Chapter 477: Understanding the Chart

Chapter 477: Understanding the Chart

Shua!

After testing the strength of his current physique, Chen Mu waved his right hand and took out a long robe to drape over himself.

He turned to Qin Mengjun, his expression calm, and said, "I've just made a breakthrough, causing a bit of a commotion, but there's no cause for concern. I'd like to ask about your recent progress in comprehending the Primordial Chart, Master."

"The results have been remarkable."

Qin Mengjun snapped out of her thoughts and gently replied to Chen Mu, "This chart does indeed embody the profound mysteries of heaven and earth. If I can continuously study it, the likelihood of me comprehending the unity of heaven and man in the future will increase significantly."

The unity of heaven and man is the final step in the realm of the mind, and it's not guaranteed that one will break through just by studying the Primordial Chart. However, for an existence like Qin Mengjun, having the Primordial Chart in hand naturally gives her great confidence in her future ability to challenge the unity of heaven and man.

Chen Mu nodded and said, "Master, you can continue your comprehension. I've gained some insights into the path of tempering the martial body, but I still need to consolidate a few things. Later, I'll discuss this with you and Senior Yin."

"In the past, I guided your cultivation path, but now you've surpassed me and forged your own path. It's now my turn to seek guidance from you, for you to lead the way for me."

Qin Mengjun smiled warmly, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Chen Mu. She spoke with a hint of wonder, "Indeed, I never expected that my fourth true disciple, whom I took in over a decade ago, would completely surpass me after all these years and become my guide. I can't help but marvel at the wonders of fate. The memories of you climbing Spirit Profound Peak with Meng Danyu and asking to become my disciple are still vivid, as if it happened just yesterday."

"If you put it that way, Master, I don't know how to respond. My achievements today are simply the result of diligent cultivation and not slacking off, combined with some fortunate opportunities and insights."

Chen Mu offered a faint smile as he spoke.

While these words might seem humble to Qin Mengjun, they were not far from the truth. Although his achievements were due to his consistent hard work in martial arts, the assistance from the system interface was also indispensable.

Throughout history, those who have accomplished great feats required a combination of opportunity, talent, temperament, and effort; none of these elements could be lacking.

After a brief conversation with Qin Mengjun, she left the mountain cave, leaving Chen Mu alone to adapt to his transformed physique once more. He then sat cross-legged again and summoned the system interface.

[Physique: Blood Refinement (Perfection)]



[Experience: 3 points]



After trying it out, Chen Mu realized that advancing his physique from Blood Refinement Perfection to Blood Refinement Limit required a whopping 10,000 experience points, which was not unexpected.

After all, each step in martial cultivation had always been more challenging than the last.

Chen Mu was also a content person. Without the assistance of the system interface, even if he exhausted all the resources he had obtained, he might not have been able to cultivate his physique to the level of Blood Refinement Perfection, let alone refine his entire martial blood into golden essence blood.

Now, with his perfectly refined essence blood flowing through his veins and permeating every inch of his muscles and skin, his entire body was infused with the thick power of heaven and earth.

"Blood Refinement Limit, the Immortal Body... Perhaps, upon reaching the Blood Refinement Limit, my martial body, flesh, muscles, and internal organs will completely dissolve into blood, becoming a chaotic unity."

Chen Mu murmured to himself.

Although he had not yet reached the Blood Refinement Limit, standing at the level of Blood Refinement Perfection allowed him to glimpse the mysteries of the final step. This 'Blood Refinement' step was, in fact, the last stage of the Divine Realm, leading to the Immortal Body and the Immortal Divine Body.

The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, muscles, and skin were all necessities for the mortal flesh. Upon truly entering the Divine Realm and transcending mortality, these would no longer be burdens, as everything would merge into a harmonious whole, forming the true Divine Body!

However, to reach that step, a strong soul core was essential.

After all, when the flesh completely breaks free from mortal constraints and becomes the Immortal Divine Body, controlling that body is inherently different from manipulating a mortal flesh body. A sufficiently powerful soul core is required to merge with the body as one, enabling complete control over that power. Otherwise, even upon reaching that realm, one might not be able to fully utilize the strength of the Divine Body.

But for now, Chen Mu didn't need to worry about this step. His soul core was still capable of controlling his current Blood Refinement Perfection martial body. As for his pursuit of the unity of heaven and man, having the Primordial Chart was like riding the current, ensuring that his soul core could keep up with his physical realm. He didn't have to worry about his body outpacing his soul core, leading to a lack of control and utilization.

