21: Chapter 21 The First Clone, Double the Cultivation

Medusa had been searching this area for several days. Based on her perception, she was certain that the Green Lotus Core Flame was located within the Tagor Desert.

However, she could only ever capture a faint, blurry aura and could not find its exact location.

The Tagor Desert was naturally rich in fire-attribute Dou Qi. The pervasive fire-attribute energy severely interfered with her perception. Furthermore, as a member of the Snake-People Tribe, her nature was cold rather than fire-oriented, which greatly increased the difficulty of her search.

Even though she was already at the Peak Dou Huang level, it was difficult to penetrate this dense fire-attribute Dou Qi to accurately lock onto the Heavenly Flame's position.

Medusa took a deep breath, suppressing the irritability in her heart, and released her Soul once more, carefully searching for that faint aura of the Heavenly Flame.

She could not give up, nor did she dare to.

Over the years, the surrounding Human Empires had become increasingly harsh toward the Snake-People Tribe, constantly encroaching on their living space. From time to time, humans would trespass into the Snake-People Tribe's territory, sparking conflicts.

The strength of the Snake-People Tribe was declining day by day. They had long since lost their former confidence and could only retreat into this desert to struggle for survival.

What worried her even more was that the lifespans of the four Elders of the Snake-People Tribe were nearly exhausted.

The Elders were the pillars of the Snake-People Tribe. Once they were gone, the Snake-People would face even greater hardships under the oppression of the Human Empires, and might even face extinction.

The Snake-People Tribe desperately needed a Dou Zong.

As long as a single Dou Zong appeared, they could support the entire Snake-People Tribe.

Not only could they escape the oppression of the Human Empires and no longer be bullied, but they could also lead the entire Snake-People Tribe out of this barren and desolate desert to find a place more suitable for survival.

And the Green Lotus Core Flame was the key to her Breakthrough to Dou Zong.

Using the power of the Heavenly Flame to complete her own Evolution and break through her Realm's Bottleneck—this was the method Medusa had found in the ancient records of the Snake-People Tribe.

The ancient records stated very clearly that this method was extremely dangerous. One slight mistake would lead to a backlash from the Heavenly Flame, causing one's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. To say it was a narrow escape from death was no exaggeration at all.

This was essentially a massive gamble.

If she won the bet, she would Breakthrough to Dou Zong, the Snake-People Tribe would escape their predicament, successfully leave the desert, and welcome a new life.

If she lost the bet, she would perish. The Snake-People Tribe, having lost their Queen and their pillar of strength, would lose their deterrent power. There was a high probability they would be annexed or exterminated by the surrounding Human Empires, disappearing from this continent forever.

Medusa did not want to wait for the Snake-People Tribe to gradually decline until the race was on the brink of extinction before fighting for that elusive, slim chance of survival.

Thinking of this, the determination in Medusa's eyes grew even firmer.

She had to find the Green Lotus Core Flame, and she had to succeed!

...

Meanwhile, Ling Yuan was focused on his secluded meditation in Qingshan Town. After spending a full month and a half, he finally succeeded in converting his Cultivation Technique.

He had originally cultivated a Heaven Rank High Grade Cultivation Technique, and the one he switched to was also the Heaven Rank High Grade Myriad Body Origin-Returning Art.

There was no change in his Realm; he was still a One-star Dou Zong, though the Dou Qi within his body had undergone some slight changes.

That was not the most important part. Ling Yuan could not suppress the urgency in his heart and immediately began attempting to condense a Clone.

This was the core of the Myriad Body Origin-Returning Art and the true purpose behind his switch to this Cultivation Technique.

Ling Yuan sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, concentrated all his mental energy, and controlled his Soul Power.

A wisp of pure Soul Power slowly separated from his glabella, floating lightly in front of him in a faint, transparent state.

Next, he raised his hand to draw upon the Dou Qi in his body, continuously pouring it into that wisp of Soul Power.

The Dou Qi and Soul Power merged, gradually outlining a vague humanoid silhouette.

As Dou Qi continued to be infused, the outline became clearer and clearer, eventually forming a semi-transparent humanoid phantom. It was identical in size to a normal person but lacked any facial features or flesh, appearing exceptionally ethereal.

The next step was to endow this phantom with flesh and blood, making it a true Clone of flesh and bone.

Ling Yuan raised his hand and applied slight pressure to his fingertip. A drop of bright red blood seeped out and fell onto the transparent humanoid phantom.

The moment the blood touched the phantom, it was instantly absorbed, and the phantom trembled slightly.

Buzz!

Immediately after, a miraculous scene occurred. Flesh and skin began to grow rapidly on the phantom's body. From the limbs to the torso, and then to the neck, it covered the transparent body bit by bit at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The growth of this flesh and blood proceeded exactly according to the image in Ling Yuan's mind.

Ling Yuan knew in his heart that the fewer people who knew the secret of the Myriad Body Origin-Returning Art, the better. Naturally, he would not let the Clone look like himself.

Besides, he was so handsome; if the Clone looked like him, wouldn't it attract too much attention?

What the Clone needed was to be low-key and hidden, able to quietly help him Cultivate and find treasures without being too eye-catching.

Thus, Ling Yuan specifically gave the Clone an average face with ordinary features, a medium skin tone, and the build of an ordinary man.

It was the kind of face that would be instantly swallowed up if thrown into a crowd, impossible for anyone to specifically remember.

A moment later, the flesh and blood were fully formed, and a complete Clone appeared before Ling Yuan.

Ling Yuan looked the Clone up and down, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, very satisfied with his handiwork.

From its outward appearance, this Clone was no different from an ordinary human male.

One could not tell at all that it was his Clone; its stealthiness was maximized.

It had flesh, blood, and a Soul. The only thing missing was perhaps independent consciousness.

It possessed no emotions, would not think, and had no thoughts of its own.

If Ling Yuan did not give it any instructions, it would only subconsciously do four things: Cultivate, find treasures, fight, and flee when encountering danger.

To put it bluntly, this Clone was more like an emotionless, cold-blooded cultivation machine that only knew how to execute instincts and commands.

Unless Ling Yuan's main body died and his consciousness transferred to this Clone...

Ling Yuan felt this was quite good; there was no need to worry about the Clone becoming stronger than the main body or the occurrence of it devouring its master.

It was worth mentioning that the Clone's Realm did not start from zero. Upon being successfully condensed, it possessed the strength of a One-star Dou Practitioner, saving him the trouble of having to Cultivate Dou Zhi Qi.

Looking at the Clone, a question arose in Ling Yuan's mind.

The records of the Cultivation Technique stated that the Clone's cultivation speed was the same as his current speed, but how exactly was this "same" determined?

Did it mean the One-star Dou Practitioner Clone possessed his current cultivation speed of a One-star Dou Zong?

Or did it mean the Clone's cultivation speed was only the same as the speed he had back when he was a One-star Dou Practitioner?

There was quite a large difference between the two.

Because as one's strength increased and their Soul grew stronger, the cultivation speed would inevitably accelerate.

His current cultivation speed as a One-star Dou Zong was by no means comparable to when he was a One-star Dou Practitioner; there was a world of difference between the two.

Thinking of this, Ling Yuan immediately set to work testing it, giving the Clone the command to absorb Dou Qi.

“If the Clone's cultivation speed is the same as my current cultivation speed, then this Cultivation Technique is even better than I imagined!”