Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 1007 Taking stock of the spoils, the secret technique of substitution!
At the same moment Zhou Xun killed Lu Bangyuan, inside the Soul Hall of Star Origin Island.

"boom--"

A crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out in the silent hall. Although the sound was not loud, it was particularly jarring in the Soul Hall where you could hear a pin drop.

The guard, who was dozing off, was jolted awake.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked blankly toward the source of the sound.

Upon seeing this, they were terrified out of their wits!

One of the soul lamps in the second row was shattered, its base empty except for a few fragments.

Let's look at the nameplate under the lamp base—

"Lu Bangyuan!"
"Yet yet another Nascent Soul cultivator has fallen!"

The guard's face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled.

He clearly remembered that just this morning, the soul lamp of Ancestor Lu Jiufang had just gone out.

Only a few hours have passed, and yet another Nascent Soul Ancestor has fallen!

The loss of two Nascent Soul cultivators in succession meant something even a mere Qi Refining cultivator like him could understand.
Something terrible is happening!
The guards scrambled out of the Soul Palace, not even bothering to straighten their disheveled robes.

He ran and stumbled his way to the office.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

He was panting and speaking incoherently:

"The soul lamp of Ancestor Bangyuan has shattered!"

The manager, who was handling routine matters, looked up abruptly upon hearing this:

"What did you say?"

He abruptly stood up, his expression changing drastically:

"Didn't Elder Jiufang just die this morning? What happened?"

Before he could finish speaking, he realized the seriousness of the situation.

Without asking any more questions, he hurried toward the Soul Palace.

When he saw Lu Bangyuan's broken soul lamp with his own eyes, he felt dizzy and his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

"It's over. It's over."

He muttered to himself, his face ashen.

First Lu Jiufang, and now Lu Bangyuan—two Nascent Soul cultivators have fallen in a single day.

This is something that has never happened before in the history of the Lu family!

It took the steward quite a while to come to his senses.

He forced himself to stand up, used his wind manipulation technique to levitate, and sped towards Lu Deyi's cave.

At this point, he no longer cared about etiquette or rules.

Soon, he arrived outside Lu Deyi's cave and, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him, rushed inside.

"Ancestor, something terrible has happened!"

His voice was hoarse, trembling with tears.

"You're a Nascent Soul cultivator now, yet you're acting so rashly and crying like this! What kind of behavior is this!"

Upon seeing this scene, Ludwig frowned deeply.

Are this generation of Lu family members really so despicable?
"Don't worry, take your time!"

"It's...it's the soul lamp of Ancestor Bangyuan...it's shattered too!"

The steward said, trembling.

Upon hearing this, Lu Deyi suddenly stood up, rushed to the steward, and spoke in a terrifying voice:
"What did you say?"

His first reaction was disbelief:
"How can it be!"

This is absolutely impossible!
"It's...it's true, the soul lamp shattered, I saw it with my own eyes!" The steward's face was also extremely pale.

Lu Deyi's face was extremely terrifying. He didn't care about managing affairs anymore, and in a flash, he left the cave.
Before long, they arrived at the Soul Palace.

"Greetings... I have met the Ancestor!"

The guards hurriedly greeted them.
Lu Deyi seemed not to hear, and strode inside, looking towards the soul lamp stand.

When he saw Lu Bangyuan's broken soul lamp with his own eyes, he was completely stunned.

"Brother Bang Yuan"

He muttered to himself, his eyes full of disbelief.

He and Lu Bangyuan had known each other for thousands of years. Although they were not close friends, they had a good relationship.

Seeing the broken spirit lamp of my deceased friend now fills me with a deep sense of sorrow.

But soon, this sense of desolation was replaced by a chill.

A chill ran up the back of his head, making him shiver involuntarily.

An ominous premonition spread through my mind.

Two Nascent Soul cultivators were lost in a single day.

Both of them were at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and both perished within the heartland of the Lu clan.

