Chapter 63: Impurity Contemplation

Rooster-Crested Snake?

Mu Feng’s pupils narrowed sharply. Although he had never seen one in person, he had heard tales since childhood of how terrifying this venomous snake was.

Ordinary snakes and insects, no matter how venomous, usually did not actively attack people entering the mountains. But the Rooster-Crested Snake before his eyes was different—it was fierce by nature and often launched vicious attacks the moment it appeared. Its sharp fangs were frightening enough, but the rooster-like crest on its head was the truly deadly weapon. It contained a huge amount of astonishing venom, capable of being sprayed out from a distance.

Hisss…

The Rooster-Crested Snake that had crawled out of the burrow raised its head and let out a hiss, opening its mouth to spray a stream of venom. In an instant, all the snakes and insects in its path let out mournful cries. Bubbles quickly emerged all over their bodies, exposing stark white bones—the venom’s corrosive power was extremely shocking. Even the hardest rocks, touched by a mere trace of it, emitted wisps of green smoke. Then, turning into a flash of red light, the snake swiftly slithered toward the Medicine King Cauldron. Along the way, all the snakes and insects blocking its path hastily scrambled to both sides like a receding tide, clearing a wide path.

“Word Art: Suppress — change formation, now!”

Ghost Mother let out a cold shout. Mu Feng quickly snapped back to attention, stirring the remaining Spiritual Power within him and changing his hand seals.

Suddenly, the eighteen fluttering command flags abruptly sank. Within a radius of a hundred meters, the gravity sharply increased. All the snakes and insects paused momentarily, their speed greatly reduced, and the fierce Rooster-Crested Snake was no exception. Frustrated, it hissed wildly, spewing mouthfuls of deadly venom, but it was useless. Even with its full effort, it could not move quickly, and the pressure on its body grew heavier and heavier. By the time it crawled to the edge of the Medicine King Cauldron, it was completely exhausted, having nearly depleted all its energy and venom.

Hisss…

Finally reaching the edge of the Medicine King Cauldron, it was just about to slither inside when the Rooster-Crested Snake suddenly stopped, cautiously sensing the danger within the cauldron. Swishing its tail, it turned to leave.

“Word Art: Slay!”

Ghost Mother gave another cold shout. Having finally waited for a truly potent venomous snake, how could she allow it to slip away right under her nose?

This time, Mu Feng dared not be careless. His hand gestures changed once more. Instantly, the heavy eighteen flags rolled with chilling Yin Wind, and ghostly wails filled the air. The next moment, eighteen sinister skeletons struggled free from the flags and pounced toward the several-meter-long Rooster-Crested Snake, bringing with them a bone-chilling Yin Wind.

The first skeleton fell, a large hole corroded in its chest by a spray of venom. The second skeleton toppled as well, its legs completely rotted away from the thighs down…

In the blink of an eye, seven skeletons had fallen. However, the Rooster-Crested Snake also bore deep, bone-exposing wounds left by the bony claws of the other skeletons. Then, the lead Skeleton King grabbed it and threw it into the Medicine King Cauldron. With a sizzle and the rise of a wisp of green smoke, the fearsome Rooster-Crested Snake dissolved into a pool of bloody water.

Lure, Suppress, Slay!

The Yinfeng Formation composed of eighteen command flags was incredibly versatile and powerful, allowing Mu Feng to truly witness the might of this treasure. Soon, under the lure of the Yinfeng Formation, all the snakes and insects within ten miles were completely exterminated.

Only after the last venomous snake had dissolved into a pool of bloody water did Ghost Mother step forward. Flipping her right hand over, she produced several precious medicinal herbs from who-knew-where.

