Volume 2: Capital City Undercurrents, Chapter 17: Life and Death

My speed was almost at its limit. Fortunately, I was still lucid, so I slightly controlled my speed and, like a gust of wind, passed through the gates of Star Peak Manor. The two servants who saw me enter widened their eyes; they had never seen their young master run so fast.

My heart pounded faster and faster. I was too excited. If this secret manual were to fall into the Cultivation World, it would surely cause a bloody storm, and yet I had obtained it so easily. How could I not be moved, not be excited? My god, this was the "Demon Subduing Vajra Art"!

I didn't want to waste any time. I let out a roar and transmitted my voice to Brother Wang, saying, "Brother Wang, I'm going into the underground secret chamber now. I'll seal off the innermost room. Don't disturb me."

Brother Wang, who was reading a book, heard my words. Although he was curious about what I was going into the secret chamber for, he knew that the most important thing was to obey my orders. He didn't think much more about it.

I rushed directly towards the rockery. The Eight Formations immediately dodged when I was three centimeters away from my body. I reached the rockery.

My right hand moved like a phantom, lightning-fast as I opened the door to the secret chamber passage. I flew inside, leaving only the few paintings hanging in the passage, blown down by the powerful wind generated by my high speed.

I entered the secret chamber with the Green Jade Table and casually cast a seal made with True Primordial Energy, sealing the entire chamber. After all, cultivation is very sensitive to interruptions. I had never practiced this "Demon Subduing Vajra Art" before; if I had, I wouldn't have been reincarnated.

I sat down on the jade cushion. I was a very experienced cultivator and knew the importance of one's state of mind during cultivation. My current excited mood could easily lead to qi deviation. I sat down, calmed myself, and rested for a bit.

After a while, I began to cultivate the "Heart Sutra." True Primordial Energy circulated through my body in waves. I controlled it with great ease, and my entire body felt incredibly comfortable. After a long time, my state of mind finally returned to its previous state of calm and tranquility.

Maintaining a clear mind, I opened the "Demon Subduing Vajra Art" in my hands with a slight tremor of excitement. Beside me were two top-grade jade stones. Uncle Zhang had bought me eleven more top-grade jade stones during this time. I had managed to get so many now, and there were still quite a few that had been discovered long ago but no one had bought. I estimated that after this peak period passed, there wouldn't be so many available. With these two top-grade jade stones, I figured I could withstand the consumption of cultivation.

Seeing the table of contents, I really wanted to laugh. The chapters were divided into the first to the eighteenth layers. I couldn't help but sigh inwardly; when luck strikes, it's unstoppable.

The first five layers were completely unnecessary for me to practice. I was going to cultivate the sixth layer directly.

"Channel qi into the body, transform the self into an object, no self, no qi, merge into one, absorb the heavens..."

What was this? It asked me to completely disperse my True Primordial Energy within my body. What kind of practice was this? It wanted me to abandon my True Primordial Energy, to discard the Golden Core I had cultivated with such effort for so long. How was that possible?

If I had no True Primordial Energy, and if my Buddhist energy was not well-cultivated, how would I fight others in the future? This was asking me to commit suicide! What a perverted cultivation method.

No, my current power was enough for me to get by in the Azure Dragon Continent. I wouldn't practice it.

I made up my mind to stand up and abandon the "Demon Subduing Vajra Art." But as soon as I saw the words "Demon Subduing Vajra Art" on the cover, I couldn't get up. This was the "Demon Subduing Vajra Art," the foremost technique in the Cultivation World!

I both wanted to give up and wanted to practice it. I was afraid that someone had just written it randomly. If it wasn't the real one from the Cultivation World, wouldn't I have lost everything? But if it was real, wouldn't I be an idiot for not practicing the foremost technique in the Cultivation World? But if it was fake...

I was going crazy. What should I do? What should I do? Why didn't I think it might be fake at the beginning? Right, who would even know that this "Demon Subduing Vajra Art" existed in the Cultivation World? And the first five layers were real. I'll risk it...

I was, after all, a cultivator with over three thousand years of experience. As soon as my mind worked, a perfect solution emerged. I would use half of my Golden Core to cultivate this "Demon Subduing Vajra Art," and keep the other half. Even if it failed, I could still recover. I was almost proud of myself. If I wanted to do it, I would do it.

Those who cultivate the "Demon Subduing Vajra Art" in the Buddhist Sect have True Primordial Energy infused into their bodies by others. No matter how much True Primordial Energy they have in their bodies, it wouldn't be more than my single Golden Core.

