This was the final month that the Hanging Temple remained in the southern borderlands, and today marked the day of departure.
During this time, Li Mo and Ying Bing had visited the grotto-heavens of every clan together, spreading the radiance of the Jade Phoenix Deity to each, fulfilling their initial promise.
The early winter sunlight, even when cast by three suns, brought little warmth to the room.
"Princess Little Jiang has made quite some progress lately."
Li Mo opened his eyes.
Over this month, he had mastered sixty out of the seventy-two transformations, leaving twelve remaining. Moreover, he discovered that the transformations from the seventy-two changes could be projected into his miniature world.
Of course, those projections still weren’t living beings.
Thus, Princess Little Jiang gained many sparring partners and silent companions, from whom she derived numerous sword techniques. She obediently presented them to her master for guidance.
The Heavenly Venerable Li Mo remarked that her sword path no longer needed external adjustments—she need only follow her own heart.
This was Ying Bing’s recent evaluation of Li Mo’s swordsmanship.
"My martial insights have also surpassed a thousand years."
"Lately, there haven’t been any martial techniques I urgently need to master."
Li Mo gazed out the window at the frolicking water tribes and took stock of his recent gains from investments in his system space.
Only three golden mountains remained—still far from his peak wealth.
But he was still Li Mo, the man of boundless riches.
The feedback from the demon clans consisted mostly of rare treasures—enormous pearls... sinking gold sandalwood... cold mist jadeite... If converted into currency, their exact value was unknown, but it would surely be enough to give the wealthiest man in Yunzhou a heart attack.
There were also plenty of top-grade heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and rare elixirs.
"Ying Bing should be nearly done refining the Jade Phoenix Deity..."
Just as this thought crossed his mind—
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in ‘Ying Bing,’ aiding her in refining the Jade Phoenix Deity.]
[Investment Reward]: "Gilded Creation Seal."
"Ying Bing has fully refined the Jade Phoenix Deity?!"
A small, exquisitely patterned seal covered in mysterious tadpole-like inscriptions appeared in Li Mo’s palm, stirring his excitement.
With the Gilded Creation Seal...
Could he now upgrade the "Monkey Seeks the Dao" painting?
Almost instinctively, he retrieved the divine contemplation painting and took a deep breath.
Plop—
The Creation Seal touched the painting, but unlike before, nothing happened.
"Huh?"
Li Mo refused to believe it and stamped the seal again.
Plop—
Still, no reaction.
"How strange."
Li Mo was utterly baffled.
The "Monkey Seeks the Dao" painting couldn’t possibly be flawed—he had painted it himself, and it had been upgraded by the Creation Seal before. Moreover, he had contemplated it for so long.
I’ve even seen Brother Monkey in it—there’s no way it’s the problem.
The Creation Seal from the system?
That was even less likely to be faulty.
So what was the issue?
"Could it be... that the inability to upgrade is because of me?"
After much pondering, he found no answer.
So he stowed away the Creation Seal and stepped toward the window, bathed in the early winter morning light.
There, Ying Bing sat quietly by the waterside, sipping tea. Her profile was flawless, her moon-white skin appearing even paler under the wan sunlight, as if her presence embodied the first snowfall of winter.
Li Mo picked up a teacup and took a sip.
"Ying Bing, if one starts by contemplating an inferior form, can it later be elevated to a superior form?"
"Naturally, it can."
Ying Bing glanced at him, studying the young man before adding softly,
"If one’s talent is extraordinary, an inferior form may not suffice. Once such a person perfects the inferior form, they may elevate it to a median form."
"This is exceedingly difficult. Even with immense talent, it might take a lifetime. But it has been done before."
The Sect Master of Qingyuan?
Li Mo recalled the sect master who transformed a sparrow into a mighty roc.
He fell into deep thought.
Perhaps the Creation Seal refused to further evolve the painting because he hadn’t yet perfected the "Monkey Seeks the Dao" painting?
Or was he still missing some prerequisite?
It seemed he would have to first complete the seventy-two transformations, master the somersault cloud, and then try again...
The road will appear when the mountain is reached. What’s mine will come to me in time—no need to rush.
