"Hmm, no one really knows who holds the Village Founding Decrees anymore. It seems most of them have already been used. Even Freewind City wasn't built using one—it was reconstructed over the ruins of an ancient city."
"Yeah, the decrees are rare, and most of the news about them is just rumors. A lot of it is probably fake."
If they had the ability to build villages, of course they wouldn't choose to wander. Ordinary villages were of little value. Only those founded using Village Founding Decrees held boundless potential as true foundations for development.
But Chen Sheng had seemingly never been fated to find one. He had searched for a long time and still hadn't discovered any trace of a decree.
Still, he had learned a few things: that the decrees were mystic treasures, said to have fallen from the heavens. Some ended up in human hands, others with alien races, and some were lost in the wilderness. Whether one could find them at all was a huge question.
Glancing once more at Freewind City, Chen Sheng knew that this place offered no hope. If he entered and was discovered—especially his ability to resurrect after death—it might provoke Wang Chen to kill him more ruthlessly than ever. This time, the corpse wouldn't be reassembled. He might never rise again.
Darkness veiled everything.
Let's not speak of Chen Sheng's failed uprising or his decision to leave with his people.
Instead, in Xuanhuang City, within the City Lord's Mansion, Yi Tianxing once again entered seclusion in a meditation chamber.
The "Yin-Yang Essence Transmutation Scripture" (阴阳化灵经) had suddenly given him an extraordinary flash of insight.
It was as if a mental shackle had been broken—a flood of inspiration surged forth, filling his mind with new possibilities.
One technique after another began to take shape in his hands, while his thoughts spun rapidly.
"The theory behind the Yin-Yang Essence Transmutation Scripture is dazzling. I may not be able to directly separate yin and yang, but I can treat them as opposing forces. For example—light and darkness, fire and ice… even the self and the shadow."
"The human body is yang—substantial and real. The shadow is yin—an insubstantial projection dependent on the body. A person can exist without a shadow. Records mention that beings without shadows are either pure yang entities—immortal and divine, beyond all constraints—or they are ghosts, the pure embodiment of yin and darkness, who naturally cast no shadow."
"If I can comprehend from this scripture the method of separating my body from its shadow, why can't I refine my shadow into a clone—a second divine soul?"
"I remember a technique from the Naruto manga: the Shadow Clone Technique. That used chakra to form physical clones. Though temporary, it proves the concept of shadow embodiment."
"I possess the body of the Evil Emperor, an ideal vessel for a second divine soul. But to split my soul directly would damage my spiritual will—my origin. That's not ideal. The shadow, however, is part of me. It mimics everything I do. The perfect reflection. If I fuse the shadow with the Evil Emperor's body, perhaps I can create a supreme incarnation—a second me."
His mind overflowed with ideas—countless sparks of creativity bursting in the darkness.
The philosophical yin-yang principles of the Yin-Yang Essence Transmutation Scripture, combined with his concept of a shadow clone, began to merge. This wasn't merely a copy of the Shadow Clone Jutsu—he was aiming for a true divine technique.
"That jutsu created real bodies from energy, splitting chakra between them. It's like splitting true qi or battle energy here. But it's still an impermanent trick—not a great divine power. My goal is different. I want something enduring—authentic."
He continued flipping through scriptures, seeking further inspiration.
The biggest problem: how to sever the shadow from the body?
The shadow was intangible, yet undeniably part of him.
"The Yin-Yang Essence Transmutation Scripture includes a secret technique called the Yin-Yang Essence Severing Blade. One strike, and yin and yang are split, giving birth to new essence. But that blade must strike the self. Either you live—or you die."
"The essence lies in the strength of will. If I substitute the intention—not splitting yin and yang, but splitting the self and the shadow—perhaps I can separate the shadow completely."
"This is like splitting heaven and earth from chaos. It's madness. But I've seen it happen."
Yi Tianxing recalled the chaotic genesis of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda's inner realms. Each time a new level was created, it was like opening heaven and earth from chaos. That experience, seen over a dozen times, had etched deep truths into his soul.
This gave him the confidence to forge a new path—one no one had walked before.
The challenges were immense:
Letting his body enter a primordial state, like the pre-creation chaos.
Making the shadow visible and ready for separation.
Finding a way to animate the shadow after cutting it loose—without harming his soul.
Piece by piece, he pushed through each theoretical hurdle.
And then—inspiration crystallized.
With the help of the Bodhi light radiating from the Ten-Thousand-Spirits Blood Bodhi, his wisdom surged. Every insight grew clearer, every derivation more profound.
Finally, a new technique was born.
"The Scripture of Yin-Yang Evil Shadow (阴阳邪影经)—a divine art evolved from the Yin-Yang Essence Transmutation Scripture."
It wasn't entirely self-created. It heavily borrowed from the foundational scripture, but its application and form were wholly different. The risk remained high.
"One slash—50% chance of death. But that's better than 90%."
Even so, only Yi Tianxing could test it. Only he had the body, the will, and the experience.
He exhaled slowly, heart racing with anticipation.
"This is it. Today, I'll sever the shadow."