Chapter 591 - 71: Art of the External Body

When Wang Ping finished reading the Secret Technique for the ’Art of the Other’, a simple, glowing screen immediately popped up:

[Art of the Other: A unique Bloodline Ability of the Night Charm Race. Before their extinction, they made a deal with a certain Human Cultivator. They traded the Secret Technique of the ’Art of the Other’ in exchange for the faith and remembrance of the Human Cultivator’s descendants, so that the memory of their existence would be preserved.]

[1. Carve an effigy of the Night Charm Race onto a Heaven-Reaching Talisman and engrave the memory of the Night Charm Race’s existence into your own.]

[2. Meditate on the effigy of the Night Charm Race on the Heaven-Reaching Talisman to separate a portion of energy from your Primordial Spirit’s Sea of Qi. This energy will then read your memories to form a new consciousness.]

[3. A Puppet Array must be implanted into this new consciousness beforehand. Otherwise, it will not be recognized by the Celestial Dao, causing it to lose its sense of self and devolve into a terrifying madman.]

[Note 1: The diagram for the effigy is as follows...]

[Note 2: It is best to refine a puppet in advance to house the new consciousness. A puppet with a complete Spirit Vein is ideal.]

[Note 3: Every Primordial Spirit can only have one main consciousness. Any more than that will not be acknowledged by the Celestial Dao. Do not play with fire, or you will bring about your own destruction.]

’So it’s another Bloodline Magic. No wonder Zi Luan made no progress in his research.’

Wang Ping composed himself. Seeing the questioning look in Yu Lian’s eyes, just as she was about to ask another question, he smiled and said, "Next, I’m going to make my bid for the Fourth Realm!"

"You sound very confident," Yu Lian said, her curiosity piqued.

"Of course."

"Do you have a plan?"

Wang Ping was silent for a dozen breaths or so. Then, he deactivated the isolation Array he had set up in the courtyard and said, "First, let’s test the waters and see who our friends and enemies are!"

"Are we going to fight?"

"I don’t know. We’ll probably have a bout or two."

"Will any Fourth Realm Great Cultivators get involved?"

"Most likely not!"

"Then what’s there to be afraid of? Those Artifact Cultivators on Shanwu Road still owe you five favors. Use all five chances before you advance! With our current network of connections, we wouldn’t have to be afraid even if we sank the entire Zhongzhou Continent to the bottom of the sea!"

Yu Lian was eager for a fight.

Wang Ping let out a loud "HAHA!" and his body transformed into a streak of light, ascending into the sky to hover just below the clouds. As his consciousness spread out, the Wood Spirits between heaven and earth instantly grew active.

The next moment, in the vast paddy fields outside Zhonghui County Town, rice seedlings that were barely a foot high began to shoot up at a speed visible to the naked eye, all under the shocked gazes of the common folk.

In the blink of an eye, the sparse paddies were filled with dense stalks of rice. The stalks quickly grew plump grains, which became so heavy they bent the plants low. As a sea breeze blew in from the south, the endless fields of golden rice undulated like waves of fine sand.

"It’s an immortal from Qianmu Temple!"

A peasant shouted, then knelt in the paddy field to pray devoutly.

Meanwhile, within the crowded Zhonghui County Town, rows of lush banyan trees sprouted up at a visible rate along the streets, alleys, and the banks of the artificial lake.

Yu Lian asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Wang Ping replied nonchalantly, "I was bored. Just messing around a bit."

With that said, he descended into a pavilion at the edge of the mountain peak garden. He sent a voice transmission to Yuan Zheng, Ruan Chunzi, Dongcan, and his disciples, asking them to gather at the Mountain Peak Dojo.

Answering Wang Ping’s call, the first to arrive at the Dao Field were Yuan Zheng and Dongcan. They were followed by Ruan Chunzi and Xia Wen Yi. Ruan Chunzi was accompanied by Wu Fu; at the end of the day, both were men of passion, so it wasn’t strange that they had hit it off.

"Fellow Daoist Wu has been in Zhonghui County Town for the past few decades. When I have nothing to do, I like to seek him out for a couple of drinks," Ruan Chunzi explained, volunteering the reason he had brought Wu Fu. "Zhonghui County Town has grown larger and larger over the years, and the peace and order we’ve maintained are largely thanks to Fellow Daoist Wu’s efforts."

