The long road of the Great Pass is truly like iron, but now we stride forward and leap anew! (End of this volume)

"Finally, I'm back!" Looking at this familiar dark space, the dim candlelight, the ice-cold demoness, He Heng let out a long sigh in his heart. He was finally back.

In the world of Dragon-Snake Romance, He Heng had stayed for over thirty years. After the Martial Dao Convention ended, He Heng's mind entered the Human Law Realm, but he didn't choose to return immediately.

This was because he hadn't forgotten that here, he still had his first tribulation on the path to enlightenment, this crimson demonic palace woman who intended to refine him into human medicine.

In the Great Heaven World, martial dao cultivation began with the Hundred Bones Realm. Externally, one achieved the Vajra state, where the physical body was indestructible. Internally, one gathered perfection, achieving control over fetal breath. Finally, through the convergence of inner and outer, circulating the dragon and tiger, one reached the true Grand Perfection of the Hundred Bones Realm.

Above the Hundred Bones Realm was Qi Refining! Refining a strand of Yang Qi could achieve the Martial Dao One Yang Realm. Then, refining a strand of Yin Qi, the union of Yin and Yang, would lead to the Martial Dao Two Hou Realm.

The reason for using "Qi" instead of "qi" was that although they sounded the same and had similar meanings, "Qi" was actually a refined version of "qi," akin to the difference between internal energy and true qi, a matter of concentration versus dilution.

Refining a strand of Qi meant that one's essence, qi, and spirit had reached their peak. Internal energy, tempered a thousand times, would achieve a state of perfect harmony, representing a new world in martial dao.

Above the Two Hou Realm was the Three Peng Realm. By severing the Three Corpses, the true body would be immaculate. This was the peak of flesh aperture transformation, a prerequisite for awakening the primordial spirit.

This crimson demonic palace female cultivator was at the Three Peng Realm, a full three realms higher than He Heng.

It was precisely because of this vast difference, like that between heaven and earth, that He Heng had to prepare to the utmost in the Dragon-Snake World before daring to return.

After all, although his spirit had already reached the Human Law Realm, realms were still just realms; without being converted into strength, everything was just fleeting clouds.

In the ten years following the Martial Dao Convention, He Heng continuously traveled the world, traversing the globe, comprehending all things in heaven and earth, the natural universe, and tempering himself in various extreme natural environments.

Since he was already invincible in that world, with no one able to stand against him, he used heaven and earth as his opponent, battling heaven – an endless joy!

He Heng continuously challenged his limits in extremely perilous environments such as the great desert, the seabed, and the polar glaciers, accumulating his fist momentum, fist intent, and fist techniques to the extreme, further comprehending the Human Law Realm.

During those ten years, he didn't fight anyone again. It wasn't just that no one could make him fight; more importantly, He Heng was accumulating fighting intent, building up power for the punch he would throw upon his return.

An arrow must be drawn taut to fly far, and a fist must gather momentum. He Heng hadn't thrown a punch in ten years; once he did, it would be earth-shattering!

"Everything depends on today. Whether the Great Dao awaits or I fall in disgrace, it all hinges on this day." He Heng's gaze was filled with determination. He suddenly opened a sliver of his eye, looking at the demoness.

She was currently starting a fire. Wood was being placed beneath the ancient great cauldron in the center of the hall, and she was solemnly lighting the fire, her expression very focused.

"Lighting a fire? She intends to refine me into a pill. This might be an opportunity," He Heng thought with coldness in his eyes. Since he had already entered the Human Law Realm, he could perfectly control his mind without leaking even a trace of killing intent. Therefore, the demoness hadn't noticed that He Heng had awakened.

Otherwise, if He Heng hadn't reached the Human Law Realm, just revealing a hint of killing intent towards such a master at such close range would have instantly alerted her, rendering any plans futile.

"Then, let's begin!" He Heng silently chanted in his heart. A radiant ball of light, seemingly material, directly emerged from his mind and entered He Heng's body.

This was all the blood essence, vital energy, and origin from He Heng's body in the Dragon-Snake world. At this moment, it was all brought out by the Myriad Heavens Treasure Mirror and integrated into his true body.

"This feeling..." He Heng felt as if countless ants were biting him all over his body, an itch accompanied by pain. Fortunately, his mind and will, having reached the Human Law Realm, were incredibly strong, allowing him to completely ignore it. Otherwise, even the slightest movement would have instantly alerted the demoness.

A moment later, He Heng felt a warmth spread throughout his body, a sense of clarity permeating his entire being, as if his very essence had been sublimated at this moment.

He Heng knew that his aptitude was improving. What was aptitude? It referred to a person's affinity with the spiritual energy and laws of heaven and earth. Many people in the Great Heaven World couldn't comprehend the existence of spiritual energy in heaven and earth their entire lives, let alone cultivate internal energy, all because their affinity with it was not high.

