Chapter Forty-Nine: Profound Insights

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Within the guest hall of the imperial villa in Finlay City, it was not long after Qiankun's return that Lord Fallen Leaf of the Radiant Church paid him another visit.

"Qiankun, I truly did not expect you to dispatch Gusluo so easily. It seems your strength has reached the pinnacle of the Sanctuary, hasn't it?" Fallen Leaf regarded Qiankun with a smile, noticeably more courteous than during their previous meeting.

Qiankun merely smiled noncommittally and went straight to the point. "Lord Fallen Leaf, don't forget the agreement we made. Did you bring the incantations for the forbidden spells of the Seven Elemental Laws that I requested?"

"But of course!" With a genial laugh, Lord Fallen Leaf produced seven moderately thin tomes with a flourish and sent them floating to Qiankun's side. "These seven volumes contain every incantation, from the first-level spells up to Sanctuary-level forbidden spells, of each branch of the Seven Elemental Laws."

Qiankun accepted the books, set them aside, and casually flipped through one. Once he confirmed that the forbidden spell incantations were as promised, he nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "Lord Fallen Leaf, your Radiant Church is indeed decisive."

"Haha... On behalf of the Radiant Church, I sincerely invite you to join us, Qiankun. What do you think?" Fallen Leaf inquired with a smile.

Join the Radiant Church? Qiankun arched an eyebrow, chuckled, and shook his head without hesitation. "I appreciate your offer, Lord Fallen Leaf, but I'm used to a carefree life and prefer not to be bound by any faction. Still, if the Radiant Church ever needs my assistance, simply ask. But let me make it clear—next time you want my help, it will not come so cheaply."

"Well... very well. Since you do not wish to join us, the Radiant Church will not press you," Fallen Leaf replied with a helpless smile.

After Fallen Leaf departed, Qiankun eagerly immersed himself in the study of the forbidden spells of the Seven Elemental Laws.

A few days later, Qiankun quietly left Finlay City and entered the magical beast mountain range, settling beside a picturesque brook.

He dismissed the black dragon Aukes, who had accompanied him, to go off on his own, then began to practice and ponder various spells in the woodland by the stream.

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With the formidable power of his soul, which surpassed even the gods, Qiankun found that understanding the principles of magic made casting spells almost effortlessly simple. Relying on his innate talent for the Laws of Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Light, he easily absorbed and stored abundant elemental energy within his core. Once he knew the incantations, he could even unleash Sanctuary-level forbidden spells without difficulty, no different from a true Sanctuary mage—indeed, even more easily than most of them.

Qiankun devoted most of his thought to the deeper principles behind magic. In essence, magic was the fundamental application of the profound mysteries of the Laws, using spiritual power to channel the elemental energy of heaven and earth into powerful spells. Put simply, it was not unlike the arts practiced by cultivators.

As he delved into the principles behind magic, Qiankun also gained a clearer and deeper understanding of the mysteries of the elements.

On another front, although he had never formally trained as a warrior, his advantage in cultivation allowed him to swiftly convert his internal magical power into battle energy at the Sanctuary level by practicing a secret warrior manual. He easily grasped the fundamental levels of a warrior's realm—weight, lightness, and momentum—since his insight into the mysteries of the elements was already profound.

Months passed. Within the ancient forests of the magical beast mountain range, Qiankun hovered in midair, wielding a slender, deep-blue divine sword. His seemingly slow swings caused the space around him to blur and overlap. With a single sweep of the blade, he effortlessly tore open a rift in the fabric of space.

In the next instant, sword shadows blossomed like a peacock fanning its tail. All these shadows merged into a single, seemingly ordinary sword stroke, slicing through space like a steel wire.

A gust of wind howled as Qiankun's figure split in two, then into four, and in the blink of an eye, sixteen images of himself appeared. These sixteen figures surged in speed, their forms growing indistinct as they formed a circle. Sword shadows flashed amid the piercing clamor of blades, and wherever they passed, the surrounding trees trembled and dissolved into drifting powder.

At length, Qiankun's image coalesced into one, and he twirled his sword with a smile. "The Law of Wind—elemental wind, speed, slowness, sound waves, resonance, duplication, wind walking, wind space, and dimensional blade. I’ve gained considerable insight into all nine mysteries, and some are even beginning to merge. As I thought, it is the fusion of mysteries that leads to the true path. Only by uniting all the mysteries of a Law can one claim true mastery."

"Perfection... Although I know that beginning to fuse the mysteries from the start makes it easier, and my soul is powerful and my comprehension swift, it is still not so easy to reach perfection," Qiankun sighed, shaking his head.

With a thought, he stored away his deep-blue sword and summoned a heavy black sword.

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"The Law of Earth..." Qiankun murmured, narrowing his eyes. With a tremor of the heavy black sword, an invisible wave spread outward, causing nearby trees to shudder and splinter. Qiankun drifted over with his sword, and with a flick, the force of gravity increased suddenly, causing chunks of shattered wood to plummet to the ground.

He landed gracefully, taking seemingly casual steps that, in truth, let him traverse the ground in great strides as if shrinking the earth. At the same time, his heavy black sword shifted through various forms, striking at the surrounding rocks and earth, making the land quake and the stones shatter, the ground shaking as if the very earth roared.

With a thunderous crash, Qiankun swapped weapons once more, this time for a dark red heavy spear. The tip spun like a drill, boring into the rock, and exploded with fiery power, sending shards flying—the very embodiment of the explosive mystery of the Law of Fire.

In the blink of an eye, Qiankun changed weapons again, now holding an icy blue divine whip. As he wielded it, the whip traced circles that spun and spun, twisting the space around him into a vortex.

With a sharp, piercing crack, the whip snapped taut, its slender tip frozen like an icicle, thrusting forward to pierce the air itself, shattering a nearby tree.

Wood fragments flew toward him, but as they neared, a sacred white light enveloped Qiankun. Any fragment that touched the light was instantly purified and dissolved without a trace.

"I have talent in Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Light, but I fall far short in the Laws of Darkness and Lightning. I have some clues regarding the Law of Destruction, but as for Death, Life, and Fate, I have no starting point at all. It seems I must find a way to obtain the methods for practicing Death Magic, Life Magic, and the Grand Prophecy," Qiankun mused, frowning as he stowed away his divine whip. "But before that, should I not first fully comprehend a single Law and ascend to godhood? As I am now, I am still inferior to a true god, and having multiple divine avatars would allow me to cultivate even faster."

"However, the ripple of becoming a god will easily attract the attention of god-level experts like the High Priest and the War God. They may not matter, but Beirut of the Dark Forest—I truly don't wish for him to take notice of me so soon!" As this thought occurred, Qiankun's eyes suddenly brightened. "Of course, the Land of Chaos—the small realm space left by Beirut is an excellent place to cultivate. If I become a god within it, the ripple should be concealed. It seems I must make a journey to the Land of Chaos."