Longzang

Chapter 797 Perfect Completion of Merit
The illusion shattered, and Wei Yuan and Ji Liuli reappeared at the entrance of the building.

Wei Yuan looked up at the building, a true architectural marvel, and was filled with emotion. The mortals of that world had reached the pinnacle of craftsmanship, yet they still couldn't escape the fate of the end times.

Just then, a piece of gravel fell from the building and landed at Wei Yuan's feet. Wei Yuan bent down to pick it up, and when he looked back, he saw the lights in the building going out one by one.

"Let's go, it's time to leave this place." Wei Yuan could sense that the rules of this fragmented world had completely decayed, and the last bit of power that maintained its existence had also disappeared, and it would soon be annihilated.

When Wei Yuan turned around, he was stunned.

Behind him was a bright light, with large tents erected everywhere, covering important buildings and facilities. Researchers were going in and out, busy with their own work, and everything was in good order. People were conducting a comprehensive study of the entire world.

Wei Yuan scanned the area with his divine sense and realized that several months had passed, and it was now the dead of winter in the Jin Kingdom.

After Wei Yuan and Ji Liuli entered the building, the number of monsters in the World Fragment decreased significantly, and then Xianzhi took turns entering to oversee the situation.

With the suppression of immortal plants and the guidance of Dharma Aspect cultivators, the mortals gradually reduced the monsters' living space by cutting off areas piece by piece and clearing them one by one, following the method left by Wei Yuan. They have now occupied a large area of ​​territory and have made them harmless.

The number of mortals who have entered this world has now exceeded ten thousand, and several research institutions have been established to comprehensively analyze this world.

Wei Yuan was slightly disappointed, but he had no choice but to order all the materials to be packed up and the area to be withdrawn from the human world within half a day.

Upon receiving the order, the ordinary people were naturally thrown into a flurry of activity. Fortunately, aside from the items that couldn't be taken out, most of the data had already been transferred to the everyday lives of ordinary people, which could be studied later. It was just a pity that no one could enter that building; otherwise, the gains would have been even greater.

Wei Yuan said to Ji Liuli, "We should go too."

"Hmm." Ji Liuli nodded, her eyes darting around, avoiding looking into Wei Yuan's eyes.

Returning to Qingming, Wei Yuan felt as if he had been reborn. This illusionary experience had been so realistic that the gains were immense. Upon his return, Wei Yuan's first priority was naturally to check on Qingming's development and the affairs of the world.

It was already deep winter in the north, and apart from the northern gate of Taichu Palace, the fighting on other fronts had calmed down considerably. The states of Jin and Zhao fought intermittently. After occupying the two commanderies of Yun and Xiang, Zhao ceased its large-scale military advance and instead began to engage in negotiations with Jin.

The situation in Qingming was quite stable. After Wei Yuan recovered Hanyang and Huangping counties, none of the five counties were lost, so the Southern Military Councilor was naturally sitting firmly in his seat.

During times of war, hundreds of thousands of refugees migrate to Qingming every month.

The millions of refugees plundered from the five prefectures some time ago have finally settled down after several months and returned to their homes, completely integrating into the Azure Netherworld and becoming imbued with its aura. The increase in sentient beings has led to a rapid expansion of the Azure Netherworld in the past few months, which has now reached its limit of 1,200 miles.

Originally, the range of the first stage of Qingming was a thousand miles, but after being blessed by the Immortal Dog Head, it increased to twelve hundred miles. At this time, there had been no war for several years, and Qingming had accumulated enough strength and nurtured itself, waiting only for the right opportunity to break through.

The fields are still being cultivated, which is a top priority. Hundreds of thousands of acres are being newly cultivated every month. The old farmer has already planned the locations of the new fields, totaling 40 million acres, and they are just waiting to be cultivated little by little.

Other resources also saw rapid development. The farming tools used by the reclaiming refugees were now made of better steel than the swords of the Western Jin border troops. The farmers' daily meals were also better than those of the Western Jin border troops.

After eating and drinking their fill, mortals cannot be idle, so they naturally need to cultivate themselves. Working in the fields, mining in wells, and forging iron are all effective methods for shaping the body.

Everything within Qingming was in perfect order, with everyone fulfilling their duties. Wei Yuan's six-month seclusion had no impact on Qingming's development, which left him somewhat disappointed.

After briefly assessing Qingming's condition, Wei Yuan was about to examine the overall situation of the world when he suddenly felt a jolt throughout his body, and his vision became much clearer.

He looked up and saw that the sunlight outside the window was bright but not harsh, and everything was vividly colored. The world was slowly bursting with life, and everything was growing, giving off a kind of vigorous vitality of early spring.

Wei Yuan was filled with inexplicable joy, feeling that everything was so wonderful and that there were no more difficulties ahead.

