Chapter 573: Six-Pattern Yao (I)
Deep crimson magma flowed slowly through the cavern. A yao covered from head to toe in densely packed fleshy tumors sat cross-legged in place. Its eyes were tightly shut, yet its head remained tilted upward toward the void above.
Deep within Lin Zheyu's sea of consciousness, a golden eye shone with dazzling radiance as it gazed toward the mysterious formation hidden beneath the purple-red magma. The golden energy stored within his sea of consciousness was being consumed at an astonishing rate.
The golden Heavenly Eye pierced through layers of space and beheld the mysterious formation concealed within another dimension. Countless profound formation patterns, together with the Dao resonance embodied within the yao's demonic patterns, flowed through the Heavenly Eye. Under its scrutiny, the pathways by which energy circulated between the Immortal Dao patterns of the formation and the yao's demonic patterns were revealed with remarkable clarity.
The formation's level, however, was simply too high. Even with the aid of the golden Heavenly Eye and a glimpse into its deeper mysteries, fully comprehending it remained an immensely difficult task.
***
Time drifted by. Cultivation knew no seasons.
Before he knew it, another month had passed. Since killing the yao that had occupied this place, Lin Zheyu had studied the mysteries of the formation while simultaneously testing his insights upon his own body. Following the Dao principles he had deciphered, he adjusted the demonic patterns on his arm. The fleshy tumors gradually shrank and flattened. At a glance, they looked almost indistinguishable from scales.
Suddenly, Lin Zheyu's brow furrowed. The tumors that were on the verge of becoming scales abruptly exploded, turning his entire arm into a mangled mass of flesh and blood.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Zheyu withdrew the powerful vitality contained within the arm and tore it from his body. Deprived of that sustaining vitality, the severed limb instantly crumbled to ash in the scorching purple-red magma. Meanwhile, a brand-new arm had already begun growing from the stump.
Lin Zheyu opened his eyes and shook his head slightly. "Still not enough."
There was not the slightest trace of discouragement in his eyes. Creating a brand-new cultivation technique was never easy. Even with the assistance of Origin Force, he often had to spend hundreds of units of Origin Force, going through countless rounds of trial and error and refinement across multiple versions before a technique could be perfected.
He had only been studying this mysterious formation for a little over two months, and much of that time had also been spent researching the demonic patterns on the Purple Flame Qilin. Achieving this degree of adjustment to the demonic patterns in his yao form was already an impressive accomplishment.
More importantly, success was no longer far away. All that remained was continued testing, refinement, optimization, and adjustment. Another ten or twenty iterations should be enough to complete the method.
Lin Zheyu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hm? This latest adjustment to the demonic patterns actually spread from the arm to the torso!"
Expressionless, he extended his left hand and tore off the newly regenerated right arm. Then he plunged that hand into the right side of his chest and ripped away the section where the demonic patterns had begun to change. In an instant, his body became a gruesome mess of flesh and blood. Yet moments later, the flesh all over his body began to writhe. The gaping wound in his chest rapidly healed, while a new right arm regrew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This was the true strength of his yao form. As long as his head remained unharmed, Lin Zheyu could sacrifice most of his body at the cost of energy without suffering truly serious injuries.
Within his sea of consciousness, the golden Heavenly Eye opened once more. It repeatedly scanned his yao body, examining every detail. Only after confirming that the demonic patterns had fully returned to their original state did Lin Zheyu finally relax. Altering the demonic patterns on his yao form could have unknown effects on the golden runes within his human form when he transformed back. He had no intention of taking such a risk.
Looking at the meager amount of golden energy remaining in his sea of consciousness, Lin Zheyu thought to himself, The golden energy in my sea of consciousness is almost depleted. I'd better replenish it first.
Fortunately, there was a nearby space-time node. The vast lake of accumulated energy within it served as the perfect source for replenishment. Otherwise, even with a powerful ability like the golden Heavenly Eye, Lin Zheyu would not be able to use it so freely.
Lin Zheyu shot toward the space-time node. Upon arriving near the rift, he spread out his powerful perception and detected several concealed auras. They were merely cultivators who had come to hunt yaos, a sight he had long since grown accustomed to. Casually grabbing two five-pattern yaos, he blew apart their heads with a single punch and used them as an energy source for cultivating with Origin Force.
