Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1241: clues left behind (1)

Upon finishing its message, the ninefold natural yin array cicada returned to what it had been doing earlier—resting blissfully, lost in the relaxing sensation of Yang Qing’s spell. That calming effect hadn’t faded, even during Yang Qing’s clash with the spiritual imprint.

That was partly why the fight had dragged on a little. Yang Qing’s attention had been split three ways: one part focused on shielding the cicada’s body and soul from any negative effects of his clash with the imprint, while the rest was divided between attacking and restraining the spiritual imprint, and simultaneously guarding against its self-destruction or any hidden traps it might have left behind.

Yet, as disadvantageous as that seemed, given how much he had to juggle, he still held the upper hand. The spiritual imprint may have had a ’territorial advantage’ within the cicada’s soul, thanks to the various measures its creator had put in place. But regardless of how well-prepared those measures were, the imprint was ultimately at a disadvantage simply because it was just that—an imprint. For all its autonomy, there was a hard limit to what it could do, unlike Yang Qing.

Its reactions were confined to a series of preplanned commands. And while its owner had indeed prepared thoroughly—evident from the fact that they managed to detonate the imprint—Yang Qing was certain that, had he not been focused on protecting the cicada, he could have easily interrupted the detonation or restrained the imprint far more quickly.

As skilled as the owner of that imprint was, it was still restricted when facing someone present in the flesh, especially when that someone was Yang Qing. If the owner had been in the Domain Realm, then things would have definitely played out differently, since their imprints wouldn’t need preset commands to function. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Yang Qing couldn’t help but sigh in relief as he dispelled the spell covering the cicada’s body and soul. The otherworldly aura surrounding him faded as his physical traits returned to normal. His hair went back to its usual earthy green, with matching eyes that now had a hint of tiredness to them. Even so, his gaze still held a spirited gleam.

Yin Yang: The Apex of Genesis was the reason behind that twinge of tiredness in his eyes. His clash with the spiritual imprint, as engaging as it was, couldn’t have worn him out to this extent, especially since it had been with an imprint from someone in the same cultivation realm as himself.

However, introducing Yin Yang: The Apex of Genesis into the mix had changed that. It made the encounter far more exhausting than it should have been. The core principle of the spell relied on the extreme traits of his physique, which meant pushing both yin and yang forces to their extremes while simultaneously maintaining an equilibrium between the two forces whilst in that state.

That delicate balance demanded immense concentration, placing heavy strain on both his soul and body.

The spell was the only one among his innate abilities that, despite being a natural part of him, behaved no differently from external techniques. It was difficult to execute, and in terms of his understanding, it was just as mysterious as his physique.

He had unlocked it upon breaking through to the Core Formation Realm, but beyond a vague sense of what it was, he couldn’t use it properly, nor could he understand it. It was like hearing a muffled voice whose words he could only faintly make out.

Even after advancing to the Palace Realm, where his understanding of it had admittedly deepened, to Yang Qing, it still remained just as unfathomable as when he first unlocked it.

Whatever purpose he was using it for now, his intuition kept telling him that his current usage was merely a rudimentary version of what the spell truly was. And yet, even this basic form, though taxing on him, produced stupendous results, as it had earlier.

From what he had gleaned so far, Yin Yang: The Apex of Genesis could be used to amplify his ’influence’ over an environment, with its greatest effects manifesting in places saturated with Yin or Yang energies—or both. That was the reason he had chosen to use it.

The soul could be considered a yin-rich environment, especially in the case of the cicada, whose soul was not only powerful but had also been contaminated by nebulous yin qi, which not only had a reputation for being rare but was also one of the most potent and dense yin energies in existence.

That environment played directly to the spell’s strengths and exceptionally so at that. With his influence over the area amplified, Yang Qing exerted that newfound control and willed the remaining traces of the spiritual imprint into the rune.

Without the spell, he likely wouldn’t have been able to reverse the imprint’s actions and salvage the situation, which was why he hadn’t hesitated to cast it.

He was certain there was more to the spell than he currently understood. In fact, with how rudimentary his grasp on it still was, his use of it now felt no different than a farmer wielding a legendary axe capable of felling dragons, only to use it to chop down decayed trees.

But it couldn’t be helped. There was no manual for it. Like with most of his innate spells, execution relied more on intuition than anything else. And right now, that intuition was telling him this was the limit of what he could do with it.

If he wanted more, it would have to wait—most likely until he reached the late stage of the Palace Realm.

He wasn’t sure how he knew it, but intrinsically, he could feel the spell’s growth cycle. He couldn’t wait to unlock its next phase at the late stage of the palace realm. Given the wondrous effects it was already showing now, how much more would it have in store for him once he reached the ninth stage of the Palace Realm?

Yang Qing quickly tempered his excitement and drifting thoughts. It would still be some time before he reached that level. For now, all he could—and should—do was focus on the matters at hand. Chief among them, Bai Chen’s disappearance and the message that had been left for him.

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