Chapter 235: Observing All Changes with Insight, Ashamed of One's Own Inferior Heart

At Huashan, Fang Longye's true body sat upright in peace, his expression solemn, his eyes slightly closed.

The faint trembling of his eyelashes revealed the waves within his heart.

While his avatar accompanied Yang Chan in touring his newly birthed Inner World, the majority of his consciousness had long since withdrawn, high above, looking down to observe the entire world.

He felt the difference between a Grotto-Heaven and a Small World.

His entire being was like a clear mirror, unstained by dust; every change that occurred after the Inner World's promotion was reflected in the depths of his heart, down to the finest detail.

After the entire Inner World was promoted from the Grotto-Heaven level to a Small World, it had grown larger by an unknown number of times.

The vast ocean was boundless.

The earth was vast and immense.

Though it was called a Small World, in terms of size, it was already approaching one-third the size of Beiju Luzhou.

However, after the Inner World's promotion, the greatest change did not lie in the size of the world, but in another transformation.

As Fang Longye's thoughts turned, an unimaginable halo suddenly erupted from the periphery of the Inner World, and a layer of barrier manifested.

Looking closely, profound sounds resonated around the entire world's perimeter.

Vermilion-gold seal characters, shaped like swimming dragons, appeared and vanished, rotating unceasingly.

Around the world, the barrier membrane was exceptionally sturdy.

The World Membrane!

Unlike the Grotto-Heaven stage, the now-promoted Inner World was undoubtedly on a higher level, having already constructed its own World Membrane.

With this membrane in place, its defensive power was increased manifold.

Do not underestimate this; with the World Membrane, the defense of the Inner World could be called a qualitative improvement.

Just think of the Spirit Treasure Earth Book in the hands of the Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi, and one would understand.

It is rumored that with the Earth Book in hand, Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi is capable of sustaining a defensive power comparable to a Hunyuan Saint.

Yet such a powerful Earth Book was merely transformed from a piece of Heavenly Membrane that fell at the beginning of the Primordial World's creation.

Although Fang Longye's Inner World was, to the Primordial World, like the difference between the light of a firefly and the bright moon.

Comparing the two together was entirely a joke.

But it was enough to illustrate the importance of the World Membrane to an Inner World.

After sensing the composition of the World Membrane, feeling as though he understood yet not quite grasping it, unable to see to the bottom of it, Fang Longye understood that the principles within were not yet something he could fully penetrate.

He immediately set aside this line of research and continued to observe the detailed changes in his Inner World.

Sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

Vast earth, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.

Flowers, grasses, trees, plants, and all living things.

Sounds, colors, and fragrances—everything was present.

If one were to say that at the Grotto-Heaven stage, the entire world still felt somewhat ethereal and unreal, then this Small World now could be said to look no different from the various worlds within the Primordial World.

Of course, if one really had to name a difference, it was that every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, every river, every sun, and every moon within this Small World had his aura permeating their cores.

This was normal; after all, this was an Inner World belonging solely to him, so naturally, his Aura would permeate everywhere.

"Moreover, after a round of re-deriving earth, fire, water, and wind, many disharmonious aspects have already been eliminated."

"The various treasures previously fused into the world no longer carry the slightest connection to the outside world, having completely returned to the Inner World."

Fang Longye gazed at the two small Spiritual Roots growing on the sun and moon stars within his Inner World, filled with joy.

The previous Fusang Wood and Laurel Wood had, after all, come from the true Fusang and Moon Laurel of the Primordial World.

Limited by their extremely high essence, although they resided within the sun and moon of his Inner World, they could not be counted as truly belonging to his Inner World; there remained the possibility of them detaching from the world, much like a form of lodging.

But now—

Having experienced a world's end and rebirth, under the crushing force of such power, the majority of the essence of the Fusang Wood Spirit Branch and Laurel Wood Spirit Branch had dissipated, transforming into the essence that constituted the sun and moon stars of his Inner World.

And the remaining essence had transformed into two newly born Spiritual Roots; although they could not compare to the previous ones, they now completely belonged to his Inner World.

They had cast off the shackles of their original bodies.

It could be said that if one were to take these two newly born Fusang and Moon Laurel out of the Inner World, they would possess not the slightest miraculous quality in the Primordial World.

That is to say, the current Fusang and Moon Laurel were only treasures within his Inner World; once outside, they would just be two pieces of broken wood.

It sounds like a loss, but this was exactly what Fang Longye sought. These were the Fusang and Moon Laurel that truly belonged to him.

He could just cultivate them bit by bit from now on; for the moment, it was enough that they could play a role within the Inner World.

He did not ask for much.

Of course, this was also because the true Fusang and Moon Laurel in the Primordial World had not obstructed him, but instead cooperated vigorously with his actions; otherwise, it would not have been so easy.

One must know that even figures like Donghuang Taiyi and Di Jun had no way to eliminate the connection between the Fusang Wood branch and its original body.

Without the permission and cooperation of Lu Ya and the Moon Laurel, even if Fang Longye cultivated until he reached the Great Luo stage, he might not have the means to completely erase the connection between these two branches and their original bodies to make them entirely his own.

