Book 16: Chapter 70: Lake of Smiles
Nangong Weiyang’s brows that had just relaxed immediately furrowed again. “What issue?”
Lin Xi looked at her. He didn’t reply to her question and instead said, “It should be the icy blue whirlpool that came first, and then Green Luan Palace.”
Nangong Weiyang nodded. “Even without Principal Zhang and your explanations, we can easily see that the cultivators who established Green Luan Palace treated this icy blue whirlpool like their deity. This entire palace was built around that thing.”
Lin Xi shook his head and said quietly, “The most serious issue right now… is precisely Green Luan Palace’s cultivation method. Their methods might have been derived precisely from the vital energy power of that thing.”
Nangong Weiyang, Gu Xinyin and Qin Xiyue exchanged a look. The three of them vaguely sensed that something was off. Nangong Weiyang didn’t think too much about it either, only saying, “What do you mean? Speak a bit more directly.”
“I wonder if I can picture things like this…” Lin Xi turned around to look in Green Luan Palace’s direction. As if he was telling a story, he slowly said, “There was originally nothing there, but one day, that lump of energy suddenly appeared. Then, some cultivators discovered this thing, treating it like a miraculous symbol. Eventually, after many generations of research, they comprehended some cultivation methods through some of its vital energy. Those people thus became the very first Green Luan Palace cultivators, becoming extremely powerful.”
Gu Xinyin also unknowingly looked in the direction of Green Luan Palace’s remains. “You are saying that that thing might very well be the source of Green Luan Palace?”
Nangong Weiyang also began to mutter to herself, “So despite almost everything here being destroyed, even though we didn’t find any usable soul weapons or inheritance, that thing was actually Green Luan Palace’s true inheritance?”
Lin Xi nodded his head.
Nangong Weiyang looked at him and asked, “Are you certain?”
Lin Xi nodded seriously. “I am quite certain.”
Nangong Weiyang said with shock, “You already felt that something is off?”
Lin Xi raised his head towards the sky. “Yes. It feels like I can’t even breathe.”
Gu Xinyin seemed to have picked up something from Nangong Weiyang and his words, his expression changing a bit. However, the lowest cultivation level Qin Xiyue couldn’t understand what they were talking about at all. She couldn’t help but ask Lin Xi, “What is off? Why do you feel like you can’t breathe?”
“Apart from looking for Principal Zhang, the reason we ventured into Frozen God Domain to search for these ruins is precisely because we want to find the legendary technique that can transfer the world’s vital energy.” Lin Xi looked into her worried and confused eyes. “But it is different from what we originally thought. Green Luan Palace didn’t have any techniques for Nangong Weiyang to directly learn. Instead, it was instead me who, after absorbing some of that icy blue whirlpool’s power, sensed the source of some of this power just like the earliest Green Luan Palace cultivators.”
Qin Xiyue suddenly understood. Green Luan Palace was where the immortal cultivators from the Immortal Devil Age originated from. Meanwhile, Lin Xi was now just like Green Luan Palace’s earliest cultivators. The cultivation method he gained insights into was naturally that technique that would allow them to endlessly transfer the vital energy of the world and fight tirelessly. But from the very start, Zhang Ping already planned to make Lin Xi fall into the demonic path. Lin Xi’s body wasn’t suitable for this type of technique.
When she thought through these things, her face couldn’t help but become pale.
“I immediately felt like I couldn’t breathe from the moment I woke up, but I was still breathing fine. Then, I discovered that this world was full of incomparably fresh air, yet my body seemed to be plugged up. This fresh air just cannot be absorbed into my body.” Lin Xi looked at her, Nangong Weiyang and Gu Xinyin, directly saying this.
He spoke slowly and in detail when it pertained to cultivation. “Then, I realized that it was precisely my body that isolated me from this fresh air. I finally understood what exactly was going on. When the natural vital energy pours into my body, when my soul force moves within me, I subconsciously already realize the connection between the flow of soul force and the surrounding vital energy. This means that I’ve directly received Green Luan Palace’s inheritance, but my body is like an unsuitable soul weapon. It cannot draw in and assimilate the external vital energy I can sense.”
“Thinking back, the power that has been extracted from the icy blue whirlpool and entered my body, much of it couldn’t merge with my soul force and body either.”
“That is why Zhang Ping still made an outstanding move.” Nangong Weiyang cut Lin Xi off and said with a sullen voice, “The incredibly fresh air should precisely be the external vital energy you can bring into your body, but now you can only sense it, you cannot absorb it. This means that you can only fight with your own body’s soul force and power. That is why even after you break through into the Sacred Master level, you will be a half immortal half devil existence. The power you can use will also be extremely limited, at most becoming a bit stronger than the previous Purgatory Mountain Patriarch.”
