Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

At the space-time node deep beneath the sea, giant sea beasts, sea clan warriors, and yao were locked in fierce combat. The carnage was no less intense than that at the space-time nodes that had appeared on land.

Covered in purple-black scales, Lin Zheyu circulated the not-yet-perfected Heaven-Deceiving Art as he strolled among the yao. The yao energy disguising his body, combined with the aura-concealing effects of the Heaven-Deceiving Art, allowed him to blend in seamlessly.

Suddenly, a giant sea beast roared and charged toward him. Lin Zheyu took a single step with his right foot and vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already a thousand meters away. The golden Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness opened as he quietly observed the battlefield. He had no intention of joining the fight.

Instead, he remained hidden in the shadows as a spectator, studying how the giant sea beasts and sea clan warriors fought. Having had little contact with them in the past, he needed to gather information now to avoid being caught unprepared in future encounters.

"These sea beasts and sea clans possess a natural advantage in the deep sea. Nearly all of them cultivate water-attributed spells, and some members of the sea clan even seem capable of controlling the beasts..." Lin Zheyu murmured softly as he continued gathering information on their combat styles and abilities.

Boom!

Unexpectedly, a powerful water projectile came hurtling toward him. His Heaven-Deceiving Art had yet to reach Perfection, and when used together with the Primordial Golden Body, conflicts occasionally arose between the divine patterns covering his body. As a result, he could not fully unleash the technique's effects. Because of this, particularly perceptive members of the sea clan would sometimes detect him, the anomaly hidden among the yao.

A distant sea clan warrior transmitted an urgent message to his companions. "Quick, capture it! This one seems to be an intelligent yao!"

Soon, however, his expression changed drastically. The humanoid yao clad in magnificent scales had merely swayed for an instant before appearing directly in front of him. Its speed was unbelievable!

The sea clan man reacted immediately. Spirit power surged through his body, and from him erupted a terrifying tidal wave that crashed outward in all directions. It seemed he intended to use the immense force of the surge to stop Lin Zheyu's sudden attack. However...

Lin Zheyu seemed not to feel it at all. The massive wave slammed into him and did little more than make his body sway slightly. Taking another step and employing the Earth Shrinking Technique, he arrived before the sea clan man in the blink of an eye, before throwing a punch. Under the sea clan warrior's horrified gaze, the punch arrived instantly, and his body exploded. The surrounding waters were soon filled with the thick scent of blood.

"Frolag!" A furious roar rang out.

Lin Zheyu snatched the storage pouch from the dead sea clan warrior and vanished in a flash. He had no desire to waste his strength fighting the sea clan only to benefit the yao.

Three figures arrived almost instantly. Their expressions darkened when they saw their companion reduced to a mangled mass of flesh.

"Inform the commander. A powerful six-pattern yao is suspected to have appeared at this space-time node. Request immediate reinforcements," the leader of the sea clan group said grimly.

He turned toward the space-time node, his expression growing increasingly gloomy. Everything was happening too quickly. Not long ago, the node should have been incapable of supporting the passage of a six-pattern yao. Could this particular space-time node be unusual?

"This space-time node appears somewhat abnormal. To be safe, pass down the order and accelerate the formation deployment!" the sea clan man instructed after a brief moment of thought.

Forming a hand seal with his right hand, he released a carp-shaped construct of energy from his body. The tiny fish shot into the distance at astonishing speed. Even Lin Zheyu, watching from the shadows, could not help but marvel at the sea clan's techniques. After observing it for a moment, he casually reached out and grabbed the small energy fish in his hand.

"Interesting. What kind of spell is this?" Lin Zheyu said with evident curiosity.

The golden Heavenly Eye opened, piercing through the fish's illusory appearance to see its underlying essence. After a bit of observation, Lin Zheyu attempted to replicate it using his own energy, condensing a similar fish-shaped construct in the water. Yet moments later, it burst apart like a soap bubble with a soft pop.

There really is something special about it... Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He made several more attempts before finally shaking his head and abandoning the idea of learning it on the spot. A secret art like this could not be copied merely by seeing through the essence of the energy fish. He would also need the corresponding cultivation technique.

Of course, that was largely because his golden Heavenly Eye was not yet powerful enough. Once his cultivation realm rose high enough and the Heavenly Eye became sufficiently strong, a single glance would likely be enough to deduce the entire technique behind it.

