In this world, there was a secret art that embodied the ultimate extremity of movement. Not only did it possess the greatest speed in the world, it could also leap up to the Nine Heavens and pierce down through the Nine Netherworlds. There was nowhere it could not go.
Innate formation patterns could not trap it, supreme Dao arts could not block it, and even the Ten Directions Absolute Formation could be traversed.
This was... Nine Secrets: Xing!
When the Profound Jade Platform collapsed and countless formation patterns interlocked, sealing off the way to stop any pursuers, someone calmly crossed every impassable barrier.
The movement was so subtle that no one could detect it, occurring in a sliver of time so infinitesimal it was almost impossible to distinguish.
All anyone could see was the landscape burning, countless Dao patterns falling into chaos, turning the place from which the Sacred Body had teleported away into a killing field in the void that barred everyone's path.
The king of assassins could only lament his helplessness, not daring to charge in recklessly.
Three breaths later, a manifestation seemed to span heaven and earth, its Saint Dao Laws shaking the world. A figure with a sinister face and murderous intent surging to the heavens descended, using supreme magical power to quell the waves in the void, yet even he could go no farther.
Every spatial trace had been destroyed. Even if he wanted to give chase, he could not.
Heaven only knew how far away that Sacred Body had teleported.
Perhaps hundreds of millions of miles!
This outcome had caught far too many people off guard.
They had already planned to sound the Sacred Body's dirge today, witnessing the tragic end of a Sacred Body of dazzling talent.
The holy lands' prodigies had even prepared eulogies to recite for the Sacred Body-they would probably never forget him for the rest of their lives.
Everyone said a Sacred Body at great accomplishment could challenge a Great Emperor. Rounding things off, a young Sacred Body was equivalent to a young Great Emperor.
But this young Sacred Body was far too heaven-defying. Hunted by kings, he had stubbornly carved his way out of their encirclement again and again!
The holy lands' prodigies searched their hearts. Could they have done the same?
The more they thought about it, the deeper their despair grew.
He was every bit the equal of that Heavenly Court assassin who had entered divine prohibition some time ago!
One of you was an assassin, the other a Sacred Body who could never attain the Dao. What were you being so savage for?
Could you still let us have a little fun together?
Fortunately, the Sacred Body had seemed about to die, with Hell covering the sky with one hand to snuff out this outstanding talent.
Yet the Sacred Body had defied heaven, leaping out of certain doom and escaping unscathed!
"This... this... this Sacred Body actually has such mastery of formations?"
Some eminent figures who prided themselves on their broad knowledge felt their understanding being battered and reshaped at that moment.
Surely this wasn't right?
Everyone had heard that Sacred Bodies were great fighters, with invincible flesh... but being good at fighting was supposed to be all they did. They weren't supposed to have a sideline!
A Sacred Body who studied formations?
Just listen to that. Did it sound right?
"The Eastern Wasteland will know no peace from now on!"
Coming back to their senses, someone sighed. "A Sacred Body escaped a deadly calamity, and even a Killing Saint couldn't keep him here... For a moment, I seemed to see a Great Accomplishment Sacred Body walking into this world, step by step!"
"Surviving certain doom will greatly strengthen his conviction and forge an invincible mindset... The Emperor Road of this lifetime has become even more uncertain!"
Everyone discussed it animatedly.
It had been worth it.
More than worth it.
To see a Sacred Body break free of certain doom, like a dragon entering the sea, a tiger returning to the mountain forest... perhaps they would never forget this scene for as long as they lived.
Space and time flickered into oblivion, an instant seemed like eternity, and the landscape changed, the world transformed.
A youth stood clad in bloodied clothes, yet showed no sign of disarray. Every movement was calm and composed.
"Between life and death, there truly is great terror... Yet that great terror is also a great opportunity."
"Between life and death, the mind becomes utterly focused, free of all other thoughts... Faintly, it can sense the many hidden 'doors' within the body, concealing the human body's potential."
"With an utterly focused mind, seize those hidden 'doors,' push them open, and reveal the world beyond..."
"Father and Mother were right after all. Bloody battle itself is the best cultivation, helping one grasp cultivation's true essence..."
"A bloody battle between evenly matched opponents can surpass ten years, even a hundred years of arduous cultivation..."
"But with how far above the rest I stand, once I become a Quasi-Emperor, who in this world will still be able to let me transcend through bloody battle?"
The young Sacred Body sighed with feeling.
For a moment, he glimpsed a corner of the future. He sat high upon an imperial throne, gazing out over a silent world, unable to find a single being who could contend with him.
"Without bloody battle, transcendence is difficult... No wonder so many ancient sovereigns and Great Emperors attained the Dao at one or two thousand years old, yet even after another ten or twenty thousand years, they underwent no real qualitative change. Their cultivation seemed to stagnate."
"Otherwise, after they became forbidden-zone beings, no matter how fiercely the Great Emperors of later ages fought upon attaining the Dao, they could never have defeated them."
The young Sacred Body thought of many things.
Ancient Great Emperors had suppressed turmoil and slain Forbidden Zone Supremes... Logically, Forbidden Zone Supremes were all Great Emperors who had severed their own cultivation in their twilight years. With an Immortal Medicine, they would have lived two lives, with at least twenty thousand years of cultivation.
Yet when they faced Great Emperors who had just attained the Dao, most were defeated and killed.
Even accounting for a newly ascended Great Emperor's blood and vitality being at their peak... another ten or twenty thousand years of cultivation still could not bridge that gap in vitality. It truly made one wonder whether they had cultivated seriously after attaining the Dao at one or two thousand years old.
But if one considered the mind and will, becoming an emperor meant being invincible throughout the world. Without bloody battles, there was nothing to force their fighting spirit into utter focus so they could seize the potential hidden deeper within the human body... Perhaps that explained it.
At this thought, the young Sacred Body could not help growing worried.
What was he supposed to do in the future?
He had already begun considering problems from the standpoint of an Ancient Great Emperor.
Then a solemn voice transmission echoed within his mind.
"Young Ancestor, be careful!"
The Jade Pool Saint was warning him, breaking her original agreement with the young Sacred Body to let him face life-and-death experiences on his own.
All because a figure had appeared almost without gods or ghosts noticing, nearly deceiving even her!
The young Sacred Body shuddered and froze.
Suddenly, he turned to look behind him.
There was no one there.
Yet at some unknown moment, words had appeared on the back of his robe, written in bold, sweeping strokes.
"You suck. Practice more!"
The young Sacred Body fell silent. The corner of his eye twitched, and alarm rose within him.
But what an outstanding talent he was!
An ordinary person would have gone from shock to terror, unable to control their fear.
He, however, was startled but not rattled. His fighting spirit surged even higher, his mind becoming more focused and concentrated than ever before.
Finally, he abruptly turned sideways and looked a hundred zhang away.
There, a young man wore a slightly surprised expression, one eyebrow raised, seemingly
moved by how quickly he had reacted.
"Interesting."
Feng Jiu raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you managed to escape Hell's clutches all the way to freedom, forcing me to take action personally in the end."
"Alas, outsourcing just isn't reliable!"
He sighed.
That vaguely familiar voice made the young Sacred Body shudder. His eyes suddenly lit up. "It's you?!"
"The man at the Heavenly Court outpost that day!"
He blurted it out.
"I didn't expect it either..." Feng Jiu smacked his lips. "The person hiring a killer back then was actually you... Hiring someone to kill yourself-live long enough, and you really do see everything!"