Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 965 Reunion with Yama, the Heavenly Lord; News of Fang Jiuzun!
Liu Bai gave the order,
The nearly one thousand array masters behind him immediately sprang into action.

Everyone performed their duties, taking out various array plates, array flags, and spiritual materials that they had prepared in advance from their storage bags, and began to inscribe runes on the ground, drive them into the array base, and install spirit stones.

For a moment, the human camp was filled with flashes of light and flying runes; although busy, everything was in good order.

The demons were on high alert, expecting a fierce battle.
But then he saw that the human race had begun to set up arrays and restrictions on the spot. The White Bone Ghost King was first stunned, and then burst into even more rampant laughter.

"Hehehe... I thought you had some earth-shattering methods, but it turns out you just wanted to use these tattered restrictions to block His Majesty's divine might?"

"How laughable! Mere restrictions? When I, the Ghost Emperor, descend in my true form, I can reduce them to ashes with a single breath!"

"Humans are truly incompetent, coming up with such a stupid way to buy time!"

The ghost cultivators echoed their sentiments, and a barrage of foul language and mockery filled the air, actually easing the tense atmosphere considerably.

In their view, the human race's actions were futile and laughable, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The human formation masters seemed oblivious to the ghosts' mockery, focusing instead on their work and setting up their formations.

Each array master was responsible for a different area, and one by one, protective, concealing, or disruptive light barriers began to light up.

It was as if a veil woven with spiritual light had been draped over this barren sandy land.

Amidst this bustling scene, Zhou Xun, disguised as an ordinary array master, moved silently to the core area closest to the entrance of the Ghost Realm passage.

His methods seemed no different from other array masters, inscribing runes and laying array foundations, but the materials he took out were completely different.

They were delicate little flags wreathed in purple lightning, and jade plates imprinted with mysterious lightning patterns.

His movements were stealthy and swift, each finger strike precise, occasionally and silently driving array flags deep into the ground and connecting them quietly with the earth's veins.

These array flags and array plates appear to be scattered, but in fact they correspond to the positions of the stars and are interconnected, vaguely forming the prototype of a huge and terrifying thunder killing array.

It was that fifth-tier superior immortal array obtained from the immortal realm, with boundless power—the Five Heavens Purple Thunder Array!

And so, under the mocking gaze of the demons, and under the cover of his own formation masters,
Silently, they gradually set up this peerless and deadly formation, capable of trapping and killing even those at the Void Refinement stage, at the throat of the Ghost Realm passage!
The two armies, one openly mocking the other, and the other secretly deploying their forces, created a strange and tense standoff amidst the sandstorms of the Western Desert.

Time passes day by day,

A month passed quickly.
Taking advantage of the gap in setting up the restrictions, a Five Heavens Purple Thunder Array flag was fired.

Finally, all 1,080 array flags and array plates were buried at the entrance. At that time, only one incantation was needed...

The entire area spanning hundreds of miles from the entrance to the Ghost Realm passage will be enveloped by this magic array.
The space was sealed off, turning the interior into a hell of lightning.

That time, it will definitely give Tiyu a surprise!
……

After the "Five Heavens Purple Thunder Formation" was in place, Zhou Xun returned to the main hall of the Western Desert Camp with Liu Bai, the Six Paths Demon Lord, and others.

Inside the hall, several Nascent Soul cultivators temporarily set aside the tense standoff outside.
They sat together, sipping spiritual tea and exchanging cultivation insights, creating a rare and peaceful atmosphere.

Zhou Xun would occasionally chime in with a few words, which always hit the nail on the head, greatly benefiting Liu Bai and the others, who admired him even more.

As they were talking, footsteps came from outside the hall.

Everyone looked up and saw a middle-aged man striding into the main hall.

This man was dressed in a black python robe, tall and imposing, with a dignified face and an awe-inspiring presence in the blink of an eye.

Upon seeing this person, Zhou Xun's face immediately lit up with genuine joy, and he stood up and smiled:
"Brother Yu, why have you come out of seclusion?"

The person who came was none other than his close friend and comrade-in-arms, Yama Tenjun!
When Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, saw Zhou Xun, a smile bloomed on his majestic face, and his voice boomed:
"Brother Zhou, you have indeed returned! The news of your return to the Western Desert has already spread throughout the human realm, how could I not know?"

He strode forward, greeted Zhou Xun, nodded to Liu Bai and the others, and then explained:

“Yan’s injuries were not serious to begin with, and he has recovered well after twenty years of rest.”

"Hearing of Fellow Daoist Zhou's return, I decided to leave my seclusion and come to the front lines of the Western Desert. Firstly, it would be a good opportunity to lend a hand, and secondly, it would be a chance to see Brother Zhou. Haha!"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and the atmosphere in the hall became even more lively.

After chatting for a while, Liu Bai and the others knew that the two had been separated for a long time and must have something to say, so they tactfully took their leave first.

