Chapter 1472: Slumber

Chapter 1472: Chapter 1472: Slumber

The two forces were like a battle vying for favor, each clash stirring a tidal wave of Primordial Qi within Pei Yan’s body. After several collisions, even Pei Yan, whose body had been strengthened to the extreme, could not withstand it. A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, indicating internal injury. He could not continue like this; he needed to quickly mobilize his own power to subdue these forces, making them understand who the true master of this body was, and then harmoniously coexist to provide him with a continuous source of ability and Qi.

Though easy to say, this task proved quite difficult. It took Pei Yan almost half an hour to get these two completely different forces from different people to compromise. When three forces reached a balance and operated perfectly within him, Pei Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief, sitting cross-legged to silently familiarize himself with the sensation of this energy flow within until he completely mastered it.

Another hour passed as Pei Yan sat in meditative repose. Once he adjusted his body to the optimal state, he began the second step of his advancement plan – absorbing the clones sent by the Masters of Origin from the four major planes.

This process actually carried little danger because these four clones were composed of abundant pure and basic Primordial Qi from each respective plane and did not contain any special powers. Therefore, as the Child of Origin with six types of Qi within him, Pei Yan’s body did not show much resistance in absorbing them. Yet, during this process, Pei Yan had to carefully maintain the balance of Qi within, avoiding drawing too much Qi from one plane and disrupting the internal balance. Thus, he could only extract Qi simultaneously from the four cloned bodies while constantly converting any excess Qi into the other two planes’ Qi to achieve equilibrium.

When the last trace of Qi was extracted from the clones, the four clones dissipated into shadows and disappeared. By now, moonlight shone overhead as Pei Yan had meditated for six hours. The overflowing Qi within him uncontrollably sprayed from his mouth, nose, and ears with each breath, forming a wave of energy that spread forward from him. Upon colliding with the external Protective Array, it crashed like waves against a dam. Although these energy waves contained no offensive intent and did not damage the Defense Array, the impact caused the array to rumble loudly, and the diffused waves ascended into mist, gradually enveloping the massive array. Thus, Pei Yan’s figure slowly disappeared into the fog.

Elders from various sects responsible for controlling the Protective Array watched enviously at the nearly tangible Qi within the array. For these elders, who had reached a certain level in their cultivation, the abundance of Qi did not significantly benefit them. However, if disciples from within their sects could cultivate in such an environment, their progress would undoubtedly be rapid and efficient. Creating such a near-paradise filled with Qi, emanated effortlessly by a single cultivator, naturally made these long-time elders green with envy.

Within the mist, Pei Yan remained unaware that his casual action had unwittingly created a phenomenon others could only admire from afar. At this moment, he was focused entirely on his preparations. With everything ready, he retrieved a glass bottle from his storage ring, the final and crucial step of his plan for today.

To prevent any last-minute sabotage from Di Xin, Pei Yan had Lin Junzhao and Lin Ruxue inspect the wine converted by Di Xin’s power. Only after confirming everything was fine did he proceed with his plan. Now, Pei Yan opened the glass bottle and instinctively brought it to his nose to sniff. Perhaps it had been left too long, as there was none of the rich liquor aroma from the day at the arena.

Despite his doubts, the situation was beyond retreat, and the arrow already on the string had to be released. Pei Yan put aside his concerns, tipped the bottle back and drank all the wine in one go. Not only did it have no fragrance; it had no special taste upon drinking, like consuming a bottle of plain water. Dazed, Pei Yan stared at the empty bottle in his hand.

Over twenty minutes later, Pei Yan remained alert without any sleepiness, beginning to suspect if something had gone wrong with his decision. Perhaps the long period without Qi had caused the wine to lose its effectiveness, or perhaps the disappearance of Di Xin’s powers upon his death had rendered the wine impotent. Although the wine posed no danger, it seemed it held no function either, right?

What was he supposed to do now? He had orchestrated such a grand arrangement, owing favors all around – could he simply let it go? No, he couldn’t just let it go! Even if the wine had no effect, with his current strength, he possessed enough power to attempt breaking through to the ninth layer of awakening. The benefits post-breakthrough might not be as significant as he initially envisioned, but regardless, he couldn’t afford to choose to give up now.

Resolved in mind, Pei Yan prepared to stand and stretch his muscles, gearing up for the next round of his attempt at the ninth awakening. But as soon as he rose to his feet, a wave of dizziness struck, turning his motion into a forward lurch. Instinctively pressing his hand to the ground, at first Pei Yan thought his body was numbed from sitting too long. When he tried rising again, however, he felt his arms weaken, and shortly afterward, his vision blackened, leading to fainting.

"This wine, ah! The recoil!" murmured Pei Yan as he collapsed towards the earth, expressing his last sentiment before passing out.

Nine days later, outside the array at the foot of Five Holy Spirit Mountain, apart from Lin Ruxue and Lin Junzhao, the avatars of the Masters of Origin standing guard, the members of the Elite Squad, whose strength had increased after signing a contract with the Investigation Hall, as well as the Sect Leaders, Elders from various Daoist Plane sects, and envoys from the Dragon Realm, all awaited outside the array with bated breath.

The gathering of such a formidable presence was not merely due to the upcoming agreement between Pei Yan and the Magic Plane being near, but predominantly due to everyone’s curiosity. With Pei Yan, a rising star, having fused various methods to conduct such a unique rite of advancement, whatever the outcome – good or bad – it was enough to attract the attention of all sects and factions.

"Nine days! Pei Yan has been within the array for nine days, with only three days remaining until the Council City agreement deadline! Will Pei Yan complete his advancement before then?" Pei Yan’s situation was of paramount importance to the Investigation Hall. On the ninth day of Pei Yan’s retreat within the array, Yu Zhongmin finally could not sit still and came to the scene himself to observe.

While he was anxious, examining those teammates who had ventured life and death alongside Pei Yan exhibited a much calmer demeanor. These people stood or sat in groups by the Defense Array, chatting and laughing as if on a company outing to the zoo during spring, observing the dense mist rising within the array.

"Aren’t you worried about Pei Yan at all?" Yu Zhongmin couldn’t bear it anymore, questioning Jiang Feiyang, who was munching on snacks while reading a novel.

"Worried of course!" Jiang Feiyang responded, looking up at the head of the hall with resignation. "But we’ve already gotten used to it."