Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 950 The Current State of the Human Realm, The Legend of the Dao Body!
Thinking of this,

Zhou Xun suddenly felt an urge to return to the human realm and deal with the Ghost Emperor directly.

It should be noted that Ghost Emperor Tiyu was only at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

There's still a long way to go before reaching the peak.

The fact that Zhou Xun can still gain the upper hand against Lu Chihong, who is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, is enough to demonstrate his current combat strength.

It is definitely at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Now, with this fifth-tier superior-grade Five Heavens Purple Thunder Formation, the chances of success are even greater.

But Zhou Xun suppressed this impulse.
There are three reasons,

Firstly, the once-in-a-century exchange event for Nascent Soul cultivators in Tian Shu City is less than ten years away, while it will take Ti Yu several decades to arrive in the human realm.
In a short time,

The human realm can still hold on; a few more years won't make a difference.

Secondly, Ti Yu is, after all, the ruler of a realm and a member of the extremely rare Ghost Clan. Who knows what kind of trump cards he possesses?
Ultimately, even with Zhou Xun's current strength, going back wouldn't guarantee him a 100% chance of defeating him.

Moreover, his idea was to kill Tiyu and eliminate the threat of the demon race once and for all.

Thirdly, he planned to participate in this exchange event to acquire some treasures, refine the Nine Palaces Profound Origin Array to its full potential, and at the same time upgrade his natal magic weapon, the Thunder Pool, to the level of a spiritual treasure.
Prepare some more life-saving items.
That will be the time for him to deal with Tiyu.

Human realm, Western Desert front.

On the western front, yellow sand filled the sky.

In the heart of the headquarters, inside a council hall entirely crafted from "Mysterious Yang Jade," three figures sat on three separate sides.

At the head of the table stood Liu Bai, the sword immortal with snow-white hair. His eyes were slightly closed, and a three-foot-long green sword lay across his lap, the words "Green Sword" faintly visible on its scabbard.

On the left, Jiang Taifang had nine copper coins wrapped around his fingertips. His brows were furrowed, and the coins were spinning faster and faster between his fingers.

“Brother Liu, the Ghost Clan has suddenly accelerated the expansion of the passage, I’m afraid…” Jiang Taifang suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of gravity.

On the right, Consort Nangong Yi is wearing a red dress, with a golden phoenix embroidered on the hem that seems about to take flight.

She toyed with a blood-red jade slip in her hand, and her fingertips paused slightly upon hearing this:
"I used my 'clone' to investigate, and those five spirit pillars are the Ghost Clan's 'Five Directional Boundary Pillars,' which can accelerate the expansion of the Ghost Realm passage!"

"Originally, it would have taken more than seventy years for the passage to be expanded and completed, so that the true form of the Ghost Emperor could descend!"

"But now, it will probably only take another twenty years to complete!"

"Once the Ghost Emperor descends, all things in the human realm will come to an end!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Taifang immediately stood up.
"I intend to travel to the Ghost Realm passage and destroy that spirit pillar to buy time for my human race!"

"Brother Jiang, I'll go with you!" Although Nangong Yifei was a woman, she was just as capable as any man.

Liu Bai slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a sword intent as cold as frost:
"There's no need for you two to do this. The Ghost Clan is making such a big show of things; they must have already set a trap. If you two go, you probably won't be able to destroy the spirit pillar, and you'll only put yourselves in danger. It would be a losing proposition!"

"Without the two of you, both at the Nascent Soul stage, our human realm's chances of victory are even slimmer!"

"So, we'll just watch them?" Jiang Taifang asked.

"Rest assured, both of you. The Heavenly Lord of Wangchuan has already received the complete inheritance from Fellow Daoist Ziyu. He is currently in seclusion in the secret place of Leixiao Palace. Once he emerges from seclusion, Tiyu will be nothing to fear."

"Brother Liu, is what you say true?"

Jiang Taifang suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with surprise, and the copper coin spinning in his fingertips stopped with a "snap".

A glint of light flashed in Nangong Yifei's beautiful eyes: "If the Heavenly Lord of Wangchuan can truly inherit the Daoist lineage of Leixiao Palace, it will indeed be a blessing for our human realm!"