This is no coincidence!

If Zhou Xun were here, he might tell him that not just two were lost, but a total of seven Nascent Soul cultivators!

Immediately afterwards, his icy chill transformed into a raging inferno.

"Who is it?"

Lu Deyi gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot:

"Anyone who dares to kill a member of the Lu family will pay with their blood!"

After a long while, he suppressed his anger and quickly returned to the main hall.

He summoned several members of the Lu family who were in charge.

He ordered a state of martial law to be declared on Xingyuan Island, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.
Next, he took out a blank jade slip and recorded the news of Lu Bangyuan's death in detail.

He then summoned a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Lu clan and handed him the jade slip:
"Immediately travel to Tianyue Immortal City via the teleportation array and deliver this jade slip to Ancestor Chi Hong!"

"Yes!"

The Nascent Soul cultivator knew the situation was serious and dared not delay, so he immediately accepted the order and left.

Watching the Nascent Soul cultivator's departing figure, Lu Deyi's face darkened.

He had a vague feeling that a conspiracy against the Lu family was quietly unfolding.

But they didn't even know who their opponent was!

……

Deep within a deserted island, three thousand miles away from Hongyuan Immortal City.

A flash of yellow light, and a simple stone chamber suddenly appeared inside the island.

Immediately afterwards, two figures appeared in the stone chamber.

One of them was a young man dressed in a blue robe, with a handsome face and an otherworldly air; it was Zhou Xun.
The other one was a boy with bright, lively eyes; it was Xiao Jia.

After killing Lu Bangyuan and leaving his head in public in Hongyuan Immortal City as a provocation, Zhou Xun quickly left.

He knew this move would surely anger the Lu family, but it was part of his plan.

"Finally, I can catch my breath."

Zhou Xun set up several protective barriers in the stone chamber to ensure safety before relaxing.

With a wave of his hand, two storage rings appeared in front of him.

One is earthy yellow, and the other is bluish-green.

It was Lu Jiufang and Lu Bangyuan's storage ring.

He hadn't had time to take stock of his gains because of the tight schedule.

"Xiao Jia, you keep watch from the side."

Zhou Xun gave the instructions.

"Yes, Master."

Xiao Jia nodded obediently, walked to the entrance of the stone chamber, and cautiously observed his surroundings.

Zhou Xun waved his hand again, and a small black banner appeared in his hand. With a gentle wave, the Soul-Eating Beast Xiao Qing appeared before him.

As soon as it appeared, it excitedly twitched its enormous nose:
"Master, have you eaten any more remnant souls?"

Xiaoqing looked at the two storage rings in front of her, her eyes filled with longing.

As a soul-devouring beast, a cultivator's soul is a great tonic for it.

"good."

Zhou Xun nodded and pushed the two storage rings in front of Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing was overjoyed and suddenly punched the huge nose. A beam of gray light shot out from the nose and enveloped the two storage rings.

Before long, two faint, illusory figures were pulled out of the ring.

These are the remnant soul imprints left by Lu Jiufang and Lu Bangyuan in the storage ring. Although their original bodies are dead, these remnant soul imprints are still attached to the storage ring.

If not handled properly, there is a high risk of backlash.

Two "whoosh" sounds.

Both remnant souls were absorbed into his abdomen.

"Master, it's all cleaned up."

Zhou Xun nodded and put Xiao Qing back into the small banner.

Then he picked up Lu Bangyuan's turquoise storage ring and probed it with his divine sense.

The first thing to focus on is the spirit crystal.

In the corner of the storage ring, a pile of spirit crystals was neatly stacked.

Upon careful counting, there were a total of four hundred and eighty-one pieces!
This number is considered average among Nascent Soul cultivators.
Next was a cyan jade ruler, its body warm and smooth, with cloud patterns flowing across its surface, radiating a rich wood-attribute spiritual energy.

This is Lu Bangyuan's natal spiritual treasure.

"This item does match the attributes of its original form."