If he grew impatient now, what about those who started with inferior forms and spent their entire lives just reaching a median form?
Chiding himself not to be greedy, Li Mo grinned and said,
"Ying Bing, guess what form I want to evolve it into?"
"What?"
"The ultimate form!"
"Then I’ll wait for you to become the first person to evolve a divine form of the Great Dao."
Watching the young man spout nonsense with a straight face, Ying Bing rested her chin on her hand, her eyes faintly exasperated.
This childishness again...
Huh?
Li Mo paused at her words.
So Ying Bing meant that no one had ever elevated an ultimate form into a divine form of the Great Dao on their own?
Did that mean divine forms of the Great Dao were all naturally born from heaven and earth?
Just then, movement came from the grotto-heaven’s entrance.
The demon kings and great demons preparing to return to their homelands arrived with their clansmen to bid farewell.
"Thank you, Heavenly Flood Dragon, thank you, Qingluan Goddess."
"If the southern borderlands ever need our help, don’t hesitate to call upon the Giant Whale Tribe."
"Please accept these sea ginseng roots..."
They came bearing gifts.
......
Meanwhile, in the southern borderlands—
Serpentine Valley.
This place was perpetually shrouded in poisonous miasma. Even a brief inhalation could be fatal to those at the Contemplation Realm.
In the stone hall above, a few candle flames pierced the darkness as dozens of masked priests in bronze ascended the steps. Had Li Mo been present, he would have recognized one of them—the priest he had encountered before.
At this moment, Han Zhen, clad in blood-red robes, sat beneath a bronze tree in the hall, one arm missing.
"Has the power of the masses been collected?"
Han Zhen narrowed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
The mist-like energy swirling atop the cloud-patterned jade artifacts in the priests’ hands seemed to come alive, converging around him. Whether it was an illusion or not, his complexion appeared slightly rosier.
"Good. More than usual—how was this achieved?"
"Because the chosen ones all went to the Hanging Temple," a priest holding a jade artifact replied.
"Hmm. By my calculations, they should be returning soon."
Han Zhen exhaled sharply, expelling the resentment in his chest.
Having lost the Blood Phoenix Essence, he had long set his sights on the Jade Phoenix Deity—originally an artifact sent to the heavens by Great Shang and entrusted to the Hanging Temple.
If not for Huaikong’s obstinacy and Shang Qinqing’s alignment with that bald monk, he wouldn’t have needed to send Zhi Duoluo and the others to retrieve it.
Tap—
A crow with blood-red eyes soared through the miasma and into the stone hall, transforming into a gaunt, pale middle-aged man.
"Why have you returned alone?"
This fourth-tier demon king had been sent by Han Zhen to rendezvous with Zhi Duoluo’s group.
A demon king was equivalent to a human at the Law Body Realm—more than enough for the task.
"Zhi Duoluo is dead."
"And the others?"
"The same."
"Impossible!"
Han Zhen shot to his feet.
He could believe Zhi Duoluo had fled with the Jade Phoenix Deity, but for all the chosen ones on the Hidden Dragon Ranking—empowered by the masses’ energy and armed with his own methods—to perish in the struggle for the artifact?
Unthinkable.
"Where is the Jade Phoenix Divine Artifact?" Han Zhen glanced at the shattered bronze divine tree, his tone turning icy as if he had confirmed something.
"It was jointly obtained by Wu Mo of the Mingjiao Clan and Luan Bing of the Qingluan Clan," the middle-aged man transformed from a black crow whispered.
Mo?!
Bing?!!!
Those two names struck his ears like a thunderclap on a clear day.
"What do they look like?!" Han Zhen's voice even sharpened with urgency.
"..."
The crow-man plucked two of his own feathers, which ignited without fire and burned into black ash.
The ashes scattered on the ground, sketching out the appearances of the two.
Han Zhen froze.
.....
PS: Ranked 14th on the gift leaderboard—thank you all for the overwhelming support, dear readers! This humble author bows in gratitude.
igrating to the cultivation world for two hundred years, I've managed to lie low and reach the Nascent Soul stage. Only now does my golden finger arrive? ...
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
