Xiao Yuanjun Calls, and the Next Two Earthly Baleful Forces

The chicken soup was delicious.

Zhang Yuan drank three large bowls.

After finishing the soup, Zhang Yuan returned to his room and sat cross-legged in meditation.

Though cultivators of the Gang Sha Path did not need to spend vast amounts of time meditating to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth like Outer Dao Cultivators, they could still contemplate imagos and develop their divine abilities when they had nothing else to do.

Zhang Yuan had already developed his own two divine abilities, [Golden Chariot] and [Myriad Coexistence], about as far as he could, so he turned his attention to [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi].

Outside of combat, the divine ability mounted on [Myriad Coexistence] was always [Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace], making it convenient to erase karma and conceal himself from heaven's secrets at any time.

However, Zhang Yuan had used [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi] before and already understood it somewhat, so there was no need to switch the mounted ability.

"[Fivefold Body-Rending Qi]—Xiao Yuanjun's divine ability is composed of the Heavenly Tribulation Baleful Force, Earthly Tribulation Baleful Force, and Defilement Baleful Force. If I want to unleash it in full, I must first understand the imagos of all three earthly baleful forces..."

Zhang Yuan sank into thought.

When he unleashed [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi] now, he could only rend flesh and rend the five viscera. Barring any surprises, these two rendings came from the imago of [Defilement Baleful Force], while the mind, seven corporeal souls, and three ethereal souls that followed belonged to [Heavenly Tribulation Baleful Force] and [Earthly Tribulation Baleful Force].

The earth possessed baleful qi, which could transform into death qi, murderous qi, savage qi, resentful qi, and wrathful qi. When these five kinds of qi stirred and affected all living things, they became an earthly tribulation.

Heaven possessed the two qi of yin and yang. When yin and yang clashed, their light became lightning and their sound became thunder. The light annihilated the seven corporeal souls, and the sound annihilated the three ethereal souls. This was a heavenly tribulation.

"Then the foundation of [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi] lies neither in 'fivefold' nor in 'body-rending,' but in 'qi.'"

The five qi transformed by the earth, the two qi of yin and yang, and one more stream of defilement qi—these were the true foundation of the divine ability!

A glimmer of understanding flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes. With a slight stir of his mind, he prepared to switch to [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi] and test it out.

He gave [Myriad Coexistence] a gentle nudge.

Buzz!

A humming sound resounded deep within his mind, reaching straight into Zhang Yuan's primordial spirit.

Zhang Yuan's vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings were no longer the eastern room of Chen Qinkuai's house, but somewhere entirely unfamiliar.

Chaos surrounded him. In the darkness, dazzling torrents of light flashed past from time to time. These torrents were so vast that Zhang Yuan was no more than an ant beside them.

Suddenly!

Just as Zhang Yuan wavered between shock and uncertainty, an enormous hand swept toward him. Outlined in white, with clearly defined joints and seal-script-like markings, it seemed both real and illusory. It seized him in its palm, then ascended at tremendous speed.

Zhang Yuan stood bewildered inside the ruined temple outside Cloud Province City.

The ruined temple... no, it could no longer be called that. The entire temple now gleamed with gold and jade. Every hole had vanished, as though it had never been damaged, and the divine statue in the center of the hall had been repaired as well.

The statue depicted an immortal maiden clad in the Celestial Azure Glazed Robe. Her sacred visage was solemn, her sleeves billowed gracefully, and her eyes shone with radiant divine light. Her ethereal bearing made her seem like a soaring immortal.

Zhang Yuan looked up. The longer he looked, the more familiar she seemed.

Why does this divine statue look exactly like Xiao Yuanjun?

The thought had barely arisen.

A figure flew backward out of the statue.

Who but Xiao Yuanjun would make an entrance like that?

Xiao Yuanjun landed and slowly turned around. She looked Zhang Yuan over, a little surprised. "Not bad. You reached Seventh Turn Qi Refining while I was away. Becoming a Heavenly Being is just around the corner."

"What's your seventh heavenly dipper or earthly baleful force? Let me help you work out a combination."

"[Water Calamity Baleful Force]," Zhang Yuan said.

