Chapter 327 - Life
“This is … my inner core?”
Zhong Yue raised his hand and watched as the inner core flew into his palm. He could vaguely see a tiny speck of dust hovering above his palm; it felt as if even the softest breeze would be able to blow it away.
But there wasn't the slightest doubt in his mind about it being his inner core. Although it looked pitifully small, it was strong and sturdy as it was the fusion of all of Zhong Yue's blood essence and arcane energy, condensed by the totem patterns — this was his greatest achievement by far!
The moment the inner core was condensed, Zhong Yue felt something, a unique feeling he had never experienced before. He could feel … his life.
There were two aspects to one's lifespan – one was the that of the soul, and the other the that of the body. Both of which he had vaguely sensed in his cultivation, but now, they had clearly presented themselves before him.
His soul's lifespan was longer than his body's, his mortal body could only live for more or less 200 years, while his soul could live up to over 1000 years, nearly five times the length of his mortal body!
As the inner core was condensed, he could feel his own life; and this was very peculiar. But what was stranger was that his soul and mortal body's lifespan were different!
Not only that, he could even see the end of his time, in other words, he precisely knew when he would die.
He could ‘see’ how much time was left for him!
As every second ticked, he could also see the changes in his life.
Meanwhile, the Pure Yang lightning was still striking down on him; A flash of lightning struck down on his Yuan Shen, and Zhong Yue could ‘see' his soul's life quiver from full to zero and back to full.
This meant that every strike of the Pure Yang lightning was strong enough to kill him in one blow, disintegrating his Yuan Shen into nothingness. But at the same time, the saint herb's medicinal efficacy would revive him seconds before his death.
Furthermore, after recovering from the Pure Yang lightning strikes, he could ‘see' his soul's lifespan increasing!
This was because, after the Pure Yang lightning strikes, his Yuan Shen would become more perfect and flawless. Surely, his soul's life would increase accordingly!
Zhong Yue then looked at his mortal body, although his mortal body's lifespan was also increasing, it was only at one-sixth of the Yuan Shen's rate!
However, being able to ‘see' his own life's changes was an incredibly surreal experience.
“With the inner core by my side, I am the master of my life!”
This was what the 36 Xiao Mang Qi Practitioners said when they stood against the Leize dragon god. They claimed that with their inner core with them, not even the heavens could take away their lives.
It was undoubtedly an exaggeration as none of them survived from the Leize dragon god, but from this, one could infer how vital the inner core was to a Qi Practitioner's life.
After condensing his own inner core, Zhong Yue finally had the feeling of stepping into the true world of cultivation.
One that hadn't condensed his own inner core could only be described as an amateur. Only by condensing one's own inner core would one be able to know their own life clearly. Being able to sense every change of their Yuan Shen and mortal body, thus, perceiving the imminent dangers and lengthening one's life!
Not only does the inner core relates to one's life, but it was also the strongest mean of attack to an Inner Core Qi Practitioner; with the inner core fully activated, one's blood essence, arcane energy, and skills would reach a peak. They would then come together to unleash the ultimate attack.
Most importantly, the inner core was a unique link that connected the blood essence of the Yuan Shen and mortal body together.
When the inner core was formed, Zhong Yue could feel his mortal body and Yuan Shen linking together deeper. He could even feel the connection to the sixth secret realm getting even stronger!
The Yuan Shen's blood essence was raised to its peak with the aid of the inner core; it billowed out like a boundless ocean. He could now vaguely sense the position of the sixth realm in his Yuan Shen and was trying to open it.
If the sixth secret realm were opened, the Six Path Reincarnation would be complete, and he would be able to comprehend the abstrusities of life!
However, every time he tried to break open the sixth secret realm, the seals in his bloodline would emerge and repress his blood essence, causing him to fail just when success was within his grasp.
Zhong Yue tried for a few more times, but all his attempts ended in failure. Without any other options, he gave up. Without the exact position of the sixth realm and a strong enough cultivation base, he would not be able to open the sixth secret realm.
Furthermore, the seals in the human bloodline were also incredibly durable – it was incredibly difficult to break through the seals.
Can I sense the precise position of the Bloodline Wheel if my inner core is cultivated to the peak? This might be chance for me to open the sixth realm!
Zhong Yue inhaled a deep breath of air and restored his blood essence and arcane energy to its peak. He then surged them all into his inner core to strengthen it even further. Why is the lifespan of the body and Yuan Shen different? Why is there always a five, nearly six fold difference? The inner core is the link between the mortal body and Yuan Shen, can it aid in opening the Bloodline Secret Realm, Bloodline Wheel? There are many secrets hidden in this Inner Core level. If I can fully understand this level, I will undoubtedly have unimaginable improvements!
The Pure Yang lightning was still raining down on him, and his inner core was slowly and steadily growing in size under his nourishment. Not long after, it grew to the size of a metal bean.
It was still comparatively small; his inner core was way smaller than the other Inner Core Qi Practitioners he had seen. Those were usually sized like a pearl or even a goose egg; he was only like a toddler of the inner cores.
However, his inner core was way higher in quality than theirs, after all, his inner core had been refined countless of times by the Pure Yang lightning. There was even a slight surge of Pure Yang Qi lurking in it; despite it being almost negligible in size, it was clear to him that his inner core was at a level beyond that of ordinary Qi Practitioners!
