Gan Ning had no idea that he had inadvertently discovered a path forward after reaching the level of internal energy leaving the body. Unfortunately, due to his limited understanding, he missed the opportunity. Gan Ning never deeply considered how that Kun fish could simultaneously use internal energy while also being enveloped in cloud energy—two forces that typically cancel each other out.
Imagine if Lü Bu had witnessed this paradoxical behavior of the Kun fish and decided to research the conversion between cloud energy and internal energy. With his cultivation level, he might eventually succeed in mastering this technique. If Lü Bu could wield internal energy within cloud energy, he would become unstoppable, capable of slaying countless opponents. Similarly, if he could use internal energy during one-on-one combat, even Zhang Fei wouldn't stand a chance. However, neither Chen Xi, Gan Ning, nor Taishi Ci understood the nature of that Kun fish.
In the sky above, Immortal Nan Hua floated, his whisk swaying as he gazed down at a small blue island spanning several hundred meters. His brow furrowed deeply, and he couldn't believe how one accident had caused such a massive problem.
Immortal Nan Hua was arguably the most powerful of all the "immortals" of this era—akin to Lü Bu among warriors. His ultimate goal was the transcendence that all "immortals" dreamed of. Unfortunately, despite his extraordinary talent and relentless efforts, thirty-six years ago, Nan Hua realized that he had only six more years left to live, yet he hadn't found any clue about how to ascend. Desperate, he turned to external means.
Nan Hua set his sights on a divine stone—the second one that hadn't yet disappeared. He successfully stole the divine stone but found that no matter what he did, the stone remained unresponsive. Thirty years ago, in a final act of desperation, Nan Hua decided to summon a heavenly thunderbolt and shattered the divine stone over the sea east of Qingzhou. The life essence released when the stone broke extended Nan Hua's lifespan significantly, but the powerful energy wave that swept across the continent also scattered fragments of the stone.
That energy wave made it easier for lifeforms to absorb energy, and the stone fragments, carrying life essence, disappeared. Some were absorbed by humans, others by animals, while some fell into deep mountains and forests, gradually dissipating their life essence into the world.
These lifeforms, having absorbed the stone fragments, found it easier to reach the level of internal energy leaving the body. Some animals, driven by instinct and without any cultivation methods, even reached this level simply by swallowing the stone fragments. After all, internal energy is energy extracted from food and life itself.
As for the sea where Nan Hua now stood, it was the very place where he had shattered the divine stone with a thunderbolt. The life essence that had exploded from the stone was mostly absorbed by the sea creatures here, which explained why strange and powerful beings frequently appeared in these waters.
Gazing down at the Kun fish sunbathing below him, Nan Hua felt a strong urge to kill it. But after considering the creature's immense size, the dense cloud energy surrounding it, and the layer of internal energy that acted like a shield, Nan Hua decided against it. Such a creature was not only difficult to kill, but it could also bring bad luck if slain.
"Sigh, I've caused a huge disaster. When the last divine stone shattered, it didn't have nearly this much impact," Nan Hua muttered bitterly to himself. It was one thing if humans absorbed the stone fragments, but many animals had absorbed them too.
Starting seven years ago, super beasts began appearing across the land. Nan Hua, feeling responsible for the disaster he had caused, went on a rampage, slaying these super beasts. He killed three flood dragons, five giant wolves, one giant bear, two flying tigers, two giant apes, and three Pegasus—though there were originally four, but Chitu, the fastest one, escaped.
Unlike humans, who might pass by the divine stone fragments without noticing, wild animals were instinctively drawn to them and consumed them immediately. For humans, the life essence within the fragments would gradually dissipate, benefiting the surrounding area.
After slaying so many super beasts, Nan Hua eventually realized that he couldn't handle them all on his own. Besides, these super beasts weren't as terrifying as he had initially feared. In fact, he had heard of people riding a super horse that he had failed to kill after chasing it across half the grasslands. When he flew to Chenliu to kill a super tiger, he arrived to find that someone had already made tiger soup and even offered him a bowl.
Having come to this realization, Nan Hua decided to focus on the ten most powerful super beasts, leaving the rest to the various warlords and their armies. After all, there were now many humans with internal energy leaving the body, so the government and military should handle the remaining threats. With this plan in mind, Nan Hua spent a significant amount of energy divining the locations of the ten strongest super beasts, planning to eliminate them himself. His first stop was the East Sea, home to the weakest of the ten—a super Kun.
As he measured the size of the Kun below him and compared it to his own small frame, Nan Hua sighed deeply. There was nothing he could do about this situation. Even with his power, killing the super beast below him would be a monumental task. And this was the weakest of the ten—there were nine others even stronger.
"I'd better return to my cave and focus on reciting the Nan Hua Sutra. This matter is beyond me now," Nan Hua lamented, casting one last glance at the Kun before flying back toward the mainland. He resolved to withdraw from worldly affairs entirely. If he could ascend, he would; if not, he would live as he pleased.
There was nothing more to be done. If he couldn't even defeat the weakest of the ten super beasts, it was time to retreat to his cave and meditate. Besides, his divination had shown that humanity would eventually triumph, and these ten super beasts would be slain. Since he couldn't kill the weakest one, it was unlikely he could handle the others. So why stay here?
As Nan Hua left, the Kun fish below let out a triumphant roar. Although the giant Kun lacked human intelligence, it had sensed the pressure from Nan Hua's presence above it, which was why it had remained motionless in the water. Now that Nan Hua was gone, the Kun felt an immense relief, joyfully leaping out of the water before diving back in. It resolved never to return to this place again.
Just as Gan Ning and his men were preparing to board their ships, they caught sight of the Kun's enormous body. They watched as it flipped and dived back into the sea, unaware that this would be the last time they would ever see this super Kun.