stjorthotic Chapter 146 Entering the Fetal Breathing Realm
Chapter 146 Entering the Fetal Breathing Realm
Chapter 146 Entering the Fetal Breathing Realm (Two Chapters Combined)
Deep within Chen Yuan's sea of consciousness lies the core of his soul, his true origin and the ultimate destination of his mind.
This is a pure and flawless world of the soul!
Chen Yuan's inner world forever radiates a bright yet gentle light, which is the embodiment of the essence of his soul.
Here, there is no trace of being influenced by any laws; everything remains in its most original and purest state.
In this spiritual world, Chen Yuan's consciousness is no longer the soul form that shines with the light of laws in the sea of consciousness, but has returned to its original form—an ordinary young man from Earth.
"It's coming."
Chen Yuan stared at the boundary of his mental world, and saw a wisp of colorless and formless mist quietly seeping in.
Under the influence of the rules of the mental world, this wisp of mist gradually manifested its most primitive form—the very appearance of the black-clad Marquis of Sorrow.
"Chen Yuan, I must say, I truly underestimated you." Marquis Shang shook his head slightly: "A mere Hengxing-level cultivator has actually managed to force me to this point. I have to burn my soul and abandon everything to have even a sliver of a chance to win."
"What you just used was a secret technique of willpower?" Chen Yuan asked in a deep voice.
"It seems you do know quite a lot." Marquis Shang gave Chen Yuan a meaningful look. "But you're wrong. The true secret art of willpower has more than just this effect."
"This secret technique can at best be considered a replica of the Willpower Secret Technique. It has huge flaws, and it requires burning all of one's soul power to use it even once." At this point, Marquis Shang sighed, "So, this is also the first time I've used this secret technique."
"But there's no other way; if I don't do it this way, I have no chance of winning."
"Only pure will can break through the protection of the soul's secret treasure and invade your world of consciousness."
"So, you want to win by willpower and take over my mind?" Chen Yuan stared at the other person and whispered his intention.
"Yes," Marquis Shang readily admitted, "I've exhausted all my means; only this last resort remains: a battle of wills against you!"
"If I win, I will devour everything you have, gain all your secrets and talents, and start a completely new life."
"But if you fail, I will devour everything you have. All the secret techniques you know, even your insights into the laws, will be inherited by me," Chen Yuan said coldly. "You still love gambling so much."
"You're right," Marquis Shang smiled confidently. "But this time, I won't lose."
"Although the strength of one's will is not entirely related to one's realm, I have after all undergone a hundred thousand epochs of tempering and a transformation through life and death."
"In terms of willpower, I believe I am no less than those peak immortal powerhouses."
At this point, Marquis Shang looked at Chen Yuan and smiled, "And you? You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're still just a lowly Star-level cultivator. How strong can your willpower be?"
Chen Yuan remained silent. What the other party said was true. Although he possessed the Star River Emperor's mental cultivation method and had a strong point in mental will, he had only been cultivating for a short time, no more than five years.
In terms of mental fortitude alone, Chen Yuan was confident that he was no weaker than those immortals who had cultivated for many years, but at most he could only be compared to those at the Marquis level.
The "peak immortality" that Shanghou mentioned clearly refers to the King-level, and even more specifically, the top King-level powerhouse.
The gap between the two is indeed more than just a little bit.
But Chen Yuan would not back down because of this. He said calmly, "Show me what you've got."
"Now that things have come to this, you don't actually think I'm the kind of person who's easily intimidated, do you?"
"Haha, excellent!" Marquis Shang laughed, a hint of admiration in his eyes: "To remain calm even in the face of such a desperate situation..."
Chen Yuan, it seems your will is indeed extraordinary.
"Honestly, if it weren't for the current situation, and if we had met at some other time, we might have become friends."
"Even if I were to lose to you in a contest of wills, I would still willingly give you everything."
At this moment, Marquis Shang spoke earnestly, as if he were about to admit defeat and surrender at any moment, but Chen Yuan remained unmoved, merely giving him a cold, wary look: "No need to act anymore. Do you think I'd believe these tricks?"
"Or do you think I haven't noticed that the erosion of your will has already begun?"
