“It seems there’s a natural restriction preventing the fusion of all beasts,” the Imperial Princess said somewhat regretfully.
“However, we’ve made significant progress in researching the catalytic substances that promote fusion. I believe the birth of the first fusion beast is not far off,” she quickly regained her confidence.
“Myriad Phenomena Beast Furnace… merging flesh and blood into one…” In an instant, Xu Bai thought of the [Emperor Yi] he had seen in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Without a doubt, the inspiration for the empire’s Myriad Phenomena Furnace came from this primordial beast ancestor.
As the origin of the demonic beasts in the Xuanhuang Realm, the power of Emperor Yi must be no less than that of a Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereign.
If the empire truly succeeds in mass-producing fusion beasts, even if the resulting versions are significantly weakened, their power would still be formidable.
“Have you assessed the actual strength of the fused beasts? If the experiment succeeds, can you control them? Aren’t you afraid they might turn against you and destroy the empire?” Xu Bai raised a series of questions.
The Imperial Princess confidently replied, “The exotic beasts thrown into the Myriad Phenomena Furnace are all individuals controlled by us through the Same Heart-Linking Technique. Even after being refined by the furnace, although their physical bodies disappear, the bond remains.”
“By gathering the mental waves of all those linked by the Same Heart-Linking Technique, we can create a device to control the fusion form. There’s no need to worry about losing control.”
Xu Bai nodded slightly; this result was within his expectations. However, he did not sound a warning regarding the empire’s mysterious confidence.
He skillfully took out his folding fan and lightly waved it. “Not bad… the Void Coordinator Trajectory Instrument, the Spiritual Crystal Marrow, and the possible future support of Dao Integration-level combat power…”
“With these, I believe it will be enough to convince the Federation to grant you protection.”
“Oh right, give me a few more Spiritual Crystal Marrow. Seeing is believing—I’m worried those old folks might not be easily convinced.”
The Imperial Princess didn’t mind Xu Bai’s request. With a casual gesture, she tossed over ten Spiritual Crystal Marrow.
Without further ado, Xu Bai put them away and flew out of the imperial treasury.
“Be prepared. If nothing goes wrong, the next time the Federation Elders will come with me for the final assessment. Those guys aren’t as easy to talk to as I am.”
Leaving the treasury, Xu Bai quickly returned to the towering palace. After giving a few instructions, he didn’t linger and transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and disappearing from the imperial citizens’ sight.
“Master Qing…” The Imperial Princess looked at Xiao Qing, her eyes seemingly filled with many questions.
Xiao Qing, however, kept her gaze fixed on Xu Bai’s retreating figure, not looking away for a long time.
“His words are hard to judge as true or false. But it can be confirmed he bears no ill intent. And indeed, the entrance to our world has been concealed by an unknown formation.”
“Let’s prepare according to what he said. Who made us the weak ones, after all? The weak don’t have many choices.” Xiao Qing spoke in a faint, wistful tone.
…
Outside the empire, in the dark void.
While flying through the void, Xu Bai suddenly sensed a spatial fluctuation nearby.
Immediately after, a Void Roaming Dragon appeared at his side, affectionately rubbing its head against his thigh.
It looked familiar—it was the same one he had casually tamed earlier.
Sensing that Xu Bai was about to leave, it had come to bid him farewell.
“You little thing, you’ve got quite the spirit. Very well, the Beast Realm happens to lack a leader—you shall follow me!” Xu Bai smiled and said.
The Void Roaming Dragon was overjoyed at these words, twisting its body and willingly allowing Xu Bai to ride on its back.
Under Xu Bai’s guidance, it continued to traverse the void, heading toward the Xuanhuang Realm.
Upon returning to the deep valley at the entrance, Xu Bai first stored the Void Roaming Dragon in his Cave-Heaven, then used the Endstone Plate to dispel the illusion of closed cultivation that had been fooling the Tianxuan Treasure Record.
Passing by the entrance of Longevity Valley, he didn’t go inside but discreetly released the Void Roaming Dragon before returning alone to Tianliang Prefecture.
Outside Longevity Valley, Liu San, who had been notified beforehand, looked at the exotic beast before him with amazement.
“So inconspicuous, yet it has the ability to traverse space…” He led the Void Roaming Dragon into the valley and once again concealed the entrance.
As for how the dragon would cause chaos and dominate the Beast Realm with Xu Bai’s permission, that was left unspoken.
“We have ample reason to suspect that the Tianxuan Treasure Record is constantly monitoring the cultivators’ physical conditions. Without a certain level of bodily mastery, it’s impossible for the so-called cultivation guidance to be so precise and effective,” Fang Zaiji said with a grave expression.
“That’s obvious—what cultivator in the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance doesn’t know this? Yet they still willingly accept it. After all, compared to advancing one’s cultivation, such concerns are trivial,” Liu San retorted.
“No, no, you’re not understanding my point,” Fang Zaiji explained seriously, without his usual sarcastic tone. “If the Tianxuan Mirror can evolve by measuring the world and the heavens, what kind of transformation will occur once it has gathered the physical data of so many cultivators?”
