Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 73 – Seizing the body

The Guanlei Mountain Range stretched endlessly, and both the Yan and Duan families from Zuoxing City had dispatched many people. Yet, finding two individuals in this vast, boundless forest was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Luo Xiu thought the same, which is why he chose to flee into the Guanlei Mountain Range.

At dusk, Luo Xiu and Lu Mengyao entered a valley.

The valley was filled with flowers and grass, yet eerily silent. In Luo Xiu's perception, apart from the life aura of the vegetation, there was no other sign of life.

"We should leave."

The strangeness of the valley made Luo Xiu wary, and his first instinct was to pull Lu Mengyao away.

But just then, a black mist suddenly rose at the valley's entrance, spreading a chilling aura that made Luo Xiu shiver.

Beside him, Lu Mengyao trembled uncontrollably, her face turning pale.

"What... what's happening?" Lu Mengyao's eyes showed a hint of fear, stemming from the unknown.

Luo Xiu sensed the Life and Death Pearl tremble slightly. As the chilling aura approached, it was instantly absorbed by the pearl, and the bone-chilling cold vanished.

In a matter of moments, the entire valley was shrouded in black mist, obscuring the entrance and exit, as if a massive formation had trapped them inside.

The invasion of the chilling aura turned Lu Mengyao's lips blue and her body cold. Even circulating her True Qi had no effect against the cold.

Seeing Lu Mengyao about to collapse, Luo Xiu quickly supported her, immediately sensing the chilling aura within her. Yet, when they touched, the eerie cold was absorbed by the Life and Death Pearl within Luo Xiu.

Almost fainting, Lu Mengyao regained consciousness, fearfully clutching Luo Xiu, "Luo Xiu, what is this place?"

Since the upheaval at the Free Spirit Sect, with her father gravely injured and dying in the struggle for sect master, she had been left anxious and insecure.

Now, Luo Xiu was her only support.

Luo Xiu held Lu Mengyao close, ensuring she stayed pressed against him, protecting her from the chilling aura.

"I think we've stumbled into Ghostly Yin Valley," Luo Xiu said solemnly.

On the rough map of the Guanlei Mountain Range he had, Ghostly Yin Valley was marked in red, indicating danger.

"Ghostly Yin Valley?" Lu Mengyao's face turned grim.

The Guanlei Mountain Range, located between Yunlong Prefecture and Douhai Prefecture, was a prime training ground for martial artists from both regions.

Within the range, there were two perilous areas, one of which was Ghostly Yin Valley, feared by countless martial artists from the two prefectures.

The entire valley was filled with black mist, laden with a chilling aura of death.

Guided by the Life and Death Pearl's sensing, Luo Xiu looked deeper into the valley.

"Follow me."

Luo Xiu took Lu Mengyao's hand, and they cautiously moved in the direction indicated by the Life and Death Pearl.

Since they couldn't find an exit for now, Luo Xiu decided to explore the mysteries of Ghostly Yin Valley. The deathly aura in the black mist was deadly to other martial artists, but for Luo Xiu, who possessed the Life and Death Pearl, it posed no threat.

Seeing Luo Xiu leading her deeper into the valley, Lu Mengyao shivered but knew they had no other choice, so she stayed close to Luo Xiu, almost glued to him.

"Jie jie..."

A sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the depths of the valley, seemingly coming from all directions, causing the black mist to churn violently, and the chilling aura of death to grow even stronger.

"What sneaky thing is this?" Luo Xiu shouted angrily.

At that moment, the churning mist transformed into a massive skull, its mouth releasing a powerful devouring force.

"Ah..."

Lu Mengyao screamed, frightened by the giant black skull and the strong devouring force. If swallowed by the skull, who knew what might happen?

Luo Xiu drove the Shadow Sword into the ground, but the powerful devouring force continued to pull him, carving a trench in the earth as he was dragged toward the skull.

At this rate, being devoured by the skull was only a matter of time.

In his mind, Luo Xiu instinctively recalled the first Origin Law Diagram, and the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle in his dantian's Qi Sea began to spin rapidly.

"Mark of Life and Death!"

Luo Xiu formed a seal with his fingers, and the power of life and death, intertwined in black and white, surged forth, forming a phantom of the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle before him.

With a push of his palm, the palm-sized phantom of the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle flew out, crashing into the giant skull formed by the black mist.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, the giant black skull shattered, and waves of chilling death aura surged toward Luo Xiu, entering his body.

All of this aura was absorbed by the Life and Death Pearl, which then released the Power of Life and Death Extremes, circulating through his meridians and limbs.

Crack...

It seemed as if some kind of shackle within him was broken, and Luo Xiu's aura surged, his cultivation breaking through to the sixth layer of the Qi Sea Realm.

"So that's how it is."

