Born with immortal seed

Chapter 797 Underworld Tribulation
On Rotten Axe Mountain, at the foot of Aheng Peak.

Unlike other mountains, this place is shrouded in dark clouds all year round, never seeing a clear sky, and accompanied by eerie winds and ghostly cries.

A wild animal darted in, letting out a series of mournful cries, and then fell silent.

The bolder disciple tried to go in, but only saw a skeleton; the beast seemed to have been dead for many years.

The sect token will immediately flash red light as a warning.

If they remain obstinate, they will face penalties ranging from deduction of contribution points, confinement for months to years, demotion, and expulsion.

Some of the older disciples can recall that Aheng Peak was not like this a hundred years ago.

The area boasts lush green mountains and clear waters, beautiful peaks and a spiritually vibrant atmosphere, and an elder from Lingzhitang is giving a lecture here.

Later, for reasons unknown, it was designated a forbidden area by the sect, and only a very small number of disciples were allowed to enter.

"The wind is so cold and chilly, it feels like my bones are going to melt... I really don't know how anyone can survive in this kind of environment."

Li Guizhen was wearing a cloak, his eyebrows and eyes were frosty, and he could no longer be seen as the proud and arrogant young man with the lightning spirit root he once was.

His lightning magic was honed to an unparalleled level, like a bottomless pool of lightning, ready to explode violently at any moment.

"If it's feasible, we'll both be living in this godforsaken place a hundred years from now. You should think it over carefully."

Ma Ruoxi covered her face with a heavy veil, revealing only her eyes.

"I have submitted a proposal to the Elders Council to transform the three fourth-tier spiritual mountains into ghost realms... As long as your people cooperate, passing the proposal will not be a problem."

The two stopped on the outskirts of Aheng Peak, and several Core Formation cultivators tactfully stopped a distance away, leaving the two Nascent Soul elders room to communicate.

In addition to the existing thirty-six elders, the Qingfeng Sect has now added the position of Supreme Elder.

There are currently nine people, all of whom are Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

This number is unparalleled in the Eastern Region, and even in the Central Region, few can compare.

However, the territory of the Qingfeng Sect is scattered, and high-level cultivators are not all concentrated in one place.

As for Old Ancestor Bai, he rides the clouds and walks on mud, high above all others, and no longer needs any empty titles or honors.

His will is the absolute rule.

Even if the new generation of disciples achieves the Nascent Soul stage, they may not be able to receive an audience immediately.

For many years, he has communicated with the outside world through his natal spirit beast, the Jade Rabbit.

The Supreme Elder and thirty-six other elders together form the Council of Elders, which governs the now enormous Qingfeng Sect.

Many new clauses have been added to restrict the actions of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, preventing them from having absolute authority in the Elders' Council and eliminating the room for Core Formation Elders to exert their influence.

If we say that the Supreme Elder is something that is automatically obtained upon reaching a certain level of cultivation.

Ordinary elders, on the other hand, must go through round after round of competition, requiring skillful maneuvering, unwavering will, versatility in all affairs, and extraordinary energy...

In contrast, cultivation level plays a relatively minor role.

If a disciple is truly exceptionally talented and has a promising future, why waste so much time vying for an elder's position?

Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, the position of Supreme Elder will be waiting for you.

The present is not the past. For an elder of the Qingfeng Sect, there is little difference in what can be done in the early stage of Core Formation and the late stage of Core Formation.

There will be no more outside cultivators, because the Qingfeng Sect elders are not of high cultivation level and will ridicule and mock them.

Transforming a fourth-tier spiritual mountain into a ghost realm involves losing normal spiritual land on one hand, and investing a massive amount of yin spiritual materials on the other.

With such a constant influx and outflow, the Qingfeng Sect's resources couldn't withstand such turmoil.

Without a suitable reason, even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch proposes it, it will be difficult to get it approved by the Elders Council.

"Three? Isn't that a bit too many? Besides you and me, who else needs that..."

Li Guizhen hesitated for a moment, then said that the cost of modifying each Ghost Realm was over fifty million Time Coins.

