Da Xuan Martial Saint

Qin Mengjun's body was the first to brush against the sprawling, faintly visible Taiji Wheel Seal, stretching over thirty feet. Yet instead of being injured by the collision, her entire person sank into the gap of the several-dozen-feet-wide Taiji Diagram Seal.

Unlike the rigid and Solidifying Refinement of the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, the Taiji Wheel Seal was dispersed and interwoven, like a supple fishing net cradling Qin Mengjun's back, gently stripping away layer by layer the force of the Mystic Tortoise's impact.

However.

The impact of the Mystic Tortoise was ultimately extraordinary, not something that Chen Mu could simply block with the evolution of a Taiji Wheel Seal at this point.

As the Taiji Wheel Seal was struck and compressed deeply, warping several feet inward, it finally shattered like a mirror. The Mystic Tortoise, carrying Qin Mengjun with it, collided with Chen Mu, and with both of them in its grasp, continued to hurtle towards a distant cliff.

Whoom!!!

The Power of Heaven and Earth roared chaotically.

At this moment, Chen Mu and Qin Mengjun were almost pressed against each other, but beneath this somewhat ambiguous posture, there was not the slightest hint of romance – only oppression and solemnity. Both were acutely aware that if they failed to completely deflect the force of this blow, they would surely suffer grievous injuries. The strike by the Mystic Tortoise, made at the cost of its own life, was no laughing matter.

The Strength of Qian Heaven continually flowed into Qin Mengjun, gathering within her body. She harnessed it to weaken the Mystic Tortoise's momentum layer by layer, while Chen Mu was also drawing from The Power of Heaven and Earth from all directions to withstand the Mystic Tortoise's collision.

At this moment.

With the Mystic Tortoise forcing Chen Mu and Qin Mengjun so close together, any technique to conceal their auras was utterly ineffective. Chen Mu could clearly sense the flow of Yuan Gang True Essence within Qin Mengjun, feel the majestic power contained within the flawless Martial Body she had cultivated after advancing to the Blood Exchange Realm.

Qin Mengjun, similarly, could feel the majestic power harbored in the Qiankun Martial Body of Chen Mu right behind her, especially the intense vitality emanating from his Five Viscera and Six Viscera, which nearly set off tumultuous waves in her heart.

If Chen Mu held a sliver of admiration for Qin Mengjun's newly attained Blood Exchange Body and its flawless Martial Body, then Qin Mengjun was utterly shocked by the foundation and power Chen Mu's Martial Body contained.

What was all this?

She knew Chen Mu was extraordinary, that his cultivation of the Qiankun Path was in perfect alignment with the Heavenly Mandate, born with it. Thus, although curious about the refinement of Chen Mu's physique, she had never delved deeply, never sought to uncover all of Chen Mu's secrets.

But now, in such close contact and both exerting their strength to fend off the Mystic Tortoise, the secrets of their bodies could not possibly be hidden. The intense vitality in Chen Mu's body astonished her.

Was this the Martial Body of the Marrow Cleansing Realm?

Based solely on the vitality and robust essence-radiance contained within that physique, that surging Yuan Gang Inner Breath, it was nearly on par with her own Blood Exchange Body! Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Bear in mind that Chen Mu had broken through to the Marrow Cleansing Realm not long ago, and likely his Qiankun Martial Body was only in its nascent stages. Even if the Qiankun Martial Body was said to be the pinnacle of Martial Arts, could a newly formed Martial Body really be close to the flawless state after Blood Exchange?

How inconceivable!

Without a doubt, Chen Mu's Five Viscera Tempering had far exceeded the eleven times, probably at least twelve times, or possibly even higher, and he had similarly tempered his Six Viscera to such a state – a level unattainable even by the Blood Exchange Body!

If the past Qin Mengjun was unaware of Chen Mu's true foundations, then the present her was almost certain that even the Da Xuan Martial Emperor from a thousand years ago could not have had such profound roots and foundation as Chen Mu, with every part of his body exhibiting no deficiency, perfected to the extreme, so minutely that every aspect could astonish her.

From the perspective of Chen Mu's Martial Body.

The gap between Chen Mu and her seemed to amount to merely a 'Domain'!

