Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2034 Half-Step to the Tai Cang Realm

Under Chen Fei's command, the Night Demon Warriors began to carefully activate the sixteenth-level Heavenly Origin Technique.

"Om..."

A strange, low hum, seemingly emanating from the depths of his soul, resounded within the Night Demon Warrior's body. In an instant, an unprecedented, spiritual, and awe-inspiring light suddenly shone in his eyes.

In the eyes of the Night Demon Warrior, the entire world suddenly became completely different.

Even in the Realm of Return to Nothingness, a plane that belongs entirely to Chen Fei, the land, the flowing pure energy, and the floating Daoist charm all look different from before.

And when looking at the primordial continent outside through the barrier of the Void Realm, the world perceived is also different.

A magnificent whole, incredibly complex and exquisite, composed of countless layers of space, interwoven rules, and flowing world power, unfolded before the Night Demon Warrior.

It was as if I had leaped out of the bottom of a narrow well and truly seen the vast and boundless world, filled with unprecedented novelty and difference. This was a perspective that looked down on the world from a higher level, touching upon the fundamental rules of the world.

However, this unprecedented and captivating perspective comes at a terrible price.

"Crack... Boom!"

Just as the Night Demon Soldier was immersed in this new worldview, the power within him began to go berserk and collapse.

Those forcibly activated fragments of rules and Daoist principles belonging to the sixteenth level were like countless thirsty beasts, frantically devouring and burning the essence, Yuan power, and divine soul belonging to the fifteenth level within the Night Demon Warrior's body.

His body seemed to have transformed into a giant funnel, with all his power uncontrollably leaking away, collapsing, and sliding towards the abyss of destruction.

The Night Demon Warrior tried to stop the sixteenth-tier Heavenly Origin Technique, but found he couldn't. The power involving higher rules was beyond his control in his fifteenth-tier body.

"boom!"

Within the Night Demon Warrior's body, the Heavenly Union technique, a life-or-death secret art, was instantly activated. The Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation was forcibly fused with his own, and the terrifying power at the threshold of the Tai Cang Realm instantly filled his entire body.

With the influx of this higher-level power, the collapse of his essence, energy, and spirit caused by the sixteenth-order Heavenly Origin Technique was significantly alleviated. It was like pouring a torrent of water into a nearly dried-up pond, temporarily filling the void.

At this moment, both strength and vision have come together.

Night Demon Warrior could clearly sense that, under the perspective of overlooking the rules granted by the sixteenth-level Heavenly Origin Technique, he had gained a completely new understanding of the critical Tai Cang Realm power within his body that came from the return of Heaven.

No longer like before when he simply used the Heavenly Union technique and felt powerless, like a child wielding a large sword, now he could see the flow, structure, and even some of the weak points of this power, and could try to guide and control it more precisely and efficiently.

However, the power of the Heavenly Union only lasts for three breaths.

"boom…"

Once the three breaths were up, the power that had sustained everything vanished as quickly as the tide.

Without the support of this power, the Night Demon Warrior's essence, energy, and soul were once again unable to support the power of the sixteenth-level Heavenly Origin Technique, and the speed and extent of the collapse instantly intensified.

Moreover, due to the previous forced operation and burning, this collapse became even more severe, as if it were trying to completely drain and burn everything away.

Chen Fei frowned slightly, using the Divine Prison, a power-absolute control characteristic, as a link to forcibly control the sixteenth-order Heavenly Origin Technique.

"Zheng!"

With a clear sound like divine metal breaking, the sixteenth-order Heavenly Origin Technique was forcibly severed from its connection under the domineering power of the Divine Forbidden Heavenly Prison.

"puff…"

The Night Demon Warrior's body trembled violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with dark gold and grayish hues.

His aura rapidly declined, his internal power system was in complete chaos, his foundation was crumbling, his meridians were broken, and his vital energy was dissipating.

At this moment, the Night Demon Warrior no longer possessed even the power of a tenth-tier World Lord, and was extremely weak, on the verge of completely collapsing at any moment.

