"That talisman seems capable of absorbing the power of stray True Immortal seal characters. It could probably serve as a cover.
"Yet it is a technique making its debut through Severing Immortal Tower. Even here, in the Dao Confirmation Academy, renowned as the fountainhead of the celestial vessel's Daoist methods, there isn't a single record of it."
The gaze of Li Fan's divided soul instantly fell upon the soundly sleeping Zhao Xian.
"The Xuan Celestial Vessel has a rigid hierarchy; many people never even leave their own continent in their entire lives. To breach an impregnable fortress, one must find a way to crack it from within."
With a gentle flick of his finger, the divided soul tapped Zhao Xian's forehead.
In a daze, Zhao Xian seemed to fall into a long dream.
In the dream, the strife between Severing Immortal Tower and the Immortal Pivot Court dragged on endlessly without a victor. The struggle grew fiercer by the day, the methods turning increasingly extreme. Ultimately, it triggered a cataclysmic disaster. The celestial vessel plummeted into the depths of the Sea of Relics, reduced to dust and ashes. Not a single soul aboard survived, including Zhao Xian himself.
Awakening abruptly from the nightmare, the normally easygoing and optimistic Zhao Xian took a long time to recover his composure, his face deathly pale.
It was simply because the dream had felt too real. Zhao Xian could still remember certain details with crystal clarity, so vivid that they gave him the illusion that he had actually traveled back to the past.
"In the dream, ten years from now, the vessel's salvage team recovered a supreme treasure named the Dharma-Deducing Jade from the Sea of Relics. Every single moment, it could deduce different cultivation techniques, even targeted deductions based on specific conditions. To seize ownership of the Dharma-Deducing Jade, Severing Immortal Tower and the Immortal Pivot Court came to blows. In the end, it was temporarily placed in the custody of our Dao Confirmation Academy. Although the academy reaped an unimaginable number of techniques during that time, it also planted the seeds of the subsequent catastrophe.
"As an elite disciple of the academy, I was fortunate enough to study a portion of those techniques in the dream.
"*Sea-Calming Divine Sword*..."
Zhao Xian subconsciously began circulating the technique from his dream.
A moment later, his expression changed abruptly.
"How is this possible?"
Zhao Xian then recalled even more profound techniques.
*Taikang Geng Metal Sword Qi*, *Heavenly Emperor's Qi Canon*, *Two Qis Spirit-Illuminating All Heavens Oblivion Art*, *Boundless Tianshu Soul Separation Art*...
One epoch-spanning, peerless art after another surfaced in his mind.
Word for word, clear as day.
The circulation of qi brought about by silently reciting the phrases of these techniques made Zhao Xian realize that they were by no means figments of his imagination. They were genuine, supreme divine arts!
"Forget about me—not a single person in the entire Dao Confirmation Academy could ever deduce techniques like these..."
Zhao Xian's heart pounded wildly.
"Could it be that I truly returned to the past from the future?"
For most of the day, Zhao Xian could not bring himself to accept this reality. No matter how much he racked his brain, he could not fathom why such a bizarre thing had happened to him.
Since he could not figure it out, he stopped dwelling on it.
Zhao Xian's thoughts quickly shifted to the catastrophic fall of the celestial vessel in the dream.
"If that was real..."
"I must change everything." Zhao Xian subconsciously clenched his fists.
Having witnessed far too many cruelties in the dream, the young Zhao Xian had grown much more composed. He did not habitually search for answers using the Record of Myriad Curiosities, knowing full well that every post he made and every trace of his browsing was under the surveillance of the Dao Confirmation Academy.
"The destruction of the celestial vessel is far too terrifying a matter. I cannot speak of it to anyone, not even to Master. Nor must the Dao Confirmation Academy—an organization utterly destroyed in the future conflict—ever find out. Otherwise, no one can guarantee they won't resort to even more extreme measures, perhaps bringing about the vessel's destruction ahead of time."
Zhao Xian paced back and forth in his room, thoughts racing through his mind. Ever since that great dream, he felt as though his thinking had become significantly sharper.
"Master was right: the celestial vessel must have, and can only have, a single helmsman. Yet the conflict between Severing Immortal Tower and the Immortal Pivot Court is irreconcilable. If they are left to fight their internal war, the destruction of the celestial vessel will be unavoidable.
"The best approach is to cut the knot quickly, helping one side achieve overwhelming superiority in a short period of time."
Zhao Xian's eyes flickered. "Although some details regarding people and events in the dream are blurry, my memories of future techniques and secret arts are remarkably clear. With the backing of materials decades ahead of their time, I am confident I can help one side unify the vessel. As for whom to help..."
Reflecting carefully upon the actions and governing philosophies of the two factions in his dream, Zhao Xian ultimately chose Severing Immortal Tower.
