All Mystical Creation in Hand, High Spirited in Jiangdong (Part 2)

"This really is... uncanny." Grace Kwok circled around the stone statue, poking here and prodding there with her finger, marveling nonstop.

Jimmy Chang, dazed and absent-minded, reached out as if he wanted to feel if it had body heat, but Grace Kwok slapped his hand away with a smack. He could only awkwardly mutter, "It's almost exactly the same."

The little rascal stared blankly at the stone sculpture, then turned to stare blankly at Jill Young herself, his gaze flicking back and forth several times until it looked like spinning coils were about to pop out of his eyes. He was totally frazzled: "The terrifying witch has turned into—two of them!—Ow ow ow, that hurts!"

You couldn't blame everyone for being so shocked. The 'thing' in front of them was nothing like an ordinary statue. Statues, by definition, are always a bit off from the real deal. Even if the sculptor is a genius, and the result is 'lifelike' and 'flawlessly detailed,' it's still not actually alive, and those 'fine details' can only go so far. There's always a gap between a statue and the real thing—anyone with half a brain can tell the difference.

Back when Dennis Duan entered the Jade Cave on Mount Boundless, he mistook a jade statue for a real person. That tells you the carving skills were already off the charts. Later, Dennis picked up sculpting himself and made statues of his eight wives that were pretty impressive too—people couldn't help but be amazed.

But this 'Peach Bandit' in front of them wasn't even on the same level—the resemblance was absolutely crushing.

The younger kids circled around for another look and found it was basically a one-to-one replica of Jill Young. Even the hardest parts to carve—the face and hair—were almost perfectly identical. The statue had its eyes closed, and the long eyelashes were crystal clear. The skin texture and tiny contours were spot on. And that hair—if you looked closely, you could see each strand separated, just as if Jill Young herself had been painted stone-gray. The hair cascaded from the top of her head all the way down, and even the bounce and curve looked so real, it followed the laws of physics exactly.

Honestly, if you shot a black-and-white photo of this statue's head and face, it wouldn't look much different from a photo of the real person.

"What on earth is going on?" Miss Grace Kwok was just as curious. "This thing is definitely not ordinary. Did something happen to you when you closed your eyes just now?"

"Well, let me think..." Jill Young released her double-dragon brain twister on the little rascal and stroked her chin, lost in thought.

Just now, I'd had a brawl with Dennis Duan in that spiritual world. He unleashed all his Six Meridian Sword moves—sharp as ever, truly worthy of the title 'Number One Sword of the Heavenly Dragon Era.' But since he was just a lingering will, he couldn't even manifest a proper face, and his spiritual power was way too weak. It didn't take much effort for me to wipe the floor with him.

Then, his lingering wish fulfilled, he faded away like a dream bubble. In that whole spiritual world, only six majestic sword scars remained. With a quick flex of my spiritual power, I absorbed all six sword marks into my sea of consciousness. Every formula, every checkpoint of the Six Meridian Sword was crystal clear in my mind—not a single thing missing.

And then... Wait, what happened after that? I think I just got curious and wandered around the Divine Life Core with my main consciousness, poking at its natural spiritual aura. Suddenly, it was like the world exploded inside the Core—and maybe outside in the material world too. For a moment, the spiritual and physical worlds collided, and the Core's innate nurturing energy swirled around my consciousness, trying to fuse me with the embryo.

But lucky for me, my spiritual power is strong—I broke free halfway out with just a thought and retreated to the outside.

Opened my eyes—and here we are.

Looking closer at the statue, the head, shoulders, and arms—the whole upper half—were almost indistinguishable from a real person. But from the waist down, it was still blurry, just like a stone figure that's only half finished.

"I think I've got it..." Jill Young's mouth twitched. "I almost popped out of a rock..."

"Popped out of a rock?" Maggie Monroe mused, suddenly remembering something, her expression changing: "Could this be the Divine Life Core?!"

"Eh, you know about this?"

"Yeah." Maggie Monroe studied the statue, her face serious. "I've heard my master sigh about it before—the Divine Life Core is a naturally-formed marvel with endless uses. They say when the Core forms, it can turn into plants, animals, anything at all. Once it breaks open and takes shape, it's destined to break through limits and head straight for transcendence. It's immune to water and fire, incredibly strong, and almost impossible to damage with blades or axes. It's close to invincible. Plus, it has a crazy long lifespan—no one's sure how long it can last, but it's way more than any mortal body. That whole 'Divine Life' thing? It was originally about this Core. Later, emperors just hijacked the name for themselves."

"Wow—!" All the younger kids erupted in excitement; this sounded just like some kind of fairy tale legend.

"Awesome!" Jill Young couldn't help giving a big thumbs-up, then asked curiously, "Has anything like this ever actually appeared before?" If something this epic had ever shown up, it would be all over the history books—everyone would know.

