Chapter 628 613: Dual Cultivation of Body and Technique, The Strangeness of the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire

While Nangong Yan and Shark's Kiss were busy placating Yin Shanhan from the Artifact Origin Sect, Nalan Ziyun had already pulled Shen Lang into a room.

Shen Lang played the bad cop, leaving Nangong Yan and the others to play the good cop.

At the very least, it gave the people from the Artifact Origin Sect a way to save face.

It saved them from the awkward position of being too embarrassed to leave, yet unable to stay.

The disciples from the various sects dispersed, returning to chat with their Demon Beasts about life and their aspirations.

The vast courtyard finally returned to its previous lively and relaxed atmosphere, free from the earlier tension and pressure.

The roars of Demon Beasts echoed one after another as the disciples from the sects began to quietly discuss the matter with the Artifact Origin Sect.

If the entire Artifact Origin Sect had become a force under Shen Lang's control, did that mean the disciples of the Five Sects... could soon arm themselves to the teeth with powerful Profound Artifacts?

A Spirit Copper Level Artifact Refining Grand Sect... the legendary Artifact Origin Sect!

If a sect like that joined their alliance, the union of the Five Great Sects—including the Profound Dao Sect and the Xiu Hua Sect—was bound to undergo an earth-shattering transformation.

And the ones who stood to benefit most directly were, of course, the elite disciples of the great sects.

Inside the room, Shen Lang had temporarily put the Artifact Origin Sect aside and turned his thoughts to the Dugu Family.

The Star Continent was immense. It was comprised of the Four Desolates of the East, South, West, and North, as well as the Central Province. Each region was so vast that an ordinary person might not be able to traverse it in a single lifetime.

The Barbaric Land that enveloped the Four Desolates and the Central Province was even more boundless—a region where opportunity and crisis coexisted.

In a world like this, beyond the renowned Sect Influences, there existed many powerful sects and Noble Families that remained reclusive and unknown for various reasons.

They were much like the Pocket World Blessed Lands, which had vanished without a trace one night ten thousand years ago.

The Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Small Blessed Lands were said to be legacies left in the Human Realm by the Upper Realm Divine Demons of legend.

They kept a low profile, but they occupied the most powerful Spirit Meridians in the Human Realm and practiced Cultivation Techniques far superior to even many Legendary Sects.

The Dugu Family was one such reclusive power, similar to the Pocket World Blessed Lands.

According to the records in the War God Hall, this Noble Family had taken action during the "Upheaval of the Celestial Demons," joining forces with the great sects to dismember and seal a powerful Celestial Demon.

Legend had it that the Celestial Demon's head was now guarded by the Dugu Family, sealed away in some unknown location.

Now, with the Pocket World Blessed Lands having mysteriously vanished, the hope of finding their power was incredibly slim.

As for the War God Hall, it had been cast into a Space-Time Rift by the War Emperor, its whereabouts unknown.

Reclusive powers like the Dugu Family had complicated ties to the War God Hall. If he could find these factions and gain their support, dealing with the Candle Dragon would become much easier.

It was for this very reason that Shen Lang had accepted Dugu Zhange's written challenge and allowed him to leave.

Otherwise, given Shen Lang's temperament, he would have crippled the man on the spot. Why would he ever let an idiot like that walk away so easily?

"What are you lost in thought about? Still thinking about the Artifact Origin Sect?" Nalan Ziyun frowned, waving a hand in front of Shen Lang's face. "You could have handled that in a gentler way. Why did you have to be so overbearing?"

"You embarrassed them in front of so many people. Even if they truly become a force under your command, they'll still hold a grudge against the Profound Dao Sect."

"..." Shen Lang was surprised. He hadn't expected the normally carefree Nalan Ziyun to say something so perceptive, and he was momentarily stunned.

Seeing him stunned, Nalan Ziyun rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. I just didn't want to steal your thunder. Just because I don't always speak up doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

"You talk plenty. It's just that most of it is unfiltered," Shen Lang said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"What did you say!" Nalan Ziyun exploded in anger.

"Nothing... I was complimenting your intelligence," Shen Lang said hastily.

