Chapter 108 The Divine Might of the Substitute Shepherd, and a Vigilant Mind

["Rumble—"]

[When your Divine Thought follows that invisible channel...]

[...and truly touches the towering 'statue' above your head.]

[Your Sea of Consciousness shakes violently, as if a thunderclap has exploded.]

[A vast, ancient, and terrifying energy that seems capable of encompassing all things...]

[...instantly submerges your consciousness.]

[In that instant, you have an extremely vivid illusion.]

[It feels as if you are no longer that Origin Opening Realm Martial Artist struggling on the ground.]

[But have instead become the true form of 'Han Ming', dwelling high above the Nine Heavens and looking down upon all living beings.]

[With just a single thought, you could manipulate Karma, change the world, or even cause this Grotto-Heaven to collapse at your will.]

[This pleasure of wielding absolute power is like the mellowest wine in the world.]

[Making one unable to resist indulging in it, never to wake up.]

["Is this the perspective of a god...?"]

[Your consciousness is somewhat blurred, and you even feel an impulse to simply melt into this power.]

["No!"]

[Just at the moment your self-awareness is about to sink.]

[Your Martial Dao heart, tempered through countless life-and-death trials and as solid as a rock, suddenly trembles.]

["I am Li Ang! Not Han Ming!"]

[Your resilient Divine Thought instantly transforms into a sharp blade, ruthlessly severing that illusory sense of power.]

["That was close... I was almost assimilated by this power."]

[A wave of lingering fear washes over you, but you quickly regain your composure.]

[Without stopping, you continue to firmly perform the 'Profound Water Si Heaven Prayer God Method'.]

[As your consciousness clears, that illusory sense of omnipotence gradually recedes.]

[Gradually, you gain a different feeling—an unprecedentedly clear perception.]

[You begin to see through the holy radiance and perceive the true essence of the statue before you.]

["As I thought..."]

[Just as that cold female voice said earlier, this statue is not the true body of 'Han Ming'.]

[At most, it is just a shadow projected down from the so-called 'Divine Might Abyss Prison', a relay station.]

[For when you begin to try and borrow this power, you keenly discover...]

[...that this seemingly vast Divine Power has actually been 'diluted' and 'filtered' many times by certain rules.]

[It is like purified water that has been filtered many times; although the total amount has decreased slightly...]

[...it has removed the violent impact that could instantly destroy the Soul of the weak.]

[Because of this, your Divine Thought feels no discomfort when receiving this power.]

[Instead, it's like a dry sponge meeting water, naturally completing the Fusion.]

["Buzz—"]

[With the completion of the Fusion, a brand-new technique flows through your heart like running water.]

[This technique is different from any Profound Water Secret Technique you have practiced before.]

[It is more like a... Divine Dao method.]

["Acting Shepherd Divine Might"!]

["Shepherding on behalf of the god, borrowing might to suppress others."]

[With the help of the mark on your forehead...]

[...you instantly grasp the essence of this technique.]

[Its principle is actually very simple and direct: through the prayer method...]

[...establish a continuous resonance with the statue of 'Han Ming'.]

[Then, you can borrow the terrifying pressure emitted by the statue to intimidate others.]

[By covering yourself with it...]

[...you can offset and neutralize the heavy pressure exerted on you from the outside, and even turn around to use this Divine Might to suppress enemies!]

["Good stuff!"]

[Without the slightest hesitation, you strike while the iron is hot and immediately begin practicing it in your Sea of Consciousness.]

[Lying on the ground, your life aura is already as weak as a candle in the wind.]

[If you delay any longer, you might truly meet your end here.]

[A few minutes later.]

["Rise!"]

[You silently chant the mantra in your heart, and the aqua-blue mark on your forehead suddenly glows brightly.]

[An invisible pressure, carrying a faint divinity, suddenly erupts from your body.]

[It crashes violently against the external gravity that was about to crush you.]

["Pop—"]

[Like two magnets of the same pole repelling each other, you feel a weight lift off your back.]

[As your extended Divine Thought returns to your body, that terrifying pressure that had tortured you for so long...]

[...indeed recedes like the tide!]

["Huff... huff... huff..."]

