"What? Ancestor, you're saying your research notes and all those Origin Bloodlines you collected were stolen?"
The white-clad youth was stunned. He had come to find his ancestor with great hope, intending to inherit a top-tier Body Tempering technique and a vast quantity of priceless Origin Bloodlines. If he could obtain these, he was confident he could cultivate an incredibly powerful physique in a short time, enhancing his overall strength and martial talent.
"Yes. If you had arrived a bit earlier, those things would still be here. But not long ago, someone stole them. Particularly, all those Origin Bloodlines are gone."
The voice from deep beneath the ground floated up once more.
"Ancestor, who did it? Who dares to steal from our Bai Family?"
The youth was furious to the extreme. He had risked danger and traveled a great distance to this Burial God Island, thinking he would obtain a great opportunity, only to have someone else snatch it away before him.
"It was an old codger named Chen Daoyuan. That fellow was already infamous in ancient times, notorious for digging up graves and stealing burial offerings. He has a long list of vile deeds. Now, he actually had the gall to steal from me."
The voice from the depths spoke through gritted teeth.
"Chen Daoyuan? Damn it! Even stealing from our Bai Family — he doesn't hold our family in any regard! He must be tired of living!"
Upon hearing his ancestor's words, the white-clad youth's towering rage erupted.
"Ancestor, do you know Chen Daoyuan's whereabouts? He dares to steal from the Bai Family; we will not let him go. After I return, I will immediately dispatch our family's experts to hunt him down and reclaim what is ours."
The youth then asked.
"That Chen Daoyuan is no simple character. He has lived for extremely long;he's lived so long he's become a spirit himself. His strength is formidable, a truly troublesome opponent. However, he didn't just steal from me alone. Many of the undead on this Burial God Island have had their possessions stolen by him. After you return, you can first send people to track his whereabouts, then spread the news. Many will surely come looking for trouble with him. Our Bai Family alone might not be able to deal with him, but he has offended more than just us. By then, many more will seek him out."
The voice from underground spoke coldly.
"Ancestor, although the jade slip containing that technique was stolen, do you still remember the technique's content? Why don't you teach it to me first, and I will go and collect the Origin Bloodlines myself?"
The white-clad youth thought for a moment before speaking.
"That technique wasn't created by me; I obtained it by chance. Also, only a small portion of those Origin Bloodlines were collected by me; a large part was originally stored inside the jade slip by the technique's founder. It took me so much time and effort back then to collect a part of those Origin Bloodlines. Based on your ability alone, gathering enough would be extremely difficult. Moreover, to cultivate that technique, you must obtain that technique's jade slip because the founder inscribed the entire contents of the technique, along with various insights and epiphanies, onto that jade slip. Those contents can only be comprehended by reading, deducing, and perceiving them yourself. They are difficult to convey through speech or memory; they can be intuitively grasped but not explained in words. So, unless you retrieve that jade slip, you should not attempt to cultivate the technique."
The voice of the Bai Family's ancestor floated up from underground again.
"Damn it! So you're saying, if I want to cultivate that technique, I absolutely must retrieve that jade slip and all the Origin Bloodlines within it."
The white-clad youth said helplessly.
"Whoever dared to steal from the Bai Family, just wait. I will definitely make him pay the price!"
The youth said through clenched teeth. Then he bid farewell to his ancestor and turned to leave. He had come with soaring hopes but was leaving in disappointment.
Within the Phantom Tower, time flowed slowly. Ye Yunfei successfully fused one Origin Bloodline after another. Initially, with few to fuse, Ye Yunfei felt it was quite easy. But after the number of fused Origin Bloodlines exceeded five hundred, he found his fusion speed slowing down considerably, and the difficulty increased greatly. Moreover, powerful repulsive energies began to erupt between the Origin Bloodlines already fused within his body.
"Indeed, the difficulty of cultivating this Body Tempering art is enormous. I must stop now to properly handle those over five hundred Origin Bloodlines already fused. Only after these five hundred-odd Origin Bloodlines are dealt with, achieving a more perfect state of mutual fusion, can I continue fusing more."
Ye Yunfei said with a bitter smile.
This point was actually mentioned in the Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art manual. According to it, during cultivation, when the number of fused Origin Bloodlines reaches two hundred, the first wave of repulsive energy erupts. The already fused bloodlines will again produce strong repulsion. As the creator of this Body Tempering art stated, this is called the Great Eruption of Repulsive Energy. When this occurs, one must halt and achieve a perfect re-fusion of those previously fused Origin Bloodlines.
