Chapter 387: A Thousand-Year Scheme, All for Another
Years ago, after the Divine Martial Daoist Master achieved Foundation Establishment, the Primordial Sect had massacred the Cyan Nether Pavilion for half of an eight-thousand-year Ginseng King. The Profound Celestial Sword Sect had gone to war with Medicine King Valley over three leaves of a Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, and the Wansheng Sword Sect had also launched a great war against the Primordial Sect on the border between their territories.
As for this Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King that had undergone Spirit Transformation right before his eyes, if news of it were to reach the Upper Realm, even those old monsters who had been in seclusion for millennia would likely break out of their isolation to get it.
In terms of medicinal efficacy, while there were other natural treasures in the world that could compare, the Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King had transcended the shackles of a mortal object and undergone a fundamental transformation.
Its most precious quality was its ability to extend a life by three hundred years. For those reclusive old freaks whose lifespans were nearly exhausted, whose Divine Souls were decaying, and who had no hope for Reincarnation, it was nothing short of a final lifeline in a desperate plight—enough to drive those who were just barely clinging to life into a frenzy.
"What a monstrous waste! A monstrous waste!"
The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s pupils contracted violently, his withered face twisting into a ferocious mask of rage.
He could only watch as Xu Yunfan stuffed the Ginseng Child into his mouth. His gray-green nails had long since pierced his palms, but he was completely oblivious to the pain.
At this moment, it seemed his three-thousand-year scheme had all been for naught, merely paving the way for another.
Years ago, he had faced a mighty foe. To escape a fatal destiny and evade the karmic ties, while still seeking a path to greater power, he made a difficult choice. After his injuries caused his cultivation to drop from the Foundation Establishment Realm, he returned to the Divine Martial Realm. There, he used a Secret Technique to seal his Divine Soul within that Evil Flood Dragon, enduring the ceaseless corrosion of the Earth Vein Yin Sha Qi.
’My grand plan to reconstruct my body, a scheme three thousand years in the making... I expended immeasurable effort to remain in slumber until this day. With the help of this ginseng, I might have even been able to forge a Postnatal Dao Body...’
"You wretched brat, you deserve to die!"
As he watched Xu Yunfan bring the ginseng to his lips, the Foundation Establishment Daoist Master’s expression twisted. The True Essence in his body began to seethe as he forcefully drew upon Chen Jiuchuan’s own Essence to temporarily boost his combat strength.
A look of terror had just appeared on the face of the Spiritual Object—the transformed Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King—when Xu Yunfan shoved it into his mouth!
GULP!
The moment the Ginseng Child slid down his throat, a surging torrent of Vitality erupted like a volcano.
His vision was instantly flooded with notifications, scrolling past like a data waterfall as message after message popped up.
Xu Yunfan had no time to read them. He only felt his withered right arm instantly fill with vigor, its skin beginning to glow with a jade-like luster from within.
Sensing the vast Spiritual Mechanism of the Ginseng King rapidly filling Xu Yunfan’s body, the Martial Dao Profound Crystal’s rate of consumption surged tenfold. Dark golden patterns became clearly visible beneath his flesh, coalescing into a strange design on his chest.
With the final catalyst supplied, the Martial Dao Profound Crystal began to embed itself within Xu Yunfan’s body.
"NO!!"
The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets, his cloudy pupils reflecting utter, incredulous horror.
He had painstakingly schemed for thousands of years, even using an ancient Secret Treasure to obscure the Celestial Secret, only to be met at the final moment by an unorthodox Land Immortal Realm Martial Artist like Xu Yunfan!
Three thousand years of scheming crumbled to dust. He could almost hear the sharp crack of fate’s chains shattering at the very end of his path on the Dao.
All hope for his Dao path was now lost.
A Foundation Establishment Daoist Master might have the ability to awaken their Innate Wisdom across five reincarnations, but just like an hourglass, the sand eventually runs out.
Once the five-lifetime limit was surpassed, the Divine Soul would wither and die completely, like a candle in the wind.
Then, they would be plunged eternally into the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation. It might take ten thousand years of hardship before they could find another slim chance to enter the path of the Dao within the vastness of the Celestial Dao.
But now, he saw golden light erupting from every pore on Xu Yunfan’s body. The devouring process of the Martial Dao Profound Crystal had been forcibly reversed; the Profound Crystal was now feeding its power back into its host!
Xu Yunfan was aware of the Divine Martial Daoist Master’s fury, but he paid it no mind.
