C23 He Had Returned

Xing Yun had long been at the pinnacle of the Profound Vein Realm, poised for a breakthrough at any moment. He had delayed, aiming to accumulate even more strength and also due to the emergence of a Beast Tide.

Once Xing Yun advanced to the Awakened Soul Realm and awakened his Martial Spirit, the Infinite Cosmos would surely tremble!

Ling Ji, observing that Xing Yun had finally paused to rest, watched in silence as he stepped into the Spire of the Infinite. The doors of the ancient tower then slowly shut behind him.

Within the first level of the Spire, Xing Yun's eyes were tightly shut as he connected with the entirety of the structure.

Shortly thereafter, the Spire began to radiate a faint, chaotic light that enveloped its form. Shadowy figures emerged on the inner walls—totems of myriad mystical beasts and ancient deities.

"I, Xing Yun, am destined to make my return!"

With a sigh, Xing Yun seated himself cross-legged and commenced his cultivation.

The Voidlands, a realm of Xing Yun's own creation, was a place of boundless power, its source elusive. Xing Yun held the belief that it might house the primal forces of the universe.

The Voidlands not only grew in strength but also harnessed the spiritual Qi from the external world, transforming it into Astral Power to sustain Xing Yun.

This Astral Power was significantly purer and more mysterious than the spiritual Qi found elsewhere.

Surrounded by the majestic flow of Astral Power, Xing Yun absorbed it ceaselessly into his body, challenging his dantian and martial veins.

In essence, a martial artist's breakthrough in cultivation involves leveraging external energies to enhance the spiritual Qi within the dantian and fortify the martial veins, ultimately augmenting the body's capabilities.

Many cultivators, dissatisfied with remaining at a certain level, would defy fate and attempt to break through by force, often resulting in damaged meridians and dantians, rendering them incapacitated.

Xing Yun was an exception. In his past life, he was a martial artist of modest talent, yet through sheer determination and wit, he sought out and seized opportunities for growth. This relentless pursuit enabled him to eventually forge his own Martial Spirit and Martial Meridian, liberating him from the constraints of destiny.

Guided by Xing Yun, the Astral Power surged within him, causing his dantian to gradually expand and his Martial Meridian to develop nearly imperceptible pores.

As Xing Yun neared the stabilization of his breakthrough, a severe pain erupted in his mind. A dark red aura spontaneously materialized within his dantian, altering his expression. "Just as I suspected!"

A deadly mental restriction lay hidden within Xing Yun, yet paradoxically, it did not reside in his body. More accurately, this restriction was tethered to Xing Yun from an undisclosed location, generating bizarre forces within him. Should Xing Yun achieve his breakthrough, the accumulated power of many years would emerge to disrupt the process.

"Such tricks are futile. To think you would dare to strike at me with such malice, you will not be spared!" Xing Yun scoffed with contempt as he effortlessly dispersed the dark red energy of the restriction with his Astral Power.

The inability to advance in the Upper Realm had long plagued Xing Yun, all due to this elusive restriction that even his father, Xing Feng, could not detect. Xing Yun resolved to uncover the truth himself.

His first step was to gain strength in the Shadowlands, to withstand the chaotic currents of time and space between the Planes, and to make his way back to the Upper Realm.

In a mysterious, undisclosed space, a towering figure slowly opened his eyes, releasing beams of scarlet light. "A failure? The son of Xing Feng has managed to escape the restriction. Surely, an Exalted being has aided him!"

"Issue the command to keep watch over Xing Yun's status in the Shadowlands!"

The command resonated like a sound carried over thousands of miles, putting the multitude of disciples beneath the mountain on high alert.

Within the Spire of the Infinite, Xing Yun's energy burst forth, sending ripples through the surrounding air.

He was on the verge of ascending to the Awakened Soul state!

Outside the Spire, Ling Ji observed the entire Voidlands as the Astral Power wildly surged into the tower, expressing her astonishment, "Is such an immense and pure influx of spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth truly necessary for a breakthrough to the Profound realm?"

In her heart, she knew Astral Power to be an incredibly pure form of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and indeed it was.

At that moment, an explosive shout from Xing Yun echoed from within the Spire of the Infinite. A wave of unprecedented pressure followed, radiating from the tower and sending Ling Ji flying!

"Ah?" Ling Ji stumbled backward, her gaze filled with awe as she looked upon the Spire of the Infinite.

Shortly after, Xing Yun's eyes slowly opened, emitting a brilliant golden light.

Simultaneously, a spectral image began to manifest around the Spire of the Infinite, encircling the entire structure.

Ling Ji looked up, her pupils constricting as a shiver ran through her.

Before her was a five-clawed godly dragon!

This dragon was unlike any ordinary dragon Ling Ji had encountered in ancient texts. Its chaotic form was so colossal that it easily wrapped around the Spire of the Infinite, which reached up into the heavens.

An ancient and overwhelming pressure swept across the Voidlands, compelling Ling Ji and all the Hellbeasts to prostrate themselves on the ground in worship, not daring to harbor a single thought of defiance.

A dragon's roar cleaved the sky, and the godly dragon spiraled upward, reaching the point where the Spire of the Infinite met the clouds, then gazed upon the earth below.

Ling Ji looked up in terror, only to find the godly dragon's gaze fixed upon her. Her heart raced with fear, feeling as if it might stop at any moment.

Within the Spire of the Infinite, Xing Yun's expression was serene. He declared, "I, Xing Yun, will transcend the past and ascend to God-level! The Voidwyrm is my Martial Spirit!"

