Eight months passed in the blink of an eye.
The sun rose and set countless times; the leaves fell, gave way to the cold, and finally sprouted anew. For the mortal world, it was a complete season, but for those who cultivate the profound path, time rarely follows the same rhythm.
On that morning, which had barely awakened, a fine mist flowed over the curved tiled roofs like silk veils dancing through the narrow streets. Winter enveloped the city with its biting cold, coating the rooftops and the dry branches of the plum trees with a delicate layer of frost.
The sky, pale as ancient porcelain, let fall fine snowflakes that seemed like frozen drops of silence.
Despite the season, the Imperial Demon City would not undergo changes.
In the main residence of the Yun Family, within an isolated and silent courtyard, the fine winter mist slowly drifted through the open windows.
Ren Zu was seated in deep meditation at the center of his bed.
The upper part of his body was bare, revealing a physique that bordered on the impossible. The arrangement of his muscles was like a literally perfect masterpiece. Not only did they appear extraordinarily splendid and refined, but they could also unleash power to the utmost peak. This was the most perfect form of a warrior.
On the lower part, he wore black Taoist pants with subtle golden details at the edges. The fabric, though simple, further accentuated the perfection of his body. The pants fit loosely, leaving his shins exposed to the cold air, yet causing no discomfort whatsoever.
Ren Zu remained motionless for long moments.
Then, without warning, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes.
At the same instant, a cloudy mist escaped from his lips, condensing in the cold air of the room like a gray cloud of refined profound energy.
His eyes, now open, did not reflect the soft morning light; instead, they seemed to devour it. Black as the oldest night in the world, deep and apathetic, they seemed to carry the weight of a million years. There was no emotion there. No warmth. Only an unmoving, unfathomable abyss, where feelings had been drowned long before the birth of the sun of that generation. To gaze into them was as if time stopped for a moment, as if everything around lost color and sound.
But if someone dared to look closer, they would perceive something even more terrifying.
His eyes were like an endless starry sky, where constellations spun in silence, where entire worlds were born and died with each beat of his heart. It was like observing an eternity in motion; a constant, cosmic, and inevitable creation and annihilation.
The mere sight of them made the soul tremble. It was easy to get lost in them… and nearly impossible to return.
"Eight months, huh…?" he murmured to himself quietly.
Although he had not yet reached the Profound Heaven Realm, he was already at the peak of the tenth level of the Profound Earth Realm, a stage that extended his lifespan to hundreds of years. However, it was impossible to estimate this time precisely, as he had previously absorbed the Prime World Liquid, which certainly further increased his longevity. Not to mention, it obviously elevated his profound strength to another level compared to the Profound Spiritual Realm he was at eight months ago…
But that was the least of it.
Obviously, his cultivation was not the only thing that progressed in those eight months.
First, in terms of his physique, he successfully completed the 'Marrow Tempering' stage, elevating his body to an entirely different level. Now, he possessed a terrifying brute strength of one hundred thousand kilograms.
But that wasn't all.
As the marrow and blood are always interconnected, with the marrow generating blood and the blood nourishing the marrow, the tempering process had an even more profound effect. Only by draining the old blood, completely tempering the marrow, and regenerating new, pure blood could the process be considered complete.
And that was exactly what he did.
As a result, the Vermilion Bird lineage in his veins was further purified, causing the level of his flames to reach a new, more blazing, more destructive, and even more vibrant pinnacle than ever before.
Upon completing this process, he felt something strange: a manifestation of the Vermilion Bird itself emerged in his mind, like a dormant presence now awakening. It was then that he understood he had obtained an ancestral gift: a second life.
If he were to die, he could be reborn from the ashes.
However, there was a price. Although his soul would be preserved, he would lose all the cultivation accumulated up to that point and have to start from scratch.
This revelation was, indeed, an unexpected surprise. But it made sense.
In the legends he had read, like the Phoenix, the Vermilion Bird was a creature formed by the flames of life and destruction, capable of dying in flames and being reborn from its own ashes, carrying within it the eternal cycle of renewal.
He had even found this odd before.
