Chapter 920: Holy Ruins (3)

Physical sciences had clearly advanced significantly in this world. Humans had mastered nuclear weapons. They could also launch satellites and spacecraft to explore outer space.

However, their technological means were limited, and they were still far from entering the era of interstellar navigation. Therefore, they had not discovered the existence of the Reapers in outer space.

Even if traces of the Reapers occasionally appeared in this world, they were often considered to be mysterious UFOs, which in turn had given rise to a large group of passionate alien enthusiasts and researchers.

According to Li Xiaofei’s observations, the Reapers were relatively active in this world. Some higher-stage Reapers could fully transform into human appearances and live among the people. They could observe the development and changes of human reproduction and society up close.

Some engaged in commerce, others in politics, some in scientific research, and still others in sports and entertainment. These Reapers played their roles, never revealing their superpowers to change anyone’s fate or to alter the world.

They followed some kind of worldly immersion rule. Li Xiaofei brushed past one in a random street, but there was no conflict. Li Xiaofei could distinguish their identities. But they could not perceive any abnormalities about Li Xiaofei.

After walking through this world for three days, Li Xiaofei ate as he walked, enjoying the long-lost feeling of home, and felt more relaxed than ever before.

At the summit of the highest mountain, Galiang Peak, Li Xiaofei entered the Secret Time Pavilion to begin cultivating. His current realm was the second transformation of the Six Gods Realm, so he continued to temper his divine sense. He circulated his cultivation technique and entered an absolute meditative state.

Li Xiaofei could clearly sense that the energy of merit and faith from Testing Ground Seven’s continent continued to flow into him. This energy seemed to transcend time and space, reaching Li Xiaofei’s body anytime and anywhere.

His Twelve Principal Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians resonated and roared. Immortal Force surged within him. As his divine sense continued to rotate, it felt as if it were being repeatedly struck, tempered, and stretched, like steel forged a hundred times over.

Time passed.

Boom.

The third roar echoed in Li Xiaofei’s mind. He opened his ‘eyes’ and ‘looked’ around. This time, what his divine sense saw was completely different from what he had seen before with energy and lines. Instead, he could see forms.

His divine sense had turned three-dimensional. For example, the massive Secret Time Pavilion, each soaring pillar, the ground, even the dome, the air within the grand hall, and the presence and distribution of energy appeared as a three-dimensional pattern. It was all deconstructed.

At this moment, Li Xiaofei’s eyes were like an exceptionally sharp surgical blade, dissecting everything he saw. Everything he saw was a law. The entire world was built from laws. Divine sense seeing forms. This was the hallmark of the third transformation of the Six Gods Realm.

Li Xiaofei slowly opened his eyes. He knew that the tempering of his divine sense had reached its limit. If he wanted to go any further, he would have to continue tempering it along with the rise of his cultivation realm.

It was no longer possible to leap through levels as quickly as before. From now on, his cultivation goal in the Six Gods Realm was to build his own miniature domain world.

He would use the foundation of seeing energy, lines, and forms to construct his own small world. Building a miniature domain world would not only allow him to defeat his enemies but also deepen his understanding of the real world. Someone who had built a house would see all buildings with new insight. That was the principle.

Cultivation, at its core, was a process of continuously understanding oneself and the world. It was not metaphysics. It was science. Whether it was martial arts or immortal techniques, the same principle applied.

What kind of miniature domain world should I construct?

Li Xiaofei found himself pondering this question.

For many cultivators, the first choice was to create a miniature world for killing enemies or self-defense. This was indeed an optimal solution. However, Li Xiaofei already had the Realm of Eternal Samsara as a trump card, so he could afford to explore more options in constructing his small world.

He did not necessarily have to build an offensive, lethal, or defensive miniature domain. He concluded this round of cultivation and descended from the summit of Galiang Peak.

This time, he did not choose to search for disciples or pass on his techniques. He felt that Testing Ground Ten did not need any changes. However, he buried some ‘treasures’ beneath the Great Snowy Mountain.

One day, if someone were to discover them and refine the technology hidden there, they might slowly uncover the true nature of this world and gain the power to protect themselves.

Then, Li Xiaofei traveled to Testing Ground Sixteen. This testing ground had taken the form of a continent in the starry sky. However, unlike the other testing grounds he had encountered before, this one was a world dominated by religion.

The timeline was set in the feudal era. Hundreds of nations, large and small, existed on the continent. Each practiced different religions.

As expected, Li Xiaofei saw religions here that resembled Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Islam from Earth. For the humans of this world, daily life was inseparable from religion. Religious belief was the most important component of their lives. For many fanatics, even life itself paled in comparison to their faith.

But conflicts and wars erupted constantly. Almost every war between nations stemmed from disputes over religious beliefs. Old religions perished in war and new religions rose from the ashes.

Li Xiaofei traveled through countless mountains and rivers and saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He saw even the poorest and weakest people fighting like wolves in these religious wars.

A wave of emotion surged in his heart. Faith was a good thing. But those who held faith were not always so. Li Xiaofei viewed the world through his divine sense and he saw everything with even greater clarity.

Along the way, he gathered the bodies of the dead, performed rituals to transcend their spirits, and dispersed plagues. He gained many insights through these experiences.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He began to construct his own miniature domain world. This process did not take long. One day, on an Asura battlefield, Li Xiaofei encountered a defeated great general. This man was a general of a nation called Tuo. Tuo’s religion was called Fo. It bore similarities to Buddhism on Earth. This general was an extremely devout and zealous believer.

He had been born into poverty and had started as a young novice in a temple. Through unyielding perseverance, an exceptional strategic mind, and a blend of wisdom and bravery, he had grown to become the God General who commanded half of Tuo’s armies.

But he had lost the decisive battle in this particular war against their enemies. His body was covered in blood as he staggered through the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. He stumbled forward. He was willing to die for the sake of his faith. He held his Fo Blade in his hand as he walked toward the enemy forces.

“Kill, kill, kill all these heretics.” He muttered softly under his breath.

But as he walked, the corpses ahead of him vanished. The blood disappeared too. He looked up in surprise and glanced around. A faint white mist swirled in the wind, and a figure appeared in the distance.

“Kill.” The general lifted his blade and charged forward. But after just a few steps, a strange thought suddenly arose in his mind,

Why am I killing?

Wait. Who am I? Ah, now I remember. I lost the battle, and I failed the Fo Emperor. I must kill the enemy in front of me to defend my faith.

Wait, who is the Fo Emperor? What exactly is it that I believe in?

Within that white mist, as the tall, spear-like figure in the distance turned to glance at him, the general suddenly felt as though he had forgotten something. His eyes turned vacant. Then the Fo Blade in his hand, chipped from killing too many people and still dripping with blood, suddenly felt impossibly heavy.

“Ah...” The general cried out in shock. He looked at the blood on the blade and immediately discarded it. It was a blade that had never left his side since he joined the army, a companion he even carried while he slept. That blood made it hard for him to breathe.

“Excellent.” That distant figure let out a sigh of praise. “Put down the butcher’s knife, and become a Buddha on the spot.”

The general’s body suddenly trembled. A sense of unprecedented enlightenment surged in his heart as he stood there in a daze.