Chapter 189: Chapter Seventeen: Turtle and Snake

He activated his mind's intent and inspected the Upper Mysterious Acupoint within his body.

He saw that within this acupoint cavity, thirty-six breaths of the Sun Aspect were radiating brilliant light, like flowing divine fire, shimmering and bright.

Then, in an instant, they pulsed.

These thirty-six breaths of the Sun Aspect coalesced into a Great Saint Fetus of full form and substance, hovering suspended in the center of the Upper Mysterious Acupoint, resembling a flaming sun descending from the heavens, glowing with golden light and flame flowers, colorful and magnificent.

Chen Heng concentrated his intent to probe further and saw that something faintly existed within the Saint Fetus, indistinct and shadowy.

Its form featured a small head, a wide shell, webbing between fingers and toes, short claws, scales, and a slender tail—

This very scene.

Finally signified that the Turtle Aspect had taken form!

And among all things under heaven that move tirelessly, none are greater than the yarrow stalks and the turtle.

Therefore, the sages modeled themselves after the divine objects of heaven and earth; they imitated the changes of heaven and earth; when heaven displayed its images revealing fortune and misfortune, the sages created symbols to match them!

At this moment.

Although he wished for the Turtle Aspect to break open the Saint Fetus, manifest perfectly in the world, and occupy the Upper Mysterious Acupoint, there was always an invisible obstruction disrupting this action.

After a silent inspection.

He realized the cause was that the Snake Aspect in the Great Abyss Acupoint had not yet transformed and emerged; thus, the form and substance of the Turtle Aspect remained unmanifested, making it difficult to break through the fetal membrane trapping it.

The so-called meaning that "solitary yin does not generate, solitary yang does not grow" was exactly this.

Chen Heng merely smiled at this and paid it no further heed.

Yet even though the Turtle Aspect had not yet fully transformed and emerged.

Chen Heng also felt that after cultivating these thirty-six breaths of the Sun Aspect, he seemed to have become much closer to this world of heaven and earth.

Gathering and settling his mind and spirit, he followed a faint glimmer of spiritual sense from the unseen depths and struck downward fiercely.

It was as if he had entered a void of absolute nothingness and silence, where above he did not touch the sky and below he did not see the earth, as if standing at the peak of a lofty mountain with emptiness on all sides.

In such a state of realm.

Chen Heng could vaguely perceive the interaction and flow of yin and yang, the essential changes of the five breaths, and distantly respond to vague heavenly machinations.

If a fellow cultivator attempted to cast spells across space to spy on or secretly harm him, he would immediately sense it; this is precisely what is called a sudden premonition!

However, Chen Heng could not maintain this realm for long.

It lasted only a few breaths' worth of effort.

The spiritual sense from the unseen depths suddenly vanished, his divine consciousness returned to its former state, and he could no longer find that previous extraordinary condition.

"I didn't expect that upon nearing the completion of the third realm of Foundation Establishment, there would be such a wonderful utility..."

"However, the Tai Su Yu Shen I cultivate can already anticipate fortune and misfortune; combining the two, although the transformations of this Turtle Aspect are still far inferior to the Tai Su Yu Shen, it is still better than nothing."

Chen Heng smiled slightly, thinking to himself.

He released the Dan Mother Sand in his hand, now reduced to an empty shell, reached into his sleeve, selected a piece rich and full of spiritual machine from his Qiankun Bag, grasped it anew, and began drawing upon it to cultivate.

Foundation Establishment Third Realm—Turtle and Snake Embracing.

This realm requires cultivating thirty-six breaths of the Sun Aspect in the Upper Mysterious Acupoint and twenty-four breaths of the Moon Hidden Aspect in the Great Abyss Acupoint, then refining them into the shape of a turtle and snake before it can be achieved.

And there are countless methods for cultivating breath in the world.

Naturally, within the cultivation of this realm, each possesses its own unique techniques and tricks.

For instance, the "Divine House Pivot Hua Daojun Explains the Tai Shi Yuan Zhen Sutra" that he obtained.

It first cultivates the Upper Mysterious Acupoint; after completing the thirty-six breaths of the Sun Aspect, it mixes them with swirling wind, gathers the outwardly scattered mind and spirit, and reflects back upon one's own physical form.

The Heavenly Wheel turns automatically, moving the breath to open the gates, unlocking the secret crucial point of the Great Abyss Acupoint, wherein one then cultivates twenty-four breaths of Moon Hidden Essence.

