Turbid World: Martial Arts Master of the Republic of China Era, I Cultivate Immortality!

Chapter 127 Consuming the Earthly Fiend Technique ≈ Swallowing the Stars! (Please Subscribe!)

[Technique: Earthly Fiend Technique - Ingestion (Incomplete)]

[Introduction: This is a fragment of the Seven Thousand Two Earthly Fiends Method's ingestion technique, which you derived from the Turbid True Scripture cultivated by Master Xu using your innate talent. This method possesses the ability to absorb the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, refine the essence of plants, trees, and minerals—and use it for your own benefit. It can cleanse the marrow and meridians, transform the body, and purify the mortal body of impurities.]

[Note: Cultivation and evolution!?]

"evolution?"

As Zhao Zheng walked along the Yin-Yang Road, he raised an eyebrow at the annotations. He casually picked up a stone about half the size of an egg from the roadside, washed it with his magic, and put it in his mouth.

Click, click—

With the forty strong teeth that came with the Bodhisattva's appearance, he easily crushed and swallowed the stone.

The Earthly Fiend Method of Consuming Food is now activated!

With the activation of the Earthly Fiend Method's ingestion technique, Zhao Zheng could clearly feel his physical body's absorption and utilization rate of external substances pushed to near its limit.

The stubborn rock that mortals could not digest was instantly broken down into basic inorganic ions by his stomach and intestines, with not a single component wasted, and he could clearly feel every change in his body.

Of course, this clear perception is not due to the ingestion of the Earthly Fiend Method, but rather to his current cultivation level and strength, as well as his innate ability to see clearly.

With the aid of his innate ability to see clearly, he could see the silica that made up the core of the stone being broken down into active silicon ions, which went straight to the bones and connective tissue.

Subsequently, active silicon ions embed themselves into the collagen structure of the bone matrix to enhance molecular cross-linking.

Trace amounts of calcium and magnesium ions contained in the stone are simultaneously released and directly fill the gaps in the bone trabeculae.

He could clearly sense that the density of his bones was beginning to increase, though the increase was small, even negligible.

However, this increase made Zhao Zheng feel a sense of heaviness in his joints. In addition to the feeling of solidity, he could clearly feel that his bones were also slightly more resistant to pressure and bending, that is, their toughness had also increased.

A tight feeling came from the periosteum. At the same time, Zhao Zheng could clearly feel the trace amounts of electrolyte ions such as iron, potassium, and sodium in the stone dissolving into his body fluids, helping to stabilize his cell membrane structure.

It stabilized the metabolic state of his body's cells, and the silicon ions in the stone also began to nourish his tendons and fascia, slightly increasing the toughness of his limbs' connective tissue.

This sensation made Zhao Zheng feel that his physical support became more stable when he raised his hands and took steps.

"As expected of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Technique!"

Zhao Zheng sighed inwardly, exhaling a foul breath, or rather, expelling the impurities and unused parts of the stone that he could not digest.

Although the increase in strength brought to him by a single stone was very limited, only one ten-thousandth of the total, don't forget that he can eat more than just that one stone.

"continue!"

Zhao Zheng took out a piece of gold and put it in his mouth. The Earthly Fiend Digestion Technique instantly broke down the gold he swallowed into highly active gold ions.

He could clearly perceive that the pure gold (Au) atoms in the gold core were broken down into free-state active gold ions, which penetrated the blood vessel wall and went straight to the meridians and bone mineralization layer.

Immediately afterwards, these gold ions directly embedded themselves into the calcium and phosphorus crystal framework in his bones, tightly interlocking with the bone molecules.

At the same time, the strong antioxidant properties of gold ions are released, and they begin to cleanse his blood and meridians.

He could clearly perceive, through his innate insightful eyes, that the warm metallic luster of his entire skeleton, which was already due to its indestructible state, had become slightly more dazzling.

The original bone density was solidified again, and a firm yet not brittle feeling came from the joints. Zhao Zheng lightly tapped the joints with his fingertips and raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard the more solid sound than before.

"good!"

As Zhao Zheng felt the changes in his lungs and his increasingly long and steady breathing, he subconsciously thought of the traditional Chinese medicine concepts of "metal governing the descent of qi" and "receiving qi to calm the breathing."

