Chapter 652: Ascending to the Fourth Realm, Exploring Outer Space Again

When Wang Ping’s consciousness fully returned, the first thing he felt was that the memories from the Xiao Shan Lord had loosened a bit more. They likely contained the Secret Technique from the fifth volume of the Taiyan Talisman.

He didn’t examine them right away, however. What he most wanted to do was test the changes from his ascension. As with his previous advancements, this one had granted him a new Talisman: the Clone Talisman.

As the name suggested, it was a Talisman that could create a clone. It used the Wood Spirit nurtured within a Taiyan Cultivator’s body to grow a new physical form, which could then be awakened as a clone.

The clone’s strength was directly related to the power of the Wood Spirit within the host. At his current level, Wang Ping could at most create a clone with Entry-level Cultivation. Once the Wood Spirit in his body matured, however, he could casually split off two clones with Third Realm Cultivation.

Furthermore, an awakened clone could be reabsorbed. Because the clone was a part of the main body, its cultivation level was fixed. If the clone was damaged, the host’s Wood Spirit would also be harmed. Enemies could also use the clone to probe the main body’s condition. All in all, the Talisman seemed somewhat useless.

Normally, no Taiyan Cultivator would use this Talisman except for specific covert missions, and even then, they would reabsorb it immediately afterward.

However, Wang Ping learned from the ancient memories he’d gained during his ascension that many Wood Spirit creatures would split off new bodies to absorb nutrients, nourishing the main body’s Wood Spirit for cultivation. They would also place special marks on these offshoots so that even if the main body perished, it could be resurrected through one of them.

In that long, drawn-out war, this was how the Wood Spirit creatures held their own against creatures of the other five elements.

‘It really feels like I’m turning into a tree!’

Wang Ping thought to himself. He then met Yu Lian’s eager eyes and asked, “How long did it take me to merge with the Spirit Vein this time?”

Yu Lian blurted out, “Not a day more, not a day less. Exactly one sixty-year cycle!”

Wang Ping nodded. A sixty-year cycle was perfectly acceptable. He then held out his left hand. “Come on, let’s go test out the changes of the Fourth Realm.”

Yu Lian cheered and expertly wrapped herself around Wang Ping’s arm.

Wang Ping formed a hand seal for a Spell, retracting the Heaven-Covering Talisman from above his head. The Spell shifted, and he used the Wood Spirit within him to directly manifest two blank Talismans in front of himself. He then stored Puppet One and Puppet Two, who were beside him, inside the blank Talismans.

“Those are two Third Realm Cultivators with their own independent consciousness. Isn’t it a bit extravagant to use them to make Soldier Talismans?”

Yu Lian grumbled under her breath.

Wang Ping chuckled. “They were granted life by the Heaven-Reaching Talisman. If I release them, they can still act independently. Don’t worry, I’m not that wasteful.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his entire aura vanished without a trace.

The next moment, without even needing to activate a Transfer Talisman, the mere thought was enough to transport him to the clouds high above Qianmu Temple.

In the Third Realm, Wang Ping had to use his Primordial Spirit and Spiritual Body to manipulate the world’s Wood Spirit in order to cast Magic and cultivate. But now, he himself *was* a Wood Spirit—and the very source of them.

If he were to fight a Third Realm Wood Spirit Cultivator now, he could prevent them from casting any Magic at all. Against other types of Cultivators, he could directly sever the web that connected their life force to the Celestial Dao.

When fighting Cultivators of the same level, he could use the Heaven-Covering Talisman to obscure the workings of heaven, altering the rules that governed their Magic or even distorting its very form. It sounded impressive, but Wang Ping estimated that with his current cultivation, he could only threaten weaker Fourth Realm Star Gods.

“Are you thinking of going to the moon for a look?”

Yu Lian looked up at the inky black sky. It was Midnight, and in the vast darkness, the moon was brilliantly radiant.

Wang Ping answered Yu Lian’s question with his actions. His body, concealed within the Wood Spirit, shot rapidly upward, breaking through the atmosphere in a mere instant.

