Chapter 326: Chapter 133: A Crushing Hunt, Yellow Springs Death Qi Reveals Its Might! Dantian Qi Sea Transformation, Washing Marrow and Rushing Meridians to Break Through
From the captured Moon Worship Cultists, he had learned that Dragon Ridge Mountain was teeming with experts.
If Zhang Yunpeng grew desperate and called for reinforcements from Dragon Ridge Mountain, and a more powerful expert descended, the Nine Nether Spirit Locking Array could still be activated.
The people of North City, and indeed the entire city, would still be unable to escape the calamity of a Blood Sacrifice.
With this in mind, Chu Fan had already made arrangements...
He had sent Cao Feng, Li Qingxue, and Cao Yan to quietly set up an ambush along the main road connecting Dragon Ridge Mountain and Cyan Yang City.
Whether it was people coming down from Dragon Ridge Mountain or messengers sent by Zhang Yunpeng to call for aid, they were to kill them all.
If they encountered a powerful foe, they were to use one of Master Cao’s messenger birds to send word.
Meanwhile, Constable Lu Tao, thanks to his convenient position, was responsible for closely monitoring Zhang Yunpeng’s movements within the Government Office, watching for any sign of activity.
But that wasn’t enough...
Chu Fan’s brow furrowed slightly.
In the heat of the last battle, he had overlooked a crucial detail: he hadn’t forced them to reveal the specific array cores and layout of the Nine Nether Spirit Locking Array.
It was always easier to destroy than to build...
If he could find the Grand Array’s core Array Flags or Array Stones and secretly destroy or replace them, then when Zhang Yunpeng tried to activate it, he would discover it was all for naught.
He had already instructed Lu Tao to find an opportunity to capture one of Zhang Yunpeng’s trusted subordinates and torture them for details about the Grand Array.
"Huuuh..."
Chu Fan let out a long, slow breath, suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
The most urgent task was to continue increasing his strength!
Waiting for reinforcements was a passive defense; only by being strong himself could he control the entire situation.
Recently, to face the threat of the Moon Worship Sect’s powerful enemies, he had spent most of his energy on Martial Arts Limit Breaking.
He had relied entirely on the various powerful Traits he’d acquired to defeat stronger opponents.
Whether it was the sinister and tyrannical power of his Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand fused with Yellow Springs Death Qi, the unparalleled defense of his Vajra Undying Body, or the many powerful Traits from Breaking the Limit on his Moon Eclipse Arrow—these were all the trump cards he used to contend with powerful foes.
But the battle at Maple Valley had taught him a clearer lesson—
Primordial Qi was the source of a Martial Artist’s power, the foundation for executing all Martial Arts!
Whether his Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand could shatter an enemy’s Protective Primordial Qi depended not only on the quality of the Extreme Cold Qi and Yellow Springs Death Qi, but also on the abundance of his own Primordial Qi.
If his Primordial Qi was strong enough, he could blast through defenses as if they were dead wood and pour even more Exotic Energy into his enemy’s body, dealing a fatal blow.
’It’s time to solidify my foundation.’
Chu Fan thought to himself, composing his mind.
His consciousness sank into his body, performing a Visualization of the "Tree of Qi and Blood" rooted in his Dantian.
The Tree of Qi and Blood had lush branches and leaves, its qi and blood immense.
After breaking through to the Spirit Awakening Realm, he had been so preoccupied with various matters that he still hadn’t completed the most fundamental and crucial step...
The Dantian Qi Sea Transformation.
The five heavens of the Spirit Awakening Realm were not as finely divided as the five stages of Foundation Establishment. Although there were five heavens, one didn’t need to break through them one by one.
The level of one’s Cultivation Realm was mainly determined by two factors—
First, the "quantity" of Primordial Qi;
Second, the number of opened meridians.
The reason the Second Heaven of the Spirit Awakening Realm was stronger than the First Heaven lay in the greater quantity of Primordial Qi and number of meridians.
But the prerequisite for all of this was to open up a "Qi Sea" at the roots of the Tree of Qi and Blood, a space capable of holding and circulating a vast amount of Primordial Qi!
Without a Qi Sea, Primordial Qi was like rootless duckweed, able only to partially cling to the Tree of Qi and Blood and scatter throughout the limbs and bones, difficult to gather and control.
Subsequent meridian opening and cultivation of Divine Techniques would be out of the question.
Chu Fan held his breath and focused his mind, carefully guiding his Primordial Qi according to the Technique he knew by heart.
The Primordial Qi clinging to the Tree of Qi and Blood, along with the wisps scattered throughout his body, converged thread by thread, stream by stream, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, gathering in the chaotic void at the base of the tree’s roots.
At first, the Primordial Qi merely gathered peacefully.
Once the total amount was sufficient, with a thought, Chu Fan urged all the Primordial Qi to begin rotating at an accelerating speed!
HUMMM—
It was like the beginning of creation, a deafening thunderclap in the utter silence.
At the roots of the Tree of Qi and Blood, a vortex of Primordial Qi gradually took shape.
The vortex spun faster and faster, a powerful suction force emerging from its center, madly devouring the Primordial Qi that continued to flow in.
In the very center of the vortex, a point of extreme brilliance was quietly being born.
That was the embryonic form of the Qi Sea!
The process was slow but continuous, requiring immense patience and precise control over his Primordial Qi.
Chu Fan was completely focused, using all his effort to maintain the vortex’s stability and speed.
The formidable physique granted by his Vajra Undying Body came in handy at this moment, allowing him to fearlessly withstand the strain on his meridians from the high-speed rotation of Primordial Qi, without having to worry about them being damaged by a mistake.
Time passed in the silence. Outside the window, the sky turned from dark to light as the first hint of dawn appeared.
As the first ray of sunlight streamed through the window lattice and into the Quiet Chamber, the high-speed vortex of Primordial Qi inside Chu Fan’s body suddenly contracted inward and then stabilized.
The once-chaotic Dantian had transformed into a wondrous space shimmering with faint light and suffused with misty Primordial Qi—
The Qi Sea was formed!
All the Primordial Qi in his body had finally found its home, flowing like gentle streams completely into the Qi Sea.
Moreover, using the root system of the Tree of Qi and Blood, it faintly connected with all the major acupoints in his body.
An unprecedented sense of fullness and control washed over him, as if a new door had opened within his body.
’The first step is complete.’
A look of joy flashed in Chu Fan’s eyes.
The Dantian Qi Sea Transformation had been far easier than what was written in Master Cao’s manual; he had barely felt any difficulty.
He figured it was thanks to the Stunning Comprehension from "All Laws are Clear" and the secret assistance of his "Vajra Undying Body."
Chu Fan took a deep breath of the fresh morning air.
The next step was Opening Veins.
One must focus the mind and gather strength to build the foundation, and perform Yijing Marrow Opening and Meridian Activation.
"Opening Veins" was also known as "Washing Marrow and Rushing Meridians."
This process was not limited to the Spirit Awakening Realm, but extended through several subsequent realms as well.
One had to perform Opening Veins in the Spirit Awakening Realm, and also in the Divine Power Realm.
Meridians were the channels through which Primordial Qi circulated.
The number of opened meridians directly determined the explosive power and circulation speed of one’s Primordial Qi, as well as the might of future Divine Techniques.
