by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
The geniuses had yet to fully recover from their bitter battle, and with the angry devil wind beasts attacking them, they started retreating one after another. Only Yu Caidie, seriously injured, stubbornly continued her chase. She became one with her phoenix and pushed her speed to the limit. Not even a devil wind beast emperor could easily catch her when she was moving this fast.
Meanwhile, the storm had arrived at some unknown location. Xiang Shaoyun was still alive within the storm, but he was in a dangerous state. After being pulled into the storm, he first set up his defenses.
He also put on the broken sovereign armor he had gotten from Celestial Skeleton. If he hadn't, he would have been ripped apart the moment the storm swallowed him. His Six Goldplate Manual was not enough to protect him from something this powerful.
Even with the sovereign armor on, he was still spun around with the wind to the point he started feeling light-headed. He started coughing blood, and all four of his limbs were laden with wounds. He looked extremely sorry.
If he allowed this to continue, it was only a matter of time before he died. Not even the broken sovereign armor could preserve his life. After all, he was still too weak. His inner organs would not be able to withstand this sort of impact for too long. If it wasn't for his tough body, he would have already died. He was sent flying everywhere, and for the first time, he felt like there was nothing he could do.
"I can't allow this to continue. I need to save myself," said Xiang Shaoyun.
Thanks to his Nether Soul Domain, his soul remained awake, allowing him to understand how bad of a situation he was in. He kept trying to think of a way out, but he couldn't come up with anything. The wind was too powerful, and he seemed so minute before it.
Suddenly, he saw someone else flying about in the storm. That person was none other than Ruo Suifeng. He was actually slowly moving around relying on some sort of footwork. He had evidently found a way to remain somewhat stable in the storm.
"Haha, moving the body along with the wind, moving like the wind! This is how the real footwork intent should be like!" Ruo Suifeng roared with laughter, oblivious to Xiang Shaoyun.
Chapter 472: Riding the Wind
Ruo Suifeng had an obstinate desire to obtain the yin devil wind. Charging into the storm two times for this goal was akin to suicide for others, but nobody understood the source of his unrelenting desire. He was known as the Little Wind God and had been cultivating the power of wind since young. He had even comprehended the initial stage of footwork intent, moving like the wind.
Over the years, he had been trying to perfect his mastery over the moving like the wind stage. That was the only way he could step into the second stage, shrinking space. His goal of charging into the storm was not only the yin devil wind. He was also trying to fully master the moving like the wind stage.
By putting himself in danger, he was able to finally increase his comprehension, reaching the mid-stage of moving like the wind, allowing him to maintain a stable footing amid the storm. As long as he could reach the late-stage and fully master this stage, he would be able to travel unimpeded in the storm. At that time, getting the yin devil wind would no longer pose any trouble.
Ruo Suifeng shut his eyes and started contemplating on his previous experiences, immersing himself in the storm to deepen his comprehension on footwork intent as fast as he could. Little did he know, Xiang Shaoyun, who was similarly in the storm, was actually capable of observing his every action. After all, he had assumed that the storm had already shredded Xiang Shaoyun to death.
It was all thanks to the Nether Soul Domain that Xiang Shaoyun was able to detect what Ruo Suifeng was doing in the storm. Inwardly, he thought to himself, So it turns out one can actually blend one's footwork intent with the storm, allowing one to maintain a stable footing.
At that thought, his eyes lit up as he activated his gift of instincts, allowing him to see the flow of wind in the storm, showing him a vague trajectory of the wind flow. Circulating the power of wind within him, he started blending himself into the storm.
He had long reached the mid-stage of moving like the wind during his travels in the devil wind beast territory after the recovery of his foundations. So long as he understood the essence of maintaining his footing in the storm, he would regain his freedom of movement.
Xiang Shaoyun no longer struggled against the wind. Instead, while circulating the power of the wind within him, he slowly blended with the storm, and his body started to slowly stabilize.
