"Regardless of whether he's a cultivator from the
"If the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light could be fully mastered, one would be able to harness the power of the Five Elements for oneself. How, then, could one be unable to wield Five Elements treasures? It's simply that you and I had bad luck, and all our efforts ultimately came to nothing." The woman let out a bitter laugh at his words.
"You're right. Had I known this would happen, I would never have dragged you along to cultivate this half-understood Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. When it comes down to it, I'm the one who wronged you." The man fell silent for a long while, his voice tinged with guilt.
"It has nothing to do with you. Without seeking some other shortcut, we would never have been able to break through to the Deity Transformation Stage in our lifetimes. And the truth is, if things hadn't gone wrong at the very end, you and I would have successfully advanced to the Deity Transformation Stage — at the very least, we would have gained another thousand years of lifespan." The woman shook her head, her tone perfectly calm.
"Indeed. Who would have thought that reaching the final step of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light would require one to possess Spirit Roots of all Five Elements. But anyone blessed — or cursed — with such chaotic Spirit Roots would be lucky to even pass Foundation Establishment or Core Formation, let alone condense a Nascent Soul. How could such a person ever be qualified to cultivate the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light? No wonder this technique, despite being created so long ago, has never been successfully mastered by anyone. I, Ling Tianlei, reached Late-stage Nascent Soul within five hundred years — my talent is second to none among the masters of the
The woman let out a deep sigh as well. After a long pause, she spoke in a soft, measured tone:
"Forget it. Whether this technique was truly a cruel joke by some ancient cultivator or not — how could one's Spirit Roots be changed so easily? We're fortunate that we discovered the problem early and stopped cultivating in time. If we had continued on that Yuan Magnetic Mountain, the Five Elements forces within our bodies would have erupted simultaneously, and we would have exploded and perished. When you think about it, we should actually thank Six Paths and
"Hmph. Six Paths and Wan Sangu were nothing more than defeated opponents under my command in the past — not worth mentioning at all. If not for the restrictions of the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, I would have stormed their lairs long ago and wiped them all out. Besides... this problem... isn't absolutely impossible to change!" The man gave a cold snort, but then his voice took on an odd quality.
"What do you mean? Have you actually found a way to change one's Spirit Roots?" The woman, who had been perfectly composed until now, couldn't help but grow excited at his words.
"Ever since discovering this problem, I've spent over a hundred years poring through all manner of ancient texts, searching for a solution. And I did find a certain ancient secret technique that could be of use. It doesn't truly add Spirit Roots — rather, it involves selecting a treasure of a single pure attribute, performing a blood ritual upon it, and then using it as a substitute for the missing Spirit Root to wield the power of the Five Elements." After a moment's hesitation, the man finally spoke up.
"That's all there is to it?" This time, it was the woman who reacted with surprise and disbelief.
"Of course, the refinement process and the selection of the treasure require a certain level of expertise, but that's hardly a problem for us. The catch is that this method can at most grant us control over one additional element — we cannot perform the blood ritual on a second treasure, or our Nascent Souls won't be able to bear it, and our physical bodies will suffer the same backlash and collapse. Unless we originally possessed four Spirit Roots, this method is still essentially useless to us." The man's voice was laced with helplessness.
"I see. This truly does nothing for two people with Single-element Spirit Roots." The woman's heart sank upon hearing this. The small spark of hope that had just kindled within her was extinguished once more.
"Let's stop fantasizing about mastering the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. Even if some other solution truly exists, with less than a hundred years of lifespan remaining, we simply don't have time to find it. Better to focus our efforts on Yuling. After our intensive cultivation of her since leaving seclusion, she has finally succeeded in condensing her Nascent Soul as we hoped. Once her cultivation stabilizes, we'll use the techniques of spiritual infusion to forcibly help her break through to the Mid-stage in a few decades. With a Mid-stage Nascent Soul, she should be barely capable of taking charge of the Star Palace. Of course, before that, we absolutely cannot leave Six Paths and Wan Sangu as lingering threats — they must be eliminated." The woman's voice suddenly turned ice-cold, brimming with murderous intent.
"As long as we're willing to sacrifice even our own lives, getting rid of those two won't be difficult." The man said dismissively.
"What about that cultivator surnamed Han? He possesses the Void Heaven Cauldron and may very well be a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. If something were to happen to us, he would become a major variable in the
"Hmm. A Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with such exceptional talent — he may well be worth recruiting. See if he's willing to join our Star Palace. If he agrees, everything else is easily settled — we secretly plant a restriction on him, take the Void Heaven Cauldron for Yuling to use in her advancement to the Mid-stage, and compensate him with other treasures. If he refuses, we eliminate him then and there — better than letting him become a major problem down the road!" The man's voice turned razor-cold.
"There's no other choice, I suppose." The woman gave a soft sigh but did not object.
"However, that Sound-Halting Talisman has already been destroyed once, which means the other party is likely on guard. Ordinary Elders probably won't be able to handle him. It seems we'll have to take action personally." The man said calmly.
"Even if he possesses a Spirit Treasure, he's nothing more than a mere Mid-stage cultivator. Why would we both need to go? I'll be enough. As long as he's within the range of the Yuan Magnetic Mountain's influence, even a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would be no match for me, let alone him." The woman's confidence was boundless.
"Mm, that works. Just be careful — that Void Heaven Cauldron has circulated through the Scattered Star Seas for a very long time. Its power shouldn't be underestimated." The man offered no objection, but added a word of caution.
"As long as it's a treasure of the Five Elements, no matter how powerful it may be, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light will suppress the majority of its strength. What is there to worry about?" The woman laughed lightly.
This time, the man in the cavern said nothing, evidently conceding her point.
Meanwhile,