dhibooks Chapter 1104 Unfettered
Chapter 1104 Unfettered
As soon as the burly man in hemp clothing finished speaking, a powerful aura burst forth from his body. The pressure of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was almost tangible, sweeping away the dark clouds in the sky and forcibly pressing down a layer of snow on the ground, instantly solidifying it into a hard layer of ice.
The burly man in hemp clothing glared at Chen Yuan and shouted, "I won't bully you or use any supernatural powers. Show me what you've got, and I'll make you submit to my authority today!"
Chen Yuan's eyes flashed: "Are you sure what you're saying is true?"
The burly man in hemp clothing said proudly, "I always keep my word and never go back on my word!"
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer!"
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, circulated his true essence, and the blood of the four true spirits surged within his body. With black wings, white hair, dragon horns, and silver eyes, his appearance changed drastically, and his aura surged wildly, infinitely approaching the Integration Realm.
"You're a demon?" The burly man in hemp clothing was taken aback. "No, this is..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yuan's figure vanished and reappeared in front of the burly man in hemp clothing, throwing a punch at him!
With a loud whooshing sound, Chen Yuan moved with lightning speed, his fist turning into a blur as it slammed down with immense force, causing space to distort violently.
But the burly man in hemp clothing was faster, and in the nick of time, he also threw a punch. The two fists collided, producing a deafening roar.
Boom boom boom!
It sounded like ancient gods beating drums, or like thunder roaring, as Chen Yuan and the burly man in hemp clothing became entangled and flashed in and out of the sky.
Fists and feet blurred into afterimages as pure physical power collided with a deafening roar. A powerful shockwave spread outwards, dispelling all the dark clouds in the sky and tearing a gap in the air, allowing sunlight to stream in.
The aftershocks of their collision spread to the ground, their power undiminished, raising clouds of snow and dust like a blizzard.
Even solid ice was torn apart by the immense force, and countless tiny ice blades and spikes mingled in the storm, sweeping across the land. Pine trees were broken, monsters fled, and the scene was devastated.
Suddenly, Chen Yuan and the burly man in hemp clothing separated, and the fierce battle abruptly ceased. The two men faced each other from a distance of a hundred feet.
"That's great!" The burly man in hemp clothing laughed loudly. "So you're also a body cultivator, kid. Why don't you use your supernatural abilities?"
His sleeves were completely torn open, revealing two thick, strong arms with bulging muscles as hard as metal, making it impossible to doubt that he could smash a mountain with a single punch.
Across from him stood Chen Yuan, his silver eyes cold and aloof, his two gleaming blue-green dragon horns on his forehead glistening, his white hair fluttering in the gale, and his deep black wings unfurled behind him. He remained motionless, as if he were frozen in mid-air.
He said in a deep voice, "It is only right to reciprocate. Since you are not using your supernatural powers, I will not take advantage of you. I will fight you with my strength and accompany you to the end!"
The burly man in hemp clothing laughed even more wildly: "Good! I underestimated you. You look delicate and frail, but I didn't expect you to have such a fierce temperament. Let's go again!"
The last word had barely left his lips when he charged forward again, his massive body forcefully breaking through the air, letting out a long roar like a dragon's cry, heading straight for Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan flapped his wings and advanced instead of retreating, charging forward and throwing a punch to meet the attack head-on. The two collided fiercely once again!
This was an extremely rare battle in the spirit world. Chen Yuan's meridians had no true essence flowing through them, and the burly man in hemp clothing did not use any supernatural powers. It was a pure contest of physical strength.
Body cultivators are rare in the spirit world, let alone those at the Integration Realm.
The burly man in hemp clothing possessed the cultivation level of the mid-stage of the Integration Realm, and his immense strength surpassed that of a demon saint of the same level. Even within the Tianman Sect, known for its superior body refinement, he was a standout.
Although Chen Yuan only had the cultivation level of the Perfected Void Refinement stage, his physical body had already broken through the bottleneck of the Body Integration stage.
At this moment, he simultaneously activated the power of four true spirits: Zhu Yan, Kunpeng, Kui Niu, and Qinglong... all of which are top-tier true spirits known for their powerful physical bodies.
Chen Yuan's physical strength has reached a new level, in no way inferior to a demon saint in the mid-stage of the Fusion Realm, and is only on par with the burly man in hemp clothing.
Chen Yuan said he wouldn't use supernatural powers, but in reality he still used the power of his true spirit.
However, his cultivation and physical body were inferior to the big man in hemp clothing. If he hadn't activated his true spirit blood, he would have already been defeated, which wouldn't be considered unfair.
