Exploring Immortality Cultivation

"Wang Qi is not a Banished Immortal," this fact greatly shook Zhao Qingfeng's world view. More than once, he had infused some peculiar power into the other's body, probing their soul in an attempt to find even a trace of the "Immortal" remains.

Unlike the "Heterodox Cultivators" of the Yangshen Pavilion, he was an Immortal who practiced Righteous Skills, extremely sensitive to the characteristics, properties, and even the remnants of his peers at the same level.

Moreover, every Immortal Soul had undergone multiple qualitative transformations. These transformations were like nuclear fusion, turning Light Elements into Heavy Elements—permanent effects. Unless it was a very few special attacks, the characteristics of an Immortal would not be worn down, and they would constantly enter new, blank souls, thereby reincarnating. After such qualitative transformations, the power also became extremely sensitive to Immortal Energy and Immortal Power, absorbing and utilizing the mysteries of Immortal Power far better than ordinary souls. As long as stimulated in the correct way, the "Immortal" part within the Banished Immortal's soul would quickly grow strong, devouring the "human" part.

But Wang Qi did not have this characteristic at all.

And if saying that Wang Qi was not an Immortal only shook Zhao Qingfeng's world view, then his refined "Divine Body" speaking took his understanding and completely turned it on its head.

"Why?" Zhao Qingfeng stepped back half a step, "Just who are you? Why have you taken over my Divine Body?"

"'I' am 'I'," the huge Divine Body revealed a warm smile, "'You' are also 'me'. Can't you feel it?"

Zhao Qingfeng suddenly panicked, "'I'? Then who am I...?"

The one with Divine Tao cultivation, Divine Tao insight, even surpassing the entirety of Shenzhou, had noticed that within the Divine Body, there was no foreign will. All were his own thoughts.

But how could one person have two sets of thoughts?

"'I' am naturally 'I', but you are also Zhao Qingfeng," the Divine Being said something difficult to comprehend.

Wang Qi, puzzled, raised his head to look at the deity or rather, the will of the Immortal nestled within the Divine Body. Logic had become his instinct, so he understood the true meaning behind the gambit faster than Zhao Qingfeng did.

The will within this Divine Body and Zhao Qingfeng were one and the same.

But "Zhao Qingfeng" was still an independent entity.

That is to say, "Zhao Qingfeng" the person was not a Banished Immortal; was it just the "Immortal Consciousness" within Zhao Qingfeng's body that truly was?

The one opposite, was that the real Immortal?

"Do you understand now? 'Banished Immortals' are actually a kind of atypical disease, a parasitic infestation. For the Immortal, the host, that is, the supposed Banished Immortal, is not considered a part of themselves," Feng Luoyi's voice once again echoed in Wang Qi's ears. Having been hidden until now, he reappeared in Wang Qi's consciousness, "Immortals are terrifying beings. Their very breathing could annihilate Life Beings. If they were to take a deep breath towards a Constant Star, even the Great Sun would shorten its lifespan, a massive amount of Spiritual Power would be drawn out, causing the star's spectrum to shift slightly towards red, hastening its old age."

"What's more critical is that they cannot be killed."

"Even if their Physical Body is destroyed, even if only a Whisper of Residual Soul remains, a Seal, they can return once again. They parasitize the souls and bodies of all Life Beings. Those beings, through the Spirit Sense brought by the Residual Souls, will walk the paths once tread by them, their Physical Bodies and Souls becoming closer to the parasite, and thus, they become the best nourishment for the Immortals' rebirth. The experiences of Banished Immortals throughout their cultivation also become a part of the Immortals' history. But Banished Immortals cultivate fast, mere thousands of years enough to ascend back to the Immortal Dao. How can mere thousands of years compare against a lifespan of a hundred-thousand years?"

"Zhao Qingfeng is not the original body, he is just a host, making a bridal gown for someone else."

While Feng Luoyi offered his explanation, Zhao Qingfeng, as though he had lost his soul, clutched his head, muttering to himself: "I am Zhao Qingfeng, 'I' am not Zhao Qingfeng... then who am I?"

