Chapter 48: "The Immortal Realm"!

Ascension! Ascension?

Luozu couldn’t quite understand why, but the miniature humans in the World Within the Gourd were particularly obsessed with this matter. From Mu at the beginning, to the present-day Sun Master, as well as the heroes of this generation, they all yearned for ascension.

Luozu could only feel helpless about it; he truly couldn’t fathom their minds. In his twilight years, the Sun Master’s pursuit of this goal became even more fervent. After realizing he had taken the wrong path in his cultivation, he was deeply shaken, and his longing for ascension only grew stronger. He relocated his entire clan and sect to “Sacred Mountain,” where he devoted himself to researching the martial god relics and Mu Wusheng’s legacy.

Unfortunately, his efforts yielded nothing, yet he could never forget that day—the meeting with the legendary Primordial Martial God.

“What a pity…” the Sun Master sighed.

Luozu gazed down at him, sitting in his reclining chair, his heart unruffled. After witnessing so many heroes fade away within the World Within the Gourd, Luozu no longer mourned the passing of such dying flames.

However, Luozu was now preparing to open a new world. This was a newly acquired ability after the World Within the Gourd advanced a rank—he could now create yet another world. And not just that; he could also use this opportunity to display the true abilities of his world: Imprison, Trap, Sever, and Entrap—four techniques.

This meant Luozu could finally wield the World Within the Gourd as an offensive weapon. As for what these techniques meant: he could temporarily alter the surrounding environment, imprison his enemies within it, bar them from drawing power from their surroundings, and leave them utterly trapped, unable to escape.

Additionally, he could now draw upon a fraction of the World Within the Gourd’s power, albeit only about one ten-thousandth for now. But even a ten-thousandth of the strength from a world a hundred miles across was astonishing—Luozu could now lift thousand-foot boulders with ease.

After reaching Spirit Refinement and returning to the void, Luozu also acquired this strength. With his Yang Spirit’s support, his understanding and control over his physical body became more refined; he could now use one part of his strength as if it were ten.

Moreover, with eighty-one Daoist arts augmenting him, his physical strength multiplied over and over again.

Yet, with his current size, even this bodily strength was ultimately inferior. So recently, he’d begun studying “Heaven-Embodying Form,” Tang’s innate divine power.

Tang herself had never named her power, but Luozu, never stingy with names, bestowed this title upon her gift. According to Luozu’s own ranking of magical arts and divine powers, Tang’s ability stood at about level eight. Now that she had learned Luozu’s energy refining method, she would likely surpass Daoist arts in the future.

When she reached that level, she might become a giant dozens of feet tall. With a single stomp, she could create a pond fit for raising fish.

Returning to Luozu’s World Within the Gourd, his divine power now allowed him to open another world within, and its size would not be small—the minimum being ten miles. With some effort and rare materials, he could open a world stretching a hundred or even a thousand miles.

“But using it as the ‘Immortal Realm’ isn’t a bad idea,” Luozu mused, already planning a new use for his World Within the Gourd. Weren’t they always chasing after ascension and the Immortal Realm? Then Luozu would simply fabricate another for them.

Otherwise, the next would-be ascendant would simply roar again: “No more ascension! No more ascension!”

That would be awkward for Luozu.

After all, the rumors about ascension had been started by him; Mu and the Sun Master began pursuing ascension only after he left that phrase behind when he descended to teach the Dao.

And Mu, with his extraordinary talent, really did pull off a “Rainbow Transformation Ascension.”

Sadly, the world was incomplete—he ended up reduced to ashes, leaving behind only a Dao seed and a refining method. From this, Luozu developed the Three Souls and Seven Spirits Yin God Method.

So Luozu truly didn’t want these heroes to perish for a rumor born of his own negligence. The living were far more valuable than the condensed wisdom produced in their final moments before death.

With Luozu’s intention, a new world blossomed within him. This world stretched a hundred miles wide, but for now, it was empty—no wind or cloud, no soil or water, nothing at all.

Luozu next intended to shape this world into an Immortal Realm. Then, all those in the first World Within the Gourd who wished for ascension could be sent there, continuing to labor for Luozu, helping him analyze and develop the path of cultivation.

If they still desired ascension, Luozu could always create a God Realm for them next…

In short, this model could continue endlessly, as long as no Primordial Sage arose among these miniature humans. Luozu still had many ways to keep them under control—turning them into diligent cattle and horses for his use.

With the “Immortal Realm” established and lying empty, Luozu turned his attention to another matter.

The Insect Mother’s Cocoon had been gathering dust in his storeroom for a long time; at last, Luozu could spare the time to analyze it.

In fact, when he first obtained it, Luozu had used his powers to conduct a cursory study, but gained nothing, for it was utterly dead, devoid of any vitality. Lacking the ability to resurrect it, all Luozu could do was store it away for later analysis.

And so a year passed. Only now, after days and nights of constant toil, did Luozu finally have time to study the cocoon.

This was a peculiar lifeform; in life, it could command most of the primordial insects, though only ordinary ones. If an insect had awakened its intellect and become a demon, the cocoon’s lure dwindled.

After death, its corpse was an irresistible temptation for primordial insects. Consuming it might grant an ordinary insect intelligence, or greatly increase the cultivation and wisdom of one already possessing some spirit.

As for other beings ingesting it… there was some effect as well.

Indeed, Luozu had already experimented—using a version 1.0 miniature human for the test. He took a sample from the cocoon, analyzed and recreated a similar tissue fragment, and then fed it to seven experimental subjects from version 1.0 of the miniature human.

The effects were subtle but real.

This result excited Luozu.

Yet, beyond excitement came a flurry of further experimental plans.

After all, this Insect Mother’s Cocoon was the very first spiritual treasure Luozu had harvested from the primordial lands. Though it could not compare to innate spiritual roots—unable to increase one’s cultivation or lifespan—it was still invaluable, for it could enhance wisdom.

In short, Luozu was well pleased.

And he already planned to use the Insect Mother’s Cocoon for something grand.

This, too, was a long-held obsession of their “Cave Dweller” tribe—one might even call it Luozu’s own obsession.