Staring at the unfamiliar yet familiar girl in the painting, Ying Bing felt a bit dazed at that moment.
What was she doing just a moment ago?
Every day enduring the torturous cold, roaming the dark Qingyuan Mountains, searching for the elusive Xiapho that called out to her.
One scheming person after another, famished beasts, all fell beneath her sword.
That memory was filled with darkness, coldness, and an air of desolation.
But tonight, the moonlight was truly beautiful.
Looking at her laughing self in the painting.
The moonlight flowed like clear water.
A seed, planted in the solid ice who knows when, seemed to be quietly taking root and sprouting…
“Tsk, I’m really amazing.”
Li Mo couldn’t help but puff out his chest, a smirk creeping onto his face, just one hand on his hip away from full-on posing.
Who says artists have to be dead to be famous?
This painting, once hung at Ruyi Peak, would instantly become a legendary masterpiece!
He had even thought of a name—”Mona Ice Cream!”
“Huh?”
Shang Wu scrutinized it closely and suddenly blinked her almond eyes in surprise.
“This painting looks like it has some elements of the Guan Shen diagram?”
“Really?”
Li Mo took a closer look and indeed sensed that peculiar charm.
Though it was rather faint.
Could it be that his last few strokes unintentionally poured in his heart and soul?
No wonder it felt so empty when he finished…
“Well, it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a Guan Shen diagram; it’s more like it’s vaguely imitating the artistic style.”
Shang Wu pouted, a bit regretful.
She noticed that even the figure in the painting was somewhat forced.
“Can portraiture also serve as a means of observing the divine?”
Li Mo couldn’t help but ask.
Shang Wu huffed:
“Of course! What do you think the Da Yu royal family observes?”
“The Sun…”
Li Mo recalled that the two suns once transformed from the emperors of Da Yu.
“There are two types of using human form and spirit charm as objects of observation.”
“One is to observe the saint who embodies the ‘Dao’, and the second is the Huanmo Sect’s demonic methods. This painting fits neither, so it can’t really be used for observation.”
Shang Wu’s understanding of the Guan Shen diagram was quite profound.
One wonders if it had anything to do with her breaking a bunch of statues back then.
“What a pity.”
Li Mo took the painting down with a sigh.
“I had a spark of inspiration; who knows when I’ll get another chance to have such favorable timing again?”
“There will be more.”
“Huh?”
Li Mo was taken aback.
But he saw that Ying Bing had already turned and ascended the pavilion, leaving only her silhouette behind.
…
As night deepened, Li Mo, who had just finished soaking in the hot spring, returned to his room.
The daily practice session was non-negotiable.
Now, the “Fiery Lotus Miracle Method” had already condensed its mysterious core, but he still needed to gather momentum, and he didn’t plan to stop at just one core.
“The Ice Chunk’s room doesn’t seem to be that cool anymore.”
As he passed by the door next door, Li Mo felt something.
At this time, Ying Bing should be observing the Taiyin.
Could it be because she had stepped onto the path of observing the divine?
Li Mo shook his head and hummed into his room.
He casually placed the painting from earlier beside him and took out the Jinwu Huari Guan Shen diagram from the void space.
After staring at the Jinwu Huari diagram for a long time, he still had no reaction.
“My celestial body can’t handle ordinary inner chi martial arts—could it be the same for the Guan Shen diagram?”
“Wait a minute…”
Li Mo spread out the ‘Mona Ice Cream’ again.
This time, the sensation of spirit being drawn forth reemerged.
The painting of the Ice Chunk, even though it was ridiculously forced and still called a portrait, bizarrely resonated with his consciousness soul.
But the top-tier Jinwu Huari diagram didn’t.
Little Li pondered.
Was it unrelated to the grade of the Guan Shen diagram?
What a shame.
This painting couldn’t be observed…
“Wait a minute!”
“I have the Creation Seal!”
“This was drawn using the Guan Shen diagram technique, so what would happen if I stamped the Creation Seal on top?!”
Little Li had a sudden flash of inspiration.
Swish—two ancient, exquisitely crafted seals made of bronze appeared on the table.
He still had two ancient bronze seals left.
Even if they failed, he had room for trial and error!
“Shall I give it a go?”
Li Mo’s mind was still churning.
But his hand seemed to have a mind of its own, plopping down to take up a seal and stamp it down.
Buzz—
Mysterious characters flowed into it.
Suddenly, the painting glimmered with ethereal light, enveloping the entire picture as it glided around.
“It worked!”
Li Mo stared unblinkingly, a sense of excitement rising in his heart.
What if something went wrong?
Fortunately, his anxiety was unnecessary.
The radiance gradually dissipated.
One painting turned into two.
The original stayed while beside it, a new painting emerged.
Li Mo stared at it intently.
In the painting, it was still Ice Chunk, still possessing that exquisite beauty, yet there was a distinct difference.
No longer just a budding young girl, she seemed to have matured somewhat, shedding her innocence.
Her clothing had changed from a snow-white gown to a dark cloud veil.
Time had shaped her figure more refined, her eyes became ever more alluring, like a fleeting shadow in the dark night.
What remained unchanged was that subtly raised corner of her lips.
If Ying Bing saw this, she would recognize it immediately.
This was her appearance when she roamed the world; back then, she had indeed been ranked first on the Qianlong List of Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, earning the title “Cold Yama.”
“This is… Ice Chunk in the future?”
Li Mo was momentarily stunned.
Why did it feel like he was playing a dress-up game…
And!
This painting seemed to have been evolved into a mid-tier depiction?
To verify his guess, Li Mo calmed his mind.
Suddenly, everything before him rippled like waves, becoming surreal.
The cold moon, the dark alley, the girl holding the sword turned back to look.
In that instant, Li Mo felt as if he stood before her, becoming her opponent.
This was similar to when he had clashed with the remnants of will in the Crimson Sky Sword within the Divine Peak Cave.
But the difference was,
The Ice Chunk in the painting was exponentially stronger.
Clang—
Tian Shuang reflected the cold moon as it was drawn.
That flash of sword light was stunningly beautiful, almost causing everything around to freeze in time.
Including thought.
After a long time.
Or perhaps it was just a moment.
Li Mo’s consciousness soul detached from the image of the painting, his chest rising and falling lightly.
“Given Ice Chunk’s age, this would be her not long from now, right?”
Little Li’s heart was racing.
He could deeply sense that one sword was devoid of self, the moonlight dazzling and enchanting…
Not just because the Ice Chunk in the painting was strong.
But!
This image he observed didn’t suffer damage!
“The ancient bronze creation seal can at most elevate the Guan Shen diagram to an upper form.”
“If I stamp it again, would it be elevated to an upper form?”
Li Mo pondered for a moment.
He hadn’t observed the spirit charm yet.
Let’s try with this Ice Chunk first.
Little Li began his attempt at observing the divine for the first time in his life.
