Chapter 411: Chapter 1259-1261 (7.5k+ words)
Above the skies of Hongze Realm, a phenomenon suddenly appeared, indicating the fall of a group of people from the Wan Xian Alliance.
"Yuan Ying cultivator Lin Bai, practicing the Dao for 165 years..."
"In the struggle for the Clear Bright Flowing Crystal in the Hongze Realm, he was besieged by Qian Sheng, Qian Ming, and Qian Su, heavily injured, and perished."
"In death, the Dao disappears, but it returns to the heavens!"
...
Despite being initially targeted and killed by a squad from the Holy Dynasty, the cause of death displayed in the sky now seems to be related to a conflict with the "Qian Family."
This was Sun Erlang's first use of the "Heaven Usurpation Seal," and the effect seemed satisfactory.
Sun Erlang carefully recorded the scenes in the sky using a projection stone, a cold gleam passing through his eyes.
Then, based on Zhang Ming's information, he located the vein of Clear Bright Flowing Crystal in this area.
Carefully collecting it all, he intentionally scattered some residue from the main body of the vein throughout the Hongze Realm, erasing all traces of the conflict.
After completing all this, Sun Erlang quietly departed.
After a long time, the manipulated celestial phenomena in Hongze Realm gradually returned to normal.
Wan Xian Alliance, Yueyang Prefecture, Qian Family.
Qian Family's head, Qian Wanling, at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, wore a gloomy expression. Qian Sheng, Qian Ming, Qian Su, and others below, appeared confused.
"Tell me what you've done."
"What have we done?" Qian Sheng was bewildered on the spot.
"Big brother, you suddenly called us over, looking like this. What's going on?" Qian Su was also puzzled.
Qian Wanling slapped the table suddenly. "Still hiding it! The Lin Family has already come looking for trouble! Lin Bai was the heir greatly valued by the Lin Family. How can we let it go when he was killed like this? Even though the Clear Bright Flowing Crystal is a good thing, it also requires fate!"
"Impulsive and foolish! Incomprehensible!"
The head of the Qian Family looked at his brothers, his eyes almost spewing fire. If it weren't for the blood ties, he would have wished to slap them all to death on the spot.
"Wait!" Qian Ming suddenly realized, his expression changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Lin Bai, Clear Bright Flowing Crystal, big brother, are you sure you're not mistaken? We killed Lin Bai? Are you joking?"
Seeing that they still didn't admit it, Qian Wanling was extremely disappointed. "For the sake of the Clear Bright Flowing Crystal, you even hid it from me? Fine!"
Qian Wanling, in anger, took out a recording stone and released the scene of the downfall in Hongze Realm.
Seeing the celestial phenomenon before them, the Qian brothers were dumbfounded.
"This doesn't make sense, big brother! We didn't do this!"
"Someone is framing us! Big brother, you have to believe us!"
After a brief stupor, the three brothers exclaimed and defended themselves.
Qian Wanling stared at them, not finding any flaws in their changing expressions.
"The acting skills of these fools shouldn't be this good. Could it be..."
Now, even Qian Wanling became somewhat hesitant.
"So, where were you guys during the recent period?" Qian Sheng and the others hesitated at the question.
However, under the nearly murderous gaze of their big brother, they had to reveal the truth.
"We were absorbing solar qi and cultivating at a small building by Yueyang Lake that day. Suddenly, we sensed an abnormal earth vein not far away, as if some treasure was about to be born. So, we went to investigate. Unexpectedly, as soon as we arrived, the power of the earth vein suddenly surged, we were swept into it, lost control, and couldn't help ourselves..."
"Only recently did we manage to escape," Qian Sheng explained in detail.
Seeing the increasingly gloomy gaze of the eldest brother, Qian Wanling, he hurriedly added, "It's true. Don't believe me? Look, due to prolonged immersion in the earth veins, the spiritual energy in my body inevitably absorbed a strong earth vein aura."
Qian Wanling, upon hearing this, swept through the three men and indeed found the very obvious traces of the earth vein aura in them.
He fell silent.
The Qian brothers thought their big brother still didn't believe them and continued to defend themselves.
But Qian Wanling sighed deeply, "Even if I believe you, what about the Lin Family? What about the rest of the world?"
"The scenes recorded by this recording stone, after verification, are not fake."
"Moreover, it involves the treasure 'Clear Bright Flowing Crystal.'"
"We, the Qian Family, are in trouble."
Qian Sheng slowly regained his senses, his eyes full of anger. "Who is scheming so deliberately to frame us!"
Qian Ming's eyes were even redder. "Big brother, rest assured, we won't implicate the family."
Saying this, he was about to turn and leave.
"Fool! You want to go out now? Are you seeking death?!"
Rebuked by Qian Wanling, he stopped.
Looking at his three brothers, who looked wronged and angry, Qian Wanling sighed again.
Finally, he made the decision as the head of the family: "At this point, being misunderstood is inevitable."
"I can only report this matter to Lord Fan Li first..."
Fan Li is a Daoist practitioner guarding Yueyang Prefecture. Usually, he doesn't like staying in Yueyang Heavenly City and has built a small building by Yueyang Lake for residence.
