Free Web NovelChapter 656: Chapter 76: Celestial Mountain Enlightenment
The clothing of Bashish Red Peak was torn to shreds, with fragments flying and blood splattering everywhere.
Bashish Red Peak, in an effort to suppress the Karmic Fire, mobilized his Innate True Qi; with his armor gone, he was at his most vulnerable.
The recent attack by Little Golden Roc left his face covered in blood, and his body bruised and battered!
His skull, which Chen Tang had previously shorn with a blade, was now a bloody mess.
Several new scars adorned his face.
But Bashish Red Peak, after all, was a Grandmaster. With barely a breath, he unleashed three punches and two kicks, sending Little Golden Roc flying into the corpse of the Golden-Winged Roc, before tumbling to the ground.
Chen Tang seized the opportunity to attack, landing a punch on the chest of Bashish Red Peak.
Dong!
The punch sounded like a muffled drumbeat.
Bashish Red Peak shuddered, and blood rose to his mouth, but he forcibly swallowed it down.
As he took the punch from Chen Tang, he gave him no chance to follow up and kicked him flying away.
Chen Tang flew far away, spitting blood.
The kick was solid, injuring his viscera.
Chen Tang swiftly flipped back to his feet, staring intently at Bashish Red Peak across from him.
Even though his entire body was in pain and his arms swollen, he knew he couldn’t last many rounds like this, but he understood he must not show weakness!
Chen Tang believed that since Bashish Red Peak didn’t have True Qi Armor and took a punch from him, it couldn’t have been easy!
If he showed any sign of retreat or cowardice, the opponent would surely seize the chance to pursue and annihilate him!
Meanwhile, Little Golden Eagle staggered up from the snow, its eyes sharp, the feathers around its neck bristled, and the crest on its head glimmered with golden light.
The two men and an eagle faced off, allowing the chilling wind at the mountain’s peak to howl, with none daring to move lightly.
In truth, Bashish Red Peak wasn’t heavily injured.
He just appeared rather bedraggled, with his clothes torn and covered in bloodstains, but most were mere surface wounds.
Yet that punch from Chen Tang discomforted him a lot, causing some internal injury.
A day or two of breathing adjustment, and he would be healed.
Now, although he could no longer summon the Grandmaster’s Phenomenon, his Innate True Qi had extinguished the exotic flame, and he still maintained incredible combat power.
However, the human and eagle jointly performed with tacit coordination.
The Demon Monarch’s Fist Intent could break through his True Qi Armor, and that feathered beast struck while weak; such a combined strike tactic seemed simple, yet it was quite troublesome for him.
He found it difficult to advance or retreat, stuck in a dilemma.
What made him even more apprehensive was that the Demon Monarch had just used that exotic flame to shatter his Grandmaster’s Phenomenon!
How many concealed strengths does this Little Demon Monarch have left?
"Old beast, why aren’t you continuing the fight?"
Chen Tang chuckled lightly.
Bashish Red Peak snorted coldly, ignoring Chen Tang.
Chen Tang chuckled again and said loudly, "Aren’t the members of your Mad Lion Tribe supposed to be fearless? How come you reach the level of Grandmaster, yet act so cowardly?"
Bashish Red Peak remained expressionless, acting as if he didn’t hear, gradually stepping back to find a wind-sheltered spot, sitting cross-legged, and swallowed a few elixir pills to adjust his breath and heal his injuries.
Now, he couldn’t act rashly.
This little Demon Monarch was exceptionally sinister in his martial arts.
Previously, beneath the Celestial Gate City, in one encounter, he almost lost half of his head due to carelessness.
Just benefited from it again.
This kid was clearly trying to provoke him, and now he absolutely could not act rashly, or he might likely fall into this kid’s hands!
The best plan for now was to stall on this Tianshan Peak.
Having cultivated to the level of Grandmaster, he could long ingest the essence of heaven and earth, replenish his Primordial Qi, and maintain life even without eating and drinking for several months.
But for that Little Demon Monarch opposite, not to mention several months, even a few days without food and drink would be unbearable!
The Little Golden Eagle would be in the same situation.
The longer this dragged on, the more advantageous it became for him.
By then, he would recover from his injuries.
While the man and eagle opposite would grow weaker.
Moreover, the air atop Tianshan Peak was thin.
He could refine the Innate Essence, forming an internal world, breathing smoothly with little impact.
While the Little Demon Monarch opposite would certainly not last long.
Chen Tang clearly saw through Bashish Red Peak’s intention and couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
In such a protracted battle, he indeed couldn’t outlast the Grandmaster.
The earlier battle had taken a massive toll.
When he first ascended the mountain, he felt fine.
But after the battle, Chen Tang already felt his breathing starting to become difficult, dizzy and faint, heart palpitations with shortness of breath, accompanied by nausea.
And with internal injuries, it only compounded his woes.
The key problem is, there’s nothing to eat on the mountain peak.
He could drink some snow, but without food, he couldn’t sustain long.
Little Golden Eagle wasn’t in great condition either, appearing severely injured.
If he and the eagle attempted to descend the mountain now, Bashish Red Peak would surely pursue, and they couldn’t shake him off after all.
Chen Tang pondered for a moment, then said aloud, "It’s so pointless to just waste time here; how about we both head back to our respective places? The supplies at the Barbarian Army front line have been cut off, so maybe you should hurry back and inform your commander."
Bashish Red Peak continued to meditate with his eyes closed, saying nothing.
Suddenly, Chen Tang sneered and said, "If you push me into a corner and I gain enlightenment in one stroke to step into the Innate Realm, by then it’ll be too late for you to run!"