The so-called "when yang is born, the medicine is produced, and divine brightness arrives naturally" is exactly this, truly conforming to the profound principles of the marvelous Dao.

This realm of Turtle and Snake Embracing requires relying on external medicine of complete truth to separately cultivate the form and substance of pure yang and utmost yang within the body.

And this step.

Is also called the convergence of yin and yang two breaths, or the combined refinement of true essence and true spirit; it is truly an extremely dangerous undertaking!

With the slightest carelessness, if yin becomes excessive and yang declines, it may cause the human body's meridians to stiffen and congeal, blood and qi to diminish, or even result in damage to the breath sea below the abdomen, creating leaks; such possibilities are not lacking.

And if yin is weak while yang is strong, there is likewise a certain degree of harm.

Ordinary breath cultivation methods, in harmonizing these two breaths of yin and yang within the human body, are all extremely cautious, mostly adopting the approach of Yong Shui Mo Gong, proceeding gradually and step by step, cultivating both the Upper Mysterious and Great Abyss acupoints together, fearing injury to the qi meridians and other fundamentals.

Only the "Tai Shi Yuan Zhen" advances with rigid directness and fierce progress; once yang is born and produces medicine, the firing process is incredibly intense!

Before completing the Upper Mysterious Acupoint, it pays absolutely no attention to the Great Abyss Acupoint.

Although this carries somewhat of a trend of walking a sword's edge.

Yet cultivating in such a manner saves a great deal of the Ku Gong required for harmonizing yin and yang, sparing Chen Heng from consuming more time.

At present.

After cultivating thirty-six breaths of the Sun Aspect to completion in the Upper Mysterious Acupoint.

Chen Heng merely slightly urged his Xue Xuan Gong, and he felt a certain part of his body bulge slightly, as if pricked by some tiny sharp needle, whereupon pain immediately surged forth.

But immediately after.

A strand of essence, black as ink and radiating a yin-cold and grim intent, slowly condensed into solidity, moving restlessly within the Great Abyss Acupoint.

"When one yang is born, myriad medicines are produced; so it is using breath to guide breath... Looking at it this way, the time until I complete the Moon Hidden Essence should be right around the corner, much faster than before."

Chen Heng's eyes flashed with light as he continued to activate the method decision, drawing spiritual machine from the Dan Mother Sand.

The quantity of Dan Mother Sand he had won from this wager was vast, truly more than enough to assist him in achieving the third realm of Foundation Establishment.

If calculated in detail, there would still be a full half remaining!

Since the external medicine was complete and the effort had arrived.

His distance to completing the third realm of Foundation Establishment now faced not the slightest obstruction; it was right before his eyes!

So it was.

Five more days passed.

Chen Heng felt the blood and qi surging throughout his body, a clear and spiritual energy rushing to the crown of his head, like sweet dew pouring over him, making his heart and mind momentarily incomparably bright.

He could not help but let out a long whistle, like dragons and tigers roaring together, stirring up wind and clouds, deafening and astonishing!

When servants like Hong Hong Guanshi Hong heard this sound, their hearts trembled, and they were all startled.

As they hurriedly moved to look.

They saw that the meditation chamber where Chen Heng resided was now blazing with brilliant light, magnificent and extraordinary, seemingly poised to pierce the heavens and clouds!

"The sun and moon often meet in darkness and newness; the turtle and snake are born in the void and danger; the Xun wind constantly blows within the Kan; the dry fire relies upon the divine water..."

Upon the meditation cushion.

Chen Heng flicked his sleeve, gathering all the strange phenomena filling the room, and chuckled softly.

He circulated his divine sense to look within his body, discovering that in the two great acupoints of Shangxuan and Taiyuan, there was now clearly a turtle and a snake performing their duty of guardianship.

Light burst forth like flowing rosy clouds, with purple omens circling around, truly dazzling to the eye!

And the moment the image of the snake condensed, the image of the turtle had already broken open the Great Saint Embryo, yin and yang aligning with earth and heaven, qi penetrating the three palaces!

This scene.

Clearly meant that Chen Heng had completed his Yi Shen Gong, becoming a cultivator of the third stage of Foundation Establishment!

Upon reaching this realm, the total amount of true qi in his body made another leap forward, which was merely a trivial matter, while the yin and yang qi within his body circulated in a dense mist, and his lifespan also increased by a significant margin.

