Chapter 200 – "Reverse Nine Transformations," Martial God Mountain's Eerie Secret Technique—Using…

On the Celestial Ark of Martial God Mountain.

Meow King occupied the very center of the venue alone, arms crossed.

Though he wasn’t tall—standing only about 1.5 meters—and appeared as a plump orange cat,

the Azure Cloud Sect True Disciple Token hanging around his neck made no one dare underestimate him in the slightest.

Among the hundred schools of Central Province, Azure Cloud Sect was indisputably the pinnacle.

Yet “hundred schools” didn’t mean Central Province truly had only a hundred sects.

The actual number of sects in Central Province absolutely numbered in the thousands.

To have firmly occupied the top position for over ten thousand years among these thousands of sects,

Azure Cloud Sect relied not only on their Transformation Soul Stage ancestors within the sect,

but also on their continuously emerging new prodigies.

For some reason, Azure Cloud Sect seemed blessed by heaven’s favor.

Every generation would produce numerous extraordinary prodigies.

And these prodigies would be called the Azure Cloud Dao Child.

The Dao Child was not only a symbol of status but also represented that the individual would eventually lead Azure Cloud Sect’s massive influence.

The previous generation’s Azure Cloud Dao Child was the current Sect Leader, Gu Liqing.

A Great Divine Ability user who had stepped into the Transformation Dao Realm at the Early Stage of Nascent Soul Stage.

This not only meant Gu Liqing would undoubtedly achieve Transformation Soul Stage in the future,

but also indicated his potential hadn’t been fully tapped, with complete opportunity to reach the Mahayana Stage beyond Transformation Soul.

At this level, they were called ‘Earthly Immortals,’

metaphorically describing Mahayana Stage cultivators as deity-like existences in the mortal world.

Currently in Central Province, besides Azure Cloud Sect openly having a Mahayana Stage ancestor in closed-door cultivation,

the remaining sects publicly claimed their Mahayana Stage ancestors had either passed away or ascended.

But such statements only fooled children.

The actual situation remained unknown to anyone.

Due to the Dao Child’s importance, combined with the long lifespans of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators,

although Azure Cloud Sect’s Dao Child was nominally changed every thousand years,

in reality, if no suitable candidate emerged,

it was completely normal for no Dao Child to appear even within ten generations over a millennium.

Lu Chen’s generation were the 65th generation disciples.

More than half the millennium had already passed.

Yet currently, Azure Cloud Sect still hadn’t selected a suitable Dao Child.

However, in most people’s minds, Hidden Sword Peak’s Senior Brother Yi Hanqing should have a chance to contend for the Dao Child position.

But regardless, Yi Hanqing was only a possibility.

After all, the requirements to become Dao Child were extremely strict.

Even the current Yi Hanqing hadn’t quite reached the threshold.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen had already caught the attention of several Azure Cloud Sect ancestors,

who were considering whether to make him this generation’s Azure Cloud Dao Child.

Only due to certain special reasons, this decision remained undiscussed and temporarily shelved.

And precisely because Azure Cloud Sect currently lacked a Dao Child to lead, young disciples from other sects saw hope.

Among them, Little Thunderclap Temple had produced a Buddha Child, Jade Void Mountain had produced a Saintess, and Martial God Mountain had an Innate Martial Body hailed as ‘Ancient Desolate Body.’

Only Azure Cloud Sect currently seemed to have no other particularly outstanding disciples besides Yi Hanqing with his Innate Sword Physique.This isn’t to say the Innate Sword Physique is weak.

Rather, compared to the other Buddha Children and Saintesses, the Innate Sword Physique still falls slightly short.

After all, even among Innate Sword Physiques, there are significant differences.

Only after reaching the Golden Core Stage can one discern the level of Sword Intent within this Innate Sword Physique.

If it’s the kind of innate Sword Intent that can directly reach the Harmony Realm,

then such an Innate Sword Physique would be considered a superior sword physique.

If it reaches the Transformation Dao Realm, then it belongs to the Immortal-grade Sword Physique.

It is precisely for these reasons that the current situation of Martial God Mountain provoking Azure Cloud Sect has arisen.

After all, Martial God Mountain possesses a peerless genius with the ‘Ancient Desolate Body’.

Watching Meow King in the arena, Wei Qifeng, the Senior Brother of Martial God Mountain, turned to look at a taciturn yet battle-eager youth beside him.

This youth wasn’t tall, but his muscles were tightly compact.

Seemingly slender, he actually brimmed with explosive power.