After everyone dispersed, the two arrived at Zhou Xun's temporary cave dwelling.

The cave dwelling was simply furnished. Zhou Xun invited Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, to sit down and personally took out a tea set.
Then he took out an exquisite jade jar and took out a few oddly shaped tea leaves with a faint starlight flowing from them.

Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, was just casually observing.

But as Zhou Xun began to prepare it...
As an indescribable, rich aroma of tea filled the air, he gradually sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the teapot in Zhou Xun's hand.

Before long, the spiritual tea was prepared.

Zhou Xun pushed the teacup in front of Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, and said with a smile, "Brother Yu, how about trying my tea?"

Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, picked up his teacup, first carefully sniffing the aroma of the tea, his eyes revealing a look of surprise and uncertainty, and then cautiously took a sip.

The tea soup is smooth and warm on the palate, then transforms into a powerful yet gentle current that spreads rapidly throughout the body.
It even nourished his Nascent Soul stage primordial spirit.
In the past, some extremely subtle stagnations in magical power during cultivation showed signs of loosening when this warm current flowed through them!
"This...this is!" Yama Heavenly Lord suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
"A single sip of this tea is equivalent to the culmination of my months of arduous cultivation! This spiritual essence... this is definitely not something a fourth-grade spiritual tea could possess! Brother Zhou, could this be... a fifth-grade spiritual tea?!"

Zhou Xun smiled and nodded in confirmation:

"Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight. This tea is indeed a fifth-grade spiritual tea, 'Starry Orchid'."

Having received an affirmative answer, Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, gazed at the starlight-shimmering tea in his cup, speechless for a long while, his face filled with amazement and envy.

"Fifth-grade spiritual tea... Brother Zhou, you are truly blessed!"

"Such a spiritual object is probably so rare that you could search the entire human realm and find only a handful of them. Fellow Daoist, you have truly... truly have extraordinary luck to have obtained it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun simply smiled calmly.

However, he was thinking about matters concerning the Immortal Realm. According to his original plan, he would naturally bring some trustworthy people with him on this return trip.
Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, was one of them.

After a moment's thought, he decided to tell him the news from the Immortal Realm!

He waved his hand, setting up several layers of soundproof barriers, his expression turning solemn as he looked at Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, and slowly spoke:
“Brother Yu, this tea did not come from the human realm.”

Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, was sipping his tea when he heard this and was taken aback: "It didn't come from the human realm? Then it was..."

Zhou Xun's gaze was profound, and his words were startling:
"I am about to tell you something of great importance, so please keep it a secret."

Under the questioning gaze of Yama, Zhou Xun began to speak:
"When I left, I claimed to be seeking a secluded place to study the legacy of Leixiao Palace. In reality... I entered the depths of the Ghost Realm through a special method and found a way to leave this realm."

"Leave this realm?" Yama Heavenly Lord's pupils contracted slightly.

“Not bad,” Zhou Xun nodded.
"And the place I went to was—the Immortal Realm!"

"The Immortal Realm...?" Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, trembled, nearly spilling the tea in his cup. He abruptly stood up, his tall frame swaying slightly from extreme shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

She stared intently at Zhou Xun, as if trying to find the slightest trace of a joke on his face.

Without pausing, Zhou Xun continued to recount his experiences in a calm tone.

The story begins with entering the Immortal Realm through the Ghost Realm, participating in the Descending Realm Conference, traveling through Beishan City, and finally arriving in the Wandao Lake area.

Of course, he glossed over the core secrets such as the Condensing Spring Scripture, the True Immortal's Devouring of Soul Beasts, and Xiao Qing's true origins.

Even so, this account was enough to shake Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, to his core, as if he had been struck by a series of thunderbolts from the heavens!

He stood frozen in place, like a clay or wooden sculpture, his expression shifting unpredictably.

First came extreme shock and disbelief, followed by bewilderment and confusion, which gradually transformed into an indescribable excitement and longing, as if seeing an endless dawn!

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but found his throat too dry to make a sound.

He stood there for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the raging emotions in his eyes gradually subsided.

He slowly sat back on the stone bench, picked up the cup of slightly cooled spiritual tea, and drank it all in one gulp, as if relying on the spiritual power in the tea to calm his mind.

After a long while, he finally raised his head, his voice carrying a barely perceptible excitement, each word seemingly uttered with all his might: "Brother Zhou... you mean... for us cultivators, the Nascent Soul stage is not the end, but there is still a path ahead, in... the Immortal Realm?"

Zhou Ying nodded solemnly, her tone absolutely certain:

"There is indeed a path ahead! Above the Nascent Soul stage, there are the Void Refining stage, Body Integration stage, Mahayana stage, and even the legendary True Immortal realm!"