The higher the number is raised, the greater the resistance the Elders' Council faces in pushing forward.

He and Ma Ruoxi are still only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and have been surpassed by later True Monarchs.

If it weren't for the fact that the Sword Master of Time personally passed down this banner, it would never have such appeal.

Li Guizhen was in charge of the Ancestral Hall, the Secret Hall, and the Spirit Beast Hall, while Ma Ruoxi took over the most powerful Law Enforcement Hall because of a single sentence from Bai Laozu.

“Su Qingqing… Her eldest disciple returned from an inspection tour of the Black Sea last month with my maid. On the way, she mentioned that her master had borrowed the Dizang Soul-Crossing Method.”

Ma Ruoxi removed the black veil from her face, revealing an ugly face with gray hair.

Do you think such information would be casually revealed by a disciple?

"Junior sister..."

Li Guizhen didn't respond; he paused, speechless.

Over the years, Ma Ruoxi has never unveiled her face in public. All people know is that she suffered a backlash after failing to break through her bottleneck during that seclusion, but no one expected the aftereffects to be so severe.

Its face was ferocious, and its skin was like orange peel, as if several worms were crawling around under its skin.

Ma Ruoxi's disciple, Tian Yangsheng, failed to achieve Nascent Soul in previous years and struggled to overcome his inner demons, suffering a qi deviation at the very first hurdle.

Once the elixir is shattered and the infant is formed, there is no turning back; even immortals cannot save it.

Stimulated by the death of her disciple, she was filled with sorrow and asked for two breakthrough pills to forcefully break through her bottleneck. In her haste, her cultivation technique went awry.

Fortunately, he stopped quickly, at least his life wasn't in danger.

After the Nascent Soul stage, Li Guizhen and Ma Ruoxi had less contact, each managing their own affairs.

In addition, with the current structure of sects, there is a system of checks and balances among Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and their interests are often not aligned.

It's no longer the time when there were only a handful of high-ranking people and cultivation resources were plentiful and surplus no matter how they were allocated.

You, a Nascent Soul True Monarch, can give in, but your relatives, descendants, disciples, and followers who depend on you cannot.

Even if the relationship is cold, the bond between the senior and junior students who have been together since their humble beginnings is ultimately different.

"Our talents have allowed us to reach this point, which is already a stroke of luck from heaven, and we owe it all to our master's favor... Some things cannot be forced, and heaven has decreed that such a fate is not meant to be."

Li Guizhen recalled the spirited young girl in the Ten Thousand Immortals Valley and spoke with some emotion.

He used to think too highly of himself and refused to back down. He even used his lightning magic to forcefully attack, which almost injured him.

It wasn't until he realized the gap between himself and Ge Cang that he let go of his obsession.

A single thought can broaden one's horizons. Although there has been no breakthrough in cultivation, at least there has been considerable progress in thunder magic.

"I just didn't expect even Junior Sister Su to start thinking about her future. She's still a long way from her death date, isn't she?"

"Over five hundred years old is not young. At this age, he is only in the mid-Nascent Soul stage... Master Ge is already a Great True Monarch at the same age, but he is still stuck before the Deity Transformation stage. If it weren't for Master giving him a Year Ring Flower to refine the Jade Dew Pill, he would probably have died and disappeared."

As Ma Ruoxi spoke, the scars on her face writhed even more violently, sending chills down one's spine.

"That's true. It's always better to prepare an escape route in advance than to cram at the last minute... Since that's the case, I think we'll have an understanding when it comes to voting. She was the Palace Master of the Transmission Hall for fifty years before she transformed into a Nascent Soul, and she has considerable influence among the elders of the Transmission lineage. With the three of them working together, we're sure to be foolproof."

The three Ghost Realms will essentially deplete the Qingfeng Sect's surplus resources of nearly twenty years. As a result, the interests of others will be harmed, and the opposition will certainly be significant.

Li Guizhen bowed slightly and looked up at the layers of the underworld gathered on Mount Aheng, where ghostly figures were already swarming.