"I don’t enjoy killing. Not even wicked people," Wu Fu said, cupping his fists in salute to Wang Ping.

Just then, Yu Lian spoke to Wang Ping inside his Spirit Sea, ’This Wu Fu is much stronger than before. It feels like he’s on the verge of a breakthrough. He’s integrated with ’Evil Fire,’ right? Are you confident you can suppress him?’

Wang Ping returned the salute. "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation has advanced greatly. I imagine a breakthrough is not far off."

As his words fell, Liu Shuang, Yang Rong, Xuanling, Hu Qianqian, and Shen Xiaozhu landed one after another beside the pavilion. Seeing Wang Ping and Wu Fu conversing, they all saluted silently with cupped fists.

"I have no plans to advance for the time being," Wu Fu said, shaking his head.

"Oh?" Wang Ping sounded slightly puzzled.

"With my current level of cultivation, I would surely be corrupted by the Evil Fire if I were to advance. According to the records of the Star God Alliance, advancing to the Fourth Realm with Evil Fire requires a stable array to suppress the evil thoughts and killing intent in one’s Primordial Spirit. A Divine Technique Formation with abundant spiritual energy would be ideal!"

As Wu Fu said this, he once again cupped his fists in salute to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping, however, raised an eyebrow. Yu Lian spoke in his Spirit Sea, ’How does he know you have a Divine Technique Formation?’

’Good question,’ Wang Ping thought, equally puzzled.

At this moment, Ruan Chunzi spoke up. "Fellow Daoist, have you ever heard of ’Prophecy’?"

Wang Ping met Ruan Chunzi’s gaze and said, "It’s an ability of the Star Gods. I’ve read records about it in the archives of the Daoist Scripture Hall."

The ’Prophecy’ ability sounded incredible, but in reality, it was more trouble than it was worth. Nearly ninety percent of the Cultivators who successfully integrated it eventually went mad. This was because they would constantly see glimpses of the future, and unless they reached the Fourth Realm, these visions were uncontrollable and would be seared into the Cultivator’s memory.

Over time, they would even lose the ability to distinguish between past and future, ultimately descending into madness one by one.

However, ’Prophecy’ was merely a series of threads, and every prophecy was subject to interference from reality, which made them something that could not be spoken of.

"Are you trying to say you heard a prophecy?" Yu Lian asked, looking at Ruan Chunzi with curiosity.

Ruan Chunzi, however, just smiled.

Wu Fu also remained silent on the matter.

Wang Ping reached out and gently patted Yu Lian’s head, stopping her from asking any more questions. Then he called out, "Shuang’Er, bring out the good wine from my cellar. Today, I’m going to drink to my heart’s content with all my Fellow Daoists."

"I’ll go take a look too!"

Ruan Chunzi’s eyes lit up.

Wang Ping quickly stopped him. "Leave such small matters to the juniors!"

As he spoke, he flickered and reappeared in a clearing in the garden. He turned to Xia Wen Yi and asked, "Is there a tournament for the Inner Sect Disciples next month?"

"Yes. It’s a competition with the Inner Sect Disciples from the Six Heart Sect, the Earth Cave Sect, and the Loose Cultivator Alliance. Some of the smaller Daoist Temples on good terms with us will also send a few disciples."

Xia Wen Yi replied with a cupped-fist salute.

"Excellent. I’ll attend this time. Also, if all goes as expected, Fellow Daoist Zi Luan, Daoist Wu Quan, and the new Alliance Leader of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, Fellow Daoist Gan Qi, will also be there!"

Wang Ping instructed, "Go and make the necessary preparations."

"Yes!"

After Xia Wen Yi agreed, Yuan Zheng asked, "The four of you can be called the pillars of the Southern Forest Cultivation Realm. Is there a special reason for this gathering?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping’s gaze fell upon Hu Qianqian. "Fellow Daoist Gan Qi has news on the four remaining people from the group of ten who ambushed Hu Xin," he said. "While our Qianmu Temple has always been peaceful, there are some matters about which we cannot remain silent."