Lingyun Pavilion's Gravity Body Tempering, Puppet Army Blocks the Way and Heavenly Secrets Emerge

After leaving Myriad Souls Cave, the faint purple glow of the Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant gradually faded, replaced by a brilliant azure radiance—the next ancient Martial Immortal ruin pointed toward "Lingyun Pavilion" in the Eastern Region. Legend had it that this was where the ancient Martial Immortal Feipeng comprehended the Dao. Feipeng had roamed heaven and earth with Lingyun Power, able to shatter the shackles of gravity with his physical body and soar through the nine heavens. In the end, he condensed his understanding of the Martial Dao into the "Lingyun Seal," which he hid within Lingxiao Hall at the topmost level of Lingyun Pavilion. Unlike the ruins they had visited before, Lingyun Pavilion was not concealed in some perilous place. It stood atop a towering mountain, its structure forged from azure crystal and surrounded by visible ripples of gravity. Ordinary cultivators would be crushed by the gravity before they could even approach, and even flying through the air was nearly impossible.

When the Qi and Blood Ship descended at the foot of the mountain, everyone could already feel the heavy pressure permeating the air. Looking up, Lingyun Pavilion resembled an azure dragon coiled around the summit. The stairway leading from its base to the highest level was laid with Gravity Runes, and the gravity on every step was several times stronger than on the one below. Within the mist beside the steps, they could vaguely see barriers formed by gravity ripples, enveloping the entire pavilion.

"This gravity is terrifying. I've only just gotten close, yet it feels like a thousand-pound boulder is pressing down on me!" Lin Xiaohu struggled to take a step forward, his legs trembling faintly. Even the circulation of his qi and blood had become extraordinarily sluggish, and the Soul Suppressing Power was difficult to mobilize beneath the crushing gravity.

Chen Fan circulated West Vein Power. The earthen-yellow Earth Vein Power, blue Sea Vein Power, red Flame Power, and faint purple Soul Suppressing Power intertwined, forming a five-colored barrier around him that barely offset part of the gravity. "Martial Immortal Feipeng took breaking through gravity as his Dao. The Lingyun Seal must be connected to the origin of gravity. If we want the seal, we must first adapt to the gravity here, perhaps even incorporate it into our own Martial Dao—temper the body with gravity, soar through the clouds with the flesh."

Holding the Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant, Su Muxue watched as it emitted an azure glow that resonated with Lingyun Pavilion's gravity ripples. "According to the pendant's senses, Lingxiao Hall is on the ninety-ninth floor at the top of Lingyun Pavilion. But the staircase leading upward contains not only gravity suppression, but also a 'Gravity Restriction.' This restriction can only be broken with Lingyun Power. More dangerously..." She paused, a grave look flashing through her eyes. "I can sense a great many spiritual energy fluctuations hidden within the pavilion. These fluctuations possess no trace of life, like controlled puppets—these are likely the 'Spiritual Root Puppet Army' refined by the Will of the Heavenly Dao from the corpses of Spiritual Root cultivators."

The moment her words fell, the gates of Lingyun Pavilion slowly opened. Countless figures clad in identical azure armor emerged from within. Their faces were vacant, their eyes utterly devoid of light, and twisted spiritual energy swirled around them. They gripped standardized longswords in their hands. They were precisely the Spiritual Root Puppet Army Su Muxue had mentioned! The leading puppet stood three zhang tall, and the spiritual energy fluctuations around it had actually reached the Void Refinement Realm. It had clearly been refined from the corpse of a Void Refinement Realm cultivator.

"Chen Fan... destroy... Martial Dao seals..." The puppet leader's voice was stiff and mechanical, clearly controlled remotely by the Will of the Heavenly Dao. "Spiritual Root... order... must not... be destroyed..."

