From a Zhengyi Taoist Child to a Master of All Laws

Chapter 624: Body Refining and Food Qi
The three-colored light swirled and coiled around Li Yang, its aura rising ever more terrifying. In an instant, millions of people in Jianruo City felt unwell, especially the cultivators with cultivation levels. They felt as if a great calamity was about to befall them, and they were filled with trepidation, almost wanting to flee.

"I wonder which old monster is cultivating supernatural powers in the city. Could it be someone from the Nine Sects?"

"Which celestial lord or deity is playing tricks on us? And how did they come to appear in this tiny place?"

A cultivator of a higher level flew over Jianruo City, but after patrolling for a while, he still couldn't figure out the source of this terrifying aura, and he was filled with astonishment and unease.

The feeling was like the goosebumps on a mortal's skin during a thunderstorm; the cultivators sensed impending doom and fled the city.

Standing atop the palace, Zhang Hengming, the Grand Preceptor of the Great Li Kingdom, watched his disciples and followers flee in panic, his gaze fixed on the direction of Li Yang's courtyard. He made some guesses, and his expression grew increasingly uncertain.

After much hesitation, Zhang Hengming also soared into the sky, his massive body transforming into a swift streak of light, intending to temporarily leave Jianruo City.

Zhang Hengming was confident that he could resist this inexplicably rising aura in the world with his thousand-year-old cultivation as an Earth Immortal, and that he could crush his opponent in a life-or-death struggle.

In his view, this must be a show of force from the new cultivator who had intervened in the Great Li Dynasty, trying to make him back down.

Zhang Hengming was not afraid of Li Yang, confident that he could take his life in a life-or-death battle. However, the reputation of the Nine Sects was too great, so great that even a mere guess could make a terrestrial immortal uneasy.

To Zhang Hengming's surprise, this feeling of goosebumps only lasted for less than half a minute. As soon as he flew to the border of Jianruo City, the suffocating and oppressive feeling that made his hair stand on end vanished in an instant. The group of cultivators following behind him looked at each other, none of them able to explain why.

Most of these cultivators were Zhang Hengming's disciples and followers. Zhang Hengming raised his hand slightly, and the cultivators immediately fell silent.

"Don't panic, it's just a passing cultivator experimenting with his techniques. He's probably already far away."

Zhang Hengming frowned as he stood above the clouds, trying to calm his disciples below, though he himself was somewhat baffled.

"This cultivator must be a direct descendant of the Nine Sects. The Nine Sects have always acted domineeringly. Is this a warning to me, forcing me to move out of the Great Li on my own?"

Zhang Hengming gritted his teeth, feeling extremely unwilling.

However, Li Yang's current state was quite different from what he had imagined.

"Pfft!"

In a secluded courtyard in the north of the city, Li Yang could not hold on for even half a moment before he coughed up blood, his breath suddenly weakened, and his lips and face turned pale instantly.

At this moment, his situation was extremely miserable. His physical body was tattered and torn, and he was suppressed by the golden light of his primordial spirit, which prevented him from turning into a bloody mess.

Despite this severe blow, Li Yang's eyes remained exceptionally bright and filled with joy.

He was now certain that the unity of the three elements was a path that transcended the existing Taoist methods he currently possessed, a path that belonged solely to him!
In the short span of just half an hour, Li Yang clearly sensed that the three forces within his body briefly merged during the collision and annihilation, but the time was extremely short, and they quickly separated after a fleeting glimpse.

At this moment, he also vaguely realized the crux of his failure.

"Unfortunately, although the unity of spirit and flesh can make my physical body stronger than ever before, it is ultimately by relying on the power of the primordial spirit. My own physical body is still weak, far inferior to the primordial spirit and the magic sword. Thus, the power among the three elements is not in harmony, and the physical body cannot simultaneously bear the spiritual light of the primordial spirit and fuse with the magic sword!"

Li Yang's lips were pale. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his thoughts racing.

"Because of my physical limitations, this Three Elements Unity is like a forbidden, life-or-death technique similar to the [Soaring Technique] for me. If I forcibly activate the Three Elements Unity, my physical body will collapse because it cannot withstand it!"

Li Yang looked helpless. If that was the case, then the current Three Elements Combination was useless. The cost of using it was too high, and it would kill himself before even harming the enemy!

"Physical body, physical body. Throughout history, it has been extremely difficult for sword cultivators and lightning cultivators to achieve a strong physical body. For them, it is only necessary to cover the body with a layer of protective qi, and the strength of their physical body is even stronger than many body-refining techniques in the world!"

"Cultivation techniques that focus solely on the physical body are extremely rare even in the Realm of Ultimate Truth, aren't they?"

Li Yang murmured to himself, pondering the question once more. He didn't know if anyone had encountered the same predicament as him throughout the endless years, nor could he learn from or ask anyone for advice; he could only explore it on his own.