Looking at his own skin, which had become better and smoother to the touch after absorbing the gold, he seemed to understand what the immortality of gold meant.

"Is the so-called gold immortality just an amplified version of the antioxidant properties of gold ions?" A question arose in Zhao Zheng's mind.

You know what, that makes a lot of sense!

Anyway, Zhao Zheng successfully convinced himself, since he didn't say what the upper limit of this enlarged version was. However, he felt that he could change his name, such as Zhao Devouring Star Zheng.

"I need to find a chance to devour a planet!"

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself, but not long after, he arrived at his destination. He reached out and opened the Yin-Yang Path leading to the mortal world, then leaped into the air and arrived at Master Qin's Taoist temple courtyard in the next instant.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle! Greetings, Senior Brother!"

Zhao Zheng respectfully bowed to Daoist Tianyi and Xiang Yu, then looked into the courtyard. As always, the corpse collection was complete.

I must say, they're quite professional!

"6

'

Honestly, I feel like you're the senior!

Xiang Yu looked at Zhao Zheng, who was traveling through the Yin Road, with a strange expression. He began to wonder how long Zhao Zheng had been a disciple. In any case, he did not believe that Zhao Zheng had only been a disciple for a little over a month.

Not only was he puzzled, but Daoist Tianyi was also very puzzled, wondering how long Zhao Zheng had been a disciple of his elder brother.

There's no other reason than that Zhao Zheng's skill in using the Yin Road to travel is not like someone who has been apprenticed for a little over a month, but rather like someone who has been apprenticed for several years.

However, he didn't ask that question. Instead, because Zhao Zheng had acted ruthlessly before, he spoke with a cold expression.

"Finished? No, I should say, have you finished killing them yet!" Master Tianyi's tone was icy, carrying a sense of helplessness and anger.

"Uncle-Master, this is not the place to chat."

Zhao Zheng spoke up, not paying attention to Daoist Tianyi's tone, because he knew that Daoist Tianyi's anger stemmed from his concern for him.

"Yes, Master, this isn't the place to chat. Let's go quickly. Oh, and junior brother, these things are for you!"

As Xiang Yu spoke, he picked up the package containing the belongings of Master Qin and the others from the ground and handed it to Zhao Zheng.

"Thank you, senior!"

"You're too kind. By the way, my name is Xiang Yu, but I don't own any of your houses!" Xiang Yu chuckled.

Zhao Zheng chuckled, said nothing, took the package and put it into the Five-Colored Divine Light Pearl space, which made Xiang Yu's eyes widen.

"A storage magic item!"

"Yeah, right. What's wrong, senior brother? Don't you have any?"

"6

'

It's confirmed; this person's mind is exactly like my master's—

Xiang Yu lowered his head and remained silent. Zhao Zheng saw that Daoist Tianyi was no longer looking at Xiang Yu but instead looking at him, so he spoke up.

"Uncle-Master, Senior Brother, you go first!"

After saying that, Zhao Zheng went into the main hall of Master Qin's Taoist temple to look for compensation for his emotional distress and the things he had lost when he was a child.

Such a familiar manner made Master Tianyi's lips twitch. To be honest, he felt that his junior disciple was not a good person.

Sitting in Oblivion Temple, inside the courtyard, in front of the tomb.

Just like in the first playthrough, Zhao Zheng and Daoist Tianyi stood quietly in front of Daoist Tianming's grave, neither of them speaking first.

Xiang Yu, who was sitting at the stone table drinking tea, felt very sleepy. And these two people—never mind, he wouldn't say anything more.

"You have too much bloodlust!"

Master Tianyi finally couldn't help but say that he was not only talking about Zhao Zheng killing Master Qin and the other six, but also about Zhao Zheng personally admitting to destroying the Taoist temples of Master Zhang and the other two. In his opinion, this was actually unnecessary.

Seeing that Zhao Zheng remained silent, Daoist Tianyi waved his hand without saying anything more, indicating that Zhao Zheng should not disturb him while he was with his elder brother.

"Uncle-Master, remember to get some rest!"

