Chapter 691 Leaving the graveyard torch
Yang Qing quickly extinguished his excitable thoughts as he guided his attention back to the scarlet crystal grove tree.
The soul formation realm might as well be some outlandish prospect to him at the moment. Him fantasizing about it was no different than his dreaming about one day stumbling across a mysterious realm made entirely of delicacies of all kinds.
He could think about it all he wanted, but it remained to be seen if he would ever reach such heights. Some argued that the core formation realm was the first watershed in cultivation that separated the mediocre from the rest.
Those who made it to the core formation realm showed they at least had a modicum of ability to cultivate and from within that group those who managed to reach the palace realm showed that their abilities were standouts from the rest.
With great comprehension and talent, one could reach the realms of the palace realm and below, but when it came to the domain realm, things were vastly different. Talent and comprehension weren't enough. Luck and resolve came into play.
Everyone who was able to survive the tribulation of the domain realm showed that they were geniuses amongst geniuses, a one-of-a-kind talent who appeared in 100,000 years, and it wasn't only just that, it also showed they had an unshakeable resolve and indomitable will capable of weathering through any and all tribulations. The world would end, and they would remain calm.
It was widely accepted that the tribulation leading to the domain realm was the deadliest, and such a statement was supported even by figures who had reached the soul formation realm. They all agreed on that one fact, beneath the tribulation of the domain realm, it didn't matter whether you were from a prestigious background, or lacking of, you were all equal beneath that death-reaping lightning.
Every domain expert was special, it didn't matter whether they were at the first stage or the peak,?being a domain expert made them stand out, not because of the monstrous abilities they had, but because they survived that treacherous tribulation.
But as huge as that achievement is, those monstrously gifted and resolved domain experts, not many of them reach the soul formation realm. Resolve and talent are not enough. Yang Qing heard that every breakthrough to the soul formation realm was unique to the person, you could never be trained or prepared for it, and when the moment was ripe, you would just know.
Yang Qing knew he was a long way away from the domain realm let alone the soul formation realm. He had only begun taking the step to scale up that peak, and he wasn't sure he would be able to reach it. No one could guarantee that he would reach the soul formation. There were already members of the Order who had stagnated in that realm.
The members of the judicial review committee were prime examples of it. Other than Long Enlai, none of the other members had reached the soul formation realm, despite all being from the same era. Maybe Yang Qing and his group of friends may end up the same way, with only just one of them reaching the soul-formation realm while the rest forever languished in the domain realm.
He had already made some sort of peace with it, well a bit of it. He would only be at peace with it if Kang Huilang wasn't the person who reached the soul formation realm, because if it happened, he was sure he would develop heart demons from Kang Huilang mocking him endlessly for thousands and thousands of years without pause.
"I can't let that bastard show me up, I must reach the soul formation realm. I can't risk it.." muttered Yang Qing as he clenched his teeth with staunch conviction.
He liked pulling down Kang Huilang a peg or two, but Yang Qing couldn't deny, among their group, the one person he thought had high odds of reaching it was that yellow-haired bastard.
Zhang Qinggee may be one of the youngest palace realm cultivators at the Order and has terrifying combat abilities, but Yang Qing and even their circle knew, Kang Huilang was something. He would have broken through to the palace realm much much earlier than even Yang Qing, had he wanted to. He only delayed for so long because he was playing around with different types of intents to try and find out how many he could blend without risking a backlash.
Cultivators could spend thousands and thousands of years and never catch a whiff of any type of intent. They could sacrifice everything to the last drop including even their lives, and never achieve it, but when it came to Kang Huilang, he had been playing around with it since he was 12 and it wasn't just one type of intent.
Yang Qing didn't know what the special requirements for triggering a breakthrough to the soul formation were, but he felt a bastard who was able to blend three different types of intent together had a high chance of triggering them eventually.
Yang Qing felt stifled at the thought before he said,
"At least I'll reach the domain realm earlier than him and my chances of survival are higher.." Read latest chapters at nov(e)lbin.com Only
He could feel the resplendent power of the vitality dao coursing through every corner of his body from his essence, his qi, his spirit, his tendons, organs, and blood, everything within him had been coated by a sliver of power of the vitality dao which brought numerous benefits to him a few of which were resilience and regeneration.
Since that day occasionally he would get nightmares about losing his communication talisman and the Order, asking him to replace it with his funds. Since then every time he wakes up he has to confirm it is there. He even had it inscribed with a tracking and camouflaging rune just in case.
Yang Qing quickly exchanged contact with Gu Xing.
"If you happen to detect that aura again please inform me, or you can come to this place and tell the person in charge..." Yang Qing said as he projected the location of the branch through a spell.
"I figured you're from there... so you are from the Order.." Gu Xing said as she recognized the area shown by Yang Qing.
Suddenly she frowned as she said,
"Wait, I thought you were close with the Deer Mountain Kingdom. Earlier when I said the eerie figure may have ties with the Kingdom though you seemed shocked, you didn't seem surprised by the guess, and you didn't challenge it either..Is there something wrong with them?"
Yang Qing went silent for a brief moment debating whether to tell her of his guesses or not before ultimately deciding to inform her of it.
"You have to promise, you won't spread it as I haven't confirmed it myself, and is just a case now.." Yang Qing solemnly said.
"I promise.."
Yang Qing sighed as he went on to explain his guess and the foundation of his guess stemming from the fight with the blue soul flame crow syndicate and the obsidian serpents to the leaked information about the graveyard torch and how it might potentially be tied to something that required a lot of lives as a prerequisite and the identity of that person being from the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Gu Xing's expression turned grim from the flood of information. Everything Yang Qing said supported her worries, especially that foreboding feeling she felt from the moment she stepped onto the range.
"Why don't you attack them? If you wait, won't it be too late?"
"Like I said at the moment it's just a guess. A few of my seniors had investigated the kingdom when they came but they couldn't find anything. If we attack them with impunity, we will draw attention that the Order doesn't need at the moment.
All we can do is pull at the thread and follow it wherever it leads, trying to uncover as much as we can which hopefully will lead us to the right place before the worst happens..." Yang Qing said with a sigh.
"But don't worry, I already informed my seniors of my suspicions. They are more powerful and experienced than I am in digging up things.
If something is going on with the kingdom, they will surely find it, and the urn you've shared with me could help with that.." he added.
"I hope so," said Gu Xing with a grim expression.
"I really hope so.." she added.
"Me too.." added Yang Qing.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with Gu Xing before he left. He made a point of warning her against investigating the Deer Mountain Kingdom on her own lest something happen to her. Turns out his warning wasn't needed as Gu Xing was abundantly cautious of her life just as he was. She had no intention of leaving the graveyard torch. Other than visiting Meifeng, she would stay put where she was. The environment strengthened her ability to sense danger and with the evolution brought by Yang Qing's involvement, it was even more so now.
Yang Qing told her, that if worse came to worst, she could flee to the branch which was about the safest place in the entire range, even more so, once the array covering the entire range was completed.
Once he was done, Yang Qing made a beeline to another location. With his period as the branch chief almost coming to a close, there were a few arrangements he wanted to make before he left.