Chapter 148: The Qi Manifests Gate of Myriad Mysteries

'Wish fulfillment truly does grant what one desires. But behind it... there may be an unforeseen price.'

A faint premonition suddenly arose in Li Shun's heart.

Even so, there was no denying that, for the current Fangcun space, the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth was an incomparable source of nourishment.

Although the remains of the Three Elders and Fang Xun's shrine could continuously gather Xuanhuang Qi, the efficiency was still far too low.

Especially now that Li Shun already understood the precise units used to measure Xuanhuang Qi: strand, thread, cord, and epoch.

'Relying on those two sources alone, I probably won't accumulate even a single cord of Xuanhuang Qi before my lifespan comes to an end. As for an epoch... that's even more out of reach.'

'Fang Xun's shrine only came into being because heaven, earth, and human circumstances all aligned perfectly. Even then, it required an intense struggle within the imperial court. Trying to establish another shrine within Great Qian anytime soon to gather Xuanhuang Qi won't be nearly so easy.'

With that thought, his overwhelming desire for more Xuanhuang Qi naturally gave rise to another question.

'How can I obtain Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth more easily?'

As though responding to Li Shun's thoughts, the Xuanhuang Qi began to transform of its own accord.

Only moments later, it produced an answer.

One strand.

The price was merely the smallest measurable unit of Xuanhuang Qi.

It was hardly a price at all.

The implication was so obvious that it was practically naked temptation.

Li Shun hesitated for only a second before making his decision.

A single strand of Xuanhuang Qi vanished instantly.

Above the central core of the Fangcun space, the chaotic currents of Xuanhuang Qi twisted and converged. Within moments, they evolved into an enormous gate.

The instant Li Shun laid eyes upon that gate, his soul trembled violently.

His instincts screamed a single truth.

This gate...

Seemed to lead to another world.

And beyond it lay a means of obtaining vast quantities of Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Desire erupted within him at once.

Greed flared like an uncontrollable inferno, almost impossible to suppress.

Even the entire Fangcun space began to tremble faintly, as though it too rejoiced at this monumental discovery.

For a moment, Li Shun nearly stepped through the gate immediately to uncover what lay beyond.

His consciousness slowly drifted upward, drawing closer and closer to the towering gate.

Another instant, and he would have crossed its threshold.

Then...

He forcibly stopped himself.

'Something's wrong!'

The majority of his divine sense immediately withdrew from the Fangcun space and returned to the real world of Great Qian.

The overwhelming greed receded like an ebbing tide.

Only then did Li Shun gradually regain his composure.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Li Qing looked at him in confusion.

"Just now... your aura suddenly..."

He paused, carefully choosing his words.

"...became rather unstable."

Li Shun shook his head.

"It's nothing. I merely thought of something rather troubling."

Assuming Li Shun was worried about everything he would be leaving behind in Dongshan Town, Li Qing immediately reassured him.

"Brother, don't worry. Just focus on your cultivation. As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong."

Li Shun remained silent, replaying what had just happened.

'That gate... felt as though it had been deliberately woven by the Xuanhuang Qi to lure me inside.'

'The Xuanhuang Qi stands at an unimaginably high level. Everything beyond that gate is completely unknown. If I recklessly enter.'

'I might very well be swallowed whole.'

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it became.

Li Shun immediately abandoned the idea.

Only after a long while, once he had completely calmed himself, did his consciousness return to the Fangcun space.

Looking up at the mysterious gate suspended overhead, he pondered for quite some time before deciding to close it.

The Xuanhuang Qi responded once more.

The cost was still only a single strand.

'At least it doesn't intend to remain here indefinitely.'

Li Shun quietly let out a sigh of relief.

He was just about to dismiss the gate.

Then his gaze drifted toward the puppets standing silently within the Fangcun space.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

'The situation beyond the gate is unknown. Sending my own consciousness through is far too dangerous.'

'But what if I simply send a puppet instead?'

'The puppets can manifest within the world of Great Qian. As long as the place beyond the gate is a normal world, there shouldn't be any problem.'

'The puppets are neither alive nor dead. They have no fear of losing their lives. Even in the worst case, if one disappears completely, it won't affect me all that much.'

With that thought, Li Shun swept his gaze across the puppets within the Fangcun space.

'The Threefold Self-Reflection statue and the Heavenly Being Codex stone statue are tied to my greatest life-saving divine abilities. I haven't fully mastered them yet, so they're out of the question.'

'The Li Shun puppet is currently the primary body I control. I can't move it lightly.'

'Fang Xun and the remains of the Three Elders are responsible for producing Xuanhuang Qi. Using them as scouts would be a complete waste.'

'As for Shentu Xin...'

'He's only a phantom and can't accomplish much. But for scouting... he's perfect.'

With a single thought from Li Shun, Shentu Xin's phantom drifted upward from its original position.

Just as it was about to pass through the gate...

An invisible force abruptly stopped it.

"Hm?"

Li Shun examined the feedback transmitted by the gate.

'Not a living being. Unable to pass through the Gate of Myriad Mysteries?'

He immediately frowned.

'Living beings...'

'Does Shentu Xin's phantom fail because it's merely a phantom... or because puppets themselves don't qualify?'

After hesitating briefly, Li Shun tried again.

This time, he chose Fang Xun.

When Fang Xun approached the gate suspended overhead, no obstruction appeared.

Instead, a faint pulling force emerged from within the gate.

'So complete puppets are still regarded as living beings by the Gate of Myriad Mysteries.'

Li Shun did not send Fang Xun through.

Instead, he suspended the experiment for the time being.

'Looks like I need to find a more suitable candidate to scout the way.'

'It's time to add a new puppet.'

'The first ring around the Fangcun space contains twelve plots of land.'

'After my constant efforts these past days, I've already opened seven of them.'

'Yet only four are currently occupied.'

'Three still remain empty.'

'Leaving them unused would be a waste.'

'I wonder whether I'll encounter a suitable candidate during this trip to the Kong Family.'

As his plan gradually took shape, Li Shun's desire to immediately explore the world beyond the gate became much less urgent.

'I still have more than two hundred years of lifespan. There's no need to rush.'

'Besides, resisting this greed can also serve as a form of tempering my state of mind.'

With that realization, Li Shun's heart grew increasingly tranquil.

...

On the sixteenth day of the fifth month, with the affairs of Dongshan Town finally settled for the time being, Li Shun was preparing to depart alongside Kong Zhao.

Unexpectedly, Fang Han suddenly fell ill.

Moreover, it was an exceptionally severe and bizarre illness.

Only yesterday, on the fifteenth, he had still been lively and full of energy.

Yet after a single day, his vitality had withered away, and he now hovered on the brink of death.

"What kind of strange illness did he contract?"

Li Shun looked at Fang Han, lying unconscious and deathly weak upon the bed, his expression extremely grim.

"It's too strange! When I saw him yesterday, he was perfectly fine. This morning, I couldn't find him anywhere, so I came to his room to look for him. That's when I discovered he'd become like this."

Li Qing lowered his head, his face filled with guilt.