Chapter 14 - 13: Iron Bone Realm, Longing for Immortality!

Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Iron Bone Realm, Longing for Immortality!

After a long while, Liu Zimo woke up from his Meditation, a faint, dark gleam flashing in his eyes. His Qi Blood was deeply concealed, and the aura of his bones was as fathomless as an abyss!

As he stood up, every joint in his body released a series of low, popping CRACKS. His entire figure, from his muscles to his bones, had actually shrunk by nearly a tenth! Originally 1.79 meters tall, he had now reduced to around 1.65 meters. He had become shorter and thinner, but he had also grown stronger! This was the hallmark of a Martial Artist successfully stepping into the Iron Bone Realm!

With his Qi Blood boiling and his bones as dense as iron, his muscles and skeleton had been compressed to their absolute limits. Though his frame had shrunk, his weight had actually increased rather than decreased. His muscles were more solid, and his bones and sinews were significantly sturdier. If an X-ray were taken at this moment, one would find that the skeleton encased within Liu Zimo’s flesh was faintly emitting a metallic luster across its entirety!

"Condensation brings forth the true essence!

"When compressed to the extreme, even mortal bones can be transformed into a sharp Divine Weapon!"

This was the general consensus of the Martial Arts Realm regarding the Iron Bone Realm. As cultivation advanced to the intermediate and peak stages of the Iron Bone Realm, a Martial Artist’s figure would eventually recover. In fact, as their foundation accumulated, most Iron Bone Realm Martial Artists would grow to over two meters tall and weigh over a thousand catties, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

In his previous life, right up until his final battle, Liu Zimo’s Cultivation Realm had only just managed to break through to the Iron Bone Realm. His figure had been exactly as it was now—seemingly frail and weak. However, the power hidden within his bones and sinews was enough to crack stone, tear metal, and rip apart any mid-level Demon Beast with his bare hands!

"I truly never expected this. Living a second life, I’ve actually managed to restore my previous life’s peak Cultivation Realm before the catastrophe even happens!" Liu Zimo murmured in awe, looking down at his current physique. He clenched his fists, sensing the boundless, astonishing energy surging within him.

Since waking up in the hospital, only a little over thirty hours had passed. Yet, he had leaped from being an ordinary person without a shred of strength to an Iron Bone Realm Martial Artist wielding over a thousand catties of physical force. Copper Skin in one day, Iron Bone in two! Such cultivation speed was on par even with the Yu Chen Martial Saint in his memories!

Thinking of Lou Yuchen, Liu Zimo couldn’t help but marvel. Lou Yuchen, this future Martial Saint, absolutely deserved the credit for enabling him to reach the Iron Bone Realm so quickly! Who could have imagined that relying solely on the most common [Guiding Breathing Method] of the Post-Apocalypse, without the aid of any Spirit Elixirs and Treasures, Lou Yuchen could directly complete his Martial Arts Foundation Establishment and step right into Body Refining? He had not only stimulated six hundred units of Qi and Blood Power but had also explosively generated nearly ten years of Martial Arts Cultivation all at once! Who could possibly compare to such heaven-defying Martial Arts Talent and cultivation aptitude?!

"In this life, not only have I attained the cultivation strength of the Iron Bone Realm ahead of time, but under my influence, the Yu Chen Martial Saint has also stepped onto the Martial Dao early, gaining a certain degree of self-preservation power before the Demon Calamity strikes!

"When the world undergoes its drastic mutation and the Demon Calamity descends, all living creatures on Earth will have an opportunity to undergo a baptism of Spiritual Energy.

"By then, relying on the Yu Chen Martial Saint’s heaven-defying talent, his cultivation strength will inevitably experience another explosive, leap-forward growth!

"If he can break through to the Golden Body Realm in one fell swoop, the Demon Calamity within Luozhou City might just be wiped out ahead of time!"

Liu Zimo’s thoughts surged with excitement. During the initial outbreak of the Demon Calamity, the vast majority of Demon Beasts weren’t actually that strong. Any random Body Refining Realm Martial Artist could easily slay them. However, the calamity erupted far too suddenly, and the number of Demon Beasts was overwhelmingly vast. Many people, especially ordinary civilians, were completely caught off guard. Before they even had time to feel fear, they were pounced on and devoured by Demon Beasts that appeared out of thin air.

Furthermore, alongside the eruption of Spiritual Energy, all electronic devices on Earth suffered severe interference. Traffic was paralyzed, communications were severed, factories caught fire, and chemical materials leaked. What was even more tragic was that airplanes in mid-flight plummeted from the sky like falling stones. Absolute chaos reigned across all major cities. All police departments and local garrisons were unable to contact one another. Forced to fight independently, they simply couldn’t organize any effective defense or counterattack.

