Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 748 - 742: Secret Power, Shortcut of the Mysterious Barrier_1
Others could not discern the changes in Yan Yuanwu, but how could Jia Ren be unaware? Green Lotus Ferrying had funneled the backlash force of Xuanwu, the power of the Xuan Snake, and a massive amount of Immortal Spiritual Qi into the opponent’s body. The backlash from the Taiyi Jade Immortal, combined with the attacks from Jia Ren and the Immortal Spiritual Qi, all erupted within the most vulnerable part of his body. Even a Profound Immortal on the Immortal Path of a Taiyi Jade Immortal could not endure such an onslaught.
Yan Yuanwu forcefully suppressed the backlash. He might deceive others, but he could not fool Jia Ren.
If it were not for that, why would a dignified Immortal Monarch of the Supreme Jade Immortal Realm sit down and negotiate nicely with me? They would have captured me long ago, tried to brainwash me through the Sect, and turned me into a die-hard loyalist of Ming Luo Hall. Some might even covet my body, wishing to seize it and replace me.
A friendly attitude is always built upon equivalent strength between both parties. Through his actions, Jia Ren had proven his strength and earned the investment of Ming Luo Hall.
This spell battle allowed me to estimate my approximate combat power. I now initially possess the qualification to destroy the space of the Immortal Realm and can face an ordinary Immortal Monarch in a fight. In the Immortal Realm, this is considered mid to high-tier combat power; I’m no longer at the very bottom. Yet, against Lord Qianyu, my power is still insufficient. The difference in combat power at the Immortal Monarch level is vast. Lord Qianyu, unlike a frontal combatant like a Xuandao Taiyi Yuxian, can attack from afar with spatial-type Laws. He could play me to death. In a spell battle with Ming Luo Hall’s Immortal Monarchs, it’s possible that from beginning to end, they might never even get a chance to touch their opponent... There are an unknown number of top experts out there; my strength is still too weak in comparison.
The decisive power in the Immortal Realm isn’t the Immortal Monarchs. Xianzuns at the Daluo Golden Immortal level can at most sway a battle on one front, but they can’t change the overall situation of Immortals. The conflict between Immortals and Bizarre Immortals continues to erupt, and entities on the level of Dao Bizarres will eventually become formidable enemies I’ll have to face. I’ve long regarded all Dao Bizarres as hypothetical enemies, delaying my breakthrough until I assemble the corresponding Golden Immortal Realm techniques for the Tianbao Transformation Immortal Technique. The future path is long and arduous, with a great distance still to travel.
He left Ming Luo Hall and flew for millions of miles, finding a secluded and uninhabited area to stop. His aura changed as he assumed a new appearance.
With the Array Plate of the Qianji Linghuan Formation from Qianhuan Sect set up, Jia Ren sat in a simple Cave, carefully studying the Five Luo Daozang from Ming Luo Hall.
The Five Luo Daozang was the Method Gate created by the founding ancestor of Ming Luo Hall to "By Strength, Prove the Dao," consisting of only four treasuries. Even so, cultivating it to the extreme was enough to reach the Daluo Golden Immortal level. Such combat power was already among the top experts in the Immortal Realm. The Five Luo Daozang broadened one’s horizons and showed the path forward.
Relying on my strong blood energy foundation, I broke through my body’s Mysterious Barrier, but I haven’t fully tapped into my body’s potential. Once I open the two corresponding Mysterious Barriers—the Blood Repository and Bone Repository—my combat power will surely advance further.
I don’t fully trust Ming Luo Hall. I can’t guarantee that their cultivation techniques are free from secretly placed traps that might cause disaster. If I’m unfortunate enough to fall victim, I’ll only be able to ask Ming Luo Hall for help and be at their mercy.
Jia Ren took out the Wish Bizarre Wheel to conduct a trial simulation; even if problems arose, he would have the opportunity to start over. The Mimicry Phantom Body was activated, channeling the power driven by the Mimic Bizarre.
With all preparations complete, he executed the spell corresponding to the Xueluo Daozang. The dormant blood qi seemed to come to life, gradually boiling. Blood-red patterns quickly spread across his entire body, forming complex and mysterious pathways.
