On the Vast Heaven Islands, numerous people could be seen cultivating on each mountain. The first to eighth mountains were full of people, each in their own territory, and only the central mountain was practically void of people except for a few. Atop the peak of the central mountain stood a boy at the cusp of becoming a man, or at least in appearance. The man was naturally Tianyi, and despite his youthful appearance, he was actually thirty-eight years old now, practically middle-aged. Of course, compared to the other disciples aside from Daoyi and Xi Ri, he was practically a baby.
Now that Tianyi thought about it, were there any other disciples near his age?
Tianyi shook his head. It was not the time to think about it. Instead, Tianyi raised his hand so that all eight mountains and seas seemed to be within his palm's grasp. He could clearly sense Daoist Moneybag placing an unnecessary formation and burning through a considerable amount of spirit stones in the process. Simultaneously, he could detect Bing Huoyuan and Ji Wutong fighting "sparring" again.
In fact, Tianyi could sense every disciple within the Vast Heaven Islands, and he didn't even need to use his spiritual sense. As the master of the domain, he could sense everything that was occurring within. It was as if his consciousness had merged with the Vast Heaven Islands. There was a sense of intimacy that he couldn't quite place, but Tianyi attributed it to being the creator of the domain.
Descending down the mountain to the edge where the land touched the waters, Tianyi knelt and moved his hand through the ebony liquid formed from his true qi of chaos. Tianyi had managed to make some minor success in condensing his spiritual qi into a liquid form.
The black lakes were proof of it.
When Tianyi first formed the Vast Heaven Islands, the black lakes needed his constant presence to maintain their state. Otherwise, they would return to their gaseous state and dissipate, but after three years, if Tianyi left Vast Heaven Islands, the black lakes would remain unchanged.
It wasn't just the liquid qi of the Vast Heaven Islands that had changed, but Tianyi's inner cosmos as well.
Within Tianyi's inner cosmos, gaseous qi stilled filled the entire space, but now, black streams of black liquid ran throughout the cosmos like pathways. Compared to the entire inner cosmos, the streams were like a line of thin silk, but the benefits brought by them were immense. Tianyi could sense that his inner cosmos was more linked, more complete.
Although he would still need a long time to accumulate the liquid qi, Tianyi already perfected the particular method. It was only a pity that he could only change the state of his own qi and not externalized qi for some strange reason. In a sense, the Vast Heaven Islands was an extension of his inner cosmos since the liquid qi could exist. Once the liquid qi exited his body, Tianyi would feel some interference that caused it to return to its gaseous state.
Tianyi had Daoyi and Xi Ri try to liquify their qi using the technique he created, but they were met with unanimous failure.
Perhaps it was because his cultivation method was unique and one of a kind, Tianyi had thought. It must be known that the true qi of chaos formed from the Primordial Heavenly Scripture could not replicate by itself as Tianyi's did.
Banishing any further thoughts on the matter, Tianyi decided to christen the liquid state of qi as ye. It wasn't anything revolutionary; it was simply the word for liquid.
Surveying the Vast Heaven Islands once more, Tianyi's figured disappeared from the central mountain. It wasn't a movement technique but a teleportation technique only applicable within the Vast Heaven Islands. When Tianyi reappeared again, he was at the boundary of the Vast Heaven Islands. He flew towards the nameless fortress town that he had yet to visit.
Honestly speaking, the three years on the central mountain of Vast Heaven Islands was a bore. Daoyi and Xi Ri visited whenever possible. And due to the excellent cultivation environment of the Vast Heaven Islands, Xi Ri entered the mid Core Formation Realm, transforming his polished core into a tempered core.
Aside from that, Tianyi had to make do with Jian Wuyan's constant visits whenever she returned. She was the only other person aside from Tianyi's two fellow reincarnators that Tianyi allowed to step on the central mountain. Interacting with the fanatic of a girl was an experience all in its own, but there was only so much Tianyi could take.
As for Duwa, she had attained a territory on the seventh islands thanks to her attendants, but Tianyi never met her. Who would want to meet a girl who only wanted you for your body, especially to use as a lightning rod?