Chen Fei observed the changes in the Night Demon Warriors from the sidelines, lost in thought.

"As expected, just as that senior said, the power of the fifteenth level cannot support the cultivation technique of the sixteenth level. Moreover, once it begins, it is difficult to stop, and it will eventually be burned to ashes." The miserable state of the Night Demon Warrior clearly proved this point.

"but…"

Chen Fei's eyes flashed. "The combination of Heavenly Harmony and the Sixteenth-Order Heavenly Origin Technique is barely working. The combination of power and vision can indeed unleash stronger combat power. But the problem is that the power of Heavenly Harmony only lasts for three breaths. After three breaths, the collapse of essence, energy, spirit and soul will become more serious."

This is a fatal weakness.

"besides……"

Chen Fei arrived in front of the Night Demon Warrior. "The sixteenth-level Heavenly Origin Technique, which is only at the thirtieth level of the initial stage, is still too crude to operate. The efficiency of guiding and controlling power is low, which also aggravates the consumption and backlash."

If one continues to cultivate and improves their proficiency, they should be able to somewhat avoid the state of their essence, energy, spirit, and soul collapsing indefinitely.

Thinking of this, Chen Fei first activated the backup function on the panel, allowing the dying Night Demon Warrior to slowly recover.

He himself sat down cross-legged, and a thought crossed his mind.

"Crash..."

Around him, another hundred thousand crystals shattered, and dense spiritual energy enveloped him.

Chen Fei needs to continue cultivating the sixteenth-level Heavenly Origin Technique, improving his proficiency, and finding that ideal balance point.

After an unknown amount of time, the power of 100,000 Dao Crystals dissipated once more.

Chen Fei opened his eyes and glanced at the panel. The sixteenth-tier Heavenly Origin Technique had reached the 60% entry level.

Chen Fei looked at the Night Demon Warriors who had recovered quite a bit and continued to test the combination of the Sixteenth-Order Heavenly Origin Technique and the power of Heavenly Union, following the previous method.

A moment later, the power within the Night Demon Warrior's body began to collapse again.

The sixteenth-order Heavenly Origin Technique, at the sixth level of the entry stage, has improved the guidance and control of power, but it is far from reaching the ideal state.

"but…"

Chen Fei keenly sensed a problem he had worried about before: his proficiency in the sixteenth-order Heavenly Origin Technique could not be too high.

A high level of proficiency means a higher degree of compatibility with the sixteenth-order rules, resulting in stronger and deeper influence, which in turn increases the difficulty of stopping.

This seems to be a paradox: insufficient cultivation results in crude control and excessive energy expenditure. However, excessive cultivation can easily lead to self-destruction and make it even more difficult to extricate oneself.

We still need to find a balance.

Chen Fei continued to cultivate the sixteenth-level Heavenly Origin Technique, but this time, he became cautious.

The Dao Crystals began to break in units of ten thousand, instead of one hundred thousand.

Each time I improve my proficiency, I immediately test it with the Night Demon Warrior to observe the changes in its internal power and find that delicate balance point.

As time went by, the tests became increasingly refined.

Finally, when Chen Fei had cultivated the sixteenth-order Heavenly Origin Technique to the point of reaching the entry level of 83%, he stopped further cultivation of it.

It's not that he can't continue, but rather that through countless tests he discovered that this level of proficiency might be a critical point under the current conditions.

With a thought, Chen Fei activated the 16th-level Heavenly Origin Technique (at 83% of the entry level) and the Heavenly Union Technique simultaneously with the Night Demon Warrior.

"Wow..."

Two forces rose simultaneously within the Night Demon Warrior's body. Unlike before, this time, the power of the two techniques did not immediately clash, but instead formed a fragile and delicate balance.

The Night Demon Warrior took a step forward, and the pseudo-Tai Cang Realm realm and power within his body instantly condensed, then he threw a punch.

Wherever the fist pointed, all rules, energy, and matter seemed to be wiped away by an invisible hand and returned to the most basic nothingness.

