Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

After stepping out of the formation node, Zong Linjing glanced at Lin Zheyu, who looked as though nothing had happened. Her emotions were complicated. The longer she spent with Fellow Xiao, the more she realized just how vast the gap between them was. Though both were only at the early Shackles realm, she felt as if an entire major realm separated them.

Zong Linjing exchanged a salute with Lin Zheyu before taking her leave and departing the formation. The rift's node had already fallen silent. No terrifying battle fluctuations emanated from within, nor did endless waves of yao continue to pour out. Everything was finally over.

Once the dust had settled, the other cultivators rushed in from outside the formation and efficiently began collecting the yao corpses scattered across the battlefield. Every one of those corpses was a valuable resource with countless specialized uses.

"Wait a moment. Leave the corpses of those seven-pattern yao here. You can come collect them after I'm done examining them," Lin Zheyu said to the cultivators handling the cleanup.

All spoils obtained from slaying yao here were distributed collectively. Lin Zheyu was merely borrowing the corpses for study, so his request was hardly unreasonable.

"Yes, Senior," a female cultivator replied respectfully.

Cultivators stationed on the first line of the formation's defenses faced enormous risks, so such a minor request was nothing out of the ordinary. The female cultivator carried the yao corpses Lin Zheyu had selected to just outside the formation node, saluted him, and then turned to leave.

"Fellow Xiao, are you interested in the yao?" Ji Haozhong asked curiously.

He had been stationed at this node for several years and was quite intrigued by this rising martial genius who had only recently joined the Martial Alliance.

"I am, to some extent. Although the yao cultivate differently from martial cultivators, their fighting style is remarkably similar. They possess powerful physiques; they don't rely on flashy secret arts or spells, and... The difference is that they don't specialize in tempering the body itself. Their true focus is cultivating demonic patterns.

"They use demonic patterns to nurture an exceptionally powerful physique. Such a unique cultivation method has tremendous value as a reference for martial cultivation," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

He was far from the only person in the Martial Alliance interested in the yao. Many senior martial cultivators had entertained the same idea and had even acted upon it.

"That path is littered with thorns. It's no easy road to walk." Ji Haozhong shook his head slightly. "It's a road of no return..."

Although he had yet to reach the limit of the Shackles realm and was unlikely to ever do so in this lifetime, he was well acquainted with the path that lay beyond it. On the surface, the yao and martial cultivators shared certain similarities, but their cultivation systems were fundamentally worlds apart.

The demon arts were cultivation techniques created by powerful experts after studying the yao's cultivation methods. To research the yao's path meant inevitably delving into the demon arts.

Yet every martial cultivator who practiced the demon arts embarked upon a one-way road, eventually transforming themselves into something neither human nor ghost. In the worst cases, they lost all intelligence altogether and became demon puppets that knew nothing but slaughter.

Lin Zheyu understood exactly what Ji Haozhong was worried about and replied with a smile, "Thank you for the warning. I'm only interested in studying them. I have no intention of cultivating the demon arts."

"Haha, extraordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. A talent like yours is beyond the understanding of an ordinary man like me. Just take my words as casual advice. There's no need to dwell on them," Ji Haozhong said with a hearty laugh, waving his hand dismissively.

"You're too modest, fellow friend," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile. "By the way, how are things outside?"

At the mention of the situation outside, Ji Haozhong's brow furrowed. "Not too well. I heard another eight-pattern yao slipped through the spatial rift and invaded this world from the demon realm."

He had happened to be resting when the yao invasion began, so he knew a little about what had taken place outside the city.

"It escaped?" Lin Zheyu asked.

"It did, but powerful experts have already gone after it. It probably won't get away..." Ji Haozhong replied. After all, there was no shortage of powerful experts stationed within the demon cave.

Not only were there experts from Great Wei, but also powerful figures from the Buddhist sect. The Nine Nether Sect, the ancient yao, the barbarian tribes, and other factions likewise had considerable forces stationed here. After all, they too were part of this world. Its prosperity was their prosperity, and its destruction would be theirs as well. If the demon cave were to fall completely, none of them would escape the consequences.

"That's good to hear. Still, the fact that multiple eight-pattern yao have managed to enter this world one after another shows that the situation in the demon cave is becoming increasingly dire." Lin Zheyu's expression grew solemn.

