In an instant, he transformed into an old man—an elder on the brink of death. Alone, with no kin to care for him in his final moments, he lay in bed, wide-eyed, slowly feeling life slip away. There was no warmth of familial love, only bone-deep coldness, engulfing his heart in bitter sorrow.
Aging without support, dying in solitude.
Bitter. Bitter. Bitter!
One after another, scenes of sorrow flashed through his mind—no, through his very soul. These illusions felt so vivid, as if personally experienced. A sense of the world being a sea of suffering arose, tempting one to renounce the mortal world, to escape the endless torment by embracing the Buddhist path. The more one immersed in the bitterness, the more intense it became.
He gained profound insight.
At the same time, the gourmet cells within his body stirred. Waves of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy naturally flowed into him. Though the Eight Bitters Tea was unbearably bitter, it carried the Dao's rhythm and resonated with the seven emotions and six desires, greatly stimulating the gourmet cells. As they absorbed the energy, his physical strength naturally surged.
His body, already capable of lifting over 900,000 jin, began to soar in power.
One thousand jin!
Two thousand jin!
…
Ten thousand jin!
This was no ordinary tea—it was spiritual tea, infused with the essence of relics.
The Life Cauldron Life Aperture began spinning rapidly. Unconsciously, it refined the Dao essence in the tea, condensing it into a form akin to a relic. Instead of merging with the body, the relic-like essence dove into the Sea of Consciousness Life Aperture between his brows.
In that instant, the Sea of Consciousness roared with golden waves.
Then, around the golden sea, layers of inky-black water emerged, enveloping the golden light but still connecting with it. The black sea exuded boundless Dao essence.
🔸 Sea of Suffering — Divine Ability of the Sea of Consciousness Life Aperture
A new Divine Ability of the Sea of Consciousness had formed.
Simultaneously, Dao patterns intertwined within his body, etching themselves into flesh and blood.
Ding!
A clear cauldron chime echoed from within. It turned into waves of sound, surging through his body and shattering residual impurities in his blood and flesh.
Before long, a crimson cauldron condensed within him. At its appearance, the black and white cauldrons also emerged. All three cauldrons exuded vigorous golden blood energy—each one brimming with vast life force and mysterious power.
🔸 Third Refinement Stage — Crimson Cauldron Realm
"With the first resonance of the Crimson Cauldron, my physical strength reaches one million jin."
Yi Tianxing's heart quivered. His body had undergone a profound metamorphosis. Even his soul seemed to swell with power. The stronger the body, the more the soul benefited—nurtured and enhanced in turn.
This was the art of dual cultivation of life and soul.
He felt the Heavenly Emperor Dharma Body within his fate diagram growing denser and more solid.
Third Refinement Stage corresponded to the Life Diagram Realm of qi cultivators.But for body refiners, power wasn't dictated by realm—it far surpassed it.A body refiner could defy levels with brute strength alone."One punch shatters all laws"—this was the essence of physical cultivation.
Moreover, not all body refiners of the same stage were equal. Physical potential varied. For instance, legends like Xiang Yu and Li Yuanba surpassed 10,000 jin even in the first stage.
Yi Tianxing's physical potential was undoubtedly among the top tier.
His physical divine abilities further magnified his strength, closing the gap between himself and prodigies.
🔸 Black Cauldron, White Cauldron, and now the 🔸 Crimson Cauldron
Each refinement stage birthed a different cauldron, each with unique power.
The crimson cauldron radiated a fierce and destructive aura, as if it could crush anything in its path.
"To reach the second resonance of the Crimson Cauldron, I'll need two million jin of force. The further one goes down the path of body refinement, the harder it becomes. Many are trapped in a realm for millennia, dying of old age before breaking through. It requires not only top-tier techniques but also immense resources. Refining the body is a bottomless pit."
Yi Tianxing couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Were it not for his ability to grow stronger by eating, even he would despair on this path. This was why body refinement had become a side-path, overshadowed by qi cultivation. The cost was too great—even major sects could be bankrupted by a handful of body refiners.
"One body refiner ruins ten generations."
His breakthrough brought a new divine ability to the Sea of Consciousness Life Aperture.
"Good tea!"
Yi Tianxing opened his eyes and praised the Eight Bitters Tea without reservation. It truly was a spiritual tea, letting one taste the endless sea of suffering, invoking utter despair.
"All life is suffering. Only in Buddhism is there purity—free from desires and afflictions. Daoist Yi, would you consider joining our Buddhist sect?"
Master Fazheng spoke suddenly.
His words carried a strange force, seeping into Yi Tianxing's soul.
"The tea is good, but its intent is not. To try and convert me—do you know what the consequences are?"
Yi Tianxing's eyes remained unclouded. The power of conversion was strong enough to affect most Dharma Image Realm cultivators, but in the face of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower, it was laughable.
The tower, now a lustrous purple like glazed glass, radiated supreme majesty. After absorbing Hongmeng Purple Qi, it had become even more mystical. With it suppressing his soul, Yi Tianxing was immovable.
"Kill!"
Sensing the conversion attempt, Yi Tianxing's face turned cold. With a shout, a golden light flashed.
A golden flying dagger appeared before him, gleaming with cold light. It had eyes and a soul, exuding spiritual aura.
🔸 Soul Sea Divine Ability — God-Slaying Blade!
Swish!
The moment it appeared, Master Fazheng's snow-white eyebrows twitched violently. A chilling sense of death swept over him, like a venomous snake had locked onto him.
His soul and essence were targeted. There was no escape.
"Not good!"
The thought barely crossed his mind before the blade moved.
The golden light flashed—too fast to react. It sliced clean across his neck.
"Amitabha…"
Master Fazheng put his palms together, his body glowing gold like a Buddha statue. Mystical scripture patterns flowed across him.
🔸 Buddhist Divine Ability — Vajra Indestructibility!
From the Diamond Sutra, this technique made the body like diamond—unbreakable and immortal.It could deflect even divine weapons.
His golden form was formidable.
Yet, the God-Slaying Blade was too sharp. Sparks flew from his body as it cut through the Vajra Body, slowly but surely. Though the process was slow due to resistance, it was more terrifying to witness it in full detail.
To the naked eye, it still appeared like a single flash—his head flying off, then returning to his body.
Strangely, no blood flowed from the severed neck.
"Such speed… such ruthlessness. But you cannot kill this monk. No matter how sharp your blade, can it kill a shadow?"
Master Fazheng's decapitated head stared at Yi Tianxing calmly.
"A shadow, perhaps—but one with will and soul is a living being. My God-Slaying Blade cuts not only the body, but the soul as well."
Yi Tianxing replied coldly.
"What!?"
Master Fazheng's face twisted in horror as he felt death creeping upon him.
"Inner Demon."
He uttered the words with a warped expression.