Li Chang’an used the Martial Scripture to turn himself into a conduit for Spiritual Power. But in doing so, he was caught in the torrent of Spiritual Power, pinned in place by its immense pressure.
A vast amount of Spiritual Power surged through Li Chang’an’s body.
At first, Li Chang’an was able to withstand the scouring of the Spiritual Power with his formidable physique.
But as time passed, second by second, Li Chang’an discovered that the Spiritual Power flowing out of the Immortal Gate now contained countless blades, spears, swords, and halberds!
These were not real weapons, but phantom images contained within the Spiritual Power.
Yet, when they struck his body, they felt no different from real weapons.
Sharp edges carved gruesome wounds into Li Chang’an’s body and soul, seeking to tear him to shreds, dismember him, and reduce him to scattered fragments on the ground.
Li Chang’an guessed that the Immortal Palace was behind this.
All he could do now was grit his teeth and endure.
Eventually, Li Chang’an felt as if his body and soul had been torn to rags. The weapons within the Spiritual Power were so tyrannical that resistance was impossible.
But he felt no pain.
Because his Heaven-defying Comprehension had kicked in.
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: You have pierced through some of the mysteries of Spiritual Power and Cultivator Techniques. You have grasped some Immortal Cultivation Techniques!]
[Heaven-defying Comprehension: By channeling a massive amount of Spiritual Power, you sense your body being cleansed. Your flesh and soul have been purified to the utmost, and you have comprehended the Skill of the Sea Receiving All Rivers!]
Two consecutive messages flashed before his eyes.
Li Chang’an grinned. He took a sharp, deep breath and activated the Skill of the Sea Receiving All Rivers he had just comprehended, completely draining the Spiritual Power flowing from the Immortal Gate in a single gulp.
The massive amount of Spiritual Power was compressed inside his body; Li Chang’an had forcibly condensed it into an Energy Ball shimmering with an aura of Chaos!
This "Skill of the Sea Receiving All Rivers" was, in essence, a technique for storing Energy!
Li Chang’an could absorb any type of Energy his body could contain, compress it within himself, and call upon it to fight in moments of crisis!
In other words, with this technique, Li Chang’an now possessed a reservoir that others lacked. His combat prowess could multiply depending on the quantity and quality of the Energy stored within!
After he had swallowed that massive gulp of Spiritual Power, the Immortal Gate, which had been gushing like a burst dam, finally closed.
The Immortal Palace detected the anomaly but didn’t send anyone down to investigate immediately. They would likely wait another two thousand years before coming to check on the situation.
The Immortal Gate was completely shut.
Li Chang’an felt his entire body go limp, but the smile on his face never faded. ’Those Cultivators are truly generous,’ he thought. ’The Spiritual Power they left behind should be enough to last two thousand years.’
He did not leave Soul-Breaking Mountain.
Instead, he summoned men and began to construct a fortified city on Soul-Breaking Mountain.
Over the next two thousand years, he would transform Soul-Breaking Mountain into an impregnable pass forged from iron and steel. Its name would be Slaying Immortal Pass!
This time, since it was merely a matter of selling exploitation rights to the Lower Realm, not many Cultivators had come.
But next time, a Direct Disciple from the Immortal Palace would most likely come down to investigate. At that point, it wouldn’t be just one or two people; the Immortal Palace would probably dispatch an entire squad of Law Enforcers.
For that, Li Chang’an had to be ready.
While the pass was being built, Li Chang’an himself began planting and cultivating Spiritual Medicine.
...
In his one hundredth year.
Li Chang’an finally gathered all the Elixirs the World-Devouring Whale needed, successfully healing its injuries.
The World-Devouring Whale did not waste any time. It left this world and flew to the border between the two realms, where it began to use its Talent Energy to sever the boundary of spacetime between the Lower Realm and the Cultivation World.
This would be a lengthy process.
Li Chang’an had to find a way to further extend the path of the Martial Dao, while also doing everything possible to avoid dying of old age in the meantime.
High-tier Cultivators could live for tens of thousands of years.
For them, several thousand years was merely a blink of an eye.
But for Martial Artists like Li Chang’an, several thousand years could very well be an entire lifetime for most of them.
The power level of this world was not high.
To extend one’s life by five thousand years was nearly impossible for Li Chang’an to achieve alone. He had to advance the development of the Martial Dao across the entire world, thereby elevating the world’s overall power level.
Only then would they have what it takes to truly stand against the Cultivators.
...
In his two hundredth year.
The Slaying Immortal Pass at Soul-Breaking Mountain was finally complete.
A single pass, built with the full might of the world over more than a hundred years—one could only imagine how impregnable it was.
Once the pass was complete, Li Chang’an announced its name to the entire Martial Arts World.
Slaying Immortal Pass.
A name that radiated killing intent.
The Martial Artists of the world all felt their blood boil with excitement.
Over the years, Li Chang’an had taken control of the world’s information channels, gradually informing the populace of the Lower Realm about the Cultivators’ exploitation and plunder.
Now, both the common people and the Martial Artists held a deep-seated disgust for the actions of the Cultivators and the Cultivation Realm.
They didn’t just want to break free from the Cultivators’ control.
They also wanted to save others who were being manipulated at will by them!
After setting a clear and distinct goal for everyone, Li Chang’an called for all Martial Artists to unite. He personally took the lead in establishing a Martial Dao Research Institute and a Technology Research Institute.
The Martial Dao Research Institute consolidated all the Martial Arts Techniques and Secret Manuals in the world. It gathered the world’s most creative and brilliant minds, who came together to research topics related to the Martial Dao. Whenever they had questions, they could draft a report and submit it to Li Chang’an, who would help guide their way.