"I'll personally go, and you remember, stay at home, don't go out."
Qian Wanling earnestly instructed, then changed his appearance and left through a secret passage at home.
Leaving behind the confused Qian Sheng and the others.
Shortly after, Fan Li, who was resting in the small building in Yueyang, frowned upon hearing Qian Wanling's account.
At this moment, Lin Yufei, the head of the Lin Family, also came over.
"Lord Fan, you must be fair for our Lin Family in this matter!"
The Lin Family had eyes set up outside the small building in Yueyang. As soon as Qian Wanling appeared, they immediately informed Lin Yufei.
Lin Yufei hurried over, looking at Qian Wanling, who was sitting upright in the small building, not hiding the killing intent in his eyes.
"Your Qian Family is too arrogant! Completely disregarding the rules of the Immortal Alliance!"
"Brother Lin, calm down. Someone is plotting against us." Qian Wanling smiled bitterly and apologized.
"Plotting?! Does the celestial phenomenon announced by the Heavenly Dao have false? Is the recorded image in the recording stone fake?!"
Without saying more, Lin Yufei, in the eyes of Qian Wanling, seemed more like a furious accusation than an inquiry.
He was about to act on the spot.
"Quiet."
Fan Li coldly snorted, suppressing the tension between the two.
He carefully examined the image in the recording stone, his brows furrowed.
This image is not forged.
However, Fan Li did indeed perceive some abnormality in the earth veins recently.
The Qian Family dared not use this somewhat ridiculous excuse to deceive him.
What exactly is going on?
For a moment, Fan Li felt a bit overwhelmed.
He knew that if this matter wasn't handled properly, it might become widely known.
"Both of you, come with me to Hongze Realm."
Fan Li spoke in a deep voice.
...
However, even with Fan Li personally present, he ultimately couldn't determine the truth from the remnants left in Hongze Realm.
But there was indeed a significant presence of the lingering aura of Clear Bright Flowing Crystal.
"Qian, you old thief, with Lord Fan personally casting the spell, the image of the celestial phenomenon has been recreated. What else do you have to say with your own eyes?"
"Brother Lin, is it possible that this celestial phenomenon is fake..."
"Stop your nonsense! From today on, our Lin Family and your Qian Family will be at odds until death!"
Seeing the hatred not only unresolved but deepening between the two families, Fan Li felt a headache.
He looked up at the sky in Hongze Realm.
"Heavenly Dao... has changed again?"
Returning to Yueyang Prefecture and conducting several experiments, along with various verifications, Fan Li confirmed that the phenomenon of the celestial master's fall still worked.
However, he still had some doubts in his mind, especially since Qian Wanling consistently claimed that the Qian Family's three sons were wrongly accused.
After Fan Li personally questioned the three, he was convinced that they were not the culprits.
Helpless, Fan Li had to report this matter to the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance.
What he didn't know was that this was already the second similar report received by the Immortal Alliance.
Due to the inherent workings of the Immortal Alliance system, such matters had not yet attracted the attention of the true high-ranking members of the Immortal Alliance.
Quietly, the seeds of chaos had already been sown.
Unbeknownst to Fan Li, this was just the beginning.
Sun Erlang, combining information gathered from various sources in the Holy Dynasty, was satisfied with the effectiveness of the Heaven Usurpation Seal.
Because over the past thousands of years, the accuracy of the celestial phenomenon at the fall of the celestial master had been precisely validated. The practitioners of Wan Xian Alliance, who had formed a mindset, would naturally not suddenly doubt it.
"But it can only be used occasionally. If used too often, it will lose its effectiveness."
"It must be used in critical situations."
Sun Erlang shook his head.
The heroic sacrifice of the Zhang Ming squad had been truthfully reported to the Holy Emperor.
The Holy Emperor unusually publicized this matter to the world and, above the Holy Capital, created a floating temple with immense power.
The temple glittered with golden light, suspended high in the sky.
In any corner of the Great Beginning, one could see the temple shining like a brilliant sun in the sky.
The Holy Emperor declared that any soldiers sacrificed for the Holy Dynasty would form their own statues in the temple after death.
Although losing their physical form, they could exist eternally in a heroic spirit state.
The ethereal figures of Zhang Ming and others, bathed in golden light, flying out from the floating temple, confirmed the Holy Emperor's words.
The citizens of Daqi cheered the divine grace of the Holy Emperor, and their fear of death slowly transformed into a fervor to enter the floating temple and become immortal heroes.
Sun Erlang knew that the so-called heroic spirits should be remnants preserved by the divine power of the Master.
Although there was still a significant gap from true immortality, it served as a method of salvation after death.
For Sun Erlang, minimizing the sacrifice of soldiers was the right path.
He arrived at the secret location where the Holy Dynasty crafted weapons for conquest.
The Annihilation Arrows and Heaven Usurpation Seals, all originated from here.
"Respected Craftsman, greetings."
Sun Erlang spoke to the busy Craftsman monk.
Craftsman did not respond, only concentrating on watching the constantly shifting black puppets in the space ahead.
Sun Erlang didn't mind and also looked at the puppets.
"So fast."