"And there is the Xun Wood~" Fang Longye shifted his gaze from the sun and moon stars and cast it upon the Xun Wood entrenched in the central region of the Inner World.

"At last, this Xun Wood has finally grown up!" Fang Longye remarked with emotion.

He saw that in the center of the Inner World, the five-colored divine mountain formed by refining the 'Five Peaks World-Suppressing Peaks' was no longer there; what met his eyes was a vast Abyssal Sea surging with spiritual energy.

Within the Abyssal Sea, there was a massive green island that was particularly eye-catching.

Stretching for over a hundred thousand miles, verdant and lush, rising a million feet out of the water, it was exceptionally spectacular.

It was precisely the Companion Spiritual Root that Fang Longye had nurtured—the Acquired Seeking Wood.

Its developed roots plunged into the Abyssal Sea, continuously drawing in spiritual energy, and countless aerial roots proliferated from it, a single tree becoming a forest, stretching on without end.

With lush branches and leaves, its large canopy spread out like a green island rising from the Abyssal Sea, and also like the heaven-supporting Jian Wood of myth, its top reaching the clouds and its shade covering the four poles.

In fact, the current Xun Wood, under the effect of the re-derived world, had indeed melted down quite a bit of that Jian Wood fragment, possessing certain characteristics of the Jian Wood.

To call it a heaven-supporting tree was no longer mere flattery, but a fact.

At the very least, it is indeed currently performing the function of holding up the sky within the Inner World.

Of course, it is not just the Jianmu; fragments of the World Tree from the Immortal World, the Fusang Wood Spirit Branch and Laurel Wood Spirit Branch requested from the great Lu Ya, and the Azure Dragon Wood obtained initially, have all been melted down significantly by the Xun Wood during this re-evolution of heaven and earth.

Among them, that section of Azure Dragon Wood obtained at Penglai Xianfang and the World Tree fragments from the Immortal World have already been completely melted down by the Xun Wood.

As for the Jianmu fragments, only a walnut-sized piece remains, and even the Fusang Wood Spirit Branch and Laurel Wood Spirit Branch, which came directly from Innate Spiritual Roots, have been more than half melted down by the Xun Wood.

Therefore, it is no wonder that the Xun Wood Spirit Root has experienced such rapid growth.

One could see rich spiritual energy misting and swirling, vast and mighty, condensing into rain around the Xun Wood, coming and going to form clouds, displaying a myriad of strange phenomena, brilliant and dazzling.

All around, spiritual chapters manifested spontaneously, Dharma drums struck and rang, dragons roared and phoenixes rose, displaying auspicious signs, thousands upon thousands, endless and continuous.

Throughout the inside and outside of the Spiritual Root, seal characters the size of fists emerged, like flying birds, resembling tadpoles, or like golden tripods, ancient and natural.

The seal characters collided with one another; Yin and Yang transformed into Five Elements, Five Elements formed Eight Trigrams, and Eight Trigrams evolved the universe.

The ultimate true principles were clear and noble, visible to the eye and audible to the ear. They drew in the surrounding million miles, above and below, left and right, glowing with color and rising with mist, filled with Dao Rhyme.

Feeling the Dao Rhyme within the Xun Wood that resonated quite well with his own, yet was somewhat different, Fang Longye could not help but praise in his heart: "This is what a Companion Spiritual Root should be!"

Although it has not yet Reverse Innate and cannot feed back its origin to its master, it can provide its master with Dharma principles that share the same path but differ in content, aiding in cultivation.

After a brief survey of heaven and earth, having understood all the changes in the Inner World, the majority of Fang Longye's consciousness returned to his true body.

He left only an avatar behind to continue accompanying Yang Chan, touring and sightseeing within his Inner World.

He let out a breath; he did not immediately sense the various changes in his true body, but instead raised his hand, and a precious gourd appeared from his palm.

The gourd was golden in color, surprisingly suffused with a rich Innate Aura, with a power that could annihilate everything hidden within, its killing intent chilling.

"Whew~ Thankfully, I didn't have to use you!"

Fang Longye held the precious gourd in his hand, his gaze deep and focused.

Zhanxian Gourd!

This top-grade Innate killing Spirit Treasure was something Fang Longye had specifically borrowed by contacting Lu Ya through a token in his possession before inviting Yang Chan into his Inner World.

Although he spoke nicely when inviting Yang Chan, saying he did not worry about her having any ill intentions, how could he not be worried in his heart? He was not some infatuated man who would disregard Life and Death just to woo a woman.

Even if he knew the probability of Yang Chan taking action against him was only one in ten thousand, he was unwilling to gamble.

Therefore, the Zhanxian Gourd was a contingency plan.

Although the Zhanxian Gourd could not rival the Mountain and River Map, under Yang Chan's control, the Mountain and River Map was not that formidable either. Moreover, the Zhanxian Gourd was different from other Spirit Treasures; the Dharma power required to activate it was minimal.

As for the Lotus Lantern, he could also exert some restraint by relying on the Bloodline he had refined from the Lotus Lantern of another world.

And Yang Chan, despite her deeper cultivation realm, would not be able to gain any advantage under the suppression of the Inner World.

