Solar Breathing

Inside the Emperor Bell, two men and a bug stared at one another.

"Is this Master's newly accepted fourteenth disciple?" Luo Yujing transformed into human form, raised a brow, and sized Xu Yan up from head to toe. "Why is he someone with formless apertures? Now that's a rarity."

He was clearly surprised and quite interested in Xu Yan, for the latter had already opened two apertures with his formless body.

"Little Fourteen, what are you doing so deep in Mang Mountain?" Yan Qing asked, his tone carrying a trace of irritation.

"Senior Brothers, it is a long story." Xu Yan was also surprised by the sudden appearance of these two. He took a deep breath and answered calmly.

"Then make a long story short!" Yan Qing said, patting the dust from his clothes.

Within the time it took to burn an incense stick, Xu Yan gave them a brief account of what had happened.

He also learned that the centipede demon before him was actually Luo Yujing, who had supposedly died many years ago. It truly shocked Xu Yan.

The world was vast, and there were all manner of strange things. To think that a cultivator would possess a demon bug—it was utterly inconceivable.

"We need to leave quickly. The borderlands are about to descend into chaos. An even greater conflict may break out!" Yan Qing said.

Xu Fei was leading troops this way.

In the Demon Race's strongholds in southern Mang Mountain, demons and monsters were also continually rushing here.

At present, only four Demon Kings had arrived in the borderlands. Several more had yet to leave their mountains.

If they all truly came, would they not turn this place upside down?

"What a pity about all this golden qi. I was just about to cultivate my third formless aperture." Xu Yan looked somewhat regretful as he glanced at the golden qi rippling through the Emperor Bell.

"Why open apertures here? Wouldn't the Li Ancient Secret Repository be better?" Luo Yujing said.

He had thoroughly studied the essence of Dao texts. As Master Xun's disciple, he naturally understood the subtleties of formless apertures: opening them required immense resources.

"The borderlands are embroiled in a chaotic battle. Spiritual treasures and artifacts have piled up here, drawing most cultivators to this place. There surely aren't many people at the Li Ancient Secret Repository right now!" Yan Qing said with narrowed eyes.

"Then why are we wasting time here? Let's go!"

As he spoke, the two each grabbed one of Xu Yan's arms and prepared to use an earth-escape technique.

"Senior Brothers, what about this Emperor Bell?" Xu Yan asked thoughtfully.

"The one in Dragon City, the imperial capital, has taken a liking to this thing. Does Fourteenth Brother intend to snatch food from the emperor's mouth?" Luo Yujing said, narrowing his eyes.

"In ancient times, this was comparable to an imperial weapon. Without imperial dragon qi, I fear it cannot be activated, much less refined," Yan Qing said casually.

With that, the mana within their bodies surged.

The three of them abruptly vanished from where they stood and slipped beneath the earth's veins.

Half an incense stick later, Xu Yan and the others emerged from the soil, having arrived in an ancient forest.

Terrifying commotion came from behind them.

Xu Yan spat out several mouthfuls of yellow dirt and dust, then turned to look back.

Several hundred li away, several grandmasters were battling Demon Kings such as Xiaofengzi and White Bone Madam.

The heavens rumbled, and divine light blazed with overwhelming brilliance. The tremendous upheaval made it feel as though the sky itself were about to collapse.

The three did not waste any time.

Yan Qing and Luo Yujing controlled their artifacts, enveloped Xu Yan, and flew at top speed toward the depths of northern Mang Mountain, where the Li Ancient Secret Repository had emerged.

By then, the golden body of Taihao Sovereign that had been reflected into view had disappeared, and the phantom of the Qiu Dragon was nowhere to be seen.

The two ancient treasure sites appeared exceedingly tranquil.

Not long after they left, the Taihao Emperor Bell in the borderlands suddenly trembled. It shuddered several times and swayed unsteadily, as though it were controlling the golden qi and attempting to rise into the air.

Two hours later.

These two Senior Brothers were extraordinarily fast.

Forming arcane scripts and shrinking the earth to an inch, they raced through the mountains and ancient forests like ghosts. No wonder even Demon Kings could not catch them.

Before long, the three arrived at a vast ravine. They landed atop a high cliff and looked down ahead.

The ravine was both immensely wide and deep.

When the Li Ancient Secret Repository emerged, it seemed to have torn the very earth apart.

Ancient palaces and pavilions stretched through the mountain ranges and ravines in great swathes, rippling with vast spiritual power and golden qi.

Xu Yan's gaze trembled slightly as he looked on. The golden qi here was already abundant enough for him to open his third formless aperture, and his heart could not help but surge.

"Find a secluded place, and we can cultivate in seclusion and improve our cultivation," Yan Qing said, raising a brow.

At a glance, there was not a soul in sight. The place seemed desolate and lonely.

Yet when Xu Yan listened with his Glass Heart Realm, he could still sense cultivators meditating in seclusion within some dilapidated cave dwellings and palaces.

The three controlled their artifacts and entered the Li Ancient ruins, heading deeper inside.

From within the earth's veins came the faint sound of gushing springs. Looking closely, the Taihao golden qi had nearly condensed into substance, forming streams of golden spiritual power that flowed through the deep mountains and old forests.

Yan Qing surveyed the area with his Dharma Eye and selected a ruined cave dwelling where the qi was at its richest.

The three immediately entered.

This was a collapsed ancient hall, with nearly half of it sunken into the mountain.

The three walked inside. Its interior was magnificent and resplendent. Washed by the Taihao golden qi, it was utterly spotless, without the slightest sign of decay—a stark contrast to the ancient pavilions in the ruins within the Qiu Dragon's tomb.

At the side, Luo Yujing tightly shut the palace doors.

He also set up several spirit-guarding arrays. Though this Third Senior Brother seemed carefree and frivolous, he was in fact extremely meticulous.

"Fourteenth Brother, if you want to open your apertures, why not try this method?" Luo Yujing said.

He directly took out an enormous golden scroll from his storage pouch. It stood two zhang tall.

Once unfurled, it stretched a full ten zhang long, radiating an ancient aura. Its surface was inscribed with densely packed arcane scripts.

"This is?" Xu Yan's heart jolted as he asked.

"Secret Solar Inheritance!" Yan Qing was immensely excited. As though he had caught sight of a stunning beauty, he eagerly rushed to the golden scroll and examined it closely.

"With the inheritance of this precious book, Shangyin can surely reign supreme through martial arts in Great Yin," Luo Yujing said solemnly.

In the world today, the immortal path flourished, and martial strength was revered above all.

Yet Shangyin Academy's accumulation over the years had mostly been in literary arts. It did not even have spiritual veins or spiritual springs to anchor it.

Thus, its disciples were often skilled in letters but weak in martial matters, and in recent years, the academy had gradually begun to decline.

Xu Yan also walked to the golden scroll and studied it with rapt attention.

This Secret Solar Inheritance was not only the complete version of the Ancient Solar Record; it also recorded the Li Clan's inherited Dao arts.

It included the complete cultivation method for the Li Clan Body Tempering Art.

Beyond that,

from opening apertures and clearing channels to the five realms of the human world, every stage contained detailed cultivation steps, along with many domineering divine abilities.

Such a peerless inheritance would be enough to make every Dao lineage green with envy!

"Is this an aperture-opening art from ancient times?" Xu Yan looked at the first section.

The Solar Breathing Art inscribed upon it caught Xu Yan's attention.

This was an entirely new aperture-opening art, completely unlike the aperture-opening methods that had circulated throughout the world for thousands of years.

"You can give it a try. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth that this art can draw upon is immense," Luo Yujing said with a smile.