Chapter 7: Snake Bracelet
If it were not for the snake bracelet in his hand, Chen Hai would doubt that everything that has happened is merely a figment of his imagination
The inheritance of the temple must not be leaked. Although the martial arts secrets that the disciples of the Taiwei Sect can learn are rudimentary, they are sufficient for you to establish a foundation in martial arts. Furthermore, since the Dragon Emperor insists on choosing you as his successor, I will fulfill his last wish and will not hide the Serpent Bracelet from you. However, I hope you will not let down the thirty percent of spiritual power that has been consumed this time.
The snake bracelet is a gift from the temple for the use of the Heavenly Martial God Guard, and the ritual is quite simple... the voice from the left ear came through
After a long while without hearing from his left ear, Chen Hai said anxiously
It seemed as if an invisible barrier had opened in the giant hall. With a thought, Chen Haixin made a soft sound, akin to piercing a layer of water film, and directly penetrated into the giant hall.
So that's how it is... Chen Hai finally understood the connection between the puppet body and martial arts cultivation
As Chen Haixin's thoughts stirred, his body crouched down, and he saw the guardian puppet on the altar also crouching in unison; he was scratching his head in his bedroom, and the puppet was mimicking his actions perfectly, as if some divine power had projected the shadow of his physical form into the temple with absolute precision
The memories of my former master, Yao Xing, seem to have been deliberately erased, leaving me without any knowledge of the Yao clan's cultivation methods. I suppose Chen Lie would not violate the sect rules by secretly imparting the profound techniques to me. At this moment, I am not even the lowest-ranked Dao soldier disciple, and it will take an eternity before I can step into the Spirit-Opening Realm or the Enlightenment Realm again. Senior Left Ear, you must grant me a golden finger!
At this time, Chen Hai had a general understanding that the cultivation of the disciples of the Xuanmen in the Great Yan Empire is mainly divided into three realms: the Tongxuan Realm, the Pilin Realm, and the Mingqiao Realm
The function of the snake bracelet seems to allow its wearer to have their consciousness simultaneously exist within both their physical body and the guardian puppet, even more wondrous and mysterious than the second primordial spirit that can only be cultivated in the legendary Dao Dan realm or Dao Tai realm
Chen Hai can be said to have experienced death once; this matter concerns whether he can preserve his life, so how could he dare to be the slightest bit careless
He is still not qualified to negotiate.
It is a serpentine bracelet made of red blood, laid open on the desk, measuring about five to six inches in length, resembling a spirit snake. Each scale of the red blood snake is intricately and realistically crafted, and the two snake heads, each the size of a fingernail, have complete fangs. It seems that with just a breath, this snake bracelet could truly come to life
Many disciples with considerable talent often struggle for half a lifetime without the guidance of a wise master, and they find it difficult to even touch the threshold of martial arts cultivation
Surrounded by a gray haze, Chen Hai was uncertain whether this was the natural state of the temple or if his left ear intentionally obscured the specific conditions within the grand hall. Gazing at the seven blood-like guardian puppets on the stone platform, he felt a deep sense of discomfort. The extremely weak voice of his left ear echoed from the surrounding gray void, yet he could not discern its true appearance.
Although the passage from the Rakshasa Domain to the Blood Cloud Wasteland has not yet fully formed, some lower-level spirits still manage to slip through the gaps. This is where you come in to eliminate them..." said the left ear
Immediately, Chen Hai pressed his index finger against the fangs of the snake, applying a forceful push. A slight sting was felt as the fangs began to devour the blood within his body, much like the black cauldron of the Canglong.
It was truly astonishing. When Chen Hai focused his attention and looked closely again, he noticed that the two snake eyes on the snake's head rippled slightly, as if miniature whirlpools were rapidly opening, and invisible waves once again surged towards his consciousness and soul.
The sound from the left ear was extremely weak, as if every word spoken consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Chen Hai was filled with questions and, disregarding the terrifying and grotesque appearance of the so-called Heavenly Martial Divine Guard puppet, he patiently followed the method taught by the left ear to separate a portion of his consciousness and enter the body of the first puppet.
Chen Hai felt that his left ear was trapped in a desperate situation, and there was no need to toy with such a minor character. Following the method he had taught, as soon as he slipped the snake bracelet onto his left wrist, it bit its own tail and tightly coiled around his wrist
What is a golden finger?" The voice in the left ear had already become weak and feeble, and he asked with confusion.
The serpent's head gradually coalesced into a miniature humanoid silhouette, but soon the humanoid silhouette flickered and vanished.
The serpent bracelet and the puppet body are both bestowed upon you by the Dragon Emperor. The serpent bracelet serves as a bridge that can divide and penetrate your thoughts—I am about to enter a deep slumber, so I can only briefly explain the purpose of the puppet body to you
He seized Yao Xing's physical body, but the soul could not fully integrate with the body, which necessitated the cultivation of martial arts to promote the fusion of the soul and the body in order to preserve his life. However, he could not imagine that even if he succeeded in refining a puppet avatar, the puppet avatar seemed to be confined to the Blood Cloud Wasteland, leaving him to wonder what practical use it would serve for his martial arts cultivation.
Chen Hai was suddenly overwhelmed by a terrifying sensation as if his scalp were about to explode. He did not expect that the grand and imposing image of Cang Yu would be accompanied by the left ear producing seven grotesque corpses resembling bloodied corpses in the great hall.
"This is about the right idea, and your understanding is quite good." The left ear could comprehend what Chen Hai was thinking, and seeing that he had a good understanding brought considerable relief.
