Chapter 0433: Divine Source

In this place, people were cold-hearted and indifferent. What they cared about was only themselves—profit, gain, and survival. Selfishness was the norm. Concepts like morality and ritual had all but disappeared. Even those who still held on to moral values were few and far between—and most of them were already dead. Just like little Nununu's grandfather, who had died silently, without recognition.

Even in death, one's corpse might be fully exploited without a trace left behind.

"Suppress!!"

As Wu Hai fell, thousands upon thousands of chang ghosts burst from his body, filling the air with ghostly energy as if to transform the world into a ghastly realm. A tide of spectral entities surged out from the life apertures within his body.

But before the chang ghosts could erupt in force, a thunderous command rang out. In the next instant, black-and-white Yin-Yang chains appeared from thin air, swiftly binding and shackling each and every ghost, dragging them forcefully into the Yin-Yang space—there to be suppressed, refined, and devoured.

The pace was astonishing, consuming all ghosts without pause or resistance.

Thousands upon thousands of ghosts made for quite the feast for the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes. Once refined, they would surely boost the life aperture's core essence.

This sight alone filled the onlookers with deep apprehension. The terrifying burst of ghosts that could have overwhelmed the surroundings was once again suppressed effortlessly. Not even the ghosts could escape.

It could be said that from the very start, Wu Hai had never posed any real threat to Yi Tianxing—neither in life nor in death.

"Storage ring… This thing's not bad—far superior to storage bags or dimensional pouches."

With a wave of his hand, Yi Tianxing stripped Wu Hai's storage ring, holding it in his grasp. A strand of divine sense instantly shot out from the Sea of Consciousness life aperture, striking the ring and forcibly obliterating the spiritual imprint upon it.

In an instant, a massive internal space appeared in his mind.

The interior space of this storage ring was vast—many times greater than typical space bags. At a rough estimate, it was about the size of a football field. Even among storage rings, this one was of exceptional quality.

More importantly, it housed a huge pile of spirit crystals.

There were black iron, bronze, silver, and even gold-grade spirit crystals, all stacked high like mountains. An astonishing fortune by any standard.

"According to the locals, the Fierce Tiger Gang controlled a crystal mine, and its yield must have been quite decent to amass such a massive trove of spirit crystals," Yi Tianxing thought to himself, secretly impressed. Even though he possessed a crystal mine himself, he had only extracted a fraction of its output and had never personally seen such a towering pile of crystals.

With a thought, the crystals were transferred into the Heavenly Tower within his body.

"Hmm? What's this?"

A flash of light gleamed in Yi Tianxing's hand as a fist-sized crystal emerged. The crystal radiated multicolored light, exuding divine radiance. Threads of extremely pure energy spilled out and seeped into his body, causing a sudden surge in true essence. Even the Ancestral Dragon coiled in his divine sea stirred with longing.

This crystal's energy was not just purer than spirit crystals—it was purer by orders of magnitude. Not a single trace of impurity could be sensed. Even a strand of its essence held staggering power. If it were to fully erupt, the destructive force would be unimaginable.

There was no doubt—this was a rare treasure for cultivation. Refining it would bring meteoric progress in one's realm.

"Divine Source! That's a Divine Source crystal! So it's true—the Fierce Tiger Gang's mine actually yielded Divine Sources!"

A cry of astonishment came from the crowd. Eyes locked onto the gem in Yi Tianxing's hand, filled with greed and fervor. Yet, seeing Wu Hai's corpse on the ground, none dared make a move.

"It really is a Divine Source… the purest essence drawn from a spirit crystal mine."

Yi Tianxing's heart tightened. Without hesitation, he stored the Divine Source into his treasure tower for safekeeping.

📘 What Is a Divine Source?

The Divine Source was one of the most mysterious and precious treasures born of heaven and earth. It emerged from spirit crystal mines, but not every mine produced it. Some had none, while others might be rich with them—it all depended on fate and fortune.