At a time like this, if a Golden Body Realm Martial Artist pushed themselves to the limit, unleashed their Martial Arts Domain, and flew across various parts of the city—slaying Demon Beasts while using voice transmission to guide forces to assemble and establish strong centralized control—they would undoubtedly be able to construct a robust and powerful defensive line within the urban area. In Liu Zimo’s memories, the reason tier-one metropolises of the Great Xia like Shangjing City, Dragon Sea City, and Jinhu City hadn’t completely collapsed at the onset of the Demon Calamity—and even managed to protect over half their citizens—was precisely because they utilized this method. Golden Body Realm Martial Artists could already preliminarily control their Martial Arts Domain, granting them the ability of briefly Flying in the Sky. Only they could quickly and safely reach every corner of the city, coordinate efforts, and establish authority over all directions.

Unfortunately, prior to the outbreak of the Demon Calamity, the entire Great Xia only had a handful of Golden Body Realm Martial Artists. Those among them who possessed a big-picture mindset and were willing to accept emergency mandates from the state were even fewer. The vast majority of Martial Artists were accustomed to prioritizing their own survival and fighting alone. Consequently, when the Demon Calamity erupted, out of the massive Great Xia, only a limited number of cities like Shangjing, Dragon Sea, and Jinhu managed to be preserved. As for Luozhou City, it seemed there hadn’t been a single trace of a Golden Body Realm Martial Artist’s existence.

It wasn’t until Lou Yuchen’s meteoric rise and subsequent breakthrough to the Golden Body Realm that he officially unified the major factions of Luozhou, rebuilt order through military rule, and constructed a defensive line outside Luozhou City. However, by that time, the Demon Calamity had already ravaged Luozhou City for half a year. The city was almost entirely deserted, with catastrophic casualties.

"Now, everything will change!

"Luozhou will definitely stand tall at the beginning of the Post-Apocalypse, just like Shangjing and Dragon Sea!"

Liu Zimo whispered to himself, brimming with absolute confidence. Because in this life, Luozhou didn’t just have Lou Yuchen; it also had him, Liu Zimo!

[Your Good Brother Lou Yuchen cultivated the ’Guiding Breathing Method’ and gained enlightenment. His Qi erupted, breaking through to the Copper Skin Realm in one fell swoop, triggering the ’Heaven-Stealing’ Talent Attribute. The serendipity is shared equally. You receive half of his cultivation increase: Martial Arts Talent +1, Martial Arts Cultivation +3, Lifespan +2.]

Huh?!

His Martial Arts Talent had actually increased as well?! What was even more outrageous was that the "Heaven-Stealing" talent could evenly split and steal the Lifespan Lou Yuchen gained from breaking through in his Martial Dao!

"This... this is simply too mind-blowing!" Liu Zimo’s spirits soared, and he couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

Lou Yuchen breaking through to the Copper Skin Realm so quickly was entirely within his expectations; there was nothing surprising about it. What Liu Zimo hadn’t anticipated, however, was that while Lou Yuchen broke through his Cultivation Realm, his Martial Arts Talent would also receive a certain degree of growth bonus alongside it!

Having practiced martial arts for thirty years, Liu Zimo had never heard of a person’s innate Martial Arts Talent experiencing another explosive growth later in life without consuming specific Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures! If this was just a one-time accidental burst, it would be understandable. But what if Lou Yuchen’s talent could continuously improve like this? Thinking back to Lou Yuchen’s various heaven-defying feats in the future, it wasn’t entirely impossible!

However, compared to the abnormal growth of Lou Yuchen’s Martial Arts Talent, what Liu Zimo cared about even more was the final two years of Lifespan he had received! To be able to share and steal even the increased portion of Lifespan was absolutely something he hadn’t dared to imagine before. Lifespan! Whether in times of peace or chaos, there probably wasn’t a single person who would complain about living too long or having too much Lifespan, right?

Under normal circumstances, if a Martial Artist wanted to extend their life, they either had to cultivate diligently to hit a higher Cultivation Realm or consume special Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to consolidate their foundation and nourish their vitality. There was no other way. But now, Liu Zimo had discovered an alternative shortcut to acquiring Lifespan! A single Lou Yuchen breaking through to the Copper Skin Realm had provided him with two whole years of extra Lifespan! What if there were two, three, or even ten or a hundred people like Lou Yuchen?

As he thought about this, Liu Zimo’s heart began to beat wildly out of control. THUMP THUMP.

In a trance, it was as if he could see the Great Dao of immortality beckoning to him!