Chapter 754: The Heavenly Profound Mirror's Assault on the Self
“It seems some inherent limitation is preventing the beasts from merging,” the Emperor’s Daughter lamented.
“However, our research into a catalytic substance to promote the fusion has made significant progress. I believe the birth of the first fused beast is not far off.” Her confidence quickly returned.
“The Myriad Phenomena Furnace... all flesh becoming one...” Xu Bai instantly recalled Di Yi, whom he had seen in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
There was no doubt that the inspiration for the Empire’s Myriad Phenomena Furnace was this very progenitor of beasts.
As the origin of all beasts in the Xuanhuang Realm, Di Yi’s power was certainly no less than that of a Longevity cultivator.
If the Empire could truly mass-produce these fused beasts, even significantly weaker versions, their power would be nothing to scoff at.
“Have you assessed the potential strength of these fused beasts? If the experiment succeeds, can you control them? Aren't you afraid they might turn on you and destroy the Empire?” Xu Bai fired off a series of questions.
The Emperor’s Daughter answered confidently, “All the strange beasts placed into the Myriad Phenomena Furnace are individuals controlled by our Unified Heart Technique. After they are refined in the furnace, their physical bodies may disappear, but the bond remains.”
“By gathering the mental fluctuations from all the Unified Heart Techniques, we can create a device to control the fused entity. You don't need to worry about it getting out of control.”
Xu Bai nodded slightly. The outcome was as he expected. However, he offered no warning about the Empire’s baffling confidence.
He expertly produced his folding fan and waved it gently. “Excellent. The Void Latitude and Longitude Positioning Instrument, Spirit Crystal Marrow, and potential support from a Dao Integration-level power in the future...”
“With these assets, I’m confident I can persuade the Federation to offer you its protection.”
“Oh, and give me a few more pieces of Spirit Crystal Marrow. Seeing is believing, and I’m afraid those old codgers won’t be easily convinced.”
The Emperor’s Daughter thought nothing of Xu Bai’s request. With a casual flick of her wrist, she tossed ten pieces of Spirit Crystal Marrow to him.
Without another word, Xu Bai stored them away and flew out of the Empire’s treasury.
“Make your preparations. If all goes well, an elder from the Federation will accompany me next time for a final inspection.”
“And those guys... they aren't as easygoing as I am.”
After leaving the treasury and returning to the palace tower, Xu Bai acted with swift efficiency. He gave a few instructions and didn't linger.
He transformed into a streak of light, shot into the sky, and vanished from the sight of the Empire’s people in an instant.
“Master Qing...” The Emperor’s Daughter turned to Qing, her eyes filled with questions.
Qing, however, kept her gaze fixed on Xu Bai’s departing figure, not looking away for a long time.
“It’s hard to tell if his words are true or false, but I’m certain he bears us no ill will. Besides, the entrance to our world has indeed been concealed by an unknown formation.”
“Let’s prepare as he said. We are the weaker party, after all. The weak don’t have many choices,” Qing murmured, her tone laced with melancholy.
...
Outside the Empire, in the dark void.
As Xu Bai flew through the void, he suddenly sensed a spatial fluctuation beside him.
Immediately after, a Void-Roaming Dragon materialized at his side, nuzzling his leg affectionately with its head.
It looked familiar—it was the very same one he had casually tamed on his way here.
It seemed to have sensed Xu Bai’s impending departure and had come to bid him farewell.
“You’re quite a clever little thing,” Xu Bai said with a smile. “Very well. The Beast Seed Realm happens to need a leader. You can come with me.”
The Void-Roaming Dragon was overjoyed to hear this. It twisted its body and willingly offered its back for Xu Bai to ride.
Then, at Xu Bai’s signal, it began to traverse the void, heading toward the Xuanhuang Realm.
Upon returning to the deep valley at the entrance, Xu Bai first stored the Void-Roaming Dragon in his personal grotto-heaven. Then, using the Terminal Disc, he dispelled the illusion of being in seclusion that had been deceiving the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
He passed by the entrance to Longevity Valley without going in.
He simply released the Void-Roaming Dragon quietly before returning to Tianliang Prefecture alone.
Outside Longevity Valley, Liu San, who had been notified in advance, marveled at the strange beast before him.
“So inconspicuous, yet it can travel through space.” He led the Void-Roaming Dragon into the valley and concealed the entrance once more.
How the dragon, with Xu Bai’s permission, would stir up storms and become a king in the Beast Seed Realm is a story for another time.
“We have every reason to suspect that the Heavenly Profound Mirror is constantly monitoring the internal state of cultivators,” Fang Zaiji stated, his expression grave. “Without a certain level of mastery over one’s own body, the so-called cultivation guidance it provides could never be so precise and effective.”
“Do you even need to say that? Every cultivator in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance knows. But they all swallow it gladly. After all, compared to advancing their cultivation, it’s a small price to pay,” Liu San retorted, rolling his eyes.
“No, no, you don’t understand my meaning.” For once, Fang Zaiji didn't mock Liu San, explaining with great seriousness, “If the Heavenly Profound Mirror can upgrade itself by measuring heaven, earth, and the world, then what kind of transformation will it undergo once it has amassed so much physical data from countless cultivators?”