This great battle lasted for three days and three nights before it finally came to an end.
The two separated. The burly man in hemp clothing was drenched in sweat, and the hemp clothing on his upper body had disappeared, revealing his perfectly sculpted physique.
"That was great! That was really great!" He laughed loudly, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Chen Yuan. "Kid, what's your name? It's strange, you've woken me up several times, but I haven't remembered it even once."
Chen Yuan's wings were covered in messy feathers, and his clothes were tattered and torn into strips, revealing a physique that was not particularly strong, but extremely lean and wiry.
He was very fortunate at this moment. After advancing to the Void Refinement stage, the Void Escape Robe was no longer needed, so he put it away. Otherwise, it would definitely have been destroyed by the big man in hemp clothing.
"My name is Chen Yuan. May I ask your esteemed name?"
"Jing Wuji!"
"So it's Senior Jing." Chen Yuan clasped his hands and bowed.
Jing Wuji waved his hand: "What senior? Although my cultivation is a step above yours, we can be considered friends after this fight."
"I'm getting a bit older now. If you don't mind, you can just call me Brother Jing."
Chen Yuan readily agreed and immediately changed his address to "Brother Jing".
Jing Wuji's smile deepened, and he changed his form of address: "Brother, you have excellent skills. I haven't felt this good in thousands of years. However, I am not yet satisfied. I see that you still have energy left. How about we have another match?"
Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Why not?"
Jing Wuji beamed with joy: "Brother, please don't hold back!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged forward, his fierce momentum like that of someone fighting to the death.
Chen Yuan flapped his wings and charged forward, a loud whistling sound filling the air, and the two clashed once more.
Body cultivators are naturally adept at prolonged battles, especially since the two of them did not use their true essence or supernatural powers. They fought from day to night, and then from night to day, as the sun rose and the moon set.
A desolate snowfield was struck by a catastrophe as the battle between Chen Yuan and Jing Wuji spread from the sky to the earth.
Chen Yuan would sometimes carve a deep trench in the ground, and Jing Wuji would be heavily knocked back by Chen Yuan, creating a deep pit.
The aftershocks of their fight were like the sharpest sword energy, leaving deep, crisscrossing marks on the ground.
The great battle lasted for four days and four nights. As the sun rose, Chen Yuan stopped fighting and retreated to a distance. He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Jing Wuji, saying, "Brother Jing, please stop. My true energy is exhausted, and I have no strength left to fight. I concede defeat."
Jing Wuji had also had his fill and laughed loudly, "If we continue fighting, I will have to use my supernatural powers. Not to boast, but my brother, with your Void Refinement cultivation, you are evenly matched with me. You are enough to roam freely in the Spirit Realm."
"Come, come, how can a great battle be without wine? I request that you, sir, use your Dragon Tiger Wine, which is brewed over ten thousand years and is unique in the entire Spirit Realm. Drink with my brother and recover some of your strength."
He descended in a beam of light and landed on the summit of Youbai Mountain. Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then withdrew his true spirit blood, his appearance returned to normal, and he also descended.
The two deliberately avoided Youbai Mountain during their fierce battle. On the devastated snowfield, only this mountain remained intact, with even the snow not being shaken off by the aftershocks of Chen Yuan and Jing Wuji's fight, demonstrating the two's exquisite control over their power.
With a wave of his hand, Jing Wuji unleashed a gust of wind that blew away the snow on the mountaintop, revealing a flat rock.
Jing Wuji sat down on the ground, took out two dark wine jugs, made of some kind of spiritual material, and handed one to Chen Yuan.
“This place is rather simple, but without the master’s permission, I dare not invite you, my worthy brother, to be my guest in Mingzhu Cave. Please forgive me, my worthy brother.” Jing Wuji showed a hint of apology on his face.
Chen Yuan smiled slightly, sat down on the ground, reached out and took the wine pot. His sleeves, which had been torn into strips of cloth, swayed slightly, but could not hide his otherworldly and ethereal aura.
"Brother Jing, you're too kind. The world is vast and boundless, perfect for broadening one's mind."
"My brother is right, please!"
Jing Wuji laughed loudly, raised his wine pot and clinked it against Chen Yuan's, then tilted his head back and drank it down.
Chen Yuan brought the wine pot to his lips, and the rich aroma of the wine wafted up as he took a big gulp.
The scorching heat mixed with the icy coldness of the spirit wine entered his throat, instantly transforming into a vast and pure spiritual energy that surged into his limbs and bones, nourishing Chen Yuan's exhausted body after the battle.
