Chapter 312: Chapter 35 Shadow Under the Tree
The First Generation Temple Master, who was a predecessor from the Ji Family with an ominously ominous name, wrote on the bamboo slip—if he perished, it would prove that his actions were effective.
That is to say, if ineffective, then even if he failed, his life would not be harmed.
This proactive nature suggested that Ji Jiji’s life crisis originated from a certain person, or rather, a certain living creature.
Now, within this Dunjia Heaven and Earth, there was a clear sign of human activity. This person had flattened at least tens of miles of land with a single palm, turning rivers into lakes, and Jiang Li truly could not imagine who could make such handprints.
At the same time, this handprint also confirmed that this person was an enemy, not a friend.
So, was Ji Jiji, who was sought out by such a powerful being, still alive?
Jiang Li felt the probability was genuinely small.
It was very likely that Ji Jiji had perished.
Tianxuan controlled Jiang Li’s body, sinking downwards and entering the water. The moment Jiang Li hit the water, he subconsciously converted his Innate Qi into Water Qi.
’Do I still have control over my body?’
Jiang Li found himself and Tianxuan seemed to be sharing their bodies equally, as if trading half of his own for half of Tianxuan’s.
The difference was that while the body in the dream was actually false, Jiang Li’s body was real.
’Could it be because I am conscious now, unlike how the senior sister was in a comatose state then?’ Jiang Li speculated in his heart.
However, this also avoided the situation where Tianxuan couldn’t control True Qi.
Tianxuan could perfectly unleash Gongsun Qing Yue’s strengths, even to the extent of overpowering Jiang Li in battle, because she had personally trained Gongsun Qing Yue. Tianxuan comprehended all of Gongsun Qing Yue’s cultivation techniques, including the Yin Talisman Seven Skills acquired through serendipity.
As for Jiang Li, not to mention the tightly concealed Demon Cleansing True Qi, even the mystic techniques of Qi Tomb were hard for Tianxuan to fully grasp.
She only had a rough idea about Jiang Li’s abilities; the rest was rather unclear.
Under such circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for Tianxuan to fully utilize Jiang Li’s abilities.
Therefore, it was necessary for the two to share control.
[Such a gesture of intimacy is not something anyone could accomplish; Tianxuan doing so shows her trust in Jiang Li.]
[Unconsciously, Jiang Li is gradually getting closer to his master—there is much to look forward to in the future.]
The Karma Collection still displayed text, but Jiang Li realized that Tianxuan seemed not to see these words.
’Indeed, it’s not as if our souls and minds are melding together, performing a dual cultivation—that would be normal.’
Feeling relieved, Jiang Li also felt a bit of regret.
The kind of spiritual dual cultivation found coincidentally in storybooks really couldn’t be replicated in reality.
Thus, with Tianxuan taking the lead and Jiang Li assisting, the two maintained a state of both connection and detachment as they continuously sank underwater.
Below the lake, the riverbed was smooth and interspersed with slick and interlocking traces, obviously not a natural landscape.
Upon seeing these traces, Jiang Li and Tianxuan simultaneously felt a sense of familiarity, almost as if...
The Karma Collection depicted the same image, and upon seeing it, Jiang Li immediately recognized the true nature of the traces—the palm prints.
The immense handprint was imprinted on the riverbed, distinct and clear, not fading over the years, whether it was because this Dunjia Heaven and Earth lacked natural cycles, or because the handprint was strong enough to withstand the erosion of time was unknown.
Jiang Li’s body stood upright in the water, overlooking the handprint below, only to hear Tianxuan slowly say, "This place of Dunjia Heaven and Earth should be based on the Five Elements for evolution. Apart from this Water Element area, there are four other Elemental areas. If one were to enter and exit normally, they would have to pass through the Five Elements, but to break the formation, it’s not necessary to be so cumbersome."
"This area of Dunjia has already had its key Array Core damaged. The remaining phenomena are indeed miraculous, but are merely transformations conducted through the Heaven and Earth Qi using the Dunjia Formation."
"Now, transform into the Supreme Yang Qi."
As Tianxuan spoke, Jiang Li circulated his Qi, and his Innate Fire Qi burst forth, more compatible with his physique, assimilating into the Pure Yang.
After the integration of the Dao Fruit, Jiang Li’s body had begun to exhibit traits of Pure Yang. Now, as Jiang Li sought to transform into the Supreme Yang Qi, the Pure Yang Qi within him also emerged, circulating through his limbs and bones.
Jiang Li’s body became clear, with Red Patterns manifesting and gradually shifting to a golden-red, and his immense True Qi, controlled by Tianxuan’s intentions, blazed fiercely.
"Sun at Noon, Sunshine in the sky."
This was the first time Jiang Li truly experienced the operation of the Taixu Skill. Tianxuan controlling his True Qi, performing a Mystic Technique she created herself, was akin to teaching him the critical aspects of this technique firsthand.
A great sun rose from beneath the water, the light and heat steaming the river water, making the underwater scene appear utterly red.
This scene was just like boiling the river and cooking the sea.
The river water boiled, sending white water vapor billowing up and permeating all around, with various sized whirlpools appearing out of thin air in the sky, which were mutating spatial portals.
Ripples in space are originally formless and shapeless, but after the water vapor filled all around, the ripples fluctuated and dragged the water vapor along, naturally revealing their form.
This piece of heaven and earth was actually like a sophisticated machine, Tianxuan trying to see the mechanism of the machine in order to destroy it.
