The Great Martial Saint!

"My lord, a beast tide has broken out in the Black Nether Mountains. A training team has been attacked by demonic beasts."

Inside the office, Han Zhiqing, with a solemn expression, reported the latest news about the beast tide in the Black Nether Mountains.

"Were there any casualties?" Chen Ping'an asked calmly, his expression as still as a deep well.

"Luckily, there were elite patrol units nearby, and their timely support resulted in no casualties," Han Zhiqing reported. "However, judging from the current situation..."

Han Zhiqing's reports naturally revolved around the recent news of the monster uprising in the Black Nether Mountains.

More than a month has passed since the Beishan Town Government's inspection team first discovered the clues.

For over a month, monster uprisings have been frequent and show signs of escalating. According to the routine review meeting of the Beishan Town Pacification Division, third-tier monsters have already participated in the uprisings, and a Grandmaster-level expert has been injured during the investigation.

"Okay, got it."

Chen Ping'an remained calm and composed.

The monster riots have had a significant impact, but at present, they only affect the pseudo-celestial beings, who are at most ordinary martial arts celestial beings.

There was no threat to him.

On the contrary, this wave of events might allow him to accumulate enough merit points to exchange for the Free and Easy Tour.

In the meditation room, Chen Ping'an made all the necessary arrangements and then sat down cross-legged.

hum~
His gaze sharpened, and a panel immediately appeared.

Looking at the information on the panel, Chen Ping'an remained calm, regulated his breathing for a few moments, and then...
"breakthrough!"

Wow~
The panel shimmered with starlight and appeared, then, accompanied by the rippling divine soul, it entered Chen Ping'an's spiritual platform.

In an instant, a wealth of insights and profound understandings about the Dharma of Formless Freedom surfaced in Chen Ping'an's mind.

The skills and techniques honed through years of practice and countless real-world battles all surfaced in his mind.

"That which is without form or substance, without beginning or end."

"The meaning of formlessness!"

A sudden realization dawned on Chen Ping'an, and an image emerged in his mind. In that instant, his demeanor seemed to become much more restrained.

He sat there cross-legged, looking more like a composed middle-aged man who had experienced many ups and downs in life than a young man.

Within the spiritual platform, spiritual light shone brightly, and the rainbow-like spiritual bridge underwent strange changes every moment.

Click!

Like a thin shell breaking, Chen Ping'an's realm advanced swiftly and effortlessly, as if water had naturally flowed into a channel.

The effects of the Formless Freedom Entry Point did not stop there, but went a step further, pushing his realm to its peak.

hum~
Chen Pingan slowly opened his eyes, and a panel appeared in front of him.

Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Celestial Realm 2 - Rainbow Penetration Realm (Ninth Stage)
武学：青阳血炼法大成（0/38400）、颠鸾倒凤·阴阳枢入门（1435/8640）、三分归元真卷小成（0/15360）、无相自在法（残篇）入门（0/5760）、广寒剑法（残篇）大成（0/19200）、狂雷刀法圆满、太虚御风步圆满、七绝禁法圆满、霸刀圆满、万魔铸身诀圆满
Secret Techniques: Soul Suppression Technique, Soul Guiding Technique, Butterfly Dream Bewitching Technique, Illusionary Eye

"Formlessness and freedom: the beginning."

Chen Ping'an's gaze was calm, his demeanor composed, like a dark stone or a black star.

The light in his eyes gradually faded, and within his spiritual platform, a magnificent aura shone brightly, and the spiritual bridge gleamed like the midday sun.

Nine-stage Guanhong realm, second stage perfected!
The Formless Freedom Method truly deserves to be called a precious manual of true skill; even though he had only just begun to understand it, it had already provided him with such assistance.

Although the ninth level of the Guanhong realm represents the pinnacle of the two realms, there are still gaps between them.

At this moment, he was undoubtedly at the ninth level of perfection, flawless and perfect.

Such assistance is truly delightful.

While the perfection of the Thunderous Blade Technique and other aids certainly contributed to his significant progress in the eighth stage of the Rainbow Piercing Realm, the powerful assistance of the Formless Freedom Technique was also inextricably linked.

