181: acquaintance

Chen Linsheng stepped onto the Bone Forging Road.

The moment he entered the mountain path, a sudden, heavy force enveloped his entire body, as if countless invisible hands were pulling at every inch of his muscle and bone from all directions. Gravity was at least five times that of the outside world!

An ordinary Jiaojin Realm Martial Artist would likely be crushed instantly, their muscles and bones turning soft and their steps becoming difficult. However, Chen Linsheng's body only sank slightly before the blood and Qi within him surged. His Hunyuan True Body Foundation naturally erupted, and a heavy sense of primordial unity spread from the inside out, faintly contending with the external gravity. His spine remained straight, and though his steps became slow, they were still steady. He left a clear footprint with every step on the dark gray mountain path, making muffled 'thump, thump' sounds.

This was only the beginning.

As he climbed higher, the gravity continued to increase slowly but steadily. For every ten zhang he ascended, the gravity increased by about five percent. At the same time, the air grew increasingly scorching, and the orange-red light peeking through the mountain's fissures reflected on his face, bringing waves of heat.

When he reached a height of thirty zhang, the sound of 'creak, creak' rock friction came from the shadows of the rock walls on both sides.

Two humanoid Puppets, composed entirely of dark red volcanic rock and roughly the height of an average person, blocked the narrow mountain path. Their eyes flickered with orange-yellow flames that were more solid than those of the stone hounds at the foot of the mountain. They moved with stiff but powerful steps, wielding crude stone axes and hammers. Although they lacked sophisticated Moves, every swing carried an overwhelmingly heavy force in this terrifying gravity environment.

Chen Linsheng's eyes were calm as he advanced instead of retreating.

Facing the stone axe swung by the Puppet on the left, he neither dodged nor avoided it. He raised his left palm, a pale golden luster flowing within it, and with fingers slightly curved, he met the attack head-on with a simplified version of the 'Suppressing the Mountain' seal!

"Clang—!"

The palm and axe collided, producing a loud boom like a massive bronze bell, with sparks flying everywhere!

The stone axe, which was powerful enough to shatter monuments, was actually knocked high into the air by his palm strike! The Puppet stumbled, its center wide open. Chen Linsheng followed up with a right punch, the spiral penetrating power of Python Dragon Strength hidden within, landing solidly on the core of the Puppet's chest.

"Bang!"

The rock shattered, and the core flame was instantly extinguished. The Puppet crashed to the ground, breaking into several pieces.

The stone hammer from the Puppet on the right had already reached the top of his head. Chen Linsheng shifted his footing; even under five times gravity, the Crane Ape Illusory Wind Steps still showed incredible adaptability. His body moved like a weighted ape, eerily shifting half a foot to the side. The stone hammer grazed his shoulder and smashed down, cracking the rocks on the ground.

He took the opportunity to close in, his elbow striking like a spear, slamming hard into the weak joint under the Puppet's ribs!

"Crack!" The joint shattered, and the Puppet's movements stiffened. Chen Linsheng pressed his fingers together like a sword, condensing a sliver of peerlessly sharp Lungs-Gold Origin Qi at his fingertips, piercing into the flame core in its eye socket like a drill.

The second Puppet was destroyed.

The entire process took no more than six or seven breaths, clean and efficient.

Chen Linsheng exhaled a breath of scorching air. He felt that under the pressure of gravity and the intense combat, the circulation of blood and Qi in his body had become more active. The Qi membrane of the Golden Robe Skill integrated more closely with his flesh and bones, showing signs of further progress. He leaned over and picked up a pigeon-egg-sized, dimly glowing fire source crystal from the core embers of each Puppet's remains. The count in his mind changed to 'Nine'.

He did not linger and continued upward.

The higher one went on the Bone Forging Road, the stronger the gravity became, and the flame Puppets that appeared became more powerful and sophisticated. From the initial dull humanoid forms, beast forms and even half-human, half-beast composite forms began to appear. Their attack methods were no longer limited to brute force swings; they started using simple combined attacks, breathing fire, and even popping out tempered rock spikes from certain joints.

But Chen Linsheng was like a tireless, high-precision machine.

The Hunyuan True Body provided a robust Foundation and great load-bearing capacity, acting like an immovable mountain that bore the increasingly terrifying pressure. The initial defense of the Golden Robe Skill allowed him to boldly take many hits, trading minor injuries for kills with startling efficiency. The Five Elements rotation and self-generating Origin Qi from his Minor Achievement in the Five Viscera Absorbing Essence Art provided near-endless endurance, which, combined with Medicinal Pills, allowed him to maintain high-intensity combat.

He no longer sought simple kills and began to consciously use the environment to temper himself.

Sometimes, he would intentionally take a hit from a Puppet to experience the vibration of the Golden Robe Skill's Qi membrane and the process of neutralizing force under the dual effects of pressure and impact, searching for better routes for Origin Qi circulation.

At other times, he would try various combinations of the 'Momentum' of the Mountain Suppressing Seal and the 'Force' of the Python Dragon Strength in actual combat. His palm techniques were sometimes as heavy as a mountain, suppressing everything, and at other times, they were spiraling and penetrating, specifically designed to break hard shells. Sometimes, they combined hardness and softness, using the opponent's strength against them.

His climbing speed wasn't the fastest. A hundred zhang above him, several figures could be seen moving with difficulty. Among them were two of the three young armored soldiers from Army Breaker Manor; they traveled together, supporting each other and advancing steadily. Further away, there seemed to be the figures of Northern Desert Wolf Clan warriors, struggling upward by relying on their powerful physiques.

However, Chen Linsheng's efficiency in collecting fire source crystals was likely the highest.

He specifically chose paths where Puppets were dense. With his precise control over his own strength and the keen perception of Tracking Perfection, he could always find the fastest and most efficient path for clearing them. In just over half a day, as he climbed to a height of about two hundred zhang, the count in his mind had become 'Twenty-Three'.

During this time, he also encountered other Martial Artists. Most people, seeing him traveling alone with a condensed aura and slaying Puppets like cutting vegetables, wisely chose to avoid him or watch from a distance. There were also those who lacked judgment and tried to ambush him while he was fighting Puppets. Their end was nothing more than becoming a few more corpses crushed by gravity or slapped away, contributing their hard-earned fire source crystals.

Standing on a relatively flat protruding rock to take a short rest, Chen Linsheng gazed into the distance.

From this height, he could clearly see parts of the other two peaks.

On the Heart Refining Bridge, mist swirled and churned. The figures on the bridge were sparse, and every one of them walked with staggering steps as if trapped in a nightmare. Just then, his gaze suddenly froze.

At a certain section of the Heart Refining Bridge near the starting end, a familiar figure came into view.

That person was dressed in crimson martial attire. Even from such a distance, one could still feel that aura as scorching as the blazing sun. He was sitting cross-legged on the bridge with his eyes tightly shut and his brow furrowed. Faint red-gold air currents rose around him, fiercely contending with the strange mist permeating the bridge, making subtle 'hissing' sounds.

Yan Chen!

He had actually come to the Fentian Secret Realm as well, and he had chosen the most treacherous and unpredictable Heart Refining Bridge!