However, considering that Sun Luyao in front of him was actually his own creation, wouldn't cursing him as useless be tantamount to criticizing his own craftsmanship? Li Fan swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth.
With another cold snort and a swift shift in thought, the current, ineffective "Sun Luyao" was destroyed.
A moment later, a brand new simulated personality was born again.
"Senior, the formation just now…" The new Sun Luyao had no awareness of being newly created. His memory remained at the moment of the Primordial Spirit Formation's world-ending explosion, his face pale.
"It's truly too profound, this junior has yet to learn it," Sun Luyao said with a bitter tone, terrified of incurring Li Fan's wrath.
Li Fan, feeling the crystal clear sphere condensed at the cost of an entire small world, revealed a kind smile. "Don't worry. This Primordial Spirit Formation is indeed a bit complicated. I'll just demonstrate a few more times."
His casual words sent chills down Sun Luyao's spine, but he dared not refute. He could only follow Li Fan in a daze to their next target.
The small worlds that Li Fan chose were all those affiliated with the Xuanhuang World, yet to be discovered by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and smallest in scale. This was to prevent attracting attention from outsiders should the Xuanhuang World approach the Immortal Ruins.
However, Li Fan estimated that his actions of "digging at the roots of the Xuanhuang World" definitely couldn't last long.
Li Fan weighed the crystal sphere in his hand. "Two or three more will far exceed the protection provided by the [Myriad Manifestation Divine Refinement] of my 119th life. There shouldn't be any problems then."
…
Great Qi Small World.
Daoist Hundred Flowers was at the edge of the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens, gazing blankly into the void.
All this time, she had been perfectly fulfilling the tasks given to her by the Sacred Emperor. The reward of Source Power Essence had never been delayed, and recently it had become even more abundant.
However, Source Power Essence was really just that - a thing.
Before ever obtaining it, she had considered it incredibly precious, determined to have a taste no matter what. Now that she possessed it in abundance, it had gradually become tasteless.
After all, it couldn't help her break through the limits of mortals and ascend to the True Immortal Realm. Having more was pointless.
Daoist Hundred Flowers felt herself growing complacent.
With the freedom that came from abundant Source Power Essence, she had gradually lost her goals and drive. The most she did every day was to look after the various Grotto-Heavens, ensuring their spiritual energy flowed smoothly and that they were brimming with life.
The next most frequent activity was daydreaming.
Emptying her mind, she thought of nothing. Occasionally, fragmented images would flash by.
Some were from her experiences in this Great Qi Sacred Dynasty after waking up.
Others were from before she was captured by the "fishing pond," back when she was with the survivors from the various worlds.
"I wonder if those guys are really all dead," Daoist Hundred Flowers thought to herself.
As she was lost in her thoughts, a spatial fluctuation in front of her caught her attention.
Upon sensing the familiar aura, her tense nerves instantly relaxed.
"Senior Hundred Flowers."
The newcomer was Sun Erlang, the Sacred Emperor's chief disciple.
"Are you here to get beaten up again?" Daoist Hundred Flowers couldn't help but ask with a wry smile, seeing the look on Sun Erlang's face and instantly understanding his intentions.
Sun Erlang readily admitted, "This junior has gone back to cultivate for a while and feels that he has improved again, so I'm here to request guidance from Senior!"
Daoist Hundred Flowers chuckled. "I told you, don't listen to that Ingenious Craftsman's boasting, saying his puppets are comparable to immortals. In the end, they're just a bunch of inanimate objects. How can they truly be mentioned in the same breath as cultivators like us?"
Before Sun Erlang could speak, the Ingenious Craftsman's voice rang out. "Whether they can or not, it's not about bragging. Let's see for ourselves! Sun Erlang, give her a good thrashing!"
Sun Erlang cupped his hands and said, "Senior, please be careful… This time, it's truly different from before."
Before his words even faded, Sun Erlang's figure vanished from Daoist Hundred Flowers's divine sense detection.
A hint of seriousness flashed in her eyes as she transformed into a beam of golden light, soaring towards the endless void opened up by the World-Splitting Whale.
She vaguely sensed a large number of beings secretly tracking her from behind.