Luo Xiu's eyes gleamed with understanding. He realized that the black mist in the valley contained the power of death, which he could absorb and refine using the Life and Death Pearl to enhance his cultivation.

This method of cultivation was far more effective than absorbing Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, allowing him to quickly break through to the sixth layer of the Qi Sea Realm.

"Power of Life and Death? Just a mere Qi Sea Martial Artist, yet you understand the power of life and death?" A voice exclaimed from the depths of the valley.

"Stop pretending to be a ghost!" Luo Xiu sneered, leading Lu Mengyao further into the valley.

The power of death was terrifying to other martial artists, but to him, it was nourishment. Whatever was hiding in Ghostly Yin Valley was restrained by him, so Luo Xiu had nothing to fear.

The Heaven's Life and Death Cycle spun rapidly in his dantian's Qi Sea, and as Luo Xiu moved, the black mist continuously merged into his body, quickly elevating his cultivation from the early to the mid-stage of the sixth layer of the Qi Sea Realm, and still rising.

Moments later, in the depths of the valley, Luo Xiu saw a mountain cave, the source of the deathly aura permeating the valley.

Instead of rushing into the cave, Luo Xiu sat cross-legged on the ground, fully operating the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle.

The nine Origin Law Diagrams of the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle contained the mysteries of martial arts and cultivation methods. Luo Xiu comprehended a trace of its mysteries, integrating it with the Pure Yang Technique.

In truth, the Pure Yang Technique should cultivate Pure Yang True Qi, but due to the Life and Death Pearl, the original path of the Pure Yang Technique was altered, resulting in the cultivation of Life and Death Extremes True Qi.

Thus, the cultivation method Luo Xiu practiced was no longer the Pure Yang Technique.

As the method operated, the black mist in the valley frantically converged toward Luo Xiu, enveloping him entirely.

Lu Mengyao, unsure of what was happening, realized she was no longer affected by the chilling aura, knowing Luo Xiu must have thought of something. She stood by his side, acting as his protector, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

In a short time, the black mist in the valley grew thinner as Luo Xiu absorbed it.

Suddenly, a voice reached Luo Xiu's ears, "Stop, don't absorb anymore."

Luo Xiu snorted, ignoring it, and soon the black mist in the valley was entirely absorbed by him. Most of it was devoured by the Life and Death Pearl, and even the small portion converted into Life and Death Extremes True Qi elevated his cultivation to the seventh layer of the Qi Sea Realm in just moments.

Without hesitation, Luo Xiu continued operating the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle, absorbing a purer death aura from the cave, which was immediately absorbed by him.

"Young man, don't go too far. If you wish to leave here, I advise you to stop."

The voice from the cave carried a hint of threat, "This valley is sealed by my formation. Even a Martial King can't leave without the expertise of a sixth-level Formation Master."

"Why should I believe you? Would you really let us leave?" Luo Xiu sneered.

"Hmph, I, Su Jingyun, am a Martial Lord. I wouldn't stoop to deceiving a mere Qi Sea Martial Artist," the voice from the cave snorted.

"Martial Lord?" Luo Xiu's eyes narrowed. In the hierarchy of martial cultivation, above Martial King was Martial Lord.

There were no Martial Lords in the vast lands of Yunlong Prefecture; even a dominant force like the Free Spirit Sect was only overseen by a Martial King.

Douhai Prefecture was stronger than Yunlong Prefecture, but as far as Luo Xiu knew, the most powerful was only a seventh-layer Martial King.

Martial Lords were said to exist only in the eight regions of Tianwu Kingdom and its capital.

Such a powerful being could easily destroy major forces like the Free Spirit Sect and Thunder Martial Sect alone.

As for the name Su Jingyun, Luo Xiu had never heard of it.

In the cave, Luo Xiu sensed a mass of soul energy. It's said that once a martial artist reaches the Spirit Refining Realm, their soul condenses into a primordial spirit. He didn't sense any life aura, indicating that Su Jingyun likely had no physical body, only a primordial spirit.

Luo Xiu had never heard of anyone surviving with just a primordial spirit. Even a Martial Lord's primordial spirit would dissipate without a body, usually requiring a special treasure to sustain it.

The Su Jingyun hiding in the cave was undoubtedly in such a situation.

As Luo Xiu pondered, a surge of soul energy erupted from the cave.

"A mere Qi Sea Realm martial artist mastering the power of life and death, you must have encountered a great opportunity. I, Su Jingyun, shall use your body to be reborn!"

A chilling laugh echoed in Luo Xiu's mind as the overwhelming soul energy flooded into his body.

"Possession?"

Luo Xiu's expression changed. He had heard that after a Spirit Refining Realm expert's body was destroyed, they could possess and devour another martial artist's soul or primordial spirit to take over their body before their own primordial spirit dissipated.