Chapter 244: The Scheme to Lure the Deity into the Trap

“Even when on the verge of death, one can recover to peak condition in an instant, as though reborn anew.”

“The divine ability Shentu Xin just used must undoubtedly be the ‘Heavenly Being Authored the Codex.’”

While certain of his judgment, Li Shun could not help but feel a question arise in his heart.

Was this Shentu Xin, resurrected through the Historian School’s divine ability, still the same person as before?

Within Li Shun’s Fangcun space, there was already a phantom of Shentu Xin serving as a puppet.

Yet he could not sense even the slightest trace of a connection to the origin of this 'newly reborn' Shentu Xin before him.

It was as though the puppet phantom within Fangcun and the Shentu Xin reborn in the present world had already become two completely unrelated, independent existences.

“In theory, the Shentu Xin of the Jun School who set fire to the Imperial Mausoleum before has already died completely.”

“The one resurrected now is merely a copy forcibly recreated through some unfathomable divine ability.”

After a moment, Li Shun shook his head inwardly and stopped dwelling on the matter.

His attention returned to Sun Lang, who was currently flying into a furious frenzy ahead of them.

Judging from his previous behavior, Sun Lang’s current state was rather strange.

It was highly likely that, deep within the depths of his subconscious, he had already vaguely sensed that he was being contaminated by an Outer God.

Yet for the time being, he was still maintaining his sanity. That resistance stemmed from his extreme and unwavering faith in [Great Jun].

However, such resistance was destined to be futile.

From the moment he was contaminated by the Outer God, his fate had already been sealed.

His complete fall was merely a matter of time.

With every fragment of his human rationality stripped away, the Outer God’s contamination would burrow ever deeper into his very bones.

At this moment, Sun Lang was flying wildly across the high heavens, leaving behind only afterimages. Around his body, a layer of deathly black qi had already begun to churn uncontrollably like some living thing.

That black qi seemed completely incompatible with the heavens and earth of Great Qian.

In the void he tore apart along the way, faint, intermittent whispers began to echo.

The sounds seemed to originate from some abyss.

They caused the souls of Zhao Cheng and Li Shun, who were following closely behind, to tremble violently, leaving their hearts pounding with dread.

Li Shun could not help recalling what Kong Changqing had told him earlier.

“The Infiltrator is not so easy to deal with. Even if he reveals traces of an Outer God’s aura, that absolutely does not mean the Outer God itself has already completely descended into the mortal world.”

“Sun Lang is merely borrowing the Outer God’s power to accomplish his lifelong obsession.”

“Once that obsession is appeased and his long-cherished wish is fulfilled, when Sun Lang, as the host and parasite, has nothing left to desire and his Dao heart completely collapses, the hidden Outer God will naturally descend and manifest in full.”

“That will be the true moment when the crisis arrives.”

“An Outer God is certainly not something you, a mere Grotto Mystic cultivator, can contend with. Your task is to cooperate and play your part in this act, maintaining that delicate balance between the Outer God being on the verge of descending and not yet having descended.”

“At the same time, without revealing any trace of your intentions, lure him into the territory of Bing Province.”

...

“Looks like the mission is proceeding even more smoothly than expected?”

The thought flashed through Li Shun’s mind, but he did not dare relax at such a critical juncture.

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, he held his breath, focused his mind, and controlled his escaping light as he followed closely behind.

Several streaks of light sped across the vast heavens of Great Qian.

In less than half a day, the group had already entered the territory of Bing Province.

Returning once more to this familiar land, Li Shun had already stepped into the Grotto Mystic realm. The moment he entered this region, he immediately and keenly sensed an eerie chill that seeped into his very bones and pierced straight into his soul.

Back then, Li Shun had also noticed this omnipresent chill, but he had merely regarded it as a natural phenomenon caused by Bing Province’s location in the far north and its harsh, freezing climate.

But now, with the perspective of a Grotto Mystic cultivator...

This lingering coldness was clearly not caused by freezing weather at all.

