Destiny is ashes

Chapter 1079 The Method of Cannibalism
The core of the Ascension Path is not actually a mechanical body.

Every method of cultivation has its orthodox and heterodox paths. Heterodox paths are undoubtedly simpler and easier to understand and more conducive to progress, because they distort the orthodox path by accelerating and simplifying some of the results at the cost of some negative effects while ensuring a certain level of effectiveness.

For example, the unorthodox path of martial arts involves consuming blood pills and sacrificing others to empower oneself, rapidly enhancing one's 'life force' and 'innate constitution', and then quickly gaining great strength.

The right path requires gradually refining one's mind and body, and comprehending the essence of the law.

The latter is obviously slower.

However, if one truly cultivates to the same level, most unorthodox paths would be unable to match the orthodox paths—because unorthodox paths inevitably pay a certain price as a compromise for acceleration... If acceleration can be achieved without any price, then that is the new orthodox path.

In An Jing's view, the unorthodox path of the Ascension Path is actually just "blindly changing oneself".

This is wrong.

The essence of the Ascension Path lies in its name, in "Ascension," in the continuous transformation, discarding, and reforging of oneself to adapt to all perilous environments. Ascension cultivators must know what they are replacing with and why they are doing so, rather than blindly and superficially replacing their bodies with armor, or rather...

To be put into someone else's body.

The former is the righteous path, the mechanical body uses techniques to control the way, and the last one is the evil and heretical path.

Simply put, a cultivator who has attained immortality must understand the process of ascension; otherwise, they have strayed onto an unorthodox path!
An Jing believed that if one cultivated to the limit, the true masters of the Ascension Path and the chosen ones of heaven would be able to reach their own realm and comprehend the [Eternal Battle Body]!
Now, An Jing is quite pleased to see that these sea creatures are actually walking on the right path.

Faced with the ever-present and relentless corruption of the Blood Sea, these resilient sea creatures, with the unwavering resolve of a warrior cutting off his own arm, used the techniques of the Ascension Path to successfully resist the corruption of the Blood Sea while maintaining their fighting strength.

They didn't even choose 'sacrifice,' which is the path to ascension most easily goes astray. Under immense pressure, they 'attached' the bodies of other members of their race to themselves to increase their combat power.

An Jing's gaze swept across the entire area, finally landing on Pi Yi, who was lying on a support frame not far away, directing the team's movements.

This leader, who had shrimp and crab-like features and was a minor sea creature under Jin Yanhua's command, could only be described as being dismembered into eight pieces.

His sturdy, armored body was diagonally cleaved from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, leaving less than half of his body. Countless still-wriggling flesh and steel structures connected his broken body, sustaining his life.

If he hadn't been the most resilient member of the shelled race, and hadn't already transformed himself into a semi-biological, semi-mechanical form, and hadn't used the 'Blood Refining Technique' from the Ascension Path to transform a part of his molted shell into a vital organ, forcibly maintaining his life, he probably would have died from such severe injuries long ago.

"Overflowing".

An Jing's voice rang out, startling Pi Yi, who was busy at work.

He turned around abruptly, and when he saw An Jing's figure, he was both incredibly surprised and filled with immense respect!

"Your...Your Excellency!" He struggled to get up and bow.

"You did a great job."

An Jing raised his hand, and a gentle force supported him.

The next instant, the "Jade Mirror Floating Light Embracing Spring Colors" activated, and surging vitality flowed from An Jing's palm, the aura of green wood overflowed, and warm light spread in all directions.

An Jing made no move, holding up a small cyan mirror of the sun in his hand. The power emanating from it alone made all the injured sea creatures around the Dragon Court Cloud Vortex feel their wounds itching, and their flesh and blood regenerating rapidly.

However, it's only flesh and blood; the internal organs, bones, and some nerve structures cannot be fully regenerated. Anjing's healing ability is not as sophisticated as his killing ability.

But that's enough—it can save many lives.

However, during this process, his expression suddenly changed, and he let out a soft exclamation.

"Hmm? My 'Hundred Forms of the Furnace' is actually eager to try?"

An Jing could clearly feel that the newly born spirits in his inner world, constructed of metal, wood, and fire, were emitting an extremely strong desire to contact the outside world.

Their target is the severely injured and mutilated Piyi right in front of them!

"Sea creatures, water, intelligent beings, incomplete... I see."