It can be said that he has now truly reached perfection in the realm of the second-level Celestial Being.

The next step is to overcome the three barriers. If you can break through these barriers, you will enter the three realms and become a great cultivator of the Celestial Realm!
The Three Realms of Heaven and Man, the Realm of Hidden Radiance!
Connecting the inside and outside with the rainbow bridge, transforming the vortex into a source, absorbing the power of heaven and earth, nourishing the soul, and enriching the body.

The unity of man and nature is a higher level of expression.

Unlike the Pivot Light Realm, entering the Pivot Rainbow Realm, the second and third realms are considered a major hurdle.

This level of difficulty is not much less than the barriers to ascending to the heavens.

This analogy is based on years of accumulated knowledge and profound understanding. If we were to compare them quantitatively, the difference would likely be disheartening.

This is why the gap between a third-realm celestial being and a second-realm celestial being is extremely large. This is why the third realm is referred to by other celestial beings as a great cultivator of the same realm.

A great cultivator has a lifespan of 1,500 years, which is half again as long as that of a martial arts celestial being in the first or second realm.

Such splendor is something that both celestial beings and humans would undoubtedly want to witness.

However, among the celestial beings, less than one in ten can truly achieve great cultivation.

Generally speaking, upon entering the Celestial Realm, as long as one's Dao foundation is flawless, there is a possibility of reaching the Rainbow Piercing Realm. However, if one only has an ordinary Dao foundation and wishes to enter the three realms and achieve great cultivation, the possibility of breaking through the realm is probably very slim.

While it can't be said that the possibility has been completely eliminated, it's essentially equivalent to a hopeless major overhaul. All possibilities have been reduced to their lowest point.

In fact, for ordinary celestial beings, without special opportunities or abundant resources, reaching the second realm is an extremely difficult achievement.

Most martial arts masters reach the pinnacle of a single realm. Whether they can take another step forward depends entirely on opportunity and luck.

This is also the origin of the saying that among the celestial beings and humans, one's innate potential is exhausted.

Those with a pure Dao foundation are basically guaranteed a spot in the second realm and have the potential to advance to the third realm through major cultivation.

If one's foundation in the Dao is refined to a higher level, the likelihood of a breakthrough will be greater.

However, whatever the possibility, it is ultimately just a possibility. No matter how great the possibility, it does not guarantee 100% success. In addition to one's own foundation, there are also various external factors, such as the requirements of one's mindset, opportunities, and luck.

It can be said that those who can achieve great cultivation are truly outstanding among celestial beings.

Looking across the entire Bicang region, the only publicly acknowledged Grandmaster of Celestial Realm cultivation is the old Prince of Bicang.

Now that the old Prince of Bicang is seriously ill, there are no truly active cultivators in Changzhen within the territory.

"The Great Cultivation Realm!"

Chen Ping'an remained calm, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Information from the books and documents he had previously consulted slowly surfaced in his mind.

Unlike the Piercing Rainbow Realm, the Hidden Radiance Realm has a simpler classification system. The difference in combat strength lies more in one's foundation, comprehension, cultivation techniques, secret arts, and external aids.

The Great Cultivation of Heaven and Man: Concealing One's Edge and Hiding One's Brilliance.

To reach the Great Cultivation Realm, one needs to gradually fade the Pivotal Light and transform the Spiritual Bridge into Emptiness. When the Pivotal Light of the Divine Soul transforms into the power of a vortex, it signifies the attainment of the Hidden Radiance Realm.

The Piercing Rainbow Realm cultivates the Piercing Rainbow Spirit Bridge, while the Hidden Radiance Realm cultivates the Spirit Platform!
Only by concealing all that is illuminating can one directly point to the source.

To break through the Piercing Rainbow Realm, one needs to conceal the Pivot Light, illuminate the Spirit Bridge, and form a vortex!
This is the Hidden Radiance Three Steps, an essential path to achieving the Great Cultivation of Celestial Being!
Now, Chen Ping'an has achieved perfect enlightenment and stands before this path.