Just before this devastating blow was about to erupt completely and cause immeasurable damage to the Guixu Realm, the force of the punch vanished into thin air and was stored in a spatial grid, replacing the original blow that had been stored there.

A smile appeared in Chen Fei's eyes; it had finally worked.

One peculiar effect of this fragile balance was that the duration of the power of Heavenly Union was directly extended to nine breaths.

Moreover, after nine breaths, both the Heavenly Union and the Sixteenth-Order Heavenly Origin Technique can be stopped simultaneously under the precise control of the Night Demon Warrior.

Although the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation within the Night Demon Warrior's body still collapsed the moment it stopped, this time, the degree of collapse was controlled within a relatively mild range.

The Dao Foundation has degenerated from the form of the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation into the form of the Profound Origin Dao Foundation, instead of being directly destroyed as in the previous test.

Previously, the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation was simply activated, resulting in crude power that posed no threat to true Tai Cang Realm experts. After three breaths, the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation transformed into the Earthly Origin Dao Foundation form.

Now, with the Heavenly Return technique combined with 83% of the entry-level Heavenly Origin Technique, Chen Fei will possess the realm and power of the Pseudo-Taicang Realm.

"In terms of overall combat strength, he is probably similar to a Tai Cang Realm early stage cultivator who has cultivated the sixteenth level of the Heavenly Origin Technique, belonging to the weakest among the Tai Cang Realm cultivators."

After all, it was achieved by forcibly raising the level through secret techniques, and the Heavenly Origin Technique was used as the support for the realm.

Even if you fight a weakling, you're still at the sixteenth level of the Tai Cang Realm. Even if it's just a pseudo-realm, even if you only have nine breaths left, it's still a world of difference from the fifteenth level.

Facing the true Tai Cang Realm, they will no longer be powerless ants.

"We can continue earning Source Points."

With a thought, Chen Fei activated the mark, and the familiar spatial teleportation sensation enveloped him once more. His figure vanished from the Realm of Return to Nothingness and reappeared in that chaotic void.

In fact, according to the regulations of Tianhai City's military camp, normal cultivators are not allowed to enter and exit the Myriad Realms Martial Arts Arena so frequently.

However, Chen Fei discovered that since the war in the Demon Lotus Realm, the jade pendant on his waist, which represented his identity and authority, had quietly changed.

The previously strict restrictions have been relaxed considerably, and now only one rule remains: Entry into the Myriad Realms Martial Arts Arena is prohibited for ten days prior to the mission. Entry at other times is no longer prohibited.

Without pausing, Chen Fei transformed into a streak of light and flew once again into the magnificent gate of the martial arts arena.

The familiar dueling area was filled with noise and the palpable tension of battle. Chen Fei went straight to a dark golden sphere and reached out to touch it.

"Buzz!"

The space shifted, and Chen Fei's figure appeared on the gray-white life-and-death stage. The array of puppets followed him closely, standing silently behind him.

Almost simultaneously, a large number of figures began to appear on the surrounding empty stands.

When their gazes fell upon the center of the life-or-death arena, and they saw the array puppets behind Chen Fei, as well as the blood-red aura of eighteen consecutive victories swirling around Chen Fei, many people showed surprise.

"It's him! The anonymous array cultivator who had an eighteen-game winning streak a few days ago."

"He's here again? Wasn't it said that he was already struggling against the Earthly Dao Foundation cultivator before?"

Various sounds of surprise, curiosity, and doubt rose and fell in the spectator area.

Many people still vividly remember Chen Fei's winning streak from last time. Unexpectedly, only a few days later, this mysterious array cultivator has once again stepped onto the life-or-death arena.

Ripples spread across the space in front of the arena of life and death as a figure stepped out.

This is a demonic cultivator with a gaunt face and sunken eyes.

His aura was calm yet cold, and when he stood quietly, the light around him was absorbed by him.

Another powerful individual who has forged the foundation of the Earthly Dao.