The black puppets kept teleporting, floating in the air, even evading Sun Erlang's mental lock.
"Too slow! It's still too slow!"
"The supply of source power is limited. Trying to fully unleash the capabilities of the mass-produced models is still a bit forced."
Craftsman expressed regret.
"Sun, my boy, go up and spar with him."
Craftsman suddenly said.
Sun Erlang nodded and instantly appeared in the testing ground.
The black puppet ceased its rapid movement and launched a full-scale attack on Sun Erlang.
Its main attack methods included a black death light with an annihilating aura and detonating array modules to trap and harm the enemy.
It could almost contend with an ordinary Yuan Ying peak-level practitioner, but obviously, it couldn't harm Sun Erlang at all.
While easily dodging the puppet's attacks, Sun Erlang flicked his fingers, sending several blue light orbs.
The orbs transformed into different curves, accurately locking onto and hitting the black puppet.
A faint glow passed over the puppet, unexpectedly absorbing Sun Erlang's techniques.
"Kid, didn't see this last time."
"This move is called 'Repaying Evil with Evil.'"
Craftsman explained while the puppet's body emitted strands of blue light.
Those blue light orbs were actually redirected back by the puppet.
"This is just a puppet. The advantage of the mass-produced models lies in their quantity."
With Craftsman's words, dozens more puppets appeared in the test space in an instant.
In the battle against these puppets, Sun Erlang discovered that they seemed to function as a unified entity.
Not only did they coordinate well, but they also subtly formed formations.
Moreover, any one puppet could absorb the attacks collectively and reflect them concentratedly.
Even with Sun Erlang's considerable strength, facing over thirty puppets without resorting to killer moves became somewhat overwhelming.
After stopping the experiment, Sun Erlang returned to Craftsman's side.
"Respected Craftsman, for mass-produced puppets like these, how many can be deployed at once?"
Craftsman shrugged, "Kid, this is a secret of the Holy Dynasty. Even if you're personally appointed by the Holy Emperor, I can't give you too many details."
Sun Erlang fell silent.
Craftsman laughed heartily, "Just kidding."
"The Holy Army Puppets, fifty in a group, require the control of special cultivators to unleash their maximum combat power."
"Hunting down Nascent Soul cultivators shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing this, Sun Erlang's eyes gleamed with determination.
"Is there a limit to the number of puppets one can control?"
"Limit?" Craftsman was momentarily puzzled but then understood.
"Do you want to give it a try?"
Sun Erlang nodded.
After pondering for a moment, Craftsman handed over a black jade disc.
"Don't force it."
Sun Erlang took the disc, and in his mental sea, the images of thousands of black puppets standing upright and orderly emerged.
His thoughts were like a thread connecting all these puppets.
Each puppet seemed to possess its own consciousness.
After the connection, Sun Erlang's own soul felt somewhat burdened, as if weighed down by something heavy.
However, this enabled him to manipulate the puppets at will.
Sun Erlang got used to the puppet's body, and with a thought, one of the puppets flew into the test area.
It started to fly and conduct attack experiments.
After adapting for a while, Sun Erlang felt that the burden on his soul had become negligible.
He began connecting more puppets.
Next, the third, the tenth, the fiftieth...
To Craftsman's gradually shocked gaze, the total number of puppets controlled by Sun Erlang exceeded a hundred.
And judging by his expression, it seemed like he still had room to spare.
"You little rascal..."
"Not bad!"
Craftsman suddenly had a whimsical idea, "What if you alone control the Holy Army Puppets? Would the effect be even better?"
Sun Erlang didn't respond to Craftsman's words because his limits were far beyond this.
One hundred, two hundred, five hundred...
It wasn't until the number of black puppets emerging in the test area exceeded a thousand that Sun Erlang stopped the recruitment, under the astonished gaze of Craftsman.
Over a thousand black puppets fought each other in the test area, each displaying different combat styles, making it impossible to tell that they were manipulated by a single person.
Having achieved this level of control, Sun Erlang still had the energy to chat with Craftsman.
"Elder, you're joking. I am the Holy Emperor's first disciple, the future conqueror of the Immortal Alliance, leading armies instead of being led. Besides, these puppets, though strong..."
"But I am not weak."
Sun Erlang's tone was full of confidence. "Leave the manipulation of these puppets to me. I don't believe that the Holy Army Puppets you crafted can outnumber the soldiers of our Holy Dynasty."
Craftsman waved his hand dismissively, saying, "No, no, no, kid, you misunderstood. I'm not talking about these ordinary Holy Army Puppets. I'm talking about these..."
As he spoke, with each flash of black light, the thousands of puppets Sun Erlang had summoned disappeared from the test area. In their place, a spatial rift appeared, and a giant golden puppet, radiant like the Holy Dynasty Sky Immortal Temple, descended.
A mysterious and majestic aura swept through the entire testing ground.
The surrounding seals creaked and groaned under the immense impact, as if they could shatter at any moment.
The golden puppet's eyes stared at Sun Erlang, indifferent and ruthless, giving him the illusion of facing his Master.
"This is..."
Sun Erlang looked at Craftsman with surprise.
