The Wonderful Use of the Imprint

Chapter 33: The Wonderful Uses of the Imprint

The fruit shattered.

Taiyi stared at the translucent, broken peel in his hand and the dark red mist that seeped out, constantly shifting its shape. The mist was restless, sometimes gathering into the shape of a small sword, other times dispersing into a twisted human face, with tiny lightning patterns crackling within, like a trapped living creature.

The furious pressure from that old bat Styx still lingered in the air from when he'd just signed in, a sweet, fishy scent mixed with a hint of icy killing intent. Taiyi's back was still pressed against the cold bone wall, his bones aching in every joint, as if he'd been taken apart and haphazardly glued back together with cheap adhesive.

But his gaze was calm.

Calm as a stone settled at the bottom of a deep pool.

He had only tasted a sliver of this fruit before, and it had given him much new insight into the warring forces within his body. Now, the fruit was completely broken, its energy right before him, within easy reach.

Eat? Or not eat?

If he ate it, this energy, clearly a mixture of the Sea of Blood's malevolent energy, bizarre vitality, and faint yang-like lightning, would undoubtedly stir up another storm in his already chaotic internal organs. It might even worsen his injuries.

Not eat? Let this pure (though strangely constituted) energy dissipate for nothing? It wasn't easy to find anything to replenish his vital energy in this damned place. He dared not touch the bowl of Blood Dew Styx had sent, nor dare he delve too deeply into the runes on the bone fragments. The only things he could rely on seemed to be this imprint he'd gambled his life to obtain through the sign-in system, and this fruit he'd also "gambled" for.

His hesitation lasted only an instant.

Taiyi took a deep breath—not through his nose, but through his mouth, directly at the dissipating dark red mist, and inhaled fiercely!

Hiss...

The mist seemed to be drawn in, swirling into his mouth. It bypassed his throat and dissolved instantly, transforming into a bizarre torrent that was both scalding hot and chillingly cold, spicy and yet fishy-sweet, rushing violently through his limbs and bones!

"Ugh!"

Taiyi grunted, his body instantly tensing like a drawn bow! The veins beneath his skin bulged, their color not the usual blue-purple, but a bizarre interweaving of dark red, golden red, and gray-black, like countless venomous snakes slithering beneath his skin!

Pain!

A hundred times more intense than when he'd introduced a trace of energy before!

This external energy was too overbearing, too chaotic. It was as if several completely unrelated forces had been forcibly squeezed together, conflicting yet interdependent. The moment it entered Taiyi's body, it immediately acted like starving wild dogs discovering meat and bones, launching a frenzied assault on the residual earth vein malevolence, the remnants of the Blood Fiend's power, and even the "ice shell" left by Xuan Ming's chilling cold!

What was more troublesome was that it also attempted to provoke the relatively well-behaved flame of the True Sun Fire in his Dantian!

The balance within his body, already precariously maintained, was instantly shattered! Stirred up by this newcomer, the several forces exploded, clashing, tearing, and annihilating each other within his meridians, organs, and even the gaps between his bones!

Taiyi's vision swam, his ears buzzed, and his mouth filled with the taste of blood. He could feel the newly formed "cement patches" of his meridians groaning under the violent impact, the three flowers in his Dantian swaying precariously, and even his sea of consciousness vibrated uncontrollably due to the intense pain and energy surge.

But he didn't panic.

Not only did he not panic, but he actively released some of his "forced confinement" over those forces!

It wasn't about destruction, but about... guiding this chaos!

He sank most of his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, stubbornly guarding a single point of clarity on his spiritual platform, and then activated the "dominating will" he had gleaned from the Heaven-Opening Axe Imprint. He didn't try to suppress any single force, but like an observer commander, he watched the "multi-party melee" within his body.

He "watched" as the blood malevolence within the external energy merged with the earth vein malevolence, becoming even more ferocious; he watched as the bizarre vitality attempted to repair the meridians torn by the conflict, only to be blocked by the ferocity of the Blood Fiend; he watched as the faint yang-like lightning, like a tiny knife, darted between the several Yin-cold forces, trying to carve out a path...

The pain was real, agonizing. Every breath felt like rolling on a bed of knives.

But amidst this extreme pain and chaos, Taiyi's "perception" of his own strength was clearer than ever before! He "saw" many subtle nodes he had previously overlooked, saw the most vulnerable junctions where different forces clashed, and saw the most delicate signs during the instant of energy conversion.

More importantly, in his palm, the newly acquired Sea of Blood Origin Imprint (Fragment) began to emit a continuous, cool fluctuation under the intense stimulation of the "Yin and turbid" attributes like blood malevolence and Blood Fiend energy.

This fluctuation was weak, yet it acted like a stabilizing needle, silently "smoothing out" the excessive agitation of similarly sourced forces, keeping the entire chaotic conflict within a "threshold" that wouldn't lead to complete collapse.

