chsdbacks Chapter 231 Inner Vision
Chapter 231 Inner Vision
Nie Lingfeng carefully laid Chen Duo down, letting her lie flat on the animal skin. Chen Duo seemed startled by the movement, and opened her eyes groggily. Her emerald green eyes looked blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings and Azanji, then at Nie Lingfeng. As if confirming that she was safe, she quickly closed her eyes wearily again, but her little hands unconsciously grabbed the hem of Nie Lingfeng's clothes.
Azanki approached, without taking her pulse or using any modern medical instruments. He simply extended his withered hand, its fingernails filled with black medicinal residue, and hovered it about an inch above Chen Duo's forehead, moving it slowly as if sensing something. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint light seemed to flicker within his deep, pool-like pupils. After about a minute, he withdrew his hand, looked at Nie Lingfeng, and said calmly, "The Phoenix Body's essence is damaged. Forcibly activating it has overdrawn its power. Fortunately, its foundation is not destroyed, and its bloodline's self-healing ability is tenacious. She won't die, but she needs rest and recuperation, supplemented with substances to strengthen her foundation and nourish her spiritual consciousness. I have some medicine here that can help her recover faster."
He then turned his gaze to Nie Lingfeng, looking him up and down. His eyes, which seemed to see through everything, lingered for a moment on Nie Lingfeng's chest (where the fusion core was located) and between his eyebrows (where his spiritual consciousness was located). A barely perceptible, complex expression, a mixture of surprise, understanding, and something else... indescribable, flashed in his eyes.
"You..." Azanki began slowly, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty and inquiry for the first time. "The 'things' within you... are very mixed, and also... remarkable. The majesty of the Qilin, the creation of the True Dragon, the immortality of the Phoenix... and others I cannot fathom. You forcibly blended them together, like pouring strong liquor, boiling oil, ice, and lava into the same earthenware pot. It's a miracle it didn't explode. But your 'pot' (body and meridians) is clearly not yet sufficient to fully contain and harmonize these 'things.' In the previous battle, you forcibly activated power far exceeding your current level, damaging your foundation and shaking the very core of this 'pot.' If you don't repair and strengthen it in time, and find the correct way to 'brew' these 'things,' if you act recklessly again, I'm afraid..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear—next time it might really "explode".
Nie Lingfeng was shocked. Azan Ki was indeed extraordinary! He could see through the essence of the three divine artifacts fused within him at a glance, and even sense the predicament he was currently facing—although the power had been fused, it had not been fully "digested" and "controlled," and his body and realm were not yet sufficient to fully control this extraordinary gift. The previous battle with the incarnation of the evil god, which seemed to be a decisive victory, was actually fraught with hidden dangers and was an overdraft that squeezed out his potential.
"Please enlighten me, Master Azan Ki." Nie Lingfeng neither denied nor explained how he obtained these powers; he simply asked sincerely. This mysterious old man might truly be able to give him some crucial insights.
Azan Ki paused for a moment, then walked to the medicine cabinet by the wall, opened several drawers, and took out several dried herbs, a dark, resin-like substance, and a small pinch of shimmering silver powder. He went to the black stone basin and placed the herbs and resin into the clear spring water. The spring water seemed to have a strange effect; the herbs and resin dissolved instantly, releasing a richer medicinal aroma that was a mixture of bitterness and exotic fragrance. He then sprinkled the silver powder on several key points of the white pebble inlay pattern around the stone basin.
"Take off your shirt and sit in the basin." Azanji pointed to the stone basin and said to Nie Lingfeng, "This 'Mother Earth Spring' connects to the purest and gentlest life force in this rainforest's veins. Combined with my 'Strengthening Soup' and 'Soothing Powder,' it can help stabilize your meridians, soothe the hidden injuries caused by forcibly activating your power, and slightly nourish your 'pottery vessel,' making it more resilient. As for how to 'brew' the 'thing' within your body... I can't help you. That's your path; you need to experience and refine it yourself. I can only tell you that the Qilin marrow, dragon essence, and phoenix blood within you have only initially 'dissolved' into your body, like salt dissolving in water. But their true 'flavor' and 'power' are far from being released, far from being fully 'absorbed' and 'controlled' by you. You need time, you need tempering, you need... to truly understand their 'essence' and align them with your 'Dao' before this 'mixture' can become a true 'nectar.'"
Salt dissolves in water? The flavor and power are far from being released? Do we need to understand the essence and align ourselves with the "Tao"?