“One qian of Millennium Sea Agate; three stalks of Hundred-Year Dragon Bone Grass; seven stalks of Ice Mountain Snow Lotus…”

Ghost Mother counted aloud as she tossed numerous precious herbs into the Medicine King Cauldron. Only after they had completely dissolved in the bloody water inside the cauldron did she let out a grating laugh. Turning to look at Mu Feng, she said, “Good! The cauldron of Bloody Ambergris is finally ready. Mu Feng, get in. I’ve noticed you’ve been stuck at the Early Mortal Realm for quite some time, unable to break through the final half-step bottleneck. Today, this Granny will give you another helping hand!”

“Thank you, Granny!”

Mu Feng pondered briefly, then resolutely stepped into the Medicine King Cauldron and slowly sat down cross-legged.

The old witch was sinister by nature and definitely not so kind-hearted. Her words sounded pleasant, claiming she wanted to help him break through; but without much thought, he knew she definitely had another scheme—most likely attempting to use this cauldron of Bloody Ambergris to feed the newly born Twelve-Winged Golden Cicada, so she could sooner take control of his body and probe his secrets.

“Cackle, cackle! Young man, meeting me is the greatest fortune of your life!”

Ghost Mother let out a shrill laugh, formed a hand seal, and the Medicine King Cauldron’s lid closed and it began to spin. Very soon, an overwhelming wave of heat erupted from it.

“Blood Refining Art!”

Mu Feng was well prepared. The moment the Medicine King Cauldron’s lid closed, he swiftly activated the Blood Refining Art. All the pores on his body opened wide, devouring the concentrated essence of toxins and blood.

Devour, refine, compress…

The Bloody Ambergris inside the Medicine King Cauldron gradually diminished as he sucked it into his body. His already surging blood became even more turbulent. This cauldron of Bloody Ambergris not only brought pure blood essence but also immense power. Gently stirring the Ancestral Sorcerer’s Essence Blood within him, he stirred up waves of scorching, galloping blood. The Spiritual Power within him rose accordingly like water level.

Gradually, as more and more blood essence poured into his body, it grew hotter and hotter. His strong muscles began to tremble lightly, unable to conceal the immense power within. Each tremor caused the large cauldron to rumble and shake. Wave after wave of blood flowed through acupoints like the Flag Gate and Energy Sea, repeatedly impacting the Baihui point at the top of his head. A feeling of floating bliss, as if about to break through into the sky, grew stronger and stronger. In his mind, it felt as if a large iron wedge was pushing upward, trying to bore a hole through.

“Ah…”

Mu Feng roared, punched open the Medicine King Cauldron’s lid, and leaped out. Wisps of faint smoke rose from the top of his head. The profoundly powerful Ghost Mother understood at a glance what had happened—he had reached the brink of a breakthrough.

“Sit cross-legged, hold the Origin and guard the One. Imagine a huge pile of dry firewood ignited, and you are sitting within the fiercely burning flames.” Ghost Mother shouted sternly. After Mu Feng sat cross-legged, his whole body red and scorching as if on fire, she continued, “Good, very good! Now, imagine that you have already died, your corpse long decayed, covered with filthy things like ants and leeches, the stench unbearable!”

“Ah…”

Mu Feng threw his head back and let out a furious roar, spewing a wave of scorching heat from his mouth. With a “whoosh,” a large tree not far away instantly turned charred black as if burned by a great fire. At this moment, his mind was highly focused. Guided by Ghost Mother, he felt as if he were sitting within boundless flames, his filthy body burning and purifying in the fierce fire.

“Good! Now, imagine yourself standing beneath a waterfall descending from the heavens. Sweet, cold mountain spring water rushes down from above, seeping into every pore of your body. Your body begins to grow cold, colder and colder, leaving behind all the filth and sin of the mortal world.” Ghost Mother’s tone was icy as she transmitted to him the first level’s mental cultivation method of the Yinwind Great Art: the Visualization Method’s Impurity Contemplation!

