The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 8: Purple Qi From The East, Ablution Of Muscles And Bones

Purple Qi From The East, Ablution Of Muscles And Bones . . .

After some time, the ten words began to shrink, gradually condensing into the sphere. What astonished Cha Eun was that his very soul seemed to follow suit, drawing inward into the sphere!

"The sphere is obviously within my body. How can it draw me in like this? What is happening?" Bewilderment surged through Cha Eun's mind just as his consciousness was about to be absorbed by the mysterious sphere. Then, with a whoosh, his awareness plunged into an enigmatic realm.

Although he felt momentarily dazed, Cha Eun quickly regained his composure. He surveyed his surroundings and was met with the sight of a vast palace that loomed like a colossal mountain, shrouded in swirling clouds.

Directly beneath the palace, two colossal doors carved from pristine white jade stood sentinel. Their surfaces were as smooth as mirrors, devoid of any markings.

As Cha Eun examined the doors closely, a sound—**whoosh!**—reverberated, and a character streaked across the horizon before crashing into the left doorframe.

天 – Tian!

Another character followed suit.

Cha Eun had already anticipated this occurrence. He watched as the characters descended from the heavens and embedded themselves into the doorframes on either side. They were none other than the ten words he had just glimpsed—天地无双主,混沌第一灵 (Peerless lord in the world, and the foremost spirit in chaos)!

Subsequently, more characters appeared one by one on the white-jade doors.

"From heaven to hell, there is only one absolute ruler. But who is he?"

"When the universe was in its infancy, this sphere emerged. It absorbed the collective efforts and energy of the entire cosmos, birthing all living beings—the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky, as well as the mountains and rivers upon the earth…"

The text was lengthy.

Cha Eun read it with a perplexed expression. "These words within the sphere are truly grandiose, aren't they? Creating the sun, the moon, and the stars… that seems impossible. Who does this sphere think it is? A god? A sage? Or a supreme being?"

In the next instant, the sealed doors swung open wide!

A dense fog billowed forth!

Beyond the fog lay a lengthy corridor.

As Cha Eun was about to step inside, brilliant golden lights suddenly materialized before him, forming a line of words.

"欲入此门, 生死一念 (Enter, gain absolute power or face total annihilation)!"

Cha Eun halted in his tracks, studying the words with utmost attention. Following the eight characters, another twelve flashed before him, etching themselves into his mind.

"不成天地主宰,便化宇宙尘埃 (Either become the absolute ruler of the universe or yet another insignificant speck of dust in the world!)!"

Deep shock gripped Cha Eun's heart!

The message was clear: By entering this realm, you have willingly accepted this legacy, and there is only one way out—by becoming the absolute ruler of the universe.

Failure meant becoming a mere speck of dust!

A vanishing existence!

In simpler terms: Success or death!

The condition was undeniably extreme.

Live or die!

There was no middle ground to consider.

Cha Eun stood in solemn silence for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "A single individual in the world should have dominion over all! Even if I fail, at least I will have struggled. I may meet my demise, but I will have no regrets! A speck of dust, what of it? A withered leaf, so be it. Life inherently resembles a leaf weathering through autumn!"

"If I succeed, I shall become the absolute ruler!"

With his hands casually folded behind his back, he nonchalantly strode through the doorway.

He simply disregarded the flashing warnings that surrounded him. The prospect of success, allowing him to rule over the universe, or failure, leading to his obliteration, only fueled an indescribable yearning within him.

"There it is, a method, a way back into the Qing-Yun realm. The three factions, just wait and see! I, the Xiao Monarch, will return soon!"

A place teeming with warnings like these seemed perfectly aligned with his disposition—succeed or perish!

Indeed, this had been his approach in his previous life!

However, the current Xiao Monarch displayed even greater determination!

"Here it is!" Above the vacant main hall, a peculiar zone emerged. At its center lay the Pure Heavenly Crystal, gradually emitting waves of dense mist. This heavy fog pervaded the main hall, while the purple energy within it flowed into the Pure Heavenly Crystal.

"I was correct! They are connecting and stimulating each other, forming a regular cycle." Cha Eun contemplated. Although he didn't fully comprehend the underlying mechanisms, he could perceive that the Pure Heavenly Crystal inside the sphere acted as a catalyst...

He attempted to grasp the Pure Heavenly Crystal but found himself unable to reach it.

"What on earth is this?! I strained every fiber of my being to acquire that object, and now I can't even touch it?" Cha Eun was somewhat vexed.

After spotting the Pure Heavenly Crystal within the sphere, Cha Eun began to survey his surroundings. Despite entering a vast palace, he had only explored a tiny portion of it. The rest of the edifices beyond remained concealed within the dense fog, making visibility nearly impossible.

Suddenly, a resonating sound rang out, akin to the melodious tolling of an evening bell or a morning drum...

Upon hearing this chime, Cha Eun's mind went blank. He experienced a profound enlightenment that seemed to emerge from nowhere. The resonance of the bell guided him through thousands of past lives in an instant!

During that moment, thousands of lifetimes transformed into a streak of light that sped through Cha Eun's field of vision.

It felt both tangible and ethereal—like a presence right before him, yet unattainable...

As the purple energy continued to expand, the resounding chime faded. A surge of purple energy rose from the central ground, shaping itself into ten words.

"天地初始,唯有紫气东来 (At the very beginning of the universe, only the purple qi from the east was in existence)!"

Suddenly, an intensely dense purple energy ascended, surrounded by radiant brilliance, and struck between Cha Eun's eyes like lightning.

