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Chapter 245: The Pure Essence Dao Body of Myriad Laws, Meeting Mi Fu
🕑 Added 2024-11-22 12:55:31 +0000 UTC"Long Aotian, Xiaotian, Huan Tian, stand guard for me," Zhao Xing commanded with a thought, summoning his battle pets for vigilance.
"Woof!" Xiaotian the dog immediately rushed to stand guard.
"Woof! Woof!" Two more barks followed.
Zhao Xing shook his head, feeling slightly speechless. Even his mountain cat and the Illusory Spirit Goat had been influenced by the dog, now panting with their tongues out.
With his three battle beasts in position, Zhao Xing activated the defensive barrier on his warship.
What was he guarding against? Of course, it was the nefarious sect members.
Since Year 22 of the Jingxin Era, when Liu Tianning issued a warning, the Eastern Sea had seen increased activity from evil sects. The vast ocean region was an area with relatively weak imperial control, and the Eastern Sea, in particular, was more challenging to secure, especially since Pinghai Prefecture had only appeared later than other prefectures.
Additionally, the Geoscope was ineffective over many areas of the sea, meaning surveillance was weaker compared to inland. Except for particularly critical trade routes, most areas had sparse monitoring. Otherwise, figures like Bai Yunwu, an envoy of the aquatic clans, would never have emerged.
By Years 24 and 25, evil sect activities were becoming increasingly frequent, even attacking the imperial islands. Many of these sects were splinter groups from the Bishui Sect, and their familiarity with the Eastern Sea was unmatched, often impersonating Dao Academy members, making it nearly impossible to prevent their infiltration.
Zhao Xing kept a low profile to avoid attention. He neither sought promotions nor forced breakthroughs, as there was a threshold below which the sects deemed attacks or abductions too costly.
As the battles among mid-rank forces escalated, even nearby Dragon Nose Island had suffered pirate attacks by Year 26, yet Twin Island remained untouched. His low profile, combined with the protective Fortune of Derivation Five, had kept him safe from suicide attacks over the years.
But now, he could no longer remain low-key.
First, with the mid-rank war nearing its end, the Eastern Sea would likely become even more chaotic, and even if he kept a low profile, he would probably be caught in the storm. Staying at the sixth rank might even invite disaster.
Second, with Mi Fu located, the information Xia Jing had gathered suggested that Mi Fu, now at the fifth-rank official level, was highly likely to have created the "Xuanhuang Essence-Breaking Technique."
Creating Pure Essence Soil required unique treasures that worked with this technique, but first, he needed to reach the fifth rank and master the technique.
"Once I return from the Extreme Night Sea, I will achieve full Heavenly Gang Realm."
"During this time, I've been purifying my essence. By Year 25 of the Jingxin Era, I felt confident about my breakthrough—a full year ahead of Long Xiao."
"In Year 25, I had an eighty percent success rate for the breakthrough."
"By Year 26, I am completely certain of my breakthrough," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Now, reaching the fifth rank is as effortless as drinking water."
For the fifth rank, his body would transform, with each muscle, meridian, acupoint, and bone gaining the ability to gather and disperse essence.
Many people focused on a single Dao to shape their bodies into Pure Essence Dao Bodies at the fifth rank.
For instance, martial artists could have Cold Ice Martial Bodies, Thunder Martial Bodies, or Great Strength Vajra Bodies, each imprinting their Dao onto every part of their bodies.
Dao Bodies could be categorized by type; for example, Long Xiao had condensed a Gengjin Pure Essence Sword Body, also called the Gengjin Dao Body.
Chen Shijie hadn’t broken through yet, but with his mastery of the Fire Prison Earth Palace techniques, his eventual breakthrough would form the Fire Prison Dao Body, turning his body into an embodiment of the Fire Prison Earth Palace itself.
With a hum, Zhao Xing stood atop the warship, and above him, a bridge of rainbow colors appeared. This was his Heavenly Spirit Bridge from the eighth rank, used to connect with heaven and earth and absorb essence energy.
