Abyssal Dust clung to Yun Wuji like a second skin, his eyes tightly shut as his consciousness sank deep into the world of his profound veins.
That world remained as magnificent as it had always been, but now, in addition to the vast quantity of Abyssal Dust swirling endlessly, a small lump of grey matter hovered weightlessly within it.
It was a transparent grey lump of energy that Yun Wuji had obtained from screwing around far too much with Xiao Lingxi.
Yun Wuji called it the aura of Nothingness. Back then, in the Blue Pole Star, it was this very aura that had allowed him to comprehend the Law of Nothingness faster and more easily than he had originally thought possible, despite possessing only a single fragment.
Later, as he continued his dual cultivation with Xiao Lingxi, this aura accumulated bit by bit, and with it, his comprehension of the Law deepened steadily.
Right now, even without the third part of the World-Defying Heaven Manual, he was confident that he could cultivate the Law of Nothingness to its peak.
World-Defying Heaven Manual, the Law of Nothingness, all things are nothing, all creation returns to the profound.
Since everything originated from Nothingness, and Abyssal Dust was the power of extinction, which was a form of the power of Nothingness, it should be possible to transform it into more aura of Nothingness.
That had been Yun Wuji's idea at first, and behold, it seemed his guess was correct.
Under his will, a large portion of the Abyssal Dust swirling within the empty space of his profound veins' world began to dissolve, slowly but surely transforming into a very tiny amount of the same gray transparent aura.
The tiny gray aura drifted forward at a sluggish pace and eventually merged with the larger mass.
Yun Wuji opened his eyes, the Abyssal Dust around him scattering as he let out a deep breath. His expression was pale, for the process of converting the Abyssal Dust back to its most fundamental state had placed a heavy strain on his soul. It seemed that he would need to put more effort into cultivating both his soul power and his cultivation.
"You shouldn't push yourself too far," Li Suo appeared behind him, her figure still somewhat blurry. She gently pressed both sides of his head, massaging them. "You can take it slowly. You have more than enough time."
Her movements were fluid and natural, as if she had done this many times. This was true, for whenever Yun Wuji suffered a backlash or exhausted himself, she would appear to heal and comfort him.
"I know," Yun Wuji replied, his complexion improving slightly. "It's just that sometimes I can't stop myself. Abyssal Dust, Nothingness… sure are interesting things."
Li Suo fell silent. This wasn't the first time she had warned him, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Li Suo continued to massage his head. The way her eyes looked at him was a look Li Suo never knew she was capable of giving.
In the past, she, the Creation Goddess of Life, was the pinnacle of holiness, beauty, and goodness.
After she awakened, she was like a piece of white paper that was slowly filling in the blanks as time passed.
Li Suo once said that her soul was pure white when she initially awakened. Not only were her past memories and experiences blurry, but she was completely detached from them. Even when she recalled them, she felt like a different person peering into another person's memories.
Despite this, Yun Wuji hadn't really taken her words to heart. He… and perhaps Li Suo herself believed that she would eventually return to the former Creation Goddess of Life she was when her memories and experiences had cleared up completely.
Neither of them realized that Yun Wuji's experiences affected Li Suo's newborn soul far more than her previous memories and experiences. One might say that everything he said and did affected Li Suo's personality, common sense, and understanding of the world far, far more than the memories she had already distanced herself from.
Seeing how he interacted with his women, watching him engage in negative distance exchanges with his wives, and being 'exposed' to him from such a close distance had caused this Creation Goddess of Life to develop unfamiliar feelings toward him, feelings she still had not yet figured out.
...
In the outskirts of the Endless Fog, Yun Wuji, followed closely by Helian Lingzhu, walked around searching for 'teaching materials' for her.
"Here, we found a new one," Yun Wuji said as he sensed someone not far away. He turned to Helian Lingzhu. "This time, you must remember what you should say, alright?"
Helian Lingzhu nodded seriously, her hands clenched. "I will do it this time!"
The two flew for a short while, and soon a group of three men appeared before them. It looked like they had just finished a fight; two were dissecting the beast's carcass, while one kept watch.
"Who are you?" As soon as they sensed Yun Wuji and Helian Lingzhu's presence, they stared at them vigilantly.
Yun Wuji did not answer. Instead, he cast an encouraging glance at Helian Lingzhu. She drew in a deep breath before declaring, "Three of you, this place, and everything around it are mine. Do not touch that beast, it is also mine!" She spoke firmly, pointing at the ground, the sky, and the creature they had just slain.
"This noble one is feeling generous today. If you scram right now, I shall spare your pathetic lives."
Yun Wuji's face twitched at the cringe of her words. She still needed work on her phrasing, but it was an improvement over before.
The three exchanged glances, their expressions all saying the same thing 'What is this woman saying?'. Their leader, who appeared to be at the 5th level Divine Master Realm, scowled and said, "I don't know what your deal is. You'd better scram right now before you regret it."
Helian Lingzhu paused, opening her mouth to speak but finding no words. In the end, she turned to Yun Wuji, her eyes filled with hope. He shook his head inwardly and released his profound energy, pressing down on the three of them.
The three froze in place, staring at Yun Wuji in horror. It was only now that they began to take them seriously. Helian Lingzhu felt her confidence returning. She puffed out her chest and declared, "Fools! This noble one gave you a chance, but you refused to cherish it. Do you want to die?!"
"Senior! We will leave right away!" The leader was smart enough to change his approach immediately. He grabbed his two companions and ran without hesitation.
Yun Wuji and Helian Lingzhu watched the trio run off in silence. Then Hei Xiaolian appeared, snickering with ridicule. "What the fuck was that? So pathetic. You can't even scare a bunch of weaklings without relying on Wuji."
After he had told her about his identity, Hei Xiaolian took the initiative to reveal herself to Helian Lingzhu, mainly because she was tired of always hiding while fucking Yun Wuji.
"Are you trying to express something?" Helian Lingzhu felt as if a nerve had been pricked. She snapped, staring back at her in disdain before saying, "Imagine me caring. Now lower your expectations."
"..." Yun Wuji, Li Suo, and Hei Xiaolian all froze, staring at her in shock.
"What? Did I say something weird?" Helian Lingzhu tilted her head, asking.
"Nah, that was good, but next time try not to waste it on friendly fire," Yun Wuji said, patting her head habitually. He turned to leave. "Let's go back. You still have a long way to go to become a real Feng Aotian."
"...Why am I even doing this?" Helian Lingzhu muttered under her breath as she hurriedly followed Yun Wuji.
"Dick and food. Is that a good enough reason?" Hei Xiaolian stared at her as if she were dealing with someone mentally retarded.
Helian Lingzhu rested her chin in her hand, putting on a thoughtful expression. A second later, she nodded seriously. "You are right. That is a good enough reason."
...
After 'training' Helian Lingzhu, the trio returned to the tiny house. However, as they drew closer, Yun Wuji sensed that someone was waiting outside.
Two people stood there, one young and the other middle-aged. Both wore strange, mercury-like clothes and carried aloof, haughty expressions, as if they would rather be anywhere but here. Yun Wuji narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you both?"
"This one is Meng Xuanji, Lord of the Seventh Dream Hall of the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God," the middle-aged man said. He touched the shoulder of the young man next to him. "This one is my nephew and also the Divine Regent's son, Meng Jianzhou."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Limitless Sword Demon, Yun Wuji."
Yun Wuji tilted his head to the side, thinking, 'Limitless Sword Demon? What the fuck is that?'
...
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