"Isn't doing this a bit of a waste of heaven's gifts?"
In front of his confidant Yan Huan, Young Lord Shang secretly transmitted his voice to Li Fan.
Young Lord Shang then noticed the faint, half-mocking smile on Li Fan's face and felt that his question was somewhat improper. He cleared his throat softly to cover his embarrassment.
"The name 'Immortal Heart Incantation' is too conspicuous. Young Lord, you might change it to something more ordinary before passing it down," Li Fan advised.
Recalling the technique previously derived by the Yanfa Jade, Young Lord Shang said to Yan Huan, "This is the Heart Tempering Art, passed down by this senior. It will protect you from the erosion of the demonic sounds. Disseminate it throughout the army as quickly as possible, and ensure that every single person masters it."
The name "Heart Tempering Art" sounded so ordinary that after hearing Young Lord Shang's words, Yan Huan showed little excitement. He merely bowed, accepted the order, and immediately tried cultivating it on the spot.
"To possess such a secret art to protect themselves without even realizing its worth, truly..."
Watching Yan Huan's retreating back, Young Lord Shang could not help sighing with emotion.
"If they knew how precious this secret art was, they might become plagued by worries over gain and loss, making it harder to master," Li Fan remarked.
"The Qingxuan Army numbers a million strong. Even though I have issued strict orders forbidding dissemination outside, a leak of the Immortal Heart Incantation will likely be inevitable. Are you not worried, Fellow Daoist?" Young Lord Shang looked at Li Fan with utter bewilderment.
Ever since Li Fan had arrived at the Eternal Immortal Bastion, Young Lord Shang had found his actions completely inscrutable.
It was not for fame, nor was it for profit.
"Cultivators of Xuanhuang cherish their own brooms as gold. While this stems from the principle that cultivation arts cannot be practiced together, their mindsets have unconsciously warped over time.
"The glorious days of the ancient cultivation world, when people sat together discussing the Dao and openly sharing insights, are nowhere to be found now.
"I dislike it very much,"
Sacred Embryo Li Fan said calmly.
Coupled with his conduct before outsiders, he truly possessed an otherworldly air of detachment and freedom.
"If it spreads, then let it spread. As long as it pleases me, what does it matter even if it is an immortal art?"
Young Lord Shang looked at Li Fan's figure, momentarily entranced.
Such magnificence of spirit was truly rare in this world.
Being around a figure like this, Young Lord Shang even felt his own chest swelling with heroic ambition.
...
With all affairs at the Eternal Immortal Bastion settled, there were no lingering attachments left.
Young Lord Shang and Li Fan stood outside the Eternal Immortal Bastion, gazing into the vast white mist.
"Where shall we head next?"
Having somehow shouldered the inexplicable burden of "saving the Xuanhuang Realm," Young Lord Shang still felt somewhat lost now that they were truly about to depart.
Yet things had reached this point, and there was no going back.
Young Lord Shang glanced at Li Fan beside him, certain that if he went back on his word now, the other man would definitely strike him down with a sword.
*The fate of Xuanhuang resting entirely on one's shoulders... this feeling...*
*Is not bad,* Young Lord Shang mused to himself.
Li Fan extended his hand, and a small sword no longer than a palm instantly appeared in his grasp.
As if sensing something, it spun unceasingly.
Eventually, the tip pointed in a certain direction and came to a halt.
Young Lord Shang looked in the direction indicated by the small sword.
"Whatever exists inevitably leaves a trace. Formidable as that mysterious figure is, as long as he appears in the Xuanhuang Realm, he cannot avoid becoming entangled with reality. By pursuing his trail, we will find more evidence," Li Fan said, his eyes gleaming.
Young Lord Shang felt Li Fan's words made great sense and immediately nodded in agreement.
Little did he know that the direction the small sword pointed had nothing to do with tracking the mysterious figure.
Rather, it pointed toward one Lost Domain after another that Li Fan had explored in past memories.
Of course, different roads led to the same end. They were bound to find ample evidence there of the Xuanhuang Realm being refashioned.
...
While Sacred Embryo Li Fan was guiding Young Lord Shang to uncover the truth hidden beneath the surface of the Xuanhuang Realm, Master Yin's experimental base in the Daqi pocket world was preliminarily completed.
"The last time I saw Mr. Bai back then, he once told me that after the method of establishing the foundation with oneself, one might form the Hunyuan Golden Core, the Physical Nascent Soul, and the Mind Soul Formation. You might take this concept as a reference for your derivations," Clone Li Ping told Master Yin.
Master Yin had just staged an uncanny, bizarre scene before Li Ping.
His body had split down the middle, and another version of himself had crawled out from within, struggling.
Then, turning around, this new self had devoured the former flesh-and-blood husk alive.
The sound of flesh and bones being chewed in his mouth echoed throughout the experimental base, Master Yin's face spattered with blood.
Yet his expression was extraordinarily calm, the eyes of the self-cannibalizing Master Yin filled with utter absorption.
It was as if he was not feeding, but conducting some sort of research.
Even with Li Ping's countless memories from past lives, watching Master Yin at this moment still sent a slight chill through him.
It had nothing to do with courage; it was simply contrary to human nature.
Chewing slowly and swallowing, Master Yin finally consumed the other self completely.
Li Ping noticed that Master Yin's outwardly displayed cultivation realm had dropped from Foundation Establishment to the Qi Condensation stage.
Only then did Master Yin wipe his bloodstained hands on his clothes and explain, "To derive the subsequent techniques, one must first walk upon the correct path.
"My method of establishing the foundation with oneself was only half-successful. Therefore, I had to destroy my foundation and cultivate anew."
He looked up toward the sky. "There might be some trouble, but leave it to me."
As Master Yin spoke these words, Li Ping also instantly sensed that something had descended upon Shengjing City.
Practicing the Heavenly Emperor's Qi Canon, he fused the destiny of the entire dynasty into one.
At this moment, Li Ping alone represented the Daqi Dynasty.
The intrusion of an outside entity naturally could not escape his perception.
Like a cold worm crawling slowly across the surface of the skin, after a tentative contact, the creature extended sharp barbs, attempting to plunge into the interior of the Daqi pocket world.
"Huh? Your realm faintly forms an independent domain. Perhaps their retaliation will be weaker than expected," Master Yin spoke up at that moment.
Li Ping knew that the "they" Master Yin referred to were the remnant souls of the old world.
Presumably, Master Yin's forceful destruction and alteration of his own state had drawn the attention of his kin.
The sound of pattering raindrops arose.
Yet no drops fell.
Above Li Fan's head, an oppressive, thick layer of dark clouds had gathered unnoticed, looming over the experimental base.
Amidst the pattering rain sounds, the hard basalt ground suddenly turned soft and muddy like earth.
Ghastly pale arms thrust violently out from beneath the ground.
Li Ping frowned slightly, intending to float into the air to evade them.
Yet within this bizarre space that had been warped and altered, he had actually lost the ability to fly.
Fortunately, the target of these world nether souls was not him.
To him, those arms were merely illusory apparitions.
Countless limbs crawled across the ground, swarming toward Master Yin.
Master Yin, however, revealed a sinister grin.
Grabbing the nearest arm, he wrenched it out violently, shoved it into his mouth, and began tearing into it ravenously.
Chapter 1154