Chapter 54

Moments prior.

Ji Xian was standing on a familiar, large, floating platform. Around him, is a scenic view of the sparkling ocean and a clear blue sky that's occasionally obstructed by tall trees.

A large number of sea beasts rested on the grass and sands of the isle to avoid the sunlight.

Even with the presence of the floating platform in front of them, their behavior indicated nothing was out of the ordinary. They were completely relaxed as they lazily lay with their belly faced up.

It is precisely because they couldn't see the platform to begin with, that they acted this way.

Ji Xian didn't pay them any mind. He glanced towards the other end of the platform where an altar lay. At its corners are two poles that are lit with an unmoving green flame.

Hovering in the center of the altar was a narrow opening in space that was two meters long.

Ji Xian obsessively stared at it for a second. A mysterious light flashed in his eyes before he turned to the figure sitting crossed-legged in front of him.

Naturally, it was Xia Lihua.

The aura that was currently coming from her was terrifying. Unexpectedly, she had an epiphany on the cultivation method that Ji Xian has taught her.

After all this time, she finally named it the Astral World Principles.

Her Internal World was in the process of evolving.

Recycling the resources in the world that exists all around her, through a system of complex conversions, the amount of Astral Essence that her Internal World can produce is almost eighteen times more than other Body Cultivators!

Even Ji Xian was surprised at the speed of her comprehension. She was without a doubt, a rarely-seen once-in-a-lifetime genius! Perhaps, even the heavens were jealous of Xia Lihua's talent so she was born unable to sense True Essence. Fortunately, she was born in an era where Body Cultivation existed.

With this breakthrough, her aura skyrocketed!

Following the sound of breaking chains, a blue, lightning spark flashed around her in an unstable manner. Its appearance was brief but it brought immense change to the Mortal Desolate World.

The sea beasts laying around felt something. They roared and howled at the sky before diving into the ocean in fear.

Dark clouds formed above as loud rumbling reverberated in the distance.

When Xia Lihua opened her eyes, she was instantly attracted to the seven colored lights shining through the clouds.

Her body instinctively shook, after all, this was the Universal Will! Its appearance will make anyone shake in fear!

Then, she looked at Ji Xian. Seeing how calm he was, helped her relax somewhat.

He nodded at her and she nodded back.

Her breathing steadied as she recalled the Merit Art he taught her.

Snake-like golden threads emerged from her white dress. At her will, they stretched to their absolute limits, becoming a thin film. It covered her entire body like a suit.

She channeled her Astral Essence, causing her body to shine with a silver light. If one looks closely, her Essence looked similar to needles. This kind of control was incredibly demanding and difficult. Xia Lihua shuddered, droplets of sweat dripping from her face as she concentrated all her willpower.

Her Astral Essence subtly moved. The silver light on her shook oddly.

She was engraving runes, runes that were so small it would be difficult to see with the naked eye. Each time a rune was successfully created, her aura slightly weakened.

Luckily, the amount of Astral Essence she was producing was enough to slow the amount she was expending. This goes to show just how much Essence this engraving process required!

The rumbling in the sky became even louder and the clouds began to spiral. A terrifying pressure gathered above.

Ji Xian observed the rainbow light.

"Looks like the Formatic doesn't have the ability to block the Universal Will. Can't say I'm surprised, this is the Universal Will, after all. It was worth a shot though."

He turned his attention back to Xia Lihua. Looking at her progress, he mentally calculates how long it would take for her to finish. He stretched out his arm and spread open his hand. Wisps of golden light emerged from his skin and collected into a ball. He threw it above her head and performed a single-hand sign.

The ball spun and transformed into a halo that glowed with golden brilliance. It produced a heavenly light that shrouded Xia Lihua,

With its appearance, the Universal Will lost its target and fade away. But before it fully disappear, as though giving a warning, it let out a thunderous crackle that shook the Mortal Desolate World. This was already the second time it lost its target!

With nothing more to do, Ji Xian walked to the altar, arriving before the Chaos Tunnel. His eyes shined with a subtle clear light as he inspect it while his lips curved into a smile.

"This is already the second Chaos Tunnel we came across after parting with Xiao Yueyin. How many more are there?"

In the past month, during their journey to the Arcane Mountain, Ji Xian had discovered traces of other Formatics. With one in the ocean near Solitude City, one at the Arcane Mountain, and along with the other two that he has found so far, that makes a total of four Chaos Tunnels in the Mortal Desolate World.

Four Chaos Tunnels in one world!

This was simply unheard of! After all, Chaos Tunnels are a naturally created phenomenon. Its emergence is exceptionally rare!

"I wonder… do they all lead to the same world? Or is it multiple different worlds? Just one Graha race has already given me so much… If I see others…"

Ji Xian's heart was racing just thinking about it.

He obsessively stared at the Chaos Tunnel in front of him with a hint of madness.

With just another step, he can leave everything behind and travel to a brand-new civilization.

The people he'll meet, the Divine Arts, the Cultivation Methods, the culture, the knowledge.

The thought of it was so tempting…

…

Three days later.

Xia Lihua opened her eyes. The second she was done engraving, the golden halo above her head, which has significantly decreased in size, lost its glow and vanished. While breathing heavily, she observed the golden film that covered her body. Hundreds of thousands of complex runes were engraved on the film and they're all connected to one another. Just the sight of it was headache-inducing.

She herself didn't know anything about runes. Her focus has always been on cultivation. All she did was copy everything that Ji Xian has taught her in the past month.

How did he even create something like this? She wondered to herself in awe.

Shaking her head, she clenched her fist. The space shook from her action,

So strong.

Standing up, she could feel Ji Xian's presence behind her. When she turned around, Xia Lihua saw his unmoving figure standing in front of the Chaos Tunnel.

"Ji Xian?"

"…"

"Ji Xian."

"…"

An uncomfortable feeling welled up in her heart.

"Ji Xian!"

"Huh? What is it?" He turned around and said with a smile.

With a flash, she appeared in front of him.

Xia Lihua brushed back his hair, she stared him in the eyes but didn't say anything. Her expression was enough for him to understand her thoughts.

"What are you worried about?" Ji Xian laughed. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

"…"

"Come on, it's time to leave."

Xia Lihua nodded.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

As they leave, Ji Xian quietly glanced back at the Chaos Tunnel. After a sigh, he and Xia Lihua disappeared.