The divine abilities of the physical body originate from the depths of one's bloodline. This was a unique ability that Lin Yuan acquired when he descended into the Immortal World and merged the essence of the body cultivation path into martial arts.
Typically, the more profound the foundation of the physical body, the higher the level of divine abilities it could give rise to. For example, in the world of gods, Lin Yuan's body possessed dragon blood, and the divine ability it produced was the "Elemental Body," which allowed him to be immune to ninety percent of rule-based attacks of the same level.
In terms of profound foundation, none of Lin Yuan's previous nine transmigration could compare to his current situation. His martial ancestor body was nurtured by the boundless essence of the Azure World for over hundreds of thousands of years, with energy incomparable to most.
Considering the strength of this physical body, Lin Yuan believed it was not much weaker than the unique and extraordinary beings of the main universe. If he were to refine this body using the Martial Dao evolutionary path, what level of divine ability would it manifest?
"It should be fine," Lin Yuan thought as he examined his body. To facilitate his descent, this martial ancestor body was made of flesh and blood, which met all the prerequisites for the formation of a divine physical ability.
"Let's begin cultivating then," he murmured, focusing his mind inward.
In his previous nine transmigrations, Lin Yuan had relied heavily on external resources to recover his strength. Though there were no barriers to his level, he still had to accumulate sufficient energy. But now?
This martial ancestor body contained an energy comparable to an entire world. Without it, Lin Yuan wouldn't have been able to easily suppress the two outer-realm evil gods. As the "Heavenly Dao" of the Azure World, Lin Yuan could control all of its power with a single thought.
Therefore, as Lin Yuan entered cultivation, there were no obstacles. In just one breath, he reached the first rank of the Martial Dao. In ten breaths, he achieved the second rank. In fifty breaths, he reached the third rank.
In less than half an incense stick of time, he reached the fourth rank, and in the time it takes to burn a full stick, he had reached the fifth rank. After half an hour, he attained the sixth rank of the Martial Dao.
At the sixth rank, Lin Yuan began to tap into the power hidden deep within his bloodline, the stage where divine abilities of the physical body started to emerge.
"Hmm?" Lin Yuan could feel a force gathering and refining within his body.
"I can sense that this divine ability will surpass the previous four," he mused with anticipation.
Currently, Lin Yuan had mastered four divine abilities of the physical body:
Blood Rebirth, Moving Mountain, Enhancement and Elemental Body.
Based on his past experiences in forming divine abilities, Lin Yuan knew that the one forming within him now would be extraordinary.
Of course, divine abilities of the body are difficult to compare directly. Each one has its use in different situations, but Lin Yuan could feel that this new ability was on a higher level than the previous four.
"At this rate, it will take several years or even decades to fully form this ability," Lin Yuan calculated before shaking his head.
That would be the case for an ordinary Martial Dao evolver, but Lin Yuan was the ancestor of the Martial Dao. Having refined his body nine times over across multiple worlds and with deep control over his body in the main universe, he could accelerate the process without issue.
"I think I can finish forming it in three or four days," Lin Yuan estimated.
"Let's continue cultivating," he thought, focusing on both the formation of his divine ability and the continued growth of his strength. He still had a long way to go before fully restoring his peak power.
Normally, cultivating while forming a divine ability could disrupt the process, but Lin Yuan was beyond such concerns. His level of mastery over his body was too advanced, and many of the traditional taboos of cultivation didn't apply to him.
Outside the Martial Hall, the high priestess Qing Yao stood before the strongmen of the Azure World.
"Are you saying that it was the Martial Ancestor who descended and suppressed the two invading evil gods?" an elderly man asked in disbelief.
They had witnessed the two outer-realm evil gods vanish like ants, but none had seen who intervened.
After hearing the high priestess's explanation, they were all stunned.
The Martial Ancestor, the figure of legend, had actually descended?
"Who else could it be?" Qing Yao replied.
"Who but the Martial Ancestor could wield such power? Who else would protect us?"
The high priestess herself still hadn't fully processed the shock of seeing the Martial Ancestor in action. Not only had the being they worshiped for hundreds of thousands of years finally appeared, but he was unimaginably powerful. The two evil gods, who could have destroyed the world, had been reduced to a joke.
