Twelve Immortal Physiques (Part One)
Daytime Sky Physique—what kind of physique was that? One of the Twelve Immortal Physiques. It was simply impossible for anyone in this world to be born with an immortal physique.
Immortal Emperor Mingren's Daytime Sky Physique had been cultivated, and the body technique he used to cultivate the "Daytime Sky Physique" had come from Li Qiye's "Body Scripture"!
Li Qiye knew that the "Body Scripture" had been coveted throughout the ages, so he hid it away. At the same time, he feared that one day, the "Body Scripture" might be lost while his memories of the cultivation manuals were erased.
Therefore, to guard against such a thing happening, Li Qiye used a method to pass down the secrets of the "Body Scripture."
Li Qiye poured no small amount of effort into hiding the mysteries of the Body Scripture within martial arts techniques that all cultivators disdained. Back then, he split its mysteries into three parts and concealed those three parts within three unrelated martial arts collections. Together, the three collections contained one hundred and twenty volumes, including over ten thousand martial arts techniques and miscellaneous arts!
The mysteries of the "Body Scripture" were hidden within them, arranged in an order known only to Li Qiye. Without Li Qiye's sequence, even if someone knew the Body Scripture was hidden within, they still could not extract its complete mysteries!
At the time, Li Qiye had the three martial arts collections containing the Body Scripture's mysteries printed in three separate eras. Thus, these three collections spanned three eras and had no connection to one another!
Across those three eras, the three martial arts collections Li Qiye printed numbered over a hundred thousand copies and spread far and wide. After those three eras, they circulated not only throughout the Human Emperor Realm, but also in the other eight realms.
Although all memories of cultivation methods in Li Qiye's mind had been erased, the order of their arrangement had not! Thus, even if he truly lost the original "Body Scripture" one day, he could still recover its mysteries from "Martial Arts Outline," "Martial Arts Miscellany," and "Iron Skin, Copper Sinews"!
Throughout the ages, no cultivator had ever seriously finished reading all one hundred and twenty volumes of these three martial arts manuals. Even if someone cultivated martial arts techniques, it was impossible for them to possess all three collections at once!
The Washing Yan Ancient Sect possessed these three martial arts collections because Li Qiye had deliberately left them behind back then. He had also given the Washing Yan Ancient Sect an opportunity. If someone truly devoted themselves to comprehending his manuals, perhaps the Washing Yan Ancient Sect might produce another figure like Immortal Emperor Mingren. Even if they could not become an Immortal Emperor, they might still produce an immortal physique.
Unfortunately, few descendants of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect had ever looked through these three martial arts collections, much less comprehended the mysteries within them! It was precisely because of this that, after Immortal Emperor Mingren, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect had never again been heard to produce a second immortal physique!
Li Qiye spent an entire night completely extracting the mysteries of the Body Scripture from those one hundred and twenty martial arts manuals.
Looking at the mysteries he had written down, Li Qiye could not help revealing a satisfied smile. He slowly read through the organized mysteries. As Li Qiye imprinted the Body Scripture's mysteries into his mind, the erased memories gradually surfaced. In the end, the complete and flawless "Body Scripture" appeared in Li Qiye's memories once more!
After the complete mysteries of the Body Scripture had been imprinted in his mind, Li Qiye burned the copied incantations and secrets in one blaze. Having endured countless hardships, Li Qiye knew the value of the "Body Scripture," and he also knew what kind of calamity it would bring if others learned it was in his hands! Therefore, he kept the mysteries of the "Body Scripture" only in his mind.
In truth, Li Qiye had hidden away the original "Body Scripture." Other than him, no one in the world could possibly retrieve its original copy.
However, Li Qiye was in no hurry to retrieve the original "Body Scripture," because it was not merely related to cultivation mysteries!
After recovering the mysteries of the "Body Scripture," Li Qiye rested only briefly before dawn arrived. Nan Huairen came early to the solitary peak to see Li Qiye.
"Senior Brother, I'm afraid I can't accompany you to the Weapon Repository today. Elder has sent me out on an errand, and I need to report the marriage alliance to the Sect Master." After seeing Li Qiye, Nan Huairen spoke thus.
Nan Huairen was a hall attendant and highly valued by Elder, so he often bore the responsibility of delivering important messages.
"Go. I'm not in a hurry to choose a treasure artifact." Li Qiye nodded lightly. This was also a good chance for him to properly sort through the cultivation manuals.
After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiye did not sleep much either. He took out the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms" manual. In the eyes of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's third-generation disciples, the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms" held a lofty status. It was the final technique of an Imperial Technique. Though it was only the final technique of an Imperial Technique, its power was terrifying beyond compare.
Every generation of Immortal Emperors had created astonishing cultivation methods and Imperial Techniques, including longevity arts that prolonged life and nourished blood, life techniques that cultivated the Life Wheel and slew enemies, body techniques that forged the physique and cleansed the marrow, as well as Heavenly Mandate Secret Arts that only Immortal Emperors who bore the Heavenly Mandate could create.
Immortal Emperor Mingren had created countless cultivation methods in his lifetime. Whether they were longevity arts, life techniques, or body techniques, Li Qiye was more familiar with Immortal Emperor Mingren's methods than anyone.
Immortal Emperor Mingren had been personally nurtured by him. Li Qiye had participated in the creation of most of the cultivation methods Immortal Emperor Mingren created in his lifetime, including the Heavenly Mandate Secret Arts Immortal Emperor Mingren had created.