"It's probably because I possess Chaos God Meridians, innately suited for fusing bloodlines of other races, that I was able to fuse over five hundred before the first Great Eruption occurred. This indicates my Chaos God Meridians indeed make me more suited to cultivate this Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art. I must succeed in cultivating it."
Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
Next, Ye Yunfei began following the method recorded in the Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art to perfectly re-fuse the over five hundred already fused Origin Bloodlines.
"This is the first major challenge of cultivating this body art. If I cannot overcome this hurdle, it means I cannot continue cultivation, and it might even trigger a massive physical explosion, turning me to ash. No matter what, I will succeed."
Confidence shone in Ye Yunfei's eyes.
Time flew. Unbeknownst to him, two years had passed within the Phantom Tower.
"I have finally achieved a perfect, grand fusion of the over five hundred Origin Bloodlines I've already fused. The first and most dangerous hurdle is finally passed."
Ye Yunfei suddenly let out a soft sigh, an excited expression on his face as he spoke softly.
"My physical quality and strength seem to have doubled."
Ye Yunfei felt immense power surging within. Previously, after refining seven Heavenly God-level treasures, his physical strength and quality had increased significantly. Now, it had doubled again.
"Now, with one punch, I can absolutely kill an early-stage Heavenly God."
Ye Yunfei exclaimed in pleasant surprise, sensing the tumultuous power within.
He then continued to fuse more Origin Bloodlines. Approximately two years later, the number of Origin Bloodlines Ye Yunfei had fused exceeded one thousand. Once past this mark, Ye Yunfei felt the repulsion between the previously fused bloodlines erupt again.
"This is the second Great Eruption of Repulsive Energy."
Ye Yunfei took a deep breath and said slowly. He then paused the fusion of more bloodlines and began another perfect grand fusion of the over one thousand previously fused Origin Bloodlines.
And so, Ye Yunfei continued his secluded cultivation of the Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art within the Phantom Tower. During this process, he encountered several terrifying crises. Especially when the number of fused Origin Bloodlines reached two thousand, the two thousand already fused bloodlines suddenly began violently repelling each other, unleashing formidable repulsive energy.
Ye Yunfei nearly lost control. His body swelled up like an inflated balloon, instantly enlarging dozens of times. His flesh, bones, and internal organs were stretched as thin as paper, almost exploding. Fortunately, Ye Yunfei's physical quality was exceptionally robust. The many treasures he had previously fused played a role, and the eight Chaos God Meridians within him manifested simultaneously, bursting with strong fusion effects. After a period of suppression and integration, Ye Yunfei eventually passed this hurdle without serious incident.
Unconsciously, Ye Yunfei had been cultivating the Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art within the Phantom Tower for over ten years. In the later stages, he found his cultivation becoming increasingly easier. Particularly when fusing the final few hundred Origin Bloodlines, it went exceptionally smoothly and swiftly.
About fifteen years had passed within the Phantom Tower.
One day, fifteen years later:
"I have finally succeeded in refining and fusing all over three thousand Origin Bloodlines, forging them into one entity. The essences of these three thousand-plus Origin Bloodlines have all been integrated into my own Origin Bloodline. This means I have successfully completed the first stage of the Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art."
Ye Yunfei suddenly wore an excited expression and abruptly stood up. At this moment, within his spatial ring, the three thousand-odd wooden barrels were all empty. All the Origin Bloodlines inside had been successfully fused by Ye Yunfei, becoming part of his bloodline. Moreover, these three thousand different Origin Bloodlines had been perfectly fused into one.
"Your bloodline now consists of the fused essences of over three thousand different Origin Bloodlines. Strictly speaking, you no longer belong to the human race, or you are fundamentally different from other humans."
Hun Lao, seeing Ye Yunfei truly succeed in cultivating the Myriad Spirits Body Forging Art, said in astonishment.
"So, how powerful is your physical body now?"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, standing nearby, asked curiously.
"My current physical strength should allow me to sweep through Heavenly Gods."
Ye Yunfei gently clenched his fists. Boundless terrifying power instantly stirred within him, transforming into a rolling storm of force that radiated from his body, shaking the surrounding space violently.
Luckily, this was inside the Phantom Tower. If it were the outside world, a vast expanse of void would likely have disintegrated into nothingness instantly.
"Sweep through Heavenly Gods! Does that mean we no longer need to fear those Heavenly Gods from the Guardian Faction waiting outside?"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed in shock.
"Indeed, we don't need to fear them anymore."
Ye Yunfei nodded, speaking with confidence.