Chapter 886: Transformation into an External Demon

After absorbing the first satellite into his domain, Chen Mobai, accompanied by Yun Yangbing, flew further into the depths of space, away from Diming Star.

The universe is infinitely profound, holding boundless mysteries.

Even with his Nascent Soul cultivation, Chen Mobai felt profoundly insignificant amidst the vast, dark emptiness of space.

The colorful clouds of the Five-Smoke Luo of Taiyi trailed like an aurora across the dark cosmos. As they approached another silvery-gray satellite, they transformed into a massive, five-colored cloud hand, easily grasping the satellite and pulling it into the opened void.

Since they were already there, they were determined to complete the task in one go.

Chen Mobai had calculated with the Art of Inch of Space that seven satellites arranged above the Eastern Barrens would perfectly form the Lesser Sky Curtain Big Dipper Array. Its signal would be strong enough to cover the three border regions of Dongzhou, Yunmeng Marsh, and even parts of the Desolate Ruins.

Therefore, their goal this time was to collect more than seven abandoned satellites.

After all, these objects had been abandoned in space for too long. Yun Yangbing couldn't guarantee they would all be repairable after retrieval, so they certainly needed to collect a few extra to allow for contingencies.

During this process, Yun Yangbing also took the opportunity to test his knowledge of array formations.

The Immortal Sect's way of array formations was categorized into Heaven, Earth, and Human.

But before long, the fingernail where Yun Yangbing had inscribed the 'Purple Qi From The East' array began to emit a scorched smell.

"Let me try."

If Chen Mobai hadn't brought him, even if Yun Yangbing had the opportunity to conduct research in space, he would have remained confined within an isolation artifact, only vaguely perceiving the universe's boundlessness. Unlike now, under the protection of the Five-Smoke Luo of Taiyi, he could extend his hand at any moment to carefully sense the darkness and frigid cold of space.

"Although the Sky Curtain is an obstruction, it also provides protection. With your current cultivation level, you cannot condense such a large quantity of Pure Yang Purple Qi."

Heaven and Earth are visible, but the vast cosmic rivers of stars are difficult to experience firsthand.

After several attempts, Chen Mobai noticed a faint, silvery starlight emerging on Yun Yangbing's right thumb fingernail.

"Isn't it because you're here with me?" Yun Yangbing said. "Otherwise, I certainly wouldn't absorb so much solar vital energy."

Chen Mobai was somewhat curious about this 'Purple Qi From The East' array.

Among them, the core of the Heaven Array involves drawing upon the creations of Heaven and Earth and exploring the profound mysteries of the universe.

He was currently debugging and testing it, but the situation wasn't ideal; it still required cultivators to control and adjust it using their divine sense.

Witnessing this, Chen Mobai immediately intervened to block the continuous flow of solar vital energy.

Yun Yangbing spoke, explaining that this rare opportunity to be accompanied by a Nascent Soul Venerable like Chen Mobai allowed him to experiment with many of his conceptual ideas for integrating arrays into the body while searching for abandoned satellites.

Within the Immortal Sect, aside from specialized researchers, only Nascent Soul cultivators possessed the power to traverse the cosmos.

This indicated his successful integration of an array into his body, allowing him to absorb starlight.

Only after asking did he learn that this array was named "Purple Qi From The East"!

It was designed for condensing Pure Yang Purple Qi. In the environment of outer space, without the obstruction of the Sky Curtain, Yun Yangbing's first attempt felt almost ten times more efficient than on Diming Star.

This array was Yun Yangbing's own creation, combining array formations with the Pure Yang Scroll, specifically for refining and condensing Pure Yang Purple Qi. However, it was not yet perfected, lacking the ability to automatically adjust to the body's physical limits.

With this array, even when back on Diming Star, he would be able to use it as a foundation to draw starlight through the Sky Curtain, continuously strengthening himself.

After this starlight-absorbing array, Chen Mobai saw Yun Yangbing refine another, unfamiliar array on a different fingernail.

According to Yun Yangbing's concept, once he integrated the 'Purple Qi From The East' array into his body, it would automatically adjust the amount of solar vital energy absorbed based on his body's capacity whenever he activated it.

Yun Yangbing nodded at Chen Mobai's words, then casually removed his damaged fingernail and applied a restorative ointment.

During their journey, Chen Mobai saw Yun Yangbing retract his numb hands more than once, yet his face bore an unprecedented joyful smile.

"If you have time after forming your Core," Chen Mobai suggested, "you can go learn the Art of Inch of Space. With the Heavenly Computing Pearl assisting you, this new array should be quite similar to your concept."

With Chen Mobai's learning ability in the Art of Inch of Space, and Yun Yangbing's unreserved teaching, he quickly mastered it. After experimenting, he found that the condensation efficiency was almost comparable to his own as a Nascent Soul cultivator.

He also offered his own opinion.

Because outer space is permeated with various forms of solar, lunar, and stellar essences, the efficiency of condensing Pure Yang Purple Qi is exceptionally high. However, it also depends on the cultivator's own limits, as it's easy to over-absorb if one isn't careful.

Chen Mobai felt that by using this array, combined with the blessing of the Drinking Rites, he would likely be able to condense a complete streak in about five or six years.

