When the Brocade Pouch Opened, a Voice Came from Afar

In the distance, the aftershocks of the exploding fireball had not yet dissipated; vast swathes of ancient buildings were scorched and burned by the flames, reduced to ashes.

Above, Qiu Yan's soul ascended to heaven, looking down from above!

Below, the giant ape swung its arms and legs, displaying a ferocious and savage power!

However, after being swung away by the Blood-Colored Sage, the giant ape's aura did not weaken, but its arrogance was somewhat diminished. In its gaze toward Qiu Yan, in addition to ferocity, there was more caution, a trace of madness faded, and a bit more clarity appeared.

The ape's entire body seemed to have shrunk a little!

Noticing the subtle change in the giant ape's eyes, Qiu Yan's heart stirred, and an idea arose in his mind. However, before he could ponder it further, the giant ape made another move. It suddenly raised its arm and grabbed him, its mind surging forth, the thoughts spinning like the wind, spiraling into a sphere, perfectly round like a cinnabar!

Although the thoughts within the elixir were still chaotic, they had begun to form a semblance of Order!

Sensing the change, Qiu Yan's thoughts became clearer, but first he had to dodge this claw!

The Heart Fire in Qiu Yan's soul was half its previous size. This was due to his visualization of the Blood-Colored Sage. Fortunately, the Incense Faith flowing from within the Soul Aperture continuously replenished the inner Heart Fire.

This Scholar Forest can suppress divine power, and also has the intention to suppress the Incense Faith. However, Qiu Yan did not release the Incense Faith out of his body. He only turned them around in his soul, and they all became fuel for the Heart Fire. They lost their characteristics in the burning flames and merged into the fire, turning into pure thoughts. After being invaded by Qiu Yan's consciousness, they were completely integrated into his body.

However, after being baptized by the Sage Sun's Canon, Qiu Yan's inner Heart Fire had grown nearly seven or eight times stronger than before, and the time required to replenish it had also increased. Before the inner Heart Fire could fully recover, his will and soul power surged once more, propelling Qiu Yan's Divine Soul to ascend rapidly and dodge the giant ape's grab!

Immediately afterwards, nine Divine Sense flew out from the depths of the Heart Fire, each containing a different realm. They intertwined and gathered in Qiu Yan's hand, the various realms within them echoing each other, exuding Literary Qi, warm and gentle as jade.

"These nine Divine Sense have just been condensed, and I am still unable to grasp their mysteries. However, the humanistic spirit within them is undeniable. Sage Sun advocated Transforming Nature and Developing Artifice, emphasizing using human pursuits to restrain innate nature and establish Order. If this giant ape is truly Heart Ape, with nature as its master and unrestrained, it directly clashes with the Sage Sun Spirit!"

In the blink of an eye, the Divine Sense in Qiu Yan's hand became even more concentrated. Because it was connected to the Heart Fire, it could pulse with the fire and be constantly replenished.

At the same time, the giant ape suddenly swung its arm, and the round Thought Core in its giant palm flew out!

Although the thoughts within the pill were not scattered, they were clashing with each other, and flames were about to be generated. If these flames were to be generated, they would temper the pill and then erupt, and their power would be immeasurable!

"The restless Heart Ape is a manifestation of the mind's nature, originally used as a metaphor for the difficulty in settling the mind, which can be good or evil, and also implies the fickleness of the mind. The first step in the cultivation methods of many schools is to stabilize the mind. Even Confucianism emphasizes knowing when to stop and then settling down. Only after settling down can one calm the mind, think, and finally gain something. Simply put, it is about subduing the Heart Ape!"

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan pushed his hand, and his Divine Sense immediately flew out, then split into nine, weaving through the air and releasing various auras, some advising people to study, some pointing directly to their true nature...

First, streams of Divine Sense dispersed, then came from Eight Directions, converging at one point to surround the Thought Core, soothing and permeating it with humanistic energy.

The next moment, the pill trembled, and Divine Sense surged. Under the mutual restraint, they fell into a stalemate!

However, the inner fire within the elixir has already taken shape and is difficult to reverse.

"Since that's the case, we can only go with the flow!" Seeing this situation, Qiu Yan made his decision without the slightest hesitation.

Then, a Heart Demon Fragment floated Soul Aperture, nurtured by the Heart Fire, while Qiu Yan raised his hand and waved his hand, driving nine Divine Sense to pull the Thoughtfire Core towards the giant ape!

Everything that just happened, though seemingly complicated, actually happened in the blink of an eye. Just as Qiu Yan had restrained Thought Core, the giant ape propped itself up with its arms and was about to get up when, unexpectedly, the Nine Senses rushed past and brought Thoughtfire Core, crashed down!

Then, nine Divine Sense extended out, like nine chains, binding the giant ape's body.

As soon as his Divine Sense touched the ape's body, Qiu Yan immediately felt the chaotic thoughts within it. This chaos was transmitted back through his Divine Sense, and in just a moment, it almost caused Qiu Yan to lose his composure!

These chaotic thoughts were too immense, and they were not ordinary distractions, but rather mixed with subconscious instincts!

He quickly changed his mind, relaxing his nine Divine Sense. Although the time was short, the effects of the nine Divine Sense were already evident—

The giant ape was entangled and its massive body sluggish for a moment. Not only was it unable to get up, it also lost its balance again. Before it could fall back to the ground, the Thoughtfire Core had already smashed into its body!

The powerful impact sank the giant ape's body several feet into the ground!

