Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

In the darkness, more than a dozen yao roared as they fled in panic from the depths of the demon cave. Terrifying auras erupted from their bodies. Ahead of the pack loomed a colossal phantom, radiating an overwhelming momentum like that of a god or fiend.

Sun Zhenzhi floated in midair, positioned at the phantom's heart. His expression remained calm, yet his eyes brimmed with murderous intent. Below him, over a hundred elite soldiers of the Demon-Suppressing Army formed a battle formation, their auras seamlessly linked with his own. Empowered by the formation, Sun Zhenzhi's strength soared, shattering the limits of the Foundation Establishment realm and reaching the peak of the early Golden Core realm.

"Go!"

Sun Zhenzhi let out a sharp cry, and eighteen emerald longswords shot into the air. Leaving trails of eerie green light across the darkness, they transformed into eighteen streaks of sword radiance and plunged straight into the pack of yao.

The yao let out one agonized roar after another before being hacked into grotesque chunks of flesh that rained to the ground. In only a few moments, the squad of yao that had escaped from some unknown space-time node deep within the demon cave had all fallen beneath Sun Zhenzhi's blades. As he withdrew his momentum, the massive phantom formed by the battle formation faded away. He descended lightly, returning to the protection of the Demon-Suppressing Army.

"Damn it! I need to find a way out of here. The yao uprisings inside the demon cave are becoming more frequent, and the yao that appear are growing more and more powerful." Sun Zhenzhi frowned, a grave look settling in his eyes.

Ever since a Deity Transformation realm yao had escaped from the depths of the demon cave last time, small groups of yao had begun emerging every so often.

"The demon cave is becoming far too dangerous. I need to find a way to get transferred out of here first," Sun Zhenzhi muttered with a frown.

He had been stationed at the demon cave for over a decade. By his reckoning, fewer than five years remained before his twenty-year term ended. Once he returned, asking his cousin, the Imperial Grand Dowager Consort, to arrange a transfer would not be difficult.

"It's just a shame about the region of the demon realm connected to this space-time node. There's a good chance it contains ancient ruins or a secret realm. Xiao Yu from the Martial Alliance broke through to the Shackles realm not long after leaving this place. Xiao Yu... Xiao Yu... That brat is definitely hiding some kind of secret," Sun Zhenzhi murmured softly.

After Lin Zheyu left, Sun Zhenzhi had specifically sent people to investigate him. When he learned that the deaths of the Woo Family's two bloodline prodigies, Woo Yiyan and Woo Yixuan, were both inextricably linked to Xiao Yu of the Martial Alliance, he became even more convinced that Xiao Yu had truly obtained an extraordinary opportunity in the demon realm beyond that space-time node.

Damn ant. If only you'd handed over your secret when I told you to. Why make me waste the effort of dealing with you myself? Without the Demon-Suppressing Army behind me, I'm really no match for a Shackles Realm martial artist. This could be troublesome... Should I ask my cousin for help? Sun Zhenzhi pondered.

Leading the Demon-Suppressing Army along its assigned patrol route, Sun Zhenzhi's thoughts remained fixed not on the patrol itself, but on how to leave this place and uncover the secret Xiao Yu might be hiding. Over the past two years, he had crossed the space-time node into the demon realm on the other side many times, even sending numerous subordinates to search it as well.

Unfortunately, every search had come up empty. Whenever Sun Zhenzhi encountered cultivators who had passed through the space-time node into the demon realm, he interrogated them as well, yet none of them had ever found any so-called secret realm or ancient ruins either.

Black winds howled as the roars of yao echoed one after another. Hidden within the void, Lin Zheyu tailed the Demon-Suppressing Army led by Sun Zhenzhi from a distance, the Voidcleaver in his hand poised to strike at any moment.

"Too close. This guy really values his life. He never strays more than two kilometers from the Demon-Suppressing Army." Lin Zheyu frowned, at a loss for words at just how cautious Sun Zhenzhi was.

If he attacked within two kilometers of the Demon-Suppressing Army's main camp, it would undoubtedly draw the attention of the powerful expert stationed there. Moreover, through the vision of his golden Heavenly Eye, Lin Zheyu could see a faint connection between Sun Zhenzhi's patrol and the forces stationed at the main camp. The moment he made a move, he would likely be detected instantly.

