Chapter 158: Zhenhuang Undying Art, Nirvana and Rebirth

"That is... the manifestation of the divine sense left behind by Mother?! This bald youth is truly the one Mother had her eye on."

The little Zhenhuang gazed at the figure emerging from the red lotus, her eyes flickering; a deep sense of longing welled up in her heart. It had been over ten thousand years since she was sealed away in the ancient times.

"Mother..." The little Zhenhuang murmured while gazing, her voice filled with a sobbing tone.

The indistinct, graceful figure within the red lotus waved an arm, causing the surrounding blurred Rune to surge and trigger a thunderous roar.

"Boom!"

Firelight surged, and a golden-red divine bird appeared upon the Dao Platform, looking down with a gaze that surveyed the world.

"That is... the manifestation of the Zhenhuang Rune!" Tianhu Shaonü and the others exclaimed in shock.

The Zhenhuang flapped its wings and let out a long cry that tore through the heavens and earth. Its massive form blotted out the sky, and the great stars circling around it were crushed to pieces by its powerful aura.

This Zhenhuang swooped down, its entire body blazing with intense flames, charging across the sky like a great red sun.

Mengchen felt that something was wrong and exhausted all his methods, soon colliding with it. This left him breaking out in a cold sweat; he was instantly struck into the ground, creating a large crater, where he struggled with difficulty, unable to climb back up for a time.

"How can this be! I have already obtained the Zhenhuang Law, why would I be subjected to a surprise attack? Could it be that the Zhenhuang Rune in that red lotus retains a trace of the Zhenhuang's will and does not want me to obtain this divine ability?!"

Mengchen was deeply shaken, pondering to himself, and then golden-red light flowed from within his body, emitting a blazing mass of fire.

This was the Zhenhuang Law he had newly comprehended. The Zhenhuang Law is also known as the Zhenhuang Undying Art, which can allow one to be reborn through fire and achieve Nirvana.

Those who master this precious art can recover or be reborn through fire when their lives are threatened, possessing extremely strong vitality.

Mengchen was executing the Zhenhuang Law, and the injuries within his body were recovering rapidly.

The next moment, he could move, shaking off that passive feeling of being unable to act.

Immediately, his eleven Cave Heaven shone brilliantly in an instant, and the Undying Scripture Rune within his body was driven, causing him to soar upward as if he had transformed into a brilliant star, actively meeting the Zhenhuang in the high sky.

"Ah! What is going on?"

In the distance, Xiyao let out a cry of alarm; this sudden scene was truly heart-stopping.

"Boom..."

A violent collision sound rang out, as if two great suns had collided, roaring.

The moment he collided with the Zhenhuang, Mengchen felt deeply powerless. A wave of scorching heat rushed over, enveloping him and beginning to burn away his life force.

In an instant, Mengchen's life force was burned away completely, and his entire body turned into a charred corpse, falling powerlessly to the ground once more.

"Why! Why is it like this..."

Heizi's eyes became incomparably grave, and he urgently shouted and questioned the little Zhenhuang in the high sky.

At this moment, Xiyao was exceptionally anxious and was about to rush forward regardless of the consequences, but she was repelled by a flash of red light.

The area where the Zhenhuang and Mengchen were located had been isolated by a mysterious power.

At this moment, although Tianhu Shaonü was also moved, she did not act rashly.

Her heart was conflicted. She had been able to act without hesitation before because she knew Mengchen held a powerful trump card that could resolve any crisis at a critical moment.

But now... it was not hard to see that the trump card on Mengchen had not played the role it should have. Facing this, Tianhu Shaonü suspected that perhaps the Zhenhuang formed by the Rune made his trump card unable to resist it. After all, the Ten Fiends Zhenhuang was one of the supreme beings in the ancient times, and it was not impossible for its methods to be stronger than the existence behind Mengchen.

Aside from them, Yuechan, seeing Mengchen like this, felt a sense of relief in her heart and said with a curled lip, "Truly, retribution is swift!"

Heizi's shouting did not provoke the little Zhenhuang's resentment; on the contrary, she turned her head slightly and said indifferently:

"You need not worry. He! Not only will he be fine, but his strength will also greatly increase because of this!"

"I think... since you all want the Zhenhuang Law so much, you must have heard that besides its powerful strength, the Zhenhuang Law possesses the ability of Nirvana and rebirth."

"He has just obtained the Zhenhuang Law and must achieve Nirvana in a desperate situation until he truly and thoroughly masters it."

The little Zhenhuang's words had different effects on the ears of the few.

Xiyao and Heizi were somewhat relieved, but their hearts were still worried about Mengchen's current plight.

Tianhu Shaonü was already calculating the Zhenhuang Law in her heart, thinking about how to coax the Zhenhuang Law out of Mengchen's hands.