Finally, he was able to stand firm. He heaved a breath of relief as he thought, Moving with the wind, blending with the environment with the power of wind within me, and I will no longer be harmed by the storm. Why have I not thought of that earlier? How stupid!
He even started having an odd sense of gratitude toward Ruo Suifeng. If he had not overheard what Ruo Suifeng was muttering, it would have taken him much longer to figure this out. However, he was only temporarily out of danger. If he wanted to travel freely through the storm, he needed to advance his footwork intent.
First, Xiang Shaoyun refined a drop of lightning liquid in his body to quickly heal up. He then started contemplating the essence of footwork intent. "At the moving like the wind stage, one needs to blend the footwork with the wind. Only then would one be able to use the wind to enhance one's movement, further improving one's speed."
He started rearranging his thoughts with his eyes fixed on the flow of wind around him. Bit by bit, he etched the trajectory of the wind in his mind, deepening his understanding of the pattern in which the wind moved.
The ability to see the flow of wind was a talent granted to him by the Nether Soul Domain, a talent Ruo Suifeng didn't have. As his understanding of the wind trajectory deepened, he started using his footwork while channeling and combining his wind energy with it to try to adapt to his environment.
He took his first step in accordance with the wind flow, moving in the same direction as the wind around him, preventing the wind from damaging him. He successfully took the first step without sustaining any injury.
"Success! Hahaha!" Xiang Shaoyun grew excited.
After a successful first step, the subsequent steps would be much easier. Xiang Shaoyun started moving within the storm one step at a time, slowly grasping the method of survival within the storm. Without realizing it, he started moving faster and faster, reaching a point where he almost became one with the storm, his mind in a sort of thoughtless mode of contemplation.
"Moving like the wind, borrowing the power of wind, blending into the wind, riding the wind..." Bit by bit, the essence of footwork intent surfaced in Xiang Shaoyun's mind. His mastery over the moving like the wind stage started increasing rapidly, quickly reaching the late-stage. Finally, he was only a tiny bit away from fully mastering the first stage. Coincidentally, he passed by Ruo Suifeng at this moment.
Ruo Suifeng had his eyes shut, but he suddenly opened them. When he saw Xiang Shaoyun's figure, he exclaimed in alarm, "Impossible! How is he still alive? Damn it! He has comprehended the late-stage of moving like the wind before me? This is not possible!"
As Ruo Suifeng lost his concentration, his footing became unstable, and the wind nearly blew him away. Fortunately, he quickly refocused and stabilized his footing again after circulating the power of wind within him.
"No, I need to increase my speed of comprehension. I can't allow him to get the yin devil wind!" Ruo Suifeng's competitiveness was ignited, and he started circulating his wind power with all his strength as he sank into contemplation once again.
Before long, he took his first step in the storm like Xiang Shaoyun had done earlier. However, the first step had been completely by instinct. He was unable to observe the wind flow like Xiang Shaoyun, and because of that, after the first step, his body was blown away. The impact caused his blood to roil.
However, he was able to quickly readjust himself. With a firm look in his eyes, he took his second step. He was able to complete the second step much easier, but h
is body was still swaying about unstably.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to Ruo Suifeng. He found that he could already fully blend himself with the storm and could walk amid it like normal, fully mastering the moving like the wind stage.
After grasping the essence of moving like the wind, he shifted his focus to the center of the storm. That was where the yin devil wind was located. Only by reaching there and obtaining the yin devil wind would he be able to complete Yu Caidie's mission. He did not hesitate and directly headed toward the yin devil wind's position.
"The position of Yu Clan's son-in-law is mine for sure!" Xiang Shaoyun said with a firm look in his eyes.
However, just as he started heading toward the yin devil wind, a boundless suction force erupted and destabilized his footing, causing him to crash uncontrollably into the center of the storm.
"Shit! What's happening?" Xiang Shaoyun had no idea why that had happened.
