Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 1006 The Murderer, Zhou Xun!

A sixth-grade low-level cave dwelling on Star Origin Island.

This cave dwelling is located on the core spiritual vein of the island and is one of the few sixth-order cave dwellings on the island.

Among the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Lu clan, only three people have received this honor, and Lu Chihong is one of them.

The cave was filled with spiritual energy, which almost solidified into a tangible form.

The walls are inlaid with various colored spirit stones, emitting a soft glow.

A spirit-gathering array in the center slowly operates, gathering pure spiritual energy here.

Lu Chihong sat cross-legged in the formation, his eyes slightly closed, his aura as deep as the sea.

Since his battle with Zhou Xun years ago, he has been able to touch upon the essence of fire.

Over the years, he has been in seclusion in his cave, trying to deepen his understanding of the art and prepare for the breakthrough to the Void Refinement Realm.

Unfortunately, progress has been limited.

Just then, a beam of red spiritual light broke through the cave's restrictions and flew into it.

The light flickered erratically, emitting rapid fluctuations.

"A red communication talisman?"

Lu Chihong frowned slightly.

This is an urgent internal message, only used in cases of major emergencies. Although he is in charge of internal clan affairs...

But he's basically a hands-off manager; he only needs to handle the general outline, and doesn't have to worry about the actual details.

In addition, all the cultivators in the clan knew that he was preparing to break through to the Void Refinement stage.
They basically don't send him messages.

But now it's not just a message, it's an urgent red message.
An ominous premonition suddenly rose in his heart, and he reached out and took the communication talisman into his hand.

The talisman was warm to the touch, with blood-red patterns flowing across its surface.

He probed into it with his divine sense and began to read the information.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically!

"Lu Jiufang, the Heavenly Lord stationed in Tianyue Immortal City, has fallen!"

The news struck him like a thunderbolt.

"How can this be?"

Lu Chihong was shocked and stood up abruptly, suddenly losing his voice!
He muttered to himself, his eyes full of disbelief.

It should be noted that the Lu clan only has eighteen Nascent Soul cultivators.

Although some have indeed perished over the past tens of thousands of years for various reasons.

But those were all people who perished while venturing out into the world, encountering powerful enemies or finding themselves in perilous situations; typically, only one such person occurs every few thousand years.
This time, Lu Jiufang is stationed within the Lu clan's territory!

This has never happened before.

Apart from the attack by the Que clan back then, there has never been a case of a Nascent Soul cultivator dying in the Lu clan's territory.

Moreover, he was very familiar with Lu Jiufang.

He appears unremarkable on the surface, acts discreetly, and has little reputation within the clan.

In reality, his kinsman is far more complex than he appears.

In his opinion, apart from a few late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, Lu Jiufang's strength was probably the greatest.

It's definitely at the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm!

How could such a person perish on his own territory?

Who could have killed such a powerful expert in the Lu clan's territory without any prior warning, only receiving the news after the Soul Lamp of the Soul Hall shattered?

The more Lu Chihong thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

He always had a bad feeling, as if something big was about to happen.

"The truth must be found out immediately!"

Without further hesitation, he immediately sent out several communication talismans.

These message symbols transformed into streaks of light and flew to various parts of Star Origin Island.

He wanted to invite all the Lu clan deities currently on the island to come here to discuss this important matter together.

As for Lu Xinghe, who is currently in seclusion attempting to break through to the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm.
Lu Chihong has no plans to notify them yet.

The ancestor's breakthrough to the mid-stage is of paramount importance, as it relates to the future rise and fall of the Lu clan.

Unless it's a catastrophe that wipes out the entire clan, it absolutely cannot affect his breakthrough.

……

The council hall of Xingyuan Island.

The main hall is made entirely of white jade, with a high dome carved with patterns of the sun, moon and stars.

The walls are adorned with portraits of the Lu family ancestors from various generations, each radiating a powerful aura.

The five cultivators sat together in a solemn atmosphere.