Craftsman, with a hint of pride, said, "This is the powerful puppet that represents the highest craftsmanship of Craftsman. The black Holy Army Puppets you just saw are nothing more than standard materials for war."
"Don't you think if I really handed over top-tier stuff, I would let you experiment without any preparation?"
Sun Erlang felt a bit embarrassed at Craftsman's words, but quickly refocused his attention on the towering golden puppet in front of him.
"Elder, how powerful is this puppet?"
Craftsman arrogantly replied, "Not to discourage you, Sun kid. Although you are the Holy Emperor's top disciple, if a real fight broke out, you might not be a match for this puppet."
Sun Erlang squinted but refrained from voicing a retort.
Craftsman continued, "These puppets are different from the mass-produced ones. Each one is personally crafted by me and empowered by the Holy Emperor..."
Craftsman paused, "Hehe, anyway, you just need to know that these golden puppets are extremely precious. Even with the full power of the Holy Dynasty, no more than ten of them have been crafted."
"Similarly, the requirements for controlling them are greatly increased. I was quite troubled before, wondering where to find suitable operators. Unexpectedly, you still had a trick up your sleeve..."
"If you can manipulate over a thousand mass-produced puppets simultaneously, then manipulating five golden puppets shouldn't be a problem."
"Such a big difference?" Sun Erlang frowned.
"Hehe, you'll see for yourself." Craftsman inserted a golden sphere into Sun Erlang's mental sea.
Boom!
The scene in front of him suddenly shattered, as if in an instant, he went from the test ground to the endless dark starry sea.
Two large golden orbs ahead emitted intense heat and radiance.
Unconsciously drawn toward them, Sun Erlang approached and suddenly realized that these were the eyes of the golden puppet!
His consciousness was instantly absorbed, and when Sun Erlang came to his senses, he found himself staring at his own hands in a daze.
The original body couldn't sense anything.
His current body had unexpectedly transformed into that of the golden puppet.
And...
Sun Erlang could clearly feel the surging unknown power flowing and circulating within him.
"This is..."
Just as he was in a daze, Craftsman's voice came from beside him, "I will transport you to the void outside the Daqi Small World, a special hunting ground. There, you can freely test the capabilities of this puppet body."
The surrounding space distorted, and Sun Erlang instantly arrived in a dark void.
Vaguely, he could see the scene of the Holy Dynasty surrounded by many small worlds in the distance.
"Roar!"
A silver-scaled giant python, tens of thousands of feet long, suddenly appeared from somewhere, opening its massive mouth.
In the next moment, it was about to swallow the golden puppet controlled by Sun Erlang.
However, Sun Erlang made no defensive moves. He just let the puppet emit a faint light on its surface.
The silver-scaled giant python was ignited like it was set on fire and turned into ashes, dying in agony.
The death of the python, like a stone thrown into a pond, stirred up ripples.
Hundreds of unknown fierce beasts emerged from the darkness, completely devoid of any rationality, attacking Sun Erlang.
Sun Erlang could clearly sense that these fierce beasts specially cultivated by the Holy Dynasty, each had strength not inferior to a YuanYing stage cultivator.
But facing their siege...
Sun Erlang extended his left hand, plucked the strings like playing a zither, and gently stroked.
Ripples spread in the space.
The ferocious beasts, originally full of murderous intent, still maintained their expressions from when they were alive. However, their bodies had been instantly dismembered into countless fragments, falling like rain.
"The power of the laws."
"The laws of space."
Sun Erlang looked quietly at his left hand, a sudden enlightenment rushing to his mind.
At the moment of this enlightenment, he seemed to see a figure hidden within his own body.
"The soul of heaven and earth?"
Even after using a killer move and controlling the golden puppet, Sun Erlang did not feel any fatigue.
The energy contained in the puppet seemed endless.
"A puppet stronger than the Dao Fusion?"
Sun Erlang was quite confident that the seemingly effortless move just now was enough to severely damage Dao Fusion experts in the Xuanhuang Realm.
And this is far from the limit of the golden puppet's capabilities.
"No wonder Craftsman Senior said I'm not its match."
While internally shaken and speechless, Sun Erlang also felt a bit disappointed.
As the first disciple of the Holy Emperor, he enjoyed countless resources and even had the extraordinary encounter of the Taiyan Sect...
In the end, he was not even as good as a casually crafted puppet? What meaning did his cultivation have?
As he was lost in these thoughts, the golden puppet's figure flashed and returned to the test ground.
Sun Erlang also detached himself from the puppet's body, returning to his original self.
Fragile.
The extreme contrast hit Sun Erlang suddenly.
"Hehe, did you feel a bit disheartened? Actually, there's no need."
"The resources we spent on the golden puppet could turn an ordinary cultivator into a Dao Fusion expert through sheer quantity."
Craftsman patted Sun Erlang on the shoulder, "Believe it or not, each puppet contains the power of a soul of heaven and earth. With such a soul of heaven and earth as the core, these puppets, when fighting in the Xuanhuang Realm, are like fish in water, almost capable of a one-third increase in combat power."
"And, if the same person controls multiple puppets..."
Craftsman's tone suddenly became excited, "The puppets can share and borrow the power of each other's laws from their souls of heaven and earth!"
