I Cheated While Cultivating - Chapter 320

Chapter 320: Chapter 40 It turns out he is the reincarnation of an ancient great power!

“`

Dead!

The furious King of the Holy Sect of Mercy, Grandmaster Jing Yanhua, who had cultivated in the True Form Realm for over thirty years, was dead just like that?

Yu Jianghe and his disciple Yu Liushui rubbed their eyes, their faces filled with shock as they looked toward the area where the massive seal had vanished.

Just moments ago, Jing Yanhua had stood right there, manifesting a hundred-zhang tall King’s form, his presence so astonishing that they couldn’t muster even the slightest thought of resistance, overwhelmed by a sense of sheer despair.

But now, there was only a huge square pit.

Three zhang deep, it was completely empty!

All that remained were strands of golden light, containing tremendous pressure, flickering in and out of existence.

Simply by looking at these golden lights, Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui felt their hearts pounding, their scalps tingling, and even their breathing became somewhat difficult.

After a while, when the golden light had also dissipated, Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui finally took a long breath of relief.

Staring at the deep pit before them, they truly realized, they truly dared to believe, Jing Yanhua was indeed dead.

It was just one technique, yet it killed Jing Yanhua!

What kind of technique was that?

Too strong!

Too terrifying!

And unheard of!

Their gazes shifted, filled with astonishment and uncertainty as they looked at Zhou Heng.

Originally, they thought this person was just Han Lin’s puppet, but they hadn’t expected that this “puppet” would possess such formidable strength, completely overpowering Jing Yanhua.

In light of this, it seemed likely that Han Lin was the true puppet, and this Zhou Wei was the actual powerhouse.

No wonder Han Lin, who a month or two ago was still in the Object Controlling Realm, having to awkwardly flee from Wei Guang’s pursuit, had suddenly become so formidable, even possessing the demeanor of a Grandmaster. It turned out he had already been refined into a puppet by someone else.

The strength of this Zhou Wei was unfathomable.

His background, however, was unknown.

In their hearts, Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui made their judgment about Zhou Heng.

After a moment’s hesitation, the two stepped forward together and respectfully saluted, saying in unison, “We were deceived by appearances and failed to recognize the Grandmaster, we ask for forgiveness from the Grandmaster.”

Both the True Form Realm and the Manifesting Holy Realm could be addressed as Grandmaster, and since Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui didn’t expect a person of the Heavenly Heart Realm to be present there, naturally they addressed Zhou Heng as a Grandmaster.

“It’s of no consequence,” Zhou Heng said with a wave of his hand and a smile, “I had to use Han Lin as a puppet for cover because of the special circumstances earlier.”

He then turned his gaze to the ashes of Han Lin after having been burned by the Wrathful King’s fire.

Within these ashes, a glowing golden light was interweaving, about to condense into something.

Shortly afterward, the golden light converged, and the ashes of Han Lin’s corpse solidified with it, rapidly transforming into a scroll, on which the shape of a dragon could vaguely be seen, exuding an aura of immense power and authority.

“Is this?!”

“Could it be…”

From afar, Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui caught a glimpse of the scroll and their hearts violently trembled. Their eyes went wide with excitement.

If their guess was right, this must be the visualization technique they had longed for in their dreams.

The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image!

However, now that they possessed The Eternal Life Chant, Yu Jianghe had already glimpsed a fraction of the True Form Realm’s mysteries, confident that he would break through within three months and consolidate his True Form. Naturally, his desire for the sacred scroll had decreased compared to before.

Yu Liushui felt similarly. Although he hadn’t truly practiced The Eternal Life Chant, simply from watching his master practice, he had gained some enlightenment.

Moreover, in his view, “Zhou Wei,” the Grandmaster, did not make him leave when imparting The Eternal Life Chant, indicating he didn’t mind if Yu Liushui practiced it.

As a result, they both had access to the threshold of longevity.

It was merely the sudden sight of their long-coveted object that caused some uncontrollable fluctuations in their minds, but they were still very clear-headed and had no thought of competing with Zhou Heng for it.

“It seems like a fine visualization scroll,” Zhou Heng said as he circulated his True Qi, reaching out with a light grab, pulling the scroll into his hand from afar, and unfolding it to take a glance.

The scroll depicted a muscular, golden-bodied Great Bodhisattva.

He stood with one foot on a Five-clawed Golden Dragon, the other on a white elephant, his eyes fierce and his face wrathful, with one hand gripping a fierce striking fist seal, radiating extreme might.

This Great Bodhisattva seemed to embody all the world’s might and showmanship while avoiding crudeness, instead emanating a radiance of wisdom that illuminated all directions.

The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image!

“You are now viewing the Techniques ‘The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image’ [Sect Fifth Rank]. Because your own higher rank visualization incorporates all laws, the difficulty of comprehension is reduced, proficiency +1.”