Chapter 473: Activate the Nine Stars
The yin devil wind was not a simple eye of a storm. It was a type of unique wind power stained with thick devilish energy, a similar level of existence as the devil flame seed. The yin devil wind was incorporeal, existing in the form of a field of air. The devilish energy was why this yin devil wind had remained for so long. An ordinary eye of a storm would form easily but would also disperse easily.
Xiang Shaoyun thought that he would be able to easily get the yin devil wind after fully mastering the moving like the wind stage. But as soon as he approached the yin devil wind, he lost his balance, and the wind dragged him about. Although he had grasped the flow of wind in the storm, that was not the case for the immediate area around the yin devil wind.
"Ahhhh!"
When Xiang Shaoyun was dragged nearer to the yin devil wind, a storm of devil baleful wind appeared and started corroding his body. He felt like his body was going to be ripped apart. The sovereign armor he wore was already a broken one, and under the assault of the devil wind, the cracks on the armor started widening. A large amount of devilish energy intruded into his body and started corroding his inner organs.
Fortunately, he had the ability to absorb the devilish energy thanks to his bloodline. That protected him from the corrosive nature of the devilish energy, but the baleful wind energy that had also intruded into his body was wreaking havoc, damaging his meridians and organs.
"Refine!" In a moment of desperation, Xiang Shaoyun roared and circulated his cultivation method rapidly, forcefully channeling the baleful wind energy into his wind star. Unfortunately, the amount of baleful wind energy kept increasing, and it was reaching a point beyond his endurance.
To add salt to the wound, the revolving force around the yin devil wind was dreadfully fast. Not even a top Emperor could easily survive the revolving force. Most of them would probably be ripped apart the moment they entered.
Even after mastering the moving like the wind stage, Xiang Shaoyun was still completely helpless here. He started feeling lightheaded, and he was finding it hard to maintain a stable footing.
Crack!
Xiang Shaoyun’s armor was also failing to endure the wind’s assault, and more cracks started appearing in it.
Money could sense Xiang Shaoyun's current condition, and he quickly suggested, "Boss, use the silver lightning core to summon lightning bolts!"
Xiang Shaoyun couldn't think of anything else, and thus he did as told. He took the silver lightning core out. At the same time, he also fully activated the lightning bone and the lightning star in his body.
Rumble! Rumble!
The power of lightning surged in his body, and at the same time, tens of silver lightning bolts rained down in his direction. The lightning bolts were thick and massive, comparable to the attack of an Emperor, a power rarely seen in lightning bolts.
The rain of lightning forcefully scattered the power of wind around Xiang Shaoyun. Even the yin devil wind was slightly affected, and the revolving force around it slowed down. During this moment, Money shouted, "Boss, quickly refine the yin devil wind! Otherwise, both of us will die here!"
"What? Refine the yin devil wind?" Xiang Shaoyun was alarmed. He had never thought of refining the yin devil wind himself, as his intention was to get it for Yu Caidie and become the Yu Clan’s son-in-law.
During the short moment he spent in hesitation, the yin devil wind started surging in power again. With this surge, the power around it became even scarier than before, as if this was its answer to the silver lightning bolts that had attacked it. This was quite a wondrous phenomenon, a clash of wind and lightning.
The unlucky Ruo Suifeng was also blasted by some of the silver lightning bolts, and he was sent flying out of the storm. He looked like he was going to die at any moment. As for Xiang Shaoyun, with his sovereign armor destroyed, he would not be able to survive even with the protection of the silver lightning core if he delayed any longer.
"Screw it! Nothing is more important than staying alive!" Xiang Shaoyun was not one to hesitate for long. Although he considered Yu Caidie a woman he was going to pursue and he wanted to give her the yin devil wind, he wouldn’t be able to dead.
After making up his mind, Xiang Shaoyun started circulating the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual, activating the nine stars within him with an emphasis on the wind star as he sent his astral energy toward the yin devil wind. At the same time, astral energy started swirling about in the sky above, forming a connection with Xiang Shaoyun that greatly increased his energy absorption speed.
