Chapter 39

Iron Mu Zhan and the great beast spirit An quickly approached, soon arriving at the edge of the pond.

"Truly beautiful," Iron Mu Zhan marveled as he gazed at the two enormous lotus leaves blooming under the morning sunlight, his heart filled with awe and growing apprehension. Although he was at the late innate stage, he had not yet reached the realm of unity with heaven and earth, but he could still faintly sense the extraordinary nature of the two-layered lotus leaves.

"Master," the great beast spirit An looked at Iron Mu Zhan, "What should we do now?"

"Don't rush. He's right in front of us; he can't escape. Let's test him first!" Iron Mu Zhan communicated telepathically, summoning the innate primordial energy in his hand to draw a stone from the ground. He then swung his arm, and the innate true essence wrapped around the stone, transforming it into a streak of light that shot toward Ji Ning, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance.

Although it was just a stone thrown casually, it could still kill a Nine-Tooth Warrior.

"Whoosh!"

As the stone entered the range of the two-layered lotus leaves surrounding Ji Ning, it instantly froze! The invisible force of entanglement acted upon it, and with a "bang," the stone turned to powder.

Both the great beast spirit An and Iron Mu Zhan felt a tightening in their hearts. They exchanged glances, clearly puzzled by the mysterious two-layered lotus leaves.

"I don't believe it," Iron Mu Zhan snorted, and a black vine whip appeared in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

Iron Mu Zhan swung the black vine whip, which rapidly extended and coiled around a nearby thick tree. He then exerted his strength, and with a "thud," the entire tree was uprooted from the ground, bringing up a lot of soil. Iron Mu Zhan then swung the whip again.

With a "thud," the tree, weighing several thousand pounds, crashed toward Ji Ning, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance. When the thick tree struck the translucent two-layered lotus leaves, some of its branches shattered, but the tremendous impact force still caused the lotus leaves to tremble.

Ji Ning, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, also trembled and opened his eyes.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw the two-layered lotus leaves around him dissipate, and a thick tree falling toward him. In the distance, Iron Mu Zhan and the man in black were smirking.

"Ruining my opportunity!" When Ji Ning saw the dissipated two-layered lotus leaves, he instantly understood the significance of his enlightenment from the previous night. If no one had disturbed him, he might have continued to gain deeper insights. It was a rare opportunity that he might not encounter again for decades or even centuries.

"Damn it!"

Ji Ning punched directly, and with a "bang," the rapidly flying thick tree exploded, breaking into two pieces. One piece fell into the nearby pond, crushing many lotus flowers, while the other piece struck several other trees before landing on the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Ji Clan boy!" Iron Mu Zhan sneered, "You fled into the forest for a thousand miles, but you were still caught by me! Today is your end!"

Ji Ning gave him a cold look and immediately began to channel the Yin and Yang forces within his body. The enlightenment from the previous night had given him a glimpse of the elusive 'Dao,' and this glimpse had resolved his doubts about how to break through to the innate stage with the *Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart*. Everything in the universe is not absolutely opposed; just like night and day, which seem to be opposites but are merely two sides of the same day.

Just like the two-layered water and fire lotus leaves around him, they did not cancel each other out but instead enhanced each other's power. Why?

A lotus flower can only grow because it has a stem!

The 'stem' of the two-layered water and fire lotus leaves was Ji Ning himself!

How could the Yin and Yang forces be merged?

By finding the 'stem' of the Yin and Yang forces!

"Invoke!"

Ji Ning's eyes were filled with absolute confidence.

The Yin and Yang forces within his body were fully activated, permeating every part of his body, from his hair and skin to his internal organs and even the finest details. Each thread of Yin force began to intertwine with the Yang force, but their inherent nature made them reluctant to merge.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" All the Yin and Yang forces swirled like lotus leaves in the wind, like two Taiji fish chasing each other.

One Yin, one Yang.

They continuously chased each other, containing the trace of the 'Dao' that Ji Ning had felt earlier.

Gradually, in the center of the chasing Yin and Yang forces, a new force was born!

Instantly—

From the depths of the boundless void, separated by countless layers of the world, the two supreme celestial bodies—the Sun Star and the Moon Star—each descended a thread of true solar fire and true lunar water, appearing on either side of Ji Ning and automatically invoking the water and fire forces of the world.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

The surrounding world spontaneously condensed into a massive flame and a vast torrent of water.

Although it seemed slow, Ji Ning had immediately invoked the forces within his body to break through after shattering the tree. Iron Mu Zhan and the great beast spirit An witnessed the boundless water and fire spontaneously condensing and being born, even feeling a sense of fear. Where the water passed, everything froze into ice sculptures; where the fire passed, everything shattered and burned.

In the rolling waves of water, a faint shadow of a moon rabbit appeared.

In the depths of the boundless flames, a shadow of a three-legged golden crow appeared.

At the center of the moon rabbit and the golden crow was Ji Ning!

"This, this..." Iron Mu Zhan's face changed in shock, "Could it be the legendary *Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart*?"

The moon rabbit and the golden crow appeared together!

