Chapter 648 - 54

Chapter 54: Spiritual Energy TransformationNaruto turned his head, his gaze avoiding the cold glint of the cannon muzzle, and his tone instantly softened:"Sister Xing Yao, I was wrong, I agree, okay?"Xing Yao finally retracted the Star-Slayer Cannonwith satisfaction, and the cold, oppressive aura surrounding them instantly dissipated.She floated in mid-air, her chin slightly raised, showing a bit of tsundere-like certainty:"That's more like it. I'm the most reliable help on your path to the top, so don't be ungrateful.""Go, absorb all the Crystal Cores over there."She paused and continued:"The number of these Crystal Cores is enough to transform the chaotic energy in your body into half pure spiritual energy.""Chaotic? You're talking about Chakra, right?" Naruto asked immediately upon hearing this."What Chakra? It's just an inferior product of extremely diluted spiritual energy. Compared to Source Spiritual Energy, it's not even worth mentioning."Xing Yao curled her lips in disdain, her tone full of contempt for this low-level energy.Seeing this, Naruto still had a trace of concern in his heart and asked further:"Aren't these Crystal Cores resources mined by the Ōtsutsuki Clan that they originally intended to take away?""If I absorb them now, will they notice?""Just absorb them with peace of mind."Xing Yao's tone was nonchalant, yet filled with absolute confidence."I've already completely taken over the system permissions here. As for the detection data on the Ōtsutsuki's side, they will only see what I want them to see."As if suddenly remembering something, she added:"By the way, an Ōtsutsuki scan just swept over this Spaceship, but looking at the activity, they didn't seem to have any intention of coming to investigate.""Just absorb it in peace; nothing will go wrong."Naruto no longer hesitated. He looked in the direction Xing Yao pointed, where a pile of glowing blue Crystal Cores was stacked.Each one flowed with a warm luster, and wisps of pure energy slowly seeped out from the cores.He stepped up to the pile of Crystal Cores, sat down cross-legged, and followed the Spiritual Energy Circulation Method Xing Yao had just transmitted into his mind.Slowly closing his eyes, he reached out and gently pressed his hand on the topmost Crystal Core.In an instant, a majestic yet gentle energy surged into his body through the meridians in his palm, clashing with the mixed Chakra already inside him.The Chakra seemed to have met its natural enemy, instantly shrinking back, while the pure spiritual energy, like a tide, washed over and enveloped the Chakra bit by bit, slowly transforming and refining it.Naruto felt his meridians throughout his body slightly swelling, yet it was accompanied by an unprecedented sense of comfort.The blocked meridians were cleared one by one, and his breathing became increasingly long and steady.Xing Yao floated in front of him, her virtual projection flickering slightly. Her eyes were fixed on the changes in Naruto's aura, but her words remained sharp:"Hey, you're so stupid! The spiritual energy circulation path is wrong. Go three inches to the left of the Dantian. Don't go crashing around like a headless fly and waste such good Crystal Cores!"Though she was scolding him, she quietly raised her hand, and a tiny wisp of pale blue light entered Naruto's body, helping him stabilize the chaotic flow of spiritual energy, fearing he might accidentally suffer from Cultivation Deviation.Naruto quickly adjusted his breath and followed Xing Yao's guidance. The speed of transformation instantly increased several times over.The surrounding Crystal Cores dimmed at a visible rate as the energy was continuously absorbed into his body.About half an hour later, the small mountain of Crystal Cores was reduced to a pile of grayish-white waste.Naruto was surrounded by a faint spiritual glow. Half of the Chakra in his body had been transformed into pure spiritual energy, and his aura was more than a level stronger than before.He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. Clenching his fists and feeling the surging power in his body, he marveled:"The power of this spiritual energy is indeed much stronger than Chakra.""Of course!" Xing Yao tilted her chin up, her tone full of pride."Since you've finished absorbing it, let's leave here as soon as possible. Come, take this."Before she finished speaking, a metal patch as thin as a cicada's wing slowly floated in front of Naruto."This is my Consciousness Chip Carrier. Just stick it on your temple, or... should I just perform a minor surgery and implant it directly into your brain?"Before she could finish, Naruto hurriedly waved his hands:"The temple is fine, the temple is enough!"Having said that, he reached out to take the chip and carefully stuck it on his right temple.The surface of the chip had a built-in Mimetic Camouflage. The moment it was applied, it merged with his skin, looking no different from usual.Naruto touched his temple, and after confirming that the chip had completely hidden its traces, he looked up and asked:"How do we... get out now?"Xing Yao chuckled, her tone somewhat casual:"I just started the self-destruct sequence to collapse this Sand Sea Ruins directly."Naruto was stunned: "Collapse it?""Don't worry, I've already scanned the area. Those people who came with you have all escaped the ruins by now."Xing Yao said nonchalantly."I left enough time for them to evacuate... So next, it's naturally time to test the current strength of that Plastic Bag Skill of yours!"...Above the sand sea, the wind and sand howled.A group of wretched-looking Ninjas stood at the edge of a sand dune, watching the ground as it continuously collapsed and the yellow sand poured in frantically, their expressions solemn.Someone looked at the continuously sinking pit and sighed softly:"It's too deep... the entire ruins have collapsed, buried completely.""Naruto... he probably didn't have time to escape at all.""With such a huge commotion and not even a trace of Chakra fluctuation coming out, he's likely buried beneath the sand."The rolling yellow sand completely swallowed all traces of the underground ruins, as if no one had ever ventured into that silent place.In everyone's eyes, Naruto was dead.He had died in this sudden collapse, without even a body left behind."Naruto..."Naruto's expression was complex, his eyes slightly red, with a hint of tears already in the corners.Naruto was his first true friend in this world.Everyone from Windmill Village also had solemn expressions.Naruto hadn't been with Windmill for long, but he already acted like a true leader.Not only had he brought them heaven-defying opportunities time and again, but he had also protected everyone with his strength and responsibility. Everyone respected and trusted him from the bottom of their hearts.But now, the entire ruins were completely buried by yellow sand, without even a trace of his presence.Just as everyone fell into despair and silence the next moment...The sand a hundred meters away suddenly exploded!A giant black warblade slashed through the air, followed by a hundred-meter-tall Black Phantomerupting from the ground.Carrying an earth-shattering pressure, it slowly rose from the depths of the yellow sand.That majestic, cold, and unfathomable aura swept across, making all the experts present feel chilled and terrified.The weaker Ninjas were even directly dizzied by this aura, staggering backward."I, Lin Han-san, am back~"Beyond the starry sky.A cold voice suddenly rang out, sounding somewhat impatient:"What? The Sand Sea Ruins were destroyed? What on earth are those low-level creatures doing!""Forget it, no matter. The remaining ruins are still operating normally, and the energy extraction has never been interrupted."He paused, looking at the slowly rotating blue planet on the detection light screen, his eyes devoid of emotion:"In less than half a year, this planet will be completely drained of its life force, becoming another source of nourishment for my Ōtsutsuki Clan.""The minor commotions of a few ants need not be taken to heart."