They are all the Lu clan deities currently residing in their ancestral lands.

Besides Lu Chihong, who is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, there is also Lu Yuanjing, who is at the late Nascent Soul stage.

Two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, Lu Fengzhao and Lu Deyi.

And Lu Zhiyuan, a peak early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

All five people looked extremely solemn, and a sense of oppression filled the air.

"You all know about Jiu Fang's matter, right?" Lu Chihong spoke first, his voice low:

The group nodded in agreement, their faces grim.

"We know."

Lu Chihong looked around at everyone and slowly said:
"The reason I have summoned you all here is to discuss how to deal with this situation."

As soon as the voice faded, Lu Yuanjing was the first to speak:
"Jiu Fang is a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and a garrison commander of Tianyue Immortal City. Who could possibly kill him?"

His brow furrowed, and his tone was filled with disbelief:

"Even if it were Brother Chi Hong, he probably couldn't kill Jiu Fang within the Tianyue Immortal City, right?"

Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.

Tianyue Immortal City is protected by a city-protecting formation, and Lu Jiufang himself is also quite strong.

Killing him within the Immortal City would be extremely difficult.

"Upon receiving the news, I immediately dispatched people to Tianyue Immortal City to investigate."

"The Immortal City has been found to be unobstructed, and the city's protective array has disappeared."

Lu Zhiyuan added that he was the head of Lu's intelligence team and had access to the latest information:

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious:
"After some investigation, it was discovered that none of the cultivators in the city knew who the murderer was, or even the details of the fight."

Lu Deyi slammed his hand on the table, his face turning ashen:

"Whoever dares to kill someone from my Lu family will be severely punished!"

His eyes flashed with a cold light, and his entire body exuded a murderous aura.
"This is a provocation against the Lu family, and they must pay with their blood!"

Lu Fengzhao was relatively calmer and pondered for a moment before saying:
"This matter is quite strange."

"The fact that the murderer was able to kill Jiu Fang in the Immortal City without alerting anyone else suggests that the killer's strength is far beyond our imagination."

He looked at Lu Chihong:

"Brother Chi Hong, who do you think did this?"

Lu Chihong was silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"Those who can do this are at least peak Nascent Soul cultivators who have mastered the essence of the art, and are proficient in concealment and assassination techniques."

"But there are only a few peak Nascent Soul cultivators nearby, and none of them have any grudges against our Lu family."

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious:
"Unless... it's some hidden force we don't know about."

When everyone heard this, their faces became even uglier.

If it is indeed a hidden force that has attacked the Lu family, then things become even more complicated.

Lu Yuanjing pondered for a moment and then suggested:

"The most urgent task is to find out the truth."

"I suggest we go to Tianyue Immortal City immediately to investigate the scene in person."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement:
"That's right, only by going there in person can we find more clues."

Lu Deyi even stood up directly:
"Let's not delay, let's set off now!"

Lu Chihong looked around at everyone and finally made a decision:
"Since that's the case,"
He looked at Lu Deyi:

"Deyi, you stay on Xingyuan Island and take charge of the clan's security. The rest of us four will go to Tianyue Immortal City to investigate."

Although Lu Deyi was unwilling, he knew that the clan's territory could not be left unattended, so he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The final decision was that Lu Chihong, Lu Yuanjing, Lu Fengzhao, and Lu Zhiyuan would travel together to Tianyue Immortal City.

With four Nascent Soul cultivators working together, they could handle any unexpected situation.

……

Meanwhile, in the human realm, on a cave island in the middle of a lake.

Since that mysterious spirit tree was planted, the entire Wangchuan Lake area has undergone earth-shattering changes.

A rich spiritual aura spread from the island in the middle of the lake, enveloping an area of ​​thousands of miles.

The spiritual energy concentration within the Wangchuan Immortal City rose sharply, directly reaching the fifth-tier top-grade level!

The cultivators in the city were pleasantly surprised to find that their cultivation speed was more than 50% faster than before.

