"The mind and the flesh, the material realm and the spiritual world, are separate like an abyss, yet they possess an inexplicable connection. They influence each other, yet remain distinct." A thoughtful expression appeared in Zhang Chen’s eyes. He always felt that there seemed to be an unknown, incredible link between the spiritual world and the real world. This link was very crucial; if he could discover it, he could definitely bridge the two worlds, allowing his body to enter the spiritual world.
"I know what you’re thinking. You want your body to enter the spiritual world. It’s not entirely without possibility." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon turned to look at Zhang Chen. "If your Heaven-Reaching Jianmu sapling can grow, relying on the characteristics of the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu, you may have the opportunity to enter the spiritual world with your body, and even devour and refine the entire spiritual world."
"The Heaven-Reaching Jianmu sapling?" Zhang Chen was deep in thought, quickening his pace, and made his way to the third barrier of the spiritual world. He looked at the extremely cold world, completely covered in ice, but did not hastily enter. Instead, he stood outside the barrier for a while, then turned around and disappeared into the gap between the third heaven and the second heaven of the spiritual world.
Without the alchemy furnace at hand, Zhang Chen dared not enter rashly.
In the underground chamber, Zhang Chen opened his eyes. "Old fellow, do you know of any space divine techniques that would allow me to collect items, so I don’t need to carry a whole pile of things wherever I go?"
Upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon sized him up. "Once your cultivation can comprehend the law of space, you will naturally be able to open up a void and carry various items with you."
"At that stage, why would I need to carry some miscellaneous items?" Zhang Chen retorted irritably. "I’m asking if there’s a crafty method for now?"
After a moment’s scrutiny, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said, "Your Visualization Technique actually involves the operation of the law of space, and it contains a mysterious space divine technique. Unfortunately, you only have the Visualization Technique without the method to operate magical power, so you cannot develop that divine technique."
"My Visualization Technique contains a Space Technique?" Zhang Chen’s eyes instantly brightened.
"Indeed! Unfortunately, it lacks the most crucial magical operation formula," said the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
Zhang Chen fell silent upon hearing this and said after a while, "Actually, I have a conjecture about this Visualization Technique. The tomb adjacent to the Empress Tomb should be related to the Five Villages Temple. After all, according to the ruins of the Five Villages Temple beneath Chunting Lake’s Dragon Palace, the Five Villages Temple used to be here, within its activity range. And if a master from the Five Villages Temple unintentionally broke into the Empress Tomb during its downfall, discovered that its power could shield against the exploration of the Innate Peacock and Xu Erniu, and then chose to hide here until their natural death, it would make sense."
Bear in mind that in the past, quite a few cultivators from the Five Villages Temple had reached the tenth tier. Even at the twelfth tier, there were four major disciples, and countless others at the eleventh, tenth tiers.
"Haven’t you perused the books of the Five Villages Temple? If such a divine technique existed in the temple, how could you not know?" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon was puzzled.
"There are countless prodigies in the world; who knows what techniques one might have comprehended and kept as their trump card without revealing them? Even the True Spirit of that Immortal claims to be the origin of the Immortal Dao but failed. Didn’t the various Ancestral Masters fail to recognize the origin of my Nine Bends Yellow River Array? This indicates that my Nine Bends Yellow River Array does not originate from the Ancestral Master’s lineage, implying that besides the Ancestral Master’s lineage, there are other qi cultivation heritages in the world." A spark of intense light shone in Zhang Chen’s eyes.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon nodded in agreement with Zhang Chen’s view. "But from the downfall of the Five Villages Temple to the present, innumerable years have passed; who knows who left that legacy?"
Zhang Chen remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Que sera, sera."
In fact, space divine techniques aren’t particularly important; they merely make carrying items more convenient. For him, life span and enhancing combat power are the most crucial; everything else can wait.
With a twist, Zhang Chen vanished from the spot, reappearing amid the blizzard. The carriage had stopped, and the family was resting in the snow.
The weather was very cold; a moment of inattention could lead to freezing. Zhang Chen thought most of the refugees planning to head to Jiangnan would likely freeze to death along the way.
"It’s really cold today; it looks like it will snow," Chengyu complained upon seeing Zhang Chen approach.
Zhang Chen’s Water Control Technique had long sensed a large amount of moisture gathering in the clouds, reaching the freezing point and likely to fall at any moment.
"It will definitely snow tonight. We need to set up the sanctuary in advance and make it sturdy. Otherwise, we can’t withstand the piercing cold wind." With a thought from Zhang Chen, the ground began to twist. Not long after, a three-bedroom, two-hall house appeared out of thin air on the ground.
