Chapter Nineteen: I Am the Void

Page (1/3)

The talisman implements—

Originally, these were combat methods suitable only for those who cultivated Qi refinement. Each time one wielded a talisman implement, it consumed a portion of their innate breath. With lower-grade implements, the loss was manageable, but for middle- or upper-grade implements, the expenditure was vast.

This was especially true for cultivators who had not yet refined their Qi—

They had not yet established a bridge between their internal and external realms, unable to draw spiritual energy from the void or external medicines to strengthen and nurture their innate breath. The tiny amount of innate breath within their bodies, once depleted, was gone forever—never to be replenished.

The most obvious examples were those grandmasters of martial arts. Years of fierce battles left them unable to hold back or focus on cultivating longevity. Often, after just three to five years of war, their innate breath was exhausted. Though their natural lifespan should have been one hundred and fifty years, rarely did any survive a full sixty. This was all because they had not yet mastered Qi refinement and had prematurely used up their innate breath.

Due to these limitations, talisman implements, Daoist arts, and alchemical formations could not become the main methods of battle for cultivators who relied on innate breath. Their true means of action remained the martial arts of ordinary men.

Yet these cultivators, whether in physique or perception, had already transcended ordinary humanity. Even the martial ways, in their hands, became something else entirely—transformed and reborn.

But within the Realm of True Law—

Chen Heng had no need to worry about the consequences of exhausting his innate breath. At most, he was merely a heart-image; whatever he did would not affect his true self in the outside world. He could experiment freely.

"Go!"

Chen Heng pointed with his finger.

The Thunderfire Pearl, suspended in midair, immediately transformed into a stream of light and shot toward Xu Zhi’s head. As it moved, a thread of Chen Heng’s innate breath was consumed.

Xu Zhi vaulted backward, leaping five or six yards in an instant, but the pearl pursued him relentlessly. Forced to pour all his innate breath into his iron sword, he hurled it with all his strength.

With a thunderous explosion, the iron sword shattered, and half of Xu Zhi’s body was left bloodied and mangled. Yet this heart-image did not falter; in a flash, he seized the broken hilt from the thunder and fire, twisted his body, and lunged again toward Chen Heng.

"Trying to get close? It’s not so easy!"

Chen Heng flicked his wrist, sending the Thunderfire Pearl shooting once more, this time aimed at Xu Zhi’s back.

This time, the pearl erupted mid-flight, scattering countless red and white bolts of thunder—each fiercer than the last.

Xu Zhi nearly breached the five-yard perimeter around Chen Heng, but a sudden bolt forced him to dodge, unable to withstand the assault.

After dodging twelve bolts in succession, Xu Zhi was finally caught. A bolt, fierce enough to melt gold and cut iron, shot straight for his heart!

With a thunderous crash, as if a massive stone had fallen, smoke and dust billowed, fire and lightning rolling out in all directions.

"This..."

When the smoke cleared, Chen Heng was momentarily stunned by what he saw.

Xu Zhi appeared quite miserable, half his body drenched in blood, his blue-green Daoist robes torn and burned by fire and lightning.

But upon closer inspection, these wounds were old; the bolt that struck his heart had inflicted no new harm.

Page (2/3)

Above Xu Zhi’s head, a shallow barrier formed from condensed innate breath shifted and shimmered—it was this shield that had blocked the bolt capable of melting gold and iron.

"A Qi-refining cultivator’s innate breath, just by manifesting like this, can withstand a blow from a mid-grade talisman implement?"

Though knowing his own innate breath was limited and unable to fully unleash the power of the Thunderfire Pearl, Chen Heng was still astonished.

"What a pity... Brother, you have neglected your cultivation. If you had a talisman implement in hand, and added a few Daoist arts, how could I ever defeat you?"

Chen Heng shook his head with regret and pointed again at the Thunderfire Pearl. "Come, let’s see how many bolts your sixth-stage Qi-refining innate breath can withstand!"

As he finished speaking—

Dozens of red and white bolts erupted from the pearl, raining down upon Xu Zhi’s protective barrier, causing the innate breath within to churn and surge.