[The moment the pressure disappears, you don't immediately jump up as if nothing happened.]

[Instead, like a fish out of water, you greedily gasp for air.]

[Your body, due to the prolonged extreme compression, is now twitching violently.]

[You lie on the ground for another full two minutes, waiting for your numb limbs to regain sensation and for your dislocated bones to slowly slide back into place.]

[Only when the stinging pain subsides slightly do you grit your teeth and slowly prop up your body to stand.]

[Every muscle in your body is screaming, as if you'd been trampled by hundreds of elephants.]

[But there is no trace of pain on your face; instead, it reveals a heart-palpitating calmness.]

[You sit cross-legged, pressing your palms directly against the cold boots of the statue.]

["Since I've already borrowed some, I might as well borrow more."]

[Wasting no time, you continue to circulate the 'Profound Water Si Heaven Prayer God Method'.]

[As your Qi and the statue's aura repeatedly blend and resonate...]

[...you feel as if you've opened a brand-new treasure trove, as unheard-of divine techniques...]

[...begin to flood into your mind one after another.]

['Cangming Spirit Healing Art': Consumes Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme to channel Divine Power and rapidly repair damage to the Physical Body and Divine Soul.]

['Xuan Xi Origin Condensing Shield': No longer a simple water shield, but a shield containing a trace of divine rules.]

[It is exceptionally effective against spiritual attacks.]

['Cangming Spirit Guarding Art': Guards the Sea of Consciousness, prevents external evils from invading, and stabilizes the mind.]

[...]

[This is an entirely new system, independent of Martial Dao and special abilities—Divine Dao Arts!]

[And what surprises you the most...]

[...is that these divine arts seem to have undergone some special modification.]

[They don't require you, like those traditional charlatans from the 'Heart-Eroding Cult'...]

[...to sacrifice lifespan, Soul, or any other precious things.]

[They only need to consume the massive, renewable 'Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme' within your body as fuel.]

["It's useful, but... is this thing really safe?"]

[Amidst your joy, a deep sense of vigilance also rises in your heart.]

[After all, this is a Domain you are unfamiliar with.]

[You always maintain a sense of awe toward the unknown.]

[This fellow 'Han Ming', although he claims to be "bored and looking for someone to talk to"...]

[...and acts as if he's taking care of you, a "descendant of an old friend"...]

[...an old monster who has lived for untold years must have thoughts as deep as the sea. Who knows what he is actually plotting?]

[Who knows how much of what he just said was true or false?]

[These old fogies will say any kind of nonsense to achieve their goals.]

[With such a severe lack of information, you simply cannot guess his true intentions.]

["However, since these techniques were taught within this Grotto-Heaven, they are likely endorsed by the master of the Grotto-Heaven."]

["Using them in the outside world should be fine."]

["But within the Grotto-Heaven, under the nose of 'Han Ming'..."]

["...if he intends to pull some tricks, I really have no way to counter them."]

["Will using these methods too much have any negative effects?"]

["And judging by how he struggled to speak just now, the price he paid to talk to me must not have been small."]

[Analyzing it carefully, you are certain of one thing: 'Han Ming' is seeking something significant.]

[Furthermore, there must be something wrong with these so-called 'Divine Arts' and the mark on your forehead.]

[You look at the imprisoned statue before you, your eyes flickering.]

["It seems that during these long years of being pressed into service..."]

["...'Han Ming' has truly found some loopholes to bypass the Great Powerful Being's methods."]

["Under the guise of 'preaching', he shoved these Divine Arts onto me and told me to go to the abyss..."]

["What exactly is this old monster trying to do? A backdoor listing? A golden cicada shedding its skin?"]

[Conspiracy theories swirl in your mind.]

[But soon, you take a deep breath and forcibly suppress these chaotic thoughts.]

["There's no use thinking about it too much."]

["The most important thing right now is that I must keep living and move forward."]

[You stop your wild thoughts and close your eyes again.]

["I can't stop eating for fear of choking; I still have to learn what needs to be learned."]

["The priority is to master these Divine Arts first."]

[In this deathly silent space, you once again enter a state of Cultivation where both self and world are forgotten.]

[Meanwhile, the aqua-blue mark on your forehead continues to shimmer with a faint blue light.]