"Now that things have come to this, we can only try to find that cheap royal sister. After all, the Great Li Kingdom has a vast territory. Let's see if the royal family has any special body-refining techniques!"

Having made up his mind, Li Yang immediately sat cross-legged and began to treat the backlash from the rampage of the Three Elements Power.

At this moment, the sun and moon were shining brightly, and with the various cultivation elixirs and medicines that the Great Li Dynasty had just sent that day, Li Yang's injuries recovered quickly. In less than half an hour, the wounds on his body were no longer visible.

Just as Li Yang was stepping out of the courtyard gate to look for his sister Bai Yingluo, he frowned and stopped at the gate.

A familiar presence is rushing towards me!

"Interesting. I wasn't looking for you, so why are you coming to find me again?"

Li Yang narrowed his eyes, quietly watching as a woman in a brocade robe, looking flustered and full of questions, hurriedly ran towards him from the corner of the courtyard alley. She was wearing cloud-patterned boots.

Upon seeing themselves, the person opposite them suddenly brightened up and quickened their pace.

"Brother Wang, did you have something happen with the heretical Taoist Zhang Hengming?"

"This old monster sent his disciple to curse the Emperor in the court this morning, but just now he personally went to the palace with his disciple Xiao Rui to apologize and personally treated the Emperor!"

Bai Ying's fair face was full of disbelief. She couldn't figure out why this old monster's personality changed so quickly, changing his orders from morning to evening. In the morning, he had just sent his disciple Xiao Rui to insult his father in the court, but in the afternoon, his attitude suddenly changed drastically and he became very attentive.
Zhang Hengming even explained to Bai Yingluo that it was all his disciple Xiao Rui's doing, and that he was completely unaware of it. Furthermore, he subjected Xiao Rui to a shocking punishment right in front of Bai Yingluo!
This seriously violated Bai Yingluo's understanding of Zhang Hengming. After thinking it over, the only person in the entire Jianruo City who could deal with and influence this Earth Immortal Lord was her own younger brother!

So Bai Yingluo rushed to find Li Yang, wanting to get an answer. Zhang Hengming's kind and gentle expression just now made her feel uneasy.

Li Yang: "Hmm?"

"You mean, Bai Yan, the Emperor of Dali, was cursed in front of all the civil and military officials in the court this morning?"
-
After listening to Bai Yingluo recount the entire story in the courtyard, Li Yang was still completely bewildered.
However, he was certain that this Grand Preceptor of the Great Li Kingdom seemed to have misunderstood something, and that misunderstanding seemed to be quite profound...

"The matter is complicated, but since this old monster has backed down on his own, it's a good thing for us."

Li Yang nodded, not wanting to delve into the intricacies involved.

"By the way, Sister Wang, I need some body-refining techniques. The Great Li Dynasty has existed for thousands of years. Are there any body-refining techniques stored there?" Li Yang was now almost obsessed with improving his strength, so he asked Bai Yingluo directly.

"Brother, Father was threatened and cursed in court, and almost died. Don't you have anything to say?" Bai Yingluo was getting a little frustrated as she looked at Li Yang looking at her expectantly.

"What's there to say? He's not dead yet, is he?" Li Yang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "And I guess he won't die for a while either."

Bai Yingluo: "..."

"Regarding body-refining techniques, it seems that some were collected from the previous dynasty's treasury, but the quality is not very high."

"Moreover, it seems there are no complete sets of body-refining methods. They are all included as small volumes in various cultivation methods. However, the cultivation methods in the national treasury are extremely rudimentary. The good methods have all been plundered. They probably won't be very useful to you, my brother."

Bai Yingluo replied uncertainly.

Li Yangping smiled faintly and said, "It's alright, the more the better. Just send me whatever the royal treasury has."

Bai Yingluo was unaware of Li Yang's intention in requesting the body-refining method, but she still offered her full support.

"What a pity. I heard that the Liang Kingdom of the previous dynasty had a very powerful body-refining method that focused on physical cultivation. It was even said that one could cultivate blood and qi directly without cultivating spiritual energy, allowing mortals to possess magical powers."

Bai Yingluo sighed heavily, her face showing resentment.

"Cultivating Qi and Blood without cultivating Spiritual Qi?"

Li Yang was taken aback upon hearing this, recalling that there seemed to be a method for cultivating qi and blood on Earth.

“That’s right, I heard that was also the root cause of the true destruction of the Liang Kingdom!” Bai Yingluo nodded slightly: “By cultivating only blood and qi and not spiritual energy to obtain extraordinary power, one can avoid the Nine Sect Oath in a certain sense. Combined with the 1,080 Spirit-Binding Nails of the Liang Kingdom at that time, at its peak, the entire Liang Kingdom could even fight against Immortal Lords!”

