Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Deep within the demon cave, black winds howled, demonic qi surged, and the terrifying roars of yao echoed without end. However, within the city that guarded the space-time node, the great city-protecting formation and the various formations that maintained its internal environment kept conditions reasonably comfortable.

Life there was somewhat monotonous, but the city still had places for relaxation and entertainment, as well as restaurants and shops. From one of its restaurants came a burst of hearty laughter.

"Haha! Come, let me offer you a toast, fellow friend. It truly was no easy task getting you to accept my invitation!" Mo Qingyang laughed heartily as he raised a cup to Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu raised his cup and said with a smile, "Cheers! Allow me to offer a toast to all of you as well."

After cultivating in seclusion for more than a month, Lin Zheyu felt it was time to come out and stretch his legs, so he accepted Mo Qingyang's invitation and attended a gathering. The previous invasion from the demon realm appeared to have taken a heavy toll on the enemy, as there had been no further incursions from that realm for over a month. Instead, yao from the depths of the demon cave frequently emerged to harass the city, but they were merely small fry and posed no real concern.

"You have been here for quite some time, but aside from helping repel that invasion from the demon realm, you have never left the city to fight, have you? Judging by the current situation, there should not be another large-scale yao invasion through this space-time node anytime soon. Would you be interested in joining us for a trial at the Bloody Trial Grounds?" the man seated to Lin Zheyu's left asked with a smile.

The man wore a green robe and had delicate features with a faintly feminine softness. His skin was fair, and even dressed in men's clothing, he possessed a grace that rivaled that of any woman. Anyone unaware that he was male might well have suspected him of being a woman disguised as a man. His name, however, was rather amusing. In stark contrast to his feminine charm, it carried an unmistakably masculine air.

The man's name was Yuan Tiejun[1]. He was a member of the Yuan Family, one of the eight esteemed families.

"No, thank you. I have only just recovered from the last battle, and in a few days, I will have to guard the formation node again." Lin Zheyu shook his head with a light laugh.

He had no interest in the yao outside at the moment. He had yet to finish studying that Shadow Dragon.

"What a pity. I had hoped to fight alongside Fellow Xiao and witness your strength for myself." Yuan Tiejun shook his head, putting on a mildly regretful expression.

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. There is no need to rush," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Zheyu took his leave and returned to his courtyard. Yuan Tiejun watched his departing figure with a smile, then turned to Mo Qingyang and asked, "What do you think of him?"

"Very strong. I cannot see through him," Mo Qingyang answered seriously.

He truly could not see through the man. Lin Zheyu was clearly only a martial artist, yet he seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist. Even when Mo Qingyang used a secret technique, he could only vaguely sense that Lin Zheyu was extremely dangerous. Yet the more dangerous Lin Zheyu seemed, the more interested Mo Qingyang became. Danger meant that the other man was powerful.

"For you to speak so highly of him, it seems that Xiao Yu truly is extraordinary. Interesting, very interesting. I wonder whether he would be willing to switch to cultivating the Immortal Dao and marry into my Yuan Family," Yuan Tiejun said with a smile.

Mo Qingyang took a sip of wine and smiled. "I am afraid you will be disappointed, fellow friend. Every martial artist in the Martial Alliance possesses an astonishing devotion to martial cultivation. Fellow Xiao is still in the prime of his life, so I doubt he would switch to cultivating the Immortal Dao."

"True. Had he been willing to switch to cultivating the Immortal Dao, he would have made that choice when he first broke through to the Martial Innate realm. Martial cultivation is, in the end, a path of no return... What a waste of such extraordinary natural talent." Yuan Tiejun smiled. Although he called it a pity, there was little genuine regret in his voice.

As a scion of one of the eight esteemed families, he had merely been delighted by the discovery of such a promising talent and had briefly entertained the idea of recruiting him.

***

In the courtyard, within the void inside the Primordial Chaos Pool. Lin Zheyu came to a stop, breathing heavily.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 1261]

[Skills: Heaven-Deceiving Art 4.0 (Dormancy), Seven Absolute Sabers (Seventh Stage: 100%), Earth Shrinking Technique (Third Stage: 100%), Primordial Golden Body (Fourth Stage: 100%), Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art (First Stage: 0%), Martial Divine Pattern Secret Manual 11.0 (Dormancy), Primordial Chaos True Art 59.0 (Second Stage: 3%)]

Lin Zheyu examined the data in his mind. The Primordial Chaos True Art had already advanced to the second stage. Over the past month, he had only found two opportunities to enter the node's void, as he did not want to attract anyone else's attention. Otherwise, he might have already cultivated the Primordial Chaos True Art to Perfection.

It is time to guard the formation node and let Fellow Zong return to rest for a while, Lin Zheyu thought.

With no invasion from the demon realm for more than a month, the assignment had been relatively easy for Zong Linjing. Lin Zheyu's figure flickered as he left the Primordial Chaos Pool. After putting away the pool and the formation disc, he deactivated the courtyard's protective formation and leisurely made his way to the first formation defense line.

Within the defensive line, Wang Zhengtian sat cross-legged in the void, cultivating an unknown technique just as he had been when Lin Zheyu first met him. Zong Linjing sat cross-legged at the formation node farther from the space-time node.

Some time earlier, Wang Zhengtian had taken over Zong Linjing's position and begun guarding the formation node closest to the node fissure. Zong Linjing had then replaced Ji Haozhong at the other formation node, while Ji Haozhong had returned to recuperate first.

Lin Zheyu smiled and cupped his hands toward Zong Linjing. "Fellow Zong, I will have to trouble you to wait a little longer. I will enter the node and investigate the situation on the other side before returning to relieve you."

"You are too courteous. Even a delay of several days would be no issue," Zong Linjing replied with a smile.

Lin Zheyu laughed. "Haha, it will not take that long. I will be back shortly."

With a light leap, he entered the node fissure. He surveyed the node's void with his Heavenly Eye and was surprised to discover that no yao were lying in ambush. It appeared that after Lin Zheyu had slain several powerful yao, the enemy had realized something was amiss and no longer dared send anyone to hide within the node's void.

Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly and said with regret, "How disappointing. I thought I might encounter a more interesting species of yao this time."

Aside from the Shadow Dragon, he had also encountered a Formless Yao during his second visit to the node's void. This kind of yao belonged to one of the ten most powerful races in the demon realm. Unfortunately, top yao races such as the Formless Yao and Shadow Dragons possessed exceedingly profound and abstruse demonic patterns on their bodies. Studying them was like trying to decipher an incomprehensible heavenly scripture, and Lin Zheyu had gained little from them thus far.

I should continue and cultivate the Primordial Chaos True Art to Perfection as quickly as possible, then break free of the second shackle. The second shackle binds both my physical body and spiritual soul. Once I break free of it, perhaps the Heavenly Eye will evolve again, Lin Zheyu thought.

Of the seven shackles, two extended into the sea of consciousness and coiled around the spiritual soul. These were the second and seventh shackles. Were it not for their restraint, Lin Zheyu's soul might already have been able to leave his body and roam freely between heaven and earth, just like that of a Deity Transformation realm cultivator.

1. For the name 袁铁军 (Yuán Tiějūn), 铁军 (Tiějūn) literally means "iron army" or "iron troops," giving the name a strong, martial, and distinctly masculine impression that contrasts with his delicate, feminine appearance. ☜

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