Chapter 49: Omnipresence
A moment later.
After hearing Luo Dacheng recite the genuine edition of 《Observing Black Ridge》 once, Fang Qing was so furious that he kicked Luo Dacheng hard.
“Ah, Exalted Master spare me, spare me! What have I done wrong? Please tell me, Exalted Master, I will definitely change! I will definitely change!”
Luo Dacheng had already been disciplined into something like a little dog. Even after being kicked, he was still thinking about how to curry favor with his own master. On his swollen face, he forced out a fawning smile.
‘What kind of rotten place is this? This damned cultivation method almost got me killed!’
Fang Qing was so angry his nose nearly twisted crooked: ‘That Luo Family of Tianshui are no sons of men. Not only was the cultivation method they sold flawed and easily restrained by the genuine version, even the content after the Sixth Layer of Qi Ingestion had omissions. Breaking through to Late-Stage Qi Ingestion would be extremely difficult! Let alone condensing a Dao Foundation…’
‘No wonder I had been stuck at the bottleneck of the Sixth Layer of Qi Ingestion for so long. It wasn’t that my attainment was insufficient… In fact, my attainment might be very high. It felt as though I could almost rely on my own attainment to fill in those traps and forcibly advance to the Seventh Layer of Qi Ingestion!’
He exhaled a long breath and kicked Luo Dacheng several more times before finally feeling his mood ease slightly. “Your Luo Family… you’ve been raising so many mortals in Three Waters Hollow. What were they originally used for? Don’t tell this seat it was to collect Moon Flowing Radiance…”
“Of course not. How could my family value those few strands of Qi gathered by mortals?” Luo Dacheng knocked his head repeatedly against the ground. “One of my Luo Family’s ancestors once cultivated a divination-type Dao Foundation and possessed considerable power in physiognomy and fate-reading. After finding that mortal ancestor, he discovered that his descendants would flourish and possess considerable destiny… Thus he feigned an Immortal Opportunity and kept them in Three Waters Hollow, allowing my Luo Family to consume their fate! By enjoying their flesh and blood and obtaining their destiny, cultivators of my Luo Family who cultivated the Ji Water Cultivation Image indeed increased without cease… However, that ancestor also left an instruction: if that family were ever to break this method, it would inevitably backlash against our clan, and there would be a calamity of family destruction and clan extermination. Therefore we must remain vigilant at all times…”
‘As expected… they were feeding on my family’s fate. A calamity of family destruction and extermination? That was calculated quite clearly… but divine abilities cannot overcome the mandate of Heaven.’ Fang Qing sneered inwardly and continued questioning: “Previously, when the Black Moth Sect released pestilence and caused the Fang Family to flee… was it also your people who went to clean up the aftermath?”
“That is correct.”
Luo Dacheng was somewhat puzzled as to why his master cared so much about a mere mortal family.
But very soon, the doubts in his heart were dissolved by Fang Qing and transformed into even deeper loyalty.
“Where are the last surviving descendants of the Fang Family?”
Thinking of his old uncle, Fang Qing felt a trace of melancholy.
“A few of the elders were killed outright and refined into pills. As for a scattered few of the younger ones… the clan felt it was better to continue raising them in Three Waters Hollow to provide destiny for the main family.”
Luo Dacheng answered nervously.
Sensing that the man was not lying, Fang Qing fell silent.
‘Old uncle… no matter what, he couldn’t be considered “young,” could he?’
‘This Luo Family of Tianshui should be destroyed. In fact… I can’t even wait until I establish my Dao Foundation.’
Though he wanted to annihilate the Luo Family, Fang Qing clearly understood the gap between enemy and self. He immediately asked, “Does your Luo Family of Tianshui have any mortal enemies? Also… tell me in full about the major events that have occurred in the commandery recently!”