His figure shifted slightly as he once again moved among the yao.

***

Time passed slowly. A day later, the fatigue weighing on his mind had finally dissipated. After taking a look around, he found that the sea clan's formation was nearly complete, though it would likely require at least another half day before it was fully finished. Half a day was more than enough for him to accomplish quite a few things. With a slight movement, he once again entered the dark void space.

Time continued to pass as black winds howled through the endless void. Powerful yao emerged in an endless stream from the fissure connecting to the demon realm, roaring as they poured into Lin Zheyu's world.

Far below, within a lake of violent rule energy, brilliant golden light bloomed. Vast life energy spread outward, yet it remained concealed beneath the surrounding chaos of violent energies and drew no attention from the passing yao.

Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes and released a long breath of turbid air.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 12]

[Skills: Earth Shrinking Technique (Perfection), Heaven-Deceiving Art (Perfection), Seven Absolute Sabers (Fifth Stage: 3%), Primordial Golden Body (Fourth Stage: 31%)]

Lin Zheyu examined the data displayed within his consciousness. The Heaven-Deceiving Art had already reached Perfection and could now be used independently without issue. However, if he wanted to combine it with the Primordial Golden Body, he would first need to bring the Primordial Golden Body itself to the Perfection of the fourth stage, fully integrating the Heaven-Deceiving Art into its cultivation system.

Even so, its current state was already sufficient. Now that the Heaven-Deceiving Art had reached Perfection, it finally compensated for one of his greatest weaknesses, which was the lack of a technique capable of concealing his aura.

Before this, Lin Zheyu could only conceal the extent of his strength. He had no way to hide his aura itself, making it relatively easy for other cultivators to track him down. Now, the Heaven-Deceiving Art had finally filled that gap.

"Only 12 units of Origin Force remain. It's time to go find Feng Xuanji," Lin Zheyu said softly.

Feng Xuanji was a woman of mysterious origins. Although Lin Zheyu had accepted the mission to find her from Hall Master Lin Xian, he knew very little about her. He had tried asking Lin Xian for more information, but the hall master remained frustratingly secretive. The only advice he offered was that Lin Zheyu should treat her with the utmost respect and avoid offending her at all costs. Clearly, Feng Xuanji's background was anything but ordinary.

Lin Zheyu leaped out of the lake of energy. Although he wanted to push the remaining progress of his Primordial Golden Body all the way to Perfection, he had already used 20 units of Origin Force today, and his mind was beginning to feel fatigued.

Ever since opening his spirit divine repository and transforming his soul form into a golden, almost tangible existence, his mental strength had grown considerably. Currently, if he pushed himself and continued using Origin Force, he could probably manage around 25 units, with 30 being his absolute limit.

However, Lin Zheyu had no intention of driving himself that hard. Excessive mental exhaustion would affect everything from his perception and sense of danger to his combat performance. Using 20 units of Origin Force was a level he found comfortable. At least at that point, he could still maintain his peak fighting strength.

The yao crossing over from the demon realm sensed the aura of a powerful living being and charged toward Lin Zheyu with savage roars. Having just finished his cultivation using Origin Force, he had yet to disguise his aura with yao energy. As he watched the approaching creatures, he remained completely still, suspended in the void.

Heaven-Deceiving Art!

Golden energy surged through his body, forming the divine patterns of the Heaven-Deceiving Art and emitting a faint golden glow. An indescribable aura spread outward from within him. In the next instant, his presence vanished completely. He was standing right there, yet no trace of his aura could be sensed, as though he did not exist at all.

The charging yao abruptly lost all trace of Lin Zheyu's aura and froze in midair. They were nothing more than mindless cannon fodder, creatures that acted purely on instinct. Having suddenly lost their target, they felt no confusion or curiosity. They simply resumed their advance toward the node fissure.

Lin Zheyu's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Not bad at all."

As expected of the legendary ancient Heaven-Deceiving Formation. Although the Heaven-Deceiving Art had only been derived from a fragment of the formation, its power was still remarkable.

After testing it himself, Lin Zheyu found its ability to conceal aura and hide one's presence extraordinarily effective. Even when standing directly before a yao while radiating the aura of a powerful living being, the creature could sense nothing at all.