Chapter 137: Life and Death Are Governed by Fate, I Enter the Foundation Establishment Stage (First Update)

The howl was vast and continuous. For a moment, the snowflakes drifting in the void were swept high by an invisible surge of energy, rushing upward toward the sky.

Many people looked up at this shocking scene. The rain and snow in the valley were actually severed by the long howl, as if a blade had sliced through water. It lasted for several minutes before slowly falling once more.

In one of the Qin family’s buildings, the Great Elder opened his eyes, his expression extremely grim. "Such a powerful aura. Compared to some time ago, his cultivation has surely advanced by leaps and bounds, hasn't it?"

As a master of the Harmonious Strength stage, the Great Elder understood better than anyone else just how powerful that previous pressure had been. In this world, the only ones capable of making a master tremble with just a leaked trace of their aura were the legendary Earth Immortals.

Under such a powerful aura, the Great Elder had a haunting intuition: if Qin Muchen were to face the current Jiang Yu, he might lose even faster—within five steps, or perhaps even three?

As the howling subsided, the valley returned to silence.

*Is he still not coming out of seclusion?*

Instantly, over a dozen pairs of eyes turned toward the palace.

***

In Jiang Yu's palm lay a golden pill, the size of a quail egg. Its outer golden coat was condensed from the Essence of Azure Water and Golden Flame. Through the pill's wall, one could see spiritual liquid swirling within like clouds and mist—truly profound.

"The Golden Pill is formed. Now comes the Foundation Establishment, the tempering of the Divine Body, and the awakening of supernatural powers."

A satisfied smile appeared on Jiang Yu's lips. To obtain this pill, he had traveled across the land, exhausting countless amounts of energy. In an era where the world's spiritual pools were gradually drying up, such a pill could only be acquired by one with great perseverance, great fortune, and great wisdom.

Everything below the Golden Pill is but mud.

The pill in his palm, known as the Golden Vein Pill, though not reaching the level of a true Golden Pill, was still a top-tier medicine. A single pill the size of a quail egg could extend an ordinary person's life by a hundred years, granting them another lifetime. If news of this leaked out, the world would likely go mad.

Staring at it for a long time, Jiang Yu swallowed it in one gulp.

Violent energy instantly spread to every corner of his body—bones, meridians, internal organs, flesh, blood, hair, and skin. Even countless cells became full and plump. Jiang Yu’s body swelled up like a balloon, all in the blink of an eye.

Seconds later, his skin cracked, followed by the flesh beneath.

Entering Foundation Establishment and tempering a Divine Body required cleansing the marrow and shedding the mortal shell. As the name suggests, it meant replacing his ordinary flesh-and-blood body piece by piece.

Even with Jiang Yu’s temperament, he could not help but frown and groan in agony. Cultivators are not truly immortals; they possess sensitive nerves. Having one’s body and meridians torn apart while fully conscious—how could that pain be endured?

His flesh began to slough off, exposing his internal organs. From the outside, one could clearly see his lungs, stomach, intestines, and his vigorously beating heart. All his organs were coated in a layer of golden radiance, solemn and majestic like a Buddha’s golden body.

A few minutes passed, and more than half of his organs shattered, only to be slowly regrown into more crystalline and powerful versions. Then, the remaining half shattered as well. Inside and out, from top to bottom—how could the divine power of a Dao Body be achieved easily?

Thousands of meridians emitted a faint halo. At this stage, the body did not explode all at once; a Dao Body requires a gradual process. If it were all destroyed at once, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal could not survive. This process required a balance—after the flesh was reshaped, it ensured Jiang Yu remained alive before moving on to the bones and meridians. In short, some vital part had to remain intact to sustain his life.

In the ancient era, countless geniuses perished at this stage; it was known for having the highest mortality rate. However, this was the second time in his life Jiang Yu was forging a Dao Body. Without absolute certainty, how could he dare to be so reckless? His physical form was destroyed, and the True Demon Indestructible Body he had previously cultivated was completely wiped away, but Jiang Yu accompanied this with his rebirth.

"In my previous life, I exhausted all my fortunes, yet I could only forge a mid-level Dao Body like the Miro Golden Body. As a result, when I ascended, I could not withstand the backlash of heaven and earth, ultimately leading to my death and the need for soul transmigration."

"This life is an opportunity for me. Heaven and earth tried to destroy me, but instead, it turned into a blessing in disguise, giving me a chance to start over."

As the meridians throughout his body shattered, Jiang Yu no longer felt pain, and he began to ponder.

"The Azure Wood Longevity Body: a mid-level Dao Body with the Azure Wood Longevity power. It grants double the lifespan of cultivators at the same level, and the flesh is touted as 'indestructible in reincarnation'."

"The True Demon Indestructible Body: a top-tier Dao Body with the True Demon Undying power. When perfected, the True Demon Manifestation can grasp the sun and moon. With a powerful body, it is eternal. In battle, the precious body is undying and indestructible, placing one in an invincible position."