"It should be those puppets that the brat controls, but how can even my divine sense not lock onto them?"
Daoist Hundred Flowers finally felt a spark of interest.
A Glazed Golden Flower materialized in her hand with a subtle thought.
In an instant, it blossomed.
Petals drifted down, yet the main body of the Glazed Golden Flower remained intact. In no time, the void around Daoist Hundred Flowers was enveloped by billions of golden petals.
Bang!
Bang!
The petals fluttered, continuously colliding with the hidden puppets that were following her. One by one, dark gold puppets were revealed.
There were five in total, having silently surrounded Daoist Hundred Flowers.
Daoist Hundred Flowers teased, "So, you realized you can't win in a one-on-one, so you switched to a group fight, huh, little Sun?"
Sun Erlang's voice replied, but it didn't come from the puppets. "Senior misunderstands. I'm controlling all these puppets alone. So, it's still a fair fight…"
In the void, five almost identical voices echoed Sun Erlang's words.
"Rift Gold!"
"Entangling Wood!"
"Life-Extinguishing Water!"
"Burning Intent Fire!"
"Void Earth!"
Bizarre Five Elements powers emerged from the five puppets. Instead of attacking Daoist Hundred Flowers directly, they instantly formed a formation.
Trapped within, Daoist Hundred Flowers felt like she had been instantly transported from the void back to the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens.
However, this Five Elements Grotto-Heavens wasn't full of vitality but was instead a scene of utter carnage.
Every trace of Five Elements energy within this Grotto-Heavens was like a sharp sword. Sensing Daoist Hundred Flowers, the outsider, they launched a ferocious attack.
The Rift Gold was silent and invisible, its sharpness capable of tearing space itself.
The Entangling Wood sought out enemies through the void. Once it latched onto its target, it would never stop until the target was dead.
The Life-Extinguishing Water extinguished all vitality. Even the Glazed Golden Flowers released by Daoist Hundred Flowers rapidly withered upon contact.
...
The five elements countered and complemented one another, their power endless and constantly transforming.
Trapped within the formation, Daoist Hundred Flowers seemed to have already endured several days of constant assault, yet the attacks showed no sign of weakening.
"This is the Five Elements Killing Formation."
"The core of the formation should be those five puppets. They aren't directly attacking, but acting as the formation's eyes..."
While Daoist Hundred Flowers was lost in thought, she didn't notice that a dark gold puppet had silently appeared behind her.
Hidden within the violent Five Elements energy, it was like a golden sword, slashing down decisively.
Clang!
A sound like metal clashing against metal echoed through the Five Elements Killing Formation. Daoist Hundred Flowers's body instantly turned translucent.
A Glazed Golden Flower blossomed within her.
Illuminated by its light, even the long sword that had pierced her body gradually became glazed and transparent.
The power of the Rift Gold erupted, breaking free from the glazed erosion, then vanished once more, hiding within the chaotic Five Elements Killing Formation.
"Not bad."
For the first time in front of Sun Erlang, Daoist Hundred Flowers revealed her true appearance. She offered faint praise.
"If it were me from before, this attack probably would've seriously injured me."
"It's a pity…"
Within her translucent body, the Glazed Golden Flower rapidly expanded.
Under the pure, glazed brilliance, the violent Five Elements energy was all assimilated into solid, glazed crystals.
In just a few breaths, the Glazed Golden Flower had swept through its surroundings, engulfing the entire formation space within itself.
Ding!
A slender finger extended from the solidified crystal.
It lightly tapped the condensed flower.
A crack appeared, then spread rapidly across the entire flower body.
Bang!
The flower exploded into countless fragments. The once-raging Five Elements Killing Formation completely transformed into nothingness.
Daoist Hundred Flowers returned to her original form and looked around.
However, her expression slightly changed. It seemed that her [Pure Life Glazed Glass], a move that could instantly annihilate a small world, hadn't destroyed the Five Elements Killing Formation?
Within the void, that chaotic energy began to surge again.
After a moment, understanding dawned upon Daoist Hundred Flowers. "It's not the Five Elements Killing Formation, but the Yin-Yang Five Elements Great Formation."
