Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly, a trace of displeasure rising within him. Storage pouches contained a cultivator's personal possessions and many of their secrets. Demanding to inspect them was an extremely intrusive act.

"What? Are you unwilling?" Sun Zhenzhi's voice rose slightly, and a terrifying pressure spread from his body.

He had deliberately drawn upon the power of the military formation covering the camp, intending to teach this crude martial artist a lesson from the outset.

Sun Zhenzhi pondered silently. A dharma treasure capable of allowing a martial artist to remain in the demon realm for more than five months without being corrupted by yao will must be extraordinarily valuable. If I can get my hands on it, I should be able to trade it for enough resources to support my next breakthrough.

The way he looked at Lin Zheyu was like a gourmand eyeing a delectable feast. Before handing Xiao Yu over to the Woo Family and Ning Family, he intended to strip him of every valuable treasure he possessed.

"Very well," Lin Zheyu replied calmly.

This world was one where the strong preyed upon the weak without disguise. Circumstances were stronger than any individual. Within the Demon-Suppressing Army camp, faced with Sun Zhenzhi wielding the might of the military formation, even Lin Zheyu could only lower his head for the moment.

"These are all the storage pouches on my person. General Sun may inspect them as he wishes."

With a thought, five storage pouches emerged from his robes. The restrictions on each had already been removed.

Aside from a Golden Core that he kept as a backup energy source and several valuable dharma artifacts taken from the assassin sent by Fan Hongwei, there was nothing particularly valuable inside the pouches. As for the two dharma artifacts connected to the Shamanic Clan's secret land that he had obtained from Tu Yuan, he had not brought them with him at all.

A mocking smile appeared on Sun Zhenzhi's face. "Mhm."

With a wave of his hand, the five storage pouches flew into his grasp. His spiritual sense swept through them in an instant. Soon, the smile on his face stiffened slightly, and a trace of suspicion flashed across his eyes. He looked at Lin Zheyu with an unfriendly expression and asked, "This is all you have?"

"Yes. Every storage pouch on my person is here," Lin Zheyu replied calmly.

In the next moment, he felt a powerful spiritual sense descend and envelop him. It was Sun Zhenzhi's spiritual sense.

"Release the spiritual sense barrier around your body," Sun Zhenzhi said calmly, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

A faint but unmistakable aura of danger radiated from him, as though the slightest refusal would be met with immediate punishment.

Suppressing the anger rising within him, Lin Zheyu withdrew the spiritual sense barrier surrounding his body. Almost immediately, he felt Sun Zhenzhi's spiritual sense sweep across him without restraint, probing every inch of his body and even forcing its way inside. Just as he was about to mobilize his own energy to expel the invading spiritual sense, a terrifying sense of danger descended upon him.

"Hmph!" Sun Zhenzhi let out a cold snort. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes as he stared at Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu was rather speechless. Forcing himself to suppress the urge to strike, he allowed Sun Zhenzhi's spiritual sense to continue searching through his body. Sun Zhenzhi seemed convinced that he possessed some powerful dharma treasure, yet no matter how thoroughly he searched, he found nothing unusual.

A trace of doubt surfaced in Sun Zhenzhi's mind.

Strange. Aside from the contents of those storage pouches and that cheap robe he's wearing, there really aren't any other dharma treasures on him. Could it be some kind of secret treasure that can be hidden within the sea of consciousness?

Some powerful soul secret treasures could also protect cultivators from the corrupting influence of the yao will.

Lin Zheyu suddenly said in an icy-cold tone, "General Sun, don't you think you've gone a bit too far?"

A moment earlier, he had sensed Sun Zhenzhi's spiritual sense attempting to force its way into his sea of consciousness. Lin Zheyu had blocked it without hesitation.

Sun Zhenzhi sneered. "Too far? I suspect your soul has already fallen under the control of the yao."

In any case, once this fellow left the Demon-Suppressing Army, he would likely die at the hands of the Woo Family and Ning Family. Since there would be no consequences for offending him, Sun Zhenzhi had unconsciously become far more aggressive than usual.

"The sea of consciousness is the most important part of any cultivator. If General Sun insists on continuing, then at worst we'll both pay the price!" Lin Zheyu's voice turned frigid. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, accompanied by a faint but unmistakable scent of blood.

"Oh? Then..." Sun Zhenzhi paused mid-sentence.

Lin Zheyu's defiance stirred the viciousness lurking in his heart. For a moment, Sun Zhenzhi wanted to ask whether a fish could truly tear free of the net after it died. The words reached his lips, then stopped.

His current post was a lucrative one, secured through considerable effort by his cousin, the Imperial Grand Dowager Consort. If he caused too great a disturbance here, it would invite all manner of trouble. At best, he would earn a scolding from his cousin. At worst, he could lose this position altogether. It simply was not worth it.

"Heh, then forget it. We'll use the Heart Questioning Mirror instead," Sun Zhenzhi said, abruptly changing tack.

A suspicion had begun to form in his mind. Perhaps Xiao Yu had not survived so long in the demon realm because of some powerful dharma treasure. Perhaps he had stumbled into a hidden realm somewhere within the demon realm instead.

After a brief pause, Lin Zheyu nodded. "Very well."

