Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Lin Zheyu stayed in Guanghua City for about half a month.

After some time, he realized that there was not much difference between the main sect and the eight branches. The treatment of inner sect disciples was slightly better in the main sect, but for true disciples, it was about the same. As long as one displayed sufficiently strong natural talent and aptitude, it did not really matter where one was.

”Junior Brother, won’t you stay a few more days?” Liang En urged outside Guanghua City.

Liang En had a good temperament and was deeply devoted to martial cultivation, though somewhat simple-minded. Over the past dozen days, Lin Zheyu had formed a solid friendship with him.

”No, I am more comfortable staying at Azure Tide Pavilion. You can come find me there when you have time. It would be best if you brought Senior Sister Baoyu along. Anyhow, it’s getting late. Senior Brother, we will meet again.” Lin Zheyu waved with a smile and turned to dash into the forest.

Finding a deserted place, Lin Zheyu changed his clothes, and his figure gradually shifted until he became an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

”I will wander around and see if I can find a few powerful demon puppets to test my abilities.”

Lin Zheyu grinned, a simple and honest smile appearing on his middle-aged face.

He determined the direction and headed toward Wuling City.

***

In the deep mountains, hunters and herb gatherers were rarely seen. Instead, small squads of three or more martial artists and soldiers occasionally appeared. They had come to search for the traces of demon puppets and eliminate them.

The nearby space-time nodes have not been opened. Where did so many demon puppets come from? Lin Zheyu wondered.

With a light tap of his toes, his body moved swiftly through the forest as if weightless. His powerful perception allowed him to sense even the slightest movement within a radius of about two hundred meters. However, in broad daylight, the demon puppets were all hiding.

After searching for more than two hours, Lin Zheyu finally sensed a familiar aura.

”There is one here!” Lin Zheyu’s expression brightened slightly as power burst beneath his feet.

Boom.

His speed instantly surged beyond the speed of sound as Lin Zheyu shot into the forest. The long saber in his hand swept through the air, and a ferocious beast’s head flew skyward, letting out a thunderous roar midair.

”So weak...”

Lin Zheyu stopped and did not even look at the corpse of the demon puppet behind him, feeling disappointed.

With a physique comparable to a Force Transformation realm martial artist, golden blood qi energy far stronger than that of ordinary martial artists, and a powerful Perception Domain, Lin Zheyu’s strength was no longer what it once was. Though he had not advanced to the Force Transformation realm, his overall combat ability could already rival that of a Grandmaster realm martial artist.

***

Rustle...

A gentle breeze passed through the dark forest shrouded in poisonous mist, causing the trees to rustle.

A man hurried into the hall and said respectfully, ”My Lord, Lin Zheyu, whom you ordered us to monitor, has already left Guanghua City.”

”Oh? He has finally left, eh. That brat made me wait long enough.” Hearing this, Pei Xuan set down his wine cup and revealed a calm yet eerie smile.

As a yao martial artist, he was now hunted by all and did not dare risk approaching major cities. He could only rely on the forces of the Yao Heavenly Palace to track Lin Zheyu’s movements.

”An enemy?” The man opposite Pei Xuan showed a hint of interest.

”Just a little fellow in the Marrow Refining realm. We have some grievances,” Pei Xuan replied indifferently.

He looked at his subordinate and asked calmly, ”Did you send anyone to follow him?”

”My Lord, we lost him. That person’s perception is very strong, and he is extremely vigilant. After entering the forest, we could no longer track him. Please forgive me.” The man quickly knelt in fear.

”I will go personally. I leave matters here to you,” Pei Xuan said to the man beside him.

He did not blame the subordinate. In his view, it was normal for a genius disciple like Lin Zheyu to have powerful protectors nearby. The fact that Duan Ping and the group he had sent were all defeated by the other party showed how strong that person was.

Pei Xuan rose to his feet. With a shift of his figure, he vanished from the hall. When he appeared again, he was already within a grand shrine at the center of the forest. Inside the shrine stood a towering demon god statue. Pei Xuan accepted the incense handed to him by an attendant, lit it, and devoutly worshipped the tall demon god statue. It was a rather eerie statue.

