Chapter 81: Meeting the Xiezhi Spiritual Body Again

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Meeting the Xiezhi Spiritual Body Again

The chaos surrounding Chu Fan’s Spiritual Body dissipated, revealing a desolate landscape before his eyes.

The towering, endless mountain ranges were a uniform gray-white, without a hint of green. Even the sky was grayish-white, devoid of sun, moon, grass, or trees.

"You’ve come?"

Hearing this voice, Chu Fan immediately thought of the Xiezhi he had met on Dingfeng Slope.

The Xiezhi then had been a wisp of consciousness, and it must be the same now; after all, the Xiezhi was already dead.

For a wisp of its consciousness to appear meant there was only one possibility: he was inside the Juntian Mirror.

’Or perhaps the Juntian Mirror is an object that can contain Divine Souls and consciousness?’

"No. This is a space in and of itself. It was once no different from the outside world. Green mountains, clear waters, wind and clouds, thunder and lightning, the four seasons, and joyous living beings—it had them all."

The Xiezhi continued, regardless of whether Chu Fan believed it, "Since your consciousness has arrived here, you must have completely exhausted your body’s Qi Power and Spiritual Power. After your consciousness fell into chaos, you had an epiphany about the significance of courage and resilience in the face of life and death."

"In other words, you have already undone the Juntian Mirror’s second-layer seal. From now on, your Spiritual Body can enter and exit the Juntian Mirror at will. You can also store inanimate objects here; you need only use your will to deposit or retrieve them."

Chu Fan was shocked. ’Holy shit, how many Storage Rings would it take to equal this much space?’

’Looking at these mountains, you could probably move the entire world in here, couldn’t you?’

"Why only inanimate objects? Why can’t living things enter?"

"Because this place is now filled with nothing but endless Death Qi. Can you not feel it?"

"Before, in a Forgotten Divine Hall on Zao Ying Mountain, I saw many treasures. Then the Juntian Mirror suddenly shot out of my body and devoured them all. Do you know where they went?" Chu Fan asked.

"Those things were originally from the Juntian Mirror. It was merely a plan set in motion by myself and the Mang God for the sake of a sliver of hope. The Juntian Mirror reappears, the Mang Divine Hall falls—this was the rule we established. As for whether that sliver of hope can be realized, that now depends on you."

"What do you mean?" Chu Fan asked, confused.

’What does he mean, "for the sake of a sliver of hope"? The Xiezhi and the Mang God knew each other?’

"You’ve only just undone the second-layer seal; you aren’t yet qualified to know these things. Besides, this wisp of my consciousness does not hold the answers you seek. It was left here only to tell you a few simple things, such as how to undo the third-layer seal."

"How do I undo the third-layer seal?"

"Don’t be hasty. To motivate you to work harder at undoing the subsequent seals, there will be rewards starting from the second layer. You can also consider them a form of assistance for undoing the next seal!"

Chu Fan’s eyes lit up. "There’s a perk like that?"

The answer to Chu Fan’s question was a pile of items that suddenly appeared before him.

There were two pieces of Jade, each three inches long, one inch wide, and half an inch thick; a battered, rust-spotted, and heavily-nicked Long Sword; and a neatly stacked pile of about a thousand brick-sized pieces of white jade whose quality even he couldn’t discern.

"What are all these?"

"Those two pieces of Jade are Ming Jue Jades. One records a Magic Technique, and the other records a Defense Array. That pile of white jade is called Array Spirit Jade, the best Spiritual Jade in your world for setting up an Array’s Base."

At this, the Xiezhi pointed to the rust-spotted Long Sword, a look of melancholy on its face. "This sword is named the Juntian Sword. It was forged from a piece of Chaos Steel that was nurtured for hundreds of millions of years by a Spirit Vein in the Jun Tian World. It had already birthed a Sword Spirit, and its Sword Soul was unparalleled. However, after a great battle, its Sword Soul died, and the Sword Spirit fell into a deep slumber. Take it with you into battle. Use the blood of your enemies to re-nurture its Sword Soul, use your own Sword Intent to awaken its Sword Spirit, and use the billions of Divine Soldiers in the world to restore it to its former glory."

Hearing the Xiezhi’s words, Chu Fan found himself filled with a boundless fighting spirit.

