Splitting the Heavens

Shang Xia could easily try to prevent his relationship with Gong Zhuo and Lin Jingya from worsening in order to prevent clashing with the Essence Xing World behind them, but Shang Xia was clear. If he wanted them to take him seriously and to treat him as an equal, only a massive battle would do the trick. He had to display his true might in order to scare them into restraining themselves.

He even suspected that the other side was probing him intentionally. Lin Jingya’s random attempts at picking a fight with him might be a trick the Essence Xing World was employing to test him.

Otherwise, Gong Zhuo wouldn’t have appeared before him again and tried to buy the Tribulation Pearl.

Hearing how Shang Xia wanted more, Gong Zhuo was slightly shocked but he quickly composed himself. He even felt lucky that their negotiations could continue and he mumbled, “Dare I ask… What do you want, True Immortal Shang?”

Shang Xia immediately revealed a wide grin and answered, “It’s not what I want… What can you provide me?”

Gong Zhuo thought for a moment before he responded, “At the very least, you need to give me an estimate.”

Shang Xia didn’t wish to continue the deadlock and felt that he at least had to show some sincerity and sighed, “At least take out a divine weapon of the same level and 2 high-grade weapons.”

High-grade weapons were things that Shang Xia barely used even in the Martial Extermination Realm. However, in the Spirit Luxuriant World, even Martial Dipper Realm experts might not be able to wield one… It was especially so for the Tongyou Institution, who produced a great number of Martial Dipper Realm experts…

“Since that is the case… I’ll get back to you after some discussion!” Gong Zhuo cupped his fists towards Shang Xia before turning around to fly into the region of chaotic space.

When Gong Zhuo had left, Shang Xia’s expression sank before inspecting the Tribulation Pearl he had sealed with his Six Direction Qi.

Even after inspecting it multiple times, he couldn’t understand what was so important about it.

Could it be that it was exactly as they said and the pearl was only important because it had been bestowed by their elder and couldn’t be lost easily?

Shang Xia shook his head and kept the pearl, no longer thinking about it. Instead, he continued to comb through the memories his clone brought back.

“Combining the Five Element Escape Talisman and the Five Element Teleportation Formation?! That’s an amazing idea! However… How I didn’t think that the Five Element Teleportation Talisman would be able to avoid leaving traces in the void. No… I need to send another clone back to the Spirit Luxuriant World to personally oversee the construction of the Five Element Teleportation Formation to the Jiao Continent…” Shang Xia muttered to himself. He was clear about the implications if the Five Element Teleportation Formation was truly able to leave no traces while traveling through space.

“But… I need to wait a few more days before making a decision.” Shang Xia sighed.

He had just been through a massive battle and he needed some time to recover. He might also strike a deal with Gong Zhuo, and he had to maintain a portion of his abilities. As such, he couldn’t create another clone to be sent back immediately…

Naturally, there was also something he needed to do after scanning through the memories of his clone. He had to verify if an ordinary True Immortal could pretend to be a high-level True Immortal with the Illusion Talisman, and if their disguise would be easily seen through.

There were examples of experts pretending to be experts stronger than they actually were, with Tian Mengzi acting as a True Immortal while only being at the Martial Dipper Realm in their meeting with the Spirit Faith World, causing them to become even more wary of the Spirit Luxuriant World.

However, Tian Mengzi didn’t dare to leave the Star Beast Nest back then and appear before high-level True Immortals. Otherwise, they would have noticed that Tian Mengzi was only a Martial Dipper Realm cultivator.

Shang Xia’s clone brought him a batch of resources required to craft talismans now that he returned, and Shang Xia naturally had to improve on his Illusion Talisman. He needed to create one that could be used on True Immortals, and for its effects to be so great that it couldn't be seen through by high-level True Immortals.

Actually, he had a perfect chance to test it out if he actually made anything.

The Illusion Talisman was just a rank five talisman, and it was nothing too difficult for a rank six Talisman Grandmaster like himself.

Leaving a clone at the entrance of the Star Beast Nest to act as the first line of defense in case anything happened, he quickly created a quiet spot in the Star Beast Nest. He would attempt to craft an Illusion Talisman while restoring his inner qi.

