Chapter 44

【Mahā Śrī Golden Light Samādhi】

【Name】: Chen Hang.

【Cultivation Techniques】: Qi Armor Art (Mastery), Chen Clan Archery (Mastery), Little Crimson Dragon Sword Scripture (Mid-Mastery), Golden Man Substitution Form (Mid-Mastery), Blood Armor Art (Minor Mastery), Qing Nang Herbal Scripture (Minor Mastery), Little Summon Wind and Mist Art (Minor Mastery), Ultimate Light Great Escape (——).

【Magic Treasures】: Thunderfire Thunderbolt Pearl (Mid-Rank Talisman Artifact), Green Bamboo Spike (Low-Rank Talisman Artifact), One-Qi Essence Jade (Low-Rank Talisman Artifact), Cloud-Rising Flying Vessel (Low-Rank Talisman Artifact), Universe Bag (Low-Rank Talisman Artifact), Solid-Sunken Inkstone (Low-Rank Talisman Artifact), Battle Talisman (Secret Treasure).

【Cultivation Base】: Qi Condensation Third Layer (as taught by the Dao Lord Sh Tai Shi Yuan Zhen Jing).

……

On this Mahā Golden Book, several new lines of text had appeared.

Golden Man Substitution Form and Little Summon Wind and Mist Art were Daoist techniques Chen Hang obtained from the Rong family’s library, ranked as low-grade.

Among them, Golden Man Substitution Form was a disaster-transfer technique—

Find a piece of crimson gold, carve it into one’s own likeness, drip one’s essence-blood onto the crown of the head, nurture it with embryonic breathing for three days, then refine and gather it with the proper method to produce a small Golden Man of Disaster Transfer.

In times of peril, one may exchange oneself with the Golden Man to deflect a single calamity.

But this was ultimately a low-grade technique—it could only transfer disaster, not replace death. If an opponent’s spiritual power surpassed one’s own, and his strike exceeded the Golden Man’s transfer limit, one would still die.

Moreover, only one Golden Man could exist at a time, bound to the spirit-mind; only after the old one was destroyed could a new one be recast.

Otherwise, Chen Hang would have gladly forged hundreds or thousands of Golden Men to attend him…

Had he truly been able to do so, even a strike from a Purple Mansion high-cultivator might have been barely deflected.

The other technique, Little Summon Wind and Mist Art, was the same one Rong Jin had once used on him—its name said it all: it summoned wind and mist.

This low-grade technique had some merit, but Rong Jin’s Qi Condensation method was far too low-ranked, resulting in only average quantities and elemental affinities of embryonic breath.

Hence, Chen Hang had easily shattered the technique with a single embryonic breath infused into wine, nearly killing him.

Golden Man Substitution Form, Little Summon Wind and Mist Art…

These were all Chen Hang’s gains from the Rong family’s library.

Though the library held many books—such as the “Great Spear, Great Phoenix, Great Reverse Strike Combat Method”—dozens of similar ones existed, yet these were merely mundane sexual techniques, not Daoist arts.

Added to these were military treatises, herbal classics, ancestral notes, and ink paintings—seemingly abundant, yet only “Golden Man Substitution Form” and “Little Summon Wind and Mist Art” were truly useful to Chen Hang.

The rest served merely to broaden his horizons and aid analogical understanding.

The talisman artifact “Solid-Sunken Inkstone” was the talisman treasure from Tong Jizhen’s person; like the “One-Qi Essence Jade,” it offered defensive utility, but barely better than nothing.

Moreover, Tong Jizhen’s Universe Bag contained only over a hundred talisman coins and some male garments—no other items; his spoils were meager.

……

“Rong Tuo allowed me into the library only because it held just two Daoist techniques—no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find more… But how could he know the wonders of my ‘One True Dharma Realm’? His concealment has been fully exposed.”

Chen Hang dispersed the air current in his hand, silently smiling.

During these days within the One True Dharma Realm, he had intended to refine “Golden Man Substitution Form” to Mastery, but by chance, the first technique to reach Mastery was “Qi Armor Art.”

Moreover, because casting the Golden Man required continuous bloodletting, he had also advanced “Blood Armor Art” from beginner to Minor Mastery.

