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After leaving Mount Motuo, Su Ning did not immediately return to Taiyi Sect. Instead, he took Zi Ling, whose expression was complicated, and directly disappeared into the depths of a desolate mountain range.

With a slight thought, ripples spread through the space around him, and the two figures vanished from their spot in an instant.

The next moment, they found themselves in a secluded space filled with spiritual energy and breathtaking scenery, resembling a fairyland.

It is Suning's core secret, the Taixu Realm.

Within the Taixu Realm, mountains, rivers, pavilions, and towers are all present, and the richness of spiritual energy far surpasses that of the outside world, even surpassing the Nascent Soul Cave of the Taiyi Sect.

Several phantom images of treasures, radiating powerful energy, floated in the air; these were the precious artifacts that Su Ning had collected over the years, nurtured here.

However, faced with this blessed land that would shock even the most Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivators, Zi Ling (Wang Ning) only paused slightly, a hint of bewilderment and understanding flashing in her beautiful eyes, but without much surprise, as if...

It was as if she was familiar with this kind of space, or even had been there before.

Her unusually calm reaction completely confirmed Su Ning's suspicions.

Su Ning waved his hand and set up several layers of restrictions to ensure absolute secrecy. Then he turned around and stared at Zi Ling with deep eyes, as if he wanted to see through her soul.

He remained silent for a moment, then finally spoke, uttering a shocking question:

"When...did you enter this 'dungeon world'?"

The words "dungeon world" acted like a key, instantly shattering all of Zi Ling's psychological defenses.

Her delicate body trembled violently. She raised her head and looked at Su Ning in disbelief. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice trembled: "You...you've already recognized me?"

"Yes, I guessed it." Su Ning's tone was calm, but with a hint of complexity that was hard to detect. "Before the Void Heaven Palace opened, when I first saw you, I felt like I had met you before. I inquired around and found out that you were the reincarnation of Mo Caihuan, but you didn't have any of Caihuan's aura on you, so I was never sure... until now, seeing your reaction to this Void Realm."

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion, "I'm sorry... Su Ning, I didn't mean to..."

"Why?" Su Ning took a step forward, her gaze intense. "Since we come from the same place, why are you unwilling to acknowledge me? Why do you avoid me instead? And even prefer to fall into the hands of Old Demon Hu?"

Zi Ling raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, her beautiful face filled with pain and helplessness: "After I woke up, I was still in swaddling clothes, transformed into Wang Ning, the young master of the Miaoyin Sect. My father was Wang Heng, a cultivator from the Star Palace, and my mother was Zhou Yuan, the sect leader of the Miaoyin Sect... They treated me very well, giving me a kind of kinship I had never experienced before... But later, they both died at the hands of Wu Chou of Jiyin Island..."

Her words were filled with sadness about the past.

“I know all that.” Su Ning’s tone softened a bit. “I destroyed Jiyin Island, which can be considered as indirectly avenging you. But that’s no reason for you to avoid me.”

Zi Ling bit her lip, as if she had made a great decision, before she said with difficulty, "I... I don't know how to explain. Every time, every time I want to find you, or want to tell you something, I feel like my thoughts are out of control. It's as if there is a cold and powerful will in the dark telling me... telling me that Han Li is my true love, that I must get close to him and follow him... and you... you are an obstacle."

"What?!" Su Ning's pupils shrank, and his heart was filled with shock!
Forcibly designating a "true emperor"?
This method...

He immediately recalled the plot of the Immortal Realm chapter of "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" and the Time Dao Ancestor, Gu Huo Jin, who was the mastermind behind it all!
Could it be him?

Is he manipulating Zi Ling's fate? But this is the human realm arc!
Or is it the will of the Heavenly Dao of this realm or some similar being?

"Zi Ling, don't resist! Relax and let me see your soul!" Su Ning's tone became extremely serious.

