Chapter 199 - 198: Void Transformation
In the study.
Chen Li sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes half-closed. His breathing was long and steady, almost imperceptible.
His Inner Qi was highly compressed, transforming into an intangible but incredibly scorching wisp of Inner Qi Flame. It slowly burned and refined the Divine Sense Illusion, already ninety percent solidified, that floated within his Divine Hall Acupoint.
Under the flame’s searing heat, the illusion would occasionally shed minuscule impurities that dissipated into wisps of green smoke, making the illusion itself purer and more condensed.
Suddenly, an extremely faint knock came from outside the door.
Chen Li’s brow furrowed slightly as he slowly withdrew his power.
Before entering seclusion, he had given instructions not to be disturbed unless it was a matter of utmost urgency.
He carefully guided his Inner Qi, gradually extinguishing the dangerous wisp of Inner Qi Flame. Then, he immediately took out and consumed a Sweet Wind Jade Dew Heaven-Repairing Creation Pill to neutralize the Fire Poison that had accumulated in his meridians from his cultivation.
Once his aura had completely settled, he sighed to himself.
’It seems I need to build a dedicated, private chamber for my seclusion as soon as possible.’
He opened the door to see Bai San standing outside, his face etched with anxiety. Upon seeing Chen Li, he immediately lowered his voice and said urgently, "Master, this is bad! Something terrible has happened! Zhao Deming... Old Zhao was captured by bandits outside the Ruins Market."
A trace of surprise flashed in Chen Li’s eyes. He let Bai San inside. "Come in and talk. What happened?"
Bai San hurried into the room. He explained how they had gone to the Ruins Market to make purchases, how they had encountered three masked robbers on their way back, and how Zhao Deming had stayed behind to cover their retreat only to be defeated in a single move.
He recounted how he alone had managed to escape and return, giving a thorough and detailed account—a thorough and embellished account.
He particularly emphasized Zhao Deming’s supposed cowardice and instant defeat, contrasting it with his own decisiveness and heroic bravery in breaking through the encirclement.
Chen Li listened quietly, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
’If they were just ordinary bandits after our money, their primary target should have been Bai San, who was driving the cart with the money and herbs, not Zhao Deming, who was covering the rear.’
’Besides, given the strength the leader displayed, if they wanted to kill him, Zhao Deming would have had no chance of survival. So why capture him? What’s their objective?’
’What’s more, there were three of them. If they had sent one person to chase Bai San from the start, they should have handled the situation with ease.’
’This doesn’t make sense.’
’Unless... they weren’t after our money from the very beginning!’
"Where are the herbs?"
With this thought, Chen Li cut off Bai San’s incessant rambling and asked directly.
Bai San was taken aback for a moment, then quickly untied a tightly bound bundle and presented it with both hands. "Master, the herbs are here. I risked my life to protect them!"
Chen Li took the bundle and opened it for a quick inspection. The ingredients for five doses of the Sweet Wind Jade Dew Heaven-Repairing Creation Pill were all there, along with the other herbs added to create a diversion. Nothing was missing.
He nodded in satisfaction and put the herbs away. "Alright, I understand the situation. You’ve had a long journey and must be tired. Go rest in the other courtyard for now. Don’t go to Jiangkou for the time being."
Bai San blinked, a little dazed. "Master, what about... what about Old Zhao? Aren’t we going to rescue him? In a few more days, I’m afraid... I’m afraid..."
He didn’t dare say the rest, but his meaning was clear: in a few more days, they might not even be able to find Zhao Deming’s body.
Chen Li glanced at him and said coolly, "In a few days, I will go with you to Jiangkou County to handle this. For now, go and get settled."
Bai San grumbled inwardly.
’In a few days? Master, you’re being far too calm about this, aren’t you? By then, I’m afraid even Old Zhao’s bones will have been gnawed clean by wild beasts.’
But when he saw Chen Li’s gaze harden, he didn’t dare say another word. He could only bow and say, "Yes, Master. Then... I’ll go rest over there."
The so-called "other courtyard" was the one that had originally belonged to Chen Yongxiao. After Chen Li purchased it, he had it slightly renovated. Now, it housed Shu Qi, Linglong, and some indentured servants.
After Bai San left, Chen Li closed the door and looked at the herbs in his hand.
’I’ll put my suspicions aside for now. Increasing my strength is what’s most important.’
’Zhao Deming’s situation is certainly important, but my own breakthrough is even more urgent.’
Five months of nonstop cultivation had brought him to the point where he could feel the barrier to the Void Transformation Level was within arm’s reach.
He was just one final step away from breaking through into the Fifth Level of the Spirit Realm: the Void Transformation Level.
Sending Bai Shixuan and Zhao Deming on this urgent procurement trip was precisely in preparation for this.
He expertly ground the herbs into a fine powder and simmered them over a low flame... The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, performed with extreme skill.
Half a day later, fifty elixirs were refined.
Afterward, Chen Li called Shouyue over and instructed her to guard his door well. Unless it was a matter of life and death, she was to allow no one to disturb him.
Once he was in seclusion, Chen Li first brewed and consumed a dose of the Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup.
Once he had adjusted his state to its absolute peak, he no longer hesitated and sat cross-legged once more.
Casting aside all distracting thoughts, he immersed his Heart Spirit completely within his body and once again ignited the searing Inner Qi Flame.
This time, the flame was more ferocious than ever before.
His Inner Qi surged and roared through his meridians like boiling magma, finally converging on the Divine Hall Acupoint to completely envelop and calcine the incredibly solid Divine Sense Illusion residing within.
Pain!
An indescribable, excruciating pain!
Chen Li felt as if his consciousness had been thrown into a furnace, enduring an unimaginable torment.
