Chapter 586: The Method of Falsely Holding the Fruit Position

Chapter 586: Chapter 586: The Method of Falsely Holding the Fruit Position

The vast, residual Origin from his Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and the Immortal Spirit Dao Rhyme carrying the Destiny of the Celestial Court were now like an unleashed flood. Activated by the *True Scripture of Heaven and Earth’s Mutual Struggle, Yin Yang Separation and Reunion*, this power began to surge toward Xu Yunfan.

WHOOSH!

The manifested aura of the Celestial Empress shattered into fragments under the violently churning flow of Yin and Yang.

As the Cultivation Technique operated, it mixed with the pure Magical Power drawn from her body, creating a strangely beautiful scene.

Xu Yunfan circulated the Magical Power within him.

One force was a bone-deep, marrow-freezing cold; the other was a heart-scorching heat that threatened to melt his very Divine Soul. In their forced conflict, these two extremes transformed into a turbulent maelstrom of energy. Instead of harming Xu Yunfan, the energy was converted by his Cultivation Technique, endlessly washing over his limbs and bones, refining his Grotto Heaven Embryo, and nourishing his newly ascended Divine Soul.

Meanwhile, that same violent, clashing energy rampaged through the Celestial Empress’s body, continuously extracting the Power of Taiyin she had condensed over many years.

Those beautiful eyes that had once looked down upon all living beings were now vacant and unfocused.

"Ugh..."

As the technique circulated, the Celestial Empress’s mind completely scattered.

Xu Yunfan paid her no mind, completely unconcerned.

He was a Martial General.

To him, the Celestial Empress’s Foundation Establishment Perfection Daoist Cultivation, her flesh and Divine Soul, and even her True Spirit Seal had already been integrated into the Star Banner, becoming a part of his power. Now, he was merely making the most efficient use of her remaining value.

This was the tyrannical nature of the *Heaven and Earth Interchange Yin Yang Separation and Reunion Scripture*: everything the Furnace Cauldron possessed became his nourishment. If he took it a step further, he could naturally absorb all things between heaven and earth as his own resources.

That step was within reach.

When the last wisp of her accumulated, pure Primordial Yin Power was devoured by Xu Yunfan, the Celestial Empress collapsed as if all her bones had been removed. She fell limply onto the cold Star Sand, her body covered in red marks and fine, lightning-like burns. Her eyes stared blankly at the shattered sky as she gasped for breath, her aura weakened to an extreme.

Her already fractured Immortal Foundation dimmed completely, like a guttering candle in the wind, threatening to go out at any moment.

However, the Star Spirit Banner was exceptionally good at nurturing the Divine Soul and replenishing Yin Qi. After a period of time, she would recover completely, ready to be harvested again.

Xu Yunfan, on the other hand, let out a long breath. The chaotic Yin and Yang energies around him suddenly receded, and a divine light shone in his eyes. His previous cultivation fatigue was swept away, replaced by an indescribable sense of clarity and ease.

The circulation of his Magical Power was as effortless as a limb obeying his will, smoother and more seamless than before. His newly-achieved Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Realm was completely stabilized by this Yin-Yang Harmony. He had even pushed forward a tiny step, and the points of lightning and starlight within his Grotto Heaven Embryo seemed all the more vibrant.

’You have performed Dual Cultivation using the Heaven and Earth Interchange Yin Yang Separation and Reunion Scripture and received great benefits. Skill Level has increased significantly.’

’You have used... ’

On his Attribute Panel, the cultivation Skill Level for the Heaven and Earth Interchange Yin Yang Separation and Reunion Scripture had even broken through a minor realm thanks to his harvesting of a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator.

’Starting with people and moving on to objects, with enough time, I’ll naturally be able to absorb the Essence Qi of all creation for my own use.’

’A classic power-siphoning technique.’

’I love it!’

Xu Yunfan clenched his fist lightly, and the air in his palm let out a low POP.

"The effects are decent."

He glanced at the limp, vacant-eyed Celestial Empress on the ground. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned her into a streak of light and recalled her into the Star Spirit Banner.

Then, Xu Yunfan submerged his Heart and Spirit into the space within the banner.

Inside the banner’s profound world, countless stars twinkled.

