Chapter 707

Chapter 707: Fourth Layer of Xumi

When Ye Yun reached the fourth layer, his feet suddenly lost solid ground, and he began to plummet. Golden Ling’er and Jin An scrambled to stabilize themselves with true qi, their movements frantic.

Ye Yun stared in surprise at the churning ocean beneath him, lost in thought.

“Ye Yun, what are you doing?” The Ancestor of the Sword Path’s voice rang out as Ye Yun’s figure seemed tiny against tsunami-like waves towering tens of zhang high. Ignoring the question, Ye Yun summoned flames in his palm, Fire Spirit Qi surging within him. He struck the raging waters below as if attacking a furious dragon.

“Just checking if any spirit beasts are lurking here,” Ye Yun replied casually.

The ocean beneath him erupted with unquenchable flames, provoking a massive creature to surface. Its slick body bore scorch marks from Ye Yun’s attack, yet when it met Ye Yun’s indifferent gaze, it hesitated.

Ye Yun flicked his wrist, slashing downward.

Boom!

Though his strike missed, the colossal wave split in two. Standing between the parted waters, Ye Yun ignored the black leviathan, sensing only a faint threat from it.

The creature, intimidated by the attack, began to sink back into the depths. Killing it would drain too much true qi and spiritual power, so Ye Yun simply hurled a burst of spiritual energy. The beast roared, cast a wary glance at Ye Yun, and vanished beneath the waves.

“Strange creatures thrive in vast forests. A spirit beast of this rank can’t be ordinary,” Ye Yun remarked to the Ancestor of the Sword Path.

The Ancestor chuckled. “One that stirs the sea so violently is rare. If it could fully control the waters, it’d rival the Water Spirit Dragon.”

“No need to mention that ruler of the depths. If I faced it now, I’d likely lose,” Ye Yun said dryly. He glanced upward, where a colossal full moon hung like carved jade against the dark sky.

No stars shone—only that immense moon. The Mysterious Crescent Blade hummed in response, its glow intensifying as if awakening. A cold, sacred aura permeated the air, yet Ye Yun felt an oppressive force tightening within him.

“Relax. Your Sun and Moon Dual Souls sense something amiss, so they’re amplifying. It’ll start slow but grow stronger until your energy drains,” the Ancestor explained, watching Ye Yun clutch his chest. Though he hadn’t experienced this himself, he remembered friends struggling with the same phenomenon in their youth.

“Wonder how they’re faring now…” the Ancestor mused, staring at the moon.

Ye Yun, now accustomed to the Dual Souls, forced a smile. “This amplification is ruthless. Without your warning, I might’ve tried ejecting them.”

“Ah, I forgot—your mental power is absurdly high for a Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivator. You *could* remove them,” the Ancestor said, then smirked. “But once the Dual Souls fully activate, resistance is futile. Expelling them then would waste all your endurance.”

“Will the process become unbearable?” Ye Yun asked, noting the Ancestor’s sly grin.

The earlier tingling had been tolerable, but the Ancestor’s seriousness hinted at worse. “Pain isn’t the only unbearable thing. Sometimes… excessive *comfort* can break you,” the Ancestor said, recalling his friends’ red-faced struggles.

“Still, your mental strength should let you suppress it. No suffering needed.” He sighed theatrically. “Pity. Such a missed opportunity.”

“No pity necessary,” Ye Yun said, eyeing the Ancestor’s stifled laughter. “Better this way—spares me your mockery.”

“You’ve no humor,” the Ancestor grumbled, turning stern as he studied the raging sea. “Calm became chaos. I thought this layer’s laws caused it, but something’s wrong.”

“Likely a spirit beast. Only the Water Spirit Dragon could command such power,” Ye Yun said, sensing the conflicting water energies below. “This isn’t a magical array’s work. That dragon’s rank here must be supreme.”

He soared upward, leaving the turbulent sea. Golden Ling’er and Jin An hovered nearby, curiosity plain on their faces. Noticing the restless Water Spirit Python coiled around Golden Ling’er’s finger, Ye Yun said, “No time to fight the Water Spirit Dragon. We’re on the fourth layer—let’s seek its treasures.”

“But it’s so empty here. Are the treasures… underwater?” Golden Ling’er asked, scanning the barren expanse.

“If only we could meet someone from the Moon Goddess Palace now. None of us know anything about this place, and searching here is like fishing for a needle in the ocean.” Jin An glanced around curiously, wondering how the Water Spirit Dragon could create such terrifying phenomena.

“Better curb your curiosity. That spirit beast far surpasses our capabilities. If we truly encountered it, I’d barely protect myself with no energy left for you two.” Ye Yun’s words instantly extinguished Jin An’s interest, making him pray they wouldn’t meet the creature.

“But Senior, can’t you really defeat the Water Spirit Dragon? Even if it’s strong, shouldn’t it just be a Nascent Soul stage beast? People say you’re almost breaking into the Earth Immortal realm—almost as strong as my father!” Golden Ling’er frowned. In her mind, Ye Yun should be invincible within the Xumi Treasure. How could a mere beast trouble him?