There was no doubt that it was the legendary first method of divine and demonic body cultivation, the *Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart*. In the entire Yan Mountain region, no one had become an innate being through this method in at least a thousand years. Although he had seen this method and knew the wonders of breaking through, this was the first time he had witnessed it firsthand.

"Hmph." Iron Mu Zhan's hand produced several array flags, and he began to run around Ji Ning, who was enveloped in boundless water and fire. He threw the array flags in different directions, inserting them deep into the mud.

In just a few seconds, eight array flags were planted within a one-mile radius.

Iron Mu Zhan stood at a distance.

"Master, attack now," the great beast spirit An urged, "He is breaking through, and this is his most vulnerable moment."

"No," Iron Mu Zhan shouted, "He is cultivating the first method of divine and demonic body cultivation, invoking the power of the Sun and Moon Stars! When breaking through to the innate stage, these two supreme celestial bodies will descend a thread of true solar fire and true lunar water to transform his mortal body into a true innate divine and demonic body."

"Then we must disrupt it even more," the great beast spirit An urged anxiously.

"Didn't you understand?" Iron Mu Zhan's face turned ashen as he stared at Ji Ning, who was enveloped in boundless water and fire, "He is now surrounded by boundless ice water and boundless flames. The core of the boundless ice water is a thread of true lunar water! The core of the boundless flames is a thread of true solar fire! Even if we dared to touch it, we would instantly freeze to pieces or burn to ashes, leaving no soul or spirit behind, making it impossible to reincarnate in the underworld!"

"So powerful?" the great beast spirit An was alarmed.

"Of course!" Iron Mu Zhan said solemnly, "This is the power of two supreme celestial bodies! Who dares to touch the true solar fire and true lunar water?"

"Then, what do we do?" the great beast spirit An asked anxiously, "Just watch this Ji Clan boy become stronger?"

"Wait!" Iron Mu Zhan said in a low voice, "Now, the two supreme celestial bodies are descending their power to transform his mortal body into a true innate divine and demonic body. Once he breaks through, the threads of true lunar water and true solar fire will disappear. After all, the true lunar water and true solar fire are not his own strength."

Iron Mu Zhan sneered, "I have already set up the Yin-Yang Two Qi Array. Once this Ji Clan boy breaks through and loses the protection of the two supreme celestial bodies, I will immediately activate the array! No matter what, he is just a newly formed innate being with no magical treasures. I am already at the late innate stage and have the array to assist me!"

"Understood," the great beast spirit An nodded.

"However, this Ji Clan boy is truly remarkable!" Iron Mu Zhan couldn't help but praise, "The *Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart* is the legendary first method of divine and demonic body cultivation, known by almost every major tribe! But in the past thousand years in the Yan Mountain region, no one has managed to cultivate it to the innate stage. If we let him grow, he will surely become the first person of the Ji Clan's Five Houses, and even the first person of the Yan Mountain region! But no matter how powerful he is, he is just about to step into the innate stage. Ha... The thought of killing such a monstrous genius is truly exhilarating!"

...

What is the innate stage?

Those born from the heavens and earth are true innate beings.

Ordinary cultivators merely convert their internal energy into innate true essence, then cleanse their entire body to reach a light and agile state. This is the weakest form of an innate being's body, and a single stab to the heart can kill them.

Divine and demonic body cultivation, on the other hand, involves transforming the body fundamentally to possess a divine and demonic body. Like innate divine and demonic beings, their bodies can withstand being cut into eighteen pieces without dying as long as the head remains intact. Most divine and demonic body cultivation methods are relatively inferior, even involving drawing magical patterns on the body.

The *Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart*, however, invokes the power of the two supreme celestial bodies, automatically generating two divine patterns.

When breaking through to the innate stage, the two supreme celestial bodies descend true solar fire and true lunar water, combining water and fire to nurture the innate divine and demonic body. Such a divine and demonic body is no less powerful than those of the true divine and demonic beings of the divine and demonic era. This is why this method is considered the first method!

"Crack!" Ji Ning felt every cell in his body explode in an instant, and then, with the *Chi Ming* divine power as the guide, the true lunar water and true solar fire began to form new cells. The threads of true solar fire and true lunar water descended from the two supreme celestial bodies were completely absorbed and consumed during the nurturing of the innate divine and demonic body.

The mortal body was shed!

The divine and demonic body was achieved!

With the disappearance of the true solar fire and true lunar water, the boundless water and fire also dissipated, revealing Ji Ning, dressed in animal skins. Even though he had fundamentally completed the leap in life stages, the animal skins on his body were not damaged at all. Ji Ning's skin glowed with a captivating luster, as if it were a crystalline formation of the heavens and earth.

Ji Ning opened his eyes, looked at Iron Mu Zhan and the great beast spirit An in the distance, and said two words: "Die!"

The Yin and Yang divine patterns on his back instantly invoked the power.

"Bang! Bang!"

A massive fire dragon and a massive water dragon spontaneously appeared, driven by the Yin and Yang divine patterns, containing terrifying destructive power, and directly rushed toward Iron Mu Zhan and the great beast spirit An! The *Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart* records that once one steps into the innate stage, they can control water and fire!