Fengyunlu

He knew in his heart that all of this was inextricably linked to him. The Golden Crow Emperor had said that innate spirits wouldn't appear without reason. Even if there were human factors involved, it was fate's will. Therefore, his every move could potentially impact something significant. Just like the injured Qilin now, it was from ancient times and should have been rescued by the White Emperor, but it had been delayed until now. This left him, a descendant of the White Emperor and a member of the innate spirit, in a dilemma.

At this thought, Fengchen recalled the so-called curse. Death energy, tainted by the cycle of cause and effect, affected not only him but also his race. In other words, when the Xuan Emperor placed the curse upon him, if the White Emperor hadn't intervened, humanity might have suffered as well. However, Fengchen didn't know how the White Emperor resolved the curse, nor did the Golden Crow Emperor. They had only heard some details, but hadn't witnessed it firsthand, so Fengchen couldn't decide what to do next. If the curse truly afflicted him, and there was no way to break it, then with the Xuan Sect's current strength, not only would it be unable to protect humanity, but the Xuan Sect itself might also be in trouble.

The Golden Crow Emperor didn't interrupt him during this dilemma. Fengchen's spirit body, within the Yaochi Palace, his true form, grew increasingly solemn. This was noticed by both Fairy Ji Yao and Master Gu Yuan. Thinking of Fengchen's previous confusion, where he could only watch and ponder but not understand, his current expression must indicate that he'd already come up with a solution, but the implications were too great, perhaps beyond his capacity to handle. Hence the hesitation in his eyes.

Master Gu Yuan pondered for a moment and then asked directly, "Have you come up with a solution, or are you feeling unsure about what to do?"

Feng Chen was stunned for a moment, his thoughts too deep, unconsciously showing on his face. Master Gu Yuan's question must have caught something in his eyes. But Feng Chen didn't want to tell the truth, for his sea of ​​consciousness held secrets. Aside from the Thunder Power, he was the only one who knew what he had experienced; even Fairy Ji Yao wasn't fully aware. He only knew the general outlines of the Thunder Power, not the specifics. Now that Master Gu Yuan had approached him, he could only make up an excuse, trying to evade the question. As for the key, it could be explained entirely through bloodline.

"To be honest with you, senior, I did come up with some ideas after searching. It's mainly because of the residual blood of Xiaoyu that I feel something, plus my innate spirit seems to have some mysterious aspects. In short, I haven't had time to deeply comprehend my own body, but I suddenly realized something just now. This Qilin creature is seriously injured right now. If we want to save it, it is not enough to rely solely on the external scales of the vital point. The dead energy inside is the real key." Fengchen attributed everything to the bloodline and the mystery of the innate spirit itself. Anyway, his innate spirit was not understood by others, so he could say whatever he wanted about its strangeness.

"Death energy?" Master Gu Yuan frowned. She had also thought that something seemed to be constantly corroding the inner core of the immortal flower. Otherwise, with the power of a Holy Spirit, the Qilin would have been able to survive all these years, not to mention its injuries, even if it were a pile of bones, it would probably have had some hope of life. But it remained unconscious, not even the faintest trace of divine consciousness. There was only one reason: it was powerless, and the only reason it could hold on was probably because it was carrying a vital responsibility and dared not die easily. Hearing Feng Chen's words, she was deeply shocked. It was indeed related to what she had imagined. But where did this death energy come from, and why could it not be resolved? Master Gu Yuan was also full of questions.

At this moment, Fairy Ji Yao finally spoke. As expected of the Yao Chi Immortal Clan, a true descendant of the Xuan Emperor and a true descendant of his legacy. After hearing Feng Chen's words, she immediately grasped the key point: "Since even the Holy Spirit itself can't dispel this deathly aura, surely our current abilities are also incapable of doing so. In that case, Master previously said that the White Emperor could have asked the Cloud Phoenix for help. Since our ancestor, the Xuan Emperor, also had this idea, why don't I condense a drop of Xiao Yu's bloodline now, utilize the trace of Cloud Phoenix power that Xiao Yu has drawn upon, and combine it with my Yao Chi Immortal Lord's own legacy. Together, we can control this immortal flower, bringing it back to life from the brink of death. This way, we can snatch a ray of hope. Then, using Chen'er's previous method of condensing the body, we can help the Qilin condense again. Perhaps this will be possible."