If he were in the Eastern Barrens, with the aid of the Vast Sky Mirror, he could even halve that time.

Although Pure Yang Purple Qi is most beneficial for cultivators who practice the Pure Yang Scroll, it is also useful for others. If Chen Mobai had time in the future, he could arrange a streak for those around him when they are on the verge of breakthroughs.

"Not everyone is as talented as you," Yun Yangbing replied with a bitter smile. "I've been practicing the Art of Inch of Space too, but unfortunately, I've never been able to grasp its essence."

All cultivators in the Immortal Sect knew the power of the Art of Inch of Space. Back then, Patriarch Qianxing, a graduate of Taiyuan Academy, had specifically gone to Butian to study it, and Chen Mobai had done the same.

However, people differ. After Yun Yangbing himself accumulated enough points to download it, he tried for decades, yet always remained at the threshold.

"Actually, cultivating the Art of Inch of Space also has its tricks," Chen Mobai explained, unable to resist sharing his wisdom. "Just try using the aspect you're best at. When I was studying it, I was also confused and couldn't achieve anything, but later, when I was in seclusion in my hometown, I relaxed, and one day during meditation, it just clicked..."

He had mastered the Art of Inch of Space with a single sword stroke during his great battle with Nan Xuanjing in the Eastern Barrens.

"Then I'll go back and try your method," Yun Yangbing replied.

However, in Yun Yangbing's view, Chen Mobai's success was undoubtedly due to his high innate talent. The only reason he hadn't mastered the Art of Inch of Space initially was likely because he hadn't fully dedicated himself to it.

Therefore, Yun Yangbing didn't believe he could simply replicate Chen Mobai's successful experience.

Time gradually passed, and in the blink of an eye, the two had collected seven abandoned satellites in outer space.

One day, they arrived at the location of the eighth satellite.

Chen Mobai, controlling the Five-Smoke Luo of Taiyi, was about to envelop and draw the satellite into his domain when, suddenly, a resisting force surged from within it.

"Oh?"

Chen Mobai's face registered surprise. He then activated the power of the Five-Smoke Luo of Taiyi, and the colorful clouds immediately resembled raging waves, surging towards the abandoned satellite one after another.

Simultaneously, a steel-like black torrent surged from deep within the satellite. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a clenched fist, colliding with the colorful clouds and erupting in a heaven-shaking energy fluctuation.

Chen Mobai's brow furrowed slightly. Through this exchange, he sensed that his opponent also possessed Nascent Soul-level power.

In the void of space beyond Diming Star, it was impossible for Nascent Soul cultivators from the Immortal Sect to attack him. This meant it could only be someone from the ancient evil orthodoxies.

Such good luck?

This thought flashed through Chen Mobai's mind, and then a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Under the impetus of his divine sense, the power of the Five-Smoke Luo of Taiyi intensified. The colorful clouds assaulted the black torrent like a fierce storm.

Under the impact of the clouds, the black fist seemed to waver slightly, but it quickly re-condensed, becoming even sturdier.

Chen Mobai quickly recalled the information on the ancient evil orthodoxies from the Butian Group's archives, finding the relevant details.

"Buhuai of the Jinshi Monastery," Chen Mobai said coldly, "I didn't expect you to be hiding here."

At this moment, the black fist suddenly split open, revealing a stern-faced middle-aged man clad in ancient armor.

His gaze held a hint of solemnity. Although the aura emanating from him was not that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, his indomitable presence still put a slight pressure on Chen Mobai.

Among the ancient evil orthodoxies, apart from the Ascended Sect Master and a few other Nascent Soul-level magnates, Buhuai was the most powerful.

Although not a Nascent Soul cultivator, he possessed a fourth-stage Body Forging cultivation.

Even ordinary fourth-stage techniques could not breach his defenses.

"Venerable Chunyang, are you here to stop my breakthrough?" Buhuai asked.

Buhuai's calm and powerful voice rang out. His body emitted a steel-like sheen, and his entire aura seemed to be in a highly unstable state.

Combining this with Buhuai's words, Chen Mobai immediately understood: he was attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage right here.

It seemed Buhuai had reached a critical moment, but coincidentally, he encountered Chen Mobai, who was searching for satellites.

This was probably a destined tribulation!

Chen Mobai suddenly had an epiphany: Buhuai must have committed too many evil deeds in his life, and thus, during his breakthrough, Heaven guided Chen Mobai to him, making Chen Mobai Buhuai's "external demon" or karmic obstacle.

It was also at this moment that Chen Mobai felt fortunate he had broken through within the Immortal Sect. If it had been in the Tianhe Realm, he estimated that besides the heavenly tribulation, Patriarch Jinfeng and others might also have transformed into external demons to obstruct his path.

At this very moment, Buhuai's entire body suddenly shimmered with a black torrent, resonating with the satellite beneath his feet.

Then, to Chen Mobai's astonished gaze, he fled deeper into space like a black meteor.

He just ran? Not planning to fight?

As Chen Mobai thought this, his hand movements were anything but slow. The orange-red Primordial Yang Sword Qi burst forth, arriving first despite being launched later, intercepting the black meteor.