If one could refine the Third Heaven of the Spiritual World into one’s own domain, how powerful would that domain become? Would the range of one’s domain expand?
Zhang Chen’s eyes glowed as he stared at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon: "So, do you have a way to help me refine the Third Heaven of the Spiritual World?"
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon rolled its eyes upon hearing this: "You overestimate me! If I had that ability, I’d have refined the Third Heaven myself. How could it ever be your turn to do such a thing?"
"Then why did you even bring it up?" Zhang Chen retorted, unimpressed.
"Although I can’t refine the Third Heaven, I do have an idea. Perhaps we could bring this hand into your Ice Hell and have you seal it," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said with a smile.
"You have a way?" Zhang Chen’s eyes lit up instantly, even his words carried a hint of flattery, displaying his eagerness and determination to make use of the demon while it could still be of help.
"I am a Celestial Demon; I can mimic its spirit waves. The owner of this hand was dismembered before death, and though the hand retains part of the soul, after merging with the Third Heaven and being suppressed by the hardships of Heaven and Earth, how much wisdom could it possibly retain? It likely only possesses a vague instinct. If the remnant soul of the hand awakens and is left with only instinct, it will instinctively seek out the other part of its body... at that point, everything will fall into place," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said, eyes fixed on Zhang Chen:
"However, my plan has both pros and cons. It will accelerate the awakening of the hand’s consciousness, and who knows what trouble may arise if things spiral out of control and our plans are disregarded? There’s a risk for both of us," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon added, looking intently at Zhang Chen: "It’s up to you to decide."
How should Zhang Chen choose?
Zhang Chen, of course, considered this. Once the hand awoke, it would disqualify him from entering the Third Heaven. This hand dropped large quantities of points annually, which were invaluable to him. Most importantly, Zhang Chen needed the cold air emanating from the hand to enhance his own skills, potentially elevating them to the Twelfth Heaven. Naturally, Zhang Chen wanted to take action before the hand fully awoke.
With his fists clenched, Zhang Chen took a deep breath and said, "Take a chance on the bike turning into a motorcycle. Even if I fail, the outcome won’t be worse than it is now. Just do your part, and even if we fail in the end, I won’t blame you."
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon took a breath upon hearing this: "Alright! You’ve got guts, boy. Let’s just hope the remaining consciousness in this hand is chaotic enough to leave only instinct; otherwise, we’re in for big trouble."
"I need time to analyze its aura and simulate its spirit waves, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said.
"I need time too!" Zhang Chen focused on the experience points around the hand. He needed to gather all the experience points and then level up the Sealing Rune, increasing his chances of suppressing the hand.
"Alright! Let’s each do our part," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said before flashing towards the hand, disappearing into the void.
Zhang Chen withdrew his Ice Domain, since being in the Ice Domain prevented him from moving and collecting the experience points scattered on the ground.
Though he retracted his Ice Domain, Zhang Chen’s process of collecting cold air remained the same, it just slowed down significantly.
Looking at the dense experience points on the ground, Zhang Chen couldn’t suppress a smile. He knew he would gain greatly this time! If he could suppress this hand, he would have a perpetual energy machine.
Zhang Chen slowly approached the points, and at that moment, the Golden Finger Interface timely popped up:
[Points detected, do you wish to collect them?]
"Collect!" Zhang Chen ordered in his mind.
[+100]
[+300]
[+150]
[+500]
...
Zhang Chen now had no fear of the overwhelming cold air, but because the ice and snow were slippery and very steep, his pace was not fast, almost to the extent that one could say he moved cautiously, taking one step at a time to avoid slipping and falling.
Looking at the undulating mountains in the distance, Zhang Chen felt that facing the icy mountain paths was like falling into an ice pit – climbing out was exceptionally difficult, with no leverage points.
"What a hassle! Trying to collect points involves facing countless challenges," Zhang Chen muttered to himself while glancing up and down the steep cliffs and the frozen mountains and earth, which would make anyone despair.
"Even with ice skates, I can’t hope to cross those towering mountains without thinking of a strategy." At that moment, Zhang Chen stood in place, deep in thought, constantly contemplating ways to quickly climb the mountains.
Transform into a vampire bat?
Once transformed into a vampire bat, my resistance to the extreme cold will disappear, and the vampire bat transformation will be directly frozen.
Fortunately, Zhang Chen was clever enough; his palm extended and the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array appeared.