Yin and Yang energy intertwined and transformed. From within the chaos, the five elements emerged, their cycle unending.
Soon, the briefly tranquil void once again became lively.
Upon seeing this, Daoist Hundred Flowers couldn't help but frown slightly.
She could easily destroy the formation, but she couldn't stop the unending cycle of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements.
Even if she destroyed it again and again, the killing intent directed at her within the void remained constant.
"The power of Yin-Yang Five Elements combined with a formation… while the destructive power hasn't increased much, it's become much more troublesome."
Although Daoist Hundred Flowers had some knowledge of formations, she still couldn't sense any trace of the formation around her.
"Hahahaha! Hundred Flowers, you're out of tricks now! Just surrender!" The Ingenious Craftsman's arrogant voice echoed from within the formation.
Daoist Hundred Flowers coldly snorted. A brilliant golden light ignited in her eyes.
"Sun Erlang, watch carefully, you've finally forced me to use this move! Let's see how your countermeasures fare against this."
Enhanced by the Source Power Essence, Daoist Hundred Flowers's Glazed Light seemed to become even more pure.
As if even space itself was crystallizing, a brilliant gem slowly formed around her.
The Yin-Yang energy that gave birth to the Five Elements and even the structure that maintained the formation itself had no room to exist under the pressure of such pure power.
Light from the outside world shone through; this killing formation was about to be broken by Daoist Hundred Flowers.
"You think you're the only one with Source Power Essence?!"
Just then, the Ingenious Craftsman's somewhat smug voice rang out once more.
A finger formed entirely of golden light, ignoring the already solidified glazed crystal, appeared out of thin air before Daoist Hundred Flowers.
The crystal crumbled, dissolving into specks of flowing light. The golden finger pressed down relentlessly towards her forehead, unstoppable.
Daoist Hundred Flowers's expression shifted slightly, her body transforming back into its purely glazed state.
Under the same golden light, Daoist Hundred Flowers met the golden finger head-on.
To her astonishment, this seemingly terrifying finger of Source Power Essence was nothing more than an empty shell.
Upon contact, it shattered, transforming into countless golden threads that entangled her entire body.
"Sun Erlang, close the net!" the Ingenious Craftsman shouted in excitement.
The golden threads spread out in an instant, crisscrossing each other. Caught off guard, Daoist Hundred Flowers was trapped within the net!
The Glazed Golden Flower tried to release its brilliance but collided with the golden net, its light vanishing without a trace.
A powerful force came from the golden net, dragging Daoist Hundred Flowers forward.
"Insolent!"
This time, Daoist Hundred Flowers was truly angered.
"All Beings Are Glazed!"
With an icy cold shout, the seemingly captured Daoist Hundred Flowers vanished.
The Glazed Golden Flower also underwent a strange transformation. Its petals fell one by one, this time disappearing completely upon touching the ground. An instant later, it revealed what was within.
Light and shadow flickered, and then, shockingly, a glazed world appeared!
Encased in glazed ice, countless living beings suddenly opened their eyes!
Hiss…
Faint cracks appeared on the golden net that bound this world.
The Ingenious Craftsman's voice was filled with shock and fury. "Didn't you say you abandoned your world and escaped?! I didn't expect you to have refined your entire Ten Thousand Flourishing Realm into a glazed state!"
"What a vicious woman!"
Daoist Hundred Flowers's voice came from within the glazed world. "You understand nothing! This was for survival!"
"Not just for me, but for the entire Heavenly Lotus Sect!"
With her furious roar, a dazzling light erupted from within the glazed world, completely shattering the golden net that bound it.
"Sun Erlang, retreat!"
"Senior, please forgive me…"
She vaguely heard the Ingenious Craftsman's somewhat panicked voice and Sun Erlang's helpless one.
Returning to the void, she could no longer see the two of them.
The Glazed Golden Flower bloomed once more, concealing the glazed Ten Thousand Flourishing Realm at its center. Daoist Hundred Flowers returned to her usual appearance.
She didn't pursue them but returned to the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens.
