Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

The deeper one ventured into the demon cave, the more unsettling the roars of the yao became. Waves of savage, overwhelming momentum rolled through the darkness, enough to keep weaker cultivators far away.

The demon cave was divided into an outer and an inner region. The outer region remained under control, jointly managed by Great Wei, the Buddhist sects, and the major factions. The depths of the demon cave, however, had all but fallen.

A space-time node at the very deepest point had long since stabilized and continued to expand. It had already grown large enough for powerful yao to pass through. That area had become completely corrupted, transformed into demon-tainted soil and serving as a forward outpost for the demon realm’s invasion.

Countless powerful yao inhabited the depths of the demon cave. Every day, brutal battles erupted between the living beings of this world and the invading yao.

The place had another name as well: the Bloody Battlefield. Across Great Wei, the major families and factions all conducted the same trial there: The Bloody Trial.

A figure streaked through the darkness. Far behind him, two powerful pursuers followed at a distance, their expressions growing increasingly unpleasant.

The burly bald man at the front said with a dark expression, ”How can this brat be so freakishly fast?”

After receiving the news, they had waited outside the Demon-Suppressing Army camp before chasing him all the way here.

As dual cultivators of the Immortal and Martial Daos, with a Divine Repository realm martial cultivation and False Core Immortal Dao cultivation, they should have easily overtaken him. However, the fellow somehow managed to escape all the way here, even though the distance between them was gradually decreasing. With more time, they would ultimately catch up.

”Relax. He won’t be able to keep this up much longer. And we’re almost at the depths of the demon cave. He’s probably hoping to use the yao down there to shake us off. But he probably doesn’t realize that bloodline martial artists possess far stronger resistance to demonic qi energy than ordinary martial artists. Once we enter the deeper regions, the suppression on him will be much greater than on us. Heh...”

The gloomy-faced companion beside the bald man sneered coldly.

In their eyes, Xiao Yu had completely miscalculated if he thought the yao of the demon cave depths could help him escape.

Farther back, two more figures followed from the shadows. The man on the left spoke with a faint smile. ”Xiao Yu’s talent is quite extraordinary. To possess this level of strength within the Divine Repository realm alone is truly remarkable. I wonder where he came from. If he hadn’t offended Young Master Yixuan, his future achievements would have been limitless. What a pity.”

”So what if he’s talented? Are there too few people like that in this world? Only those who survive and grow stronger deserve to be called geniuses. A dead genius is worthless, no matter how exceptional his talent.

”When I was younger, there were plenty of martial artists in my generation who were hailed as peerless prodigies. And now? Their graves have probably disappeared long ago, while I’m still alive and well,” the man beside him said with cold disdain.

What was a genius worth? Only a genius who survived to grow stronger was truly a genius. And among all things, he most enjoyed snuffing out those geniuses before they had the chance to mature.

Black winds howled through the darkness. Fan Hongwei’s youthful-looking puppet remained concealed in the shadows, leisurely following behind the others. A faint smile lingered on his lips the entire time. Like a god gazing down from above, he watched the five figures ahead with the detached amusement one might reserve for slightly larger ants.

Watching the surging waves of demonic qi energy ahead, the young Fan Hongwei pondered silently, The brat is heading deeper into the demon cave. He isn’t planning to enter another space-time node, is he? That’s something I should guard against.

Many space-time nodes also existed in the depths of the demon cave. Some had only recently formed and had yet to stabilize, making them accessible only to cultivators below the Golden Core realm. If Xiao Yu hid inside one of them again and refused to come out, things would become troublesome. Surely he couldn’t wait another five months.

With that thought, the young Fan Hongwei accelerated slightly, gradually overtaking the two groups ahead. Watching all of this through his perception, Lin Zheyu’s expression turned rather strange.

Lin Zheyu’s expression grew increasingly odd. ”Uh... this old bastard...”

After entering the depths of the demon cave, he had been considering how to deal with Fan Hongwei’s puppet first before eliminating the others. Who would have thought the old bastard would deliver himself right to his doorstep? This... This suited him perfectly.

A cold smile spread across Lin Zheyu’s face. ”Since you’ve come to me of your own accord, then I won’t stand on ceremony... I’ll send you on your way right here.”

Of the five pursuers behind him, the most troublesome was Fan Hongwei’s youthful-looking puppet. It possessed genuine Golden Core realm strength and had to be eliminated first. Otherwise, fighting the others under its watchful eye would expose his true capabilities, giving it a chance to flee or launch a sneak attack.

Black winds, carrying terrifying demonic qi, swept through the darkness. As the pursuers ventured deeper into the demon cave, their expressions gradually became more serious.

”Let’s make our move now. If we go any deeper, a fight could attract yaos that are too powerful...” The burly, bald man’s voice abruptly fell silent. ”Hm? Where did he go?”

A look of astonishment appeared in his eyes. For a brief instant, his attention had wavered, and then Lin Zheyu had simply vanished from their perception.

”Stay alert!” the man shouted.

Before anyone could react, a terrifying blade light suddenly swept across the darkness ahead. The slash carried overwhelming power. Wherever it passed, space itself seemed to fracture, leaving behind fine cracks in the void.

Under Fan Hongwei’s shocked and disbelieving gaze, the blade descended onto the crown of his head. The puppet’s body offered no resistance at all. Like a knife cutting through tofu, the slash cleaved straight through him and emerged from between his legs.