He had to admit, his opponent was powerful. His techniques, born from the Martial Dao, drew upon the great power of the heavens and earth with every move, attacking from all sides. A simple lift of his hand or foot could call down the suppressive might of the Shenxiao Thunderbolt.
It truly made him covetous.
’But I’m no pushover myself. I haven’t even used the Linn Character Technique yet. If I didn’t want to experience more of his Martial Dao techniques and further explore the Martial Dao Profound Crystal and Divine Martial Foundation Establishment, why would I have wasted so many moves on this fellow?’
’Given Chen Jiuchuan’s actual realm and strength, I could have crushed him easily.’
The Spiritual Liquid transformed from the Ginseng Child surged through his meridians, and the Martial Dao Profound Crystal absorbed it madly, like a famished whale.
Xu Yunfan’s Ten Extremes True Qi spontaneously formed a vortex in his Dantian to counteract it.
Each pull in this internal tug-of-war sent thunderous rumbles through his bones and sinews. The dissipated energy caused all the vegetation within a thousand-foot radius to instantly grow into towering trees, only for them to wither into ash the very next moment.
The Divine Martial Daoist Master tried to interfere, but the rebounding Spiritual Pressure forced him back three steps.
He was horrified to discover that Xu Yunfan was leveraging the conflict between the two forces to forcibly strengthen his physique even further—a body that should have already reached its absolute limit!
Previously sealed Hidden Acupoints were violently forced open, only to be instantly repaired by the Ginseng Child’s abundant Vitality the moment they shattered.
This was clearly the cultivation method for the Primordial Sect’s secret Hundred Bone Profundity Technique!
Without a Meridian Opening Pill, Xu Yunfan was attempting to use the immense medicinal power of the Ginseng Child Spirit Liquid to forcibly construct a network of meridians within his body.
However, after a prolonged struggle, the barely-formed meridian network remained as ephemeral as a phantom in the mist. The moment he tried to operate it, it would fall apart, utterly incapable of solidifying.
’It seems the effects of the Meridian Opening Pill are far more complex than simply aiding cultivation,’ Xu Yunfan thought. ’There must be a deeper secret to it.’
Xu Yunfan sighed softly, forced to temporarily abandon his bold attempt.
Three breaths later, cracks spread across every inch of Xu Yunfan’s skin, revealing lava-like, crimson-gold patterns beneath.
These blazing patterns slithered and interwove like living creatures, converging on his chest to form the ancient totem of True Martial Stepping on Turtle and Snake.
The Turtle Shell Pattern aligned with the number of the Nine Palaces, while the snake scale design hinted at the Stars of the Celestial Sphere. With every breath, the patterns would sometimes surge like an Earth Vein and at other times blaze like a celestial fire, illuminating his body until it resembled a Profound Iron Embryo being forged into a Divine Weapon.
The Profound Crystal’s rate of consumption dropped sharply as it began to release the refined and purified energy instead.
He let out a sudden, muffled grunt. His spine—the great dragon of the body—lit up, vertebra by vertebra, a miniature Dao Pattern appearing on each one.
This was a sign of achieving Foundation Establishment in the physical body!
Xu Yunfan could clearly sense that he had touched a threshold, one that was profound beyond comprehension. It felt as though a single final push was all he needed to shatter his shackles and step into an entirely new world.
The Martial Dao Profound Crystal had now fused with his heart. Every beat pumped pale golden blood through his veins.
He felt the world-shaking changes within him. His True Qi had completely liquefied, forming a golden lake deep within his body.
The density of his bones skyrocketed; a casual clench of his fist produced a sonic boom. But most astonishing of all was his unparalleled perception.
He could now clearly perceive the aura trails of the Primordial Sect disciples, even though they were dozens of miles away!
However, when he mustered all his Ten Extremes True Qi to break through this final barrier, he found the invisible boundary was as impregnable as a celestial chasm. No matter how he surged with power, it wouldn’t budge an inch.
In a flash of insight, Xu Yunfan understood with perfect clarity. He was ultimately missing the most critical component: a Dao Foundation.
’I’ve never practiced an orthodox cultivation Dharma Gate or received guidance from a True Scripture. How could I possibly hope to knock open the gate to Foundation Establishment?’
’It’s like trying to cut Profound Iron with a blade of Mortal Iron—a futile effort.’
’I still need a cultivation True Scripture that points directly to the Great Dao. Only then can I forge the supreme sword of the Dao needed to shatter this celestial gate.’