At this point, Bai Yingluo's body trembled slightly with excitement. She recalled how King Liang Lie killed immortals with his mortal body, gathered the sacred artifact of the nation's destiny, and deployed the Spirit-Binding Array, causing all the gods to fall from the sky. Then, the soldiers rushed forward, with thousands of axes and halberds piercing his body, slaughtering immortals like dogs. How magnificent that was!
"Although their circumstances are different, the paths they take lead to the same destination..."

Li Yang nodded, sighing inwardly.

In China, there are also cultivation methods that focus solely on cultivating qi and blood. These include Master Zheng Zhaoyuan's Xuanwu Blood Nourishing Technique and array formations. Compared to the Ultimate Realm, one is about forging a path in a state of spiritual stagnation, while the other is a helpless measure for self-preservation, which is quite poignant.

"These are the Spirit-Binding Nails you asked me for before, Brother Wang. I took two from the storeroom. If you need any, just tell Sister Wang!"

As if she had just thought of something, Bai Yingluo blindly took out two obsidian-like nails from her waist and handed them to Li Yang.

"Alright, Sister Wang, is there anything else?"

After accepting the two Spirit-Binding Nails, Li Yang smiled and spoke to Bai Yingluo, who was pacing in the courtyard.

'No, it's nothing...'

Bai Yingluo frowned several times, then relaxed, repeating this process over and over again.

"Sister Wang, don't worry about Bai Yan. I believe Zhang Hengming and his men will absolutely not dare to make a move in the near future,"

Li Yang smiled confidently at Bai Yingluo.

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Yingluo saw that Li Yang looked like he wanted to kick her out, so she hardened her heart, looked directly into Li Yang's eyes and asked, "You were having a battle of wits with Zhang Hengming today, weren't you?"

"Who's winning?"

Bai Yingluo's body heaved with tension as she revealed her true purpose in seeking out Li Yang.

Judging from Zhang Hengming's nervous return to pack his things, he must have suffered some loss, which is why he is being so cautious.

As far as she knew, Li Yang was also a human immortal. If he could truly rival Zhang Hengming, then the Dali Kingdom would provide Li Yang with even more meticulous and terrifying resource support.

"It's hard to say who won, but I didn't lose."

Li Yang recalled as he spoke.

"So, Brother Wang, your current combat strength is already comparable to that of an ordinary Earth Immortal, is that right? To defeat an Earth Immortal while being a Human Immortal, you truly live up to your reputation as a descendant of the Bai family!"

Bai Yingluo's eyes lit up, and she immediately moved closer to Li Yang, her eyes filled with indescribable excitement.

"Well, almost."

Li Yang pressed Bai Yingluo's forehead down and said calmly.

"Very well! I will go and find a body-refining method for you in the national treasury right away. You can make any requests you have, and I will definitely inform Father Emperor and try my best to fulfill them!"

With a smile on her face, Bai Yingluo skipped and hopped out of the courtyard. As the female general of Dali and Princess Jianruo, this was the first time Li Yang had seen Bai Yingluo in such a relaxed state.

Li Yang chuckled, then picked up the Spirit-Binding Top from his storage ring and began to examine it carefully, trying to decipher its secrets!
He and the Xuanhuang Palace were destined to be mortal enemies. The Annihilation Armor and Annihilation Handprint of the Futu during the Blue Star Wars left a deep impression on Li Yang. Familiarizing himself with the Spirit Binding Array, which can also imprison spiritual energy, might just give him a better chance of survival in the future!
In the time that followed, Li Yang's life returned to an extremely monotonous routine of sitting in meditation and cultivating his inner energy.

As agreed, Bai Yingluo delivered the cultivation techniques related to physical training from the Dali Kingdom's treasury. However, as Bai Yingluo had described, they were all tattered and outdated. Li Yang flipped through more than a dozen of them, and they were all like that.

Not aware of the dream of spring grass in the pond, and the sound of autumn leaves before the steps.

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Although drawing talismans and setting up a stall every day could not definitively bring about the system's revival, Li Yang still spent two hours every day drawing talismans and calculating divination. The rest of the time, he left it to his body's instincts to operate the [Extreme Path Treasure Mirror]. He listened to the news and gossip of the Nine Sects every day and refined the massive amount of cultivation resources that Bai Yingluo sent him every day. Li Yang's strength could be said to be improving by leaps and bounds.

To Li Yang's surprise, the aura he had released that day seemed to have genuinely frightened the Grand Preceptor of Dali, who remained silent for three consecutive months.

Without the watchful eye of the Grand Preceptor of the Great Li Kingdom, Li Yang became bolder, setting up his stall in a bustling corner of the city. Every day, his stall was teeming with people, with long queues of people seeking his fortune-telling.

As the sun set in the west once more, Li Yang packed up his stall and prepared to return to his courtyard to perform the active absorption and release of the sun and moon in unison.

At that moment, a girl covered in blood and wounds struggled and slowly knocked on the city gate of Jianruo City.

(End of this chapter)