"No solid records." Maggie Monroe shook her head. "A Divine Life Core—maybe one shows up every million years. In some indescribable ancient age, maybe one of those mythic gods or demons was born from a Core, but that's just a guess—no hard proof. Everything my master said is just speculation from mystical calculations. I always thought it was just some wild legend, but now... it's real."

At this, everyone looked a bit dazed.

First they ran into the reincarnated Master Golden Wheel, and now this 'Divine Life Core' that’s all about living forever. Lately, things seemed to be shifting from martial arts drama straight into fairyland fantasy.

This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Click 'Next Page' to keep reading the good stuff!

Grace Kwok was the first to snap out of it. She pointed at the statue in disbelief: "Did Sister Jill just have a chance to shed her mortal body, become the Core, and ascend in one leap?" As soon as she asked, everyone stared at Jill Young with burning eyes—envy, regret, and hope all mixed together.

Wu Zhengfeng nodded slightly: "For a Divine Life Core to appear, it takes endless patient cultivation—and a stroke of fate. We examined the statue for ages and got nothing. But with just one touch from you, everything changed. Looks like this thing is really linked to you. It's a shame you backed out halfway—maybe you should try again and see if you can finish the process?"

"No way, absolutely not!" Jill Young shook her head so hard it looked like a rattle. "I'm fine as I am—why would I ditch my own body?"

Trust yourself over anyone else. No matter how strong the Core is, it's still just an external thing.

I am who I am—this body, this mind, this soul.

"Even if you don’t merge with it, the Core itself is full of mysteries and pretty interesting. Aren’t you curious to explore it a bit?"

—Uh, Maggie Monroe makes a good point. If I just treat it like a toy... Jill Young's eyes changed: Actually, this looks kinda fun~~~

She placed her right hand on the back of the Core again—this time, no need for the golden profile statue as a guide. Jill Young steadied her breath, focused, and instantly found a door in her sea of consciousness. Her main consciousness gave it a push, the door swung wide, and—whoosh—an endless light expanded and contracted. It felt a lot like entering the quantum network; after a moment of confusion, Jill Young found herself in a brand-new world.

This world was murky and dim, mysterious and obscure—like the chaos before the universe began.

[Where am I?]

As soon as the thought "look" popped into her mind, something subtle shifted. Jill Young "opened" her eyes. She saw her surroundings—still in that cave, still surrounded by everyone, just like before. But all the younger kids looked super shocked, stepping back in unison, and then everyone started talking at once.

But she could only see their mouths moving—no sound came out. Normally, she'd be able to lip-read, but for some reason, the visual signal seemed to lag. And this world with only images and no sound was super annoying, like watching a video with no headphones.

[What are these guys babbling about?]

As soon as the thought "listen" popped into her mind, something subtle shifted—Jill Young felt her "ears" open up. Suddenly, she could hear: "Her eyes are open!" "She moved!" "Looks like it's real!" "When she first opened her eyes, it was all blurry inside, but in just a moment, it split into whites and pupils, like some kind of magical transformation!"

[Judging by what these blockheads are saying, does that mean I've already "entered"?]

As soon as the thought "move" popped into her mind, something subtle—well, actually, this time it was less "subtle" and more "whoa"—shifted. Jill Young felt her body was super heavy, and even moving a single finger was tough. But with a surge of spiritual power, she heard a click somewhere, and suddenly her view spun around a lot. It was like she'd twisted her head to look behind herself.

And sure enough, she immediately saw "herself"—though maybe the quotes aren't needed, since that was her actual body. Her physical self was standing there quietly, the link between body and consciousness strong as steel cable, totally unbreakable. Seeing herself from a third-person view felt pretty weird, not like looking in a mirror at all. But hey, she's used to weird stuff like this.

"Hey..." Maggie Monroe appeared in her field of view, waving a hand in front of Jill Young like she was greeting a camera. Then she said, "You look super creepy like that—hurry up and turn your head back around."

[My neck?]

With a thought, she realized that in her last move, her waist hadn't budged—as if it couldn't move at all—but her neck had spun halfway around. Even though she was now in this weird face-backwards position, she didn't feel uncomfortable. The Core had no concept of "cervical vertebrae"—front or back, it was all the same, just changed by will.

[This is so cool? Let me try again! Doing the robot dance with this Core should be perfect!]

With another click, her head spun back to the front. At the same time, the Core suddenly started waving its arms—not a smooth wave, but a jerky, stop-motion kind of thing, with clicks and clacks echoing nonstop.

Xiao Lian wondered, "What’s the boss doing?" Grace Kwok was curious: "What happened to Sister Jill?" He Qiliao announced, all serious: "The White-Haired Witch has gone nuts."

[Hey, He Qiliao, you really think I won’t beat you up?]

She had the urge to 'beat up' He Qiliao, but realized he was standing too far away—her feet couldn't move at all, so no beating for now.

Couldn't reach him, but she could still shout angrily!