"Severing Immortal Tower is just now revealing its sharp edge, which means they are in dire need of capable people. If I reveal just a hint of talent, infiltrating them will be effortless.
"My current cultivation is still far too weak, so I need to advance as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I now have an abundance of miraculous techniques in my head.
"With enough resources, breaking through two whole realms within a year won't be an issue at all."
Zhao Xian closed his eyes to meditate in seclusion, bracing himself to shock the Dao Confirmation Academy once he emerged.
What he failed to notice was a faint, nearly imperceptible figure standing beside him, gazing at him quietly.
That figure was, of course, Li Fan's divided soul.
"Without the restriction that dharmas cannot be practiced concurrently, the countless techniques I perused in the past can unleash their greatest value here.
"Compared to the perils of the Xuanhuang Realm, this celestial vessel is practically a paradise."
Having faced constraints at every turn in the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan now stirred up trouble on the Xuan Celestial Vessel, feeling the exhilarating freedom of putting his boundless repertoire of arts to full use.
***
Traversing more than half the sea of stars, stumbling across the Xuan Celestial Vessel civilization concealed within the ocean of relics, and finally finding a breakthrough to lurk inside—from start to finish, Sacred Embryo Li Fan had spent over a year.
Yet because time flowed at different rates across various regions of the sea of stars, less than half a year had actually passed in the Xuanhuang Realm.
Over the course of six months, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had recovered from the great tremor that had rocked the Xuanhuang Realm.
The distorted White Mist Barriers between heaven and earth had returned to normal.
The cultivators' memories of that calamity gradually blurred. Everything seemed to have returned to square one.
Meanwhile, in Great Qi, a pocket world affiliated with the Xuanhuang Realm, the transformations over the past half year could truly be described as renewing with each passing day.
"Renewing with each passing day" was not merely an idiom. In the skies of Great Qi, a wondrous spectacle had genuinely appeared, rivaling the sun and moon.
Centered around five hazy rings of light, more and more shining stars emerged.
They were clearly visible even in broad daylight.
At night, they thoroughly overwhelmed Great Qi's native starlight.
Folk rumors had it that the five rings symbolized His Imperial Majesty the Holy Emperor's five personal disciples, while the stars appearing one after another around the rings represented the many talents emerging across Great Qi.
These rumors were not baseless; they rested on ample evidence.
Just three days prior, the entire populace of Great Qi had witnessed with their own eyes a glittering star near the celestial rings suddenly burst with brilliance thousands of times brighter than usual.
It had then transformed into a beam of light that shot straight down toward the Holy Emperor Throne in the capital city of Shengjing.
The anomaly lasted for nearly half a day before the pillar of light spanning heaven and earth vanished without a trace.
Afterward, people were astonished to find that the star in the sky had disappeared along with it, having descended into the mortal realm.
If the Holy Emperor's disciples could trigger such a wondrous spectacle, what of the Holy Emperor himself?
Following the world-shaking martial demonstration by the Holy Emperor half a year ago, discussions and speculations regarding his immense power were reignited among the populace—conducted in private, of course.
Across Great Qi, the people's reverence and trust in the Holy Emperor had reached a terrifying level of absolute solidarity.
Yet at this moment, the peerless Holy Emperor in the hearts of Great Qi's subjects was tightly knitting his brows, staring at a white-haired youth sitting cross-legged before him with eyes closed.
Contrary to the folk tales, when that beam of light—rumored to herald the arrival of a star general—had descended from the heavens three days ago, Holy Emperor Li Ping had felt no joy whatsoever.
Instead, utter shock had given way to anger and vigilance.
For he had immediately discerned the truth behind the beam of light: outside the Great Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, one of the massive grotto-heavens that Daoist Baihua had painstakingly hauled outside the Great Qi pocket world to serve as a tugboat propelling the world swiftly through the void...
...had exploded.
And the culprit responsible for the incident was right here in Great Qi, right here in Shengjing!
Yet prior to this, Li Ping had been entirely oblivious to it! How could Li Ping, who regarded himself as the Destined Holy Emperor, accept such a lapse?
Over the past six months, while the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was preoccupied with quelling disasters and pacifying the populace, Daoist Baihua had worked day and night without rest, hauling several grotto-heavens from the Xuanhuang Realm to this location.
Perhaps because the cosmic might of the sea of stars had jolted the Xuanhuang Realm, moving these grotto-heavens had become noticeably easier for Baihua. Even so, half a year of relentless toil had left her on the verge of total exhaustion. Unable to hold out any longer, she had retreated into the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens to nurse her injuries.
No one could have anticipated the disaster of a grotto-heaven exploding.
Her face grim to the extreme, Daoist Baihua abandoned her recuperation and rushed out of the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens at once.