Zhao Zheng bowed respectfully, and then added that dinner was in the kitchen. After speaking, he turned and went into the bedroom to change into his Taoist robe. Seeing this, Xiang Yu said weakly, "Master, I'm going to rest too."

Seeing that Master Tianyi grunted without turning his head, Xiang Yu quickly went to the room he had prepared to rest. He was stunned when he saw Zhao Zheng put on a Taoist robe and walk out of the bedroom.

"Uh, junior brother, what's wrong with you—"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Senior Brother? Don't you do evening classes?" Zhao Zheng asked in confusion, and Xiang Yu remained silent for a while.

Finally, under the watchful eye of Daoist Tianyi, Xiang Yu, exhausted, finished his evening prayers in the main hall before returning to his room to rest. As for dinner, Xiang Yu said he was too tired to eat at all. Daoist Tianyi, on the other hand, remained quietly standing before the grave of Daoist Tianming.

Sitting on a prayer mat in the main hall, Zhao Zheng glanced at Daoist Tianyi and then stopped looking, continuing to kowtow to the gold and tally his gains.

It seems that because he searched more thoroughly this time, he gained much more than he did on his first playthrough.

Whether it's weapons, magical artifacts, money, or cultivation techniques and spells, there's more than in the first playthrough. Zhao Zheng looked at the cultivation techniques and spells, studied the magical artifacts, and then continued cultivating.

Time flies. The next day, July 30th, at 6:00 AM, in the main hall.

"No wonder so many emperors in ancient times died from consuming elixirs of immortality. Even with my Earthly Fiend Elixir Consumption Technique, I can still get heavy metal poisoning from eating them."

Zhao Zheng opened his eyes while sitting on the futon. Noticing that his vision was slightly blurrier than yesterday, he immediately stopped taking the gold and decided to rest for half an hour before taking it again.

While you're at it, you can switch to other metals, like eating silver.

"The heavy metal poisoning is probably related to the incompleteness of my Earthly Fiend Technique's ingestion method. Of course, it could also be related to me eating too much last night—"

Zhao Zheng, who had probably eaten about a pound of gold last night, pondered for a moment before getting up from the meditation cushion. As soon as he left the cushion, he frowned.

"Hmm? Why does it feel like something's missing?"

Zhao Zheng was puzzled, but soon he understood as he looked at the three-legged toad lying beside his master's grave.

"The bats didn't even appear when they knocked on the door, but you actually showed up again—" Zhao Zheng reached out and grabbed the three-legged toad he had lost as a child, and looked at his master's grave for a few seconds.

As usual, the three-legged golden toad, who had returned to its master's side, was given a robe and chains, which were then attached to the legs of the offering table in the main hall.

"???"

Upon waking up, Daoist Tianyi stared blankly at everything unfolding before him. After hearing Zhao Zheng's reply that it was a three-legged toad, he nodded slightly, his lips twitching.

Whatever makes you happy!

Master Tianyi, who said he didn't see any trace of the three-legged golden toad on this demonic toad, looked at Zhao Zheng, who was washing his hands.

"Ah Zheng, what level have you reached now?"

He asked this mainly because he was a little unsure about Zhao Zheng's strength, saying that Zhao Zheng had only been cultivating for a little over a month.

However, even he couldn't understand the method Zhao Zheng used; at least, he couldn't figure out what kind of magic Guo Qing and the other man had been poisoned to death.

"You've reached the Refining Essence into Qi realm."

"???"

A series of questions arose in Daoist Tianyi's mind. Although he knew that realm did not represent strength, wasn't the difference between Zhao Zheng's realm and strength a bit too great?

Neither the magic used to kill Guo Qing and the other person, nor the method of traveling through the Yin Road, seemed to him to be something that the initial stage of the Dao Realm, the Refining Essence into Qi Realm, could accomplish.

Thinking about it, he looked at Zhao Zhengdao, who had just finished washing his hands, with a puzzled expression: "Do you only cultivate Taoism, or do you cultivate both Taoism and martial arts?"

"I also know a little bit about martial arts!"

"You know a little bit?"

Master Tianyi narrowed his eyes, moved his feet, and instantly transformed into an arrow, flashing in front of Zhao Zheng and striking Zhao Zheng's chest with a palm strike.

