River Lord Temple, inner hall.
Chen Cuo sat cross-legged in the Mist Aura, breathing steadily as his mind gradually cleared.
Within his Heart Hall, a scene of peach blossoms was slowly fading.
The Daoist seated there stirred. First, he took the Little Gourd in hand, then pointed a finger and drew the two spinning Mysterious Pearls toward him.
"After fusing with the Talisman Fragment, the Mysterious Pearls have grown more substantial. They can sustain the Longevity Avatar for a long time. Even so, projecting that Peach Paradise Fragment for no more than a few breaths consumed nearly half their power."
As the thought passed, the Mysterious Pearls vanished.
The vision of Peach Paradise was what Chen Cuo had gained from this latest retreat.
He had first resolved to inscribe the Four Elements and Four Thoughts he had mastered into the gourd, using the method for refining a Life-Bound Treasure.
With the groundwork already laid and his bond with the gourd so close, inscribing the Restrictions went exceptionally quickly. It was done in almost an instant!
Once the four Restrictions were in place, the gourd's power increased as expected. Following its connection to the Path Marker, it drew in a Peach Paradise Fragment, allowing him to touch a little of its Void and Reality.
"Peach Paradise is profoundly mysterious, poised between Void and Reality. Even whether its inhabitants live or die is shrouded in uncertainty. Of course, this was only a fragment, and it had lost its master. That was why I could draw it in so smoothly."
He had expected resistance, but the process had gone more smoothly than he imagined, and the reward had far exceeded his expectations.
"But that raises a question. Where was the Peach Paradise Fragment before—Beyond the Mundane, or somewhere between Void and Reality? Why