“Congratulations! The proficiency of the Techniques ‘The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image’ [Sect Fifth Rank] has reached 1, officially mastering this technique, and with the enhancement of the higher rank visualization, proficiency +36000.”

“Congratulations! As you have mastered the Techniques ‘The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image’ [Sect Fifth Rank] and achieved certain accomplishments, your comprehension of the Techniques ‘Supreme Riding Ox Gaze’ [Absolute Fourth Rank] has deepened, proficiency +5000.”

“Congratulations! As you have achieved certain accomplishment in visualization, your understanding of merging qi with Divine Soul has further deepened, with a new insight, the Secret Technique ‘The Eternal Life Chant’ [Secret Sixth Rank] proficiency +10000.”

…

[Sect Fifth Rank] The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image: Ninth Level (1/45000)

[Absolute Fourth Rank] Supreme Riding Ox Gaze: Seventh Level (13568/28000)

…

A series of reward notifications echoed in Zhou Heng’s mind, a chain reaction triggered by mastering ‘The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image.’

The impact of these upgrades was immense; in less than the span of a breath, Zhou Heng’s strength had nearly doubled.

However, his cultivation still remained at a realm similar to the “True Form.”

“Hmm, in my current state, my own qi and Divine Soul are merged, complementing each other, yet not quite like the True Form where the qi of heaven and earth condenses upon the Divine Soul. There’s a difference,” he thought. “Hmm, once I further refine The Eternal Life Chant, perhaps I should give this realm a unique name to distinguish it from the ‘True Form Realm.’

Perhaps something like Nascent Soul, Primordial Spirit, or Yin God?

And Zhou Heng’s breakthroughs were not as completely silent as when he had his sudden enlightenment of the Supreme Riding Ox Gaze; this time, the advancements were apparent.

“`

While mastering “The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image,” an extremely formidable aura rose up from him, and the golden bodhisattva’s phantom, with dragons and elephants underfoot, manifested behind him.

This caused both Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui, the master and apprentice, to be extremely shocked and their minds trembled greatly as they looked at Zhou Heng as if they were beholding a legendary immortal god.

The two exchanged glances, both seeing the shock and confusion in each other’s eyes.

In the eyes of the master and apprentice, “Zhou Wei” had merely glanced at “The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image,” and the aura around him underwent an earth-shattering transformation.

It seemed that in just an instant, he had mastered this earth-shaking visualization technique, and he even directly reached the level of a great real person equivalent to the True Form Realm?

How is that possible?!

It is well known that the higher the level of the visualization technique, the more profound it is, and the more difficult it is to comprehend the essence within. It is difficult to grasp the true meaning in the visualization, naturally making it harder to cultivate.

“The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image” is a scripture that directly points to the Heavenly Heart Realm, a secret that is not passed down by the ancient Five Sages Temple of the Buddha Sect. It is indeed an extremely profound visualization technique.

For such a high-level visualization technique, even a personage of the Manifesting Holy Realm would need to spend quite some time to comprehend a few of its true meanings and cultivate it to the True Form Realm.

But what is happening now?

This mysterious strong individual seemingly mastered “The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image” in an instant, which is utterly inconceivable!

Actually, Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui had also considered whether “Zhou Wei” had already obtained “The Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva Dharma Image.”

However, from the circumstances of Jing Yanhua burning Han Lin’s body and then the treasure image condensing, it is feared that the form in which the treasure image existed before it appeared was very secretive.

The likelihood of “Zhou Wei” obtaining the treasure image beforehand was not great.

Moreover, even if “Zhou Wei” had already obtained the treasure image, since Han Lin returned from the ancient battlefield, it has been no more than a month, which is likewise not enough time to contemplate this profound visualization technique.

“Could it be that this Zhou Wei actually already knew the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva visualization?”

A guess suddenly emerged in Yu Jianghe’s mind, and he thought to himself, “But with the demise of the ancient Five Sages Temple, this visualization technique has long been buried in the dust of history. How did he learn it? Or could he be a reincarnation of a great being from the ancient Five Sages Temple?

“It is rumored that those with the Heavenly Heart Realm possess secret techniques for reincarnating and escaping calamity, but there is a great likelihood of falling into the confusion of the womb, making it difficult to awaken memories of past lives. However, if one comes in contact with the visualization technique practiced in a past life, there is a very high chance of regaining some of their cultivation…”

Thinking up to this point, Yu Jianghe felt that he had understood.

No wonder Zhou Wei was able to master the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva visualization instantly, no wonder he had secret techniques that allowed one to perceive the principles of heaven and earth, and thereby glimpse the mysteries of the True Form Realm.

It turned out that Zhou Wei was a reincarnation of a Heavenly Heart Realm being from the ancient Five Sages Temple.

