Within the Void Realm, the Meat Worm spiritual construct finally reunited with its master. No longer feigning death, it immediately threw itself into her arms, crying out with pitiful whimpers of "ying-ying-ying."
The beautiful ghost woman's face was streaked with tears, her expression one of deep sorrow and helplessness.
She—Mo Piner had once been the favored daughter of the Sea of Grievous Souls, cherished by the Ghost Mother of Wudang, her cultivation smooth and untroubled, always well-fed and well-protected.
Who could have imagined she would end up in such dire straits?
Standing before her now was a mere young cultivator. Yes, he was wealthy beyond compare, thanks to his cave realm, with limitless potential. But he had yet to even prove longevity. His future was far from certain.
If he were to die prematurely or prove to be a hollow reed bright on the outside, useless within, then her centuries of painstaking cultivation would all be wasted.
Overcome with grief, Mo Piner sobbed all the harder. Ghost and worm clung to each other, crying endlessly.
But Jing Qian cared little for her despair. In his eyes, this female ghost was a priceless treasure:
Immortal Ghost: Mo Piner
Grade: Fifth Rank
Spiritual Construct: Meat Worm
Dharma Manifestation: Talisman Immortal
Life Patterns: Immortal Talisman Qi (Gold), Immortal Talisman Water (Gold), Ghost Talisman Script (Purple), Fate-Sealing Talisman (Purple), Ice Origin Talisman (Blue).
Mo Piner's talent was extraordinary. Her system of life patterns was complete, with two gold-element life roots, her abilities outstanding.
Most importantly, every single one of her life patterns revolved around talismans; she was, in fact, a master of a secondary craft.
Inscription, talisman-crafting, and alchemy were high-level disciplines, with steep barriers to entry and grueling paths to mastery.
After all, a cultivator wishing to excel in such arts had to sacrifice precious life and fortune to forge corresponding life patterns, inevitably weakening their combat power.
Only the greatest sects, with the strongest protection, could afford to nurture such dedicated secondary masters.
Mo Piner was one such case: under the shelter of the Sea of Grievous Souls' Starlord ghosts, she had risen into a Nine-Thousand-Refinement Talisman Ghost. With one more breakthrough, she could reach the Ten-Thousand-Refinement Realm, her status in the sea transforming utterly.
But now, having "changed employers," all her previous accumulation was effectively reset to zero.
At this first proper meeting, Jing Qian treated her with surprising seriousness. He asked:
"Old Mo, there's no need for such grief. Your Ghost Mother has just acquired a Heavenly Phoenix as a beast pet, enough to fill the gap you left. You needn't worry.
Tell me what talismans can you refine?"
Mo Piner, still sobbing, froze mid-cry.
"What… did you just call me?"
That name sounded vulgar, like some hawker in a fish market or worse, a quack apothecary.
Jing Qian smirked:
"I'm only sixteen this year. You've lived seven hundred and ninety-eight years. Calling you Old Mo is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?
Now then, show me the talismans you can refine."
Mo Piner ground her teeth, but under the compulsion of the Hell Scroll, she had no choice but to obey. With great reluctance, she transmitted a message containing every talisman she had mastered.
It was, truthfully, the first time in her life she had been forced into such complete disclosure. Even her Ghost Mother had never seen her whole repertoire.
Jing Qian scanned through it carefully and was astonished to find she had mastered over a thousand different talisman seals, including even a Fourth-Rank Star-Seizer Talisman.
He immediately pressed further:
"This fourth-rank Fuli Fate Talisman, what does it do? Do you have any in stock?"
Compelled by the scroll, Mo Piner replied unwillingly:
"This is my innate life pattern's natal talisman. It is condensed from my Immortal Talisman Water and refined with Fuli Immortal Qi. Consumed, it increases cultivation and raises one's Life Essence capacity.
If consumed in sufficient quantity, there is even a significant chance to gain an extra measure of life fortune, altering one's innate talent.
But I have no stock. The Immortal Talisman Water cannot be stored. It must be refined and consumed immediately."
Jing Qian's eyes lit up.
"Now that's something valuable! Old Mo, you'll need to work hard from now on. Make plenty of these Fuli Fate Talismans. I'll be happy to sample them."
Mo Piner's face darkened. The detestable nickname made her skin crawl. Grinding her teeth, she bargained:
"Since I've been forced to follow you, I have no choice. But if you want my true loyalty, you must at least change the way you address me."