The rich aroma of the wine lingered on his lips and tongue. Chen Yuan felt his body rapidly recovering, and even felt a slight increase in strength. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine!"
Jing Wuji said smugly, "Brother, have you ever tasted such fine wine?"
Chen Yuan shook his head: "No, Brother Jing, please."
Chen Yuan and Jing Wuji clinked their wine jugs together, and Chen Yuan took a big gulp, his physical strength quickly recovering.
Jing Wuji laughed and said, "Brother, you may not know this, but this Dragon Tiger Wine is made by capturing the demon saints of the Ice Dragon and Fierce Tiger clans, taking their demon cores, tiger bones, and dragon blood, and then mixing in thirty-six kinds of thirty-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs. I asked you, sir, to infuse it with a wisp of true fire and brew it for ten thousand years. Drinking it has the effect of tempering the body, and most importantly, it is incredibly fragrant and much more enjoyable than refining pills. Please, brother!"
The two clinked the wine jugs together again and drank several mouthfuls in succession. However, the amount of Dragon Tiger Intoxication in the jugs did not decrease. It was as if two deep wells had been sealed inside the jugs, and the wells were filled with spiritual wine.
Chen Yuan, after all, only had the cultivation level of Refining Void. After drinking several catties of Dragon Tiger Wine, he was already slightly tipsy, and his face was slightly flushed.
Jing Wuji, though rough around the edges, was actually quite shrewd. Seeing this, he put down his wine pot and said, "I may have offended you with my words earlier, please don't take offense, my brother."
Chen Yuan said, "Brother Jing, you flatter me. I was the one who disturbed your peaceful sleep. Please don't take offense."
Jing Wuji laughed heartily: "I am ordered by the master to guard the Bright Candle Cave. I am not allowed to go out. I am so bored that I can only sleep soundly."
"If I had known earlier that you possessed such strength, I would not have been sound asleep. I would have preferred to have a thorough and enjoyable battle with you."
At this point, he suddenly sighed: "It's a pity that I have important responsibilities and cannot often spar with my worthy brother..."
Chen Yuan smiled and said, "If Brother Jing is willing, I will come every year to exchange skills with you for seven days. How about that?"
"Good!" Jing Wuji's face was full of joy. "I won't let my brother suffer a loss. I still have several thousand catties of Dragon Tiger Drunkenness in my hands. My brother, just drink to your heart's content. We won't leave until we're drunk!"
The two drank heartily. After such a great battle, Chen Yuan had become much more open-minded and had a good impression of the forthright Jing Wuji. The two drank heavily while talking about the way of body cultivation.
Jing Wuji possessed higher cultivation and a longer lifespan, and had some unique insights into the path of body cultivation. However, Chen Yuan's cultivation technique was unparalleled in all realms. He had refined the blood of four kinds of true spirits and also had the memories of the Great Sage Xuanli. Therefore, his understanding of the path of body cultivation was no less than that of Jing Wuji.
After their conversation, both of them gained a lot, and before they knew it, they had consumed dozens of kilograms of Dragon Tiger Wine.
Chen Yuan was already in a drunken stupor. He stood up unsteadily, cupped his hands, and took his leave.
Jing Wuji, whose alcohol tolerance far surpassed Chen Yuan's, rose to see him off and asked, "Where does my worthy brother reside?"
Chen Yuan said, "I will stay in Pingshuang City, which is ten thousand miles away."
Jing Wuji was somewhat surprised: "That mortal town? My brother, are you just playing around in the mortal world?"
Chen Yuan said, "Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well experience the mortal world."
Jing Wuji nodded: "It is inconvenient for me to see you off. You may go now, my brother. If the master returns, I will personally go and invite you here."
Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Thank you, Brother Jing. I will come back to learn from you again in a year. Brother Jing, please prepare the Dragon Tiger Wine."
Jing Wuji laughed loudly: "Don't worry, my good brother. Even if we finish drinking several thousand catties of Dragon Tiger Wine, I still have other spirit wines on hand. I guarantee you'll have a good time!"
……
Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.
There is no spring, summer, or autumn on the snowfield, only the unchanging cold winter. The snow-covered land is forever covered in white, desolate and monotonous.
But over the past few decades, the snowfields near Baishan have changed beyond recognition every year.
But this did not reduce the number of creatures around Youbai Mountain; instead, it attracted monsters from even further away.
Beneath the ice sheet lies permafrost. As a calamity struck, the snow and ice on the ground were destroyed, and the permafrost broke apart and surged under the powerful aftershocks, seeing the light of day again.
The incredibly resilient moss spread rapidly, turning the desolate land into a vast expanse of green.
