A mine slave had to know the peculiar treasures buried within the earth's veins.
This fruit grew nourished by Divine Source. It strengthened one's Origin, an absolute treasure for cultivators who'd erred in their practice, fallen into qi deviation, and wounded their fundamental source.
But Divine Source Fruits were impossibly rare. The name said it all — they fed on Divine Source.
What kind of cultivator could afford such extravagance, feeding Divine Source to a mere fruit?
Qin Tian swallowed the Divine Source Fruit whole. Immediately, surging life essence and divine substance erupted from his stomach, crashing against every "gate" in his body. One by one, the "gates" cracked under the medicinal force's assault.
Faint clear light seeped through — the body's own Origin power. These sealed gates weren't meant to open at his current realm, yet the medicine forced them ajar prematurely.
Worthy of a fruit born from Divine Source essence. The overflowing divine substance pried open forbidden doorways, growing Qin Tian's Origin considerably. Not enough to reach King Physique tier, but far surpassing ordinary mortal flesh.
As for mortal flesh being the strongest constitution? That was nonsense to swallow whole. Only fools believed it.
The one who said that was Heavenly Emperor Ye Fan. At what height did he stand? It was no different from some tycoon calling a hundred million pocket change.
Qin Tian wanted no part of this "strongest constitution." He'd settle for something lesser. Chaos Physique. Innate Saint Dao Fetus. Something like that.
When the remaining medicinal power could force open no more "gates," Qin Tian began circulating the Dao Scripture's Spring of Life chapter. He refined the residual torrent, preparing to assault the next Secret Realm.
The Dao Scripture's Sea of Bitterness chapter circulated through the Eastern Wasteland, but the text contained more than that. The Spring of Life chapter. Even the Divine Bridge chapter. All preserved within Desolate Antiquity Aristocratic Families or sacred ground powers.
Yet occasionally, the fortunate unearthed them from ancient tombs or hidden places, keeping them as inheritance.
The Dao Scripture's Spring of Life chapter circulated through Qin Tian's sect, a supreme treasure.
But... an innocent man carries guilt for treasuring jade.
Once, Qin Tian's sect was ravaged by great bandits for this very chapter. The Spring of Life chapter was seized. All his kin and friends slaughtered. Himself sold to the mines as a slave.
This grudge. This hatred. He would never forget.
With such thoughts, Qin Tian assaulted his Sea of Bitterness, manifesting the Wheel of Life, stepping into the Spring of Life Realm.
No Chaos Qi entwining him. No divine waves striking three thousand li. No azure dragon crossing the heavens. No vermillion bird striking. No great roc soaring. No white tiger roaring. None of it.
Though he possessed exceptional divine pupils, in terms of constitution — even strengthened — he remained utterly, completely mortal.
Breaking through to Spring of Life held no grand spectacle. Only his dead silent Sea of Bitterness trembling. Ink-black divine power churning. Amid endless death-qi, a trace of life-force quietly born.
The Divine Source Fruit's residual power transformed into life essence, crashing against the Sea of Bitterness. Expanding the dead sea while life essence emerged from the Wheel of Life itself. His four limbs and hundred bones received nourishment. His body grew stronger than ever before.
He savored this transformation.
Life and death converting. Yin and yang shifting. In his mind, Qin Tian visualized a Kunpeng.
He knew the process by which Huang once created his methods. For every Secret Realm, what techniques and concepts Huang employed.
Wheel and Sea — Thunder Emperor Method to open it. Willow Deity Method to consolidate it. But most crucial was the Kunpeng Method. Yin-yang life-death conversion. That was the profound truth of Wheel and Sea.
Sea of Bitterness and Spring of Life were the Kunpeng Method made manifest.
Back then, Huang compressed his Singular Grotto-Heaven to a single point, then detonated it. Yin and yang twin-qi were born together, ultimately shaping the most primordial Wheel and Sea. Far less complex than the present version.
But that was "One."
The beginning of the Secret Realm method!
This was Qin Tian's greatest wealth — knowing the Secret Realm method's evolution from nothingness. Grasping "One," one could naturally grasp "Two," "Three," even "Myriad."
