Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 966 The Current State of Tiyu, Goodbye Erniu!
Deep within the Ghost Realm, in the eerie and magnificent Ghost Emperor City.

Inside a magnificent hall built from countless pale skeletons and pitch-black ghost stones, the yin energy was so dense that it was almost tangible, and countless vengeful ghosts wailed silently among the pillars.

At the far end of the main hall, atop a towering imperial throne, sat a terrifying figure hundreds of feet tall.

He was clad in a dark imperial robe and wore a twelve-tasseled black crown, the tassels and beads hanging down, vaguely obscuring his face.

Only a pair of eyes, burning with dark, ghostly flames, peered down through the gaps in the tassels.

It exudes a suffocating sense of majesty and oppression.

It is none other than the Lord of the Ghost Realm—the Crying Ghost Emperor!
At this moment, a ghost king trembled and prostrated himself beneath the throne, his hands raised high above his head, holding a bone talisman that continuously emitted a chilling aura.

"Your Majesty, a report has arrived from the front."

The indifferent gaze of the Crying Ghost Emperor swept down, and the bone talisman flew up on its own, falling into his enormous ghostly claw.

Upon immersing his consciousness into the bone talisman, the information recorded within instantly became clear:
A large number of human array masters gathered at the entrance of the passage, frantically setting up various arrays and restrictions, seemingly with some ulterior motive.

"Array?"

The Demon Emperor let out a deep, thunderous groan, the sound waves causing the entire hall to vibrate. The prostrate Demon King lowered his head even further.

"A death throes, futile." His deep voice echoed in the hall, tinged with disdain.
"I have already reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and I have also received the supreme Ghost Dao true teachings from the Holy Mountain. How can my strength be compared to what it used to be?"

"Those Nascent Soul cultivators in the human realm are nothing but ordinary goods,"

"If we could have one or two formations to help us, it would be quite interesting; otherwise, being reduced to ashes with a flick of the wrist would be too boring!"

Although he held it in contempt, he was cautious by nature and soon issued another imperial decree:

"Order the White Bone Demon King to guard the passage strictly and without fail! Especially the 'Five Directions Boundary Pillars,' which are the foundation connecting the two realms, and must not be lost!"

"If anything goes wrong, you'll be beheaded!"

"I will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

The Ghost King felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and hurriedly kowtowed before carefully leaving the oppressive and terrifying hall.

On the imperial throne, the gaze of the Crying Ghost Emperor seemed to pierce through endless space, landing on the passage that was constantly being stabilized. The eerie ghost fire flickered, filled with a desire for conquest and destruction.

In his eyes, the resistance of the human world was nothing more than the resistance of ants.
It was just a little annoying noise.

……

Inside the Xuan Yang Jade Hall of the Western Desert Front Camp.

Zhou Xun sat opposite Liu Bai and Yama Tianjun.

A faint aroma of tea filled the air.

"It will take nearly three more years for the Ghost Realm passage to be fully expanded," Zhou Xun said, setting down his teacup and glancing at his two close friends.

"Now that the defense line is initially established and the formation is complete, there is little point in me staying here."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination: "I intend to take advantage of this break to retreat to another secret place for seclusion, in order to reach even greater heights."

Liu Baibai, her hair as white as snow, nodded slightly upon hearing this, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the scabbard of the Qingfeng sword on her lap.
"Could it be related to the Thunderclap Sect's heritage?"

“Exactly,” Zhou Xun nodded.
"The understanding of artistic conception is profound and mysterious. The places I go may help me glimpse a trace of its truth."

What, artistic conception?

Upon hearing this word, a hint of doubt appeared between Liu Bai's brows.

Zhou Xun, however, forgot that there are no descriptions of artistic conception within the human realm.

Even in a place like the Northern Bright Immortal Realm, only a few Nascent Soul cultivators have access to this kind of information.

Not to mention the human realm, which has been isolated for tens of thousands of years.