"Hahaha, how naïve!"
Upon hearing this, Bashish Red Peak laughed out loud, as if hearing the most amusing thing in the world.
It seems this young man still doesn’t understand what the Innate Realm entails; how imaginative of him.
Throughout history, countless people have been stuck at the threshold of the Innate Realm, unable to comprehend it for their entire lives.
Simply cultivating, practicing horizontal body training, strengthening the viscera with inner strength, or accumulating inner qi cannot possibly lead to stepping into the Innate Realm.
At this stage, what is required is enlightenment.
To comprehend the true essence and mysteries of the Innate Realm, one needs to get close to nature, and spend long periods feeling the myriad forces that wander between heaven and earth to have a chance at breaking through.
In this bitterly cold place, dealing with hunger and cold, and with injuries, it is incredibly difficult just to survive, let alone have a chance to understand the true essence of the Innate.
Chen Tang’s threat, instead of taking effect, provoked a burst of laughter, making him quite annoyed.
"I really don’t believe this."
Chen Tang walked around the area and came to rest beneath the wings of a Golden-Winged Roc corpse.
The enormous wings of the Golden-Winged Roc curved slightly like a wind shelter, providing some reprieve from the biting wind underneath.
The Little Golden Eagle also returned here.
This time, it didn’t drive Chen Tang away.
Chen Tang took out several elixir pills and handed them to it, saying, "These are for healing; you should have some too."
The Little Golden Eagle hesitated, tilting its head slightly while looking at the round pills in Chen Tang’s palm.
After a moment’s hesitation, it reluctantly took one into its mouth but refused to eat any more.
"The little creature is small, but quite cautious."
Chen Tang muttered, sitting cross-legged, and swallowed a few healing elixir pills, preparing to attempt a breakthrough.
Once the pills entered his stomach, they turned into a warm current.
Chen Tang slowly mobilized qi and blood, healing his injuries while attempting a breakthrough.
After two hours, the flow of qi and blood in his body became smooth, and his injuries were mostly healed.
However, Chen Tang still didn’t find the opportunity to step into the Innate.
From the time he stepped into the Third Grade Meridian Passage Realm to now, only three to four months had passed.
In such a short time, he had cultivated to the Third Grade Extreme Realm.
This speed was too fast.
Mainly because of the external force of Demon Blood directly intervening, forcibly opening ten meridians.
During this time, Chen Tang hardly cultivated.
A drop of purple Demon Blood and a friendly interaction with Luo Sha, and he unwittingly cultivated to the Third Grade Extreme Realm, making it the most effortless three to four months of his cultivation journey.
The lack of personal cultivation, accumulation, and sedimentation, on the contrary, somewhat became a case of trying to push growth, achieving haste while failing.
Furthermore, the environment here is indeed not suitable for enlightenment.
He felt extreme difficulty even with breathing, the headache and nausea had not disappeared, instead getting stronger, inevitably causing distraction.
After sitting in frustration for a long time without a solution, his mind grew increasingly restless.
Just then, Chen Tang suddenly felt something nudging his shoulder.
He opened his eyes to look.
He didn’t know when, but the Little Golden Eagle had come to his side, rubbing against his arm and gently pecking his palm.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing the Little Golden Eagle show no hostility, Chen Tang felt a bit better, but he didn’t know what the Little Golden Eagle intended.
"Coo, coo!"
The Little Golden Eagle chirped twice and pecked at Chen Tang’s palm again, its beak slightly opening and closing, making swallowing motions.
"Want some pills?"
Chen Tang finally understood, chuckling, and took out some elixir pills, waving them in front of the Little Golden Eagle.
"Coo, coo!"
The Little Golden Eagle chirped and flapped its wings.
"You can’t eat too many of these."
Chen Tang took out a few more to feed it and said, "These pills are for healing. I’ll get you some meatballs later, those taste best."
The Little Golden Eagle lowered its head, pecked several times, and swallowed them all in an instant.
It seemed to know these were for healing, and after swallowing, it stood to the side, closed its eyes, and adjusted its breath.
Chen Tang had a realization.
This Little Golden Eagle, though small, could breathe normally at the Tianshan Peak, without the slightest difficulty.
Exotic Beasts across the world, whether the Mountain Lord or the East Sea Giant Demon, all have their own breathing techniques.
The breathing technique from the Emperor Wu’s "Tiger Subduing Fist" originates from the Mountain Lord.
His "Kun Breathing Technique" drew inspiration from the "Sea of Wisdom Enlightenment Map," but its roots lie in the East Sea Giant Demon.
The Little Golden Eagle, as a bloodline descendant of the Golden-Winged Roc, must also know the unique breathing technique of the Roc clan.
Therefore, at the summit of Celestial Mountain, the Little Golden Eagle wouldn’t have the same breathing difficulties as he did.
Thinking of this, Chen Tang silently observed the Little Golden Eagle’s breathing.
He had, after all, opened his Mud Ball Palace, his perception extremely strong, carefully feeling the breathing rhythm of the Little Golden Eagle, observing every detail.
At the same time, he slowly changed his breathing rhythm, trying to mimic it, constantly adjusting.
Another hour passed.
Chen Tang’s breathing had completely changed.
The rhythm and frequency, including the way of breathing, were exactly like the Little Golden Eagle’s.
The dizziness, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and nausea he had experienced before all disappeared.
Chen Tang felt unprecedentedly relaxed, being able to breathe at the Tianshan Peak just like on the ground.
Moreover, under this breathing technique, he felt his body had become much lighter.
If there were a pair of wings, it felt like the next moment, he could soar upwards and stand on the clouds!
