Shi Yi's gaze was fathomlessly deep. Runes flowed through his double pupils, as though galaxies were flickering into existence and vanishing within them. He slowly raised his arm, feeling the blood energy surging through his body. Although it far surpassed that of ordinary prodigies, it still fell short of the supreme experts who devoted themselves to tempering their bodies.
"My physical body... is still my weak point." He murmured, his voice like a cold spring striking stone, thoughtful and clear.
In the past, he had tempered himself with golden body liquid, forging a flawless body that rarely met its match among his peers. But now, ordinary body-tempering methods could scarcely bring him any progress. Unless he found a legendary, peerless medicinal treasure or cultivated a stronger ancient body-tempering art, advancing further would be difficult.
"If I want to truly remedy my body's shortcomings, there are only three paths-" A keen light flashed in his eyes, like lightning streaking past.
"First, find heaven-defying divine treasures, such as true dragon blood, phoenix marrow, or chaos soil, and reshape my physique through their supreme transformative power. Second, obtain a powerful body-tempering cultivation method, such as the Indestructible Scripture. Once cultivated to its ultimate heights, the body becomes imperishable, capable of recovering on its own even from grievous damage. Third, follow Shi Hao's example, break through the limits of every realm, and unearth the body's potential until it reaches perfection."
He recalled Shi Hao's unique cave heaven, which could suppress his own body and imprison his enemies, its might unfathomable. That was no mere advancement in cultivation realm, but a defiance of established principles at every stage, opening a path that belonged to him alone.
"The human body is like the universe, containing endless mysteries. If I keep breaking through my limits, perhaps I can surpass even the shackles of the double pupils..." Shi Yi murmured, his decision already made.
"Then I'll walk a path never taken before-double pupils and an ultimate physique together, forging a truly invincible body!"
In the distance, a sea of clouds churned, with faint flashes of lightning appearing within it. Shi Yi slowly raised his palm, a wisp of chaos energy flowing between his fingers. Perhaps... it was time to step out of the shadow of his double pupils and pursue a Dao that truly belonged to him. After all, which of those ancient beings who had truly reached the summit had not blazed an unprecedented path?
Shi Yi stood atop the mountains with his hands behind his back, an unprecedented clarity flowing through his double pupils. Now, he felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, all the knots in his heart unraveling. The high winds snapped through his robes, whose dark patterns shimmered, carrying away his last trace of uncertainty.
"The array formation realm..." He lowered his head and studied his slender fingers. Beneath his skin, runes faintly stirred.
During the bloody battle in the Void God Realm, the original owner of this body had been at the peak of the inscription realm. Later, within the Fortune Medicine Well in Medicine Capital, his master had spared no expense, using vast quantities of medicinal treasures-even quasi-sacred medicine and genuine sacred medicine-to rebuild his Dao foundation. That heaven-flooding fortune had not only brought him back from death, but also propelled him into the array formation realm in one leap.
At that thought, Shi Yi suddenly pressed two fingers together like a sword and traced a mysterious trajectory through the air. In an instant, hundreds of brilliant runes appeared out of nowhere, forming a miniature killing formation. "But power like this... is still nowhere near enough." He abruptly clenched his fist. The formation shattered with a boom, dissolving into a shower of light.
His double pupils shifted slightly as he looked toward the distant, mist-wreathed mountains. If he wanted to forge an invincible physique, this cave-heaven world might hold tremendous opportunities. He remembered the young of those pure-blooded fierce beasts, capable of shaking mountains from the moment they were born. "A hundred thousand jin with one arm..." Shi Yi gently stroked his left arm. Back in the blood moving realm, he had indeed far surpassed his peers, yet he had ultimately failed to cross that heavenly chasm.
"I have to reach the utmost limit of every realm." He suddenly leaped from the mountaintop, his robes fluttering as he landed steadily. The blue stone tiles beneath his feet cracked instantly, yet did not shatter completely-a demonstration of perfect control over his strength. "I'll start cultivating again from the blood moving realm and rebuild my foundation."
The roars of fierce beasts came from afar, but Shi Yi smiled. Since this world had been created by an ancient mighty being, it was bound to contain plenty of opportunities.
"Rooaar!"