Zhou Xun pondered for a moment but couldn't find the right words to describe it; it was a state that was both mysterious and profound.
It cannot be conveyed by words.
"Why don't I demonstrate it for you two fellow Daoists?"

Having said that, Zhou Xun had a thought.
A wisp of lightning escaped from his fingertip, extremely faint, thinner than a hair.

"Which of you two fellow Daoists will activate a defensive spell?" Zhou Xun asked with a smile.
"I'll try it! I want to test Brother Zhou's so-called power of artistic conception!" Yama Heavenly Lord laughed heartily.
Then he waved his hand.
A semi-transparent, jet-black shield solidified in mid-air. Although it was only released subsequently, its defensive capabilities were already formidable.
They are not to be underestimated, having reached the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage.

"go with!"

Zhou Xun gave a soft shout and pointed at the shield.
At the same time, the sword intent of Thunder Grass was infused into the lightning.
The originally faint lightning suddenly changed; though still faint, it gave off an unparalleled sense of sharpness.

It seems capable of cleaving the entire world in two.
"laugh--"

The lightning bolt swept lightly across the shield, instantly cleaving it in two with an extremely clean cut!

"How is this possible!" Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, exclaimed in disbelief.
He knew the power of this shield better than anyone; an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have no chance of breaking through it without considerable effort.

Now, Zhou Xun destroyed it with just a wisp of lightning.
It's absolutely outrageous.

On the contrary, Liu He wore a thoughtful expression, as if he had gained some insight.

"It seems that this is somewhat similar to the sword intent that we sword cultivators talk about!"

Zhou Xun nodded.
"We cultivators, in the end, are nothing more than followers of the laws, nothing more than the Dao!"

"And artistic conception is our most basic application and understanding of the laws!"

"Once you grasp the essence, you can undergo a complete transformation. This is why, even though I am only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, my combat strength is in no way inferior to those late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators!"

"I see, thank you for clearing up my confusion, Brother Zhou!"

Zhou Xun waved his hand, then explained all his understanding of artistic conception.

These two individuals before me are among the best of the best in the human realm, even among Nascent Soul cultivators.
He was definitely the person the Blood Demon Ancestor had mentioned who had the potential to reach the Integration Stage, so he should naturally send him on his way!
"Therefore, I intend to take this opportunity to continue to comprehend the essence of the art. If I make a breakthrough, I will be absolutely certain of success in the great battle three years from now!"

Lord Yama stroked his palm:

"This is good news! Brother Zhou, if you can improve your strength further, you will have a better chance of dealing with Ti Yu! With Brother Liu and I keeping an eye on things at the front, there won't be any major trouble!"

Zhou Xun flipped his hand and took out a specially made purple jade talisman, with faint lightning patterns appearing on its surface, and handed it over:

"This is a communication talisman I crafted using my natal lightning essence. No matter how far apart we are, once activated, I will sense it and rush back as quickly as possible."

Now, he has set up teleportation arrays all over the human realm, so no matter where he is, he can reach the front line of the Western Desert within half an hour.

He paused, then added, "At the latest, I will return in two and a half years to face the final battle with you all!"

Liu Bai and Yama Tianjun solemnly accepted the jade talisman, both of them able to sense the pure lightning power and Zhou Xun's intentions contained within it.

"Go ahead with confidence, we'll take care of things here," Liu Bai said succinctly.

Yama Heavenly Lord laughed and said, "When Brother Zhou returns, he will surely have achieved great mastery of the art. At that time, he will broaden our horizons once again!"

Zhou Xun cupped his hands in greeting: "In that case, I'll have to trouble you two!"

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer. With a flicker, he transformed into a thin streak of purple lightning, escaped from the main hall, and disappeared into the horizon.

After leaving the Western Desert, Zhou Xun used a teleportation array to return to Qingzhou in the Great Jin Dynasty.

Several hours later, he arrived once again at that familiar ruin, filled with a faint smell of burning and violent lightning spiritual power—the Thunderous Ancient Marsh.