First, I slowly released the pure True Primordial Energy from my Golden Core. Holding two top-grade jade stones in my hands, I also slowly absorbed their spiritual energy to supplement my consumption. In my heart, I began to practice this "Demon Subduing Vajra Art," whose authenticity I was unsure of, following the incantation.

It seemed there were no changes in my body. Didn't it say that one could achieve a Vajra body when cultivated to the extreme? Was it fake? Since I had already started, I would see it through to the end.

I didn't know how much time had passed. My Golden Core had shrunk to half its original size. I was about to cry because my body hadn't shown any significant changes. Just then, a sensation of soreness and numbness spread from all over my body. I seemed unable to control my body. Could it be working? A surge of inexplicable joy filled me.

Suddenly, my meridians began to tear slowly. This wasn't cultivation; this was destroying my body! I wanted to stop, but I had no way to do so. My Golden Core was also continuing to be consumed. I had lost control of my body.

I had initially thought of stopping when half my Golden Core was depleted, but now, how could I stop?

The destruction of my body continued. My meridians were almost completely severed. My skin began to crack as if dehydrated. My bones and joints started to vibrate, compress, and stretch...

I could feel the pain throughout my body. It was more painful than being struck by a Heavenly Tribulation! My will allowed me to maintain a sliver of clarity in my mind. Even if I were to perish like this, I wanted to see how I died.

Under my helplessness, the destruction finally reached its extreme. My body could barely be further damaged. If anyone were to see me like this, they would never believe that this person was still alive.

I was despairing. At this moment, I wanted to give up. I chuckled bitterly in my heart. Because of my greed, everything was gone. My hopes, my grand pronouncements, my brothers, my father, my mother, and the woman I had just met today...

At this moment, it was like a movie playing in my mind, recalling every bit of my past. The joys, the beautiful moments, the precious memories forever kept in my heart...

I felt my heart tearing with pain. Why? Why was I reincarnated, only to die like this again...

Just as I was reminiscing about the past and cursing heaven and earth, my body underwent another drastic change. The True Primordial Energy that had leaked out merged with my Life Primordial Energy and began to circulate throughout my body. My skin grew back, like spring grass sprouting, appearing full of vitality. My meridians also began to grow, becoming wider and tougher. Everything within my body was changing...

A surge of ecstasy filled me. Was this the so-called "breaking and then establishing"? I couldn't help but curse myself. With thousands of years of experience, how could I not have thought of this? I had thought I was going to die. I had practiced the foremost technique of the Cultivation World, the "Demon Subduing Vajra Art," and thought I was going to die, feeling unbearable pain. It would be utterly embarrassing to talk about it.

The muscles within my body were now intertwined like steel bars, while the skin on the outside was as tender as a newborn baby's. My bones were as hard as fine steel, and my meridians had expanded several times over. Even the strength and coverage of my spiritual sense had increased several times. What excited me most was that I could truly feel a peaceful power filling my bones, joints, and muscles. Although it was gentle, I could deeply sense the terrifying power contained within it.

I finally understood why those peerless masters of the Buddhist Sect achieved physical sainthood, unlike us cultivators who could only ascend to the immortal realm by relying on our Nascent Souls. It was because they had spread their power throughout every part of their bodies.

The only thing I was dissatisfied with was that my Golden Core was only a quarter of its original size. However, I was still very excited because I was not dead. My grand pronouncements could still be realized, my parents could reunite, my dreams were no longer distant, and I could see her again...

Heavens, you haven't abandoned me yet! Hahaha...

I was a little delirious. How could I not be? I had come back from the brink of death! My death would have been eternal damnation! But now? Not only could I continue to cultivate my "Heart Sutra," but I could also cultivate my "Demon Subduing Vajra Art." I could already see a bright golden path ahead of me.

I could now clearly feel the toughness of my body. The weakest point for us cultivators was our physical bodies because we spent most of our time cultivating our Nascent Souls. This was also the main reason why we couldn't ascend physically. From now on, with the profound knowledge of both Buddhist and Daoist schools, ascension would no longer be a problem. Back then, I had cultivated diligently for three thousand six hundred years, and in the end, I failed at the Tribulation Crossing, unable to ascend. Thinking about it now, I truly lamented the immense changes in my fate!

I stood up, looked at the two flawless jade stones that had been unearthed in my hands, and smiled. Who would have known that obtaining these flawless jade stones would be so easy for me?

I strode outwards. Now, I was full of ambition. What was there to fear? What could I not accomplish! My boundless aspirations could not be contained; my great undertaking would surely be realized. Looking back at the secret chamber where I had experienced the tribulation of life and death, I let out a hearty laugh...

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