Jing Qian chuckled, then nodded.
"Very well… Piner."
This time, his tone was solemn.
"I'm heading to the Academy Festival Banquet soon. Help me refine some Fuli Fate Talismans as quickly as possible."
Mo Piner shook her head.
"To condense Immortal Talisman Qi, I must have access to a vitality core directly connected to the Sea of Origin Vitality. The only such core in your realm is monopolized by that corn spirit. I can't compete with it.
Without a sufficient source of vitality, I cannot refine these talismans."
Jing Qian nodded thoughtfully.
"A vitality core… I'll get one for you. Just give me ten days."
Then he added:
"And I won't have you refining talismans for free. I'll give you a text containing countless talisman-crafting methods for your study."
He transmitted a surge of energy carrying vast amounts of knowledge directly to her.
Mo Piner received it, skimmed the content, and her eyes widened in shock.
"This… this is the Dao Book of the Nether Cycle of Yanfu: Talisman Chapter of the Yanfu Dao! And it's the complete text, unabridged, with not a single omission!
The Yanfu Dao's lineage was wiped out, and its inheritance forbidden in this world. Where did you acquire such a perfect copy? Even my Ghost Mother doesn't possess this!"
Her outburst startled the drowsy Good Corn, who rolled its head lazily and said with pride:
"My master is the current Yanfu Heir. What's a little inheritance?
Give him three to five more years, and the entire Yanfu Dao will be his."
Jing Qian chuckled at Good Corn's bragging, but Mo Piner's words stirred his curiosity. He asked her:
"You seem to know quite a lot about the Yanfu Dao. Why does your Ghost Mother hold part of its inheritance? What is her connection to it?"
Mo Piner answered softly:
"My grandmother, the Ghost Mother of Wusheng, is the eldest princess of the Sea of Grievous Souls. She was once betrothed to the last Yanfu Heir.
The wedding gown she wears was a gift from a great Daoist of Yanfu's ghost-driving lineage. At the time, Yanfu Dao gave a very generous dowry. That she carries Yanfu's inheritance is only natural."
Jing Qian's thoughts flickered.
"So… the Ghost Mother is, in a sense, my sect elder?
If I visit her as a disciple of Yanfu Dao, could we perhaps turn enmity into friendship?
She commands ten thousand ghosts. If I could win her favor, maybe she'd lend me three to five hundred for my use, and I could return them once I've grown stronger."
Mo Piner quickly shook her head.
"That's unlikely. Though Yanfu Dao gave much as dowry, the last Yanfu Heir also borrowed a treasure vital to her path of ascension. After he left with it, neither he nor the treasure ever returned.
That treasure was tied to her breaking through to the upper third rank. Without it, she has been stuck at her bottleneck for many years.
The Ghost Mother often says that the last Yanfu Heir was nothing but a lying scoundrel who cheated her out of marriage. If they were ever to meet again, she swore she would never let him go.
If you show up claiming to be her in-law, you'd be walking straight into disaster."
Jing Qian's expression stiffened.
Alright. Got it. A wealthy heiress was tricked in a grand marriage scam!
The path of living off women had already been trampled by those before him. No need for him to dig that pit again.
Especially since he'd already stolen her hook and poached her carefully raised "chickens." If anything, he'd only worsened the Yanfu Heir's reputation.
And women, once they go mad, are capable of anything.
With the Academy Festival Banquet fast approaching, that remained his top priority. Better to keep quiet and not stir up trouble in the Sea of Grievous Souls.
He turned back to Mo Piner:
"Piner, within the Talisman Chapter, there's a series of Ghost-Suppressing Talismans, ranging from ninth to fourth rank. The sixth-rank ones will help me subdue the seventeen great ghosts trapped in my Life Furnace.
For now, please focus on refining those.
Within ten days, I'll have a vitality core ready for you, and then you can work on the Fuli Fate Talismans.
Also, I want you to compile every scrap of information you know about the Yanfu Dao, and about the other powers of the Yingfutu Realm. Organize it all and hand it over to me."
Mo Piner only nodded. She said nothing more, just gathered her great white worm in her arms, moved to the western edge of the Void Realm, sat cross-legged, and entered closed-door refinement.
Though intelligent and strong-willed, the moment she was inscribed upon the Hell Scroll, she lost her independence. From now on, she would unhesitatingly follow Jing Qian's will, doing everything to maximize his interests.
To Jing Qian, Mo Piner was the second great prize of his Sea of Grievous Souls expedition, following the Fragment Star.