"That fight was a good way to relieve my boredom. I wonder when we'll truly go to war with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"If we can truly escape the Immortal Ruins, even this entire Dark Star Sea… then perhaps the Heavenly Lotus Sect can also see the light of day once more." Thoughts churned within Daoist Hundred Flowers's mind.
She had a particular confidence in the Great Qi Sacred Emperor.
She glanced towards the void once more.
From that place, where the Sacred Emperor had once been, she vaguely sensed an energy that made her entire glazed Ten Thousand Flourishing Realm tremble in fear.
"Truly a madman…"
Within the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty, the somewhat disheveled Ingenious Craftsman looked at the seven dark gold puppets before him with some heartache, muttering curses under his breath.
"I should have known! Someone who could survive the World-Ending Tribulation, how could they be some naive simpleton? Seeing her act so meek and obedient in front of the Sacred Emperor, I was actually fooled..."
"Ingenious Craftsman, oh, Ingenious Craftsman, you really messed up this time!"
Sun Erlang remained silent.
This Senior Hundred Flowers, who usually appeared gentle and harmless, had truly displayed frightening strength in that sudden outburst.
However, the goal of sparring with her this time had been achieved.
Sun Erlang looked at the seven dark gold puppets in the field.
By using these puppet bodies, he had not only become more familiar with the power of the Seven Heavenly Souls within the puppets' cores, but he had also vaguely progressed in his grasp of Source Power Essence.
"No! I refuse to believe it! I, the dignified Ingenious Craftsman of the Heavenly Mechanism Realm, would be outdone by that tiny Ten Thousand Flourishing Realm!" The Ingenious Craftsman said fiercely, taking out an object from his robes.
"Sun Erlang, install these on the puppets!" he commanded sharply.
"What is this?"
Sun Erlang looked at the square black object in the Ingenious Craftsman's hand with curiosity.
"Heh heh, this is the 'experience' our Heavenly Mechanism Realm extracted from the body of the [Ancestor] Immortal Puppet all those years ago. It can't be replicated, and after the Heavenly Mechanism Realm was destroyed, we have less and less to use. I've been reluctant to use it, but now…" The Ingenious Craftsman looked at it with some reluctance before finally gritting his teeth.
"I can't be outdone by that woman!"
When Sun Erlang heard the words "Immortal Puppet," his heart trembled.
He was about to take it but suddenly hesitated as if recalling something. "This item is so precious, shouldn't we save it for Senior Tian Yang? Perhaps it would be more useful to him…"
The Ingenious Craftsman waved his hand dismissively. "I already gave him a portion. Where do you think he's been all this time? He's been in secluded cultivation, trying to comprehend it, and he still hasn't come out!"
"Stop wasting time! Just do as I say! Hurry, I might change my mind in a bit!"
Hearing this, Sun Erlang didn't protest any further.
He connected his mind to the seven dark gold puppets, then crushed the square black object in his hand.
Black liquid seeped out from between his fingers.
Like a living creature, it crawled up Sun Erlang's arm until it reached his head. It was like a cobra preparing to strike, its body rising high before fiercely shooting straight toward Sun Erlang's eyes.
Out of trust in the Ingenious Craftsman, Sun Erlang didn't resist.
The moment the black liquid covered his vision, the environment Sun Erlang sensed changed.
A flood of blurry images surged into his mind, accompanied by fragmented combat memories.
Or more accurately, memories of "being beaten."
Profound and unfathomable techniques bombarded the Immortal Puppet's body.
The Immortal Puppet could only rely on its own tough material to endure, with little opportunity to counterattack.
However, even simply being beaten, a sense of profound enlightenment arose in Sun Erlang's heart.
Having been beaten so many times, it was as if Sun Erlang had formed a sort of instinct.
When the image of an Immortal Technique's attack resurfaced in his mind, an instinctive feeling of how to deal with that technique also arose.
This feeling intoxicated Sun Erlang.
Unfortunately, just as he felt like he was about to truly grasp something, the images abruptly disappeared.
The enlightenment he had felt moments before receded like a tide, leaving no trace.
"Ugh..."
Sun Erlang suddenly felt veins bulging on his forehead. He clenched his fists and gasped for air.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the Ingenious Craftsman.
