Chapter 1692: Three Giants Reunite

After the Imperial Ambrosia dewfall, He Lingchuan and others hid in the countryside, embarking on a rare period of undisturbed cultivation.

Since beginning his journey to Yao Nation, he had spent his days engaging in battles of wit and courage with various people in Yao Nation and with Qingyang. At night, he would dream of entering Panlong, experiencing the joys and sorrows of another world. It was a typical round-the-clock, continuous effort.

Even grinding oxen and crowing roosters would weep upon seeing how hard he pushed himself.

Consequently, He Lingchuan had little time left for cultivation.

This time, he seized the opportunity of the Imperial Ambrosia dewfall to cultivate. While it felt somewhat like a hurried last-minute effort, the results were remarkably prominent.

Originally, He Lingchuan subtly felt he was approaching the ceiling of his cultivation. Further practice would merely lead to faster speed, a stronger physique, tougher meridians, and a more condensed spirit. However, the profoundness of his true power would require time to refine and temper, a feat not achievable in just five or ten years.

Qingyang was a prime example: after one hundred seventy to eighty years of arduous daily cultivation, her physique and cultivation became closer to those of the terrestrial immortals of the ancient times.

This was the way to exchange time and resources for progress.

However, in a world experiencing a massive surge of spiritual energy, this was no longer the case. The upper limits for all beings were raised, allowing rising stars like He Lingchuan to quickly surpass their predecessors in the cultivation world.

After just one month of immersive cultivation, he vaguely sensed something within himself.

Although his cultivation time in Yao Nation was limited, the insights he gained from that journey were extraordinary.

Other cultivators often experienced gradual growth in their spiritual path, finding it extremely difficult to improve their insights and mental state. He Lingchuan, however, was the opposite. He delved too deeply into the world and faced too many dangers, dancing on knife edges and wading through seas of blood every day. Consequently, the tempering of his spirit and the elevation of his mental state far surpassed what ordinary people could achieve.

With such rapid improvement in his mental state, coupled with the current resurgence of spiritual energy, his cultivation would naturally be easier to elevate. After all, his Dao heart was stable, like ballast in a large ship, ensuring that no matter how strong the winds or high the waves outside, the ship would not capsize.

Previously, he had also vaguely felt his mental state's improvement was restricted, as if he had hit a barrier.

It was time to find the right direction for his future cultivation.

Ancient immortals called this critical stage "erecting a pillar in a torrent" or "lighting the heart lamp." Having reached this point, whether one pursued good or evil, right or wrong, one must first establish one's resolve and clarify one's aspirations. Only then could one withstand the surging currents of the mundane world's turbid waves, and thereafter hold aloft this spark of heart fire, traversing the bizarre cultivation path teeming with dancing demons.

As the general environment changed, more and more cultivators would encounter this problem and reach this threshold.

If one overcame it, a new dawn would break, and the long road ahead would stretch out, allowing one to stride forward again.

If one failed to overcome it, one would reach a dead end and spend this lifetime lingering at the threshold.

After encountering this barrier, He Lingchuan instead relaxed his mind.

A breakthrough in mental state required opportune timing; in simple terms, one needed to "feel it."

At such a time, haste would make waste.

Unexpectedly, that one instance of "establishing resolve" just before the Imperial Ambrosia dewfall ended passively enabled him to break through this mental barrier.

Every subsequent session of cultivation propelled him one step closer to transformation.

A few days later, Dong Rui arrived, pulling everyone out of their absorbed state of cultivation.

After engaging in a straightforward battle between demonic puppeteers with Cao Wendao, he was sent out of Yao Nation by He Lingchuan to recover from his injuries. On the way, he also made a detour to Cao Wendao's lair.

It is commonly said that it takes a hundred days for bones and muscles to heal, but thanks to the recent Imperial Ambrosia dewfall, his shoulder healed ahead of schedule. The Imperial Ambrosia dewfall invigorated life force, strengthened muscles and bones, enhanced qi and blood, and was extremely beneficial for bone injuries.

The first thing he said upon seeing He Lingchuan was, "Do you have any more apricot wine?"

After more than a month without it, he missed it dearly.

He Lingchuan had someone retrieve a jar of apricot wine from the cellar and also grabbed a bag of dried fruit, tossing it to the Ghost Ape.

The monkey caught it, its face lighting up with a smile as it began to eat.

It was indeed candied fruit from Yongquan Villa!

Dong Rui ladled himself a bowl of wine, gulped it down, and then let out a long "Ah!" "This is exactly what I needed."

Just then, Madam Zhu ambled over from somewhere. Seeing only a small jar of wine on the table, she immediately lost interest.

Dong Rui said to her, "Your sister personally went to Julu Port and wants to lend you a treasure. I've brought it for you. Whew, it wasn't easy!"

If he hadn't acquired an extra-large storage ring from the Ghost King's underground palace, he wouldn't have been able to carry that huge treasure.

"I know," replied Madam Zhu. The sisters of the Abyss Spider Queens had a unique way of communicating, and her second sister had already notified her.

He Lingchuan asked, "How was your trip to the Red Abode?"

"I led the Black Armored Army and swept through the place. The Red Abode disciples crumbled at the first strike—some died, some surrendered, and some fled!" The Red Abode naturally had guards, but how could they be a match for the Black Armored Army? Cao Wendao's disciples and attendants left in the Red Abode were either demonic puppeteers or logistical support, not particularly strong in combat. Dong Rui commanded the Ghost Ape to kill a few of the more stubborn ones, and then the rest scattered like monkeys when the tree fell.

"All the resources, materials, and records in the Red Abode—especially Cao Wendao's own notes and experimental subjects—were thoroughly cleaned out by me!" Dong Rui's eyes lit up as he spoke of the spoils. "If I didn't have to rush here to help you, I would be back in Howling Forest for two or three years of secluded cultivation right now!"

"Those materials could pile up into several small mountains; it's impossible to read through them all in a short time. So I'll start by looking through Cao Wendao's notes. That fellow meticulously documented nearly ten years of experiments. Ah, I can cross-reference them with my own insights..."

He Lingchuan interrupted him, "Tell me something I want to hear?"

He had no interest in how demonic puppeteers learned from each other; he wouldn't understand it anyway.

Dong Rui gave him a disdainful look: "Our previous deduction was correct. The most important task assigned to Cao Wendao by the Heavenly Palace was to research the humanization of demonic puppets."

"It's not just about having a human appearance, is it?"

"Of course, it's not that simple! They must possess the fundamental elements of 'becoming human,' not just an empty shell!" Dong Rui gave an example: "Take Ashmona, for instance. Its appearance alone resembles a human, but its core is actually the divine bone and blood of a young earth spirit demon. Cao Wendao originally used it for appearance experiments but found it wouldn't work; mere outward resemblance wasn't enough!"

That's a clear explanation, good! He Lingchuan then asked, "Why does the Heavenly Palace need human-shaped demonic puppets?"

"Not a single word is mentioned about it in the materials and notes I've seen so far."

"The deliberate omission suggests something fishy," He Lingchuan immediately said. "It can't be written down, which means it must be kept deeply secret. Cao Wendao, overseeing this research in the Glimmering Gold Plains, must have known the Heavenly Gods' purpose to adjust his direction accordingly. It's a pity he died so suddenly, before we could extract any information from him."

He had always had some conjectures, but they remained unverified, as Ashmona had killed its master too quickly.

Dong Rui's face took on a mysterious expression: "Cao Wendao's notes also recorded something else: the earliest to conduct humanization experiments on demonic puppets were not demonic puppeteers, but the Heavenly Gods themselves!"