A heaven-shaking beast roar tore through the sky. In the distant mountain forest, a blue-and-purple blur approached at terrifying speed. Wherever the Wind-Thunder Leopard's four paws struck, lightning patterns burst across the ground. Ancient trees as thick as bowl rims were sliced in half by stray wind blades. Amid the flying splinters, the fierce beast lunged before Shi Yi with the momentum to crush mountains and shatter peaks.
Shi Yi's white robes snapped in the wind, but he remained as immovable as an ancient pine. The wind and lightning runes dancing over the Wind-Thunder Leopard's foreclaws were reflected in his double pupils-those claws, sharp enough to rend refined metal, were already less than three feet from his face!
"Just what I wanted!"
A fierce light blazed in his eyes. Rather than dodge, he abruptly clenched his right fist. His knuckles crackled like beans roasting in a pan, and his entire arm instantly took on a jade-like luster, with blood-red runes faintly flowing beneath his skin. He used no precious technique in this punch, meeting the fierce beast with physical strength alone!
Boom!
The instant fist and claw collided, a visible ring of air exploded outward. The ground within a ten-zhang radius collapsed with a thunderous crash. Amid flying sand and stones, the Wind-Thunder Leopard roared in pain. Its foreclaw, powerful enough to smash mountain rock, was forcibly knocked aside, the wind and lightning wrapped around it blasted apart by sheer strength.
The blue stone tiles beneath Shi Yi's feet shattered completely. Lightning crawled over his arm, yet satisfaction appeared on his face.
"Again!"
Before the Wind-Thunder Leopard could regain its footing, Shi Yi stepped forward to attack. This time, he struck with both fists, and the surging wind of his punches faintly carried the sound of a dragon's cry. The savage light in the Wind-Thunder Leopard's eyes intensified. Its fur bristled, and dozens of wind blades condensed around its body.
Man and beast clashed, cracking the earth and smashing ancient trees wherever they went. Shi Yi deliberately suppressed the divine powers of his double pupils, fighting solely with physical techniques. With every collision of fist and claw, he could feel his blood energy growing denser. The unstable foundation built up through medicinal power was being hammered away bit by bit.
At their seventh head-on clash, the Wind-Thunder Leopard finally retreated with a mournful cry. The sharp claws it took such pride in had cracked, while the white-robed human's momentum only grew stronger as the battle continued, his blood energy rising into the sky like beacon smoke!
"Human, this world has endured through countless ages, yet it has never held the presence of your kind." The Wind-Thunder Leopard spoke in human speech, its voice rolling like muffled thunder. Wariness and murderous intent flickered in its blue-and-purple eyes. "Where did you come from?"
The runes dancing around the Wind-Thunder Leopard were reflected in Shi Yi's double pupils. His lips curved slightly, his voice so calm it made the heart tremble. "Want to know? Beat me first."
"Arrogant!" The Wind-Thunder Leopard laughed in its fury. Every strand of its fur stood on end, and the wind and lightning coiling around its limbs abruptly surged. "A mere early-stage array formation realm cultivator dares act so insolently before me! Today, I'll teach you what it means for there to be a heaven beyond heaven!"
Before its words had faded, countless fine cracks suddenly opened in the space behind it. Tens of thousands of ancient runes gushed out, weaving together between heaven and earth into the phantom of a hundred-zhang-tall wind-thunder leopard. As that phantom threw back its head and roared, the entire valley trembled, and countless broken stones rose into the air.
"Wind-Thunder Slash!"
With that thunderous shout, the giant leopard phantom abruptly opened its mouth. In an instant, thousands upon thousands of blue-and-purple wind-thunder blades tore through the air, each carrying the terrifying might to cleave mountains. Fine ripples spread through space wherever their light passed, and every ancient tree within a hundred-zhang radius was instantly reduced to powder!
Facing this heaven-destroying, earth-annihilating assault, Shi Yi's eyes burned with blazing battle intent. He shook his right hand, and his pitch-black battle halberd hummed like a dragon's cry
. The ancient patterns on the halberd's shaft suddenly lit up, but he was not activating a precious technique-he wielded it through physical strength alone!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ringing clash of metal resounded through the clouds. Shi Yi flickered like a phantom, the battle halberd becoming a black whirlwind in his hands. Every swing struck precisely at a wind-thunder blade's weakest point, his sheer strength making even space tremble. Those slashes, powerful enough to split refined metal, were smashed outright into a sky-filling shower of light!