Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Within the world of endless yellow sand, the terrifying hurricane howled without end. By now, Lin Zheyu had weakened to the very limit. He could no longer walk. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he relied on the protective robe he wore to shield his frail body, lest the raging winds sweep him into the sky.

Although his body had become unimaginably frail, his eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance. He narrowed them slightly. His spirit and spiritual soul were exhausted beyond measure, already showing signs of drawing upon the very origin of his soul. Yet Lin Zheyu seemed completely oblivious to it.

The only thing within his field of vision was the mysterious shamanic pattern formed by the swirling yellow sand. His mind raced as he tried to unravel its secrets. Unfortunately, nearly all the energy within his body had been exhausted. His body had reached the utmost limit of weakness. His blood qi, as well as the mysterious golden energy, had both been completely depleted. Otherwise, with the aid of the golden Heavenly Eye, it would not have taken him long to fully comprehend that shamanic pattern.

The hurricane continued to howl as time slipped by. Lin Zheyu had long since lost all sense of its passage. He had become so weak that he could no longer even maintain a cross-legged posture. All he could do was lie flat on the ground, forcing his trembling eyelids open by the sheer strength of his will to leave only the narrowest slit. Even after reaching a state where he was all but spent, he refused to give up. Within those nearly closed eyes, his bloodshot pupils revealed a resolve and tenacity unlike anything he had ever displayed before.

There was only a single thought left in Lin Zheyu’s mind, to fully comprehend the unimaginably vast shamanic pattern woven into this world and fuse it into his own body. At some point, without him even realizing it... a surge of Earth Power brimming with vitality rose from beneath his body and flowed into him.

According to legend, the Shamanic cultivator system had been passed down from the Twelve Ancestral Shamans, primordial beings born from chaos when heaven and earth first came into existence. The Twelve Ancestral Shamans gave rise to twelve branches of inheritance, each wielding a different power.

There was the branch of the Ancestral Shaman of Space and Speed, which specialized in spatial power; the Eastern Wood Ancestral Shaman branch, which cultivated the power of wood; and the Southern Fire Ancestral Shaman branch, which cultivated the power of fire.

***

There was also the Central Earth Ancestral Shaman branch, which specialized in the power of earth. The inheritance secret realm Lin Zheyu had entered belonged to this very branch. The cultivation system of the Shamanic cultivators differed in many ways from the Five Elements system of the Immortal Dao.

The Central Earth Ancestral Shaman system was not limited to the power of earth alone. The Central Earth Ancestral Shaman was also known as the Mother of Earth. The earth was vast and boundless, possessed inexhaustible strength, nurtured all living things, and bore the weight of all existence. It was the very foundation upon which all life depended, governing yin and yang while giving birth to all creation. That was why the title Mother of Earth came to be.

As Lin Zheyu gradually grasped a sliver of the profound mysteries contained within the immense shamanic pattern spanning heaven and earth, an incomplete shamanic pattern began to form within his own flesh. The pattern fused into his body, becoming a part of him. With every breath he took and every circulation of blood through his veins, the shamanic pattern emitted an invisible field. Under the influence of that field, a faint stream of power welled up from the earth.

This was Earth Power! Nourished by it, Lin Zheyu’s emaciated body finally began to recover. The deathly pallor faded from his face as color slowly returned to his cheeks. His eyelids twitched, fresh strength surged through his body, and his eyes snapped open.

”I did it! So this is the power of the Shamanic cultivator system?” Lin Zheyu murmured.

Bathed in Earth Power, both his body and soul felt like parched land finally receiving long-awaited rain, bursting forth with vitality unlike anything before. Though that vitality was still weak, it was far tougher and more resilient than the life force that had previously resided within him.

In that moment, a sudden understanding arose within Lin Zheyu. He had already passed this trial. If he wished, he could leave this desolate world of sand at any time.

How could I possibly waste an opportunity like this? Open, divine repositories! Lin Zheyu shouted inwardly as the sealed three great divine repositories opened once more.

The lake-sized reservoir of spiritual energy within his spirit divine repository poured forth like rivers flowing into the sea. Since it was his own power to begin with, there was no need to refine or absorb it. It merged directly back into his soul. Lin Zheyu’s utterly exhausted spirit and spiritual soul recovered at an astonishing pace.

