It was still the same type of cave-heaven world. The immense surge of blood energy continued rapidly strengthening this internal world. The Earth-Subjugation Seal naturally connected with his innate source bloodline—when activated, it directly resonated with his origin, unleashing even greater power.
The Sea of Blood Diagram of the Nether Emperor.
The Heaven-Flipping Diagram of the Immortal Emperor.
...One visualization after another appeared in succession. The foundational base of body refinement within him was constantly transforming. Each of the treasure cauldrons in his body began to interlink naturally, their auras almost perfectly synchronized.
Unknowingly, within the eight treasure cauldrons, all eight divine seals had evolved their own respective internal cave-heaven worlds. The auras emitted during the process changed dramatically—the star markings on the ancient divine seals grew increasingly radiant.
Each of the eight divine seals, now containing their own cave-heaven worlds, surged in might, greatly increasing his combat strength. Any one of them, when fully matured, could suppress and crush all things.
Although the dragon force hadn't increased in raw quantity, it became far more condensed—imbued with a sense of tangible reality. The Dao markings etched into his flesh became thicker, tougher. His physical body had become a true Treasure Body, impervious even to divine weapons and blades.
"Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower!"
Almost at the exact moment when his foundational tempering completed, Yi Tianxing activated the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower, and instantly stepped into it.
This time, he did not enter any of the world realms within the tower, but instead appeared directly inside the chaotic world within the tower itself.
Upon entering, the chaotic Qi outside surged violently. Every wisp of chaotic energy carried an origin-level aura—the essence of all creation.
Even a Dao Platform realm cultivator entering here would be slowly eroded and assimilated unless they formed a shield with magical power to resist. The chaotic Qi itself wasn't necessarily dangerous, but its level was simply too high, far beyond what ordinary beings could withstand.
Whether it's refining the body or cultivating Qi, once one reaches the Dao Proving level, the process unleashes tremendous force. If done inside the Xuanhuang Immortal City, it would be impossible to hide—it would alert everyone and expose his background. After all, Dao Proving realm represents the absolute peak tier in the current Eternal World.
If it can remain hidden, it becomes the ultimate trump card.
At a critical moment, such a trump card could shift the tides of fate.
Naturally, Yi Tianxing wouldn't expose it easily. Hiding within the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower, he would prove Dao through body refinement. Even if visions appeared, they would be far less spectacular than those from Qi cultivation, which involved condensing a Dao Pillar that pierced the heavens. Body refinement Dao attainment was about shattering the vacuum, a shackle residing deep within the flesh.
There were three thousand laws, and thus, three thousand law chains acting as shackles.
Every living being, upon birth, carries the imprint of their native world. For example, if you were born in the Primordial Wilderness, you are marked by it at birth. These marks are lifelong and nearly indelible. Not only do true spirits bear marks upon the world—so too does the flesh.
Flesh and soul are two sides of one existence.
Body-refinement Dao Proving is fundamentally about breaking these inherent imprints—the law chains fused into one's bloodline from birth. These imprints are shackles for those reaching a certain realm in body cultivation.
There is a saying: "Shatter the vacuum, and you shall witness the divine."That "divine" refers to supreme freedom.
Hence, one can prove the Dao through body refinement anywhere—because the shackles exist inside the body itself. Before shattering them, you can't escape them. But this also makes it the most dangerous path—once Dao Proving begins, all three thousand law chains erupt simultaneously.
If it fails, the backlash is immense, possibly damaging the foundation irreparably.
In truth, the more ordinary the world, the easier it is to shatter the vacuum. In minor worlds, a so-called "Innate Expert" or "Great Grandmaster" can break the vacuum, but in reality, they are only breaking the shackles of their local world. The strength of such law imprints can't compare to top-tier worlds.
After breaking through in a lesser world, one upgrades to a middle realm world—and receives a new set of imprints from the new world. The process repeats endlessly. That kind of cycle cannot be considered true Dao Proving.