Time passed slowly. Lin Zheyu silently followed behind Sun Zhenzhi's patrol, narrowing his eyes as he carefully observed how the strength of the connection between the patrol and the main camp changed with distance.

A cold smile curled across Lin Zheyu's lips. "Ten kilometers... Ten kilometers is the limit. As long as I lure Sun Zhenzhi more than ten kilometers away from the Demon-Suppressing Army's main camp, there won't be a problem."

A plan quickly formed in his mind. With a flick of his right hand, several preserved blood essence cores harvested from the powerful demonic cultivators and yao he had slain earlier appeared in his palm. He opened his mouth, and five blood essence cores brimming with astonishing yao energy flew into it.

In an instant, immense energy erupted within his body. His divine patterns were rapidly corroded and broken down by the demonic qi, transforming into demonic patterns. Yet just as Lin Zheyu began his transformation into a yao, the natal shamanic pattern within him suddenly reacted. As though sensing imminent danger, it frantically devoured his life essence before radiating an earthy yellow glow.

"Hm?" Seeing the change in his natal shamanic pattern, Lin Zheyu could not help but let out a surprised exclamation. This was the first time he had used Yao Transformation since obtaining the natal shamanic pattern, and likewise the first time he had witnessed it react in this way.

Lin Zheyu was thoroughly astonished. "As expected of a path that leads directly to the chaos gods and demons. My natal shamanic pattern can actually suppress the process of turning into a yao."

Unfortunately, now was not the time. Otherwise, he would have gladly secluded himself for several days to study exactly how his natal shamanic pattern changed during Yao Transformation. Doing so would greatly deepen his understanding of shamanic patterns and help him integrate them into his divine patterns.

Lin Zheyu steadied his gaze and cast aside the distracting thoughts. No longer paying attention to the changes within his shamanic pattern, he began frantically absorbing the demonic qi filling the void. Waves of energy poured into his body, causing his physique to swell rapidly.

More than an hour later, the roars of yao echoed from nearby once again.

The opportunity has come! With a thought, Lin Zheyu quietly blended into the approaching pack of yao.

***

Looking at the four yao in the distance, Sun Zhenzhi could not help cursing under his breath. "Damn it, this never ends."

Even with the support of the battle formation, the strain on his essence, qi, and spirit was tremendous, especially the burden on his mind. That was why the patrols had to rotate roughly every half day.

"Die! You're nothing but mindless cannon fodder. Worthless four-pattern and five-pattern yao. Get the hell out of my way!" Sun Zhenzhi shouted.

With a single thought, the energy of the battle formation surged into his body, and an enormous phantom condensed behind him.

Four emerald streaks of sword light shot forth, streaking toward the four cannon fodder yao charging forward with deafening roars. In the demon realm, mindless yao like these existed solely as expendable fodder. As long as enough energy was available, yao nests could continuously give birth to them. That was why the yao seemed inexhaustible, with one wave after another pouring forth no matter how many were slaughtered.

Shrill, agonized roars echoed through the air as three four-pattern and five-pattern yao were sliced into dozens of bloody pieces by the emerald sword light. The last yao, however, was covered in purple-black scales. When the emerald sword pierced into its body, it failed to penetrate straight through.

"Hm? This yao is interesting. Its defense is remarkably strong. And unlike the others, it isn't all that ugly. It actually fits human aesthetics rather well. I'll capture it and keep it around for some amusement."

Sun Zhenzhi looked at the scaled yao with a faint smile curling at his lips. With a thought, all eighteen emerald longswords shot into the air, transforming into eighteen streaks of sword light that whistled toward the fleeing scaled yao.

"It actually knows to run? Is it about to undergo a metamorphosis and become an intelligent specimen?" Sun Zhenzhi's eyes lit up.

Intelligent yao were highly valuable and especially prized by certain old fellows, who often used them to test all sorts of bizarre spells and secret arts. If he could capture this one, it should fetch a handsome price.

"Change formation! Golden Eagle Formation!" Sun Zhenzhi bellowed. The hundred-man Demon-Suppressing Army formation shifted at once, and the aura flowing through the battle formation transformed just as rapidly.

In an instant, the Demon-Suppressing Army patrol doubled its speed and gave chase to the purple-black scaled yao.

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