Chapter 161: The Second Mysterious Qi

This tortoise shell was unlike the other miscellaneous items that could be casually tossed into any corner of the Fangcun space.

Instead, like a puppet, it occupied an entire vacant plot of land all by itself.

It floated quietly in midair, faint dim light shimmering across its surface, as though it possessed an innate spirituality.

"A tortoise shell can become a puppet too?"

Li Shun was genuinely surprised.

At the same time, the arrival of this unexpected guest disturbed the space's other "resident."

The wisps of Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth that had been quietly coiled beneath the dome of the Fangcun space instantly lost their previous tranquility.

They became noticeably agitated, flowing like countless ribbons of radiant clouds, their light flickering erratically as they shifted without end.

In that instant, Li Shun recalled the terrifying scene he had witnessed within the illusion.

Before that horrifying sacrificial pit, threads of another incomparably profound aura had likewise been forcibly drawn into a tortoise shell, where they branded strange symbols and ancient characters upon its surface.

That had not been the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth.

It had been another mysterious force that likewise contained supreme, unfathomable might.

'To provoke such a violent reaction from the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth...'

'This aura must be extraordinary as well.'

Steadying his thoughts, Li Shun carefully examined the floating tortoise shell.

Unfortunately, the obscure inscriptions carved across its surface were as incomprehensible to him as a heavenly scripture. He could not recognize a single character.

He cautiously extended a strand of divine sense toward it.

The tortoise shell remained completely motionless, no different from an ordinary lifeless object.

Just as he found himself at a loss, Li Shun caught sight of the still-restless Xuanhuang Qi swirling overhead.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

'I want to know what is written on it.'

He voiced his request.

The Xuanhuang Qi, however, acted as though it had heard nothing at all, continuing its turbulent circulation without the slightest response.

Li Shun narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.

Without another word, he forcibly extracted a single strand of Xuanhuang Qi and pressed it directly against the tortoise shell.

Like mortal enemies meeting face to face, both reacted with extreme violence.

The strand of Xuanhuang Qi trembled violently before instantly breaking apart and scattering in every direction, fleeing in utter panic.

At the same time, the ancient inscriptions engraved upon the tortoise shell abruptly dimmed.

When the glow gradually returned, the original characters had already twisted and transformed into an entirely different line of text.

Li Shun stared at it.

He was still completely baffled.

Since the Xuanhuang Qi could not provide an answer, he would have to find another method.

'But since it also counts as a Fangcun puppet...'

An idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.

'Within Fangcun, manifest into the mortal world!'

He intended to use the tortoise shell as a puppet, forcibly manifesting it into reality.

Very soon, however, Li Shun discovered the problem.

Unlike summoning or recalling his other puppets, this process was anything but effortless.

Whether he attempted to manifest it within the Great Qian world or the Martial Dao World, the tortoise shell encountered overwhelming resistance.

The force rejecting it was even more terrifying than the resistance he had experienced when forcibly dragging it into the Fangcun space in the first place.

Nor was it the same as the resistance encountered when manipulating the Sage Statue.

The Sage Statue had simply exceeded the limits of Li Shun's spiritual will.

But this tortoise shell...

It was as though it simply did not belong in either the Great Qian world or the Martial Dao World.

It was fundamentally incompatible with the worlds themselves, provoking instinctive rejection from the very fabric of existence.

Understanding suddenly dawned upon Li Shun.

'What the world rejects isn't the tortoise shell itself.'

'It's the unknown mysterious aura attached to it.'

'It had lain dormant within the Martial Dao World for who knows how many years, gradually establishing a connection with that world's Heavenly Dao. But after I forcibly stored it within Fangcun, that connection was severed.'

'It's like spending years painstakingly establishing a clean identity, only to have it invalidated overnight.'

Having understood the reason, Li Shun abandoned the attempt.

'Still, the fact that this strange aura can restrain the Xuanhuang Qi to some extent isn't a bad thing.'

Although he relied upon the Xuanhuang Qi to travel between worlds and cultivate, that did not mean he trusted it completely.

