powers!

As his mind returned to his body, Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a piercing light, as if a river of stars were flowing within them.

The next instant, an unprecedented sense of ease and fullness surged into my heart.

With a slight thought, look inward at yourself.

All the acupoints on his body that he had previously had to painstakingly search for and painstakingly open one by one, were now fully open.

The 108 acupoints, like the brilliant stars in the night sky, trace mysterious trajectories within the body, their energy interconnected, forming a unified whole.

A vast and pure True Essence surged and circulated within it.

The cycle repeats itself without any further stagnation.

This is the Qi Refining Eighth Layer— [Hundred Apertures Spirit Connection]!

Is this the mystery of the Qi Refining Eighth Layer?

Qi Yun could clearly perceive that his connection with heaven and earth had become incredibly close.

The Spiritual Qi flowing in the surrounding air and the earthly evil energy contained in the earth's veins are as clearly discernible as the lines on one's palm.

This enhanced perception has ineffable benefits for combat, treasure hunting, and even breaking through bottlenecks.

The more noticeable change lies in the speed at which True Essence recovers.

In the past, if True Essence was exhausted, even with the aid of elixirs, it would take a long time to meditate and regulate one's breathing to recover most of it.

But now, with just a thought in his mind, all the orifices around his body are like hundreds of tiny whirlpools, spontaneously and greedily devouring the surrounding vitality of heaven and earth, transforming it into pure true essence to replenish himself.

If the previous recovery rate was "one", then the current rate is "one hundred"!

This near-infinite endurance is enough to give him an absolute advantage in battles against opponents of the same level.

They even have more confidence to maneuver when facing higher-level opponents.

"As expected of the Ninefold Heaven of Qi Refining, every step is full of mystery--" Qi Yun thought to himself.

He then turned his attention to changing his own aptitude.

As True Person Qianxin said, the baptism of merit and Buddha's light has effects that are not limited to opening up the acupoints.

The most crucial aspect is the improvement of his own natural talent Root Bone!

This kind of improvement, although not as immediate as an advancement in realm.

But he could clearly feel that his thinking was working faster and his thoughts were clearer and more thorough.

Even the circulation of the "Innate One-Heart Art" was smoother and faster than before.

Moreover, within the flesh and blood meridians, there was a faint aura of tranquility and power that could deter external demons.

The baptism of the Buddha's light seemed to have given rise to a divine protection for his mind within his bloodline.

"Now, I can be considered to have caught up with those so-called direct descendants of True Person." Feeling the divine power manifesting within his bloodline, Qi Yun nodded in satisfaction.

The long-term value of such an improvement in aptitude may even surpass that of a breakthrough in realm.

With his physical enhancements temporarily set aside, his gaze fell upon his wrist.

The white-gold Buddhist beads, formed from the Mingxin thoughts and Buddhist essence of the young monk Mingxin, had already manifested from his Sea of Consciousness and quietly appeared on his wrist.

The prayer beads consist of twelve beads, each one perfectly round and flawless, warm to the touch, radiating a restrained yet pure Buddhist essence.

It was incompatible with his fierce and sinister Devil Cultivation Method aura, yet strangely coexisted with it.

With a slight shift in his gaze, Qi Yun cautiously sent out a wisp of his Divine Sense to slowly probe one of the Buddhist beads.

The instant their Divine Sense made contact, "Boom!"

Qi Yun's vision was suddenly filled with endless gold!

It wasn't an attack, but rather a vast and boundless scene projected directly into his perception.

That was a truly golden pond!

No, perhaps calling it a "lake" would be more appropriate!

Boundless and magnificent, composed of the purest, gentlest, and most powerful spirit, the golden "lake" is calm and still, yet it exudes a dazzling brilliance that makes one's Divine Soul tremble.

Even though Qi Yun was already mentally prepared, he knew that something transformed from the remnant spirit of a True Person immortal was by no means simple.

At this moment, my mind was completely shaken by the scene before me.

"These—are all—unclaimed divine essences?!" Qi Yun's eyes widened in shock.

He clearly felt the energy of this golden ocean; although its essence was Buddhist power, it was exceptionally pure and gentle.

It has already been completely refined by True Person Qianxin using supreme methods.

All personal imprints and Buddhist will have been removed.

Only the most primordial and easily absorbed pure essence remains.

Its quantity is enormous and its quality is superb.

Far exceeding the sum of all the Divine Soul essence he had previously absorbed through the [Essence Devouring] technique!

