Chapter 17: Leaving Seclusion

Why can't I move?

Me too, what on earth happened?

The sudden change also startled the remaining cultivators; before they could react, they were forcibly sent out of the Yin Tomb.

In this vast world, only Yang Zhu remained.

This is fine; at least no one will disturb me.

He stepped onto the jade stone steps, arrived before the massive jade gate, and pushed it open without hesitation.

Inside the Stone Hall, everything was still crystal clear; wherever he looked were exquisite jade stones, dazzlingly splendid.

He couldn't help but marvel at the Demon Saint's handiwork.

The Stone Hall's space lay bare: aside from a few jade pillars, the floor was covered with spiritual herbs and various rare materials.

They were piled in small heaps on the ground, too many to count.

If the big black dog saw this, its eyes would pop out and it definitely couldn't move.

Yang Zhu casually picked one; a rich medicinal fragrance assailed his nose, far surpassing any outside in age or quality.

After a quick scan, Yang Zhu estimated at least over a thousand stalks, all over five hundred years old.

If he could absorb them, his cultivation would surely leap forward greatly!

Yang Zhu didn't hesitate, casually found a spot, sat down, closed his eyes, and gradually entered the state.

Yang Zhu differs from other cultivators; he needs to slowly refine and absorb, otherwise the immense spiritual power would cause his body to burst from overfilling.

He picked up a spiritual herb, a strand of golden qi and blood wrapped it, and he swallowed it in one gulp.

In the next instant, the pure energy dissolved within his body, flowed through his limbs and bones, then was absorbed by the Bitter Sea.

The Sacred Body Dao Embryo is immensely powerful; to raise his cultivation, the required energy is enormous.

It's even terrifying, far beyond what ordinary cultivators can match! Under its guidance, the pure spiritual power nourishes flesh, organs, and every inch of skin and meridians bit by bit.

In a short while, Yang Zhu's body surface emitted a faint glow, and strands of Imperial Dao Principles appeared, imprinted on the surrounding void.

The principles flickered, releasing ripples that continually stamped the Great Dao onto Yang Zhu's body surface.

Absorbing one spiritual herb takes considerable time; after a full two-hour period, Yang Zhu finally exhausted all its essence.

Yang Zhu showed no rest; he immediately moved on to the second herb, continuing to refine and absorb.

At the center of the Bitter Sea, the Life Spring gushed forth, the divine power source boiled, the underwater eyes widened manyfold, endlessly surging out, occasionally shooting out rays of rosy light.

After the baptism, his bones became ever whiter like jade, their hardness reaching an unbelievable degree, comparable to divine weapons.

Yang Zhu's strength grew rapidly in this process; in a blink, one month passed, during which he remained utterly still, fully devoted.

Besides absorbing the herbs' essence, Yang Zhu continually contemplated other techniques.

Yang Zhu gained deeper insight into the Wuji Scripture and One Qi Transforms into Three Purities, etc.

Especially the Wuji Scripture: the deeper his understanding, the greater the terrifying boost to him.

Everyone knows that each secret realm has its corresponding strongest technique.

The Wheel Sea Scroll of the Dao Classic and the Dao Palace Scroll of the Western Emperor Scripture are both the strongest scriptures of the same realm.

If cultivated accordingly, it can grant the practitioner power far surpassing peers of the same realm, even allowing them to defeat higher-level foes.

Of course, there is a precondition: the person must have sufficient talent and be able to obtain these scriptures. For instance, the Western Emperor Scripture belongs to the Yaochi Holy Land, never transmitted outside; trying to seize it by force is utterly impossible.

The Yaochi Holy Land has existed for who knows how long, with a long inheritance and deep foundation, and it also suppresses the Ultimate Dao Imperial Arms.

Trying to snatch the Emperor Scripture from their hands is practically a pipe dream; a single mistake could bring catastrophic disaster.

Other Emperor Scriptures are the same: never passed to outsiders; if anyone is caught stealing them, they will surely be slain.

Thus, for outsiders to obtain the Emperor Scripture is as hard as climbing to heaven.

Yang Zhu had no intention of following Ye Fan's path; each secret realm cultivates its strongest ancient scripture, but the strongest isn't necessarily the most suitable.

The Wuji Scripture could be said to be tailor-made for him; as for what realm he could reach, there is no doubt—the Wuji Great Emperor is the best example!

The Wuji Scripture definitely ranks among the top three Emperor Scriptures; why then does the secret realm's strongest have no place for it? The reason is simple: besides Wuji and Yang Zhu, no one else possesses it.

If taken alone, before Wuji became emperor, cultivators of the same realm certainly studied the Emperor Scripture; could they have been his match? As everyone knows, the Wuji Great Emperor back then swept aside all contemporaries' heavenly chosen ones, with none able to fight him.

Does this not show that the Wuji Scripture is the strongest scripture for every realm? In any case, Yang Zhu currently only considers cultivating the complete Emperor Scripture.

The Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo possesses many terrifying advantages; one little-known point is that it can cultivate multiple Emperor Scriptures simultaneously.

This simultaneity does not mean different realms, different scriptures; it means cultivating multiple scriptures at the same realm! For a simple example, while Yang Zhu's Wheel Sea Secret Realm cultivates the Wuji Scripture, he can also cultivate the Dao Classic at the same time.

This is yet another heaven-defying advantage of the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo, merely unknown to the world.

The little figure at Yang Zhu's brow became more solid in this period, golden and radiant, dazzlingly splendid.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

His golden Bitter Sea expanded further, golden qi and blood surged like waves, rolling and churning, becoming ever more brilliant.

Here, over half of the heavenly materials and earthly treasures have already been refined by him, leaving less than one-tenth.

If this energy were transferred to another, it would enable a cultivator to break through from Wheel Sea to Dao Platform and directly enter the Great Ability Realm.

Thus one can see how immense that energy is, reaching a terrifying, jaw-dropping level.

This is no exaggeration, after all, it is the lifetime accumulation of a Demon Saint.

After closing himself off for two whole months, Yang Zhu finally awoke this day.

The moment his eyes opened, two beams of light shot out, divine radiance shining brightly.

At this moment, a spiritual spring within him welled up, ripples spreading from the Life Spring to the Bitter Sea in all directions, turning into gentle waves, adding a touch of liveliness and nature.

The golden Bitter Sea undulated, the divine spring bubbled; together they united, divine power endless, life vigorous.

Above the Bitter Sea, a dazzlingly brilliant segment extends a short distance horizontally—that is the embryo of the Divine Bridge.

In two months, Yang Zhu absorbed the essence of over a thousand heavenly materials and earthly treasures, his cultivation leapt to late Life Spring, only a step away from crossing to form the Divine Bridge.

He rose to his feet; within the Bitter Sea, lightning flashed and thunder roared, waves surged, intertwining to form a wondrous spectacle.

He gestured with his hand, gathering the remaining spiritual medicine materials, then bowed again toward the Jade Hall.

"Thank you, senior, for bestowing this opportunity."

As the sound faded, a force enveloped him, his vision instantly blurred, and when he recovered, he had already left the Yin Tomb.

(End of chapter)