"I will instruct my subordinates to approve my junior sister's proposal... Let's see how Zhao Qing performs first. If he can't succeed, it will all be for naught."

Both of them turned their eager gazes to the summit of Mount Aheng, where Bai Zhaoqing was beginning his tribulation.

Success or failure will determine the future path choices of these Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Qingfeng Sect.

Back then, Bai Zhaoqing was kidnapped to the Ten Realms of Fengdu, where he was bled and had his essence drained. After returning, he used top-grade elixirs and it took him several years to recover.

But when he reached the point of perfecting his core, he discovered that he had been affected by Yin energy in the Ten Earthly Fengdu, which had penetrated to the deepest part of his limbs and bones, making it impossible for him to take the next step of Nascent Soul.

After being sent to Shaohua Cave Heaven, Old Ancestor Bai personally examined it and sent someone to obtain a fifth-order Yang spiritual object to nourish his body, which only made up for the deficiencies.

The foundation has already changed. If one forces the transformation into an infant, the Yin energy will erupt under the heavenly tribulation, resulting in being shattered to pieces.

If it were anyone else, they would have given up long ago and ended their lives in despair.

Who could blame Bai Zhaoqing for having such a good ancestor? Old Ancestor Bai had read through the complete set of cultivation techniques for the Ten Realms of Fengdu sent by the Faceless Judge.

He folded a scroll from the middle and, based on Bai Zhaoqing's situation, requested several more Ghost Path treasures from the Ten Earthly Fengs, thus creating a path for normal cultivators to switch to Ghost Path cultivation out of thin air.

Once he survives the Netherworld Tribulation, he will be a genuine Nascent Soul ghost cultivator.

Even in terms of lifespan, they have an advantage over orthodox Taoist deities.

A fourth-order ghost cultivator can live for two thousand years, while a fifth-order Yin God can exist for five thousand years.

The faceless judge said that this might be Heaven's compensation for the fact that the path for ghost cultivators to advance beyond the fifth level was cut off, and that they feared the sun, thunder, and fire.

If Bai Zhaoqing succeeds, it will be tantamount to pointing out a clear path for Li Guizhen and others.

With no hope of achieving the Great Dao, switching to the Ghost Path would double one's lifespan; how could one not be tempted?

The consequence of being trapped in the ghost realm and unable to leave doesn't seem so unacceptable.

In an instant, the underworld tribulation had passed five levels, and the fifth court was revealed, with hot oil falling from the sky.

This is not ordinary boiling oil; it burns both inside and out. If even a tiny bit touches it, the skin and flesh will rot and the mind will be in excruciating pain.

Despite being in the midst of the calamity, Bai Zhaoqing remained calm and unhurried. He took out a magical umbrella, held it above his head, and gently spun it, causing several rows of precious beads to rotate.

The hot oil fell onto the umbrella surface, bounced back and forth, and was then turned away by the umbrella.

It splashed onto the ground and with a hiss, burned a deep hole.

In the blink of an eye, the ground became pitted and uneven, with countless small holes leading straight to the center of the earth.

Has Fifth Junior Brother returned to the mountains recently?

Li Guizhen glanced at it twice and knew that the nine levels of the Netherworld Tribulation would not be a challenge for Bai Zhaoqing, so he stopped looking at it.

The treasures his master prepared for him to overcome his tribulation were so amazing that even many Nascent Soul True Monarchs would be astonished and unable to afford them, let alone Core Formation disciples.

Take this precious umbrella for example; it is a top-grade spiritual treasure, exceeding Bai Zhaoqing's ability to control it.

However, Old Ancestor Bai took a clever trick and replaced all 365 precious beads on the umbrella with fourth-order spirit beads, each of which was engraved with a restriction.

As long as Bai Zhaoqing twists the umbrella handle forcefully, the spirit pearl will transform into spiritual power, allowing the umbrella to continue operating.

With each rotation, three to five fourth-tier spirit beads are ground into powder, a consumption rate that is astonishing.