Zhao Xing’s spirit bridge carried a profound Dao resonance. The forces of gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder emerged on the bridge, merging into a full rainbow.
With a roar, an overwhelming suction drew in essence energy, swirling into a multi-colored vortex around him. Essence surged from all directions, like a flood.
Typically, absorbing essence from the world required gradual refinement since essence energy existed in various forms and wasn’t pure. For example, Gang Wind was fundamentally wind-attribute essence, yet it could only be absorbed and used by those in the Heavenly Gang Realm.
The same concept applied to Earth Fiend energy.
But breaking through to the Pure Essence Realm required absorbing only essence energy aligned with one's Dao. Zhao Xing, however, was absorbing without restrictions, effectively affirming his understanding of his Dao.
“I cultivate three schools and am adept in every technique.”
“I have mastered the Five Elements and Wind and Thunder, each to the level of high-grade perfection.”
“If I want to form a Fire Prison Dao Body, I could do so in an instant.”
“But I am far beyond Chen Shijie in strength. My breakthrough shall yield the Pure Essence Dao Body of Myriad Laws!” Zhao Xing thought resolutely.
By now, he had reached perfection in the techniques of the Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Self schools, and each technique he had learned was at a high level of mastery.
Only the Myriad Straw Puppet remained without an upper limit, allowing him to continuously cultivate and align with the Dao.
With a rumbling sound, the essence energy flowed seamlessly over the rainbow bridge.
Suddenly, visions appeared.
On the rainbow bridge, a Mighty Vajra Straw Puppet materialized, testing his comprehension of the Gold Dao. Without mastery of the Gold Dao, this would result in failure, with the essence unable to imprint onto him.
Next appeared the Flying (Wind), Explosive Detonation (Fire), and Sacred Shield (Earth) techniques.
A faint blue phantom of Zhao Xing manifested, demonstrating the Drop of Water technique.
Then a green phantom performed Primordial Instant.
A purple phantom displayed a Thunder technique.
All the elemental spells Zhao Xing had learned—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Thunder—appeared.
Every Shennong technique he had learned emerged one by one. If Wang Xuanyi were here, he would have been shocked to see that Zhao Xing, only at the sixth rank, had achieved such perfection across all three schools' techniques.
With each vision, Zhao Xing absorbed them into his body. Each of his Daos was inscribed into his body, surrounded by pure essence energy, penetrating every part of him.
Boom! Crackle!
The sound of thunder echoed within him, accompanied by the patter of rain, whistling winds, and the clash of metal.
Flames erupted on his skin, and his hair grew rapidly until it touched the ground.
The Pure Essence of the Five Elements was transforming into myriad laws!
The essence energy in his dantian, meridians, flesh, and Golden Bones was transforming rapidly, propelling Zhao Xing into an even higher realm!
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
The mountain cat, the Blue Lion Hound, and the Illusory Spirit Goat all cried out, instinctively sensing that their master had become terrifyingly powerful.
The mountain cat, who had consumed many spirit essences, felt the pressure; Zhao Xing had consumed far more, even the heart of a Dragon Whale, which the mountain cat hadn’t had.
The mountain cat reached the Pure Essence Realm through wind and thunder, while the Illusory Spirit Goat and the Blue Lion Hound followed single-attribute paths.
This was the fundamental difference between spirit beasts and human cultivators. Battle beasts didn’t comprehend Dao but relied on bloodline power, resources, and special techniques to attain it.
The visions unfolding around Zhao Xing left the three beasts stunned, unable to understand but deeply impressed.
…
It was unclear how much time had passed, but the visions gradually faded.
The glow around Zhao Xing slowly diminished, and he leaped from the top of the ship down to the deck.
He stretched and, with a thought, shot lightning from his back without warning.
Crack!
The bolt struck the sea surface, creating a hundred-meter-high column of water.
“At the fifth rank of the Pure Essence Realm, I can cast spells without gestures. Any part of my body can channel a spell.”
“Even if I were bound by chains, with shackles on my neck, hands, and feet, I would still be able to use spells.”
