Chapter 249: Self Realm
Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Self Realm
Hongmi Immortal left behind something good.
Even now, sitting in the carriage, Zhu Ge felt exhilarated. He had to suppress a laugh every now and then.
"Alright, stop laughing."
Lying on a berth in the carriage, True Monarch Minmian said speechlessly, "You remind me of an old acquaintance right now."
Zhu Ge smiled. "I bet that acquaintance of yours ran into good fortune all the time, so he was always happy, right?"
True Monarch Minmian: "No, he just laughed like an idiot all the time."
Zhu Ge shot him a look. "You can’t beat me right now. Also, don’t be like Guan Julan. Cursing is a bad habit."
True Monarch Minmian sneered. "Speaking of Guan Julan, I knew her parents. It’s fascinating how they managed to produce a creature like her."
Zhu Ge couldn’t be bothered to deal with Minmian.
Ever since Minmian lost his cultivation, he had completely let himself go.
He spent his days teasing Liu Jianjian, teasing Zhu Sisi, teasing Mazhu, and even teasing Zhu Ge.
To top it off, the guy was so experienced and knowledgeable that even Zhu Ge often fell for his tricks.
"By the way, Zhu Ge, do you know why Hongmi Immortal’s ’Self Realm’ was so large?" True Monarch Minmian suddenly asked in a profound tone.
Zhu Ge was on his guard.
This was how he had been tricked before.
"Why?" Zhu Ge asked.
True Monarch Minmian smiled. "Because he obtained a certain Self Realm and fused it into his body. That’s also why he was so powerful."
"I see." Zhu Ge nodded. "Then how does one fuse a Self Realm into their body?"
’A Self Realm!’
From Zhu Ge’s understanding, it was a small world born within one’s own body!
According to what True Monarch Minmian had taught him, not just anyone could possess such a thing.
Only exceptionally powerful Great Immortals could condense one.
Those who were slightly weaker would condense a "Domain" instead. The Plague God Sparrow, for example, was considered dazzlingly talented for having condensed the Plague God Domain.
Once the Plague God Domain was activated, the Plague God Sparrow would be in its element.
Great Immortals who were weaker still could only manifest an "Aura."
The weakest of the Great Immortals didn’t even have an "Aura," only the evolution of their True Intent.
And since Zhu Ge could manifest the "Dawn True Intent," he could condense the Dawn Domain in the future, and after that, the Dawn Realm.
This was Zhu Ge’s understanding.
After learning about this previously, Zhu Ge had wondered why Hongmi Immortal hadn’t condensed a Domain, or even an Aura.
Now he knew. Hongmi Immortal had obtained a "Self Realm" through a fortuitous encounter.
So, Hongmi Immortal was probably trying to fuse his own domain with the Self Realm to gain control over it.
Once he controlled the Self Realm, Hongmi Immortal’s "Dao" could no longer be stripped away.
The manifestation of True Intent, Aura, and Domain all involved a combination of one’s own power and the power of the external world.
But a Self Realm was a world that existed entirely within oneself.
The body was like a nexus, connecting the external world and the Self Realm.
In that state, with his Great Dao fused into the Self Realm, trying to strip it away from Hongmi Immortal like they had stripped away the Dragon Ball would be virtually impossible.
"Fusing it into your body... you can’t do that yet," True Monarch Minmian said, shaking his head. "Without an Upper Yuan Palace, the Self Realm won’t go in."
’Alright, as expected...’ Zhu Ge felt helpless.
"But..." True Monarch Minmian dragged out the word, shaking his head playfully.
"I have to hand it to you, old man," Zhu Ge said, exasperated. "If you don’t want to say it, then forget it."
With that, he turned his head to look outside.
Liu Jianjian was riding on Mazhu’s back, chattering away with her own hair.
Zhu Sisi was lying in front of Liu Jianjian, nibbling on mulberry leaves.
Mazhu, meanwhile, ambled unhurriedly along the narrow forest path.
If nothing else, Mazhu’s Second Realm aura alone was enough to make many Demon Beasts back off.
"Hey, I’ll tell you."