That Yuechan was naturally feeling unhappy again in her heart. She hadn't expected that this wasn't retribution, but a great opportunity. Truly, the heavens are unfair! To let a shameless scoundrel obtain such an opportunity.

At this time, Mengchen lay flat on the ground, his body burned charred black, emitting a foul odor, his blood energy already dried up.

His eyes were nearly dim, but suddenly, a faint fire rose within his body. The fire grew more and more intense, and with the fire, it was surprisingly discovered that the life force within his body was quietly recovering.

The speed of his internal life force recovery went from slow to fast. In less than a quarter of an hour, he became radiant, his flesh and blood regenerated, and the previous charred skin and flesh fell off, exposing brand-new flesh and blood that glowed with bursts of dazzling golden-red light, accompanied by mysterious flickering Runes, extremely dazzling.

"It is worthy of being called the Zhenhuang Undying Art!" Tianhu Shaonü exclaimed.

They watched intently, gazing at Mengchen being reborn from a charred corpse, their eyes filled with wonder and joy.

However, Xiyao, Yuechan, and Tianhu Shaonü soon reacted, because they saw that at this moment, Mengchen's entire body was not covered by a single piece of clothing, exposed completely.

The three of them blushed and turned their heads away in an instant, but the magic of the Zhenhuang Law made them unable to resist looking up from time to time, wanting to witness this art.

"Crack..."

Mengchen stood up again, twisted his neck, and moved his hands and feet, making a surprising sound that was extremely shocking.

"What a Nirvana Art, to be able to return to the peak so quickly!" Mengchen sighed in his heart.

However, at this time, he seemed to have realized the reason why the Zhenhuang had suddenly attacked him.

If the Zhenhuang had truly wanted to put him to death, it would have had ten thousand moments earlier to let him die completely. Instead, it was as if it were waiting, waiting for him to successfully achieve Nirvana.

As for this point, the only explanation was that it had no malice toward him, and what it was doing now was helping him, assisting him in truly mastering and connecting this divine ability.

"Have you figured it out?!" At this time, the Vajra Pestle spoke.

The Vajra Pestle's words undoubtedly made Mengchen more certain of what he thought; the Zhenhuang manifested by the Rune was helping him.

"Yes!" Mengchen replied.

"Good! Since you have figured it out, then go! Perhaps only when the Zhenhuang feels you have met its requirements will it stop."

"Good!"

At this moment, flames surged in Mengchen's eyes, and in an instant, powerful flames covered him.

In the flames, he drove the true law, the Rune erupted within the firelight, and then he opened his mouth and shouted out loud.

"Ah!"

A phoenix cry rang out, as if piercing through the void, a formless, immense power instantly annihilating countless stars.

This was the Fengming Sound from the True Phoenix technique; once unleashed, it could tear the firmament with its sound and destroy the stars filling the sky.

The Fengming Sound spread, causing the void to twist and tear; fortunately, that area was isolated, otherwise Xiyao and the others would surely have suffered a catastrophe.

Facing the Fengming Sound unleashed by Mengchen, the True Phoenix high in the sky merely flapped its wings slightly, and an incomparable Great Dao aura spread out; the phoenix cry vanished in an instant, and as the aura expanded, it sent Mengchen flying.

This power was truly too overbearing.

"Pfft..."

Mengchen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, the bones within his body shattering inch by inch; in that instant, he experienced the moment of death.

Xiyao and Heizi witnessed this scene, biting their lips tightly, their hands clenched, blood flowing from their palms due to the force.

Tianhu Shaonü and Yuechan were deeply shocked, their two distinct, beautiful faces showing identical expressions of alarm.

At this moment, Yuechan was deeply shaken, no longer able to care about the grievances in her heart; now, there was only shock.

That place fell into silence again; one could say a terrifying death aura was permeating, and Mengchen's vitality was faint and dim.

The True Phoenix technique manifested a miraculous sight again, Mengchen's vitality gradually reviving until it became vast.

"Chi..., bang bang!"

Flames ignited, muffled sounds came from within Mengchen's body, and his meridians and bones were healing rapidly.

A quarter of an hour passed, Mengchen's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he soared up in an instant, a vigorous aura spreading out, much stronger than before. That place boiled once more, dense with all kinds of overbearing Rune, the vigorous aura making the heaven and earth there seem almost on the verge of collapse, vibrating violently; it was truly terrifying.

"Flying Phoenix Claw!" Mengchen's gaze was firm as he struck out fiercely.

The True Phoenix Wings appeared behind him, flapping lightly as he charged out, his hand gesture forming a claw, combining with the illusory True Phoenix talons, possessing the momentum to tear apart the universe.

It could be seen that, accompanying Mengchen's strike, the True Phoenix high in the sky also attacked with lightning speed.

