Chapter 1181: Darkly Weaving the False Immortal Net

Pious prayers echoed through the underground chamber, like an ancient ballad, long-lost and mysterious. These people were, of course, the You Clan members.

Under the combined efforts of Li Ping's disciples, almost all You Clan members had been captured and brought into the Great Qi Minor Realm. Li Ping knew that the entity behind the Dark Sea did not object to its followers having other beliefs. Therefore, after a combination of coercion and enticement, and ultimately demonstrating the reality of coexistence to the entire You Clan, these members quickly adapted to this new life.

Some even developed a faith in the Sacred Emperor that was stronger and more fervent than their devotion to the Dark Sea. After all, in their time of existential crisis, the Dark Sea had not manifested any miracles. Yet, the Fated Sacred Emperor truly distributed large quantities of resources to everyone at regular intervals.

In the darkness, listening to the unified chanting of the You Clan, Li Ping felt specks of golden source energy generating within him.

“The power of faith generated by merely a hundred You Clan members surpasses that of the entire Great Qi populace combined,” he mused. “What secret lies hidden within the You Clan…?”

Li Ping had already sent the corpses of some resistant You Clan members to Elder Yin, requesting his assistance with research. “His research into the New Law has already hit a bottleneck; perhaps a change of research topic will spark unexpected inspiration.”

Naturally, Li Ping wasn't particularly concerned about the true reason behind the You Clan's unique physiology. The cause didn't matter, as long as it could be used by him.

With a flicker of his form, Li Ping arrived at another enclosed area near the prayer chamber. “Xuanba, how is the research progressing? Can the transplanted flesh and blood promote reproduction among the You Clan?”

Wang Xuanba, who had been intently focused on something ahead, quickly averted his gaze upon hearing his master's arrival. He bowed respectfully, then reported, “After several experiments, I have found the optimal combination of mutated beast flesh and blood. I have named it the Primordial Life Womb. With sufficient male and female essence, it can cultivate a large number of young at an astonishing speed. However… since they are not gestated in a mother's womb, these offspring are inherently deficient; not only are they extremely frail at birth, but their expected lifespan will likely not be long,” Wang Xuanba explained cautiously.

Unlike his former robust and simple appearance, Wang Xuanba was now slender. He had received meticulous instruction from Li Ping, and then personally consumed numerous mutated beast flesh and blood, gaining mastery over a vast array of their abilities. His current understanding of mutated beasts even surpassed Li Ping's. Upon learning of his master's distress over the You Clan's low birth rate, he volunteered to alleviate his master's concerns. Thus, he managed to create something as astonishing as the Primordial Life Womb.

Completely composed of pulsating pink mutated beast flesh, its interior consisted of numerous enclosed chambers. Innumerable tubes connected these chambers to the main body of the womb. While providing energy for the gestation of the offspring, it also allowed the Primordial Life Womb to absorb the characteristics of the many offspring it cultivated.

“This is a win-win process; with each new offspring cultivated, it becomes increasingly intelligent and powerful,” Wang Xuanba continued. “Although this progress is subtle, it can accumulate through sheer volume, achieving a transformation within the anticipated timeframe. If my predictions are correct, the Primordial Life Womb may eventually no longer require male and female essence to create life on its own, provided it has sufficient energy.”

When discussing mutated beasts, Wang Xuanba's tone was full of confidence, even in the presence of his teacher.

Li Ping's gaze pierced the darkness, fixing on the distant, enormous 'flesh mass' that pulsed as if breathing. “I only need a sufficient number of them to work for me simultaneously; as for their lifespan… If they die, they can be remade.”

The Sacred Emperor's words were filled with chilling indifference, and Wang Xuanba felt no particular emotion upon hearing them. After all, in his eyes, these headless You Clan members were no different from mutated beasts; they could hardly be considered human.

“You must keep everything here strictly confidential. This applies even to your senior and junior martial brothers,” Li Ping stated again.

“Your disciple understands,” Wang Xuanba replied gravely.

After Li Ping departed, he resumed his research. Compared to dealing with the complex affairs of the outside world, he still preferred these pure, simple tasks.

In just a few short years, the life trajectory of the burly youth from under Mount Jieli had undergone such a tremendous change. However, among Li Ping's disciples, Wang Xuanba was not the one who had changed the most. Traces of Wang Xuanba's former self could still be vaguely seen in his actions. The one who had completely transformed, becoming a different person entirely, was Li Ping's fifth disciple, Ou Shangtian.

After arriving in Great Qi with his father and being accepted as a direct disciple by Li Ping, he transformed from a formerly quiet, cautious, and insecure youth into a spirited young man brimming with vitality. He acted decisively and regarded all things with disdain. Though the youngest among the disciples, his true strength surpassed everyone else's. In all of Great Qi, apart from Li Ping himself, there was likely no one who could match him. Even if Li Ping were to personally intervene, subduing Ou Shangtian would not be easy without resorting to certain secret arts or divine abilities.

In addition to Ou Shangtian's two innate marvels, the Kunqian Bone Hand and the Myriad Death Scroll, Ou Shangtian had recently, under Li Ping's guidance, fished out a Seven-Colored Divine Radiance from the Fishing Pond. With the Seven-Colored Divine Radiance protecting him, combined with the heaven-defying escape abilities of the Kunqian Bone Hand and the Myriad Death Scroll, Ou Shangtian's survival capabilities now exceeded those of most Dao Integration experts in the Xuanhuang Realm.

After effortlessly suppressing several minor realms with just a few moves, the young man grew increasingly arrogant. Fortunately, with the suppression from his father and Li Ping, he hadn't done anything truly outrageous.

During their previous collaboration with Wang Xuanba to capture the You Clan members, he developed an interest in Wang Xuanba's remarkably strange mutated beast abilities. He then requested the cultivation method for the Creation Furnace Art from Li Ping and was currently diligently practicing it.

Li Ping was not worried that Ou Shangtian would lose control. He would decisively intervene before there were any signs of him losing control.

The golden source energy condensed by the You Clan had been silently infused by him into the bodies of various key figures in Great Qi. This power, which was infinitely close to that of a True Immortal, was imperceptible to these so-called geniuses. Only the old one, Baihua, from the ancient cultivation world, could discern its true nature.

“Since they have fallen into my net, they can only effectively serve me until death,” Li Ping thought. “After all, every gift comes with a predetermined price.”

With the pure golden source energy as his trump card, he could now begin to look forward to the plan of invading the Xuanhuang Realm.