He picked up the Juntian Sword from the ground, held it in both hands, and murmured, "Alright. From this day forward, you will join me in conquering the world. I, Chu Fan, will never treat you poorly."

Perhaps the Sword Spirit sensed his words, as the Juntian Sword trembled slightly in his hands, as if in response.

"The Divine Technique from the Juntian Mirror’s second-layer seal is the Inner Lion Seal. You will naturally learn it after you leave this place. I must remind you that the Jun Tianjian World is currently filled with endless Death Qi. Once you unleash this Divine Technique, anyone within a hundred zhang of you whose Cultivation is not a full Great Realm higher than yours will die on sight, friend or foe. Therefore, you must be extremely cautious when using this Divine Technique."

Chu Fan was utterly aghast.

’How fucking badass is this Divine Technique?’

’Anyone within a hundred zhang whose Cultivation isn’t a Great Realm higher than mine dies just by seeing it?’

’This is an even more powerful trump card than the External-Attached Lion Seal.’

"How do I use those two Ming Jue Jades?" Chu Fan asked.

"Hold one in your palm and connect to it with your will. The information recorded in the jade will be imprinted upon your memory as if you had recited it ten million times. These two Ming Jue Jades are consumable; they will shatter after you perceive their contents once."

Chu Fan was shocked once again. ’Such a wonderful item actually exists in this world?’

’If these could be mass-produced, why would any child need to memorize books? This is way easier than reciting things yourself.’

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Chu Fan asked.

"It is not yet time for you to know too much. To undo the third-layer seal, your Cultivation must reach at least the Divine Separation Realm, and you must comprehend at least three Supreme Daos."

"What is a Supreme Dao?"

"There are three thousand Great Daos in the world—a figurative number meaning ’many.’ Among them are nine Venerable Daos, which are like the trunk of the Great Dao. Each of these nine Venerable Daos gives rise to fifty Supreme Daos, which are like the branches. Each of these fifty Supreme Daos, in turn, gives rise to three thousand Daoist Techniques, which are the lush leaves of the Great Dao."

"So that means there are four hundred and fifty Supreme Daos in total? Which ones are they? Can you be more specific?"

"The number is correct, but I cannot tell you. Comprehending a Supreme Dao relies on epiphany and serendipity. If I were to name them, it would only make it harder for you to achieve that epiphany. The inspiration for comprehending a Dao is a fleeting spark that vanishes in an instant."

"Have I comprehended or come into contact with a Dao yet?"

"All Cultivators have comprehended a Dao, but for most, it is merely an ordinary Daoist Technique. You, however, have already had an epiphany and reached the Second Layer of a Supreme Dao."

"Are you saying the Sword Dao is a Supreme Dao?" Chu Fan instantly realized.

The Xiezhi nodded. "Correct. The mission of this wisp of Divine Sense for the second-layer seal is complete. It is time for me to disappear."

"Wait! How about a hint about the rewards for undoing the third-layer seal?" Chu Fan said hastily.

"I will mention just one thing. On the third layer, there is a Great Returning Pill. For any mortal below the Mortal Immortal Grade, it can perform the miracle of Life and Death, Flesh and Bone—bringing the dead back to life. It can also cure any evil poison in the mortal world. Of course, to bring someone back from the dead, they cannot have been deceased for more than seven days. The other items are no worse than the Great Returning Pill." With that, the Xiezhi’s conscious form dissipated into the world.

Only the gray-white emptiness remained.

Chu Fan was once again stunned by the Xiezhi’s words.

’Is there really such a heaven-defying Elixir in this world? Life and Death, Flesh and Bone? With a pill like that, wouldn’t I be fearless even of death? Isn’t this just like having an extra life?’

But as he looked upon this ravaged, gray-white world, Chu Fan, for some reason, couldn’t feel any excitement.

Logically, he should have been ecstatic—whether it was because of the treasures he obtained from the second layer, the Divine Technique he gained by undoing the seal, or the anticipation of the Great Returning Pill on the third layer.

And yet, he had a feeling that the plan laid out by the Xiezhi and the Mang God in this world was anything but normal. It was just like the sword in his hand, and just like this ravaged, Death Qi-filled Jun Tianjian World.

Perhaps behind it all lay a great secret that could shake the heavens and the earth, or maybe it was the history of a magnificent, tragic war for which the heavens and the earth had wept.