Nalan Ziyun shot him a sideways glance. "Does it bother you that I'm ugly?"

"..." Even a mind like Shen Lang's couldn't keep up.

'This woman's train of thought is all over the place,' he thought. 'One moment we're talking about intelligence, the next it's about looks.'

'The two topics are completely unrelated!'

"O-of course it doesn't bother me..." Shen Lang felt like this was more of a headache than dealing with the Candle Dragon. The words came out instinctively.

Nalan Ziyun's expression darkened. "'Doesn't bother you'? So you're admitting you think I'm ugly?"

"..." Shen Lang was utterly speechless.

'Damn it,' he thought, 'when a woman wants to start a fight, she doesn't need a reason!'

Before Shen Lang could react, Nalan Ziyun gave a flirtatious twirl, sending her long skirt billowing around her.

Then, she shot him a sultry look. "Beautiful?"

"Beautiful..." For the first time, Shen Lang felt like his brain was short-circuiting.

"Take off your clothes, then," Nalan Ziyun said with a dazzling smile.

Shen Lang jumped. "Uh, isn't this... a bit much? I'm a traditional guy... I think things are moving a little too fast..."

"You idiot, what are you thinking?! I was showing you my new clothes! I was going to tell you to take off your clothes so I could wash them and get you a fresh set, too! What sort of filthy things are on your mind? Ugh, forget it! I'm not washing them now!" Nalan Ziyun's expression changed in an instant. She slammed the door and stormed out.

"..." Shen Lang was left dumbfounded.

A man can't guess what's on a woman's mind. No matter how much you guess, you'll never understand.

Shen Lang let out a long sigh, sat down cross-legged, and immediately immersed his consciousness.

At that very moment, from the Thunder Element Mansion beside his Mystic Pill, a pure and surging torrent of Thunder Power gushed forth!

Countless fine tendrils of Thunder Power spread throughout his body, following the paths of his Eight Extraordinary Meridians!

From the outside, countless arcs of lightning could be seen crawling over Shen Lang's fingers. They danced from his fingertips to the base of each finger, then across his palms, up his arms, over his torso... until they finally enveloped his entire body!

In just over ten seconds, Shen Lang was completely wreathed in lightning, appearing like a veritable Thunder God.

Strictly speaking, the cultivation of Martial Arts is divided into two paths: Magic and Body.

The first, Magic, was the most prevalent cultivation method in the world. For both the Demon Race and the Human Race, the process was largely the same: they would absorb nature's spiritual energy, make it their own, gather it in their Pill Sea, and transform it into power that a Martial Artist could wield.

The second, Body, was the path to becoming a Saint of the Flesh. Unfortunately, this cultivation method had fallen into decline over countless years due to the loss of numerous Cultivation Techniques and secret manuals. This was why, when Shen Lang was first thought to possess the Celestial Vein Sacred Body—a physique that was incredibly formidable in the Ancient Era—it was dismissed as a useless constitution.

Shen Lang was now engaged in the Dual Cultivation of Body and Technique.

However, for Shen Lang, who possessed the War Emperor's memories—memories his soul was deeply fusing with over time—the cultivation of Magic had become less important.

And as the Tai Chi Diagram above his Mystic Pill began to reveal more of its heaven-defying power, Shen Lang had all but selectively forgotten about cultivating Magic.

The cultivation of Magic focused on two things. The first was insight into the Realms, which meant enlightenment in the Martial Arts. The second was the absorption of nature's spiritual energy; whether through powerful Cultivation Techniques or Elixir Pills, the ability to absorb vast amounts of Spiritual Qi in a short time allowed a Martial Artist to surpass their peers.

And for Shen Lang, neither of these points posed any challenge or difficulty whatsoever!

The War Emperor's memories were like his own memories from a past life.

Meanwhile, the Tai Chi Diagram could absorb an unimaginable amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in a short period, then quickly and completely perform Refinement on it for his use!

As long as Shen Lang willed it, it would be as easy as flipping his palm—just like when he had advanced from the Spirit Martial Realm all the way to the Xuanwu Realm Sixth Heaven by the Earth Rift!

