Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Hiss, hiss, hiss.

One after another, pythons slithered out from the forests on both sides, hissing menacingly. These ones were not very powerful; the stronger beasts were all ahead, locked in a standoff with the Guangxuan Escort Agency.

This python’s defense should be weaker than that Marrow Refining Realm beast outside Bafang City. I wonder if the eighteenfold Barbaric Ox Fist will be enough to kill it outright.

That previous beast had possessed an extraordinary natural talent and terrifying defense. This python’s aura, however, was much weaker; among vicious beasts, the defensive power of serpents was only average, so it likely wouldn’t prove too difficult to deal with.

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black stood upright beside Lin Zheyu, waving its claws and staring intently at the distant python.

Drool began to trickle down from its mouth. It turned toward Lin Zheyu, patting his trouser leg with one paw. When Lin Zheyu looked down, Little Black immediately pointed its claw toward the python and let out a loud roar.

Lin Zheyu was speechless.

Watching Little Black’s gestures, Lin Zheyu roughly understood what it wanted. The little creature wanted him to catch the python so they could roast it. After more than a month of eating ordinary beasts, Little Black clearly missed the flavor of roasted Blood Qi Realm creatures. The flesh of a powerful beast was far more satisfying than that of common animals.

”Quiet. Stay alert,” Lin Zheyu muttered, resisting the urge to kick it.

He wasn’t in peak condition and didn’t want to act rashly, though he did have the urge to test whether he could blast apart a Marrow Refining Realm python with a single punch.

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black gave two low, sulky chirps before obediently assuming a vigilant stance.

Time passed slowly. The snakes nearby remained coiled around tree branches, flicking their tongues but not moving. After the giant python appeared, several figures emerged after it. They were likely members of the Giant Python Stronghold and were engaging in discussion with the Guangxuan Escort Agency. About half an hour later, the clear sound of a flute echoed again. The snakes on both sides rustled softly as they retreated into the forest and vanished shortly after.

”Huh? They’re retreating.”

”It seems that the Guangxuan Escort Agency reached an agreement with the Giant Python Stronghold. We’re safe now.”

”How strange. Does the Giant Python Stronghold control the pythons with flute music? How does that even work?” Liang Yunhui asked curiously.

Soon after, the convoy began moving again. Lin Zheyu let out a faint sigh of relief, feeling that avoiding a fight was for the best. The Ox Horse, still frightened, hung its head as if pretending to be dead. Lin Zheyu cracked his whip to get it moving again. Yet before it had gone even two hundred meters, trouble struck once more.

Hiss, hiss.

A massive python slithered out from the forest, flicking its tongue. Standing atop its head was a burly man, with another four or five-meter-long serpent coiled around his torso.

”Heh. I heard three of you haven’t paid the toll. Be smart and step forward on your own. I won’t make things hard for you. Take one punch from me, and you can pass,” the man said with a grin.

Perched high atop the python’s head, he looked down on Lin Zheyu and the others. This python was not the same one that had blocked the path earlier; it was smaller, with strength roughly equivalent to the third transformation of the blood qi.

”Fine, I’ll take you on!” Lei Chuangcheng declared boldly, stepping forward.

As he stepped forward, Liu Chengmian and Yan Bo joined him, releasing a surge of powerful aura. Within their auras pulsed a trace of fierce momentum qi that seemed to intertwine. Through that mysterious connection, their essence, qi, and spirit merged together into one flowing current.

”Huh?”

The onlookers around them all gasped in surprise.

”A joint-attack technique? Not bad. No wonder you had the guts to skip paying the toll,” the burly man atop the python said in mild surprise.

Such a martial art, capable of fusing the essence, qi, and spirit of three people to forcibly enhance their power, was exceedingly rare and extremely difficult to master. It required three martial artists with deep mutual understanding who had comprehended the same kind of momentum qi, who then linked themselves through a shared technique that bound their auras together.

”A joint-attack technique, huh? The martial path of this world truly is wondrous. A technique like that is not unlike the army’s talisman tokens,” Lin Zheyu murmured with awe.

During his time in Songyi City, he had never seen such a technique, as the environment there offered no chance to witness a joint technique like this. After moving to Bafang City, he had spent most of his time hunting beasts in the wilderness, rarely mingling with others in town. He had never had the network or opportunity to explore the wonders of martial cultivation.

As the three unleashed their technique, Lei Chuangcheng’s momentum qi surged madly, rising to a level comparable to the Marrow Refining Realm. But before the burly man could strike, a sudden change erupted.

Boom!

A muffled crash resounded from the forest as a burly figure burst forth, wielding a massive black iron staff. His presence was overwhelming and carried a suffocating aura of blood and slaughter. The aura was somewhat reminiscent of Chen Mu’s back in Songyi City, yet while Chen Mu’s had been born from the Berserker Art, wild and war-driven, this man’s was pure killing intent.

The iron staff came crashing down, carrying an unstoppable force. The dense, murderous momentum qi condensed into a crimson haze that swept toward Lei Chuangcheng. Under its pressure, a faint blood-red glint appeared in Lei Chuangcheng’s eyes. In that instant, he too released a powerful surge of momentum qi, breaking free from the man’s oppressive aura. Yet his heaving chest and labored breath revealed that he had not completely shaken off its effect.