After a little more than thirty breaths, Lin Zheyu’s spirit and spiritual soul had fully returned to their peak condition. Although his spiritual strength had recovered, the weariness of his mind still remained. Even so, it was of little consequence to him.

Throughout his cultivation journey, Lin Zheyu’s spiritual will had been tempered until it rivaled the hardest metal and stone in existence. A little mental fatigue meant nothing. He only had to endure it for a while longer. Slowly closing his eyes, he thought, Use 2 units of Origin Force to cultivate the Golden Ocean Secret Manual.

In an instant, an immense torrent of mysterious energy surged forth, sweeping up the vast reserves stored within his divine repositories before flooding into his body. His physique rapidly expanded and swelled, restoring him to the peak of his former broad and powerful build.

At the same time, Lin Zheyu’s consciousness blurred as he entered the space of consciousness and began cultivating without end. Under the influence of the mysterious energy, his previously empty sea of consciousness was rapidly filled with golden energy once again.

A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes. An exhaustion unlike anything before lingered in his gaze. Although his body and spirit had fully recovered, the mental strain he had endured while comprehending the shamanic pattern had been immense. Every instinct in his body urged him to fall asleep immediately and recover from the tremendous drain on his mind.

No. I can’t sleep. An opportunity like this is unbelievably rare. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one. I can’t let it slip away.

Lin Zheyu let out a long breath. The exhaustion gradually faded from his eyes, replaced by a determination fiercer than ever before.

Golden Heavenly Eye, open!

The golden Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness erupted with dazzling golden radiance. Lin Zheyu looked up at the immense shamanic pattern suspended between heaven and earth, formed from countless grains of yellow sand. By now, its energy seemed nearly exhausted, and the pattern was gradually blurring.

”Shamanic patterns are a power even closer to the origin of the Great Dao than Immortal Dao runes or demonic patterns. But precisely because they’re so powerful, the demands they place upon both the body and the soul are unimaginably high. If I could integrate shamanic patterns into divine patterns, allowing those divine patterns to draw even closer to the origin of the Great Dao...” Lin Zheyu murmured softly.

The golden Heavenly Eye remained fixed upon the gigantic shamanic pattern in the sky. Under its gaze, the pattern’s deepest essence was laid bare. Countless mysteries that had previously eluded him suddenly became crystal clear. The incomplete shamanic pattern within his body slowly began to perfect itself...

Time flowed on. Lin Zheyu slowly closed his eyes, hiding the golden radiance behind his eyelids. As his eyes shut, the shamanic pattern suspended in the sky dissolved into countless grains of yellow sand, scattering into heaven and earth.

”I’ve comprehended less than ten percent of it... What a pity. There simply wasn’t enough time...” Lin Zheyu sighed, unable to hide the regret in his voice.

He had no idea whether he would ever encounter such an extraordinary opportunity again.

It’s time to leave. Hopefully, after obtaining the inheritance, I’ll have enough time to continue studying these shamanic patterns, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He knew, however, that it was little more than wishful thinking. The Shamanic Clan inheritance had never been created for a single cultivator. The energy within the secret realm nurtured one inheritor after another. Lin Zheyu believed his natural talent was exceptional, but that confidence lay in his martial cultivation.

The Shamanic cultivator system imposed even stricter requirements on its practitioners. In ancient times, spiritual qi was far more abundant, and cultivators generally possessed greater natural talent than those of the present era.

Lin Zheyu did not believe his talent was so extraordinary that the entire inheritance secret realm would acknowledge him as its sole master. Even if he successfully obtained the inheritance, the secret realm would never exhaust all of its energy for the sake of a single cultivator.

In his view, obtaining the complete inheritance would already be more than enough. That was precisely why, despite already being utterly exhausted and having pushed his mind to its limit, he had stubbornly forced himself to continue comprehending the shamanic pattern with the golden Heavenly Eye.

Suddenly, the moment Lin Zheyu finally let his guard down, his body gave out completely, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground with a heavy thud. A moment later, thunderous snores echoed across the barren world, quickly swallowed by the howling hurricane.

His mind had already been on the verge of collapse before. Then he had stubbornly forced himself to use the golden Heavenly Eye to continue deciphering the shamanic pattern. He had long since exceeded his limit. The instant he relaxed, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion consumed him, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. He simply could not hold on any longer.