“Even with severed limbs, I would remain capable of casting,” Zhao Xing mused.
The same concept applied to martial artists, who could release Qi from any body part.
Of course, techniques reliant on fists or kicks would lose some effectiveness, but for sword cultivators, this posed no hindrance.
When Yang An once cut off his own hand, his strength had remained unaffected.
“Only a healer’s special techniques could fully suppress me, such as sealing all my meridians and acupoints with Life-Death Needles, or using poison to inhibit the essence in my dantian.”
“Otherwise, a prisoner like me could easily escape.”
“If I open Pure Essence Soil, I could summon plant soldiers at a thought, extracting needles or unlocking chains with ease.”
“With the Pure Essence Dao Body of Myriad Laws, I can now wield high-grade beast mastery techniques.”
Zhao Xing directed his focus toward his Sea of Consciousness, activating the soul contract with the mountain cat.
“Come here, cat!”
“Meow?”
Over a thousand meters away, the mountain cat felt itself irresistibly drawn forward.
It transformed into a streak of green-purple light, merging with Zhao Xing.
For Shennong, Pure Essence Soil allowed for the cultivation of plant soldiers.
At the fifth rank, beast masters also possessed unique abilities, one of which was fusion.
Fusion required both human and beast to reach the fifth rank in Pure Essence; otherwise, it was impossible.
With a crackle of lightning, Zhao Xing was suddenly clad in a fur-like suit made of the mountain cat's pelt. It looked as if the mountain cat had transformed into a human suit, with only Zhao Xing’s face visible, his hands and feet entirely covered in the cat’s fur.
“It’s like wearing a fur coat made from a mountain cat.”
With a thought, Zhao Xing extended five claws from his furry hands.
Swish! He created a water mirror and glanced at his reflection.
“I can use all the mountain cat’s skills, almost like changing into a new skin. Why does this look a bit like a beast tribe style?”
Only his eyes, nose, and mouth were visible, his ears had taken on the shape of the mountain cat’s, and his eyes appeared lined with shadow, giving him a slightly villainous look.
“Aotian, let’s go for a second-stage transformation!”
Zhao Xing wasn’t satisfied with the first-stage fusion, as it didn’t look as cool as he’d hoped.
With a mighty roar, a blue-purple series of runes rose from his feet.
Moments later, he was entirely transformed.
First, the fur on his face receded, revealing his true appearance.
The cat pelt transformed into mountain cat battle armor.
A helmet with a cat-head design appeared on his head.
The armor on his body was plated and gleaming, suspended slightly from his skin with a distinct metallic luster, sleek and stylish.
With a clang, steel claws extended, and Zhao Xing grinned, looking at his reflection, “Now we’re in sync… this is the look.”
“Aotian, disengage fusion.”
A flash of light returned the mountain cat from armor back to its original form.
“Woof! Woof!” The mountain cat barked excitedly.
“What are you doing barking like a dog? You’re a cat,” Zhao Xing scolded, shooting Xiaotian a look.
It was all due to that Blue Lion Hound’s influence!
“Xiaotian, fusion!”
“Huan Tian, fusion!”
He then tested fusion with Xiaotian and Huan Tian as well.
Each fusion was then deactivated.
“Of the three beast-soul armors—Blue Lion, Mountain Cat, and Illusory Spirit Goat—the mountain cat’s second-stage transformation is definitely the coolest.”
The Blue Lion battle armor’s second stage turned black and red, while the Illusory Spirit Goat’s armor turned pink, a bit too adorable to bear. The fusion with the goat was almost embarrassingly cute.
“For the Beast Combat Competition, beast masters will also participate. I wonder if I, as a part-time beast master, will be allowed to use my Shennong techniques.”
Zhao Xing saw nothing about it in the rules, so he was uncertain.
If allowed, he would have a significant advantage.
Beast masters typically knew various spells, but most were for boosting their beasts, while they themselves were not particularly strong.