"Blood Repository, open."
The heart, the source of blood, blazed hot and scorching. The heartbeat grew more powerful, like the resonant drumming of a great heart, its sound like muffled thunder. Even with the Formation acting as a barrier, the beating heart caused the hearts of nearby creatures to resonate with its rhythm. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
At this moment, Jia Ren had a strange feeling: I could, by changing the frequency of my heartbeat, detonate other resonating hearts!
The blood-red patterns emitted a scarlet light, and at the center of his heart, a giant blood-red portal appeared. It was dark and profound. As the blood-red patterns on the portal formed, the long-sealed blood-red portal began to open bit by bit, transforming into a tide of blood that rushed headlong into his body.
An enormous, astonishing quantity of blood qi gushed out continuously. This blood qi, sharing the same origin as his own, could be converted for his use without any effort. Jia Ren’s blood qi rose at an alarming rate, as if forming an endless sea of blood. The blood qi gradually reached the limit his body could endure, and his skin began to show a crimson glow.
Under the surging, strange blood patterns, hundreds of strands of blood qi merged, forming a droplet of blood that resembled a precious blood gemstone. This single droplet seemed to possess awe-inspiring power, as if it were a treasured jewel of blood. The qi and blood combined with the blood qi within the Blood Repository. More and more blood essence was produced and distributed throughout his body.
An unknown amount of time passed. Jia Ren slowly opened his eyes. The surging blood qi around his body shone like the scorching sun, driving away ghosts and evils. A droplet of blood essence flew from his fingertip. The blood qi twisted and transformed into a blood shadow, indistinguishable in appearance from himself. This droplet of blood essence possessed combat power not inferior to a Loose Immortal and was incredibly difficult to kill.
His blood qi became stronger and of higher quality. Regeneration from a drop of blood, which originally took several moments, now required less than a breath to reconstitute flesh and blood, restoring him to his peak condition.
"Opening the Blood Repository is indeed extraordinary." he thought. "I’ve been sitting on a treasury without realizing it."
The stronger my foundation, the greater the benefits I receive from opening the Blood Repository. Jia Ren had consumed countless Yang Anode Blood Essence Pills and possessed blood qi beyond the norm. In this moment, his powerful blood qi foundation was fully revealed. His blood qi was now a hundred times greater than before; his body was like a cosmic furnace of blood qi, capable of incinerating the very heavens.
"No problems!"
Jia Ren carefully discerned the changes after opening the Blood Repository, finding only benefits and no hidden troubles. Ming Luo Hall had not set a trap here or harbored ill intentions.
Following the Blood Repository was the second repository: the Bone Repository.
The opening of the first Mysterious Barrier, the Blood Repository, gave those who walked the path of "By Strength, Prove the Dao" a surge in survival ability, but the increase in combat power was not overly terrifying. For those embarking on that path, the Bone Repository signified their first qualitative transformation, bestowing upon them the power to counter Laws. Otherwise, possessing a strong physique but lacking the means to confront the Power of Laws would only turn one into a target and a plaything for others.
The method to open the Bone Repository was similar to that of the Blood Repository, as was the Method Gate.
Breaking through the Mysterious Barrier "By Strength, Prove the Dao" is the key; the hidden repositories are just incidental benefits.
Blood essence formed crimson patterns on the bones throughout his body. The dormant power within his bones erupted, and a chilling white aura emerged, gradually merging with the blood patterns. Every bone in his body vibrated incessantly. Then, it seemed as if invisible gates opened within them, spreading throughout every single bone. A sensation of soreness and numbness emanated from his bones as the chilling white aura continuously circulated, refining them until each bone was bathed in a pale white glow.
The power within his body soared at an astounding rate, each breath akin to a storm.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Jia Ren opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and threw a punch. The fist cleaved through the air, forming a visible shockwave of force that surged forward. The Qianji Linghuan Formation lit up, conjuring a barrier of Immortal Qi to counter the punch, but the protective screen of Immortal Qi ripped apart, holding for less than a moment. This intermediate-tier Immortal Array, capable of withstanding attacks from a Golden Immortal, now had a gap torn through it. The residual force of the punch traveled several hundred miles, undiminished.
