Chapter 682: Perfection (II)
"Hehe. Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior." Lin Zheyu grinned and cupped his hands before handing control of the formation over to Wang Zhengtian.
He had deliberately revealed a portion of his strength. Now that Lin Zheyu had reached his current level and possessed the ability to protect himself, there was no longer any need to remain as excessively cautious as before. He found a spot nearby and sat down.
Vast amounts of golden energy poured into the Heavenly Eye, instantly pushing it to its limits and causing it to radiate golden light like a miniature sun. Within Lin Zheyu's vision, countless rule patterns emerged in the dark void, each shimmering with a faint glow of a different color. These were the paths along which energy flowed as the activated formation restrictions circulated their power and drew upon the laws of heaven and earth.
Over the past half year, Lin Zheyu had already digested and absorbed his previous insights into the surrounding formation restrictions. He simply had not yet managed to transform those insights into actual strength. With that prior understanding as a foundation, however, comprehending the formation restrictions had become much easier.
So that is how formation runes are combined with demonic patterns! What I comprehended before was merely superficial. If I can incorporate this into divine patterns, they will reach an entirely new level! Lin Zheyu murmured inwardly.
He eagerly absorbed the extraordinarily profound insights into the Great Dao contained within the surrounding formation restrictions.
Just as I thought. This kid is so interested in the Dao of Formations. Could he be planning to draw upon the Immortal Dao method of refining formations into the body to surpass the limits of the Shackles realm? That is no easy path to walk! Wang Zhengtian glanced at Lin Zheyu from the corner of his eye. The young man still appeared to have plenty of strength to spare.
Through their discussions of the Dao over the past several days, he had discovered that Lin Zheyu was deeply interested in Immortal Dao formations, demonic patterns, totems, and even shamanic patterns. His attainments in them were also remarkably profound. Wang Zhengtian suspected that Xiao Yu intended to follow the path of refining formations into his body, using the power of Immortal Dao formations to surpass the limits of the Shackles realm.
He intended to forcibly carve out a new path for himself. This was not necessarily unfeasible. Many predecessors throughout the history of martial cultivation had attempted it. Although the success rate was frighteningly low, some martial cultivation predecessors had indeed succeeded. The results, however, had not been particularly impressive.
To begin with, Immortal Dao and martial cultivation were two entirely different systems. Immortal Dao focused primarily on cultivating the soul, while its formation branch placed even greater demands upon it. Even for immortal cultivators, refining formations into the body was far from easy, and those who succeeded were exceedingly rare.
It was even more difficult for crude martial artists who focused on cultivating the physical body. They were not called crude martial brutes without reason. In the same realm, a martial artist's attainments in the soul were far inferior to those of an immortal cultivator.
However, he has not only opened the spirit divine repository, but has also awakened a powerful spirit divine ability. Perhaps he really might succeed, Wang Zhengtian mused inwardly. After observing Lin Zheyu for a while longer, he turned his attention away and focused on slaughtering the yao army outside.
***
This invasion from the demon realm soon came to an end. The tremendous crisis Lin Zheyu had feared might occur never materialized. Once the battle was over, Lin Zheyu and Wang Zhengtian remained behind to guard the first formation defense line, while Ji Haozhong and Zong Linjing, who had exhausted themselves considerably, returned first to recuperate.
More than ten days passed before Ji Haozhong finally came to relieve Lin Zheyu. After returning to the courtyard where he lived, Lin Zheyu activated the courtyard's protective formation. He then took out a formation plate and set up another layer of formations. Only after confirming that no one could secretly observe him did he take out the Primordial Chaos Pool.
After learning that someone was secretly watching him, he had refrained from doing anything unusual while guarding the formation node. Apart from cultivating once every few days to push beyond his limits and accumulate Origin Force, he had done nothing else. Only after his assignment ended and he returned to his courtyard did Lin Zheyu take out the Primordial Chaos Pool and attempt another improvement.
Within the void of the Primordial Chaos Pool, an immense quantity of violent and chaotic rule energy had been stored. Lin Zheyu had collected it from the node's void. Storing so much violent energy had consumed a great deal of chaos origin energy over this period. However, compared to the enormous amount of energy he was about to expend on improving the Primordial Chaos True Art, that consumption was insignificant.
Lin Zheyu exhaled softly and said in a low voice. "Let's begin!"
He closed his eyes and sent out a thought: Use 20 units of Origin Force to cultivate the Primordial Chaos True Art.
In an instant, a vast surge of mysterious energy emerged, sweeping up the energy within the small demonic lake and pouring it into Lin Zheyu's body. Under the influence of the mysterious energy, the power of his blood qi flooded into his natal shamanic pattern. Immediately afterward, a pale golden, viscous energy began forming within it.
