After the Great Dao died

Chapter 85 The Immortal Willow Puppet

Chen Lingxi was about to ask another question when he suddenly frowned, as if he had sensed something.

As the light fell upon Xi Mu, he pondered for a moment, then suddenly used the [Observation] technique!

As the Dharma flowed downwards, Chen Lingxi looked around—

"Um?

He suddenly stared at Xi Mu's fingers.

Just then, wisps of unique spiritual energy emanated from the finger that had touched the Hongdong Bag, drifting and disappearing out of the cave.

The spiritual energy was extremely faint and subtle. If he hadn't cultivated the Six Qi True Method and was highly sensitive to such strange Qi, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

It emerged silently from the tip of Xi Mu's right index finger, like an invisible thread being pulled by an unseen hand, drifting towards the outside of the cave.

"What is this?"

Chen Lingxi's expression changed slightly.

He naturally knew where this subtle energy came from.

When he was looting Xi Mu's treasures, Xi Mu used the last wisp of spiritual energy to open the Hongdong Bag.

At the time, he didn't pay attention, thinking it was just ordinary spiritual energy circulation. But now it seems that Xi Mu did something tampering with the Hongdong Bag.

He only realized it at this point.

"The spiritual energy dissipated—this is very likely some kind of method of communication."

Chen Lingxi pondered in her heart.

The spiritual energy had already drifted out of the cave and disappeared into the churning clouds outside, then vanished from sight.

Chen Lingxi suddenly turned her head, and the light fell on Xi Mu.

"Are you using spirits to send a message?" His voice was cold.

Xi Mu lay on the ground, a very subtle hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

"No—I never did." His voice was broken: "How could I—how could I have the strength to deliver a message? Fellow Daoist—Fellow Daoist, please understand—"

Chen Lingxi didn't speak, she just looked at him quietly.

The coldness in those eyes deepened.

Xi Mu felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze.

He never imagined that this humble native from the Realm of Nothingness could capture that wisp of spiritual energy as thin as a hair.

After a few moments of contemplation, Chen Ling wondered who this message was meant for.

The other two members of the Xi family, Xi Yuan, or perhaps Xi Yu?

Or perhaps disciples from other sects who have connections with the Xi family?

Chen Ling squinted her eyes.

"Regardless of who Xi Mu sent the message to, that person is very likely to have received it —"

Xi Mu sensed the murderous intent in Chen Lingxi's eyes, and his heart sank.

The killing intent was undisguised, like a cheetah lurking in the shadows, coldly scrutinizing him and weighing whether to kill him or not.

"Fellow Daoist!" Xi Mu's voice suddenly rose several decibels: "Fellow Daoist! I—I still have value! I know all the secrets of the Great World! I am willing to tell you everything! I—I will definitely tell you everything I know!"

"That spirit. ————"

He spoke very quickly, and as he spoke, he struggled to lift his head, staring intently at Chen Lingxi with his dull eyes, trying to find a sliver of room for maneuver on Chen Lingxi's face.

"That spiritual energy was merely something the Hongdong Bag prevented from flowing out spontaneously; it was not my intention. Brother Dao spared my life, and I swear on my Dao heart that I will never again be your enemy, never again—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Chen Lingxi's gaze.

The killing intent in those calm eyes had subsided.

Xi Mu felt slightly relieved.

But right now.

The azure light of the Azure Edge Technique emanated from Chen Lingxi's fingertips!

The azure light shone in the dim cave, like an extremely thin and cold azure lightning bolt, silently slicing through the air and piercing Xi Mu's brow.

laugh.

A very soft and faint sound.

Xi Mu's body trembled violently, and his dull, lifeless eyes widened abruptly, bulging out—

The Azure Blade Technique was rapidly taking away all the remaining life force he had left!

Xi Mu's eyes were filled with horror and disbelief, as if he had never expected that Chen Lingxi would be so decisive.

"The Star of Que Xing————"

Just as consciousness began to blur—

He suddenly thought about his entire life.

The Xi family has ten stars, ten large and small celestial stars, four hundred and thirty-seven grotto-heavens, and twelve secret realms.

He was born into the main branch of the Xi family and was expected to achieve great things from a young age.