Without pausing for a moment, he easily found the hidden entrance, passed through the deep passageway, and stood once again in front of the cave engraved with ancient thunder patterns.

Embed the jade talisman, open the portal, and step into the vortex of lightning.

After the familiar feeling of weightlessness, my feet once again stepped onto the core of Thunder Prison.

The pure lightning spirit power permeating the air caused the lightning pool in his dantian to emit a joyful hum.

This is the core secret area of ​​the Thunderclap Sect.

Zhou Xun's gaze fell directly on the center of the main hall. There, the pale purple barrier remained, and a dark purple metal fragment floated within it, radiating an ancient aura.

This is the biggest secret of the Thunderclap Sect.

A fragment of a treasure imbued with a trace of the power of laws!

Zhou Xun took a deep breath, suppressing the slight excitement in his heart, and sat down cross-legged three zhang away from the light screen.

He did not attempt to touch or collect the fragments.
Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, completely calmed his mind, and his divine sense, like the gentlest of tendrils, cautiously extended towards the barrier of light.

Just as divine sense was about to touch the light barrier—

"Buzz!"

The light screen trembled slightly, and a purple lightning bolt, thinner than a hair, suddenly shot out, silently striking Zhou Xun's divine sense!

Zhou Xun was prepared and focused his mind. He did not back down, but carefully "sense" the lightning bolt.

"Zi..."

A faint popping sound rang in his mind.

A surge of thunderous true meaning, containing countless complex connotations such as destruction, creation, judgment, and speed, crashed into his senses like a tidal wave!

This is not a simple attack, but more like a manifestation of the "Tao," a whisper of a law!

This tiny manifestation of the law, though insignificant, contained far more information and had a greater impact than any of his previous insights into the Dao of Thunder!
He endured the stinging pain and dizziness in his mind and circulated the Purple Heaven Thunder Technique with all his might.
Visualize the phantom image of Thunder Pattern Grass in your sea of ​​consciousness.

Try your best to remember, analyze, and digest that fleeting, profound meaning of thunder.

"Artistic conception... is indeed just the most superficial level of the laws..."

The profound mystery contained in that tiny bolt of lightning far surpassed the "tribulation lightning realm" he had comprehended; it was a more essential and fundamental power.

Zhou Xun tried every possible way to analyze and imitate, attempting to recreate that flutter of emotion!

Time passed quietly in this silent hall.

Zhou Xun was like an old monk in deep meditation, his entire mind immersed in comprehending the faint fluctuations emanating from the fragments of law.

Each time the fragment trembled slightly, a trace of the power of law would leak out.
It manifested as various forms of thunderous phenomena.

Sometimes it's like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain; sometimes it's like the sky collapsing and the earth splitting open
In this almost self-destructive state of mind, his understanding of Thunder deepened and expanded at an unprecedented speed.

Here, he had completely forgotten the passage of time; his mind was solely focused on exploring and comprehending the laws of thunder.
Until one day,
In the depths of that pulsating devastation, he caught a faint, yet entirely different, rhythm.

Like the first ray of sunshine after a torrential rain has cleansed the world.
It's like the first hint of green quietly sprouting under the ice and snow of a harsh winter.
He suddenly realized that destruction and creation were two sides of the same coin of thunder, coexisting and complementing each other.

The tribulation lightning is not only the whip of divine punishment, but also the hammer of creation.

His understanding of the essence of tribulation lightning finally broke through the original barriers and entered a higher and more profound level.

With a thought, Zhou Xun unleashed a wisp of purple lightning from his fingertips, which then danced and swirled around.

Within the flash of lightning, there was also a barely perceptible nourishing force; though extremely faint, it was the essence of a seed.
When this seed sprouts and grows into a towering tree, capable of withstanding the intent of destruction,

That was the day he stepped into the second level of the realm of intent!

