Chapter 461

Chapter 461: Essence of Time

Without the essence, the Seven Stars Soul Drawing Flag now appeared ordinary, just a common treasure.

Ji Yang tossed it back into his storage bag and stored it away.

Aside from the Seven Stars Soul Drawing Flag, this man’s storage bag also contained numerous spiritual plants and other items, so the harvest wasn’t too bad.

It’s just a pity that Ji Yang didn’t obtain the essence he most desired.

But after thinking it over carefully, Ji Yang felt relieved.

If the essence could be easily obtained, he could simply eliminate other cultivators who possessed it and claim their essence for himself.

Moreover, Ji Yang could quickly absorb essence; as long as he killed enough cultivators, he could soon raise his essence condensation level.

Now it seemed he had overthought it.

Even essence could only be sought when it was unclaimed.

Yet compared to other cultivators, Ji Yang considered himself quite fortunate, as he had already acquired three types of essence, even if none matched his own.

However, with his special ability, he was already ahead of other Void Refinement stage cultivators.

At this moment, all the surrounding cultivators had left, and the previously noisy hall was exceptionally quiet.

Seeing that the area was relatively safe, Ji Yang took out the Soul Fixing Mirror he had just obtained.

The method of using this mirror was almost identical to the immobilizing mirror, confirming that the two were indeed one entity.

Previously, Ji Yang had worried that combining them would lead to unforeseen consequences, but now with mastery over both mirrors, his concerns faded.

Taking advantage of the moment, he decided to merge the two mirrors and see what changes they would undergo.

Determined, Ji Yang immediately took out both copper mirrors and held them in his hands.

When the two copper mirrors were so close together, they instinctively attracted each other.

Ji Yang did not resist; he simply let go of his hands.

In an instant, the two mirrors quickly adhered together.

The next moment, they began to merge.

Ji Yang’s eyes glimmered with anticipation.

Both the immobilizing mirror and the Soul Fixing Mirror were powerful treasures when used separately; if they fused, even without the tremendous power Huang Tian mentioned, they would not be weak.

Ji Yang believed that the combined mirror might achieve the level of a spiritual treasure.

And it would be a true spiritual treasure, not the semi-spiritual treasure Ji Yang held.

Once the two copper mirrors fully merged, the original single-faced mirror transformed into a double-faced mirror, and the intricate patterns along the edges became exceptionally profound, exuding a sense of ancient wonder.

Just as Ji Yang was about to reach for the new copper mirror, a strand of mysterious essence suddenly spilled out from the mirror.

Faced with this strand of essence, Ji Yang’s expression turned dazed, as if only an instant had passed, yet it felt like a long time.

When Ji Yang snapped back to reality, he decisively unleashed his Essence of War, his face tense as he stared at the copper mirror hovering in the air before him.

What kind of essence was this?

Even a mere strand could affect him? It had even prevented him from promptly using his own essence.

Confronted with the brand-new treasure, Ji Yang no longer hesitated and reached out to grab it.

However, the copper mirror seemed to possess spirit intelligence and instinctively began to evade.

"Humph!"

Ji Yang snorted coldly and silently chanted the incantation to control the copper mirror.

Soon, the incantation took effect, causing the evasive copper mirror to slowly halt in mid-air.

Yet, from the mirror’s swaying back and forth, it was clear that the mirror was struggling.

After merging into one, the mirror’s power had increased again, making it difficult to control even with the dedicated incantation.

Relying solely on this treasure control technique might not be enough to subdue it.

But Ji Yang did not give up; while chanting the incantation, he quickly approached the copper mirror, preparing to regain control.

Just as Ji Yang extended his hand, one side of the copper mirror emitted a light glow.

Under the glow, Ji Yang saw a shocking scene: as his outstretched right hand neared the copper mirror, his originally plump and shiny arm gradually became withered.

As Ji Yang came closer, his entire arm began to age at an alarming speed.

This strange sight made Ji Yang quickly retract his arm.

Once he pulled it back, his arm quickly returned to normal, but Ji Yang felt a peculiar sensation in his arm.

Comparing the two arms, Ji Yang noticed a significant difference between his right and left hands.

This revelation shocked Ji Yang.

At this moment, the copper mirror struggled even more fiercely, seeming as if it would break free from Ji Yang’s control and flee.

Though Ji Yang was stunned, he stretched out his arm again.

This time, the other side of the copper mirror flashed with light once more, and Ji Yang’s right hand, as it approached the mirror, began to shrink and grow whiter.

When Ji Yang’s fingers were about to touch the copper mirror, his once slightly robust arm had transformed into a tiny hand, resembling that of an infant, unable to hold it fully.

If he continued to draw near, it was hard to imagine what could happen.

Yet Ji Yang’s gaze remained resolute; he did not retreat. Instead, he quickly reached out to grasp it, channeling his essence to the limit, all concentrated in his right hand.