He decided to give this spiritual treasure to his main body. Continuing the inventory, he found mostly ordinary items: over ten kinds of fifth-grade spiritual materials and five fifth-grade spiritual herbs.

There are also some elixirs, talismans, etc.

A rough estimate puts the total value of these miscellaneous items at around two hundred spirit crystals, with a total value of approximately seven hundred spirit crystals.

However, considering that Lu Bangyuan was just an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, it becomes understandable.

Zhou Xun shook his head slightly.

Lu Bangyuan's collection is indeed unworthy of his status as a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

But on second thought, it makes sense that this person usually uses most of his resources for cultivation.

He organized all the items and put them into his storage ring.

Next, his gaze turned to another earth-yellow storage ring.

This is Lu Jiufang's storage ring!
Thinking of Lu Jiufang's endless array of trump cards, a hint of anticipation flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes.

This person has definitely received an extraordinary opportunity.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to have so many powerful methods.

Both the puppets capable of conveying artistic intent and the Substitute Calamity Secret Technique are extraordinary.

Zhou Xun took a deep breath and slowly probed into it with his divine sense.

He was very curious about what secrets this Nascent Soul cultivator, known for his "steadiness," was hiding.

……

First and foremost, of course, is the spirit crystal.

Zhou Xun probed his storage ring with his divine sense and was immediately stunned by the scene before him.

In the corner of the storage ring, spirit crystals were piled up into a small mountain!
The crystal-clear spirit crystal emitted a soft light, illuminating the entire storage space as if it were daytime.

Zhou Xun was overjoyed:

"Just as I guessed, this person definitely has a great opportunity!"

He carefully counted them, and the more he counted, the more alarmed he became.

The number of ordinary spirit crystals actually reached more than 2,300!

This number exceeds the entire fortune of most Nascent Soul cultivators.

It should be noted that an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator is considered wealthy if they have five or six hundred spirit crystals.

Lu Jiufang alone has more than two thousand yuan, he's incredibly rich!
"Hey, this is..."

Suddenly, Zhou Xun's gaze was drawn to a few special spirit crystals at the top of the pile of spirit crystals.

These spirit crystals are more translucent than ordinary spirit crystals, and it seems as if liquid is flowing inside them.

Its surface radiates a faint seven-colored halo, exuding a pure spiritual energy far exceeding that of ordinary spirit crystals.

"This is a high-grade spirit crystal!"

Zhou Xun's pupils contracted slightly, his heart filled with shock.

He had once obtained a high-grade spirit crystal by chance, so he naturally recognized this rare item.

One high-grade spirit crystal is equivalent to ten thousand ordinary spirit crystals!
Moreover, they are often available at a price but not in the market, and few people are willing to put them up for sale.

And here, there were actually two high-grade spirit crystals!

"It seems that Lu Jiufang has definitely obtained something extraordinary."

Zhou Xun murmured to himself, his tone filled with amazement.

He carefully took out the two high-grade spirit crystals and put them away safely.

Including the one he obtained before, he now has a total of three high-grade spirit crystals.

This is already an amazing fortune!

Continue counting.

"What's this!"

Just then, he discovered a jade box.
Upon opening it, I found a map inside; the destination was a building underwater.
"Preserving it so carefully, could this be the place where his destiny lies?"

Zhou Xun guessed this and decided to go and see for himself when he had the chance in the future.

Upon further examination, several ancient jade slips came into view.

These jade slips are pure white, with a faint glow flowing across their surface.

Zhou Xun couldn't help but feel excited:
"You should know that Lu Jiufang's substitution technique was a top-tier secret technique that even I didn't possess!"

He took out a jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

It contains a cultivation technique called "Qingyuan Changqing Jue".

This technique is extremely profound and can be cultivated all the way to the Mahayana stage!
"Indeed, it's quite remarkable."

After pondering it for a while, he put the jade slip aside, preparing to study it carefully later.