The Divine Source was the essence of the world's spiritual energy, compressed and refined to its utmost purity—essence of the essence. What made it truly special was not only the immense energy it contained but also the Dao Rhyme embedded within it.

Divine Sources carry the resonance of universal laws.

When refined during cultivation, the Dao Rhyme would manifest as ethereal heavenly harmonies, echoing in one's ears, refining the life apertures and deepening one's understanding of the Great Dao.

To absorb and refine one was to naturally ascend. It was the perfect treasure for cultivation—pure, potent, and without risk of backlash.

Even great cultivators used Divine Sources in their breakthroughs. A fingernail-sized piece could spark bloodshed; a fist-sized chunk, like the one Yi Tianxing found, was beyond estimation in value.

This alone made the harvest incredibly worthwhile.

Yi Tianxing looked further into the storage ring, though a bit disappointed. Aside from the crystals, most other items were ordinary. There were a handful of techniques and martial skills, such as Tiger Fiend Sutra and Heart-Shattering Palm, amounting to a dozen or so books. Yet few were high-quality—most were basic techniques.

Still, they weren't wasted. He gathered them all, planning to place them in the Scripture Pavilion later.

Once everything was settled, he looked down at Wu Hai's corpse, then raised his eyes to the Dark Altar nearby. A sudden idea struck him. Stretching out his hand, he levitated the body and flung it onto the altar.

Bang!!

Wu Hai's corpse landed precisely on the altar with a crisp thud.

This drew startled gazes from the onlookers, as they sensed something unusual was about to happen.

"Dark Altar, I offer this sacrifice—Wu Hai's corpse."

Yi Tianxing did not ascend the altar. He simply stood before it and proclaimed his offering in a clear voice.

A sacrifice—but without reverence. No pious attitude, no prayers or kneeling—just a direct, transactional tone.

It felt more like bartering than worship.

I give a sacrifice—you give a reward.

Such bluntness was unheard of. No one had ever dared treat the Lord of Darkness so brazenly.

"With that attitude, does he really expect a response? Isn't that a provocation?" someone muttered under their breath.

"If this works, I'll twist my head off and use it as a soccer ball," someone else swore confidently.

Woosh!

Yet before their words even finished echoing, a wave of dense black light surged over the altar, enveloping Wu Hai's body. In the next moment, the body was absorbed—vanishing entirely.

This stunned the crowd.

The altar had responded.

Those who had sworn it wouldn't work stood slack-jawed, unable to close their mouths.

Immediately after, a pillar of black divine light descended, enveloping Yi Tianxing completely. Instinctively, he wanted to dodge. Deep within, he harbored unease toward this mysterious altar.

This was no ordinary structure—it clearly held deep significance.

As the light fell upon him, a strand of profound spiritual information entered his mind.

"After offering a sacrifice, one may make a request. The altar will then respond with a reward. A hidden law, mysterious and obscure, governs this exchange."

Absorbing the information, Yi Tianxing couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

The path of sacrifice was truly arcane.

The altar's master would accept an offering and then provide a reward in return. A perfect cause-and-effect cycle. The better the offering, the greater the reward.

It was a trade—simple but profound.

Of course, this was only the surface. Yi Tianxing knew that the true mystery behind sacrificial altars could only be understood by their divine masters.

There were secrets he could not yet grasp.

Now, it was time for the reward. The altar accepted the offering, and a response was imminent—but the feedback had its limits. It could only grant a reward within a certain scope. Within that range, any request might be answered.

"I want a secret technique to open new life apertures."

A gleam flashed in Yi Tianxing's eyes as he sent out his wish. The thought echoed into a mysterious, unseen dimension.

Woosh!

Less than a heartbeat later, a glimmer of light revealed a set of jade books enshrouded in mist.

To others, the contents were obscured, but Yi Tianxing could clearly read the characters and discern their information.