Chapter 294: Chapter 231: Immortal Forbidden Technique, The Unfathomable Might of the Ancient One (Part 2)

In a flash, the severed limb reattached and was completely restored.

With such a terrifying physical trait, Cheng Zhihong could scarcely imagine any way to defeat him.

Unless Yi Beidou could utterly overwhelm him with absolute power—a difference in quality, not just quantity—and kill him instantly, any attack would be futile.

This was the Immortal Forbidden Technique, which possessed a Divine Power that transcended the mortal realm.

"Is this ability a result of borrowing power from this Immortal Mountain?"

Yi Beidou murmured, seeming to grasp the essence of his opponent’s power.

Penglai Immortal Mountain was shrouded in a self-sustaining Magnetic Field Power. The moment he had stepped onto the island, he could feel the wound on his palm healing at an accelerated rate. The Alchemist had clearly used some method to amplify this effect to its absolute limit.

"I call this Technique the ’Penglai Technique.’ Now, I will let you experience it firsthand. You are the first to witness it since I mastered it. You could say it is your honor."

A faint smile touched the Alchemist’s lips.

The battle had yet to begin, but his seemingly pointless words and displays had already allowed him to completely dominate his opponent’s morale. This, too, was part of his strategy.

He had to secure a flawless victory, overcome this tribulation, and continue on his Longevity Dao.

The Alchemist reached up, removed the non-prescription glasses from his face, and bent down to place them on the ground beside him before straightening up once more.

The next moment,

HUM!

Yi Beidou sensed a terrifying change occurring within the Alchemist’s body.

The heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys.

Five vortexes suddenly appeared in the Alchemist’s Life Magnetic Field, centered on his five major organs. They were like bottomless pits, rapidly devouring his body’s Life Energy.

Even with the Life Force of a Saint Expert, anyone consuming Life Energy at such a rate would be dead in under an hour.

At the same time, however, it would grant him unimaginable power.

It was like an engine pushed beyond its limits, frantically devouring fuel and converting it into raw power. Though it would quickly burn out and self-destruct, for a short time it could generate unimaginable horsepower.

BOOM!!

The aura around the Alchemist erupted like a hurricane. A single glance from him seemed capable of severing one’s Divine Soul.

The *Yellow Emperor’s Secret Talisman Scripture* states: "Heaven has five thieves; he who perceives them will prosper."

In the tradition of Qi Refiners, the five major organs are inextricably linked to the Five Elements of heaven and earth. Those on the path of Cultivation follow the Heavenly Dao, where the Five Elements are in a cycle of generation, continuous and unending. This is known as the "Five Virtues."

The opposite of this is known as the "Five Thieves."

The path of the Five Virtues allows one to live peacefully and establish oneself, but it also means going with the flow. When the Heavenly Dao sends down tribulations, they are unavoidable. When one’s time is up, there is no escape.

It is like a person who understands the principles of society. They can navigate it with ease and build a successful career. But to reach the absolute pinnacle, to command the will of heaven with one’s own will and become a setter of the rules—that is impossible.

To become an Immortal or a Saint, one must "steal."

Those who steal hooks are executed; those who steal kingdoms become nobles; those who steal from heaven become saints.

The Way of the Five Thieves is to steal life, steal substance, steal time, steal power, and steal perception.

It means understanding the rules, but not following them. Instead, one steals the very authority of the rules to empower oneself.

The Alchemist lineage is skilled in many arts, such as Curse Techniques, Nightmare Techniques, and Alchemy. But these are merely "arts." The true core of their path is the Five Thieves Technique.

This is why, back then, Xu Fu, a mere Alchemist, was able to deceive the First Emperor. Using the Elixir of Immortality as bait, he stole vast manpower and resources to sail east to Japan. His lineage has been entrenched in Japan ever since, usurping Penglai Immortal Mountain for themselves. In modern times, they even instigated Japan to launch wars, using the immense resources and national destiny to cultivate their great art of Longevity, ultimately becoming one of the world’s rule-makers.

And at this very moment, the Alchemist was using a forbidden art of the Five Thieves Technique: sacrificing his own Life Energy in exchange for immense power.

This move was called "Five Thieves Stealing Life."

However, while under the effects of the Penglai Technique and supplemented by the immense medicinal power of a Great Pill, this normally fatal Forbidden Secret Technique could no longer cause the Alchemist any fundamental harm, allowing him to wield its power without restraint.

The very instant the Alchemist completed "Five Thieves Stealing Life"...

WHOOSH!!

The Alchemist’s figure blurred. Cheng Zhihong, standing nearby, couldn’t see his movement at all. It was as if he had taken a single step and appeared directly in front of Yi Beidou.

The hair on Cheng Zhihong’s body stood on end. To deal with any sudden crisis, he had his Fruit Position Power fully activated, yet even then, he couldn’t follow the Alchemist’s movements in the slightest.

It felt as if his opponent had instantly "stolen" the distance between them, achieving the effect of Shrinking Inches.

’If the Alchemist had targeted me just now,’ he thought, ’I would have been completely defenseless. That single move could have severely injured, or even killed me.’

This was the "Thief God" technique of the Five Thieves Technique.

It unleashed one’s True Intent in a flash, influencing the opponent’s subconscious and causing them to instinctively ignore crucial information.

He didn’t need to steal space itself, only a person’s perception of it.

A short while ago, the Light Condensing Cause and Effect Curse the Alchemist had used on Yi Beidou operated on a similar principle. It had stolen and altered Yi Beidou’s subconscious cognition, replacing it with a "Cause-and-Effect Screen" of his own design.

However, while this ability could affect Cheng Zhihong, it was powerless against Yi Beidou, who was still in the state of Tribulation Star Possession.

PHWOOM!!

A surge of Blood-Colored Demon Flame erased all adverse effects.