If he could use Shennong techniques, he wouldn’t just stand out in the Eastern Sea; he’d likely excel across all four seas.
He only feared they’d accuse him of cheating.
It wasn’t uncommon for martial artists to become beast masters, but for a Shennong to serve as one was rare.
Martial artists only had fists and weapons to deal with, while Shennong techniques covered such a vast range—who had time to master all that?
Most beast masters, after all, were serious about their craft.
But a part-time beast master like him was rare indeed.
“I’ll ask Zhai Zhong next time,” Zhao Xing thought to himself. “For now, let’s head back.”
Although he hadn’t yet found the Thousand-Year Mark, Zhao Xing didn’t mind. Preparing for his Pure Essence Soil formation was the priority, and Long Xiao was still assisting in the search, providing more help than he could manage alone.
…
March 20th, Year 29 of the Jingxin Era, during the Spring Equinox.
In Guangling Prefecture, at the Guangling Branch of the Lihuo Dao Academy.
“Hah…”
Zhao Xing stepped out from a fire pit.
“Guangling Prefecture is ridiculously far; it took half a month to get here.”
He had broken through on the day of the Awakening of Insects, then returned to Twin Island two days later, and from there, it took him another thirteen days to reach Hongxia County in Guangling Prefecture.
Traveling through the Lihuo Dao Academy by fire-based transportation required waiting for the fire pits to be activated.
Zhao Xing had to transfer five times to complete the journey across prefectures.
In his days as a low-ranking official, he’d never have dreamed of this. Had he relied on horse-drawn carriages, he might never have reached Guangling in a lifetime.
“Brother Wei, over here!”
As soon as he stepped out, he saw a tall figure waving from the waiting area outside the fire pit.
“Brother Wei,” Zhao Xing approached quickly. “Why did you come to the Dao Academy to pick me up? That’s too kind of you.”
The young man in front of him was Wei Wuji, a direct descendant of Duke Wei.
He was the twelfth-generation grandson of Wei Zhongchun, the founding Duke.
Today’s Duke Wei was his grandfather.
Of course, Wei Wuji had over forty brothers, and his father’s generation had over thirty; whether the title would eventually pass to Wei Wuji remained uncertain.
But as a direct descendant, Wei Wuji still held some significance.
“My uncle is the governor of Hongxia County. Since I was on spring break with half a month off, I decided to come in person,” Wei Wuji smiled. “Since it’s your first time here, I’m going to give you a grand tour.”
“There’s not much fun in Hongxia County. Let’s go to Guangling County; that’s where the real excitement is!”
“Hold on a moment, Brother Wei,” Zhao Xing replied. “I didn’t come here for pleasure. I have an urgent matter and must enter the Star Void Realm immediately.”
“So urgent?” Wei Wuji stopped, surprised. “The Star Void Realm is barren, with harsh conditions and barely any inhabitants.”
He knew Zhao Xing planned to go there, but he had assumed Zhao Xing merely wanted to sightsee and hadn’t expected him to be in such a hurry.
“I’m under my teacher’s orders to visit an old acquaintance,” Zhao Xing said, waving Liu Tianning’s banner.
“Understood. If it’s a command from your teacher, it must be handled at once.” Wei Wuji’s expression became serious. “Let’s find my uncle right away.”
Liu Tianning’s reputation held weight in Guangling Prefecture, especially with older officials.
After all, Liu Tianning had once made a name for himself at the head of the Xunyang River in Guangling County. Though it was over a hundred years ago, his legend still circulated among the common folk.
Hongxia County’s governor, Chen Xuan, held the fourth rank.
Most of Guangling Prefecture’s lands were fertile and prosperous.
With stable weather and rich soils, farmers could reap abundant harvests with minimal effort. Yuan rice here yielded three crops a year, giving Guangling Prefecture the top rank in agricultural abundance among the nineteen prefectures.
As such, the position of county governor was rated at the fourth rank, with the county’s Prefect at the second rank.
Of course, a purely civil second-rank official differed significantly in strength from a second-rank military general. A second-rank master of rites might lack the power of a fourth-rank martial general.