He bypassed the various Star Monarchs in their differing forms, his Divine Thought landing directly on the banner’s core region.

There, a palm-sized Treasure Mirror shaped like a full moon floated quietly, its entire body shimmering with a cool, watery moonlight.

It was the manifestation of the Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit, the Innately condensed Taiyin Treasure Mirror.

’A Dao Fruit!’

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but let out a breath. ’This is simply too extravagant.’

’Forget a mere Foundation Establishment True Cultivator; even a Golden Core True Monarch, especially one who had just entered the realm like True Monarch Qingyuan, would likely find it difficult to obtain a Dao Fruit.’

’Truly a magnificent prize.’

Xu Yunfan mentally rubbed his hands together like a greedy fly.

He cautiously extended his Divine Thought toward the Treasure Mirror.

In the next instant, a vast, cold, all-perceiving aura washed over him.

The mirror’s surface did not reflect the scene within the banner. Instead, it contained a slowly rotating miniature cosmos, so profound it seemed capable of piercing all illusions, perceiving true origins, and reflecting the karmic trajectories of the past and future.

’What a treasure!’

’Truly a supreme treasure that has seized the very fortune of creation!’

Xu Yunfan’s eyes were filled with awe and shock.

A physical manifestation of an Innate Dao Fruit like this contained the ultimate mysteries of a World Heaven’s Taiyin Law. If he could completely refine and control it, its power would be immeasurable, almost equivalent to wielding a portion of the Taiyin Dao Fruit’s authority. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

For any Cultivator, such a temptation was fatal.

However, the fervent excitement in his heart lasted only a moment before it was forcibly suppressed by immense rationality.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xu Yunfan naturally did not want to rashly refine this Taiyin Treasure Mirror, lest he be influenced by it.

As one of the supreme orthodoxies of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, the Primordial Sect’s Dao Fruit system was far more profound and complete than that of this crippled Celestial Realm.

The Divine Sky Yuqing Nine Heavens Profound Vault Myriad Transformations Immortality Dao Fruit ranked among the top ten of the One Hundred and Eight Dao Fruits of the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends. It was the ultimate manifestation of the fused Daos of Thunder Techniques, Combat, Destruction, and Immortality. Its potential was limitless, its ceiling high enough to support his future dominance across the universe and his ascent to higher Dao Realms.

How could this Celestial Realm’s Taiyin Dao Fruit possibly compare?

The latter might be pure and wondrous, but it was ultimately a Dao Fruit from a Lower Realm, a full tier lower in status.

This Treasure Mirror before him could be used as an immensely powerful Innate Spiritual Treasure. He could use it to comprehend the Great Dao Laws, see through the flaws in Divine Techniques, and even use it as a supreme aid for cultivating Pupil Techniques and deducing Secret Techniques. However, he absolutely could not entrust his foundation to it by making it his core Dao Fruit.

Once he coveted this "quick and easy" power and refined this treasure as his Dao Fruit Core, it would be equivalent to severing his own path to the supreme Great Dao of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm.

At that point, the fact that he had consumed a Dao Fruit in the Celestial Realm would surely become known. Not only would the Golden Core True Monarchs of the Primordial Sect not let him off, but he himself would be forever trapped outside the system of Dao Principles of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, becoming like rootless duckweed.

That was certainly not the action of a wise man.

’One must give up the bait to catch a True Dragon.’

Clarity returned to Xu Yunfan’s eyes.

’Besides,’ he thought, ’even if I don’t refine it for a Fruit Position, as long as I can find a way to forge a Magical Treasure capable of housing it, I might be able to temporarily borrow the power of a True Monarch by falsely holding the position.’

’When that time comes, I’ll possess the power of a True Monarch. Who could possibly stand in my way? This might be my greatest guarantee in seeking to prove my Golden Dao.’

’After all, the greatest obstacle to achieving the Golden Core Realm isn’t fellow Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, but the True Monarchs themselves.’

He withdrew the Divine Thought he had extended toward the Treasure Mirror, forcefully suppressing the impulse to begin refining it.

’The time and place are both wrong.’

’I must plan this item’s use slowly. It won’t be too late to study it in depth once I’ve returned to the Sect or found an absolutely safe and hidden location.’

’For now, the priority is to use it to aid my own cultivation and condense my Immortal Golden Nature!’