Chapter 1218: The Saint Emperor Receives the Mandate of Heaven
Chapter 1218: The Saint Emperor Receives the Mandate of Heaven
Surrounded and trapped, Li Ping showed no sign of alarm.
These puppets were all driven by Source Power that had been refined and extracted through the Common Lives Spirit Essence Art.
And the Enlightened Wisdom Spirit Essence Technique, currently practiced by the citizens of the Great Qi, was an enhanced version of that very art.
He discerned the way Source Power influenced the puppets with a single glance, and the web of golden Source Power within him began to emit invisible ripples.
The purity of his energy was already infinitesimally close to that of Source Power Essence, creating an almost natural suppression over the puppets Qiaogong controlled.
Within a few breaths, the dozens of puppets in the secret chamber, which had been glaring menacingly just moments before, began to sway and stumble, unable to even stand.
This included the female Shangguan puppet.
Qiaogong's expression instantly turned grim. Having spent most of his life dealing with Source Power, how could he fail to recognize the methods this mysterious figure was using to affect his puppets?
Li Ping watched the shifting expressions on Qiaogong's face, easily seeing through his frantic thoughts.
Calmly, he began to list the hidden locations of Qiaogong's memory backups, one by one.
Qiaogong's mind reeled in shock, the horror on his face impossible to conceal.
"Who in the world are you?!" he cried, his voice cracking with fear.
He couldn't win a fight, and he couldn't escape.
Not once since fleeing to the Xuanhuang Realm had Qiaogong felt so utterly hopeless.
"Daoist friend Qiaogong, don't misunderstand," Li Ping said slowly. "I came here to offer you a great opportunity."
But his slightly somber tone, combined with his obscured face, made his words utterly unconvincing.
Naturally, Qiaogong didn't believe him; in fact, his heart pounded with even greater terror.
This was because he had never mentioned the name "Qiaogong" to anyone in the Xuanhuang Realm.
The world only knew him as the enigmatic Master of the Lingyuan Sect.
Yet now, a faceless stranger had appeared who not only saw through his origins with a single word but also seemed to know every detail about him.
Qiaogong even began to wonder if there had been other survivors from the Tianji Realm besides himself.
For a moment, his thoughts were a tangled mess. But all his chaotic musings vanished the instant a brilliant golden orb of light rose from Li Ping's palm.
"Source Power... Essence?!"
"How is that possible!"
Qiaogong exclaimed again, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
Just as he tried to get a closer look, Li Ping withdrew the golden sphere.
"Weren't you seeking Source Power Essence, but unable to obtain it? I can teach you." Li Ping's words struck Qiaogong dumb once more.
"And don't you wish to recreate the immortal-grade puppet, 'Zu'? I can help you with that as well," Li Ping continued in a measured tone.
By now, Qiaogong was so stunned he was almost numb. He wasn't even surprised that Li Ping knew of Zu's existence.
A sense of utter absurdity washed over him, but within it, a faint flicker of hope began to rise.
What if... what if he was telling the truth?
"What are your conditions?" Qiaogong asked directly.
Li Ping chuckled softly. "Seeing is believing. Please, follow me, my friend."
Qiaogong followed Li Ping out of Jiushan Province, traveling east until they reached the depths of the Cong Yun Sea.
They stopped near an undersea volcano.
"Hmm?"
Qiaogong stared at the terrain below, sensing that a living being was slumbering deep within the earth vein fires.
Li Ping's next words confirmed his suspicion.
"Are you saying there's a puppet with full self-awareness down there?" Qiaogong asked, skeptical.
"Not a puppet created directly, but one transformed from a living body through a profound and wondrous technique. It has been absorbing the power of the earth veins for thousands of years but has yet to complete its transformation. If it were awakened rashly, I fear its puppet body would be inherently flawed. I brought you here, my friend, to see if you might have a solution," Li Ping explained calmly.
"Transformed from a living body?" Qiaogong repeated, mulling over the meaning of the words.
Then, a golden light shot from his eyes, scanning the sprawling earth veins below.
After a long moment, the golden light faded, and Qiaogong nodded. "The puppet below has indeed used the unceasing tempering of the earth fire for millennia to amass power far beyond its original limits. But the intensity of the earth fire is finite. Even if it absorbed power for another thousand years, its strength would be capped at the peak of Soul Transformation. Further progress is impossible."
"Furthermore, he laid this earth fire array himself before entering his slumber. After so much time, the two have begun to merge into one. Any careless attempt to modify it would likely wake him."
"Unless..."
Qiaogong pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Unless the earth fire itself, which is tempering the puppet, undergoes a change."
"As you know, the Heavenly Dao of this Xuanhuang Realm is strange and unpredictable, often bringing about cataclysmic changes to the world. And earth fire is a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao's laws..."
"However, such an opportunity is a matter of luck, not something one can force," Qiaogong stated frankly.
Li Ping spoke slowly, "I understand."
"Worthy of a successor from the Tianji Realm. My original plan was to use rare treasures to modify and enhance the Ground Fire Return to Origin Array. But now that I think about it, your suggestion is better. To borrow the power of heaven and earth to forge a new reality..."
Qiaogong was taken aback for a second, then reiterated, "As I said, such an opportunity is a matter of luck, not something one can force."
"Is that so?" Li Ping replied with a scornful smile.
"Then watch what I can do."
After his bold declaration, however, Li Ping simply closed his eyes and stood motionless.
Qiaogong assumed he was gathering power to unleash some divine ability and watched him with rapt attention.
But after waiting for the better part of a day, there was not the slightest stir.
If not for the faint, yet persistent, aura of Source Power Essence that remained locked onto him, Qiaogong would have already considered seizing the opportunity to slip away.
But the circumstances were beyond his control. The man remained silent, so all he could do was wait.
This wait stretched on for nearly half a month.
It was only thanks to his exceptional mental fortitude as a master refiner that Qiaogong managed to endure it.
Meanwhile, in a place Qiaogong could not see, within the small world of the Great Qi...
The vast numbers of You Clan members—both those who had been captured and those produced by the flesh factories—began to pray once more to the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
Perhaps it was because they had been created for the express purpose of powering the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
They required almost no instruction, and the efficiency of their prayers was several times greater than the prayers offered to the faceless Saint Emperor.
A subtle, imperceptible influence began to spread throughout the Xuanhuang Realm.
And the faceless Saint Emperor of the Great Qi, standing on the floor of the Cong Yun Sea, silently perceived these gradual changes in the world.
Some events do not happen in an instant; they are the result of slow accumulation.
Half a month later, when Li Ping felt this accumulation finally cross a certain threshold...
"False Claiming Heavenly Geography!"
The faceless Saint Emperor whispered the words, his figure towering and immense, as he pointed a single finger down toward the sprawling earth vein fires.
It seemed like a trivial gesture, yet a moment later, Qiaogong, who had been watching all along, recoiled in shock!
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