Chapter Four: The Celestial King’s Art

“Sigh…” Suddenly, a helpless sigh drifted into Ye Feng’s ears, as if the being who uttered it had resigned himself to some unavoidable fate.

Before Ye Feng could react, the voice spoke again, “Destiny! Who would have thought that even a being like me could be played by fate? Truly, the will of Heaven cannot be defied…”

Vast spiritual power continued to surge into his body, and even with all his composure, Ye Feng was startled by the voice. For it did not come from the outside world, but resonated directly within his mind through the chaotic space.

“What I owed the Master of Fate is now repaid in such a way… heh… destiny, oh destiny… curse you, damnable fate…”

Hearing the voice grow more agitated, Ye Feng had no choice but to speak, as the influx of spiritual energy had begun to spiral out of control in his body due to the being’s excitement.

“Se… senior… may I ask who you are?” Ye Feng forced himself to speak, trembling as he struggled to withstand the increasingly violent power within him. By now, he could guess who the voice belonged to.

“Who am I? I am the Dragon Flood Demon King you led to his doom…” At Ye Feng’s words, the being seemed to completely lose control, his thunderous voice ringing so loudly that Ye Feng’s eardrums ached.

Worse still, as the Dragon Flood Demon King raged, the spiritual energy pouring into Ye Feng resonated with the outburst and boiled violently.

In an instant, a swelling sensation filled Ye Feng’s entire being, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead. His bones crackled continuously, and with each snap, a thread of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He clenched his teeth tightly, doing everything in his power to keep his body from trembling, struggling to control the surging power within as he managed to say, “Senior, I too was a victim of others’ schemes…”

“Enough! There’s no one else to blame. An ant like you managed to deceive the eyes of three great demon kings… It must be fate…” After a moment, the Dragon Flood Demon King’s tone suddenly became deflated.

Then Ye Feng heard words that nearly chilled his soul.

“In truth… I could have seized your soul!”

“But… damn it, you turn out to be that old man’s descendant… Years ago, I owed him my life, and now, fate repays that debt through you! I—” Ignoring the fact that Ye Feng was on the verge of being torn apart by spiritual power, the Dragon Flood Demon King roared hoarsely.

“Though your body’s foundation is abysmal, your soul is remarkably strong! Worthy of that bastard’s lineage! His legacy shall be passed to you! Remember, to master the ‘Heavenly King’s Art,’ you must open the eighty-one energy gates and accumulate seventy-two spiritual marks. Only then can you succeed.” Just as Ye Feng thought he would explode, the rambling Dragon Flood Demon King finally seemed to recall himself.

At that moment, an intricate diagram of human meridians appeared in Ye Feng’s mind. In the diagram, certain meridians shimmered with radiant light.

Comparing carefully, Ye Feng realized that the glowing meridians matched exactly the paths the spiritual energy had previously followed within him. This must be the ‘Heavenly King’s Art’ mentioned by the Demon King.

Without hesitation, Ye Feng focused his mind entirely on guiding the power through his body according to the paths shown in the diagram.

He had no time to question whether this cultivation method was safe or not—he had to bet everything on it. If he failed to channel the power now, the overwhelming spiritual energy would break free from his meridians and tear his body apart, leaving him no chance of survival.

Minute after minute passed, and the Demon King’s core continued to pour spiritual energy into him. Controlling such an enormous power drained Ye Feng’s mind to the limit; his consciousness grew hazy, sustained only by sheer force of will.

By now, he knew with certainty that he had made the right gamble. The knowledge transmitted to him by the Dragon Flood Demon King was indeed a genuine cultivation art.

Yet this method was as grueling as it was miraculous…

The torrent of spiritual power surged through him like a raging river, battering each and every vital point in his body.

An hour passed, and Ye Feng still gritted his teeth with all his strength. “Damn it, what kind of art is this, to require all seventy-two meridians to be opened…”

By now, his entire body was numb, his skeleton felt like it was falling apart, and several of his meridians were already damaged from the overload. Yet each time a meridian ruptured, the purple Demon King’s core would emit a strange ripple…

Whenever the ripple touched a damaged meridian, it would miraculously heal, good as new.

At first, Ye Feng was overjoyed, but after enduring cycle after cycle of destruction and restoration, even his tenacity was pushed to the brink of collapse. No torture chamber in history could have devised such torment…

But Ye Feng persisted, not for any other reason, but simply because he was Ye Feng—he had his pride.

Time slipped by unnoticed; Ye Feng had no sense of the world outside, only the agonizingly slow passage of each second. Each time the energy burst through a meridian, it felt as if blades were twisting inside him.

At last, after endless suffering, the seventy-two vital points within him were all opened, allowing spiritual energy to flow unimpeded through his body.

With this, the Demon King’s core seemed to have fulfilled its purpose, falling silent and ceasing to emit any more energy.

As his consciousness faded, Ye Feng, just before succumbing to exhaustion, saw the remaining spiritual energy meander gently through his meridians, as if strolling through a tranquil garden.

And upon his chest, crescent-shaped spiritual marks began to slowly take form.

One…

Two…

Until the seventy-second spiritual mark appeared, after which everything on his chest settled into stillness.

The room fell completely silent.

After a while, the Dragon Flood Demon King’s voice echoed from the chaos, tinged with astonishment: “There are five more marks? How can this be? The eighty-first gate is a shackle—even I couldn’t break through it in my lifetime, yet this boy has surpassed me. Could it be that his future achievements will outshine even mine?”

As the voice faded, five additional spiritual marks slowly appeared on Ye Feng’s chest.

When he awoke again, his vision was a blur.

After a moment, his sight cleared, and he saw moonlight shining through the window—it was already night.

Rising to his feet, Ye Feng felt strength coursing through his entire body. He threw a punch into the air, the motion cutting through with a whooshing force.

Strength—power like he had never known.

In the path of cultivation, the Spirit Awakening Realm was the stage where one awakened the connection between body and the world’s energy. By absorbing spiritual energy, the body was strengthened, and power increased.

The measure of one’s Spirit Awakening was the number of spiritual marks; each mark represented the strength of one ox. When one reached the strength of ten oxen, one could seek out a beast of the desired attribute to form a spiritual bond.

“Now that I have this power… what should I do next?” Ye Feng murmured to himself, feeling the deep reservoir of strength within him.

“That’s right—my strength has increased, so… the spiritual marks…” Suddenly, Ye Feng glanced down at his chest—and was shocked to see it densely covered in spiritual marks.

“Haha… good… good… At last, it’s time to strike back. Ye Xiu, are you ready?” Ye Feng nodded to himself, a sly smile curling at his lips. “I hope you know enough—not to let me down!”