With this, everything could be explained.

“Congratulations to the senior for acquiring divine skills!” Yu Jianghe said respectfully as he bowed. At this point in his heart, he already considered Zhou Heng as a reincarnation of an ancient great being, naturally not daring to address him as a fellow cultivator anymore.

Seeing her master’s attitude, Yu Liushui also hurried to follow suit and bowed respectfully.

“No need for such formalities.”

Zhou Heng nodded slightly. Although he was not clear on what kind of mental journey Yu Jianghe had gone through, he could guess what this person was thinking by his demeanor.

Playing the part of a reincarnated great being, eh? He was well versed in that.

Just at this moment, the young girl Jiang Houli quietly approached.

She tugged at Zhou Heng’s clothing and asked softly, pointing to a deep pit not far away, “Teacher, teacher! What was that mountain-like golden block just now?”

At this moment, Jiang Xianchu stayed off to one side, watching Zhou Heng with a face full of anticipation. He seemed quite curious, too.

Yu Jianghe and his disciples also perked up their ears.

Earlier, when Zhou Heng visualized the Heaven Rotating Seal out of thin air, he displayed terrifying might that shook the heavens and earth, far surpassing the known limits of the True Form Realm in this world. They all wanted to know just what kind of techniques he had used to wield such immense power.

“Let’s call it the ‘Heaven Rotating Dharma Seal,’” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

This visualization technique was essentially another application of the Overturning Heaven Three Palms, a derivative of that Absolute Martial Arts secret. As it wasn’t a newly created technique, he didn’t bother to name it.

Furthermore, since the Overturning Heaven Three Palms was a derivative of the “Overturning Sky Seal” from the Primordial Nine Seals, he didn’t dare to directly call it the Overturning Sky Seal, so he simply borrowed the name of that legendary Magic Weapon and made a minor modification.

“Heaven Rotating Dharma Seal sounds so powerful. Will we have the chance to learn it in the future?” asked Jiang Houli crisply.

“Teacher, teacher! I want to learn it, too!” Jiang Xianchu ran over and grabbed the hem of Zhou Heng’s other sleeve.

“Haha,” Zhou Heng chuckled lightly, patted the two children’s heads, and said, “You’re not yet ready to learn it. Maybe there will be a chance in the future. For now, work hard on The Eternal Life Chant.”

“Yes!” The two children, simple-minded, nodded their heads in earnest, determined to practice diligently and one day manage to conjure up a large golden block just like that.

However, what they were thinking was not really about how powerful the technique was; they didn’t even have a concept of such techniques in their innocent minds.

Jiang Houli simply thought that the shiny golden Dharma Seal looked beautiful, while Jiang Xianchu wanted to make his sister happy by conjuring it since she liked it.

Yu Jianghe and his disciples watched the two children with evident envy.

They were well aware of how powerful the technique Zhou Heng had used before was, easily ranking among the top in the world—one that they could only dream of learning.

But for these two children, it was just a matter of asking their teacher a few times.

You really can’t compare people with one another.

Zhou Heng noticed the change in their expressions and smiled, asking, “Do you want to learn it?”

Yu Jianghe and his disciple’s eyes lit up, their faces filled with joy, almost to the point of grateful tears.

“Don’t get too excited,” Zhou Heng gently shook his head and smiled. “I will not pass on the Heaven Rotating Dharma Seal to you, but if you make some achievements in your later cultivation, I might teach you some other things.”

Unlike the Jiang siblings, he taught Yu Jianghe and his disciples The Eternal Life Chant to collect the viewing charts of the Three Mountains, as well as to gain merit. As he had said earlier, it was a fair trade.

And since the Heaven Rotating Dharma Seal was at most considered a rather novel technique, which wouldn’t elicit the feedback of the natural laws, there was naturally no necessity to pass it on.

Moreover, this technique was no ordinary matter, and even if the Jiang siblings wished to learn it, they would have to pass through numerous trials in the future.

However, Zhou Heng was also contemplating some other things, trying to see if he might garner the feedback of the natural laws; these could be taught to Yu Jianghe and his disciples.

Free test subjects—why not use them if available?

Yu Jianghe and Yu Liushui did not realize that they had become potential future test subjects in Zhou Heng’s eyes. Hearing that Zhou Heng might teach them something later on, they were overjoyed and hurriedly bowed respectfully in thanks, “Senior is merciful!”

“Of course, as you know, one must not transmit techniques lightly,” Zhou Heng said with a faint smile. “I need your help with investigating some matters. If you satisfy me, passing on techniques won’t be difficult.”

“Senior, please tell us!” Yu Jianghe and his disciple said in unison.

“Help me look into the information on nearby demons,” Zhou Heng said solemnly. “The more detailed, the better.”