After the demonic cultivator Fu Jingzhen appeared, his gaze swept over Chen Fei and the puppet array behind him like two cold stars. His face was expressionless, only filled with icy killing intent.

"Thump!" The sound of the duel rang out.

Fu Jingzhen reached out with his right hand and a giant coffin, as black as ink and covered with countless distorted, wailing, and resentful spirit reliefs, appeared out of thin air in front of him.

The moment the coffin appeared, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and frost even condensed in the air.

With a wave of his arm, Fu Jingzhen sent the terrifying black coffin, like a flying star, crashing down on Chen Fei, who was dozens of miles away, with a deathly will that crushed all life.

Before the coffin even arrived, a terrifying force field that sealed off space and froze souls had already descended.

"Zheng!"

The puppet's eyes shone brightly, and it instantly appeared in front of Chen Fei. It spread its arms and the core of the array inside its body was running at high speed.

The celestial phenomena return to their origin in the imperial ritual!

The Yin-Yang Sword that Slays Immortals and Destroys the Dao!

A transparent shield, shimmering with starlight and intricate array patterns, rapidly unfolded before him.

At the same time, countless multicolored sword energies of destruction, like a reverse meteor shower, actively met the black coffin that was smashing down, as well as the terrifying cold energy that was surging wildly from the cracks in the coffin.

"Boom!"

The black coffin collided violently with the torrent of five-colored sword energy.

Amidst a deafening explosion, a destructive energy storm raged out.

The sword energy continuously cut and shattered the deathly aura and chilling energy on the surface of the coffin, but the coffin itself was exceptionally sturdy and contained the heavy power of the Earthly Dao Foundation. It actually withstood the impact of the sword energy and smashed into the shield.

"clang!"

The coffin slammed solidly onto the star shield, producing a dull, resounding clang like a struck bell.

The shield vibrated violently, its light flashing rapidly, but thanks to its Origin Return property and the support of its power to neutralize all magic, it steadily blocked the attack.

The puppet's body lurched slightly backward, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground beneath its feet.

"Hmph!" Fu Jingzhen snorted coldly, his hands forming a hand seal.

Chilling Frost Devours Souls!

Suddenly, the black coffin opened a crack, and an even denser, colder, deathly white aura gushed out like a flood bursting its banks.

This chilling aura can not only freeze the physical body and vital energy, but also directly erode the soul, making it bizarre and vicious.

A dazzling array of light rose, and the flowing starlight and distorted spatial ripples attempted to envelop Fu Jingzhen.

Fu Jingzhen stomped heavily on his foot, his Earthly Dao Foundation resonating with the rules, directly resisting the pulling force of the spatial array. At the same time, the coffin continuously spewed out icy energy, which mutually eroded and froze the power of the surrounding spatial array, preventing the array from closing smoothly for a time.

The fierce battle quickly reached its climax.

Above the arena of life and death, five-colored sword energy clashed and intertwined with a deathly pale chill; star shields and black coffins clashed head-on; the brilliance of spatial arrays and the immense power of the earth constantly battled...

The sounds of energy exploding and rules being torn apart were incessant, making the scene exceptionally intense and dangerous.

Thirty-odd breaths passed quickly in this high-intensity exchange of fire.

Fu Jingzhen's offensive was fierce and persistent. The heavy power provided by the Earthly Dao Foundation and the chilling aura of the strange coffin put enormous pressure on the puppet formation.

The luster on the puppet's body had dimmed due to the erosion of the cold energy, and the speed at which the formation operated was also affected.

But Chen Fei remained calm. When Fu Jingzhen activated the coffin again, unleashing an even stronger wave of cold energy, and his aura showed a barely perceptible stagnation, a glint flashed in Chen Fei's eyes.

Inside the puppet, all the engraved arrays were activated simultaneously, superimposed and resonated at a strange frequency.

In an instant, a dark domain that seemed capable of devouring all light and energy suddenly formed, centered on the puppet array.