After finding a relatively secluded spot, he sent out a thought: Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate the Spirit Martial Universe Secret Art—Advanced.
In an instant, vast amounts of mysterious energy surged forth, and crackling sounds echoed throughout Lin Zheyu's body. The immense energy contained in his yao form was rapidly absorbed by the mysterious energy, which converted it into blood qi and life energy. His massive frame quickly shrank. The fleshy tumors covering his body vanished at a visible rate, while his rough black skin transformed into smooth, fair flesh.
A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu had fully returned to human form. A powerful life aura spread outward, and the surrounding area once again erupted with the roars of nearby yaos. He abruptly opened his eyes, his figure flickered, and he vanished from where he stood.
A massive sphere of ghostly energy slammed into the spot where he had been standing moments earlier, accompanied by a deafening explosion. Lin Zheyu had long since grown accustomed to scenes like this. With his current strength, yaos at the five-pattern level posed no threat to him whatsoever. Even if he stood still and allowed them to attack, they would do little more than scratch an itch. He simply had no interest in wasting time on such insignificant creatures.
***
Not long after Lin Zheyu entered the node's rift, two ferocious yao silhouettes appeared where he had just been standing. They sniffed the lingering scent in the air. It was the sweet aroma of living spiritual qi.
"What a powerful aura. Slurp... It's been far too long since I've smelled something like this."
The yao on the left was covered in sleek black scales and radiated an astonishing heat. It belonged to one of the dominant yao clans in this region, the Purple Flame Qilins.
"A Golden Core realm cultivator from the human race. Tsk, tsk. That must taste delicious," the other yao said greedily.
Its body was covered in vicious spikes, and two jagged black horns protruded from its head. The creature resembled a grotesquely mutated crocodile. It opened its enormous maw and licked its lips with a rough tongue covered in festering boils before grinning.
"This node only allows human Foundation Establishment realm cultivators to pass through. Looks like we've found a human genius," the Purple Flame Qilin remarked.
Lin Zheyu had exposed his life aura far too many times recently, nearly once every day. It had finally attracted the attention of powerful yaos. These two formidable yaos had come specifically to investigate after receiving word of it, and they had not expected to stumble upon such a pleasant surprise.
"Good. Geniuses are the best. Hehe. I love eating geniuses," the crocodile-like yao cackled.
According to the information they had gathered, a powerful life aura erupted here almost every day. Clearly, that human genius would be returning again soon.
"You don't get a share. Get lost. This territory belongs to me," the Purple Flame Qilin said coldly.
A violent aura and overwhelming killing intent erupted from its body. It looked ready to attack the moment the other yao refused.
"Give me half. I'll trade you some Soul-Eroding True Sand for it," the crocodile-like yao said.
The Purple Flame Qilin grinned viciously. "No deal. Soul-Eroding True Sand is useless to me. Give me one of the Yao Demon Nest Seeds you've accumulated, and I'll let you have that human."
Six-pattern yaos corresponded to human Golden Core cultivators. To advance to the seven-pattern Nascent Soul level, they had to condense a Yao Demon Nest and transform themselves into a mobile army of yaos.
"Keep dreaming." The crocodile-like yao snorted coldly and vanished on the spot.
It had no desire to fight the Purple Flame Qilin before it. A battle over a mere human Foundation Establishment realm genius simply wasn't worth it. Moreover, Purple Flame Qilins were famous for their formidable defenses. Combined with the absurd regenerative abilities common to yaos, fighting one was an infuriating and disgusting experience.
After the other yao left, the six-pattern Purple Flame Qilin licked the drool from the corner of its mouth. It had been more than a century since it had last tasted a truly powerful human. The memory was enough to make it nostalgic.
Ordinary Foundation Establishment realm cultivators were little more than snacks. Golden Core realm cultivators were the ones worth savoring. Although the human cultivator who kept exposing his life aura was not at the Golden Core realm, he possessed vitality comparable to that of one. Yaos loved cultivators with abundant blood qi and powerful life energy the most.