After all, technically, he was considered a complete heir, but he had only received the Vermilion Bird's Profound Art and its lineage. From what he knew, a true complete heir should obtain everything possible from the Spirit in the trial field, including the Soul Essence, the origin energy, and the full lineage.
If he wasn't mistaken, the Vermilion Bird that had appeared in his mind earlier was, in fact, the Soul Essence of the divine beast itself. As for the origin energy, he supposed it was the remnant of profound energy contained in the lineage he had absorbed at that time, which likely further increased his affinity with flames.
What truly intrigued him was the fact that he only discovered this "extra life" now, after purifying his blood.
But, thinking about it… it made sense.
In terms of lineage purity, there was no one in the current Primordial Chaos who could compare to him now!
Perhaps, in a distant future, when his profound strength was at a sufficiently high level and his lineage even purer, this gift from the Vermilion Bird would manifest naturally. However, since he discovered a method to further purify his lineage and successfully executed it, he ended up anticipating this awakening.
In any case, one doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
This extra life, even with its limitations, gave him valuable security as he navigated this cruel and unpredictable world. Having the chance to start over, even from zero, was a trump card few could even dream of possessing.
Well, setting aside his Body and Lineage, there was something that became even more terrifying: his battle experience.
For all eight months, without fail, he spent at least eight hours daily in the Ashura Field.
The result was monstrous.
In total, he had reaped the lives of billions of souls within that illusory battlefield, and each one served as fuel to shape an extremely refined killing instinct.
His 'Killing Intent' had become terrifying!
To ensure his Killing Intent didn't become just a convenient skill to intimidate weaker cultivators, he refined it to the extreme and, over the eight months, created a unique Profound Art: the [Art of the Slaughter God].
In the final months of training, he managed to establish the first stage of this art, named [Killer Heart].
This stage consisted of the direct fusion of his Killing Intent with his profound energy, not only exponentially amplifying his destructive power but also allowing it to manifest tangibly, even condensing in his eyes for a direct attack…
This technique became known as "One Thought to Kill."
With it, he could launch an invisible and instantaneous attack that directly targeted the mind and, by extension, the soul of his target. Those whose spiritual strength was below his had no chance of resisting. Many died on the spot. Others, if lucky, only went mad or were reduced to empty husks.
He not only created the [Tactics of the Slaughter God] but also completely reformulated one of his old techniques.
The [Purple Cloud Art], which was previously his only profound art in the path of lightning, was dismantled and rebuilt from scratch. With his understanding of the Law of Lightning already at its peak, the process was natural.
The result was the creation of a new, even more powerful and refined Profound Art: the [Nine-Star Thunder King Art].
Unlike the previous one, which had ten stages of linear progression, this new art contained nine stages, but each represented the absolute pinnacle of the Lightning Dao in its purest and most destructive form. He spent eight months refining it to a level he deemed acceptable.
This was only possible because, over the past eight months, he reached the third stage of the [Ten Extreme Daos]. With this, he gained absolute immunity to the Lightning element, making it completely subservient to his will. Now, having mastered this element, he chose to cultivate the Light element to take advantage of his affinity with the Profound Light Element.
…One of the things he noticed upon cultivating to the third stage of this method was the transformation in his own Profound Veins. They began to exhibit an unusual coloration, a vivid mix of green, red, and purple, and now even traces of gold appeared interwoven. In fact, every cell in his body seemed to pulse with this multicolored glow, as if his entire existence was being refined by that transcendent energy. He supposed this was the transformation caused by the benefits he gained from cultivating this technique…
Parallel to his progress in the Profound Light Element Path, he had finally fully comprehended the [Miracle of Life]. Since then, he longed to use it to heal his current parents, something that was now, in fact, within his reach. However, he restrained this desire, deciding to do so only at the right moment: as part of his plan to restore his family's power. For that, he needed to become even stronger.
Another aspect that advanced significantly was his swordsmanship.
He had achieved the cultivation of the 'Four Swords' of the [Boundless Sword Art], thus becoming a true Sword Master. Indeed, reaching this stage granted him a profound understanding of the 'Sword Path,' the result of countless hours of practice and refinement. Now, he was capable of controlling ten thousand swords of the 'Sword Fist,' manipulating each one with his profound energy. More than that, he had trained with each one individually until each blade became a natural extension of his being. He could also use some profound arts contained within this sword art and even refined some of them to better suit his style.
