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Death is the final destination for all living beings. However, for cultivators, a unique group, death signifies more than just an end—it also represents failure.
Complete and utter failure.
To pursue immortality, only to meet death in the end, is the ultimate denial of their lifelong pursuit. Yet for most cultivators, death is an unavoidable fate.
From the very beginning of their cultivation, they fight against their lifespan, hoping to extend their existence for as long as possible. They have three opportunities to do so.
The first opportunity arises at the start of cultivation when one advances from Qi Breathing to the Qi Breathing realm. A mortal body undergoes transformation, gaining True Qi, which extends the lifespan by nearly sixty years, allowing them to live up to one hundred and fifty years. This is the fundamental threshold of cultivation—anyone who can be called a cultivator has undoubtedly passed this stage. Yu Ci was no exception.
While the first opportunity is nearly universal, the second is not something everyone can attain. It requires breaking through the Enlightened Spirit and Divine Connectivity realms, reaching the stage of Core Refinement. At this point, essence, energy, and spirit become one, merging completely. The cultivator’s entire vitality falls under the governance of the refined core, leaving no room for loss or leakage. This breakthrough doubles the lifespan once again, allowing a cultivator to live up to three hundred years—the very limit of human potential. Even among ten thousand cultivators, only one might reach this level.
As for the third opportunity, those who can grasp it are even rarer. It requires surpassing the Core Refinement realm, stepping into the Void Stepping realm, soaring beyond the Nine Heavens, and absorbing the purest spiritual essence of the world—”Profound Truth.”
Through this process, body and spirit are refined, and lifespan is gradually extended. The duration of this extension varies—some gain ten to twenty years, while others gain centuries. But ultimately, the goal is to break through tribulations and attain the rank of True Immortal, achieving theoretical eternal life. In the entire cultivation world, among billions of cultivators throughout history, only a handful have ever succeeded.
Qi Breathing, Core Refinement, and Void Stepping—these three realms represent three critical steps, three platforms on the treacherous path to immortality. Only by ascending them can one catch their breath.
At present, Yu Ci was only at the starting point, but he was still young, with plenty of time to climb higher.
In contrast, Old Daoist Yu Zhou, who had lingered in the world for three hundred years, stood at the threshold of the third step, yet he had reached the end of his strength, too weak even to stretch out his hand.
In terms of actual age, Xie Yan was older than Yu Zhou. But in appearance, Xie Yan looked like a man in his prime, while Yu Zhou was already covered in white hair. The stark contrast was a cruel reminder of the hardships along the path of cultivation.
Yu Ci recalled the old daoist’s repeated lamentations—”I am old,” “The road ahead is blocked.” It was clear the old daoist understood his fate all too well. To sit and wait for death—what kind of state of mind was that? Yu Ci could not fully grasp it, but even the thought alone filled his heart with sorrow.
Compared to him, Xie Yan showed no sympathy. He sneered, “In at most two or three years, his lifespan will be exhausted. Even if he were to step into the Void Stepping realm today and ascend beyond the Nine Heavens to absorb the purest ‘Profound Truth’ to extend his life, he would only gain another twenty years—meaningless. I hear that Heart’s Desire Pavilion recently acquired a Golden Bone Jade Plate from a Western Buddhist Kingdom, made from the skull of an enlightened monk. It contains golden body spiritual blood. If implanted into the body, it can cleanse the bones and marrow, renewing vitality and extending life for at least fifty years. I must obtain it!”
Xie Yan gripped his black-sheathed longsword, tapping it lightly with the hilt. His eerie pupils emitted a chilling aura. “The cultivation method I practice is too violent. My entire body is filled with innate Qi that even Dragon Fishes struggle to endure, making it unsuitable for spirit control techniques. That’s why I need your help… Don’t mess this up for me!”
His tone and demeanor remained as unpleasant as ever, but Yu Ci heard something different this time. Just as the old daoist had said, he and Xie Yan, along with Xie Liang and the others, had shared life-and-death experiences together. Perhaps Xie Yan’s personality was truly awful and unlikable, but their bond was undeniable.
He still disliked Xie Yan’s attitude but refrained from arguing. Instead, he silently took the jade slip containing the spirit control technique, infused his consciousness into it, and began learning.
As Xie Yan had mentioned, the technique was easy to grasp. Dragon Fishes, being simple-minded and gluttonous for spiritual energy, were easy to control as long as they weren’t provoked. Following the instructions in the jade slip, Yu Ci used his own vitality as bait to nourish the Dragon Fish. Before long, it was lured in and lingered around him, reluctant to leave.
However, this technique constantly drained his vitality. Despite the Dragon Fish’s slender body, it had an insatiable appetite. Even though Yu Ci could mix external spiritual energy to sustain it, the depletion of his own vitality remained significant. Given his current state—having condensed his Yin Spirit and greatly expanded his potential—even he found it a bit taxing.
In the days leading up to the Treasure Banquet, forget about making progress in cultivation—he might even suffer a setback.
Yu Ci chose not to mention this and instead asked, “If the Master acquires that ‘Golden Bone Jade Plate,’ will he be able to survive this tribulation?”
Xie Yan did not answer directly. Instead, he stared at the Dragon Fish circling around Yu Ci. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Has he ever told you about the Dao of the Dragon Fish?”
Yu Ci was momentarily stunned before realizing that “he” referred to Old Daoist Yu Zhou and that the “Dao of the Dragon Fish” referred to the philosophy of survival and sacrifice on the path to immortality. He nodded in response.
Xie Yan let out a cold laugh. “Repeating others’ wisdom like a parrot.”