The Visualization Method, also called the Visualization Great Art, is the mental cultivation method of the first level of the Yinwind Great Art. It allows one to visualize evil spirits and malevolent deities through a powerful Spiritual Soul, then forcibly summon them to aid in battle. The initial technique of this level’s mental cultivation is to achieve the state of the Spiritual Soul leaving the body by visualizing vivid scenes. To enhance the effect, one usually visualizes the filthiest, most unforgettable scenes from one’s life. Hence, it is also called Impurity Contemplation.

This initial Impurity Contemplation technique is the foundation of the Yinwind Great Art and also a critically important barrier. It tests not the Spiritual Power within, nor perseverance, but a person’s comprehension and life experiences. Some break through in one go, while others practice diligently for centuries without any progress.

Why do some cultivators, like ascetics, travel the world willingly enduring countless hardships?

For no other reason than to experience the vicissitudes of life, to have more personal experiences, so they can break through the bottleneck at once through visualization.

Huu…

Mu Feng’s abdomen deeply contracted as he exhaled a breath. But it wasn’t his usual turbid air—it was a breath of icy cold. As this breath was expelled, a thick layer of ice quickly formed on the cold Medicine King Cauldron, emitting a chilling aura. In his mind, the feeling of breaking through into the sky grew even stronger. His robe fluttered without wind, and his whole body seemed about to float away.

“Very good! Now, imagine you have climbed an immense mountain, millions of zhang high, shrouded in clouds and mist. Standing at the edge of a cliff, you look down, then take a leap and jump!”

Ghost Mother shouted loudly. With the last word “jump,” she even unconsciously infused it with the Soul-Snatching Sound of the Yinfeng Sect. As a former Holy Maiden of the Yinfeng Sect, she had instructed many disciples in their cultivation, but she had never seen anyone with comprehension as astonishing as Mu Feng’s. The profound Impurity Contemplation mental cultivation method was executed by him in one smooth, continuous flow.

Jump… jump… jump…

Ghost Mother’s voice seemed to come from the clouds, echoing again and again in his ears. At this moment, Mu Feng thought of the steep Stone Mountain, and of the Heavenward Platform above the clouds within the Mu Manor’s grotto-heaven. The sensation of looking down, seeing all other mountains small, and feeling weakness in the soles of his feet, appeared vividly in his mind.

Worship the heavens, ascend to the heavens in one step!

Before Mu Feng’s eyes, images of ethereal clouds and mist and an immensely high platform surfaced, as if he were once again standing upon the elusive Heavenward Platform. Without hesitation, he leaped forward.

Boom…

The next moment, his body felt light, as if something had finally burst out from the top of his head. The sky was vast, the sea wide—he found himself amidst ethereal clouds and mist. Looking down, the entire Hundred Thousand Mountains lay spread out below him. In a valley down below, a young man sat cross-legged on the ground, and beside him stood a sinister old woman.

“Eh, that’s…”

Mu Feng cried out in surprise, recognizing that the young man sitting cross-legged on the ground was none other than another version of himself.

Succeeded?

Had he successfully broken through to the Middle Mortal Realm, achieving Spiritual Soul projection?

Mu Feng quickly realized what had happened. He felt an overwhelming urge to throw his head back and roar, so great was his excitement.

Just over half a month ago, he had been a sickly, weak scholar who would cough up blood if he walked too fast, enduring humiliation and scornful looks. During the day, he was still an ordinary disciple at the Early Mortal Realm, unable to break through the bottleneck despite all his efforts. Yet, unexpectedly, on this very night, the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.

He had taken a crucial step on the long journey, breaking through from the Early Mortal Realm to the Middle Mortal Realm. Could the Elite Realm still be far away?

Mu Feng was utterly thrilled, seeing hope of breaking through to the Elite Realm. His Spiritual Soul prepared to ascend further, to see the entire Tongtian Dynasty. Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the high altitude. His whole body felt as if falling into an ice cellar, and his ears were filled with horrifying, blood-curdling ghostly wails. Calming himself to look, he saw countless wandering souls and malevolent spirits fiercely charging toward him from within the pitch-black, oppressive clouds all around.