Upon hearing this, the previously smiling Marquis Shang instantly turned cold, staring at Chen Yuan expressionlessly: "Impressive! You actually discovered my highly secretive operation."
"Since that's the case, I don't need to pretend anymore."
As soon as the words were spoken, the once bright and pure world of the mind suddenly dimmed, and the soft light began to be gradually eroded by darkness and decay.
It turns out that Shanghou had been secretly eroding Chen Yuan's mental world, but he did so without revealing any trace on the surface. At the same time, he was trying to keep Chen Yuan calm with words and divert his attention.
He never expected Chen Yuan to be so perceptive, directly seeing through his actions. Marquis Shang was helpless.
The only option is to take the initiative.
Fortunately, things unfolded exactly as Shang Hou had predicted—his will was indeed much stronger than that of his opponent.
In reality, Chen Yuan's will was not weak; it's just that the gap between the Marquis level and the peak of the King level was indeed quite significant.
So before long, the Marquis of Shang's mental power had occupied half of the mental world and was continuing to erode and spread to the remaining half.
Seeing this, Marquis Shang smiled smugly: "See? When it comes to a contest of wills, you are no match for me."
"It won't be long before I can completely occupy your mental world and then devour your consciousness."
Chen Yuan's eyes remained calm as he replied indifferently, "Is that so?"
The next second, his originally gentle mental power suddenly revealed its extreme sharpness, like a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath, annihilating Shang Hou's invading will!
Marquis Shang murmured, "Heart like a sword, what a powerful willpower technique, it can almost be considered the prototype of a secret art of willpower."
This "heart like a sword" technique was something Chen Yuan came to understand after studying the three paths of spiritual realm in the original work.
According to the classification of spiritual states on Earth, there are three paths:
1. A heart as clear as a mirror, a heart as sharp as a knife.
Second: A childlike heart, harmony between humanity and nature.
Third: A heart with boundless capacity, encompassing everything.
These three paths are not inherently superior or inferior; they are simply different directions of cultivation chosen.
Chen Yuan's current spiritual state does not belong to any of these three paths, so in addition to his cultivation, he also studies the spiritual paths of this world, hoping to find a way to enter the "embryonic breathing" state.
This method of using the mind like a sword is the first path of imitation: the mind is like a mirror, insightful and perceptive; the mind is like a sword, cutting through all obstacles.
In the original work, Luo Feng relied on this realm to fight his way from the primordial universe to the Origin Continent, making him the one who went the furthest among the three paths.
Therefore, Chen Yuan prioritized this path for research, and it has already shown initial results, reclaiming the part that had been eroded by Shang Hou, and the two have returned to a state of equal strength.
But that's all.
Although this path of cultivation has a promising future, it requires a long period of practice to continue improving, and it is impossible to achieve it overnight.
Marquis Shang also saw this and smiled coldly: "The methods are not bad, but unfortunately the essence of the mind is not strong enough."
"My willpower is a hundred times stronger than yours. Faced with absolute overwhelming power, even if your mind is as sharp as a sword, how many can you slay?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the immense power of Shang Hou's will pressed down, instantly shattering the balance of the mental world and beginning to inch-by-inch devour Chen Yuan's space.
Although Chen Yuan's sword of the heart was extremely sharp, it could only retreat step by step in the face of such a vast torrent of will.
Faced with this critical situation, even Chen Yuan, who had already reached the perfect state of constant stability, couldn't help but feel anxious.
After discovering that the Heart Sword could not effectively block his opponent, he immediately tried other methods, but the results were not satisfactory.
The second path, the unity of heaven and man, integrates the power of the mind with the entire spiritual world, which indeed greatly enhanced Chen Yuan's spiritual foundation.
However, even with enhanced mental will, the gap between them was still vast, and without the sharpness of the Sword of the Heart, defense became even more difficult.
As for the third realm, the Infinite Heart, although its power is astonishing, it is a realm that Chen Yuan has not yet been able to comprehend—he has no idea how to even begin to understand it.
So Chen Yuan turned back to studying the path of the unity of heaven and man. He found that, compared to the mind as a sword, the unity of heaven and man, although slightly less powerful, seemed to be more suitable for him.