It even subtly guided some of the pure Yin and turbid energy that dissipated during the conflict, slowly nourishing and strengthening the damaged meridians and internal organs of Taiyi—though the speed was extremely slow, it was indeed happening.

"It really works..." Taiyi captured this subtle change during a brief respite from the pain, his heart settling.

He no longer simply endured the pain, but began to attempt more refined "control."

For example, when the vitality within the external energy attempted to repair a crucial meridian, he would consciously guide a relatively gentle residual warmth of the True Sun Fire to "cooperate." Although their attributes conflicted, a brief "counteraction" at specific nodes actually produced a peculiar "tempering" effect, making the newly formed meridian tissue more resilient.

Another example, when the yang-like lightning darted around, unable to find an outlet and about to self-annihilate, he would use his will to slightly "deflect" the flow of a certain blood malevolence force, creating an extremely narrow passage for the lightning to penetrate and strike a blocked acupoint. Although the lightning was weak, it carried the characteristic of dispelling evil and purifying turbidity, and this strike often managed to break down some stubborn blockages or residual cold toxins.

The entire process was extremely mentally taxing, like steering a small boat on the verge of falling apart in a raging storm, while also having to repair the hull. Taiyi's body was already soaked with sweat, blood, and impurities forced out from his pores, his face frighteningly pale, and his lips bitten into deep bloody marks.

But the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He could feel that under this self-abusive "chaotic tempering," slow but solid changes were occurring within his body.

The broken bones were repeatedly scoured and compressed by the chaotic energy. Although they didn't heal immediately, the newly formed callus at the fracture site seemed to possess a strange resilience, and its color deepened.

The rough "cement patches" on his meridians, under the repeated "baptism" of the energy torrent, became more tightly integrated with the surrounding tissues. They even began to actively absorb and transform some of the relatively gentle chaotic energy produced by the conflict as nourishment for their own maintenance and growth. The width and resilience of his meridians both improved.

In his Dantian, the small flame of the True Sun Fire burned more restrainedly and focused under the "pressure" of the surrounding chaotic energy. The color of the flame's core became purer, with a subtle hint of unshakeable steadfastness. It seemed to have learned how to preserve itself and draw strength more efficiently in a harsh environment.

The gray-black Chaos Lotus rotated slightly, with almost imperceptible vortices between its petals, quietly absorbing the most fundamental "chaos" and "disorder" Dao rhythms generated by the conflict. Its color became increasingly unfathomable.

The most obvious change was in the Sea of Blood Origin Imprint. As the forces of blood malevolence and Blood Fiend within Taiyi became active and were guided, its connection with Taiyi's own being seemed to deepen. The cool, agitation-calming fluctuation became more adept, even subtly feeding back clearer "sensations" about the surrounding Sea of Blood environment.

After an unknown period, the external energy brought by the strange fruit was finally depleted.

The melee within his body gradually subsided, leaving only the familiar dull ache and bone-deep exhaustion, like after a long and brutal war.

Taiyi collapsed against the bone wall, even breathing feeling strenuous, every heartbeat sending waves of pain throughout his body.

But he could clearly feel that something had changed.

His injuries were still severe, far from healed. His magic power recovery was also limited, and his Dantian remained empty.

However, the "foundation" of his body seemed to have been solidified. His meridians were wider and more resilient, his bones heavier and harder, and his internal organs had a significantly higher tolerance for energy conflicts. The "Internal Order Maintenance Method" based on the will of the Heaven-Opening Axe Imprint, after undergoing this more intense "practical combat test," seemed to have been perfected and become much more proficient. Now, when guiding and balancing the forces within his body, although it was still difficult and painful, the sense of imminent loss of control that had been present before was greatly reduced.

More importantly, his use of the Sea of Blood Origin Imprint seemed to have "unlocked" more functions as the turbid Yin energy within him became active.

With a slight shift of his thoughts, he submerged a wisp of his divine sense into the imprint on his palm.

This time, the imprint's feedback was clearer and faster.

Outside the entrance to the side chamber, he could faintly sense the subtle rhythm of energy flow within the two Blood Slaves guarding it, beings made of blood plasma.

Further away, around a corner in the palace corridor, he also "marked" a spot where the dark red energy was more concentrated, seemingly a small warning node.

He could even vaguely "feel" the "density" and "flow" of the Sea of Blood energy within a hundred-zhang radius centered on himself (though greatly diluted and transformed within this palace).

His exploration range hadn't expanded much, but the precision and layers of his perception had clearly improved.

He attempted to send a more specific "request" to the imprint with his mind—not to mobilize energy, but to try and resonate with the relatively "calm" Sea of Blood energy within a hundred zhang to perceive the situation in that area more clearly.