Master Gu Yuan couldn't help but agree with this idea. But she had previously suffered from helplessness, lacking an innate spirit and the blood of the Cloud Phoenix. Even with her passion, she didn't dare to act. Now Feng Chen was here, his innate spirit could see through his heart, and having personally experienced the transformation of a body, he naturally knew the methods. This was the unique advantage of the innate spirit. However, what she lacked was a Tongtian Scroll as a foundation, the vehicle for all her methods.

"Oh, you're absolutely right! This plan sounds clever, but the reality is, no matter how good your cooking skills are, it's useless without rice. That's exactly the situation we're in now. All the other conditions are in place, the spiritual roots are there, the bloodline is awakened, and Fengchen knows the condensation technique. But the whereabouts of the Tongtian Talisman, ah, this is our biggest stumbling block. The two copies were taken away by Zhuang Mo before, and those places that everyone knows, such as Qingli Palace, how could they easily lend you those treasures, let alone use them. The only possible one is Yao Chi's own copy, but unfortunately, the Taiyin Sutra is lost, and now no one knows where it is. Faced with this problem, we are really helpless."

Feng Chen also felt helpless. Fairy Ji Yao was right. After thinking about this method for a while, he thought it was feasible. However, there were two issues he couldn't guarantee. The first was the whereabouts of the Tongtian Scroll. The people of the Sumeru Palace, which was closest to West Kunlun, were very self-righteous. He didn't know if they would be stingy. Feng Chen knew that his father Feng Wanlin had a bad relationship with the Sumeru Palace. He always said that they were hypocritical, pretending to be for the benefit of the people, but in fact they always stood by and watched at critical moments. They were just a bunch of greedy guys. As for other sects like Qingli Palace, they would definitely not lend you such a treasure easily, because it was too important and any guarantee would be unreliable. Even if there was no malicious intention, it could not prevent others from coveting it. Once it was lost, the consequences would be disastrous.

Since they couldn't borrow it, the Yao Chi lineage's Taiyin Sutra became their only hope. However, it had been lost, its whereabouts unknown, placing Fengchen in a new predicament. And that was only one issue. There was another crucial issue, one Fengchen was deeply concerned about: the death energy within the Qilin, as the Golden Crow Emperor had mentioned, was difficult to remove. This death energy wasn't just a means to an end, nor was it simply a contamination; it was linked to a cycle of cause and effect, and it wasn't easily dispelled. Even beneficial actions could lead to adverse consequences. Furthermore, the effects of this contamination would ripple through the entire clan. If Fengchen were to trigger it and fail to resolve it, the entire human race would suffer, potentially leading to a similar fate to the three ancient clans. Not only would the clan slowly lose its vitality, but mysterious enemies and unpredictable natural disasters would also pose a threat. Even with the protection provided by Baidi and his companions, the situation remained unpredictable after all these years.

Feng Chen felt it was extremely difficult to deal with, but he pondered over it again and again. In his sea of ​​consciousness, he once again asked the Golden Crow Emperor, "I have an idea. Senior, please help me take a look."

Of course, the Golden Crow Emperor wouldn't refuse. Fengchen had called him out to save Qilin. He had said so much before just to make Fengchen understand the stakes involved. Now that Fengchen said he had a solution, the Golden Crow Emperor became curious: "Tell me about it."

"Okay, this is what happened..." Feng Chen quickly replied, and roughly recounted the method Fairy Ji Yao had suggested. He also explained in detail how he had refined his body and condensed it after the last Golden Crow Emperor fell asleep on Leiming Mountain. When it came to the key points, he also added some of his own understanding.

The Golden Crow Emperor nodded repeatedly after hearing this. "This method sounds good, but I'm not sure if it's feasible. Setting aside the two questions you just mentioned, I only have one question for you: if this Qilin awakens and becomes hostile to you, what will you do? Also, your innate spirit was plotted against, and the people behind it have all these schemes to get you to rescue the Qilin. Have you ever considered how they'll use it after you rescue it? Will you capture it? Or lure it into the scheme? You should know that a Qilin is incredibly powerful, and its impact cannot be ignored. At the very least, your current Xuanmen is unable to cope with it, and the impact it will bring is incalculable. Unless the girl's bloodline within you can awaken, I don't know whether this will be a blessing or a curse."