After enduring more than ten strikes, with a sound like shattering glass, the barrier finally collapsed.

Boom!

Suppressing the discomfort of having his innate breath drained, Chen Heng summoned the last of his strength, drew one more bolt from the pearl, and sent it crashing into Xu Zhi.

Crackle!

The red and white bolt struck Xu Zhi, incinerating him into ashes, leaving no trace.

Having completed this, Chen Heng could no longer hold himself up and collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

The Thunderfire Pearl, bereft of its master's control, dimmed and rolled to the earth, hiding its spiritual essence.

"My innate breath..."

It was half a cup of tea’s time before Chen Heng gradually recovered.

His head spun, his body weak, and he felt as though he stood on a bed of cotton—soft and unstable.

"So this is what it feels like when one's innate breath is exhausted? Curious."

With the cold combat true Qi raging unchecked in his body, Chen Heng could barely take a few steps before he fell again, finally sitting cross-legged.

The consumption of a mid-grade talisman implement was immense. Though he had managed to defeat Xu Zhi, it had drained his innate breath and left his spirit troubled, almost to the point of vomiting blood.

His body remained as strong as iron; with a single arm, he could still wield the strength of three horses without any loss.

Yet his current feeling was as if he lay naked in the void—empty in all directions, nothing to rely on.

Dull and pure, floating and drifting.

Chen Heng frowned, contemplating this change for an unknown length of time.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed with realization.

"Contemplate the heart and find no heart; gaze upon the form and find no form; the body exists outside itself, forget the form and the form remains!"

He tried to stand, but his knees, frozen numb by cold combat true Qi, gave way and he fell prone.

"So this is the 'void' described in the Daoist classic, 'The True Scripture of the Primordial Origin as Explained by the Master of the Divine Mansion.' This void is not that void—yes, yes!"

Chen Heng paid no heed, laughing loudly on the ground:

"The Great Void is me; first empty the body, and when the body is empty, it is true emptiness... It must be so, I have understood! I have understood!"

What had begun as an ordinary duel ended with Chen Heng, upon exhausting his innate breath, unexpectedly grasping the true meaning of 'void' in the Qi refinement art.

Page (3/3)

Such wondrous fortune is unmatched in this world.

With the insight of 'void,' he was close to comprehending the Daoist classic, 'The True Scripture of the Primordial Origin as Explained by the Master of the Divine Mansion.' The stage of Qi refinement was within his grasp.

How could Chen Heng not be overjoyed?

After several hearty laughs, he forced himself to calm his excitement, returned to meditation, and pondered deeply.

But not long after—

The cold combat true Qi stirred again, jolting him awake.

Chen Heng looked at his legs; the muscles had turned blue, and when he touched them, he felt no flesh—only the sensation of dead wood soaked in cold water.

"Troublesome..."

With a single stroke, Chen Heng decapitated himself.

Upon reincarnation, he wasted no words and immediately summoned Xu Zhi, bombarding him with the Thunderfire Pearl.

Once his innate breath was exhausted, he closed his eyes to contemplate, and when the cold combat true Qi acted up again, he raised his sword once more.

Combat, contemplation, self-destruction...

This cycle repeated endlessly.

During this time—

Except for the occasional need to withdraw his mind from the Realm of True Law to satisfy his body's hunger with water and dried meat, Chen Heng devoted all his energy to cultivation.

His progress was remarkable.

He not only became more adept at wielding the Thunderfire Pearl, but also thoroughly comprehended the Daoist classic, 'The True Scripture of the Primordial Origin as Explained by the Master of the Divine Mansion,' lacking only the final step to attain Qi refinement.

That last step held no great obstacles.

As long as he was willing to settle his mind and grind away for a few months, he would naturally succeed and reach perfection.

...

One day.

As Chen Heng continued his cultivation in the Realm of True Law, a sharp pain pierced his brow, and he was suddenly aware of something.

"What’s happening?"

With a thought, Chen Heng communed with Golden Cicada and left the Realm of True Law.

"Why is my true body in the outside world sounding an alarm?"