It should be noted that this is a level that only cultivators at the Integration stage can achieve!

Zhou Xun then calculated with his fingers and realized that two years had passed since he went into seclusion.

"Two years..."

He muttered to himself, his voice unusually clear in the silent hall. His divine sense stirred, sensing the faint connection he felt with the front lines of the Western Desert.

"It will take another six months for the Ghost Realm passage to fully expand."

He stood up, his bones crackling softly.

He took one last look at the dark purple fragment.
He immediately turned around, passed through the passageway, and returned to Leixiao Ancient Marsh.

Without pausing for a moment, he transformed into a pale purple streak of lightning, streaking across the sky and hurtling straight toward the Qingzhou Teleportation Hall.

……

Upon returning to Qingzhou, Zhou Xun did not go back to the Western Desert.
Instead, they went to another place.
A burst of light flashed, the space shifted, and a rich spiritual energy rushed towards them; they had arrived at Shu County, Yizhou, in the Great Jin Dynasty.

He had a vague feeling that he was going to have a bad feeling about this battle against Tiyu.

Therefore, before the big battle, he planned to see his old friends and visit the places he had been before.

Our first stop was the Sword Lake Palace.

After leaving the city's teleportation hall, he didn't linger for a moment. He transformed into an almost imperceptible purple lightning bolt and sped towards the Sword Lake Palace.

A thousand miles is but a moment to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

In the distance, the mountain peak, shaped like a giant sword and piercing the clouds, gradually became clear.

The entire mountain range resembled an ancient sword half-drawn from its sheath, silently gathering its sharpness, just as I remembered it.

The closer you get, the more you can feel that soaring sword intent, sharp and pure, as if it can cut through the clouds and sever worldly ties.

Zhou Xun activated his escape technique in front of the mountain gate, but did not force his way in.

He slightly released a trace of his Nascent Soul stage aura.

This aura was not oppressive, but rather like a deep, still current, instantly sweeping across the entire Sword Lake Palace mountain gate area, carrying a vast and majestic rhythm of laws.

The disciples guarding the mountain gate were all sword cultivators, and they were most sensitive to the flow of energy.

Several Golden Core stage deacons' expressions changed drastically as they stared in horror at the seemingly ordinary figure in a green robe outside the mountain gate.

One of the older deacons reacted the fastest, suppressing the tremor in his heart, he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and his voice trembled slightly:

"May I ask which senior has graced my Sword Lake Palace with their presence? This junior has failed to greet you properly, and I beg the Heavenly Lord's forgiveness!"

Zhou Xun remained calm and said indifferently:

"I, Zhou Xun, have come to see your sect's Holy Son, Wang Erniu!"

"The Heavenly Lord of the River of Oblivion?" The steward was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered the name that had become famous in the human world in recent years!

His body trembled, his bow deepened, and his tone became even more respectful:

"So it is the Heavenly Lord of the River of Oblivion who has arrived! This junior will immediately inform the Holy Son!"

He quickly took out a specially made communication jade talisman, whispered a few words, and activated the talisman.

The jade talisman transformed into a stream of light and instantly disappeared into the depths of the mountain gate.

The news spread extremely quickly.

In just a dozen breaths...
Deep within the main branch of Sword Lake Palace, an incomparably powerful sword intent, brimming with soaring sharpness, suddenly erupted.
The sword light vanished abruptly before the mountain gate, revealing a figure.

The newcomer was dressed in simple, dark blue-black clothing, with a kind face like an old farmer, yet his body was surrounded by a sharp, piercing sword intent that stung the skin. Who else could it be but Wang Erniu?

He had clearly arrived in a hurry, his gaze immediately locking onto Zhou Xun.

A surge of immense joy and excitement instantly welled up on his face. His eyes filled with tears, and he strode forward, bowing deeply.
"Big brother, it really is you!"

A genuine smile also appeared in Zhou Xun's eyes:

"Erniu, how have you been?"

(End of this chapter)