Chen Heng had a vague premonition; if he suffered no illness or disaster, with his current cultivation, he should be able to live for fully two hundred years, with a little extra.

Such an age, if placed in the mortal world, would no longer be considered merely a long-lived person, but should be counted as something supernatural!

Possessing such a lifespan.

It was even quite possible to sit and watch the rise and fall of an entire dynasty!

"After Foundation Establishment comes the Purple Mansion; only upon forming the Purple Mansion and becoming a Gao Gong can one be considered to possess some self-preservation ability, but thinking practically, even the Purple Mansion is still insufficient, let alone Dongxuan or Jin Dan..."

Chen Heng sighed slightly in his heart, but did not dwell on it further; he simply pointed lightly with his finger, retrieving the four "Plain Cloud Array Flags" staked at the four corners, and dispelled the prohibitions within the room.

"We, your servants, congratulate Chen Langjun on his great advancement in Mei Mei Gongxing! May you enjoy endless longevity!"

Hong Hong Guanshi Hong and the others, who had been waiting outside for a long time, saw the faint cloud light lingering around the meditation chamber slowly disperse, knowing that Chen Heng had emerged from seclusion; they all bowed deeply and shouted in unison.

"No need for excessive courtesy."

Chen Heng made a vague lifting gesture and said.

This set of "Plain Cloud Array Flags" was, to speak of it, a gift from Mi Hui.

After learning of the schemes of Wei Yang and Jiang Jiang Tongyuan, he worried that some noble clan descendants might disregard the sect rules and punishments, and in a fit of rashness, make a move against Chen Heng; thus, he specially ordered Hong Hong Guanshi Hong to retrieve this set of array flags from his refined cottage to use for defense.

However, Mi Hui had ultimately overestimated the courage of the noble clan members, nor had he anticipated that matters would develop far beyond his expectations...

"During the few days I was in seclusion, were any letters delivered?"

Chen Heng asked.

"Yes, Chen Langjun, and quite a number of them."

Hong Hong Guanshi Hong hurriedly replied.

"Oh?"

Chen Heng smiled.

Hong Hong Guanshi Hong immediately understood, turned back to the outer room, and before long, came running back hastily, holding a box made of red sandalwood in his hands.

Chen Heng drew the wooden box over through the air from a distance, placed it before him, and went through them one by one to examine.

Seeing that most inside were merely greetings and polite words from fellow disciples, inviting him to discuss the Dao and talk of mysteries, with nothing else remarkable besides, he just smiled slightly and casually set them aside.

He had gained great fame on Bai Shi Peak, his reputation could truly be said to have spread throughout the four courtyards; it was only natural that these fellow disciples wished to form connections.

But inside, there were actually a few letters from members of noble clans as well.

Such as Xie Xie Huizhai.

And also that Wei Zhuo, whom he had defeated in combat.

This indeed made Chen Heng feel slightly surprised; his heart moved, and he became thoughtful...

And when the letters in the box were nearly exhausted, Chen Heng picked up the last letter.

He opened it to look.

This letter was not sent by a disciple of the courtyard, but came from the Yuchenshang Sect of the Xiaoming Great Marsh.

What it stated.

Was that Tu Shan Ge and that group of foxes would soon arrive at Jin Tingshan, and thus they specially informed Chen Heng in advance.

"After waiting for so long, has the news finally arrived?"

Chen Heng stood up holding the letter, a slight smile appearing on his face.

But before he could ponder much.

At this moment, a whistling sound suddenly came from the sky; he parted the gate and looked up, seeing a pretty female servant standing on a strand of green true qi, poised in the cloudy sky.

"I wonder if this is Chen Langjun Chen in person?"

The female servant spotted the man standing quietly in the courtyard at a glance; her beautiful eyes couldn't help but brighten, so she performed a graceful wanfu bow and smiled.

"It is indeed."

Chen Heng performed a fist-and-palm salute and said.

"My master, Master Jing Shen, seeks Chen Langjun to discuss matters; if Chen Langjun has leisure at this moment, please come with this humble servant," the female servant said.

"Master Jing Shen wishes to see me?"

"Young Master was previously in closed-door cultivation; this humble servant naturally dared not rashly disturb you. This was also my master's intention. Yet today, hearing that whistling sound, your spirit and qi were both complete, clearly indicating that Young Master has already perfected his cultivation. Thus, this humble servant boldly came to take a look, and indeed, my expectation was not mistaken."

The female attendant covered her lips and spoke in a soft voice.