The Voidwyrm!

The Primeval Dragon, present since the inception of the Way of the Infinite, was Xing Yun's Martial Spirit. As Xing Yun advanced to the Awakened Soul state, it manifested once more!

The immense form of the Voidwyrm coiled around the Spire of the Infinite, issuing another dragon's roar that captivated the soul.

Ling Ji, overwhelmed by the force, let out a cry and fell into unconsciousness.

The other Hellbeasts lay trembling on the ground, unable to resist the dragon's might.

The awe-inspiring presence of the Primeval Dragon, even as a mere phantom, even at the level of an Awakened Soul, was beyond the capacity of ordinary beings to withstand.

Simultaneously, every region of the Infinite Cosmos began to experience violent disturbances in Spiritual Qi!

"What's going on? Could this be the apocalypse?"

The creatures of the Infinite Cosmos were gripped by terror. All ceased their battles and cultivation, fearful of being impacted by the fluctuations in Spiritual Qi.

In such a state, reckless use of Spiritual Qi could lead to the destruction of one's Martial Veins and the crippling of their Dantian!

Even within the Empyrean, where the mightiest of the Infinite Cosmos convened, no one dared to make a move, instead opting to pray where they stood.

"This is a phenomenon the likes of which the Infinite Cosmos has not seen in ten thousand years! Do not panic, everyone. Cease your conflicts and observe the changes calmly!"

An ancient voice echoed throughout the Empyrean, startling its powerful inhabitants. "The Black Emperor has spoken!"

The Nine Heavens Black Emperor, the most formidable presence in the Empyrean, unseen for thousands of years, had stirred!

Atop the summit of the Nine Heavens Holy Mountain, the silhouettes of nine unparalleled experts convened.

Each one was at the pinnacle of Exalted power!

The Nine Emperors!

In an extraordinary gathering, eight men and one woman, the sovereigns of the Empyrean, assembled in mere moments, each marked by a look of concern.

"Mysterious Emperor, have you determined the source?" inquired a middle-aged man clad in black, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

The elder in black robes at the center glanced at his peers and sighed, "I cannot. And even if I could, the conclusion would be the same."

"What?"

The Emperors were all visibly shaken.

There was someone in the Empyrean capable of putting the Nine Emperors on high alert, all showing signs of fear!

"Are you suggesting that person has returned? That can't be possible," a young man in white robes said, his voice quivering.

"It has to be him! No one else could cause such a disturbance in the Spiritual Qi of the Infinite Cosmos!" declared another elder, his voice shaking, his robes a vibrant red.

In that moment, they appeared not as a gathering of peak Exalted experts, but as ordinary individuals, utterly bewildered and helpless in the face of impending calamity.

"Back then, we were certain he was utterly annihilated—body and soul. There was no way he could have escaped!" the woman in blue robes insisted, shaking her head emphatically.

"Indeed! We were all on guard, vigilant against even the slightest chance of his spirit slipping away! How could he possibly rise from the dead?" the elder in green robes affirmed with a nod.

The Mysterious Emperor paid no heed to the others, murmuring to himself with a quivering voice, "He... he's returned..."

"He's truly back?" The group exchanged bewildered glances.

As the mightiest and most venerable among the Nine Emperors, the Mysterious Emperor's concern was deeply unsettling.

"What if he discovers we've completely dismantled his power base? What then?" the youth in yellow robes asked, his voice quivering with fear.

"What then? Revenge, of course! Emperor Yun, there's no need for such panic, is there? You're at the pinnacle of the Exalted Realm, after all!" the woman in blue retorted, clearly displeased.

Emperor Yun, the youth in yellow, shot back angrily, "That's because I'm in a good mood and haven't taken issue with you! If he sets his sights on you, Empress, you'd better start worrying!"

Caught off guard, the Empress felt the blue aura swirling around her intensify with her rising panic. "It's not like I had a choice! Who in their right mind would want to cross paths with that lunatic?"

A millennium ago, they had conspired to intensify the Heavenly Tribulation, leading to Xing Yun's downfall during his God-level Tribulation in the Empyrean Realm.

They were acutely aware that if Xing Yun were to return, he would eventually make his way back to the Empyrean Realm and uncover the truth.

"What are we going to do?" the group asked one another, their faces etched with concern.

In that instant, they lacked the commanding presence expected of peak Exalted Realm experts, resembling instead ordinary people gripped by fear.

"We must prepare to defend ourselves with everything we've got... Let's cease all hostilities and unite against this threat! I am prepared to relinquish a tenth of the Empyrean Realm's territory for you all to divide amongst yourselves," the Mysterious Emperor declared with gravity.

Outwardly, the group offered their fists in salute, lauding him, "Mysterious Emperor, your magnanimity knows no bounds!" Yet, inwardly, they scorned him. He had been the chief conspirator; after Xing Yun's fall, he had reaped the greatest rewards and had been the most ruthless in rewriting the history of the Infinite Cosmos. Only now did fear take hold of him.

Moreover, they were all too aware of Xing Yun's capabilities!

Once Xing Yun made his return, their attempts to slander him would inevitably be uncovered, setting off an unparalleled storm throughout the Empyrean!

The meeting of the Nine Emperors was a secret to outsiders. Yet, a quarter of an hour later, the turbulent spiritual energy of the Infinite Cosmos finally stilled.

Within the Voidlands, Xing Yun gradually vanished from his spot and reappeared outside the Spire of the Infinite. He retracted the Voidwyrm and made his way toward the distant figure of Ling Ji.