Somewhere deep in the Heaven's End Mountains, there was a small wooden cabin. In the clearing before it, a cluster of orange flames danced.
Above the orange flames sat a large, rustic cauldron.
In front of the cauldron, an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a tattered Daoist robe, held a bamboo slip in his left hand. His right hand tossed medicinal herbs into the cauldron, his expression focused.
Soon, a strange fragrance wafted from the cauldron. The old man's expression grew excited. He tossed the bamboo slip far away with his left hand, then slapped the cauldron with his palm.
The cauldron vibrated, and three little-finger-sized, light-blue medicinal pills leaped out from within.
The old man's eyes were sharp and his hands were quick. He snatched the three pills, his small eyes narrowing into slits. After sniffing them with his long, red, and bulbous nose, he burst into laughter.
"Tier One Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pills! Look at this color, smell this aroma—they're clearly Tier One Top Grade! It seems I, Cang Yan, am not far from becoming a Leaving Mortality Level Pill Master!"
So, it turned out this oddly named old man was an Alchemy Master. But judging by his crude, improvised techniques, his Alchemy skills weren't anything special.
In the Celestial Yang Continent, the hierarchy of Alchemy Masters was strict. The ranks, from lowest to highest, were Pill Apprentice, Pill Master, Pill King, and Pill God!
And each rank was further divided into three levels, from highest to lowest: Celestial, Earth, and Mortal.
To be so old and still just a Celestial-Level Pill Apprentice—it was a wonder he hadn't wasted his years completely.
Yet he remained blissfully unaware. After reveling in his success for a moment, shaking his head contentedly, Cang Yan looked up at the sky and suddenly froze. His slit-like eyes flew wide open.
He was stunned to see Haoyue in the sky, as if being pulled, shooting a beam of light directly toward a certain spot in the Heaven's End Mountains.
"Some living being is cultivating with moonlight essence! This is heaven-defying! No, I have to go see. I might be able to use this opportunity to break through!"
After the initial shock, Cang Yan sat down cross-legged.
In no time, a fierce wind roared to life. The surrounding fallen leaves swirled violently, wrapping tightly around Cang Yan to form a large cocoon.
Behind him, a crimson creature materialized.
The creature was entirely crimson, with a large head and a wide face. A terrifying, oppressive aura emanated from it—it was a blood lion!
To condense one's Divine Soul and manifest it outside the body—this was the mark of an existence that had surpassed the Elemental Realm and reached the Soul Gathering Realm!
"Go!"
Cang Yan uttered a soft cry. The blood lion's eyes snapped open. With a low roar, it transformed into a streak of light and tore through the sky!
A Divine Soul leaving the body and traveling a thousand li in an instant—this was a technique only a Spirit Transformation Realm expert possessed!
This Cang Yan was actually a Spirit Transformation Realm expert!
Elemental Realm Martial Artists absorb the world's elemental qi for their own use, attacking with their True Essence.
Upon reaching the Ninth Layer of the Elemental Realm, a Martial Artist must use their True Essence to activate the bloodline within them, causing their bloodline's Divine Soul to manifest, in order to reach the Soul Gathering Realm.
After gathering the soul, the Divine Soul can leave the body and travel a thousand li in an instant. This is the achievement of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
A Spirit Transformation Realm expert could take an enemy's head from a thousand li away as easily as taking something from one's own pocket. Their strength was unparalleled!
If one had a Spirit Body constitution, then the Soul Gathering Realm was perhaps an insurmountable chasm they could never cross in their lifetime.
But Cang Yan's Divine Soul was red, which indicated that his constitution was, in fact, a Spirit Body!
A Spirit Body, breaking through his shackles to become a Spirit Transformation Realm expert—Cang Yan's Martial Dao talent was absolutely heaven-defying.
However, moments later, the heaven-defying Cang Yan suffered a severe blow.
His Divine Soul hadn't even gotten close to the pillar of light when it seemed to sense his approach. With a slight tremor, it sent a shock through Cang Yan's entire body and soul, as if he had been struck by lightning!
His Divine Soul, possessing its own spiritual awareness, refused his command and retreated in a panic!
"PUFF!"
As his Divine Soul returned to his body, Cang Yan violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
The Spirit Transformation Realm expert was wounded!
"I actually got injured... What a powerful being!" Cang Yan stood up and gazed at the pillar of light, a flicker of terror in his eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Even now, he could feel a shudder running through his Divine Soul, a terror that originated from its very core.
"Heh heh, I may be fearless, but there's someone even more so. That little fellow is only at the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer, right? Yet he's recklessly trying to get closer, not knowing if he'll live or die." Forcing the terror from his mind, Cang Yan found it somewhat amusing as he recalled the middle-aged man his Divine Soul had seen.