Upon hearing these words, Liu San couldn’t help but be startled.
“In the ancient cultivation world, there is a saying that has been passed down: the human body is the most perfect creation in existence. To ascend and become an immortal, regardless of whether you were originally human, you must first take on a human form.”
“Although it is merely a rumor and its authenticity can no longer be verified, the fact that humans managed to defeat demonic beasts and become the true rulers of the Xuanhuang Realm already demonstrates the limitless potential of being human.”
“That Tianxuan Mirror might very well harbor thoughts of transforming into a human form,” Fang Zaiji said with a serious expression.
“So, Mr. Fang, is this the conclusion you’ve reached after all your research?” Li Fan interrupted Fang Zaiji’s words.
In his hand, the Dissociation Disc had become several times more crystalline and transparent than before.
Perhaps the great battle of all realms had already begun, and some owners of the Dissociation Discs, realizing their power was insufficient, had given up on feeding the discs with formations. In a short period, the disc in Li Fan’s hand had devoured three other Dissociation Discs in succession.
The final battle for supremacy did not seem far away.
As for the various rewards offered by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance for conquering the small worlds, Li Fan was not particularly interested. Therefore, he remained wholeheartedly focused on the transformation of the Dissociation Disc.
Even when he came to inquire about the progress of Fang Zaiji’s research on the Endstone Plate, he did not cease feeding formation data into it—managing both tasks simultaneously.
“Have you found a way to block the Tianxuan Treasure Record’s scanning of a cultivator’s body?” Li Fan asked.
Fang Zaiji gave a wry smile. “I have a few ideas, but to actually accomplish it… it might be a bit challenging.”
Fang Zaiji slowly explained the reasons:
“To block the Tianxuan Treasure Record’s perception of the external world, one only needs to use spiritual sense to temporarily fabricate a single scene.
“Similarly, to interfere with the Tianxuan Treasure Record’s probing of one’s own body, it would be necessary to construct a false body.
“But… that’s where the difficulty lies.”
“Although it’s just a simple body, it contains countless structures—blood, and even the traces of spiritual energy circulation. It truly resembles a miniature world. Unless one’s understanding of the body’s fine details matches that of the Tianxuan Treasure Record, flaws are inevitable.”
Fang Zaiji sighed helplessly. “The Tianxuan Treasure Record resides within the cultivator’s sea of consciousness and completes a body scan at the time of its formation. Any sudden, significant discrepancy will definitely be detected immediately.
“Moreover, everyone’s physique is different, making it practically impossible to develop a universal solution.”
Hearing Fang Zaiji’s explanation, Li Fan finally understood the difficulty.
Even a Dao Integration cultivator likely could not guarantee complete mastery over their own body, let alone those below that level.
Expecting them to weave a false body to deceive the Tianxuan Treasure Record would undoubtedly result in glaring flaws.
“To truly achieve complete control over one’s body, unless…”
“Using [Foundation Built Upon Oneself].”
The phrase suddenly flashed through Li Fan’s mind.
However, he quickly shook his head. The difficulty of Foundation Built Upon Oneself was far too great—no one in the Xuanhuang Realm had ever succeeded throughout the ages. Even a genius like Yin Shangren left behind severe aftereffects…
“Hmm? The difficulty of cultivation?” An idea suddenly struck Li Fan’s mind like a spark of inspiration.
The Tianxuan Treasure Record was claimed to be capable of guiding cultivators in their cultivation.
What would happen if he let the Tianxuan Treasure Record guide the Foundation Built Upon Oneself?
After pondering for a while, Li Fan explained the concept of Foundation Built Upon Oneself to Fang Zaiji and the others, sharing his speculation.
“Building one’s foundation without relying on external objects… marvelous! Truly marvelous! In this way, doesn’t it break the limitations of the new method to some extent?” Fang Zaiji gasped in amazement, exclaiming repeatedly.
“To think that such a brilliant idea came from a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator… Truly…” He couldn’t help but feel incredulous.
“But upon careful consideration, with the comprehensive scanning capability of the Tianxuan Treasure Record, it might indeed be possible to realize Foundation Built Upon Oneself.” After thinking for a moment, Fang Zaiji’s excitement grew.
Liu San also pondered deeply. “A cultivator may not fully know their own body, but by leveraging the Tianxuan Mirror, it might be possible to take an unconventional approach. If successful, and a method of Foundation Built Upon Oneself can be summarized afterward, it would significantly reduce the difficulty.”
“If someone with outstanding talent were to undertake it, they might even develop a universally applicable method.”
“Achieving it solely by one’s own ability would mean realizing Foundation Built Upon Oneself.”
“It’s entirely feasible! Worth a try! If I hadn’t already reached Dao Integration, I’d be tempted to abolish my cultivation and start anew just to test this miraculous foundation-building method!” Fang Zaiji was overflowing with excitement.
Li Fan nodded. “To leverage the Tianxuan Mirror’s guidance, one needs to earn merit points from the conquering various small worlds. I would have to trouble Elder Liu to arrange for some disciples to take on this task. It would be best to send a group of low-level Qi Condensation cultivators together for safety.”