Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Chapter 380: Chapter 376: Elemental Realm Consummation

In a short time, three identical Lin Haos appeared beside him.

Ordinarily, this would be a sign of having mastered the External Incarnation Secret Skill to its absolute limit.

But ever since those eight characters appeared, Lin Hao no longer thought so.

The nine mantras of the External Incarnation Secret Skill surfaced in Lin Hao’s mind, one after another, as the three Primordial Bodies flickered in and out of existence.

The nine return to one, transformation without limit.

The first part of this eight-character phrase was easy to understand. Interpreted literally, it seemed to be telling Lin Hao to first merge his three Primordial Bodies into one.

And that was exactly what Lin Hao was attempting to do.

It was easier said than done. The task was immensely difficult, with only those few words as a guide.

However, Lin Hao was more than patient. Furthermore, the True Essence within him surged like a mighty river, leaving no fear of depletion. Thus, he continued to manifest the Primordial Bodies without pause. freewebnoveℓ.com

Lin Hao had possessed the External Incarnation Secret Skill for a long time, and his understanding of each mantra was already profound. Finding a breakthrough from the existing mantras seemed impossible.

Therefore, Lin Hao could only seek a breakthrough within the process of manifesting the Primordial Bodies themselves.

The process of manifesting the Primordial Bodies grew slower and stranger.

At first, a complete Primordial Body would manifest. But soon, after only half of the first Primordial Body had appeared, the hand of the second one began to form.

A look of delight suddenly crossed Lin Hao’s face.

As the first Primordial Body half-materialized, Lin Hao divided his focus, activating the fourth through sixth mantras of the External Incarnation Secret Skill—in reverse!

This method consumed a tremendous amount of True Essence; thankfully, the jar of wine had provided him with a vast store of energy. The lower half of the second Primordial Body appeared.

Then, in one concerted effort, Lin Hao merged the two partial bodies into a single whole.

BOOM!

A new Primordial Body appeared!

A smile spread across Lin Hao’s face. It seemed he had found a way.

He then made a risky decision.

He stopped paying attention to the sequence of the nine mantras, combining them at will to manifest the Primordial Bodies.

At first, forget three—even manifesting a single Primordial Body was incredibly slow, as if he were doing it for the very first time. But gradually, the process accelerated. In the end, three Primordial Bodies could be seen revolving around Lin Hao’s true self at incredible speed.

BOOM!

When the three Primordial Bodies attempted to merge, a massive collision occurred, and they were instantly annihilated.

This path was far more difficult than Lin Hao had imagined.

At the same time, the True Essence consumption was immense. Even if his reserves were like a great river, at this rate, even a river could run dry.

Lin Hao’s eyes snapped open. Without a second thought, he chugged down another jar of wine.

He simultaneously activated his Imperial Art and the Secret Skill, converting the vast energy into True Essence.

Then, Lin Hao closed his eyes once more.

This time, he was even more frenzied.

Lin Hao didn’t just completely scramble the order of the nine mantras of the External Incarnation; he deconstructed every single character in his mind, letting them swirl about, just as they had when he first obtained the Secret Skill.

But Lin Hao had no way of knowing that as he was deconstructing the External Incarnation Secret Skill in his mind, something was happening in the Cangnan Empire, tens of thousands of miles away.

Near the Sanqing Sect’s Woniushan, a strange transformation was taking place at the very spot where he had buried the old man.

The ground roiled, and suddenly, an old man riding an ox appeared without any warning.

If Lin Hao were here, he would have discovered that the old man’s face was identical to that of the elder he had personally buried. Even the ox beneath him was no different from the one that had died on Woniushan.

The man and the ox had returned from the dead! Or perhaps, they had never died at all!

The old man was now hale and hearty, bearing no resemblance to a frail elder at death’s door.

Riding on the back of an azure ox, the old man swiped his hand through the void.

A smooth mirror seemed to materialize in the empty air. The scene within it was none other than Lin Hao, cultivating in his secret chamber.

"Your progress is faster than I imagined. Very good," the old man murmured to himself, then pointed a finger.

The azure ox took a single step, ascending into the void. A moment later, they vanished.

The void returned to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.

At that very same moment, in the secret chamber of the Celestial Monarch’s Mansion, Lin Hao felt a jolt in his mind. The characters spinning in his head swiftly rearranged themselves into a brand-new mantra.

This strange transformation stunned Lin Hao, because he knew his own mind had not been responsible for it.

However, the new mantra was so profound that it instantly captivated him. He had no time to ponder anything else.

Following this new mantra, Lin Hao manifested three Primordial Bodies in no time at all. He found that the Primordial Bodies created by this mantra were far more responsive to his will than those from the original mantras. And they were more perfect.

’This is the ultimate legacy of the External Incarnation!’

And just as he finished manifesting the three Primordial Bodies, the method for merging the three into one appeared with uncanny timing.

Following the mantra, Lin Hao smoothly merged the three Primordial Bodies!

BOOM!

The moment this new Primordial Body appeared, Lin Hao’s eyes snapped open.

"What are you looking at me for?" As Lin Hao stared at the Primordial Body, it suddenly spoke.

"I am Lin Hao," Lin Hao replied, his expression strange. His answer didn’t match the question.

"I am Lin Hao, too," the Primordial Body said. Its tone and expression were identical to Lin Hao’s. The single word "too" was utterly shocking!

Because that word meant this Primordial Body possessed its own consciousness!

This was completely unimaginable! It was just a Primordial Body, something manifested by Lin Hao. It was supposed to be under his control, not possess a consciousness of its own.

And yet, this one did.

A Primordial Body with its own consciousness was, in a sense, no different from the original.

Because Lin Hao now had the feeling that this Primordial Body could exist freely, without needing his control.

’The nine return to one, transformation without limit... So this is a heaven-defying External Incarnation Secret Skill!’ At last, Lin Hao understood the true meaning of those eight characters. It was no exaggeration to say that this new Secret Skill, even if not an Imperial Art, wasn’t far off!

After marveling for a moment, Lin Hao thought to recall the Primordial Body and begin studying the Tenth Layer of the Elemental Realm.

But just then, the Primordial Body suddenly spoke. "Your cultivation has already reached the Tenth Layer of the Elemental Realm."

Lin Hao froze. Calming his mind and looking inward, he suddenly realized the Primordial Body was telling the truth.

Before entering the secret chamber, Lin Hao had been at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Elemental Realm. But now, he found his True Essence was immeasurably stronger.

Moreover, with a mere thought, he could command his True Essence as he pleased, doing with it as he willed.

The Elemental Realm was all about a Martial Artist’s ability to control True Essence. Even a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Elemental Realm couldn’t perform certain bizarre feats, such as making a finger infinitely thin. The complex web of bones, sinews, and meridians within a finger made it impossible.

But now, Lin Hao could. freeweɓnøvel.com

If he wished, he could transform his finger into a sewing needle!

So that was it. The process of merging the Primordial Bodies was the process of cultivating to the Tenth Layer of the Elemental Realm. When the Primordial Bodies merged, the Tenth Layer was naturally achieved. The two were complementary.

Understanding this, Lin Hao couldn’t help but marvel once again at the power of the External Incarnation Secret Skill.