He was exceptionally talented among the many disciples of the Xi family. He was capable of attaining the Dao Foundation and becoming a true Dao Foundation cultivator. If given a great opportunity, he could even ascend to the Golden Palace.

However, in the path of cultivation, only by reaching the pinnacle can one obtain greater opportunities, become a true figure, and thus be of greater value to the clan.

The phrase "ascending to the top" became like a demon, deepening his obsession.

Later, when this cave-less place was discovered, he believed that his great opportunity had arrived.

Obtain the cauldron and seize great opportunities to cultivate the Dao and achieve perfect foundation—even reaching the Golden Palace and becoming a true immortal!

That is why he felt compelled to abandon his physical body in the Great Heaven and Earth, pay the price of damaging his foundation, and risk great danger to come to this Boundless Realm.

Upon entering the Realm of No Qi, one realizes that the cauldrons and artifacts within this grotto must be extraordinary. The figures who have come from various sects and schools are all top-notch geniuses, not to mention Xi Yu, a member of the same clan.

He vaguely felt powerless—he only felt that such a great opportunity was probably out of his reach.

But he never imagined that he would die at the hands of a local cultivator who shouldn't have appeared at all.

An indigenous person without Qi.

A lowly being who had never even heard of the Great Xuanjin Palace, and who knew nothing about the Great Heaven and Earth.

A self-taught monk who had only reached the fourth floor.

"In a moment of carelessness, I actually died at the hands of such a person—"

Xi Mu's eyes were unfocused, and life was slowly draining away from him, like the receding tide.

But a thought was swirling wildly in his mind, and his hatred grew increasingly frenzied.

He thought to himself, "Thank goodness, I won't die alone."

As Xi Mu thought this, the glimmer of light in his eyes finally went out completely.

Xi Mu died.

Chen Lingxi looked down at Xi Mu's corpse, the spiritual energy on the corpse's fingers was dissipating.

It eventually vanished completely into the dim light of the cave, leaving no trace.

"But I wonder—whether anyone received Xi Mu's message."

Chen Lingxi withdrew her gaze, shook her head slightly to stop thinking about it, and then her mind stirred slightly.

Suddenly, something appeared in his hand.

It was a willow branch, withered and rotten like wood, covered with dense fine lines, just like a piece of dead wood that had been eroded by wind and sand in the wasteland for countless years, showing no sign of life.

"The Immortal Willow Branch".

"Place it into the mouth of a corpse, repair the body, and obtain the immortal willow puppet."

Chen Lingxi looked at Xi Mu.

This cultivator on the sixth floor possesses numerous secret techniques passed down by the Xi family.

"If I could refine this person into an immortal willow branch—my combat power would greatly increase."

Without further hesitation, he squatted down, reached out and pried open Xi Mu's jaw, placing the withered willow branch into Xi Mu's mouth.

The moment the willow branch entered his mouth, a faint green light emanated from deep within it, lingered on its surface for a moment, and then sank into Xi Mu's corpse, disappearing without a trace.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Ling released her grip, took a step back, and quietly looked at Xi Mu's corpse.

Time passed little by little.

Chen Lingxi stood motionless in place, the light always falling on Xi Mu's corpse.

After a long while, Chen Lingxi's eyes suddenly flickered—

The horrifying wounds on Xi Mu's corpse began to slowly heal.

The severed arm and leg, not far away, were suddenly drawn by a strange force and flew through the air.

The cuts at the severed arms and legs were as smooth as a mirror, yet countless tiny granulation tissues were now growing from them.

The granulation tissue grew at a visible rate, reshaping the bones, veins, and skin, and reattaching the severed arm.

The incision at the broken leg is undergoing the same changes.

His severed arm was reattached, his severed leg grew back, and even the hole in his chest pierced by the spirit arrow, as well as the wound he sustained while attacking Consort Chun, were gradually healing.

What surprised him even more was that there was a spirit slowly circulating within Xi Mu's body.

Chen Lingxi became increasingly alarmed as she looked at the screen.

The ashen, lifeless look on Xi Mu's skin was fading away inch by inch.

About an hour later, Xi Mu's body suddenly trembled violently, and his eyes snapped open!

"It's alive?"