Only in a world like the Eternal World, a unique and singular true realm, can a shattering of the vacuum lead to true Dao Proving —attain it once, and it lasts forever.
The Eternal World contains a complete set of the three thousand Great Dao laws, not only more powerful but more perfect than in any ordinary world. Thus, the difficulty of breaking the shackles here is far greater.
To this day, no new Dao Proving experts have emerged in the Eternal World. All current great powers are remnants from the previous era. If not for that inherited legacy, many wouldn't have been able to reach their current heights.
Proving the Dao has become exponentially harder.
Not just body refinement—even Qi cultivation faces the same obstacle.
But at this moment, Yi Tianxing's focus was entirely on how to shatter the vacuum.
Standing within the chaos, he didn't activate any divine abilities or unleash his Qi and blood. The surrounding chaotic Qi brushed against his skin, and his flesh naturally emitted a divine glow, allowing him to endure the chaos for a time with just his physical body alone.
At the ninth level of body refinement, to break through was no longer simply a matter of Qi and blood being full—it required shattering the law chains blocking the path forward.
"Let's begin. Today, I will prove the Dao through body refinement and break all shackles!"
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with unwavering determination and confidence.
He had waited too long for this day.
"Heavenly Emperor Divine Sovereign Diagram—breakthrough to the ninth transformation!"
With a single thought, the suppressed breakthrough—delayed back at the banquet—resumed in full force. Instantly, his Qi and blood surged violently. Suddenly, a purple treasure cauldron emerged from his flesh, though it appeared ethereal and illusory.
At the same time, three thousand law chains appeared from the void—each massive and pulsing with tremendous power. Every chain glowed with a unique Dao rhythm—each one was a complete law of heaven and earth.
They formed a net-like cage, binding the purple cauldron completely.
"Nine Treasure Cauldrons of the Flesh—Rise!!"
Boom!!
At once, the other eight treasure cauldrons—already fully solidified—erupted alongside the purple one. They surged with blood energy and emerged from within, materializing above his head. Eight of them appeared tangible and solid; only the ninth remained half-illusory.
The law net pressing down upon him was like the entire weight of heaven and earth, crashing upon him.
"Fine. Shatter the vacuum, break the shackles—only then will I truly be myself."
"Heavenly Emperor's Creation Hand—Strike!!"
He had rehearsed this moment in his mind countless times.
Without hesitation, he struck out a move from the Heavenly Emperor's Creation Hand—
Heavenly Will Blade!!
Heaven's will became the blade—his will was Heaven's will!
A golden divine light flickered—a sword forged from heaven's will condensed into form. From its edge burst forth infinite sharpness and divine intent. It slashed directly at one of the law chains.
Clang!!
A blinding shower of sparks erupted. The chain struck was one imbued with the Law of Earth, exuding the heavy, immovable presence of mountains and ground. It was unimaginably durable—even innate divine weapons might fail to sever it.
Unless it was shattered instantly, it would rapidly regenerate, and all efforts would be wasted.
But under the might of the Heavenly Will Blade, the earth law chain was cleanly severed.
Laws—even the strongest—could be broken before Heaven's will.
And it wasn't just one—after the first was broken, the Heavenly Will Blade, though dimmer, still had force. It continued forward—
One!
Two!!
Three!!!
Three law chains were severed before the Heavenly Will Blade finally vanished.
Heavenly Emperor's Creation Hand—Heaven-Piercing Spear!!
Without pause, the next divine martial technique struck. The shattered law chains transformed into divine light, manifesting as divine mountains, crashing back toward the treasure cauldrons in an attempt to shatter them. If they succeeded, the cauldrons would be absorbed back into his body, and all the chains—broken or not—would rebind him.
But Yi Tianxing had prepared thoroughly. His body had been honed to perfection. His martial arts—especially the Heavenly Emperor's Creation Hand—had been reforged countless times using chaos-forged divine artifacts and tempered by numerous tribulations within the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
The martial intent of the Creation Hand had reached the eighth tribulation level, just one step short of the ninth.