Chapter 1154: Rebuilding the Foundation
Chapter 1154: Rebuilding the Foundation
“Isn’t this a bit of a waste?”
In front of his trusted subordinate, Yan Huan, Shang Shaojun quietly sent a mental inquiry to Li Fan.
Then, seeing the faint, unreadable smile on Li Fan's face, Shang Shaojun immediately felt his question had been improper.
He let out a soft cough to mask his awkwardness.
“The name ‘Immortal Heart Mantra’ is far too conspicuous,” Li Fan advised. “You should give it a more common name before passing it on, Shaojun.”
Shang Shaojun, recalling the technique deduced by the Deduction Jade, turned to Yan Huan and declared, “This is the [Forging Heart Technique], a gift from this senior. It will protect you all from the corrosion of the demonic sound. Disseminate it throughout the army at once, and make certain every soldier masters it.”
The name “Forging Heart Technique” was so common that Yan Huan showed little surprise upon hearing Shang Shaojun’s command. He simply bowed, accepted the order, and immediately began to practice the technique.
“To possess such a profound secret art and be completely unaware of its value... It’s truly...”
“If they knew how precious this technique truly is, their anxiety over possessing it might very well prevent them from learning it at all,” Li Fan countered.
“The Azure Mystery Army has a million soldiers,” Shang Shaojun said, looking at Li Fan with clear bewilderment. “Though I've forbidden it from being shared externally, a leak of the Immortal Heart Mantra seems inevitable. Does that not concern you, friend Daoist?”
Ever since this man arrived at the Eternal Immortal Fortress, Shang Shaojun had found his actions utterly incomprehensible.
It wasn't for fame, nor was it for fortune.
“Cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm hoard their knowledge, treasuring even the most trivial secrets. While this is partly due to the ‘Law of Incompatible Cultivation,’ it has unconsciously twisted their entire mindset.”
“The golden age of the ancient cultivation world, when people would gather to discuss the Dao, freely sharing their insights... such a sight is now lost to time.”
“I find it deeply unpleasant.”
Saint Embryo Li Fan spoke, his voice serene.
Coupled with his recent actions, his words painted the picture of a man truly unburdened by worldly concerns, possessing a transcendent detachment.
“Let them share it. As long as it suits my will, what does it matter if it's an immortal art?”
Shang Shaojun stared at Li Fan's silhouette, momentarily lost in a daze.
Such magnanimity was truly a rare sight in this world.
In the presence of such a man, Shang Shaojun felt a surge of that same boldness rising within himself.
...
With all matters at the Eternal Immortal Fortress settled, there were no longer any attachments holding them back.
Shang Shaojun and Li Fan stood just outside the fortress, gazing into the vast, swirling white mist.
“Where do we go from here?”
Having been so strangely saddled with the burden of “saving the Xuanhuang Realm,” Shang Shaojun felt a pang of uncertainty now that the moment to depart had arrived.
But at this point, there was no turning back.
Shang Shaojun glanced at the man beside him. He was certain that if he were to renege on their agreement now, Li Fan would cut him down without a second thought.
“The fate of the Xuanhuang Realm resting on one's shoulders... This feeling...”
“Is not half bad,” Shang Shaojun mused to himself.
Li Fan, meanwhile, extended his hand. A small sword, barely the length of his palm, materialized in his grasp.
It spun ceaselessly, as if sensing something in the air.
Finally, its tip settled, pointing steadfastly in a single direction.
Shang Shaojun followed the blade's direction with his gaze.
“Everything that exists leaves a trace,” Li Fan declared, his gaze intense. “That mysterious figure may be incomparably powerful, but by appearing in the Xuanhuang Realm, it inevitably leaves its mark on reality. If we follow it, we will find more evidence.”
Shang Shaojun found Li Fan's logic sound and nodded in immediate agreement.
He had no idea, however, that the small sword in Li Fan's hand was not tracking the mysterious figure at all.
Instead, it was pointing toward the location of one Maze Domain after another, all places Li Fan had already explored in his memories.
Of course, all roads led to the same destination. There, they were certain to find ample evidence that the Xuanhuang Realm was being secretly reshaped.
...
While Saint Embryo Li Fan guided Shang Shaojun toward uncovering the truth lurking beneath the surface of the Xuanhuang Realm, back in the small world of the Great Qi, Yin Shangren's experimental base was finally complete.
“The last time I saw Mr. Bai, he told me that the path after ‘Foundation Establishment Through Oneself’ could lead to a [Mixed Origin Golden Core], a [Fleshly Body Nascent Soul], and [Mind-Manifested Soul Transformation],” Li Fan's clone, Li Ping, explained to Yin Shangren. “Perhaps you can use these concepts as a reference for your deductions.”
Yin Shangren had just put on a grotesque display for Li Ping.
His body split down the middle, and from within, a second version of himself struggled to crawl out.
This new self then turned and began to devour the empty, fleshly husk it had just vacated.
The sound of grinding flesh and bone echoed through the laboratory as Yin Shangren, his face smeared with gore, continued to chew.
Yet his expression was eerily calm, his eyes filled with an intense focus as he consumed his former self.
It was as if he wasn't eating at all, but conducting some form of research.
Even with Li Ping's countless lifetimes of memories, the sight of Yin Shangren sent a chill down his spine.
It had nothing to do with courage; the act itself was simply an affront to human nature.
Chewing slowly, methodically, he finally consumed the other him in its entirety.
Li Ping noticed that Yin Shangren's apparent cultivation realm had plummeted from Foundation Establishment all the way down to Qi Refining.
Only then did Yin Shangren wipe his bloody hands on his robes and explain, “To deduce the next stage of the technique, I must first be on the correct path.”
“My ‘Foundation Establishment Through Oneself’ was only a partial success. Therefore, I must destroy my foundation and begin my cultivation anew.”
He glanced up at the sky. “This might cause some trouble, but leave it to me.”
As Yin Shangren spoke, Li Ping felt an instantaneous shift—as if something had just descended upon the Sacred Capital.
Practicing the Heavenly Emperor Qi Canon, he had fused the fortune of the entire dynasty into his very being.
At this moment, Li Ping *was* the Great Qi Dynasty.
Thus, no foreign intrusion could escape his notice.
It felt like a cold worm slithering across his skin. After a tentative touch, the creature extended sharp barbs, attempting to burrow into the very fabric of the Great Qi's small world.
“Hmm? This place of yours is a world unto itself. Perhaps their retaliation will be weaker than I anticipated,” Yin Shangren remarked.
Li Ping knew that the “they” Yin Shangren referred to were the Remnant Realm Ghosts of the old world.
It seemed that by forcibly destroying and altering his own state, Yin Shangren had attracted the attention of his kind.
The sound of dripping rain filled the air.
And yet, no rain fell.
At some point, a thick, oppressive layer of dark clouds had gathered above Li Ping's head.
It loomed over the entire experimental base.
Amidst the sound of dripping, the hard basalt floor suddenly turned soft and muddy, like wet earth.
Ghastly pale arms erupted from the ground, one after another.
Li Ping frowned, attempting to levitate and evade them.
But within this bizarre, twisted space, he found he had lost the ability to fly.
Fortunately, he was not the target of these Remnant Realm Ghosts.
The arms passed through him as if they were mere phantoms.
Countless arms crawled across the ground, swarming toward Yin Shangren.
Yin Shangren, however, simply met them with a sinister grin.
He snatched the nearest arm, ripped it from the ground, and began to gnaw on it hungrily.
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