Chen Lingxi took two steps back, his blood and qi surging, and the Treasure Saber of Slaughtering Gold was already quietly in his hand.

But he soon discovered that this "resurrected" Xi Mu did not attack him; his eyes were simply staring straight at the cave ceiling, his pupils unmoving.

Chen Lingxi sheathed his sword, stepped forward to examine Xi Mu closely, and then tentatively activated his spiritual probe into Xi Mu's body.

As soon as Ke Ling entered Xi Mu's body, his expression changed drastically.

In his spiritual perception, the condition of Xi Mu's body was completely different from what it had been just now.

The immortal willow branch merged into Xi Mu's body, completely restoring his cultivation. His Qi Sea surged, and his spiritual energy was abundant, making him appear as if he were at his peak!

In particular, the immortal willow branch actually took root in Xi Mu's closed dantian, transforming into a small tree suspended in mid-air.

"It's so mysterious."

Chen Ling washed away her spiritual energy and exhaled a long breath.

At the same time, he sensed that a new line had appeared in his mind, connecting his mind with the immortal willow puppet before him.

With a slight thought, he sensed the strange thread and issued commands to the Undying Willow Puppet.

"Magic!"

The moment his thought crossed his mind, Xi Mu was moved.

The movement was as fluid as when he was alive; he raised his right hand, and his newly grown arm made a loose clenching motion in the air!

The mist within a few feet around him was violently stirred up as if by an invisible giant hand, and in an instant, it condensed into an ice blade three feet long in his palm.

After the ice blade, the surging mist outside the cave rushed into the cave like rivers flowing into the sea, condensing in layers around the ice blade. In just a few breaths, the three-foot-long ice blade had transformed into an ice knife more than ten feet long.

The blade exuded a chilling aura, freezing the air within several feet into a faint white mist.

"cut!"

Chen Lingxi's mind stirred again, and he slashed horizontally with his ice blade, cutting out of the cave and shattering a sea of ​​clouds. Spiritual energy overflowed, and his power was terrifying.

Silence returned to the cave.

Chen Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief.

He gazed at the immortal willow puppet before him, his eyes filled with delight, and murmured to himself, "Immortal Willow Puppet—Sixth Floor of Qi Circulation!"

""

Sixth Floor of Qi Circulation —

Lin Suri, Lu Baizhong, Ying Chi, and the cultivator surnamed Na Chao are all at this level.

Each of them possesses a lineage of masters, secret techniques and treasures, and numerous methods, stirring up trouble in this grotto-heaven and regarding the beings of the Qiless Realm as mere ants.

Now, he also has a combat power of the sixth floor.

Although it is just a puppet and does not possess the intelligence and adaptability of a cultivator, in terms of killing power alone, this Undying Willow Puppet is by no means inferior to any cultivator at the sixth level.

Chen Ling was overjoyed.

He stood up, walked to the edge of the cave, parted the old vines, and looked out at the surging sea of ​​clouds.

It was nearly dusk.

After the sun sank behind the western mountains, the remaining afterglow dyed the clouds on the horizon a dark gold, like a flame about to be extinguished, making its last struggle at the edge of the sky.

The sea of ​​clouds surged slowly in the twilight, like an endless gray ocean, its waves rising and falling silently, swallowing the distant and near mountains behind its heavy curtain.

"With this puppet, I am no longer a lamb that needs to hide its head and tail and be slaughtered."

He whispered to himself.

He then looked around again: "Xi Mu has most likely already sent a message that we can no longer stay on Cuojin Mountain and need to find another place."

After washing up Cuojin Mountain, Chen Ling traveled for a long time and finally found another cave on another mountain called Qiaoji Mountain.

This cave is not as secluded as the Cuojinshan Cave, but it is larger.

He sat cross-legged in the cave and reached out to take out the many treasures from Ximu.

They took out all the jade boxes, stone caskets, and wooden boxes of various sizes and arranged them neatly in front of him.

Three jade boxes, two stone boxes, and one wooden box.

The jade box is warm and smooth like jade, the stone box is simple and heavy, and the wooden box subtly exudes a sense of spirituality.

"I've come to see how profound the accumulation of knowledge of a reincarnated cultivator of the Great Heaven and Earth truly is, after more than twenty winters and summers."

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