“Imagination runs wild on its home turf. If you doubt me, ask your Water Spirit Python—it likely understands that creature’s power better.” Ye Yun chuckled, glancing at the girl.

“Xiao Shui knows?” Golden Ling’er gaped at the serpent coiled around her finger, which occasionally dipped into nearby water.

“Both control water spirits, but the dragon’s rank dwarfs your python.” Ye Yun smiled as the girl pouted.

“I thought Xiao Shui was powerful! Turns out it’s no match for that Water Spirit Dragon.” She sulked, lifting her pet.

The Water Spirit Python hissed indignantly. Comparing it to that monster was absurd! It had once glimpsed a Water Spirit Dragon in the treasure’s second layer—a being so fearsome it had lain frozen in sand, barely escaping notice. After that encounter, it trained relentlessly until reaching the Seventh Level of the Nascent Soul stage and meeting Ye Yun. The dragon might as well have vanished.

Though dragon-shaped, the creature radiated pure savagery, devoid of spiritual essence—more a water-devouring beast than a true spirit. Yet Ye Yun felt intrigued. This was the dragon’s domain, but his Ice Spirit Qi and lunar soul could channel the moon’s vast Moon Goddess power. When the time came, he might rival it.

“We need shelter.” Ye Yun studied the stormy sea. Any islands here would’ve been obliterated by eternal tempests.

“If not the sea, then…” His gaze shot upward. Spotting irregularities in the night sky, he laughed. “No wonder I couldn’t find it—they moved the treasure here!”

Golden Ling’er and Jin An followed his finger but saw only the familiar giant moon. “Where’s the treasure, Senior?”

“Below each cloud.” Ye Yun pointed at drifting white masses. “But can you endure this thin spiritual energy?”

“If Senior Brother can, so can I!” Golden Ling’er grinned, marveling at hidden clouds. Forming such illusions required countless arrays—perhaps rivaling the third layer’s foundational magic.

She daydreamed about great cultivators foreseeing their arrival and preparing these formations. Such foresight! If she worked hard, maybe someday…

“Ling’er might achieve this if she trains seriously,” Jin An teased, recognizing her starry-eyed look. “But not if she slacks off.”

“Hmph! I train hard—you just don’t see it!” She stuck out her tongue.

“Let’s go.” Ye Yun activated spatial laws, teleporting them to an energy-rich cloud.

Golden Ling’er gasped, sweat beading as sparse energy drained her. She grabbed a low-grade Immortal Spirit Stone from her pouch, absorbing its Immortal spirit energy. Jin An did the same, struggling more than Ye Yun’s calm demeanor suggested possible.

“Senior… why… unaffected?” he wheezed.

“Control your energy flow. No external change can disrupt internal balance.” Smiling, Ye Yun crushed two top-quality Immortal Spirit Stones, bathing them in revitalizing coldness.

“Such waste…” Jin An murmured enviously. Golden Ling’er winced—one top-quality stone equaled a hundred low-grade! Yet she clutched ten top-tier stones Ye Yun had given her earlier. His generosity dwarfed her “wealth.”

Basking in moonlight, Ye Yun felt familiar energy prickling his veins. “Ancestor, scan the clouds with soul power.”

“Too risky. Arrays everywhere drain soul’s origin. No treasures detected, but…” The Ancestor of the Sword Path hesitated. “That moon hides something—a blazing sun behind it, equally powerful. A spatial rift connects them.”

“The fifth layer!” Ye Yun’s eyes lit up. “My Sun and Moon Dual Souls must be the key.”

“Without enduring this layer’s natural nine great tribulations, you can’t proceed,” the Ancestor warned. “Wait for the calamities—they’ll signal your ascension.”

Ye Yun grimaced, recalling apocalyptic tribulations erasing continents. “If all five layers unleash such power…”

Shaking off dread, he summoned his crescent blade. Moonlight rippled across its glassy hilt. “Comfortable, unlike the Fire Dragon Whip.”

“Your lunar soul resonates with it,” the Ancestor noted. “Learn Moon Goddess techniques, and you’d soar.”

“But provoking the Moon Goddess Palace now is unwise. Their Moon Refining Technique doubles strength—fighting them would be lethal.” As Ye Yun spoke, solar energy surged through him, enhancing his physique.

He slashed the air, moonbeams dissipating before reaching their celestial target. “Still impressive!” Activating his Stagnation Stone, he warped time around the blade, watching it devour amplified moonlight.

Shadowy figures emerged ahead. A casual strike split one, funneling Moon Goddess power into the blade. Unlike Fire/Ice Spirit battles, no crystals dropped—just pure energy transfer.

Ye Yun restrained absorption lest the blade shatter. Turning to his companions, he said, “Train here. Jin An needs to harmonize his energies for the Nascent Soul’s second layer.”

Nodding, Jin An unleashed his top-quality Immortal artifact—golden light shearing a lunar spirit’s arms. Moonlight instantly regenerated them.

Not to be outdone, Golden Ling’er tossed her Water Spirit Python. The finger-sized serpent ballooned into a barrel-thick behemoth, tail slamming clouds to unleash gales.