At this moment, the left ear spoke with great difficulty and said
At this moment, a part of his consciousness returned to the body in the Splendid Cloud Cliff bedroom, while another part remained within the divine guardian puppet in the temple, seemingly able to operate in duality, simultaneously observing the situations in both the bedroom and the temple without interfering with each other
However, the situation inside the giant hall was different from what Chen Hai had imagined. Surrounding him was a thick fog, obscuring visibility, and only a stone platform resembling an altar stood in the center, approximately seven to eight meters high
What are these?" Chen Hai felt a chill rising from the depths of his heart as he steeled himself to inquire deeper into the gray, misty great hall.
This feeling is truly amazing, and Chen Hai really cannot find a more suitable term than "thought bridge" to describe the snake bracelet
Chen Hai is not concerned about anything else; he is more worried that the cultivation of martial arts is too difficult. Before he can reach a profound level of mastery, his hidden spiritual affliction will completely erupt
However, just as his consciousness entered the first puppet's body, he felt a buzzing sound in his mind
What exactly are these levels of cultivation? Chen Hai was momentarily at a loss. At this moment, seeing that Zuo Er had not responded for a long time, Chen Hai almost cried out, begging him to grant him three to five golden fingers.
... ...
Chen Hai then saw the light above the desk slightly distort, as if ripples of water were spreading out, and then an object fell onto the desk with a "ding-dong" sound
What is going on
Chen Hai's consciousness once again entered the desolate wasteland filled with corpses and shattered bones, where the grand hall appeared so desolate under the oppressive blood clouds
Chen Hai had no idea what the left ear was saying
Chen Hai entered the grand hall with his spirit and consciousness, thus he looked down from a high vantage point at the stone platform. The stone platform was quite large, with a diameter of about thirty to forty meters, upon which stood seven grotesque corpses.
"You use the snake bracelet as a mental bridge. Once you select a guardian puppet as your puppet avatar, it will be completely synchronized with your physical body..." said the left ear
However, ordinary martial arts disciples are unable to sense the meridians within their bodies, let alone perceive the circulation of vital energy. Therefore, the question of to what extent one must cultivate the Xuanwu ultimate skill to be considered proficient is akin to a blind person trying to feel an elephant or a blind man crossing a river
Listening to the tone of the left ear, it seems that transporting such a serpentine bracelet to his bedroom would consume thirty percent of his magical power. He thought to himself, is the left ear really that weak? Or is it that Cang Yu's lightning, gathered at the top of the grand hall, appeared so powerful and domineering? Unfortunately, Cang Yu has already returned to the heavens.
Chen Haixin understood that there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world, and asked:
At that time, he will meet his demise, truly even the immortals will be unable to save him
The puppet clone is like a mirror; through this mirror, the cultivator can clearly see the flow of vital energy and true essence within the meridians of their body. This is undoubtedly a significant aid in their training
At this moment, he also noticed that the physical body in the Splendid Cloud Cliff bedroom and the guardian puppet in the temple indeed maintained the exact same posture
"Senior Left Ear, what is the Heavenly Martial Divine Guard?"
The skin of the alien corpse is blood red, resembling a layer of wrinkled blood membrane. From a distance, it looks even more like a seven-headed Rakshasa demon with its skin stripped away, standing there in a bloody state, or one might say it resembles a blood corpse buried underground for countless years
These anomalous corpses are slightly shorter than ordinary people, and upon closer inspection, they are no different from the variously sized skeletons outside the giant hall, yet they still retain the withered fascia and skin.
However, what does this have to do with his martial arts training? Moreover, isn't this puppet clone rather ugly?
The so-called "golden finger" refers to the ability of the soul and consciousness to re-enter this desolate wasteland, devoid of even a ghostly hair and littered with remnants, through the snake bracelet
Whether from the "Supplement to the Daoist Martial Arts" or from the fragmented memories of Yao Xing, Chen Hai understood that the practice of martial arts requires one to cultivate the profound martial arts techniques to a state of perfection. Only then can one guide the vital energy to flow through the meridians of the body, making it more refined and abundant. Once the vital energy is sufficiently abundant to break through the blockages in the meridians, it can enter the mysterious orifice between the kidneys, merging with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that is simultaneously inhaled into the body through secret methods, thus achieving the true essence.
The seven puppet-level warriors refined by the temple can be controlled through thought to confront enemies, which is just one aspect; the second aspect is the human body's vital energy, an existence that lies between the real and the unreal. Without a certain level of cultivation, it is difficult to perceive, but it can be accurately projected by the puppet's avatar. The vital energy within your puppet avatar has not yet manifested because there is no flow of essence and true energy among your hundred bones' vital energies; otherwise, the puppet's vital energy would emit light of varying depths and hues.
This is the last seven warrior-level Heavenly Martial God Guard puppets I have crafted with my magical power. Since you are the chosen guardian heir of the Dragon Emperor, and now the master of the Serpent Bracelet, you are qualified to possess one of them. This will allow you to forge your puppet avatar in the Blood Cloud Wilderness, thereby officially becoming a Heavenly Martial God Guard of the temple
You are summoned to enter the palace at this moment!
"What is the snake bracelet that Senior Cang Yu mentioned when he opened a backdoor?" At this moment, Chen Hai did not dare to offend Zuo Er, and cautiously asked, thinking to himself that the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu was dead, would Zuo Er hide that snake bracelet and not give it to him?
At this moment, Chen Hai could only obey Zuo Er's instructions, but he had too many doubts in his heart that needed clarification. He eagerly asked, "Senior Zuo Er, how is the Divine Guardian Puppet used, and how does it benefit the cultivation of martial arts? What is the situation with the Heavenly Martial Divine Guardian?"