The Black Sword Piercing the Heart

After a long while,

Gu Qingfeng stopped hesitating and directly fused with the origin of the Seven Orifices Exquisite Body.

Soon after the fusion was complete, he suddenly felt as though the world had transformed.

To be precise, it wasn’t the world that had changed, but his perception. Everything in the world became crystal clear in his eyes, as if a mysterious veil had been lifted.

His mind was clearer than ever before, and his eyes shone with divine light, seemingly capable of piercing through all the principles and truths of the world.

His comprehension, already enhanced by the Primordial Sacred Body, skyrocketed once more,

reaching a level that could only be described as terrifying.

The Seven Orifices Exquisite Body possessed no special abilities—it only enhanced comprehension.

But this alone was enough to rank it among the top-tier constitutions.

In the early stages of cultivation, talent was paramount, but in the later stages, comprehension became the key. Cultivation was about grasping the truths of the Great Dao. Those with supreme comprehension possessed the power to transform the mundane into the divine.

It allowed one to absorb and fuse the principles of the world, innovate, extrapolate, and even forge an entirely new path if comprehension was profound enough—even if the existing road had been severed!

Such was the terror of comprehension.

Without exaggeration, with his current level of comprehension and the experience of battling Divine Core experts, Gu Qingfeng could already create his own method to condense a Divine Core.

Of course, he wouldn’t do so. First, it would waste too much time—creation and deduction required immense effort.

Second, the existing data was insufficient. Any method he devised now would pale in comparison to the top-tier techniques of the Cangming Realm, which had been refined and perfected over countless millennia.

They were not something he could rival with a mere flash of inspiration.

Beyond comprehension, Gu Qingfeng’s strength had also improved.

This growth didn’t come from the Seven Orifices Exquisite Body itself but from the reorganization of his abilities and the refinement of his power usage due to his heightened comprehension.

Gu Qingfeng had mastered too many techniques, resulting in a chaotic and disjointed system where none of his abilities could reach their full potential.

But with the Seven Orifices Exquisite Body, everything changed.

It acted like a central brain, coordinating and optimizing every aspect of his power, allowing them to synergize perfectly and unleash even greater might!

A simple example:

Previously, Gu Qingfeng could manipulate the Five Elements. But with the Seven Orifices Exquisite Body, he could not only control them but also delve deeper—commanding both their positive and inverse aspects!

Take Wood, for instance. Wood represented vitality—this was its positive aspect. But its inverse? Trees rooted in the earth, absorbing nutrients to grow—thus, the inverse was devouring!

Or Earth. Earth represented solidity, bearing all things—this was its positive aspect. But let’s not forget: while the earth carries life, it also buries the dead. Countless beings throughout history have found their eternal rest beneath the soil.

Thus, Earth could be the nurturing soil of life—or the Netherworld where the dead slumbered. This was its inverse!

The harmonious interplay of the positive Five Elements created Yang, while the convergence of their inverse aspects formed Yin.

This was the Great Dao of Yin and Yang!

Such was the terrifying ability of the Seven Orifices Exquisite Body—to synthesize, refine, and innovate!

After familiarizing himself with the Seven Orifices Exquisite Body, Gu Qingfeng didn’t linger. He immediately ascended to the Upper Realm. After all, he could return anytime—more convenient than commuting to work in the modern world.

......

Cangming Realm—Primordial Forbidden Land!

A figure as graceful as an exiled immortal suddenly appeared out of thin air.

It was Gu Qingfeng.

As soon as Gu Qingfeng appeared, he immediately began assessing his surroundings.

Hmm, it was quiet, peaceful even.

The barbarian tribes weren’t lying in wait, nor had they set any traps.

This made sense, given their low intelligence—something he could understand.

"The top priority now is to leave the Taichu Forbidden Land as quickly as possible, then find a human settlement to obtain cultivation techniques. The Cangming Realm is too dangerous, with too many races. I must improve my strength as soon as possible."

With that, Gu Qingfeng activated the Size-Shifting technique, instantly shrinking to the size of a mosquito, then layered on an invisibility spell.

He swiftly departed from his original location, racing toward the outskirts of the Taichu Forbidden Land.

Though he was directionally challenged, he wouldn’t get lost in the Taichu Forbidden Land. By sensing the density of the curse energy, he could determine his path.

The deeper one ventured, the thicker the curse energy became, while the outskirts were far weaker.

Gu Qingfeng flew invisibly, speeding along without pause. Yet the Taichu Forbidden Land was vast—so vast that even after a full day and night of flight, he still hadn’t reached the exit.

Fortunately, he had gathered quite a few precious herbs along the way, even some heavenly treasures with tens of thousands of years of growth.

This confirmed his earlier speculation: because few cultivators set foot in the Taichu Forbidden Land, it had become a treasure trove of rare resources.

Aside from the herbs, he had also encountered barbarians several times, but each time, he had evaded them well in advance.

The barbarians didn’t cultivate traditional realms and lacked souls, so their perception was poor, relying mostly on their heightened physical senses.

Gu Qingfeng’s Size-Shifting and invisibility techniques countered them perfectly—unless they got extremely close, they would never detect him.

He had also come across many strange beasts—some resembling lions or tigers but covered in black scales, others like apes but with three heads: a monkey’s, a wolf’s, and a snake’s. In short, they were all bizarre in appearance.

The only commonality was their lifeless eyes, devoid of souls.

Gu Qingfeng ignored them all, wary of drawing the barbarians’ attention.

After another day of flight, he finally stopped—not because he had reached his destination, but because he had discovered a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Infant Flower.

The Soul Infant Flower was exceptionally rare, one of the few precious herbs capable of boosting soul power without side effects. And this one, having grown for over ten thousand years, would provide an unimaginable enhancement.

This was the most valuable herb he had found so far, given that he was flying toward the outskirts—the truly priceless treasures lay deep within the forbidden land.

No hesitation—he came, he saw, he plundered!

Seeing no one around, Gu Qingfeng dispelled his Size-Shifting technique, returning to his true form, then reached out to uproot the ten-thousand-year-old Soul Infant Flower.

But just then—

A sharp pain pierced his chest!

He looked down and was stunned to see the tip of a sword protruding from his body.

It was pitch black, its surface shimmering with dark scales and flickering with streaks of lightning.

Damn it!

Who the hell stabbed me from behind?!

Gu Qingfeng was both shocked and furious. He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching, only realizing the attack after being struck. The Taichu Forbidden Land truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most ancient and perilous forbidden lands. In the Qing Realm, he had never been injured in his entire life, yet here in the Cangming Realm, he had already suffered multiple wounds in just a few days.

Without wasting time on thought, he lunged forward, pulling the black sword free from his heart.

Just as he dodged the range of the black sword, the gash that had pierced his heart rapidly healed, and the invading lightning was directly absorbed as nourishment.

Though the opponent's sword was extraordinary—capable of piercing through the defenses of the Prison-Suppressing Dragon Elephant Body—it was powerless against such formidable regenerative abilities.

As for the lightning? It was even less effective against the Primordial Sacred Body.

With these two supreme physiques, Gu Qingfeng's physical resistance, magic resistance, and recovery had long reached terrifying levels, making him nearly impossible to kill.

Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng distanced himself and turned around, wanting to see who his assailant was.

And then—he froze.

It was a woman.

And damn, was she pretty!