Because only the gods were able to do so; and yet, Zhong Yue already had a tiny little surge of Pure Yang Qi in his inner core. Although it was scarce and weak right now, it was enough for him to surpass others in strength!
While receiving the lightning strikes, Zhong Yue was also trying to infuse more of the Pure Yang Qi of the lightning into his inner core, but the result left him disappointed.
On the other hand, his Immortal Body had seen significant improvements with the help of the saint herb. His mortal body and Yuan Shen were now bathed in the life force and life energy, seeping into his bones, filling up the pores and reaching every corner of his body!
The human's soul and mortal body were inherently weak compared to other races. But now, the lotus saint herb's abundant medicinal energy had now eliminated this weakness. His soul and mortal body were now even stronger than ordinary celestials and demons, almost on par with the stronger races like the Kui Long Celestial Race!
After some time, the Star Toad Monster Spirit was cultivated to the peak of the Atman Body level, and immediately, Zhong Yue started to prepare the Star Toad Monster Spirit for its inner core.
As long as the Monster Road had condensed its inner core, he would be able to use the Immortal Body's appalling life force and energy, his blood, muscles, and bones to form an incarnated mortal body. The Monster Toad and part of his soul would be infused into the incarnated mortal body, and it would become his other identity, Long Yue!
In the sky, Zhong Yue stayed for a full two months, the lotus saint herb started to fade away, and its roots soon disappeared, changing into medicinal energy that entered Zhong Yue's body.
Above him, a pear-sized inner core illuminated the overcast sky as the Pure Yang lightning struck it unceasingly. The inner core was continually changing in size, fending off the Pure Yang lightning as it refined itself with the help of lightning.
In the inner core was the image of a saintly figure, a snake-bodied three-eyed Fuxi!
While behind Zhong Yue, was the two hundred eighty feet tall Sui Sovereign Yuan Shen who stood solemnly, it had the head of a dragon, body of a human, tail of a snake. It had an eye of the Yang attribute and another of the Yin attribute – it was grand and breathtaking.
This Yuan Shen was refined countless times, way stronger than the others and there was also a little surge of Pure Yang Qi in it, although it was nearly unnoticeable.
When the Pure Yang lightning struck at the Yuan Shen’s head, it would create a deep wound, but the injury would be remedied within the next second. And the Yuan Shen would remain standing as strong as ever.
Zhong Yue's mortal body was also bathed in the lightning that relentlessly struck down at him like divine swords. They created countless wounds on his body, but they were unable to threaten his life at all.
The Immortal Body! He had successfully cultivated it, although it was still in its formative stages, his mortal body had grown far stronger, being able to repair wounds in just seconds without leaving any scars behind.
Before him, was a young man with the head of a dragon. His bones were extraordinary, and there was a rounded bulge on the right side of his forehead. He carried a 17 feet long bone sword on his back, and his appearance was way more grandiose than Zhong Yue's.
The lightning was also striking at him just as how they did on Zhong Yue; however, this dragon-headed young man's mortal body wasn't as strong as Zhong Yue's.
If the others such as Shui Zian or Gu Hongzi were here, they would undoubtedly be shocked as this young man was none other than the closed-door disciple of Shi Buyi, Long Yue of the Eastern Sea!
Long Yue opened his mouth, and an inner core was spurted out. It hovered in the air, and the blood essence in it was thick and strong. One could also vaguely perceive the image of a Xiang Dragon swimming in the inner core.
This Long Yue's cultivation base was also incredibly strong, nearly 30-40 percent of Zhong Yue's prowess.
Zhong Yue scrutinized the dragon-headed young man before him, and he praised in his heart, he then said smilingly, "If it weren't for the saint herb, I wouldn't be able to cultivate my second incarnation so quickly. It would have taken 20 years at the least, but with this saint herb, I managed to do it within months. It's just that the gods' resentment was a little too dangerous for my liking."
“Senior martial brother, it’s not entirely a bad thing either.”
Long Yue replied smilingly, "With the help of the Pure Yang lightning, the gods' resentment was smitten away. They have left behind immense benefits to you, the Pure Yang Qi that lurks in your Yuan Shen, mortal body, and inner core."
Zhong Yue nodded, he answered, “Well, junior martial brother, you aren’t any weaker either, you also have the Pure Yang Qi.”
“Not as strong as yours, senior martial brother.”
Xin Huo was sitting on Zhong Yue's shoulder, his little tail reached up to his face and was picking his nose for him. He said, "Is talking to yourself a weird hobby you have? If it weren't Xin Huo the Great, you'd be dead by now, let alone cultivating to this step? Master Xin Huo is definitely the biggest contributor of all…."
Hearing him, Zhong Yue and Long Yue turned their heads over and said furiously, "Xin Huo, you almost had me killed again! The resentment of the gods in this lotus saint herb was definitely not as little as you said before!"
Xin Huo quickly shut up as he knew very well that it was his mistake.
Zhong Yue stood up, clasped his hands together, and said, "Senior Martial Brother Long Yue, I suggest you head over to Gu Xia City now. One day in the future, you and I will have to duel."
Long Yue stood up and returned the formality. All of a sudden, a beam of light flitted across the sky in a beautiful arc, and Long Yue flew toward the Gu Xia City like a soaring dragon. A faint voice echoed from afar, "That duel will be very … interesting!"
“How can one still be so happy playing with himself….” Xin Huo mumbled softly.