Inside the room, there was a heated bed, but no windows. After all, Zhang Chen couldn’t find the materials to build windows. He only left a hole in the room and then used water vapor to condense into ice, sticking it to the hole and freezing it solidly.
"Everyone, come inside." Zhang Chen directly summoned the small stove from Zhang Fei, placing it into the hearth. As the scorching heat diffused, the clay bed began to warm, and the temperature of the entire room steadily rose, expelling all the cold air from outside.
The hunting falcon clawed at dead wood, which Zhang Chen used to take the alchemy furnace from the hearth. Mrs. Zhang then placed a large pot on top, kindling a roaring flame within the hearth, preparing for dinner.
At this time, the hunting falcon and the horse both followed into the room, not wanting to freeze outside. The family gathered inside, savoring hotpot, feeling quite pleasant indeed.
After eating and drinking their fill, the sky had darkened, and everyone sat down to meditate and cultivate. Zhang Chen, holding the alchemy furnace, went to a separate room, attempting to enter the Third Heaven.
Zhang Chen was seen cradling the alchemy furnace, seated cross-legged in the dark. The next moment, his mind appeared in the crevice between two worlds. He stood outside the world’s barrier, his eyes gazing at the distant world sealed with ice and snow. After a brief hesitation, he walked directly towards the world’s barrier.
To Zhang Chen’s mental realm, the world’s barrier appeared as an illusory mirage, unable to hinder him in the slightest. Zhang Chen floated over it with a step, and the next moment, an incredibly terrifying icy chill swept over him overwhelmingly.
What kind of terror must it be, to freeze an entire world?
What experience is the extreme cold?
Zhang Chen only felt this sensation was strange; his spirit suddenly numbed, as if losing consciousness. His thoughts dulled, and a wave of drowsiness surged, making him wish to collapse to the ground and drift off into sleep.
"You must not sleep! If you sleep now, you’ll be sealed in ice, and your body outside will perish. You must hold on until your furnace erupts with warmth to counter the extreme cold. Then, you’ll get through it," the voice of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon timely sounded by Zhang Chen’s ear.
Zhang Chen knew he couldn’t sleep. But at this moment, he felt like riding a train, the wave of drowsiness crashing over him uncontrollably.
Outside
Zhang Chen’s physical body was suddenly enveloped in frost, a chill descending from the void, making his entire body rigid. Bits of ice began forming, threatening to envelop and ice-seal Zhang Chen completely.
But just then, as the chill was about to touch the alchemy furnace Zhang Chen was holding, suddenly the alchemy furnace’s Qi mechanism rotated, and a red light burst forth from within. A terrifying searing energy circulated, pushing back the chill enveloping Zhang Chen’s physical body.
Then the searing energy from the alchemy furnace continued, guided by a mysterious void resonance, channeling into the void, manifesting in Zhang Chen’s spiritual body.
Within the spiritual world, Zhang Chen’s spiritual manifestation was already encased in ice, transformed into an ice sculpture frozen in a walking pose. The Great Freedom Celestial Demon was orbiting Zhang Chen’s sculpture, muttering incessantly. However, Zhang Chen’s consciousness was already muddled with chaos, hearing the demon’s tirades as if from a distant world, barely audible. This was a force from the exterior, not something mere mental willpower could resist.
It’s like an ordinary person hit by a train; the train is external force, and no matter how strong the will, what use is it? The chill is a substantial force, not an illusion acting on the spirit.
"For heaven’s sake, don’t sleep, you can’t sleep! If you sleep and sever the link with your physical body, even if your furnace activates, that power can’t transfer from the material realm to the spiritual world, and we’ll both be frozen here," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon was frantic like ants on a hot pan, eyes showing anxiety. Unfortunately, though unafraid of the extreme cold, he couldn’t aid Zhang Chen against it.
While the Great Freedom Celestial Demon was ranting, suddenly a red light flickered within Zhang Chen’s spiritual body. A scarlet glow burst out, permeating from his form, dispelling the chill and gradually melting and eroding the ice sealing him.
"It worked! The toughest hurdle is over, now it’s time for great gain. The entire Third Heaven of the spiritual world was frozen, preserving many mythical era creatures. Collecting them will be highly rewarding. Especially, many of my avatars are also frozen in the Third Heaven. If they can be unsealed, what we can accomplish is limitless," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon was rubbing his hands with excitement, his eyes shimmering with joy.