By now, Yu Lian had hidden inside his sleeve, poking out only half her head to observe their surroundings, her little eyes filled with anticipation.

Before long, Wang Ping once again felt the same pulling force he had encountered when he’d tried to break through the atmosphere after reaching the Third Realm. Now, however, he could command all the Wood Spirit Qi in the starry expanse, allowing him to become one with it. The pull felt like nothing more than a tide lapping at the shore; a slight push was all it would take to break free.

But Wang Ping didn’t rashly break through the planet’s pull. He first confirmed that he was in a state of non-being, completely hidden within the Wood Spirit. Then, he brought out the Pocket World Mirror and finally summoned two Golden Armor Soldiers. After using the Heaven-Covering Talisman to conceal their auras, he sent them ahead.

In the blink of an eye, the Golden Armor Soldiers escaped the planet’s gravitational pull. Wang Ping’s consciousness, which was attached to them, first perceived an utter, soundless silence. Then came a searing heat, radiating from the distant sun, accompanied by a blinding light.

Within that light, countless distorted shadows danced—the Spiritual Creatures of the Inspiration Realm. They seemed far more active in outer space. The moment they sensed the Golden Armor Soldiers, they swarmed toward them.

Wang Ping immediately had the Golden Armor Soldiers counterattack. One thrust its spear, imbued with dense Wood Spirit Qi, and instantly impaled the foremost Spiritual Creature. The frenzied consciousness within its twisted, illusory form was dispersed by the Wood Spirit Qi. In the instant it vanished, it seemed to struggle to say something, but in this silent world, no sound could be made.

The demise of one Spiritual Creature did nothing to deter the others; instead, they surged forward with even greater frenzy. Not wanting to waste any more time, Wang Ping immediately concealed the Golden Armor Soldiers’ auras within the Wood Spirit. The next moment, the frenzied Spiritual Creatures lost their target and began to wander aimlessly once more.

Wang Ping, however, halted his advance. The hand seal for his Spell changed. Using the Heaven-Covering Talisman to obscure the workings of heaven, he performed a divination on his own fate. A few moments later, he felt a sense of crisis wash over him.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Lian asked quickly, sensing the shift in Wang Ping’s emotions.

“It seems we shouldn’t go to the moon right now.”

The moment he abandoned the idea of going to the moon, the sense of crisis vanished without a trace. And so, he composed himself, recalled the two Golden Armor Soldiers from outer space, and swiftly descended, returning to the sky above the Mountain Peak Dojo in a mere instant.

The urge to visit the moon was a subconscious impulse, and a very strong one at that. Wang Ping suspected it might be related to the human nature he retained from his transmigration.

“So when are we going?” Yu Lian asked.

“We’ll decide after I consult with Wan Zhi Daoist.”

As he spoke, Wang Ping’s figure passed silently through the air and landed in the small courtyard of the Mountain Peak Dojo. An Array kept the courtyard automatically swept and tidy, so it was quite clean. The garden outside, however, was once again a bit overgrown, just as it had been the last time he emerged from seclusion.

He then spread his Primordial Spirit Consciousness, and every blade of grass and every tree within Qianmu Temple appeared in his mind’s eye.

The master-disciple duo of Liu Shuang and Yang Rong had actually managed to ascend. ‘They must have figured out how to use the Wood Gathering Skill to reach the Third Realm,’ Wang Ping thought, pleased. However, Liu Shuang’s aura was quite faint, even weaker than that of a typical Third Realm Cultivator. Yang Rong’s aura, in contrast, was plentiful, almost rivaling that of a Taiyan Cultivator.

Shen Xiaozhu wasn’t in Qianmu Temple. She must have gone out for training, taking her disciple with her. Xia Wen Yi was meditating in the rear hall of the front courtyard, while Yuan Zheng and Ruan Chunzi were discussing something beside the Fire Spirit Vein deep within the Fire Institute.

After observing them for a short while, Wang Ping once again brought out the Pocket World Mirror to observe the state of the world, now over a century later.