In just that split second, Mengchen and it engaged in a fierce battle like eagles striking the long sky; this was a contest of the Flying Phoenix Claw.

A sound like blades and swords clashing came from there, but the sound quickly vanished, and a mist of blood exploded out.

"Ah..." The moment the blood mist appeared, Xiyao screamed, hot tears rolling down from the corners of her eyes.

At this moment, Xiyao felt as if she had fallen into an endless abyss, the hope in her heart gone, causing her to sink into silence.

Now that the sect no longer existed and she had no family or friends in the world, through their time together, Xiyao had already placed all her hope in Mengchen deep in her heart.

Heizi's eyes turned blood-red in an instant, his eerie face darkening at once.

Tianhu Shaonü and Yuechan's faces also twitched slightly at this moment, their bodies trembling in fear.

The small True Phoenix not far away, however, remained calm throughout, without a ripple, as if all of this was within her expectations.

They saw that in that instant, Mengchen was torn into pieces of blurred flesh and blood by the True Phoenix, flying about in that place; it was extremely bloody and hair-raising.

That place fell into deathly silence once more, Mengchen torn apart by the True Phoenix talons, his flesh and blood scattered everywhere.

Watching this scene, time passed second by second, and for Heizi and Xiyao, their hearts were enduring immense torment.

Fortunately, as time passed, they saw hope again.

They saw Mengchen's head, scattered there and stained with blood, with a spark of starlight jumping in his dim eyes; the starlight gradually brightened, and the flesh and blood scattered everywhere began to flow, gathering together and starting to reassemble.

The moment the blurred flesh and blood barely reassembled into a complete body, the starlight in his eyes instantly turned into a prairie fire, wrapping around the entire remains.

Under the burning of the flames, the visible fractures between the flesh and blood gradually healed, until they were flawless.

"Boom—!"

At this time, the Great Dao Divine Sound roared, Mengchen was covered by a faint, indistinct great bell, and as the Dao sound rumbled, the speed at which his physical body grew gradually began to quicken, becoming increasingly brilliant, golden-red Rune emerging and merging with his flesh and blood.

"Bang bang bang..." A series of loud noises came from within Mengchen's body, his vitality reviving, becoming more and more vast.

"Boom..."

An aura powerful to the point of boundlessness erupted, making the isolated heaven and earth tremble violently.

At this moment, Mengchen's lying body slowly rose into the air, endless Rune darting out from his body, swirling around him and radiating dazzling light.

Gradually, Mengchen's lying, rising body stood up, his eyes snapping open, and another massive aura erupted, covering the firmament and causing the void to hum.

"He's awake! Senior Brother Mengchen is awake."

Xiyao lifted her jade hand slightly, the hope in her heart reviving in an instant; she wept with joy, then wiped the hot flow from her cheeks and smiled excitedly at Heizi.

It was the moment Mengchen opened his eyes that, following the spread of his aura, the True Phoenix gazing at him dissipated, transforming back into Rune and flowing back into the red lotus on the high platform.

Mengchen knew he had succeeded and reached the expectations of that True Phoenix.

But in this series of processes, he had experienced the feeling of being on the verge of death many times, and this last time, in particular, left an indelible mark on his heart.

However, besides this, there were also invaluable insights and gains; the True Phoenix technique was completely perfected!

Previously, although he had obtained the Kunpeng Technique and the true technique of the Jiuyou Ao, he had not fully comprehended them; now, having just obtained this True Phoenix technique, he had fully comprehended it, making him incredibly excited; thinking about it now, the heavy trials he had suffered were worth it.

But this was not over yet; Mengchen sat cross-legged in the high sky, sinking into cultivation.

This series of Nirvana experiences made the Divine Power within his body incredibly full and surging; he knew this was a breakthrough.

Before the Nirvana, he had already reached the late stage of the Mingwen Jing; at this moment, having successfully undergone Nirvana and rebirth, his cultivation had undergone a qualitative leap in the invisible, already reaching the Great Perfection of the Mingwen Jing, about to break through to Liezhen.

Liezhen is a very special realm; it can be said to be extremely complex and profound, completely different from the previous few realms.

The Banxue Realm focuses on the cultivator tempering their physical body, the Cave Heaven realm focuses on the perception of the creation of heaven and earth, while the Spirit Transformation realm is a sublimation on the path of cultivation, and the Mingwen Jing involves carving Rune into the body and initially deducing certain true techniques.

But the Liezhen! It is a higher level of evolution, requiring one to truly utilize the patterns carved during the Mingwen Jing to deduce to the extreme, derive super-strong arrays, and carve them as imprints within the body.

Compared to the combat power of the Mingwen Jing, the Liezhen is undoubtedly a soaring increase!

By that time, the combat power will be a world of difference.