Some people could comprehend numerous divine skills and wondrous laws just by casually looking at mountains and rivers, while most people looked at the same scenery all day without any feeling. This was also due to their low affinity with heaven, earth, and all things.

Of course, innate talent and comprehension were also related to personal accumulation, martial dao realm, and the mysterious luck. It wasn't simply a matter of affinity.

But it was undeniable that affinity with heaven, earth, and all things was the most fundamental reason for talent. The reason for the varying degrees of affinity people had with the world lay in the differences in their life origins. The more abundant the origin, the higher your favorability with heaven and earth, allowing you to resonate with them like a magnetic field, easily comprehending profound truths and absorbing spiritual energy. This was aptitude.

And at this moment, after absorbing the origin from his other body, He Heng's aptitude had undergone a fundamental improvement. There was no such thing as "tendon-cleansing and marrow-washing," only a sublimation of life.

At this moment, He Heng felt that the density of the infinite spiritual energy filling heaven and earth surging towards him had significantly increased. Simply looking at an object would spark numerous inspirations, nourishing his martial dao.

"The height of my original spirit body, has it reached the extreme now?" He Heng thought, but he didn't continue to examine the changes in his aptitude. Instead, he controlled the vital energy from his Dragon-Snake body, gathering it in his Dantian.

Then, with He Heng's realm, his external Hundred Bones cultivation instantly reached the state of Shattering the Void and Seeing God Unbroken. This was the Grand Perfection of the Outer Hundred Bones, the Indestructible Body.

Feeling the interplay of two powerful forces within his body, He Heng smiled indifferently. His Inner Hundred Bones Realm in the spirit-energy-rich Great Heaven World had long since reached Grand Perfection, and his Outer Hundred Bones was also sufficient. Now, he could... achieve Inner and Outer Convergence, opening the Life and Death Mystic Gate.

In just an instant, a rumbling sound echoed within He Heng's body, as if the heavens and earth were overturning. The inner and outer forces converged, producing earth-shattering changes, and suddenly merged into one.

The green-blue internal energy, imbued with formless vitality, nourished his muscles and bones, allowing the indestructible body, which had already reached the human limit, to transform. The powerful blood essence filling his body now resonated with the internal energy, making it even more pure, as if water and milk had blended perfectly. The inner and outer strengths converged flawlessly.

A warm current instantly filled every inch of his body. All his bones were transforming, filled with vitality. This was a leap in life's level. The Grand Perfection of the Hundred Bones Realm was achieved at this moment.

"Inner and Outer Convergence, Grand Perfection of Hundred Bones. Excellent, excellent!" He Heng suppressed his excitement, perfectly controlling his emotions with his Human Law Dao Heart. He had spent over thirty years in the Dragon-Snake World and had thought about what he needed to do upon his return countless times. Every step had been planned, and achieving the Grand Perfection of the Hundred Bones Realm was the first step in his plan to break through.

This was also the most crucial step. For this, he had personally deduced the key points of breakthrough thousands of times, ultimately succeeding without making the slightest sound, completing the transformation in an instant.

"Heh, you think sealing all my acupoints makes me powerless to break through..." He Heng felt the sealed acupoints all over his body and sneered inwardly.

"Break... for me!"

The internal energy, which had just achieved Inner and Outer Convergence and was still surging violently, was manipulated by He Heng in a wondrous manner to impact each acupoint. Then, in a moment, those acupoints were forcefully opened.

Looking at the few scorching, fiery true qi within his body, He Heng sneered inwardly. The crimson demonic palace demoness had suffered a severe injury, and her true qi was also running low. Naturally, she was reluctant to use much true qi to seal He Heng's acupoints. The true qi left in He Heng's acupoints was probably only strong enough to be broken through by someone in the One Yang Realm. Although He Heng wasn't in the One Yang Realm, his internal energy was at its most violent right after his breakthrough, possessing the greatest impact.

Moreover, having spent so many years in the Dragon-Snake World, He Heng had researched the acupoints that were sealed within him and had already found the simplest and weakest points. Even without achieving the One Yang Realm, he could still break through these acupoints.

"Second step of the plan, complete!"

He Heng's heart was extremely calm. With the perfection of the Human Law Realm, he completely controlled his emotions, showing no flaws. His body remained motionless, feigning "unconsciousness" on the ground.

After about half an hour, the demoness finally heated the great cauldron until it was red-hot, with various liquids churning and boiling inside. It was boiling.

He Heng's keen spiritual sense sensed her adding herbs into the cauldron one by one, filling the space with a pungent odor.

After another moment, the demoness suddenly smiled and clapped her hands, her emotions somewhat excited.

"Haha, I've finally completed most of my sect's Three Revolutions Nine Refinements Body Strengthening Pill. Only the last step remains: adding the human medicine, and it will be completely finished."

Saying this, the demoness walked over to He Heng, looking at him coldly. He Heng could even hear her breathing and heartbeat...

