Chapter 29: The Twelve Immortal Bodies (Part 1)
Daytime Celestial Body. What an incredible physique—one of the Twelve Immortal Bodies. It was fundamentally impossible for anyone in this world to be born with an Immortal Body.
Mingren Immortal Emperor's Daytime Celestial Body was achieved through cultivation. Furthermore, the Body Technique he used to cultivate it came directly from Li Qiye's *Body Book*!
Li Qiye knew the *Body Book* had been coveted throughout the ages, so he hid it away. He also feared that he might one day lose the *Body Book* while his memories of all cultivation technique secret manuals were erased.
Therefore, to prevent such a thing from happening, Li Qiye devised a method to pass down the secrets of the *Body Book*.
Li Qiye poured immense effort into hiding the secrets of the *Body Book* within martial arts—a field most cultivators disdained. He split the secrets into three parts and concealed them within three unrelated sets of martial technique manuals. These three sets totaled one hundred and twenty volumes and covered over ten thousand different martial arts and miscellaneous techniques!
The secrets of the *Body Book* were hidden within, arranged in an order known only to Li Qiye. Without this specific sequence, even someone who knew the secrets were hidden there could never extract them in their entirety!
The three sets of martial technique manuals containing the *Body Book*'s secrets were printed by Li Qiye across three different eras. Therefore, these three sets spanned three distinct, unrelated time periods!
Across three eras, Li Qiye printed and distributed over a hundred thousand copies of the three sets of manuals, ensuring they spread far and wide. In time, they circulated not just within the Human Emperor Realm, but throughout the other Eight Realms as well.
Although the memories of all his cultivation techniques had been erased, the memory of the sequence had not! Therefore, even if he truly lost the original *Body Book*, he could still recover its secrets from *Martial Arts General Outline*, *Martial Arts and Miscellaneous Techniques*, and *Iron Skin and Copper Tendons*!
Throughout the ages, not a single cultivator had ever bothered to read all one hundred and twenty volumes of these three sets of martial arts secret manuals. Even if someone did cultivate martial arts, it would be impossible for them to possess all three sets simultaneously!
The fact that the Xiyan Ancient Sect possessed these three sets of manuals was by Li Qiye's design; he had intentionally left them behind long ago. He was giving the Xiyan Ancient Sect an opportunity. If someone with enough heart and dedication could decipher his secret manuals, perhaps the sect could produce another figure like Mingren Immortal Emperor. Even if they couldn't become an Immortal Emperor, they could at least achieve an Immortal Body.
Unfortunately, very few of the Xiyan Ancient Sect's later generations had even glanced at these three sets of martial technique manuals, let alone attempted to comprehend the secrets within! And for that very reason, since the time of Mingren Immortal Emperor, there has never been a report of a second Immortal Body emerging from the Xiyan Ancient Sect!
Li Qiye spent the entire night extracting the complete secrets of the *Body Book* from the one hundred and twenty volumes of martial arts secret manuals.
Looking at the secrets he had written down, Li Qiye couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. He slowly read over the organized text. As he imprinted the secrets of the *Body Book* onto his mind, the erased memories gradually resurfaced. Finally, the complete and perfect *Body Book* appeared once more in his mind's eye!
Once the complete secrets of the *Body Book* were imprinted in his mind, Li Qiye took the papers he'd written on and burned them to ashes. Having experienced countless tribulations, Li Qiye knew how precious the *Body Book* was. He also knew what sort of calamity would befall him if anyone discovered he possessed it! Therefore, he decided to keep the secrets of the *Body Book* only in his mind.
In truth, the original *Body Book* had been hidden away by Li Qiye himself. In all the world, no one besides him could possibly retrieve the original.
However, Li Qiye was in no hurry to retrieve the original *Body Book*, because its significance went far beyond mere cultivation technique secrets!
After recovering the secrets of the *Body Book*, Li Qiye rested for a short while. By the time he was done, the sky was already bright, and Nan Huairun had arrived early at Solitary Peak to see him.
"Senior Brother, I'm afraid I can't accompany you to the Armory Pavilion today," Nan Huairun said as soon as he saw Li Qiye. "An elder has dispatched me on an errand. I have to report to the Sect Leader about the marriage alliance."
Nan Huairun was a Hall Envoy and highly regarded by the elders, so he was often entrusted with the responsibility of delivering important messages.
"Go on, then. I'm not in a hurry to choose a Treasure Artifact," Li Qiye said with a slight nod. He could use this opportunity to properly sort through the cultivation technique secret manuals anyway.
After Nan Huairun left, Li Qiye didn't bother sleeping any longer. He took out the *Kunpeng Six Forms* secret manual. In the eyes of the Xiyan Ancient Sect's third-generation disciples, the *Kunpeng Six Forms* held a very high status. It was a derivative of an Emperor Technique, and despite being a derivative, its power was absolutely terrifying.
Every Immortal Emperor in history has created astonishingly powerful cultivation techniques and Emperor Arts. These include Longevity Techniques to extend one's lifespan and nourish blood, Life Techniques to cultivate one's destiny and vanquish foes, and Body Techniques to forge the body and cleanse the marrow! And then there were the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skills, which could only be created by an Immortal Emperor who had shouldered the Celestial Mandate.
Mingren Immortal Emperor created countless cultivation techniques in his lifetime. Li Qiye was intimately familiar with all of them, whether they were Longevity Techniques, Life Techniques, or Body Techniques.
He had personally raised Mingren Immortal Emperor to his station. Li Qiye had participated in the creation of most of the cultivation techniques Mingren Immortal Emperor developed throughout his life; he was even involved in the creation of the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skills.
