In the Sunset Forest.
Gu Yi guided Tang Yuehua in finding the spirit beast necessary for her second spirit ring—a Purple Spirit Wolf.
This particular beast had once been acquired by a child of destiny, millennia later. The Purple Spirit Wolf was a spiritual attribute spirit beast with the ability to weaken entire groups, making it an ideal match for Tang Yuehua's martial spirit, which was focused on large-scale spiritual power.
Naturally, Gu Yi wouldn't let such a perfect spirit beast slip away. After all, spiritual attribute spirit beasts were rare, and finding one that matched Tang Yuehua's needs was even more challenging. The Purple Spirit Wolf was perfect for Tang Yuehua.
They were fortunate to encounter the Purple Spirit Wolf shortly after entering the Sunset Forest. And it was not more than a thousand years old.
Despite Tang Yuehua's recent progress, her life of luxury in the Moon Pavillion had limited her physical activities to practicing with Gu Yi. Although her body had improved under the influence of medicinal pills, she still lacked the foundation to break the limit and absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring. At least, she wasn't capable of doing so yet.
Having studied spirit beasts for many years, Gu Yi was confident in accurately judging their age. Such a mistake wouldn't happen to him.
When Tang Yuehua stood up and summoned her martial spirit, this time it didn't hover above her palm; instead, it gracefully adorned her head. The previously elegant Wishful Ring had become even more refined and splendid, surpassing even a phoenix crown in grandeur.
"Second Spirit Skill: Group Weakening."
A wave of spiritual energy washed over them, and Gu Yi could feel his speed, strength, and other abilities significantly reduced. Indeed, it was the same spirit skill.
Tang Yuehua was truly becoming a formidable force in warfare—a trump card, starting with spiritual encouragement now followed by Group Weakening.
However, Tang Yuehua was currently weaker than Ning Rongrong. She was merely a vase without any combat ability.
But Tang Yuehua didn't need to fight. She was content with her current state. She didn't care about having combat abilities; what mattered was that she could continue cultivating.
"With your martial spirit and the techniques I've taught you, your cultivation speed won't be slow. Yuehua, you don't need to worry about not being able to improve your spirit power anymore."
"I stopped worrying about that long ago. After all, I have you, don't I?" Tang Yuehua rarely spoke such affectionate words.
Gu Yi naturally understood what she meant, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
...
A month after the time Gu Yi accompanied Tang Yuehua to hunt for her spirit ring, several members of Tianwen Academy reached a bottleneck in their cultivation.
Although they had already refined the medicinal pills that day, the energy contained within them was too much for them to absorb entirely. After this period of cultivation, they had naturally reached the peak of their abilities. This was inevitable.
But this time, Gu Yi didn't take them to hunt for spirit rings himself. Instead, he entrusted the task to the newly arrived teacher.
"Teacher Zhao, I'll leave them in your care." Gu Yi smiled at Zhao Wuji.
"Don't worry, Old Zhao will bring them back safely." Zhao Wuji, along with several other teachers, had resigned from Shrek Academy. Despite their deep friendship with Flender, they had grown increasingly frustrated and disappointed with his recent behavior.
Moreover, their relationship with Gu Yi was equally strong. They had watched Gu Yi grow up, and their emotional connection with him was no less than that with Flender, perhaps even stronger. That's why they chose to join Gu Yi. It was just a matter of retiring in a different place. Rather than staying where they felt uncomfortable, they preferred a more pleasant environment.
The reason Gu Yi didn't accompany them to hunt for spirit rings was that he had his own plans. He had yet to pass the first trial of the Evil God, and in the coming days, he needed to fully comprehend and master the Evil Domain. He intended to complete the first trial as soon as possible.
This was important to him.
In the next month, Gu Yi restrained his aura, transforming himself into an ordinary person. He didn't cultivate but instead wandered the streets and alleys of the city, savoring the life of ordinary people.
Gradually, he gained a deeper understanding of evil, and his aura constantly shifted. At times it was vague, at times clear; sometimes sacred, sometimes evil.
Finally, Gu Yi arrived in Spirit City and entered the Spirit Hall, specifically the Elder Hall, where he met one of the continent's top figures—Qian Daoliu.
"You are quite impressive, young one." Qian Daoliu looked at the young man he had been watching for some time, feeling both satisfied and surprised. He hadn't expected Gu Yi to grow so much in just a few years, even obtaining a god's inheritance.
Although Qian Daoliu couldn't inherit the Angel God position, he could clearly and deeply sense the divine power within Gu Yi.
"What brings you here?" Qian Daoliu had some idea of what Gu Yi wanted to do but couldn't understand why he had come to this place.
Gu Yi couldn't fully explain it either. He simply had a feeling that coming here would help him take the final step. To fully master the Evil Domain.
"May I see the Angel Statue?" Qian Daoliu wasn't sure what Gu Yi wanted, but he saw no harm in letting him worship the Angel Statue.
"Come in."
Gu Yi followed Qian Daoliu into the Elder Hall. It was vast and empty. The only prominent feature was the enormous six-winged Angel Statue standing in the center of the hall. Just looking at it inspired feelings of holiness and light.
To ordinary Spirit Masters, the Angel Statue might simply symbolize the faith of the Spirit Hall, without any real power. But to Gu Yi, this Angel Statue represented the utmost light, warmth, and purity, radiating the most selfless light energy.
Gu Yi suddenly had an epiphany. The last piece of the puzzle for mastering the Evil Domain had finally fallen into place.
The essence of evil was the opposite of kindness, light, and purity—everything beautiful. Extreme yin gives birth to yang, and extreme yang gives birth to yin. Only by understanding this could one truly grasp the Evil Domain.
Gu Yi stretched out his arms as if to embrace the warmth and comfort of the light. His body relaxed to the extreme, completely unguarded.
The Evil Domain was released.
Qian Daoliu felt something and instantly summoned his six-winged angel martial spirit. Gu Yi dared to release such evil power in a place of holiness and light—this was blasphemy against the angels.
"No, this... how is this possible?" Qian Daoliu was shocked when he realized that instead of clashing, the angelic aura was starting to merge with the Evil Domain.
"Could it be that both evilness and holiness are one?" Qian Daoliu, a prodigy surpassing 99% of the continent, would not have reached such heights if not for his extraordinary talent. But even he had been trapped by the constraints of his era, unable to escape the shackles of his thoughts.
(End Of Chapter)