"Let's continue and see if the remaining resources are sufficient."

Chen Mu took a deep breath, sat cross-legged again, and took out the Heaven and Earth Flask once more. He continued to consume the remaining Celestial Demon Blood stored within, but this time, the effect was surprisingly poor.

As the Azure Dragon Blood poured out, Chen Mu deliberately controlled and released his resistance, allowing the demon blood to be completely absorbed into his body.

Sizzle! The demon blood that entered his body seemed to be swiftly devoured and digested by his flesh, completely breaking down and disappearing within him.

For ordinary martial artists, devouring demon blood and digesting it with their flesh would inevitably lead to demonization. If this process were combined with unique methods, it would become the path and evil art cultivated by the Celestial Demon Sect.

However, in Chen Mu's case, his martial body completely devoured and digested the demon blood without any changes. The demon power within the blood couldn't affect his body in the slightest, nor could it alter his flesh.

"The Great Dao returns to unity, and all laws are one..."

Chen Mu felt the changes within his body and muttered to himself.

As the saying goes, when one's realm differs, the height they stand at differs, and their perspective on everything changes as well. In the past, he had considered the many evil practices of the Celestial Demon Sect and the Celestial Corpse Sect as side paths, unworthy of his attention.

But now, at his current level, when he looked back, he was astonished to find that whether it was the evil arts of the Celestial Demon Sect, the secret techniques of the Celestial Corpse Sect, or even the Body Refinement Martial Way... all things in this world, at this stage, no longer held any distinction.

Regardless of human or demon bodies.

All were born between this heaven and earth.

To transcend heaven and earth, the ultimate path is the same—to shed the mortal body, to shed the human and demon forms, and transform into an immortal divine body. But for all living beings in this world, the final step is the same path.

However.

Chen Mu soon shook his head slightly.

Although, at the final step, whether it was humans or demons, or even the half-human, half-demon practices of the Celestial Demon Sect, there was no difference; the Celestial Demon Sect's use of human bodies to practice demon paths, feeding on human blood, was considered the evil path in the secular world.

Moreover, the most crucial point was that the evil arts of the Celestial Demon Sect would taint one's soul core and will during cultivation, gradually assimilating them with demon entities. Yet, to transcend heaven and earth and cultivate the Divine Realm, will and soul core were indispensable powers.

Sacrificing will for the sake of the physical body was indeed a deviation from the right path.

Even if one could truly achieve unity between humans and demons, unifying all laws to cultivate an immortal divine body, a twisted soul core and will would inevitably prevent them from transcending heaven and earth, ultimately leading to their demise.

It could be said that, in the final step of physical cultivation, there was no distinction, but in terms of soul core and will, it was a dead-end path. From the moment one abandoned their humanity, it was destined that they could not transcend heaven and earth.

Gurgle, gurgle!

A massive amount of demon blood was continuously devoured by Chen Mu's body.

At this point, these demon blood, in essence, no longer served the purpose of tempering his body; he could only consume them as tempering energy. Still, the system interface accepted them without hesitation, converting them into experience points for accumulation.

If, before Blood Refinement Perfection, Chen Mu had to refine these demon blood himself, he could barely achieve a slight tempering of his Martial Blood. At this stage, without the system interface, these demon blood were practically useless to him.

After swallowing, the demon power was merely broken down into the most basic heavenly essence, which was then absorbed into the depths of his body as a form of energy storage, serving no tempering purpose.

Upon entering Blood Refinement Perfection, Chen Mu's speed of devouring demon blood became incredibly fast.

Previously, he had primarily used demon blood for tempering, but now, he swallowed and digested them whole, a fundamentally different concept. The demon blood poured out from the Heaven and Earth Flask was continuously devoured by his body, as if it had transformed into an abyss, consuming everything in its path.

Soon, Chen Mu had devoured all the Azure Dragon Demon Blood and switched to the final White Tiger Demon Blood.

Like a dragon drinking water, the surging demon blood was gulped down by his body. The entire process took only half a month, and all the remaining demon blood was devoured by him!

[Physical Body: Blood Refinement (Perfection)]



[Experience: 1761 points]



Chen Mu summoned the system interface and took a glance, noting that the accumulated experience points were not significantly reduced.

"Not bad," he nodded slightly and then exhaled a breath of turbid air. He began to take out other heavenly spirit treasures from the Heaven and Earth Flask, such as the Heaven Sun Fruit, Ultimate Yin Water, and other rare items unseen in the world.

