Chapter 273: Chapter 273: In the Surging Tides of the Mortal World, We Are All in the Same Boat
"Hahaha, the Marrow Cleansing Realm, that’s..."
Fang Mushan’s voice froze mid-sentence. The hand he had on Xu Yunfan’s shoulder stiffened as if it had been shocked.
Beside them, Li Haomiao’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. He swallowed hard, and his breath hitched for a moment.
"The Marrow Cleansing Realm... Are you serious?" Li Haomiao’s voice was hoarse, his fingertips unconsciously digging into his palm.
After a long moment, Fang Mushan wordlessly removed his hand from Xu Yunfan’s shoulder.
"No way."
"It’s true."
"I don’t believe it!"
Xu Yunfan didn’t answer, simply raising his right arm slowly.
The moment he splayed his fingers, Powerful Qi erupted. The surrounding air seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, coalescing into five vortexes of cloudy white energy visible to the naked eye.
As he closed his fingers into a fist, the vortexes imploded.
BOOM!
A sonic boom, like the sound of ripping silk, erupted. A fierce gust of wind, carrying a clear ringing like a Jade Chime, swept outward, scattering the dust on the ground in a perfect circle.
The shockwave blew back the hair at Li Haomiao’s temples, and his exposed skin prickled with a fine tremor.
It was the "Jade Bone and Golden Voice," an Anomaly unique to the Marrow Cleansing Realm—a resonance with heaven and earth triggered by Strength penetrating the bone marrow!
Only those who had refined their Golden Marrow could absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi directly with their bodies, without relying on Martial Arts. This process of breathing would temper and strengthen their physical form.
Over time, the body would be cleansed and undergo a metamorphosis as it was steeped in Spiritual Qi.
Fang Mushan staggered back half a step, a broken gasp escaping his throat. "...Golden marrow mercury paste, a chime that shakes mountains... You’ve actually crossed the threshold to become a Grandmaster!"
Xu Yunfan was dumbfounded, watching Fang Mushan collapse onto the ground in a daze.
It was like sympathizing with a fish in a dried-up rut, only to resent it for transforming into a great Roc and taking flight.
In other words: you hate to see your friends suffer, but you also hate to see them driving a sports car.
After a long moment, Li Haomiao walked over and patted Xu Yunfan’s shoulder.
"I never imagined you could surpass us by so much in such a short time. You must have endured incredible hardship, haven’t you?"
Seeing Li Haomiao’s concerned expression, Xu Yunfan’s heart warmed. He grinned. "Well, it seems carrying you all the way here was worth it."
Twilight descended, and the mountain wind swept across Divine Sky Peak, carrying the sound of soughing pines.
The three composed themselves. Knowing this wasn’t the place to talk, they started down the bluestone steps at a quick pace.
They exchanged a look, wordlessly reining in their emotions. This wasn’t the place to reminisce.
"How about we find a place to drink at the bottom of the mountain?"
Fang Mushan declared, then stamped his foot on the stone, shooting forward thirty feet like a tiger uncaged.
Not to be outdone, Li Haomiao channeled his Blood Flood Dragon Force, and the stone step beneath his foot fractured into a spiderweb of cracks.
The two were feeling competitive, eager to test the limits of Xu Yunfan, who had now reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm.
Xu Yunfan saw this and chuckled, choosing not to call them out on it.
His gait seemed casual, yet it was as if Cloud Qi supported his every step. The leaves of his Dragon Scale Armor vibrated gently with his movements, emitting a clear, jade-like chime.
No matter how the two ahead pushed themselves to their limits, he effortlessly remained just half a step behind them, his robes fluttering without his breathing ever faltering in the slightest.
"This is insane!"
Fang Mushan glanced back, saw Xu Yunfan’s effortless composure, and grit his teeth. He activated the power of a secret medicinal wine he had stored, and his skin flushed crimson.
Li Haomiao, in turn, suddenly switched techniques. His Blood Flood Dragon Force took on the form of a Dragon Sparrow Flapping its Wings, increasing his speed by another thirty percent. This was Dragon Sparrow Flapping Wings, a Secret Martial Art of the Great Zhou Imperial Court.
The stone steps became a blur beneath their feet.
As they passed a cliff’s edge, Xu Yunfan suddenly formed a sword-hand, and a bolt of Qi Force shot from his fingertips, striking from afar.
The Powerful Qi traced an arc of light through the air, cleanly severing an ancient vine at its root.
The instant the vine began to fall, he tapped it with his toe, using it as a springboard to launch himself into the air. Like a Golden Roc soaring through the sky, he instantly shot past the other two.
