Forging Immortality through the Dao Seed

...

Soon after.

At the foot of Yuhua Mountain.

Zhang Jing looked at the white jade staircase in his line of vision that lead straight up to the sky, winding like a dragon, and asked in confusion:

"Senior Brother, are we supposed to ... climb up there gradually on foot?"

Hearing this.

Feng Wuyu turned his head, revealing a hint of a gentle smile, and said:

"That's right!"

"Junior Brother, this Yuhua Mountain is our ancestral origin, filled with Dao energy, and inhabited by numerous ancient exotic beasts. It's not easy to ascend the mountain, and it's also disrespectful to our ancestral court."

"Just follow behind me, but don't get too far behind."

Having said that.

Feng Wuyu began to ascend, stepping along the white jade staircase like an ordinary mortal, one step at a time.

Upon seeing this.

Zhang Jing hurriedly stepped onto the white jade staircase, trying to catch up with his senior brother who was gradually moving away.

However, the minute he stepped on the staircase.

He immediately detected something amiss.

A horrifying pressure suddenly came upon him, suppressing every inch of his being.

And with each additional step up the staircase, the pressure intensified.

This made every step that Zhang Jing took extremely difficult.

God knows how much time had passed.

On the white jade staircase.

Feng Wuyu was still walking upward with measured steps, each one as if taken after a careful computation of distance, the time for each step identically precise.

Even his slightest movement suggested some profound meaning.

And behind him.

Zhang Jing was indeed following behind.

At this moment.

His complexion was exceptionally pale, and with each breath, heavy gasps sounded, like a tired old bull plowing a field.

His steps even staggered a little.

He looked extremely haggard.

"Huff huff — Senior Brother, how much longer is this going to last?"

Zhang Jing asked with difficulty.

"Very soon, Junior Brother, keep going for a while longer."

Feng Wuyu said with a laugh.

As his words fell.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but roll his eyes.

The same thing had been said three days before.

However, he wasn't persistent in questioning it. He just gritted his teeth, moved his trembling legs, and continued to climb.

Suddenly.

Roar —

A terrifying roar, redolent with wildness, rang out suddenly by his ear.

Zhang Jing's body, which was already at its limit, jolted, managing to squeeze out a tiny bit more strength.

His footsteps instantly grew lighter.

...

Three days later.

"Junior Brother, we're here."

Feng Wuyu finally halted his steps.

The somewhat dazed Zhang Jing did not respond verbally, instead merely raising his gaze to look forward.

A majestic and ancient bronze hall suddenly came into view.

At the same time.

"Senior Brother Feng, Junior Brother Zhang, you've finally arrived." A voice, clear as a spring, rang out beside their ears.

Zhang Jing involuntarily followed the voice.

He saw a glowing figure slowly appearing not far in front of him.

And then.

A slim figure in a yellow dress slowly emerged from the glow.

This woman, who looked to be about twenty years old, exuded a pleasant aura as her eyes met Zhang Jing's. Her face was adorned with a bright and clear smile.

However, Zhang Jing oddly felt a faint sense of alienation from her.

As if there was an invisible chasm between them.

Just as he was musing.

"Thank you for the greeting, Senior Sister," Feng Wuyu abruptly spoke.

In his voice, a hint of courtesy unfelt by Zhang Jing before was detectable.

Moreover.

Zhang Jing also heard a trace of distance in Senior Brother Feng Wuyu's voice.

Seeing this scene.

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Zhang Jing, modeling his senior brother's manners, greeted with respect.

"Hmm, follow me," the woman in the yellow dress acknowledged, her expression unchanged.

After uttering this sentence casually.

She proceeded to stride toward the bronze hall located not far ahead.

"Junior Brother, that's the Grand Disciple of our master, Senior Sister Kong, the third actual disciple of the Tao Sect, and one of the leaders of the Heavenly Realm Lineage," Feng Wuyu's voice suddenly resonated in his heart.

On hearing this.

"The Heavenly Realm Lineage, the Grand Senior Sister? No wonder..."

Zhang Jing suddenly understood.

...

Half a moment later.

As the party approached, the doors of the bronze hall gradually opened.

Boom —

Thousands of celestial lights radiated forth and in the blink of an eye, like a sentient being, they enveloped Zhang Jing and pulled him into the hall.

At the location.

Feng Wuyu and the woman in yellow stood motionless, watching the scene unfolding before their eyes without surprise.

"It's been a while, Senior Sister Kong."

Feng Wuyu was the first to break the silence.

"Who'd have thought that after just 300 years of not seeing you, your cultivation has progressed so remarkably? I, your senior sister, am truly humbled," the woman in yellow elaborated with a smile.

"Ha ha, today's progress is all thanks to Junior Brother Zhang Jing. It's a pity that you were in seclusion and missed such an opportunity."

Upon hearing this.

The woman's expression subtly shifted.

She suddenly emitted a wave of extremely powerful energy. A mysterious, intertwining pattern of four different colors gradually surfaced on her exposed skin, taking the shape of some kind of flower.

It looked both exotic and strange.

"Fifth junior brother, the Jiaoyun Realm? You guys made it to the core of the secret realm?"

The woman asked, seemingly deep in thought.

Feng Wuyu didn't answer directly, but playfully responded:

"Senior Sister, it's said that in the Cave Heaven, some of the disciples from your Heavenly Realm Lineage have organized a banquet to welcome an Immortal. I wonder what they're thinking inviting Junior Brother Zhang to this. Tsk, tsk! Oh, and by the way, Junior Brother Zhang now holds a Divine Command of Karmic Fire."

After he finished speaking.

Feng Wuyu slowly moved two steps backward. Standing upright in front of the bronze hall's doors, his eyes half-closed, he seemed to be in a world apart.