Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 60 Divine Blood Body Forging

Martial Ancestor Pan Yi lightly raised his illusory fingertip and slowly focused it on the endless void.

In an instant, ripples spread from the fingertips across the deathly silence, reaching the depths of nothingness.

An invisible Daoist aura spread out, as if a giant hand spanning countless ages had parted the fog of nothingness.

Several points of light shot down from the end of the void, initially like stars, gradually becoming like the bright moon, carrying boundless vitality and immortal will, and gathering layer by layer in the palm of the Martial Ancestor.

Lu Ming stared intently, his mind reeling.

Those weren't points of light; they were drops of blood suspended in the void!

Some were dark gold, like molten divine iron, exuding an aura of indestructibility, and the void trembled slightly as they flowed.

Some are like colorful glass containing the glow of the sunset, with the phantom of a phoenix dancing and singing within.

Furthermore, there was crimson divine blood, burning with an undying fighting spirit; even the mere aura emanating from it caused Lu Ming's blood to surge, almost making him roar...

"In the ancient battle against the void, countless immortals and gods shed their blood and perished in the great calamity of the void." The Martial Ancestor's voice was filled with deep respect.

"This is the remnant blood of immortals and gods from the celestial realm several eras ago. Although its Daoist essence has been largely dissipated due to the erosion of nothingness, the essence of its physical body remains, making it indestructible through countless eons. Use this to temper your body and help you achieve the first realm of the Xuanwu True Technique."

Before the words were finished, the illusory figure of the Martial Ancestor flicked his finger.

The drop of dark gold divine blood flew out and exploded three feet above Lu Ming's head, turning into a sky full of golden mist that enveloped his entire body.

A scorching, magma-like power surged into his skin and meridians, and Lu Ming let out a painful roar.

That power carried a domineering force of destruction and rebirth, like a sharp blade scraping bone, peeling away the old skin from his body layer by layer. Every inch of his skin was torn apart by the burning, and then rapidly regenerated in the vitality of the divine blood.

His teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding, and blood seeped from his lips, but only a sliver of determination kept him going: "Hold on! Only by enduring this can I get out!"

He frantically circulated the "Mysterious Martial True Skill," guiding the raging divine blood power throughout his body, thus beginning the Skin Refining Realm.

This process was so long it felt like it spanned the Spring and Autumn Period.

At first, each peeling and regeneration of skin was accompanied by excruciating pain. Consciousness was overwhelmed by the pain, and only instinct could be used to operate the technique.

Later, the pain was still excruciating, but he found a sliver of clarity in the extreme torment. His mind was barely clear as he watched the old skin on his body turn to ashes and the new skin condense into a faint golden light.

When the last wisp of golden mist blends into the skin, the skin-refining process is complete.

Lu Ming's body was covered with a thin layer of dark gold keratin, which was hard to the touch, yet exceptionally flexible.

But before this respite could even be halfway through, an even more intense pain followed, and the realm of flesh tempering began.

The golden divine blood power transformed into billions of steel needles, piercing into the muscle fibers and tearing apart the old muscle fibers, which were then reforged with the essence of immortals and gods.

Each tearing and rebuilding caused his muscles to bulge and his veins to snake across his body. Sweat mixed with impurities in his body turned into black liquid and dripped down, condensing into specks of dust in the void.

After the skin is refined, the flesh is refined; after the flesh is refined, the tendons are refined.

The pain at each stage builds up layer by layer, like waves crashing against the shore, each one more intense than the last.

During tendon training, the tendons and veins are as if being scorched by raging fire and tempered by freezing ice. In the process of twisting and turning, old tendons break apart and new tendons solidify like golden ropes.

During the bone refining process, the power of divine blood penetrated directly into the bone marrow, crushing all the bones in his body into powder, and then reforging them with the essence of immortality. Every time a bone shattered and reassembled, he felt as if his soul was being torn apart. Only his instinctive roars and gasps echoed in the void.

During the blood refining process, divine blood directly merged into the blood, and Lu Ming felt as if his body was about to explode, like a volcanic eruption.

He had no doubt that if he hadn't trained his skin, flesh, and bones beforehand, his body would have exploded instantly.

I wonder how many years have passed—a year, ten years, or even longer?

Lu Ming had long forgotten the concept of time and the appearance of the outside world. His mind was filled with endless pain and the operating method of the "Xuanwu True Skill" that was like a brand on him.

His physique grew stronger and more solid without him even realizing it, with every muscle containing explosive power, but his consciousness began to crack under the relentless onslaught of pain.

"Why...is it not over yet...?"

He was like a piece of iron being repeatedly hammered on an anvil, each time he thought he was about to take shape, he was thrown into an even more intense furnace to be forged.

Exhaustion overwhelmed him like a tide, and his initial determination and obsession seemed so pale in the face of this seemingly eternal torment.

"Is such pain truly bearable for a human being?"

The thought of giving up grew wildly in my heart like weeds. In my hazy consciousness, I just wanted to fall asleep and let the pain completely disappear.

This thought was like poison, slowly eroding his Dao heart. Until the Bone Refining Realm reached its peak, and all the bones in his body shattered and were simultaneously reforged under the power of divine blood, Lu Ming's consciousness finally reached the critical point of collapse.

"That's enough... that's really enough..."

The soul wailed, all its former beliefs, its expectations for the immortal path, and its longing for home were crushed to ashes by this extreme pain.

He abandoned the cultivation technique, letting the violent divine blood power rage within his body. His consciousness was like a candle flickering in the wind, about to completely sink into darkness.