By then, Li Fan had already pinpointed the true culprit behind the incident.
Before he could unleash his wrath, however, a single sentence from Master Yin turned his shock into delight, dispelling all his anger!
"Someone..."
"...has successfully formed the Hunyuan Golden Core!"
Even as the Holy Emperor, hearing Master Yin's words caused his mind to reel in disbelief, momentarily dazed.
The Hunyuan Golden Core, being the realm following "establishing the foundation with oneself," was a crucial link in the new new method—a vital component in Li Ping's plan to upend Chuanfa Heavenly Venerable's system.
This first step was exceptionally difficult to take. Once taken, it was bound to bring about countless unimaginable changes.
When Li Ping had summoned Master Yin to Great Qi to research the new new method, he had not harbored high expectations, adopting purely a trial-and-error mindset.
After all, the Heavenly Venerable's new method system had stood unshakeable for ten thousand years.
How could dismantling its foundations be easy?
Li Ping had anticipated that deducing the new new method would take decades, if not centuries.
He had never expected that after merely half a year or so, Master Yin would present him with such an enormous surprise.
At the same time, doubt and vigilance arose within Li Fan.
Without asking immediately, he shifted his gaze from the dark-haired youth to Master Yin, awaiting his explanation.
Master Yin paid no heed to Li Ping, gazing rapturously at the youth in mid-cultivation, murmuring in admiration.
"The aura of a world..."
Li Ping frowned slightly.
The dark-haired youth gave him a peculiar sensation.
He was indeed one of the several children cultivating through establishing the foundation with oneself, and he had indeed accomplished a breakthrough in realm.
The elusive, unfathomable fluctuations of strength were difficult even for Li Ping to gauge.
However, the youth's life force was far too weak.
Far from the vibrant, burgeoning vigor that usually accompanied a breakthrough, he resembled a candle flickering precariously in the wind.
It seemed as though his life might completely slip away in the very next breath.
After a long while, seeing the look of agony surface on the dark-haired youth's face, Master Yin let out a deep sigh. "To seize the fortune of a world with a mortal frame..."
"How arduous is such a feat? Though he achieved the Hunyuan Golden Core, he suffered a backlash. If he cannot endure it, his only end is the death of his body and the dissolution of his Dao."
Li Ping automatically brushed aside the latter sentence, focusing his attention entirely on the first part of Master Yin's words.
"Seizing the fortune of a world with a mortal frame? Is that the key to forming the Hunyuan Golden Core?" Li Ping asked.
Master Yin remained silent for a moment before answering, "You see the situation yourself. He did indeed break through, but the peril involved offers practically no chance of survival...
"The new new method should not follow such a path."
Master Yin proceeded to explain to Li Fan the process by which the Hunyuan Golden Core had been comprehended through this serendipitous turn of events.
"What is Hunyuan?
"Establishing the foundation with oneself uses one's complete self to lay the foundation of cultivation. A person exists within a world; if one wishes to take a step further, one must seek answers from the world, from heaven and earth.
"Seizing the fortune of a world with a mortal frame is not like Chuanfa's new method of devouring heaven and earth directly...
"Although the practical outcome is virtually identical," Master Yin remarked, cutting himself short.
Looking up at the lingering afterimage of the vanished grotto-heaven in the sky, Master Yin continued, "Achieving Hunyuan does not mean seizing concrete matter or energy; what is seized is the world's 'fortune.'
"The Great Dao numbers fifty, of which heaven operates forty-nine. It is because of the elusive one that escaped that a world possesses additional variables, allowing heaven and earth to retain boundless vitality after countless ages.
"Yet if that escaped one is stolen away...
"The beam of light across heaven and earth just now was the consequence.
"Naturally, my own intervention played a role in this. Without outside interference, it would likely have taken nearly a century for the changes to manifest. I acted to lend this child a hand; otherwise, with a mere Foundation Establishment body, presuming to greedily seize heaven and earth—even if only a grotto-heaven—would have caused his consciousness to lose itself in the struggle against the grotto-heaven world." Master Yin glanced at Li Ping, showing no inclination to apologize.
"To conceive of what I could not—this lad is truly remarkable."
***
From Master Yin's words, Li Ping gained a rough understanding of this so-called Hunyuan Golden Core.
As the lord of the Great Qi world, having observed and interacted with numerous pocket worlds at close quarters, he understood Master Yin's meaning far better than most.
*A world is like a human body. The concept of seizing a world's fortune to achieve one's own Hunyuan Golden Core is indeed feasible.*
*However...*
Li Ping pondered for a moment, silently shaking his head in rejection.
*This stride is far too wide!*
*Using a human body to swallow a world—even I might not be able to pull it off.*
*The new new method ought to be a universal path that anyone can practice.*
Chapter 1189