Probing Hearts, Taking Thoughts

He cultivated the Immortal Method, and ascended to heaven.

This reflects the yearning of both cultivators and mortals for immortality. Even in a place like Zhou Rao Continent, where cultivators scheme against each other and rely on plundering and seizing resources to sustain their cultivation, they still cherish the beautiful dream of ascension.

This was true even for Xiao Li and the others.

But now, right before their eyes, four powerful cultivators, whose abilities were beyond their comprehension, had ascended to heaven in broad daylight, accompanied by celestial songs and extraordinary phenomena—a truly magnificent sight.

However, there was one thing that was completely different from what I had imagined—

The person who ascended to heaven showed no joy. Although it gave people a sense of etherealness, it also seemed absurd. Moreover, it appeared that the ascension was not something the person sought, but rather something they were forced to do.

The person who was forcing people to ascend was walking towards them.

For a moment, Xiao Li's heart was filled with tension and fear—tension for his own safety, fear of his unknown fate, and fear of the powerful force that person had displayed.

Snap!

As Qiu Yan approached, the Sword-Light Protective Formation set up by Feng Zhantian revealed cracks, like shattered glass. The cracks became increasingly dense, and finally, after a few breaths, they completely covered the protective shield, scattering to the ground with a "crack".

The flying swords that had been arranged in the formation lost their luster and fell to the ground with a thud.

This instantly brought Xiao Li and the others back to their senses, their faces filled with fear, their thoughts becoming increasingly chaotic.

"Senior..." At this critical moment, Xiao Li silently called out in his heart, calling out to the "senior" who had given him so much help, but there was no response.

In fact, he would occasionally call out during this period, but after transmitting the Mind Formula, the voice in his heart stopped responding. Xiao Li guessed that it was probably because of the powerful beings fighting in the sky. But now that the situation seemed to have settled, he Metropolitan Examination to call out again, but still to no avail.

Then, Xiao Li looked at Qiu Yan approaching, pondered a plan, and did not step forward, but instead watched coldly from the sidelines.

At this moment, Ziyun suppressed her fear and bowed to Qiu Yan. She then said, "Senior, we..."

"No need for further explanation, I'm just here to take something away..." Unexpectedly, Qiu Yan waved his hand, interrupting her. He stopped ten steps away from them, then grabbed at them in mid-air. Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, and their entire bodies seemed to lighten instantly. The heavy weight on their hearts disappeared.

The tension, heaviness, fear, panic, and doubt all vanished as if they had been pulled out of my heart out of thin air!

Then, a thought surfaced in Xiao Li's mind—

"No. It's not an illusion. My emotions and thoughts have really been pulled out!" Thinking this, he looked up and saw Qiu Yan's raised hand.

In his hand, a blurry, uncertain current of energy swirled. Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely discern shifting colors within it, like an abstract painting. Just looking at it made Xiao Li feel a pang of panic, but the panic didn't originate from his heart; rather, it was conveyed through his gaze.

I feel the same way!

After that, he became even more certain of his guess.

"That's right! You guessed correctly. Those emotions in your hearts are exactly what I'm going to take away, so don't panic. I won't do anything to you..." At this moment, Qiu Yan spoke again, saying this to Xiao Li.

As the initial panic subsided, Xiao Li's mind cleared considerably. Things he hadn't noticed before surfaced in his mind this time, causing him to feel a little puzzled—

"This person's voice sounds somewhat familiar, could it be..." As he thought about it, his heart skipped a beat.

Before the thought had fully formed in his mind, Qiu Yan smiled at him, and a voice echoed in his heart, "This is all the help I can give you. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. How far you go in the future depends on yourself. However, before we part, I have a small gift for you, as a token of our friendship..."

After he finished speaking, he revealed the Origin Source of the Knowledge-and-Action True Essence from the past.

This profound Origin Source is not Method Formula or Cultivation Method, nor is it Divine Ability or Cultivation Method. Rather, it is a spirit that is infinitely close to the Sage Spirit. If it were written down, it would be enough to transform an ordinary piece of paper into Half-Step Sage Paper.

As soon as Xiao Li grasped this essence, he felt his thoughts become much clearer, and even the flow of energy within his body changed, becoming more refined and fluid.

On the other hand, having experienced the highs and lows of this period, and feeling a variety of emotions—joy, fear, surprise, and perseverance—it's like a torrential rain that has tempered and cleansed my State of Mind. With the guidance of the Mind Formula, and under the leadership of this Knowledge-and-Action True Essence, my state of mind has actually shown some signs of loosening!

"My cultivation has improved a lot!" Xiao Li immediately filled with doubt and shock, not knowing whether it was a good or bad thing. He looked up at Qiu Yan again, only to see Qiu Yan flicking his sleeves.

With a flick of his sleeve, a gust of wind swept over, enveloping Xiao Li, Ziyun, Feng Zhantian, and the others, causing them to sway.