"The ’Qi Threads’ of the Marrow Cleansing Realm?!"
Li Haomiao’s pupils contracted.
This display of using one’s fingers as a sword was enough to prove that Xu Yunfan wasn’t just a novice in the Marrow Cleansing Realm; he had been cultivating in it for quite some time.
By the time the other two arrived at the foot of the mountain, panting for breath, Xu Yunfan was already standing calmly beneath the city gate, his hands clasped behind his back.
The night wind stirred the tassels on the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace at his waist. The body of the mace resonated with his Dragon Scale Armor, creating a soft hum—a celestial sound produced when the Strength within his marrow occasionally communed with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
The Great Dragon of the human body resides in the spine; it is the foundation of all Martial Dao cultivation.
Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artists use Powerful Qi as a guide, refining their Bone Marrow Power until it becomes like a mercury paste. This power then ascends the spine vertebra by vertebra, connecting the Jade Pillow at the base of the skull to the Tailbone below, circulating without end.
At the twin hours of midnight and noon, waves would stir in the sea of marrow. A golden ichor and jade nectar would surge from the depths of the Great Dragon, reacting with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to produce a clear, metallic ringing. This was the origin of the "Jade Bone and Golden Voice."
For an ordinary Martial Artist, even one who reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm, their Bone Marrow Power was but a trickling stream.
As for Xu Yunfan, his Bone Marrow Power was like a surging river. This was because he had triggered the "Earth Vein Bone Forging" Anomaly upon achieving Perfection in his Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique. Furthermore, his Dragon Scale Armor nourished him with Blood Qi, augmented by the Qi of Ginseng and a daily supply of Essence Qi from the Demon Flesh and Blood in the Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.
The golden marrow flowing through his spine had even begun to faintly manifest the image of a Flood Dragon coiling around a mountain—a sign that he had cultivated the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength to the Great Success stage of "Bone Marrow Transformation into Flood Dragon Form"!
But this was as far as he could go. He had cultivated the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique to its absolute limit. To advance further, he would have to practice the Mituo Temple’s Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill to further condense his Bone Marrow Power, alter his Constitution, and improve his innate aptitude.
Fang Mushan collapsed onto a bluestone rock, sweat pouring off him. "Damn it... you’re too damn fast!"
At the foot of the mountain lay Profound Sky City. Built to support the Qingwei Mountain Daoist Sect, its lights burned as bright as day. The marketplace bustled with a mix of Cultivators and mortal merchants, creating the lively, vibrant atmosphere of the Mortal World.
The city was home to the families of the Taoist Sect’s disciples. You could bump into any random old man on the street and learn his ancestor had once been an Elder. It was an important bastion for the Taoist Sect, with disciples standing guard at its very gates.
Once inside the city, Li Haomiao led them into a three-story tavern with a plaque that read "Drunken Immortal Inn."
A sharp-eyed waiter noticed their extraordinary bearing. He paid particular attention to Xu Yunfan, who still wore his Armor and carried the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace that glinted coldly on his back. Moreover, the waist-tokens of Li Haomiao and Fang Mushan identified them as True Inheritors of the Taoist Sect. The waiter wasted no time in leading them to a private room on the top floor.
"Ten jars of ’Cold Pool Fragrance’! And bring us your house specials! Quickly!" Fang Mushan slammed a gold ingot on the table, his voice loud enough to make the window lattice tremble.
Before long, the table was laden with hearty dishes like roasted deer tendon and snow chicken stewed with spirit mushrooms. The moment the clay seal on a wine jar was broken, a sharp, alcoholic fragrance mingled with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs filled the air.
By the time the first light of dawn appeared outside the window, seven or eight empty jars were rolling around their feet.
Fang Mushan was slumped over the table, muttering, "What’s so great about the Hammer Technique from the Celestial Craft Cave anyway..." Meanwhile, Li Haomiao clutched Xu Yunfan’s hand, his eyes hazy with drink. "This time... I will take back Great Zhou. I’ll let the people live in peace..."
The golden patterns on his Dragon Scale Armor seemed to flow in the faint morning light. Xu Yunfan stared at the brightening sky outside the window, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the ornate head of his Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace.
The table was in disarray, covered in empty cups and plates. Fang Mushan was leaned back in his chair, snoring like thunder. Li Haomiao was slumped over the table, fast asleep, his sleeves still damp with spilled wine.
The three had drunk heartily through the night until dawn. Fang Mushan had pounded the table, shouting for ten more jars. Li Haomiao, in a drunken haze, had even used his Blood Qi to sober up, insisting on a contest with Xu Yunfan to see who could down a thousand cups and remain standing.