The Heart Questioning Mirror was similar to the Heart Questioning Trial he had undergone when joining the Wuji Sect and the Martial Alliance. If a question touched upon his personal secrets, he could simply refuse to answer.

Seeing Lin Zheyu agree, a smile appeared on Sun Zhenzhi's face. With a flip of his hand, a bronze mirror appeared in his palm. As spirit power flowed into it, a dim beam of light shot from the statue of the Demon-Suppressing Divine General and merged into the mirror. The bronze mirror immediately blazed with light, projecting a bronze pillar of radiance that enveloped Lin Zheyu.

"Xiao Yu! How did you remain in the demon realm for five months?"

His voice carried a strange power that could seize the mind and bewilder the soul, compelling the listener to answer his questions. Yet it had no effect whatsoever on Lin Zheyu. The force was stopped outside his sea of consciousness by the vast ocean-like expanse of golden energy within.

Lin Zheyu's tone remained calm throughout. "My apologies, but that question has nothing to do with yao corruption and cannot be answered. If General Sun continues asking irrelevant questions, I will take my leave. And afterward, I will report today's events to the Martial Alliance."

On the surface, the Great Wei imperial family appeared unrivaled. In reality, however, they were far from being able to act without restraint and disregard every family and sect. A delicate balance existed between the imperial family and the major cultivation forces. It was the result of countless negotiations and power struggles dating back to the founding of Great Wei.

Everyone followed the established rules, and those rules created a system of mutual restraint. If Great Wei openly used its authority to bully the disciples of other powers, the consequences could quickly spiral beyond control. Such a burden was not something Sun Zhenzhi could bear. If matters escalated, he would simply be discarded as a pawn and left to shoulder all responsibility himself.

Sun Zhenzhi was genuinely surprised and thought, Hm? It actually had no effect?

He had secretly drawn upon a portion of the military formation's power, yet it still failed to affect Lin Zheyu's soul. This only strengthened his suspicion that a powerful secret treasure was hidden within Lin Zheyu's sea of consciousness. Excitement surged through him.

A soul secret treasure!

If he could obtain such an item, the cultivation resources he could trade it for would be enough to support his cultivation all the way to the Golden Core realm. Unfortunately, this fellow could withstand his soul-confounding techniques. That made things troublesome.

Over the next several minutes, Sun Zhenzhi asked question after question while secretly employing the same methods several more times. None of them achieved any result. In the end, he could only give up in frustration.

"Excellent. Congratulations, Fellow Xiao. You have proven that you are not under the control of the yao. You may leave." Sun Zhenzhi patted Lin Zheyu on the shoulder and offered a false smile.

With a wave of his hand, the storage pouches flew back to Lin Zheyu. A quick inspection revealed that the Golden Core and several valuable dharma artifacts were gone. Sun Zhenzhi had taken them. Lin Zheyu's brows drew together slightly.

A flash of killing intent passed through Lin Zheyu's mind.

Pray that I don't run into you outside.

Not only had Sun Zhenzhi confiscated his Golden Core and valuable dharma artifacts, but he had also planted a tracking mark while patting his shoulder. The act had been extremely subtle, concealed by the power of the military formation. Unfortunately for him, Lin Zheyu's perception was simply too sharp. Even without using the golden Heavenly Eye, he noticed the trick immediately.

"Many thanks, General Sun. I'll take my leave." Lin Zheyu cupped his hands expressionlessly and turned away without another word.

Watching Lin Zheyu's departing figure, Sun Zhenzhi muttered softly to himself, "Could it really be a soul secret treasure? Or perhaps the brat obtained some inheritance in the demon realm... or discovered a hidden land?"

Either way, this fellow is worth a fortune.

With that thought, Sun Zhenzhi's figure blurred and vanished from the spot. Meanwhile, Wei Meng was still leisurely drinking wine and enjoying the dancers. Seeing Sun Zhenzhi enter, he smiled. "Brother Sun, you're back. Is the matter settled?"

"Not yet. Brother Wei, I need a favor. I need you to send your guards after Xiao Yu, the man who just left the camp. Bring him back for me."

As he spoke, he showed Wei Meng the tracking mark.

"Very well." Wei Meng agreed immediately without asking for an explanation.

***

Lin Zheyu sighed inwardly, My strength is still far from sufficient...

The joy of advancing into the Divine Repository realm and breaking through to the third stage of the Primordial Golden Body had completely vanished.

Three hundred meters ahead lay the edge of the Demon-Suppressing Army camp. Lin Zheyu slowed slightly. Within his sea of consciousness, the golden Heavenly Eye suddenly opened and focused on the location where Sun Zhenzhi had planted the mark. Under its gaze, the true nature of the mark was instantly revealed.

Golden blood qi energy surged forth and swallowed the mark whole. Moments later, the tracking mark left by Sun Zhenzhi was completely erased. At the exact instant it vanished, Lin Zheyu stepped beyond the boundaries of the Demon-Suppressing Army camp.

Lin Zheyu muttered softly, "Sun Zhenzhi... I'll remember this."

The moment he left the Demon-Suppressing Army camp, Lin Zheyu stepped into the void. Within a few strides, his figure vanished completely. Although the area was still permeated by powerful yao will and demonic qi energy, it lacked the terrifying, violent, and chaotic rule energy of the space-time node. At last, he could once again use the Earth Shrinking Technique.