Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 221: Hairs Breadth Away (I)

In the pitch-black forest, the shadows of the trees on both sides swept backward rapidly.

Beneath the dim moonlight, two people and a beast darted swiftly through the woods. Their speed was astonishing. They spoke no words and did not stop for even a breath. After running for over twenty minutes, Liang Yuhan's blood qi was nearly depleted, and her face had turned pale.

In terms of speed, she was far inferior to Little Black. In endurance, she fell even shorter; even though Little Black was carrying Liang Yunhui on its back, it showed no signs of faltering.

"Huff... huff..."

She could run no farther. She stopped, gasping heavily, and pulled out a waterskin filled with medicinal broth, gulping it down in large mouthfuls.

"Little Black, stop, stop! Mother is still behind us!" Liang Yunhui called out anxiously when she saw her mother lagging behind.

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black obediently came to a halt.

For the past few days, it had followed Liang Yuhan and her daughter everywhere. Their relationship had grown quite close, especially with the little girl, Liang Yunhui. She always bought all sorts of odd and interesting things for it to eat, though most of them were not as tasty as roasted meat.

"Mother, are you alright?" Liang Yunhui asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Let's rest for a bit. We've run deep enough into the mountains that even with the best tracking skills, they won't be able to catch up," Liang Yuhan replied, her chest heaving with each breath.

"Mm-hm. Little Black, come here. Don't wander off. We'll wait for Uncle Zhao here. I wonder if Uncle Zhao will be alright... That's the Pei Family we're dealing with, one of the most powerful families in Ruyang City," Liang Yunhui muttered softly as she stroked Little Black's sleek black fur, worry filled her heart.

***

A gentle breeze brushed past as the clouds dispersed, letting moonlight pour down like silver.

Lin Zheyu stood silently among the trees, attuning himself to his current state. This was the first time he had used the Boiling Blood Secret Art in the real world. The technique consumed his essence, qi, and spirit far more severely than when he practiced it in his consciousness space. He felt his life force burning at a terrifying rate, like the final flare before extinction. The more his essence, qi, and spirit were consumed, the stronger his blood qi became.

"Good thing his skull wasn't that hard. Otherwise, that punch might have broken my arm," Lin Zheyu muttered, his arm trembling slightly.

In theory, the technique could unleash up to ninetyfold power, but in practice, its true effect was closer to sixty. Even so, it was terrifying. That single punch had been so fierce that even his physique, comparable to that of a Marrow Refining Realm beast, could barely endure it. Fortunately, the brute's head was not too tough, and it exploded on impact.

"This power is so violent. It's at least twice as fierce as after using the blood qi burst technique," Lin Zheyu thought as he felt the refined, overwhelming energy surging through his veins.

The blood qi enhanced by the Boiling Blood Secret Art was far more violent than before. If not for his exceptional control over his own blood qi, he would have been unable to perform the burst technique at all. Ordinary people who used the Boiling Blood Secret Art could never stack it with the burst technique, as their blood qi would become too wild to control.

I'd better leave quickly. If another Pei Family expert catches up, I'll be in real trouble, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He crouched and swiftly searched the brute's body. Without taking time to examine the loot, he tapped his toes and vanished from the spot. If the Pei Family sent another martial artist as strong as that one, he might not escape alive.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Lin Zheyu moved swiftly through the forest, heading toward the prearranged direction. During their escape, they had already prepared for all kinds of emergencies and agreed on a rendezvous point.

"The closer it gets to the three-minute limit, the faster my essence, qi, and spirit collapse," Lin Zheyu muttered to himself.

He quietly gauged his body's condition as his vision began to blur. A ringing filled his ears, followed by faint hallucinations. They were signs of severe mental exhaustion. The Boiling Blood Secret Art had been running for two and a half minutes. His essence, qi, and spirit were nearly burnt out. Without enough fuel to sustain them, his blood qi began to weaken and calm. The closer he came to the three-minute mark, the more subdued his blood qi became.

With less than ten seconds remaining before the three-minute mark, Lin Zheyu realized he could now freely choose whether to stop the Boiling Blood Secret Art. It was clear that his essence, qi, and spirit were nearly consumed. Continuing any longer would not merely drain his vitality and body; it would begin burning his very lifespan, his life's origin, and other mysterious essences.

Three minutes passed. Lin Zheyu did not dare to continue circulating the Boiling Blood Secret Art. He came to an abrupt stop and ceased the technique's operation. The moment he did, his body gave out and collapsed onto the ground. From his spirit to his flesh, not a single part of him was without pain.

The mental exhaustion made his mind spin as if caught in a whirlpool. His whole body throbbed with pain like needles and hammers striking him at once. He struggled a few times but could not move. The Boiling Blood Secret Art's consumption was terrifying; it had burned through every last bit of energy in his body. No matter how hard he tried to draw upon his blood qi, not even a trace would respond. Without aid, even an ordinary beast could kill him on the spot.

