Chapter 47: The Limit of Life and Death
Yun Che sat down on the spot and closed his eyes. After a few breaths, his expression had completely calmed, his mind empty and serene. The hunger, as well as the joy and impatience from gaining a new Profound Vein, had entirely vanished. All his spirit and consciousness were focused on the newborn Profound Vein within his body.
Having cultivated the Profound Way over two lifetimes, starting from nothing, he no longer needed guidance from others. The first strand of Profound Force in a Profound Vein originates from a person's Vital Energy. By gradually channeling one's Vital Energy into the Profound Vein, it transforms into thin Profound Qi. When this thin Profound Qi fills the Profound Vein, one formally steps into the Initial Xuan Realm of Profound Force!
This process, for an ordinary talent, takes about half a year. For a high talent, three to four months can suffice. Once this most crucial foundation-building process is completed, subsequent cultivation can be done by absorbing the world's vital energy. This process is irreversible, because only after formally entering the Initial Xuan Realm does one have the ability to absorb the world's vital energy through the Profound Vein.
In the stillness, a wisp of initial Profound Qi began to coalesce within Yun Che's Profound Vein... All fifty-four of his Profound Gates were fully open, and Vital Energy surged in from fifty-four directions simultaneously. The speed of this process was unimaginable...
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Before entering the Heavenly Poison Pearl, Mo Li had told Yun Che not to disturb her for three days. But even she hadn't expected that when she woke from her slumber, it would already be seven days later.
Her seven days of sleep within the Heavenly Poison Pearl had completely dispelled the negative effects from her previous reckless use of Profound Force. She looked toward Yun Che from inside the pearl, and after a short while, a soft "huh" of surprise escaped her pink lips.
Red Dragon Mountain Range, Mountain Waterfall.
On a cliff face two to three hundred meters high, a massive waterfall cascaded down, its impact on the pool below sending mist and spray into the air. The thunderous roar was deafening, echoing far into the distance.
At the edge of the waterfall, a bare-chested, barefoot youth was slowly walking toward the water curtain that seemed to fall from the heavens. All his Profound Force was released without reservation, protecting his head and back.
His figure appeared incredibly small beneath this immense curtain of water. The height of the waterfall wasn't too exaggerated, but the sheer force of the massive torrent was enough to easily shatter a person's body...
Yet this youth still walked unhesitatingly toward the boulder that had been pounded by the waterfall for countless years...
This was the scene that greeted Mo Li when she left the Heavenly Poison Pearl. She glanced at the height of the waterfall and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Boom!!"
The immense impact of the water slammed violently into Yun Che's body, instantly shattering his fragile Profound Force defense and smashing him heavily into the churning, turbulent pool.
A searing, fiery pain spread through his entire body. His whole upper body was flushed bright red. A thread of shocking blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. But his eyes showed no trace of retreat or fear. Gasping for breath, he surfaced from the boiling water and, with all his remaining strength, fought against the powerful current, struggling painfully to the shore.
The waterfall's strike had dealt him a considerable injury. Fighting the raging current to swim to shore had nearly exhausted his last ounce of strength. But, having reached the bank, he didn't collapse and pant. Instead, he staggered, shaking, back toward the boulder beneath the waterfall. Every last sliver of Profound Force—his final reserves—he concentrated above him to protect his head.
"Already at Initial Xuan Realm, Level 1? That fast!" Mo Li was inwardly astonished when she sensed the faint Profound Force he released. Only seven days had passed, and he had already formally entered the Initial Xuan Realm, Level 1! This speed, even by her knowledge, was enough to be startling.
With a mere mortal body, and a newborn Profound Vein that, before activating the Evil God Art, was no different from an ordinary person's, what method had he used to formally enter the Initial Xuan Realm in just seven days! For a human body, even with all Profound Gates open, it should take at least a month to be normal!
But, being only at Initial Xuan Realm, Level 1, daring to challenge such a waterfall was nothing short of suicidal!
Moreover, in a state where he was heavily wounded by the waterfall the first time and his Profound Force was nearly scattered, he was once again stepping toward the waterfall with almost no rest.
Mo Li quickly walked over and shouted, "Do you want to die?!"
Yun Che heard her voice. His steps paused, but only for a moment, before he continued walking beneath the waterfall...
"Boom!!"
His remaining Profound Force was, without question, dispersed in an instant. Dozens of tiny bloody cracks split open on his back. His vision went black, and a large mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth as he was once again smashed into the churning pool.
"Truly reckless!" Mo Li frowned. Her figure flickered as she swiftly moved toward the direction he was swept, intending to throw him back onto the shore. Soon, Yun Che's figure surfaced from the water. But as she approached, ready to extend her hand and pull him up, she heard a hoarse, weak voice—yet one so resolute it brooked no refusal...