"Through the unity of heaven and man, I have gained the blessing of the entire spiritual world, but I am still no match for Marquis Shang." Chen Yuan gradually immersed himself in this state, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
"By the way, the most important thing about this realm is to be in harmony with 'Heaven.' Although my spiritual world is also 'Heaven,' it is ultimately too insignificant, representing only one person."
Chen Yuan's brows slowly relaxed, and a flash of inspiration appeared in his mind: "What if I merge with the true Heaven—to replace the Heaven's will with my own?"
"In the world of Star Emperor, the so-called Heavenly Heart and Heavenly Will refer to the will of a planet, but planets that devour the starry sky don't have such things."
"Therefore, there is only one kind of 'Heaven' that I need to merge with." A glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes: "That is the primordial will of the universe!"
"My heart speaks for Heaven's heart, and Heaven's will is my will!"
"I finally understand what the true state of embryonic breathing is like—"
At this moment, Chen Yuan finally understood his future cultivation direction, but how to enter this realm was still a problem.
Chen Yuan was completely immersed in it, and even though Shang Hou had occupied 70% of his mental world, he didn't care at all.
Do not erupt in silence, but perish in silence.
At this moment, Chen Yuan had only one question in his mind: how to merge with the will of Heaven.
"The state of mind of oneness with nature seems applicable, but the original cosmic will is too vast and even more ethereal."
Chen Yuan frowned: "I can't even sense it, let alone merge with it."
"If this path is blocked, perhaps we can start with embryonic breathing, since one of the abilities of the embryonic breathing realm is to communicate with the 'two-dimensional world'."
The second dimension, also known as the other dimension, is another dimension in the world of Star River Emperor. It is inaccessible by technological means and can only be communicated with through the power of the mind.
In the Swallowed Star Sky, there is a similar place, which is the origin of the universe and the location of the original cosmic will.
Chen Yuan fell into deep thought: "The Fetal Breathing Realm - according to the original description, the so-called fetal breathing does not mean that one breathes through the navel like a fetus."
"True embryonic breathing is breathing with the spirit and the soul! Only in this way can one communicate with other dimensions in the mysterious."
"How should one breathe with the mind?" A thought flashed through Chen Yuan's mind: "Perhaps I should return to my essence."
The essence of it all is actually just sleeping!
The entire spiritual cultivation system in "Star River Emperor" is built upon the foundation of sleep. Whether it's the deep sleep in the early stages or the later states of meditation and embryonic breathing, they are essentially deeper levels of sleep!
"And it's not just sleep."
"To go further, perhaps we should focus on 'dreams'."
Only at this moment did Chen Yuan finally understand the real reason why he had been unable to enter the embryonic breathing realm all this time.
That is, the dream is missing!
That's right. Since Chen Yuan first entered deep sleep, he has never dreamed again, so he naturally ignored this fact.
In fact, the name of the cultivation technique that Jiang Li, the protagonist of "Star River Emperor", initially obtained was already quite clear.
That is the "Great Dream Heart Sutra"!
The word "dream" runs throughout the entire story.
"That's right. If you want to enter the origin of the universe, conventional methods won't work because it's not even on the same dimensional level."
"But dreams are also illusions, and theoretically they don't exist in reality."
"In other words, through dreams, my consciousness can wander in a virtual two-dimensional world, and perhaps I really can find the origin of the universe!"
With that thought in mind, Chen Yuan stopped paying attention to Shang Hou's erosion, and his consciousness lay down, entering a deeper level of sleep.
"Is he sleeping?" Marquis Shang was stunned for a moment, completely unable to understand Chen Yuan's actions.
However, he knew very well that as Chen Yuan's consciousness fell into a deep sleep, the other party's mental world lost its leader, and the strength to resist the erosion was greatly weakened.
"Whatever your plans are, since you've given up resisting, don't blame me."
Marquis Shang smiled dismissively and continued to intensify the erosion efforts.
Before long, the entire mental world was almost completely occupied by darkness, leaving only a sliver of light around Chen Yuan, in a very small area, less than one percent of the entire mental world.
"It's safe now—"
Seeing this, the thought flashed through Shang Hou's mind, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He never expected that possessing a mere Eternal Star would be so difficult. He almost had to use all his strength and even give up everything to barely gain the upper hand through sheer willpower.