Click—the Core's mouth suddenly opened. At first, it was just a blurry mess inside, like any regular stone statue's mouth. But in no time, the mouth, teeth, and tongue started taking shape. As the lips moved, Jill Young tried to say something, and the Core's face snapped into a 'furious' expression—super animated. But after opening and closing its mouth a few times, no sound came out, and the Core's face switched to 'totally over it.'

No way to talk for now—couldn't even curse. How tragic is that~~!

[Uh, why do I suddenly feel so hungry?]

As soon as she thought about 'eating,' Jill Young felt strands of vital energy from the world being drawn in, absorbed into the Core. It wasn’t the Northern Darkness Divine Skill, nor was she doing anything special—the Core just naturally absorbed vital energy, like a fetus taking nutrients from its mother. She looked up at the World of Heaven and Earth, noticing the Core’s perspective was different from a normal human’s—it could directly see the concentration of vital energy everywhere. Focusing carefully, she found it endlessly fascinating, like seeing colors humans couldn’t even imagine.

This Core was born close to the Dao—once it comes into the world, it really could grow by leaps and bounds in no time.

But right now, it hasn’t fully transformed or been nourished enough—basically, it’s just not ready yet.

Click—the Core closed its eyes and calmed its expression. Whoosh, Jill Young’s main consciousness returned to her real body. As soon as she opened her eyes, she threw a couple of punches into the air. Ahh, her own body felt so much better—agile and powerful, ready to punch whoever she wanted. Wait, who did she want to punch again? Oh, right!

Jill Young flashed forward and chopped at He Qiliao’s forehead with a knife hand.

He Qiliao’s pupils shrank, and he reached for his sword to block. But no matter what, he couldn’t strike—he just couldn’t grasp Jill Young’s footwork. It looked like a simple step, a straightforward chop, but he couldn’t lock onto her at all. Sword in hand, but it was as useless as being unarmed.

Is the gap between us really that big?

Thunk—a knife hand landed on He Qiliao’s head, like knocking on a wooden fish. He Qiliao was left dazed, while Jill Young felt totally satisfied.

"Let’s go. We’ll study it carefully later—right now, we need to leave. All this commotion might attract others, so let’s handle our business first." That brief moment of "possession" had taught Jill Young a lot. The Divine Life Core still didn’t have enough stored energy; its transformation was incomplete, just shy of success. Like a fetus at the end of the tenth month, it was at a critical stage and couldn’t be separated from the World of Heaven and Earth. If the supply of vital energy was cut off, it might even "starve to death" and become nothing but ordinary stone.

Even though I’m not planning to give up my own body, since I’m connected to it, I’ll take care of it for now.

Jill Young stomped her foot, cracking the stone pedestal under the Divine Life Core. With one arm, she hoisted it up and—whoosh—pulled the Core free from the stone surface. Slinging the heavy Core over her shoulder, she strode out in the lead.

At the entrance, Duke Simon Duan sat on the ground, looking utterly defeated. He’d been battered by the maze, unable to get close to the Divine Skill no matter what. From hope to despair to hope and finally complete hopelessness—it made him doubt his whole life.

Could it be that I really have no fate with the Divine Skill?

Could it be that I’ll never get my revenge?

His eyes were lifeless, his spirit on the verge of collapse. He had no idea what those women had gained, or whether they’d gotten the Northern Darkness Divine Skill or the Six Meridian Sword. But whether it was real or not, he was no match for them. If they wouldn’t give it to him, what could he do? And with skills like these, who would ever hand them over? He really was at the end of his rope.

Jill Young strode over boldly. Duke Simon Duan straightened up with a whoosh, looking up at Jill Young with pleading eyes, like a beggar asking for mercy.

Right now, he really had nothing left—not even his dignity.

"Hey, monk," Jill Young gave him a strange look. "Why are you blocking the way? Move it."

"Move?" Countless guesses, thoughts, and worries flooded Duke Simon Duan’s mind. He couldn’t tell what was behind those eyes—was she driving him away? He just muttered to himself, "Where can I go?"

"Outside."

"Outside?" Even a fake monk is still a monk—he suddenly felt a hint of zen. The world was like a furnace, and he’d reached the end of his road. Other than "outside" the furnace, there was nowhere left to go.

But he was overthinking it.

The doorway’s only so wide, and you’re sitting right in the middle—I can’t just step over your head, right? Having a sketchy middle-aged guy under my legs is way too much drama for me!

"Why are you spacing out? Hurry up and come with me. Don’t forget our deal before we came in—each gets what they need. Once we find a safe spot, you tell me Yang Guo’s whereabouts, and I’ll teach you—the Six Meridian Sword."

"The Six Meridian Sword?!" Day and night he’d obsessed over it, possessed by the thought. Just when all hope seemed lost, a new light appeared. Duke Simon Duan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—he just followed in a daze. Through the underground cavern, past the hidden door, out of the small temple. When he looked back, all the hardship welled up inside him, and he couldn't hold back two streams of tears.