Chapter 4519: The Fifth Needle

Decades later, Master Qing Cao and Lu Yin arrived in the Tianyuan’s Venom Flowzone. Returning to a place from so far in his past filled Lu Yin with various emotions. This was where he had first met Master Qing Cao.

The poisonous miasma of Venom Flowzone was greatly diminished from before. In the past, he had had to detoxify the miasma before he could visit the Divine Venom Continent, but now, Lu Yin could disperse these toxins with the mere wave of his hand. It was no different to him than mist.

"Try sensing it," said Master Qing Cao.

Standing in Venom Flowzone, Lu Yin closed his eyes and quietly felt the breathing of the flowzone.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Each breath was different from the one before. With every inhale and exhale, it felt as if another pair of eyes were opening to observe the universe. It was the same sky as ever, but it also seemed to breathe now, if only faintly. Why could he sense it faintly? Because he had been here before. Even though he had not sensed the breathing at that time, his body remembered the feeling.

Breathing awakened the body's original memories. These memories had no form or image, yet they still existed.

It was as if the universe shared a collective memory.

Lu Yi’s eyes suddenly snapped open. "It's the body."

Master Qing Cao’s eyes lit up. "Continue."

"Breathing awakens the body's memory."

"Hahaha, good! Congratulations, you've completed the first step of cultivating the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles," Master Qing Cao happily announced. Despite saying earlier that Lu Yin’s progress was slow, the older man’s eyes betrayed his astonishment at this moment.

How could this be slow? In just a few decades, starting from nothing at all, Lu Yin had comprehended the path of breathing. If that were considered slow, humanity would have long become invincible.

Lu Yin let out a breath. This was true comprehension.

Master Qing Cao had never said the words that Lu Yin had just uttered. Only by him speaking them could it be considered true understanding.

“Of the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles, the First Needle disrupts the mind at the brow, the Second Needle opens the dead knot of the heart gate, and the Fifth Needle breaks the hidden soul of living beings. These are the three needle inheritances that this old man obtained.

"The First Needle transforms energy into a needle that is both invisible and formless. It can shatter an opponent’s perception and awareness without harming their physical body. This is an attack against the mind itself. Watch carefully." As he spoke, Master Qing Cao took no visible action, and yet Lu Yin suddenly turned to stare into space. He sensed that something had just passed by him.

Master Qing Cao continued, "You perceived it because the gap between us in regards to our combat strength is too great. Were our cultivation equal, you would not have detected anything. When the First Needle strikes, an enemy will not even realize it. That is its most terrifying aspect. Of course, its power also depends on the strength of the energy used to form the needle. You will understand this after comprehending it for yourself."

Lu Yin exclaimed, "Senior, whoever created the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles was truly a peerless genius! This is perfect for sneak attacks."

He could already imagine being locked in a battle with an enemy and then suddenly unleashing this First Needle, shattering their awareness. How could anyone possibly continue fighting after that?

The impact seemed similar to his own Dao Sword, though far more convenient. This was the legacy of the Seventh Rampart. The more that he learned about the Nine Ramparts, the more astonished Lu Yin was at the brilliance of the ancient human civilization. At the same time, their defeat seemed even more incomprehensible.

The Second Rampart's Path of Dispassion could seal enemies with an Umbrella Dominion, and the sword of the Path of Dispassion was incredibly destructive. Although the cultivation method’s titular theme was dispassion, it still carried sentiment.

The Fourth Rampart's Heaven's Sight had Manifestation Beyond the Pupil, could allow one to see through illusions, and could merge with the Ten-Eyed Divine Crow’s innate gifts to become invincible.

The Fifth Rampart had possessed unmatched heart techniques. Although Lu Yin had not yet seen the Heartbond Nonduality, the Formless Heaven Art alone was already a formidable technique that You Che had relied on to rise to power.

The Sixth Rampart had the peerless Tai'a Star Fist, which had once been used to destroy an entire fishing civilization in a single punch.

The Seventh Rampart's Seven Needles were extraordinarily mystical.

The legacies of the other Ramparts were still unknown, but they were undoubtedly powerful as well.

That was not even considering the fact that each Rampart had also possessed its own guardian artifact. Lu Yin could not even imagine how intense that great war must have been to destroy a civilization as powerful as the Nine Ramparts.

Master Qing Cao shook his head. "Our ancestors in the Nine Ramparts were upright. How could they use such methods for a sneak attack?"

Lu Yin did not argue. Of course they had. The First Needle was simply too perfect for such usage.

"I will now pass on the cultivation methods of these three needles to you, while guiding you along the path of breathing. How you proceed after this will depend on you alone.

“Next is the Second Needle, which undoes the heart-gate’s fatal knot. This needle is used for survival." As he spoke, Master Qing Cao unleashed the Second Needle. This was Lu Yin’s second time witnessing it.

Before, he had only been able to hear breathing from both Master Qing Cao and Wang Xiaoyu. This time, things were different. From Master Qing Cao's breathing, Lu Yin could sense the connection of the Second Needle: the connection of life itself. It was no wonder that connecting it to Wang Wen would have caused the deaths of those connected to fall upon him.

The creator of the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles had been truly ingenious. The first was perfect for sneak attacks, and the second was shamelessly practical. What about the third? Unfortunately, it had not been passed down.

"By the way, Senior, why was Wang Xiaoyu able to link with your Second Needle? Did she also learn it?"

Master Qing Cao's expression grew complicated. "Xiaoyu did not learn it. She was too close to Wang Wen. If she had cultivated the path of breathing, he would have easily detected it. She was merely a node in my chain of breathing. The node had to synchronize with my breathing, but she did not need to cultivate the Second Needle."