Comprehending even a sliver in this world where immortal dao didn't exist was dimensional suppression. The Secret Realm method was the world's supreme scripture — the Dao Fruit of a peerless Immortal Emperor!
Even when Huang transmitted his teachings, he'd merely been Immortal King.
But when Heavenly Emperor Huang later broke through king to become emperor, truly ascending to Immortal Emperor — everything connected to him was sublimated.
The "Dao" of the Secret Realm method, so intimately tied to Huang, naturally sublimated as well.
The Kunpeng Qin Tian visualized in his heart connected to his Sea of Bitterness and Spring of Life. In an instant, the Kunpeng seemed to come alive.
An ineffable sensation flooded his mind. His heart emptied, and he seemed to hear supreme Dao sound crossing through time and space, reaching his ears now.
So magnificent. So majestic!
Wheel and Sea!
"Boom!"
Immortal radiance spilled from the Sea of Bitterness — the process of death transforming into life.
The Wheel of Life hidden within the endless Sea of Bitterness was shaken. That was where all things first began to generate and grow, the root of life vitality. It stored the body's entire essence, called the Life Source Wheel, or Wheel of Life.
The Sea of Bitterness and Wheel of Life overlapped. Or more precisely — the Sea of Bitterness submerged the Wheel of Life, which was the cultivator's very foundation.
Legend held that if one could keep the Wheel of Life crystalline, unscarred, unmarked, ever as at birth — perhaps there might be a thread of hope for immortality.
But not only did years grind against the Wheel of Life, the Sea of Bitterness also devoured it bit by bit. From above and below, both sides attacking. Every year left another mark until the Wheel of Life was covered in scars, the Spring of Life unable to seal in essence, and it would utterly collapse.
That was when a person's lifespan ran out, returning to death.
And the cultivator's entire foundation lay in the Wheel of Life. The Spring of Life must be cultivated to ten thousand tribulations indestructible, crossing the entire Sea of Bitterness.
Now, the Wheel of Life was being opened. In this process, Qin Tian's divine eyes operated at maximum, capturing every minute change, comprehending the Secret Realm method's profound truth.
He seemed to see countless Kunpengs dancing through death-qi, converting death into life, transforming from Kun to Peng.
Death-qi converted to life-force. Life essence was excavated at extreme speed. A spring eye appeared, connecting to the Wheel of Life. Divine spring gurgled forth from within, crystalline spring water entwined with misty colored fog.
Death-qi converted to life-force. Grains of light ignited brilliant radiance at his lower abdomen. Threads of life essence burst through gates, flowing to his four limbs and hundred bones. His entire body felt comfortable, flesh and organs and bones all receiving nourishment. At this moment, he seemed to possess inexhaustible strength.
The originally death-qi saturated Sea of Bitterness was utterly transformed, dazzling and brilliant, essence endlessly generating and regenerating.
At the Sea of Bitterness's center, a spring eye had somehow been excavated. Cloud-glows billowed like wolf smoke, surging straight upward — no longer diffuse and drifting, but like an active volcano erupting!
The death-qi saturated Sea of Bitterness could no longer remain calm, gushing without cease. Life and death's boundaries blurred under Qin Tian's active interference.
Life and death collided directly. Life and death. Yin and yang. Kun and Peng. Two utterly opposed concepts crashed together, erupting with countless Dao fragment shards.
It plunged Qin Tian directly into an empty spiritual state. The Sea of Bitterness echoed with wave sounds, faint scripture sound rising in his heart.
Qin Tian's entire body was enveloped in sacred radiance.
Within the Sea of Bitterness, phenomena even emerged — faintly, ninefold Immortal Kings. Kunpengs soaring. Azure lotuses swaying.
Qin Tian unconsciously assumed a stance.
A fist frame, utterly simple, yet containing a thread of indestructible Dao charm — as if a Kunpeng soared ninety thousand li straight upward!
Behind Qin Tian, a pair of golden Kunpeng wings flickered in and out of visibility.
Qin Tian entered the Spring of Life Realm!
***
Read to Chapter 20 now on pat reon slash wujiang.