Chapter 87 - 78: Clan Extermination, the So-called Profound World and Sensing Profound Realm

Their manner of death was bizarre. There wasn’t a single injury on their bodies, but... their hearts were gone!

In the inner hall of the City Guard’s Mansion.

Duan Jue wore a smile, seemingly quite interested in the purpose of Xu Guang’s visit.

Naturally, Li Zongkang stood behind him like a shadow, just as always.

Xu Guang didn’t beat around the bush. "Marshal Xu Guang greets Lord City Guardian," he said softly.

"Marshal Xu, there is no need for such formalities. What brings you to my mansion?"

"I intend to leave the city," Xu Guang replied quietly. "However, with the recent changes outside and the Water-Born Celestial Stele, I was hoping you could offer some guidance, Lord City Guardian. I also wish to know about that mysterious ghost shadow."

Duan Jue smiled faintly, turning his gaze to Li Zongkang instead. "I told you Marshal Xu wouldn’t be as aloof as you."

It sounded like a joke, but Xu Guang’s heart stirred. He seemed to realize something.

"Do you know the origins of the Celestial Stele outside the city and that ghost shadow, My Lord?"

"Naturally. Both originated from the same place, though I was the one who drew out the Celestial Stele using the Official Seal," Duan Jue said with a placid smile.

His words, however, exploded in Xu Guang’s ears like a violent clap of thunder.

The Celestial Stele was connected to Duan Jue?!

What about the ghost shadow?

He stood frozen.

"What exactly is that Celestial Stele? Is it the grand tomb of some mighty expert? Or something else? Did that ghost shadow also appear because of you, My Lord?" Xu Guang asked in a low voice, a tremor he hadn’t noticed lacing his tone.

Duan Jue shook his head. "I summoned the Celestial Stele, but not the ghost shadow. I can tell you all of this, but knowing it might hinder your future Cultivation. Does Marshal Xu still wish to hear?"

Xu Guang glanced at Li Zongkang. The man remained expressionless, clearly with no intention of stepping away.

Did Li Zongkang already know?

No wonder he had looked so indifferent when Xu Guang and Nie Yu reported the incident to him earlier.

"I want to know!" he declared without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

Xu Guang was somewhat speechless, only just realizing that the Lord City Guardian was quite chatty.

He nodded silently.

Seeing Xu Guang’s unwavering expression, Duan Jue chuckled. "To reach the Refining Viscera Realm at such a young age, your talent is clearly extraordinary. A mere Knowledge Barrier shouldn’t affect you much."

Suddenly dropping his smile, he looked at Xu Guang with absolute seriousness. "Heaven is divided into Yin and Yang, and the earth is split into two realms. Have you ever considered that beyond our current reality, there exists another world? A world thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of times larger than ours?"

Xu Guang was horrified. This...

Ignoring the shock on Xu Guang’s face, Duan Jue went on. "Beyond reality, there is a world that is neither entirely real nor entirely illusory. People call it the Profound World. The Profound World and our reality are closely intertwined, just like... Yin and Yang. They exist within each other. The Profound World cannot be seen, yet it is everywhere.

"To put it in layman’s terms, you can think of the Profound World as a strong, robust man, and reality as a woman. The two can only combine and traverse through specific points of connection. Both the ghost shadow and the Celestial Stele came from the Profound World. However, while I guided the Celestial Stele, the ghost shadow was the handiwork of Great Mage Zhang Qing."

Duan Jue paused, giving Xu Guang a meaningful look.

Xu Guang’s mind was instantly thrown into turmoil. He couldn’t help but recall the idol in the Divine Temple deep within Qingyang Mountain. The feeling it had given him back then was exactly as if it were trying to descend from another world...

"The Profound World can affect reality?"

"Naturally, and profoundly so. Great changes in the world and Earth Dragon upheavals are mostly caused by the Profound World. All the tales of gods, demons, and ghosts originate from the Profound World as well. Even you Martial Artists require certain substances from the Profound World to cultivate beyond Refining Viscera," Duan Jue said unhurriedly.

"Do you know why those who achieve Five Viscera Perfection are called Seeing God? Upon reaching Seeing God, a Martial Artist’s body undergoes certain changes. Their eyes naturally gain the ability to see things ordinary people cannot, much like the legendary Yin-Yang Eye bloodline passed down in the Ru Yang Yuan Clan. Regarding the Profound World, those with a master’s lineage are usually only informed of it after they reach the Seeing God level.

"The realm above Refining Viscera is called—Sensing Profound. To sense the location of the Profound World and draw upon its mechanisms is what we call Sensing Profound."