As if already prepared, the Ingenious Craftsman had moved far away. He said coldly, "Sun Erlang, clear your head. Don't be blinded by illusions!"
"Was that feeling of enlightenment truly yours, or did it belong to the Immortal Puppet?!"
The Ingenious Craftsman's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Sun Erlang's head, instantly bringing him back to his senses.
However, even so, it still took him nearly half a day to suppress the feeling of loss and the desire to snatch more Immortal Puppet experience from the Ingenious Craftsman.
"I apologize, Senior," Sun Erlang said, somewhat ashamed.
"It's fine. There's no need to blame yourself. It's not just you. Even those old fellows from our Heavenly Mechanism Realm couldn't resist this kind of temptation." The Ingenious Craftsman licked his lips, seemingly savoring the aftertaste of enlightenment.
"Now, take a look and tell me, what's different?" the Ingenious Craftsman instructed.
Sun Erlang refocused his attention on the five dark gold puppets. A moment later, a hint of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Eh? That memory of being beaten is resurfacing…"
Sun Erlang closed his eyes, concentrating.
The Ingenious Craftsman clapped his hands, and thousands of Sacred Army Puppets appeared one after another.
Relying on their mechanical instincts, they simultaneously attacked the dark gold puppets that Sun Erlang controlled.
As if tempered by thousands of trials, Sun Erlang easily evaded all the different techniques and moves.
Even Sun Erlang himself was dumbfounded by such results.
He couldn't understand how those attacks, which clearly landed on the dark gold puppets he controlled, ultimately caused no damage.
It wasn't because the dark gold puppets possessed powerful defensive abilities that negated the damage.
It was because, through some incredibly mysterious method, they had truly dodged every single attack from the Sacred Army Puppets.
"Don't be stunned, try to hold onto that instinctive feeling as much as possible!"
"The remnants of the Immortal Puppet's experience will dissipate soon. As for how much you can ultimately retain, that's up to your own fate!"
The Ingenious Craftsman's words snapped Sun Erlang out of his daze.
He abandoned all distracting thoughts, concentrating his mind entirely on remembering the Immortal Puppet's dodging instinct.
However, it was ultimately an Immortal Puppet's divine ability, not something that could be solidified through mortal means.
Even though Sun Erlang was giving it his all, as time passed, the number of times the dark gold puppets he controlled got hit inevitably increased.
After enduring for seven days straight, the probability of dodging finally stabilized at a fixed value.
"One-third."
"That's not bad," the Ingenious Craftsman consoled.
Sun Erlang was clearly a little disappointed.
"Don't worry, with time and comprehension, your dodging ability will improve. However, if you want to reach the level of that Immortal Puppet, moving with a thought and dodging any so-called magical technique or attack…"
"I'm afraid you can only achieve that by surpassing the limits of mortals," the Ingenious Craftsman said honestly.
Sun Erlang let out a long breath, slowly suppressing the regret in his heart.
"Don't underestimate this one-third. It can often be surprisingly effective in a life-or-death battle. Even if the enemy's strength far exceeds yours, you can still unintentionally dodge their attacks."
"More importantly, you can simultaneously control seven puppets. In an actual battle, due to the shared senses of these seven puppet bodies, your actual performance will be slightly higher than this…"
The Ingenious Craftsman began to summarize and analyze the gains from this experience with Sun Erlang.
"If you were to spar with Hundred Flowers now, you'd have a high chance of dodging her Ten Thousand Flourishing Realm's Glazed Light. Without breaking her formation, she'd be nothing more than a turtle in a jar…" The Ingenious Craftsman muttered, clearly still holding a grudge against Daoist Hundred Flowers.
As the two were talking, they suddenly felt the space around them tremble faintly.
"Hmm?"
Sun Erlang and the Ingenious Craftsman were startled for a moment before simultaneously flying out of the testing grounds.
It wasn't just their location. The entire Great Qi Sacred Dynasty was caught in a violent tremor.
In the sky, a vortex faintly appeared.
Booming claps of thunder reverberated within it.
"This is…"
A hint of pleasant surprise flashed through Sun Erlang's eyes.