There was no telling through which spatial rift that eight-pattern yao had slipped into this world. If the Deity Transformation realm expert guarding their own rift failed to hold back the yao on the other side and allowed an eight-pattern yao to break through, not a single one of them would survive.

"What are you worried about? If the sky falls, the tallest people will be the first to hold it up. We're martial artists. That level of conflict is still far beyond us. I heard Great Wei has already begun contacting forces like the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Heavenly Derivation Sect. They've probably already prepared for the worst. As for us, all we can do is find a way to survive this great calamity." Ji Haozhong laughed heartily, speaking with easy confidence.

"You make a good point, fellow friend," Lin Zheyu agreed.

The two did not pursue the topic any further. With the yao invasion over, the formation returned to its usual quiet, broken only by the sounds of cultivators collecting the yao corpses. Sitting cross-legged within the formation node, Lin Zheyu began digesting everything he had comprehended from the surrounding formations and restrictions over the past two days.

Now that the formation had once again fallen dormant, even the Heavenly Eye could extract little more from it. The most important task now was to fully digest those insights and turn them into his own strength.

***

Time passed slowly. Two days later, Lin Zheyu abruptly opened his eyes. Reaching out with his right hand, he drew the corpse of a seven-pattern yao into his grasp. The Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness snapped open as he began examining the demonic patterns covering the corpse.

Another two days passed. Lin Zheyu let out a long breath, activated the formations woven into his robe, rose to his feet, and began cultivating within the formation node.

Watching Lin Zheyu train tirelessly, Ji Haozhong could not help muttering to himself, "This kid deserves to be this strong."

Over the past few days, he had frequently kept an eye on Lin Zheyu, only to discover that the man was either studying the yao or cultivating. It was as if he never needed to rest. Moreover, the erosion caused by the yao will and demonic qi seemed not to affect him in the slightest. After guarding the formation node for so long and enduring a full-scale yao invasion, he was still training away with relentless determination once the battle was over.

"What a monster! I haven't seen him use any secret treasure or secret art to ward off the yao will or the erosion of demonic qi. Could it be that even Fellow Xiao's physique is far beyond that of an ordinary martial artist, giving him resistance on an entirely different level?" Ji Haozhong muttered under his breath.

Ji Haozhong clapped his hands together, turned around, and presented his back to Lin Zheyu. Out of sight, out of mind. Watching Xiao Yu work so tirelessly always filled him with an overwhelming sense of guilt. Lin Zheyu glanced in Ji Haozhong's direction before once again immersing himself in cultivation.

Four hours later, he slowly exhaled a long breath of stale air, took out two medicinal pills, and swallowed them. The energy stored within his divine repositories was nearly depleted, so Lin Zheyu had to conserve what remained in case of emergencies.

Time flew by, and another half month passed. Lin Zheyu pressed his right hand against the corpse of a yao, channeling immense blood qi into it as he conducted experiments on its demonic patterns. Suddenly, he withdrew his hand and looked toward the entrance of the formation.

Zong Linjing walked in from outside the formation and said softly, "Fellow Xiao, leave the watch to me now. You should go back and rest for a few days."

After more than twenty days of rest, she had fully recovered.

Lin Zheyu stood up with a smile and replied, "Then I'll trouble you, fellow friend."

After handing over control of the formation node to Zong Linjing, Lin Zheyu set off at an unhurried pace toward the spatial rift.

"You're not going to rest for a few days?" Ji Haozhong asked in surprise.

"It's fine. I'm only going into the node to observe the situation in the demon realm on the other side. I won't put myself in unnecessary danger," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.

"Be careful," Zong Linjing reminded him.

Lin Zheyu smiled, cupped his fists in salute, and said, "Thank you for your concern. I'll be careful."

With that, his figure blurred. A light tap of his toe sent him leaping into the spatial rift. During this period of observation, Lin Zheyu had learned much more about the place. The Deity Transformation realm expert guarding this node would only enter it to intercept the enemy when an eight-pattern yao from the demon realm attempted to invade this world through the space-time node.

Ordinarily, that expert merely kept watch with divine sense instead of entering the node personally. The stronger one's cultivation, the greater the suppression imposed by the wills of the two worlds upon entering the void within the node. Even for a Deity Transformation realm cultivator, venturing inside was anything but pleasant.

That was precisely why, despite knowing that a Deity Transformation realm expert was stationed here, Lin Zheyu still dared to enter the space-time node and use Origin Force to enhance his strength.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!