The altar was enormous, its bluestone structure bearing the marks of time, its edges weathered and broken, yet still revealing its former grandeur.
Qin Changsheng took a deep breath and steadily stepped onto the stone steps of the altar.
Dust settled on the altar, the bluestone surface etched with blurred ancient runes. Despite millennia of weathering, the mysterious power contained within them could still be felt.
At the center of the altar, a faint golden light lingered, emanating a pure Daoist aura that drew Qin Changsheng's attention.
Qin Changsheng slowly stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the golden light at the center of the altar.
He reached out, about to gently touch the golden light, when suddenly, something unexpected happened.
Just as his hand was about to touch the golden light, the golden light at the center of the altar suddenly surged, no longer a faint glow, but transforming into a dazzling golden beam. As if imbued with life, it broke free of its invisible restraints and flew rapidly towards Qin Changsheng.
The golden beam moved with incredible speed, carrying a powerful Daoist aura, and in an instant, it arrived before Qin Changsheng.
Qin Changsheng was slightly startled, instinctively wanting to stop, but he discovered that the golden beam carried a gentle power that was impossible to resist, and it showed no malice whatsoever.
Before he could react, the golden beam transformed into a stream of light, instantly disappearing into his brow.
"Buzz—" The moment the golden beam entered his body, Qin Changsheng felt a warmth in his brow. A pure and incomparably refined Daoist aura flowed rapidly from his brow to his meridians, nourishing his limbs and bones.
The immense spiritual energy depleted from breaking the formation over three days was rapidly restored under the nourishment of this Daoist aura, and his surroundings became increasingly refined.
[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining a Heavenly Dao Fragment! You have gained one opportunity to enhance an attribute! You can choose any existing gold attribute to enhance its power!]
The next instant, a notification appeared on the attribute panel.
Looking at the notification on the attribute panel, Qin Changsheng's eyes were filled with joy.
He hadn't expected that the second Heavenly Dao Fragment would come so easily.
Qin Changsheng suppressed his joy, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into his sea of consciousness. Countless golden abbreviations slowly unfolded before him, their light shimmering, crystal clear: [Cultivation] [Storage Space] [External Avatar] [Immortality] [Substitute Death] [Concealing Breath] [Exchange] [Sword Heart Clarity] [Sharing] [Intelligence] [Source of Mana] [Fire Spells] [Rebirth] [Repair] [Instant Spell Casting]
Qin Changsheng's gaze was calm as he examined each abbreviation, silently weighing the pros and cons.
Cultivation was already a Heavenly Dao abbreviation and could not be strengthened further.
Storage Space, with its thousand cubic meters, was already sufficient and did not need strengthening for the time being.
Exchange, Substitute Death, and Rebirth were fundamental to survival and were currently adequate;
Furthermore, strengthening Rebirth would only reduce its cooldown time.
Concealing Breath, Intelligence, and Source of Mana were merely auxiliary abbreviations and did not need strengthening for the time being.
Instant Spell Casting, Fire Spells, and Sword Heart Clarity were geared towards combat and adaptability, and Qin Changsheng was not in any immediate fatal danger, so they did not need strengthening.
Immortality has already granted Qin Changsheng an unlimited lifespan, so there's no need for further enhancement.
His most pressing need now wasn't greater combat power, but a continuous supply of spirit stones.
Cultivation, repair, and breakthroughs all required a massive amount of spirit stones.
With a thought, Qin Changsheng's gaze slowly fell upon an entry—[External Avatar]. More avatars meant more hands and more energy.
He was currently preparing to infiltrate Li Hu's spirit stone mine to extract spirit stones.
Moreover, the Heavenly Dao entry "Cultivation" directly affected his avatars.
Each successful excavation by his avatar would yield ten spirit stones.
With Qin Changsheng, Hu Nan, and the new avatar working together, earning a million spirit stones would only take a maximum of two years.
Furthermore, Hu Nan's identity was far too sensitive.
He was constantly under scrutiny within the sect.
A new avatar would definitely be able to help Qin Changsheng with many things.
Qin Changsheng already had his answer regarding the choice of the new avatar.