As he sneered, the black-sheathed longsword in his hand trembled with a resonating hum. In sync with his laughter and the sword’s ringing, the Dragon Fish in the night sky swam even more exuberantly. As its movements grew livelier, its pull on spiritual energy intensified, as if it had been starving for ages and was now feasting without restraint. Ripples spread outward along its path, faint but visible.
Yu Ci took a deep breath, suppressing the slight discomfort caused by the Dragon Fish’s siphoning of his vitality. He still remembered how the old daoist had openly admitted that the “Dao of the Dragon Fish” was merely an imitation of others’ successful experiences. Now, Xie Yan had his own scornful evaluation of it:
“He might have spoken freely about the Dao of the Dragon Fish, but did he ever tell you about his own ‘Dao’?”
****
Xie Yan and Yu Ci ascended into the sky to converse, leaving everyone on the ground aside; Li You, long accustomed to it, smiled and went back to sleep.
The troops of the Sun Light Sect, however, were not so fortunate. It was rare for Immortal Xie Yan to make the journey to Dan Cliff, and he had even specifically requested an audience with Mansion Master Jin Huan—a summons that couldn’t be delayed. Under the command of Lu Yang, who held the highest status there, Dan Cliff immediately buzzed with activity.
No matter how hectic things got, there were always those left idle, and Kuang Yanqi was one of them. Lu Yang hadn’t assigned his disciple any specific tasks. After standing around for a while and finding it rather dull, Kuang Yanqi informed Lu Yang and headed back.
As he slowly distanced himself from the crowd and chaos, Kuang Yanqi felt a tinge of emotion: the Sest Master was usually such a hero, but when Immortal Xie Yan called, he would surely rush back to pay his respects. That’s the difference in status—without even mentioning Xie Yan’s own cultivation, his mere identity as a third-generation direct disciple of Rifting Earth Sect was enough to make the entire Cliff City look up in awe.
That was a goal Kuang Yanqi had yet to achieve, and he was deeply envious; but the more he thought about it, the more it pained him. He hadn’t forgotten that he was supposed to be in cultivation at the sect gate of Rifting Earth Sect. Yet, due to the turmoil in the Sky Rift Valley, he and Jin Chuan were given the title of “in-between coordinators” and were sent back to the sect. If that were all, he should have returned to the mountain as soon as the turmoil subsided—but in truth, that day seemed like a distant dream.
‘Jin Chuan, that fool!’
That day at the Heart Prohibition Temple, Jin Chuan, out of anger that Yu Ci had decimated many elite members of the Sun Light Sect, deceitfully borrowed Li You’s “One Qi Thousand Knots Yin Thunder Net” in an attempt to undermine Yu Ci. But he was caught red-handed by Li You and Meng Wei; a case had already been prepared, and he was set to receive severe disciplinary punishment. According to the rules, a period of wall-gazing repentance lasting a year or so was almost inevitable—especially since his total cultivation time on the mountain was only one year anyway.
So, not wanting to go, Jin Chuan decided to feign carelessness and stayed behind at the sect, thinking that Rifting Earth Sect wouldn’t mind. Surprisingly, this move even earned him Sect Master Jin Huan’s approval! If Jin Chuan wasn’t going, then how could Kuang Yanqi, with his status, possibly return on his own?
Both were heading to the mountain for cultivation—while Jin Chuan’s target was the Sun Light Sect, Kuang Yanqi’s ambitions were far loftier. However, in the face of reality, his dream was shattered almost as soon as it began.
In a daze, he retraced the forest paths of the mountain; under the interplay of moonlight and distant lights, the sparse trees cast all sorts of bizarre shadows on the rocky ground, swaying incessantly in the night breeze. After taking another ten or so steps, Kuang Yanqi suddenly felt a chill down his back and involuntarily stopped in his tracks.
Having spent several months at the sect gate of Rifting Earth Sect, his cultivation hadn’t advanced much; however, thanks to the subtle influence of the immortals, his spiritual sensitivity had grown ever sharper. It seemed that something was off.
Being a meticulous person, Kuang Yanqi quickly scanned his surroundings. At that moment, the cold night wind swept past the withered branches, their shadows dancing erratically with a soft rustle—but he remained remarkably composed, undisturbed by these trivial distractions.
After all, what danger could there possibly be within the Sun Light Sect? But… shadows?
Kuang Yanqi soon pinpointed the oddity that had caught his attention. Amidst the chaotic interplay of shadows from rocks, trees, and mountains, he noticed a distinct human silhouette intermingled with them—one that even twisted and swayed slightly with the wind. That was definitely not his own shadow!
A chill ran through him; he abruptly turned his head to see a faint, almost transparent human figure drifting in the night wind. This was the classic case of encountering a ghost on a dark road, yet instead of being frightened, Kuang Yanqi was delighted.
Within the mansion, there was only one person known to exhibit such a state:
“Steward Tu, you have emerged from seclusion!”
The Sun Light Sect had suffered severe losses in the Sky Rift Valley, with one third of its elite worn down by Yu Ci—and even Tu Du had returned seriously injured. Now, that guy had donned the tiger skin of Rifting Earth Sect and arrived in Cliff City, clearly aiming to undermine the prestige of the Sun Light Sect. At a time when panic gripped the entire sect, Tu Du’s timely emergence was like a dose of reassurance for everyone.
Kuang Yanqi still held great reverence for the Chief Steward, so he hurried forward a couple of steps, bowing to greet him. Then, he smiled and added, “Steward, how is your health…” His words were abruptly cut off.
Suddenly, he recalled something: in a Yin Spirit state, does one even cast a shadow? Then he saw that at Tu Du’s feet, that slender shadow twisted and transformed, instantly turning into a layer of black mist that rose from the ground!
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