Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

”What is this? This feeling...” Lin Zheyu murmured softly, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

As the energy of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing flowed into him, he felt a strange transformation taking place within his body. It was not making him physically stronger. Instead, as the energy fused with him, Lin Zheyu realized his perception was already changing. The particles of earthy yellow Earth Power grew increasingly distinct within his senses. His perception was undergoing an unknown metamorphosis.

”What an incredible treasure!” Lin Zheyu exclaimed in delight.

As the energy continued to merge with him, he felt his body gradually transforming toward the legendary Dao Body. Originally, his body’s affinity for the Great Dao was fairly ordinary, with nothing particularly exceptional. Lin Zheyu’s extraordinary comprehension relied heavily on the golden Heavenly Eye, which allowed him to see directly through appearances to the underlying truth.

But now, Lin Zheyu could feel that his affinity for the Great Dao had increased. More precisely, his affinity for the Dao Origin associated with Earth Power had improved.

Previously, the energies he could perceive were primarily spirit power and demonic qi. There were many other forms of energy as well, but they had always been so faint as to be almost negligible. Calling them trace elements would not have been an exaggeration. Now, however, the energy of Earth Power was emerging in his perception at an astonishing rate.

”The Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman is a little weak... It’s still not enough,” Lin Zheyu murmured softly.

The effects of the Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman had indeed exceeded his expectations. The problem was that there was simply too little of it. This statue of the Ancestral Shaman was far too stingy. Such a tiny amount of blessing energy was nowhere near enough to satisfy him.

Is it because my compatibility with Ancestral Shaman Houtu’s lineage is so low that I could only draw down this much of the blessing? Lin Zheyu wondered inwardly.

This trial tested one’s compatibility with the Shamanic cultivation system. From the knowledge he had received upon entering, the greater one’s compatibility with the Shamanic cultivation path, the stronger the Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman one would receive, and the stronger the blessing, the greater one’s future achievements would be. Feeling the wisps of energy, each no thicker than a strand of hair, Lin Zheyu could only sigh helplessly.

***

”It’s begun... Still not enough. Had I known, I should have given him the last cluster of origin as well,” Qiong Yun sighed as he looked toward the sky.

Over the past ten thousand years, not only had the world’s environment grown increasingly hostile, but establishing contact with the Ancestral Shamans had also become ever more difficult.

”If I hadn’t given him those three clusters of Origin Force that I left behind as a catalyst, this little fellow probably wouldn’t have been able to draw down even a single wisp of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing!” Qiong Yun let out another sigh.

This had also been one of the major reasons the Shamanic Clan had gradually declined toward extinction. The drastic changes in the world and the increasingly hostile cultivation environment were only part of the problem.

Another crucial reason was that it had become increasingly difficult for them to establish contact with the Ancestral Shamans. Shamanic cultivators originated from the Twelve Ancestral Shamans. To become a true cultivator of the Shamanic Clan, one had to receive the Blessing of an Ancestral Shaman, thereby transforming the body into one better suited to cultivating shamanic arts.

”Is Heaven truly determined to wipe out my Shamanic Clan? I refuse to accept this!” Qiong Yun said unwillingly.

A deep feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him. Even at his peak power, he couldn’t alter any of this, and now, as only a remnant soul, he felt even more powerless.

”Hm?” Suddenly, Qiong Yun, who had been lost in his despair, froze.

He abruptly looked toward the sky above the secret realm. There, Qiong Yun sensed an immensely powerful aura. It was the aura of an Ancestral Shaman!

”How can this be? Such a formidable Ancestral Shaman aura! While it remains below half the power of the blessing a top-tier Shamanic cultivator received ten thousand years ago, it’s already on par with the blessing given to an average Shamanic cultivator back then. Yet, this is ten thousand years later! Given today’s harsh cultivation environment, how could such a potent blessing emerge?” Qiong Yun exclaimed in astonishment, his residual soul briefly losing its calm.

Even as a remnant soul, Qiong Yun had gained a rough understanding of the world’s current state by relying on the body he had left behind and the many arrangements within the secret realm. It could only be described as unimaginably harsh.

A powerful sense of hope welled up in Qiong Yun’s heart. Incredible... simply incredible! This little fellow may very well be one of those born in response to this great calamity, blessed with astonishing fortune and destiny. Even among all those destined to rise in this age of upheaval, his fortune is likely among the very best. Perhaps... my Shamanic Clan may yet seize this chance to rise again through him!

Had it not been impossible for him to enter the trial itself, he would have gone in personally and given the young man the last remaining cluster of origin he had kept in reserve. Even the slightest improvement would have been worthwhile. At this point, Lin Zheyu had become his final hope.

***

Before the statue of Ancestral Shaman Houtu, at the center of the altar, Lin Zheyu accepted the Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman while his mind raced, searching for a way to obtain even more of it.

Heavenly Eye, open!

With a single thought, the golden Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness snapped open.