Seeing Su Ning's extremely solemn expression, Zi Ling seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem. She nodded slightly, closed her eyes, and completely let go of her mental defenses.

Su Ning extended his right hand and gently placed his palm on Zi Ling's smooth forehead.

He closed his eyes, and his immense divine sense, already imbued with a trace of law, carefully probed into Zi Ling's sea of ​​consciousness like the finest probe, investigating the origin of her soul.

The process is extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake could damage Zi Hun's soul.

Suning was completely focused, scanning and perceiving with his divine sense bit by bit.

Finally, in the very core and most hidden part of the Purple Soul, he sensed something amiss!

There, there was an extremely complex and obscure soul imprint that emitted faint fluctuations of law!
This soul imprint is like a miniature, incredibly precise array, deeply imprinted on Zi Ling's soul essence. Its complexity and sophistication far surpass the restrictions that Su Ning placed on Feng Xi and You Tian Kunpeng!
It subtly influences Zi Ling's subconscious, distorting her emotional tendencies, like a pre-programmed program!
As soon as Su Ning's divine sense touched it, the soul imprint glowed slightly, emitting a cold, supreme, and unquestionable terrifying will, which made Su Ning's divine sense feel a stinging pain and he had to temporarily retreat.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his expression extremely solemn.

"How is it?" Zi Ling asked anxiously, opening her eyes.

“That’s right!” Su Ning said in a deep voice, his eyes sharp. “Deep in your soul, someone has indeed planted an extremely profound and strange soul imprint array! It is this thing that is subtly influencing and even controlling your thoughts and choices! The method is far beyond my comprehension.”

Zi Ling's face turned pale instantly, and her body swayed slightly: "Then... what should we do?"

Anyone who learns that their thoughts and feelings may be manipulated by others will feel boundless fear and despair.

Looking at her pale face, the resentment that had arisen from being "betrayed" had long since vanished, replaced by intense heartache and anger.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down:
"Don't be afraid. Now that we've found the root cause, there's always a solution. This soul imprint formation, though profound, is not invincible. Give me time, and I will go into seclusion to study it with all my might. I will definitely find a way to help you break this soul imprint!"

He paused, looked into Zi Ling's eyes, and said with utmost seriousness, "Once the soul imprint is broken, whether you stay or leave, whether you go to find your 'true love' or go back to being yourself, it's all up to you. I will never force you in the slightest."

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling stared blankly at Su Ning, tears welling up in her eyes again, this time with disbelief and a touch of emotion: "You...you're not angry with me? You don't blame me for treating you like that before?"

Su Ning gave a wry smile and gently wiped away her tears: "What's the use of being angry? You're not a kitten or puppy that can be chained up in a cage. Besides, this wasn't your intention. Sometimes... I even wonder if I did something in the other world that annoyed you, so that even here, you subconsciously want to avoid me?"

"No! Never!" Zi Ling shook her head hurriedly, explaining anxiously, "Over there... it was my own problem... I was too stubborn, too idealistic, always thinking about my own career..."

Her voice lowered, filled with regret.

“Yes! You’re very stubborn in the real world.” Su Ning sighed, her tone tinged with reminiscence and helplessness. “I never expected that even after accidentally coming to this world of cultivation and changing my identity, you’d still be the same. Perhaps this is just your true nature.”

Zi Ling remained silent, but her tears flowed even more fiercely.

"Alright, stop crying." Su Ning gently pulled her into his arms. "The most urgent thing is to solve your soul imprint problem. You know, this is my spatial world, now renamed Taixu Realm. It's absolutely safe, and the spiritual energy is much more abundant than outside. From now on, we'll go into seclusion here. I'll cultivate while studying the soul imprint in your soul. Trust me, I'll definitely find a way."

Zi Ling leaned against Su Ning's strong chest, feeling the long-lost sense of security and warmth, and nodded heavily.

This time, she no longer felt any obstruction or resistance, as if the influence of that soul imprint had temporarily weakened after Su Ning broke through it.

