Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Chapter 692: Chaos Erupts (II)

With a soft sigh, Lin Zheyu shook his head, cleared away his distracting thoughts, and calmed his mind. With a wave of his right hand, the enormous corpse of an ugly, bat-like yao appeared inside the formation node.

Lin Zheyu pressed his right hand against the corpse, and the Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness suddenly opened as he immersed himself in studying the yao's demonic patterns. In the other formation node, Zong Linjing had sensed him the moment he arrived. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, already absorbed in his research, with a trace of admiration in her heart.

"Even in an environment filled with such dense demonic qi, Fellow Xiao can still settle his mind and study the demonic patterns of yao..." Zong Linjing murmured, a trace of envy flashing through her eyes.

They were both geniuses of the Martial Alliance, so why was Fellow Xiao so abnormal? She also wished to make full use of the time spent guarding the formation node and cultivate diligently, just as Xiao Yu did. However, Zong Linjing was simply unable to do so. Since the first formation defense line had been damaged, she had to remain constantly vigilant merely to withstand the vast amounts of demonic qi pouring in and the terrifying yao will. Cultivating in such an environment placed far too great a burden on her essence, qi, and spirit, and she could not endure it for long.

Yet Xiao Yu behaved as though nothing was wrong, seemingly unaffected by the rampaging demonic qi and the yao will. Had Zong Linjing not known that he had only broken through to the Shackles realm recently, she would have suspected that he had already reached the limits of the realm and begun forging his own path of martial cultivation.

***

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had gone by. The martial artist sent to replace Ji Haozhong finally arrived, and it was none other than Lin Zheyu's old friend, Bai Lin.

Bai Lin walked in from outside the formation and cupped his hands toward Lin Zheyu and Zong Linjing with a smile. "Fellow Zong, Fellow Xiao, it has been a long time."

"Haha, it certainly has. Oh? Congratulations, Fellow Bai. It seems you turned misfortune into fortune, rebuilt yourself after being broken, and advanced your strength once more," Lin Zheyu said with a surprised exclamation before offering his congratulations with a smile.

According to his perception, the second shackle within Bai Lin's body had fully solidified, meaning he could now begin attempting to break free of it. Bai Lin's natural talent for martial cultivation was inferior to Zong Linjing's, and she had always remained a step ahead of him. Unexpectedly, he had now overtaken her.

"Congratulations!" Zong Linjing said with a smile. Yet a faint sense of dejection arose within her. Even Fellow Bai Lin had made a breakthrough, while she remained trapped at her bottleneck.

"Haha, I merely got lucky!" Bai Lin laughed heartily, plainly delighted.

"Then I will have to trouble you with this formation node." Zong Linjing composed herself and opened the formation node's protective barrier.

After the two transferred control of the formation node, Zong Linjing departed. The sharp increase in the concentration of demonic qi had taken a heavy toll on her, and she needed to return and recuperate as soon as possible.

"Such dense demonic qi! I cannot believe this grand formation has been damaged to such an extent!" Bai Lin exclaimed in shock after taking control of the formation node.

The first formation defense line had already been in ruins. Over the past month, the relentless corrosion of the vast demonic qi and yao will had damaged it even further.

"Something is wrong with this space-time node, so remember to proceed with caution. If the situation turns unfavorable, abandon this grand formation immediately and retreat to the second formation defense line," Lin Zheyu warned.

"It seems I arrived at a bad time!" Bai Lin remarked. However, his eyes were filled with eagerness, and fighting spirit surged faintly around him.

Having just broken free of his second shackle and experiencing another leap in strength, he could hardly wait to display his abilities.

"Fellow Xiao, it has been nearly two years since we last exchanged moves. When the opportunity arises, let us spar again. This time, I certainly will not lose so miserably," Bai Lin said, looking at Lin Zheyu with vigorous fighting spirit in his eyes.

"All right." Lin Zheyu agreed with a smile.

With a turn of his right hand, a jade scroll appeared in his palm. With a thought, he imprinted the Circulating Heavenly Radiant Light Guiding Art into it, then casually tossed the jade scroll toward Bai Lin.

"This is a technique I happened to obtain. It may be of considerable help to you, so I will give it to you," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"Oh?" Bai Lin caught the jade scroll in surprise.

Curious, he began examining the technique recorded within the jade scroll. The curiosity on his face abruptly vanished, replaced by astonishment.

"This... this..." Bai Lin let out a long breath and said with a smile, "This technique is far too precious. I have nothing of comparable value to offer in return."

Lin Zheyu waved his hand with a smile. "We are all martial artists and should help one another. There is no need to stand on ceremony."

"Then I will gladly accept it. Should you ever need my help in the future, you need only say the word. I will not hesitate to help!" Bai Lin solemnly bowed to Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu smiled and accepted the bow. After this brief interlude, he sat down cross-legged once more. The Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness suddenly opened as he resumed studying the surrounding formation restrictions. His comprehension of them had previously reached a bottleneck, making it impossible to achieve any rapid improvement in the short term. He had therefore shifted his focus to studying demonic patterns.

However, after taking control of the formation node again, Lin Zheyu discovered that there were many fascinating insights to be gained from damaged formation restrictions. This grand formation had endured countless assaults from armies of yao and had long since been reduced to a ruinous state. Yet despite being eroded by vast amounts of demonic qi for more than a month, it was still able to continue operating.

Surprise and delight flashed through Lin Zheyu's eyes. "Interesting... It is actually a special formation that can be expanded and layered upon itself. What an ingenious structure. No matter how badly the formation is damaged, it can continue operating so long as its most fundamental formation restrictions remain intact."

As the demonic qi continued eroding the formation and the damage grew increasingly severe, more and more of the law patterns that composed it ceased to function. The formation was undergoing constant changes, and through those changes, many of its profound mysteries were laid bare before Lin Zheyu's Heavenly Eye. His understanding and comprehension of the grand formation advanced by leaps and bounds.

By this point, Lin Zheyu had completely forgotten about studying the demonic patterns of yao and immersed himself wholly in comprehending the formation restrictions. Such an opportunity was exceedingly rare. It could only arise when a formation had been damaged, and its deterioration continued to worsen under the erosion of yao power.

***

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

Rumble!

A terrifying roar suddenly erupted from the space-time node, jolting Lin Zheyu out of his cultivation. His eyes snapped open, and a trace of displeasure flashed through them. His study of the grand formation had reached a critical juncture, only to be interrupted by an invasion from the demon realm.

"These yao are truly irritating," Lin Zheyu said in annoyance as he rose to his feet.

Being interrupted at such a crucial moment was deeply frustrating. Then again, without the invasion from the demon realm, Lin Zheyu would never have encountered such a valuable opportunity to study a grand formation that could continue operating even as its damage steadily worsened.

"Finally!"

Unlike Lin Zheyu, Bai Lin erupted with a powerful fighting spirit the moment he sensed the disturbance within the space-time node. Guarding the formation node had been unbearably dull, and he could not cultivate without restraint as Lin Zheyu did. He had felt thoroughly stifled over the past ten days.

Deep within the demon cave, more than a dozen other space-time nodes began showing abnormal activity at the same time as the one guarded by Lin Zheyu and the others. Meanwhile, dense armies of yao began pouring wildly from the uncontrolled space-time nodes in the deepest reaches of the demon cave...