Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 193: A Great Mission from Heaven

“What!?” Chǔ Tiānyù was shocked by his senior brother’s astonishing words and asked in disbelief.
Liǔ Xiāngshì nodded with a smile and said, “Exactly. Judging from your current situation, it’s a sign that the Dragon Core is about to break free from its self-imposed seal. It’s like the darkness before dawn—this is exactly what you’re experiencing now.”
“Please clarify further, senior brother,” Chǔ Tiānyù pressed.
“As the saying goes, nothing can be created without destruction. By chance, you lost all your strength and vital energy, and even the Ink Dragon energy within you was on the verge of being completely destroyed as it tried to fight against the forces of heaven and earth. This gave the Dragon Core the opportunity to unlock itself ahead of time,” Liǔ Xiāngshì explained.
“How are these two things connected? I always thought that since the Dragon Core absorbed most of the Black Dragon energy and the Black Dragon was forced to reside within my body, the two should remain separate. How could they…?”
Facing Chǔ Tiānyù’s confusion, Liǔ Xiāngshì smiled and continued, “Actually, you should thank that Black Dragon. If it hadn’t tightly controlled the energy in your body, you would have lost all your strength and vital energy long ago!”
Senior brother Liǔ Xiāngshì threw another bombshell, leaving Chǔ Tiānyù utterly stunned once again.
“How can that be?” Chǔ Tiānyù retorted. He had long heard from his second master, Er Yún, that this senior brother mastered all the mysteries of heaven and earth and every kind of esoteric knowledge. Because he devoted all his energy to these fields, the martial arts of the Yun Sect declined, leaving them in a state where they often had to flee in panic.
So, now that his senior brother was offering guidance on the problems that had plagued him for so long, Chǔ Tiānyù was eager to ask more, his anxiety evident.
“It’s actually quite simple. The self-unlocking of the Dragon Core is a kind of transformation or evolution of the energies of heaven and earth. According to the law of conservation of energy, it requires a large amount of vital energy to sustain and replenish. But for those who practice cultivation, their vital energy originates from the dantian and flows through the meridians of the body. The Ink Dragon within you is another force of heaven and earth that controls and integrates with your body. Of course, it won’t allow the Purple Void Dragon Core to absorb your vital energy at will. Instead, it exerts a pulling force. Your vital energy is pulled in both directions, achieving a balance…”

After Senior Liu Xiangshi explained it, Chu Tianyu understood the general situation. There was no need to elaborate further—of course, it was because he was fighting against the natural floods, leaving him completely exhausted. Moreover, the Mo Dragon energy, which was one with him and shared his fate, had also run out of strength. This allowed the Dragon Core to finally break the balance and take control, absorbing all the true energy generated within him, leaving Chu Tianyu feeling as if he had no true energy left at all.

However, upon thinking about this, Chu Tianyu had a question and asked, “I can understand what Senior said, but one thing I don’t get is how you could tell that the seal on my Dragon Core was about to be broken.”

Liu Xiangshi nodded after hearing this and said, “Didn’t I just say that the seal on the Dragon Core requires maintenance and replenishment of true energy? If it were still in the sealed state, it should retain some true energy to circulate around it, rather than absorbing as much true energy as you generate, as is the case now.”

“So that means the Dragon Core is about to be unsealed? Senior has extensive knowledge. Do you know what will happen once it’s unsealed?” Chu Tianyu asked.

“That’s hard to say. I can infer based on some ancient records, but I don’t know the exact outcome. But don’t worry. Although the Dragon Core has reached the point of unsealing, with such powerful natural energy, breaking its seal is like a pupa breaking out of its cocoon—the amount of true energy required is beyond our imagination…” Liu Xiangshi shook his head and said with a frown.

“So even if I supply all my true energy to unseal the Dragon Core, it might still not be enough, and it will take a long time, right?” Chu Tianyu asked.

“More or less. But you don’t need to worry about that. For such a celestial artifact, if there’s any transformation or evolution, there should be omens to indicate it, barring any accidents!”