"Short-term explosive combat power, potentially multiplying several times!"
Sun Erlang looked at the majestic golden puppet standing in the test space like a deity, silent.
"In the future, the Holy Dynasty will inevitably have a battle with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. What truly determines the course of the war is high-end combat power. How many Dao Fusion experts does the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance have? At least close to a thousand. And how many disciples does the Holy Emperor have?"
"Furthermore, you guys are still too young. Compared to those old-school Dao Fusion experts in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, you might not get much advantage. You can't have the Holy Emperor personally intervene against these Dao Fusion experts, right?" Craftsman said with a faint tone.
"When it reaches the highest level, whoever appears first means exposing weaknesses. Kid, you should be prepared. In the upcoming war, the Holy Emperor might not easily intervene."
Sun Erlang nodded slowly, "I understand this principle."
"With these golden puppets, we can significantly overturn the power gap between us. Sun, do you want to give it a try?" Craftsman asked.
"As long as you can control three at the same time, it will be easy to surround and kill Dao Fusion experts from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." Craftsman assured.
Sun Erlang nodded slowly.
...
In the Holy Emperor's seat.
The conversation between the eldest disciple and Craftsman naturally didn't escape the Holy Emperor's attention.
The golden puppets, with the essence of source power and the soul of heaven and earth in the Xuanhuang realm, were created from pure resources and could crush Dao Fusion-level cultivators.
The inspiration for this naturally came from Taiyan.
In fact, under the transformation of golden source power and Craftsman, Taiyan's strength had surpassed Dao Fusion, reaching the realm of longevity.
Moreover...
It wasn't far from reaching the limit of the mortal realm.
But unfortunately, there seemed to be some kind of shackle in the unknown. Taiyan's cultivation experience did not apply to other puppets.
Even with completely identical crafting plans, subsequent puppets were weaker by an entire major realm compared to Taiyan.
Apart from Taiyan's special factors and the puppet's self-transformation, Li Ping speculated that there were even deeper hidden principles.
"The first to tread the path, fulfills its way. Just like an unnamed True Immortal proving the Dao, the path is not for others to touch. The puppets are the same."
"It's just that the restrictions seem more demanding."
However, with Taiyan's assistance and the current golden puppets, Li Ping is already quite satisfied.
War, in essence, is a competition of who has more trump cards between the two sides.
While the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is unfathomable, Li Ping also has considerable resources at his disposal.
Moreover, Craftsman guessed one thing wrong.
"The true strong are not without weaknesses."
"But they are not afraid of others exploiting their weaknesses."
In this war against the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, he won't always stay hidden.
Otherwise, how could he live up to the name of the Holy Emperor?
"Transmit the Law."
Li Ping sat calmly, but his gaze pierced through the sky, reaching beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.
In his hand, he played with a colorful and dazzling crystal.
Empty Bright Flowing Crystal.
Through the induction records of the Xuanhuang Dao, Li Ping has already preliminarily mastered the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Rainbow Light Escaping Technique.
He decided that before the war started, he would use the puppet's body to go deep into the starry sea.
Not to start a war with Transmit the Law prematurely, but to comprehend the Dao in the starry sea.
"In this battle, I will surely win."
The belief in the heart of the Holy Emperor has never wavered.
...
Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
In the Expanded Law Space.
Feeling the faintly transmitted belief from the clone, Li Fan couldn't help nodding slightly.
Although due to the Holy Emperor's increasing profound strength, his sensing towards him was getting weaker and weaker.
But the Holy Emperor's direction of action was still steadily moving forward.
In addition to leaving some backhands, Li Fan was not afraid that he would fail.
Moreover, as long as he achieved the goal of forcing Transmit the Law out, other things...
A thought is truly all just illusion.
Sitting quietly in the Expanded Law Space for such a long time, derived from the continuous insights of the Holy Emperor and the Holy Fetus, Li Fan has also gained a lot.
Especially at the other end of the starry sea, touching the higher-order laws beyond the Xuanhuang limit, Li Fan has further thoughts about the future path.
"Although under the new law's shackles, I can find another way."
"The Transmit the Law system relies on the Xuanhuang Realm itself. If I establish a new system in the starry sky, I won't be constrained by it."
"However, by doing so, I won't be able to get the support of the Xuanhuang. There are pros and cons. Besides, resources in the starry sky are scarce. To truly achieve something, perhaps I'll have to rely on the Xuan Immortal Boat."
"There's also that invisible barrier."
"It seems to be a force entirely different from the Dark Star Sea system. But being able to restrain the power of True Immortals, its strength can be imagined. If I can reference it in the future when fighting Transmit the Law, it might serve as a unique move."
"The only concern is..."
Li Fan frowned slightly. "Transmit the Law and Sky Healer, left the Xuanhuang Realm far earlier than me. Their talents also surpass mine."
"All these insights I've discovered so far, they must have discovered them long ago."
"So, the so-called advantage... is not really an advantage."
"Looks like I'll only know the details once I've actually fought a battle."
It has to be said that with the increasing number of cycles, the mysterious veil on Transmit the Law and Sky Healer has gradually been lifted. Li Fan went from avoiding them initially to becoming more and more eager to probe.