He had experienced a similar scene before.
It was a phenomenon that occurred when the environment of the Sacred Dynasty underwent an overall enhancement.
After the last transformation, the Sacred Dynasty's spiritual energy concentration had increased severalfold. The number of talented individuals born had also significantly surpassed previous years.
The Sacred Dynasty's current cultivation environment was no longer any worse than an ordinary region in the Xuanhuang World. If it were to enhance once more…
Wouldn't that put it far ahead of the Xuanhuang World?
Not just the Sacred Emperor's disciples, but all the citizens of the Sacred Dynasty walked out of their homes, excitedly looking up at the sky.
As the direct beneficiaries of the world's enhancement, without any summons, the citizens of the Sacred Dynasty knelt in unison, their voices echoing as they chanted their praises to the Sacred Emperor and prayed devoutly.
If Li Fan were here, he would be able to see that the fortune of the Sacred Dynasty, which had already been condensed to its limit, was now showing signs of breaking through once more.
However, taking this step was extremely difficult.
Right now, it was only just the beginning.
As the citizens of the Sacred Dynasty chanted, tangible purple energy rose from all corners of the land, absorbed by the vortex in the sky.
The sounds of wind and thunder intensified, the deafening claps of thunder causing even Sun Erlang to feel a tremor in his mind.
He felt an ever-increasing pressure from above.
It made him lower his head slightly.
"Master has broken through again."
A realization dawned on Sun Erlang.
From the expressions of Su Yuqing, Ou Shangtian, and the other disciples of the Sacred Emperor, Sun Erlang saw the same thought reflected in their eyes.
The vortex in the sky spun faster and faster, beams of starlight shooting out from within, scattering across every corner of the world.
Vegetation touched by the starlight grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Living beings touched by it felt as if they had been enlightened, instantly gaining a deeper understanding of the Dao.
Even more condensed and vast beams of starlight flew out like bolts of silk, accurately shooting toward Sun Erlang and the others.
This included the Ingenious Craftsman, Daoist Hundred Flowers, Immortal Master Yin, and the others who had been summoned by the Sacred Emperor.
The instant the starlight washed over him, the scene before Sun Erlang's eyes drastically transformed.
As if he had truly arrived in the endless void outside the Xuanhuang World, Sun Erlang saw countless terrifying tribulation forces wreaking havoc within the dead silence and darkness.
He also saw that even in this terrifying and desolate Star Sea, countless paths of the Star Sea were stubbornly reviving.
"Light is hidden beneath darkness…"
"Life is nurtured from within death."
Like a devout believer who had attained enlightenment, Sun Erlang witnessed the vastness and tenacity of the Star Sea, tears streaming down his face.
The other cultivators within the Sacred Dynasty were the same.
Waves of mysterious energy emanated from their bodies, reaching for the sky.
Their shared enlightenment caused the tremors of the Great Qi Small World to intensify once more.
This fluctuation even spread beyond the world itself, expanding into the void.
The Five Elements Grotto-Heavens surrounding the Great Qi Small World, as well as the other small worlds that had been relocated here, were all affected, resonating at the same frequency.
It was like the sound of a heartbeat, as if something was being nurtured within that rhythm.
All living beings within the Great Qi Small World seemed to sense something. They raised their heads, gazes fixed upon the vortex in the sky.
As all eyes watched, a majestic figure descended, passing through the wind, thunder, and lightning, through the purple energy and the hazy, mystical starlight.
Slowly, he arrived in the world.
"We welcome the Sacred Emperor!"
Billions of citizens of the Great Qi bowed deeply, their voices as thunderous as a tsunami.
However, the Sacred Emperor's disciples, along with Daoist Hundred Flowers, the Ingenious Craftsman, Immortal Master Yin, and the others were shocked to discover that the faceless Sacred Emperor they were familiar with… now had a face on his previously empty visage!
After a moment of stunned silence, the aura emanating from the Sacred Emperor's body confirmed his identity beyond a doubt.
The Sacred Emperor stood high above in the nine heavens, looking down at the beings below.
With a gentle wave of his hand, all the bowing citizens rose to their feet.
(End of Chapter)