Chapter 435: The Essence of the Void

His gaze finally landed on Xiao Yuan: "If I fail, you are to take over the work of the Five Elements City Guardian Network. Your ability to control the Five Elements is second only to mine; you can do it."

Xiao Yuan's eyes filled with tears, and she wanted to object again, but was gently stopped by Lin Xuan: "Trust me, I will return."

There was a moment of silence in the hall; everyone understood that Lin Xuan's resolve was set. Xu Feng sighed and began to adjust the Array parameters, preparing for the upcoming ritual.

"What support do you need?" Xu Feng asked.

"Prepare five types of pure source substances, each corresponding to the Five Elements," Lin Xuan replied quickly, "Additionally, I need complete silence; any external interference could cause my Spirit Body to become lost. Most importantly, no matter what happens, unless my physical body is in mortal danger, do not interrupt the ritual."

Preparations were carried out in a flurry of activity. Xu Feng personally prepared the five source substances: a handful of blazing fire seeds, a piece of vibrant emerald tree heart, a pinch of essence soil from the vast earth, a piece of gleaming refined steel, and a drop of pure water from the deep sea. These substances were placed beside the Five Cores respectively, serving as auxiliary sources of energy.

Xiao Yuan prepared a set of life-monitoring equipment capable of tracking Lin Xuan's vital signs in real-time. Her eyes remained filled with worry, but she knew that at this moment, she could not change Lin Xuan's decision.

"Everything is ready," Xu Feng reported, "The Array has been adjusted to its most stable state, and the energy flow paths have been optimized."

Lin Xuan nodded, walked slowly to the center of the Array, and sat down cross-legged. He took one last look at Xiao Yuan and the other companions, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly to reveal a reassuring smile, and then he closed his eyes.

"Begin."

As soon as Lin Xuan's voice fell, the Five Cores lit up simultaneously, each emitting a different colored light, illuminating the entire hall in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Lin Xuan's entire body was gradually surrounded by a faint halo of light; it was a sign of the Five Elements Energy overflowing from within him.

His breathing gradually became deep and slow, and his heartbeat began to decelerate. Every Practitioner present could feel that Lin Xuan's aura was undergoing a strange change, becoming increasingly light and ethereal, as if it would dissipate into the air at any moment.

"He has entered the state," Xu Feng whispered to Xiao Yuan, "The Spirit Body is about to detach from the physical body."

No sooner had the words been spoken than Lin Xuan's physical body suddenly stopped breathing, and his heartbeat vanished completely. The monitoring equipment immediately sounded an alarm, but Xiao Yuan quickly muted the sound, leaving only the data display. Everyone present held their breath, watching this moment.

A translucent energy form slowly rose from within Lin Xuan—this was his Spirit Body form. The Spirit Body initially maintained a human shape, then gradually became blurred, eventually turning into a stream of pure, five-colored energy that hovered in the center of the Five Cores.

"The first step is a success," Xu Feng breathed a sigh of relief, "He has successfully detached from his physical body."

The five-colored energy stream slowly divided into five streams of different colors, corresponding to the Five Elements: crimson, emerald green, earthy yellow, pure white, and deep blue. These five streams of energy, like five swimming dragons, approached the Five Cores one by one and finally merged into them respectively.

The light of the Five Cores in the Array suddenly intensified, and the energy flow became more active. Through the precision energy-monitoring equipment, everyone could see that the energy structure inside the cores was undergoing subtle changes; the originally chaotic energy was gradually becoming orderly, and the Void residue in the Metal and Water cores was being cleared away bit by bit.

In the Spirit Body state, Lin Xuan's consciousness experienced a strange sensation like never before. He was no longer limited by the senses of the flesh, but was instead perceiving the flow of energy directly. In his perception, the Five Cores were no longer physical entities, but five massive energy vortices containing complex and profound energy structures.

Lin Xuan's Spirit Body consciousness split into five parts, merging into the Five Cores. In this state of direct communication with the source of energy, he could clearly "see" the Void Energy remaining in the Metal and Water cores—it was a deep purple energy structure with twisted geometric shapes, completely incompatible with the energy of the cores themselves.

Lin Xuan began to mobilize his own Five Elements Energy to harmonize these imbalances directly at the energy level. This was an extremely delicate task, like finding discordant notes in a chaotic symphony and adjusting them to the correct pitch.

As the harmonization deepened, Lin Xuan's consciousness gradually expanded, transcending the scope of the Five Cores and extending into broader dimensions. In this strange Spirit Body state, he "saw" a shocking sight—the essence of the Void.

It was not a void, but a multi-dimensional existence beyond human understanding. Countless energy streams intertwined within it, forming structures larger than the universe. Yage was but a tiny existence within it, like a single drop of water in the ocean. Yet, this drop of water was filled with a dangerous will, attempting to erode the boundaries of the real world.

What surprised Lin Xuan even more was that at the edge of the Void, he sensed a familiar trace of consciousness—Yang Zhiyuan. Although the physical body had been destroyed, the strength of Yang Zhiyuan's will was such that it could briefly persist in the Void.

"Lin Xuan, you have come." The consciousness fluctuation of Yang Zhiyuan transmitted the message.

"Yang Zhiyuan? You still... exist?" Lin Xuan's Spirit Body vibrated, expressing surprise.

"Only temporarily; my consciousness is about to dissipate." Yang Zhiyuan's consciousness seemed to be smiling, "But before I dissipate, I must tell you an important discovery: Yage is not an independent individual; it is a 'probe' of the Void Collective Consciousness, intended to test the resistance capability of human civilization."

"A probe?"

"Yes, just as human scientists would first send probes to study unknown territories. Once Yage is defeated, the Void will temporarily abandon its invasion of Diqiu, at least until human civilization reaches a higher level."

Lin Xuan's Spirit Body consciousness vibrated at this information. This meant their resistance was not in vain; as long as they defeated Yage, human civilization would gain precious time for development.

"Complete your mission, Lin Xuan." Yang Zhiyuan's consciousness began to blur, "Remember, Five Elements Unity, the unity of heaven and man..."

Yang Zhiyuan's consciousness finally dissipated, merging into the vast Void. Lin Xuan's Spirit Body vibrated, but quickly refocused his attention to continue harmonizing the energy of the Five Cores.

Just then, Lin Xuan felt a powerful and evil will locking onto his Spirit Body. It was Yage; it had detected Lin Xuan's presence.

"Human, you dare to intrude upon the edge of the Void in such a fragile form?" Yage's will coiled around Lin Xuan's Spirit Body like a cold venomous snake, "Your Spirit Body shall become my nourishment."

A powerful mental shock struck toward Lin Xuan.