Then he tossed his palm, and the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array grew against the wind, instantly transforming into a Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array covering twelve hundred meters. As soon as it appeared, it blocked the cold air between Heaven and Earth. With the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array’s blessing, Zhang Chen transformed into a vampire bat next, shuttling between the mountains, climbing steep cliffs, and then revealing his true form to gather points.
If someone were to ask Zhang Chen why he didn’t use this method with the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array for travel upon first entering the Ice and Snow World, there was a deadly point: the Nine Bends Yellow River Talisman Array must be collected momentarily and then redeployed, but Zhang Chen didn’t have the time to react and would be beset by freezing cold. This is why Zhang Chen initially rejected this idea.
But now Zhang Chen has the power to resist the cold, so naturally, he can use this clever method.
Watching the points accumulate on the Golden Finger interface, Zhang Chen turned his gaze to the boundless mountains in the distance: "I just hope the Great Freedom Celestial Demon can show some prowess, and not let me down!"
"After all, this hand is exceedingly important to me. If I can subdue this hand, there will be a constant supply of points in the future, enough to make my skills soar." Zhang Chen walked while pondering the flaws in his upcoming plan.
"It’s a pity the owner of this hand has harmonized with this world, sharing longevity with the entire world; otherwise, perhaps I could hook their soul, providing solutions to many dilemmas." Zhang Chen secretly muttered, his eyes showing a hint of admiration as he was in awe of these old monsters’ strength.
Time slowly passed, with the Nine Bends Yellow River Array empowering him, his walking speed increased. The hand was exceptionally large, resembling a mighty mountain range, transformed into a giant dragon sprawled on the ground.
Even with Zhang Chen’s current physique, it took a full three days to circle the mountain range completely. When he completed the circuit and returned to the starting point, seeing the soaring experience points on the Golden Finger interface, Zhang Chen’s lips broadened:
[Points: 5000000000]
Five billion!
This was a full five billion points.
Zhang Chen had never been so wealthy!
His eyes swept over his Invisibility Technique:
[11 Skills (Eighth level): Invisibility Rune (0/160000000)][Note 1: If one is not an expert with pupil techniques, they cannot penetrate your Invisibility Rune.]
"Upgrading Invisibility Technique to the ninth level only requires 180 million points." Zhang Chen pondered over it but didn’t rush to allocate them, as he needed to use the points wisely. These 180 million points might play a crucial role at the final moment, so he decided to upgrade the Sealing Rune first.
He had a clear target: the Sealing Rune, concerning the suppression of that hand. It’s the fundamental basis; as long as he can suppress that hand, he could gain fifty billion points annually, and if he remained discreet for a few years, he would stand to gain tremendously.
After the Sealing Rune, the next upgrade should be Invisibility Technique, for with it, he could steal the Power of Incense in Jiangnan, a crucial skill for his future development, thus Invisibility Technique should be swiftly advanced.
Following Invisibility Technique is the Authority of Wood Element; this divine technique relates to extending his lifespan, so Zhang Chen would prioritize this skill.
As for other skills? Those requiring tens of billions to hundreds of billions of experience points; once he upgrades the Sealing Rune, the remaining points may not suffice for further upgrades.
Looking at the Golden Finger interface, Zhang Chen quickly calculated the distribution of experience points. While fifty billion seems like a lot, it requires careful planning to bring substantial improvement.
"The Soul Hook upgrade requires one billion skill points. If needed, I can consider an upgrade; the Soul Hook is incredibly useful, especially in countering those old antiques. I’ve only explored the Third Heaven in the Spiritual World; still, there’s the unexplored Thirty Heavens. Unknown dangers might lurk within; upgrading Soul Hook could surprise me." Zhang Chen mused secretly, shifting his gaze to Time Acceleration; upgrading it could significantly enhance its effectiveness, potentially offering a century’s benefit with a single activation, posing a substantial threat. Common folks struck by it could instantly perish!
"And there’s Sun Collection Skill, the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, and many others demanding upgrades, but there’s hardly enough to go around!" Zhang Chen thought to himself.
For example, True God Golden Light currently remains at level five, and it’s overdue for an upgrade. There’s also the Nine Bends Yellow River Array and his Sun Charcoal Fire; upgrading them could yield fantastic effects.
With too many ideas but limited experience points, Zhang Chen extinguished his whims and focused intently on the Sealing Rune.