The talisman might be of the fifth rank, but with Shang Xia, a True Immortal, crafting it, it contained Sixth Order energy and could allow a Martial Dipper Realm cultivator to act as a Martial Void Realm expert… He didn’t know if it would be effective on True Immortals, and there was only one way to really find out.

He crafted an Illusion Talisman and quickly slapped it on himself.

However… With his cultivation at the fourth tier of the Martial Void Realm, the talisman was naturally unable to show its effects.

A precious rank five talisman was just wasted in Shang Xia’s hands.

However, Shang Xia quickly crafted another. This time, he slapped it on his clone that was standing guard outside.

As his clone was only supposed to act as his early warning system, Shang Xia didn’t bother splitting off such a large part of his divine soul. It only had the ability of a True Immortal who barely advanced.

The Illusion Talisman was useful to some extent when it was stuck on his body, and his clone managed to act as a True Immortal who had reached the peak of the first tier. Unfortunately, someone at Shang Xia’s level was able to see through his disguise immediately.

The limitations of his Illusion Talisman were as clear as day, and there was no way he could use it as it was.

Throughout the process of improving the Illusion Talisman, Shang Xia continued to pour his Six Direction Qi into the talisman in an attempt to make the talisman last longer and allow one to seem a lot stronger than they would be.

The idea was good, but the execution… Not so much. He failed to craft the talisman and it clearly blasted into smithereens during the process of absorbing his Six Direction Qi.

Only then did he realize that he did something extremely foolish.

How can a sheet of rank five talisman paper absorb so much Sixth Order energy?

Not to mention Shang Xia was pouring his Six Direction Qi that contained extremely powerful corrosive energy.

“Do I really need to use rank six talisman paper?” Shang Xia couldn’t help but hesitate.

He once thought of making a rank six Illusion Talisman, but the price he had to pay to carry out the research and tests was too damn large!

One had to know that he had slightly less than 10 sheets of rank six talisman paper, and he couldn’t support the research and creation of a new rank six talisman!

Helpless, Shang Xia could only continue to work on rank five Illusion Talismans. However… He no longer tried to pour his Six Direction Qi into it this time. Instead, he continued to strengthen the concealment properties of his talisman.

In other words, he was working on making it less detectable!

The ability was based on the support of one’s divine soul, and the easiest solution was for Shang Xia to separate a greater portion of his divine soul to be made into the talisman.

The recovery of the divine soul was much more difficult than inner qi… Even experts like Shang Xia with an extremely powerful soul couldn’t do it too much!

One could only imagine how difficult it would be for ordinary rank five Talisman Grandmasters if they wished to use the same method as him.

Thankfully, the talisman he was modifying was to be used in that specific situation and wouldn’t be mass-produced. As such, he only had to make a few of them, and he could easily afford the expenditure.

With the same strain on his divine soul as it took to make a clone, Shang Xia successfully created his first strengthened version of the Illusion Talisman.

Not only was it able to raise his clone’s cultivation to the peak of the first tier, Shang Xia couldn’t easily see through his disguise unless he got really close.

Since he could hide the cultivation realm from himself, it would most definitely fool most high-level True Immortals. At the very least, there wouldn’t be a chance for fourth tier True Immortals to see through the disguise.

Shang Xia was still confident in his divine soul’s superiority compared to experts at the same level.

After several more days passed, Shang Xia’s anticipated event happened. Strange fluctuations appeared in the void outside the Star Beast Nest as True Immortal Gong Zhuo appeared.

When he noticed the clone Shang Xia stationed outside, his expression changed to one of shock before he quickly restrained himself.

He cupped his fists at Shang Xia’s clone that was at the peak of the first tier before speaking respectfully, “Please inform True Immortal Shang that I have come to meet him…”

Shang Xia’s clone chuckled in response, “True Immortal Gong, please wait for a moment. He has already been notified and is coming over as we speak!”

Gong Zhuo nodded and no longer spoke. However, his gaze lingered on Shang Xia’s clone. In order to prevent any misunderstandings, he didn’t dare to probe the clone with his divine soul.

He could only remain doubtful about the strange presence of a clone at the peak of the first tier. At the same time, Shang Xia became even more mysterious and powerful in his eyes.

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