Who am I?

Why do I do these things?

Why do I consider myself an Immortal?

Am I an Immortal?

Zhao Qingfeng's confusion sent a chill through Wang Qi's heart. The thoughts that flashed fleetingly through his mind were once again brought to the fore.

Could he really be considered a person of Shenzhou, or an Earth person? Or was he merely a "parasitic" Earth Ghost within this Shenzhou person's body?

The Divine Spirit did not give Zhao Qingfeng much time to be sentimental or confused. With hands resting on shoulders, it made a strange gesture, "Alright, 'I', the Divine Body you painstakingly constructed has been accomplished, to stay here will only attract the strikes of Heterodox Cultivators, it's time to leave, leave, 'I' should go now!"

This peculiar use of pronouns felt awkward to hear. However, Zhao Qingfeng's complexion changed drastically. Drawing his sword, he shouted angrily, "I am me! I am a Heavenly Saint! You won't eat me!"

"Hahaha, you are me, I am me, I am you, you are you," the great deity, with hands on his shoulders, laughed, "Come now, come now! Take your leave, take your leave!"

"To hell with you!" Zhao Qingfeng roared in fury, his entire body's Mana focuses on his sword, gathering all his Divine Power for a mighty blow. This one stroke could cleave a mountain. However, he felt an odd sensation rising from within his heart. He realized that his judgments were starting to twist, his mind undergoing an irreversible qualitative transformation. A part of his soul stood out, its thoughts transforming as his thinking faculties underwent this change.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Zhao Qingfeng dropped his sword, his fingernails digging into his scalp, with blood dripping from his forehead. At this moment, the Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell that had affected him became his only lifeline. The proud delusion, that desired to hold Heaven and Earth apart, to make Heaven and Earth bow to his will, maintained the last glimmer of light in Zhao Qingfeng's heart.

This is the delusion of a city. Even the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator would be impacted just by facing a portion of the power. It is difficult for Divine Separation Stage Cultivators to resist directly.

But this time, the Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell met a real Immortal. The long life had made his consciousness depart from the realm of humans. How could the obsession of a city of mortals affect him?

The Divine Body laughed heartily, like a true Buddha, "Good Dao Heart, good cultivation!"

This "steadfastness" that had entered the realm of madness was worthy of an Immortal's praise, but that was all.

"Something has come," descending from the void above. Will seemed to possess the ability to interfere with reality, forming a staircase that clearly labeled all Life Beings with their hierarchy—those in lower positions could never resist those above.

This is a kind of Suggestion Technique, but it is the kind that "even if you know it is an illusion, you can't be exempted from its effect."

"Dragon's... Majesty..." Wang Qi recognized this Divine Skill. Ever since he had mastered the three basic Divine Skills of the Dragon Clan, he had paid special attention to another intelligent species on this planet.

His teeth began to chatter. He did not feel fear himself, but the uncontrollable physiological reaction forced him to fear. Perhaps this was one of the highest-level illusions on this planet, a crafting of the Dragon Clan that spanned eons, making the effects of the "Dragon's Majesty" greater than most of the Divine Skills of Yangshen Pavilion.

Then, Zhao Qingfeng brought his hands together in prayer and said to the great deity with a smile, "Here the lock of gold and jade opens, and today I realize that I am truly me."

The cold and cruel Buddha's Verse and Zen made Wang Qi feel nauseous.

"I have gained the 'me' now," the Divine Body said with a smile.

Zhao Qingfeng nodded, "I've got it all."

"Then let's go."

"That's a good idea."

"What shall we do with this Wang Qi?"

"Eat him. His Spirit Wisdom is nourishing."

"It should be delicious."

"Yes, 'me'."

Wang Qi struggled to stand up but found that no matter what, he could not do so. The Dragon's Majesty was too terrifying, terrifying to the extent that all life beings would be affected by it.

