In the primordial chaos, beyond the river of time.
Ye Ling sat cross-legged in the void, consuming vast amounts of spiritual energy from the primordial chaos through his devouring domain. This was barely enough to replenish his depleted strength and the karmic power he had lent out.
"This can't go on... I can't replenish spiritual energy outside the void. While the primordial chaos is abundant in spiritual energy, it can't withstand my consumption like this. If I fight a few more battles, the primordial chaos might be drained dry by me!"
Ye Ling awoke, gazing at the surging river of time below, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't felt this way before, but after absorbing the Primordial Soul King and taking in karma, he vaguely sensed that the power of the primordial chaos was no longer sufficient for him.
Although Ye Ling knew he needed to find another way to replenish his spiritual energy consumption, he couldn't find a better method at the moment.
"There's always an outflow for every inflow; energy conservation... this is an eternal and unchanging iron rule. Is there any way I can break this rule and obtain infinite power?"
Ye Ling muttered to himself, then shook his head, "Forget it, overthinking is useless. I should return to Earth first, so Xiao You doesn't worry."
With that, Ye Ling retracted the now-satisfied Karma into his body and teleported back to the courtyard of the Ye Family Manor.
Upon returning to the manor, Ye Ling was surprised to see only Ye You left in the courtyard. He asked her, "Where is Senior Brother?"
"He went to save you..." Ye You replied honestly.
"Save me?" Ye Ling didn't immediately grasp Ye You's meaning, his eyes filled with confusion.
Ye You smiled wryly and recounted everything Xing Yu had said when he took off his helmet after Ye Ling had left.
Hearing Ye You's words, Ye Ling finally understood that he and Xing Yu had perfectly missed each other. He couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't expect Senior Brother to be so worried about my safety. This is quite surprising."
Seeing Ye Ling's lack of concern, Ye You asked, "Brother? Aren't you afraid Xing Yu might encounter danger? Those tentacles, just looking at them makes me shudder."
Ye Ling, however, was quite confident in Xing Yu. He waved his hand and said, "It's fine. I've already dealt with the dangerous ones, and Senior Brother is no ordinary person. He'll be alright."
As soon as Ye Ling finished speaking, the space in the courtyard slightly distorted, and Xing Yu emerged, staring at Ye Ling with a look of shock. He stammered, "Jun... Junior Brother, you... you... defeated that creature from the dark side of the void?"
"The one who fought me wasn't a remnant of the Dark Star?" Ye Ling's eyes flickered with surprise at Xing Yu's words.
He had vaguely suspected before that the entity attacking his past self was not a remnant of the Dark Star, but he had no proof to support his guess.
Now, Xing Yu's words confirmed his conjecture.
"That's right! That was a Void Beast from the dark side of the void. Its strength is terrifying. Even I, Senior Brother, wouldn't dare to face it head-on. I never imagined you, Junior Brother, could defeat that Void Beast! It's simply incredible!"
Xing Yu exclaimed excitedly, continuously examining Ye Ling, his gaze akin to that of someone looking at a rare treasure. "No wonder Master cherishes you so much!"
Ye Ling, however, caught the subtle details in Xing Yu's words and asked, "I merely defeated the Void Beast? Does that mean I didn't eliminate that monster?"
Logically, he had decomposed that fleshy mass into text within his memory, causing it to self-destruct. That fleshy mass shouldn't have survived.
Xing Yu didn't overthink it and laughed, "Junior Brother, you don't understand Void Beasts. It's normal that you didn't kill it. They have many life-saving methods. Unless their life core in the dark side of the void is destroyed, they can revive even if they are crushed into ashes!"
"You are very smart. After defeating the Void Beast, you didn't provoke the remnant of the Dark Star. That guy was hidden within the remnant at the time. If you had approached, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"There was such a thing..."
Hearing Xing Yu's words, Ye Ling broke out in a cold sweat.
After defeating the Void Beast in his memory, he truly believed he had completely erased it, only to find out it was still alive.
If his curiosity had gotten the better of him then...
Ye Ling reviewed the situation at that time and then said to Xing Yu, "I am ashamed. My skills are lacking, and I still need Senior Brother to help deal with the aftermath."
"Junior Brother, you flatter me. I don't have the ability to kill Void Beasts," Xing Yu said, waving his hands repeatedly and laughing. "Master made the move. When I went to save you just now, I discovered Master's residual aura."
"Shan made the move?" Ye Ling was startled. He hadn't sensed Shan's presence at all when he was in the void!
After obtaining the power of the Six Kings and subduing karma, Ye Ling thought his strength could approach that of Shan and E.
But Ye Ling now realized how far he still had to go.
Xing Yu didn't think much of it and said, "Yes! He handled it very cleanly. Neither the Void Beast nor the remnant of the Dark Star were left behind, so you don't have to worry about any lingering issues."
"Furthermore, the game's loopholes have been fixed, and I can finally reopen the game. This has resolved a major concern of mine!"
Xing Yu stretched lazily and then said to Ye You, "By the way, Junior Sister, I upgraded the program recently and shielded the perception of the dark side of the void. You can now play using the game helmet and game pod."
"I can play the game too?"
Upon hearing Xing Yu's words, Ye You's eyes lit up, and her face was filled with unconcealable excitement.
Although she could play "Shan E Zhi Jue" now, she wasn't using virtual reality, which always felt like something was missing.
Now, Xing Yu's words were a huge surprise to her!
Xing Yu smiled and said, "Of course, you can. But you'll have to use the special account I gave you. My system needs to constantly monitor your character's status to detect any anomalies immediately and protect your safety."
"Of course, no problem!" Ye You exclaimed excitedly. "As long as I can play! I've wanted to experience this era's game for a long time!"
Ye Ling, seeing his sister's excited expression, shook his head and smiled. Then, he turned to Xing Yu and said, "Senior Brother, there's something I'd like to ask of you. I wonder if you would agree?"
"Just say it, Junior Brother! You've been a great help in reopening this game," Xing Yu said, patting his chest.
Ye Ling said, "I have a friend named Mu Bai. He's also a genius game developer. He's currently researching your special symbols at the Heavenly Dao Palace. Could you mentor him? Of course, if it's difficult for you, Senior Brother, you can refuse."
"What big deal is this? My methods are not secret. If you want to learn, I naturally welcome it!" Xing Yu agreed without hesitation. "I'm short of people here. I'll go meet him later."
"Then I thank you in advance, Senior Brother." Ye Ling cupped his fists in a bow, his face beaming with joy.
With Mu Bai learning from Xing Yu, once Mu Bai mastered those special symbols... it would be equivalent to Ye Ling mastering them as well.
After all, Xing Yu's special symbols possessed power comparable to Source Texts.
Now that Xing Yu was willing to teach Mu Bai, this meant Ye Ling had gained mastery of another form of power!