Chapter 357: The Wind Rises (I)

An immortal cultivator? Or a Martial Innate realm martial artist?

Lin Zheyu stood atop Soaring Serpent Mountain, watching the figure vanish into the horizon as thoughts flickered through his mind. This was the first time he had seen a powerful expert capable of flying through the sky. Even Grandmaster realm experts could not truly fly. They could only rely on explosive force and true strength to launch themselves upward and linger briefly in midair. Actual flight, however, was impossible for them.

The speed was incredible. It definitely surpassed the speed of sound. I wonder if a martial artist can truly soar through the air after breaking into the Martial Innate realm.

From the mountain forest came continuous roars of beasts and the rumbling tremors of stampeding creatures. The sinister aura erupting from the space-time node grew increasingly dense. Even though Soaring Serpent Mountain lay over a hundred kilometers away, Lin Zheyu still felt a suffocating oppression weighing upon him, as if a shadow had settled over his heart and made it hard to breathe.

Another one. It seems the situation is quite serious!

Lin Zheyu narrowed his eyes and saw yet another figure streak across the sky. The person was far from Soaring Serpent Mountain. He could only vaguely make out that it was a woman. Her speed was astonishing, and she vanished in an instant. If Lin Zheyu's strength and perception had not improved so much recently, he might not have detected her at all.

Time slowly passed, and dusk deepened. The dense darkness in the distant sky did not fade. Instead, it grew heavier. However, Lin Zheyu noticed that it no longer seemed to be spreading.

Has the situation been contained?

Lin Zheyu wondered to himself.

He descended from the summit and returned to the mountainside. Night gradually fell. After observing for so long during the day without discovering anything noteworthy, there was even less to see at night. On the plaza, Gu Ye stood atop a massive rock by the cliff's edge. A gentle breeze stirred, causing her robes to flutter sharply.

"Senior Sister, has the situation at the foot of the mountain been brought under control?"

Upon seeing Gu Ye, Lin Zheyu asked in slight surprise. Even at the mountainside, the faint roars of ferocious beasts and the tremors of their charge could still be heard from below.

"The situation has exceeded our control. That space-time node still has not been sealed. After nightfall, the demon puppets grow more active and are even harder to deal with than during the day. With our current manpower, we simply cannot hold them back. Martial Uncle has ordered us to abandon some less important medicinal fields and retreat to the second defensive line. We can only hope we manage to hold through the night," Gu Ye shook her head and said softly.

Fatigue showed in her eyes. After an entire day of battle, even someone as battle-hungry as she felt the strain. The demon puppets feared neither death nor pain and knew no exhaustion. Fighting them was deeply unpleasant. During the day it was manageable, but at night they became even more active.

The space-time node deep within the mountains had yet to be brought under control. Left with no choice, they had abandoned certain medicinal fields and withdrawn to the second defensive line. If that line also fell, they would have to retreat again to the third. Should they be forced that far back, the losses would be devastating.

"I just saw several powerful figures flying across the sky from the mountain peak. Are they immortal cultivators?" Lin Zheyu stepped beside Gu Ye and asked quietly.

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the location of the space-time node, yet he could see nothing. Darkness blanketed the entire sky. Only from an extremely distant place did flashes of light occasionally burst forth, likely traces of ongoing battle.

"You could say that. I am not entirely sure about the details. I have never even seen an expert above the Martial Innate realm. The last time I saw a Martial Innate realm martial artist was two years ago when I visited the main sect and met the current Sect Master of Wuji Sect," Gu Ye replied.

She once heard her master say that without reaching the Martial Innate realm, one remained but an ant. Grandmaster realm martial artists seemed to stand at the pinnacle of the mortal world, yet in truth they were merely stronger ants. They could not even fully perceive the true nature of this world.

"

Mm...

" Lin Zheyu opened his mouth, but seeing that Gu Ye's mood seemed low, he only gave a soft acknowledgement and fell silent. It was rare for Gu Ye to reveal such dejection. This was the first time he had seen it.

