Though his expression remained outwardly calm, deep within his eyes lurked a trace of madness that could no longer be fully concealed.
Through Fang Xun’s body, Li Shun once again carefully experienced the characteristics of the Life Qi Furnace he had extracted from Shentu Xin.
“Possessing this trait does not an one imdiately enters the most intense state of combustion.”
“It begins instead as nothing more than a tiny spark.”
“For example, right now, the vast majority of Fang Xun’s internal Principle Qi remains unstimulated.”
“However, once the burning of the Life Qi Furnace begins, it is almost impossible to stop. And the flas are destined to grow fiercer and fiercer, until every last strand of life qi in the body is consud, leaving behind nothing but scattered ashes of calamity.”
“To cherish one’s life is instinct. Aside from those madn of the Jun Clan, this kind of physique would be nothing less than a complete curse for anyone else.”
“But…”
“My Fangcun puppets can ignore it entirely!”
Li Shun’s spirits surged.
“Puppets are neither alive nor dead. Even if their manifested forms are destroyed after descending into the world, it does not harm the source within the Fangcun space. Given enough ti, the puppet will naturally restore itself to perfect condition.”
“Which ans this trait can be used with virtually no burden.”
“And even more…”
“Burning life qi itself already enhances the power of techniques. With the amplification of the Life Qi Furnace trait, if consequences are ignored, it may be possible to unleash combat strength that crosses an entire major realm in an instant.”
Li Shun’s thoughts churned violently, and it took him a long while to calm down.
In the end, he suppressed the urge to have Fang Xun ignite the Life Qi Furnace on the spot.
With a thought, Li Shun withdrew the trait.
The dark crimson glow instantly returned to the Fangcun space, quietly hovering once more in the central core region.
“So this trait isn’t limited to Fang Xun.”
“I can bestow it upon any puppet within the Fangcun space. However, only one person can bear it at any given ti.”
“Even when I eventually condense a body for myself, I could add it to my own form. Though, I probably wouldn’t actually do that.”
“That’s still not the most important part.”
Li Shun’s gaze locked tightly onto that streak of dark crimson light.
“Shentu Xin cannot possibly be the only person in this world born with a special constitution.”
“For thousands of years, the Great Qian has seen countless schools of thought contend and heroes erge like fish crossing the river. There must be no shortage of people with extraordinary traits.”
“If I can bring them all into my grasp and extract all manner of heaven-defying characteristics…”
“Then wouldn’t I be able to forge a perfect body?”
“The only reason I never discovered this function of the Fangcun space before was because the puppets I captured were far too ordinary. None of them possessed anything worth calling a unique trait.”
“Looking at it this way, Fang Xun really held back!”
“If I had known this earlier…”
“I would never have let Jiang Chongguang escape so easily.”
Li Shun’s thoughts surged endlessly, refusing to settle.
Only after a long while did he finally regain his composure.
“Taking Jiang Chongguang as a puppet would not be nearly as easy as I imagined.”
“What happened with Shentu Xin cannot be replicated. His entire body had already been consud by the flas of life qi. He was in that liminal state between life and death, completely unconscious. That was why I could turn him into a puppet without any resistance.”
“Even then, I only managed to extract a single phantom trait.”
“But Jiang Chongguang…”
“Convincing him to willingly beco my puppet is practically impossible. And killing him with my own hands…”
Thinking of the strength Jiang Chongguang had displayed, Li Shun could not help but shake his head slightly.
“Even if Fang Xun burns his life, it likely still wouldn’t be enough.”
“But as long as he remains alive, there will be opportunities in the future.”
Li Shun already knew that Jiang Chongguang had infiltrated the Qian Emperor’s Mausoleum in search of a treasure capable of completely remaking his body.
“With his current physique, he may already be a rarity unmatched beneath the heavens. If he undergoes another qualitative transformation…”
“It’s hard to imagine just how terrifyingly powerful he would beco.”
“Good.”
“The stronger you beco, the better.”