“Major events in the commandery? Those lowly rebel armies have already been ordered to halt their advance. The Pu Family and the Black Moth Sect may negotiate peace… Before that, the Qilin Son of the Zhao Family of Yulin Commandery, ‘Zhao Wuxu,’ challenged that Li Rulong to a sword duel. All of our families know Li Rulong is as good as dead. A message was sent to my household earlier instructing me to go first and retrieve the collected Blood and Qi…”
Luo Dacheng recounted everything in detail: “The true mortal enemies of my Luo Family were long ago killed to the last. Now within the commandery, we merely compete with the other major Dao Foundation families, harboring mutual grudges… If an opportunity arises, the other families would not hesitate to kick us while we are down. My Luo Family would do the same.”
“In that case, proceed as before. You are not to reveal a single trace of my existence… I have already placed the Donkey Demon Vajra Karma-of-Speech Curse upon you. If you leak even the slightest bit, you will die from the curse!”
Fang Qing kicked Luo Dacheng once more. “Scram!”
Luo Dacheng scrambled away in a panic, running all the way back to Azure Fall Market’s Nine Rivers Water Pavilion.
“Young Master Cheng?”
The beautiful woman came forward to receive him. Seeing the handprint on his face, she looked surprised. “You—?”
Smack!
Luo Dacheng slapped her directly. “Get lost!”
The woman retreated at once, her cloudlike hair in disarray. She understood that Luo Dacheng must have encountered someone formidable. A trace of regret arose in her heart: ‘Why didn’t they simply take his life?’
Luo Dacheng returned to the secret chamber and sat cross-legged, yet his heart could not calm down no matter what.
He applied ointment, his expression strange, while within his heart a struggle raged between heaven and man.
Admiration and fear toward his master… inner unwillingness…
But in the end, beneath the terror of death, all of it transformed into cowardice and the fervent inclination of a devout believer…
…
“This…”
In the distance, inside his cave dwelling, Fang Qing communicated with the Dao-Birth Pearl through his will. Upon witnessing this scene, he could not help but grow slightly dazed. “It can actually be monitored remotely? Wait… this doesn’t seem to be the effect of the empowerment method? Rather… the innate ‘Omnipresence’ of the Dao-Birth Pearl? It can be used like this?”
He was overjoyed.
Of the Dao-Birth Pearl’s three great functions, “As If Within the Calculation” and “Return to Origin” aside, he had originally thought “Omnipresence” merely allowed him to traverse between the two worlds.
Yet he had not expected that after Luo Dacheng left, Fang Qing’s casual experiment would produce such an effect!
“Is it because I have seized his life true spirit, so the Dao-Birth Pearl regards him as my subordinate?”
“With remote monitoring, there are many more ingenious applications. It’s practically equivalent to having an additional puppet incarnation. Even if it possesses a certain degree of independent consciousness, it can still accomplish many things… Though I truly detest this fellow. Once I’ve used him up, I’ll kill him and replace him with another.”
“Wait!”
Fang Qing suddenly thought of something and his mind stirred.
The Dao-Birth Pearl rotated slightly, clear and turbid Qi emerging and forming a portal.
In an instant, he had already returned to Jade Island.
Yet while concentrating fully on sensing the Dao-Birth Pearl, Fang Qing could still ‘see’ the secret chamber where Luo Dacheng was located!
“Haha! This is true Omnipresence!”
He burst into laughter. “From now on, I’ll stir up trouble on the Qi Ingestion Path side while hiding over here… Even if a Golden Core True Monarch takes action over there and captures my puppet, could they possibly calculate me across an entire world? This is a supreme method of severing karma! Coupled with ‘As If Within the Calculation,’ even in this wretched World of Ancient Shu, I can roam to some extent…”
Fang Qing continued contemplating silently and felt that not only could he subtly influence Luo Dacheng’s actions in Azure Fall Market from Jade Island, he could even ‘lend out’ across space the True Power and divine abilities of his 《Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art》 and 《Horse-Headed Vajra Guardian Divine Art》!
Of course, he was currently only at the Qi Ingestion level. If he truly lent them out, it would only invite ridicule and reveal his own weakness.
“This… doesn’t this sound somewhat like the consort method of the Great Snow Mountain masters?”