Liu San couldn’t help but be startled by this remark.
“In the ancient cultivation world, there was a saying that the human body is the most perfect creation in existence. To ascend and become an immortal, one must first take human form, regardless of their original species.”
“Though it’s just a rumor, and its authenticity can no longer be verified, the very fact that humans defeated the beasts to become the true masters of the Xuanhuang Realm speaks to the infinite potential of being human.”
“The Heavenly Profound Mirror... might very well have ambitions of taking a human form,” Fang Zaiji said with an air of great authority.
“So, Mister Fang, is this the conclusion you’ve reached after all your research?” Li Fan’s voice cut in, interrupting Fang Zaiji.
In his hand, the Dissociation Disc was several times more translucent and crystalline than before.
Perhaps because the war of ten thousand worlds had begun, some owners of other Dissociation Discs, knowing they were outmatched, had given up on feeding their discs with formations. In a short period, the one in Li Fan’s hand had already devoured three others.
It wouldn’t be long, he believed, before he won the final contest.
Li Fan cared little for the various rewards the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance offered for conquering other worlds. Thus, he could devote his full attention to the Dissociation Disc’s evolution.
Even now, as he questioned Fang Zaiji about his research progress on the Terminal Disc, he didn't stop feeding it formation data.
He was multitasking.
“Have you found a way to block the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s scans of a cultivator’s body?” Li Fan asked.
Fang Zaiji laughed awkwardly. “I have an idea, but actually pulling it off...”
“...will likely be quite difficult.”
Fang Zaiji slowly began to explain why.
“To block the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s perception of the outside world, you only need to use your divine sense to temporarily forge a single, false scene.”
“By the same logic, if you want to interfere with its prying into your own body, you just need to construct a false one.”
“But... that’s where the difficulty lies.”
“Though it’s just a simple body, it contains countless tissues, blood vessels, and even traces of spiritual energy circulation. It’s truly like a world unto itself. Unless your understanding of your body’s minute details is on par with the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s, you’re bound to leave flaws.”
Fang Zaiji said with a helpless sigh, “The Heavenly Profound Mirror resides in a cultivator’s sea of consciousness and completes a full scan of the body at the moment of its creation. If any significant discrepancies appear afterward, it will surely detect them immediately.”
“Besides, everyone’s constitution is different. Creating a universal solution is practically impossible.”
Hearing Fang Zaiji’s explanation, Li Fan understood where the true difficulty lay.
Even Dao Integration cultivators probably couldn’t claim to know their own bodies completely, let alone those at lower realms.
For them to weave a false body to deceive the Heavenly Profound Mirror would inevitably result in a creation riddled with holes.
“To achieve complete mastery over one’s own body... unless...”
“Foundation Establishment Through Oneself.”
The term flashed through Li Fan’s mind instantly.
But he quickly shook his head. The difficulty of Foundation Establishment Through Oneself was simply too high. In all these years in the Xuanhuang Realm, he had never heard of anyone succeeding. Even a prodigy like Master Yin had been left with severe side effects...
“Hmm? The difficulty of cultivation?” An idea, brilliant and sudden, sparked in Li Fan’s mind.
The Heavenly Profound Mirror claimed to be able to guide cultivators in their practice, didn’t it?
What would happen if he let the Heavenly Profound Mirror guide someone through Foundation Establishment Through Oneself?
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan explained the concept of Foundation Establishment Through Oneself to Fang Zaiji and the others, then proposed his hypothesis.
“Foundation Establishment Through Oneself, without relying on external items... Marvelous, truly marvelous! Wouldn’t that, to some extent, break the limitations of the New Method?” Fang Zaiji gasped in astonishment after hearing the explanation.
“To think such a genius idea came from a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator... It’s truly...” He couldn’t help but find it somewhat unbelievable.
“But, thinking about it carefully... with the help of the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s comprehensive scanning ability, it might actually be possible to achieve Foundation Establishment Through Oneself.” After a moment’s thought, Fang Zaiji grew excited.
Liu San was also lost in thought. “A cultivator cannot fully know themself, but with the Heavenly Profound Mirror, they could forge a new path. If successful, one could then work backward to summarize the method for Foundation Establishment Through Oneself, which should significantly reduce the difficulty.”
“A sufficiently talented individual might even be able to distill a method that could work for everyone.”
“And achieve Foundation Establishment Through Oneself using nothing but one’s own power.”
“It’s entirely feasible! It’s worth a try! If I weren’t already at the Dao Integration realm, I’d be tempted to disperse my cultivation on the spot and start over, just to try this miraculous Foundation Establishment method!” Fang Zaiji was practically buzzing with excitement.
Li Fan nodded. “To use the Heavenly Profound Mirror for cultivation, one needs to earn contribution points from the war of ten thousand worlds. I’ll have to trouble you, Elder Liu, to arrange for some disciples to handle this. They should be at the Qi Refining stage, and it would be best to send them in groups.”
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