Although Li Qiye had the Black Dragon King erase all of his memories regarding cultivation techniques before his last slumber, he was still confident he could recover them.
The *Kunpeng Six Forms* corresponded to the Core Emperor Technique, the *Kunpeng Six Transformations*. This was one of the most powerful Life Techniques Mingren Immortal Emperor ever created.
Li Qiye didn't know if the Xiyan Ancient Sect even had the *Kunpeng Six Transformations* anymore. For now, he had no access to the sect's Core Emperor Techniques. However, he could use the *Kunpeng Six Forms* to recover his memories of the *Kunpeng Six Transformations*!
Li Qiye slowly began to read and comprehend the *Kunpeng Six Forms*. In truth, it consisted of only six simple movements, hardly qualifying as a Life Technique used for self-preservation and defeating foes. But Li Qiye knew better than anyone that Mingren Immortal Emperor had created the *Kunpeng Six Transformations* based on these very six movements.
Back when Mingren was still a young man, Li Qiye, in his form as the Yin Ya, had taken him to observe a Kunpeng from afar. From this, Mingren deduced six fundamental movements of the Kunpeng and used them to create the *Kunpeng Six Transformations*. In time, the *Kunpeng Six Transformations* became a famed Immortal Emperor's Destiny Technique!
As Li Qiye delved deeper into his comprehension, the six movements of the *Kunpeng Six Forms* began to evolve in his mind. One moment, a great Peng would soar to the Nine Heavens, its wings beating across three thousand li. The next, it would dive into the Nine Netherworld, its beak piercing the very foundations of the earth. Then, the great Peng would plunge into the great abyss and transform into the Giant Kūn, its tail stirring up monstrous waves...
One moment a Peng, the next a Kūn. The evolution accelerated, and as it continued, the distinction between Peng and Kūn blurred until it was lost completely. Finally, the fish became a bird, leaping into the Nine Heavens and treading upon the Great Dao. The transformation between Kūn and Peng was like the shifting of the sun and moon—seamless and natural, perfectly in tune with the rhythm of the universal Dao.
BOOM—! With a tremendous sound, the Kunpeng slapped the water. In that instant, Li Qiye's entire body shuddered violently. The Kunpeng that had kicked up thousand-fathom waves vanished, and the towering waves vanished along with it. Slowly, everything dissolved into the rhythm of the Dao. This rhythm gave birth to profundities and drove the Great Dao, and finally, the memory runes that had once been erased began to reappear in Li Qiye's mind, one after another.
These memory runes flickered, sometimes appearing as a Peng, other times as a Kūn, embodying endless, profound transformations. At last, the distinction between Kūn and Peng was gone, and they merged into a single, complete Kunpeng. The flawless and complete *Kunpeng Six Transformations* was finally imprinted upon Li Qiye's mind.
Li Qiye couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. His hard work had paid off. He had finally recovered his memories of the *Kunpeng Six Transformations*.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally returned to his senses from the profound mysteries of the *Kunpeng Six Transformations*. Without realizing it, he had been immersed in this Supreme Destiny Technique for a full day.
Having comprehended the secrets of the *Kunpeng Six Transformations*, Li Qiye didn't allow himself to rest or become complacent. He understood his own situation better than anyone. Whether it was his physique, his Life Wheel, or his Life Palace, he couldn't compare to the geniuses of the world. Therefore, he had to be a hundred times more diligent in his practice. On the path of cultivation, he had to persevere relentlessly. Only by doing so could he hope to one day shoulder the Celestial Mandate and sweep across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
As the master who had personally trained an Immortal Emperor, as the mentor who had guided countless titans, he understood the grand principles of cultivation better than anyone. Though his physique, Life Wheel, and Life Palace were subpar, he possessed a complete and flawless philosophy of cultivation. This was his advantage.
Li Qiye opened and began studying the *Moon Vortex Sun Wheel Technique*. It was a Longevity Technique, one that primarily cultivated the Life Wheel in order to extend one's lifespan and nourish their blood.
Every cultivator, and even every mortal, possesses a Life Wheel! Any intelligent living being has three fundamental attributes: first, a physique; second, a Life Wheel; and third, a Life Palace.
Physique, needless to say, is the vessel of life itself. Without a physique, there is no life. Even the most ordinary mortal still possesses a Mortal Body. A body of flesh and blood is the ultimate vessel for life!
The Life Wheel. There's a saying: 'Trees have annual rings, people have life wheels.' The Life Wheel resides within the body, but it is not a physical object; it is a halo of light. Only cultivators can see their own Life Wheel. After practicing a Longevity Technique, the Life Wheel will manifest as a halo behind one's head. The rings of light signify the strength of one's Blood Qi and lifespan.
For a mortal, assuming they suffer no calamities, their natural lifespan is determined by their Life Wheel. For example, someone like Li Qiye with a Mortal Level Life Wheel, if he were to live like an ordinary person without practicing any Daoist Techniques, he could expect to live to the age of sixty, provided he didn't die from some accident or misfortune.
The Life Wheel, physique, and Life Palace all have distinct levels. From lowest to highest, they are: Mortal Level, Postnatal Level, Innate Level, Emperor Level, Saint Level, and Immortal Level!
Although the Life Wheel and Life Palace share the same level system as physiques, there is one crucial difference. In principle, the level of one's Life Wheel and Life Palace cannot be changed—they are determined at birth. Only one's physique can be altered through cultivation! For example, someone with an Innate Physique can cultivate an Emperor Level Body Technique to advance their physique to an Emperor Body!