An Jing understood the reason with a thought. He chuckled and released a fist-sized 'Hundred Forms of the Furnace' from his cave. It was filled with golden liquid metal and had a purple-blue flame burning at its core.

The moment this amorphous life form appeared, it emitted a scorching heat.

It hovered slightly in mid-air, as if sensing something, and then transformed into a golden stream of light, rushing straight toward the incomplete body.

"Your Excellency, what is this?" Pi Yi's original vitality was almost dissipating, but after receiving treatment from An Jing, he felt much better. Although he was instinctively wary of these little golden things, he completely trusted that An Jing would not harm him, so he accepted them calmly.

“It’s the Hundred Forms of the Furnace, my clan… Don’t worry, you won’t die.” An Jing said calmly, “Even if you do die, I’ll bring you back to life.”

Before the words were even finished, the golden liquid metal had already merged into the mangled flesh. There was no burning or pain as expected.

Instead, there is an unprecedented feeling, like being thrown into a warm hot spring after being battered by sandstorms in the desert for three days and three nights without water. The dry, cracked skin is itchy and painful, but the water penetrates it, yet there is an unparalleled feeling of comfort and ease.

Pi Yi lowered his head in astonishment.

He could see that the creature that An Jing called 'Hundred Forms of the Furnace' was perfectly merging with his fragmented flesh, nerves, and even spiritual energy channels in an incredible way.

It transformed into entirely new organs, filling the empty chest cavity.

It extends its resilient veins, wrapping around broken limbs.

It even merged into its own body, becoming stronger and more powerful, and began to beat heavily and steadily within itself!

The severe injury that would normally take years, decades, or even forever to heal was completely cured in just a dozen breaths!

No, this is not a cure!
Pi Yi slowly stood up from the support. He clenched his newly grown right hand. Although his strength hadn't increased much, the sturdy arm itself was an incredibly powerful weapon!

More than that.

In that instant, Pi Yi received his destiny!
【Destiny - A Hundred Aspects in Armor】

—The initial birth of the Path of Ascension, the armor of the Myriad Forms Furnace. As long as one continues to merge with the 'Hundred Forms,' one can continuously improve the grade of one's destiny until the Hundred Forms become one's own, forging a divine body.

“This…this is…” Pi Yi was almost speechless. He could feel that he and the golden life that had merged into his body were no longer separate.

An Jing nodded slightly: "As expected."

Just as he had thought before.

The Hundred Forms of the Furnace are an incomplete product of the laws of his celestial realm, an incomplete form of life.

Piyi, whose body was mutilated due to battle, was also an incomplete life.

Incomplete, yet yearning for completeness.

Therefore, when the two meet, they will be attracted to each other in the most instinctive way, eventually merging into one and complementing each other.

And this is also a kind of mutual 'ascension to immortality'.

The fusion of Honglu Baixiang and Piyi was not a simple healing process—Piyi gained a new body, while Honglu Baixiang also gained the 'stable body' and 'wisdom' that he lacked.

An Jing could already sense that the Hundred Forms of the Furnace, which had merged with Pi Yi, had gained a portion of its own wisdom thanks to Pi Yi's wisdom, and was now cheering and jumping for joy.

An Jing could even foresee that in the distant future, when Pi Yi died peacefully in his sleep or died on the battlefield, the Furnace of a Hundred Forms that had merged with him, if still alive, would return to his own grotto with Pi Yi's lifelong combat experience and insights.

At that time, it will become stronger and more complete.

This power will eventually feed back into the entire cave world, becoming the resources for Anjing's own growth.

This is a symbiosis, a cycle, a...

plunder.

A destiny created by An Jing.

“Destiny… is the will of Heaven. And I am also the Way of Heaven.”

An Jing took a deep breath, his expression becoming solemn: "So, the essence won't change?"

After the initial joy, he understood the essence of it all.

[Earth and Earth Cannibalize People]

Just like the Heavenly Dao of Embracing Emptiness, which takes the martial artists of destiny as its roots.

He is at peace, and he can also use the Hundred Forms of the Furnace, the method of donning armor and ascending to immortality, to transform a clan or a cultivator into his own seedlings!
This is... the true trump card of Huai Xu Heavenly Dao: its [inheritance].

"Heavenly Dao, you bastard..."

With his eyes closed, An Jing frowned deeply: "Do you want to teach me the method of eating people in the world?"

(End of this chapter)