The fragments of the outer world had crumbled, and the wooden gate standing beside Jade Mountain withered and decayed, turning into dead wood, with two fruits growing on its withered branches. Wei Yuan appeared amidst the mortal world, picked the two fruits, and naturally learned their purpose. These fruits were called Boundary-Breaking Fruits. If he encountered another fragment of a world in the future, he could plant this fruit, thus creating a boundary gate connecting the two worlds. If he could completely absorb that world, the boundary gate would bear one or more fruits; if he failed to absorb them within a certain time, the boundary gate would also wither.

At this moment, a wisp of primordial energy broke through the air and entered the mortal world. The tiny, flickering spiritual fire deep within immediately expanded violently, transforming into a fireball about ten feet in size, which slowly rotated.

Wisps of chaotic energy continuously emerged from the void, only to be absorbed by the smoke and fire of the mortal realm. At the same time, massive amounts of chaotic energy erupted from within, rapidly covering the surface of the mortal realm.

This was the greatest gain after destroying the fragments of that world: a wisp of primordial energy.

Primal Qi is the core of every natural world. It is a product of the breakdown and degradation of the origin of heaven and earth. Immortals often use it as a foundation to build small silver worlds.

Chaotic energy is a derivative of primordial energy, similar to refined tailings. Human life absorbed primordial energy, its rank improved, its vitality renewed, and it unleashed a massive amount of chaotic energy, bringing the mental world to near completion.

Looking at the world's remaining fragments, with only a small gap left, Wei Yuan couldn't help but sigh. He had only eaten a piece of the world's remnant, yet in the blink of an eye, he had saved himself hundreds of years of hard work. Indeed, a man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without night grazing.

This illusion of resentment ended without serious harm; it seems Wang Fo delivered it to Wei Yuan through someone else. Such a gift must have come with a price tag.

With the advancement imminent, all living beings in the mortal realm are filled with joy and excitement. Many mortals are even proposing to designate the day of the official advancement as the first festival in the entire mortal world.

The spirituality of the immortal plants is also gradually increasing, with many plants on the verge of advancement. They are just waiting for the heavens and earth to advance, so they can ascend together with the help of the heavens and earth.

At that time, the shackles of heaven and earth will weaken further. Wei Yuan saw an invisible chain on Han Li, Jun Weizhi, and Fuyao begin to crack. Once this chain breaks, they will be able to advance to the mid-stage of the Dharma Aspect realm.

Countless creatures, large and small, are striving to reproduce at this moment. Among them, some may be born with spirituality when heaven and earth ascend, thus becoming sentient beings and escaping their muddled and ignorant lives.

At this moment, Wei Yuan finally understood what it meant for "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

As the human realm matured, Qingming finally received the opportunity for advancement. Its spiritual energy erupted, and its domain expanded rapidly once again, its power to alter the world intensifying. At this moment, Qingming finally entered the next stage, and its domain would expand rapidly to three thousand miles before slowing down.

Wei Yuan suddenly remembered something: Li Chengfeng's Azure Water Realm was less than three thousand miles away from Qingming. His own realm had already overtaken it; there was going to be quite a show to watch later.

Half a month later, the human world's affairs were completely integrated into that wisp of primordial energy. At this point, only the last gap remained to be filled, and given the current rate of absorption and release of chaotic energy, it would only take a year to complete and enter the Mind Realm.

After things stabilized, True Lord Xuan Yue returned to Qingming to retrieve the immortal artifact, the Lotus Lantern. The once-dormant Lotus Lantern finally reacted, flying from Wei Yuan's hand and transforming back into the bald boy. However, his skin was now smooth and radiant, his face glowing with a healthy light, and he had clearly gained weight recently.

As it was about to leave, Wei Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Senior Lotus Lantern, may I ask where you were during the illusion? How come I only saw you once and never saw you again?"

Lian Deng chuckled and said, "We actually see each other every day. I disguised myself as a soldier to protect Ji Liuli, otherwise she might have been killed."

Wei Yuan suddenly realized why Ji Liuli's military uniforms were so ridiculously strong. But how did the lotus lantern end up on Ji Liuli when he had clearly invited it?
As if anticipating Wei Yuan's question, Lian Deng smiled and said, "...because the Palace Master gave a lot."

Wei Yuan lost his temper.

After seeing off Ancestor Xuan Yue, Wei Yuan began to sort out all aspects of Qingming's internal affairs, while also spending most of his time in seclusion, gathering chaotic energy to replenish his deficiencies. At this crucial moment, the more chaotic energy he personally gathered, the more beneficial it would be for his advancement.

Nothing major happened for the next year.

As winter faded and spring arrived, in the ninth year of the Tianqi era of the Great Tang Dynasty, Wei Yuan underwent a forty-nine-day tribulation of lightning, achieving perfect enlightenment. The mortal realm became his own, and he entered the realm of the mind.

(End of this chapter)