Xiao Yuanjun pondered for a moment, then said, "[Water Calamity Baleful Force]—that's quite a good earthly baleful force. On the defensive, it can be combined into a defensive divine ability. On the offensive, it can be combined into a killing divine ability."

"I have two combinations, one offensive and one defensive. Which do you want?"

Zhang Yuan considered only briefly before answering decisively, "Offensive."

He had thought it through. For escape, he had [Golden Chariot]. For defense, he could use [Myriad Coexistence] and [Ninefold Harmonizing Qi]. All he lacked now was a permanently available divine ability focused on killing.

[Fivefold Body-Rending Qi] was certainly good. With this one trick, Xiao Yuanjun could eat her fill wherever she went, but Zhang Yuan could not. Whenever he needed to use [Ninefold Harmonizing Qi] or [Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace], he would lose his means of attack.

The iron chains of [Myriad Coexistence] could also be used to attack, but their power was limited. They were fine for bullying Lower Cultivators, but against killing divine abilities of the same realm, they fell short.

Xiao Yuanjun was thoroughly pleased.

Good!

Zhang Yuan truly deserved to be her Founding Grand Disciple. Without her even teaching him, he already knew that the best defense was offense.

"In that case, for your Eighth Turn and Ninth Turn, you should choose [Gale Baleful Force] and [Thunderstrike Baleful Force]. Barring any surprises, you'll be able to condense a supreme killing divine ability on par with your master's [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi]!" Xiao Yuanjun said.

Zhang Yuan looked thoughtful, then asked, "Wouldn't it be a problem to refine earthly baleful forces for every turn from the first through the ninth?"

When he had previously read through the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture, its Qi Refining section had stated that a Ninth Turn Qi Refining cultivator seeking Heavenly Being Attainment needed at least one heavenly dipper force. Otherwise, attempting Heavenly Being Attainment with nine earthly baleful forces would be exceedingly difficult.

"No problem, no problem. Since you're cultivating my method, you can find a way to refine a heavenly dipper force at the Tenth Turn," Xiao Yuanjun said airily.

Though she did not know where Zhang Yuan had heard that reasoning, in her view, the claim that nine earthly baleful forces made Heavenly Being Attainment difficult was utter nonsense.

How could someone capable of Heavenly Being Attainment be shackled by the earthly baleful forces they had refined?

If they could not attain it, they simply lacked the ability!

Besides, even if all the forces refined through Nine Turns of Qi Refining were heavenly dipper forces, did that guarantee someone could become a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being?

Clearly not!

"I see. Master, how many heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces did you use to attain Heavenly Being status?" Zhang Yuan asked curiously.

"Mm, four," Xiao Yuanjun answered after a moment's thought.

Aside from [Fivefold Body-Rending Qi], which consisted entirely of earthly baleful forces, [Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace] contained one heavenly dipper force, and [Ninefold Harmonizing Qi] contained two. Adding the heavenly dipper force of the Tenth Turn made four in total.

Zhang Yuan: ...?

Xiao Yuanjun was indeed as unreliable as ever.

Zhang Yuan sighed inwardly, then surveyed his surroundings and asked warily, "Master, are we outside Cloud Province City?"

Though the ruined temple's appearance had changed drastically, he still recognized the place where he had first faced mortal danger.

Surely Xiao Yuanjun had not let becoming a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being go to her head and come to the Li clan's headquarters in Cloud Province City, intending to fight the entire Eastern Bian Li Clan?

"No."

Xiao Yuanjun shook her head. "This place—or rather, this realm—is your master's Foundation Establishment Dao Domain. Its name is [Heaven-Sundering Four Absolutes Immortal Domain]. It lies hidden deep within my primordial spirit, concealed beyond heaven and earth."

"As for why it looks like this... watch closely."

Xiao Yuanjun chuckled and pointed lightly. A golden divine statue in Zhang Yuan's likeness appeared out of thin air, standing beside the soaring immortal's statue.

"Well? Do you like it?" Xiao Yuanjun clapped her hands and asked with a smile.

Who would like this?!

Has no one ever told you that you shouldn't build shrines to the living?

Zhang Yuan was dumbfounded. Finally, meeting Xiao Yuanjun's expectant gaze, he said helplessly, "I like it."