C1 Body Soul Fusion Awakening

Chapter One: The Awakening of Body and Soul Fusion.

The Divine Race perished, and the Six Paths rose to prominence.

The Six Paths are the Immortals, the Buddhas, Humans, Demons, and Ghosts.

The War to Slay the Gods spanned over a million years. The Divine Continent was shattered into five major continents: the Central Region, the Western Territory, the Southern Frontier, Glacierfell, and the Eastern Sea.

In these lands, Daoism thrived in the Central Region, the Western Territory was home to the Buddhist Kingdom, and Fellbeasts roamed the Southern Frontier. Glacierfell was haunted by ghosts and blood demons. The myriad islands of the Eastern Sea were claimed by the great powers of the Six Paths. The Nagas, since the God-Slaying War, had vanished into the ocean depths, their whereabouts unknown.

A hundred thousand years slipped away as quietly as a breath.

In the Central Region, among the eighty-one prefectures, lay the westernmost West Peace County. At the far western edge of the county was the bustling Sunset City.

Sunset City, perched on the frontier, lay just a few hundred miles from a sprawling desert, the essential route for merchant caravans and cultivators traveling between the Central Region and the Western Territory.

To the south, a hundred miles wide, the Black Water River surged from west to east. Beyond it lay a domain of the Southern Frontier.

Thus, in Sunset City, one could often encounter monks from the Buddhist Kingdom and Shadowmancers in transit.

In the afternoon, two miles east of the city, stood a half-collapsed Taoist temple. Only one wall remained of the once grand temple, and the main hall was open to the sky. The temple's doors had been repurposed into someone's bed frame, leaving only three stone brick rooms in the back courtyard barely fit for habitation.

Yet, at this moment, several opulent carriages were parked at such a decrepit site.

A boy and girl, both around twelve or thirteen, ran towards the city gate, the boy leading with vigorous strides.

He would occasionally glance back at the girl and call out, "Zhu Baohong, come on, hurry up." His gaze covertly swept across her well-endowed chest.

"Qin Cheng, can't you slow down a bit? Wait for me," Zhu Baohong panted, her hand patting her prominent chest.

Qin Cheng couldn't tear his gaze away. He replied, "Rabbit meat isn't good once it cools down. Ding must be getting anxious by now."

As he spoke, he patted his chest, which was protruding like a proud peak.

Upon arriving at the half-wall Taoist temple with Zhu Baohong, Qin Cheng spotted several carriages. His eyes flashed with a frosty glare, and he balled his fists. Not waiting for Zhu Baohong, who lagged behind, he charged toward the back courtyard.

"You rascals, picking on Ding again. This time, you'll get the lesson you deserve," Qin Cheng bellowed upon seeing the circle of wealthy young men from the city.

Hearing Qin Cheng's voice, murmurs rose from the crowd: "Protector Qin has arrived."

"We're out of luck, running into him again. Time to leave."

"Hehe, let's wait for him to go to school, then come back. We'll see if Protector Qin can still make it in time."

After a few taunts, the rich youths climbed into their carriages, flanked by their guards, and rode off.

As the crowd thinned, a young man about Qin Cheng's age emerged, his tattered Taoist robe caked with dust. Sitting on the ground, blood trickled from his nose. He gave Qin Cheng, who was seething with anger, a silly, dazed grin.

Qin Cheng knelt down to wipe the blood from his nose and heard him say, "It's okay, Cheng." A tear glistened in Qin Cheng's eye.

He pulled out the still-warm rabbit meat and unwrapped it. Holding it to the young Taoist's lips, he urged, "Eat it while it's hot."

The young Taoist accepted the meat, glancing at Zhu Baohong, who was brushing dust from his robe, and flashed a toothy smile.

Rising to his feet, he led the way inside. Qin Cheng and Zhu Baohong followed him into the spartan stone dwelling.

The young Taoist hopped onto the clay bed and retrieved a bottle from the corner. Approaching Qin Cheng, he opened her collar. The searing rabbit meat had reddened her chest, and he carefully applied the medicine.

"Cheng, teach me some of the characters you've learned these past few days," the young Taoist requested.

Qin Cheng nodded at his brother, who had grown up alongside him, both wearing simple, foolish smiles.

At dusk, Qin Cheng and Zhu Baoyu departed from the Taoist temple atop the half-wall. As they were leaving, Zhu Baoyu called out to the young Taoist, "Tomorrow, I'll have my father send over some more clothes and food."

"Thank you, Miss Baoyu. And my thanks to Master Zhu as well, hehe," the young Taoist replied, drooling slightly as he chuckled in a simple-minded manner.

As night descended, the young Taoist made his way to a well in the courtyard. He drew water to fill a large vat, standing as tall as a person, next to the well. He then poured a red powder into the vat before leaping in, submerging himself completely. He remained underwater for a full hour before emerging.

Back inside his room, the young Taoist shut the door and waited quietly. Suddenly, he contorted his body, performing a series of bizarre movements.

Deep into the night, under a sky bright with moon and stars, the weather abruptly turned. Dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled with flashes of lightning.

Soon, a torrential rain began to pour. The fierce wind, carrying the moisture of the rain, blew through the gaps in the house, chilling the slight frame of the young Taoist who was meditating cross-legged on his clay bed.

The thunder exploded and lightning streaked across the sky.

Then, amidst the storm, a dimly glowing light darted through the chaos, heading straight for the Taoist temple. In a flash, it entered the stone house and then, with another flash, it penetrated the young Taoist's forehead.

After a considerable time, the young Taoist opened his eyes, which no longer held their usual vacant stare but now sparkled like starlight.

"Yue-er, you're finally awake," a deep voice suddenly echoed, as a figure materialized inside the stone house.