”H-How is this possible?” The young Fan Hongwei’s eyes widened. Even at the moment of death, he could not believe what had just happened. Staring at the figure emerging from the void before him, a trace of confusion appeared in his eyes. The man was covered from head to toe in magnificent purple-black scales.

Is this really a martial artist? A Divine Repository realm martial artist?

Before he could think any further, another pale-gold blade of light flashed through the darkness like lightning. In an instant, Fan Hongwei’s puppet was sliced into more than a dozen fragments. Terrifying energy erupted from the shattered pieces. The resulting shockwave spread through the void, sending visible ripples across the surrounding formations.

Watching the brilliant explosion ahead, Lin Zheyu said indifferently, ”So weak...”

Back in the demon realm, he had already possessed strength comparable to that of the Golden Core realm. At the time, his Primordial Golden Body had not yet reached the Perfection of the third stage, nor had he been able to wield Spatial laws freely within the demon realm to unleash the strongest form of the Seven Absolute Sabers. Even so, he had already stood on equal footing with Golden Core realm cultivators.

Now that he had left the space-time node, Lin Zheyu was finally able to unleash his full strength for the first time. The saber technique he had just used contained the full power of his spatial laws. Its might was terrifying.

The puppet’s remains continued to explode one after another. Wave after wave of destructive energy slammed into Lin Zheyu’s purple-black scales, yet failed to leave behind even the slightest mark. These scales were the manifestation of his Golden Body form.

After cultivating the Primordial Golden Body to Perfection of the third stage, not only had the form become more refined, but the countless grotesque flesh tumors that once covered his body had transformed into elegant scales. In this state, Lin Zheyu looked as though he were clad in a suit of living biological armor, both bizarre and strangely beautiful.

The winds from the explosion swept past him. Lin Zheyu spread his perception outward. Deep within his sea of consciousness, the golden Heavenly Eye shone brilliantly as it remained fixed on the center of the explosion.

Only after confirming that no soul fragment had escaped and no information had been transmitted did he finally relax. He had no intention of revealing his true strength to the world. The less his enemies understood him, the better.

If someone sought to harm him, any assassins dispatched based on inaccurate intelligence would inevitably misjudge his capabilities. At the same time, it reduced the likelihood of attracting the attention of stronger figures with ulterior motives.

Lin Zheyu had always been willing to assume the worst of others. A man may be innocent, but possessing treasure invites disaster. Of that principle, he was firmly convinced.

”Run!”

”Run!”

The remaining four cultivators were horrified by what they had just witnessed and immediately turned to flee.

The battle had ended so quickly that they had not even had time to react before Fan Hongwei’s puppet was destroyed. At that moment, the four men were cursing furiously in their hearts.

Which bastard said this guy is only a Divine Repository realm cultivator?

Lin Zheyu turned his head and said calmly, ”Since you’ve come all this way, you might as well stay.”

His voice seemed to drift up from the depths of hell itself. The four False Core cultivators felt as though they had fallen into an abyss. Every hair on their bodies stood on end. It felt as though some terrifying monster had fixed its gaze upon them, and an unprecedented sense of danger surged through their hearts.

Lin Zheyu gave them no chance to catch their breath. The wings covered in elegant, streamlined scales behind his back beat once. The power of spatial laws spread outward, and his figure vanished from sight.

”Aah! Aaaah!”

The sound of blades tearing through space echoed through the darkness. Pale golden saber light flashed like lightning, weaving itself into an enormous golden net that covered the entire stretch of void. Four agonized screams rang out almost simultaneously, then abruptly ceased. A moment later, the vast net of golden saber light slowly faded away.

Lin Zheyu stepped out of the void, the scaled wings behind him gently beating. Five storage pouches rested in his hand. His expression remained calm, his eyes utterly devoid of emotion. Turning slightly, he looked back toward the Demon-Suppressing Army camp. His gaze seemed capable of piercing through the void itself, as though he could see Sun Zhenzhi standing within the camp.

Lin Zheyu murmured softly, ”Not enough...”

He slowly clenched his fist, and terrifying power surged through his body. Yet it still wasn’t enough.

”I’ve been away for long enough. It’s time to return. Once I break the seven shackles within my body, my strength will reach a level comparable to the Nascent Soul realm,” Lin Zheyu muttered with a quiet voice.

With strength rivaling the Nascent Soul realm, if he were to storm the Demon-Suppressing Army camp and deal with Sun Zhenzhi...

”No. I can’t take that risk. If that godlike military formation is fully activated, its power will absolutely surpass the Nascent Soul realm.”

Lin Zheyu forcefully pushed the thought from his mind.

His life was precious and not meant to be gambled away. The thrill of dancing on the edge of death and the rush of surging adrenaline simply did not suit him. What Lin Zheyu preferred was to quietly bide his time, steadily grow stronger, and then crush his enemies with overwhelming power. A gentleman’s revenge could wait ten years. As for him, with Origin Force at his disposal, he would not even need that long.

The wings behind him flapped twice before slowly disappearing. The scales on his body also quickly retracted, revealing the dark purple Martial Divine Patterns underneath. These patterns had transformed after absorbing demonic qi. The purple-black form he used moments ago was powered by demonic qi.

If he had used blood qi instead, the outcome would have been different. He would have been covered in brilliant golden scales, radiating a majestic and righteous aura. After its refinement, the Golden Body form became much more powerful. As the last traces of the form vanished, Lin Zheyu’s figure blurred and then disappeared into the void...