Exploring Immortality Cultivation

Zhao Qingfeng stood in a void, indeed sensing something different.

This world's space was not as simple as he previously thought. For instance, the place he was in now was experiencing a certain anomaly due to the high spirit environment.

Here, higher than the whole Divine Capital, layer upon layer of overlapping space interwove in a manner Zhao Qingfeng was yet unable to comprehend. He felt as if he could perceive the entire Divine Capital, and yet as if he could not feel anything at all.

If Wang Qi had been here, he probably would have guessed. Such Grotto Heavens that grow alongside the hubs of natural spiritual energy flows—the Spirit Veins—are the result of a special spatial phenomenon caused by the natural interaction between spiritual energy and gravitons.

Zhao Qingfeng faintly remembered that he had owned something like this—of course, in his previous life.

He certainly knew the true use for this kind of "Grotto Heaven."

At this moment, following behind him were a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They were all guards of the Imperial Family. And right now, excitement was written all over their faces. The Imperial Family allowing them to follow this "State Preceptor" into a secret realm exclusively held by the royal family was an immense opportunity.

After running through the laws he was about to enact again in his mind, Zhao Qingfeng turned around. The soldiers, seeing the State Preceptor seeming to have something to say, immediately perked up their ears to listen.

However, what entered their ears were only the sounds "puchi" "puchi."

One after another, Qi Blades were released from Zhao Qingfeng's hands. Each blade took several heads with it, creating fountains of blood. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Qingfeng had killed all the guards.

They were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and many of them were the fast-tracked type, considerably inferior to Ancient Method Practitioners. Yet, the souls of the newly dead possessed various marvelous attributes that, once transformed, could activate certain special spells.

With a move of his hand mnemonic, Zhao Qingfeng shouted, "Rise!" A talisman shot out from his palm, falling above the pile of bodies. Under the illumination of that eerie spirit light, the blood quickly evaporated, and the ominous blood Qi mixed with souls, all converging towards the talisman. In a few short minutes, the strip of talisman turned from white to blood red.

Then, it shot towards the boundary of the Grotto Heaven and entered it.

Beneath this land was the hub of the Spirit Veins. A thousand years ago, the Divine Capital had been the main base of a Sword Cultivation Sect, the frontline in the war between the Human Clan and the Sea Demons. After a thousand years of management, one of the Spirit Veins underground had long been completely transformed into a form suitable for cultivators to use. Modern Cultivators didn't need the spiritual energy from the earth's veins, hence it was sealed. However, under the defilement and corruption of that talisman, the restriction that had been in operation for hundreds of years began to collapse!

Inside the Grotto Heaven, the spiritual energy gradually became richer.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shu Rongrong was quickly placing herbs into a large cauldron. Once Zhao Qingfeng closed his eyes and sensed that the spiritual energy concentration reached a certain standard, he said to Shu Rongrong, "It's ready, you can start now."

"Will be done immediately." Shu Rongrong finished placing the herbs and closed the lid, then with a gesture, a cyan-green spirit light enveloped the small cauldron. The cauldron floated above a Spirit Prohibition, tumbling and spinning incessantly. Soon, a rich aroma arose within the Grotto Heaven—

That aroma was life, the purest scent of greenwood!

All the Banished Immortals were sitting in a circle around the small cauldron. They formed a circle, each person about a zhang away from the others. They were each greedily absorbing the medicinal strength from the Awakening Mixed Place. After the medicine went through their systems, entering the lungs and internal organs, strengthening their Physical Body Divine Treasures and Innate Treasures, and after several cycles of circulation, this vitality finally merged into their Dantian, into their Golden Core.

If the Golden Core is the hub and deposit for spiritual power, a dead object and tool, the Nascent Soul is the organ of pure spiritual power. Alchemy Shattering Infant Formation symbolizes the process from death to life, nurturing rebirth—at least, that's how Ancient Method Practitioners see it. This powerful vitality was propelling that process.

Roughly after two hours of consuming all the medicine strength and preparing to make a breakthrough towards the Nascent Soul, having been constrained by the Immortal Alliance for far too long, their foundations for a breakthrough had long been perfected. Now they were confident of succeeding on the first attempt.