Tianyi began to tour the streets of the nameless town with a heart full of expectations whilst ignoring the furtive glances sent his way. The nascent soul grandmaster had an inkling of how prestigious his name had become once the Vast Heaven Islands appeared, but he had underestimated how miraculous his act of creating the Vast Heaven Islands was.
Everywhere Tianyi went, there were stares that followed him. If Tianyi didn't know any better, he'd thought he was an emperor showing his new invisible clothes that only intelligent people could see to his citizens.
Steeling himself, Tianyi pretended not to notice as he looked at the wares the disciples were selling. Usually, the disciples of first-rate sects wouldn't act like loose cultivators and set up stalls to sell their unwanted goods. They could donate it to their sect for contribution points, after all. However, in the Demon Cage Realm, it seemed that disciples were willing to trade or barter their unneeded goods for ones they needed if disciples weren't willing to accept spirit stones.
Much to Tianyi's disappointment, much of the goods for sale were materials from slain demons, something he had an abundance of. Not to mention, low-grade materials wouldn't catch his eye at all. He pondered whether or not he would find someone selling a long-lost artifact or inheritance from the previous era but quickly struck down the thought. This was the Demon Cage Realm controlled by the Buzhou Immortal Sect, not an undiscovered realm or land.
At the very least, I should be able to get a bite. Tianyi thought as he entered a rather plain eatery. The cook was naturally a disciple and not a resident of the realm. And since food was an important source of recovering qi in the Demon Cage Realm, immortal cooks became quite popular. Not as much as alchemists, though.
Sitting down, Tianyi's presence instantly drew in the curious stares of occupants. Calling the chef out, Tianyi ordered the best dishes. Once the dishes came out, Tianyi inhaled the irresistible fragrance of the dishes.
Picking up his chopsticks, Tianyi picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. Immediately, the flavor of the mysterious meat exploded. It was like all parts of a chicken had condensed into the single piece of stir fry he partook in.
Briefly, Tianyi wondered if the meat originated from a demon or monster. If it was a demon, then he was eating the flesh of a sapient being, but after some thoughts, Tianyi decided he didn't particularly care at the moment. If the meat came from the severed wing of that Unity Realm level demon, Tianyi would even eat the flesh with even more gusto.
After finishing his meal, Tianyi stepping out of the eatery and stopped. He glanced into the sky and saw tribulation clouds forming. Is someone transcending their tribulation?
Tianyi didn't have to wait long to know because the bolt of tribulation that had descended suddenly swerved towards him, and the scene that occurred three years ago repeated itself.
"..." Tianyi
Not long after, Tianyi saw the familiar figure of the sickly maiden running towards him, her two attendant cum guards following close behind. Tianyi decisively turned around and disappeared.
If he could barely tolerate Jian Wuyan's fanaticism, then Duwa's one-sided desire to use him was something he didn't face. It might be cruel, but if Duwa wasn't a member of Buzhou Immortal Sect's vassal sects, Tianyi wanted to smash her into the ground and teach her a lesson.
Tianyi was proud to be a member of the gender equality club.
However, since Duwa was a member of the Nihility Sect, Tianyi decided to flee, hoping that the problematic girl would leave him alone. Deciding that he had enough of the fortress town, Tianyi left and decided to tour the Demon Cage Realm a bit with no clear goals.
Before he left, he heard Duwa shout, "Daoist Xi, I divined your future and saw nothing! Do you know what that means? It means that your death is near! If if you help me, I can find a way for you to live!"
Tianyi's face darkened. Was this cursing him to an early death? He didn't know much about seers, but neither did he care about them either. He once heard his mother said that a seer's power wasn't absolute, and more often than not, they were wrong.
Hell, some powerful cultivators could divine the future as well. His mother did it once and told him what the weather would be for the next month. After that, Tianyi lost all curiosity for seers.
Tianyi's goal had already been accomplished as he had attained a dragon egg, in a manner of speaking. There was still a second goal, one to cure his 'trauma' of Nascent Soul Realm level experts, but Tianyi didn't think fighting more of them would fix it. He quite literally slaughtered a ton during his last battle.