Qin Xiyue’s expression became even more pale. “Then even if you smash your head repeatedly into that wall and devour that icy blue whirlpool’s power bit by bit, the power within you far exceeding Zhang Ping’s, you can never attack with all your strength. You can only fight at roughly the same level as the former Purgatory Mountain Patriarch. Wouldn’t this mean that you have no way of winning against Zhang Ping?”
What Qin Xiyue spoke were facts. All of them knew that Zhang Ping who had truly entered the devil dao would definitely break into the Sacred Master level, perhaps reach even higher.
“Unless you take him down with you.” Nangong Weiyang gave Lin Xi a look.
“Treating myself like a human bomb to bring him down really sounds a bit too cruel,” said Lin Xi calmly. “Even though he knows more about the Immortal Devil Age than all other cultivators in the world, to the extent where he made a good move ahead of time, no one can truly control and foresee everything, not even Principal Zhang. That is why there is still something he didn’t foresee. He doesn’t know just what kind of power that mysterious thing in Green Luan Palace possesses, he doesn’t know that I can cultivate like this… Moreover, he is different from me and Principal Zhang, he doesn’t have any concept of that type of energy level. Meanwhile, this type of energy… it is a bit too powerful even for the most powerful cultivators of the Immortal Devil Age.”
Nangong Weiyang listened quietly. Her eyes were the first to become bright. “Indeed, even a small speck of that icy blue whirlpool’s vital energy power can completely exceed the power of any cultivator.”
“That is why the instant I smashed a crack open in that wall with my head, when this power almost killed me, it also changed my body. If we call Devil Transformation a poison to my cultivation, then each time I devour that thing’s power in a suicidal manner… it can detoxify a bit of my body’s poison,” Lin Xi said in a somewhat moved manner.
“That is why just like the nonsense you always like to speak, vomit, vomit and you’ll get used to it… you’ll just keep striking at that wall until you get used to it. You aren’t anywhere close to going mad from cultivation, so you have a high chance of exploiting this power that transcends this world, use it to whittle away the effects of Devil Transformation. Then, you’ll be able to use this world’s vital energy, as if you’ve truly obtained Green Luan Palace’s inheritance,” Nangong Weiyang calmed down and said.
Her words were a bit humorous, but Lin Xi didn’t laugh. He only nodded his head. “When we entered Heaven Ascension Mountain Range, Teacher An took a bit of my blood when we mentioned the Devil Transformation Medicine. I believe that she is currently researching a way to deal with the true Devil Transformation as well. Even if she cannot produce something that completely gets rid of Devil Transformation, even if it only has some effects, it will definitely greatly speed up this process for me. Moreover, I can at the very least quickly reach Sacred Master level… if Zhang Ping still hasn’t’ broken through to the Sacred Master level, my soul force cultivation will instead exceed his. Even if I can only use a portion of Sacred Master level power, no one apart from him can threaten me in this world. Perhaps I might even have a chance of directly killing him.”
Nangong Weiyang gave him a look. She didn’t say anything else.
She didn’t receive a powerful cultivation method like they planned, Lin Xi’s special comprehension wasn’t all that clear either, it might not be possible for him to pass it on to her. However, Lin Xi’s loss and gain suddenly made her feel that they already obtained what they were looking for in Frozen God Domain. That was why she became calm and satisfied.
The warm lake became peaceful again.
Zhang Ping planned to have Lin Xi learn the true Devil Transformation. Even in that greatest age of cultivators, no one could free Lin Xi from this type of Devil Transformation.
But Lin Xi arrived in this world through power that transcended this world to begin with.
“That is why God’s plans supersede our own, this is the will of heaven.” Qin Xiyue’s eyes became a bit moist. She gave Lin Xi a deep look. “Perhaps you and Principal Zhang were precisely the emissaries the heavens sent to change this world.”
“These thoughts are considered religious in my past world.” Lin Xi looked at the calm and beautiful warm lake as if it was the past Summer Spirit Lake. He released a light sigh. “Those who have the ability to change the world will forever only be those who know how to admire beauty, forever be kind spirits.”
Qin Xiyue’s eyes also landed on the warm lake’s surface.
They finally obtained what they wanted from this difficult journey, and all of them were still alive. She also felt peace and satisfaction like Nangong Weiyang. Under Lin Xi’s echoing voice, she also felt like this warm lake was exceptionally beautiful.
She couldn’t help but smile.
This calm lake surface that continuously released steam was like a mirror, reflecting their figures.
This mirror-like lake reflected her smile, as if this lake was smiling at her.
Qin Xiyue was a bit stunned. She couldn’t help but turn to look at Lin Xi.
In this instant, she thought of many things that Lin Xi did. She suddenly understood Lin Xi’s mood even more, as well as his view towards this world and towards life.
She took a deep breath, and then she slowly exhaled.
Her eyes landed on the even further lake surface.
That surface was even smoother, even more like a mirror.
Life was also just like a mirror.