Zhang Yao remained silent, his mind racing as he recalled the instant the collision occurred.
The thread of muddy Qi had just entered his body and seemed to undergo some inexplicable change, causing his magical power to immediately spiral out of control, even affecting his divine thought.
In other words, his injuries were actually self-inflicted.
"But why?"
He was well aware that pure and muddy Qi were incompatible like water and fire.
He also knew that, despite the mysterious origins of the unclean cultivation, it had existed for such a long time that surely more than one person had attempted the path of dual cultivation of purity and impurity.
Past attempts must have failed, which is why there were no traces of such dual cultivation paths in the current Cultivation Realm.
Yet Zhang Yao still harbored a slight sense of luck.
He admitted that his talent and wit might not surpass the ancients, but he had two unique talents of his own, which might just help him find a new path.
But just as he embarked on this path, he was taken aback; he didn't even understand how he had failed.
"Huff, huff..."
After taking a few deep breaths, Zhang Yao gradually regained his composure.
He recalled all the information he knew from the past, summarizing and consolidating it bit by bit until he pieced together something.
Firstly, the incompatibility between pure and muddy Qi was more intense than he imagined—not only at the magical power level but also at the material level.
His body had undergone multiple rounds of spiritual Qi washing and cutting veins, no longer a mere mortal shell; every inch of his flesh, blood, and bones was deeply marked with spiritual Qi, not to mention he was somewhat of a body refining cultivator.
Yet this fact conflicted with his personal observations.
He had once delved into the underworld, spending years with the Wujin Tribe, and even in the underworld, spiritual Qi existed. Even though most of it was dark attribute spiritual Qi and was oppressed by muddy Qi, it was still real spiritual Qi!
This implies that spiritual Qi and muddy Qi can coexist to some extent.
However, this not only contradicts the current mainstream views in the Cultivation Realm but also does not align with his own experiences—he had just personally suffered the clash of pure and muddy Qi.
Which leads to the second issue—he suspected there was something wrong with the muddy Qi of Mani Kingdom.
"The muddy Qi of the underworld, though unusable, felt dense and unpretentious, possessing a kind of encompassing purity."
Zhang Yao furrowed his brow, recalling his previous venture into the demon cave:
"But the muddy Qi of Mani Kingdom felt particularly violent and vicious, like a raging beast, constantly clashing fiercely with all spiritual Qi..."
Is it possible that these are two different kinds of muddy Qi, or perhaps two forms of muddy Qi?
Back in Da Mo Territory, the first time he sensed the seemingly muddled Qi on Nether Abyss Ancestor, he referred to it as 'mutated muddy Qi.'
But which of the two is the actual source, and which is the mutation?
Moreover, he once learned from Elder Monk Tongxing the truth behind the merit system and even suspected there was something wrong with the source of Mani Kingdom's muddy Qi.
If the muddy Qi of Mani Kingdom is as he suspects and isn't naturally formed, then where does it come from? Could it be related to the underworld?
"This is just a tangled mess..."
Zhang Yao felt a headache coming on; the current clues were too chaotic, entangled like a ball of yarn with no starting point.
But in the next instant, he realized he was not 'feeling' a headache but actually experiencing one.
"Damn..."
Zhang Yao couldn't help but curse; he then realized his divine soul damage still persisted, and even the injuries to his internal organs were slow to heal.
His divine thought survey revealed the 'Five Elements Spirit Array' and the 'Array of the Six Harmonies and the Profound Abyss' engraved in his viscera had cracked slightly due to the recent intense impact.
Indeed, the internal arrays fundamental to his cultivation had issues, leading to difficulties in healing.
"I've only brought this upon myself!"
Zhang Yao sighed and could only gather his thoughts to focus on repairing the internal arrays.
The seemingly comprehensive and flawless "Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature" had consistently had one most apparent weakness—the array itself.
The strongest point, being the weakest point as well.
The arrays themselves could bring tremendous power, but ultimately, sustaining them relied on external elements.
Throughout Zhang Yao's cultivation journey, the gold, jade, treasures, and spiritual objects used to engrave and reinforce the arrays were ultimately not his own flesh, divine soul, or magical power.
He could self-recover from injuries, but once these external materials were lost, they couldn't self-recover; his body couldn't naturally regenerate these materials, rendering his two talents ineffective on them.
One could say, if he suffered particularly severe injuries causing his internal arrays to collapse, restoring them was a hundred times more difficult than for other cultivators.
Yet the creator of the "Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature" had long considered this issue.
By using arrays, treasures, divine techniques, and a lifebound magical treasure as a price, his Dharma body was made as formidable as a body refining cultivator's, protecting this weakness, even turning it into a strength.
With such a sturdy Dharma body and arrays engraved within the body, they were hard to break again.