"The overall combat strength has improved, and there is a bit more foundation than before. In this state, without using the body tempering technique or the extraordinary bloodline, I should be able to fight against a Celestial Realm cultivator."

Chen Ping'an reflected on himself and felt the changes within himself.

He now has a thorough understanding of himself; the only thing he lacks is the experience of truly engaging with a Celestial Being. His judgments, while based on evidence, are inevitably somewhat biased.

If feasible, we should have a contest to see who can prove their strength!

If we categorize his current combat strength according to his own condition, at the most conventional stage, he would use his divine soul power to wield powerful treasures against his enemies. If he wanted to go a step further, he would reveal his perfect Dao foundation, and even use divine soul phenomena, the black and white intent. Taking it a step further, he would reveal his physical body and use his peak aura to suppress his opponents. The two complement each other, and they would be able to unleash extremely terrifying power.

If that's still not enough to defeat the enemy, then the remaining means are the power of bloodline supernatural abilities and the power of the Dream Pearl.

With extraordinary bloodline, he first refines the power of the wilderness, then the golden wheel of his bloodline, and finally the golden fire wings. He combines offense, defense, and escape into one, further enhanced by poison resistance, barrier avoidance, fire control, and poison immunity. His methods are extremely difficult to deal with.

The Dream Pearl possesses three wondrous powers: first, it bewitches gods; second, it distorts; and third, it radiates light.

The techniques of spiritual cultivation, attack interference, and the removal of spiritual light are all comprehensive and extremely effective.

With multiple forces supporting him and his full strength revealed, one wonders just how powerful he is!

Chen Ping'an's thoughts shifted, and his gaze grew serious.

This power is enough to understand oneself; as for the rest, further contemplation is pointless. The contingency plan is in place; all other measures will be taken when the opportunity arises!

After mastering the Formless Freedom Method, Chen Ping'an's cultivation direction remained unchanged. He planned to make the most of this incomplete precious scroll and reach the limit of his current stage.

The first step to mastering the formless state is to grasp the meaning of formlessness. If one achieves a minor level of mastery, then one has reached the state of merging with emptiness.

At that time, not only can one conceal one's form and breath, but one can also transform into the void. All methods of concealment will be absolutely divine.

In the following days, cultivators continued to arrive from other states. As the news spread, even cultivators from some remote states learned of the monster riot in the Black Nether Mountains and the impending beast tide.

News travels much faster among practitioners than among ordinary people.

A little over a month, almost two months, is enough time for similar news to circulate in various states.

As for some sects and forces, they learned of this matter long ago.

As news of the beast tide continued to spread, various forces in Beishan Pass were making active preparations. Families like the five great families of Beishan, Qingmu Fang, Jinglei Pavilion, Guyue Fang, and even Fengyue Pavilion, who relied on this for their livelihood, were naturally very experienced in dealing with such matters.

Another ten days or so passed, and the demonic beasts began to rampage, with groups of demonic beasts constantly attacking human cultivators. There were already no fewer than dozens of small-scale conflicts.

According to reports from the elite patrols of Beishan Town, the largest gathering of demonic beasts discovered so far has exceeded two hundred, and there are suspected traces of near-fourth-tier demonic beasts.

For the truly top-tier cultivators of Beishan Pass, such demonic beasts are nothing special. But for ordinary powerful families and independent cultivators, this is an extremely exaggerated level.

Monsters are not toys. Untamed monsters are wild and ferocious. Especially when they gather in large numbers, dozens of second or third-tier monsters together, even the most top-level grandmasters would probably be terrified.

With the frequent occurrence of monster rampages, various factions have called upon their disciples to hunt monsters in the Black Nether Mountains. Similar measures have actually been taken for some time, but now they are being made public and standardized under various names such as battle merit lists, merit lists, and battle record lists.

With the intervention of the Zhenfu Division, the matter was officially settled.

With the official stance in place, cultivators hoping to make a fortune from this monster tide eagerly participated and headed to the Netherworld Mountains.

As a result, the demand for all kinds of supplies, spiritual items, elixirs, spiritual water, and magical weapons has surged within the Beishan Pass.

Some powerful sects, shops, alchemy workshops, and even independent cultivators and craftsmen took this opportunity to make a fortune.