Mengchen sat cross-legged, Divine Radiance gushing from his body, eleven Cave Heaven opening in an instant, beginning to compress the Divine Power within his body to the extreme.

Because before breaking through, he had to reach the extreme state of the Mingwen Jing, to break through to the Liezhen with the posture of the extreme state.

The extreme state is undoubtedly a path for the strong, allowing one to be invincible within the same realm, and even to slay strong enemies across realms.

The fact that he could previously cross realms to slay strong enemies is the best proof.

Now, having successively obtained the true technique of the Jiuyou Ao and the True Phoenix technique, he could just use this to perfect the third step of the Spirit Transformation realm: nourishing the spirit with Cave Heaven.

Mengchen sat cross-legged high in the sky, forming strange hand seals; the red light of his Cave Heaven was like a long rainbow piercing the sun, setting him off as if he were a Golden Body Buddha.

Quietly, the divine radiance within his sixth Cave Heaven reached its extreme, and a sheet of black Rune flickered and surged into it.

The nurturing of the spirit in the sixth Cave Heaven began, allowing the Rune to give birth to a spirit and then truly take form, bestowing life upon it.

At this moment, a majestic aura of life within the Cave Heavens all converged toward the sixth Cave Heaven, and the first five Cave Heavens as well as the eleventh Cave Heaven all contained powerful spiritual will.

Especially the eleventh Cave Heaven, where a small golden figure sat cross-legged, looking down upon thousands of Small Worlds with a transcendent spirit, its entire body shining with golden light in accordance with the True Meaning of Great Dao.

Time flew by, and soon, within that sixth Cave Heaven, a lifelike Jiuyou Ao opened its eyes, its aura vigorous and terrifying.

Next, the seventh Cave Heaven shone brilliantly, and the Zhenhuang Rune surged in.

As time passed, soon, a Zhenhuang took shape within the seventh Cave Heaven and opened its eyes, as if an ancient Zhenhuang had revived, with the Great Dao fully manifested.

At this very moment, Mengchen's body shook violently; a dense mass of Rune appeared on the surface of his skin, then all surged upward, finally submerging into that Cave Heaven to merge with that Zhenhuang.

These were the Rune mysteries that had integrated into his body during his Nirvana rebirth; at this moment, they fused with the Zhenhuang Spirit Body, becoming one, refined into a single furnace.

This was an astonishing transformation!

The strength of this Zhenhuang Spirit Body skyrocketed and became increasingly agile; in a trance, it was as if a true Zhenhuang had revived, soaring above the Nine Heavens, proud of the Hong Domain, Yu Domain, and Zhou Domain, invincible in all directions.

Spirit Transformation, if taken to the extreme, can bestow divine sense upon the Spirit Body within the Cave Heaven, as if it truly possessed life.

Cave Heaven spirit-nurturing is endless; the ultimate goal is to withdraw one's own will and return it to the main body, leaving behind only that precious technique to evolve into something nearly alive on its own.

Now, as the Zhenhuang technique is the only Ten Fiends true technique he has perfectly comprehended, nurturing it into a Spirit Body is undoubtedly stronger than the Kunpeng Spirit Body and the Jiuyou Ao Spirit Body; as it continues to be nurtured, it is highly likely to approach the reappearance of the true body, and its combat power will be incomparable.

Because of this, Mengchen felt deeply moved, and he had already decided in his heart to accelerate his comprehension of the Kunpeng Technique and the Jiuyou Ao true technique.

In the end, the Zhenhuang in the seventh Cave Heaven seemed as if it had been reborn, its aura far exceeding that of the Kunpeng and Jiuyou Ao.

Now, there were no more true techniques on hand to nurture, so the Cave Heaven spirit-nurturing temporarily came to an end.

Next, he would focus wholeheartedly on reaching the extreme of the Mingwen Jing.

Mingwen Jing! He had entered it by inscribing the supreme inheritance of the Ancient Monk Lineage, the Undying Scripture, so to enter the extreme, the key still lay in the Undying Scripture.

Previously, he had only inscribed the Undying Scripture between his flesh and bones, which, although it allowed him to enter the Mingwen Jing without any surprises, also caused his physical body to undergo a qualitative change.

But this was far from enough; his own cultivation did not just include the physical body, but also his previous cultivation achievements and his primordial spirit.

The manifestation of his previous cultivation achievements refers to the Cave Heavens and the Spirit Bodies nurtured by the Cave Heavens! Now, a wisp of Mengchen's primordial spirit is contained within the eleventh Cave Heaven, manifesting his True Self and being nurtured into a Spirit Body.

Therefore, what Mengchen would do next was to inscribe the Undying Scripture into the Cave Heavens and into every Spirit Body.

Only by doing this could he enter the extreme of the Mingwen Jing.

【Today's update is a big chapter! So there is only one update.】

(End of chapter)