Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

”After the world first came into being, powerful beings emerged in great numbers among the myriad races. Living creatures were born with terrifying strength, and the world’s abundant spiritual qi was consumed at an astonishing rate.

”Shamanic arts were one of the greatest cultivation systems. At their peak, they allowed one to stand shoulder to shoulder with terrifying primordial chaos demons and gods capable of snuffing out stars with a single hand and possessing bodies as eternal and indestructible as the cosmos itself. The more powerful the cultivation system, the greater its demands on the cultivator. To cultivate shamanic arts required astonishing natural talent, latent potential, and physical strength.

”As time passed, the human race, which had only just risen to prominence through the Shamanic cultivator system, found that the decline in the world’s spiritual qi caused each new generation to be born with weaker physiques. The degree of the Ancestral Shaman’s Blessing a human could receive was closely tied to their latent potential and physical strength.

”To solve the problem of humanity’s increasingly frail bodies caused by the dwindling concentration of spiritual qi, the leaders of the various Shamanic Clans joined forces to create martial cultivation. At the time, it was not yet known by that name. It was merely a basic cultivation technique used to lay the foundation for young children of the Shamanic Clan.

Afterward, as the world continued to change, even martial cultivation could no longer compensate for the problems brought about by the decline of spiritual qi. Yet the changes did not stop there. The world became increasingly unsuitable for cultivating shamanic arts. It was then that countless brilliant human sages began searching for a new path for humanity, giving rise to all manner of cultivation systems.

”In the end, the Immortal Dao surpassed the many competing cultivation systems and rose above the rest. It spread throughout the human race, while shamanic arts gradually fell into decline alongside its rise...”

Qiong Yun spoke at length, recounting the history of humanity, the origins of the Shamanic Clan, and the rise and fall of shamanic arts. A vast and ancient tapestry of history slowly unfolded before Lin Zheyu’s eyes. Many of the questions that had long lingered in his heart were finally answered through Qiong Yun’s account.

Primordial chaos demons and gods... origin qi... the myriad races of antiquity... So this is how the Shamanic cultivator path came to be. The Immortal Dao also rose to prominence as the Shamanic Clan faded into obscurity. Lin Zheyu could not help but sigh with emotion.

So it turned out that martial cultivation had not originally been created by humanity’s sages to resist the invading yao from the demon realm. Instead, it had been devised to address the cultivation problems caused by the world’s dwindling spiritual qi.

”Do you have any other questions?” Qiong Yun asked calmly.

After considering his words, Lin Zheyu stepped forward.

”Senior, cultivating shamanic arts requires absorbing origin qi to condense shamanic patterns within the body, and origin qi cannot be replaced. But you also said that the origin qi in this world is merely what remained when this world was first formed. As time passes, it continues to diminish. After countless years, origin qi has all but vanished from the world. If that’s the case, then after I inherit this legacy, how am I supposed to continue cultivating?” Lin Zheyu asked the most crucial question.

Things had truly taken one twist after another. Just when he thought he had seen the light, another shadow had descended over it.

”Once you have accepted the inheritance, I will bestow upon you a Primordial Chaos Pool. It contains an immense reserve of chaotic energy, enough to sustain your cultivation for quite some time. As for what comes afterward, you will have to find your own solution. This world has already been left riddled with scars by the invasion from the demon realm.

”When the coming great calamity arrives, before the world is destroyed, an enormous amount of world origin energy will escape, and with it, an astonishing quantity of origin qi. Alternatively, you may find a way to leave this world and enter the Sea of Chaos. However, unless you have reached the Mountain and River realm, equivalent to the Dao Converging realm of the Immortal Dao, entering the Sea of Chaos is no different from courting death,” Qiong Yun said calmly.

He silently watched Lin Zheyu, trying to discern what he was thinking. Unfortunately, all he saw was a completely expressionless face.

”I see.” Lin Zheyu cupped his fists in salute and bowed respectfully. ”Senior, please impart the shamanic arts to me.”

This senior had prepared thoroughly. Worried that the world’s supply of origin qi would prove insufficient, he had even prepared a Primordial Chaos Pool in advance for his successor. What Qiong Yun had never expected, however, was that ten thousand years later, not only would suitable human candidates for cultivating the shamanic arts no longer exist, but even the Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman would have grown increasingly weak. Had an anomaly like Lin Zheyu not appeared, the inheritance he had painstakingly prepared would likely have gone to waste.

”I am the last family elder of the Suhe Tribe. Though the tribe no longer exists, the proper rites must still be observed. A shaman kneels neither to Heaven nor Earth, fears no gods, and cultivates only oneself. Therefore, there is no need for elaborate ceremony. Lin Zheyu!” Qiong Yun called out in a deep voice. It rang like a great bronze bell, driving every distracting thought from Lin Zheyu’s mind.

”This junior is here!” Lin Zheyu answered with cupped fists still raised in salute.

”Step forward and swear the oath with me,” Qiong Yun commanded solemnly.

As the words fell, a dim ray of light shot from Qiong Yun’s massive body and entered the center of Lin Zheyu’s brow. An oath appeared within his consciousness. It was written in an ancient ritual language, its syllables awkward and difficult to pronounce, yet filled with profound meaning. As the strange, archaic words echoed through the hall, they radiated a mysterious power, as though resonating with the world’s Great Dao.

The moment the oath was complete, the colossal body, which had stood like a statue until now, suddenly moved. The hundred-meter-tall giant extended an enormous hand and brought it crashing down toward Lin Zheyu’s head. Lin Zheyu’s eyes snapped open as he watched the descending palm draw closer and closer, yet not the slightest warning arose within him.

The giant palm struck Lin Zheyu squarely, smashing him deep into the ground. In that instant, he felt his entire body enveloped by a mysterious, powerful energy as an endless torrent of knowledge about cultivating the shamanic arts poured into him. He immediately calmed his mind, sat cross-legged, and followed the cultivation technique’s guidance to begin his very first session of cultivation. The dense gray energy swirling around him surged into his body in great waves.

A mysterious and formidable cultivation technique, Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art, emerged within Lin Zheyu’s consciousness. It was imbued with an ancient, primordial aura. This was the cultivation technique created by the first family elder of the Suhe Tribe after comprehending the world and gaining insight into the Dao of the Ancestral Shaman Houtu. Through the efforts of generation after generation of Suhe Tribe powerhouses, it had gradually been perfected into today’s Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art.

The cultivation technique was both mysterious and immensely powerful, containing profound knowledge so vast that it could only be comprehended through personal insight and could never be conveyed through words alone.

Without a Shamanic Clan expert passing it down through a secret inheritance, and without receiving the Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman, even someone who obtained the cultivation technique would be unable to cultivate it. That was also why complete Shamanic Clan cultivation techniques could not be found in the outside world. The only ones that existed were incomplete versions written by powerful cultivators based on their own understanding and insights.

Time flowed by unnoticed. Immersed within the pool of gray energy, Lin Zheyu devoted himself entirely to comprehending the Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art. He forgot the passage of time, forgot everything around him, and lost himself completely in the boundless ocean of profound knowledge.

The incomplete shamanic pattern he had condensed during the second trial gradually became more complete as his understanding of the Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art deepened. Dense, mysterious, and unfathomable markings spread outward from the shamanic pattern, extending through his flesh, tendons, membranes, and bones until they covered his entire body.

Lin Zheyu’s heart beat slowly, each throb growing louder than the last until it boomed like thunder. With every heartbeat, a powerful surge of Earth Power and primordial chaos energy flowed into his body. His physique, which had long since reached its limit, began undergoing a new round of transformation, improving at an astonishing pace.