Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 388: Chapter 388: True Martial Demon Devouring True Scripture

Only by using a True Scripture as one’s foundation can they forge a path to the heavens and knock upon the gates of Longevity.

By a stroke of serendipity, a True Scripture had now appeared—one that no one had ever successfully cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Its lineage had been passed down to the present day, yet its Dao Position remained vacant—like a peerless sword, sealed in dust for a millennium, silently awaiting the one fated to wield it.

Xu Yunfan looked up, his gaze radiant.

"Senior, why not impart the Cultivation Scripture for the Divine Martial Dao Foundation to me? When I attain the Golden Core Dao in the future, I will surely help you transcend the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation and rebuild your path to the Dao."

Xu Yunfan’s gaze was electric, and his words carried an indescribable sincerity.

"Wishful thinking!"

The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s face twisted as he glared at the faintly discernible Dark Gold Dao Pattern on Xu Yunfan’s chest.

The Martial Dao Profound Crystal had already fused with the young man’s heart’s blood, making it impossible to strip away.

The realization that his three-thousand-year-long scheme had all been for someone else’s benefit made a metallic, sweet taste well up in his throat. He nearly died of sheer fury.

’How could this be...’

Xu Yunfan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his aura as vast and deep as the ocean.

The Ginseng Child Spirit Liquid still coursed through his body, completely healing the internal injuries sustained during the fierce battle.

His strength having surged once more, he could clearly feel that taking the old monster’s life would now be as easy as flipping his hand.

"It seems you’re determined to undergo Soldier Resolution right here and now, Senior."

Xu Yunfan sighed softly, Ten Extremes True Qi condensing into a crimson-gold vortex in his palm. "What a waste of your Foundation Establishment Dao Practice. In your next life, you’ll just be a pig or a dog, wallowing in the Sea of Suffering."

Hearing Xu Yunfan’s grating words, the Divine Martial Daoist Master’s expression turned utterly grim.

Xu Yunfan looked up at the Divine Martial Daoist Master, the golden glint in his eyes as sharp as a sword.

"It seems you’ve miscalculated, Daoist Master."

He strode forward, the ground cracking with each step. "Since you refuse to be dignified, Senior, I’ll have to give you some dignity myself..."

The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s face turned savage, and he suddenly transformed into a streak of light, lunging at Xu Yunfan.

’Once I possess you, everything will be mine again!’

The streak of light that was the Divine Martial Daoist Master moved like a Poison Dragon Enters the Sea, instantly piercing the center of Xu Yunfan’s brow.

In that instant, Xu Yunfan felt as if his Skull had been split open by a massive Thunderbolt. A sinister, cold aura thick with boundless, venomous resentment drove straight in, plunging directly toward the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

"Junior! My Realm and status may have fallen, but I once reached Foundation Establishment! My Divine Soul is worlds apart from that of an ordinary Qi Cultivation disciple. Today, I’ll show you the true power of a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master!"

The crazed Divine Thought detonated inside his skull, and a vast, starry firmament suddenly appeared before Xu Yunfan’s eyes.

The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s Divine Soul manifested as a sky-blotting giant, with nine enormous, purple-black serpents coiled around its body.

It was the Lifebound Dao Pattern he had condensed upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm. Now, the black serpents writhed madly, tearing the starry sky of the Sea of Consciousness to shreds.

Xu Yunfan let out a muffled grunt as faint, golden trickles of blood seeped from his seven orifices.

He could clearly feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the other’s Divine Soul—it was the aura of one who had truly touched the Celestial Dao Laws.

Although the Divine Martial Daoist Master’s remnant soul was not even a ten-thousandth of its peak, the suppression someone from the Foundation Establishment Realm had over a Cultivator of the Qi Cultivation Tier, and especially over a Martial Dao Martial Artist, was immense—like a fierce tiger over a lamb.

"Lin."

As the soft command echoed through his Sea of Consciousness, a golden sheen washed over Xu Yunfan’s pupils, transforming them into two miniature golden suns.

The moment he entered the Linn Character State, everything within a hundred-zhang radius came into focus: three leaves drifting slowly through the air; seven chi underground, the subtle vibrations of seventeen ants carrying their eggs; in the crooked-necked tree to the southeast, the thirty-six distinct streams of air stirred by two sparrows taking flight...

All of creation was reflected upon the lake of his heart, every detail rendered with perfect clarity.

Xu Yunfan let out a soft breath. ’It’s been a while since I last entered the Linn Character State.’