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Xiangshi seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly took out a palm-sized amber from his pocket. Before he could say anything, a brilliant light suddenly emerged from Chu Tianyu’s body. Combined with the lunar energy from the Vitality Stone, it formed a column of energy that instantly enveloped the amber in Liu Xiangshi’s hand, as if they were originally one. Then, a burst of colorful light flashed by. In an instant, it was like a beautiful flower blooming, dazzling and vibrant. A sense of springtime vitality filled the air. Not only Liu Xiangshi but also Chu Tianyu, who had initially been the one doing the work, felt immense relief, as if every pore in their bodies had opened, filled with joy.

Huaguang comes swiftly and disappears just as quickly—beauty in an instant, memory that endures forever. It was only after Chu Tianyu and his senior brother Liu Xiangshi regained their focus that they realized the amber on Liu Xiangshi’s palm had also vanished, leaving behind only a small pool of colorful powder in his palm…

Liu Xiangshi shook his head in frustration. He had tried every means to uncover the secrets of this amber, but to no avail. It seemed obvious now that, without even asking, this amber had been absorbed by this young junior brother they had just met—someone whose fate, according to their master, was exceptionally auspicious, possessing an extraordinary concentration of natural energy. It seemed that fate was predestined, and nothing could be forced.

To Liu Xiangshi, Chu Tianyu, who seemed so fortunate, didn’t feel any absorption of such a rare treasure. At most, he felt his internal energy had become more abundant, with no fundamental changes. But at that moment, Chu Tianyu saw his senior brother Liu Xiangshi looking at him with concern, as if asking how he felt. Chu Tianyu then said something that made Liu Xiangshi almost feel heartbroken: “Hehe, senior brother, it seems this amber shares the same attribute as the Vitality Stone I absorbed earlier—it’s just much smaller. It doesn’t seem to have much impact on my energy at all…”

After hearing this, Liu Xiangshi could only think helplessly, “Why is the gap between people so huge?”

“By the way, senior brother, you still haven’t told me about the energy in my body now!” Speaking of the lunar energy within him, Chu Tianyu remembered that they had only discussed half of it earlier. Ignoring the strange coincidence of having absorbed another amber just now, he turned his attention back. Perhaps for him, this amber was indeed too small and unremarkable to be significant!

Liu Xiangshi didn’t offer many explanations regarding the energy levels of both of them. He only made a rough guess, thinking it was still a good thing. All the true energy in their bodies was used to power the Dragon Core. To sustain the body’s tissues, the Ink Dragon Pattern used the essence of the absorbed lunar energy as a supplement to provide temporary energy. But unexpectedly, due to Chu Tianyu’s intense training and cultivation of his combat energy, the Ink Dragon Pattern lost its ability to control itself independently and became entirely under Chu Tianyu’s control.

It could be said that due to this exhaustion, the Ink Dragon Energy had completely lost its self-awareness and became a pure “dantian” within the body, providing Chu Tianyu with a continuous supply of energy!

Finally, Liu Xiangshi summed it up with a classic saying: “He who is entrusted with a great mission by heaven must first strengthen his will and tire his muscles and bones…”

What my senior brother said is indeed very accurate. Chu Tianyu’s childhood as an idiot and the subsequent trials can be considered a way of tempering his will. This time, with no internal vital energy left, he relied entirely on the explosive power of his muscles and tissues, along with his uniquely developed fighting techniques—truly putting his body to the test!

Later, based on Chu Tianyu’s description, Liu Xiangshi deduced the secrets of this dense forest. The toad that Chu Tianyu killed was the spiritual beast guarding this Life Stone. As all things are interdependent, the toads in the forest were the ones creating the thick mist. The mist served two purposes: one was to absorb the essence of all things in the forest to nourish the Life Stone, while the remaining mist covered up the Life Stone’s aura and protected the entire forest, allowing the toads and the Life Stone to remain hidden safely.

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianyu suddenly understood. According to his senior brother, it was pure chance—he happened to witness the mist being released and then absorbed by the Life Stone, which led him to trace back to the source.

Then, his senior brother explained the colored stone powder he had collected earlier and why they still needed to roast the toad legs. Although most of the essence had been absorbed by Chu Tianyu, that colored stone powder was still extremely valuable to ordinary people. If refined properly, it could even have the effect of bringing the dead back to life!

