Chapter 553 539: Purple Mountain, the Spiritual Qi-Devouring Tai Chi Longevity Body

The Purple Void Secret Realm manifested within a mountain. Few knew the mountain's name before, but after the Secret Realm's emergence, it was given a new one.

When the Purple Void Secret Realm manifested, radiant light filled the sky, and the entire mountain was enveloped in streams of purple light. A deep violet aura emanated from within, evoking the auspicious image of purple qi flowing from the east, and so people began to call it Purple Mountain.

Yang Chan was taken aback when he heard the name. The two words were unremarkable on their own, but together, they carried quite a reputation.

He knew of a forbidden zone established by an Ancient Great Emperor who had turned his back on all living beings. It was an exceptionally perilous place where countless peerless prodigies had met their end.

However, this particular Purple Mountain was not on that level.

Yang Chan entered the Secret Realm with the disciples from the Cyan Yuan Sect who were escorting supplies. The group included not only members of the Cyan Yuan Sect but also people from the Merak Sacred Land, who were there to ensure the escort team's safety.

Within the group were four Inner Master experts, all from the Merak Sacred Land. The others were from the Cyan Yuan Sect. The Merak Sacred Land was clearly providing the top-tier security.

In the Cyan Yuan Sect, an Inner Master was considered Top Level Combat Power. But in the Merak Sacred Land, that was far from the case. Above them were experts at the Level of Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster and Blood Exchange Martial Saint, so Inner Masters hardly ranked at all.

The Merak Sacred Land had specially arranged for these Inner Masters to come. After entering the Secret Realm, they would rotate with the sect members already inside, giving them a chance to explore for their own opportunities.

As Yang Chan followed the group into the Purple Void Secret Realm and drew near Purple Mountain, he felt a dense wave of Spiritual Qi wash over him. The energy enveloped his body, and he could feel the Tai Chi Longevity Body within him beginning to absorb it.

His physical body seemed to breathe in rhythm with him. It was a marvelous sensation, as if his entire body were covered in innumerable pores.

Previously, when Yang Chan had entered a Little World like Taiyin Heaven, the Spiritual Qi there had also been extremely dense. However, he hadn't experienced such a pronounced sensation. He could only vaguely feel that the Spiritual Qi was beneficial to his body, but the effect hadn't been distinct.

Now, however, it was different.

He considered the differences between then and now. The first was his Cultivation, but he had never heard of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster being able to directly absorb Spiritual Qi from a Secret Realm. The other factor was his newly acquired Tai Chi Longevity Body—and that was the biggest difference.

As for his Dragon Tamer profession and the Taiyuan Sword, neither had such an effect. The same went for his Soul Body.

A peculiar glint flashed in Yang Chan's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged. He followed the guides into Purple Mountain, passing through a special gateway on the mountainside and into the true Purple Void Secret Realm.

Along the way, they encountered some Loose Cultivators leaving the Secret Realm. Upon seeing a large group led by Inner Masters, they all scrambled to get out of the way, their expressions wary, as if terrified of being cut down on the spot.

In the Secret Realm, the philosophy of 'might makes right' was the absolute rule. People would attack for something as simple as taking a dislike to someone's face, and if you were killed, it was likely no one would ever know.

Those with weaker Cultivation and strength always avoided the powerful, especially a large, organized group like the one Yang Chan was in.

Such a group represented a powerful faction that ordinary people couldn't afford to offend. With the leaders even bearing the insignia of the Merak Sacred Land, no one dared to provoke them.

Even other Holy Lands would refrain from attacking without a conflict of interest, exercising a degree of restraint.

After all, the purpose of entering a Secret Realm was to seek opportunities, not to waste time fighting others.

Opportunities in the Secret Realm were often protected by strange and complex Arrays that took a great deal of time to decipher. Therefore, it was far more productive to spend one's time on those Arrays than on other people.

Once an Array was broken, one could claim the Treasure within. These could be Spirit Medicines, Exotic Treasures, or even inherited Cultivation Techniques—all sorts of valuables were possible.

Until the Array was solved, there was no way to be sure what lay inside.

One thing was certain, however: the more complex the Array, the greater the Treasure it concealed—and, of course, the greater the danger.

Dangers such as Exotic Beasts and Alien Races.

As Yang Chan stepped into the Secret Realm, he could clearly sense the concentration of Spiritual Qi increasing. More noticeably, his body began to frantically absorb this Spiritual Qi, using it to temper his physical form.

This was a comprehensive Tempering that even began to extend to the Purification of his very marrow. The result was truly beyond Yang Chan's expectations.

He had never imagined the Tai Chi Longevity Body would have this kind of benefit. He had previously assumed its main advantage was his body's terrifying Recovery Power—after all, it was already capable of Limb Regeneration.

His body had also transformed into that of a Longevity Species, significantly increasing his Lifespan.

Those benefits were already significant, but he had never expected the Tai Chi Longevity Body could also directly absorb Spiritual Qi to comprehensively temper his physical body.

This gave Yang Chan another way to advance his Cultivation. Although the benefit would disappear once he left the Secret Realm, he could experience it again within the Merak Sacred Land.

The Merak Sacred Land was located in a Grotto Heaven where the Spiritual Qi was extremely abundant. It was a perfect environment for cultivating Spirit Medicines and Spirit Grass, which was how the Merak Sacred Land grew many of its ingredients.

This was something Lü Zhenghai had told Yang Chan and the others.

Within the Merak Sacred Land, there were not only numerous ways to acquire Cultivation Resources, but the ambient Spiritual Qi also provided a subtle, constant nourishment, making it an ideal place for Cultivation.

His situation, however, was vastly different. He wasn't just being nourished; he was actively absorbing—one could even say *devouring*—the energy.

This wasn't subtle nourishment; it was outright consumption for reinforcement.

As Yang Chan walked, he felt an excessive amount of Spiritual Qi gathering around him. He circulated his Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, trying to control the speed of his absorption. 'If this goes on too long,' he thought, 'it might attract unwanted attention.'

As he had expected, the Tai Chi Longevity Body, having been nurtured by the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, was naturally under its control. Yang Chan breathed a quiet sigh of relief and throttled back the absorption rate.

After all, a slow and steady approach was far better than drawing attention to himself.

He didn't want to be constantly watched while in the Secret Realm. If things got out of hand, he would be forced to strike out and search for opportunities on his own.

'I just found such useful tools; I can't afford to lose them now.'

After all, having the Merak Sacred Land as his "tools" would save him a great deal of effort and spare him from having to search blindly through the Secret Realm.

'Relying on luck is too unpredictable. It's far too easy for things to go wrong.'

'Missing out on a great opportunity because of it would be a real joke.'

'Can all special Physiques absorb Spiritual Qi, or is it just the Tai Chi Longevity Body?'

The question surfaced in Yang Chan's mind, but he had no way to confirm it.

It was the Taiyin Saintess who had told him about special Physiques in the first place. She had one as well, but he had no idea if hers could also absorb Spiritual Qi.