I am grinding experience in another world-Chapter 676 - 664: Bone Mirror

Cliffside Cave Mansion.

Chen Mu, who had been calm and composed in Thousand Lanterns City earlier, now wore a grim expression, sighing helplessly in his heart.

"The combination of the Delusion Seven Emotions Flame and the Nightmare Victory Spell is indeed extraordinary, but it's not enough to kill Meng Qingchan."

"That confident act earlier was mostly bluffing."

Chen Mu silently thought as the gray walls appeared before his eyes.

Nightmare Victory Spell: 3493/10000;

"Luckily, Meng Qingchan doesn't know my true abilities. At least this confrontation will make her more cautious."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have obediently handed over the complete Jade Cicada Secret Scripture herself.

Ever since Meng Qingchan entered Thousand Lanterns City, Chen Mu felt like he was carrying a ticking bomb.

Now, with some leverage, he finally didn't have to feel as anxious.

"The Nightmare Victory Spell still needs more practice."

"The higher the experience level, the more pronounced the effects of the Delusion Seven Emotions Flame will be."

"I have to completely master this control technique before she realizes it." Chen Mu made up his mind.

He then took out the brand-new Jade Cicada Secret Scripture, poured mana into it, and suddenly, a gigantic orb the size of a hot air balloon appeared in his mind.

The orb shone in jade-white hues, with countless intricate and varied filaments inside, resembling both the neural diagram of a human and a tightly tangled mass of tree roots.

"Missing a little?"

"I'd say it's missing a colossal amount." Chen Mu's face twitched.

The massive web-like ball before his eyes was precisely the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation Map.

The version Meng Qingchan had previously given him was riddled with holes and gaps. Though still spherical, it was far less complete than the present one.

As mana surged into the jade slip, the Dao Foundation Map in his mind transformed again. The giant orb began to condense inward.

With flashes of jade-white luminescence, it shrank rapidly and turned into the size of a walnut, dense and radiant like a polished jade sphere.

"This is probably the complete Dao Foundation Map." Chen Mu squinted his eyes.

Moreover...

"This Dao Foundation Map is strikingly similar to the Yin Spirit Divine Fetus?!"

Chen Mu immediately extracted the Yin Spirit Divine Fetus from his brow and made a comparison, his amazement deepening.

"The Yin Spirits return to their origins to condense the divine fetus, eventually achieving the Yin God state."

"Qi Cultivators reformulate their Jade Seed to create a Dao Foundation, which enables nurturing their Primordial Spirit."

"Yin Spirits and Qi Cultivators are like two different species, yet their ascension paths are so similar."

"Interesting." Chen Mu mused.

"Or perhaps, no matter the cultivation path, all roads lead to the same end."

"Qi Cultivation Dao Foundation, Heavenly Demon True Form, Yin Spirit Divine Fetus—different methods, but all aimed at altering the original foundations of living beings for a higher level of possibility." Chen Mu suddenly grasped the concept.

Such notions were ones Meng Qingchan had mentioned before. Now, comparing the complete Dao Foundation Map with the Yin Spirit Divine Fetus, Chen Mu felt it even more profoundly.

However, staring at the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation Map in his mind, he could only sigh in regret.

The first version was incomplete and unfit for practice.

The second version had been perfected by Meng Qingchan, but he dared not cultivate with it.

If it had flaws once, it could have them again—who knows if there's a hidden trap in this Dao Foundation Map?

"Better to wait until I reach the Thousand Mechanisms Sect before deciding."

...

A month later.

Atop Qingqiu Mountain, before Taoshan Temple.

Half a year had passed, and the Daoist Soldier Contract signing ceremony was once again held in the same place.

This time, however, the ceremony was hosted not by the Hundred Illusion Sect but by Taoshan Temple.

The burly Temple Master of Taoshan Temple stood before a square bronze cauldron, his loose crimson Daoist Robe fitting snugly due to his physique.

The Pure Yang Spell was chanted; flames laced with golden lines ignited. Daoist Soldiers stepped forward to burn the contracts, the process carried out in seamless order.

Those signing contracts today included not only Daoist Soldiers from Taoshan Temple but also Hu Buwei and Lu Han.

"Is Elder Hu really out of favor with Taoshan Temple? He's so old already—can't they give him a break?" A bystander disciple from the former Hundred Illusion Sect muttered softly.

"Well, he is the last remaining Elder of our Hundred Illusion Sect—Daoist Cultivation really messes with people's minds, huh."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, all Daoist Soldiers under the Hundred Illusion Sect, past and present, pay a portion of their cultivation benefits to Elder Hu."

"Such a massive sum of Daoist Cultivation benefits—who wouldn't be tempted by it?"

"So, Hu Elder and Senior Brother Lu Han were made to sign contracts to distribute the Hundred Illusion Sect's 'inheritance?'"

"Obviously..."

Standing on the edges of the crowd, Chen Mu's eyes suddenly lit up with realization.

