Chapter 354: Profound Monarch (3)
Chapter 354: Chapter 136: Profound Monarch (3)
“Immortal Sister, Immortal Sister, you still haven’t told me your name!” the Medicine Gathering Boy shouted, chasing after her from below.
“I feast on the mists and drink the dew, piercing the veil of the profound. Through nine transformations, I became a True Immortal. I sit enthroned on the Zixiao Terrace, and with mountains and rivers in my grasp, I establish myself as Yunlan.”
“I am the Great Yu’s Taishang Shangqing Yunlan Profound Monarch!”
As her voice—as crisp and pleasant as pearls scattering across a jade plate—faded, the five-colored radiance dissolved into countless petals of light and shadow, and she was gone.
…
「Back in the secret chamber.」
Fang Rui entered the secret chamber, recalling the events of his trip as he organized and extracted the information.
“What a mess. It’s too much information!”
He rubbed his temples, feeling that while some questions had been answered, many more had arisen.
For example:
‘How did the scenes of cannibalism across the Great Yu transform into that bizarre aura, to be used by the flesh-and-blood giant that Bao Sichun became? How did the Black Heaven Mysterious Book enter this world, and is it related? Was the ancient cataclysm an invasion from an Otherworld? An invasion by an Outer God? Spiritual Poison—does that mean Spiritual Essence and Spiritual Power spiral out of control when facing that Evil God? Saint Emperor Yu clearly won in ancient times, so how did he avoid the Spiritual Poison? Why was the Evil God able to stage a comeback and continue to influence this world? If I hadn’t been there, what would have happened if Bao Sichun had kept transforming? And that Qi Fortune Golden Lock I saw when I left—is that the Qi Fortune harvested by the Great Yu generation after generation, used to resist the Otherworld?’
He had too many questions.
“My goal of Immortality isn’t as solid as a rock yet!”
Fang Rui sighed. “If that ‘Great Black Heaven’ thing really succeeds in its invasion and the entire world falls into a style of deceit, I’m afraid my only option would be to cultivate as a Deceit Immortal!”
“Oh, right. I sabotaged that Outer God’s plan, slew its phantom projection, and may have even affected its true self. I’m definitely on its radar now.”
“If the Outer God’s invasion succeeds, it would probably turn the world upside down just to capture me, probe my secrets, and extract my panel, wouldn’t it?!”
“What a headache!”
Fang Rui shook his head, pushing aside these worries and sinking into serious thought. ‘Based on my deductions, it was probably because of the “Spiritual Poison” that Saint Emperor Yu defined Qi Fortune as a substitute for Spiritual Qi’s energy after the ancient era. The paths of the Imperial Spirit Master and Martial Arts were likely born from this as well.’
However, neither of these two paths had been completely successful; they hadn’t entirely abandoned Spiritual Qi.
‘Do I have to forge my own path to solve this “Spiritual Poison” problem? A third way, beyond those of the Ancient Spirit Masters, Imperial Spirit Masters, and Martial Arts?’
‘What would I even call a path I create in the future? The Fang Immortal Path?!’
‘I, Fang Rui, the Immortal Ancestor Fang… send donations… COUGH COUGH. I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s way too early for any of that.’
Fang Rui looked at his panel.
‘Over 150,000 Tribulation Points?’
In the past, with this many Tribulation Points, he would have immediately upgraded his Spirit Master path to the Source Realm. But now, after learning about the Spiritual Poison, he hesitated.
‘Oh well. My current strength is sufficient for now. I’ll upgrade later if I need to.’
‘Besides, if I were to immediately upgrade Volume Four of the *Primordial Scripture*, I might not have enough Tribulation Points left for a one-time rejuvenation.’
Fang Rui’s current stance on advancing his Martial Arts and Spirit Master paths was this: while the Spiritual Poison made him wary and cautious, he wouldn’t let that fear paralyze him when he truly needed more power.
‘Technically, my advancements use Tribulation Points, so that part is fine. The problem is that after a breakthrough, I have to absorb external energy to maintain my Realm. Compared to everyone else in this world, my exposure to the “Spiritual Poison” will be far less severe, but it won’t be zero.’
Furthermore, Fang Rui had another theory. ‘I wonder… when I use my innate Divine Technique, Immortality, for a complete rejuvenation… could it wash away this “Spiritual Poison”?!’
This was one of the most important reasons he was saving his Tribulation Points for now.