Suddenly, she actually raised her hand and touched He Heng's cheek, chuckling sinisterly, "Little brother, you're quite handsome. Your blood energy is incredibly vigorous, your essence is abundant. Normally, I wouldn't bear to waste it like this, but today, I have no choice."

As she spoke, she suddenly lifted He Heng with one hand and brought him to the center of the great hall. He Heng felt an overwhelming wave of heat surge towards him, incredibly scorching.

Fortunately, his Human Law Realm was extremely profound, allowing him perfect self-control without the slightest emotional fluctuation. Otherwise, with just that touch and the current heat, He Heng estimated he would have been exposed long ago.

The Demoness looked at the swirling emerald liquid in the cauldron and let out a loud laugh, her voice echoing, a gust of Gang Qi sweeping out.

"The heat is right."

Saying this, she ripped off all of He Heng's clothes, grabbed one of his arms, and prepared to throw him into the cauldron.

"This is the moment!" He Heng's eyes suddenly snapped open, his entire body flushed red, his blood energy circulating to its extreme, boiling and churning.

"Sun Moon New Sky Method, Great Dao Formless Fist!" The numerous streams of blood energy and internal energy within He Heng's body ignited instantly, erupting with his strongest power. At this moment, his strength soared to above the One Yang Realm.

The arm the Demoness was holding suddenly lifted, his fist momentum soaring like the heavens, as if cleaving the world and turning the sun and moon. A divine being looked down upon the mortal world, striking the Demoness's chest in an instant.

"Pfft... How is this possible?" The Demoness couldn't believe it. She had personally knocked this brat unconscious and sealed all his acupoints. How could he move, and with such strength?

"Die!" He Heng's expression was cold, like the vast sky, devoid of any emotion. The overwhelming fist momentum, accumulated for ten years, swept out like a tidal wave, engulfing the Demoness.

Bang!

Caught off guard, the Demoness was forced back by He Heng's punch, collapsing beside the great cauldron.

"Brat, you think you can win by doing this? Let me show you what true power is!" The Demoness was indeed a Three Peng Realm martial artist. Her vitality was incredibly tenacious. Even after suffering severe injuries, being hit by He Heng's two well-prepared punches, she still had the strength to speak.

"Die!" He Heng roared, pushing the Sun Moon New Sky Method to its limit. His fist momentum was as mighty as mountains and rivers, like a banished immortal descending to the mortal world, sweeping away the dust, unimaginably surging.

"This artistic conception!" Under He Heng's punch, the Demoness was crushed by an immense force. She was stunned for a moment, and that moment of stunned silence was the one that decided life and death.

He Heng's fist momentum soared, his self forgotten. At this moment, his eyes held only this punch. It was as if he was cleaving the world, striking the Demoness with insane force.

"Pfft..." The Demoness spat out a mouthful of blood, stumbled, and fell into the great cauldron. Her limbs hung limply, her eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

As for He Heng, he was not faring well either. A shocking flame palm print appeared on his chest, incredibly red and bloody. He had unleashed three consecutive punches without giving the opponent any chance to breathe, but he still underestimated this Three Peng Realm expert. In her dying moments, she managed to strike him with a palm.

Fortunately, she was already heavily injured, and the palm strike was delivered in haste, its power less than thirty percent of her peak strength. Otherwise, he would have died on the spot.

Even so, He Heng was not feeling good. His chest felt heavy and suffocating, blood constantly seeping out, and scorching true qi spread throughout his body.

But He Heng couldn't afford to worry about that now. He quickly stepped forward and closed the lid of the great cauldron. Watching the Demoness slowly turn to ash in the emerald liquid, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Barely suppressing his injuries, He Heng put on his clothes, took out the few healing pills he had on him, swallowed them, and sat in meditation for a while. Suddenly, he noticed the cauldron vibrating.

"Is the pill about to be refined?" He Heng curiously opened the cauldron and found a dragon-eye-sized emerald pill inside.

"Life is truly unpredictable. This woman wanted to refine me into a pill, but she never expected to end up refining herself into one. The cauldron was prepared by her, the initial steps were also done by her. Truly... she brought it upon herself!" He Heng sighed and picked up the pill, thinking it might be useful in the future.

"Huh? What's this?" He Heng's eyes flashed as he saw a crystal-clear jade slip beneath the cauldron, emitting a radiant glow.

He Heng picked up the jade slip and examined it closely. He felt a tremor in his mind, and a map appeared in his consciousness.

"Could this be the location of the True Person's Hidden Treasure that the Demoness mentioned?" He Heng pondered, looking at the map's destination.

"Forget it, now is not the time to study this. I'll deal with it later." He Heng put away the jade slip and the pill, cleaned up the traces of his presence, and strode outwards. It was the early morning hours, and a brilliant ray of sunlight was rising in the east. Based on the terrain, He Heng judged he was somewhere outside Shuangjiang City and began to grope his way back.

The dawn was brilliant, illuminating the land. In just one night, his life had already changed. Everything would be a new beginning...

The steep passes are like iron, but now I stride forward anew.