So that's why Old Man Hu dared to swindle Taoshan Temple of White Jade Coins, and why Taoshan Temple didn't care.

Compared to the colossal Daoist Cultivation benefits awaiting them in the future, the White Jade amounts swindled by less than a hundred lazy Daoist Soldiers were peanuts.

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Chen Mu's gaze toward Hu Buwei was filled with pity.

Originally poised to inherit a fortune and live out a comfortable retirement—now not only were the Daoist Cultivation benefits lost, but he also had to fight demons on the frontline Beyond Heaven.

Tsk tsk, this old man was truly miserable.

But then again, if I were Taoshan Temple, I'd do the same!

Chen Mu chuckled internally while sensing the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor's power saturating the mountain peak. It no longer unnerved him as much as before.

So much time had passed, and the number of Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds he'd bound with the Dividing Tribulation Technique had exceeded twenty thousand.

As the days went by, the Dividing Tribulation Technique would prove increasingly formidable.

After all, this was merely a contract-signing ceremony—the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor's power couldn't last indefinitely. If a Five Thunder Bombarding strike were to come, surviving the initial wave would mean turning danger into opportunity.

And the Nine-Life Tribulation Splitting Technique was the very method that would help him endure that first blow.

"Meng Qingchan truly deserves her near-Sect Master title in the Thousand Mechanisms Sect; her tactics are impressive."

Lost in thought, Chen Mu watched as the Daoist Soldier's contract ceremony concluded, and the golden-threaded flames extinguished, dispersing the crowd.

Descending the stone steps, he gazed into the distance at Qingqiu Valley.

The Golden Yuan Valley Spirit Field that had resembled ocean waves had vanished, replaced by an endless peach forest. Large, plump pink peaches, tempting and luscious, filled the scene.

These were Taoshan Temple's special Five Elements Peaches, whose roots could delve deep underground to extract Demon Qi from the Demon Qi Stones below.

Much like the Golden Yuan Valley, they greatly nourished Spiritual Deities and physical essence.

"I should buy some peaches to store."

"Once we leave Qingqiu Mountain, getting these special fruits won't be as easy."

With the Forbidden Law formation of Taoshan Temple completed and the Daoist Soldier Contracts finalized today...

It wouldn't be long before they would depart Qingqiu Mountain.

...

Ten days later.

Central Hai Province, Earth Seal Sect.

A Cloud Bat Flying Boat descended through the clouds, slowly landing in the expansive courtyard at the entrance of the Market District at the mountain base.

Its side doors opened, spilling out hundreds of people like fish from an overstuffed tank.

"At last, we've arrived." Chen Mu hurriedly stepped out of the crowd, exhaling a sigh of relief.

Being packed with hundreds of others into a cramped flying boat, with some even unable to maintain their footing, had been far from pleasant.

"How are we supposed to travel to the Outer Heaven Star? Surely not crammed like this in another flying boat?" Chen Mu asked Lu Han beside him with some horror.

They'd traveled with just hundreds of people this time, but the entire Hai Province had tens of thousands of Daoist Soldiers. If they were all crammed together…

Chen Mu shuddered at the thought.

"The Heavenly Pass Star resides within the thirty-two layers of heaven, an immeasurable distance away. The Cloud Bat Flying Boats aren't capable of reaching it," Lu Han smiled. "We'll need the Heavenly Gate's Ground Shrinking method to get there."

Chen Mu immediately felt relieved.

The Heavenly Gate?

It sounded like some kind of Teleportation Magic Artifact or Forbidden Array.

Whatever it might be, it was certainly better than cramming into another flying boat.

"However, I've heard they've added an extra step this year." Lu Han spoke up again.

"With the demon chaos recently quelled, the Thousand Mechanisms Sect is wary of any demon remnants infiltrating the Outer Heaven Star. They've specially brought out Luofu Dao's Divine Bone Mirror."

"Before entering the Heavenly Gate, everyone must pass through the mirror first." Lu Han looked meaningfully at Chen Mu.

After spending over two years together, he always felt the man next to him was hiding something.

Several inexplicable misfortunes had befallen him, and he suspected Chen Mu was involved each time.

Playing tricks within the Hundred Illusion Sect was one thing, but facing a colossus like the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, it was best not to stir trouble.

"So, if you're carrying some untimely and dubious objects, it's best to discard them ahead of time," Lu Han remarked casually.

After all, this was a Daoist Soldier he'd recruited himself—he couldn't just stand by and see him land in trouble.

Most importantly… he absolutely couldn't afford to be implicated!

Dubious objects?

Discard them ahead of time?

Ha! The items I possess are far beyond "dubious"!

Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged, but a tremor ran through his heart.

He instinctively felt that the Thousand Mechanisms Sect wasn't looking for demons—they were after the Inheriting Heaven Gourd!

Whatever Meng Qingchan did to the current Sect Master of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect all those years ago, even three centuries later, they still wouldn't let it go.

Must they utterly eradicate her legacy?!