Since Zhang Yao entered the Immortal Dao, though he fought countless battles, he rarely got injured; even in the few injuries he did sustain, including the fierce battle with Yu Wen Tai, his foundational arrays remained undamaged because of this.
The only two times his arrays were damaged were due to internal reasons, not external forces.
And the "Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature" provided a complete solution to this hidden danger—by stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm with the power of the Nine Colored Celestial Wheel and solidifying all array power into the Nascent Soul, avoiding the calamity of array collapse forever.
But this was deemed a hopeless path, a dead end. Zhang Yao couldn't follow it blindly; his own solution was to pursue the path of dual cultivation of purity and impurity, using the Zhuoxiu Technique to resolve this hidden danger.
This is why he placed such importance on the Path of Zhuoxiu Technique.
But this path had barely begun when it encountered a major setback, leading to Zhang Yao's plan being stillborn.
"Muddy Qi, Muddy Qi..."
After Zhang Yao repaired his own array damage, he used the 'Cold Cicada Divine Thought Method' to restore his divine soul, only then did he reconsider his future path.
The Path of Zhuoxiu Technique cannot be abandoned. It holds the hope of breaking new ground within the Five Elements Celestial Master Lineage, but constrained by reality, he had to temporarily put this process on hold.
It's like seeing a door shining brightly yet unable to walk up to it, let alone push it open.
"I fear I need to find an opportunity to return to the Underworld once again."
Zhang Yao had a premonition that perhaps understanding the difference between the muddy qi of the Underworld and the Mani Kingdom would uncover the truth of this failure.
But the current timing is clearly not right, much awaits future resolution.
His path as a Celestial Master has not reached its end, and there are still too many things awaiting his attention in the Surface World.
Therefore, the idea of cultivating both the Pure and Muddy must be set aside until he cultivates the Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature to Golden Core Perfection; then it's truly the right time to contemplate this matter.
Just like how he decisively gave up exploring the mysteries of primordial energy and bloodlines before, it's not a good habit to get obsessed, some issues are destined to be resolved in the future.
Fortunately, he has infinite time and plenty of confidence to wait.
"Hmm?"
At this moment, Zhang Yao suddenly raised an eyebrow, sensing a familiar aura approaching.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu."
A divine thought came just in time, it was the voice of Ancestor Heze:
"I apologize for coming uninvited, hopefully I'm not disturbing you?"
"Fellow Daoist Heze, you're being too polite."
After responding with divine thought, Zhang Yao rose to greet him outside Changle Palace. Soon, an escape light descended from the sky.
"Please, Fellow Daoist."
The two entered Changle Palace, took their seats after dividing host and guest, and Zhang Yao scrutinized him a few times, revealing a hint of surprise:
"Fellow Daoist Heze...isn't this Dharma Body of yours also a puppet body?"
He had once seen Ancestor Heze's puppet dharma body, but had also seen his real self.
He had interacted many times with the 'real self' of the other party, never sensing anything unusual, until this meeting, his divine thought vaguely caught traces.
This 'real self' at late stage Golden Core realm and with a robust aura was incredibly also a puppet, truly astonishing him.
"Hehe..."
Ancestor Heze smiled slightly, acknowledging with a nod:
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, you've indeed made great progress in strength; your perception is unlike before."
"I once even doubted Elder Monk Tongxing's choice, but now it seems the old monk's vision is indeed extraordinary!"
Zhang Yao, hearing these words, couldn't help but give him a deep look.
A puppet dharma body just for external activities, at the late stage Golden Core realm, how powerful must Ancestor Heze's real self be?
At this moment, he suddenly recalled the words of Elder Monk Tongxing when they met, regarding Ancestor Heze:
Elder Monk Tongxing had personally claimed that Ancestor Heze's strength was far more formidable than imagined, what was shown on the surface was just the tip of the iceberg.
Only today did he truly comprehend the meaning of those words.
"Fellow Daoist, truly profound and unassuming!"
Zhang Yao sincerely commented before asking:
"What brings you here today, Fellow Daoist?"
Ancestor Heze's smile remained unchanged as he spoke:
"I come today to visit you for two matters."
"The first is a friend's request..."
As he spoke, he produced a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Zhang Yao, and indicated:
"Fellow Daoist Tianshuang completed his merit accumulation more than a decade ago, exchanged for his desired treasure on the Merit List, and then returned to the Celestial Continent."
"Before his departure, he was quite concerned about your safety and entrusted me to deliver this letter to you upon your return."
"I see."
Zhang Yao's expression relaxed considerably, nodding:
"I truly thank Fellow Daoist Heze, I'm deeply grateful."
After receiving the letter, he put it away and inquired:
"What about the second matter?"
"The second matter is indeed a great opportunity for you."
Ancestor Heze's smile deepened as he spoke:
"I come this time on behalf of Zhiyao Celestial Palace..."