Lu Yin nodded and dropped the topic.

“The Fifth Needle is very unusual, breaking the hidden soul of living beings. Even I have never fully mastered it, and that troubled me for a long time. I wondered if I simply wasn’t suited to this needle, so I found many others to study it with me. Although none of them managed to master the path of breathing, this Fifth Needle is not entirely born from the Path of Breathing either. It is more like a method of drawing upon some other power.

"Direct guidance is easy, but integrating it into the path of breathing is difficult. This needle should already be familiar to you."

Lu Yin grew puzzled. "Have I seen it before?"

Master Qing Cao smiled. "The Hidden Needle."

Lu Yin's expression changed. "The Hidden Needle?"

Master Qing Cao nodded. "When visiting the Tianyuan Megaverse, I met Lu Yuan while cultivating the Fifth Needle. He was unaware of my identity. I made a simple exchange with him, offering guidance in learning the method of the Fifth Needle, so we left no impression on each other. I did the same thing many other times, but none could master it. I hoped to find a peerless genius who could fully master the Fifth Needle using only the method of force guidance, but no one could achieve that. The one who did best was your ancestor, Lu Yuan. He refined the Fifth Needle into a battle technique that can heal injuries through the method of force guidance, and then named it the Hidden Needle."

Lu Yin had not expected his family’s Hidden Needle to have such an origin. The Hidden Needle had always been a secret inheritance of the Lu family, and yet its origin had always remained unclear. So it was actually developed by Ancestor Lu Yuan?

After learning the Hidden Needle’s origin, Lu Yin understood why his ancestor had not recorded its creation; it was not truly his invention, but rather something that came from Master Qing Cao.

"Although the Hidden Needle has its origins in the Fifth Needle, it can still be considered your ancestor's creation and remains a Lu family secret art. I could not master the original technique, but I hope that you can."

Lu Yin asked, "So learning the true Fifth Needle means manifesting the Hidden Needle through the path of breathing?"

Master Qing Cao nodded. "The Fifth Needle is powerful, and it is not limited to healing. The Hidden Needle is merely one of its uses. If you someday succeed, remember to show me.

"Alright, I have passed the three Yan Gate’s needles that I know to you. Go into seclusion if you must. Take care of everything yourself."

Lu Yin nodded. "Thank you, Senior."

After Master Qing Cao left, Lu Yin directly went to the Mirari Realm to practice the three needles.

He did not know how long he stayed in the Mirari Realm, but he eventually mastered the First and Second Needles, which were sufficient for the time being. On the other hand, the Fifth Needle was truly difficult to master. Was it possible that the Seven Needles had to be learned in order?

Lu Yin left the Mirari Realm and returned to the Heavens Sect, only to learn that Shan Yue had been looking for him for some time. He went to the parallel universe occupied by the Mountain Sword Sect to find the man.

Seeing Lu Yin, Shan Yue hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Lord Lu."

Lu Yin nodded. "What do you need?"

Shan Yue repeated Ni Que's words. Lu Yin did not believe that the karmic designation could last more than a century, but Ni Que's words about Ni Bieluo were worth noting.

So, Lu Yin met with Ni Que again.

"Meeting me again allows you to designate the karma of killing you to me once more, but doing so is meaningless. If you do that, you’re only confirming that it doesn’t last more than a century, which will place your life on a timer," Lu Yin stated coldly.

Ni Que hurriedly said, "I didn’t lie. The karmic designation has not yet ended."

"Are you trying to intimidate me?"

"There’s no need for that. It’s true, it hasn’t disappeared yet, but it won’t last much longer. For an Immortal, such a short amount of time is meaningless. What I truly need is to outlive Ni Bieluo."

Lu Yin stared at the creature. "Go on."

Ni Que said in a low voice, "If I tell you, you must release me."

Lu Yin did not immediately agree. He had already delivered Ni Que to Shan Yue, as a sacrifice to the Mountain Sword Sect’s fallen ancestor.

Seeing the man’s hesitation, Ni Que quickly continued, "What I can tell you will definitely help you. Even if you can’t deal with Ni Bieluo, this will at least grant you another technique."

Lu Yin’s heart stirred. "Endless Recall?"

"Yes, that’s it."

Endless Recall? Lu Yin did know of that technique. He had seen Ni Bieluo use it during the war against the Mudwater Dominion. Again during the assault on the Trio, Ni Bieluo had used it to immobilize Death's Dominion, creating an opportunity to strike both sides simultaneously.

It was a truly formidable technique. Unfortunately, Lu Yin already had too many battle techniques.

"If that’s all you can offer me, it’s not enough to buy your life," Lu Yin announced as he turned to leave.

Ni Que shouted, "What if I tell you that Ni Bieluo comprehended karma from Endless Recall?"

Lu Yin turned back, astonished. "What did you say?"

"The reason why Ni Bieluo was able to comprehend karma is precisely because of this battle technique. I know that you may not need it, but using it to comprehend karma could bring you closer to Ni Bieluo’s comprehension of karma. Is that not what you want most?"

Lu Yin stared intently at the creature. "How do you know this?"

Seeing that Lu Yin was not leaving, Ni Que relaxed. "I have recorded an Immortal being which has the Mind-Marking Tribulation ability. This allows them to materialize mental states and break an enemy’s mind. Ni Bieluo needed my help, and it hoped to use that ability to find flaws in its own mind in order to resonate with a third cosmic law, only to fail repeatedly.

"And although I did not see it directly, every time Ni Bieluo uses karma, I can sense Endless Recall through my ability. That is why I am certain that it comprehended karma through this technique."

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