In the Great Zhou, the authority of rites held no sway in the barbarian lands, where many of their spells weakened or even failed entirely. For this reason, during the pacification campaign against the barbarians, building shrines was a priority; without these, certain professions were rendered ineffective.
However, Chen Xuan looked robust and dignified, clearly someone with martial training. During the era of Emperor Jing, and especially under Emperor Wu, many masters of rites practiced martial arts as well. If persuasion failed, they were more than capable of handling matters with force.
“Chen’an, why the rush?” Chen Xuan emerged from the rear courtyard, dressed simply in white training robes with a hint of sweat on his brow.
“It's by my teacher’s command,” Zhao Xing replied with a respectful bow. “My leave is limited, so I would be deeply grateful if you could provide some assistance.”
How could Zhao Xing not be in a hurry? Mi Fu had already served as an official in Guixu City for four years. Given his history, he rarely stayed in one place for long, often transferring positions after only a brief period. If Zhao Xing didn’t act quickly, Mi Fu might relocate again.
“Very well,” Chen Xuan nodded. “The Star Void Realm gate opens once every seven days, and tomorrow happens to be one such day. The transport division in Hongxia County will be sending supplies. Here, take this token—it will allow you to travel with the transport division’s ship.”
“Thank you, Uncle,” Zhao Xing said with another bow.
…
In Guixu City, with frigid temperatures and near dusk, fire pits lit up in succession. Snow covered the ground in a thick layer, and yet more snow continued to fall from the sky.
The sky was gray and heavy, seemingly ready to descend with the snow.
Many residents, carrying their pots and pans, made their way along the market streets to cook at the communal fire pits.
What was Guixu City? It was a city where the Five Elements’ essence was barely present.
Especially in winter, the ground fire lay dormant, leaving only a few large fire pits as reliable sources of heat. In this small world nearing its end, the laws of heaven and earth had begun to decay.
Even leaving the city with a torch would see it extinguished the moment it crossed the city boundary.
"Dinner’s ready!"
"Old Wang, what are you making tonight?"
"Mom, I’m hungry."
"Patience, child, it’s almost our turn."
"Who stole my pot, you scoundrel?!"
"Stop pushing, line up properly, or I’ll have you eating half-cooked rice!"
"Sir, have some soup."
"Go on, keep it for yourself. I’m on duty."
…
As cooking was only allowed at specific fire pits, the residents of Guixu City lined up with their cooking gear at designated spots, returning home once they finished their meal.
In the midst of the bustling crowd, an older official, accompanied by several subordinates, inspected the fire pits. His name was Mi Fu, the governor of Guixu City, a fifth-rank official. Though a civil official, Mi Fu bore a vicious scar across his face.
Mi Fu’s gaze sharpened as he noticed a middle-aged man in fine clothing, flanked by guards, cutting in line before a mother and her daughter. Without hesitation, he marched over and kicked the man to the side.
"Fan Laosan, at it again, huh? Cutting line again? Get lost!" Mi Fu cursed.
“Huh? Governor Mi? I thought you were patrolling the eastern part of the city?” Fan Laosan stammered, clearly confused. He’d just received word via messenger crow that Mi Fu was on the eastern side of town, so he thought it was safe to skip the line here in the west.
The Fan family was neither prominent nor insignificant among Guixu City's noble families. They once had a private fire pit, but since Mi Fu's arrival, all private fire pits had been reassigned, leaving nobles like Fan Laosan forced to line up alongside commoners for a warm meal.
“Eastern side? Oh, so you have quite the nose on you, don’t you?” Mi Fu sneered. “Well, let me tell you something—the one on the eastern side is also me.”
"Governor, you have such abilities?" Fan Laosan stared, wide-eyed.
“Oh, I have many talents.” Mi Fu held his torch close to Fan Laosan’s face, his features appearing menacing in the flickering light. “If I told you I had three heads and six arms, would you believe me?”
“I… I believe you,” Fan Laosan stammered.