And now, defeating them might not be far away.
Li Fan then thought of the cat treasure that the Holy Emperor's clone found.
If there's anything he particularly cares about in this world, it's the treasure outside the high wall that he didn't catch before.
"The one who fishes is also being fished..."
A strange light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
The special behavior of the entire Crossing Calamity Sect towards the cat treasure made Li Fan think of many possibilities.
But for now, it's still just speculation.
The Holy Emperor's clone also sensed this anomaly.
Going to the First Origins Sect, collecting the obliteration of the Wind Calamity and the remains of the Grand Magus was also for this reason.
...
While Li Fan was contemplating, the calm Expanded Law Space was suddenly disrupted.
It turned out that someone came.
It was the Sun family, Sun Luyuan.
"Luer, good news, good news!"
After Sun Luyuan greeted the other two Dao Integration stage guardians, he said to Li Fan.
"I know."
Li Fan's reaction made Sun Luyuan slightly stunned.
"Bloodline resonance, how could I not know."
"How is Ningji? Li Fan seemed to be suppressing a smile, asking.
Sun Luyuan sighed slightly, "Ningji has unfortunately passed away. But fortunately, the fetus is safe. That's also the reason why I came to find you so late, fearing that you might not be able to accept it."
Sun Luyuan changed the topic, "Do you know how extraordinary that child is? Born Dao Integration..."
Sun Luyuan spoke incessantly, while Li Fan seemed to have not yet recovered from the shock and pain of learning that his beloved wife had already passed away.
"At such times, it's destiny. No wonder I've been feeling uneasy for some time."
"Being trapped here, I couldn't see her for the last time," Li Fan said with a touch of sadness.
"My son, does he have a name?"
Sun Luyuan said calmly, "Sun Tianci, named by Ninglu before her death."
After a brief silence, Li Fan, in sorrow and some comfort, said, "Tianci... a good name."
After discussing the topic of Sun Tianci, Sun Luyuan's expression gradually became serious as he turned to more important matters.
"Your eldest uncle, Sun Lu Chang, is about to leave."
Sun Luyuan briefly recounted the event where a sword light appeared in the sky, bringing news of the Xuan Merchant Immortal Boat from the other side of the starry sea.
Li Fan was somewhat surprised, "So it seems that going beyond the stars is not a good thing at all. Can it be avoided?"
Sun Luyuan shook his head, "The current situation is that the upper-level families of the Immortal Alliance, who know the details, avoid it, while the lower-level Dao Integration guardians who are unaware fight to go. In order to have more scapegoats, the true facts of the matter will naturally not be told to them. It's truly ironic."
"Although the eldest uncle has reached the Dao Integration stage, he has been comfortable for these years. I'm afraid..."
"If I wasn't stationed here and couldn't leave, I would definitely replace the eldest uncle and go outside the starry sea."
Li Fan's words were decisive, fitting the image Sun Luyuan had portrayed earlier.
Sun Luyuan didn't doubt him and just looked a bit uneasy, "Our Sun family is too prominent, guarding the Expanded Law Space and going beyond the starry sky... These arrangements seem to carry a deliberate suppression from the Immortal Alliance."
"Don't think too much about it. Stay here and live peacefully."
Without revealing the fact that the Sun family has already joined the Holy Dynasty, Sun Luyuan just advised Li Fan to prioritize stability.
"I've informed Elder Xu about it."
"Maybe you won't have to wait the full three hundred years to succeed and leave."
Before leaving, Sun Luyuan said so.
"Thank you for your concern," Li Fan expressed his gratitude.
"By the way, I've been sitting here for several years, summarizing all my lifelong learning, and I've gained something."
"Lord, why not pass on this 'Ascending the Righteous Path' to Tianci for me."
As he spoke, a seemingly ordinary text appeared in Sun Luyuan's mind.
It passed quickly, with nothing particularly remarkable.
Just an ordinary method of refining the heart and enlightening the will.
Sun Luyuan nodded and agreed on the spot.
Then he said goodbye and left.
After Sun Luyuan's figure disappeared from this place, Li Fan snorted inwardly, "Over a hundred years, it's still a question of whether the Xuanhuang Realm can survive this long."
But he also knew that there was covert monitoring by the Immortal Alliance here, so he didn't think too much about it, just a passing thought in his mind.
As for 'Ascending the Righteous Path,' it was a seed planted for Sun Tianci's future rise.
Li Fan looked at the somewhat lax Expanded Law Space, once again urging and advising the seemingly lazy Dao Integration guardian to get up.
...
The Holy Dynasty has started.
In the secret martial experimental ground of the Holy Dynasty, Li Ping and Qiaogong watched as Sun Erlang struggled to control the third deity, the Saintly Punishment God Puppet.
The Saintly Punishment God Puppet was the name given by Li Ping to distinguish it from ordinary Saintly Army Puppets.
"Sun lad indeed has extraordinary talent, adapting so quickly. He's already handling the third god puppet. Maybe he could control all our reserve god puppets," Qiaogong praised.
"Comparatively, the disciples in my Lingyuan Sect are all useless."
