779 Different Characters

That spearmanship was complete! In contrast, a character composed of only a few strokes makes it incredibly difficult to discern its intentions. Xu Jingming observed with great care, feeling a tinge of confusion. The longer he focused on the black character, the more it seemed to enlarge in his eyes, arousing intense emotions within Xu Jingming, like a surge of murderous intent.

Huh? Xu Jingming suddenly snapped back to reality. As a half-step third-realm powerhouse from the Heart Realm lineage, could it be that I am unable to control my own impulses, and my murderous intent is being provoked?

Xu Jingming reached out and touched it, holding the black character in his palm.

This black character has a mere five strokes. It’s simple, yet it inexplicably stirred up my murderous intent? Xu Jingming exerted force, but his grip couldn’t harm the black character in the slightest.

Burning with Red Lotus Fire! Attacking with psychic weapons! The character appeared both tangible and ethereal, impervious to his assaults.

It’s just a single character; I can’t discern anything from it. Perhaps if there were more characters, I could draw some conclusions. Xu Jingming pocketed the character and surveyed the surroundings before resuming his journey at high speeds.

As time passed, native creatures would occasionally attack Xu Jingming along the way. These creatures varied in strength. When facing the stronger ones, Xu Jingming could only rely on his clones to escape separately, but dispatching the weaker ones was a breeze.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed since Xu Jingming arrived in this boundless land.

In these past five days, I have been attacked by native creatures 92 times. I emerged victorious in 87 instances and managed to slay 29 of them, acquiring 29 characters. Xu Jingming rested against a tree in the forest.

Within the pocket universe he carried, Xu Jingming’s clones rested while the characters floated in the expanse of space.

Out of the 29 characters, 21 were black characters and 8 were colorful characters. The structure of each character was completely unique.

These 21 black characters might belong to the same type. It’s possible they are fragments of a grand text penned by an Ultimate being, Xu Jingming speculated. However, this text seems to have been scattered, and I have managed to gather 21 pieces?

As for the eight colorful characters, they could potentially be from a distinct text altogether. Or should I consider them not as words but as mere paintings? Or perhaps they are peculiar symbols? Xu Jingming was utterly perplexed.

But one thing remains certain—The black characters belong to the same category, and the colorful characters share another category.

The black characters can incite my murderous intent.

The colorful characters can affect my mental state. Xu Jingming had only collected 29 characters, yet he had already deduced and theorized numerous aspects. Simply by observing these 29 characters, my understanding of murderous intent and mental state has shifted.

The Eight Directions Map categorizes the mind into eight levels, but this is Feather Fire Lord’s system. His classification is rudimentary, too rigid.

Through the eight colorful characters, Xu Jingming glimpsed additional possibilities within the realm of the mind and recognized the limitations of the Eight Directions Map. Ultimately, the Eight Directions Map was a fundamental legacy created by a third-realm being. There existed a considerable gap compared to the characters that may have been left behind by an Ultimate existence.

With just a handful of characters, Xu Jingming could already perceive another world.

The essence of my psychic spearmanship, the Golden Halberd, lies in obliterating the enemy’s mind. However, without sufficient murderous intent, the might won’t reach its full potential. Xu Jingming sought to integrate the insights gained from the black characters into his spearmanship.

By incorporating certain techniques from the colorful characters, my illusory realm can exert greater control over the enemy’s mind and consciousness.

Excitement coursed through Xu Jingming’s veins.

Could it be that after studying the silver parchment for hundreds of thousands of years, I have gained a basic mastery of both the black and colorful characters from the very first day? He gradually merged his newfound knowledge into his spearmanship and the illusory realm.

Or perhaps it is due to the exceptional talents of my Heart Realm lineage, which happens to resonate harmoniously with these enigmatic characters?

Here it comes.

Leaning against a tree, Xu Jingming cast his gaze into the distance. Another Xu Jingming was swiftly approaching, and upon their encounter, the two merged into one.

Finally, I have brought my third-realm weapon along. Xu Jingming flipped his hand, summoning an ethereal silver spear. It was the very weapon Thearch Dragon Island Lord had laboriously acquired from his homeworld.

Usually, Xu Jingming hesitated to venture forth with such a valuable weapon. Losing a clone was a minor concern, but replacing a lost weapon would prove challenging.

This is a treasure trove left behind by an Ultimate being. If I don’t give it my all now, then when? Xu Jingming’s eyes gleamed as he beheld the ethereal silver spear. Armed with a third-realm weapon, he felt as fierce as a tiger with wings.

Putting aside other treasures, these mysterious characters alone are immensely beneficial to my psychic weapon and the Abyssal Void illusory realm.

If I gather more characters, I may become an invincible half-step third realm. With that thought, Xu Jingming stowed away his spear and transformed into a blur, resuming his journey.

In the past few days, Xu Jingming had discerned a pattern.

If he remained in one place, the native creatures would give up attacking after a failed attempt. Only by swiftly traversing to other remote areas would he face further assaults.

Come on, attack me more.

I possess my third-realm weapon and have brought 500 clones with me. Xu Jingming’s fighting spirit soared.

Though he had initially brought along a few clones, they were the ones permanently stationed in Feather Fire City, and their numbers were limited. This time, his clone from the homeworld had brought a total of 500 clones and several third-realm treasures, allowing Xu Jingming to attain his peak combat state.

