Chapter 133: Reshaping the Body!

"Ah..." Yang Fan, who was cultivating on the banks of the magma of terrestrial fire, suddenly let out a roar. At this moment, blood was seeping from every pore of his body, and excruciating pain flooded his entire being.

Kunlun sat on the central platform, his eyes gleaming. He had experienced this exact sensation hundreds of years ago. The Kunlun Undying Technique was a cultivation method designed to enhance regenerative capabilities and fundamentally alter the essence of the human body. It was not easy to master, but once successful, death would be a difficult feat to achieve. Such formidable regenerative power was something no one could afford to underestimate.

The first step to entering the path was to refine the tendons and forge the bones, fundamentally reconstructing the body's structure. This step had trapped countless geniuses; the process of reshaping the body was agonizing, and once begun, it could not be halted. Many died from the sheer pain, and those who managed to endure it would inevitably face a second hurdle. As the body was forcibly altered, it could not immediately adapt; the flow of energy became obstructed, and vital essence and blood were consumed at a rapid rate. At this point, a massive surge of life force was required to sustain the body. This stage was paved with the bones of countless failures.

This was the inherent flaw in the Kunlun tribe's techniques. Since ancient times, most who successfully mastered the Undying Technique had relied on the secret fruits found in the forbidden zones. Only a rare few geniuses, such as the current Kunlun himself, had broken through by sheer willpower.

Yang Fan felt as if he were being torn apart. Every bone, every muscle, every blood vessel, and every inch of skin was shifting and being reshaped. Gritting his teeth, he tried to lose consciousness, but his body was so saturated with life force that his deepest organs perceived no danger and refused to trigger the body’s self-protective mechanisms. The more intense the pain, the clearer Yang Fan’s mind became. This caused him great distress; it was painful enough, and if he couldn't pass out, he wished at least to be delirious, yet the life force was directly stimulating his brain, keeping his senses hyper-alert. He felt like he wanted to die.

"Accelerate the circulation of the Kunlun Undying Technique. Try to shorten the time of the reconstruction; it will lessen your suffering!" Kunlun’s voice reached Yang Fan’s ears like a heavenly melody.

Subconsciously, Yang Fan accelerated his blood circulation, sending his vital essence and blood flowing even more violently through every corner of his body. As the speed increased, Yang Fan’s eyes widened instantly. He stared fixedly at Kunlun, the veins on his forehead bulging as if they were about to burst. His mouth trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word. In his heart, Yang Fan had already cursed Kunlun a hundred and eighty times. This old bastard. He was setting him up.

Accelerating the technique, Yang Fan did not know if it would truly shorten the duration of his suffering; he only knew that after doing so, the heart-wrenching, soul-tearing pain intensified at least threefold. The moment he sped up, his vision went black, then cleared, only for the pain to strike again, wave after wave.

As Yang Fan gnashed his teeth in fury, Kunlun, on the platform, curled his lips into a smile. He whispered to himself, "Hmph, you brat. I can't kill you, but I can certainly make you uncomfortable. You little rascal, you didn't come early or late, but had to show up just before the Hun-Tian King appeared. You, a minor hope, have squeezed out my ultimate hope. If I don't give you a hard time, wouldn't you feel aggrieved on my behalf?"

On the shore, Yang Fan looked at Kunlun not far away, seeing the man’s smug expression and wide grin. A nameless fire surged within him, and he roared aloud. This scoundrel was utterly heartless—it was too much! Anger caused Yang Fan to subconsciously accelerate his blood circulation even further, his vital energy surging at high speed. But at this point, Yang Fan had little reaction left; the body could only endure so much pain—once you reached the limit, any further increase was meaningless. Simply put, if you could endure the initial agony, there was nothing left to fear.

After an unknown amount of time spent staring at Kunlun, Yang Fan clearly felt sounds coming from within his body: *snap... snap... snap...* Before he could investigate, these sounds began to echo within him like firecrackers. As the sounds multiplied, Yang Fan felt as if he had lost control of his physical body. He could see and hear, but he could not move; he couldn't even lift a finger. Yang Fan panicked.

Just then, a wave of life force, far exceeding what had been present during the initial reconstruction, emerged. This potent energy enveloped every part of his body. The pain vanished, and Yang Fan felt a warm, soothing sensation. Then, he lost consciousness once more.

...

Even as he drifted into unconsciousness, Yang Fan wondered: what exactly was cultivation? Perhaps, to him, cultivation was just a cycle of enduring pain to become stronger, and extreme pain meant becoming exceptionally strong. Looking back on his journey, it was nothing but a history of constant pain and continuous growth.

...

Kunlun looked at the unconscious Yang Fan on the shore, feeling somewhat surprised. It was too fast; reshaping the body was not a simple matter. It required time, and Kunlun had never heard of, let alone seen, anyone complete it in under two hours. Back in his day, he was considered a peerless genius, yet even he had taken a day and a half to reshape his body. Thinking back to the agony he had endured, Kunlun still felt a lingering fear.

Little did Kunlun know that Yang Fan’s body had already been baptized by the body-refining fluid, making it fundamentally different. The Kunlun Undying Technique was merely performing a simple reconstruction, bypassing the initial strengthening phase, which naturally made the process faster. Furthermore, Yang Fan had endured several times the pain Kunlun had faced in his time.

...

After a moment, Kunlun stopped pondering it. The fact remained that the body reconstruction was complete, so there was no reason to fret. The subsequent stages would be trivial for Yang Fan, as the life force of the secret fruit was sufficient to break through the next barrier.

Kunlun closed his eyes and began to plan for his future departure. He liked to plan for contingencies, accustomed to thinking everything through in advance. The only impulsive act of his life had been exploring the forbidden zone. Only that once had Kunlun become overconfident, failing to consider the consequences.

...

In the Kunlun Secret Realm, countless exotic beasts gathered around the giant ape. The lowest among them were of the eighth rank. Thousands of beasts lay prostrate on the ground, and the monkey radiated an aura of superiority unique to the most powerful of beasts. This had nothing to do with mere strength; it was the suppression of bloodline.

The monkey looked at the myriad beasts around him, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes. Once, the horde of beasts he commanded had been far greater than this. Back when he was the Hun-Tian Battle King, commanding all the beasts of the world and conquering the realm—that was the life he had known.

The monkey’s bloodline was noble, passed down from the ancient era. It was said that the War Ancestor was also an invincible powerhouse of the monkey’s lineage, but as time passed, no one knew what had become of him. The only person in the world who knew the truth was likely the monkey himself.

With a roar, all the exotic beasts prostrated themselves, and the monkey began to howl into the void...