The next moment, Xiao Li's vision suddenly changed, filled with violent air currents. He and the others simultaneously felt their feet sink into the ground, the surrounding scenery flickered rapidly, and they could not see anything clearly. Their minds were in complete chaos, and their thoughts were unclear.

A few breaths later, the gale dissipated, and the surrounding scenery became clear again, but it was completely different. It was no longer Sealing Suppression Formation Diagram that looked like Void but a dense forest with Lin Zhong vegetation.

"Where is this..." Ziyun and the others sorted out their chaotic thoughts, looked around, and showed a wary expression. They then used several positioning Technique Method and showed a surprised expression.

"It's actually the desolate forest north of Broken Lotus Valley! We've already come out?" Feng Zhantian looked at the sky, slowly exhaling, but his tightly furrowed brows didn't relax. "However, it might just be an illusion."

Human Path nearby said, "Perhaps it's true. That battle before was earth-shattering. The cultivation levels of the people who fought were far beyond imagination, even the Dao Lord and the elders were far inferior, yet they all fell to that person in the end. If he wanted to deal with us, why would he need an illusion?"

"Indeed," Ziyun nodded. "Among those who fought, two were the most outstanding, beyond even being described as peerless masters. Their attacks affected heaven and earth, reversing the sun and moon, yet they were ultimately sealed and suppressed. The four cultivators also bear some resemblance to those legendary figures; they could very well be them, ultimately forced to ascend. If they were like this, why bother with all this trouble when dealing with us?"

At this point, she seemed to be deep in thought, then changed the subject. "However, if it really is those few people, their ascension will inevitably cause fluctuations in the balance of power in the Zhou Rao land, and we're likely entering a turbulent period."

After saying this, Ziyun's expression changed, and she retreated rapidly, instantly reaching a distance of seven zhang. Then she glared angrily at Feng Zhantian.

"What's wrong with a time of turmoil? It's the time for us to rise up! When has the land of Zhou Rao ever been free of bloodshed? Don't even mention the legends that have faded away and the rise and fall of powers. Even if they were to govern a region, would they ever care about the bloodshed between sects?" As Feng Zhantian spoke, he raised his palm and withdrew the cold light that had shot out, which turned out to be three silver needles.

It turned out that when Ziyun was speaking, Feng Zhantian suddenly attacked, and if she hadn't dodged in time, she would have been killed.

Ziyun composed herself and rebuked Feng Zhantian in a deep voice, "Feng Zhantian, we have been through thick and thin together. Even if we have no personal relationship, there's no need to be so eager to eliminate dissidents, is there?"

"As expected of a renowned inner disciple of the Three Sages Dao..." Feng Zhantian said as if nothing had happened. "We've shared hardships together, so we have a bond. But this sect competition is ultimately meaningless..."

Whew! Whew! Whew!

Just as they were talking, a sudden gust of wind and a warm breath came from the side. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Li's muscles and bones twitching.

He emitted crackling sounds from his entire body, exuding a chilling aura.

"They advanced?" Feng Zhantian and the others' expressions suddenly darkened.

"Junior Brother Xiao has broken through the bottleneck?" Ziyun asked with delight.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Xiao!" The two disciples of the Three Sages Dao were overjoyed. They had been somewhat uneasy when Feng Zhantian made his move, but now they were finally at ease.

On the other side, having broken through the bottleneck and greatly increased his momentum, Xiao Li's temperament became even more refined. He opened his eyes, exhaled a sliver of sharp light, and stared directly at Feng Zhantian, saying, "Feng Zhantian, you're making your move now, probably to monopolize the Mind Formula, right?"

"Hmm?" Feng Zhantian's eyelids twitched.

Xiao Li ignored him and continued, "Although I was forced by circumstances to impart this Mind Formula to you all, once it's passed on, it's passed on. It will be the foundation for our future and will help you all reach new heights. You don't need to eliminate us one by one; we will keep our mouths shut. Why go to all this trouble?"

Upon hearing this, not only his fellow disciples, but even the cultivators who stood with Feng Zhantian and were clearly subservient to him, all showed expressions of surprise and uncertainty.

Feng Zhantian was taken aback, then sneered, "Xiao Li, is it? I've never heard of you before, you've hidden yourself well! But from now on, I won't forget this name. Put away your divisive tactics."

Having said that, he glanced at the people around him and asked in a cold voice, "What? You all believe it?"

Everyone said, "We wouldn't dare! We wouldn't dare!"

Feng Zhantian snorted coldly, "Enough talk, let's go!"

Just as the word "go" was uttered, a deafening roar suddenly came from the direction of Broken Lotus Valley!

At the same time, loud noises from the outside world also came into view from within the Sealed Forbidden Land.

After seeing Xiao Li and the others off, Qiu Yan's Divine Spirit Body slowly stepped towards the center of the sealing array. The various emotions originating from the crowd in his hand pulsated slightly, with a few traces of Heart Demon emerging, gradually transforming into blocks of characters that arranged and combined. (To be continued...)

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