"But there's no need to be too nervous. According to what you said, the person behind the scenes has a far-reaching plan, and the chess game he set up is definitely not as simple as it seems. In other words, whether the Qilin can be rescued is only one part of his entire plan. Regardless of success or failure, he has countless back-up plans. Otherwise, this matter cannot be avoided. Once you reach Yaochi, you don't have to think about any way. The person behind the scenes will naturally find a way to send you what you need now." The words of the Golden Crow Emperor sounded profound, and Fengchen immediately thought of this after hearing it.

Yes, that's absolutely right! Although I haven't had much experience, the key point is that I'm like a small piece on a chessboard, and the big guys naturally take care of the big things. Just like now, he wants to save Qilin and has come up with some ideas, but they're still lacking something and have many concerns. However, these aren't big problems. Perhaps someone else has already figured out the solution, just waiting for someone like me to execute it. As long as we get moving, those difficult problems will naturally be solved, and mysterious people will also take action to address the concerns. This is a tactic of using someone else's power to defeat someone else's. If you want me to help you achieve your goals without paying a price, then I won't be able to make a move.

However, during this process, the Golden Crow Emperor also gave me an important reminder: "You must understand that the chess game is relative, and who will be the chess piece is not fixed. But most importantly, you must be strong enough. Those behind the scenes are calculating the future. If you simply follow their plans, it may seem fine now, but once you are no longer useful in the future, that will be the time to make a choice. At that time, if you don't have any special skills, you will be at the mercy of others. Only by breaking all constraints can you truly control your own destiny."

Fengchen listened to the Golden Crow Emperor's words and nodded in agreement. His current situation was indeed not dangerous, and the entanglement of karma would not affect him. After all, as a key chess piece, losing its value prematurely would not benefit the controller. This also meant that what he was doing now was not risky. As for the future, Fengchen believed that good words were better than good deeds. Therefore, he decided to strengthen himself, and the hidden good fortune in saving Qilin was the beginning of his future strength. In other words, he had to take this step.

Luoshen Peak, Jiuxia Stream.

In a mysterious and eerie ancient cave, Bai Ximo once again fell into an illusion. For some reason, when he thought of Fengchen, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed, and two voices rang in his ears...

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

In the scene, Fengchen and Leigong were deep in conversation when the conversation suddenly stopped at this sentence. Leigong's eyes seemed to see through everything, and he stared at Fengchen, motionless.

After a long silence, Lei Gong turned his head and looked at the bonfire in front of him. He picked up a dry branch, poked the flames, and said softly, "It is true that the great Dao is unpredictable and beyond the comprehension of us mortals. Since you have blazed a trail, then continue on and compete with the heavens."

After saying this, he looked up at the endless sky obscured by blood-red clouds outside the window. He remained silent for a long time. Fengchen waited quietly for Lei Gong's response. The old man and the young man sat there, neither of them speaking again. Only Fengchen would occasionally add wood to the fire...

Bai Ximo's eyes grew serious. He had never experienced or even imagined what was happening in the scene. But according to Fengchen's words, the solution he proposed seemed to be a method no one had considered. Although the illusions were real, Bai Ximo knew that they were caused by the unique mystery of this place. If he wanted to unlock the secrets here, the key might be hidden in these illusions. Perhaps if he could find the Soul-Falling Platform he had been searching for, he would be able to find it.

It turns out that in the picture, Fengchen, who has a body without meridians, can actually practice Xuanmen cultivation, and his cultivation level is not low. The key is that he took a completely different path from the current Xuanmen cultivation.

As mentioned previously, current Xuanmen cultivation can be broadly divided into five stages: Lingxu (spiritual emptiness), Yuhua (feathered form), Daoxuan (dào xuan), Tiantong (heavenly connection), and finally, Supreme Sainthood (supreme sainthood). Simply put, these are the five major stages of Ling, Yu, Xuan, Tian, ​​and Sheng. Each stage is further subdivided into smaller levels, which I won't discuss in detail here. Below the Ling stage are mortals who haven't practiced cultivation and ordinary martial artists. Above the Sheng stage lie the legendary ways of immortals, gods, ghosts, and demons. It's said that to understand these profound methods, one must ascend to the higher heavens to glimpse their true meaning. However, the vastness of the heavenly way has made this path almost legendary, and few know about it.