The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Upon hearing Chong Hezi's words, Wang Huanzhen slightly raised his head and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He saw Chong Hezi holding a teacup, sipping his tea slowly, his face showing no sign of anything amiss.

However, Wang Zhen could clearly tell from his words that the mirage dragon's escape was not as simple as he had previously claimed. He must know quite a bit about the inside story.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have said such a thing. However, Wang Zhen recalled his previous battle with the Mirage Dragon. Whether it transformed into a songstress or a prostitute, it was all incredibly lifelike, just like a real person.

Moreover, it is not a figment of imagination, but a real, tangible person. Such a wondrous thing is no wonder the current emperor cherishes it so much. With this one item, one could rival the thousands of beauties in the harem.

It's no wonder the Empress and the other ladies-in-waiting tried to break the seal on this thing. But thinking about it this way, they were just ordinary people; even if they wanted to, they were powerless to do it.

Therefore, he must have been guided by someone to learn the method to break the seal. Wang Huanzhen looked up at Chong Hezi. Could it be him? But this current emperor is truly absurd.

The Jurchens have already besieged the capital, yet those in the palace are still scheming for power. How can the Song Dynasty not perish? It's just that the common people suffer the most; with the nest overturned, it's unlikely that any egg will remain intact.

Even people of the same race are constantly fighting each other, let alone the Jin people, who are a different race. Now that Tokyo is trapped, this realm of Heaven and Earth will probably become a precarious place in no time. We should make plans as soon as possible.

Wang Zhenhuan examined the oil lamp while pondering its contents. After making a decision, he placed the lamp on the table and asked, "Master Chonghe said earlier that this oil lamp was made by the previous sect leader of the Yuqing Sect?"

"Indeed, fellow Daoist, you must have thought of that as well. Since it was crafted by the sect leader, it cannot be used for nothing more than illusion and amusement. In fact, this oil lamp was originally made for cultivation purposes," Chong Hezi said with a smile, pointing to the oil lamp.

"Cultivation? Is it using illusions to hone one's mind? Or is it used to simulate fighting with others?" Wang Zhenhuan asked after thinking for a moment.

"Yes, but not entirely. Fellow Daoist is only half right. The illusionary scene is merely a side effect of this Mirage Dragon Oil Lamp. The true purpose of this oil lamp in its initial creation was to manifest clones!" Okiko explained.

"Manifestation of a clone? What do you mean? Could it be the legendary method of incarnation of the Taiqing Ancestor?" Wang Zhenhuan stared wide-eyed, asking incredulously.

As is widely known, the patriarch of the Taiqing lineage, Taiqing Daode Tianzun, is the one among the Three Pure Ones who manifested the most incarnations. It is said that he manifested as many as eighty-one incarnations.

The *Taishang Laojun Kaitian Jing* records this. The book states: "In the time of Fuxi, Laojun descended to be his teacher, named Wuhuazi, also known as Yuhuazi, who instructed Fuxi, promoted the old methods, elaborated on Yin and Yang, rectified the eight directions, established the eight trigrams, and composed the *Yuanyang Jing* to teach Fuxi..."

During the time of Shennong, Laozi descended to be his teacher, known as Dachengzi, and wrote the Taiwei Jing. Later, Suiren, Huangdi, and others all received teachings from the Taiqing Patriarch.

The Supreme Master Taiqing manifested in many forms to teach and enlighten the world, thus eliminating the barrier between ordinary people and the teachings of the Great Dao. This is the inherent closeness that the Great Dao naturally brings to all beings as it nurtures them.

The method of manifesting clones was used by the Taiqing Patriarch to teach the world. This is why Wang Zhenhuan was so surprised; it was more of a celestial technique than a magic spell.

How could Wang Huanzhen not be astonished to hear such a powerful immortal technique uttered by Chong Hezi? Hearing Wang Huanzhen's question, Chong Hezi waved his hand and said with a smile.

"Haha, fellow Daoist, you're overthinking it. If it were the Ancestral Master's method of manifesting an avatar, why would the Jade Purity Sect's leader offer this item to a court official who has no spiritual cultivation?"

Wang Zhenhuan agreed, thinking that if this method was truly effective, it would be more than enough to offer to the government; it could even be kept as a prized possession of the Yuqing Sect. Such a thing was certainly not an ordinary object.

"Then what about this clone technique? The Master previously said that this item can help with cultivation; could it be related to this clone technique?"

"That's right. This Mirage Dragon Oil Lamp, although it cannot manifest clones, can manifest clones by dripping blood. The so-called blood manifestation means that after lighting this oil lamp, it can conjure clones of the Lord of Blood."

"Although this clone lacks sentience, it can mimic its master's actions and then relay the information back to the master." Kazuko Oki picked up the oil lamp and pointed to a recessed area where the lamp oil was stored.

Wang Huanzhen looked closely and indeed, there was a depression in the center of the lamp oil container. Judging from its size, it was only about the width of a finger, which should be the same as what Chong Hezi had said, the place where the blood droplets were stored.

"May I ask, Master, what does this feedback mean? Does it mean that what you see and hear is being fed back to your master in real time? That seems to be no different from an ordinary clone spell, right?" Wang Zhen asked in confusion.

"There is a difference, otherwise, the sect leader of Yuqing Sect would not have spent so much time and effort to refine this thing. You know, it took the sect leader a full eighty-one days to refine this oil lamp!" Chong Hezi placed the oil lamp on the table and made a gesture to Wang Zhenhuan.

"How does the real person know so clearly?" Wang Zhen asked in confusion.

"Uh... this isn't a secret. Basically, everyone in Yuqing knew about it back then. Cough cough... back to this oil lamp, the biggest difference between the clone formed from a drop of blood and the clone formed by ordinary magic lies in the word 'feedback'."

When Wang Zhenhuan asked him a question, Okiko seemed a little embarrassed. After taking a sip of her tea, she continued speaking to Wang Zhenhuan. Wang Zhenhuan was completely absorbed in her words and didn't notice the change in her expression.

He pressed Oki Kazuko for details, saying, "I would like to hear more about this; please enlighten me, Master."

"The feedback mechanism not only returns everything that is perceived and seen to the person who bled, but also the energy gathered during the process..."

Kazuko Oki explained softly, then looked at Wang Zhenhuan's face with great interest, seemingly anticipating his shocked expression. And indeed, it turned out just as he expected.

After hearing Okiwako's explanation, Wang Huanzhen suddenly understood. Looking at the oil lamp on the table, he muttered to himself, "That way, when creating clones..."

Doesn't that mean two people are gathering energy simultaneously? In other words, this thing can double the cultivation speed of the person whose body is avatared?

"That's right, this is the true function of this item! It doubles the speed of cultivation. And that's not all. Imagine if you were facing an enemy, you could transform into a human form and hide somewhere to gather energy."

"When the spiritual energy within you is exhausted, your avatar will dissipate. The energy you gather will return to your original body..." Oki Kazuko stopped there, but the meaning was already quite clear.

"Hiss—this, this…this Song Dynasty emperor…truly…truly squanders resources…"