The statue had its hands pressed together, while ten arms extended from its back, each gripping a weapon poised to deliver a fatal strike. Its face bore a pained and ferocious expression, yet its eyes were serene and tranquil. Its entire form radiated a strange harmony born of contradiction. As he worshipped, an indescribable emotion welled up within Pei Xuan, making his gaze grow even calmer and more peaceful.

”You have come.” A calm voice sounded from behind. It belonged to a tall and burly man dressed in unique ritual garments.

”Give it to me,” Pei Xuan extended his hand and said calmly.

”Have you decided?” the man asked calmly.

”Do I have a choice? I can no longer suppress it. A yao martial artist cannot become a Grandmaster. Other than this path, I have no choice,” Pei Xuan replied calmly.

He had tried many methods, but all had failed. The path of a yao martial artist was a road of no return. If he continued advancing, he would soon be assimilated into a half-yao. At Pei Xuan’s level, once he became a half yao, there would be little difference between him and a true yao. It would be impossible for him to retain his consciousness as Duan Ping had.

The man produced a palm-sized compass-like object and said, ”Indeed, you do not. This is the Ink Jade Disk. Place a personal belonging of the person you wish to find into the disk and infuse it with energy. Following the disk’s guidance, you will be able to locate them.”

Pei Xuan accepted the Ink Jade Disk and asked calmly, ”Thank you. How do we begin?”

”The ritual requires time to prepare. You may first go and fulfill your wish before returning to receive the empowerment. By then, you will believe your choice was fortunate,” the man said plainly.

”I hope so,” Pei Xuan replied.

He had just turned to leave when the man called out to him again. ”Take this. If you encounter danger, place it into your heart and offer the blood of your heart as a sacrifice to summon the Mother of Pain.”

The man produced a blood red lotus made from special talisman paper and handed it to Pei Xuan. After hesitating for a second, Pei Xuan accepted it and tucked it into his robe. After he left, a young man in ritual garments stepped out from a side door and looked at Pei Xuan’s departing figure with some confusion.

”My Lord, is it worth using an Ink Jade Disk to win him over?” the youth asked in confusion.

An artifact like the Ink Jade Disk was extremely precious. Although it was a single-use item that would only function for one month once activated, it was still immensely valuable.

”He is someone favored by the demon god. Do you think it is not worth it?” the man replied calmly.

People were born different. Some were born with unique natural talent or fate. Such special destinies were most welcomed by the demon gods. If martial artists with such destinies grew, there was a chance they could be cultivated into demon generals.

***

Night fell. A thin mist began to rise within the forest, and nocturnal beasts started to stir. From the distant woods came the howls of demon puppets.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Lin Zheyu moved swiftly through the forest as wind roared past his ears. After traveling for nearly a day, he seemed to be even farther from Wuling City instead. In search of powerful demon puppets, he had ventured deeper and had slain two at the Force Transformation realm, but that was all.

Aside from Force Transformation realm demon puppets, he also found a Force Transformation realm ferocious beast. As for those at the peak of the Force Transformation realm or above, whether demon puppets or ferocious beasts, he had not encountered any.

”I will rest here for the night.” Lin Zheyu arrived at a hidden cave and planned to stay there temporarily.

He had discovered this cave by chance earlier in the day. Inside lay the massive corpse of the Force Transformation realm ferocious beast he had slain.

Crackle~.

Soon, a campfire was lit within the cave. The moisture in the branches burst under the heat of the flames. Lin Zheyu skewered the beast meat on a branch and slowly roasted it over the fire, occasionally sprinkling seasoning. The fragrant aroma of roasted meat spread through the air.

It has been a long time since I roasted meat in the wild myself. I wonder how Little Black is doing now, Lin Zheyu thought.

His left hand held the branch with the roasted meat while his right grasped the hilt of his saber. This was a treasured saber he had selected from the armory of the main sect. Named the Heavenspan Saber, it was a wide-backed heavy blade forged from rare metal by a top-tier craftsman, incomparably sharp. When fighting demon puppets or even yaos and demons, a saber was far more convenient than fists.