With several factors offsetting each other, Fang Longye was confident that, caught off guard, even if he could not make Yang Chan perish, he would definitely inflict heavy damage upon her.

This was the source of his confidence in daring to flirt with Yang Chan. It was also the reason he disregarded taboos and dared to let Yang Chan, who held a heavy treasure, enter his internal Grotto-Heaven.

He admitted that this was despicable.

No, not just despicable, but extremely despicable, almost disgusting.

But he would never completely trust anyone.

Perhaps after a long, enduring companionship, he might have some trust in a certain person.

But this trust would never be absolute.

"For now, what I anticipated did not happen. Everyone is happy; isn't that great?"

Facts proved that it was a pity Fang Longye did not walk the path of a Demon. He was truly well-suited to be a Demon.

Demon, Demon—there are some monsters who clearly have not dabbled in the Demon path, yet are called Demons by people; it is not without reason.

Because, for many beautiful things, they inherently would not even consider them.

He put the borrowed Zhanxian Gourd back into the Inner World, hanging it in a hidden place, continuing to store up its power.

Only, it was no longer aimed directly at Yang Chan.

He remained focused on two things at once.

On one hand, he used his avatar to accompany Yang Chan, touring the Inner World and occasionally flirting with her. On the other, he sensed the changes in his own essence, energy, and spirit.

Naturally, everything was excellent.

Whether it was his Bloodline, physical body, or Primordial Spirit and Dharma power, all had made great progress under the feedback brought by the internal Grotto-Heaven advancing into a Small World.

Or rather, there had been a qualitative transformation.

"Looking at it this way, the Three Calamities are nothing special after all!"

Fang Longye could perceive that the Three Calamities really did not amount to much for him now~

His consciousness had experienced the baptism of long ages within the Inner World, causing his Primordial Spirit to be cleansed of all impurities.

And the feedback power brought by the advancement of the Inner World had caused his Dharma power to surge, as vast as the Abyssal Sea.

It is no exaggeration to say that he could now directly trigger the Three Calamities and cross the remaining Fire Calamity and Wind Calamity in one go.

Of course, this is because the arrival of the Three Calamities is calculated based on the time experienced by the True Spirit.

The long ages his consciousness experienced in the Inner World were not counted under the mysterious laws of heaven and earth.

Otherwise, he feared that before he had gathered enough resources to survive the Three Calamities, the Three Calamities would have already descended upon him.

This is also a method used by well-established 'Heavenly Immortal Path' cultivators in Honghuang when crossing the Three Calamities.

They cast a strand of their avatar into a world with an extremely fast flow of time to gain more cultivation time.

They do not need to take pills, nor do they need any spiritual fruits; they can cross it through hard cultivation alone.

To be honest, there is almost no difference between the two.

But there are some lunatics who practice hard cultivation and dislike pills and spiritual fruits, feeling they hinder their cultivation, so they choose this method.

And neither of these two is something that 'Heavenly Immortal Path' cultivators with ordinary backgrounds can easily achieve.

Otherwise, there would not be so many 'Heavenly Immortal Path' cultivators who, in order to survive the Three Calamities, choose to reincarnate and start their cultivation over again.

The former, there is no need to say much.

Merely the pills and spiritual fruits that can assist in crossing the Three Calamities are not easy things for cultivators of ordinary backgrounds to obtain.

As for the latter.

It is not as if just any world capable of adjusting the flow of time can allow one to pass the Three Calamities through bitter cultivation.

After all, aside from the primordial spirit which can be improved by comprehending the Great Dao, which of the improvements in the physical body and Dharma power does not require resources? With various thoughts flashing by, Fang Longye reined in his mind and took out the jade bottle containing the essence blood of the three Taiyi Great Shamans of the Li Yuan.

"There is no rush to cross the remaining Fire Calamity and Wind Calamity; I should digest what needs to be digested first."

Having just returned to Huashan, his Inner World Grotto-Heaven had already obtained the opportunity for advancement. Naturally, he could not care about anything else and prioritized the matter of his Inner World.

Many harvests had yet to be digested! However, after taking out the jade bottle, Fang Longye did not open it directly; instead, he stared fixedly at the jade bottle, lost in thought.

Unconsciously, he took out the Two Instruments Divine Gourd, held it in his hand, and stroked it for a long time.

The pill that Yang Chan had given him was inside it.

His eyes deepened, the dark hue nearly impossible to dissolve.

Sitting by the window, he raised his eyes to look outside, only to see a small forest opposite the window, with many cranes in the forest; the cranes' cries were clear and bright, traveling from afar and echoing under the eaves.

It was noisy enough to be annoying~

He sighed deeply: "Very well! I must return the favor after all~"

The true body and the avatar are two sides of one entity, belonging to the same consciousness. On the side of the true body, the long sigh had not yet faded.

The avatar within the Inner World looked at Yang Chan, who was teasing an exotic bird with emerald feathers beside her.

He said aloud: "Wondrous Lady, I have a Dao Scripture here that is extremely suitable for you; I wonder if you have any interest?"

(End of this chapter)