Chapter 177: How Should the Emperor Reward Himself?
Time flowed quietly.
A whole year had passed.
Li Xun sat cross-legged inside the Buddha statue's mysterious space.
His entire body gleamed golden, radiant with divine light.
Every inch of his skin looked as though it had been forged from pure gold.
Although his cultivation realm hadn't advanced significantly, his mastery of the Indestructible Golden Body was nearing the Minor Completion stage!
Originally, Li Xun had planned to leave the territory of the Great Chu Dynasty immediately after acquiring the technique.
But after he entered this space within the statue, the gateway closed automatically.
Through the golden tome, Li Xun learned that unless he reached Minor Completion in the Indestructible Golden Body, he wouldn't be able to leave.
So, rather than force a way out, he decided to use his time wisely, organizing and refining all the techniques he had previously learned.
In the first few months, he perfected various Earth-level and Heaven-level divine techniques.
In the following months, he focused on both the Heavenly Dragon Cloud Soaring Technique and the Thunder Prison Blade Manual—the latter obtained through his investment in Yang Yi—and brought both to Minor Completion.
Though the Thunder Prison Blade Manual wasn't particularly suited to him, it was still a Mid-grade Saint technique.
At this stage, it granted tremendous combat power.
Even using his bare hands as a blade, Li Xun was confident very few could withstand him.
In the final months, he first unsealed the Robe of Salvation, then put all his effort into cultivating the Indestructible Golden Body.
Now, it is finally approaching Minor Completion.
Buzz!
A soft hum echoed.
Golden brilliance blazed more intensely around Li Xun.
He looked like a golden deity, holy and dignified.
Bathed in ten thousand rays of golden light, he shattered the shackles of the flesh, elevating his physical body to a whole new level.
In that moment, his vital essence was so intense it nearly took physical form, overflowing from his body and filling the entire space—vast and majestic.
The Indestructible Golden Body was not just a physical defense technique; it also contained methods to temper one's blood and energy.
Now, at Minor Completion, Li Xun felt reborn, like his entire being had undergone a transformation.
Even his hair shimmered with divine brilliance.
Boom!
Half a day later, the Buddha statue's inner space was engulfed in visions of mountain-shattering, ocean-boiling, sky-collapsing destruction, as if the end of the world had arrived.
These were not actual events, but phenomena created by the overwhelming surge of his vital energy.
Amidst the golden divine light that filled the sky, a towering figure slowly stood up.
As his eyes opened and closed, lightning bolts shot out, tearing through space.
Wherever his gaze swept, it was like a divine sword splitting the void.
The entire mysterious space was nearly sliced in two by his presence alone.
"The Indestructible Golden Body has finally reached Minor Completion!"
A quiet murmur escaped his lips.
Li Xun stood tall.
His hair flowed like a waterfall, every strand gleaming.
His body sparkled with a treasure-like glow, he looked like an eternal young Immortal Emperor, standing proudly.
With his current mastery of the technique, his flesh was like celestial jade, his meridians flowed like great rivers, and his bones were like divine metal, all exuding an indestructible essence.
Though he hadn't yet tested its power, Li Xun felt sure that even barehanded, he could now catch a Dao Weapon without much difficulty.
"It's time to leave."
Casting a final glance around the mysterious space, Li Xun reached out and summoned the golden tome that had been floating mid-air into his hand.
The Great Bright Monastery was gone.
Leaving this Saint-level technique here served no purpose.
Better to take it with him, whether to invest in others or offer it to Profound Sun Holy Land to bolster their foundation, it was a valuable asset.
After putting away the golden tome, Li Xun felt no further attachment to the place.
He walked to the edge of the mysterious space, then threw a punch.
Boom!
The world quaked.
A terrifying, dominating aura exploded like the rising sun of a new king, sweeping in all directions, drowning the entire mysterious space.
The portal that had vanished long ago reappeared in the void under Li Xun's overwhelming punch.
. . . . . . .
A whole year had passed.
At the ruins of the Great Bright Monastery, only Duke Qi remained.
The other two Dukes had each gone their separate ways to investigate, scouring regions hundreds of thousands of miles wide, yet still returning with no news.
"Strange…"
Duke Qi muttered to himself.
He stood atop a collapsed mountain peak, his gaze sweeping the surrounding ruins, eyes filled with confusion.
Ever since their pursuit brought them here a year ago, Li Xun had seemingly vanished into thin air.
The three of them were left like headless flies, aimlessly searching.
After all, without a trace of Li Xun, they had no idea which direction he might have gone.
Maybe he continued westward, or perhaps he changed direction midway and went somewhere else entirely.
With no clues, they didn't dare to randomly choose a path to continue the chase.
If they guessed wrong, they'd only drift further and further away from him.
"A year has passed. If Li Xun had truly fled, even if he took a long detour, he should've returned to Profound Sun Holy Land by now."
"But the thing is, there's been no word at all about Li Xun's return during this entire year."
"Which means… there's a strong chance he's still here!"
Duke Qi looked down at the broken rubble beneath his feet, a deep intuition stirring in his chest.
Li Xun had not left the Great Chu Dynasty.
In fact, he might still be within the ruins of the Great Bright Monastery itself!
The problem was, even with their Divine Palace Realm cultivation, they hadn't been able to track down Li Xun's exact location.
Just as Duke Qi was at his wit's end—
RUMBLE!
A deafening boom echoed through the area.
Not far away, a headless Buddha statue exploded.
From within, ten thousand strands of golden light burst forth, and a tall, slender figure strode out with powerful steps.
Every inch of his flesh glowed with light, even his hair shimmered like threads of divine gold.
He was like a solar deity, so radiant that even the sun above paled in comparison.
"That's—?!"
Startled by the noise, Duke Qi immediately turned toward the source.
When he saw the shattered Buddha statue, he was initially stunned.
But the moment he laid eyes on Li Xun, his pupils shrank, and a wild joy lit up in the depths of his gaze.
Li Xun!
He really hadn't left!
He'd been hiding here all along, seemingly within the very Buddha statue itself.
And inside it… was likely some kind of mysterious hidden space!
Such a method of spatial creation wasn't something Li Xun was currently capable of.
Which meant, without a doubt, it had to be something left behind by the Great Bright Monastery.
Back when the temple was destroyed, two Saint-level divine techniques were lost.
Since then, countless top experts of the Great Chu Dynasty had searched every corner of the temple's ruins.
And still, they found nothing.
But now, Li Xun has emerged from a mysterious space within the ruins.
Could it be that he had obtained one of those long-lost divine techniques?
Or maybe both?
The moment this thought struck him, Duke Qi's original plan to contact the other two Dukes was instantly discarded.
After all, the Emperor of Great Chu had personally ordered them to kill Li Xun.
If he alone completed the mission, and on top of that, managed to recover one or even both of those lost Saint-level divine techniques, then what kind of reward would the Emperor bestow upon him?
A promotion in rank might be unlikely, but a couple of Dao Weapons and an abundance of cultivation resources?
That wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?
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