Once Chen Mu cultivated the Qiankun Domain and vastly increased his ability to harness The Power of Qiankun Heaven and Earth, coupled with such incredibly profound Martial Body foundations, he might well stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, comparable to her having stepped into the Blood Exchange Realm.

Whoom!

The Mystic Tortoise was only about three or four li away from a rugged, uneven cliff in the distance. With the force of that impact, it was almost instantly close to the jagged and frozen escarpment.

But Qin Mengjun and Chen Mu, one in front and one behind... no, to be precise, one in the middle and one behind, were both continuously exerting force. The methods they had previously applied, plus the constant weakening of momentum over the three to four li of distance, meant that by the time the Mystic Tortoise slammed into the cliff, its force had greatly diminished from when it had first launched the attack.

Boom!!!

The Mystic Tortoise smashed its head into the cliff, burying it nearly two zhang deep.

Chen Mu's back was the first to hit the cliff, bearing the brunt of the collision. His face turned slightly pale, a surge of fresh blood welled up, but he didn't spit it out, forcefully suppressing it instead.

Qin Mengjun was sandwiched in the middle. She knew that even with Chen Mu's incredibly robust Qiankun Martial Body, it was impossible to bear all the impact. Her gaze flickered as she took on as much of the force as she could with her Blood Exchange Body.

Compared to Chen Mu, her endurance was indeed a bit stronger. After the momentum from the impact had finally dissipated, her complexion remained normal, only her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, indicating a trace of pain, but she quickly recovered to her usual state.

The two of them shared the burden together and managed to bear all the impact, dissipating it into nothingness!

Thud.

Qin Mengjun took a brief breath before raising her hand and striking a palm on the Mystic Tortoise's head.

The Mystic Tortoise's vitality was rapidly dissipating. With Qin Mengjun's palm strike, its head flew backward out of the shattered cave, along with its massive body tumbling far away. Its demonic eyes stared at the cave they had crashed through, looking at Qin Mengjun and Chen Mu. Deep in its gaze seemed to be a hint of reluctance, but it quickly faded away.

After ejecting the Mystic Tortoise from the cave, Qin Mengjun immediately stepped forward, separating from Chen Mu, no longer in close contact. Then she turned to look at Chen Mu, sizing him up, and said in a gentle tone,

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, not serious."

Chen Mu relaxed his limbs slightly, dislodging himself from the embedded rock wall, wiping away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Hmm."

Qin Mengjun nodded slightly.

Having been close to Chen Mu just before, Qin Mengjun was well aware of his physical condition and knew it was not serious, a clear but necessary question. After all, she was his master and needed to show concern for Chen Mu, her disciple.

"With your physique and vitality, a little adjustment should suffice," Qin Mengjun said to Chen Mu, "Wait here for a moment."

That said,

She vanished in a blur from the cave.

In only about ten breaths' time, Qin Mengjun reappeared in the cave, her palm gathering a small cluster of crystal clear blood, as translucent as glass, emitting strands of demonic power, being continuously extracted by the Inner Breath she was nurturing in her palm.

"The Mystic Tortoise is dead. Its last attack, fueled by the shattering of the Demon Heart and nearly exhausting its heart blood, left only this much. I've already tempered away the demonic power and Demon Qi within, leaving only the essence, which should quickly heal your injuries," she said.

As she spoke, Qin Mengjun gently lifted her hand, and the small cluster of radiant Demon Blood flew towards Chen Mu.

Chen Mu looked at the small cluster of heart blood, cupped it with his hands, and then shook his head slightly, saying, "My injuries are trivial, a little recovery over a day or two will do. There's no need to use the Mystic Tortoise Heart Blood; you should take it, Master."

"No need, you keep it as well,"

Qin Mengjun said with a gentle tone, "My injuries are lighter than yours, a little breathing and adjustment will be enough. As for the Mystic Tortoise Heart Blood... it is indeed useful for tempering my physique, but at my Realm, I need more than just a smattering, a large amount of Heavenly Demon Heart Blood is required to be effective. It's best used by you."

After reaching the Blood Exchange Realm, turning blood as heavy as mercury is a process. For those in the Blood Exchange Realm, it isn't difficult, but to accelerate this process requires a lot of rare substances like Heavenly Demon Heart Blood, not just a little bit."