Having secured his treasures, he finally had time to tally the gains and losses of this trip.
The Fragment Star, the ghosts, and all the other spoils had greatly expanded his foundation.
He had also witnessed three great fishermen harvest an entire Feather Realm and seen the elder Great Corn crush a world into a star. His vision had grown immensely.
The overall harvest was vast. But the losses were obvious, too.
First, the fishing spot he'd leeched off the Zhuo Ling Cave Heaven had been completely stripped by three powerhouses. For a novice like him, finding a new fishing ground in the endless web of spacetime connections would not be easy.
Not only did he lose a steady source of resources, but just as he was itching to practice his new skill, he suddenly had nowhere to cast his line.
Second and far more importantly, his Sumeru Dimension had been breached for the very first time.
The Wuchang Emperor had, through causal resonance, effortlessly pierced his cave heaven's barrier, even intruding into the Void Realm itself.
For Jing Qian's system, this was an unprecedented blow, a challenge to everything he relied on.
True, the Emperor was a genuine second-rank powerhouse, his strength tens of thousands of times Jing Qian's own. With a casual toss of a fishing hook, he'd overwhelmed him completely.
But the incident forced Jing Qian to re-examine many of his assumptions about cultivation and security.
Overall, his gains outweighed his losses. And with so many new resources in hand, what he needed most was time to digest them.
Thus, Jing Qian decided to suspend all expeditions for now, to settle down and adjust his state, making final preparations for the Academy Festival Banquet.
Yet before that, there was still one last little matter he had to attend to.
He stood in the middle of the Void Realm, closed his eyes, and silently focused. His entire body pulsed with surging waves of power, all pushed to the limit.
The ever-strengthening Sumeru Mandate flickered within his sea of consciousness.
And then, suddenly, Jing Qian vanished from the Void Realm.
Not even two seconds later, he reappeared.
Compared to just two seconds before, Jing Qian's aura had drastically changed, now thick with a suffocating stench of blood and killing intent.
In that fleeting instant, he had already traversed five different points across the Vast Ocean and unleashed five successive Bone-Carving Strikes, slaying five great sea demons.
Another thirty-seven years of lifespan were siphoned away by his life-draining sword, pushing his remaining years up to one hundred eighty-four.
This was now the foundation for his next step in advancing his Heavenly Mandate.
Meanwhile, under his command, the four Nine-Linked Ghosts of the Sea of Grievous Souls had broken away and plunged deeper into the ocean, continuing their hunt for prey.
With all nine sixth-grade great ghosts scouring the depths on his behalf, Jing Qian's hunting efficiency was guaranteed to soar.
With lifespan no longer a limiting factor, all he had to do was wait for the Sumeru Dao Stele to complete its transformation.
With a flicker, he returned to the Su residence in Yingdu, shutting himself away in a secret chamber to begin another closed-door cultivation.
After wandering and fighting nonstop, he finally slowed his rhythm, one of his rare moments of quiet consolidation.
Ten days passed in a blink.
By then, Xili had sold off a third of the Void Realm's surplus junk, Mo Piner had refined two Ghost-Suppressing Talismans, and Good Corn had dreamed of using its father as bait to fish up three dragons.
Finally, Jing Qian's Fate Stele Space stirred to life once more!
This was destined to be an unprecedented transformation, one he had waited an entire month for.
Without hesitation, Jing Qian entered the Void Realm, shifted his divine sense, and stepped once more into the Fate Stele Space.
But the once-familiar place had changed beyond recognition!
The sanctuary around the stele remained mostly the same, but the cramped, dim outer space had vanished, replaced with a vast, boundless expanse, like a sky without end.
He pushed his divine sense and vision outward as far as possible, but even after exploring dozens of miles, he still couldn't touch the boundary.
He never imagined that just one Heaven-bestowed Title would bring such a massive change to the Sumeru Dao Stele.
Yet while the space itself had transformed, the two spirit-incarnations still lingered outside the sanctuary, the four-grade Qiongqi and the five-grade Thunderbird, unchanged in appearance.
Jing Qian paid them little mind at first, focused entirely on studying the new space.
But suddenly, the four-grade Star-Seizing Qiongqi opened its mouth and spoke:
"All my life, I've hated those shameless sword cultivators the most! And this brat has tortured me so many times I'll have my revenge!"
The heavy voice booming through the vast space made Jing Qian freeze in shock.
