Chapter 971: Blood and Flesh Practice Puppet

"Unable to cultivate?"

Li Qing, the clone, was refined using the essence blood of Su Yuqing, a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao from the Outer Realm. Furthermore, she had achieved a Dao Foundation with the Black Sword of Heavenly Wonders. It was impossible for her to lack the talent required to learn a cultivation method.

It seemed the limitation was inherent to the "Spirit Origin Scripture for All Beings" itself.

Li Fan turned his gaze to the Spirit Origin Sect disciple slumped in the corner.

"Interesting," he mused. "Despite knowing the contents of the cultivation method, there are no memories of the Spirit Origin Scripture in his divine soul. It can only be extracted through torture. Is the cultivation method stored within the physical body?"

Li Fan scanned the unconscious disciple with his divine sense, examining him carefully.

Given Li Fan's extensive knowledge of the human body, he quickly discovered the anomaly.

Inside the Spirit Origin Sect disciple's body, there was an imprint, etched into the flesh and blood. It formed a unique mark. This mark seemed to have no effect on the physical body, but Li Fan keenly detected traces of the cultivation method's operation still lingering on it.

Even though this Spirit Origin Sect disciple had switched to a new cultivation method, the imprint left by years of practice had not faded at all.

"The imprint stores the cultivation method and also serves as a form of authentication. Only those who meet the authentication can practice the 'Spirit Origin Scripture for All Beings'..."

Soon after, Li Fan's divine sense withdrew from the Spirit Origin Sect disciple, who was now reduced to a mere puddle of flesh and blood.

It wasn't that he was cruel or intended to silence the disciple.

Rather, when he probed the Spirit Origin Scripture's imprint, it triggered its self-protection mechanism. The imprint self-destructed, tearing the disciple's body apart in the process.

Fortunately, Li Fan had already recorded all the imprints before this happened.

Even though they were incredibly complex, the Dao Transformation Stone could perfectly replicate them with just a glance.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, using his hand like a brush, drawing in the air.

The Spirit Origin Scripture imprint gradually took shape.

It resembled a human figure, composed of over 128,000 distinct, interconnected "parts."

The moment the imprint reappeared, it seemed to possess a life of its own and began to move.

First, it aimlessly discerned its surroundings, then slowly drifted towards the puddle of flesh on the ground.

Li Fan did not stop it, simply observing quietly.

After the humanoid imprint attached itself to the flesh, the lifeless chunks of meat began to squirm. With the imprint as a skeleton, the flesh served as its outer layer, re-forming itself.

The entire process was quite eerie, but what astonished Li Fan even more was yet to come.

Although the cultivation method imprint reshaped the body, it did not resurrect the disciple. It was merely a reanimated corpse, and its outward appearance remained unrepaired.

It was purely a construct of conjoined flesh and blood. Its first, and only, mission upon appearing was to sit cross-legged and then begin circulating the "Spirit Origin Scripture for All Beings."

Spiritual energy slowly gathered within the flesh-and-blood construct. Before long, Li Fan sensed the fluctuations of the cultivation method operating within it.

Like a machine crafted from flesh and blood, even without the disciple's life as a "carrier," it ceaselessly cultivated the "Spirit Origin Scripture for All Beings" without tiring.

The flesh-and-blood machine possessed no intelligence or awareness. It ignored Li Fan and Li Qing, merely executing its pre-programmed instructions.

"No wonder that enigmatic leader of the Spirit Origin Sect was initially able to find enough cultivators to practice, allowing the cultivation method's benefits to reach a threshold that offset the side effects of incompatible cultivation methods."

"So, he relied on these flesh-and-blood puppets without their own consciousness."

A look of keen interest flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

"To be able to operate the cultivation method even after death, purely through flesh-and-blood instinct, must be due to that imprint. I've never heard of anything like it before. It seems this Spirit Origin Sect leader was also a man with secrets."

"It's a pity, though. Even with the Heavenly Venerate's Dharma Idol taking action, he was no different from an ant and couldn't escape death."

Of course, it wasn't impossible that the Spirit Origin Sect leader was not in Jiushan State at the time and managed to narrowly escape.

He just needed to verify it now...

At Li Fan's signal, Li Qing, the clone, immediately sat cross-legged and similarly carved the Spirit Origin Scripture imprint within her own body.

The main body carefully observed the subtle changes occurring within her as the imprints steadily multiplied.

Only when the imprints were fully reproduced and linked together did Li Fan vaguely perceive their effect on the flesh and blood.

To put it simply, it was like stamping an official seal onto the physical body.

"Try cultivating the 'Spirit Origin Scripture for All Beings'," Li Fan said, narrowing his eyes.

Li Qing nodded slightly and once again attempted to circulate the Spirit Origin Scripture.

This time, there was no obstruction, and she quickly began cultivating.

"Apart from us, no one else in the entire Xuanhuang Realm is cultivating this method."

"It seems that Spirit Origin Sect leader is truly dead."

Li Fan shook his head.

The reason was simple: while the Spirit Origin Sect leader himself might not have practiced the Spirit Origin Scripture, this cultivation method must have been extremely useful to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to establish the Spirit Origin Sect and spread the cultivation method everywhere.

If he were still alive, he would certainly be regrouping. With the method of using imprints to control flesh-and-blood puppets, a resurgence would not be difficult.

Yet, so much time had passed since the fall of Jiushan State, and still no new cultivators had begun practicing the Spirit Origin Scripture. Even those who had previously cultivated it had all given up.

"No matter how many schemes you devise, they are ultimately useless in the face of an absolute disparity in strength."

The Spirit Origin Sect leader's death was tragic, but his legacy inadvertently benefited Li Fan.

Although the "Spirit Origin Scripture for All Beings" undoubtedly held more secrets, there was no harm in Li Fan utilizing it first.

He could then gradually decipher it.

"First, go create some flesh-and-blood puppets and get them to cultivate the Spirit Origin Scripture," Li Fan instructed.

Li Qing immediately accepted the command and departed.

"If all goes well, the small world will soon continuously produce cultivators."

"I don't expect them to directly contend with the Five Elder Assembly; they just need to help me mend the heavens."

"The crimson river of time is almost endless, spanning an immense period. However, most of history is irrelevant. The most crucial nodes are..."

"King Xuantian's return from the immortal realm passage and his establishment of the Xuantian Sect, up until his inexplicable disappearance."

"The late period of the Ten Immortal Sects' rule, when the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate emerged, and Master Bai achieved the dual Dharma Heavenly Venerate status of past and present."

"First, I need to figure out what happened during these two periods."

Li Fan knew well that acquiring historical fragments from the Creation Scripture through these small-world cultivators was like fishing in a pond.

It was full of randomness; what they obtained depended entirely on luck.

However, with a sufficient number of attempts, something valuable was bound to be acquired.

Li Qing was highly efficient.

Cultivating the method still required considering the influence of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma. Given the urgency, he ultimately sourced materials from the Xuanhuang Realm.

In just over ten days, he had created enough flesh-and-blood puppets.

As for the numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators who mysteriously disappeared within the Myriad Immortals Alliance territory, it caused barely a ripple.