Liu Bai nodded slightly, his white hair moving without wind.
"You all have witnessed Fellow Daoist Zhou's talent. He helped us repel the enemy back then, and now that he has obtained the complete inheritance, he will surely be able to turn the tide when he emerges from seclusion."

His voice was steady, yet carried a convincing power:

"You two only need to guard the front line and keep a close eye on the movements of the Ghost Clan. Once Zhou Xun emerges from seclusion, it will be time for us to launch a counterattack."

Jiang Taifang and Nangong Yifei exchanged a glance, both seeing a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes.

“In that case, we will do as Brother Liu says.” Jiang Taifang nodded emphatically, slipping nine copper coins into his sleeve.
"I will immediately send more men to set up the 'Nine Heavens Sky-Gazing Formation' and ensure that the Ghost Clan has no further opportunity to exploit the situation."

Consort Nangong Yi also rose, her red dress fluttering and carrying a fragrant breeze:
"I will personally oversee the area within ten thousand miles of the passage, using my 'Blood Phoenix Spiritual Sense' to monitor it. If any unusual activity occurs, I will immediately send a message."

The two bowed to Liu Bai, then transformed into two streaks of light, one golden and one red, and streaked out of the main hall, disappearing into the vast yellow sands of the Western Desert.

Silence returned to the hall.

Liu Bai slowly rose, walked to the palace gate, and looked out at the dark rift connecting heaven and earth in the distance—the Ghost Realm Passage.

A hint of worry, which he could not hide, finally surfaced on his calm face.

His composure just now was mostly to appease Jiang and Nangong.

It is true that Zhou Xun received the inheritance, but even Liu Bai himself did not know where he went into seclusion or when he would emerge.

The originally planned 100-year period was based on the normal expansion rate of the Ghost Realm passage.

Now, time has been shortened by two-thirds!

More than twenty years... have passed in the blink of an eye.

If Zhou Xun is unable to return in time...

Liu Bai's gaze narrowed slightly, his eyes flashing with sword intent, as if he could already see the Ghost Emperor Ti Yu's true form descending, and the tragic scene of ten thousand ghosts slaughtering the human world.

Can't wait any longer.

Something must be done, even if it can only buy a little time.

He took a deep breath, his aura suddenly receding, his entire being seemingly transforming into a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, silently merging into the howling sandstorm outside the hall.

The next moment, his figure appeared millions of miles away, less than a hundred miles from the huge ghost realm passage.

A chilling wind howled, and a ghostly aura filled the air.

The dense aura of the underworld was almost tangible, causing the surrounding space to distort slightly.

Five towering, pitch-black spirit pillars stood before the passage, their surfaces engraved with countless ferocious ghostly patterns, radiating energy fluctuations that sent chills down one's spine.

Countless ghosts swirled and danced around the spirit pillar, emitting piercing screams.

Five Nascent Soul demons hovered atop the spirit pillar, their scarlet eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

The massive formation, consisting of eight hundred fourth-tier ghost kings and tens of thousands of third-tier ghost kings, protected the spirit pillars impenetrably.

Liu Bai held his breath and focused his mind, minimizing his presence as much as possible, like a speck of dust in the desert.

He was searching for that fleeting flaw.

opportunity!

Just as a Nascent Soul demon turned to survey another direction, Liu Bai moved!

"Qiang——!"

A clear, resonant sword cry tore through the sky!

He transformed into an extremely dazzling and sharp sword light, becoming one with the sword, moving at a speed surpassing lightning.

Transcending space,

It pierced straight at the nearest spirit pillar!

This sword strike embodies his life's cultivation, unstoppable and fearless!
Where the sword flashed, space was easily torn apart, emitting a mournful sound like cloth being ripped apart.

The low-level ghost kings guarding the spirit pillars didn't even have time to react before being reduced to ashes by the chilling sword intent.

"Enemy attack!!!" The five Nascent Soul demons were instantly alarmed, their furious roars shaking the heavens and the earth.

Five terrifying ghostly divine powers instantly coalesced, carrying destructive power, and blasted towards the sword light from different directions!

