Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

A gentle breeze swept past as Lin Zheyu vanished into the dark void.

An hour later, deep within the demon cave, at a space-time node northeast of the Bloody Trial Grounds, Lin Zheyu emerged from the void and walked toward a nearby outpost. It was a small fortified town, its walls engraved with intricate and powerful formation restrictions.

”I am Xiao Yu of the Martial Alliance...”

”Vice hall master! You’ve finally arrived. Please, come in!” Lin Zheyu had only just taken out his identity token, intending to ask the guard cultivator to announce his arrival, when a familiar voice rang out beside him.

”Meng Rui, you’re here too?” Lin Zheyu said with a smile, looking at the burly man.

Meng Rui was a disciple of the Martial Hall, and Lin Zheyu had met him several times before. His strength was fairly respectable. Having already opened his essence origin divine repository, he was an early Divine Repository realm cultivator.

”Yeah. I came here with Senior Zong,” Meng Rui replied.

”Fellow Zong is already here?” Lin Zheyu asked in surprise. If he remembered correctly, it had not yet been fifteen days.

”Yes.” Meng Rui gestured invitingly and said, ”The seniors are in a meeting right now. This way, please.”

Following Meng Rui, Lin Zheyu arrived at a grand hall. A powerful formation enveloped the building, completely concealing the sounds and auras within. After waiting for a short while, the formation suddenly opened.

”Haha!”A hearty laugh rang out from within the hall as a man dressed in a light blue robe walked out with a smile. ”Seeing you in person truly surpasses hearing about you. Fellow Xiao is indeed an extraordinary man, and your strength is every bit as impressive!”

The man cupped his hands in greeting. ”I am Mo Qingyang of the Mo Family. Greetings, Fellow Xiao.”

Lin Zheyu returned the salute. ”Greetings, Fellow Mo.”

Mo Qingyang was enveloped by an inexplicable veil of energy that completely concealed his aura. Lin Zheyu could not sense the man’s cultivation at all. The Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness quietly opened, allowing him a discreet look at Mo Qingyang.

Peak Golden Core realm!

To have reached the peak Golden Core realm at such a young age... This man’s talent is truly extraordinary, Lin Zheyu thought with genuine admiration.

He could not determine the young man’s true age by appearance alone, but through the Heavenly Eye’s perception of his essence, qi, and spirit, he could roughly estimate it.

By Lin Zheyu’s judgment, Mo Qingyang was no more than a hundred and fifty years old, assuming he had not consumed any age-altering treasure herbs.

”Please, come in. We were just discussing whether we should launch a counteroffensive into the demon realm and give them a thorough slaughter. Why don’t you share your thoughts?” Mo Qingyang said with a smile.

Following Mo Qingyang into the hall, Lin Zheyu swept his gaze around. There were eighteen people in total. Most had concealed their auras with secret arts or dharma treasures, but none of it escaped the Heavenly Eye. A single glance was enough for Lin Zheyu to gain a rough measure of everyone’s strength.

Lin Zheyu’s heart stirred.

Hm? That person’s perception is remarkably sharp.

Just moments ago, while he had been discreetly observing the others with the Heavenly Eye, the cold-tempered woman seated second on the right had frowned slightly and cast him an icy glance. It was obvious she had sensed his glance.

Lin Zheyu cupped his hands with a smile. ”I am Xiao Yu of the Martial Alliance. Greetings, fellow friends.”

Most merely glanced at him indifferently, showing little interest. Only four returned his greeting, one of whom was his fellow Martial Alliance member, Zong Linjing.

The middle-aged man on the left said impatiently, ”Enough with the formalities. Find yourself a seat and let’s continue the discussion.”

”My apologies for arriving late.” Lin Zheyu smiled, cupped his hands once more, then walked over to Zong Linjing and took the empty seat beside her.

The man who just spoke is Shi Tianyun. The Shi Family has an old grudge against the Martial Alliance, so be careful around him. As for the one who brought you in, that’s Mo Qingyang, the foremost talent of the younger generation of the Mo Family.

The Mo Family specializes in mechanisms and puppetry. One of their secret arts is called the Human Puppet Art, and the finest materials are martial artists with abundant blood qi. You should be wary of him as well. And there’s also... Zong Linjing’s expression remained calm as she secretly transmitted her voice.

Lin Zheyu’s expression shifted slightly as he glanced at Shi Tianyun and Mo Qingyang. The woman who had detected his observation earlier was named Mu Jianying. She and Mu Jianli were sisters and fellow disciples of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect.

Lin Zheyu quietly listened to the discussion without offering his own opinion. Those assigned to guard the depths of the demon cave were almost all elite members of their respective sects and families. Every cultivator present was formidable, with the weakest already in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Among them, Mo Qingyang of the Mo Family served as the group’s leader.

”Fellow Xiao, why not share your opinion?” Mo Qingyang asked with a smile, turning toward Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu shook his head. ”I’ve only just arrived and am unfamiliar with the situation here. I’ll refrain from taking part in this discussion.”

”Coward.” Shi Tianyun sneered, curling his lip in disdain.

”Haha, Fellow Shi is joking. Fellow Xiao has only just arrived at the demon cave. It’s perfectly natural for him to be cautious,” Mo Qingyang said with a laugh, easing the tension.

”Since you won’t be joining the operation, staying behind to guard this side is just as important. If we encounter danger, you can reinforce us promptly. I’ve heard that Fellow Xiao is a rising martial arts prodigy of the Martial Alliance, blessed with talent comparable to Senior Qin Hu’s. I imagine your strength must be extraordinary.” Mo Qingyang introduced him with a smile.

Several cultivators in the hall showed open disdain upon hearing those words, while a handful merely looked intrigued and offered Lin Zheyu friendly smiles.

The man seated beside Shi Tianyun chuckled and said in a dismissive tone, ”Nothing but a coward. If you want to put it nicely, he’s cautious. If you want the truth, he’s timid as a mouse and too afraid to move forward. He’s nowhere near Senior Qin Hu.”

Lin Zheyu did not recognize the man and had no idea why he was provoking him out of nowhere.

Zong Linjing hesitated briefly before sending the voice transmission. His name is Yao Lang. He doesn’t really mean any harm. He just likes to run his mouth. Don’t pay him any attention.

Why? Lin Zheyu asked in return.

Yao Lang has an older sister whose relationship with Senior Wang is... complicated. Because of his sister, he has never gotten along with us, Zong Linjing explained.

The ’Senior Wang’ she referred to was Wang Zhengtian, one of the three strongest figures in the Martial Alliance. Together with Qin Hu and Xia Ping, they were known as the Three Heroes of the Martial Alliance.

I see... Lin Zheyu replied, somewhat speechless.

A few verbal jabs could not harm him in the slightest. There was no reason to take them to heart.

Lin Zheyu cupped his hands with a smile. ”Fellow Yao is absolutely right. I’ll make sure to correct that in the future.”

”Hmph!” Seeing Lin Zheyu smiling so amiably, Yao Lang merely snorted and said nothing further.