At first glance, Master Tianyi's palm strike seemed ordinary and unremarkable, lacking both a vast amount of lightning and a deafening roar.

However, a sudden burst of intent from the Jade Pivot Concentration and the Battle Pivot Locking the Void unfolded. With this intent, the surrounding天地气机 (heaven and earth energy) was completely grasped by this palm, transforming into an invisible thunderous prison that enveloped Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng felt as if the world around him suddenly froze, and all his escape routes—front, back, left, right, up, and down—were blocked. No matter how much he tried to move or leap, there was nowhere to retreat or avoid.

That old man is so petty!

Zhao Zheng mentally complained, but instead of retreating, he took a light step forward. He activated the Heaven-Severing and Earth-Destroying Stop-the-War Technique, and his movements became fluid and unpredictable, evolving from his previous body techniques.

Zhao Zheng formed the Stop-War Undying Seal with both hands, instantly gathering his own blood and energy, transforming his physical body into a state neither alive nor dead.

Or rather, entering that state that is neither on the other shore nor in the middle, made Daoist Tianyi's Dou Shu Locking Void Intent feel as if he were trying to grasp at empty fog or lock flowing water, unable to find the slightest Qi node. As a result, his palm stopped.

It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but rather that Master Tianyi didn't know how to continue the fight. It was like you had drawn your gun, but the enemy in front of you had disappeared, and the screen froze.

You can only watch helplessly!

Daoist Tianyi stared blankly, but Zhao Zheng did not. He looked at the Dou Shu Locking Void Intent, which, even though it had not locked onto him, had not yet receded, and deliberately created an opening.

As soon as the opening appeared, Daoist Tianyi immediately resumed his attack, but as soon as he did, he realized something was wrong.

The next instant, sure enough, he saw Zhao Zheng's strange hand seal change. It seemed to have no offensive or defensive power, but it easily swallowed his Dou Shu Locking Void Power, spun it, and then returned it.

However, in an instant, the Dou Shu Locking Void Intent that was originally meant to lock onto Zhao Zheng actually rolled back along the original path of the invisible imprint force.

Master Tianyi felt his body stiffen, his essence, spirit, and blood were locked, and his palm was suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

He stared wide-eyed as the Dou Shu Locking Void Intent he had used against Zhao Zheng had instead become a shackle binding him.

Zhao Zheng remained standing in the same spot, his figure neither leaning nor retreating, neither fighting nor fleeing. In that mysterious emptiness that was neither the other shore nor the middle, he stopped the fighting with a single palm strike, breaking through all barriers without a battle.

The atmosphere inside the room fell slightly silent, as Master Tianyi was shocked by Zhao Zheng's formidable martial arts prowess.

Xiang Yu, who had just woken up, wondered why his master had frozen in his palm pose. After thinking for a moment, he looked at the motionless Zhao Zheng and thought his master was truly cunning—

Xiang Yu stopped talking and obediently went to wash up under his master's watchful eye. Seeing this, Daoist Tianyi withdrew his gaze, slowly retracted his raised hand, and looked at Zhao Zheng with a complicated expression.

"Is your martial arts level seventh or eighth grade?"

'

"Sixth rank!"

"Oh, seventh rank—huh? Wait, what did you say? You're at the sixth rank in martial arts!" Daoist Tianyi was stunned and stared at Zhao Zheng with wide eyes, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Indeed, a sixth-rank official!"

Zhao Zheng spoke up, of course, this is without considering the martial arts and mechanical enhancements of the computer-controlled world; if calculated, it would be hard to say.

"—I think you shouldn't have pursued Taoism in the first place!"

Master Tianyi remained silent for a moment before uttering these words. Zhao Zheng shook his head: "It's alright, my talent for cultivation is better!"

'

,

Honestly, I feel you have a better talent for martial arts!

Master Tianyi muttered to himself, remembering that his elder brother had mentioned in his letter that Zhao Zheng had never practiced martial arts or Taoism before becoming a disciple.

In other words, Zhao Zheng cultivated martial arts to the sixth rank in just over a month. In comparison, Zhao Zheng's refinement of essence into qi in immortality was somewhat lacking.