"Martial Ancestor is merciful," the old man said with conviction. He gazed at the door of the Martial Hall with deep reverence. Others around him shared the same awe, for when they looked toward the hall, they felt a sense of reverence, as though they were seeing the source of all martial arts in the world.
This feeling had never arisen even when they stood before the Martial Ancestor's golden body. With just a brief explanation from the high priestess, no one doubted any longer.
"The Martial Ancestor will be in seclusion for a time," Qing Yao added. "Unless it's a major emergency, do not disturb him."
"Understood," the martial practitioners responded, solemnly vowing to keep the area secure during the Martial Ancestor's seclusion.
Meanwhile, deep in the void, before a vast void secret realm, sat an imposing figure.
This was the Black Demon Pavilion Master, a terrifying and bizarre creature with eighteen arms, whose menacing aura spread in all directions.
The Pavilion Master was a being who commanded fear among the outer-realm evil gods.
"I've been studying this treasure for hundreds of thousands of years, but I still feel far from comprehending its full mysteries," the Pavilion Master muttered, frowning as he gazed at a "map" before him.
Nearly 200,000 years ago, he had obtained this treasure from a void secret realm and had been studying it ever since. It was thanks to this map that the Pavilion Master had gained significant strength, eventually becoming one of the most powerful evil gods in the region and establishing the Black Demon Pavilion.
Even so, the Pavilion Master remained unsatisfied, as he could sense that the map contained even greater secrets, but he couldn't fathom them.
"Could this treasure be related to the mythical ninth stage of evil gods?"
The Pavilion Master pondered. Outer-realm evil gods grew through nine stages, and the ninth stage was said to be a legend. Reaching this stage would make one the master of all outer-realm evil gods, able to roam freely across the vast, boundless void.
The Pavilion Master was currently at the eighth stage, and though he was only one stage away from the legendary ninth, the further he advanced, the more he realized how vast the gap truly was. In fact, the gap between the eighth and ninth stages was greater than the gap from the first to the eighth stages combined.
As the Pavilion Master continued studying the map, his expression suddenly changed.
"My subordinates 'Devil Eye' and 'Ten Thousand Tendrils' were suppressed?"
The Pavilion Master commanded many subordinates and thus immediately sensed what had happened outside the Azure World.
"I knew that world held great secrets. In just a few hundred thousand years, its energy increased tenfold. It seems I was right."
The Pavilion Master's eyes glinted red. Most of his attention had been focused on studying the map, which is why he had sent Devil Eye and Ten Thousand Tendrils to conquer the Azure World.
"I'll have to handle this personally," he muttered, carefully putting away the map before standing up.
"If that world can so easily suppress Devil Eye and Ten Thousand Tendrils, it must be no simple place. Even with my strength, I'm not sure I can take it down alone."
The Pavilion Master decided to contact his allies. Though there was no true friendship among outer-realm evil gods, they occasionally cooperated for mutual benefit. The Pavilion Master planned to summon several of the strongest evil gods in the region, those who were on par with himself.
Though he didn't feel confident in facing the being that had suppressed Devil Eye and Ten Thousand Tendrils alone, with the help of his allies, success was guaranteed.
Back in the Azure World, three or four days passed quickly. During this time, Lin Yuan successfully restored himself to the tenth rank of the Martial Dao.
His advantage in the Azure World was immense. Recovering his strength was merely a matter of accumulating energy, a straightforward task.
Just the boundless world energy contained within his martial ancestor body was enough to quickly restore Lin Yuan from the first rank to the peak of the ninth. The transition from ninth to tenth rank only cost him a few extra hours.
Restoring his strength to the tenth rank hadn't surprised Lin Yuan. For him, it was a matter of course. Whether in the Azure World or any other world, it was only a matter of time before he returned to the tenth rank.
What Lin Yuan was truly looking forward to, however, was the divine ability that had fully formed within his body after these few days of nurturing.
His fifth physical body divine ability was about to be born.
"I wonder what kind of divine ability this will be," Lin Yuan mused as he stopped cultivating and focused on the subtle changes occurring deep within his body.
...
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