The blessing energy was so sparse that Lin Zheyu did not even need to consciously guide it. His body instinctively absorbed it with ease. Activating the Heavenly Eye, he silently apologized to Ancestral Shaman Houtu before looking upward. Through the Heavenly Eye’s vision, he saw an invisible rift suspended above the statue. It was an extraordinary crack leading into an unknown void. Even with his profound understanding of space, he would never have sensed its existence without the Heavenly Eye.

So the energy of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing comes from there? If I could enter it, would I be able to obtain even more blessings? Lin Zheyu wondered.

He quickly dismissed the idea. Not every void rift was as stable as the fissures connected to space-time nodes, where even the void beyond remained relatively safe. Ordinary void rifts led into chaotic spatial currents and violently destructive forces. Entering one recklessly would be no different from courting death.

What a pity. My soul is bound by the Heavenly Dao’s shackles and can’t leave my body. Otherwise, I might have been able to send a sliver of my soul inside to investigate, Lin Zheyu thought.

Although he could not enter the rift himself, he was not entirely without options. The vast ocean of golden energy within his sea of consciousness surged violently like boiling waves, pouring immense power into the golden Heavenly Eye.

In an instant, it erupted with dazzling golden brilliance, like a miniature sun shining within his sea of consciousness. This was the first time Lin Zheyu had driven the Heavenly Eye to its absolute limit. In this state, the consumption of golden energy was terrifying.

The immense sea of golden energy within his sea of consciousness was draining at nearly 1% every second. At that moment, Lin Zheyu felt the incorporeal Heavenly Eye swell with unbearable pressure and piercing pain, as though it were on the verge of bursting apart. His eyelids trembled uncontrollably.

Although the golden Heavenly Eye was born within his sea of consciousness, it was intimately connected to his physical body, especially his eyes. As the Heavenly Eye endured unimaginable agony, so too did his eyes. Two streams of bloody tears trickled from the corners of his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

Yet Lin Zheyu remained unmoved, continuing to drive the Heavenly Eye with all his might. As the saying went, the rich relied on resources, while the poor relied on extraordinary means. He had no powerful faction backing him, nor did he possess abundant resources. The only person he could rely on was himself. Opportunities like this were exceedingly rare. If he did not risk everything now, then when would he?

Time passed slowly. Two streaks of bloody tears continued to run down his cheeks. His eyes trembled violently as less than 20% of the golden energy remained in his sea of consciousness.

Lin Zheyu’s expression suddenly shifted. ”I see it!”

With the power of the golden Heavenly Eye, he barely managed to pierce the veil shrouding the void rift. At last, Lin Zheyu’s perception broke through the invisible fissure and glimpsed the mysterious void beyond.

In that instant, an indescribable sensation arose within him. He felt his consciousness drift free of his body, rising ever upward. It passed through the void rift, left this world behind, and entered the boundless expanse of stars.

In a daze, Lin Zheyu beheld an endless sea of starlight. His consciousness crossed countless starfields until it arrived at a vast, borderless void filled with drifting gray mist. Looking into the distance, he saw an immeasurable phantom emerge and fade amid the surging mist. He could not make out its features, only the vague outline of a human torso atop a serpent’s tail, along with the gentle, compassionate aura it radiated.

”Ancestral Shaman Houtu!” Lin Zheyu exclaimed in shock.

Only Ancestral Shaman Houtu, the Mother of Earth, had ever given Lin Zheyu such profound maternal warmth. As he gazed across the immeasurable distance at Houtu’s unimaginably vast phantom, it seemed to notice him as well. He felt a pair of gentle eyes turn toward him from beyond the endless void, filled with boundless compassion and affection.

Standing at the center of the altar, Lin Zheyu let out an involuntary moan. ”Mmm... ah...”

His consciousness instantly returned, and the scene he had just witnessed seemed like nothing more than a fleeting illusion. Yet the moment his awareness reentered his body, the rift above the statue of Ancestral Shaman Houtu tore open even wider. The previously sparse blessing energy transformed at once. Streams of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing poured from the void rift like a spring, engulfing Lin Zheyu in an instant.

”It worked! Hiss... All that suffering was worth it.” Lin Zheyu’s eyes twitched. Agonizing pain shot through both of them, leaving his vision blurred.

These were the side effects of pushing the golden Heavenly Eye beyond its limits. Lin Zheyu paid them no mind. He immediately sat down cross-legged and began rapidly absorbing the immense surge of energy. Now was the true test of his physical talent. The blessing energy before had been so sparse that even an ordinary body could absorb all of it without requiring exceptional latent potential.

Now, however, everything was different. The torrent of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing was far too abundant to absorb through bodily instinct alone. Lin Zheyu had to consciously control the process. He absorbed the blessing energy with all his might. His physical talent had been judged first-rate, a level considered exceptional even in the ancient era.

Under his active control, every trace of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing was absorbed the instant it emerged, leaving nothing to spare. Even at this intensity, the blessing was still somewhat lacking for someone with Lin Zheyu’s physical aptitude. Yet this was already the limit of what he could achieve. Just reaching this point had nearly crippled the golden Heavenly Eye he had painstakingly cultivated.