As the blazing light of the great sun filled the area and thick water vapor seethed, the sky seemed to blur, like turbulent muddy waters, with one Qi Vein after another appearing before Jiang Li’s eyes.
"Go."
Tianxuan waved her sleeve, the great sun soared, its brilliant light piercing through reality as if creating a gap in the sky.
Then, the water vapor surged out, enlarging the gap further, gradually causing the entire world to descend into chaos.
"Water and Fire complement each other."
Tianxuan controlled Jiang Li’s body, manipulating the Qi veins, and water and fire instantly merged.
"Water and Fire do not complement."
The next moment, water and fire opposed each other, erupting explosively.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
The surrounding heaven and earth shattered, like pieces of a mirror suddenly struck, smashing into fragments and disintegrating inch by inch.
Jiang Li felt his body lighten, his feet lose ground, and the surrounding scenery turned into darkness, with only the red, white, green, and yellow qi mechanisms appearing in his perception, rushing toward him.
’Qimen Inner Realm...’ Jiang Li sensed inwardly.
The Cosmic Heaven and Earth, the small heaven and earth of the human body—predecessor cultivators compared the human body to heaven and earth, pointing out various acupoints and orifices in the physical body, aiming to create the heaven and earth within the human body, and thus derived the methods of cultivation.
This concept of small heaven and earth is academically called the Inner Scenery.
And the Dunjia Heaven and Earth, mimicking heaven and earth, is formed through the human body, collectively known as "Dunjia Heaven and Earth," while the internal core is called "Qimen Inner Realm," equivalent to the union of heaven and man.
Presently, Jiang Li had come into this formation’s Inner Realm, and those four qi mechanisms belonged to the other four elements.
Seeing the four qi mechanisms rushing toward him, aiming to reintegrate Jiang Li into the Dunjia Heaven and Earth, Tianxuan, controlling Jiang Li’s body, suddenly retreated.
"Whoosh—"
A noise like the wind flitted past his ears, and bizarre sceneries flew by. Suddenly, everything cleared, all anomalies disappeared, bright light entered his eyes, and the verdant colors gradually became clearer. Myriads of auspicious qi transformed into spiritual mechanisms, surging toward Jiang Li in response to his perception.
"Ah."
He couldn’t help but sigh lightly, feeling the comforting influx of Heaven and Earth Qi into his body, also sensing the immense and now fully substantial vitality and Innate Wood Qi.
He had exited the formation.
And furthermore...
After scanning his surroundings, Jiang Li showed an odd expression.
It seemed he had exited even faster than the Fourth Prince and his companions, despite being at least half an hour later than them.
Looking behind, neither the river was visible, nor the scenes of gold, wood, fire, or earth. The architectural structures of the Daoist temple were clearly visible, and Jiang Li was only about thirty yards from the starting point.
Everything just now seemed like an illusion, except for the more-than-half spent Innate Qi reminding Jiang Li that it was not falseness.
He controlled his feet, walking toward the direction of the ginseng fruit tree, with Tianxuan withdrawing her consciousness to a secondary position, immediately severing Jiang Li’s shared connection to her body.
’Pity, I’ve already sized you up.’
Jiang Li taunted inwardly, the contours vividly surfacing in his mind.
With his mastery over the body and the Karma Collection’s recording capabilities, such a short period was enough for him to grasp the truth about Tianxuan.
Overall, it wasn’t too small, just not as much as his senior sister’s.
Jiang Li paused his thoughts and focused his mind, walking toward the ginseng fruit tree.
Since the Fourth Prince and others had not yet exited the formation, Jiang Li naturally opted to act first, checking if he could directly seize the ginseng fruit tree.
If possible, this trip would be a huge gain.
The ground under his feet provided a solid feedback; with Jiang Li’s sensation, this land’s firmness even surpassed metal, and he estimated that even his full force strike would hardly cause much damage.
A gentle breeze came, stirring the branches and leaves. Looking up, he could clearly see the child-like fruits, their nearly living-like forms which further confirmed to Jiang Li that this was indeed the ginseng fruit tree.
Jiang Li leaped, easily crossing the distance of several dozen yards, and arrived beneath the tree.
Simultaneously, the massive tree roots spreading across approximately twenty-four yards completely entered Jiang Li’s field of view, including a figure partially hidden by tangled roots and vines among their depths.
It was a Daoist looking like a young man, dressed in a bright yellow dao robe imprinted with dragon patterns, wearing a golden lotus crown, his black hair tied up, but his eyebrows were snow-white, sharp like swords, diagonally flying into his temples.
He sat tightly behind the entwined roots, his torso partially concealed, with a faint handprint visible on his chest.
Absent of any signs of life, he was already dead.
"Ji Jiji?" Jiang Li whispered.
Other than the first generation temple master of Iron Pillar Temple, Jiang Li could think of no other who would die here.
This man indeed seemed to have not escaped disaster and died here, with the surrounding Dunjia Heaven and Earth possibly being his last line of defense against the enemy, regrettably unable to stop the opponent or save his life.
Jiang Li halted his steps, then began to sidestep toward one side.
In many classic scenarios, there’s a routine involving encountering the body of a preceding master. The protagonist goes to check the body and gains a windfall—from divine skills to divine artifacts, all kinds of benefits.
But Jiang Li felt it was best to clearly distinguish between plots in works and reality—the real world contains not just opportunities, but also risks.
Being a cautious person, Jiang Li thought such risks were best avoided, not to be greedy.
He moved his footsteps, trying to approach the fruit tree from another direction.
Then, Jiang Li noticed, that lifeless person had turned his head.