A giant palm of black and green ghost fire, a bone spear that tears space apart, a river of blood that corrodes the soul, a banner of ten thousand souls that screams mournfully, and a giant seal of the underworld that is as heavy as a mountain!

Any single attack could severely injure or even kill a Nascent Soul cultivator!

Ignoring everything else, Liu Bai increased the speed of his sword light by another three points!

He burned his primordial sword essence!

"boom--!!!"

The dazzling sword light struck the thickest spirit pillar with perfect precision!

Time seems to stand still at this moment.

The incredibly sturdy ghost-patterned shield on the spirit pillar, capable of withstanding attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators, shattered inch by inch like fragile glass. The sword's edge pierced the pillar, producing a teeth-grinding cracking sound!
“Crack—boom!”

The spirit pillar exploded with a deafening roar, sending fragments of stone mixed with pure ghostly energy scattering in all directions! The light of the entire grand formation dimmed instantly!
Did it work? !

However, the price paid was also heavy.

In pursuit of this ultimate strike, Liu Bai was unable to completely evade the five divine abilities attacking from behind.

The sword light was grazed by the giant hand of ghost fire, causing it to tremble violently, while the giant seal of the underworld slammed solidly into his back!
"puff--!"

The sword light that Liu Bai had transformed into dimmed instantly, revealing his figure. His face was ashen, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his aura rapidly weakening.

Five enraged Nascent Soul demons had already surrounded him, their ghostly aura overwhelming, their killing intent almost freezing him in place.

Liu Baiqiang mustered his last bit of sword energy and made a profound sword incantation with his hand.

"escape!"

The sword light shone again, but it was not as dazzling as before; instead, it carried a blood-red, ethereal quality.

His body seemed to transform into countless tiny sword energies, narrowly escaping through the gaps in the encirclement of the five ghosts, instantly fleeing thousands of miles away, and staggering back into the range of the human realm's array.

He knelt on the ground, coughing up another mouthful of blood, staining the yellow sand beneath him red. Having burned his life essence twice, his cultivation had plummeted, and his injuries were extremely severe.

But he didn't have time to catch his breath and suddenly looked up towards the direction of the ghost realm passage.

He needed to confirm the outcome of the battle, to confirm how much time the destruction of that spirit pillar could buy for the human world.

However, the next moment, his pupils shrank, his face drained of color, and he showed an expression of disbelief!

Before the passage to the ghost realm, the broken section of the spirit pillar, which should have been completely destroyed, was now shrouded in pure ghost energy spewed out by a massive number of ghosts.

Countless mysterious ghost patterns lit up at the break, wriggling and intertwining like living things.

As if drawn by an invisible hand, the shattered fragments of the spirit pillar flew back one by one and were perfectly pieced back together!
The broken ghost patterns spread, connected, and repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In just a dozen or so breaths!

The spirit pillar was completely intact, without even a single crack! It was as if his desperate attack had never happened!
The array's light stabilized once more, and the expansion speed of the passage did not slow down in the slightest!

"How...how is this possible?" Liu Bai exclaimed, a bone-chilling cold rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

These "Five Directions Boundary Pillars"... actually possess such terrifying self-repairing abilities!

Even with his mid-stage Nascent Soul combat strength, his desperate attack was ultimately futile.

Forced damage, this road is blocked!
He was too exhausted to try a second time.

Liu Bai staggered to his feet, gazing at the ghost realm passage that resembled the gaping maw of a primordial beast.

Gazing at the five immovable pillars supporting the sky, and at the seemingly endless, shadowy army of ghosts behind them...

A heavy sense of powerlessness weighed heavily on his heart.

now,

The only hope
It all depends on whether that young man, who is in seclusion in an unknown place, can arrive in time!
Zhou Xun was completely unaware of everything that was happening in the human realm.

At this moment, he was sitting upright in the cultivation room, surrounded by spiritual energy that enveloped him like a silkworm cocoon.

He was focused and concentrated on refining the "Mysterious Essence Nourishing Pill" inside his abdomen.

