The three white Heavenly Lions brimmed with power—Fang Han could feel it clearly. Each one carried a force no weaker than his own, their energy condensed into pure astral essence far more refined than his true qi. But this power couldn't be absorbed. Any attempt to forcefully draw it in would cause an instant clash of energies—and a fatal explosion.
Transference techniques were impossible as well.
Their only intended purpose was to become vessels: once he reached the Heaven-Man Realm, he could forge a grand formation within them, refining them into living treasures. That alone would be valuable.
But Yan had just said they could become external incarnations right now.
That changed everything.
"How do I refine them into incarnations?" Fang Han asked urgently.
"These Heavenly Lions aren't treasures—yet they're more valuable than treasures," Yan replied. "Three disciples of the Taiyi Sect spent years gathering materials, infusing their blood essence, astral qi, and life-force to cultivate them. Once those disciples reached the Heaven-Man Realm, they intended to nurture these lions into real flesh-and-blood bodies. Then, by transferring their life-thread into them, they'd gain extra lives. If their true body died, they'd resurrect inside a Heavenly Lion. This secret method is called the 'Two-Mind Divine Art,' a restricted Taiyi inheritance.
"But now their life-bound treasures have fallen into your hands. Wash them with Forget-Love Water, and I'll teach you a minor puppet-control technique. With just that, you can refine them into external incarnations. After you reach the Heaven-Man Realm and learn the proper Heavenly Lion arts, you'll gain three extra lives. Kill your body? You still have three lion bodies to resurrect into."
"A puppet technique? Is that a divine ability? I can't learn divine abilities before reaching the Heaven-Man Realm."
"It's not a divine ability—it's a mental discipline. The Two-Mind Divine Art is also a form of spiritual control."
Yan stirred, and the technique flowed directly into Fang Han's mind.
Fang Han absorbed it quickly. He tossed the three Heavenly Lions into the Yellow Springs River, sending an invisible spiritual force crashing into them.
The lions suddenly stirred as though alive. Their runes sank inward, merging with Fang Han's consciousness. His mind instantly grasped the Heavenly Lion cultivation method.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The lions bellowed, their snow-white fur growing long and thick, bodies expanding into majestic beasts. One roar churned the clouds and shook the earth; their sonic shockwaves rivaled the legendary Dragon Eight Tones.
Three colossal lions surged with kingly presence.
Fang Han drove the puppet technique to its limit, binding all three lions as incarnations.
After a long while, the massive beasts collapsed into pure white astral light. The energy coiled around Fang Han like serpents and imprinted onto his body—two on his arms, one across his lower abdomen—forming three fierce lion tattoos.
He felt their strength immediately—each one exceeded his own power. But tattoos were tattoos; they didn't merge with his core essence, so there was no conflict with his Wood Emperor qi.
Each lion tattoo was equivalent to a high-level martial expert at the astral-qi stage—loyal, fearless, and devastating if released.
With these three incarnations, Fang Han's combat power multiplied severalfold.
The strongest was Yao Dian's life-bound lion, equal to the force of three thousand warhorses. Xia You and Yu Fen's were weaker—around two thousand—but Fang Han himself was only at two thousand after absorbing the Blackwater Serpent's power.
Yao Dian had reached the Yin-Yang Realm; naturally his lion was more refined. His tattoo settled across Fang Han's lower abdomen.
Now Fang Han carried four tattoos: lions on both arms and the abdomen, and the Yellow Springs Diagram across his back. Bare-chested, he looked like a walking war totem.
The three Taiyi true disciples had spent half their lifetimes nurturing these lions—treasures more precious than magic artifacts. And now all of it belonged to Fang Han.
"With these three incarnations, I've gained the strength of three astral-qi masters—absolutely loyal and ready on command. This alone was worth more than killing three true disciples."
His cultivation hadn't grown, but his battle power had skyrocketed. With the Five-Prisons King Cauldron plus the three lion avatars, he could even fight experts two or three realms above him.
But against someone like the Demon Marshal, he still wouldn't stand a chance.
"Even if Fang Qingxue listens to Fang Qingwei's provocation and wants trouble, she might not be able to handle me now… But these lion avatars must stay hidden. Anyone who sees them must die."
If word spread that he had killed three Taiyi true disciples…
The consequences would shake the heavens.
Yan's attention returned to the shard of the World Tree. "That fragment is worth more than all these lions. If you can unlock it, its pure wood essence will elevate your Wood Emperor cultivation beyond anything the Yellow Springs Emperor ever possessed."
"Right. Strength comes first." Fang Han knew he needed to reach the astral-qi stage, then comprehend Yin and Yang, then step into Heaven-Man. That was the true threshold.
If he reached the Heaven-Man Realm, even if his crimes were exposed, the Feather Transformation Sect might protect him.
He lifted a gourd of Six-Yang Holy Water and stepped toward the World Tree fragment—
At the same moment, the deserted island where he had slain the three disciples erupted with chaos.
WHOOSH—WHOOSH—WHOOSH—
One hour after their deaths, a blazing golden streak tore through the sky, circling the island like a hunting falcon. Within the light stood a middle-aged scholar with a dignified air and a terrifyingly vast aura—yet harmonized with heaven and earth.
A Heaven-Man Realm master.
"Yao, Xia, Yu… the three of you sent emergency distress talismans. The signal points here. But where are your bodies? With injuries that severe, you couldn't have flown far."
This was Changchun Zhenren—one of Taiyi's elite true disciples and master of the Immortal Evergreen Arts. In the immortal sects, anyone who reached the Heaven-Man Realm was called "Zhenren"—True Man, or True Immortal.
More streaks descended through the night, forming seven new figures in purple-gold robes—five at the true-qi level, two at the astral-qi level.
The Yin River Seven.
They bowed. "Senior Brother Changchun, we were collecting Aqua Essence nearby when we received the distress call. Where are the three senior brothers?"
"No sign of them," Changchun replied grimly.
"Could they have been ambushed? This sea is full of pirates and rogue cultivators… or perhaps the Demon Marshal struck again."
"Hmph! Who dares touch disciples of the Taiyi Sect? Even the top-ranked 'God-Slayer Pirate' wouldn't dare kill our true disciples."
As he spoke, five blazing streaks ripped across the sea like comets trailing fire. The waves exploded beneath them.
"Changchun! You're here too?"
Five more Heaven-Man masters descended—Daofang, Kunyuan, Kanli, Fushou, and Luming. All grim. All furious.
In moments, six Heaven-Man Realm masters stood together on the island.
And the gathering was only beginning.
Over the next few hours, more and more Taiyi disciples descended—inner disciples, outer disciples, even members of the Wangu Returning Island. Those with flight artifacts arrived quickly; among them were Zhang Wei and Fang Qingwei.
Within half a day, the news spread across the entire southern seas like wildfire.
Night fell.
The once-deserted island was now overflowing with Taiyi disciples, rogue cultivators, and wandering immortals—all drawn by the disappearance of three true disciples.
The immortal world trembled.