This seemingly unremarkable string of prayer beads actually contains twelve [Lakes of Divine Charm] within, enough to drive any Qi Refining Stage cultivator mad!

Calm down, calm down, it's not time to stop and pop the champagne yet.

Qi Yun a deep breath, suppressing the excitement that arose from examining his enormous gains.

The Qi Refining Ninth Layer is the final and substantial stage of the Qi Refining Stage, and it is fundamentally different from the previous eight levels.

As for the Qi Refining Great Perfection.

In reality, he has already stepped one foot into the Foundation Establishment stage, and many of his profound mysteries are beyond the reach of those who merely Qi Refining.

To be precise, it should be called the Quasi-Foundation Establishment Realm.

The core of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer lies in the tempering of the "spirit".

It is necessary to gather and condense the Three Hun Souls and seven spirits of a person, transforming the scattered "souls and spirits" into a complete and unified "Divine Soul".

This process is not only dangerous, but also requires one to remain vigilant.

More importantly, a massive amount of "Shen Yun" is needed as resources to nourish and unite the soul in order to achieve success.

"With this string of prayer beads in hand, I am already fifty percent confident that I can reach the Qi Refining Ninth Layer." Qi Yun slowly stroked the warm, smooth platinum prayer beads on his wrist, a glint of brilliance appearing deep in his eyes.

A 50% chance of success is an astonishingly high probability for breaking through to the crucial Qi Refining Ninth Layer!

After all, the soul is much more fragile than the physical body.

If one is not careful, the soul can be damaged, and recovery is extremely difficult.

Therefore, many cultivators are stuck at the final stage of Qi Refining, unable to even dream of Foundation Establishment.

With the harvest tallied, Qi Yun was well aware that the trip's objectives had been exceeded.

The relics left behind by the Mingxin monk Mingxin after his death are probably the key to controlling the Daoist priests of this Dao Land Earth Temple, and they have now been taken away by True Person Qianxin.

It won't be long before the senior disciples of the Holy Sect outside take further action.

This invaluable [Dao Land] was completely brought under the control of the Holy Sect Ancestor.

Before that, he had to extricate himself from the center of this vortex.

With the change of ownership of the Earth Temple, Yellow Springs Netherworld, Azure Sect, and Phoenix Helm will never let this go easily.

If they find out that I played a key role in this process.

Even mere suspicion will inevitably bring endless trouble and resentment.

"It's time to leave." Qi Yun concealed his aura, completely hiding the Baoguang of the Buddhist beads, and reverted to his low-key and gloomy "Zhang Mazi" appearance.

However, the surging spiritual energy within his body was somewhat difficult to completely conceal for the time being.

He turned and walked toward the tightly closed, dimly lit main hall door, carved with intricate patterns.

I placed my palm on the door, applying slight pressure.

"Squeak!"

The heavy palace doors were slowly pushed open a crack, and the dim, yellowish light from the outside, unlike the ethereal light inside the palace, shone through.

However, the moment the door opened slightly, Qi Yun's movements abruptly stopped.

There were many figures moving around outside the door.

A dozen or so figures had appeared outside the palace gates without anyone noticing.

These people were dressed in different styles, clearly disciples of the Yellow Springs Netherworld, the Azure Sect, and the Phoenix Helm Sect.

Among them were the Phoenix Helm who had her arms crippled and then healed by him, and the Azure Sect disciple with a deep and serene aura who had once revealed the profound mystery of the Soul Refining Banner!

As soon as he pushed open the door, everyone's eyes were immediately focused on the person who had just stepped out.

Those eyes were filled with inquiry, greed, suspicion, and an undisguised, burning killing intent!

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Qi Yun's gaze met those dozen or so burning eyes outside the door, and he could clearly feel the pressure and hostility that almost solidified into reality.

His feigned numbness stiffened for a moment, and he slowly said, "If I said—I didn't do anything in here, I just strolled around, would you believe me?"

"I don't believe you!"

The female cultivator from the Phoenix Helm could no longer contain her anger and greed, and she let out a sharp shriek!

Flames erupted around it, and hundreds of phantom images of spirit birds reappeared, converging into a torrent of crimson flames that was even more condensed than before, carrying the force to scorch the heavens and boil the seas, and it was the first to crash into Qi Yun!

Qi Yun's argument is completely unconvincing.

That sudden surge in power was the best proof!

Her movement was like sending a signal!

"Do it!"

"Capture him! Force him to reveal his fortuitous opportunity!"