Jiang Yu shook his head gently. He had cultivated the True Demon Indestructible Body before. Although it was a top-tier Dao Body, it had too many drawbacks, having been created by the True Demons from beyond the realm in ancient times. Using it too much would influence one’s temperament, making one bloodthirsty. Once the word 'Demon' was attached, it was like taking a wrong turn; one would only go astray, with the losses outweighing the gains.

"The Five Emperors Co-existence Body: a top-tier Dao Body accompanied by the Five Emperors Co-existence power. It can receive the blessing of the Five Emperors' mana, far surpassing the Azure Wood Longevity Body. It possesses many supernatural techniques and can recreate reincarnation, governing the growth of all things."

It could be said that once Jiang Yu mastered the Five Emperors Co-existence Body, he would only need to point at spiritual seeds, and they would instantly take root and sprout, blooming in three minutes, bearing fruit in three minutes, and ripening in three minutes. However, this Dao Body did not focus on combat; against cultivators of the same level, its strength was slightly lacking.

Jiang Yu delved deep into his memories, searching through the many Dao Body cultivation methods he had obtained over thousands of years.

"Wait?" Jiang Yu whispered.

At that moment, a Dao Body technique that had flashed through his memory caught his attention.

"The Primordial Immortal-Swallowing Body: a low-level Dao Body, supernatural powers unknown. A theoretical divine body technique. It can contain a thousand rivers in one sea, merging thousands of immortal body techniques. According to the theory, it can cultivate multiple Dao Body techniques simultaneously. As for the consequences, they are unknown."

Jiang Yu remembered finding this technique in the cave dwelling of an ancient master. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time and had simply etched it into his mind with his divine sense. He couldn't even remember how many years ago that was.

"Containing a thousand rivers in one sea... what an overbearing technique. Does this mean it is an evolutionary technique that allows for the simultaneous cultivation of various Dao Bodies, merging them into one?"

Jiang Yu was stunned. A cultivator could only forge one Dao Body in their lifetime, yet the Primordial Immortal-Swallowing Body could allow ten thousand bodies to coexist? However, looking at the description, it seemed to be merely a theoretical technique that had never been practiced. Whether it was good or bad, no one knew.

Jiang Yu, who had been struggling to find a suitable Dao Body, found his thoughts lingering on this technique, falling into deep contemplation.

***

*This?*

For the first time, Jiang Yu hesitated, becoming indecisive. Tempted as he was, he dared not make a rash decision.

"If it is true, and one can cultivate multiple Dao Bodies—when thousands of Dao Bodies fuse together, perhaps even heaven and earth could not destroy such a body. Perhaps the master who created this technique didn't dare to cultivate it himself because the hypothesis was too overbearing."

"If not, could I give it a try?"

Frankly, Jiang Yu was captivated.

"As for whether it's true or false, won't I know if I experiment? If there is any danger, I will immediately discard this technique and cultivate another."

Having made up his mind, Jiang Yu focused his entire spirit.

Time passed slowly. Since he had entered seclusion, nearly two months had passed. The outside world had undergone earth-shattering changes, but he remained oblivious, focused on his cultivation.

For over two months, his flesh and blood had been replaced time and time again—tempered, refined, and reborn through countless nirvanas. His flesh had become nearly that of an immortal. By the end, his skin was fairer and softer than a baby's, and the blood in his body was turning to gold.

Finally, even his head shattered and reformed. This time, the shedding of his mortal shell was thorough, and the replacement was decisive. No one knew what his current state was; for two months, his aura had been so faint he seemed like a man who had passed away in meditation.

His facial features became perfect—sword-like brows, starry eyes, and sharp contours. If he had been merely handsome before, he was now as beautiful as a god, surpassing the tens of thousands of male celebrities in the mortal world.

When flesh is restructured, it takes whatever form the mind desires. The face he reformed was a fusion of his previous life and this body—a neutral ground, possessing both the appearance of the Jiang Yu from his past life and the features of this current vessel.

In the third month, Jiang Yu’s body trended toward perfection.

"The True Demon Indestructible Body, the Five Emperors Co-existence Body, the Azure Wood Longevity Body... when these are fused together, what kind of body will emerge?"

Jiang Yu was startled. With a sense of trepidation for the unknown, he slowly opened his eyes. He had started with a tentative mindset, but over these three months, the more he cultivated, the more astonished he became, gradually becoming fully immersed. To verify the technique, he had intentionally cultivated the True Demon Indestructible Body alongside the others, and there were no signs of rejection.

The 'Primordial Immortal-Swallowing' technique acted as a gentle medium, fusing all the otherwise incompatible Dao Bodies together.

A beam of light, several zhang long, shot from his eyes, extending from before him to a hundred meters away. Everything in its path was sliced in two.

Upon entering Foundation Establishment, supernatural powers are born naturally.

Jiang Yu stood up from the ground, his deep, vast aura entirely contained. The rest could wait; there was one thing he had to do right now.

"As I am now, a single finger could kill Qin Muchen, and a single punch could shatter that Heaven-Governing Thunder Array. How is this like a few months ago, when I had to use my ultimate trump card to break the array set by the Imperial Spirit Immortal Master?"

Jiang Yu smiled softly and shouted:

"Life and death are fated. Today, I enter Foundation Establishment!"