However, considering that man had broken through his own shackles to cultivate to the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer with a mortal body, Cang Yan couldn't bear to see him die just like that. In the end, he sent him away.
'If a mortal body can break its shackles and cultivate to the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer, then what is impossible? The Spirit Transformation Realm is not my limit!' A monstrous battle intent surged in Cang Yan's eyes.
Cang Yan's Martial Dao talent was astonishing. He knew that if he didn't completely overcome the shadow of this event today, his Martial Dao Cultivation would truly stagnate. Thus, he used this to motivate himself.
"Ah, forget it. I'd better test this Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pill first."
Compared to his Martial Dao, Cang Yan was less confident in his Alchemy skills. He averted his gaze and popped the freshly refined pill into his mouth.
"Pure flavor! Looks like I really did refine a Top Grade Pill." Smacking his lips, his small eyes narrowing into slits, Cang Yan reveled in his own success for a good while before circulating his energy to dissolve the pill's medicinal power.
The next moment!
"GURGLE... GURGLE..."
Cang Yan's stomach rumbled repeatedly. His expression changed.
"My stomach... it hurts, it hurts so much... Dammit, another failure! Can't... can't hold it in..."
After streaking away to take care of business, Cang Yan returned to his spot with a look of relief, just in time to see the pillar of light disappear and Haoyue's glow recede.
"Looks like I'll have to go out at dawn and find a pill boy to test my Alchemy experiments for me," Cang Yan muttered to himself before sitting cross-legged and beginning to cultivate.
...
「Elsewhere in the Heaven's End Mountains」 Just as Cang Yan entered a meditative state, Lin Hao was waking from his own.
At this moment, Lin Hao's entire body was covered in a thin layer of ice, which had even frosted his eyebrows.
While cultivating just now, Lin Hao had only one sensation: pain!
Although he had experienced it once before, this time the excruciating pain was still like a blunt knife carving into his bones.
But now that he was awake, the pain was gone, replaced by an intense cold!
His teeth chattering, Lin Hao hugged himself and jumped around for a while, but the coldness only intensified.
'What was that energy that entered my body while I was cultivating? It feels like the blood in my veins has stopped flowing. What should I do?'
Lin Hao was amazed, but his expression changed in the next moment. He cried out in alarm, "First Layer! How am I still at the Blood Coagulation Realm First Layer?!"
'Was that energy not enough? No, I have to try again!'
What Lin Hao needed most right now was a breakthrough in his realm. He couldn't wait.
Gritting his teeth, he decided to cultivate again.
"My little ancestor, this Monarch is really about to kick the bucket. Please stop practicing."
A weak and helpless voice suddenly sounded at this moment.
"Who's there?!" The hair on Lin Hao's neck stood on end. He assumed a defensive stance and nervously scanned his surroundings.
"Stop looking. This Monarch is in your mind."
"In my mind... Carefree Divine Monarch, you're not dead?!"
Lin Hao's face turned pale with fright. He knew what kind of person the Carefree Divine Monarch was. If he wasn't dead and tried to possess him again, Lin Hao wasn't sure he would survive.
"Possession? Possess my ass! This Monarch is really about to die for real this time." The Carefree Divine Monarch's voice was filled with both reluctance and helplessness.
Before Lin Hao could reply, the Carefree Divine Monarch spoke again.
"Lin Hao, I was originally planning to bide my time and try to possess you again, which is why I didn't stop you when you started practicing the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill in reverse. I was hoping you'd practice yourself to death, but who knew... If you keep practicing like this, you won't die, but I definitely will. Sigh, I'm reaping what I sowed."
"What? Practicing in reverse? You're saying the Cultivation Technique I've been practicing is called the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill?!" Lin Hao's face went deathly pale.
"Yes. This Monarch transmigrated from a place called Earth, and the way they read books there is different. When you were searching my mind, I hid everything. I thought you would give up when you found nothing. So, I eagerly took out this Cultivation Technique to read it for myself, but who knew..."
He didn't need to finish. Lin Hao already knew the outcome. Who knew he would search again, and that his memory would be so good.
"How could this happen? How could this happen?"
Lin Hao's obsession was too deep; for a moment, his mind was in utter chaos.
"Don't worry! Not only will you not die, but you might even create a miracle!" The Carefree Divine Monarch's words pulled Lin Hao back from the brink of madness.
"A blessing in disguise! While you were cultivating, I studied it carefully. The first step of cultivating the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill might actually need to be done in reverse! For the next step, you just need to practice it normally. Only then will the First Layer of the technique be perfected, and you will naturally break through to the Blood Coagulation Realm Second Layer," the Carefree Divine Monarch explained eloquently.
