Ethereal Flower! Life and Death Transform into Yin Yang!

The sky gradually darkened, and the Divine Sun was already close to setting in the west.

"Young Master Jing, it is getting late. It is time for us to leave."

Zhong Li and the other two also woke from cultivation and, together with Zhong Yu, bid Taishu Jing farewell.

"Mm."

Taishu Jing nodded, his expression calm. They had merely met by chance and had no real friendship.

"Young Master Jing, if you ever visit the City Lord's Mansion in Cloud Dream Ancient City, we will sweep the couch clean to welcome you."

Zhong Yu clasped her fists and extended the invitation. Her obtaining two Golden Dragon Elephant Fruits this time had all been thanks to Taishu Jing, and his grand, magnanimous bearing had earned her deep admiration.

She asked herself—if she had stood in Taishu Jing's position, she might not have been willing to give away two Dragon Elephant Fruits.

"Easy enough. Miss Zhong, a man is guilty because he possesses jade. Take care of yourself."

Taishu Jing nodded and offered her a reminder. Zhong Yu was not an unpleasant person.

"Zhong Yu will remember it. Farewell."

"Young Master Jing, we shall take our leave."

Zhong Yu, Zhong Li, and the other two clasped their fists at Taishu Jing, then turned and headed out of the valley. Before long, they vanished into the thick mist.

Taishu Jing came to where the Dragon Tiger Beast was transforming. Looking at the golden cocoon, he could sense the majestic vitality within. It seemed the transformation was proceeding smoothly.

"System Master, if I gave it my Divine Blood, does that mean it is basically my cub?"

For some reason, the thought suddenly occurred to Taishu Jing.

"Host, what nonsense are you thinking?"

"The host's Divine Blood merely serves as Divine Medicine to aid its transformation. It will not produce Divine Body Origin. At most, it will possess a few traits of the Divine Body. Therefore, it has not inherited the host's bloodline. Please bring your intelligence online!"

"Ahahaha, right. What was I thinking?"

Taishu Jing scratched his head awkwardly. He had gone to school, yet he had forgotten even something this simple.

Why did he suddenly become dumber whenever he was alone?

Unable to figure it out, Taishu Jing shook his head and simply stopped thinking about it.

At this rate, half a day would not be enough. Taishu Jing estimated that the Dragon Tiger Beast's transformation might last until tomorrow. In that case, he should meet up with his brother first and come back tomorrow.

"Transform into a dragon in peace. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Taishu Jing rested one hand on the golden cocoon, said a few words, then turned and left.

After Taishu Jing's figure disappeared into the thick mist, the golden cocoon began to glow in waves, as though responding to him.

Whoosh!

Taishu Jing sprinted nimbly through the forest, hurrying in a certain direction. It was already night. Stars glittered across the sky, the Divine Moon hung high overhead, and watery moonlight illuminated the forest.

A firelight glimmered ahead. The moment Taishu Jing saw it, he knew Taishu Yun had returned.

"Brother."

Taishu Jing appeared beside the campfire. Seeing the young Taishu Yun seated there, roasting Fierce Beast Meat, he went over and sat beside him.

"Jing, you came back a little late today."

A smile appeared on Taishu Yun's handsome face as he looked gently at Taishu Jing. Behind him stood a huge golden-red divine bird atop a boulder, over ten feet tall, its sharp eyes sizing Taishu Jing up.

Its multicolored crest, long pointed beak, and golden-red feathers shone with divine light. Its razor-sharp talons glinted coldly, leaving claw marks on the boulder. Three distinctive peacock feathers grew from its tail, making it look exceptionally mystical.

"Mm. But brother, what is that bird behind you?" Taishu Jing asked curiously.

Screech!

The divine bird let out a long cry, as though answering Taishu Jing.

"Jing, this is a Fire Falcon with the Divine Phoenix Bloodline. I saved its life, so it followed me. Oh, right, I named it Little Fire," Taishu Yun said with a smile.

What was going on today? Taishu Jing was stunned.

He had encountered a Dragon Tiger Beast, gained a fortunate opportunity, and helped it transform into a True Dragon. Meanwhile, his brother Taishu Yun had directly brought back a Fire Falcon with the Divine Phoenix Bloodline. It practically looked like half a Divine Phoenix.

"System Master, this is just a coincidence, right?"

Taishu Jing asked the System Master.

"It is a coincidence, and yet not a coincidence. This system cannot interfere with the Heavenly Dao, thus there is no answer."

So mysterious. Then it must have been arranged by heaven. Taishu Jing felt that had to be it. Although the System Master had not made him invincible right away, Taishu Yun was his other cheat—he could make him soar just the same.

Thinking of this, Taishu Jing felt extremely pleased.

"Jing, what is wrong?" Seeing Taishu Jing lost in thought, Taishu Yun asked.

"Nothing. Oh, right, brother, I brought back something good."

Taishu Jing grinned, then flipped his palm and took out a Golden Dragon Elephant Fruit, handing it to Taishu Yun.

