"You still have time to reconsider," Yun Jin said gravely.
The existence of those two stones had indeed greatly hindered Di Xiao's cultivation. But the one who had embedded the Tian Zhao Stone and Xuan Yin Crystal into Di Xiao and Di Ying's bodies… that person was far too powerful.
Most likely, he was an Immortal from the Immortal Realm. By using a secret art and those two stones, he had seized control over the yin and yang spiritual power that Di Xiao and Di Ying cultivated.
Without those stones, as divine beasts, Di Xiao and Di Ying should have been far stronger. Yet now, their strength had been consumed to nourish the stones instead. The result was that the stones were refined into peerless materials for forging.
But that came at the cost of Di Xiao and Di Ying's potential. Such a scheme was truly vicious. Unfortunately, it was discovered too late. The ties between the stones and their bodies had already grown too deep. When Di Ying lost her Xuan Yin Crystal, she had nearly died. Di Xiao's situation would be even more dangerous. His cultivation was higher, and he had been bound to the stones for longer. Even Yun Jin could not be certain of success this time.
Seeing her worry, Di Xiao spoke calmly. "If it were you, how would you choose?"
Yun Jin let out a sigh.
If it were her, she would rather die than be reduced to nothing but a vessel to nurture another's materials.
A proud light flashed in Di Xiao's eyes. "Yun Jin, do not underestimate me. Though I have been surpassed by you, I have never abandoned my pursuit of the peak."
Even if the road ahead was shrouded in uncertainty…
His heart to pursue the pinnacle of the Dao had never changed.
Whether or not he could truly reach such a realm, in principle, every living being had an equal right to strive for it. But the existence of those stones had already severed his path to the summit. His fate would always remain tethered to unseen strings, dragged toward the hands of some unknown figure. He refused such a fate. Better to die free, than to live shackled.
In truth, there was still one method that could guarantee Di Xiao's survival. If Yun Jin formed a beast contract with him after he expelled the stones, she could sustain his life. She still had one final beast slot available. Yet neither of them brought it up.
Di Xiao's pride would not allow it. Call it stubbornness, or call it obstinacy, but in this lifetime, he would not be bound by anyone.
Yun Jin understood this as well. That was why she did not even mention it.
Since Di Xiao had resolved himself, Yun Jin stopped trying to dissuade him.
Di Xiao closed his eyes and carefully memorized the first five levels of the cultivation art.
After a long while, he opened them again. "We can begin. When I force out the Tian Zhao Stone and Xuan Yin Crystal, I will sever my bond with them. You must immediately erase the Dao imprints from the stones."
Yun Jin nodded. "I understand."
Without further hesitation, Di Xiao extended his hand. In an instant, his fingers became sharp claws.
Without flinching, he drove them into his own dantian.
A moment later…
His expression did not change as he dragged out two blood-drenched stones.
The Tian Zhao Stone.
The Xuan Yin Crystal.
Red and white, the two stones floated silently in the air.
The next instant, they tried desperately to burrow back into his body.
Di Xiao's face paled slightly, but his movements held no hesitation. Using his hand as a blade, he viciously slashed through the unseen link between himself and the stones. It was as though some invisible shackle had been severed at that moment. The two stones lost their host and spun in place, as if lost.
That was when Yun Jin struck. Drawing the stones into her grasp, she enveloped them in the laws of yin and yang, erasing the Dao traces that lingered upon them. From that moment forward, the two stones were completely free from their manipulator's control.
Yun Jin looked at the stones with a complicated expression. She had already resigned herself to never obtaining them. Yet in the end, they still came into her hands, albeit in another way.
Meanwhile, in the Immortal Realm…
Inside an enormous chamber stood a table, upon which rested a crystal sphere. From that sphere extended countless thin threads, each one leading to a different gate. Where those gates led, none could say.
"Hm?"
A figure appeared in the chamber.
"Material No. 342 has gone wrong? These materials were supposed to be recovered ten thousand years from now. Why has a problem arisen so soon? Let me see what is happening."
He followed the thread to inspect the material's state. But all he saw was void. His pupils shrank sharply. Material No. 342 had not only malfunctioned, it had completely broken free from his control. What had happened in that small world?
"Damn it. I will need to find another vessel for nurturing." He muttered darkly. "Still, no need to worry. The Taiyang Zhuozhao and Taiying Youying will inevitably ascend to the Immortal Realm. When they do… I will find them again."
Back in the secret chamber of the Celestial Divine Palace—
Yun Jin set aside the two stones and turned her focus entirely to Di Xiao. Without the hindrance of the stones, his innate attributes made him the perfect vessel for cultivating the Law of Yang.
In an instant, he had already entered the first level of the manual she gave him. But that was not enough. With the stones gone, his life force began to drain at a terrifying rate. Di Xiao desperately circulated the cultivation art. He had prepared many pills in advance, swallowing them one after another, slowly gathering spiritual power. The speed of his life force's decline finally began to slow.
First level.
Second level.
Third level.
Di Xiao rapidly reached the Golden Core realm. At that point, his condition improved greatly, and the pallor on his face began to fade, replaced by a trace of color. Everything progressed steadily.
Yun Jin's tightly clenched heart gradually relaxed. Without the two stones, Di Xiao's talent was even greater than she had imagined. That meant his transition would go more smoothly than she had expected. Perhaps in just a hundred years, he could return to his former realm.
Patiently, Yun Jin kept watch.
Three days later—
Di Xiao successfully condensed his Yuányīng. By that stage, his life force no longer leaked, instead locking firmly within his body. His life was no longer in danger. But he seemed intoxicated by cultivation, showing no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Yun Jin found it amusing and left Di Ying to watch over him, while she herself departed the chamber.
After guarding Di Xiao for several days, she guessed the new disciples must already be at the Celestial Divine Palace playing games. Yun Jin had always been curious about the games Zhu Zhu and Yuan Yuan designed.
With that thought, her figure vanished on the spot.