The Divine Sense Illusion twisted and swelled in the fierce flames, as if it were about to be torn apart and vaporized, yet it was forcibly held together by an invisible power.
Shattering and reforming, destruction and rebirth intertwined.
His body trembled slightly, veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat instantly soaked his robes. He clenched his jaw, desperately holding on to the last sliver of clarity in his Spirit Platform.
One day, two days, three days passed...
The aura within the study fluctuated, at times violent, at times tranquil.
Late on the night of the seventh day, after recovering slightly, he threw himself back into his cultivation.
The moment he ignited his Inner Qi, a sudden change occurred within his Divine Hall Acupoint!
The Divine Sense Illusion—which had been burned for seven days and seven nights until it was as translucent and brilliant as glazed glass—suddenly expanded violently, like an exploding star.
However, at the very instant it reached its limit,
BUZZ!
An invisible and extremely powerful force of collapse was suddenly generated.
The fully expanded Divine Sense Illusion began to madly contract and condense inward at a speed visible to the naked eye.
All the light, all the energy, all the essence of consciousness was forcibly compressed toward a single, central point.
The process was unbelievably fast, yet it felt as though it spanned countless ages.
Finally, all phenomena vanished abruptly.
In the center of the Divine Hall Acupoint, the Divine Sense Illusion was gone. In its place was a tiny, solid entity, only the size of a soybean.
It floated there quietly, slowly rotating, yet it contained an indescribable spirituality and power, as if it were the very source and truth of all consciousness.
A Divine Embryo!
The Fifth Level of the Spirit Realm, the Void Transformation Level—he had made it!
Chen Li struggled to awaken from his deep meditative state, his entire body feeling drained. The residual Fire Poison left in his meridians from forcibly activating the Inner Qi Flame ached faintly.
He immediately consumed a Sweet Wind Jade Dew Heaven-Repairing Creation Pill. The pure medicinal power flowed through him, slowly soothing the burning pain in his meridians and clearing out the Fire Poison.
[Congratulations to the Host for breaking through to the Fifth Level of the Spirit Realm, the Void Transformation Level. Reward issued: Deity (Blank).]
’A Deity?’
Chen Li was slightly startled, a sense of confusion rising in his heart.
’What kind of reward is this?’
He sank his Heart Spirit into the system, and the reward description appeared.
Deity: A blank creation of Divine Sense origin. The Host can separate a wisp of their own consciousness to inhabit it, thereby creating a Second Divine Embryo under the Host’s absolute control.
Once the Divine Embryo matures, it gains the ability to exist independently. Even if the main body’s Divine Soul is annihilated, as long as the Divine Embryo survives, the Host will not perish.
’This is... a second life?’
After reading the introduction, a wave of ecstasy washed over Chen Li.
’This reward far exceeds my expectations!’
’This reward is just too good!’
Following the system’s instructions, he claimed the reward.
Instantly, a hazy ball of light appeared in his perception. Compared to his soybean-sized Primordial Spirit, this ball of light representing the Deity seemed vast and illusory.
Chen Li carefully separated a wisp of his most fundamental consciousness from his own nascent Divine Embryo and merged it into the ball of light.
The fusion process was exceptionally smooth, like water blending with milk.
The ball of light representing the Deity transformed rapidly, eventually taking the form of another illusion, but its aura was identical to his own.
With a thought, Chen Li guided this newborn Deity’s Primordial Spirit to take up residence in the Divine Hall Acupoint.
Then, he withdrew his own hard-earned, soybean-sized Primordial Spirit, moving it to the depths of his Dantian to be nourished.
The moment the Deity occupied the main Divine Hall Acupoint,
The aura of the Void Transformation Level around Chen Li’s body plummeted abruptly, like a receding tide.
His Divine Sense vanished without a trace. Even the wisp of spiritual perception contained within his Inner Qi retracted completely, becoming utterly undetectable.
If not for the abundant Inner Qi still present in his Dantian, which proved his cultivation was not lost,
he would have seemed almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person who had never practiced Inner Strength.
"This... I have to start my cultivation all over again?"
As Chen Li carefully experienced this strange new state, a wry, helpless smile touched his lips.
’Cultivating this second life to the Void Transformation Level... I wonder how much time and how many resources that will take.’
He meditated and regulated his breathing for another two days. Once his Divine Embryo was fully consolidated, Chen Li finally ended his seclusion and pushed the door open.
Hearing the sound, Shouyue immediately came over and said softly, "Daddy, Uncle Bai Shixuan is back. He said he has an urgent matter to report to you in person and has been waiting in the other courtyard for two days."
Chen Li nodded slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
’With Zhao Deming captured, Bai Shixuan should logically be in danger as well. I was already preparing to go rescue them, but I didn’t expect him to return safely.’
"I know."
Chen Li said, "Go tell your mother that I’m out of seclusion so she doesn’t have to worry."
With that, he stepped out and walked toward the other courtyard.
Arriving at a side room, Bai Shixuan saw Chen Li enter and quickly stood up.
"I’m glad you’ve returned safely, Brother-in-law."
Chen Li got straight to the point. "What exactly is the situation over there?"
"...The teahouse boy told me that on the night of the second day after Master Bai San and Master Zhao went to the Black Market, several men in black masks burst into the teahouse. When they couldn’t find anyone, they left a message."
Bai Shixuan quickly summarized the situation:
"They said that if we want to ransom the person, we should prepare the money and go to the Dragon God Temple in Tuo Dragon Gully, a hundred li west of the city, to make the exchange. I... I knew something was wrong the moment I heard it. There must have been an accident. I didn’t dare to delay and rushed back immediately."
"You weren’t at the teahouse, Brother-in-law?" Chen Li asked in surprise.
Hearing this, Bai Shixuan’s old face, for once, flushed slightly red, and his eyes darted away.