His combat style was shaped over the months, born from the fusion of the 'Hard' and 'Soft' aspects of martial arts.
Practitioners of the 'Hard' style face force with force, counterattacking directly and seeking to subdue the enemy with sheer brute power, something he executed perfectly thanks to his terrifying physique. Practitioners of the 'Soft' style, on the other hand, react indirectly, dodging, redirecting attacks, and exploiting openings with precision. This was also natural to him, a result of his vast battle experience. By combining both extremes, he created a singular style, firm as thunder, fluid as water.
But this applied only to direct combat. When it came to swordsmanship, his focus was entirely different: he prioritized extreme speed and absolute control of the swords through his mind. Each blade was like a thought—fast, precise, and impossible to predict.
And with all this, he became more confident in moving freely through this world.
Ren Zu stretched slowly. His muscles cracked lightly, like strings being tensed and released at the same time.
He let out a satisfied sigh.
A gentle, controlled flame coursed through his body. It was enough to burn away any impurities, leaving his skin clean.
A faint breath of heat dissipated into the cold air soon after, leaving not even ashes behind.
He stood up and walked to the corner of the room, where a set of white robes rested. He dressed calmly. The fabrics were light, the cut simple but elegant. The white contrasted with his dark hair, and the golden sash at his waist kept everything firmly in place.
After finishing dressing, he left the room and crossed the silent corridors until he reached a small side door. Passing through it, he entered the back garden of his residence, which he had created over the past months with seeds from the Imperial Demon City and others he found while exploring the city's surroundings for his training.
It contained countless herbs.
He used the vapor of the [Life Spirit Flame] to accelerate the growth of the herbs.
…The Crimson Inferno Blazing Flower, the Dragon Spirit Herb, the Purple Blood Lotus, the Silent Void Grass, the Nine Heavens Glacial Orchid, the Immortal Soul Vine, the Golden Blood Mushroom, the Profound Eclipse Flower, the Thousand Lightning Celestial Herb, the Star Abyss Root… and many others.
Under normal circumstances, the more precious a medicinal herb, the more dangerous and extreme the environment in which it grows. And the higher its quality, the harder it is to harvest, as even the slightest mistake in the process can damage its components, drastically reducing its effectiveness or even nullifying its effects entirely. However, this type of obstacle was not a significant problem for him.
In the creation of medicines, it is common to need to grind, refine, and fuse various herbs using profound energy to extract additional effects. This process, besides being extremely complex, usually results in the inevitable loss of part of the medicinal power contained in the herbs. And as if that weren't enough, the chance of failure is always present, especially in the production of high-level medicines. To create them, not only are rare, highly valuable ingredients required, but the success rate is incredibly low; a single failure means losing everything. And, of course, not everyone has the skill needed to handle such complex formulas.
But all this was part of the profession he had followed in recent months. And, for that reason, it also posed no difficulty for him. If it weren't for the medicines he created for himself during this time, he wouldn't have been able to complete the 'Marrow Tempering.'
The [Miracle of Life] was, without exaggeration, the most complete medical compendium in existence, and he mastered it completely, both in theory and practice. During this period, he treated countless profound beasts and healed various cultivators from the rural regions of the Illusory Demon Realm.
Ren Zu looked at his garden. He raised his hand, and above it, a green flame appeared, flickering before taking the shape of a Vermilion Bird. The flaming creature took flight, soaring over the garden and spreading a delicate emerald vapor across the field.
Wherever it passed, the herbs reacted, sprouts burst from the soil, flowers bloomed in an instant—it was magical!
"…I never tire of this sight," he murmured with a smile before gesturing with his finger, bringing the green Vermilion Bird to his finger, where it quickly dissolved.
Ren Zu slowly raised his right hand, and a bluish light coursed through his fingers as if the very energy of the world had bent to his will—it was the profound energy of heaven and earth that he had partially learned to control over the past months. The most precious herbs in the garden responded to the call, and one by one, they began to lift from the soil, levitating gracefully.
A slight circular motion of his fingers was enough to gather dozens of them at once.