Like a fierce beast from ancient desolate times, his aura was astonishing.

This person was none other than the recognized successor of Martial God Mountain’s current generation.

Xing Li with the Ancient Desolate Body.

Seeing Xing Li full of battle intent, Wei Qifeng said: “Junior Brother Xing Li, first carefully observe the techniques of these Azure Cloud Sect disciples. I’ll let you take action later, no need to rush.”

Hearing this, Xing Li’s originally battle-filled expression slightly calmed.

But even so, his gaze toward Meow King remained full of excitement.

As if considering Meow King a worthy opponent.

Even from his eyes, there revealed a hint of bloodthirsty desire.

As if he already regarded Meow King as his prey.

Wei Qifeng beside him felt quite helpless about this.

Xing Li was excellent in every aspect, but because he came from that barbaric land in the Eastern Divine Continent,

he still couldn’t break the habit of treating strong opponents as prey even now.

For Xing Li, only those powerful prey were qualified to be hunted by him.

And eating the prey he defeated was, to him, the greatest respect he could show his prey.

Although Xing Li had this bad habit of eating defeated opponents,

he ultimately hadn’t reached the point of eating ‘humans’.

Usually he would only set his sights on spirit beasts and yaō beasts.

In his eyes, Meow King was someone qualified to be eaten.

Perhaps guessing Xing Li’s thoughts, Wei Qifeng immediately reminded him: “This orange cat is a disciple of Azure Cloud Sect. It’s different from the yao beasts you encountered before. Even if you win, you can’t eat it, understand?”

Hearing this, confusion appeared in Xing Li’s eyes.

Seemingly not understanding why he couldn’t eat Meow King since it was a spirit beast.

Thinking this, Xing Li tentatively asked: “What about just one leg?”

“That won’t do either.”

Seeing Wei Qifeng’s serious expression, Xing Li knew he had no room for negotiation on this matter, and ultimately gave up.

“Fine then…”

“Don’t worry, when we reach Ancient Moon Grotto, there will be plenty of prey for you to eat. You won’t need to restrain yourself then.”

“Really?”

Xing Li’s eyes lit up, becoming spirited again.

Wei Qifeng said with a smile: “Of course it’s true.”After receiving the affirmative reply, Xing Li’s eyes immediately grew hazy, as if he had already begun fantasizing about devouring everything in sight once he entered the Ancient Moon Grotto.

Just as they were conversing, a startled exclamation came from afar.

The two looked toward the arena, where the Meow King was currently sitting on the back of the Martial God Mountain disciple who had challenged him, sneering disdainfully, “Seriously? Is this all your Martial God Mountain has?”

“I thought you’d be something special, but you’re just a trash who barely broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage by relying on external aids.”

“With skills like yours, where did you get the nerve to challenge me?”

Watching the Martial God Mountain disciple subdued by the Meow King in just a few rounds, the observing disciples from other schools were somewhat astonished.

Although many among them could also defeat this Martial God Mountain disciple, who only had the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment cultivation, none could have done it so effortlessly.

After all, the Meow King hadn’t even revealed his Spirit Beast true form.

He had suppressed this Martial God Mountain disciple with ease, using only his normal state.

The Meow King’s strength was clearly extraordinary.

As for this, Wei Qifeng, the Great Senior Brother of Martial God Mountain, wasn’t particularly surprised.

This disciple was merely a test, and losing to the Meow King was to be expected.

After taunting the Martial God Mountain disciple beneath him a few times, the Meow King stood up and moved to an open space nearby, turning his gaze toward Wei Qifeng and the others.

“Hey, doesn’t your Martial God Mountain have anyone stronger?”

“This kid’s skills aren’t even enough to warm me up. Is this what you call a Gathering of Heroes? Are you playing house?”

Hearing the Meow King’s words, Wei Qifeng didn’t respond immediately but instead glanced at a Junior Brother behind him.

Understanding the look, the Junior Brother promptly stood up.

Approaching the Meow King, he drew a Guan Dao from his Storage Bag with one hand.

As the saber settled in his grip, his aura instantly transformed.

“Martial God Mountain, Gale Saber·Song Tianhong.”

Sensing the astonishing Saber Intent emanating from his opponent, the Meow King shed his earlier arrogance and grew serious.

After all, Song Tianhong not only had reached the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment but had also stepped into the Entering Dao Realm.

He was only slightly inferior to the Meow King, who had achieved Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Thinking this, the Meow King said with keen interest, “Finally, a somewhat worthy opponent.”

As he spoke, the Meow King’s body began to swell continuously.

