Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

After confirming that no powerful experts were watching and no yao were lurking nearby, Lin Zheyu plunged into the demonic lake with a splash. In an instant, brilliant golden light erupted from the depths of the lake as a mighty golden blood qi dragon swam through the waters, roaring fiercely.

Six powerful, thick golden shackles emerged, drawn taut as they wrapped tightly around Lin Zheyu’s body. As the blood qi dragon roared, the shackles rang out with a crisp metallic clatter.

More than ten minutes later, Lin Zheyu emerged from the node fissure within the first formation defense line. He stepped forward and landed outside the formation node guarded by Zong Linjing.

Lin Zheyu cupped his hands with a smile. ”Sorry to have kept you waiting, fellow friend.”

”You are too courteous. I will leave this formation node in your hands.” Zong Linjing cupped her hands and opened the formation node.

She was comparatively weak, having only reached the early stage of the Shackles realm. Although no yao invasion had occurred and Wang Zhengtian had helped share the burden, the assignment had still taken a heavy toll on her. The weakness in Zong Linjing’s unsteady aura was readily apparent.

After entering the formation node, Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged on the ground. He extended his spiritual sense into the Primordial Chaos Pool and began studying the Shamanic Dao scriptures contained within the bone talisman.

As his attainment in the Primordial Chaos True Art increased, his understanding of the Shamanic Dao also grew deeper, allowing him to comprehend more and more of its scriptures.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed. Wang Zhengtian finally ended his cultivation, slowly opened his eyes, and stretched his body comfortably.

”Fellow Xiao, we finally have the chance to guard the formation nodes together,” Wang Zhengtian said with a smile as he looked at Lin Zheyu.

He was quite interested in this mysterious and gifted martial artist. Although Wang Zhengtian had entered the Dao through martial cultivation and embarked upon the path of a Gu Immortal, he was still a senior martial artist who enjoyed guiding the younger generation of the Martial Alliance.

This culture of passing down knowledge and freely exchanging martial cultivation insights had been preserved within the Martial Alliance for generations. Only through such efforts could they continue advancing martial cultivation, overcome every obstacle, and carve out a broad new path beyond what had once seemed to be its end.

”Greetings, Senior. Were you cultivating an Immortal Dao technique just now?” Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

Out of courtesy, he had not rashly used his Heavenly Eye to peer into Wang Zhengtian, so he could only vaguely sense what the man had been cultivating. No, it could not really be called cultivating a technique. From what Lin Zheyu could sense, Wang Zhengtian appeared to be communicating with other wills inside his body. Those wills presumably belonged to his gu worms.

”As expected of a genius who has awakened a spirit divine ability. I truly cannot hide it from you,” Wang Zhengtian said with a smile. ”Although my natural talent cannot compare to yours, I have still accumulated a great deal of martial cultivation experience as your senior. Do you have any questions about martial cultivation or insights you would like to discuss? We could exchange our thoughts.”

They had nothing else to do anyway, so why not sit down and discuss the Dao?

”That is exactly what I had in mind,” Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Zheyu voiced the question in his heart. ”Senior, since the Heavenly Dao shackles are restrictions imposed by the Great Dao upon living beings, and one can only achieve a leap in the level of life by breaking those shackles, then after completing that leap, could one undergo a second transformation and develop new Life Shackles?”

As his cultivation progressed, his understanding of martial cultivation continued to deepen, and he gained a clearer grasp of the so-called Shackles realm. As he understood it, once a human broke free of all seven Life Shackles, they would transcend the innate limitations of their race and gain greater latent potential, along with the possibility of advancing even further.

In a sense, they would become a higher form of humanity. But if one such leap in the level of life was possible, why could there not be a second, a third, or even a fourth? If one continued evolving without end, then one day, it should be possible to reach the level of the chaos gods and demons.

”That was also one of the paths studied by many martial cultivation seniors in the past. After several thousand years of research and verification, they concluded that humans possess only seven Life Shackles. In theory, once all seven are broken, one transcends the restrictions of the human race, shatters its upper limits, and gains limitless possibilities. But those are only possibilities, not a guarantee of one’s latent potential. The Golden Core realm of the Immortal Dao is similar in many ways to the Shackles realm of martial cultivation.

”As the saying goes, once a Golden Core is swallowed into the belly, my fate is mine and no longer Heaven’s. Advancing to the Golden Core realm means gaining the qualification to defy Heaven and alter one’s fate, with limitless possibilities ahead. But again, they are merely possibilities. Some people can advance no further than the Golden Core realm, while others can continue cultivating, break through to the Nascent Soul realm, advance to the Deity Transformation realm, and comprehend the Void Cavern realm...

”Even the Dao Converging realm is not beyond reach. The Shackles realm of martial cultivation is much the same. It is simply that martial cultivation has yet to develop a complete cultivation path like the Immortal Dao. Everything depends on generation after generation of martial artists pressing forward, one after another, until they carve out a great path leading to the heavens!” Wang Zhengtian explained in plain and straightforward terms.