In return, it provides a defensive effect comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, making it a waste of its potential in the Netherworld Tribulation.

Bai Zhaoqing possesses two more life-saving methods similar to the magic umbrella.

Therefore, none of the insiders were worried about the Ghost Cultivator's Heavenly Tribulation; they were only concerned about whether he could successfully transform his true essence into Netherworld Qi.

“Song Ding has his own Daoist temple in Beihai, which is a fifth-grade spiritual land. Why would he come to Rotten Axe Mountain for no reason?”

Ma Ruoxi said calmly.

This youngest junior brother has now reached the Nascent Soul stage and is said to be tempering his divine consciousness deep within the North Sea Eye.

In a few more years, I will be able to reach the first standard for breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage: the crystallization of divine thoughts.

As fellow disciples of the same master, the senior and junior brothers and sisters now have limited lifespans and are beginning to explore the feasibility of transitioning to the ghost path.

The junior brother, however, is rising steadily in rank, and is only one step away from becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"I heard he acquired another fifth-tier fire-element flying sword. I wonder how much he's still missing to complete his set of five-element flying swords."

Unlike Ma Ruoxi, Li Guizhen had wives and concubines after his transformation into a baby, and his family prospered and grew into a large and thriving clan.

Normally, they often live with their relatives in the clan's territory near Lankeshan.

Seeing that the other party did not respond, Li Guizhen realized what was happening and changed the subject again.

When the ninth tribulation dissipated, the ten palaces stood side by side, and the gates opened simultaneously in the air.

The eerie wind and dark aura almost completely obscured the entire Rotten Axe Mountain, and even places far from the Ghost Realm felt a slight chill.

Countless ghostly figures rushed out of the door and pounced downwards, trying to tear the flesh and blood of the living to shreds.

Each ghostly figure has a standard comparable to that of someone just entering the fourth rank.

This number is far more than tens of thousands. Not to mention Bai Zhaoqing, who has not yet completed his transformation, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would have a headache.

Bai Zhaoqing held the treasure umbrella and spun it wildly, each rotation producing a ring of spiritual light, layer upon layer.

He took out another talisman and stuck it in the air in front of him. Several golden tadpole spirit characters formed a golden dragon that guarded him.

The ghostly figures screamed and fell into the mouths of the spiritual light and the golden dragon, turning into wisps of green smoke.

However, compared to the total number, these deaths are just a drop in the ocean.

To pass this test successfully, one must transform oneself into a true ghost cultivator.

When that time comes, Bai Zhaoqing will become one of Ghost Shadow's own people and will disperse on his own.

For cultivators who have walked the path of demons since childhood, passing the first nine tribulations and reaching the final one is simply a time for celebration and reaping the fruits of victory; it is not difficult at all.

Simply by revealing their Netherworld energy, these ghostly figures will transform from enemies into powerful tonics, penetrating the body and elevating the Netherworld energy to the fourth-tier standard.

Bai Zhaoqing had limited time and had to complete the task before the treasure umbrella and golden dragon talisman were destroyed.

Otherwise, one will be devoured by countless ghosts, and even death will be a luxury.

The spirit will remain in the ghost realm, where it will be torn apart for at least a hundred years before gradually dissipating.

Now, this is the first major test for him.

After all, the previous underworld tribulations could be attributed to the help of Old Ancestor Bai, and now it was time to rely on his true abilities.

How to do it is clearly explained in the "Method of Observing Ksitigarbha to Ferry Souls," it just depends on how much Bai Zhaoqing has comprehended.

"Cause and effect are evident, all realms of existence look to you for grace... Great Sage, Great Compassion, Ten Kings of the Underworld."

Bai Zhaoqing collapsed to the ground, his hands forming a mudra, muttering something under his breath.

A faint white glow rose from his body, causing the approaching ghostly figures to lose their ferocity and soften their expressions.

Those closest to him, having received salvation, saw their resentment and hatred fade away.

With hands clasped together and tears streaming down her face, she joyfully bowed, her prayers coalescing into a beam of white light that shot into the sky.

(End of this chapter)