From then on, Su Ning and Zi Ling began a long period of seclusion in the most hidden core cave in the Taixu Realm.

The controversy surrounding the Battle of Motuo Mountain continues to escalate, but Suning is no longer concerned with it.

Besides consolidating his Nascent Soul cultivation and comprehending the newly acquired treasures and supernatural powers, he devoted all his attention to the study of the Purple Soul Seal.

This was an extremely difficult process. The Soul Imprint involved extremely high levels of laws, and the slightest carelessness could trigger a backlash, damaging the Purple Spirit's origin. However, relying on his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, his divine sense far surpassing that of his peers, and his unique perspective from another world, Su Ning painstakingly unraveled the structure and principles of the Soul Imprint, bit by bit.

Inside the cave, time flows quietly.

The relationship between the two also underwent subtle changes during this period of seclusion, where they relied on each other and faced difficulties together.

That past, which was forcibly "arranged" and "forgotten," seems to be gradually regaining its rightful trajectory.

The earth-shattering secret hidden deep within the Purple Soul's soul awaits the day it will be fully revealed.

……

Time flows silently in the Realm of Emptiness.

Su Ning was completely absorbed in deciphering the mystery of the strange soul imprint within the Purple Soul.

This process was far more difficult and lengthy than he had imagined. The power of the laws contained in the soul imprint was exquisite and unfathomable, and its complexity far exceeded any array or restriction he knew of.

However, as the saying goes, risk and opportunity coexist. As he meticulously analyzed the structure of this soul imprint, although progress was slow, it brought him unparalleled shock and inspiration.

It's like a creature that has always lived on a two-dimensional plane glimpsing the tip of the iceberg of a three-dimensional world for the first time!
That new understanding of the essence of the soul and the imprint of the laws greatly broadened his horizons, allowing his understanding of formations, especially those involving souls and contracts, to leap to a new and unprecedented height!
He was like a most devout apprentice, eagerly absorbing this "knowledge" from a higher level. Although he could only understand a fraction of it, he had already benefited greatly.

He could even vaguely sense that if he could fully comprehend this seal, he might be able to touch upon a sliver of the legendary laws of "fate" or "cause and effect"!

Through countless simulations, attempts, failures, and further simulations.

An extremely bold, even insane, idea suddenly illuminated Su Ning's mind like a flash of lightning in the darkness!

Ascend to the Spirit Realm!

This is the path he will inevitably embark on soon.

However, from the Spirit Realm chapter of "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality," he already knew that the Spirit Realm was not the paradise he imagined.

There, countless races coexist, and the law of the jungle prevails even more blatantly.

Humans are not a powerful race in the spirit realm. Instead, they live a precarious existence in a remote corner, constantly facing threats from powerful races such as demons and monsters in the surrounding area. Their living environment is not optimistic.

Even though Su Ning was exceptionally talented and had outstanding combat power, after ascending, he was only a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stage. He might be considered a figure among the human race in the Spirit Realm, but in the entire Spirit Realm, he was still at the bottom.

To gain a foothold in the spirit world, quickly improve one's strength, acquire resources, and even deal with the terrifying behind-the-scenes forces that may exist in the immortal world in the future, such as those in ancient or modern times, going it alone is absolutely not an option.

He needs power, and he needs an absolutely loyal and strong team!
Where can we find such a team? The native cultivators of the Spirit Realm are deeply entrenched and difficult to subdue quickly.

And the human realm...

Although the human realm is poor in resources and incomplete in its laws, making it difficult to achieve the Nascent Soul stage, those who can stand out in such an environment and cultivate to the late Nascent Soul stage or even the Nascent Soul stage are all exceptional talents with outstanding luck, temperament, and perseverance!

Xiang Zhili, Hu Laomo, Bingfeng, Che Laoyao, Feng Laoguai...