Under Lin Zheyu's control, this energy began circulating along a unique technique pathway. This pathway belonged to a special cultivation method he had created by combining the Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art with martial cultivation techniques. Its circulation was rather unusual, and every completed Great Circulation brought tremendous pain, causing his face to twist into a grimace.
This was the method Lin Zheyu had devised to merge the Shamanic Dao with martial cultivation. His natal shamanic pattern served as the medium, while his martial blood qi served as the source of energy, nurturing an entirely new form of energy that could replace the function of Earth Power.
Before this could be accomplished, however, his body first had to be tempered with the spirit medicines required for the first three stages of the Primordial Chaos True Art. This would alter his constitution and imbue his blood qi with a trace of the characteristics of a Shamanic Dao true body.
The thick shackle solidified and instantly pulled taut, releasing a crisp, resonant clang. A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu abruptly opened his bloodshot eyes. He let out a long breath, and with a slight flicker of his figure, vanished from the spot and appeared in another space. He had created this space specifically for cultivation, and no other energies were present to interfere with him.
Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged in the void and flipped his right hand, causing the bone talisman to appear in his palm. He extended his spiritual sense into it and resumed studying the Shamanic Clan's texts and records.
***
Time flew by, and more than two months passed. Just as Lin Zheyu had anticipated, the outpost remained peaceful throughout this period, and the demon realm launched no further invasions. He seized the opportunity to raise his strength as quickly as possible.
Within the void of the Primordial Chaos Pool, Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in a dark, violent, and chaotic lake of energy that radiated an evil and filthy aura. Vast golden blood qi surged from his body and condensed into a colossal blood qi dragon that stood guard beside him.
At the same time, six thick golden shackles materialized and embedded themselves deeply into his flesh. The six shackles swayed and rang with crisp, resonant clangs. Their sounds contained terrifying sealing power that firmly imprisoned Lin Zheyu's body and suppressed his advancement.
Yet despite this tremendous sealing force, Lin Zheyu's aura continued to rise at an astonishing rate. It grew increasingly terrifying, his cross-legged body containing a dreadful power capable of making anyone tremble. Within his chest, his beating heart boomed like the resonance of the Great Dao reverberating between heaven and earth. Immense blood qi poured into his natal shamanic pattern, giving birth to an even more powerful energy whose aura faintly resembled the origin force of the Shamanic Clan.
At the same time, his natal shamanic pattern also underwent a subtle transformation. With the Primordial Chaos True Art cultivated to Perfection, the Shamanic Dao and martial cultivation had finally achieved a preliminary fusion. The fundamental rule patterns of divine patterns had also been incorporated into the shamanic pattern.
Although there were very few of them, merely the tiniest trace that seemed almost insignificant, this was undoubtedly a promising beginning. It marked the starting point of the fusion between the Shamanic Dao and martial cultivation.
A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his bloodshot eyes, which shone more brightly than ever before.
At last, I've succeeded! Lin Zheyu's thoughts stirred as he looked at the information within his consciousness.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 848]
[Skills: Heaven-Deceiving Art 4.0 (Dormancy), Seven Absolute Sabers (Seventh Stage: 100%), Earth Shrinking Technique (Third Stage: 100%), Primordial Golden Body (Fourth Stage: 100%), Eight Desolations World-Suppressing Art (First Stage: 0%), Primordial Chaos True Art (Sixth Stage: 100%), Martial Divine Pattern Secret Manual 11.0 (Dormancy)]
After cultivating for so long, continuously studying the Shamanic Clan's texts and records preserved within the bone talisman, and expending nearly 800 units of Origin Force to repeatedly refine and optimize the Primordial Chaos True Art, Lin Zheyu had finally cultivated this preliminary experimental technique that fused the Shamanic Dao with martial cultivation to Perfection.
Although the cultivation process had been excruciating, and although he would have been completely unable to cultivate it under normal circumstances without the aid of Origin Force, he had succeeded nonetheless. With the Primordial Chaos True Art, a technique that fused shamanic arts with martial cultivation, as his foundation, it would be much easier to fully integrate the Shamanic Dao into martial cultivation and forge a unique path of martial cultivation in the future.
"Next, it is time to break free of the second shackle," Lin Zheyu murmured softly.
He had a feeling that after breaking free of the second shackle, with one fewer restraint binding his soul, his spiritual soul would undergo a tremendous transformation. At the same time, the golden Heavenly Eye deep within his sea of consciousness would very likely benefit from this transformation and evolve as well.
Lin Zheyu slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air. He did not rush to break free of the second shackle, but instead calmed his mind and began restoring himself to peak condition. The cultivation just now had taken an enormous toll on his mental energy, and breaking free of the second shackle would be far more difficult than the first. He had to make every possible preparation and conserve his strength so that he could succeed on his first attempt.