If there was any regret to speak of, it was that the strength of the Life Creation Powder was not as potent as they had anticipated.

Just as all the Banished Immortals arrived at this thought, they heard the sound of something shattering.

Then, a terrifying aura traversed the entire Grotto Heaven.

——————————————————————————————

As Zhao Qingfeng was killing people and breaking formations, a bloody and primeval blood sacrifice was simultaneously enacted in many places within the Divine Capital.

In the Divine Capital's Yao Family, the legacy left behind by the Sky Sea Sword Sect's orphans, who had come into being in the Divine Capital's Sword Sect 50,000 years ago, was being enacted. In their basement, three hundred house-borns were pierced through the heart by an arrow. Their Magic Foundations were catalyzed into pure Sword Qi, which thundered into the ground.

In the Divine Capital's Deng Family, the descendants of the Blood Soul Sect, who had occupied the Divine Capital's Demon Path 42,000 years ago, left behind their legacy. In their ancestral temple, ninety-two disciples had their blood drained. The blood seeped into the ancestral tablets, and torrents of bloodlight surged towards the sky.

In the Divine Capital's Li Family, descendants of the Chan Fist Sect, which had occupied the Divine Capital's Martial Cultivators 16,000 years ago, the bones of ancestral cultivators were excavated from their ancestral graves and the residual Martial Arts Fist Intent was forcibly invoked.

...

The entire Divine Capital was in motion. This city, a front-line battleground for human and demon warfare since the Middle Ages, had been destroyed twelve times and changed hands nine times. Many sects had left behind their arrangements here. With each collapse and reconstruction, some of these arrangements were eradicated. But some always remained.

Ancient Method Practitioners, who hadn't thoroughly dismantled "research-worthy" historical relics, finally unleashed their most potent power. These ancient Spirit Prohibitions roared, expelling from the city anything that belonged to Modern Cultivators.

At the four corners of the city wall, the Yi Family were personally taking action.

The loyal City Defense Army was being murdered one by one, every death a slaughter. Resentment and Evil Qi soared to the heavens. And from within the hundred pores, a Black Robed Envoy was manipulating these wrongful souls, reinforcing them with his own mana, then directly pouring them into the city walls, into the Spirit Prohibitions instilled by Modern Cultivators.

The Spirit Prohibitions were triggered, then subsequently burst with a roar.

In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Da Lian, Yi Xuansheng, calmly watched this scene and said to a Black Robed Envoy behind him, "With this, our Divine Capital has completely severed ties with the heterodox."

"That is good," the Black Robed Envoy nodded. "The Emperor will not mistreat you."

"Three years ago, I failed to find the other part of that Immortal Artifact for the Emperor," Yi Xuansheng expressed his disappointment with a shake of his head. "I wonder which Modern Cultivator interfered."

Three years prior, during the battle where Wang Qi had obtained the inheritance of the Ancient Mathematicians and the Immortal Artifact "Discrete," it was the Ancient Method Practitioners, relying on the local snakes of the Divine Capital, who had quietly slipped in here.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you safely escort all the Banished Immortals to the outer seas, that would be a great accomplishment," the Black Robed Envoy declared. "As long as they can survive in front of the Emperor…"

Suddenly, the eyes of the Black Robed Envoy widened.

In the sky more than a hundred zhang high, countless dots of Spirit Light visible to the naked eye appeared. These lights, in a variety of colors, sometimes dimming and sometimes bright, each contained an extreme purity of heaven and earth Spiritual Energy, looking resplendently beautiful to the extreme. Wherever the eye could reach, the entire sky was dotted with Spirit Lights, boundless and endless, as if there was no limit.

This vast sea of Spiritual Power…

"This is a sign of Nascent Soul formation!"

Yi Xuansheng exclaimed in surprise, "So soon?"

"Anything is possible for the Banished Immortals," the Black Robed Envoy swallowed. "But why do it so conspicuously!"

