The Clown Was Me

"You're Hongjun!?"

"It's Hongjun..."

"Jun..."

The incredulous shouts echoed all around.

Li Xuan stared at the spot where Hongjun had vanished, trembling all over as he moved to rush over.

But because of his outcry, his position was exposed in an instant.

Suddenly, a Mystic Immortal-level flying beast let out a long cry and pounced toward him.

"Ah, damn it..."

On Mount Taixuan, Li Xuan opened his eyes, filled with shock and chagrin: "Fuck, the clown was me all along..."

Why did I have to shout?

It drew the attention of those creatures, didn't it?

Too bad the clone that had held on for fifteen years had dissipated again.

And now, even if Li Xuan sent another clone to the center of that battlefield, it would take at least another fifteen years.

Hongjun couldn't possibly still be there.

So there was no point in going at all.

It was just a pity...

Hongjun... the Dao Ancestor!

My god, he said he had a connection with me!

If I had just knelt down right then and there to take him as my master, the benefits...

"Sigh! This hurts."

Thinking this, Li Xuan shook his head again, feeling he had missed a monumental stroke of luck.

But after a moment, he muttered to himself: "Still, misfortune hides within fortune, and fortune hides within misfortune... Who knows if becoming Hongjun's chief disciple would stir up public outrage? If the Three Pure Ones got jealous and came to beat me up... wouldn't I be screwed?"

Having reasoned this out, Li Xuan instead felt a sense of relief rise within him.

It immediately alleviated much of his regret and heartache.

Nodding with an expression of "so that's how it is," he said: "Right, this wasn't an opportunity at all—it was a trap! It's safer to just cultivate steadily and develop quietly."

"Ding, cultivation for ten thousand years completed. Obtained: one thousand years of cultivation experience scroll. Obtained: divine ability—Incarnation Outside the Body."

As he mused inwardly about having avoided falling into a trap, the system's prompt sounded in Li Xuan's ears.

Having died over a thousand clones and scouted an immeasurable range, ten thousand years of time had finally passed in a leisurely drift.

The one-thousand-year cultivation experience scroll wasn't much—it only raised his cultivation slightly.

Now, Li Xuan was at Mystic Immortal Level 10, about to step into the Mystic Immortal realm.

Waves of profound memories flooded his mind, and Li Xuan quickly grasped the divine ability: the method of Incarnation Outside the Body.

Simply put, this was an enhanced version of the Cloning Technique, enhanced again.

Of course, it was only because Li Xuan's talent was abysmally poor that he ended up with this enhanced version of the Cloning Technique.

Otherwise, for anyone else, the Cloning Technique would have been sufficient—no enhancement needed.

If the clones produced by the Cloning Technique had a strength of one percent of the original, or even less, then the clones produced by Incarnation Outside the Body

had a strength of seventy percent, even eighty percent, of the original!

Moreover, Incarnation Outside the Body could house a portion of the soul.

That meant if the main body died due to some accident, this Incarnation Outside the Body could, after a period of cultivation, fully transform into the main body!

This was an incredibly powerful divine ability.

Few in the entire Primordial Wilderness could comprehend or learn it.

Closing his eyes to think for a while, fully integrating the knowledge, Li Xuan formed a hand seal and remained motionless.

The spiritual energy around him rippled gently, and Li Xuan's body rippled along with it, like water waves.

Within these ripples, as if a reflection, Li Xuan's body split into two.

Incarnation Outside the Body.

This incarnation was far more substantial than a clone.

Not only in aura, but even in cultivation, it was merely five levels lower.

This Seat is at Mystic Immortal Level 10, and the Incarnation Outside the Body is at Mystic Immortal Level 5.

The two looked at each other, and that feeling grew even more wondrous.

If before, the clone was like watching oneself in a mirror, then this Incarnation Outside the Body truly felt like one's own original body.

"Mm, this is really good."

The clone's cultivation had skyrocketed, which meant a greatly increased survival rate. Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Ding."

"Choice System activated."

"Choice One: Head west to Kirin Mountain, rescue the Prime Kirin. Completion reward: three random Innate Supreme Treasures, leadership authority over the Primordial Wilderness Beast Clan, divine ability: Five Flavors True Fire, divine ability: Kirin Heaven Extinguishing Fire, divine ability: Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations."