But it doesn't matter, as long as the possession is successful, all the sacrifices will be worthwhile.
Thinking of this, Shanghou couldn't help but smile, preparing to seize the opportunity and completely conquer the entire world of the mind.
However, as time passed, that last patch of light remained completely still, no matter how hard Shanghou tried.
They couldn't even get a single step in.
Marquis Shang's expression changed: "What happened?!"
Meanwhile, in a dimension far beyond Shanghou's awareness, the dream world constructed by Chen Yuan was radiating a dazzling array of colors, with all sorts of bizarre and fantastical scenes flowing through it.
This dream remains in its most primal and pure state, while Chen Yuan's consciousness has long since left this place, constantly traversing and wandering in the gaps between dimensions.
In this dimension beyond reason, the concept of time seems to have completely lost its meaning.
Chen Yuan's consciousness wandered for an unknown amount of time, perhaps millions of years, or perhaps just a moment, until finally, he sensed a vast and boundless existence.
"This is—." Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and his consciousness immediately drifted in that direction.
With a strange tremor, Chen Yuan's consciousness broke through the dimensional barrier and finally entered this mysterious and unpredictable space.
"An ocean of laws?"
What came into view was a boundless space, where countless laws of power surged and churned, just like a real ocean.
The laws of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, as well as the laws of wind, thunder, light, and even the fundamental laws of spacetime are fully manifested here.
"I see. I have indeed arrived at the origin of the universe." Chen Yuan finally smiled. "Although it is not the location of the most core primordial cosmic will, it is enough. At least I am slightly closer to the core."
"Moreover, it's very safe here."
Chen Yuan dared not enter the true core of the origin, because the will of the primordial universe resided there.
If he causes even the slightest anomaly, it will immediately be noticed by the will of the universe.
However, this area is merely the outer region that bears the fundamental laws of the universe. It is unsupervised and will not arouse any alarm, making it perfect for Chen Yuan's consciousness.
After all, according to common sense, when a cultivator breaks through to the realm lord level, their consciousness will briefly enter this primordial land to communicate with the laws. Chen Yuan simply brought this process forward.
"That's right, let's resonate with the 'unity of heaven and man' right here. As long as we can borrow a trace of the power of the universe's origin, the mere Marquis Shang is not worth mentioning at all."
Having made up his mind, Chen Yuan's consciousness began to try to establish a connection with the place of origin and seek resonance.
Time passed slowly, and the corruption of the Marquis of Shang had almost completely taken over his inner world, but Chen Yuan remained unmoved.
Because his true consciousness had already descended to the origin of the universe and was protected by the rules of this place, Shanghou's will was blocked outside the origin and could not enter at all.
After all, a normal Realm Lord only has one chance to enter the Origin Land, which is when they first become a Realm Lord.
After that, only when one becomes an Immortal, a Cosmic Venerable, or even the Lord of the Universe will one have one chance to enter the Land of Origin, receive the influx of the Ocean of Laws, and forge a divine body.
Therefore, the will of the Marquis of Shang could not break through this dimensional barrier, and Chen Yuan's spiritual world always retained the last piece of pure land.
Time flowed silently through the dimensional gap. After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, a radiant smile spreading across his face: "It's done!"
In the real world, strange changes began to occur within Chen Yuan's sea of consciousness.
Strands of energy from the laws of nature converged, eventually enveloping his core soul and forming a spiritual embryo radiating a mysterious light.
This is the legendary Holy Embryo!
At this point, Chen Yuan finally broke through the barrier and stepped into a completely new spiritual industry: the art of embryonic breathing!
This sacred embryo seemed to have a life of its own, its surface rising and falling rhythmically, as if it were breathing.
With each breath, a strand of primordial power is drawn from the origin of Yuan in another dimension, transforming into the purest soul energy.
Under this miraculous change, Chen Yuan's soul power began to surge wildly.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Yuan's soul strength broke through the limit of the ninth level of the Domain Lord, reaching the level of the Realm Lord, and it was still rising.
Ultimately, they broke through the threshold of the Immortal level in one fell swoop.
At the same time, his willpower also underwent a qualitative leap. Starting from the Marquis level, he began to advance triumphantly, constantly transforming and sublimating.