Even Han Li in the future!
If these talents were placed in the spirit world, with ample resources and a complete legal environment, their achievements would be limitless!

Then a massive and astonishing plan gradually became clear and took shape in Suning's mind...

He wants to steal the Ascension Fruit from the human realm and create his own unique spiritual power!
The breakthrough point is precisely this mysterious soul imprint that he is currently struggling to break through!
The core of his plan was to weave an enormous lie!

He could use his current supreme prestige and strength in the human realm, along with the rudimentary understanding he gained from this profound soul imprint, combined with the special characteristics of the Taixu Realm, to forge a so-called "Ascension Guiding Immortal Array" or "Spirit Realm Safe Passage".

He could tell Xiang Zhili, Hu Laomo, and other Nascent Soul cultivators who were desperately searching for the path to ascension and even risking their lives to break through spatial nodes: He, Su Ning, had unexpectedly discovered a relatively stable and safe ascension passage left behind by ancient cultivators, leading directly to a certain place in the Spirit Realm!

However, what they ascended to was their own Taixu Realm. Upon entering the Taixu Realm, he could place a soul imprint on their souls.

This "soul imprint" is naturally the control soul imprint that he improved and simplified based on that mysterious soul imprint!
Once this mark is planted, it will subtly distort the recipient's cognition, making them believe from the depths of their soul that loyalty to Su Ning is a matter of course and a supreme mission, and may even generate a fanatical worship, while preserving their own intelligence and cultivation talent to the greatest extent!
What are the chances that those Nascent Soul cultivators who are so eager to ascend that they're practically going mad would refuse the enormous temptation of "safe ascension"?
What's more, the one who made this condition was Su Ning, who had just crushed Hu Laomo in one move and whose strength was unfathomable!

As long as they willingly release their soul defenses, entering the Void Realm means accepting this "Ascension Contract"...

Therefore, their destination for ascension will not be a random corner of the spirit world, but will be directly entering Su Ning's Taixu Realm!
At that time, the fate of these top cultivators will be completely in his hands.

He can provide them with resources within the Taixu Realm so that they can continue their cultivation and become a powerful force that he keeps hidden away and is absolutely loyal to him!

Once he ascends to the Spirit Realm and establishes a firm foothold, he can gradually release this power, quietly infiltrate and control the human race's power in the Spirit Realm, and even expand outwards!
At that time, he will no longer be alone, but will have a powerful team composed of the pride of the lower realms who will be absolutely loyal to him!

This plan was a complete stunt, a deception that could fool the heavens and deceive the people!

If he succeeds, his starting point in the spirit world will far exceed anyone's imagination!
Thinking of this, even with Su Ning's composure at the Nascent Soul stage, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion, and his breathing became slightly rapid.

His gaze returned to Zi Ling, who was still meditating beside him, and his expression became incredibly complex.

The mark on her soul was both the source of her suffering and, by a twist of fate, the "key" to her grand future plans.

“Ancient or modern… or whoever you are…” Su Ning sneered inwardly, “The pawn you use to manipulate fate may just be the first step I take to overturn the chessboard!”

He suppressed his excitement, and his eyes regained their calm and profound expression.

The plan is good, but every step needs to be taken with caution.

Improve the soul imprint, ensure absolute control and no future troubles, weave the perfect lie, choose the first target...

There are so many things that he needs to perfect and execute.

But without a doubt, an unprecedented path to supreme power was slowly unfolding before him.

He was no longer satisfied with merely improving his personal strength; he wanted to become the one who wielded the chess pieces, to lay out his own chessboard in this vast Three Realms!

During his subsequent seclusion, he had a clearer goal: not only to break the soul imprint and save Zi Ling, but also to comprehend his own controllable soul imprint!

To this end, he even slowed down his own cultivation of magical power, devoting most of his mind to laying the foundation for this earth-shattering plan.

Within the realm of Taixu, a storm is quietly brewing.

...(End of chapter)