In Shen Lang's view, with the War Emperor's memories, the Tai Chi Diagram, and the Life Spiritual Liquid, he could probably reach the same peak state the War Emperor had been in during his prime very quickly...

But therein lay the problem.

If he could only reach that level, he would still be unable to contend with that mysterious and powerful entity. Ultimately, he would just be trapped in the same cycle of death and Reincarnation.

He might not even get another chance at Rebirth. His soul would face complete Soul Scattering, reduced to nothing but ash and smoke!

The other path of cultivation, that of the "Body," was what gave Shen Lang hope, and thus it held a greater appeal.

Shen Lang had already learned from Li Su of the Celestial Crocodile Race in the Sorrow Swamp just how unimaginably powerful the Chaos Divine Body was.

Not even Li Su knew just how powerful Shen Lang would become after gathering the Ten Divine Beasts.

Currently, three of the Ten Divine Beasts whose Essence Blood Shen Lang had the highest chance of obtaining had already appeared!

First, the Qilin suppressed deep beneath the Profound Dao Sect's Extreme Thunder Peak. Based on Shen Lang's previous assessment, his chances of dealing with it were still slim, even with Xue Shiyin's help. He could only put that on hold for now.

Second, Lan Mengling of the Vermilion Bird Race. Shen Lang's favorable impression of her had plummeted after he learned she might be from the same faction as the Candle Dragon. Nevertheless, he would do whatever it took to obtain the Vermilion Bird's Essence Blood.

Third, in the Amber Dream Realm, where the Eternal Tree was located, there was a guardian race: the Green Dragon. The Green Dragon's Essence Blood would likely be the easiest of the Ten Divine Beasts for him to obtain. A trip to the Barbaric Land was therefore already on his agenda. 'As soon as I'm out of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land, I'm heading straight for the Amber Dream Realm!'

'Once I get the Green Dragon's Essence Blood and awaken one of the Ten Divine Beasts, I'll come back and deal with that Qilin under Extreme Thunder Peak!'

'If I can get the Qilin's Essence Blood after that, I'll have two of the Ten Divine Beasts awakened. My cultivation will undergo an unimaginable transformation!'

This was Shen Lang's plan.

Until he could obtain the Ten Divine Beasts' Essence Blood and trigger a qualitative transformation in his Chaos Divine Body, Shen Lang's goal was to use Thunder Power and various Elixir Pills for Body Forging, striving to awaken more Divine Beast Particles.

At that moment, tyrannical streams of Thunder Power surged through him, far exceeding what his meridians could normally handle, and forcibly battered them.

The power roamed through his meridians, flesh, and cells. Thunder boomed and violent currents raged wherever it passed.

Unimaginable pain coursed through Shen Lang's entire body, frantically stimulating his nerves and tempering his will.

While struggling to remain conscious enough for Body Forging, Shen Lang also had to force himself into a state of "No-Self" to mitigate the agony, trying to maintain a perfect balance between these two contradictory efforts.

Just then, Shen Lang felt a jolt in his heart. The Thunder Power enveloping his body vanished without a trace...

Opening his eyes, Shen Lang muttered, "That's strange. From the time Lan Mengling sealed my cultivation until now, I haven't had a chance to use Thunder Power for Body Forging, nor have I taken any other Elixir Pills..."

"How have my meridians become so much tougher? And why have my Divine Beast Particles inexplicably increased by more than three thousand!"

Shen Lang's eyes flickered as he recalled every single thing that had happened since he met Lan Mengling, not letting a single detail escape him.

His cultivation had been sealed by Lan Mengling this whole time, leaving him with no opportunity to practice.

Before that, he had cultivated for a day inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron. Although he hadn't checked his progress then, he hadn't used any Medicinal Liquid for Body Forging; he had only stabilized his Xuanwu Realm Sixth Heaven Realm.

It was absolutely impossible for his Divine Beast Particles to have increased by over three thousand overnight!

'Could it be... the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire that was part of Lan Mengling's seal?' A sharp glint flashed in Shen Lang's eyes.

He held out his right palm. With a POOF, a wisp of Vermilion Bird Divine Fire flickered into existence...