With the support of his essence, Ji Yang’s palm gradually started to restore; although not fully recovered, it was enough to hold the edge of the copper mirror.

Upon seizing the copper mirror, dark lightning rapidly surged through his arm.

When dealing with essence, the world-destroying thunder that had always been reliable never let him down.

But when the power of lightning calamity erupted from within, Ji Yang was even more astonished; the previously unstoppable world-destroying thunder did not completely suppress the copper mirror in his hand.

Whenever a bit of lightning calamity power flowed into the mirror’s surface, it would be devoured by the copper mirror.

However, at the same time it was being consumed, Ji Yang’s arm slowly began to return to its original state.

Even so, it was enough to leave Ji Yang feeling shocked.

Seeing that a small amount of lightning calamity power could not control the copper mirror, Ji Yang no longer held back. Bursting forth with a violent surge of lightning calamity power, he completely enveloped the copper mirror in his hand.

Under such overwhelming lightning calamity power, the copper mirror’s glow gradually dimmed, quickly returning to its previous ancient appearance.

As Ji Yang gripped it again, a familiar notification echoed before him:

【Detected time essence, would you like to absorb it?】

【Yes? No?】

Hmm?

Seeing the sudden notification before him, Ji Yang was taken aback.

Even though both were forms of essence, there were distinctions in their power. The essence of the five elements was a common choice among cultivators because of its prevalence in the Cultivation World.

Beyond the five elements, many other types of essences existed, such as the Essence of Fear that fed on cultivators’ emotions and the Essence of Greed.

Additionally, there were rarer essences like the Essence of Decay, Dream Essence, and others.

Most of these essences did not differ significantly, and their power often depended on the cultivator’s abilities; the stronger the cultivator, the stronger the essence, with no absolute ranking between them.

However, the time essence was renowned as one of the supreme essences in the cultivation world, alongside the Space Essence, Reincarnation Essence, Essence of Life and Death, and Causal Essence, among others.

These top-level essences were rarely encountered by ordinary cultivators, let alone comprehending their mysteries.

Cultivators who could grasp these essences were often far stronger and incomparable to ordinary essences.

This was why Ji Yang was so shocked upon seeing the notification.

He never expected the supreme essence of the cultivation world to be right before him.

Time essence, as the name suggests, once mastered, could control time, and the recent performance of the copper mirror proved this point.

Though there were certainly great limitations, the potential of such an essence was limitless.

Recalling the words Huang Tian had spoken earlier, it seemed he truly had not exaggerated; if mastered, it could indeed freeze all things in the world and sever the long river of time.

In an instant, Ji Yang was enveloped in joy.

If he could grasp time, wouldn’t that mean he could accelerate the growth of spiritual plants and spiritual grains?

If he used it for farming, he would surely soar!

It now seemed that the reason the mirror could stabilize the primordial spirits and physical bodies of cultivators was perhaps due to this thread of time essence within it.

But then Ji Yang thought, if he absorbed this thread of time essence, would the copper mirror lose its effectiveness?

This thought flashed through Ji Yang’s mind.

Yet in the next moment, Ji Yang made the decision to absorb it without hesitation.

No matter how good the artifact was, it remained an external object. Moreover, with something as precious as time essence, it was surely better to have it in his possession, even if its effectiveness might be slightly weakened. As long as he absorbed such an essence, his future would undoubtedly be bright.

Not to mention, this essence could also be used for farming; what a tremendous opportunity!

After Ji Yang absorbed the essence, he felt a renewed desire from the Essence of War within him, clearly wanting to merge with the time essence.

But Ji Yang swiftly rejected this notion.

What a joke! Although the Essence of War was also good, time essence was clearly superior in both combat and farming.

Once Ji Yang finished absorbing, a new line appeared below the Essence of War.

【Time Essence: 1%】

Seeing this, Ji Yang felt completely reassured and nodded repeatedly.

Indeed, starting with a one percent density was promising for the future.

Though he couldn’t control this time essence yet, merely having it in sight was immensely satisfying.

After absorbing the essence, Ji Yang turned his gaze back to the copper mirror in his hand.

The originally ancient and mysterious copper mirror, after losing the support of the time essence, now lacked its previous luster.

“Crack!”

At that moment, a sound of shattering echoed nearby. Upon closer inspection, a crack suddenly appeared on the smooth surface of the copper mirror.

“Crack, crack!”

With the appearance of the first crack, more cracks began to form, and in the blink of an eye, the mirror was shattered into pieces.

After a short while, the copper mirror in his hand was unrecognizable; this ancient treasure, passed down since times of old, was now completely destroyed.

Ji Yang silently lamented the loss.

To lose two treasures at once could not help but cause him heartache.

But with gains must come losses.

Before he absorbed the time essence, Ji Yang had already prepared himself mentally, and he quickly accepted the reality.