"Speaking of which, you've been in the Holy Dynasty all this time. Is there any trouble in the Lingyuan Sect in the Nine Mountains Province?" Li Ping casually asked, but his gaze was fixed on Sun Erlang in the experimental ground, who had sweat dripping from his forehead.
Qiaogong waved his hand, "In the Nine Mountains Province, I have my puppets overseeing it. Those fools, every time they see me, they bow and dare not raise their heads. How could they distinguish between truth and falsehood?"
At this point, Qiaogong paused, "But considering the time, that guy from the Million Immortal Alliance who collects taxes might be coming soon. Perhaps I'll have to go back then."
Li Ping knew that Qiaogong, with the help of the Cangsheng Lingyuan technique, collected a large amount of source power in the Nine Mountains Province, with permission from the Million Immortal Alliance. The price was to submit a portion of it.
A large portion.
"Doesn't the Million Immortal Alliance lack materials? Why are they so concerned about your little bit?" Li Ping asked.
Qiaogong shrugged, "Who knows. Maybe they're not comfortable openly dealing with such unethical matters themselves."
"But..."
Qiaogong seemed to remember something, "Now that you mention it, I recall that when the Million Immortal Alliance envoy came before, he unintentionally mentioned that there's a huge deficit within the alliance, and they have to cut down expenses."
"I jokingly teased him, saying that Million Immortal Alliance looks extravagant but is actually a poor guy."
Li Ping fell into contemplation upon hearing this.
"This thing called source power is nothing more than a pure, ownerless cultivation. Normal cultivators don't need it..."
"Interesting."
"This time when the alliance envoy comes, I'll go in your place," Li Ping decided.
"Great, great," Qiaogong eagerly agreed.
Immediately, he conveyed in detail every aspect of their previous encounters to Li Ping.
"Oh, how about the puppet bodies I asked you to prepare?" Li Ping asked.
Qiaogong, with a proud look, clapped his hands.
Then, a faceless body appeared instantly in front of Li Ping.
Unlike the huge size of the Saintly Emperor, this faceless body was just the size of a normal person.
However, it was a perfectly proportioned miniature version, almost identical to Li Ping.
If the Saintly Emperor became too suspicious, he might accuse Qiaogong of a grave disrespect.
However, at this moment, he was only interested in staring at the puppet body, somewhat surprised, "It's actually a real flesh and blood body?"
Qiaogong nodded, "Yes. Didn't you say you wanted to use him to go to the stars? There are many dangers in the starry sea, and some mysterious places can only be sensed by a real flesh and blood body. I suffered a great loss before coming to the Xuanhuang realm."
A hint of pain flashed in Qiaogong's eyes, and then he continued to introduce to the Holy Emperor, "I referenced Tianyang's body transformation technique and the flesh and blood cultivation technique of your precious disciple."
"The cultivation aptitude of this flesh and blood puppet is not expected, but complete sensitivity is no problem. Moreover, similar to the Saintly Army God Puppet, it can integrate the essence of heaven and earth and source power into it. Although there will be a reduction in strength due to the limitations of the naturally weak body, as long as you are cautious, self-protection in the starry sky should not be a problem."
"As long as you don't encounter strange calamities in the void," Qiaogong cautioned.
The Holy Emperor nodded.
A golden light flew out from his fingertips and infused into the flesh and blood puppet in front of him.
A feeling of being like a clone, effortlessly controlled, arose from his heart.
The Holy Emperor carefully comprehended the familiar and yet unfamiliar flavors, and a little enlightenment surged in his heart.
"I will take this body with me."
The golden light flickered, and the Holy Emperor, along with the flesh and blood puppet body, disappeared together.
Qiaogong then refocused his attention on Sun Erlang in the experimental ground.
In the treasury of the Holy Dynasty,
Avoiding Qiaogong, the Holy Emperor was modifying the puppet body.
This time, he went to the stars for enlightenment.
There were certain requirements for the aptitude of the possessed body.
What Qiaogong couldn't do...
Didn't mean that the Holy Emperor couldn't.
His large hand touched the top of the flesh and blood puppet's head, and the essence of the Xuanhuang heaven slowly poured into it.
Suddenly...
An unexpectedly familiar feeling surged in the Holy Emperor's heart, and his movements slightly paused.
After contemplating for a moment, he suppressed this unusual sensation.
The originally somewhat rigid shell slowly became vivid.
With each heavenly material and earthly treasure in the Holy Dynasty treasury being burned into liquid by refined source essence, it melted into the puppet body.
This body became increasingly translucent and fragrant, emanating a crystal-clear brilliance.
Even the sleeping cat treasure was attracted, suddenly awakened, and looked around.
Finding that the source of the fragrance was the body refined by Li Ping, a hint of disappointment flashed in its eyes.
Just as it was about to go back to sleep, it received instructions from the Holy Emperor.
The cat treasure reluctantly shook its head, showing a hint of laziness, and let out a lazy meow.
Then, it leaped up and surprisingly turned into a blue, transparent glass-like hood.
Encasing Li Ping's refined body.
Threads of blue light emanated from the vessel. After drifting for a moment, they successively entered the interior of the puppet body.