As for the roasted toad legs, their meat had the power to protect against all poisons. Especially their bones—according to the records of the Yunmen sect—were as white as snow. Ground into powder, they were a miraculous medicine for restoring tendons and veins.

The two brothers reconnected as if nothing had changed, chatting while eating the roasted toad legs, and their conversation grew increasingly friendly. Yet Liu Xiangshi still had a doubt, or rather, an uneasy feeling.

Chu Tianyu also noticed his senior brother’s slightly worried expression and asked, “Senior brother, is there something bothering you? Is it because the mist disappeared and the spiritual energy leaked out, and you’re afraid it will attract those enemies chasing you? Don’t worry. If they really come, let them try the power of ‘Po Jun’! I’ll make sure they can’t leave!”

As he spoke, Chu Tianyu clenched his fist, exuding a fierce and imposing aura. In fact, this was exactly what had been worrying Liu Xiangshi all along. From the moment they first met, he had noticed something was off with Chu Tianyu—his cultivation level didn’t seem to match what their master had told him before leaving on his journey, that his junior brother had already reached the state of natural mastery.

While listening to Chu Tianyu’s description, it turned out that over these past few days he hadn’t deliberately sought a way out or tried to find his companions. Instead, he had immersed himself in frantic cultivation. Given what his master had said about his junior brother’s personality, this was extremely unusual! It seemed that the kind of rigorous training he had been worried about—training that exhausted one’s physical strength—had enabled Chu Tianyu to possess all the power of the Ink Dragon Pattern, treating it as a sort of alternative “dantian.” Coupled with the absorption of the cold lunar energy, this was likely the side effect that had led to such outcomes. Although Liu Xiangshi understood the reasoning behind this, he didn’t reveal it, because in the current situation, especially with such a change in personality and consciousness, the person involved might not even pay much attention to it. Sometimes, it could even make him dismiss it, potentially leading to confusion and conflict between his deeper subconscious and his current consciousness—something that would hardly help solve Chu Tianyu’s problems. While Liu Xiangshi was deep in thought, Chu Tianyu began silently utilizing the combat energy within his body. The effect of that amber was like a stone thrown into still water—it only now showed its power, creating ripples within Chu Tianyu’s body. This made him feel as though the combat energy within him was stirred into an extraordinary fighting spirit, like a wild horse galloping wildly within him, stirring up a sense of wildness, impulse, and even a bloody fervor… With a sharp cry of “Ah~~~,” Chu Tianyu suddenly leaped up before Liu Xiangshi’s astonished eyes. Wrapped in a swirling vortex and a faint glow, he instantly struck out with his fists and feet into the air. His figure appeared illusory, his speed lightning-fast, and his fist shadows striking repeatedly as he began practicing immediately. Faced with this sudden scene, Liu Xiangshi was not only stunned but also horrified. He had thought that although Chu Tianyu’s true energy had disappeared and he had gained lunar energy as a result, it could hardly compare to his innate Purple Void True Energy. But now, seeing the punches and kicks he delivered, the gusts of wind they created, and the combat energy that pierced through the air, a fierce fighting spirit pressed down upon him instantly. No matter what moves Chu Tianyu used, just that fighting spirit alone made Liu Xiangshi feel terrified and willing to surrender without fighting…

“Amazing! Truly amazing! Senior, that piece of amber is indeed a treasure. Though it’s not large, its pure energy is incredibly strong. The reaction it triggered made my blood boil. It took a whole ‘Po Jun’ technique session to finally dissolve and absorb it, and I felt much better. Sigh, I really want to find someone to practice against now—even a bear would do…” Chu Tianyu finally stopped moving, standing on the lake platform already ravaged by his punches and kicks, and spoke calmly.
Hearing Chu Tianyu’s words and facing such terrifying power, Liu Xiangshi secretly wiped the sweat from his brow. It seemed his worries were indeed justified…
Just as he thought this, a unique, sharp sound came from afar, followed by a few more responses, as if they were communicating with each other…