"Don't even think about taking it all for yourself!"

In an instant, the cultivators from the three sects, who had been waiting in ambush, attacked simultaneously.

The Yin Thunder Talisman poured down like a torrential rain, the eerie ghost fire transformed into a giant python that devoured and bit, the phoenix shadow cried out and tore through the air, and the light of various Law Artifact Law Technique mixed with fierce spells enveloped Qi Yun from all directions like a storm.

They were determined that even if Qi Yun didn't actually obtain the core, his secrets and that strange black banner were still worth taking action against.

This is the rule in the cultivation world of the Northwest!

Faced with this siege, which was powerful enough to instantly obliterate an ordinary Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator into dust.

The helpless smile on Qi Yun's face vanished, replaced by an icy silence.

"Buzz--!"

The Soul Refining Banner slammed onto the ground with a loud, muffled thud.

The banner billowed wildly, and an even denser and more sinister black aura rose into the sky like smoke from a wolf's beacon!

"Woohoo-!!!"

This time, what emerged from the surging black mist was no longer hundreds of vengeful spirits.

Instead, they were dozens of ferocious Main Soul that had grown immensely through mutual devouring!

Their forms became more solid, their claws sharper, and their howls contained a Divine Soul- shaking power, as they actively met the torrent of Law Technique!

Ghostly claws tore at the phoenix's shadow, black energy corroded the yin lightning, and vengeful spirits fearlessly pounced on the Law Artifact's spiritual light!

The Netherworld Ghost Domain formed by the Soul Refining Banner withstood the first wave of frenzied attacks, and even swirled back, engulfing several Yellow Springs Netherworld disciples who had rushed too far into the black mist.

Instantly, a sickening sound of bones shattering and a brief, piercing scream rang out.

"His soul banner—how come its power has increased again?!"

A disciple of the Yellow Springs Netherworld was horrified as he stared at the ferocious Main Soul that was faintly visible in the black mist, its aura comparable to that of Late Qi Refining.

Looking at the ghost Law Artifact he had painstakingly crafted, whose spiritual light was rapidly dimming under the impact of vengeful spirits, he was momentarily dazed.

"Between the two of us—who is the true cultivator of the Ghost Path?!"

But that's not all!

Qi Yun's eyes were icy cold, and his hand Method Formula changed instantly.

[The Nether Spring White Bone Method]

One hundred and eight white skeletal skulls cackled and transformed into a pale torrent, crashing into the crowd. Their eye sockets blazed with soul fire, spewing out Corpse Poison Yin Fire. They opened their mouths and bit at the cultivators' protective spiritual light, making a chilling "crack" sound.

The Soul Refining Banner is the main offensive tool, Nether Spring White Bone Method controls the field and delivers devastating blows!

Despite facing a large number of opponents alone, Qi Yun relied on his powerful True Essence at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer to support two Evil Method, and surprisingly managed to suppress these dozen or so cultivators, forcing them into a series of defeats.

Black mist and white bones intertwined, wailing and bone-crackling echoed together, as if a demon lord had descended upon the world!

The Azure Sect disciple who had been observing coldly finally became extremely serious.

He could tell that Qi Yun's strength was far greater than he had previously estimated.

Especially the Law Technique that manipulates bones, which is unpredictable and terrifyingly powerful.

He slowly raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the bluish-gray ancient sword behind him.

A concentrated Sword Intent began to rise, locking onto Qi Yun in the arena.

He was about to make his move; only his sword might be able to break this evil aura!

Just as his Sword Intent was about to reach its peak and his ancient sword was about to be drawn, Qi Yun's gaze, like two cold bolts of lightning, suddenly crossed the chaotic battlefield and landed precisely on him!

Their eyes met.

The disciples of the Azure Sect saw a calm, still gaze in Qi Ren's indifferent eyes.

Beneath that calm, an ineffable "meaning" was flickering.

"Clang--"

His hand gripping the sword hilt suddenly stiffened.

The once fluid sword-drawing motion abruptly stopped!

In that moment of distraction, Qi Ren seized the opportunity, and with a sudden twitch of the Soul Refining Banner, forced back the two cultivators beside him.

His figure flickered backward like a ghost, instantly disappearing into the shadows on one side of the main hall.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation and a group of astonished and horrified cultivators from the three sects.

The Azure Sect disciple stared blankly at the empty hall entrance, his hand gripping the sword hilt slowly loosening, his palm slightly damp with cold sweat.

"This fiend—does he still have unused Swordsmanship?"