If the Xuanhuang Qi truly offered nothing but benefits, Great Qian's official attitude toward it would never have been so cautious.

'The Fangcun space has plenty of empty land anyway. I'll leave it here for now.'

'Perhaps one day this tortoise shell will prove useful.'

'As for the writing engraved upon it... perhaps I can find some clues in the Martial Dao World.'

Li Shun shifted his consciousness back to the puppet Fang Han.

Although he still had no idea what the tortoise shell actually did, simply absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi it gathered had already caused Fang Han's cultivation to soar.

'One more absorption, and I'll be able to set my sights on the Astral Qi realm.'

'Although there are quite a number of Grandmasters in this Martial Dao World, the overwhelming majority have long since founded sects, hold positions of great authority, or rule over their own territories. They rarely show themselves in the mortal world.'

'Those who are most active and feared by the public are usually Astral Qi realm experts.'

'Looking across the entire realm, a single Astral Qi realm martial artist is enough to elevate a family into the ranks of the local great powers.'

'The Fang Family of Tianmu City is the perfect example.'

With that in mind, Fang Han did not immediately head toward the next gathering point of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Instead, he decided to return home to rest and prepare.

Among all the gathering points he had previously detected, Cuiling Lake had only been a medium-to-small one.

The larger locations undoubtedly carried far greater danger.

'If not for Fangcun allowing me to exploit a loophole, I never would have been able to deal with that tortoise shell.'

'I'd better proceed cautiously and target the weaker locations first.'

When Fang Han returned to the courtyard, Ying immediately came forward with a solemn expression.

"Master, while you were away, an extremely powerful enemy came here."

As she spoke, she handed him a drawing she had made herself.

Although the artwork was somewhat rough and abstract, anyone looking at it could immediately sense the overwhelming oppression radiating from the enormous dark cloud that blotted out the sky.

"...It."

Fang Han's gaze sharpened instantly.

He immediately recognized it as the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathering point that had exchanged a distant glance with him earlier and tracked him here through the injuries it had left behind.

'Its reaction was incredibly fast.'

'Fortunately, my injuries recovered even faster.'

'If I fought it head-on right now, my chances of victory would be slim. Better to avoid its edge for now.'

Fang Han sketched the characters engraved upon the tortoise shell before asking Ying,

"Do you recognize this script?"

Ying carefully examined it for a while before honestly shaking her head.

"I don't. But I can learn."

She had clearly misunderstood what Fang Han meant.

Seeing the earnest look on her face, Fang Han chuckled.

"The truth is, I can't read it either."

"Then once I learn it in the future, I'll teach you."

Ying nodded happily.

"Releasing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from only a single gathering point has barely increased the world's overall Primordial Qi concentration."

"The divine arts and techniques of the Great Qian world still can't be used."

"I'll have to continue relying solely on Martial Dao methods."

Standing in the courtyard, Fang Han calmed his thoughts and once again began practicing the Imperial Fist.

Three days later, he set out once more, heading directly toward the smallest Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathering point he had sensed.

It was located deep within a secluded mountain forest on the outskirts of Guangze City.

The entire area had already been developed into a sprawling luxury resort villa district.

Only the wealthy and influential ever entered or left the place.

Naturally, security there was exceptionally tight.

There was even a Astral Qi Realm expert stationed there.

The moment Fang Han infiltrated the outer perimeter, he triggered one of the hidden sentries.

A stern warning immediately followed.

"I refuse to believe you'll stay inside forever."

Fang Han simply concealed himself outside the villa district and patiently waited for his target to emerge.

Ten days later, the opportunity finally arrived.

An elderly man with white hair and the youthful complexion of a child slowly walked out.

His aura was as deep and immeasurable as the ocean.

'Grandmaster realm!'

Fang Han's heart skipped a beat.

The instant Fang Han noticed the old man, the old man also discovered Fang Han.

He studied him for quite some time, confusion visible in his eyes.

Then, from afar, he called out with a clear voice,

"Young friend, would you care to come inside for a chat?"