Chapter 567 - 47: Feeling the New Realm

The Mountain Peak Dojo.

At the core of the Nine Extremes Array, Liu Shuang’s routine hadn’t changed in over a decade. She spent at least ten hours a day meticulously fusing with the Spirit Body’s consciousness.

Her Spiritual Dog faithfully performed its duty. For years, whenever she began the process of fusing with the Spirit Body’s consciousness, the dog would lie beside the switch for the Sealing Array, its intelligent eyes fixed unblinkingly on Liu Shuang as she cultivated.

Just as Liu Shuang was about to end her daily cultivation, a cool breeze suddenly swept in from the sea to the south. It rustled the hem of her Daoist Robe and stirred her hair, which was tied up in a single spiral bun.

Liu Shuang opened her eyes and smoothed her wind-tousled hair. She glanced toward the small courtyard, then rose and began to walk in that direction. Seeing her get up, the Spiritual Dog grew excited and began to hop and bound around her.

When she reached the courtyard gate, she stopped, her expression clearly bewildered. She saw her Master, but his state was strange. He appeared to be an illusory figure, just like the one she had seen back at the Six Heart Sect, yet she could also clearly sense a real, tangible presence.

"This is a wisp of my Primordial Spirit Consciousness."

Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit was standing at the entrance to the small courtyard’s wood workshop, apparently experimenting with some kind of Magic. Seeing Liu Shuang approach, he said, "Pay me no mind. Go on about your business."

"Yes!"

Liu Shuang stopped at the edge of the courtyard. Although she had agreed, she showed no sign of leaving. Her Spiritual Dog tucked its tail between its legs and hid behind her, glancing nervously up at Yu Lian, who was on the eaves of the roof.

After acknowledging Liu Shuang, Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit extended its illusory right hand and formed the Hand Technique for the Grass and Trees are Soldiers Technique. Then, facing a cluster of flowers in the courtyard, he decreed, "Form!"

The instant the decree left his lips, a faint green halo emanated from the Dantian and Qi Sea of Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit. Then, a series of profound Array Runes appeared along the meridians of its ethereal form. The moment the array was complete, all the pure Wood Spirit Qi in the surrounding area converged on the fingertips of the Primordial Spirit’s right hand.

Then, as streams of Wood Spirit Qi flowed into it, the motionless cluster of flowers began to grow explosively, gradually taking the form of a humanoid guard.

At that moment, the Hand Technique of Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit changed. It controlled the floral guard to form the hand seal for the Sword Control Technique, which caused a dense flurry of petals to whip up into a gale around its body.

Seeing this, Yu Lian, who was under the eaves, instantly shot upright. She opened her great maw and, with a powerful inhale, sucked the entire dense cloud of petals into her belly. Then, she urged Wang Ping, "More!"

"..."

Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit formed another Hand Technique, gathering a dense concentration of Wood Spirit Qi and infusing it into the humanoid guard. Instantly, vibrant flowers bloomed across the guard’s body at a speed visible to the naked eye. Then, guided by the Sword Control Technique, they scattered into swirling clouds of petals that danced around the courtyard.

"WOOF!"

Perhaps sensing that Yu Lian was in a relatively good mood, the Spiritual Dog grew bolder and let out a bark, then began jumping around Liu Shuang, wagging its tail.

Just as Yu Lian inhaled the last of the flying petals, Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness vanished into thin air. The space beside the Stone Table shimmered, and this time, Wang Ping appeared in his physical body.

"How does it feel?"

Yu Lian asked directly.

Wang Ping didn’t answer. Instead, he formed a Hand Technique with his right hand, and the floral guard instantly dispersed, reverting to a still cluster of flowers in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, a glint flashed in Wang Ping’s eyes. He extended his left hand and tapped lightly on the air. Hundreds of Iron Bamboo Swords whistled forth, forming over a dozen Seven-Star Killing Arrays. These smaller arrays then combined to form a single, even larger Seven-Star Killing Array.

Wang Ping continued to nest the arrays, one inside the other, until the massive Seven-Star Killing Array enveloped more than half of Qianmu Temple. He only stopped after creating the sixth layer.

The celestial phenomenon naturally drew the gazes of the disciples, who all looked up to watch. In the backyard Dao Field, Yu Cheng, Ruan Chunzi, and Yuan Zheng, who had been playing chess and drinking tea, also raised their heads.

"This is the same array Elder Yuxiao used against the Northern Cultivators back in the day, isn’t it?"

Ruan Chunzi asked.

Yu Cheng shook his head regretfully. "Back then, I had only just begun Qi Cultivation. I only participated in a few simple missions. When the northern and southern cultivators later clashed, our generation of disciples was sent to meditate within the sect’s underground wards. By the time we emerged, order had already been restored to Nanlin Road."

"Your sect protected you well. That war was a catastrophe for all life on the Zhongzhou Continent. Especially the final conflict between the north and south. To disrupt the world’s spiritual balance and interfere with the Magic of Fourth Realm Cultivators, they sacrificed tens of millions of lives in a single night. In those days, the very moonlight that touched the ground was red. Every step was a burden of guilt, because the earth was covered in flesh and blood!"

Ruan Chunzi said, a tremor in his voice, "It was pure luck that I managed to survive."

Yu Cheng Taoist asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you referring to the spiritual turmoil instigated by the South Sea Daoist?"

Ruan Chunzi scoffed. "Even ten more South Sea Daoists couldn’t have caused that kind of upheaval. He was just a Heterodox Cultivator back then, an insignificant nobody before the chaos began."

Hearing this, Yuan Zheng Taoist asked, his face full of interest, "Then what is the real story?"

Ruan Chunzi gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Do you really think a small fry like me would know the truth of the matter? But I know one thing for sure: it wasn’t something a petty character like the South Sea Daoist could have set in motion."

After saying this, he abruptly changed the subject. "Fellow Daoist Changqing has cultivated a true Primordial Spirit. I imagine it won’t be long before he masters the Third Realm of the Taiyan Talisman."

"His cultivation always seems to be smooth sailing, while I’m still struggling to even master the Samadhi True Flame!" Yuan Zheng sighed. "For my Primordial Spirit to fully merge with the Samadhi True Flame... I fear that will take another five or six hundred years. By then, Fellow Daoist Changqing might have already ascended to the Fourth Realm."

"You are both being too optimistic!"

Yu Cheng Taoist replied humbly, but the smile on his face was anything but.

Ruan Chunzi glanced at Yu Cheng. "I never used to believe in the concept of genius, but now I’m forced to. Seeing is believing, after all. Sometimes you just have to admit that some people are born truly gifted!" He paused, then asked, "Should we go up and see Fellow Daoist Changqing?"

"Let’s not disturb him for now. He’ll let us know if he needs anything. By the looks of it, he’s familiarizing himself with the sensations of his new realm." Yu Cheng stared toward the Mountain Peak Dojo, his gaze filled with pride.

"If no one intervenes in the situation in the Chu Country, I fear rivers of blood will flow at a moment’s notice," Ruan Chunzi reminded him softly.

"That has nothing to do with us," Yu Cheng Taoist said, his tone cold.

While the three of them were talking, the immense array that had gathered above Qianmu Mountain had already vanished.

Wang Ping had only been experimenting with an idea. He had wanted to try it for some time, but his Primordial Spirit Consciousness had previously been unable to control such a complex formation. After all, his idea required nesting one array within another, a feat that demanded he manage each independent array simultaneously. With his previous level of Primordial Spirit strength, it would have been impossible to even attempt.