True Monarch Minmian latched onto him. "Zhu Ge, come on, ask me."
"Beg me." Zhu Ge shot True Monarch Minmian a sidelong glance.
True Monarch Minmian’s expression changed. He snorted coldly, "Hmph. I’m not telling you then."
Seeing this, Zhu Ge closed his eyes to rest.
A few minutes later, True Monarch Minmian’s voice rang out again. "Hahaha, Big Brother, your Second Brother will tell you something."
Before Zhu Ge could answer, True Monarch Minmian continued, "If you want to possess a Self Realm before becoming a Great Immortal, it’s simple. You just need to possess an Aura first."
Hearing this, Zhu Ge was taken aback.
’That makes sense!’
"Actually, the most crucial part isn’t the Upper Yuan Palace, but the Aura," True Monarch Minmian said with a smile.
"True Intent manifests externally, then condenses the Aura of heaven and earth. The Aura of heaven and earth then undergoes a deeper evolution to become a Domain."
"But normally, once you have an Upper Yuan Palace and your Divine Sense is born, it’s much easier to gather the Aura of heaven and earth using your Divine Sense."
"Though I’ve lived for over two thousand years and have never seen it happen."
True Monarch Minmian tipped his head back and took a swig of wine. "However, with the talent of our Grand Palace Master Zhu, tsk tsk, such a rarity in this world... who’s to say you won’t condense one?"
As he spoke, he called out to Liu Jianjian, "Isn’t that right, little hedgehog?"
Then he looked back at Zhu Ge. "The little hedgehog, Mazhu, and Zhu Sisi all call you Master. How about I call you Master, too? After all, your talent looks down on the world, doesn’t it? Don’t you often feel you have a great talent for the Martial Dao?"
’Incredible!’
Zhu Ge hadn’t expected True Monarch Minmian to beat around the bush for so long just to deliver those last two lines.
Ever since True Monarch Minmian came into contact with Guan Julan, his mouth had been getting filthier and filthier.
’Though he seemed to be enjoying himself.’
"I do not." Zhu Ge refused to admit it, directly denying what True Monarch Minmian had said.
"You do too," True Monarch Minmian said casually, raising an eyebrow. "That look on your face, that glint in your eye when you practice your punches... it’s like you’re amazed that your ’talent is so high.’ Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a Nascent Soul who’d possessed this body."
Hearing this, Zhu Ge’s heart skipped a beat.
’He’s not wrong.’
In his previous life, Zhu Ge had never practiced martial arts at all. So, during his first battle against a horde of demons, he was shocked to discover his own talent for the Martial Dao.
Other people fought out of hatred; he fought for the thrill of it.
And so, after traveling less than a dozen miles, True Monarch Minmian had already started mocking Zhu Ge’s martial arts practice.
According to True Monarch Minmian, Zhu Ge’s smug look of self-satisfaction was hilarious.
And that’s how Zhu Ge discovered the crazed smile that would appear on his face while he practiced, which he did his best to suppress the next time.
"Wanting to fuse with the Self Realm ahead of schedule is a good thing, I think..." True Monarch Minmian’s expression turned serious as he said thoughtfully, "But if you only rely on Martial Arts, it might not be enough. Since you also have the Confucian Dao, why not give it a try?"
"Also, didn’t you say there were many things inside Hongmi Immortal’s Self Realm? Why not study the Immortal Dao a bit?"
"The Immortal Dao communicates with heaven and earth, the Confucian Dao communicates with all living beings, and the Martial Dao communicates with the self. If you study them and gain some enlightenment, by the time you reach Shengjing, who knows? You might just succeed."
’Practice the Immortal Dao and the Confucian Dao?’
Hearing this, Zhu Ge fell into deep thought.
’He’s absolutely right!’
"I’ll go take a look then."
Zhu Ge took out a red grain of rice the size of a chicken egg.
This was the "Self Realm" left behind by Hongmi Immortal!
The next moment, the Self Realm, which Zhu Ge had already refined, emitted a faint glow, and Zhu Ge himself arrived in another place.
A vast, flat plain.