Chapter 1271: Convincing Himself

"I have one. Wushuang Island... In the Black Reef Waters, there is a solitary island called 'Wushuang.' Because it is surrounded by hidden reefs, towering waves, and the island itself is barren with no vegetation or living creatures, there is no human presence for ten thousand miles around." Luo Feng said after a moment's thought.

"I need you to build a formation on Wushuang Island for me," Han Li said directly.

"As you command," Luo Feng said with a cupped fist salute.

Han Li nodded, then took out a detailed blueprint already drawn and a black storage ring, handed them over, and said, "The formation diagram is here, and the materials needed are also given to you. You must start work as soon as possible and complete it within seven days."

"I'll see to it immediately." Luo Feng took them, glanced at them, his expression slightly changed, then said.

"No rush. Here are some cultivation techniques and spiritual medicines for Wumeng Island. Keep them as well." Saying this, Han Li tossed over a white storage ring.

"Thank you, Lord Liu..." Luo Feng caught it, didn't even check, and directly knelt down.

After he left, Han Li's gaze fell on the Earth Immortal incarnation, who seemed to sense it and looked up, meeting Han Li's eyes.

Han Li looked at this incarnation, which looked almost exactly like himself, and felt a surge of emotion.

This incarnation was originally condensed from a wisp of his soul and the Soul-Birth Flower, already possessing some relatively independent consciousness. After all these years of disconnection, as its cultivation grew, its mind had become more complete.

In a sense, it was both himself and not himself.

If he had truly fallen in his previous trials in the Immortal Realm, as long as this incarnation existed, he would not be considered completely destroyed in body and soul.

Since he could reclaim absolute control over the incarnation at any time through that wisp of soul, even if something unexpected happened, his cultivation and divine sense were far superior to the incarnation's, so naturally he didn't have to worry about it rebelling.

Of course, that was a last resort. Once this clone completely lost its self, it could no longer guard this place for him as it did now.

"I have a favor to ask," Han Li said after a long while.

"We are originally one, so why speak of favors? Just say it directly," the Earth Immortal incarnation said, expression unchanged.

Han Li hesitated slightly, then raised his hand and gently touched his face.

With a flow of green light, the restriction covering his face was removed, revealing his true appearance.

Black mist swirled at his brow, with a strange rune in the center, and his eyes flickered with blood light, emitting an intense aura of ferocity from the depths of his pupils.

The Earth Immortal incarnation stared at the rune on Han Li's brow, startled, feeling that the rune looked like a ferocious, hideous face, with dark light surging as if it might burst out of the flesh at any moment.

"What is this..."

Although the Earth Immortal incarnation was separated from Han Li's soul and had countless connections with him, they had not been in contact for a long time, so it had no idea what it was seeing.

Then it frowned and said in shock, "Your cultivation level?"

Earlier, Han Li had concealed his true cultivation, but now he revealed it completely without reservation.

"My cultivation is currently stuck at the peak of the Great Luo early stage, and I am suffering from the intrusion of the Evil Corpse, facing the hurdle of Corpse Severing," Han Li said with a bitter smile.

"Great Luo, a Great Luo stage cultivator..." Even the Earth Immortal incarnation found it hard to believe.

Generally, following the path of an Earth Immortal, with the support of believers' faith power, was a shortcut in cultivation. As long as there were enough believers, cultivation speed would be faster.

During this period, due to the relatively closed environment of the Black Wind Sea and the foundation laid by Han Li, the development of Wumeng Island's forces and believers had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Thanks to this, the Earth Immortal incarnation's cultivation speed was not slow, but compared to Han Li, it was insignificant.

"So, I can help you with the Corpse Severing?" the Earth Immortal incarnation asked after a moment of stunned silence.

"Yes. The difficulty of Corpse Severing lies in how to contend with the Corpse Soul and sever it from the body. The Three Corpses are all rooted in obsessions, and their power grows almost throughout the cultivator's entire development. Relying solely on one's own soul power to cut oneself off is unimaginably difficult. I was fortunate to obtain a secret Corpse Severing technique that uses a transference method to transfer the Evil Corpse into your body, greatly increasing the chance of success," Han Li said, nodding slowly.

"What are the risks?" the Earth Immortal incarnation asked directly.

"The Corpse Severing process itself is dangerous. If not careful, my original soul could be devoured by the Evil Corpse, completely changing my nature, and the Evil Corpse would take over. Additionally, even if the severing succeeds and it is sealed into your body, there is a high chance it will take over your Earth Immortal body," Han Li said.

