Chapter 640: First Arrival at Liangyi Sect
The Demon Ape and Devouring Rabbit had indeed displayed formidable strength, prompting Zhang Ruochen to urgently seek a breakthrough to the fifth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, to open a second saintly meridian within his body. However, Zhang Ruochen was different from them. They didn’t need to consider other matters, only cultivating within the Scroll World, with even their cultivation resources provided by Zhang Ruochen. Zhang Ruochen, on the other hand, had many tasks to attend to and lacked the time for seclusion.
Although the Demon Ape and Devouring Rabbit had consumed a large amount of cultivation resources, once their cultivation reached the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, they would become two major helpers for Zhang Ruochen. Many tasks that Zhang Ruochen found inconvenient to handle personally could be assigned to them. By then, they would be the ones to help Zhang Ruochen seek cultivation resources.
“These two fellows have great potential; they might grow into two sacred beasts in the future,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei chuckled, “The techniques I passed on to them are all top-tier. And with you feeding them large amounts of premium cultivation resources, how could their strength be lacking?”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Why haven’t I seen Hanxue?”
“She’s in seclusion, breaking through to the Fish-Dragon Realm,” Xiao Hei replied.
“She’s about to break through to the Fish-Dragon Realm already? Isn’t she going to the Ruins Realm battlefield to strive for the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm?”
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that Hanxue’s cultivation speed was remarkably extraordinary. She had been in seclusion within the Scroll World for three years, and her cultivation had already reached the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. Most importantly, she had achieved the Supreme Extreme Realm in the Yellow Extreme Realm, Mysterious Extreme Realm, and Earth Extreme Realm. It would indeed be a pity if she didn’t attempt the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, “Forget it! She’s still so young; let’s not let her be stained with too much blood.”
Xiao Hei nodded, “I asked her about this, but when she heard she’d have to kill many, many people to reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, she immediately refused. In truth, with her Thousand Bone Constitution, even if she doesn’t strive for the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, it won’t affect her much.”
“Achieving the Supreme Extreme Realm only attracts the resonance of the gods. But the Qiangu Nüdi of the past didn’t need the gods’ resonance; she could slay gods instead.”
Mentioning Qiangu Nüdi, Xiao Hei let out an exclamation, his round eyes gleaming brightly, showing a look of deep reverence, as if recalling something from the past. The legendary Qiangu Nüdi was indeed spoken of with awe, but the era was too distant, and Zhang Ruochen felt no particular connection.
Zhang Ruochen took out the damaged Sacred Skin Soft Armor and handed it to Xiao Hei, saying, “With your abilities, you should be able to repair this Sacred Skin Soft Armor, right? After fixing it, give it to Hanxue.”
Zhang Ruochen possessed the Meteor Invisibility Cloak and the Dragon Pearl for protection, so he had no use for the Sacred Skin Soft Armor. Although Hanxue was still very young, her cultivation was already astonishing. Once she broke through to the first transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, she would need to go out and gain experience, not stay forever in the Scroll World. When she ventured out, having the Sacred Skin Soft Armor would certainly make her safer. As a master, he had to consider his disciple’s well-being; otherwise, he would be failing in his duty. Moreover, Hanxue was Zhang Ruochen’s only disciple.
Xiao Hei doted on Hanxue greatly. Seeing Zhang Ruochen take out the damaged Sacred Skin Soft Armor, he immediately snatched it and laughed, “Don’t worry, just repairing the Sacred Skin Soft Armor is a trivial matter for me.”
After finishing the necessary instructions, Zhang Ruochen began to cultivate the “Thirty-Six Transformations of Formless and Formless.” This martial technique was part of the “Forty-Nine Mystical Techniques” and possessed infinite mysteries. It was said that when cultivated to perfection, one could transform into flowers, grass, trees, birds, and beasts—anything. One could even transform into a divine dragon stirring seas, a Kunpeng soaring to the heavens, or a phoenix burning the world...
Of course, to cultivate the “Thirty-Six Transformations of Formless and Formless” to perfection, one had to practice the “Forty-Nine Mystical Techniques.” The thirty-six transformations did not mean one could only change thirty-six times, but rather referred to thirty-six forms of things in heaven and earth.
For example, the first transformation of the thirty-six referred to “human.” Once this transformation was mastered, a cultivator could change into any person’s appearance at will. The second transformation referred to “beasts,” the third to “birds,” the fourth to “fish”...
Since Zhang Ruochen only wanted to change into another person, he didn’t need to spend too much time delving deep; he only needed to learn some basics of the simplest first transformation to benefit him for life.
After spending half a month, Zhang Ruochen achieved about thirty percent mastery of the first transformation, enabling him to make simple changes. For instance, he could extend his fingers, lengthen his legs, and even make his bones thicker.
“Change!”
Zhang Ruochen controlled the true qi within his body, channeling it through the Yin Qiao Saintly Meridian, converting it into saintly qi, and executing the “Thirty-Six Transformations of Formless and Formless.” At the same time, his spiritual power was highly focused, recalling Lin Yue’s appearance, physique, temperament, and voice in his mind.
Lin Yue’s height and build were similar to Zhang Ruochen’s, so the transformation wasn’t too difficult.