Various spiritual plants are growing faster, and even the demonic beasts seem to be more active.

At this moment, the island in the middle of the lake is like a fairyland.

The sacred tree is towering, its branches and leaves lush and green, exuding a rich life force.

The tree canopy, like a canopy, covers the entire island.

The natural patterns on the tree trunk flow and exude a mysterious rhythm.

The spiritual pool beneath the tree shimmered, its water a pale blue-green hue, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

At this moment, Zhou Xun's true form was sitting upright in the cultivation room.

This cultivation room is located directly beneath the spirit tree, in the area with the densest spiritual energy on the entire island. After consuming that fruit, he secluded himself here to focus all his efforts on breaking through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Time passes bit by bit.

The cultivation room was filled with spiritual energy, almost solidified.

A blue spiritual light flowed around Zhou Xun, echoing the aura emanating from the spiritual tree.

I do not know how long it has been,

suddenly,

Zhou Xun's aura suddenly changed!
An extremely rich vitality spread out from him.

This vitality spread like ripples throughout the entire island in the lake.

A shocking scene unfolded—

All the spiritual plants on the island, whether they were thousand-year-old medicinal herbs or ordinary flowers and grasses, began to grow visibly!

The leaves of the medicinal herb have unfurled, the stems have grown taller, and the aroma of the herb has become even stronger.

The flowers and plants spread wildly, covering a large area of ​​land in the blink of an eye.

Even the towering spirit tree's branches and leaves became even greener, and the Dao patterns on its trunk became clearer.

This strange phenomenon lasted for more than ten breaths before slowly stopping.

Then, Zhou Xun slowly opened his eyes.

A bluish light flickered in his eyes.

"This fruit is truly extraordinary; it actually allowed me to break through to the later stage!"

He felt the surging magical power within him, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

This speed was far faster than his avatar.

The avatar is currently still hovering in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, while the main body has already broken through.

Zhou Xun slowly got up and stretched his muscles.

After advancing to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he felt that the whole world had changed.

The range of divine sense has expanded several times, and the sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has become more acute.

Most importantly, my understanding of the artistic conception has become much clearer.

With a thought, he took out his magical treasure—the Dragon Head Staff.

The dragon's mouth was slightly open, as if it were inhaling and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

He gently waved his dragon-headed staff.

"Om-"

The staff emitted a soft hum, its surface shimmering with a bluish light.

The surrounding wood-attribute spiritual energy gathered wildly, forming a cyan sphere of light at the top of the staff.

The sphere of light contains terrifying energy that could erupt at any moment.

With a slight thought, Zhou Xun transformed the light sphere into a streak of azure light, shooting towards the Trial Stone in the distance.

"boom!"

The test stone shattered instantly, turning into dust.

This attack was several times more powerful than the previous one!
"As expected, the strength of someone in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm is incomparable to what it was before."

Zhou Xun nodded in satisfaction.

This will greatly help his revenge plan.

……

Hongyuan Immortal City, Teleportation Hall.

A flash of white light, and Zhou Xun's figure appeared on the teleportation array.

As soon as he appeared, he saw the chaotic scene before him.

The main hall was packed with cultivators, all looking flustered and scrambling to use the teleportation array to leave.

"Let me go first, I'll offer three times the spirit stones!"

"Something terrible has happened in Tianyue Immortal City! I heard that even the city's protective array has disappeared!"

"Could it be an invasion by foreign enemies? Could our Hongyuan Immortal City also be in danger?"

The air was filled with the cacophony of voices.

Zhou Xun frowned slightly, understanding dawning on him.

It seems that news of Lu Jiufang's demise has spread, causing panic.

"time is limited."

He thought to himself.

The Lu family's top brass must already know about Lu Jiufang's demise.

His plan was to kill the Nascent Soul cultivators stationed there before the Lu family could fully react.

With a single thought, the thousand masks come into play.