With this punch, Jia Ren had not called upon a shred of immortal power; it was purely physical strength. The force of the punch intertwined with the special powers of both the Blood and Bone Repositories. A mere simple swing of his fist had unleashed an incredible destructive force.
"So powerful!"
The opening of both the Blood and Bone Repositories constituted a qualitative leap, catapulting his combat strength.
"Both the Blood and Bone Repositories are fine! I can formally begin cultivation!"
Jia Ren quickly changed his location, not lingering in the area. After moving, he officially went into seclusion to open the Blood and Bone Repositories. The practice and testing showed no discrepancy; to be precise, the potential unleashed was even greater than in the simulation.
If I were to return to the Lower Realm, my body alone would be enough to destroy an entire Cultivation World.
After opening both the Blood and Bone Repositories, next in line was the third Mysterious Barrier of the body and its corresponding Body Repository. The third breakthrough was harder than the previous two. Being only a partial change, the improvement was not perfect. The third Mysterious Barrier was more comprehensive, covering flesh, skin, eyes, ears, hair, and more. Breaking through all the barriers in every part of the body and releasing all its hidden repositories is what constituted the Body Repository. Each part would possess wondrous abilities; each location would harbor inconceivable secret powers.
He reviewed the records of the Third Layer Pass, identifying his next primary direction of focus.
After Blood and Bone comes muscle and skin; one builds from the outside in. The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys form internal circuits, interlinked with the eyes, ears, mouth, nose...
The Five Luo Daozang recorded the secret techniques to awaken the Mysterious Barriers throughout the body, as well as the heaven-and-earth Immortal Treasures needed. Alas, such treasures had long vanished, their numbers so scant as to drive one to frustration.
To hope for breakthroughs using external items to penetrate the body’s Mysterious Barriers is ultimately wishful thinking. Breaking through to the second layer by luck was one thing, but the third layer barrier will be a chasm, its difficulty on a completely different level. Breaking through the Third Layer Pass will cost a significant amount of time, not to mention the search for the extinct Immortal Treasures of heaven and earth. The path of cultivation grows progressively more difficult. "By Strength, Prove the Dao" becomes ever more challenging as one progresses—it’s truly a helpless situation. This is a path of cultivation that heaven and earth cannot tolerate.
Jia Ren meticulously examined the records concerning the three barriers, which concluded with the experiences and insights left by predecessors.
"I was trapped by the third Mysterious Barrier for three hundred thousand years, with no solution in sight, so I sought a different approach, using Profound Path Secret Techniques to seek a breakthrough opportunity.
"Exhausting a million years, I cultivated a thousand kinds of skin-related Profound Path Secret Techniques to their peak, finally breaking through the skin’s Mysterious Barrier.
"Cultivating Profound Path Secret Techniques is too hard, and human endeavor eventually reaches its limit. With techniques as vast as smoke, how many can seek and achieve the ultimate? In the end, I perished in the tribulation of blood decay.
"This is a misguided path! Let those who come after take heed."
The mistakes of the past serve as lessons for the future. While this served as a warning to later generations, for Jia Ren, it was an unexpected delight.
The predecessors of Ming Luo Hall used Profound Path Secret Techniques to find a way to break through the body’s Mysterious Barriers. They cultivated a thousand Profound Path Secret Techniques to the utmost to break free from constraints. The limit for cultivators is the Grandmaster Level. By relying on sheer quantity, the accumulation from a thousand Profound Path Secret Techniques was just enough to break through the skin’s Mysterious Barrier. Cultivating a thousand Profound Path Secret Techniques to their extreme required innate talent, vast amounts of time, and significant heritage—the difficulty was tremendous. Even then, they ultimately failed to break through all the body’s Mysterious Barriers, leaving only a warning for those who came after.
If I could bring a single Profound Path Secret Technique to the Technique-Nearing-Dao Level, could it break through the corresponding body’s Mysterious Barrier? If one isn’t enough, what about ten? Cultivating spell techniques was not a difficult task for Jia Ren. If this endeavor succeeds, the Third Layer Pass of the Body cannot possibly restrict me. The Great Dao is within reach!