Azan Ki's words were like a sudden awakening, instantly enlightening Nie Lingfeng! He had always thought that fusing with the three divine artifacts and experiencing a surge in power was everything. But now it seemed that this was merely the beginning! It was like someone obtaining a peerless martial arts manual, only memorizing the incantations and understanding the literal meaning; they were still far from truly mastering, integrating, and unleashing the manual's true power! The power of the Qilin, Dragon, and Phoenix within him existed only as "raw materials." His previous use of them was more about crudely "squandering" the quality and energy of these raw materials, without truly comprehending, digesting, and transforming them into his own unique "Tao" and "method"!
This requires time, reflection, battles, the tempering of life and death, and the opportunity for quiet contemplation!
"Thank you for your guidance, teacher!" Nie Lingfeng felt enlightened and bowed solemnly to Azan Ki. Then, without hesitation, he took off his already tattered and dirty shirt and sat down in the black stone basin.
The spring water was slightly cool, but upon contact with his skin, it immediately brought a strange warmth that seemed to penetrate to the very marrow of his bones. The dissolving medicinal power, mixed with the life force of the earth's veins, was like countless gentle hands, slowly caressing every inch of his skin, every meridian, and every acupoint. He could clearly feel that the meridians, which had been aching and even somewhat sluggish due to the forced outburst, were beginning to relax and repair themselves under the nourishment and smoothing of this gentle power, and those minor hidden injuries were being smoothed out little by little. Even more miraculously, the core area in his chest, where the three divine artifacts were fused, seemed to calm down and become much more docile after coming into contact with this pure life force of the earth and medicinal power, no longer experiencing the emptiness, burning sensation, and restless feeling that seemed ready to spiral out of control at any moment.
Nie Lingfeng closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and actively guided the gentle medicinal power and the vitality of the earth's veins to flow slowly within his body. In conjunction with the "Wuqiu Yijue" mental technique, he began to introspect, carefully experiencing and perceiving the state of the three "dormant" divine objects within his body.
The moment his consciousness sank into the "universe" within his body, the scene before him once again shocked him.
That was no longer the simple internal landscape of the human body he was familiar with, composed of meridians, bones, and qi and blood. Instead, it seemed like a vast and boundless universe, yet also a primordial chaos!
At the center of this "inner universe," a slowly rotating, swirling ball of light, interwoven with and constantly shifting in shades of dark gold, crimson, and ice blue, resembled a miniature nebula. This was the core of his fused power, radiating an aura of grandeur and majesty, yet also carrying a hint of instability and chaos.
Surrounding the core are three even larger, more solid "stars" that emit different kinds of "light".
A mass, thick, steady, and dark golden in color, seemingly formed from the essence of the oldest mountains and earth, exuding an aura of majesty and majesty that suppressed the heavens and looked down upon all beasts. This was a "celestial body" formed from the marrow of the Qilin. Nie Lingfeng could sense that his previous use of the Qilin's power had only activated the shallowest layer of light on the surface of this "celestial body." The deeper mysteries contained within, concerning "earth," "life," "auspiciousness," and "majesty," remained dormant, like an ancient divine beast sealed in amber.
The other ball, vibrant, fiery, and crimson-gold in color, seemed to be formed from the eternal true fire of the sun and the essence of an immortal divine bird, radiating an intense and immortal aura of burning away all evil and achieving rebirth. This was a "celestial body" formed from phoenix blood. The phoenix true fire he had previously used had only touched the outermost flames of this "celestial body," while the ultimate mysteries at its core—the mysteries of "fire," "purification," "rebirth," and "life cycle"—remained like a fledgling phoenix trapped in its egg, yet to hatch.
The last one, vast and majestic, ice-blue in color, yet containing boundless vitality and creation, seemed to be formed from the galaxy above the heavens and the spiritual essence of the deepest ocean, radiating the vast and transformative power to benefit all living beings and rule over all waters. This was the "star" formed from the Dragon Essence. His application of this power was the most rudimentary, merely absorbing its immense energy to strengthen his foundation. He knew almost nothing about the deeper laws contained within it, such as "water," "celestial phenomena," "creation," and "ruler." This "star" was also the most serene, its light the most restrained.
Three enormous "divine celestial bodies," like three slumbering ancient gods, slowly rotate around the relatively "tiny" "core nebula" in the center, which is formed by his own will and the power of initial fusion. They are connected and flow with extremely weak and mysterious energy threads, forming a fragile and strange balance.
This is the current state of his body! The three divine objects have merely been "accommodated" by him, like three captured stars placed within his "inner universe," far from being "refined," "absorbed," or "controlled"! He can only mobilize the outermost, faint traces of their naturally emanating energy! And each time he forcibly activates power beyond his current level, it's like using a fragile bamboo pole to roughly stir these three stars. Although it can temporarily trigger a stronger energy burst, it is a huge burden and cause great damage to the "bamboo pole" (his body and meridians) and the entire fragile balance system!