“Crackle.”
Zhang Ruochen’s bones shifted, and his muscles, skin, hair, and eyebrows rapidly changed. After a short while, Zhang Ruochen had transformed into another person. At this moment, his appearance was almost identical to Lin Yue’s—handsome features, a tall figure, jet-black long hair, and hands more beautiful than a woman’s.
It had to be said that Lin Yue was indeed very handsome, almost flawless, a true heartthrob capable of captivating countless young women. Even if Zhang Ruochen now stood before Lin Yue’s junior brothers and sisters, they would surely be unable to tell the difference.
However, Zhang Ruochen was not satisfied. The Lin Yue he had transformed into could deceive ordinary Liangyi Sect disciples but would certainly not fool a Half-Saint-level figure. In short, Zhang Ruochen had only changed his appearance but had not fully altered his aura, and even his temperament was somewhat different from Lin Yue’s. Such a level of transformation could easily be seen through.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen continued to cultivate, repeatedly attempting transformations while addressing the shortcomings.
After another half month, Zhang Ruochen finally achieved minor success in the first transformation.
“Change!”
After half a month of repeated practice, Zhang Ruochen had become quite adept at the art of transformation. As soon as he uttered the word “change,” his face immediately shifted, becoming identical to Lin Yue’s. His gaze also turned somewhat frivolous. Even the temperament he exuded became exceptionally arrogant. Looking at him, he was the complete image of a talented and proud aristocratic young master—both haughty and somewhat rakish.
Zhang Ruochen walked to a lake, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed at his reflection in the water, unable to help but laugh. “With my current mastery of the Thirty-Six Transformations, even a Saint probably wouldn’t see through it.”
Of course, Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation of the Thirty-Six Transformations was still at a very shallow stage. There was at least one flaw: his cultivation level. Everything else had changed, but his cultivation level remained the same. To change his cultivation to match Lin Yue’s Great Perfection of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, he would need to achieve great success in the first transformation.
Achieving great success in the first transformation would take not just three to five months but at least several years, or even longer. Once achieved, it would be perfect, with no flaws. However, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t wait that long, nor could he spend years just to become another person.
Although “cultivation level” was a flaw, it might not be a major issue. First, only Half-Saints could see through his cultivation. Second, even if a Half-Saint knew his cultivation had reached the fourth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, Zhang Ruochen could come up with excuses to brush it off. In such a vast world, who didn’t have some fortuitous encounters?
To test whether his transformation was successful, Zhang Ruochen specifically sought out the Devouring Rabbit and Demon Ape for verification. They didn’t recognize him at all, thinking an outsider had intruded and nearly attacked him. Only Xiao Hei saw through Zhang Ruochen’s true form. Of course, as the artifact spirit of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, he understood all changes within the Scroll World, so it wasn’t surprising that he recognized Zhang Ruochen.
“Impressive! Zhang Ruochen, you’ve got this trick up your sleeve. With this skill, you could fool the five senses of a Saint,” Xiao Hei said admiringly.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This is a martial technique that must be maintained with saintly qi. With my current cultivation, the saintly qi in my body is very thin, and I can only sustain it for a day at most. After that, I’ll revert to my original form.”
Xiao Hei said, “Anyway, we’re only going to Liangyi Sect to investigate the altar. Once inside the sect, we can keep a low profile, avoid too much contact with others, and we shouldn’t be exposed.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded, “It’s time for me to set off.”
Leaving the Scroll World, Zhang Ruochen used his movement technique to head toward Liangyi Sect. The sect’s mountain gate was located in the western section of the Falling God Mountain Range, far from Qingyun Commandery in the Eastern Domain Evil Soil. After three days of full-speed travel, covering tens of thousands of li, Zhang Ruochen finally arrived at the territory directly under Liangyi Sect’s jurisdiction.
Walking through rugged mountains and crossing a plank road, he came upon an open area, like a flattened mountain forming an open platform. The Divine Platform City was built atop this high platform, with gray-blue city walls, towering Daoist pagodas, and three thousand steps of stairs. Though a small city, it was quite ancient, with a history of ten thousand years. Many saints of Liangyi Sect throughout the ages had left their footprints here.
This was already the outer sect area of Liangyi Sect, and Divine Platform City served as a trading market. Every day, many outer sect disciples came to the city to trade pills, spirit herbs, True Martial Treasures, and so on. Of course, there were also inner sect disciples in the city, but their status was extraordinary, and the items they traded were rare and precious, so they mostly gathered in the city center, where there were dedicated trading venues.
Zhang Ruochen, transformed into Lin Yue, paid a spirit crystal and entered the city gate. Before long, he spotted a group of familiar faces in the city. They were the Liangyi Sect disciples who had been with Lin Yue outside Qingyun Commandery City that day. The leader, wearing a green Daoist robe, looked quite old and had a cultivation level of the fifth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. Zhang Ruochen remembered that Lin Yue had called him “Uncle Master.”
Behind the green-robed old Daoist were more than ten other young men and women, all inner sect disciples of Liangyi Sect. Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace, caught up, and showed a delighted smile, calling out, “Uncle Master, Junior Sisters, wait for me. I’ve finally caught up to you.”