Chapter 355: The Ground-Sealing Art! Mortal Martial Cultivator! The Mysterious Bronze Mask! Wang Xue’an!

In this pitch-dark Fengdu, a realm condensed from countless resentments, earth-shaking explosions echoed from time to time with flames soaring into the sky. The domineering divine might of the Wind Divine Bow had left the robed elder shackled and constrained, mainly because he had never before witnessed such a reckless, death-defying archery style. Each divine art he unleashed rippled with terrifying power in the air, only to be intercepted by Li Yanchu’s divine arrows!

Boom!

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Boom!

Their clash was nothing less than earth-shattering, with shockwaves spreading outward in all directions. The white sphere of light nearby flickered erratically under the impact.

Once such a secret technique was invoked, the caster had to remain utterly focused, exhausting spiritual strength to sustain it. Against curses, sorcery, and demonic arts, this white sphere of light served as a formidable defense, yet at the same time, it was also a prison of one’s own making.

It was essentially a secret method akin to the Turtle-Breathing Art[1].

The woman in white within could clearly sense the colossal battle raging outside, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. She wanted to release herself from this state, but alas, earlier she had strayed into a forbidden land, where a monkey-faced ghost had struck her with a curse. And this was no ordinary curse, but something akin to a divine art where words themselves became law.

Later, she managed to escape that strange forbidden land using her own secret methods, avoiding a prolonged duel with the monkey-faced ghost.

Yet even now, that eerie curse was still gnawing at her primordial spirit cultivation.

“Those foul spirits have wronged me... Once I get out, I must slay that monkey-faced fiend!” So resolved the woman in white.

At that thought, she let out a faint sigh. Earlier in Fengdu, she had encountered a bald young man; he bore great fortune, possessed secret techniques, and had even proposed traveling together. But her soul had faintly warned her of danger, so she chose not to accompany him.

Now, a sudden flash of insight struck her: perhaps her earlier misstep into the forbidden land had not been mere chance, but rather the bald youth’s deliberate, or at least half-intentional, guidance. As though he had sought to lure others into the forbidden land.

Was he using her!? A trace of astonishment flickered across her cool, elegant face.

Soon, however, she suppressed such thoughts, focusing fully on breaking free from the Ground-Sealing Art.

No matter what, she had to meet this blood-vigorous human cultivator outside. Could he truly be some reclusive master of the Martial Dao!? It was unbelievable that a living man could enter Fengdu!

In her mind arose the image of a handsome face with swordlike brows and handsome eyes, peerless in bearing, yet she quickly forced herself to dismiss the thought.

Still, deep within, a trace of expectation, perhaps even unknown to herself, lingered.

***

Outside, Li Yanchu was locked in combat with the robed elder, and the two were evenly matched. In terms of momentum, however, the young Li Yanchu actually outshone the elder. He was like a Martial Saint of the mortal world, suppressing all directions and striking down the Demonic Dao!

He also resembled a great Daoist master in his youth, one who, by sheer strength alone, overwhelmed the geniuses of his era and slew the remnants of the demonic sects. He had that kind of bold, spirited, and uniquely radiant demeanor!

The robed elder could hardly endure it; not only could Li Yanchu fight, he could also curse like no tomorrow. He had given the elder none of the dignity or respect that a sinister old monster of the Demonic Dao ought to command, and it enraged him to the core!

With a snarl, he drew a mask from his robes, and he hesitated only a moment, then clenched his teeth and donned it. Having already burned his remaining lifespan, he had ascended to the Yang Spirit third realm. Now, after donning the mask, his aura surged once more. It was a bronze mask carved into the face of a monkey, seething with a sinister, uncanny aura.

The robed elder spread his five fingers wide, and at once a torrent of power erupted from his palm.

Boom!

The killing divine arrow collided midair with that power, and instantly exploded. With that, the ground quaked violently!

Li Yanchu felt a surge of chilling yin qi wash over him, and his very blood and qi froze stiff. Frost even began to gather along his sword-like brows. This was a force of utmost yin and evil; even its lingering aftermath alone could create such terrifying phenomena.

Just then, Li Yanchu drew a deep breath, and the ancient armor upon his body radiated blazing pure-yang qi. In an instant, he shattered the yin shackles!

“You damned wretch! To think you’ve forced me to wield power of

this level!

” The robed elder’s eyes burned with venom.

This battle had drained far too much of his vitality; next, he had to seize the seal of the underworld from this young Daoist, and refine the woman in white, devouring her very soul!

Li Yanchu’s gaze was icy, his expression unyielding. He was utterly unafraid despite the elder’s strength soaring under the mysterious bronze mask.

Who doesn’t have a trump card or two?