"Choice Two: Head west to Kirin Mountain, join Ancestor Dragon and Primordial Phoenix to slay the Prime Kirin and destroy Kirin Mountain. Completion reward: one random Innate Supreme Treasure, divine ability: Indestructible Golden Body, divine ability: Shrink Ground into Inches."

"Choice Three: Continue cultivating for ten thousand years. Completion reward: one random Innate Spiritual Treasure, one thousand years of cultivation experience scroll."

Just as Li Xuan was feeling out his Incarnation Outside the Body, the choices rang out by his ear again.

Long since accustomed to it, he didn't even bother listening carefully to what the choices were. He directly tapped to continue cultivating.

Whatever the choices?

I'm not going out.

The philosophy of lying low was etched into his very bones!

"System, next time put option four or option three directly in the first slot, save us both some time..."

The Incarnation Outside the Body hopped in place, a smug and relaxed expression on its face.

"Choice Four: Go outside Mount Taixuan and casually pick up an ordinary stone. Completion reward: one random Primordial Supreme Treasure, one million years of cultivation experience scroll, divine ability: Open Heaven, divine ability: Destroy Earth, divine ability: Reincarnation, divine ability: Nirvana."

The system, however, ignored this shameless fellow and mechanically read out the next option.

"Gah?"

Li Xuan instantly turned to stone.

Then, before he could speak, the system continued.

"Choice to continue cultivating for ten thousand years successful."

"Too much, this is way too much..."

Li Xuan's face was blank, and he muttered in a daze: "Let me redo... I want a redo..."

But the system completely ignored him, silent as the grave.

After a long while, Li Xuan gradually came back to his senses, grinding his teeth as he said: "Fine, you win!"

With that, his main body closed its eyes again and resumed cultivation.

The Incarnation Outside the Body, meanwhile, twisted its mouth, looked around, sighed, and then prepared to go out and wander around.

With the Incarnation Outside the Body now at Mystic Immortal Level 5, its survival rate should be greatly increased.

The vast lands of the Primordial Wilderness—he wanted to explore them properly, not skulk and hide, tiptoeing around everything.

"Milord!"

But before he could fly off, three figures suddenly shot up from the foot of the mountain.

It was Little Blue, Little Purple, and Bright Rabbit.

The three flew to the mountaintop and, from a distance, bowed to Li Xuan, calling out respectfully: "Bright Rabbit (Little Purple, Little Blue) pays respects to Milord."

Li Xuan asked in surprise: "What's wrong? Do you have something to discuss?"

The three exchanged glances, and then Bright Rabbit spoke softly: "Milord, the three of us wish to go out and see the world. After all, sitting in meditation and cultivation all day is truly unproductive..."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Bright Rabbit and the other two showed expressions of nervousness and shame, lowering their heads, not daring to look at Li Xuan.

After all, they had been under Milord's protection for tens of thousands of years.

Now, having just achieved some success in cultivation and stepped into the Mystic Immortal realm, wanting to leave—it was truly ungrateful.

But the day-in, day-out monotony of cultivation was truly hard to bear.

All three knew that without some kind of opportunity, their cultivation would likely never advance another inch.

So after discussing it for a long time, they finally mustered the courage to come and ask for Milord's permission.

Only by going out and making their own way could they find opportunities.

And after ten thousand years, the three had truly matured.

They were all adults now, naturally having their own thoughts.

Seeing their cautious demeanor, Li Xuan couldn't help but laugh.

He waved his hand and said: "You still need to ask me about this? Go on, go on. But things are chaotic out there right now, so you all need to be careful."

The three were overjoyed and quickly bowed to Li Xuan: "Thank you, Milord!"

After speaking, the three rose and bowed once more to Li Xuan.

Only then did they transform into streaks of escaping light, soaring into the air and heading straight south.

It seemed the three had already chosen their route long ago.

Watching them quickly fade into the distance, the humanoid lifeform of Mount Taixuan was once again left alone.

Li Xuan suddenly found that the urge to go out and explore had vanished instead.

For a moment, he smiled, and his Incarnation Outside the Body also sat down on the Thirty-Six Grade Creation Green Lotus Platform, joining the main body in comprehending the Taixuan Creation.

Mount Taixuan fell silent.