That was Wang Cheng, the Blood Demon Sect disciple whom Qin Changsheng had killed three days prior.
Wang Cheng was a Blood Demon Sect disciple; entering Li Hu's spirit stone mine would have been incredibly easy for him.
"Strengthen the External Avatar!" Qin Changsheng announced.
As Qin Changsheng finished speaking, the golden inscription representing [External Avatar] slowly floated to the center of his sea of consciousness, its light growing ever brighter.
The enhancement permissions unlocked by the Heavenly Dao Fragment were fully channeled into this inscription.
A deep hum resonated through his mind, and the golden light emanating from the [External Avatar] attribute suddenly surged, far surpassing all other attributes. Within the golden light, faint Heavenly Dao patterns gradually emerged.
"Ding! Congratulations on successfully enhancing [External Avatar]! The attribute has been upgraded to a Heavenly Dao attribute—[External Avatar]!"
[External Avatar: Heavenly Dao attribute, Characteristic 1: Can summon a second external avatar simultaneously. The two avatars can act independently without interfering with each other, sharing the original body's basic perception, divine sense, and commands.]
[Characteristic 2: After an external avatar dies, it can be resummoned without consuming primordial spiritual energy, requiring only a low-grade spirit stone, significantly reducing summoning costs.]
[Characteristic Three: After the death of an external avatar, there is no cooldown period; it can be summoned immediately.]
[Characteristic Four: Two external avatars can simultaneously cast spells already mastered by the main body, with the same power. If the two avatars are within one mile of each other, the power is increased by 200%.]
Looking at the four characteristics of the external avatar in the Heavenly Dao entry, Qin Changsheng's eyes were filled with joy.
After his main body reached Foundation Establishment, each time an avatar died...
He usually had to spend a hundred spirit stones to summon his avatar again.
But now it only cost one spirit stone, with no cooldown period.
Qin Changsheng wasn't in a hurry to summon it, after all, he was still inside the Qingfeng Ruins.
He could summon the avatar after returning to his sect.
Qin Changsheng's gaze fell on the golden inscription "Exchange."
This golden inscription allowed Qin Changsheng and Hu Nan to exchange positions.
This was also the key to Qin Changsheng's ability to easily leave the ruins.
As Qin Changsheng used the golden inscription to exchange, a golden light instantly enveloped him.
The next instant, Qin Changsheng's figure vanished from the altar of the Qingfeng Ruins.
Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a golden light converged, and Qin Changsheng's figure slowly appeared, landing steadily beside the stone table.
Qin Changsheng glanced up at the familiar courtyard, his eyes filled with joy.
"Suicide!" Qin Changsheng commanded Hu Nan.
On the altar of the Qingfeng Ruins, Hu Nan received the command without hesitation or emotional fluctuation.
He slowly raised his right hand and, without hesitation, touched his brow.
"Pfft—" Spiritual energy pierced through his brow, Hu Nan's body stiffened slightly, then slowly collapsed. The spiritual energy around him rapidly dissipated, his body transforming into countless tiny golden specks of light, drifting like dust in the air of the Qingfeng Ruins, eventually disappearing completely without a trace.
Inside the Heavenly Sword Sect's courtyard, Qin Changsheng clearly sensed Hu Nan's dissipation, his face expressionless, as if he had only done something insignificant.
He reached into his storage space and retrieved a low-grade spirit stone. After an avatar died, it only required one spirit stone to summon again, with no cooldown period.
Qin Changsheng didn't hesitate and chanted the summoning incantation.
The next instant, a familiar figure slowly materialized in golden light. Its form, appearance, and aura were exactly the same as the previous Hu Nan—the newly summoned avatar, Hu Nan.
The entire summoning process cost only one spirit stone and took a mere instant.
"Go!" Qin Changsheng waved his hand.
Hu Nan bowed to Qin Changsheng before quickly disappearing.
Watching Hu Nan depart, Qin Changsheng began preparing to summon his second avatar.
Qin Changsheng had already decided on the person for this second avatar: Wang Cheng of the Blood Demon Sect.