Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

The meeting quickly concluded. Aside from Shi Tianyun's open contempt for the Martial Alliance's martial artists and Yao Lang's assertive demeanor, Lin Zheyu faced little opposition. Mo Qingyang also showed no sign of the ill intentions Zong Linjing had warned about; instead, he was notably warm and friendly.

"Senior Sister, you're not joining either?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile as he rose to his feet and walked out of the hall alongside Zong Linjing.

He had assumed that, given Zong Linjing's recent obsession with cultivating and strengthening herself, she would take part in this counter-invasion campaign. After all, this was a war that would determine the survival of two worlds. The more yao a cultivator slew, the greater the favor and blessings they would receive from the world's will. Those blessings would also make future breakthroughs easier. That was why this place was known as the Bloody Trial Ground, and why generation after generation of gifted martial artists willingly threw themselves into it.

Zong Linjing shook her head as she said, "You're right. But I've only just arrived and still don't fully understand the situation in the demon cave. I do want to increase my strength as quickly as possible, but I'm not willing to gamble my life recklessly."

"Haha, Fellow Zong is absolutely right." Lin Zheyu smiled and said, "By the way, besides the two of us, who else from the Martial Alliance is stationed here?"

"Besides the two of us, there are also Fellow Ji Haozhong and Senior Wang Zhengtian in the Shackles realm. While we're here, we simply follow Senior Wang's orders and defend the area assigned to the Martial Alliance. As for those in the Divine Repository realm and below, there are more than thirty of them. I'll introduce you to them later," Zong Linjing explained.

Wang Zhengtian was a martial artist on the same level as Xia Ping. He had already reached the limit of the Shackles realm, broken free from all seven shackles, and taken the first steps along his own path of martial cultivation.

Lin Zheyu smiled. "Senior Wang? I've long heard of Senior Wang's great reputation. Unfortunately, despite having joined the Martial Alliance quite some time ago, I've never had the chance to meet him. Looks like I'll finally get that opportunity."

He was quite curious about this senior. After all, Wang Zhengtian stood alongside Xia Ping and Qin Hu as one of the Martial Alliance's three heroes. His strength had likely already reached at least the level of a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator. What intrigued Lin Zheyu most was the martial path Wang Zhengtian had forged for himself.

"As for Senior Wang... well... never mind. You'll understand once you meet him." Zong Linjing hesitated, then shook her head with a rather peculiar expression.

"Haha, I heard Qiu Kun mention that Senior Wang has always been quite the romantic, with countless admirers. Don't tell me he once pursued Fellow Zong as well?" Lin Zheyu asked with undisguised curiosity.

Zong Linjing was undeniably beautiful. Among all the women Lin Zheyu had met, she would easily rank within the top five.

"Mhm. But I turned him down." Zong Linjing nodded calmly.

Just as Lin Zheyu and Zong Linjing were chatting while heading outside, a cold shout rang out from behind them. "Out of the way!"

A powerful gust followed, barreling straight toward Lin Zheyu and Zong Linjing. As though he had anticipated it all along, Lin Zheyu instantly placed his right hand on Zong Linjing's shoulder. Ripples from a formation spread through the air. In the next instant, Yao Lang, enveloped in a dim green glow, passed straight through their figures. A flicker of surprise appeared on his face.

Suddenly, Yao Lang felt a tremendous force slam into the green aura protecting his back. His body lurched forward uncontrollably, crashing hard onto the stone floor.

"Oh? Isn't that Fellow Yao? How did you end up sprawled on the floor?"

Lin Zheyu and Zong Linjing slowly emerged from the void. Smiling, Lin Zheyu looked at Yao Lang lying on the ground with a gaze full of sincere surprise, as though he had only just arrived and had no idea what had happened.

"Hmph! None of your damn business!" Yao Lang snorted, his face burning with embarrassment.

He had just used a secret technique to conceal his aura before quietly sneaking up on them, intending to teach these two Martial Alliance martial artists a lesson and take out his anger on them for his elder sister's sake. He had never expected them to discover him in advance.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Suddenly, applause rang out from behind them.

Smiling, Mo Qingyang stepped out of the hall and said with open admiration, "So the man truly lives up to his reputation. Fellow Xiao is indeed worthy of being called a genius of the Martial Alliance! Such extraordinary martial cultivation perception, coupled with such astounding mastery of the spatial laws, is nothing short of breathtaking."

The other cultivators sensed the commotion outside and also came out one after another. After witnessing Lin Zheyu's display of strength, each of them quietly considered whether, if they had been in Yao Lang's place, they could have evaded Lin Zheyu's subtle attack. Unfortunately, they all reached the same conclusion. They could not!

Shi Tianyun stared at Lin Zheyu, his eyes blazing with unconcealed desire.