At this moment, Li Ping actually had a trace of consciousness attached to the puppet body, so he could keenly feel the specific changes that occurred after it bathed in the blue light.
"Recomposition of flesh and blood, sublimation of life forms."
"Even without cultivation, the strength of this body surpasses that of the average Yuan Infant realm cultivator in the Xuanhuang realm."
"And..."
The Holy Emperor carefully sensed the differences between this body and his original one.
He still couldn't understand the consequences of these differences. However, he could almost be certain that these distinctions were created to deal with certain special situations.
While the blue light shield continued its continuous modifications, a hint of enlightenment flashed in Li Ping's mind.
He even thought of using the cat treasure's ability to infuse the acquired and assimilated abilities of the absorbed creatures into this body, turning them into innate divine powers.
However, since it was an artificially created body, doing so might lead to unpredictable changes.
Currently, the divine powers that the cat treasure possessed were all optional for Li Ping. With the imminent journey to the starry sea, Li Ping decided not to complicate things further.
He could experiment with this later.
The blue light shield became increasingly dim, and finally, the radiance completely dissipated.
The cat treasure looked as if it had fought a three-day and three-night battle with someone. Its face became haggard, and even its originally glossy fur seemed somewhat yellowed.
Li Ping fed it a large mouthful of golden source essence, and the cat treasure contentedly fell into a deep sleep.
"Item duplication, creature assimilation, this is the cat treasure's third function."
"I Ching Bone Marrow Severing."
"Truly remarkable!" Li Ping exclaimed.
The puppet body had already awakened from the sublimation, and Li Ping sensed that this body was even more suitable for his divine soul than his original one.
"Why not just directly switch bodies?"
An uncontrollable thought emerged from the depths of his mind but was forcibly suppressed by the Holy Emperor in an instant.
The I Ching Bone Marrow Severing function of the cat treasure was not a one-time use ability.
If the effect was this good on the puppet body, it naturally wouldn't be worse on his main body.
There was still plenty of time.
Li Ping focused his thoughts on the puppet body, beginning to adapt and attempt to manipulate it.
...
Half a month later.
Before the puppet body could fly out of Xuanhuang, it received a transmission reminder from Qiaogong.
The messenger from the Wan Xian Alliance was coming to the Nine Mountain State's Lingyuan Sect.
A flash of golden light on Li Ping's body transformed him into the appearance of Monk Qiaogong.
Silently, he appeared inside the headquarters of the Lingyuan Sect.
Waiting for the arrival of the Wan Xian Alliance messenger.
The puppet body left by Qiaogong had long prepared a large amount of collected source power.
Li Ping naturally looked down on these low-quality energy sources.
Not to mention comparing them with source essence, even compared to the sources formed by the Lingyuan technique practiced by the citizens of the Sheng Chao Da Qi, they were far inferior.
However, after inspecting them, the Wan Xian Alliance messenger was pleasantly surprised.
"The quality of the submission this time seems to have improved a lot?"
"The Sect Master is thoughtful." The alliance messenger exclaimed, carefully storing the light sphere containing source power.
Li Ping, adopting Qiaogong's tone, smiled and replied, "I recently learned a profound technique that can invisibly eliminate the complex thoughts of the followers, allowing them to spend more time practicing techniques."
The alliance messenger's eyes brightened, "Such a divine technique?"
"How about it? Is the messenger interested?" Li Ping asked.
The alliance messenger felt a bit embarrassed, "The gap in the alliance has widened again recently. If the Sect Master is willing..."
Li Ping waved his hand, "It's nothing. If the messenger is interested, I'll tell you."
"Free from distracting thoughts, self-deifying. Immune to all things, mystical touch..."
Li Ping chanted the profound technique directly.
The alliance messenger was overjoyed, eagerly focusing to listen.
Unbeknownst to him, his own consciousness was gradually falling as he followed the other's gentle chanting.
When the alliance messenger's gaze became vacant, falling into complete stupefaction, Li Ping smiled slightly, flicked his finger, and a point of golden light flew into the other's sea of consciousness.
As expected, there were alliance restrictions for protection.
But with the silent infiltration of source essence, the defense was like paper, quietly penetrated.
Soon, Li Ping found the information he wanted in the messenger's mind.
"Power of the Ten Thousand Cultivators, a spear penetrating through."
"Straight to the depths of the Xuan Huang, an endless dark sea..."
"Indeed."
Li Ping had been curious about how the Wan Xian Alliance had found and maintained the entrance to the Dark Sea.
According to the testimony of the people from the Dark Clan, the tunnel opened by the Wan Xian Alliance in the Dark Sea had significant differences from the traditional way the Dark Clan opened portals.
Perhaps it was due to not completely trusting the Dark Clan or perhaps the Wan Xian Alliance wanted to firmly control the entrance to the Dark Sea.
In any case, the Wan Xian Alliance figured out a way to use highly condensed source power to directly connect the entrance between the Xuan Huang realm and the Dark Sea.
"It's because the Wan Xian Alliance has been watching the Dark Realm that the power of the Dark Sea has been constantly diminishing."
"It seems it's time to cut off their tentacles."
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