Bang!

The iron staff was moving with astonishing speed. Lei Chuangcheng had no time to dodge before the terrifying force slammed into his chest, sending him hurtling backward. A series of cracks echoed as several ribs shattered. He hit the ground hard, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fell unconscious.

At that moment, the essence, qi, and spirit linking the three men through their shared momentum shattered. Liu Chengmian and Yan Bo both staggered under the backlash, coughing up blood as their faces flushed red.

”Heh, heh... I thought you might be worth something, but you couldn’t even take one hit from me. What a waste. With that level of strength, you dared to skip paying the Giant Python Stronghold’s protection fee? Each of you will leave 2,000 taels of silver for your lives. If you don’t have it, pay with your lives instead.”

The burly man let out a cruel laugh. His bloodshot eyes glinted with murderous intent, and the baleful qi rolling off him made the onlookers’ hearts tremble in fear.

”We were blind and offended you, mighty one. Here are 6,000 taels of silver... Please accept them,” Liu Chengmian said quickly. Without even thinking of fleeing, he obediently drew the silver from his pack and held it out with trembling hands.

”I’ve changed my mind. Hand over all of your packs as well,” the man said with a sinister grin.

Liu Chengmian’s expression darkened. He exchanged a look with Yan Bo, then gritted his teeth and handed over all three of their packs in silence.

”Count yourselves lucky for knowing your place. You came from some backwater place and thought that your little bit of strength was worth shit. What a joke. You’re all nothing but trash.” The man spat on the ground, then strutted away with the packs in hand.

After the man left, the burly one atop the python also departed. The five who had not paid the protection fee all breathed sighs of relief. The Guangxuan Escort Agency truly lived up to its four generations of heritage and solid reputation; once paid, they ensured safety. After taking the toll from Lei Chuangcheng’s group, the men from the Giant Python Stronghold did not trouble anyone else and withdrew.

”Phew.”

Liu Chengmian and Yan Bo both exhaled in relief. They hurried forward to lift Lei Chuangcheng, checking his injuries. Fortunately, they weren’t too severe; he would recover after a few days’ rest. Still, both men felt regret; had they paid the fifty taels that morning, none of this would have happened.

”Tsk, that guy got it rough.”

”Well, that’s what he gets for refusing to pay 50 taels of silver. Serves him right!”

”Did he really think that this was still Bafang City, where a little bit of strength lets you act with impunity?”

”Alright, enough gawking. Get ready, we’re moving on.”

The convoy of the Guangxuan Escort Agency buzzed with murmurs from the bystanders.

Almost every journey to the Central Plains saw a few hardheaded types like Lei Chuangcheng and his companions—those who overestimated themselves, thinking their strength could carry them beyond Bafang City unchallenged. After suffering losses like this a few times, they usually learned their lesson and later paid up willingly. Heck, they usually even started requesting the Guangxuan Escort Agency’s protection.

So strong. This is a lesson to never underestimate anyone. Lei Chuangcheng is proof enough, Lin Zheyu thought, feeling a quiet jolt of caution.

That man’s momentum qi had nearly reached its peak. He was only a step away from manifesting true intent. Backed by such terrifying force, his single blow had been overwhelmingly powerful. It was nearly ten times stronger than one of Lin Zheyu’s own punches.

He silently compared their strengths. His most powerful attack, the eighteenfold Barbaric Ox Fist, was almost twice as strong as that strike. But he was certain that that hadn’t been the man’s full power. A martial artist of the Marrow Refining Realm would have at least one ultimate technique, and with such terrifying momentum, that man’s trump card must be extraordinary.

It’s a pity I can’t freely interrupt the Boiling Blood Secret Art, or I could’ve probably killed him in a single blow, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

After assessing the situation carefully, he concluded that without the Boiling Blood Secret Art, he wouldn’t be that man’s match. Even if he went all out, his endurance was limited. If he failed to finish the fight quickly, once his blood qi was spent, he’d be completely at the enemy’s mercy.

”That was terrifying! I thought we were doomed,” Liang Yunhui gasped once the people of the Giant Python Stronghold were gone, still shaken.

It took her a long while to steady herself. She then patted her chest, still pale with fear. As someone only at the Organ Forging Realm, the man’s overwhelming momentum qi had drained all color from her face.

”That 50 taels of silver were well spent,” she muttered under her breath, glancing at the unconscious Lei Chuangcheng in the distance. Thankfully, they had paid up.

”Yunhui, get on. We’re leaving,” Liang Yuhan said coolly as she returned to the carriage.

Though her expression remained calm, traces of fear still lingered. It was her first journey to the Central Plains. She had believed that with her third transformation cultivation and special techniques, self-preservation would not be an issue. But now she realized how naive that thought was. If that man had turned his hostility on her, she would have had no chance to resist.

The closer we get to the Central Plains, the stronger the forces we’ll encounter. Let’s hope the Guangxuan Escort Agency’s protection holds, Lin Zheyu thought quietly.

The Guangxuan Escort Agency had made many such trips to the Central Plains and knew the route well. As long as they cooperated and avoided the arrogance that doomed Lei Chuangcheng’s group, the rest of the journey should pass without incident.