Zhou Xun's face began to change, and his posture also slightly adjusted.

In just a few breaths, he had transformed into the appearance of Lu Wanfeng, the Nascent Soul stage cultivator who had been subdued.

Even the breathing was imitated perfectly.

He quickly left the teleportation hall and flew towards the highest mountain in the city.

That is the location of the cave dwelling of Lu Bangyuan, the god of transformation.

The mountain peaks soar into the clouds, shrouded in a spiritual aura.

The entire mountain peak has been transformed into a fifth-grade superior cave dwelling, the place with the richest spiritual energy in Hongyuan Immortal City.

Zhou Xun landed in front of the cave entrance and said to the disciples guarding the gate:
"I have something important to report to the Ancestor!"

Seeing his anxious expression, the gatekeeper dared not delay and immediately went in to inform him.

Before long, a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator came out.

This person is Lu Bangyuan's personal disciple and holds a high position in the Immortal City.

"Junior Brother Wanfeng, what brings you in such a hurry?"

Zhou Xun imitated Lu Wanfeng's tone and said urgently:
"Chaos has broken out in Tianyue Immortal City, and Ancestor Jiufang has perished!"

"what!"

The Nascent Soul Peak cultivator was shocked and his face turned deathly pale.

The fall of a Nascent Soul cultivator was a momentous event for the Lu family, and they dared not delay, immediately turning around and heading deep into the cave to report it.

Inside the quiet chamber of the cave dwelling, Lu Bangyuan was meditating and cultivating.

Upon hearing his disciple's report, he suddenly opened his eyes:

"What did you say? Brother Jiufang has fallen?"

He suddenly stood up, his face filled with disbelief.

He knew Lu Jiufang's strength very well. Although he usually kept a low profile, his actual combat power was definitely top-notch among those in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

More importantly, Tianyue Immortal City is protected by a city-protecting formation, so how could it possibly be killed?

"Is the news true?" he asked in a deep voice.

"It was Junior Brother Wanfeng who came to report in person; he's outside right now."

Lu Bangyuan was filled with doubt and suspicion, and immediately gave the order:

"Let him in!"

Zhou Xun entered the quiet room and bowed respectfully:
"I've met my ancestor."

Lu Bangyuan asked impatiently:

"Wanfeng, what exactly happened? Tell me in detail!"

Zhou Xun lowered his head, his tone fearful:

"I don't know the details either. I only saw lightning flashing in the sky, and a powerful figure who called himself 'Thunder Prison Heavenly Lord' appeared."

He paused deliberately, then continued:
"Then he killed Ancestor Jiufang in mid-air!"

"Thunder Prison Heavenly Lord!"

Lu Bangyuan was even more shocked upon hearing this.

He naturally recognized the name; it was someone personally wanted by the Supreme Ancestor Lu Xinghai.

It was him! He's back!
Lu Bangyuan was greatly alarmed and said urgently:
"Did you see what that person looked like? What exactly happened?"

Just as he got close—

Zhou Xun suddenly sprang into action!

With lightning speed, he arrived in front of Lu Bangyuan in an instant.

With his right hand fingers spread wide, the Thunderous Sword Intent flowed, transforming into a sharp sword light!

This strike was as swift as lightning, and had been brewing for a long time.

Lu Bangyuan had no time to react.

"You are."

He only managed to utter two words before the sword light pierced through his body.

The Thunder Grass Sword Intent erupted within him, instantly destroying his life force.

In the blink of an eye, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator perished!
In a quiet room,
Zhou Xun reached out and took a cyan jade ruler and a storage ring into his pocket.

Then, with a flick of his hand, a flash of sword light appeared, severing Lu Bangyuan's head.

This was something he left on purpose.

Carrying the bloodied head, Zhou Xun walked out of the cave and arrived above Hongyuan Immortal City.

He tossed his head and hung it on the city gate.
Then, with his blood, he splattered several large characters.
"The murderer is Zhou Xun!"

(End of this chapter)