The young Taoist, with eyes bright as stars, leapt up from the clay bed and bowed deeply. "Master, all is well."

The figure, clad in a tattered Taoist robe with strands of hair falling around his face, looked on with a surprised joy. "Now that you're awake, we are all safe."

The young Taoist touched his head to the ground, bowing thrice. "Master, you have endured much these past ten years."

"How fares your father, my mentor?" asked the old Taoist, his voice laden with hope.

"He's imprisoned in the 'Heavenly Prison,'" the young Taoist replied, rising to his feet with his fists clenched.

The old Taoist's expression remained composed upon hearing this, as if he had anticipated the news.

Upon hearing the news, the elder Taoist remained unfazed, as if he had anticipated it all along. After a brief silence, he finally spoke, "Liu Wuya will arrive in a few days. Go with him. You must be diligent in your cultivation and strive to rescue my master as soon as you can."

"Master, you—?" The young Taoist began, but before he could finish, the elder Taoist had vanished into thin air.

"You haven't even told me who you are," the young Taoist said, scratching his head in confusion. "A master reflects his disciple. Always so secretive, never telling me anything."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, lost in thought. "All for a wisp of purple qi, my father was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison by the Heavenly Emperor."

With that, he opened the door and stepped into the courtyard, looking up at the night sky as raindrops stung his face. Pointing fiercely towards the heavens, he exclaimed, "Up in the Nine Heavens, within the ethereal realm, Heavenly Emperor, the day will come when I ascend to the Heaven Realm, oust you from power, and reorganize the ranks of the immortals."

His bold declaration was met with the thunderous roar of the sky.

The young Taoist, who had spent the night without sleep, consolidating his memories, rose early in the morning and hurried to Sunrise.

Zhang's Steamed Bun Shop, where he had worked for over three years, had seen him progress from sweeping floors to mastering the entire production process in just two years. He later learned hunting from Qin Li, Qin Cheng's father.

The game he hunted became the filling for the shop's buns, and his wages were modestly increased by two Primal Stones.

The Primal Stone is the common currency across the Divine Continent, ranging from low-grade to middle-grade, high-grade, top-grade, and rare-grade. There are even unique stones like the Primal Light Stone from the Heavenly Cloth Sect, which holds sway over Sunrise.

While mortals trade with low-grade Primal Stones, cultivators use the more valuable middle-grade ones.

Ding Yue made his way to Zhang's with practiced ease, spotting Steamed Bun Zhang from a distance, who greeted him with a wave. Following him to the backyard, Ding Yue took a seat.

Aunt Zhang's face, usually stern, now blossomed with a smile, her eyes brimming with tears that conveyed both comfort and joy. A single tear escaped as she revealed a piece of black jade in her palm. Her voice, choked with emotion, barely whispered, "Yue'er, this black jade was left for you by your mother. It's a Spiritual Treasure with an inner space."

Ding Yue reached out with trembling hands to accept the jade. He had never met his mother, having lived in the half-wall Taoist temple from a young age. It was only five years ago, after his father used a supreme mystique to separate his soul and ascend to the Nine Heavens, the Realm of Nothingness, that he learned he wasn't an orphan.

"Spit a mouthful of blood onto the black jade to claim it as your own," Aunt Zhang's voice echoed in Ding Yue's ears once again.

He gazed at the black jade in his palm and did as she instructed. As Ding Yue's blood touched the jade, it burst into a dazzling light and vanished into his chest.

"Yue'er, now that your soul has merged with it, our task is complete. After Master Zhu Liu's birthday, your aunt and I will return to the Divine Abandoned Continent," Steamed Bun Zhang said, his voice tinged with relief and reminiscence.

"The Divine Abandoned Continent!" Ding Yue looked at Steamed Bun Zhang, puzzled.

"Yes, the Divine Abandoned Continent. Your mother is the eldest princess of our Phoenix Clan. The 'Three Stances of the Seal the Heavens' you've been practicing since childhood is one of our clan's secret techniques. Unfortunately, you only know the first stance, 'Empty'," Steamed Bun Zhang explained, pausing to take a gulp of tea.

He added, "If you get the chance, you must learn the other two stances. Only then can you travel to the Divine Abandoned Continent to find the princess without facing grave dangers."

Before Ding Yue could ask further, Steamed Bun Zhang interjected, "Don't ask why now. Everything will be explained when you meet the princess. Even I don't know all the secrets."

With that, Steamed Bun Zhang shook his head, a gesture of resignation.

Noticing Steamed Bun Zhang's reluctance to divulge more, Ding Yue held back further questions. Instead, he offered a knowing smile to the couple and ventured, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, are you also cultivators?"

Steamed Bun Zhang smiled and responded, "I train in martial arts, while your aunt is a cultivator of immortality."

At this revelation, a spark of curiosity lit up Ding Yue's eyes, and he inquired, "Then why can't I sense any aura from Aunt Zhang?"

"Mo Yu has the ability to hide one's aura. And now, Liu Wuya has given me a few 'Silent Pills', which is why you can't detect any cultivator's aura on me," Aunt Zhang explained cheerfully.

"Oh, I see now," Ding Yue said, his realization dawning upon him as he squinted thoughtfully. Turning to Steamed Bun Zhang, he ventured, "Uncle Zhang, you must know more than just the 'Violent Sky Fist'. Would you consider teaching me a technique or two?"

Hearing this, Steamed Bun Zhang burst into laughter, pointing at Ding Yue playfully. "You rascal, even if you hadn't asked, I would have taught you." After a brief pause, he continued, "Dragon Claw Hand, a Xuan-level martial skill. I'll teach you right now. You must master it before you leave."