As for the newly acquired “Golden Man Substitution Form” and “Little Summon Wind and Mist Art,” after repeated trials, they had only reached Mid-Mastery and Minor Mastery respectively.

No more thought.

As Chen Hang’s mind stirred.

A shape subtly rose in the Ming void, manifesting the likeness of Rong Xuantao.

“Among the three Rong Qi Condensers, you have the most rugged and bold countenance, yet inwardly you are a rare upright man—I erred in overlooking you.”

Chen Hang gazed at Rong Xuantao’s mental image and smiled faintly.

Rong Tuo and the Rong Kingdom’s Crown Prince Rong Jin indeed possessed several Daoist techniques not stored in the library, but without exception, they were all dual-cultivation combat arts requiring female Daoist companions to harmonize yin and yang and enter the path.

In this world, only he could see the face of Jin Chan, and only he could enter the One True Dharma Realm.

Even if Chen Hang had been interested in this method, he alone could never practice it.

Yet Rong Xuantao, this old man with the bearing of a fierce warrior, had actually cultivated a deceptive illusion technique called “Fish-Dragon Manifestation,” capable of confusing the spirit-mind and targeting spiritual sense.

That was rare.

Once the mental image formed, it did not hesitate—it gripped an iron ruler, and light surged beneath its feet.

Seeing Rong Xuantao charge forward, Chen Hang merely tossed the Thunderfire Thunderbolt Pearl into the air—it roared with thunderous sound.

After dozens of breaths, as Chen Hang slowly dissipated the Qi Armor Art…

On the scorched, shattered ground, Rong Xuantao’s broken body gradually faded, leaving only a luminous Primordial Spirit.

Chen Hang reached out and drew the Primordial Spirit toward him; upon sensing it, his expression turned helpless.

“Will Yuanlong’s Eight Lie Spear Technique… This is a mundane martial art?”

The drop of the Primordial Spirit was the most troublesome part.

It was entirely chaotic and unordered, neither selectable nor selectable.

It randomly selected one technique from the mental image’s entire repertoire, whether Daoist art or mundane martial skill.

“Again.”

Chen Hang summoned Rong Xuantao’s mental image once more; this time he activated the Green Bamboo Spike, transforming it into a blazing emerald light that attacked without defense. After dozens of exchanges, the Green Bamboo Spike pierced through Rong Xuantao’s Little Summon Wind and Mist Art.

With a single thrust, it pierced his forehead, spraying a spray of blood.

“Little Summon Wind and Mist Art? That one’s secured.”

He grasped the Primordial Spirit, sensed it briefly, then shook his head again.

……

Cloud-Ladder Ascension.

……

Little Ruyi Grasping Hand.

……

Plum Blossom Footwork.

……

Break-Army Eighteen Halberd.

……

Chen Hang no longer bothered counting how many times he had slain Rong Xuantao; this man was a true mortal martial artist who entered Dao through martial means, accidentally attaining embryonic breath, then advancing to Qi Condensation.

His lifetime of learning was wildly diverse—not only martial arts, but also military formations, troop training, and city defense techniques.

As a giant hand of embryonic breath descended, even with talisman artifacts protecting him, Rong Xuantao’s spine bent sharply, his body sinking three inches into the ground.

Chen Hang used no other means—he merely drove the embryonic breath hand to strike again, shattering the spiritual light of Rong Xuantao’s black iron small shield.

After dozens of such strikes, the black iron shield finally cracked with a snap, its spiritual light extinguished.

Without talisman protection, Rong Xuantao was instantly reduced to bloody pulp, bones shattered, by a single blow from the embryonic breath hand.

He picked up the scattered Primordial Spirit and immersed his spirit-mind into it.

Chen Hang’s previously indifferent expression instantly sharpened.

A faint smile touched his lips.

“Fish-Dragon Manifestation—I’ve finally obtained it!”

He pressed the Primordial Spirit directly onto his body; countless characters surged into his spirit-mind, forming a Daoist technique’s essential instructions.

Soon after, he composed his spirit-mind and began methodically studying the technique according to its key points.

Time passed swiftly.

One day.

Chen Hang suddenly felt a spiritual intuition and exited the One True Dharma Realm.

And indeed, not long after…

A soft knock came at the door, and Rong Jin’s voice followed:

“Master, the time has come.”