The imprint grew slightly warm, and an indescribable "connection" was established.

Instantly, the scene of a bone room piled with miscellaneous items thirty zhang diagonally opposite the side chamber (though blurry), and the subtle movement of energy particles in the air there, were fed back into his consciousness.

It was like gaining eyes that could see in dim light within absolute darkness.

"Explore... perceive... resonate..." Taiyi closed his eyes, silently experiencing it.

This was only the initial development. If he could understand this imprint more deeply, if he could recover more strength, perhaps... he could do more? For example, guide the Sea of Blood energy on a small scale? Or even... use some kind of "harmonic" characteristic of the Sea of Blood energy to achieve extremely brief, undetectable positional shifts?

This thought made his heart skip a beat.

If he could truly achieve that, even if it was just the most basic movement of a few feet, it might make the difference between life and death at a critical moment.

After resting for about half an hour, and once the deadly fatigue had receded slightly, Taiyi struggled to sit up. He didn't touch the bowl of Blood Dew or the Bone Fragment again, but focused entirely on his own recovery and further familiarization with the imprint.

His injuries healed slowly, mainly relying on his body's instincts and the imprint's meager nourishment. His mana recovery was even slower, only able to be drawn bit by bit from the True Sun Fire flame and the thin spiritual energy around him (if any).

But he wasn't in a hurry.

He began to consciously "read" this bone palace through the imprint's perception, to understand the operational logic of the Sea of Blood's special environment.

He "saw" how the palace's structure connected to the main arteries of the Sea of Blood deep underground, how it absorbed and transformed energy to sustain itself.

He "felt" the patterns of energy flow and the weak points among the patrolling Blood Slaves and hidden restriction nodes.

He even vaguely sensed that deep within the Sea of Blood, there seemed to be some older, more colossal "wills" or "existences," like sleeping behemoths, closely connected to Styx's will yet maintaining a subtle independence.

The more he "read," the heavier his heart became, yet also brighter.

Heavy because Styx, that old bat, had spent countless years cultivating the Sea of Blood, turning it into an impenetrable fortress. What seemed like a crude bone palace was actually a precise, integrated super-fortress for offense and defense. Trying to cause trouble here would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Bright because... any fortress, when operated by a person (or some will), would inevitably have patterns, consumption, and "gaps" left for the sake of efficiency.

For example, the Blood Slaves, though obedient, had rigid energy responses and their movement routes seemed to follow a fixed pattern.

For example, certain energy nodes might experience brief "windows" of reduced monitoring during specific times (like when Styx was fully focused on cultivation or handling important matters).

For example, the vast and chaotic energy flow of the Sea of Blood itself could serve as the best cover and tool for those familiar with its characteristics...

A clearer, bolder "Sea of Blood Infiltration and Utilization Plan" gradually took shape in his mind.

He needed time. He needed to recover more strength. He needed to understand the imprint and the Sea of Blood more deeply. He needed to wait for the right opportunity.

But now, at least, he had a direction.

Three days later.

In the side chamber, Taiyi's complexion was still pale, his aura weak. But if one perceived carefully, they would find that the originally chaotic and mixed aura within him, which could have collapsed at any moment, had become much more solidified and heavy, like rough iron repeatedly hammered and quenched—crude, yet exceptionally tough.

Most of the external wounds on his body had scabbed over, their color a dark red. The abnormality in his left arm hadn't receded, but the stiff, sluggish sensation had lessened somewhat, as if it was slowly beginning to "adapt" to this body.

His mana had recovered to about fifteen percent. Not much, but enough to support some basic actions and minor spells.

Most importantly, his use of the Sea of Blood Origin Imprint had become increasingly proficient. Fine exploration within a hundred-zhang radius was now routine, and the weak resonance with the Sea of Blood energy was clearer. He had even secretly attempted to guide the imprint to generate stronger "harmony" with the surrounding energy when his own Yin energy was active, causing his body to have a brief tendency towards "phasing"—though still far from true phase shifting, it could slightly interfere with some low-level energy locks.

It was time.

Continuing to stay in this side chamber would slow his recovery and might allow that old bat Styx to notice more clues.

He needed to "move," to begin the first step of his plan—leaving the Sea of Blood.

Not leaving immediately, that would be suicide. Rather, he needed to start preparing, to look for an opportunity.

He slowly stood up from the ground, stretching his stiff body, his bones emitting faint creaks. He walked to the blood-colored curtain at the entrance of the side chamber and stopped. He tidied his tattered robes, concealed the last trace of deliberate "seriously injured and weak" pretense on his face, and replaced it with the expression of Eastern Emperor Taiyi—even in his fallen state, still cold, hard, and proud.

Then, he reached out and lifted the curtain.

It was time to "bid farewell" to that old bat—a farewell that was, of course, the beginning of his plan.