Then he picked up another jade slip.

This jade slip contains Lu Jiufang's own cultivation insights, which details his cultivation experiences from the Core Formation stage to the Nascent Soul stage.

This includes experience in breaking through bottlenecks, techniques for operating the cultivation method, and so on.

These insights were also very valuable for Zhou Xun.

Then, he picked up the third jade slip.

The moment Zhou Xun's divine sense probed in, he was overjoyed!

"The Nine Elements Substitution Technique!"

This was precisely the substitution technique that Lu Jiufang had used!
He couldn't wait to start reading.

This secret technique is indeed extremely profound, requiring one to use their own divine sense and essence blood as a guide to cultivate a special blood talisman within their body.

This blood talisman is usually hidden in the dantian and will not affect normal cultivation.

The Blood Rune will automatically activate in the event of a life-threatening attack.

To take the fatal blow in place of the original body!
However, the price of this secret technique is extremely high; after using it, one's cultivation level will drop by one realm.

Moreover, with its original essence severely damaged, the possibility of further improvement in the future is greatly reduced.

"But for me, this is nothing."

Zhou Xun thought to himself.

He possesses the Spring Condensation Scripture.
The problem of damage to one's fundamental nature can be completely restored through the essence of spiritual medicine.

As for a drop in cultivation level, as long as the foundation is still intact, it is not difficult to cultivate back to normal.

This secret technique was practically tailor-made for him to save his life!

Continue taking inventory of the other items in the storage ring.

A large number of fifth-order spiritual materials and herbs were also discovered.

These items together are worth several hundred spirit crystals.

Apart from that, there's nothing particularly strange about it.

"It seems that the set of puppet soldiers and this calamity-substitution technique are his main opportunities."

But this time the results have far exceeded expectations.

Those two high-grade spirit crystals and the "Nine Elements Substitution Technique" alone were enough to satisfy him.

Not to mention the more than two thousand ordinary spirit crystals and other miscellaneous items.

"This trip was worth it!"

……

On the other side, Lu Chihong and his group also arrived at Tianyue Immortal City through the teleportation array.

As soon as they stepped out of the teleportation hall, they were shocked by the scene before them.

The entire immortal city was in chaos. Cultivators ran frantically through the streets, shops were closed, and the air was thick with panic.

What alarmed them most was that the protective mountain array that had covered the entire city had disappeared.

That fifth-tier peak "Thick Earth Supporting the Sky Formation" was actually uprooted!

"This"

Lu Chihong frowned deeply, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

"Let's go check out Jiu Fang's cave."

He said in a deep voice, and took the lead in flying towards the city lord's mansion, with the others following closely behind, all with solemn expressions.

Upon arriving at Lu Jiufang's cave, the scene there was even more shocking.

The cave entrance was shattered, and the internal restrictions were forcibly broken.

The meditation room was in a mess, with broken tables and chairs and charred marks on the walls.

The most striking features were the deep trenches on the ground and the lingering sharp sword intent in the air.

"This is... the aura of lightning!"

Lu Fengzhao squatted down and carefully examined the marks on the ground. In those charred gullies, there were still faint flashes of lightning.

Lu Chihong's eyes flickered, his face dark.

"Thunder Prison Heavenly Lord. Zhou Xun!"

He spat out the name through gritted teeth, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

All signs pointed to that man.

He had a grudge against the Lu family, was incredibly powerful, and possessed lightning attributes. He couldn't think of anyone else who could be involved.

That opponent who once made him taste defeat, but also helped him to touch the essence of the art!
Just then, a communication talisman suddenly pierced through the air, and then a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Lu clan landed in front of them.
"I've met my ancestor!"

"What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?" Lu Chihong asked.

The man took out a jade slip and handed it over.

"Ancestor Deyi ordered me to deliver this jade slip!"

Lu Chihong reached out and caught it, probing it with his divine sense.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically!

"Bangyuan has also fallen!"

(End of this chapter)