"Don't... help... me..."
Having surfaced, Yun Che's face was as pale as paper. The bloody gashes on his back were horrifying. His eyes were half-open, their gaze seeming both scattered and terrifyingly alert.
He hadn't passed out... Mo Li withdrew her hand, once again inwardly surprised. No! In his current state, after suffering another impact like that, a normal person wouldn't possibly remain conscious.
Looking at him at this moment, Mo Li suddenly thought—was he forcing himself not to faint through sheer willpower?
"You haven't fainted—that's already remarkable. Are you sure you can still make it to shore?" She floated above him, refraining from reaching out as he wished. The moment she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something, and her face flushed pink. As if frightened, she hastily retreated, backing far away, and pressed down on her skirt with both hands.
But Yun Che's attention was clearly not on her at this moment. In a normal state, he could resist such a current, but for him now, this turbulent flow was a terrifying nightmare. He squeezed the nearly depleted Profound Vein, raising his almost numb arms to stubbornly fight against the heavy impact of the water, inching bit by bit toward the shore...
Within just a few breaths, the muscles in his arms and shoulders began to cramp... a natural reaction when strength is completely exhausted. In this state, his arms were nearly useless, impossible to raise. The cracks on his back also began to split wider, blood flowing like a torrent... The sight made even Mo Li's heart clench, and she unconsciously let go of the hands pressing down her skirt...
But Yun Che's arms began to lift again, paddling, his body drawing closer and closer to the shore. It was unimaginable—when his body had clearly reached its limit, was utterly spent, and his spirit should have been scattered—where did he find the strength to go on? Perhaps, what drove his body at this moment was no longer strength at all, but willpower... an incredibly terrifying willpower!
Under Mo Li's somewhat stunned gaze, Yun Che climbed back onto the shore once more. At that moment, the shock within her was almost no less than when she had just witnessed a grand battle. Just as she thought he would now be completely feeble and finally pass out, she saw him stand up again, swaying.
He could still stand up!!
Rising again, Yun Che walked in Mo Li's direction. His steps were slow, and with each step, his body shook violently, as if he might fall at any moment. After walking several tens of steps, he finally stopped. And it was then that Mo Li noticed a small pool there. The pool was clearly dug by human hands, only about a meter in diameter, filled with... a black liquid!
Yun Che stepped into the black pool and sat down with difficulty, submerging all of his body except his head. He closed his eyes at that moment and finally passed out.
Mo Li landed from the air, her gaze complex as she stared at the unconscious Yun Che.
This pool had clearly been dug by Yun Che. Around it were laid out a large amount of materials. The vast majority were various kinds of medicinal herbs, over twenty types. Among them, the most numerous was a pile of dark, withered branches and leaves, dry as tinder, whose scent was very similar to that emitted by the pool.
Mo Li casually picked up one, brought it to her nose, and lightly sniffed. Her expression immediately changed: "Demon Skeleton Vine!"
He was soaking himself in this!!
Was this the method he used to forcefully push himself into the Initial Xuan Realm in just seven days... no, perhaps even less than seven days!?
Mo Li silently watched Yun Che's face... The lingering youthfulness on his features proved that he was indeed only sixteen years old. How could someone only sixteen achieve such a degree? Had he truly... experienced hell?
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Two hours later, Yun Che woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Mo Li floating beside him, her small face cold as she stared at him. The moment she saw his eyes open, she instinctively pressed her hand down on her skirt again.
"You've been doing this every day?" Mo Li spoke.
"More or less." Yun Che straightened his still somewhat weak body. The wounds on his back were mostly healed. The pool contained not only Demon Skeleton Vine but also the best healing liquid he could concoct from the herbs he could gather.
"Aren't you afraid you'll suddenly die!" Mo Li's face turned a few degrees colder.
"I won't let myself die. Not ever!" Yun Che smiled lightly, his words resolute and confident.
Mo Li gave a disdainful smile: "You overestimate yourself. Do you think the waterfall is only water? If it carried a stone that smashed into you, your body would be broken in two... I want to know why you're pushing yourself so hard."
"Because, I need strong enough power." Yun Che half-reclined in the pool, speaking slowly. "If I had enough power, my master wouldn't have been forced to death, and my family wouldn't have been bullied... Before, my Profound Vein was crippled, and I had no right to pursue power. Now, the heavens—ah no, Mo Li gave me a new Profound Vein, so of course I have no reason to be lazy... And you! My little Mo Li master, you told me from the start to reach a realm within thirty years that no one in the Cang Feng Empire has ever reached. For your sake, can I afford not to go all out?"