Soon, he transformed into a golden tiger over two meters tall and five meters long.

However, this tiger was different from ordinary ones—it lacked the ‘king’ character on its forehead.

Regardless, in this form, both his aura and the pressure he exerted on those around him far surpassed his previous state.

More importantly, after revealing his Spirit Beast true form, the surrounding environment began to change as well.

A dense forest materialized around the Meow King.

Anyone familiar with Great Cool Mountain would recognize that the scene now enveloping the Meow King was nearly identical to it.

Of course, the Meow King hadn’t actually transported Great Cool Mountain there.

This was the manifestation of his Entering Dao Conception.

Seeing the Meow King’s move, Song Tianhong opposite him likewise unveiled his own Entering Dao Conception.It was a constantly rotating tornado.

The force of the wind was so immense, it seemed capable of suppressing entire mountain forests.

The question was whether his wind would blow down the Meow King’s mountain forest first,

or if the Meow King would extinguish his wind beforehand.

The spectators were eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Soon, the man and the cat were locked in combat.

The Meow King took the lead, initiating the attack first.

His claws transformed into fists as he threw a punch toward Song Tianhong.

In response, Song Tianhong met the attack with his Guan Dao.

Bang!

Accompanied by a loud crash, Song Tianhong’s body left two deep scratches on the Celestial Ark deck.

Sparks flew as his feet scraped against the ground,

demonstrating the sheer power behind the Meow King’s punch.

It was important to note that Martial God Mountain was a purely Body Cultivator school.

All the cultivators within the school were Body Cultivators with formidable Physical Bodies.

Song Tianhong was no ordinary weakling; even among the younger generation of disciples at Martial God Mountain, he was indisputably ranked within the top ten.

Yet now, it appeared that Song Tianhong lagged significantly behind the Meow King in the very aspect he took the most pride in—his Physical Body.

Because after delivering that punch, the Meow King simply stopped in place,

showing no urgency to press the attack.

Song Tianhong took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened instantly.

In the next moment, an invisible wind pressure enveloped his entire body.

“Oh?”

The Meow King’s interest was piqued at the sight,

though only mildly.

Song Tianhong gripped his Guan Dao with both hands and slashed fiercely toward the Meow King.

The raging winds converged around the blade, forming a Saber Qi composed entirely of gales.

In response, the Meow King planted his claws firmly on the ground and took a deep breath.

“Roar!”

A deafening tiger’s roar erupted, unleashing a terrifying sonic attack that swept across the entire area.

Some cultivators standing too close were forced back by the roar, retreating to the edges of the deck.

The wine tables placed on the ground were sent flying by the sonic waves, leaving the area in disarray.

If the residual force of the Meow King’s attack was this potent, one could only imagine its impact on Song Tianhong, who was the primary target.

Song Tianhong’s Saber Qi was shattered by the Meow King’s roar.

The sonic waves, undiminished in power, struck Song Tianhong squarely.

Even though Song Tianhong had used his Guan Dao to block in advance,

he still failed to completely neutralize the attack. His body was sent flying, crashing heavily against the railing beside the Celestial Ark.

“Pfft!”

Song Tianhong spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily to the ground.

His arms hung limply, swaying like willow branches from his shoulders—clearly dislocated.

Moreover, his clothes were shredded into numerous strips, tattered and ragged, revealing a body covered in saber wounds,

as if countless sharp blades had sliced through him.

All of this was the result of the Meow King’s tiger roar.

Seeing this, the Meow King assumed his opponent had lost the ability to fight and was about to dismiss his Spirit Beast form.

But then he suddenly sensed a peculiar power emanating from Song Tianhong, causing him to turn back in surprise.

Song Tianhong, who had been sitting on the ground, was now standing, his hair flowing as if stirred by an unseen wind.

The most striking change, however, was in Song Tianhong’s eyes.

If his gaze had been filled with Battle Intent before,At this moment, his eyes held nothing else, only pure madness.

Something’s wrong, there’s something off about this guy.

And it wasn’t just the Meow King who noticed Song Tianhong’s abnormality.

A fair-faced young monk from Little Thunderclap Temple, Shangguan Yunmeng from Jade Void Mountain, and Lu Chen from Azure Cloud Sect all grew serious.

Juechen, the Buddha Child of Little Thunderclap Temple, pressed his palms together and calmly inquired: “Amitabha, since when has Martial God Mountain permitted its disciples to practice such ferocious secret arts?”