But how could one not feel disheartened...

After decades of bitter cultivation, believing oneself to stand at the pinnacle of humanity, only to suddenly discover that one is still nothing more than an ant. Anyone would feel dispirited

.

Lin Zheyu revealed a bitter smile and shook his head with a sigh.

If not for the miraculous ability of Origin Force, after learning the truth about yaos and demons, he too would have fallen into such gloom. Though Gu Ye still looked young, like a woman of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, she was in fact seventy-four years old. In the mortal world, she would already have grandchildren and lived nearly an entire lifetime. Yet she had no companion.

Although Wu Xuan, their martial aunt, often tried to arrange suitable young talents for her and matchmake them, Gu Ye devoted herself entirely to martial cultivation and had no interest in marriage or bearing children.

Seeing Lin Zheyu sigh along with her, Gu Ye laughed heartily, smacked him on the head, and declared with bold spirit, "

Haha!

Why are you sighing for no reason, kid? I, Gu Ye, will definitely advance to the Grandmaster realm and step into the Martial Innate realm. I will glimpse the true nature of this world."

"The sky is dim. You must have seen it wrong, Senior Sister." Lin Zheyu rolled his eyes and replied speechlessly. Fortunately, his physique was sturdy. If an ordinary Marrow Refining realm martial artist had taken that slap, their forehead would likely have turned red.

"

Heh.

How's your recovery? Can you still fight?" Gu Ye asked with a grin.

"I'm fine. Below the Force Transformation realm, I am invincible," Lin Zheyu declared domineeringly.

"

Hah

a, I like the way you Dominance true intent cultivators speak," Gu Ye laughed.

"By the way, Senior Sister, have you ever studied the corpse of a demon puppet? I captured one today and plan to examine it. Want to come along?" Lin Zheyu asked.

After killing that giant bear demon puppet, he had someone tie up its corpse and bring it up the mountain for storage, intending to study it when he had time. However, unforeseen events delayed him until now.

"Not interested. What's there to study about demon puppets? If you're going to research something, wait until you're stronger and capture a real demon or yao to examine," Gu Ye said, waving her hand without enthusiasm.

Although she said so, the truth was that she had already studied them in her youth. Unfortunately, she had found nothing useful and only satisfied her curiosity. Gu Ye was not cut out to be a scholar. She was suited to be a straightforward and fierce martial artist. As for research, she merely joined in for the excitement.

"Then I'll head off first. If anything interesting happens, remember to let me know, Senior Sister," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

***

After parting with his senior sister, Lin Zheyu went to where the giant bear demon puppet was stored. Demon puppets possessed astonishing vitality. Even after death, they could struggle for a long time before the life force in their bodies completely dissipated.

The headless giant bear demon puppet was tightly bound in iron chains and now lay utterly motionless. He lit ten torches in the room, driving away the darkness. It was a storage room filled with miscellaneous, useless items and tools.

Lin Zheyu crouched beside the corpse and used a stick to dip into the thick blood flowing from the severed neck. This demon puppet had not formed naturally under the erosion of Baleful Yin force but had been artificially refined into a living corpse. In immortal cultivation techniques, it was known as corpse refining. However, due to the nature of the energy used in the refinement, the living corpse had also undergone demonization and become a different form of demon puppet.

Compared to ordinary demon puppets, artificially refined living corpse demon puppets possessed stronger defense, though their regenerative ability was somewhat weaker.

"A semi-fluid, viscous purple-brown substance, saturated with dense Baleful Yin force. It does not resemble biological blood at all. It looks more like petroleum from my previous life. I wonder how much energy it contains. If there is enough, perhaps it could serve as energy when using Origin Force to enhance myself."

Lin Zheyu studied the blood and muttered softly.

He could sense the dense Baleful Yin force contained within the blood. With the demon puppet's death, much of it had dissipated, yet a considerable amount still lingered within the corpse.

Does the energy of a living corpse circulate with the blood, just like a Marrow Refining realm martial artist?

Lin Zheyu speculated inwardly.