The weaker monsters such as snow rabbits, argali sheep, and white-tailed deer took the opportunity to multiply and thrive, attracting even more powerful monsters.
These demonic beasts initially suffered heavy casualties under the heavenly calamity, but they possessed considerable intelligence and quickly discovered the pattern of the calamity. They would migrate to a more distant place in advance and return to Youbai Mountain after the calamity had passed.
In fact, calling it a "calamity from heaven" is not accurate for these monsters.
The calamity will not last long and will bring new life to this land. Rather than a calamity, it is more like a divine opportunity.
Youbai Mountain survived unscathed through calamities, standing firm despite dozens of disasters, and was regarded as a "sacred mountain" by some highly intelligent monsters.
On this day, the monsters near Baishan began another large-scale migration, and a few days later, the calamity descended as expected.
The sky and earth changed color, and a thunderous sound resounded through the heavens, reaching thousands of miles away. A storm swept across the land, destroying everything on the ground.
All the monsters that managed to escape felt an immense pressure; heaven and earth seemed to be enraged.
They huddled shivering in the dense forests of the mountain valley, grateful that they had escaped the calamity, and looking forward to the more vibrant Youbai Mountain after the disaster.
The thunder and storm lasted for seven days and seven nights before finally subsiding.
While touring the top of Baishan Mountain, Chen Yuan and Jing Wuji sat on the ground, drinking heartily and discussing the way of body cultivation.
Chen Yuan raised his wine jug to Jing Wuji: "Thank you for the spiritual herbs, Brother Jing. My alchemy skills have improved a lot. If you need to refine pills in the future, please just ask and I will do it."
Jing Wuji laughed and said, "A few spiritual herbs are nothing to mention. To be honest, my brother, Mingzhu Cave Heaven has nothing else but spiritual herbs."
"Back then, the master moved half of a giant spiritual vein into the cave, where the spiritual energy was abundant, and casually scattered spiritual herb seeds."
"Over the past tens of thousands of years, all kinds of spiritual herbs have grown all over the mountains and plains of Mingzhu Cave Heaven. The few hundred ancient spiritual herbs that I gave to my brother are nothing at all."
Chen Yuan said solemnly, "This is just a small favor for Brother Jing, but it is a treasure that I cannot buy even with immortal spirit stones. I owe Brother Jing a favor."
Jing Wuji waved his hand: "Brother, you flatter me. Over the years, I have enjoyed sparring and drinking spirit wine with you. Spirit herbs are insignificant. Do not mention them again."
Chen Yuan smiled slightly and said no more, but he couldn't help but take Jing Wuji's free and unrestrained nature to heart.
He and Jing Wuji became acquainted after a fight. After that great battle, Chen Yuan would come to Baishan every year to spar with Jing Wuji, drink wine and discuss philosophy, without interruption.
The two grew closer and closer, becoming like bosom friends. When Jing Wuji learned that Chen Yuan was also skilled in alchemy, he generously gave him hundreds of ancient spiritual herbs.
Although these spiritual herbs are no longer useful to Chen Yuan's cultivation, he needs to improve his alchemy skills step by step and accumulate experience, so ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs are the perfect choice.
Over the years, besides patiently collecting worldly energy, he has also been refining elixirs in his courtyard, and his alchemy skills have improved by leaps and bounds.
Chen Yuan's success rate in refining late-stage Void Refinement pills has now reached an astonishing 80%, and he has also refined three batches of early-stage Body Integration pills with a success rate of 50%.
His alchemy skills have already surpassed the limits of his cultivation level, making him quite remarkable among alchemists at the Integration Realm. Once his cultivation level breaks through and his primordial spirit power increases further, his success rate in producing pills will become even higher.
More than seventy years have passed, and Chen Yuan has collected enough mortal energy to completely refine the Origin Pill in his dantian. His understanding of the power of laws has deepened considerably, especially the four types of law power he has mastered, which have granted him several supernatural abilities.
Chen Yuan's understanding of the power of laws is now no less than that of any Nascent Soul cultivator. In terms of his understanding of the laws of space, he is even more confident that he can rival a Nascent Soul cultivator who has mastered this path.
However, he still lacked the most important primordial energy, and his spatial supernatural abilities were far inferior to those of Master Fu, and even inferior to those of the Great Sage Xuanli in his memories.
Unfortunately, Chen Yuan waited for more than seventy years, but Zhu Mingzi still did not return to his cave, and he could no longer wait.