As goods are moved, sold, and processed, some commodities have experienced a price increase.

Some rare resources and life-saving treasures have a value premium of over 30%. Some even approach 50%.

The recent beast tide is a hot topic of discussion and conversation.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you stockpiled scarce resources in advance. You've made a fortune this time."

"Not at all, it's just a small business, nothing compared to Manager Wang's. Manager Wang must have had a very successful year."

"Haha, but it's just for novelty, it's good enough if we don't lose money."

"."

"Bah! These unscrupulous merchants! We risk our lives on the front lines while they rake in the profits from the war from behind!" Some cultivators complained indignantly.

This move naturally garnered support from many practitioners, especially independent practitioners.

But some people looked disdainful and muttered to themselves.

"If you don't prepare in advance, who can you blame?"

In various public forums, artisans have also expressed their indignation and grievances.

"It's all for Beishan. Your fighting on the front lines is a contribution, and our providing supplies from behind is also a contribution. Besides, those on the front lines only need to fight desperately, but we in the back have too many things to consider."

Another half month passed, and news came from the front lines that this monster uprising was extraordinary, even larger than expected. Traces of transformed monsters had been discovered, and the scale of the uprising had expanded to the outer mountains of the Black Nether Mountain Range.

Several strongholds have already been breached by the monster tide, and there have been casualties at the Grandmaster level.

The Northern Mountain Garrison and various factions were naturally aware of this news long ago and had already made arrangements and preparations to actively respond. However, the cultivators who mingled in the world had only just learned of this news.

Stimulated by this news, the supply of resources on the market rose one after another, and many treasure shops entered the market to sell the resources they had stockpiled in advance.

During this process, some practitioners reaped considerable gains and their wealth increased dramatically. Seeing this, other practitioners followed suit.

Within a group, just a few role models are enough to inspire people to follow in their footsteps.

The Northern Mountain Garrison has introduced a series of favorable policies, including resource rewards and battle merit settlements. Along with these, cultivators have reaped substantial rewards, successfully exchanging them for breakthrough pills. With the protection of these pills, they have successfully advanced to the Grandmaster realm.

Under such stimulation, the various independent cultivators were naturally extremely excited.

Under the established framework, Chen Ping'an, as the deputy garrison commander of Beishan Pass, naturally participated in the matter.

The monster tide has now reached this point, and cultivators from surrounding areas have also appeared in the North Mountain Pass.

Various factions from different regions have also sent their elite forces to hone their skills in hunting demons!
Young faces gazed at the majestic city and pass before them, their hearts pounding with excitement.

This is the first time I've traveled this far since I started practicing Buddhism.

Some looked excited, ready to show off their skills. Others, remembering the elders' words, remained cautious.

In this situation, gasps of surprise rang out from the crowd.

"Look! A carriage! A flying carriage!"

"A celestial being's escape light! A celestial being, it's a celestial being!"

"."

Amidst gasps of surprise, the crowd watched the carriage disappear into the distance. Even after it had passed, many felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.

A martial arts master, that's a martial arts master!
Even the most elite scions of a state, after half a lifetime of cultivation, would never encounter such an existence.

Upon first arriving at the North Mountain, I witnessed a celestial being emerging from the distance. Even a fleeting glimpse from afar would be enough.

The sea of ​​clouds rolled and rolled, the carriage soared through the air, and jade-like light was splashed down.

Chen Ping'an remained calm, leaning against the jade carriage.

"I've been idle for so long, it's time to go out for a walk!"

Over the past month, the Formless Freedom Method has made steady progress. The inherited restrictions have been successfully applied, reaching the mid-stage of the third tier. All insights have also reached a bottleneck in this stage.

With his spiritual practice temporarily suspended and his mind preoccupied with matters of merit, he decided to go for a walk.

I hope this trip will be successful.

Chen Ping'an slightly raised his eyes and looked at the distant mountains. Through his divine sense, he could faintly hear some beast roars and ferocious sounds.

"There will be gains."

Whoosh!
The jade carriage pierced the sky, its jade-like light shimmering and staining the clouds. (End of Chapter)