The yin devil wind was within reach, but it was still not possible to instantly absorb it. After all, this was something that had been formed by nature. It was protected by a unique air field and was not something that could be so easily absorbed. A large amount of baleful wind energy poured into Xiang Shaoyun's body as he erupted with an absorptive force, the corrosive nature of the wind causing him great pain. He nearly fainted, feeling like death was getting nearer and nearer.
"I can't die! What can some baleful wind do to me? Refine!" The pain provoked an indomitable will from Xiang Shaoyun, fully activating his potential as the holder of a nine-star physique. Beyond the nine skies, nine particular stars started stirring. The sky itself seemed to shake as the nine stars unleashed a massive absorption force akin to nine black holes.
Activate the nine stars, shaking the sky.
This was what made a nine-star physique so powerful. The silver lightning core was the nearest object to Xiang Shaoyun. It was directly pulled into his body and straight into his lightning star by the absorptive force he was releasing.
Rumble! Rumble!
After absorbing the silver lightning core, 99 silver lightning bolts instantly formed and rained down on Xiang Shaoyun. This was an extremely terrifying attack that was no weaker than the storm he was facing. In fact, these lightning bolts were much more powerful than the storm.
The numerous devil wind beasts around the storm were so scared they started trembling. They no longer dared to approach the storm. Rather, they started retreating, worried that they would be struck by the dreadful lightning bolts.
The geniuses were also able to sense what was happening from far away, and when they saw the rain of silver lightning bolts, they all exclaimed in alarm, "Is Xiang Shaoyun still alive?”
They still remembered that Xiang Shaoyun was the summoner of silver lightning bolts. With so many of such lightning bolts appearing here, the only person they could think of that was capable of doing so was Xiang Shaoyun.
"No, that is not possible! I am going over there personally to take a look!" Di Tong cried out with an unsightly expression and rushed toward the place where the lightning rain was falling. The last thing he wanted to see was Xiang Shaoyun remaining alive and obtaining the yin devil wind. If Xiang Shaoyun succeeded, the entire Di Clan would be plunged into danger.
Yu Caidie had also rushed over with her injured body. When she saw what was happening, a joyful smile appeared on her face, and she muttered,
"I knew you wouldn’t die so easily!"
Chapter 474: Absorbing Yin Devil Wind
Xiang Shaoyun had not expected that when he was trying to absorb the yin devil wind, he would first absorb the silver lightning core. Everything had happened so fast he wasn't even given a chance to think about it. The only thing he could do was continue releasing his absorption force to pull the yin devil wind toward him.
As for the silver lightning core, it instantly flooded his lightning star with power. Silver lightning energy coursed through his body, forming a resonance with his lightning bone, and it covered many of his bones with a layer of lightning energy. It was as if his bones and his lightning star were going to sharethe power brought by the silver lightning core.
At the same time, after the silver lightning bolts clashed with the storm, they were greatly weakened. A large number of lightning bolts still struck Xiang Shaoyun, but they were unable to harm him. Instead, his lightning bone absorbed them and used them to refine his other bones.
This round of lightning bombardment had also cleared the last of the poison in his body, the portion that had been hidden so deep in his body that not even he himself knew it was there. In fact, before this, he had thought that the previous rain of lightning had fully cleared his body of poison.
Ugly Gambler would probably be utterly infuriated if he saw this. One ought to know that this was a poison he had obtained from the Poison Physician of the Seven Villains. However, Xiang Shaoyun was too preoccupied to even give the poison much thought. His nine stars were still pulsing with an insane absorption force, pulling a large amount of baleful wind energy into his body. Finally, the yin devil wind itself also started moving toward him.
The rain of lightning had greatly weakened the yin devil wind, reducing it to a tiny, slowly spiraling cyclone that looked wondrous and exquisite. It was quite unbelievable that just this tiny thing here was capable of creating such a massive storm. If Xiang Shaoyun still had his clarity of mind, he would definitely store it now and gift it to Yu Caidie later.