Chen Yuan drank a large gulp of Dragon Tiger Wine, put the wine pot aside, and bowed to Jing Wuji with clasped hands: "Brother Jing, I have been in the Barbarian Spirit Domain for eighty years, but I have never been able to meet Senior Zhumingzi. I can no longer wait, so I am taking my leave today."
Jing Wuji was taken aback, silently put down the wine pot, and sighed, "I knew that my virtuous brother would leave sooner or later, but I did not expect this day to come so soon."
"These eighty years have been the most enjoyable days I've had since I started following you, sir. I am also very content to have made such a good friend as you, my brother."
Chen Yuan said, "I also wish to stay here and discuss the Dao with Brother Jing, but as an elder of the sect, I have heavy responsibilities and cannot refuse."
"But Brother Jing, rest assured, after the sect's affairs are settled, I will come to discuss and drink with you again."
Jing Wuji looked at Chen Yuan with a half-smile: "I think you came to see me under the pretense of a formality, but to see the master in reality, isn't that right?"
Chen Yuan smiled and said, "It has both, and both are equally important."
The Ferocious Tiger Demon Core is crucial to his path of cultivation. Even if he obtains the blood of other True Spirits, he cannot give up the White Tiger True Blood within this Demon Core. He will not give up until he sees Zhumingzi.
Jing Wuji shook his head and chuckled: "My brother is so fierce when he fights, but he is always so tactless when he speaks. How boring."
"Since you are leaving, I have nothing else to offer, so I will give you one hundred ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and fifty thirty-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs."
"It's a pity that among the spirit herb seeds that Master sowed back then, there were no body-tempering spirit herbs. I have already refined all the body-tempering spirit herbs that I planted myself. The newly planted ones are still young. Otherwise, I would have given them to you, my dear brother."
Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Brother Jing, your gift is too kind. I would be impolite to refuse it."
The wealth of Mahayana cultivators is beyond the imagination of low-level cultivators, especially Mahayana cultivators like Zhumingzi who have lived for hundreds of thousands of years without establishing a sect.
From the few words Jing Wuji revealed, the treasures within this Bright Candle Cave Heaven were enough to drive even the wealthiest Nascent Soul cultivators mad.
Jing Wuji was not a disciple of Zhumingzi; he was merely guarding his cave. Yet, he could easily produce hundreds of ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and fifty thirty-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.
However, even the oldest spiritual herbs, such as those aged 50,000 years, 80,000 years, and the legendary 100,000 years, are not to be taken lightly even by Mahayana cultivators. They are all planted in the strictly restricted spiritual herb garden, and Jing Wuji is not allowed to touch them without permission.
Jing Wuji put down the wine pot, soared into the air, tore open the spatial vortex, and returned to Mingzhu Cave Heaven to retrieve the spiritual herbs for Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan picked up the wine pot again and slowly sipped his wine.
He had known Jing Wuji for decades, but he never inquired about Jing Wuji's past, nor did he ask why Jing Wuji, a dignified mid-stage Body Integration cultivator, addressed Zhu Mingzi as "Master" and guarded Zhu Mingzi's cave.
Jing Wuji did not inquire about Chen Yuan's past, and ignored Chen Yuan's peculiar appearance during their fight.
Cultivators all have their own secrets, especially those who have reached the level of cultivation of the two of them.
Chen Yuan is comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and Jing Wuji is not weak even among Nascent Soul cultivators. If he went all out, even if Chen Yuan used all his trump cards, he would have been defeated long ago.
The two became friends after a fight, but they appreciated each other and neither wanted to ruin their pure friendship.
About an hour later, Jing Wuji tore open a spatial passage, landed on the top of Youbai Mountain, and handed a mustard seed ring to Chen Yuan.
"Brother, please accept these. These spiritual herbs were specially selected by me. They are among the most precious of all the spiritual herbs in Mingzhu Cave Heaven. If you come again in the future, I will not be able to offer anything better."
Chen Yuan took the mustard seed ring, put it away without even looking at it, and said with a smile, "I came here to visit Brother Jing, surely not for the sake of spiritual herbs."
The two looked at each other and smiled, then slowly suppressed their smiles.
Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "I shall take my leave now. I will visit you again sometime in a hundred years or some few decades."
Jing Wuji returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute: "Take care, my good brother. I have been to Tyrant Turtle Island and fought with the Demon Saint of the Burning Demon Realm. He is not someone to be trifled with."
"Brother, although your physical body is strong, your cultivation level is not yet at the Integration stage. Be very careful and prioritize your survival. It's best not to provoke the Demon Saint."
Chen Yuan's expression turned solemn: "Brother Jing's teachings will certainly be kept in mind." (End of this chapter)