These treasures, even for Blood Exchange Realm cultivators, could slightly temper their Martial Blood. They were the most top-tier heavenly spirit treasures that this heaven and earth could currently produce, and even in the Great Xuan Court's treasury, their quantity was not abundant.

Without hesitation, Chen Mu grabbed a Sun Fruit and swallowed it directly.

This was the ultimate yang fruit of heaven, containing pure yang energy. It was said that it was not born in this world but rather from the celestial sky above, on the edge of the sun, among the falling stars encircling the sun.

Only during heavenly upheavals, when falling stars plummeted to the earth, could it be obtained from the fallen stars. It was a true ultimate yang object, offering significant benefits to cultivators of the Yin-Yang Path, especially those of the Sun lineage. It was also quite effective for the Departed Fire lineage.

Of course.

For Chen Mu, who cultivated the Heaven and Earth Path, all things in heaven and earth could be utilized.

In reality, the reason these rare spirit treasures were stored in the Great Xuan Court's treasury, not entirely used up, was precisely because each generation of Emperor Xuan's cultivation paths differed. Often, they could only select the treasures suitable for their specific lineage.

The only one who could utilize all resources for himself was Ji Yongzhao, but he hadn't had the chance to use all these treasures before his demise in Chen Mu's hands; otherwise, Chen Mu wouldn't have found so many Blood Refinement spirit treasures in the Great Xuan Court's treasury.

Even.

Chen Mu couldn't help but suspect that these spirit treasures were prepared by Ji Yongzhao for himself. After all, Ji Yongzhao was privy to many secrets, not only knowing about the Divine Realm but also the Nine Stages Below Divinity. He understood that the path to the Divine Realm required the simultaneous cultivation of the soul core and the body.

Therefore, Ji Yongzhao might have started his plan long ago, cultivating the Soul Fusion and Orifice Capture technique to seek the strongest Heaven and Earth Martial Body while also gathering various spirit treasures from across the realm. He accepted all types of Blood Refinement treasures, regardless of their attributes, intending to use these heavenly spirit treasures to further temper his body after obtaining the Heaven and Earth Martial Body, pushing him closer to the Divine Realm!

However.

This process encountered a slight deviation, and that was Chen Mu's appearance.

The emergence of this individual led Ji Yongzhao to believe that his foundation was even more robust, and by seizing his Martial Body, he would be much closer to the Divine Realm. This could save countless years of arduous cultivation and also conserve a vast amount of Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures.

However, Ji Yongzhao lost his life in the process, and all the resources he painstakingly gathered and accumulated could now be used by this individual to enhance his Blood Replacement Realm. These were the most precious and rare Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures in the world, and they all fell into his hands.

Sizzle!

Chen Mu swallowed the Sun Fruit whole, and upon entering his stomach, he immediately felt as if he had ingested a miniature sun. A vast and pure Yang force surged within his abdomen.

The power of the sun contained in the Sun Fruit was not to be taken lightly. If a Bone Marrow Grandmaster were to consume it whole, they might explode and die. Even an ordinary Blood Replacement Realm cultivator, if not from the Sun Lineage but from a lineage of a different nature, might struggle to suppress this pure Yang force and suffer harm.

But for Chen Mu at this moment, this pure Yang force was nothing to be concerned about.

As the Yang force erupted, it was like a miniature sun, but Chen Mu's body was like the very embodiment of Heaven and Earth, naturally able to withstand the fluctuations of the sun and moon and the transformations of mountains and rivers!

The vast and surging Yang force caused Chen Mu to emit a brilliant golden light, illuminating his entire abdomen. Even in the dark cave, it was like broad daylight, but it was being slowly devoured and digested by Chen Mu's body.

In just a short span of a few days...

The Yang force was completely eradicated without a trace, and a new experience was added to the System Interface.

【Physique: Blood Refinement (Perfection)】

【Experience: 1959 points】

A single Sun Fruit brought nearly two hundred points of experience growth.

This is the correct version, as seen in the 1-6-9-1 book.

This level of experience accumulation was within Chen Mu's expectations. He stared at the system interface, his eyes calm and unmoved. With a wave of his right hand, he took out a portion of the dark-colored Ultimate Yin Water and swallowed it whole, drinking it all.

The Ultimate Yin Water originates from the most Yin place in the world, often found in the deepest parts of the Three Thousand Rivers after countless years. Here, it was almost the size of a fist, and Chen Mu drank it all without reservation.