"I have troubled the Immortal Maiden to wait for so long; please, come this way."

Chen Heng smiled gently, cupped his hands in salute, and said.

Upon hearing his words, joy flashed across the female attendant's face; she could not help but glance at him once more, but finally, fearing to delay matters, she first urged the cyan true qi beneath her feet, instantly breaking through the clouds to ascend, while Chen Heng also soared up amidst radiant light, following close behind.

The two traveled together, piercing clouds and skimming the sky.

Before long, they descended before a cluster of palaces on Green Snail Peak.

Chen Heng cast his gaze about, beholding layer upon layer of golden courts and jade beads, silver-scripted steps of precious stone, resembling an immortal palace beyond the mortal world.

Upon arriving here, the female attendant's expression unconsciously became far more solemn and serious; she spoke not a single word.

She led Chen Heng directly through six or seven layers of palace gates, then walked along a long, winding corridor adorned with a profusion of strange flowers, guiding him into a Jindian hall before finally stopping.

"Chen Chen Langjun, my master is currently in quiet meditation on Xue Xuan Gong; please take a seat here, drink some tea, and wait a short while."

After performing a wanfu bow, she gracefully retreated from the Jindian hall, her figure vanishing.

Chen Heng did not mind, casting a glance around.

He saw that the spiritual energy within the hall was abundant, even surpassing that of his own residence on Hidden Spirit Peak.

Since there was nothing to do but sit and wait idly, he performed several rounds of breathing exercises, nurturing and stabilizing his divine intent.

He then secretly grasped the golden cicada within his sleeve and entered the True Dharma Realm, beginning to study the *Book of the Heavenly King Divine Sect of Tushita* bestowed by Jun Yao.

This scroll of Daoist scripture was created by Crown Prince Changming of the Dao Court; naturally, it was extraordinarily profound, with its archaic and obscure passages worthy of the description 'one character, a thousand meanings.'

Even though Chen Heng now possessed extraordinary root nature and agile thoughts, attempting to read the entire text within a mere ten days or half a month would truly be difficult to achieve.

Just as he immersed his mind in interpreting the sutra's meaning, unaware, an entire hour of time in the present world quietly passed.

At this moment.

The beaded curtain suddenly emitted a clear sound, startling Chen Heng out of his meditative state.

He lifted his gaze and turned his eyes to look.

He saw Shen Hunsu Yuan Zhi just then lifting the curtain with her pale hand, stepping out from the inner hall.

Their gazes met.

Chen Heng rose from his seat, raised his hands, solemnly lifted his sleeves, and bowed deeply in salute.

"This disciple pays respects to the High Master."

He said.

The woman before him wore a gown of moon-white broad sleeves and Liuxian style, adorned with no superfluous ornaments, save for a single rippling water-green jade pendant tied at her waist.

Her figure was graceful and slender; her neck was like the larva of the longhorn beetle, her teeth like melon seeds; though her complexion resembled bright-day qiong flowers, vivid and brilliant, dazzling to behold, yet between her brows lay a hue dyed by frost, exceedingly distant and cold.

As Shen Hunsu Yuan Zhi approached.

A faint, cold fragrance immediately spread through the area, refreshing to the heart and spleen.

It was as if in the deep winter of the twelfth lunar month, that single stalk of green plum blossoms blooming most profusely on the branch...

"Chen Heng, please rise."

Shen Hunsu Yuan Zhi glanced lightly at him, her voice flat, without any rise or fall:

"It has been only a few days since we last met, yet I did not expect your Dao cultivation to have advanced again? Congratulations. It seems that within no more than fifteen years, the time for you to reveal your talents will arrive; among the Ten Great Disciples, there shall be a place for you."

"A mere Xiao Gong; I truly do not deserve such praise from the High Master."

Chen Heng smiled slightly, his expression showing no arrogance, treating it as a matter of course.

The man before her possessed a spirit beautiful as jade, his eyes deep and calm, his bearing like snow falling in a deep courtyard, profound, serene, and quiet, unlike someone of the mundane world.

Shen Hunsu Yuan Zhi looked deeply at him for a moment before slowly speaking:

"Chen Heng, I know your schemes; you are excellent. Whether in talent or temperament, you are a first-rate figure within Changying Academy, truly a rare talent of fine quality, but alas..."

Shen Hunsu Yuan Zhi slowly shook her head:

"I, Shen Hunsu Yuan Zhi, cannot teach you; I am unable to be your teacher."

End of Chapter