"Practice normally? Great!" Overjoyed, Lin Hao was about to start cultivating immediately.
The Carefree Divine Monarch stopped him. "Don't be hasty. Not now. Wait for the red sun to rise tomorrow!"
"Why?" Lin Hao asked, confused.
The Carefree Divine Monarch asked, "Do you know what that energy you've been wondering about really is?"
Lin Hao paused and shook his head.
"It's moonlight essence! The very essence of the moon! Sunlight and moonlight essence represent the absolute extremes of energy in heaven and earth!" The Carefree Divine Monarch's voice rose an octave.
Lin Hao was shocked and didn't believe him. "If it's moonlight essence, why didn't my body explode?"
Before his grandfather left, Lin Hao had heard him tell many legends. Moonlight essence was said to be incomparably potent. Forget someone at the Blood Coagulation Realm First Layer like him—even a Spirit Transformation Realm expert would have their soul annihilated if they absorbed it!
"It's because of the Cultivation Technique! Do you know the origin of this Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill? It's rumored to be the Profound Emperor's technique for Body Refinement and blood coagulation!" the Carefree Divine Monarch said urgently.
"The Profound Emperor? Was he very powerful?"
Lin Hao had only ever heard of Spirit Transformation Realm experts on the Celestial Yang Continent. The name Profound Emperor was completely new to him.
"Do you know what gods and demons are?" the Carefree Divine Monarch asked, but he immediately realized it was a stupid question.
Lin Hao couldn't peer into his memories, but he had a complete view of Lin Hao's. In the young man's eyes, the most powerful Martial Artist was merely at the Spirit Transformation Realm.
"Gods and demons share a common title—Emperor Venerable! The Emperor Venerate Realm represents the apex of Martial Dao Cultivation. They are said to be immortal and indestructible!" The Carefree Divine Monarch's voice trembled as he spoke.
Hearing this, Lin Hao's eyes lit up.
"The Profound Emperor is the only one among all Emperor Venerate Realm experts who cultivated to emperorship from the body of a wild creature! Legend says the Profound Emperor's original form was just an ordinary turtle, but he defied the heavens and eventually achieved the status of Emperor Venerable. It's said the Profound Emperor's physical body was invincible!"
Lin Hao's heart began to beat wildly.
'Wild creature' was a nice way of putting it. It really just meant a low-level animal that hadn't even developed intelligence, a far cry from a Devil Beast. Yet a wild creature had actually cultivated to become an emperor!
It was like a tale from the Arabian Nights. What the Carefree Divine Monarch was saying was unlike anything Lin Hao had ever heard. A colossal figure, standing between heaven and earth, began to take a blurry shape in his mind.
"Your reverse cultivation of the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill has severely damaged my soul. This Monarch doesn't have much time left, so I won't go into detail. In a moment, I will pass my memories on to you, and then I will dissipate into nothingness." The Carefree Divine Monarch's words pulled Lin Hao back to reality.
"Divine Monarch..." Lin Hao opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"This Monarch knows what you are thinking. That you have such a heart is enough for me. I know you are kind by nature, but if you wish to go further, you must let go of your obsession."
"Let go of my obsession? Are you talking about Lin Wu?" Lin Hao asked.
"Indeed. Even the Profound Emperor could become an Emperor Venerable. You..."
Lin Hao cut him off without ceremony, his tone unyielding. "Say no more. Even though I have this Cultivation Technique, what belongs to me, no one can take away. I swear I will take back everything that is mine!"
"Although this Monarch doesn't know what kind of constitution you have, it truly resembles the legendary Harmony Dominator Body. The two words 'Harmony Dominator' can crush the myriad heavens through the ages. Even without a heaven-defying technique like yours, Lin Wu, who obtained your bloodline, can still cultivate to the peak of the Martial Dao."
"Hmph! Even if Lin Wu becomes an Emperor Venerable, I swear I will become the strongest Emperor Venerable! No one in this world can stop me! Not even gods or demons! If a god stands in my way, I will slay the god! If a demon stands in my way, I will slaughter the demon!"
At this moment, Lin Hao's fists were clenched, his aura wild and domineering!
The Carefree Divine Monarch fell silent. After a long while, he spoke in a low voice, "And if the heavens themselves try to stop you?"
"If the heavens try to stop me, then I will sunder the heavens!!!"
Lin Hao looked up, his gaze defiant of everything. He spoke each word deliberately, utterly lawless!
"RUMBLE!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky. The wind surged, clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The very heavens were enraged!!!
Beneath the raging firmament, Lin Hao stood as firm as a mountain, his hair whipping wildly about him, like a god or a demon standing tall!