I Cheated While Cultivating

The stone reliefs returned to normal as well, as if the golden light had never appeared.

The long-abandoned mansion once again fell into its former silence and gloom, devoid of any sound, with only the desolate moonlight casting down upon the ground.

“Senior Brother, he has withdrawn,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“No matter, I have recognized his aura,” Yan Shouyi responded with a smile. “Over a hundred years ago, a Celestial Man from the Solar Divine Palace named Yang Fan stole a Taoist Sovereign God Soldier and defected, disappearing without a trace. Unexpectedly, he’s been hiding here.”

“A Taoist Sovereign God Soldier?” Zhou Heng couldn’t help but be astounded. “The Solar Divine Palace couldn’t possibly fail to find him, right? And there was a legend of a dual sun appearance here a hundred years ago.”

“Most likely, a Tao Lord level expert covered up his destiny for him. I see the runes and inscriptions on this relief… Hmm?” Yan Shouyi was speaking when he suddenly paused, peering around with a smile, “I don’t know which senior lent a hand, but my thanks to you either way.”

Yan Shouyi then explained to Zhou Heng, “The seal on the relief was just reinforced by someone after you escaped. It seems Yang Fan became worried about being discovered and planned to leave, but a senior reinforced the seal, preventing his escape.”

“A senior? Brother, you also call them a senior; could it be a Tao Lord?” Zhou Heng asked in surprise. “There’s a Tao Lord in Huangtong Mansion City?”

“Perhaps they were just passing through,” Yan Shouyi said as he approached the relief with a smile. “However, this senior has good intentions towards us, or perhaps towards you. If you’re willing, once this matter is settled, I could take you to visit them.”

“Senior Brother, do you already know the identity of that Tao Lord?” Zhou Heng inquired.

“Eight or nine out of ten,” Yan Shouyi nodded slightly. He then pointed to the relief and added, “In fact, what Yang Fan said earlier wasn’t wrong; he truly is a great opportunity.

“Junior Brother, you now have two choices. The first is that I directly intervene and extract Yang Fan from the relief. Although the sect will reward you, you won’t gain anything personally from him.

“The second option is that I provide protection while you enter his Cave Sky world. Break through the foundational Laws there, and I can help you seize his Cave Sky, along with many legacies and accumulations. You might also gain the right to use that Taoist Sovereign God Soldier in the future.”

“What do you think, Senior Brother?” Zhou Heng asked.

“I’d suggest you choose the second,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile. “You should be getting close to the time when you’ll be sent on missions to other worlds by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer. Crossing worlds is not as simple as changing locations, and this could serve as a rehearsal.

“As for safety, you can rest assured. I’ve brought a Taoist Sovereign God Soldier potent enough to protect you thoroughly. At worst, I can pull you out in time, and no accidents will happen.”

“If I’m being protected by your Taoist Sovereign God Soldier and Celestial Man mana, it wouldn’t really be my own cross-world journey,” Zhou Heng said with a laugh.

“Safety is of course more important than that,” Yan Shouyi smiled. “Don’t tell me that you’re thinking of entering Yang Fan’s Celestial Man Cave Sky without any protection.

“A Celestial Man’s Cave Sky is an independent little world, usually with civilizations and even nations. And there naturally are people, and Martial Artists.

“Although limited by the Cave Sky rules and unable to truly reach Secret Six Rank, those who’ve taken a different path to surpass the Peak of the Seventh Rank are not few in number. If you go in unprepared, it’s still very dangerous.”

“I certainly wouldn’t do that; just that I have another idea.” Zhou Heng took out a paper figure from his Qiankun pouch, then cast Taoist Formulas, tossing it into the air, “Senior Brother, I have a Taoist practice called ‘Paper Talisman Soldiers.\'”

The paper figure trembled slightly and instantly grew from the size of a palm to over a meter tall, much like a full-grown adult.

It was but a thin sheet of paper, emitting a faint golden light on its surface, complemented by cinnabar runes that gave off a somewhat startling impression in the dead of night.

“Hmm?” Yan Shouyi’s gaze fell upon the paper effigy, and after a brief examination, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in wonder, smiling as he said, “Good Taoist Formulas, truly marvelous, but it lacks consciousness and willpower, and its shape is also strange… Junior Brother, I think I know what you have in mind.”

“Yes, I was wondering if Senior Brother could help me animate this paper effigy into human form and allow me to control it beyond the limits of the Cave Sky realm?” Zhou Heng nodded and asked.

“Just as I expected.” Yan Shouyi replied with a smile, “It’s a trivial matter.”

He then blew a gentle breath.

The paper effigy immediately inflated like a balloon and in the blink of an eye, it became a handsome young man, exactly resembling Zhou Heng.

Down to the last detail.

“It’s still hollow on the inside, paper in fact, but its strength has increased. It should possess about eighty to ninety percent of your abilities. However, it is somewhat afraid of fire. Fortunately, it is immune to swords, poison, and the like.”

Yan Shouyi was quite satisfied with the result and said to Zhou Heng:

“Moreover, the vessel of this paper effigy is too poor to endure the power of my breath for more than thirty days, which is to say, this paper effigy only has thirty days. You need to break the fundamental Laws of this Cave Sky world within these thirty days.”

“Senior Brother, how do we break the fundamental Laws of a Cave Sky world?” Zhou Heng asked in confusion. “Can a Martial Artist at my level really accomplish such a thing?”

Laws, that should be something only a Sect Fifth Rank powerhouse can manipulate.

“Certainly not with your own power alone.” Yan Shouyi said with a smile, “The Taoist Sovereign God Soldier I brought is not only for protecting you.

“I will use the energy of the Taoist Sovereign God Soldier to alter the Laws of this Celestial Man Cave Sky to a certain degree. As long as you can find, within this Cave Sky world, the object that has gathered the most fates or the heaviest collective will of living beings, and bring it out, you will have achieved your goal.”

“The object with the heaviest collective will of living beings?” Zhou Heng thought it over carefully and, finding no clues, said, “Do I need to search for it inside myself?”

“Correct.” Yan Shouyi replied with a smile, “It’s not so easy to obtain a Celestial Man Cave Sky; you have to make an effort yourself.”

“That’s also true, but can I really contain and refine a Celestial Man Cave Sky right now?” Zhou Heng was a bit doubtful, “Surely, that’s not possible.”

“Definitely not possible.” Yan Shouyi extended his finger and began drawing runes on the wall, smiling as he said, “At the very least, you have to cultivate a Dharma Phase and step into the Grandmaster Realm to begin basic manipulation. Before that, you can consider it a large Qiankun pouch.”

“Hmm, a very large Qiankun pouch that can even hold living things—it’s not bad.” Zhou Heng nodded and smiled; this was what seemed normal. His reddish-brown horse finally had a place where it could follow him everywhere.

Yan Shouyi quickly finished drawing the runes on the wall.

The runes flickered with a golden light before merging into one, transforming into a golden gate of light, its brilliance swirling as if leading to an infinitely distant place.

“Junior Brother, by going through this gate, you will enter Yang Fan’s Cave Sky world.”