233: Overlord rekindles, annihilation forges his body.

Inside the quiet room of the inn, the night was deep.

After easily annihilating the four Dou Zun assassins, Li Ao did not immediately continue comprehending the path of medicine; instead, he slightly furrowed his brow.

That seemingly effortless strike just now actually made him notice a subtle "incoordination" he had never paid attention to before.

While the application of Gui Xu Force was indeed profound and powerful—where his will went, all Laws were reduced to nothingness—his Physical Body, when bearing and unleashing this power that transcended Rules, faintly transmitted an extremely subtle sense of "stagnation."

It was as if a supercar with endless power had a chassis framework that hadn't been fully upgraded in sync, revealing an imperceptible fatigue under extreme operation.

"That's right... The Black Iron Hegemon Body." Li Ao's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood.

Since forging the "silent ruin" in the Earth Core Furnace, drawing down heavenly punishment, and then comprehending 'Return to Stillness' in a desperate situation and achieving the Fusion of the complete Nirvana True Understanding, his Soul Realm and understanding of Rules had already soared to a new height, and his core strength had shifted toward the higher-dimensional Gui Xu Force.

This caused the Black Iron Hegemon Body, which was one of his early core Foundations, to lag behind in progress.

Previously, he had been constantly injured, recovering, comprehending, and rushing around, never having the chance to calmly reforge his Physical Body.

Now, within the Medicine World, surrounded by powerful enemies, and with the Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry imminent, a sufficiently powerful Physical Body would not only better bear the Gui Xu Force and unleash its full power but also allow him to cope with various unexpected situations.

"My Dao is Return to Stillness. My shell should be the same."

A trace of determination flashed in Li Ao's eyes. He intended to use this opportunity not merely to resume the Cultivation of the Black Iron Hegemon Body, but to use it as a basis, activating the 'Return to Stillness' Rule he already controlled, to conduct a complete reconstruction of his Physical Body!

He would evolve the Black Iron Hegemon Body to a brand new level commensurate with his current Realm—the Nirvana Hegemon Body!

He sank his mind into his body and first communicated with the long-dormant blade ancestor system.

"System, scan the current Physical Body status and deduce the optimal path for the Fusion and advancement of the Black Iron Hegemon Body with the 'Return to Stillness Rule'."

[Ding! Command received. Scanning...]

[host Current Physical Body Strength: Black Iron Hegemon Body Second Level Peak (black iron Body).]

[Detected that the host has mastered the high-level Rule: 'Return to Stillness'.]

[Starting Fusion plan deduction... Deduction complete!]

[Recommendation: Use Gui Xu Life Force as the hammer and Annihilation Rule as the fire to reforge the Hegemon Body Foundation. Drawing external high-level energy (Recommendation: The intersection of the Medicine World Origin Life Essence Qi and Annihilation Death Qi) as fuel can accelerate the process and reduce risk.]

[Deduced New Realm: Law Body (Nirvana Transformation) — Nirvana Hegemon Body Initial Success.]

"The intersection of the Medicine World Origin Life Essence Qi and Annihilation Death Qi?" Li Ao's heart stirred, and his Soul Power, like invisible tentacles, carefully sensed the flow of energy in this world.

The Medicine World was filled with vigorous vitality, but as an independent space preserved since ancient times, its depths must also contain corners of decay and annihilation, used to balance the Reincarnation of life and death.

Soon, he locked onto a direction—it was precisely the core area of the Ancestral Secret Realm, shrouded in thick mist that even his senses struggled to fully penetrate!

There, the aura of vitality and deathly stillness coexisted in a profound manner.

"It seems the place of the Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry is also where I shall forge the Nirvana Hegemon Body." Li Ao curved his lips slightly. This was killing two birds with one stone.

He no longer hesitated and immediately began to act. He would not wait for Yao Chen to lead the way three days later; he needed to make some preparations in advance.

"Act as my Protector. I need to enter seclusion for one day," Li Ao said to Medusa.

Medusa nodded. Her Seven-Colored Dou Qi silently spread out, enveloping the entire quiet room. Her Killing Intent was contained within; anyone who dared to approach would face her thunderous strike.

Li Ao sat down cross-legged, first activating the Black Iron Hegemon Body technique, which he had not actively driven for a long time.

His vital Qi and blood roared and surged inside his body like a sleeping Dragon being awakened. Beneath his skin, the long-dormant dark golden luster reappeared, but compared to before, it lacked some of the metallic rigidity and possessed more restrained depth.

Next, he cautiously drew upon a trace of Gui Xu Life Force.

This was not destructive energy used for combat, but a creative force containing a sliver of vitality, representing 'life arising from the extreme of death.'

It acted like the gentlest yet most tenacious carving knife, following the operational route of the Black Iron Hegemon Body, beginning to sort out and widen the Meridians and Qi and blood pathways that had become somewhat "narrow" due to his Realm ascension.

Simultaneously, he mobilized the 'Annihilation' Rule Concept he had comprehended, acting as an invisible forging hammer. Accompanying the flow of Gui Xu Life Force, it hammered his tendons, bones, internal organs, and even every single cell repeatedly!

"Buzz—!"

Inside his body, it was as if a great bell was ringing, or as if thousands of worlds were undergoing creation and destruction.

Intense pain swept over him—the inevitable tempering brought about by the leap in life level—but Li Ao's mind was as firm as iron, completely unshaken.

Under his precise control, Gui Xu Life Force was responsible for "repair" and "nourishment," the Annihilation Rule was responsible for the "tempering" that "destroys and then establishes," and the Black Iron Hegemon Body technique served as the overall "blueprint" and "framework." The three combined tightly in an unprecedented manner.

The dark golden luster on his body surface grew brighter and gradually revealed some extremely subtle and profoundly mysterious gray patterns!

These patterns were not static; they slowly flowed, emitting the Annihilation Dao rhythm, which originated from the same source as the 'silent ruin' blade and the Nirvana True Understanding diagram!

His Physical Body was evolving from mere "hardness" towards a state of "containing Rules" and "resonating with the Dao"!

This process lasted for a full day.

When sunlight once again shone upon the Medicine World, the energy fluctuations inside the quiet room slowly subsided.

Li Ao opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed and disappeared, immediately returning to tranquility.

He slowly stood up and stretched his limbs. A low rumble, like the rotation of a galaxy or the Return to Stillness of all things, immediately sounded within his body.

He looked down. His skin was fair as jade, seemingly no different from an ordinary person.

However, if one focused their senses, they would discover the terrifying, surging Qi and blood hidden beneath, as well as the faint gray Rule patterns that seemed capable of devouring light.

Nirvana Hegemon Body, Initial Success!

Although he had not yet drawn upon the external life and Death Qi for the final refinement, the Foundation had already been successfully reconstructed.

At this moment, his Physical Body strength had officially stepped into the third level: the scope of the Law Body. Relying solely on his physique, he was sufficient to withstand any attack below the Three-Star Dou Zun level, and his resistance to energy and Soul attacks had reached a monstrous degree. Moreover, he could perfectly bear and unleash the Gui Xu Force!

Li Ao felt the endless surging power within his body, enough to shatter a star with a single punch, as well as the flawless, harmonious fit between his Physical Body, Soul, and the 'silent ruin'. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Now, I can truly say I have mastered this power."

He looked toward the direction of the Ancestral Land, his eyes sharp.

"Medicine Stone Heart Inquiry... I am coming."