He looked into Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, and delivered an even more shocking message:

"Moreover, the richness and purity of the primordial energy in the Immortal Realm far exceeds that of the mortal realm by more than ten times! Breaking through bottlenecks that is extremely difficult in the mortal realm will be much easier in the Immortal Realm!"

"From my observation, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the human realm has at least a 95% chance of advancing to the Divine Transformation stage if they go to the Immortal Realm!"

"Furthermore, the spiritual resources of the Immortal Realm are incomparable to those of the Human Realm, which is why I made great progress in my cultivation in just a few decades, reaching the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!"

"And for someone like you, Brother Yu, who has already reached the Nascent Soul stage, once you adapt to the environment of the Immortal Realm and absorb higher levels of spiritual energy, it is by no means a pipe dream for you to break through to the Void Refinement stage or even the Body Integration stage in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, took a deep breath.

Then he stood up, bowed deeply to Zhou Xun, and performed a grand salute.
Then he slowly said:
"If you hear the truth in the morning, you will die in the evening!"

The road ahead is not closed! The great path is within reach!
This news reverberated like a great bell, shaking the depths of his soul and completely igniting his Dao heart, which had gradually subsided over the past few hundred years due to his confinement in the human realm!
……

Deep within the Luoyang Immortal Palace, in a hidden cave.

A middle-aged man is sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat.

This man wore a crimson Taoist robe with dragon patterns, had a simple and unsophisticated face, and a high, straight nose.

His deep eyes shone brightly with every blink, exuding an imposing aura and radiating immense power and intense spiritual pressure.

This person is none other than Fang Jiuzun, the Divine Transformation Heavenly Lord who governs Luoyang Immortal Palace and is awe-inspiring in the human realm.

He was concentrating on his inner vision and adjusting his focus.

Suddenly, the cave's protective barrier flashed with a faint light.
A streak of fire shot in like a meteor, hovering in front of him and transforming into a leaping, unpredictable sound transmission talisman.

Fang Jiuzun slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he disliked being disturbed at this moment.

He extended two fingers and seemingly casually pinched the restless sound transmission talisman into his palm.

He separated a wisp of his divine consciousness and probed into the talisman.

The next moment, a look of surprise flashed across his face!
It clearly states:

'Zhou Xun, the Heavenly Lord of the River of Oblivion, has reappeared on the front lines of the Western Desert!'

'His cultivation is unfathomable, and his strength has greatly improved; he may already be comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!'

"Zhou Xun... late-stage Nascent Soul level combat power?" Fang Jiuzun muttered to himself, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

"Damn Thunderclap Sect, have you risen from the ashes again?!"

This news, like a sharp thorn, instantly pierced the depths of his memory, stirring up some extremely unpleasant memories, even tinged with a hint of hidden fear.

Wasn't the Purple Jade Heavenly Lord of that time the same?

He appeared out of nowhere, possessing extraordinary talent and sweeping across the land with overwhelming force.
Its radiance was so intense that it completely overshadowed him, the master of the Luoyang Immortal Palace, making him feel suffocated.

He still vividly remembers the frustration and resentment of being overshadowed and subservient to others!
"Humph!"

Fang Jiuzun couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"So what if you're incredibly talented? So what if you're incredibly strong? The one who laughs last is the real winner!" A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

How glorious was the Purple Jade Heavenly Lord back then?

With a cultivation level of only the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he was comparable to a peak mid-stage cultivator. His lightning techniques were unstoppable, earning him the reputation of being the number one cultivator in the human realm!

In the end, he still found an opportunity.

Taking advantage of the moment when the enemy and the main force of the Ghost Clan were both exhausted and at their weakest, they secretly launched a surprise attack, which ultimately led to the enemy's tragic demise!
This is what established Fang Jiuzun's current supreme status in the human realm!
History always repeats itself in surprising ways...

A murderous glint flashed in Fang Jiuzun's eyes, and he made a decision in an instant.

"Zhou Xun, Zhou Xun, since you want to emulate Zi Yu's courage and become a hero who turns the tide, I will grant your wish!"

"When you and that Crying Ghost Emperor are locked in a life-or-death struggle, both of you severely injured, that will be the time for me to strike again and reap all the rewards!"

"At that time, whether it's the severely injured Ghost Emperor or you who are on your last legs... they will all become my stepping stones!"

"The savior of the human world? Heh... The ultimate winner will only be me!"

With this in mind, Fang Jiuzun had no more doubts. He swiftly formed a profound hand seal in front of him, and the crimson light around him suddenly surged!
"call out!"

His entire being instantly transformed into an incomparably condensed, dazzlingly hot crimson flame, like a shooting star tearing through the sky.

They silently escaped from Luoyang Immortal Palace, concealing all their presence, and sped off towards the Western Desert.

Just like before, he will remain hidden in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to arrive.

Hunters are always the most patient.

And Fang Jiuzun was the hunter who had the last laugh.

(End of this chapter)