Taking the Dragon Elephant Fruit, Taishu Yun sensed the immense energy contained within it, along with a desolate, ancient Dragon Qi emanating from it.

"This is?" Taishu Yun looked at Taishu Jing.

"Hehe, this is a Dragon Elephant Fruit. Only the first one has the best effect. Brother, give it a try."

Taishu Yun nodded and ate the Dragon Elephant Fruit. Very soon, he felt a numb, tingling sensation spread through his flesh and blood. It came quickly and faded quickly. He sensed that his body had been strengthened slightly, and two Spirit Veins had also been opened.

"Not bad."

Taishu Yun said with a smile. Both his and Taishu Jing's physiques far surpassed their realms, comparable to the Dao Foundation Realm. Even the slightest further strengthening was solid progress.

Screech!

The Fire Falcon cried out. Taishu Yun could understand its meaning, and he said to Taishu Jing, "Jing, do you have any more Dragon Elephant Fruits?"

"Haha, so it wants one. Fine, I still have some."

Taishu Jing took out another Dragon Elephant Fruit and tossed it toward the Fire Falcon. The Fire Falcon opened its beak and swallowed it in one gulp, then closed its eyes and began absorbing the Dragon Elephant Fruit.

"Brother, is this Fire Falcon male or female?" Taishu Jing suddenly asked.

Taishu Yun was caught off guard. He had not expected Taishu Jing to ask such a question. He glanced at the Fire Falcon, then said uncertainly, "It should be male."

"I thought so too, hehe." Taishu Jing gave a mischievous smile.

Seeing his smile, Taishu Yun realized he was being teased. He smiled helplessly, then flipped his hand and produced a strange flower, handing it to Taishu Jing.

"Jing, this is an Ethereal Flower. After absorbing it, one can enter an ethereal state and seek Enlightenment. Little Fire nearly died over this Ethereal Flower before I saved it. Little Fire and I each consumed one. This last one was saved for you."

"Thanks, brother."

Taishu Jing accepted the Ethereal Flower and examined it carefully. It had seven petals in bloom, its stamen shimmering with rosy light and radiating an ethereal aura. Merely approaching it made his mind feel clear. No wonder it could allow one to seek Enlightenment.

"Brother, how many Spirit Veins have you opened?"

"Forty-six."

"Much faster than me. I only have forty."

"Jing, in the Spirit Vein Realm, Enlightenment is more important to us. Opening Spirit Veins is secondary instead."

"Got it, got it."

As night deepened, Taishu Yun sat in meditation, absorbing the spiritual energy and vital essence of heaven and earth. The Fire Falcon behind him was still absorbing the medicinal power of that Dragon Elephant Fruit, remaining motionless.

Meanwhile, Taishu Jing had already consumed the Ethereal Flower. His whole being sank into an ethereal state, entering Enlightenment.

Dao Rhyme circulated around Taishu Jing. Sanskrit chants echoed within his body, and his mind was utterly clear.

Divine Body Origin surged. One scripture after another began to shine. There were three hundred and sixty-five scriptures in total, corresponding to the number of days in the heavenly cycle. They had been inherited from the Divine Body and were exceedingly mysterious.

These three hundred and sixty-five scriptures contained the Divine Body's inherited cultivation method and all its Great Attack Techniques.

Though Taishu Jing could not recognize the characters, he could grasp the true meaning within them. As for the Divine Body's inherited cultivation method, he already understood it by heart.

Those Great Attack Techniques still required Taishu Jing to comprehend them with care, combine them with his own Dao, and transform them into Killing Arts suited to himself.

Every generation of Divine Body was like this. Apart from the most fundamental origin cultivation method, their battle and killing arts were never quite the same, because every generation of Divine Body walked a different Dao.

An inheritance was ultimately just an inheritance. Only what one comprehended for oneself truly belonged to oneself.

Moonlight poured down. At that moment, Taishu Jing viewed the world with his mind's eye. From the stars, rivers, sun, and moon above to the mountains, grass, trees, birds, beasts, insects, and fish below, everything enlarged within his mind.

In the cracks between rocks, tender grass shoots pushed aside broken stones and grew sturdily. Within bird nests, fledglings struggled with all their might to break their shells and enter the world. The tenacity of life was laid bare for all to see.

Whoosh!

Leaves fell from branches, dancing in the wind before dropping beneath the trees. Withered flowers fell from their stems and sank into the soil below the flower beds, becoming nourishment that nurtured new shoots and flower buds, blooming with fresh vitality.

Spring passed into autumn, summer gave way to winter. All Things in Heaven and Earth changed without cease; nothing remained forever unchanged. Yet as the four seasons revolved, all things lived on without end, vitality never ceased, and life and death replaced one another.

Life was not for the sake of death, but death was for the sake of life. Life after life, death after death, exhausting all transformations in the world—this was the Dao of Life and Death.

"Life and death, one upright and one reversed, are like the Yin and Yang of this world. Yin never leaves Yang, and Yang never leaves Yin. The Dao of Life and Death is also the Yin Yang Dao. Since that is so, let life and death transform into Yin Yang!"