Before its words had even faded, the Spiritual Root Puppet Army charged at the group. The puppets knew neither pain nor fear of death. Their longswords flashed, and Sword Qi formed from spiritual energy came down like a torrential rain. Even more bizarrely, their spiritual energy could resonate with Lingyun Pavilion's gravity ripples, multiplying the weight of their Sword Qi. Ordinary defenses could not withstand it at all.

"Xiaohu, use your Soul Suppressing Power to protect your mind and prevent the puppets' spiritual energy from interfering with you. Miss Su, use the Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant to purify their twisted spiritual energy. Li Mo, lead the disciples into a defensive formation. I'll handle the puppet leader!" Chen Fan issued his orders swiftly. West Vein Power surged around him, and the five-colored barrier transformed into a massive West Vein Battle Halberd as he charged toward the puppet leader.

Seeing this, the puppet leader swung the giant axe in its hand. Void Refinement Realm spiritual energy fused with the gravity ripples, forming a heavy Gravity Axe Force that slammed toward Chen Fan. Wherever the axe force passed, the air itself was crushed into distortion, while a deep trench opened across the ground.

A sharp glint flashed through Chen Fan's eyes. He swept the West Vein Battle Halberd sideways, and the earthen-yellow Earth Vein Power resonated with the gravity ripples, actually forming a Gravity Counterforce Barrier before him that canceled most of the axe force's power. Taking the opportunity, he rushed before the puppet leader and drove the tip of his battle halberd at its chest—the puppet's spiritual energy was powerful, but without independent consciousness, its techniques were riddled with openings.

Pfft! The West Vein Battle Halberd easily pierced the puppet leader's armor and plunged into its chest. Faint purple Soul Suppressing Power erupted instantly, purifying the twisted spiritual energy within the puppet. The puppet leader froze at once, the spiritual energy around it gradually dissipating until it finally became a pile of lifeless white bones that crashed to the ground.

After dealing with the puppet leader, Chen Fan turned to aid the other disciples. With their leader gone, the Spiritual Root Puppet Army's offensive immediately fell into disarray. Su Muxue's Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant continuously purified the puppets' spiritual energy, while Lin Xiaohu's Soul Suppressing Power disrupted their movements. Li Mo and the disciples seized the chance to attack, cutting down the puppets one by one. In less than half an hour, the Spiritual Root Puppet Army had been completely wiped out, and calm returned before Lingyun Pavilion.

With the obstruction cleared, the group began ascending Lingyun Pavilion along the stairway. Each step they took increased the gravity by another measure. By the tenth step, Lin Xiaohu could barely move, his qi and blood seemingly frozen and unable to circulate. "Brother Fan, I... I really can't walk any farther..." Lin Xiaohu panted heavily, cold sweat covering his forehead.

Chen Fan stopped and injected West Vein Power into Lin Xiaohu's body, helping him circulate his qi and blood. "Xiaohu, don't resist the gravity. Try to merge it into your qi and blood. Martial Immortal Feipeng once said, 'Gravity is not a shackle, but a hammer that tempers the body.' Only by accepting it can you break through it."

Lin Xiaohu nodded and followed Chen Fan's guidance, attempting to fuse the gravity with his own qi and blood. It remained difficult at first, but as time passed, he gradually discovered that the gravity could actually temper his qi and blood, making it more condensed. Soul Suppressing Power intertwined with gravity, even slowly increasing the strength of his physical body—half an hour later, he was actually able to ascend to the twentieth step on his own.

With Chen Fan's help, Su Muxue and Li Mo also gradually adapted to the gravity. Supporting one another, the group climbed step by step toward the highest level. After three grueling hours, they finally reached the ninety-ninth floor of Lingyun Pavilion, with the gates of Lingxiao Hall directly before them. Yet in front of the hall gates flickered an azure curtain of gravitational light—the Gravity Restriction Su Muxue had spoken of.

"The power of this Gravity Restriction is too strong. My West Vein Power can barely resist it, much less break it." Chen Fan tried channeling West Vein Power into the light curtain, only for it to be instantly repelled. Cracks even appeared in the five-colored barrier around him.