This man is incredibly powerful! With strength like this and such a terrifying physique, if he were used as a vessel to cultivate Netherfrost Flame, just how powerful would the resulting Netherfrost Flame become?

The Shi Family cultivated a unique technique capable of producing the strange yet formidable Netherfrost Flame. This eerie flame could burn away a cultivator's lifespan while absorbing their vital essence. The higher the quality of the lifespan consumed and the stronger the vitality absorbed, the greater the chance that the Netherfrost Flame would evolve.

However, such an evolution could only occur once. During that transformation, the stronger the vessel's physique and the more abundant its life essence, the higher the chance of success and the greater the benefits of the evolution. For that reason, martial artists, barbarians, and ancient yao, all known for their powerful physiques and vigorous vitality, became ideal vessels for nurturing the Netherfrost Flame. In the past, the Shi Family had secretly hunted large numbers of martial artists for this purpose, earning the irreconcilable hatred of the Martial Alliance.

Later, the Martial Alliance's alliance leader invited a powerful expert from the Wei Family to mediate, finally putting the matter to rest. The Shi Family was forced to swear that it would never again target Martial Alliance martial artists. Even so, the grudge remained. And with martial artists being such exceptional vessels, the Shi Family had no intention of giving up entirely. They dared not act openly, but their schemes behind the scenes never ceased.

Since they could no longer target living martial artists, the corpses of martial artists slain by others were another matter entirely. As long as no Shi Family cultivator delivered the killing blow, there was no problem. There was simply too much room to exploit such loopholes. That was the cultivation world, a ruthless realm where the strong preyed upon the weak and only the fittest survived.

"You must be joking, fellow friend. I didn't do anything just now." Lin Zheyu smiled, blinked innocently, and spread his hands in feigned bewilderment.

Sensing Shi Tianyun's burning gaze, Lin Zheyu turned to look at him. The corners of his lips curled upward into a remarkably 'kind' smile.

"Hehe..." Shi Tianyun bared his teeth in a grin when he saw Lin Zheyu looking his way.

"Is that so? Then perhaps I was mistaken." Mo Qingyang laughed it off.

"I wish everyone a successful mission. I've only just arrived, and I still need to pay a visit to the Martial Alliance's fellow friends and Senior Wang, so I'll take my leave first." Lin Zheyu cupped his fists in farewell before departing side by side with Zong Linjing.

As they watched the pair depart, complicated emotions flickered through everyone's eyes. Yao Lang stared at Lin Zheyu's retreating figure with a grave expression. Although they had not truly exchanged blows, he had personally experienced just how terrifying the Martial Alliance's Xiao Yu was. Had Xiao Yu attacked with lethal intent just now, it might not have killed him, but severe injuries would have been unavoidable.

"The Martial Alliance has produced yet another extraordinary genius." A refined young man holding a folding fan gazed after Lin Zheyu and sighed. "As the saying goes, turbulent times create heroes. Perhaps during this great calamity, this young man may truly carve out a new path for martial cultivation."

"I've heard he awakened a spirit divine ability, most likely one related to perception. If Fellow Xiao were to join us on this expedition, our mission would probably proceed much more smoothly," the cold-tempered woman remarked.

The woman exuded an icy aura, her sharp eyes resembling a drawn sword that radiated a chilling killing intent. She was none other than Mu Jianying, the woman who had sensed Lin Zheyu secretly observing everyone in the hall earlier.

"I share that opinion as well. Unfortunately, Fellow Xiao doesn't seem interested in joining this operation," Mo Qingyang said regretfully.

"How about giving it a try yourself, Fellow Mu? Perhaps you can persuade Fellow Xiao to join us," Shi Tianyun suggested with a faint smile.

Yao Lang glanced at Shi Tianyun and let out a cold laugh. "Heh! Fellow Shi certainly knows how to make plans that benefit himself."

Although Yao Lang disliked the Martial Alliance's martial artists, his resentment stemmed mainly from wanting justice for his elder sister. He held no real grudge against the Martial Alliance itself. Shi Tianyun, on the other hand...

Everyone present came from distinguished backgrounds and knew full well about the Shi Family's cultivation technique and the things they had done in the past. The motive behind Shi Tianyun's suggestion was as obvious as Sima Zhao's ambitions[1]. Anyone could see through it.

"You misunderstand me, fellow friend. I simply believe that if Fellow Xiao joined us, this mission would proceed much more smoothly," Shi Tianyun replied with a faint smile.

Yao Lang merely chuckled, his expression plainly saying, As if anyone would believe that.

1. A historical figure whose openly obvious ambition to usurp the throne gave rise to an idiom meaning "an ulterior motive that everyone can see." ☜

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