At that moment, deep within his spiritual realm, the wisp of Qingping sword intent that had accompanied him since Qingping Mountain suddenly trembled slightly.

A ray of moonlight spread from his mind, and images uncontrollably surfaced in his mind: at the entrance of Qinghe Village, when he knelt to bid farewell to his parents, the expectation and reluctance in their eyes were vivid in his mind.

The resolute smile on Qin Feiyu's face as he crushed the jade talisman in Yunmengze still echoed in my ears.

Under the moon at Tianyan Peak, the senior brothers and sisters raised their glasses to bid him farewell. Zhao Ling patted his shoulder and said, "We'll be waiting for your triumphant return." Senior Sister Su Wan handed him healing pills with tenderness.

And beside the herb garden at Baicao Peak, Hu Zhen's clear eyes, filled with worry and expectation, gazed into his heart...

"What am I doing...?"

A powerful sense of shame struck his mind like a thunderbolt.

So many people have high hopes for him, so many people are waiting for him to return, and yet he is about to give up so easily in this void?

Pan Yi, the Martial Ancestor, guarded this place alone for an entire era, using his martial arts cultivation to withstand the Great Calamity of Nothingness for 120,000 years. His loneliness and perseverance were truly magnificent!

Compared to this, what are his few years of suffering?

"No! I can't give up!"

A more resilient will erupted from the depths of his soul! It was purer than the initial determination, and deeper than the obsession of the past!

This will broke through the shackles of pain and solidified the consciousness that was about to collapse.

Lu Ming focused his mind again and frantically circulated the "Mysterious Martial True Skill".

This time, he no longer resisted the pain, but instead actively drew upon the power of his divine blood, letting the violent force wash over his body, trying to understand the pain, control the pain, and coexist with the pain!

"Come! Even if it means having my bones scraped and my marrow refined, my heart burned and my blood boiled, I will not fear! As long as I live, I will succeed!"

His eyes burned with a mad light; the pain had clouded his mind, yet he stubbornly refused to yield.

The moment the bone refining was completed, the Martial Ancestor flicked his finger, and the drop of seven-colored immortal blood transformed into a sky full of rosy light, enveloping Lu Ming's body and slowly seeping into his internal organs. The realm of bone refining was activated.

The rosy glow washes over the body, seemingly gentle and soothing, but in reality, it is three times more intense than breaking bones and tempering muscles.

Every ray of sunlight passing over the internal organs felt like a sharp blade cutting through them. The internal organs trembled in excruciating pain, yet they were repeatedly tempered by the vitality of the sunlight, gradually becoming crystal clear, like a piece of glass.

Lu Ming often coughed up blood. The blood beads he spat out changed from being black at first to bright red, and finally even had a faint golden light, pure and spotless.

This time, he no longer roared or panted; he simply focused his mind inward, concentrating all his attention on the circulation of qi and blood and the transformation of his physical body.

In the midst of extreme pain, he vaguely comprehended the deeper mysteries of the "Mysterious Martial Arts": martial arts is not merely about physical training, but about facing death to be born again, and breaking down to build anew.

Only by enduring the hardships of the physical body can one resonate with the spirit and the body, and allow one's vital energy to harmonize with the universe.

This is the true meaning of the Martial Ancestor's path to enlightenment through martial arts.

Countless hours passed, and as the last rays of sunlight merged into his internal organs, a resounding clang suddenly echoed within Lu Ming's body. His internal organs resonated, his muscles and bones creaked, and his blood and qi surged like rivers and seas, soaring straight to the sky!

He suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light in them, and an immense and unparalleled power of blood and qi erupted from his body, sweeping through the surrounding void. The remaining void power was forced to retreat step by step by this power of blood and qi!

The first realm of martial arts, the Body Tempering Realm, is now complete!

Lu Ming stood in the void, feeling the transformative power within his body.

Every inch of flesh and every bone beneath the skin contains the power to shake mountains and split rocks.

The phantom of Martial Ancestor Pan Yi looked at him, its blurred outline seemingly moved, as if in admiration.

What he saw was not only a martial artist who had perfected his physical training, but also a seed of cultivation who had survived the physical tribulation and the mental tribulation, and whose Dao heart was beginning to take shape.

The physical body can be forged, but the Dao heart is hard to solidify. This young man, in extreme pain, actually comprehended the original intention of martial arts.

The pain dissipated, and the void returned to tranquility. Lu Ming stood there, stunned, as if in another world.

He had spent more than a decade in pain, and for a moment he forgot how to speak.

Only when the Martial Ancestor's voice rang out did he come to his senses, bowing deeply to the illusory figure, uttering indistinct syllables: "Thank...you..."

"Hahahaha!" The Martial Ancestor's laughter rang out, echoing in the void, filled with satisfaction and carefree spirit. "Haven't you heard a word for more than a decade, and you've already forgotten how to speak?"

Lu Ming steadied himself, allowing his surging blood and qi to gradually calm down, and repeatedly organized his thoughts in his mind.

After a long silence, he stammered, "Disciple...thanks to Senior...for the great kindness of body tempering."

The illusory figure of the Martial Ancestor raised his hand and waved it slightly, saying to Lu Ming, "Don't rush to thank me. Divine blood forges the physical body, and pain tempers the soul. Remember, although martial arts are born for war, they are also the way of humanity."

No matter how strong the physical body is, without an unbreakable Dao heart, it is ultimately just a mirage.

As soon as he finished speaking, the void trembled slightly.