However, since the Thought Core originated from the giant ape, and now that it has returned, although the fire inside is burning, it has not really gone out of control. Instead, it was blocked by the giant ape's fur and bounced twice on it. It looked like it was about to be caught by the giant ape.

Just then, Qiu Yan in mid-air flicked his finger, sending a Heart Demon Fragment flying out!

The fragment fell directly into the Thought Core!

Instantly, the various thoughts within his Heart Demon merged with the Thought Core, further fueling his inner fire!

Boom!

The next moment, the entire Thought Core exploded, flames swept in all directions, and rapidly spread across the massive giant ape's body!

The intense heat caused the giant ape to leap up and howl, its roar transforming into a raging storm. Its body danced with the flames, rolling through the streets and crushing building after building!

And that Heart Demon Fragment fell into the giant ape's body, combining with all sorts of distracting thoughts!

Every Mystic Hair on the giant ape's body seemed to represent a person's distracting thoughts. These numerous distracting thoughts, when gathered together, were like a sumptuous feast to the Heart Demon. The fragments instantly transformed into Taotie, devouring the food greedily.

In Qiu Yan's perception, he could clearly feel that the Heart Demon Fragment was growing rapidly, and was even about to condense into an independent entity, seemingly about to surpass the Heart Demon body hidden in Fire Sovereign's body!

"Oh? It seems this can indeed calm the restless Heart Ape! The Heart Demon are related to the Five Aggregates, while the Heart Ape is a combination of the subconscious, which some call the Heavenly Heart, or innate nature. The two have similarities..." Looking at the scene before him, Qiu Yan felt victory was assured, but suddenly a sharp pain shot through his consciousness! His expression changed!

"Huh? The Heart Demon has shattered!?"

The stinging sensation sent a shadow over Qiu Yan's heart. Below, the giant ape, which had been rolling around, subsided its violent movements, and the flames on its body weakened, showing signs of calming down.

Most importantly, the Heart Demon Fragment that grew stronger amidst the chaos are now gone, having been destroyed by the giant ape using some unknown method!

"Now that I have condensed my Divine Sense and divided it into nine parts, supplemented by Incense Faith, mental focus, and Heart Demon Fragment, my combat power in terms of Divine Soul alone is no less than that of an ordinary third- Third Tier Third Realm. If we include the River of History, Illusory World and the Contemplation of Sage, I can even contend with cultivators at the peak of the Third Realm. However, since the beginning of my battle with this giant ape, although I have a strategy, I have almost never gained the upper hand!"

As the Heart Demon Fragment vanished, Qiu Yan quickly changed his mind and searched for a solution.

"As for the combat strength of this Heart Ape, I don't know its level. Because its mind is chaotic and it acts only on instinct, it gave me an opportunity. If this ape's mind were clear and it could control its own power, I would have no chance against it. Even now, I have used all my methods, but I still can't defeat it. The only thing left is the Sage Sun's Canon, which I haven't fully mastered. However, those eight Sage Spirit have not been fully refined, and there are too many variables. If I use them rashly, I risk being trapped..."

Just as he was pondering, a series of explosions suddenly came from not far away. Immediately afterwards, buildings a hundred feet away shattered one after another, and a huge white shadow flashed by, smashing a passage through the ancient city!

Although the creature was fast, Qiu Yan could still make out its general outline by focusing his attention. It was an enormous white horse, even taller than the giant ape. On the horse's head, he could see a figure with robes fluttering in the wind and long hair dancing in the air!

"That is..."

The white figure arrived suddenly and left quickly, but it made Qiu Yan realize that he was not the only one in danger, nor was he the only one with fortuitous opportunity.

"Bai Zhaoyuan seems to have encountered something similar as well, likely formed from a combination of his thoughts. But standing on it, isn't he afraid of having his soul and heart corrupted? Hmm?"

Suddenly, a flash of light streaked through Qiu Yan's mind!

"That's it! I can't kill the giant ape with my own strength, but if this ape is what I call the mind, then I should first suppress it with force to make it restrain itself. This is the right way. But simply suppressing it is tyrannical and cannot last. I should also guide it to calm its mind and subdue the Heart Ape! A mixture of Kingship and Hegemony, with Legalism and Confucianism complementing each other!"

Upon realizing this, Qiu Yan felt something. One of the nine Divine Sense suddenly became much clearer, and the Sage Sun's Canon within his Heart Fire also underwent a slight change, causing a subtle shift in his aura.

However, now is not the time to examine closely. Qiu Yan calmed his mind and turned his gaze downwards. The giant ape, which had been scorched by the Thoughtfire, was now much quieter, but its aura was becoming more and more intense, like a volcano about to erupt.

"We don't know how long this fire can last. We should act now while the Heart Ape is unable to move. Otherwise, if another fierce battle breaks out, we may not be able to achieve such results again."

That being said, the giant ape's thoughts were incredibly complex. The nine Divine Sense that had entangled it for only a moment were almost corrupted, so Qiu Yan was not entirely confident of victory.

Just as he was about to make a move, something hanging at his waist suddenly stirred!

A brocade pouch flew up, opened, and revealed a small piece of Sage Paper. The paper flew out as fast as an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, it stuck to the giant ape's forehead!

Layers of flames could not harm this piece of paper in the slightest!

"This is a small piece of Sage Paper given to me by the Book Elder from the Spring and Autumn Academy!" Qiu Yan was stunned upon seeing this. Before he could react, an aged voice came from the depths of the ancient city—

"Your Heart Ape is already set on its course. If you don't subdue it now, when will you? Once that brat who borrowed the Stellar Constellation Power subdues his Mind Horse, he'll come and compete with you for it!"

ps:

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