C10 The Wind Monarch Had Returned.

The Netherworld Fruit was never intended for consumption by those who practice cultivation. Should a cultivator ingest it by mistake, they risk severing their meridians or, in the worst case, meeting their demise.

This was the knowledge Feng Zhentian had gathered about the Netherworld Fruit from others. Nevertheless, Feng Zhentian resolutely chose to consume it, for he lacked any cultivation whatsoever. Without any cultivation to speak of, he had no meridians to sever or life force to extinguish.

Yet, the agony it induced was beyond what he could withstand, even having lived two lifetimes. But in this life, Feng Zhentian realized something new: the Netherworld Fruit was an incredibly defiant and extraordinary fruit.

In his past life, devoid of any cultivation, how could he have comprehended the sensation of such energy? Now, he recognized it as a wildly rampant and domineering force. The most horrifying aspect was its relentless assault on Feng Zhentian's meridians, tearing them apart only to reconstruct them anew.

It was akin to being beaten to the brink of death, resuscitated, and then beaten again. Feng Zhentian now truly grasped the meaning of a fate worse than death. Yet the energy surged unstoppably toward his sea of consciousness, leaving desolation in its wake. His meridians, bones, flesh, and blood were all shattered. Death was but a hair's breadth away for Feng Zhentian.

Had his resolve wavered for even a moment, Feng Zhentian would have perished then and there. The force of the Netherworld Fruit grew increasingly wild, finally crashing into Feng Zhentian's sea of consciousness and being absorbed in an instant.

But Feng Zhentian was aware that the real trial between life and death was only just beginning. When he thought he was out of danger, his sea of consciousness erupted, unleashing a gray light from within him that was several magnitudes stronger than the Netherworld Fruit's power.

Suddenly, Feng Zhentian's eyes narrowed: "It's arrived!"

Boom!

A colossal explosion echoed within Feng Zhentian's sea of consciousness, and a more ferocious power began to ravage every cell in his body. It tore him apart, only to rebirth him, shattering and reassembling him over and over again.

Such torment was unbearable for any one person. Without Feng Zhentian's immense and steadfast will, consciousness would have escaped him long ago.

However, the agony had begun to cloud Feng Zhentian's clarity of mind.

Suddenly, visions of family, friends, lovers, enemies, and those fair-weather friends flashed through Feng Zhentian's thoughts.

The past was too painful to revisit, yet now it seemed like a dream, and he had lived two lifetimes.

"Since I've been given a second chance at life by the heavens, I can't die. I absolutely must not die."

"Ha, ah!"

In a flash, the wild energy within Feng Zhentian surged back into his consciousness.

In a moment, everything within Feng Zhentian transformed. He slowly regained his lucidity, shaking off the haze that had enveloped him. Though drenched in blood, his eyes sparkled with an intense light. He looked dangerous but was in no mortal peril. A triumphant laugh escaped his lips, "Haha, your Wind Monarch has returned."

All at once, a thunderous noise echoed in Feng Zhentian's mind, as if something had detonated within his skull. Even a man of his composure couldn't keep his poise, his body quivering as he murmured, "Could this be it?"