It wasn’t that he was unwilling; the Linn Character State was indeed powerful. But just as Yuu Congling had mentioned before, with repeated use, it seemed to strip away his emotions.

After exiting the Linn Character State, it took a considerable amount of time for his humanity to return and his passions to resurface.

The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s savage smile suddenly froze.

He realized he hadn’t broken into an ordinary Sea of Consciousness at all, but into a vast, boundless Glazed World.

Nine-Round Golden Suns hung high in the sky, and the earth below was a tapestry of jade-like channels. In the distance, twelve colossal Bronze tripods suppressed the four cardinal directions.

Most terrifying of all, what flowed through this world was not True Qi, but some form of chaotic energy he had never seen before.

"This is... the Supreme Forgetting Realm?"

The Divine Martial Daoist Master instantly realized what was happening. His expression turned foul, his voice trembling. "The ultimate secret art of the Wansheng Sword Sect... How... How did you cultivate it?!"

Even within the Wansheng Sword Sect itself, only a handful had ever mastered the Supreme Forgetful Dao.

Before the words had even faded, the entire Sea of Consciousness began to tremble violently.

The Nine-Round Golden Suns erupted in a blinding flash, weaving together across the firmament to form a golden, sky-blotting Cloud Pattern.

A majestic figure slowly emerged from the center of the Cloud Pattern. He wore a tall crown and a wide sash, and was draped in the All Heaven Star Robe. His face bore a strong resemblance to Xu Yunfan, yet it carried an aura of ancient, timeless power.

A Self God Dharma Aspect!

The Divine Martial Daoist Master’s Divine Soul began to tremble violently.

As a Cultivator who had once successfully reached Foundation Establishment, he knew all too well what this meant.

An ordinary Cultivator’s Sea of Consciousness could, at best, condense a phantom image. To manifest a Self God Dharma Aspect, one had to be a monster who had tempered their spirit to the realm of the Thought Movement Method.

"Impossible... You haven’t even reached Foundation Establishment! How could you have condensed your Self God?!"

Bitterness flooded the Divine Martial Daoist Master’s heart, and he couldn’t stop himself from roaring at the sky, "I’ve been played! I’ve been played!"

The Self God Dharma Aspect slowly opened its eyes. Within its pupils, entire galaxies seemed to swirl upside down.

With a mere lift of its hand, the purple-black serpents surrounding the Divine Martial Daoist Master shattered, inch by inch.

The Lifebound Dao Patterns he had once taken such pride in were now as fragile as paper meeting flame, turning to wisps of smoke in the golden light.

The Divine Martial Daoist Master let out a piercing scream.

He frantically formed hand seals, trying to flee, only to see the Self God Dharma Aspect spread its fingers. The entire Sea of Consciousness suddenly collapsed into a chaotic vortex.

Countless golden threads emerged from the void, weaving a cage that could imprison heaven and earth, trapping his Divine Soul securely within.

"Soul Search."

Following the Dharma Aspect’s indifferent decree, innumerable golden threads pierced the Divine Martial Daoist Master’s Divine Soul.

Fragmented memories flashed by like scenes in a revolving lantern.

The Celestial Anomaly from his Foundation Establishment three thousand years ago; the humiliation of hiding within a Flood Dragon after his Realm fell; the scheme to secretly guide the disciples of the Primordial Sect to find the Martial Dao Profound Crystal... The memories finally settled on an ancient scroll, one with a dragon bone for a spine and Star Sand for ink.

The *True Martial Demon Devouring True Scripture*!

The moment the golden light touched this memory, a profound Daoist chant, like the tolling of a great bell, resounded throughout the Sea of Consciousness.

The scripture unfurled on its own in the void, revealing its opening verse in ancient seal script: "Through the Martial Dao, attain the profound; by Devouring Demons, nourish the self. Gods and devils are swept aside; the Ten Thousand Laws return to one."

Xu Yunfan’s Self God Dharma Aspect began to tremble violently.

The contents of the scripture flooded into his Heart and Spirit like a torrent, every word as heavy as a mountain.

"The Divine Martial practitioner is an emperor who rules the Ten Thousand Laws. Gather the Circulation Star Power to temper the body; absorb the Nine Nether Evil Qi to refine the soul. The heart’s aperture conceals the Self God; the Purple Mansion gestates the Golden Core. The spine becomes a ladder to the heavens, its thirty-three vertebrae corresponding to the thirty-three heavens; the five organs become the five sacred mountains, suppressing the Five Elements Reincarnation..."