The medicinal power transformed into a vast and pure spiritual energy, surging like a river, eventually flowing into the sea and slowly merging into his dantian, which was already far beyond that of ordinary people.

Time flies, but time seems to stand still in the cave.

Two whole months passed quietly before Zhou Xun finally refined the medicinal power of the fifth-grade spirit pill.

Feeling a slight increase in his cultivation level, he took another solid small step forward on the path to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

"At this rate, it may only take a hundred years for me to reach the peak of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm!"

Thinking of this, Zhou Xun couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

Breaking through a minor realm in a hundred years is nothing short of miraculous, even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone a Nascent Soul cultivator. It's enough to earn the title of "genius."

With such progress at the Nascent Soul stage, if word were to spread, he would be more than just a "genius"; he would truly deserve the title of "peerless prodigy"!
And he certainly deserves that title.
His spiritual root sensitivity was at a perfect 100 points! Even in the vast Immortal Realm, he had never heard of anyone being born with such a high level of sensitivity.

After finishing his cultivation, Zhou Xun strolled out of the meditation room.

He had a passionate encounter with his concubine, Sun Yuanxuan, and they made love.

After finishing, Zhou Xun felt refreshed and his gloomy mood from days of seclusion vanished.

"Taking Yuan Xuan in back then was truly a wise move."

Otherwise, he would probably be sitting idly in this cave, a dull and ascetic, and would not be enjoying the carefree life he has now with beautiful women by his side.

Moving to the pavilion in the courtyard, Zhou Xun took out a jade slip, calmed his mind, and began to examine it.

After arriving in Tian Shu City, he instructed Xiao Jin to secretly collect various ancient books and secret texts from the Immortal Realm for him. Among them, the most important were the discussions on spiritual roots, physiques, and the origins of the scripture.

In the human realm, the generally accepted ceiling for talent is a spiritual root sensitivity of one hundred points, which is also the upper limit of the range of the spirit testing plate.

But deep down, Zhou Xun never believed that the potential of a human body was limited to this point.

Then, wouldn't the Heaven-defying and fate-altering effects of the "Spring Condensation Scripture" he cultivated have no room for improvement?
Today, he finally found the answer in the ancient books, and a world far grander and more amazing than he had imagined slowly unfolded before his eyes!

It turns out that the human race was not a primordial race that existed since the beginning of time, but rather was created by an ancient being from clay.

Therefore, the vast majority of humans in the world are born after birth, with ordinary origins, and face numerous obstacles on their path of cultivation.

His so-called "innate human body" might only have barely touched the threshold of the acquired in the eyes of a true primordial power, barely qualifying as an acquired spiritual body, and was worlds apart from the true "innate".

According to obscure records in ancient books, the first batch of beings conceived at the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth can be called the innate.

The first humans were also blessed with unique advantages!

They are born with immortal features and bones, their bloodlines imprinted with fragments of the laws of heaven and earth, allowing them to naturally ascend to the realm of true immortals upon reaching adulthood.
They may even possess innate supernatural abilities, such as the ability to wield true fire or control mysterious water, making them incomparably powerful.

Such beings also have a noble title—the Dao Body!
Based on Zhou Xun's current level of understanding, the so-called innate supernatural power might be a preliminary manifestation of some kind of law of heaven and earth, far beyond the level of "artistic conception".

Upon seeing this, Zhou Xun felt a sudden sense of enlightenment, as if a lightning bolt had cleaved through the fog, and an indescribable shock and ecstasy surged within him!
"The road ahead is not over! A hundred points of spiritual root is not the end, but rather just a beginning—a beginning to reverse the 'acquired' back to the 'innate'!"

"The transformative power of the *Condensing Spring Scripture* lies in its ultimate secret: its ability to purify one's origins and refine one's foundation."

"To help my acquired body continuously evolve, eventually transforming into the legendary innate Dao body, and even... to glimpse a trace of the innate divine aura?"

Thinking of this, Zhou Xun's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he no longer hesitated.

With a flick of his wrist, a fifth-grade low-level spiritual herb, radiating a dazzling light and exuding astonishing energy, appeared in his palm.
(End of this chapter)