It was more like a living, omnipresent, indescribable shadow.

As though it lurked in the deepest recesses of the human heart, waiting to devour its prey.

“Taiyi Xuanpin...”

Li Shun was certain.

This was the lingering influence left behind by that Outer God that had descended in this place all those years ago.

“Even after being suppressed and slain for so many years, its lingering might remains.”

“Just how terrifying must the power of Taiyi Xuanpin have been at its peak? It truly is impossible to imagine.”

Just as Li Shun was secretly filled with apprehension, Sun Lang, who had been relentlessly pursuing them ahead, seemed to have also sensed the surviving aura of another Outer God lingering within this world.

His speed involuntarily slowed.

Sun Lang warily surveyed the boundless landscape around him. Within his eyes, which had already been completely swallowed by darkness, a rare trace of hesitation and caution appeared.

Shentu Xin, however, did not deliberately mock him.

He merely continued fleeing in silence, gradually accelerating.

Seeing that the distance between them was about to widen dramatically during Sun Lang’s momentary hesitation, Li Shun deliberately called out, “Brother Sun, your escaping light seems rather sluggish. Could it be that you’re running out of strength after one battle after another?”

“No need to worry. Why don’t you rest here for a while?”

“The important task of pursuing and capturing Shentu Xin alive can be left to us.”

Li Shun merely pretended to offer words of concern, but every syllable was deliberately chosen to provoke him.

Then, without giving Sun Lang any opportunity to respond, he directly swept past the halted Sun Lang, pretending that he intended to continue the pursuit.

Sure enough, Sun Lang had already been hesitating because of his instinctive aversion toward Bing Province.

But upon hearing Li Shun attempt to take over the pursuit, his dark eyes immediately turned vicious.

“Many thanks for your concern, Brother Li!”

“But when it comes to cleaning up traitors within my Jun School, we have no need for outsiders to interfere!”

With that, Sun Lang’s speed suddenly erupted.

He shot forward even faster than before.

At dusk, he finally intercepted Shentu Xin amid the vast snowy plains of Yinshan Commandery.

Perhaps because his rapid flight had burned through his own life qi, Shentu Xin’s aura was somewhat unstable.

“Junior Brother Sun, you really do pursue me relentlessly.”

“You’re truly like a dog.”

Shentu Xin sneered.

Sun Lang’s expression remained unchanged, but the killing intent in his eyes could no longer be restrained.

“You’re the true lackey, after abandoning your former school and changing masters.”

Shentu Xin retorted mockingly,

“The philosophies of the Hundred Schools are mutually incompatible, yet all the techniques and divine abilities I possess still come from the Jun School.”

“So how exactly have I changed schools?”

“Rather, Junior Brother Sun...”

“The various divine abilities you’ve been using look quite unfamiliar.”

The instant Shentu Xin finished speaking, his figure standing proudly upon the snowy plain suddenly twisted and vanished into thin air.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared as though teleporting directly beside Sun Lang, carrying the overwhelming momentum of thunder as he ruthlessly crashed into the opening at close range.

Unlike the spectacular flames of Life Qi from before...

This time, Shentu Xin completely restrained the vast, smoke-like Jun School Principle Qi throughout his body, compressing it madly within himself.

His entire physical body seemed to transform into a colossal millstone.

Carrying the resolute intent of perishing together with his enemy, he slammed forward toward Sun Lang without the slightest mercy.

The technique appeared simple and unadorned.

Yet from where he stood watching, Li Shun could clearly sense a pure aura of destruction rising from Shentu Xin.

That aura of destruction was not aimed at Sun Lang.

Instead, it became the driving force that set the millstone into motion.

Great Jun circulated with majestic grandeur.

All things were born of themselves, and all things perished of themselves.

Li Shun, who stood outside the range of the phenomenon, was still relatively unaffected.

But Sun Lang, who was almost directly beneath the manifestation of the millstone, was instantly caught within it.

He became nourishment for the turning of Great Jun.