For Heart Realm powerhouses, clones held little value. It was merely that the mind and consciousness controlling the clones were the same, thus limiting the strength they could unleash.

…

Rip!

A blur swept past Xu Jingming, and three dark beams shot out from his body, piercing through the fading image.

The battle unfolded at lightning speed.

The figure materialized—it was a peculiar gray creature. Its lone eye had lost all light, a clear indication that its mind and consciousness had been instantly obliterated by the assault of Xu Jingming’s three clones.

Whoosh.

Silently, the lifeless body disintegrated, leaving behind a colorful character.

Colorful character. Xu Jingming released the grip of his Heart Realm Force. No identical characters have surfaced since I began collecting them.

As he delved into the meaning of the characters, Xu Jingming’s strength gradually ascended. Coupled with the third-realm psychic spear in his possession, his power became palpable. When confronted by native creatures, his success rate in dispatching them exceeded 80%.

Whoosh.

After stowing away the character, Xu Jingming resumed his journey.

Just how vast is this land? It has been half a month, and I have yet to encounter a single half-step third realm, Xu Jingming pondered. Suddenly, he froze, his gaze fixated on the distance.

There, another half-step third-realm powerhouse traversed the land. Towering like a small mountain, he strode forward, until he halted and locked eyes with Xu Jingming from afar.

The two figures stood in wary confrontation.

“Who is he?”

“Who is he?”

Human Xu Jingming and the mountain-like half-step third-realm powerhouse regarded each other with caution.

They were strangers to one another!

Xu Jingming hailed from an area under Feather Fire Lord’s jurisdiction. Meanwhile, this behemoth of a half-step third-realm powerhouse originated from a region under Connoisseur’s influence.

Casting a sidelong glance at Xu Jingming, the half-step third-realm powerhouse swiftly turned and fled at great speed. There was a hint of panic in his retreat. Connoisseur kindly granted us permission to venture here, mentioning the presence of countless invincible half-step third-realm powerhouses and Abyss Sovereigns from other dominions. I must exercise utmost caution in this realm.

He’s faster than me, Xu Jingming mused to himself as he witnessed the scene. As a half-step third-realm powerhouse of the Heart Realm lineage, he couldn’t rely solely on the Heart Realm to escape. Mere swiftness alone wouldn’t allow him to catch up with those half-step third-realm powerhouses.

Arriving in this expansive land, he encountered his first half-step third-realm powerhouse. In a single glance, the other party fled in fear.

Fortunately, the abundance of native creatures provides ample opportunities for confrontation. Xu Jingming continued his journey.

…

His days stretched across the endless land, shrouded in loneliness. He kept on the move, purposely drawing the attention of native creatures to provoke their attacks.

In the blink of an eye, a whole month had passed.

Within this past month, I’ve managed to acquire a total of 396 characters. Among them, 212 are black characters, 128 are colorful characters, and 56 are transparent characters. In the pocket universe that Xu Jingming carried with him, these 396 characters floated weightlessly in space.

The black characters stirred up his killing intent, while the colorful characters influenced his mind. However, it was the transparent characters that intrigued him the most.

These transparent characters depict combat scenes? Xu Jingming exclaimed in surprise.

Upon closer inspection, an incomplete image of a weapon could be discerned within each transparent character.

Among the weapons depicted were the familiar ones to Xu Jingming, such as sabers, swords, spears, and staffs. However, there were also all sorts of peculiar weapons. For instance, a universe held in one hand and hurled as a weapon! Or an infinite high-dimensional mountain grasped in the palm and used as a dagger!

A transparent character was akin to a combat phantom.

These combat phantoms weren’t overly formidable. Xu Jingming surmised that they were likely scenes from the third realm—this was because he had previously encountered the spearmanship depicted on the silver parchment! The might wielded by those combat phantoms paled in comparison.

To this day, I have only collected three types of characters. Although their origins and purposes remain unknown to me, they have undeniably enhanced my psychic spearmanship and the Abyssal Void illusory realm. Xu Jingming sensed his progress over the past month.

As Xu Jingming studied the characters, a sudden sensation jolted him. He raised his gaze to the distance.

Across a wide expanse of gray river stood an alien of the half-step third realm. Its slender tail swayed leisurely, while its icy eyes scrutinized Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming returned the gaze.

Both the invincible half-step third-realm powerhouses and the Abyss Sovereigns received guidance from third-realm powerhouses. They should have reached the inner area by now. The half-step third-realm alien observed Xu Jingming and speculated. He’s still lingering in the outer area after all this time. He must be a relatively feeble half-step third-realm powerhouse.

The alien had ventured into the inner area five days ago, only to be confronted by its overwhelming dangers. Thus, he hastily retreated back to the outer area, trembling in fear.

Whoosh.

With a swift stride, the half-step third-realm alien traversed the wide river in an instant. By reaching the riverbank, he had significantly closed the distance between himself and Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming couldn’t help but be taken aback by this display. What speed! It far surpasses mine!

“You’ve been here for quite a while, haven’t you? How many characters have you amassed? Around 300 or maybe even 1,000?” inquired the half-step third-realm alien.