He realized then: the greatest change to the Fate Stele Space wasn't its size, it was that the incarnations now possessed full intelligence and awareness, as though truly reborn.
Jing Qian rose into the sky, hovering opposite the two beasts, and asked:
"Can you hear me, fellow daoists?"
The Qiongqi snarled back immediately:
"Of course I can, brat! Stop pretending! This damned space keeps dragging me out as your sparring partner, not even letting me die in peace.
And since you want sparring, why keep suppressing me so I can't fight back? You poke me with that toothpick of yours over and over; it hurts like hell, but it never finishes me off!
Now that I'm free, you think you'll get away with that again? Dream on!
Get out of your turtle shell and fight me properly! Let me show you the gap between us so you stop thinking the world's yours just because you hide behind space tricks!"
Hearing this, Jing Qian's eyes lit up, his interest fully piqued.
This Qiongqi had been his most reliable whetstone, the one he'd stabbed with countless practice strikes.
Never had he imagined that this once mindless puppet would awaken into a true, thinking opponent.
And though he had slain this Qiongqi countless times, those had been one-sided massacres, the beast unable to resist.
Now it was different.
For the first time, he could truly measure himself against a four-grade Star-Seizing demon.
Without hesitation, he shot from the sanctuary, streaking like light across the horizon to gain distance.
The Qiongqi roared once, its voice splitting the heavens.
It roared again, and the void itself trembled.
A third roar and the distant sword cultivator was torn apart on the spot, annihilated by sound alone!
Spitting thick phlegm onto the ground, the Qiongqi finally vented centuries of bottled rage.
It had nearly been wronged to death, stripped of all its powers in this space, reduced to a chicken for slaughter.
But now it's three roars, fueled by its innate Echo, Tiger's Roar, and Soundwave gold-root Life Patterns, stacked together and unleashed tenfold, blanketed the entire battlefield.
Jing Qian had nowhere to hide. The waves of sound tore through his body, shattering his soul and killing him outright.
The old one-sided battles were gone for good.
When he resurrected in the sanctuary and saw the Qiongqi's taunting face, his feelings were… complicated.
Originally, he'd only wanted to sample the true power of a Star-Seizer. But he hadn't expected the gap to be so vast.
Still, his fighting spirit flared.
"Once wasn't enough. Come, Daoist, let's try again!"
With a flash, he slipped into the Sumeru dimension, preparing his next strike.
Last time, he'd been arrogant, thinking he could face a Star-Seizer with his physical body alone.
Now he knew better. Against a four-grade monster, his only true defense was the Sumeru Mandate. Everything else was child's play.
He no longer held back. With a slash, he unleashed a Bone-Carving Sword Qi straight through a rift in space.
The Qiongqi's sonic armor split under the strike, a massive bloody hole tearing across its body.
But the beast only laughed:
"You hide in your shell, waving your little toothpick, and think that makes you my equal?"
It vanished in a blink, the battlefield consumed by a roaring tornado.
This storm was in its true power everywhere and nowhere at once.
Jing Qian's sword strikes split the air again and again, but each was wasted, like cutting at water.
And the Qiongqi, for its part, couldn't breach the Sumeru dimension's barrier to drag him out.
The result was a strange stalemate.
For the first time, Jing Qian found himself in a real tug-of-war.
His Bone-Carving strikes, once unstoppable, now fell short.
But this was a simulation within the Fate Stele, where he feared no loss. Here, he could go all out.
And so he did.
Inside the Sumeru dimension, Jing Qian began detonating everything.
His flesh exploded. His mana exploded.
His Heavenly Mandate, his Spiritual Constructs, everything, even the Void Realm itself, he blew it all apart.
Only through this total self-destruction could he forge the strongest possible sword.
The strike was like a dragon unleashed, rending space itself.
The Qiongqi's sonic waves filled the heavens, a cage with no escape.
But it hadn't realized just how far this youth would go, how utterly reckless his resolve was.
And when the multiplied sword energy cut forth, its arrogance betrayed it.
The blade erased all meaning, stripping existence itself from the battlefield.
The Qiongqi's soundwaves shredded like severed cords, collapsing into silence.
When the sword light faded, nothing remained.
For a moment, the proud Star-Seizer was reduced once more to Jing Qian's whetstone for the sword, his will and dao made manifest.
For a four-grade demon slain countless times by an eighth-grade Dragon-Elephant, the Qiongqi's existence had, in a way, found its purpose.
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