The overwhelming, pale, chilling aura, upon contact with this dark domain, was instantly swallowed up and dissolved, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

Even the sturdy black coffin was violently shaken by this sudden force imbued with the aura of returning to nothingness, and its luster was greatly diminished.

Fu Jingzhen's expression changed involuntarily. He felt that his connection with the coffin and with the cold evil was being severely interfered with and weakened by this strange dark domain.

Chen Fei gave him no chance to react, taking advantage of the moment when the opponent's power was weakened and his mind was shaken, he activated the Universe Zhou Tian Sumeru Realm.

"Boom!"

This time, without strong resistance, the dazzling array of light shields instantly closed, trapping Fu Jingzhen firmly in the center.

Countless destructive sword energies hurtled towards Fu Jingzhen in the formation from all directions.

Fu Jingzhen roared and desperately urged the coffin to resist, but under the suppression of the great formation and the encirclement of the sword formation, his defensive circle was quickly compressed, and he was in great danger.

Feeling his rapidly depleting power and the impending threat of death, his expression changed several times, finally settling on a grim face filled with resentment.

"I surrender!" Fu Jingzhen squeezed out these two words through gritted teeth, expending his source points, and his figure disappeared in the white light.

Nineteen consecutive wins! Thirteen more Origin Points have been added.

Chen Fei did not leave and remained on the life-or-death stage.

The next opponent soon appeared, still a demonic cultivator from the Earthly Dao Foundation, skilled in bizarre poison techniques and curses.

The next one was a body-cultivating demonic cultivator who had tempered his physical body to the extreme and possessed terrifying close-combat abilities.

The battles that followed were increasingly difficult.

None of those who could forge a foundation for the Earthly Dao at the peak of the fifteenth rank were easy opponents. They each possessed unique strengths, unpredictable methods, and astonishing combat power.

Although the array puppets' chain formations were powerful, they could not overwhelm these top-tier Earthly Foundation stage experts.

Every battle is a fierce struggle.

Sometimes, it is through the ingenious changes of formations and powerful comprehensive abilities that one can seize upon a slight mistake by the opponent after dozens or even hundreds of breaths of fierce fighting, and win by a narrow margin.

Sometimes, the formation's ability to trap and deplete the enemy is utilized to engage in a protracted battle, dragging the fight out until the opposing Earthly Dao Foundation Demon Cultivator's power is exhausted, forcing them to admit defeat.

Chen Fei intended to hone his linked array skills, since he would be spending a considerable amount of time in Tianhai City as an array cultivator.

Three games, five games... ten games!

The winning streak climbed steadily upwards amidst these arduous and risky battles.

However, Chen Fei's application of formations also became more skillful, and he was more at ease in dealing with different types of enemies.

The tenacious strength of array cultivators—relying on the array system to overcome brute force with skill and seek victory with stability—was fully demonstrated in these fierce battles.

Finally, Chen Fei's winning streak reached twenty-nine games.

"Om..."

Ripples surged once more in the space in front of the arena of life and death. This time, the spatial fluctuations were more intense than ever before.

The next moment, a figure slowly walked out from the ripples.

This was a demonic cultivator who looked quite young. He wore a simple white robe and had an ordinary face, but his eyes were so deep that they seemed to contain the birth and death of stars, making people afraid to look directly at him.

He stood there quietly, without deliberately exuding any aura, but the primordial energy of heaven and earth around his body spontaneously and intensely resonated, and even faint phantoms of black lotuses blooming and withering appeared in the void.

This is the foundation of the Heavenly Origin Dao!

After a brief period of deathly silence, the surrounding spectator area erupted into a deafening uproar.

"Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation!"

"finally come!"

"This array cultivator's winning streak has come to an end."

"Need I say more? Bet! Bet everything on this Tianyuan Daoji to win!"

Almost at the same moment this Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation Demonic Cultivator appeared, all the spectators around, regardless of whether they had previously favored Chen Fei, immediately and frantically placed their bets on this Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation Demonic Cultivator without any hesitation. (End of Chapter)