“Aren’t you afraid your disciples’ Dao Hearts might be twisted by this technique, affecting their very beings?”

To this, Wei Qifeng, the Senior Brother of Martial God Mountain, calmly replied: “Our Heaven-Human Martial Scripture has always advocated for physical bodies rivaling ancient gods and demons – what we call Celestial Beings.”

“The current Reverse Life Nine Transformations merely further enhances this power, allowing us to partially revert to our ancestors and awaken the ancient bloodline hidden within our veins.”

“Most techniques and divine abilities are neither good nor evil in themselves – it depends on how the practitioner uses them.”

“In the end, Reverse Life Nine Transformations is just a ‘technique’. If our Martial God Mountain cultivators can’t even master a single ‘technique’, then we deserve to be expelled from the Immortal Cultivation World.”

Though Juechen wanted to refute this answer, he ultimately held back.

After all, he was just a Buddhist cultivator from Little Thunderclap Temple, with no authority to instruct Martial God Mountain cultivators.

Moreover, those watching this scene weren’t limited to their younger generation.

The higher-ups of Martial God Mountain and other schools were also secretly observing.

Since none of them intervened, as an outsider, he had no need to say more.

Regardless, the current Reverse Life Nine Transformations still gave Juechen an inexplicable discomfort.

He couldn’t shake the feeling this wasn’t a proper secret art.

Due to his Azure Lotus Eyes, special talent Fairy Lotus Womb, and Diting’s destiny of Innate Nine Qi, Lu Chen possessed sharper perception of cultivators’ spiritual power fluctuations, allowing him to better discern the peculiar nature of this so-called Reverse Life Nine Transformations.

This cultivation method essentially used a special approach to forcibly reverse the bloodline power within Martial God Mountain cultivators.

Awakening the spirit beast power they used for ‘Body Refining’.

Using spirit beast blood for physical training was quite common among body cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation World.

Naturally, Martial God Mountain was no exception.

What made Reverse Life Nine Transformations remarkable was its apparent ability to temporarily achieve perfect unity between cultivators and spirit beast bloodline power, granting Martial God Mountain cultivators strength far beyond their current cultivation stage.

Lu Chen speculated that if this secret art was cultivated to higher levels,

Martial God Mountain cultivators might genuinely replicate the magnificence of ancient divine beasts.

However, despite being an excellent technique, it carried a hidden side effect.

Each activation would gradually deepen the spirit beast bloodline’s influence on the cultivator’s divine soul.

While most body cultivators forged their physical bodies into magic treasure-like existences during cultivation,

enabling their bodies to possess tremendous power – including some special body cultivation divine abilities imitating ancient spirit beasts –

these abilities generally didn’t affect the cultivator’s divine soul during practice.Lu Chen felt that if even he could notice this, there was no way Martial God Mountain wouldn’t be aware.

Yet they still allowed their disciples to choose this secret technique. Could it be they possessed a method to counteract its side effects?

Moreover… how exactly did they achieve the unity of spirit and flesh for Foundation Establishment Stage disciples, preventing physical mutations from excessive stimulation by Spirit Beast bloodlines?

With this thought, Lu Chen immediately began studying intently.

He suspected that the Ancient Immortal Aura clinging to Martial God Mountain cultivators might be connected to this “Reverse Life Nine Transformations.”

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Martial God Mountain disciple Song Tianhong, under the influence of Reverse Life Nine Transformations, had grown peculiar feathers on both cheeks, while his eyes had transformed into hawk-like orbs resembling those of an avian Spirit Beast.

This transformation wasn’t merely superficial.

His cultivation, Physical Body, and even control over wind-attribute Spiritual Power had all elevated to a higher level.

Perhaps feeling invincible in his current state,

he looked at the solemn-faced Meow King in the distance and, abandoning his originally steady demeanor, declared arrogantly: “Do I now qualify for your serious attention?”

Though Meow King already felt the pressure,

he stubbornly retorted: “Pressure? Be careful you don’t draw a tiger only to end up with a dog.”

Song Tianhong laughed: “That’s our own affair. If I cannot master this power, it proves I’m unworthy of it—the fault lies not with the power itself.”

“Tch, you’re really full of yourself.”

Meow King spat disdainfully before fixing a serious gaze on him: “Enough talk. Let me experience this mysterious Reverse Life Nine Transformations of yours.”

Hearing this, Song Tianhong chuckled lightly and vanished from his position instantly.

His speed was so astonishing it made Meow King’s pupils contract.

When he reappeared, he was already positioned directly above Meow King’s head…

(End of Chapter)