Su Muxue walked before the light curtain and carefully studied the Gravity Runes on its surface. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I understand! The core of Martial Immortal Feipeng's Lingyun Power is 'breaking through gravity with the physical body, rather than opposing gravity.' We need to make our own power resonate with the Gravity Runes, turning gravity into our 'aid' rather than our 'obstacle.' Only then can we break the restriction!"

Realization dawned on Chen Fan. He put away the West Vein Battle Halberd, no longer using West Vein Power to resist gravity. Instead, he circulated it along the paths traced by the Gravity Runes. The earthen-yellow Earth Vein Power resonated with the Gravity Runes; the blue Sea Vein Power followed the flow of gravity like running water; the red Flame Power became even more condensed under the gravitational pressure; and the faint purple Soul Suppressing Power steadied his mind—West Vein Power fused perfectly with gravity, and Chen Fan's body gradually became light, as if gravity had lost all effect on him.

"Now!" Chen Fan shouted, sending West Vein Power into the light curtain along the Gravity Runes. The azure curtain instantly flared up. The gravity ripples were no longer an obstruction, instead transforming into an azure passage that drew everyone into Lingxiao Hall.

Inside Lingxiao Hall, an azure jade seal floated above the central stone platform. Faint gravity ripples circled the jade seal—it was the Lingyun Seal they had come seeking! Chen Fan stepped forward and grasped the Lingyun Seal. A vast power from the origin of gravity poured into his body and completely fused with West Vein Power, forming the combat strength of an early-stage Celestial Immortal through Five Veins United!

At that moment, the dome of Lingxiao Hall suddenly lit up, and a massive star map emerged. On the map, nine points of light corresponded to nine Martial Dao seals. Golden lines connected the points, ultimately converging at the "Origin Point" in the center of the star map—this was clearly the method to activate Nine Seals United!

"This is... the Nine Seals Activation Diagram left behind by Martial Immortal Feipeng!" Su Muxue's eyes brimmed with excitement. "To fully activate the power of the nine seals, the nine seals must be placed at the world's Nine Great Origins respectively. Then, a 'Martial Dao Origin Inheritor'—someone capable of fusing nine kinds of origin power—must activate them at the central node. Only then can the power of 'Martial Path Convergence' be unleashed to oppose the Will of the Heavenly Dao completely!"

Chen Fan looked at the star map, his eyes filled with resolve. He knew that gathering the nine seals was only the first step. Finding the world's Nine Great Origins and becoming a Martial Dao Origin Inheritor were the true keys to the final battle. He tucked the Lingyun Seal into his robes and turned to the others. "We have obtained five Martial Dao seals. Four more are waiting for us to find them. From now on, we must not only search for the seals, but also locate the world's origin nodes. Whatever schemes the Will of the Heavenly Dao may have, we must be fully prepared to face the final battle!"

The group left Lingxiao Hall and headed toward the next ancient ruin. Lingyun Pavilion's gravity remained as heavy as ever, but their hearts were now filled with hope. Five Vein Power swirled around Chen Fan as he gained a preliminary command of gravity; Lin Xiaohu's Soul Suppressing Power had grown increasingly proficient; and Su Muxue had grasped the key method of Nine Seals United—their path of Martial Dao Against Heaven was steadily approaching its core, and they were drawing ever closer to breaking the shackles of Spiritual Root Destiny.

They knew the challenges ahead would be even harsher. The incarnation of the Will of the Heavenly Dao might launch its final attack at any moment, and the remaining forces of the Spiritual Root system might return with renewed strength. But they no longer feared them, for they had companions fighting at their side, the Martial Dao will passed down through millennia, and an unwavering conviction to protect the world. They believed that one day, they would gather all nine Martial Dao seals, find the Nine Great Origins, and use the power of Martial Path Convergence to shatter the incarnation of the Will of the Heavenly Dao, restoring freedom and life to the world.