Immediately, a vast and pure Yin force erupted within Chen Mu's body, a chilling force that seemed ready to seep out of his body, freezing the entire peak into ice! But in the end, only a faint flickering light escaped from his abdomen, and not a trace of cold air leaked out. It was all contained and refined by his body, bit by bit.

As time passed, Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures were devoured and refined by Chen Mu, and the experience on the System Interface continued to accumulate and grow.

Time flew by, and four months had passed.

...

Inside the cave.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and summoned the System Interface with a thought.

【Physique: Blood Refinement (Perfection)】

【Experience: 7314 points】

"Still a little short, it seems."

Chen Mu shook his head slightly as he looked at the data on the System Interface.

All the resources obtained from the Da Xuan Dynasty that were effective for him had been completely exhausted. The accumulated experience points were also nearly sufficient, but he was still short of reaching ten thousand points.

It was a small gap, but in reality, it was a significant difference. After all, this was the accumulation of over a thousand years of the Da Xuan Dynasty, and Ji Yongzhao had intentionally collected and accumulated resources. Ji Yongzhao was indeed favored by fate, almost reaching the point of heart's desire becoming reality. He had purposefully gathered resources, relying on the power of the Da Xuan Dynasty, and who knew how many treasures of the world he had acquired.

Moreover, Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures that were effective for the Blood Replacement Realm were generally hard to find in stock. For instance, the Seven Mysteries Sect, once they had such level of Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures, they would quickly be used by Yin Heng or Qin Mengjun. Even if their attributes were incompatible, they could still try to trade with other Blood Replacement Realm cultivators to obtain what they needed.

Only with the Da Xuan Dynasty ruling the world for a thousand years, with its vast resources and the intentional collection by Ji Yongzhao, could such a large accumulation be possible.

But Chen Mu wasn't overly concerned.

Because the resources in this Heaven and Earth were far from exhausted. Even if there weren't many in Da Xuan, there would still be some in the outer seas. The Ten-Stage Celestial Demon, an unparalleled existence in the world, should not have gone extinct yet.

"Next, it's time to focus on the cultivation of the state of mind."

Chen Mu slowly stood up, and a glimmer flashed in his eyes.

Currently, he had not yet cultivated the Heaven Person realm and couldn't achieve Unity of Heaven and Man. His mental perception range was also not large enough. Once he cultivates the Heaven Person realm, his perception range will greatly expand. Ordinary Heaven Person cultivators can sense the movements within a thousand li. Once he achieves the Heaven Person realm, his Heaven-Man Sensation range will be even greater. At that time, traveling the world to seek resources will be effortless.

Furthermore, evil path forces like the Celestial Demon Sect and the Celestial Corpse Sect have all gone into hiding, leaving no trace. Once Chen Mu, the 'Da Xuan Martial Saint,' reaches the end of his lifespan and re-emerges, he will settle the score with these forces.

With this thought, Chen Mu put away the System Interface and donned a long robe. He stepped out of the cave and into the valley outside.

This closed-door cultivation lasted a considerable amount of time, nearly a year. Finally, he stepped out of seclusion, and at this moment, outside the valley, he saw Yin Heng and Qin Mengjun still beside the Heaven Earth Dragon Pillar, contemplating the mysteries of the Primordial Chart.

(End)

Chen Mu's emergence from seclusion attracted the attention of the two, drawing their gazes.

"Master, Senior Yin, have you gained any insights from your meditation on the Primordial Chart?" asked Chen Mu with a calm demeanor.

Yin Heng stroked his beard and smiled, "Indeed, I've benefited greatly. As Mengjun mentioned, during your seclusion, did you make further progress in Body Refinement Martial Way?"

Chen Mu replied with serenity, "Some achievements, but nothing significant. However, I do have some ideas and realizations about Body Refinement Martial Way. If you're interested, Senior Yin and Master, I'd be glad to discuss them with you."

At that moment, Chen Mu shared his insights on the Divine Realm, the Nine Stages Below Divinity, and the eighth realm of Body Refinement Martial Way, which included Blood Transformation and Blood Refinement. He held nothing back as he explained these concepts to Yin Heng and Qin Mengjun in detail.

The Divine Realm and the Nine Stages Below Divinity were considered top-secret in the world, known only to a few Heaven and Man Masters. This wasn't just about the value of the information, but also because ordinary martial practitioners, upon learning these secrets, often faced more harm than benefit.

The reason was simple.

Martial cultivation often followed the principle of aligning with the heavens, seeking to comprehend the essence of heaven and earth. In contrast, the divine path defied the heavens, aiming to transcend the boundaries of heaven and earth. These two paths were fundamentally contradictory, and if one's cultivation level was insufficient, it could lead to confusion and hinder one's martial will.