Although, during his final slumber, Li Qiye had Black Dragon King erase all his memories of cultivation methods, he could still recover them.
The core Imperial Technique corresponding to the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms" was the "Kun Peng Six Transformations." It was one of the strongest life techniques among all the life techniques Immortal Emperor Mingren had created in his lifetime.
Li Qiye did not know whether the Washing Yan Ancient Sect still possessed the "Kun Peng Six Transformations." He could not yet come into contact with the sect's core Imperial Techniques, but through the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms," he could recover his memories of the "Kun Peng Six Transformations"!
Li Qiye slowly read and comprehended the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms." In truth, the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms" contained only six movements; they could not even be called a life technique for protecting one's life and slaying enemies. Yet Li Qiye knew better than anyone that Immortal Emperor Mingren's "Kun Peng Six Transformations" had been created from the foundation of these six movements.
Back when Immortal Emperor Mingren was still young, Li Qiye, transformed into a Shadow Crow, had once taken him to observe the Kun Peng from afar. In the end, Immortal Emperor Mingren summarized the Kun Peng's six movements and created the "Kun Peng Six Transformations." Later, this "Kun Peng Six Transformations" became a renowned Immortal Emperor life technique!
As Li Qiye comprehended it, the six movements of the "Kun Peng Minor Six Forms" slowly evolved in his mind. At times, the great Peng shook the nine heavens, its wings striking three thousand miles. At times, the great Peng dove into the nine netherworlds, its beak piercing through the earth. At times, the great Peng entered the abyss, transformed into a giant Kun, and swung its tail to stir the waves...
At times it was Peng, at times it was Kun; the transformations grew faster and faster. As they evolved without pause, it gradually became impossible to distinguish Peng from Kun. In the end, a fish became a bird, leaping into the nine heavens and treading upon the Great Dao. Kun and Peng transformed into one another like the changing of the sun, naturally blending into perfection and harmonizing with the Dao rhythms of heaven and earth.
Boom— Kun Peng struck the waves. In that instant, Li Qiye's entire body shook violently. The Kun Peng that had stirred up towering waves ten thousand zhang high vanished, and the monstrous waves vanished with it. Slowly, everything turned into Dao rhythms. The Dao rhythms evolved their mysteries and revolved the Great Dao. In the end, memory runes that had once been erased surfaced in Li Qiye's mind once again.
Those memory runes were at times Peng and at times Kun, undergoing endless transformations of mystery. In the end, Kun and Peng were no longer distinct; they became a complete Kun Peng. A complete and flawless "Kun Peng Six Transformations" was finally imprinted in Li Qiye's mind.
Li Qiye could not help rejoicing. Heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard—he had finally recovered his memories of the "Kun Peng Six Transformations."
Who knew how long had passed before Li Qiye came back to his senses from the profound mysteries of the "Kun Peng Six Transformations." Without realizing it, he had immersed himself in this supreme life technique for an entire day.
Having comprehended the mysteries of the "Kun Peng Six Transformations," Li Qiye did not slack off, nor did he grow complacent. He understood his own circumstances better than anyone. Whether it was his physique, Life Wheel, or Life Palace, he could not compare to those geniuses. Therefore, he had to be a hundred times more diligent in cultivation. On the path of the Dao, he had to persevere without yielding; only then could he bear the Heavenly Mandate and sweep across the nine heavens and ten lands.
As a mentor who had once personally nurtured an Immortal Emperor and guided countless giants, Li Qiye understood the principles of cultivation better than anyone! Though his physique, Life Wheel, and Life Palace were lacking, he possessed a complete philosophy of cultivation. That was his advantage.
Li Qiye opened "Moon Vortex Sun **" and began to study it. "Moon Vortex Sun **" was a longevity art, chiefly cultivating the Life Wheel in order to prolong life and nourish blood.
Every cultivator, even a mortal, possessed a Life Wheel! So long as one was an intelligent living being, they possessed three things: first, a physique; second, a Life Wheel; third, a Life Palace.
There was no need to say much about the physique. It was the vessel of life; without a physique, there was no life. Even the most ordinary mortals possessed a Mortal Physique! A body of flesh and blood was the finest vessel for life!
As for the Life Wheel, there was a saying: trees have growth rings, people have Life Wheels. The Life Wheel was contained within the body, but it was not tangible. It consisted of rings of light, and only cultivators could see their own Life Wheels. After cultivating a longevity art, the Life Wheel would appear behind one's head. Each ring of light represented the strength of one's vitality, blood energy, and lifespan.
For an ordinary mortal, from the moment they were born, provided they encountered no disasters, the length of their life was determined by their Life Wheel. For example, someone with a mortal-grade Life Wheel like Li Qiye, if he did not cultivate Dao methods and lived as an ordinary mortal, would live to sixty years old as long as he did not die in an accident or disaster.
Life Wheels, physiques, and Life Palaces all had grades. From lowest to highest, they were: mortal grade, acquired grade, innate grade, royal grade, saint grade, and immortal grade!
Although Life Wheels, physiques, and Life Palaces shared the same grades, there was one difference. In principle, the grades of a Life Wheel and Life Palace could not be changed; they were innate. Only a physique could change through cultivation! For example, an innate physique could cultivate a royal-grade body technique and elevate its physique into a royal body!
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