——————————————————————————

Wanfa Sect's steward at the Divine Capital Station, Liu Yunxiang, felt an unusual atmosphere. He awoke from his meditation and began sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Transitioning from the Golden Core to the Primordial Spirit required not just meditation practice but enlightenment. Merely accumulating mana was far from enough, so Liu Yunxiang's meditation was only symbolic.

Quickly, he detected something amiss. The surrounding "Qi Intent" had undergone subtle changes, as if something significant had been activated or destroyed in the distance.

No, not just one...

As an outer disciple steward of the Wanfa Sect, Liu Yunxiang knew quite a bit. He was at least aware that the Divine Capital, being an ancient city, hid countless Ancient Method spirit prohibitions underground. If someone were to activate them, the consequences would be unthinkable. There were also many spirit prohibitions within the city, meant to suppress the surrendered ones, but if those were to be dissolved...

Shocked, he leapt to his feet and rushed out the door. In the distance, columns of spirit light soared into the sky. He quickly awoke all the Wanfa Sect disciples, then said, "Hurry to notify all the Immortal Alliance members and Modern Cultivators you know who are residing in the Divine Capital!"

Suddenly, clusters of light points appeared in front of them, like a swarm of fireflies, dreamlike and illusory.

"What is this..."

Liu Yunxiang halted the disciples who were about to step out: "Don't go, come back!"

Facing the bewildered outer disciples, Liu Yunxiang said sternly, "From now on, no Qi Cultivation disciple is allowed to leave my side by more than ten steps, and those at the Foundation Establishment stage shouldn't stray too far—I hope this time, I can still protect you all."

——————————————————————————————

In the final hours, Wang Qi coded non-stop while watching the clock. Chen Youjia sat opposite him. These two elite disciples of the Wanfa Sect had to bypass numerous contradictions as quickly as possible to finish the compatibility protocols.

The other two were of no help in this respect. They sat embraced outside, keeping an eye on the sky. They were ready to flee at any sign of the Heavenly Sword's arrival.

Wang Qi and Chen Youjia were still desperately working on the final pieces.

"Five Epidemics General Spell network, physical layer protocol, confirm."

"Link layer, relay law is developed, just use the one you made three days ago!"

"There's a conflict between the Five Epidemics General Spell and the Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell, the underlying algorithms are different."

"Take two memory bodies and parallel them... for now, just make do with this. There's no time for perfection."

"Network layer protocol, confirm."

...

One after another, protocols were established. While successfully installing a system for the Five Epidemics General Spell within those three days of Wang Qi seizing Zhao Qingfeng's Pseudo God Magical Artifact, they hadn't been idle, constantly tackling the difficult problem of network merging.

"This is the last of it," Chen Youjia wrote the final line of code. Her hand lifted, intending to command Jarvis to run. However, her hand suddenly froze mid-air, unable to swing down.

The outcome here would determine life or death.

Hers, Wang Qi's, their friends'...

She trembled slightly.

Wang Qi gently held her hand: "Let's give the command together."

"Senior Brother." Chen Youjia suddenly asked, "If we succeed this time, will we..."

"Don't jinx it at the last moment!" Wang Qi forcefully pressed Chen Youjia's hand down: "Jarvis, start!"

Blue and pink faint glows suddenly appeared in the room. The spell power of the Five Epidemics General Spell and Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell had already spread to every corner of Divine Capital. In this small room, the two networks began to couple.

Under Jarvis's control, the talismans blinked in and out of existence,

Wang Qi and Chen Youjia held hands, waiting for the final result.

After a moment...

"Preliminary connection established."

Hearing Jarvis's report, Wang Qi embraced Chen Youjia, and then both of them collapsed to the ground.

"We did it!"

"Yes..."

"No need to face the Heavenly Sword!"

"Yes."

The joy of their narrow escape made Wang Qi somewhat lose himself. But he still hadn't forgotten the crucial matters.

"Jarvis, as planned, inject the Refining God Turning Demons great technique into the Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell network."

"Understood, teacher."

Almost the instant the order was given, a progress bar appeared in front of Wang Qi. In about three minutes, this progress bar would complete.

"Success..."

Wang Qi was about to cheer, but at that moment, the progress bar suddenly turned red.

"Alert! The Heart Demon Network is under attack!" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)