The Refining Viscera Realm condensed Five Viscera Power, each stage possessing its own profound mysteries. One Viscera Nourishing Force, Two Viscera Generating Force, and Three Viscera Transformation Force were all easy to understand. With Four Viscera Power, the energy circulated endlessly within the body, constructing an internal loop known as No Leakage. To outsiders, the practitioner’s aura appeared flawless, reducing consumption like a turtle, granting the effect of longevity. This realm could increase one’s lifespan. As for Five Viscera Seeing God, only today did Xu Guang understand what ’God’ they were seeing!

Xu Guang’s mind was a chaotic mess. He felt as though the entire worldview he had built over the years had completely shattered in this instant.

He had always thought this was a normal world. Now, learning from Duan Jue that gods, demons, and ghosts actually existed in another world—and could very likely descend into reality—was staggering!

Duan Jue remained calm and composed. "The Celestial Stele is what I drew from the Profound World using the Official Seal. It is meant to eternally suppress the Wei River and deter Zhang Qing. However, Zhang Qing’s methods are masterful; he took advantage of the moment I summoned the Celestial Stele to draw in a horde of ghost shadows.

"Oh, right, that ghost shadow also has a name. It’s called... a Heart-devouring Demon. But you don’t need to worry. With its strength, it can’t devour your heart. Furthermore, the Profound World imposes various restrictions on Demon Fiends crossing over into reality. Encountering it today can be considered your good luck.

"Still, your bloodline is extraordinary. To be able to harm Alien Demons while only in the Refining Viscera Realm is truly impressive."

The number of Profound World Demons that could appear in Feiyun City was very small.

Furthermore, Profound World Demons could not be harmed or killed by anyone below the Sensing Profound Realm. It could be understood that Alien Demons were simply not something Martial Artists below the Refining Viscera Realm would ever encounter.

"So, the Mysterious Strange Pavilion was established by the Court specifically to target Demon Fiends?"

"Yes and no. It is very difficult for Demon Fiends to descend into this world. The Mysterious Strange Pavilion primarily targets the special locations where they descend."

Xu Guang was left speechless.

Duan Jue’s words reminded Xu Guang of the Central Plains incident that Huang Silang had mentioned earlier!

A flood from heaven that brought disaster to three provinces...

Did that flood also come from the Profound World?

His heart grew heavy. The waters of this world were far deeper than he had imagined.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt that the Profound World wasn’t that simple.

Flooding three provinces... what exactly was the Profound World?

"Why hasn’t Zhang Qing come to attack Feiyun City?"

Duan Jue gave Xu Guang a deep look. "He fears I will choose mutual destruction and cause the Celestial Stele to fall..."

Xu Guang fell silent. The massive influx of information was too much for him to process all at once.

Wasn’t this just an ordinary feudal world?

He left in a great hurry, as if eager to verify a few things.

Smiling, Duan Jue pointed in the direction Xu Guang had left and said to Li Zongkang, "Your reaction back then didn’t seem as composed as his."

Li Zongkang said nothing, but a hint of curiosity surfaced in his eyes.

The people of this world all lived in their own bubbles. No one could believe that beyond their reality existed another world. Knowing that ascending past Refining Viscera required sensing a completely different world—such a monumental task was enough to instill fear in anyone whose mind wasn’t resolute.

They would subconsciously ask themselves: Was it truly possible to sense another world out of thin air?

This could even form an obsession, breeding a deep fear of the Five Viscera Seeing God realm.

If Xu Guang knew what Duan Jue was thinking, he would have a much more astute explanation for it. There was an illness called autism.

Xu Guang was a transmigrator, after all. Although the profound concept of two overlapping worlds was hard to believe, he knew from his past life that there was a vast universe beyond Earth.

While he understood that the two concepts couldn’t be directly compared, it was ultimately not that difficult for him to accept.

Knowing that the appearance of the Heart-devouring Demon was just a special case, Xu Guang laid his worries to rest.

After using the Searcher to verify that Duan Jue’s words were true, he buried himself in Cultivation for half a day, finally suppressing his curiosity and racing thoughts about the Profound World.

During this time, he obtained Guo Chong’s Bloodline Power.

Named Soul Summoning, it caused a slight mutation in the throat, allowing the user to emit eerie sounds that affected the bodies of others. Specifically, it disrupted the circulation of qi and blood, inducing states of terror, lethargy, or fainting.

In a sense, it was like infrasound enhanced several times over.

This new Bloodline Power didn’t actually draw much of Xu Guang’s attention. What truly puzzled him was the change in his Blood Eye.

After refining and absorbing the ’blood’ from the Black Shadow’s body, a bizarre wisp of gray mist emerged in his Blood Eye, carrying a thick aura of decay and death.

He had a premonition that once he opened his Blood Eye, he could shoot this wisp of mist out like Hidden Weapons.

He didn’t know how powerful it would be, but he felt that it would be his trump card—a trump card capable of resisting those above the Refining Viscera Realm, those in the Sensing Profound Realm!