He was once again astonished.
The orthodoxy of Great Snow Mountain was bizarre. Masters at the Dao Foundation level could elevate several “consorts,” who were said to likewise possess formidable True Power capable of suppressing those at Peak Qi Ingestion, though still inferior to a Dao Foundation.
And now, Fang Qing felt that if he had already forged a Dao Foundation, he could likewise bestow Dao Foundation–level True Power and divine abilities upon Luo Dacheng!
“This is the method of ‘bestowal,’ which emphasizes borrowing and repaying… So-called disciples and consorts are merely vines clinging to a great tree. Once the great tree collapses, they are immediately dragged down with it!”
“But the esoteric followers of Great Snow Mountain cannot possibly each possess a supreme treasure like mine. So… are they jointly borrowing through some intermediary treasure or divine ability of extremely high status? Or… is it simply the profundity of the fruition rank itself?”
“By relying on the Dao-Birth Pearl, I purified the 《Great Sun Empowerment Secret Art》. It is equivalent to opening a new source for Great Snow Mountain’s cultivation method, with an extremely high-status treasure replacing the original… I could practically establish a ‘Lesser Snow Mountain’ and become its ‘Lord of Lesser Snow Mountain’… Of course, if the one atop Great Snow Mountain discovered this, it would certainly be a fight to the death. Better to keep a low profile…”
“Could this be the true meaning of that divination earlier—the hexagram of mixed fortune and misfortune?”
…
Land of Ancient Shu.
Righteous Army camp.
Although Li Rulong had already been regarded by the cultivation world as a dead man walking, the mortals below knew nothing of it.
In their eyes, Li Rulong was still the Grand Marshal Li who had led them to victory after victory, pacifying chaos and rebellion!
Wherever he passed, he received nothing but gazes of reverence and admiration.
After inspecting the military camp once around, Li Rulong returned to the main tent, where he saw Guo Tianhong.
“Big Brother… are you really going to duel that Zhao Wuxu with swords?”
Guo Tianhong looked worried.
“Indeed… The sword duel letter has been accepted. There can be no change. It will be in three days.”
Li Rulong smiled. “After I die, bury my body at Seven Heroes Mountain… That was where the seven of us swore brotherhood. Let it begin there and end there—it is fitting.”
“Big Brother will definitely win!”
Guo Tianhong’s eyes reddened. She was about to say more when the curtain of the main tent was lifted and another person entered—it was Luo Dacheng!
“Fellow Daoist Li, I’ve come to collect the Blood and Qi!”
Luo Dacheng did not even glance at Guo Tianhong. His complexion was ashen as he spoke.
‘Hm? Why has this person’s temperament changed? Could he have encountered some demoness of the Joyful Union Sect while out?’
Li Rulong felt a trace of curiosity but did not ask. He simply nodded and took out a blood-jade box, handing it to Luo Dacheng.
Without a word, Luo Dacheng turned and left.
“You see… now the disciples of each family have come to take their things and depart. It’s obvious they believe I am about to die…”
Li Rulong smiled at Guo Tianhong beside him, then dismissed his younger sister. Alone, he sat upright in the commander’s seat, lifted the Vermilion Brush, and seemed to ponder deeply:
‘Someone has arrived at the cliff. The Pu Family has withdrawn their hand. I am but a discarded chess piece—and also a token of allegiance…’
‘If I were from a Dao Foundation family, even with prior vacillation, I would still hold value and could surrender… But I am doomed to die. Not only must I die, I must become someone else’s cultivation resource—a human pill! Truly making full use of everything!’
‘If I wish to live, I absolutely cannot rely on the Pu Family. In fact, it is precisely they who want me dead! The Black Moth Sect I offended deeply—likewise…’
‘In the entire Land of Ancient Shu, Mountain-Covering Cloud Cliff is Heaven!’
Only now did Li Rulong truly understand what it meant to be unable to act according to one’s own will.
If he did not die, his relatives, friends, and family would die!
Therefore, even in death, he had to die willingly—with a smile.