Lin Zheyu nodded in understanding. ”I see.”

The two began exchanging their insights and experiences in martial cultivation. Wang Zhengtian truly deserved his reputation as one of the Martial Alliance’s Three Heroes. His understanding of martial cultivation was exceptionally incisive, and many of his observations left Lin Zheyu enlightened.

The same was also true for Wang Zhengtian. Lin Zheyu’s path of martial cultivation was highly unconventional and differed in many ways from the traditional path, giving him numerous insights unlike those of anyone else. The longer they spoke, the more astonished Wang Zhengtian became.

This young fellow’s understanding of martial cultivation has actually reached such a profound level! Wang Zhengtian thought in surprise.

When he decided to display some of his own expertise by deliberately sharing his experience in cultivating both the Immortal Dao and martial cultivation, Wang Zhengtian grew even more astonished.

”Do you intend to cultivate both the Immortal Dao and martial cultivation in the future?” Wang Zhengtian could not help asking.

He discovered that Xiao Yu possessed many sharp and original insights into the fusion of the Immortal Dao and martial cultivation. Some of them even gave Wang Zhengtian considerable inspiration.

”I merely draw upon the strengths of the various schools and use their finest aspects as references. The path ahead for martial cultivation is shrouded in mist, so everything must be explored on our own. However, aside from martial cultivation, this world possesses many well-established cultivation systems. These systems can serve as stepping stones within the mist, allowing us to feel our way forward, pass through the fog, and ultimately reach the far shore of martial cultivation,” Lin Zheyu explained, shaking his head.

”Precisely. Very good, I have high hopes for you. While you are still young, it is certainly worthwhile to learn more about other cultivation systems,” Wang Zhengtian said with an approving nod.

Privately, however, he could not help marveling. Xiao Yu had merely gained a preliminary understanding of those systems without cultivating them deeply, yet he had already developed such astonishing insights. Just how remarkable would he become if he truly embarked upon this path?

The Martial Alliance has produced an extraordinary figure! Wang Zhengtian sighed inwardly.

Dense demonic qi poured continuously from the node fissure as the two began an even deeper discussion of the Dao. Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by.

***

Deep within the demon cave, black hurricanes howled. Two black-robed figures concealed themselves in the dark void, gazing toward a distant city. It was one of the cities guarding a space-time node.

”Are we using this place as our point of breakthrough?” the black-robed figure on the left asked calmly. Her voice was soft and gentle, clearly that of a woman.

”Yes. The Great Demon God has instructed us to use this place as our point of breakthrough. Ideally, we are to completely destroy the sealing formation outside this node,” the other black-robed figure replied in a low voice.

”This is not the deepest part of the demon cave. Many terrifying experts are watching this place. Is it not a little too early to use it as our point of breakthrough?” the woman asked hesitantly, her brows furrowing slightly.

”It is the will of the Great Demon God. We need only carry out the command. Do not harbor the slightest doubt regarding the Great Demon God’s divine decree,” the black-robed man said calmly.

His figure flickered and disappeared from the spot, while his voice sounded directly within the woman’s mind. Go make the preparations. Pass down the order that the operation will begin in half a year.

The black-robed woman stared toward the city for a long while before vanishing without expression. After the two departed, a burly young man standing atop the city suddenly furrowed his brows.

”A mighty expert at the level of the Deity Transformation realm?” Lin Zheyu murmured softly, slowly exhaling.

He had just finished cultivating and came outside for a walk to observe the situation within the demon cave. By sheer chance, he caught an almost imperceptible and unusual energy fluctuation flickering through the void. Lin Zheyu quietly activated his golden Heavenly Eye to investigate, but still discovered nothing. He could only faintly detect that weak and obscure energy fluctuation.

At the same time, a faint sense of danger arose within him, though that was all. Roughly fifteen minutes later, after the two figures had left, the obscure fluctuation vanished. The sense of danger in Lin Zheyu’s heart disappeared along with it. He guessed that a terrifyingly powerful expert had passed through that area. No, there had likely been more than one. There could have been two, three, or even four.

A faint sense of crisis welled up in Lin Zheyu’s heart. I need to quicken my progress. Once I cultivate the Primordial Chaos True Art to Perfection, I should be able to break free of the second shackle.

He had the feeling that a storm was approaching, as though an immense danger was brewing in the darkness. Within the city’s fifth formation defense line, which protected the city against attacks from the yao outside, Shi Tianyun sat cross-legged inside the formation and secretly observed Lin Zheyu through its power.

Shi Tianyun frowned slightly, feeling somewhat helpless. ”This fellow has been here for so long, yet he has never once left the city. He really is cautious.”

More than half a year had passed, yet aside from the initial invasion from the demon realm, Shi Tianyun had been unable to find a suitable opportunity to make his move. Xiao Yu simply refused to give him one. The man was always either cultivating or guarding a formation node, and even when other cultivators invited him to leave the city and hunt yao, he remained unmoved.

”I refuse to believe you can remain here without ever leaving for the rest of your life!” Shi Tianyun snorted.