The blue glow enveloped each leaf, petal, and stem, protecting them from the slightest damage. With a fluid gesture, Ren Zu closed his hand, concentrating all the energy in the center of his palm, and then opened it again.
A crimson flame, almost as red as blood, appeared instantly—it was the [Vermilion Bird Flames] that molded into a perfectly defined cauldron.
"Pop… pop…"
The herbs were cast into the flaming cauldron without a single physical touch. Within it, the flames devoured impurities at an astonishing speed, releasing a dense medicinal aroma that permeated the surrounding air. Each crackle was the sound of toxins being incinerated until they vanished completely, leaving behind only the purest and most concentrated essence.
Ren Zu kept his eyes fixed on the flames, his face lightly illuminated by the reddish-orange glow.
This technique… was something he had developed from scratch. The so-called [Vermilion Bird Divine Cauldron]. An alchemy technique that uses the Vermilion Bird Flames to condense into a cauldron under his total control. To be honest, if he hadn't achieved complete mastery of the Law of Fire thanks to the [Ten Extreme Daos], it would have been impossible to accomplish something so advanced.
The flaming cauldron trembled slightly, a sign that the purification process was reaching its critical point. Ren Zu tightened his fingers, and the flame concentrated in the center of the cauldron, forming a vortex of heat. The herbs began to fuse, releasing their pure medicinal energy, which transformed into a shining liquid, resembling molten crystal.
Ren Zu kept his hand steady.
The medicinal liquid began to condense into small translucent spheres.
The flaming cauldron then spun slowly, concentrating the last impurities to the edge before incinerating them in a blue flash. The final mixture was nearly complete.
His fingers moved in a complex seal, and the flame within the cauldron erupted in a muffled roar. The spheres fused, compressing until they were the size of a closed fist. The energy they emanated was so dense that ripples of heat coursed through the air, distorting the space around them.
Boom… boom… boom…
Ren Zu maintained his calm expression.
He raised his left hand, and a thread of purple energy spread like a net around the cauldron. He isolated the cauldron with the profound energy of the lightning element, a layer of insulation that stabilized the internal pressure and prevented the essence from escaping prematurely.
"Condense."
With a sharp gesture, the two masses of energy began to separate, as if his very will was dividing them in half. They resisted, trying to merge again, but Ren Zu increased the power of the flame, pushing the fusion to an impossible limit.
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed as the first pill formed. A perfect sphere, with a smooth and glossy surface, floated down to rest in the palm of his hand. It exuded a medicinal aroma so dense that even the herbs in the garden seemed to react, vibrating in unison.
"One…" he murmured, storing it in a blue jade vial.
He turned his attention back to the cauldron, where the second sphere was nearly complete. The glow began to stabilize, and after a few moments of intense compression, the second pill was born. Its body was even more crystalline than the first, and a ring of golden light surrounded it.
Ren Zu extended his hand and held it delicately between his fingers.
"Two," he said, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
He stored the second pill in the same jade vial and sealed it with a protective seal. Each one was capable of saving a life on the brink of death, restoring the profound energy of a peak cultivator, or even purifying impurities in the meridians. In the wrong hands, they would be treasures capable of sparking wars.
The flaming cauldron dissolved in a soft flash, returning to the form of a crimson flame before vanishing. Ren Zu let out a long sigh, relaxing his shoulders.
"Worth the effort. I spent two months finding the right medicinal herb seeds, had to sell some pills to buy more, all to finally get everything and make them grow. It took three months to grow to the point I needed…" he murmured, looking at the vial.
He raised his hand and let a thread of energy envelop the container, completely hiding its medicinal power.
After a year of secluded training, although he hadn't yet reached the Profound Emperor Realm to avoid suspicion that he had lost his cultivation, he was already just one step away from the Profound Heaven Realm. However, his current strength was thousands of times greater than what he had when he was in the Profound Emperor Realm.
In other words, he was ready to step out.
The time had come to begin his plans to obtain the Golden Crow's Legacy.
And, finally, the moment had also arrived to see his parents again and use the pills he had just prepared to heal them.
With a faint smile on his lips, he stored the vial and calmly left his courtyard.
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