“But I haven’t even shown you. If you believe me without proof, aren’t you deceiving an official?” Mi Fu sneered.
"Then… I don’t believe you?" Fan Laosan tried, trembling.
“Don’t believe me?” With a sinister grin, Mi Fu suddenly sprouted two extra heads beside his own. The three heads leaned close to Fan Laosan and let out a loud shout, “Boo!”
“Ahhh!” Fan Laosan shrieked and fainted on the spot.
Mi Fu brushed off his hands, looking satisfied, and retracted his extra heads. Standing, he nudged Fan Laosan with his foot. “Get up, stop playing dead.”
However, Fan Laosan didn’t move—he had genuinely fainted.
"Useless. They call you a noble, but you can’t even handle a little fright,” Mi Fu scoffed, grabbing Fan Laosan's younger brother.
"Fan Laosi, you—"
“I believe! I believe, my lord!” Fan Laosi, a seventh-rank martial artist, nodded rapidly, more like a scared chick than a warrior.
“Who asked if you believed or not?” Mi Fu raised an eyebrow. “Once your family’s food is prepared, share half of it with the townsfolk.”
“But my lord,” Fan Laosi stammered, “we only cut the line and didn’t bring much food…”
“I just put on a show for you, didn’t I? Are you going to do it or not?” Mi Fu’s expression turned icy. “If not, then none of your family will eat tonight.”
“We’ll do it! We’ll do it!” Seeing Mi Fu’s eyes bulge as if ready to transform again, Fan Laosi panicked and yelled, “Tonight’s dinner is on the Fan family for the neighborhood!”
“Thank you, Lord Fan!”
“Thank Mi Fu instead! He’s the one who made this happen!”
“Then we won’t be shy!”
“Let’s eat big tonight!”
The townsfolk around them cheered happily.
Satisfied, Mi Fu released Fan Laosi’s collar, smoothed out the man’s robes, and said with a pleased smile, “Good. Thank you, Lord Fan, and remember, no more cutting lines.”
“Yes, yes,” Fan Laosi nodded, humbly backing away, thoroughly cowed.
Amid the grateful crowd, Mi Fu resumed his patrol, his gaze suddenly shifting.
He looked skyward in a certain direction.
“What an impressive aura… a fifth-rank Pure Essence Realm cultivator, with such formidable inner energy?” Mi Fu narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly, copies of Mi Fu shot up into the sky from various parts of the city.
Five li outside of Guixu City, a cargo airship slowly descended.
With a swish, thirty-six figures soared into the air, surrounding the ship.
“Halt!” one Mi Fu shouted, “Who are you?”
Zhao Xing emerged from the airship and gave a polite bow. “Governor Mi, I am from the transport division of Hongxia County, delivering supplies.”
“Are you trying to deceive me?” Mi Fu scoffed. “While today is indeed a supply day, deliveries are only scheduled for Dangui, Mingshui, and Wufang cities.”
“It’s not Guixu City’s turn for supplies.”
“And since when did the transport division of Hongxia County dispatch a Shennong of your caliber to make deliveries?”
With his Heavenly Eye open, Zhao Xing inspected Mi Fu’s clones.
Mi Fu also practiced the Self Straw Puppet technique, but his version wasn’t Liu’s Compiled Techniques; it was Wu’s Transmission, created by the founding Shennong, Wu Cheng.
“Governor Mi, your insight is keen. Indeed, I am not part of the Hongxia County transport division,” Zhao Xing admitted with a bow.
“However, I am genuinely here to deliver supplies. You may inspect the ship; it contains not a single weapon.”
After a quick glance, Mi Fu asked, “Then who are you?”
Adjusting his attire, Zhao Xing put on an expression of fervent admiration. “I am Zhao Xing, courtesy name Chen’an. I have long admired your achievements, Governor Mi.”
“I heard you were sent to Guixu City under unjust circumstances, and it pains me deeply!”
“I have the utmost respect for officials like you, Governor Mi, and came here specifically to witness your illustrious character firsthand!”
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