Hiss. Using the Boiling Blood Secret Art in reality drains my mind so much more than in the consciousness space.

Lin Zheyu grimaced in agony. His head throbbed violently, his thoughts roared like a forge, and his ears rang and buzzed with phantom sounds.

The price of the Boiling Blood Secret Art was monstrous. No martial artist would use such a technique unless their life was truly on the line. Thankfully, compared to when he used Origin Force to enhance the art, the mental backlash this time was still bearable. Yet his body's energy was utterly drained. He couldn't even twitch a finger, and every breath he took brought him pain.

Without further delay, Lin Zheyu closed his eyes and sent forth his thought.

Use 1 unit of Origin Force to enhance the Tortoise Breath Grand Method.

Over the past two years, Lin Zheyu had cultivated more than a dozen techniques, most of them to Perfection. Among them, the Tortoise Breath Grand Method was the best suited for bodily recovery. In essence, it was a life-preserving technique that focuses on sealing one's essence and qi, refining a flawless body, and extending longevity. Its ability to conceal one's aura was merely a side effect. Enhancing this already perfected technique with Origin Force would still cost some mental strength, but far less than any other method.

The instant the thought was released, Lin Zheyu's mind turned hazy and entered the consciousness space. His Tortoise Breath Grand Method had long since reached Perfection and could no longer advance by ordinary means. By using Origin Force to elevate it, he continued to train according to the third stage method, perfecting what was already perfect, polishing it to a divine level of mastery.

Even within the consciousness space, Lin Zheyu still felt the strain of exhaustion. His head ached as if splitting apart, yet he could not stop cultivating. Once inside, his spirit entered a programmed-like state and was compelled to train relentlessly toward a fixed goal, tirelessly refining himself.

In the forest, bright moonlight poured over Lin Zheyu's face. His complexion, pale and bloodless from the use of the secret art, regained its color at a startling pace. A vast, mysterious energy surged from the depths of his cells, drawing out the medicinal power from the decoction in his stomach and spreading it through his body. Anticipating pursuit, he had prudently drunk two waterskins of medicine beforehand. Each of them was concentrated with the strength of three full sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction. His shriveled cells swelled again like sponges soaked in water, restored by the mysterious energy and medicinal force.

A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes, only to shut them tightly once more. The instant he did, his mind rang with a deafening hum as though his skull were about to explode. His mental exhaustion had grown even worse.

"Huff... huff..."

Lin Zheyu's chest rose and fell heavily, his brow furrowed as he adjusted to the drained state of his spirit. Having experienced mental exhaustion before when enhancing the Boiling Blood Secret Art with Origin Force, he adapted quickly this time. Compared to before, the spiritual toll was lighter, around 70% of the last time, and still within what he could endure.

Three minutes later, Lin Zheyu rubbed his temples and slowly rose from the ground. With the help of Origin Force, his physical exhaustion was completely restored. However, his blood qi had only recovered by about 30%. The Boiling Blood Secret Art had nearly burned away all of his essence, qi, and energy, and most of the medicinal power from the six sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction he had consumed had gone toward repairing his body.

As for his mental fatigue, though worse than before, it did not hinder his movements. After hundreds of times breaking through his limits and enhancing his techniques with Origin Force, his spirit had long become unyielding. This degree of pain meant little to him. Once his body recovered, he rested for about three minutes to adjust to the deeper exhaustion of his mind, then resumed his journey.

Along the way, his excessive mental fatigue greatly dulled his control over his body. Combined with the poor visibility in the night forest, he nearly ran into trees several times.

"Uncle Zhao!" Liang Yunhui exclaimed joyfully upon reaching the rendezvous point.

"Are you alright?" Liang Yuhan asked calmly, looking at Lin Zheyu.

Once again, she sensed the fluctuations in Zhao Hao's blood qi. She had noticed it once before during their flight, and it seemed his body had encountered a problem. Liang Yuhan guessed he must have used some kind of secret art that had stirred up an old injury.

"No need for worry. How's your blood qi recovery? If it's good enough, let's keep moving," Lin Zheyu said.

Though his blood qi had only recovered by 30%, his sheer physical strength alone rivaled that of a martial artist at the second transformation of blood qi. Relying purely on his body and unmatched lightness technique, even Liang Yuhan could not match his speed.

"I'm fine," Liang Yuhan replied.

***

A faint glow appeared on the horizon. The sun slowly rose, illuminating the vast land below.

"Let's rest for a bit. The Pei Family shouldn't be able to catch up now," Lin Zheyu said.

They had traveled the entire night. When their blood qi ran out, they pressed on purely by physical strength.

"Ah, finally we can rest." Liang Yunhui leapt down from Little Black's back and stretched. Though she hadn't needed to run herself, the constant jolting on Little Black's back had been even more tiring.

"Little Black, you've worked hard. Here, this is for you." Liang Yunhui patted Little Black's head and took a few pieces of dried meat from her pouch. The cured meat was one of Little Black's favorite snacks, second only to roasted meat.