Chapter 469

Chapter 469: Another Use of the Essence of War

However, Ji Yang felt that the greater possibility was that his time essence condensation was simply too low, so low that even with the Xuantian Breathing Technique, he couldn’t trigger it passively.

This left Ji Yang feeling quite helpless. Since he obtained this essence, he had never triggered it passively, so naturally, he couldn’t increase its condensation.

Watching the earthen walls around him closing in, Ji Yang stopped lingering on the matter and prepared to unleash his technique. He worried that once the earthen walls completely surrounded him, he might not get the chance to use his technique at all.

At that moment, a strange idea suddenly sprouted in Ji Yang’s mind.

Aside from his time essence, he also had his own Essence of War.

Although this Essence of War was not weak, Ji Yang did not feel its unique properties.

For example, with the essence of the five elements, after comprehension, it often enhanced the corresponding spell strength based on the attributes one learned.

For instance, with the Essence of the Water Way, in an environment with water, a cultivator’s essence would grow stronger, and the techniques used would become more varied.

Similarly, the Essence of Earth that the elder employed could attach the essence to common dirt, allowing him to execute various techniques.

This was just the ordinary essence of the five elements, let alone the Supreme essence above; each type of essence had its own unique effects. It was precisely because of these differing effects that one could distinguish between the strengths of different essences.

The effect of Ji Yang’s own Essence of War was also not weak, as it enabled him to achieve better results in his daily mining and harvesting of spiritual plants.

Moreover, during combat, once he activated this state, he could analyze the structures and weaknesses of the spells around him.

Yet, when facing a cultivator of a higher realm, this effect was greatly diminished. Now, even with the full activation of his Essence of War, he could sense the weak points of the earthen walls.

But the elder’s essence condensation was also powerful; simply relying on this knowledge, Ji Yang could not break free.

In summary, the Essence of War was indeed strong, but after making comparisons, it seemed somewhat lacking.

However, Ji Yang felt that his Essence of War should not end up like this.

Could it be that he hadn’t used it to its fullest potential?

Aside from that, how else could this essence be utilized?

Ji Yang’s thoughts wandered, and he considered attaching the Essence of War to his sword energy.

Perhaps he could try to attach the Essence of War to the time essence? Just an attachment, not a fusion—it shouldn’t make a big difference, right?

If it were some other essence, forcibly attaching it might lead to a clash between the two, resulting in losses that outweighed the gains.

But since it’s his own Essence of War, he felt it was worth a try; after all, the Essence of War seemed to lack distinct attributes.

Once this idea took root, it quickly spread in Ji Yang’s mind.

He had to give it a shot.

At that moment, the earthen walls were less than half an inch from Ji Yang, and they would soon wrap around his entire body.

The elder outside also sensed this and, seeing Ji Yang motionless inside, assumed he had given up resisting, which filled him with delight.

Once his essence invaded Ji Yang, no matter what methods Ji Yang had, he would be unable to use them. At this point, Ji Yang was already in his grasp.

Resolving Ji Yang so quickly, perhaps he could then attempt to track down the warship that had just departed.

However, compared to the warship, he figured he should return and help his two senior brothers deal with Peak Master Xing and the other Void Refinement stage cultivators.

Just as the elder pondered his next move after subduing Ji Yang, his perception of Ji Yang suddenly vanished from his mind.

It was as if there was no sign of him within the earthen walls.

This left the elder in a state of confusion. He was certain that Ji Yang was trapped inside, but how could he suddenly stop sensing him?

This strange occurrence made the elder’s face show a hint of caution.

But then, what happened next left him utterly astonished.

He saw the dirt that had been gathering into a mud ball slowly start to decompose.

But when he looked at the ground, his eyes widened in shock once again.

What he witnessed was not decomposition, but restoration and reversal!

The dirt, which had previously been detached from the ground and imbued with essence, was now perfectly returning to the earth, even matching exactly as it had been when taken away, as if it had always belonged there.

Along with it, the essence contained within was also being dissolved, no longer existing.

This scene surpassed the elder’s comprehension.

Once spilled, water could not be gathered; how could a shattered mirror be restored?

Even a cultivator could not perfectly rejoin a torn leaf, no matter how much magic they used, as the scars of its breakage would forever remain.

But now, he saw this shocking scene before him.

"Could it be… time?"

The elder murmured, though his eyes held disbelief.

"At least you have some knowledge."

Ji Yang’s voice lightly reached his ears.

The elder turned his gaze back to the front. As the dirt reversed and the essence around him vanished, Ji Yang’s figure reappeared.

But now, a layer of essence that he could not penetrate enveloped Ji Yang.

When he tried to focus his vision, he found that he could not see Ji Yang’s face clearly, only a faint shadow.

Beside this shadow, it seemed as if a dazzling galaxy flowed silently.

Ji Yang stood within that galaxy, the surrounding light obscuring his appearance.

"Time essence! This is the time essence!"

The elder’s expression instantly turned frenzied, his demeanor exceptionally excited.

This was the legendary essence; even in the Cultivation World, he had never heard of any cultivator mastering such an essence.

Moreover, among the Supreme essences, the time essence was one of the finest.

And here he was, a mere cultivator at the Unity with the Dao stage, getting to witness this essence in person!

In the next instant, logic vanished from the elder’s eyes, replaced by madness.

If he could master this essence, the entire Cultivation World would surely tremble before him!

More importantly, Ji Yang was not at the Unity with the Dao stage, but merely at the Void Refinement stage. This indicated that Ji Yang’s time essence did not come from his own comprehension but likely was gained through this secret realm opportunity.

If a cultivator comprehended it themselves, the essence would vanish upon their death, unless a higher realm cultivator preserved it with great magic, which was clearly beyond his reach.

But if this thread of time essence was an accidental gain of Ji Yang’s, then after he killed Ji Yang, this time essence could very likely remain.

Such an opportunity made it hard for him not to feel tempted.

Watching the elder appear almost mad, Ji Yang shook his head slightly.

Even now, he still couldn’t see the situation clearly.

Having revealed this essence, why would he let it leave?