The robed elder’s hair and beard bristled, his aura freezing cold.

“Rain, fall!” Torrential rain poured from the heavens.

Yet this was no ordinary storm; in Fengdu, such rain was steeped in yin qi. For ordinary cultivators, it was poison, at best leaving them grievously ill, at worst corroding their very bones to ash on the spot!

At that very moment. a strange black shadow streaked across the scene, snatching away the glowing white orb, and with it, the peerless beauty hidden within!

“Leave her behind!” the robed elder roared coldly.

He unleashed a Daoist spell, and

bang

! The spot where the black shadow had been was instantly blasted apart by the spell!

But the next moment, the shadow reappeared several zhang away, and now its true form was revealed. It was a man with rugged features, looking much like an old farmer. At this moment, his eyes had a dark gaze, and he carried a cold, mocking smile.

“Juniors, I’ll be taking this woman!” Greed flashed across the farmer’s face.

“Wang Xue’an... You’re Wang Xue’an of Mount Youming!?”

Strictly speaking, the Dao-robed elder was a generation senior to Wang Xue’an. He had ties to Mount Youming, a lineage that had existed since ancient times.

This old farmer who had seized the glowing orb was none other than the one who earlier had summoned his sect’s Ancestral Master, Old Ghost Wusheng, only to flee in disgrace when forced back by the ghost soldiers, alongside that terrifying female corpse, Su Shunqing. And now, unexpectedly, this old farmer had returned.

At this time, Wang Xue’an’s lips curved into a strange smile. “You two can fight it out. As for me, I will take my leave first!”

In the next instant, he vanished outright, his body dissolving into a wisp of black smoke. The white orb vanished along with him.

“Stop playing tricks and get out here!” Li Yanchu’s voice cracked like thunder.

Then, he drew forth the Eight Trigrams Mirror, and a beam of divine light suddenly shot toward a hidden spot.

Boom!

Wang Xue’an, his mind thrown into confusion, was instantly forced out into the open. Though he had no defense up at that moment, he still remained unscathed.

“You fiends and devils, today I’ll settle all of you once and for all!”

Li Yanchu’s body rose into the air, soaring against the wind. Clouds of auspicious vapor gathered beneath his feet as he stepped directly into the heavens!

Old Ghost Wusheng’s eyes narrowed.

“A Cloud-Riding cultivator... of the third realm!?”

At this moment, Wang Xue’an of Mount Youming was sharing a single body with the remnant soul of Old Ghost Wusheng.

Their combined strength did not quite reach the third realm, but against ordinary cultivators of the second realm, they were untouchable high-level predators!

“Arrogant brat! Hehe... do you even know where we are!? You youngsters are so brazen and overbearing, blind to the vastness of heaven and earth!” Old Ghost Wusheng barked coldly.

The Dao-robed elder could tell that another primordial spirit dwelled within Wang Xue’an’s body, one of no small origin. But when he heard Old Ghost Wusheng’s words, his heart felt immensely satisfied.

Though deep down, he still wished to snuff out this reckless old farmer who had dared to seize the white-clad woman, pin his soul down like this young Daoist, and consign both of them to eternal bondage in this filth-ridden land, never to rise again!

1. The

Turtle Breathing Grand Technique

is a Daoist internal cultivation method from the Wudang sect, a form of bionic qigong also known as

Turtle Breathing Skill

,

Xuanwu Meditation

, or

True Turtle-Breath Meditation

. It falls under the category of

tuna daoyin

(breathing and guiding exercises).

This technique imitates the breathing patterns of turtles, taking as its core principles the concepts recorded in

Mai Wang

(“listening to one’s breath with the ears”) and

Zhi Tian Lu

(“breathing through the ears”). The method consists of four progressive stages: focusing the mind and regulating the spirit, restraining and stilling the breath, entering true meditative dormancy, and exiting meditation at the appointed time.

The practice begins in a cross-legged seated posture, using the

Ziwu

hand mudra while maintaining mental focus on the navel to complete the preparatory stage. During the breath-restraint phase, deep nasal inhalation and the holding of breath for several counts achieve control over the flow of qi. The stage of true stillness requires one to forget both mind and breath, entering a state of dormancy akin to a turtle’s hibernation. Exiting meditation is performed by precisely closing the practice through the 22 meridian points on the palms, corresponding to the traditional time divisions of a day.

Incorporating prone and side-lying “turtle postures” alongside slow-breathing techniques, this system forms a complete method of bionic cultivation.

Ancient texts record that breathing frequency is linked to longevity, the turtle’s breath may slow to one cycle every 45 seconds. Daoists sought to extend their own breathing cycles through this practice, thereby attaining health preservation and longevity. ☜