People like Chen Yue and Xu Hongyu were currently at the stage of comprehending the essence of heaven and earth and clarifying their original intentions. They understood that the divine path could be harmful, but Qin Mengjun and Yin Heng had already cultivated the Body Refinement Martial Way to the eighth realm, and they had the capability to understand it.

After listening to Chen Mu's narration, Qin Mengjun and Yin Heng were astonished, but not entirely surprised.

At their level, they were exploring the future path of martial cultivation. Long before Chen Mu had achieved Blood Transformation or ventured to the outer seas, they had discussed the direction of martial arts and firmly believed that there was a path ahead.

Now, knowing that Blood Transformation was the final step towards the Divine Realm, they understood that the path ahead required defying heaven's will. They were not surprised but instead gained their own insights, each lost in thought.

Regarding Chen Mu's insights on Blood Refinement in Body Refinement Martial Way, both Qin Mengjun and Yin Heng fell into deep contemplation.

Chen Mu himself had relied on the System Interface to achieve perfection in Blood Refinement. He found it challenging to summarize a comprehensive and clear system for Blood Refinement, or perhaps it was something that couldn't be accomplished in a short time. Therefore, what he could share with Qin Mengjun and Yin Heng were the various changes and insights he experienced after reaching perfection in Blood Refinement.

"In Body Refinement Martial Way, the cultivation of insight and Blood Refinement are still complementary at the stage of Blood Transformation." Qin Mengjun spoke after a long period of contemplation.

She had listened to many of Chen Mu's insights, some of which she couldn't understand, while others resonated with her. Regardless of the intricacies, they were all closely related to the 'Soul Core.'

Without a sufficiently powerful Soul Core, it was impossible to control the physical body to the finest detail, down to every drop of blood. To further refine Martial Blood, one needed even more precise control.

The more one sought purity in Martial Blood, the higher the demands on the Soul Core.

Cultivating insight, on the other hand, served to temper the Soul Core. Upon reaching the Unity of Heaven and Man, experiencing the fusion of heaven and man, and undergoing the tempering of heaven and earth, the Soul Core would naturally undergo further transformation.

"Achieving the Unity of Heaven and Man is probably just a foundation for further Blood Refinement, and it's a challenging one at that," Yin Heng sighed.

There were many Heaven and Man Masters in the world, but he hadn't seen many who could progress far in the Blood Transformation realm. None could compare to Chen Mu, indicating that achieving the Unity of Heaven and Man was just a foundation for further Blood Refinement.

Although he had the Primordial Chart, he believed he could achieve the Unity of Heaven and Man within his lifetime. However, taking the next step would be a luxury. Only Qin Mengjun, being younger, had the opportunity to pursue the path ahead.

"Indeed, the Unity of Heaven and Man is just a foundation. Upon achieving it and undergoing the tempering of the Unity, the Soul Core naturally matures. But to take the next step, one must undergo even more tempering and cultivate a trace of Unextinguishable Divine Light... Even among countless Heaven and Man Masters throughout history, few have reached this stage, let alone continue further. That's a level I myself don't fully understand." Chen Mu nodded slightly.

Reaching perfection in Blood Refinement was indeed extremely challenging in this era. However, if his Soul Core could be enhanced several times or even dozens of times, reaching a level comparable to the Divine Realm, he might be able to achieve the precise control described by the System Interface and refine his Martial Blood to its utmost limit.

To cultivate the divine body, one must first cultivate the divine soul. To cultivate the divine soul, one must first comprehend the insight realm. There should be a complete system and path for tempering the Soul Core, but the current martial world had not yet reached this stage, and no one had been able to summarize and create it.

"In Blood Refinement, the Soul Core is paramount, and the cultivation of insight is crucial. Comprehending the essence of heaven and earth remains the only way." Qin Mengjun turned her gaze back to the Primordial Chart floating in the air.

Her eyes were clearer than before, and although she still lacked a specific cultivation path, Chen Mu's insights and mysteries had truly pointed her in the right direction for the Divine Realm! Having a direction and not having one were entirely different concepts; at least, she wouldn't blunder down the wrong path.

"Master's words are true," Chen Mu nodded slightly, standing before the Primordial Chart and focusing his gaze on it.

Next, he would meditate on the Primordial Chart to see how long it would take for him to thoroughly comprehend the Eight Trigrams of the Universe at his current level and take a step into the Divine Realm.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end