"So, you just want me to be the receiving vessel?" the Earth Immortal incarnation asked with a slight frown.

"Indeed," Han Li said, nodding.

"If it were you, would you agree?" the Earth Immortal incarnation said with a strange expression.

"Actually, it's not without benefits for you. The number of believers on Wumeng Island and its海域 is limited. I think the main reason you haven't been able to break through to the Tai Yi realm is that the faith power you receive is insufficient to help you overcome the realm's limitations, right?" Han Li asked.

"Yes," the Earth Immortal incarnation said after a moment of silence, nodding.

"I have a way to help you break free from the constraints of the Earth Immortal body, no longer relying on faith power," Han Li said.

"No one knows better than you how this body of mine was refined. And no one knows better than you the connection between the Earth Immortal body and Wumeng Island. How could it be severed so easily now?" the Earth Immortal incarnation shook its head, clearly not believing Han Li's words.

"I know that well. After so many years of cultivation, your Earth Immortal body's connection with Wumeng Island has only grown stronger. But what you don't know is how powerful the energy carried by the Evil Corpse is. Once it enters your body, to better adapt to your body, it will inevitably transform your Earth Immortal body. Using power comparable to Great Luo from within to sever the bond of faith power is not difficult," Han Li said.

The Earth Immortal incarnation fell into deep thought, then asked after a long while, "Is this really feasible?"

"Even if not ninety percent, there's seventy to eighty percent certainty," Han Li said, nodding.

"If the bond of faith power is severed, what about the people of Wumeng Island?" the Earth Immortal incarnation asked.

"Not to mention that Luo Feng is now a True Immortal. If you are willing to protect them and stay here for a hundred years, with the spiritual plants and magical artifacts I leave them, they will have no fear of any force in the Black Wind Sea. Moreover, cutting off the path of the Ancestral God might not be a bad thing for them," Han Li said.

The Earth Immortal incarnation listened, then nodded after a long time, acknowledging Han Li's words.

"The process sounds simple, but it's not easy. First, your current body may not be able to withstand the massive energy from the Evil Corpse's entry. Second, without protection, your soul will surely be devoured by the Evil Corpse, becoming its food," Han Li continued.

"You must have a solution already, right?" the Earth Immortal incarnation asked.

"Yes. The great formation I had Luo Feng build earlier is for tempering your Earth Immortal body. As for your soul, before I perform the ritual, I will seal it with a secret method. You will fall into a deep sleep, and the Evil Corpse won't detect your presence, so it won't attack you," Han Li said.

"Fall into a deep sleep..." the Earth Immortal incarnation hesitated.

"Don't worry. Before that, I will imprison your physical body on Tianshuang Island. After the Evil Corpse takes over your Earth Immortal body, it can only break free after completing the transformation and controlling the body. By then, I will have successfully stabilized the Great Luo mid stage, and capturing it will be as easy as lifting a finger. After that, I just need to use a secret method to peel it off and reseal it," Han Li said, waving his hand and smiling.

"So, a key point is that you must stabilize the Great Luo mid stage before it fully controls my body and breaks free?" the Earth Immortal incarnation frowned.

"Compared to the many risks before, this is nothing to me," Han Li said confidently.

"In that case, this can be done," the Earth Immortal incarnation said after thinking for a while.

Han Li's expression relaxed, and he sighed inwardly.

Convincing himself was truly not an easy task, as only with its full cooperation could the secret Corpse Severing technique achieve its best effect.

...

Time flew by, and seven days had passed.

In the Black Wind Sea, on a stretch of water with a black sheen, one could see reefs formed by piles of black phosphorus coral everywhere, some completely hidden beneath the surface, others protruding slightly above the water.

Elsewhere, the sea had waves but was generally calm, but here, the water crashed against the rocks, raising hundred-zhang waves everywhere, with a tremendous roar.

In the center of this Black Reef Waters stood a strange gray-white island.

Near the sea, the island showed black rocks, but higher up toward the center, it turned gray-white, looking from afar as if covered in frost.

At that moment, several figures flew through the high sky and landed on the island.

Among them, a man in a green robe and another in blue, despite different clothes, looked very similar—they were Han Li and his Earth Immortal incarnation.

The other two were Luo Feng and Jin Tong.

They arrived at the center of the island and found that the original hilltop had been completely leveled, creating an open area where a thirty-zhang-tall blue hexagonal altar had been built.