"Why... Could it be that the Banished Immortal... his Body is from the Dragon Clan?" Wang Qi thought in fits and starts, unable to maintain the connection with the Ten Thousand Immortals True Mirror and the Heart Demon Network.

Zhao Qingfeng smiled as he walked towards Wang Qi, "You are the finest food I've eaten in this realm. Excellent."

The way he looked at Wang Qi was full of appreciation, and the way he looked at Heaven and Earth was filled with love. But such appreciation was like that of a gourmet for food; such admiration was merely the Emperor's approval of a chef.

At that moment, a cry of pain came from Lu Wan.

A finger was withdrawn from Lu Wan's forehead. At this moment, Feng Luoyi stood in front of Lu Wan, his Heart Demon Curse Power shaping a Magic Body. The mana he could utilize was not high, but Lu Wan, who had just slain a Divine Separation Stage Cultivator, was like a toy, a puppet, completely at Feng Luoyi's mercy.

Feng Luoyi nodded to Zhao Qingfeng, "Indeed, it's a very good test method, harmless to mortals, and may bring out the Banished Immortals. Indeed, only you Banished Immortals know how to deal with Banished Immortals."

Zhao Qingfeng was astonished, "You are... I remember you! It's you!"

"The Immortal Alliance has been researching Banished Immortals for many years, but still couldn't find the right method," Feng Luoyi spoke indifferently, completely unlike Zhao Qingfeng, who seemed to be facing a deadly enemy. He looked at his finger, sighing, "So, that's how it is... Immortal Power... Immortal Energy... that indeed was a blind spot in our research." Meanwhile, he appeared in front of Shu Rongrong and touched her forehead with a finger. Shu Rongrong trembled violently, convulsing in pain.

Zhao Qingfeng's Physical Body called out, "What's happening?"

The Divine Body cried out, "A trick?"

Feng Luoyi nodded, "A trick."

The Divine Body was no longer calm, but the attraction of a complete Immortal Divine Soul was too great. It couldn't help but reach towards the body of Zhao Qingfeng lying on the ground, hoping to save some of the Immortal Souls within. But suddenly, the Divine Body lost control, and the Immortal was frozen in place, unable to move!

"I also tampered with the condensing of this Divine Body," Feng Luoyi calmly revealed another fact.

The Immortal's reaction was exceedingly fast. Realizing that it seemed unlikely to obtain the complete immortal power, it decided to go to Plan B, connecting the Divine Body, Physical Body, and the Body heart-to-heart, sending the "Zhao Qingfeng" epiphany back to the Body.

"That's the moment I've been waiting for." A constantly changing rule-based three-dimensional shape condensed in Feng Luoyi's hand. It was a three-dimensional projection of a four-dimensional polytope. Under these circumstances, it also represented something else, something dreadful.

Like the Divine Plague Curse Technique.

The Divine Plague Curse was not a traditional spell; it was similar to the Heart Demon Curse, fundamentally capable of contaminating a Human Soul's data and the Spiritual Power that carried these data. The Ten Thousand Immortals Illusion Realm transmitted the most terrible "computer virus," and then, Feng Luoyi stuffed it into the brow of Zhao Qingfeng.

The fatal Divine Plague, mixed within Zhao Qingfeng's immortal enlightenment, surged towards the Immortal's now present Body.

"AAAAHHH!" the Divine Spirit emitted an angry roar. The Divine Plague Curse Technique ruthlessly crushed the opponent's consciousness of tens of thousands of years on the level of the mind.

"You can't kill me! You cannot kill me!" it roared furiously: "The Immortal's Divine Soul cannot be extinguished! You are engaging in futile efforts! Futile efforts!"

Feng Luoyi's expression remained calm, "Confirmed, Divine Plague Curse Technique is effective against Immortals. Next step experimental proof, whether the Power of the Great Sun can exterminate the Immortal Divine Soul."

Wang Qi felt the connection with the Heart Demon Network cut off. But now was not the time to be concerned about it. He dully raised his head and saw a star in the sky light up.

"Fuck... This seems to be... space-based?" (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)