After discovering the wondrous utility of Fangcun’s body-forging function, Li Shun’s state of mind underwent yet another subtle transformation.
In the past, whenever he took in puppets, no matter how powerful they were, that strength belonged only to the puppets themselves.
Even though Li Shun could descend into them with his own consciousness and control them directly, there had always remained a sense of separation, like moving chess pieces rather than wielding true personal power.
But now...
The puppets could nourish and empower his true self in return.
“Fangcun Heart, Fangcun Spirit.”
“Within Fangcun, forge the True Body!”
“Let heroes and heavenly prodigies all bow their heads, their forms transford into puppet souls upon my spiritual altar!”
Li Shun’s divine sense overlooked the entirety of the Fangcun space. His emotions surged as he threw back his head and recited loudly.
With Shentu Xin’s death, the matter of burning the imperial mausoleum had, on the surface, already passed.
But beneath the surface, both court and common world were roiling with violent undercurrents.
On the eighth day of the second month of the Qian calendar, news of the Jun Clan madman setting fire to the imperial mausoleum spread like wildfire.
That incendiary proclamation followed, circulating throughout the realm.
A single stone stirred a thousand waves.
Langya Commandery.
Tianci Teahouse.
Jiang Chongguang listened to the heated argunt at the neighboring table, secretly clicking his tongue in amazent.
“Sushu, you were actually right. That Shentu Xin really did burn down the imperial mausoleum!”
“Just wait and see, when tomorrow cos for the Xuanhuang world—whose realm under heaven will it ultimately beco... what a line!”
Jiang Chongguang slamd the table, causing nearby patrons to turn and glare.
“Hm?!”
Yet he showed no fear at all, staring right back.
“Cause a little less trouble.”
In the end, it was Han Sushu who spoke up to remind him, and only then did Jiang Chongguang rein himself in sowhat.
“Sushu, I only just found out that the imperial mausoleum was actually protected by the divine abilities of the Historians. Even after the calamity flas, it remained undying. If that’s the case, I really shouldn’t have left that day. Just hearing the words of that proclamation was enough to set my blood boiling. If I could’ve witnessed Shentu Xin burning the mausoleum with my own eyes, how exhilarating would that have been?”
Jiang Chongguang lowered his voice as he spoke.
Han Sushu replied helplessly, “The imperial mausoleum reset, returning to the day before the incident. But don’t forget…”
“At that ti, you hadn’t entered the mausoleum yet. How would another you suddenly appear?”
“Then where would I have gone?” Jiang Chongguang asked, confused.
“If you hadn’t co out in ti, you would’ve ended up just like Shentu Xin.”
“Dead without even a corpse left behind.”
Hearing Han Sushu’s icy explanation, Jiang Chongguang imdiately jumped in fright.
But his eyes rolled, rembering sothing the other man had said before.
“Sushu, you definitely would’ve had a way to save , right?”
Han Sushu let out a deep sigh.
“There is a way.”
“It’s just... troubleso.”
“Extrely troubleso.”
He repeated himself for emphasis.
Jiang Chongguang scratched his head.
“Then I guess I’d better be more careful in the future. Oh right, what exactly are we waiting here for? We’ve already been sitting around for half the day.”
Han Sushu’s gaze drifted toward the street outside.
“We’re waiting for soone.”
A mont later, his tone abruptly shifted.
“He’s here.”
Jiang Chongguang followed Han Sushu’s line of sight, and his eyes widened instantly.
Surrounded by a crowd, a young man in dazzling golden armor rode forward on horseback.
That horse was extraordinarily divine.
Its entire body was black as ink, its coat sleek as satin, yet beneath the sunlight, a strange dark-violet radiance faintly shimred across it.
There was no trace of gentleness in its eyes. Instead, they carried an arrogant, disdainful dominance as they swept over the people lining the street.
“What a horse!”
Jiang Chongguang could not help but praise it.
Then he looked toward the golden-armored youth on horseback.
“Who’s that brat?”
“The son of Langya Commandery’s prefect.”
“Luo Qiwu.”
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