After a week of aimless wandering, Tianyi had already gotten bored. Perhaps he should return and work on completing his cultivation method?
As Tianyi was flying back to Vast Heaven Islands on his immortal boat, he noticed a commotion below. Perhaps out of habit or just plain laziness, Tianyi hadn't changed the stealth mode the vehicle was in, so the participants of the battle below didn't notice him.
Below, one cultivator was being assaulted by over seven demons, all of which were at the Nascent Soul Realm level. As the cultivator was in the Nascent Soul Realm, he was not the Demon Cage Realm denizen. Not to mention he wore the uniform of a Buzhou Immortal Sect disciple.
Tianyi controlled the boat to descend without being noticed. Since they were fellow sect members, he would lend a hand if things got out of hand. If there was one thing Tianyi was disappointed in, it was that the cultivator was a man with hair the color of snow.
Where's the damsel waiting for the hero to save them? Why am I saving the hero instead? Tianyi thought. He kinda wanted a cliche encounter as well. Plus, saving a beautiful woman was much more enjoyable than saving a man. Maybe he can enjoy the eyes of admiration from a woman?
Jian Wuyan and Duwa didn't count. Why am I so concerned about this? Is it because my body is that of a teenager's, so my hormones are affecting me? Do I even have hormones?
As Tianyi sank deeper into his thoughts, the ensuing conflict below escalated. The white-haired man was Sheng Ni, the same one who ranked first on the Nascent Soul Realm ranking board in Paradise Agony Abyss.
Currently, his white robes were soaked in blood, and one of his hands was clutching his chest, but the ferocity within his eyes could never be dismissed. Despite his pale face, a bloody aura of ferocity surrounded him, formed from the blood of countless foes he had slain in his lifetime.
The seven demons—now five as two had fallen in the brief clash between the two forces—eyed Sheng Ni warily. They had originally started out with thirteen demons, but now, over half had been slain by the human in front of them.
Sheng Ni wasn't one to wait passively, so he struck again. Plus, he was grievously injured, so the longer the battle was prolonged, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.
Reddish black qi began to gather at Sheng Ni's forefinger and converged into a spike. The demons were filled with a premonition of death as Sheng Ni stabbed his finger towards one of them. Without delay, all five tried to dodge the Sheng Ni's finger.
Suddenly, one of the avian demons that had dodged Sheng Ni's finger squawked in fear and rage. His feathers had begun to lose their luster. Furthermore, its vitality had been damaged, and he seemed to have aged instantly.
Sheng Ni didn't miss this chance and appeared behind the avian demon and stabbed his finger into the demon's heart. Oh, the demon struggled, but it was for naught as life quickly left its body. Simultaneously, some color returned to Sheng Ni's paling face.
After this, it seemed the demon abandoned any trace of their previous wait-and-see attitude as they attacked Sheng Ni with reckless abandon. Rather than Sheng Ni's disadvantages disappearing with time, it seemed the longer the demons delayed, the greater certainty of death for them.
It was in this chaotic clash that Sheng Ni was struck in the back by one of the demons. Sheng Ni gritted his teeth as he felt his consciousness grow bleary from the combination of pain and blood loss.
He could see one of the last remaining two demons, the previous one having struck the below behind him, open its maw to deliver a crushing bite, but before it could, it vanished.
No, it didn't vanish but was vaporized, Sheng Ni realized. A black beam had struck from and above and destroyed all traces of the demon. Sheng Ni turned around as he felt a dangerous sensation to see that the last demon had died as well.
"You seemed to have found yourself in a bit of a bind." A pleasant voice said, causing Sheng Ni to look up to see a man standing above him. He couldn't make out any other features due to his blurry consciousness, except that pair of bedeviling eyes and purple robes.
Sheng Ni didn't know why he hadn't sensed the man earlier. Once he had noticed the man, the man's presence seemed to erode the very world itself. That was how powerful the man's aura was.
"Disciple Sheng Ni of the Buzhou Immortal Sect thanks for senior's aid." Sheng Ni said as he cupped his hand.
The man seemed surprised at Sheng Ni's words, but before Sheng Ni could hear the man's reply, he felt his consciousness slip into darkness.