Instantaneously, Cha Eun's head grew heavy as a martial arts technique swiftly took form within his mind.

"万物得造化,紫气东来功!" (All things gain creation through the East-rising Purple Qi!)

"天地初始,紫气东来,是为万物之母,滋润苍穹??此紫气提聚之法,正心正神,我心为天,阴阳转动,三光合一,灵台冰清,紫气东来." (At the beginning of the universe, there was a purple qi rising from the east. It is the mother of the world and the benefactor of the firmament… The method of cultivating the purple qi strengthens the heart and refines the soul. My heart is the heaven; Yin and Yang are revolving; three lights are converging; my soul is crystal clear; the purple qi rises from the east.)

...

"The East-rising Purple Qi!"

Cha Eun meticulously read through the method, word by word and sentence by sentence. Gradually, enlightenment blossomed within his mind. It felt like discovering a priceless treasure!

The title of Xiao Monarch had been a prestigious one in Cha Eun's previous life. His profound foundational cultivation had propelled him to extraordinary heights, and the martial arts techniques he had mastered were nothing short of extraordinary. His discernment was a skill that transcended the ordinary. To Cha Eun, whether the East-rising Purple Qi was truly the universe's inaugural martial arts method or not, it eclipsed the Pure Yang Martial Arts he had practiced in his past life by a wide margin. Comparing the two was like contrasting the heavens and the earth, with the East-rising Purple Qi residing high above in the sky, and the Pure Yang Martial Arts merely scratching the surface of the earth. The disparity between them was absolute.

Merely perusing the initial portions of this new martial arts technique filled him with an overwhelming sense of its boundless power.

Seated on his bed, Cha Eun wholeheartedly immersed himself in the new cultivation method, repeatedly channeling the meager reserve of spiritual qi into the path of this fresh technique and diligently cultivating.

The dispersed spiritual qi from the world converged toward his body, gradually entering him and flowing toward his dantian.

Inside the sphere, the Pure Heavenly Crystal remained steadfast in emitting its pure qi, materializing the space, while the purple qi continued its expansion.

Cha Eun remained seated on his bed throughout the night.

Recalling it vividly, it was on his 1999th repetition of the new martial arts technique that his soul seemed to tremble, and all his acupoints opened simultaneously. The qi from all corners of the world surged madly into his body.

His dantian collected the scattered qi from this world, with a faintly discernible, cool energy forming an extraordinarily resilient thread that flowed into his Jing and Mai.

This energy resulted from the amalgamation of the sphere and the Pure Heavenly Crystal—the first trace of saintly spiritual power.

When the ordinary qi entered his dantian, they merged together. If compared, the ordinary thread would be akin to normal silk, while this saintly spiritual power was a strand of superior silk capable of supporting a thousand kilograms. It was the absolute disparity between a god and a mortal, the difference between heaven and hell.

While Cha Eun was absorbed in cultivating and absorbing the East-rising Purple Qi, his skin began exuding layers of sticky, black, and malodorous mucus.

Without moving, Cha Eun seemed oblivious to the fact that his body was growing progressively dirtier. An indescribable excitement overwhelmed his mind.

His current condition was a dream come true for most cultivators—a cleansing of muscles and bones.

It was the initial step on the arduous path of cultivation. Under normal circumstances, one needed to reach an unimaginably high level before embarking on the ablution phase, where the mortal body would be transformed into a saintly body.

Astoundingly, the East-rising Purple Qi initiated the ablution process right from the start.

Cha Eun had indeed stumbled upon an unimaginable treasure.

Perhaps the method was indeed the universe's first martial arts technique, as claimed in its description.

...

The following morning, while the sky was still shrouded in darkness, Cha Eun rushed out of his room and leaped into the pond.

Splash!!!

In the tranquil pond, several substantial fish found themselves in a state of sudden panic, darting and thrashing about as an unexpected visitor disrupted their aquatic haven.

Cha Eun, however, had little choice in the matter. Having just emerged from his arduous cultivation, he found himself enveloped in a cloud of stench that rivaled a cesspool.

The extent of filth that had accumulated within the body of this former playboy was staggering, and this time, all the impurities had been expelled, forming a dense layer on his skin.

Cha Eun couldn't help but feel that his eyes were practically coated in grime. With a nonchalant sweep of his hand, he dislodged a sizable clump of dirt. Another pass uncovered a strip of muck, nearly a finger-width in breadth. To an unsuspecting observer, it might have appeared that Lord Cha Eun was engaged in an unusual form of fishing within his own pond.

The noxious odor wafted on the breeze, potent enough to induce instant nausea in anyone who encountered it. A nearby guard, who had approached with a handkerchief pressed to his nose, was promptly scolded by Cha Eun.

"Don't you see I'm bathing here? What brings you?" Cha Eun questioned irritably.

The guard, while retreating to save his olfactory senses, replied, "I know you're bathing, but I've got two questions for you. Firstly, isn't it rather early for a bath before sunrise? Secondly, I bloody well know you're bathing, but it reeks like someone's cleaning a latrine!"

The guard hurriedly departed, both covering his nose and casting disparaging remarks over his shoulder, "Damn! I get it, you're bathing, but the scent is akin to someone scrubbing a toilet!"

The pond on the General's estate was undoubtedly expansive, bordering on colossal. However, when Cha Eun emerged from the water and glanced back, he beheld an odd spectacle: every fish in the pond had floated to the surface, displaying their pale underbellies and audibly gasping for breath. If fish possessed the ability to articulate their thoughts, they might have expressed their dismay with something akin to, "What on earth is this foulness? Is this the end for us?"