Chapter 1191: Weaving a Secret Web of False Immortals
Chapter 1191: Weaving a Secret Web of False Immortals
The sounds of fervent prayer echoed through the underground chamber.
It was like an ancient ballad, timeless and mysterious.
This group was, of course, the You Clan.
Through the combined efforts of Li Ping's disciples, nearly all the You people had been captured and brought to the Great Qi small world.
Li Ping knew that the entity behind the Gloomy Sea of Darkness didn't mind its followers adopting other faiths.
Thus, after a combination of threats and incentives—capped by a demonstration before the entire clan proving that coexistence was genuinely possible—the You people quickly adapted to their new lives.
Some even developed a faith in the Saint Emperor that was more steadfast and fervent than their devotion to the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
After all, at the critical juncture when their clan faced annihilation, the Gloomy Sea of Darkness had performed no miracles. The Heavenly Mandate Sage Emperor, on the other hand, genuinely distributed vast quantities of supplies to them at regular intervals.
"The faith generated by just a hundred of the You people," he mused, "is greater than that of all the citizens of Great Qi combined."
"What secrets does this clan truly hold...?"
Li Ping had already sent the bodies of those You people who dared to resist to Master Yin for research.
"His research on the newest cultivation method has hit a bottleneck anyway. A change of subject might just spark some unexpected inspiration."
Of course, Li Ping wasn't particularly concerned with the true reason behind the You Clan's unique constitution.
The cause was irrelevant, so long as he could put it to use.
His figure flickered, and Li Ping appeared in another sealed chamber near the prayer space.
"Xuanba, what's the status of your research? Can the transplanted flesh and blood enhance the You people's reproduction?"
Wang Xuanba, who had been staring intently at something before him, quickly retracted his gaze upon hearing his master's voice.
He bowed respectfully before reporting, "After numerous experiments, I've found the optimal combination of Strange Beast flesh and blood."
"I've named it the[Vitality Womb]."
"With a sufficient supply of male and female primordial essence, it can incubate a massive number of young at a terrifying rate."
"However..."
"Since they aren't gestated in a natural womb, these infants are born with congenital deficiencies. Not only are they exceedingly frail, but their life expectancy is likely to be quite short," Wang Xuanba added with great caution.
Unlike the sturdy, good-natured youth he once was, the Wang Xuanba of today was lean and gaunt.
He had received Li Ping's careful tutelage, devouring the flesh of countless Strange Beasts and mastering their abilities. His understanding of these creatures now even surpassed that of his master.
Upon learning of his master's frustration with the You Clan's low birth rate, he had volunteered to solve the problem.
The result was the creation of this rather shocking contraption: the[Vitality Womb].
Composed entirely of pink, writhing Strange Beast flesh, its interior was a network of sealed chambers.
Countless tubes connected these chambers to the main body of the womb.
This system not only supplied energy to the gestating young but also allowed the Vitality Womb to absorb the traits of the very offspring it nurtured.
"It's a symbiotic process. With every new life it nurtures, the womb itself grows more intelligent and powerful."
"The progress is minuscule each time, but it can accumulate through sheer volume, achieving a qualitative transformation within the projected timeframe."
"If my predictions are correct, the Vitality Womb may one day no longer even require primordial essence. It could begin to create life on its own, provided it has enough energy."
When discussing his work with Strange Beasts, even before his master, Wang Xuanba's voice brimmed with confidence.
Li Ping's gaze pierced the darkness, settling on the massive, pulsating 'mound of flesh' in the distance, which seemed to breathe.
"I only need numbers—the quantity of them that can serve me simultaneously. As for lifespan..."
"...if they die, we'll simply create more."
The Saint Emperor's words were utterly cold, yet Wang Xuanba felt nothing amiss upon hearing them.
After all, in his eyes, the headless You people were no different from the Strange Beasts he worked with. They could hardly be considered human.
"You must keep everything here strictly confidential. That includes your senior and junior brothers," Li Ping commanded.
"Disciple understands."
Wang Xuanba replied in a low voice.
After Li Ping departed, he immediately resumed his research.
Compared to the complexities of the outside world, he much preferred these pure, simple tasks.
In just a few short years, the trajectory of the sturdy youth from the foot of Jieli Mountain had changed so dramatically.
Yet among Li Ping's disciples, Wang Xuanba was not the one who had changed the most.
One could still see faint traces of the boy he once was in Wang Xuanba's actions.
The one who was utterly transformed, almost a different person entirely, was Li Ping's fifth disciple, Ou Shangtian.
After following his father to Great Qi and being accepted as Li Ping's personal disciple, his once silent, wary, and insecure demeanor had given way to that of a spirited young man.
He acted decisively, looking upon the world with disdain.
Though the youngest of the disciples, his true strength surpassed all the others.
In all of Great Qi, aside from Li Ping himself, there was likely no one who could stand against him.
Even Li Ping would find it difficult to subdue Ou Shangtian without resorting to his more profound secret arts.
This was due not only to the two wonders he was born with—the Qiankun Bone Hand and the Ten Thousand Death Book—but another recent acquisition.
Not long ago, under Li Ping's guidance, Ou Shangtian had fished the Seven-Colored Divine Light from the Fishing Pool.
With the protection of the Seven-Colored Divine Light, combined with the heaven-defying escape abilities of the Qiankun Bone Hand and the Ten Thousand Death Book, Ou Shangtian's capacity for survival surpassed that of most Dao Integration cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm.
After effortlessly suppressing several small worlds, the young man had grown increasingly arrogant.
Fortunately, under the watchful eyes of his father and Li Ping, he had yet to do anything truly out of line.
When he had joined Wang Xuanba to capture the You people, he had become fascinated by his senior brother's strange and unpredictable abilities with the beasts.
He had since requested the cultivation manual for the [Creation Forge Art] from Li Ping and was now diligently practicing it.
Li Ping was not worried about Ou Shangtian losing control.
He would act decisively long before any such signs appeared.
He had already been silently infusing the Golden Source Power, condensed from the You people's faith, into the bodies of key figures throughout Great Qi.
This power, infinitely close to that of a True Immortal, was far beyond the perception of these so-called geniuses.
Only an old relic from the ancient cultivation world like Bai Hua could possibly understand its true nature.
"Once caught in my web, they have no choice but to serve me until death."
"After all, every gift has long had its price."
With this pure Golden Source Power as his trump card, he could finally begin to lay the groundwork for his plans to infiltrate the Xuanhuang Realm.
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