Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 969 Fang Jiuzun, you can't escape!
Wherever the fist passed, the space emitted a low, unbearable hum, and an extremely pure and domineering power condensed into a single point.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth exploded!

That incredibly sturdy light barrier, flowing with countless runes, was like fragile glass, instantly dented and cracked with countless spiderweb-like fissures when struck by the fist!

Immediately afterwards, the entire light screen flickered violently, emitting a series of ear-piercing cracking sounds, and under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, it suddenly shattered into a huge hole!

The fragments dissipated into countless points of light.

The strongest fifth-order protective formation of Luoyang Immortal Palace was actually smashed by Zhou Xun with a single punch!
A sudden gust of wind rushed into the celestial palace from the breach, stirring up clouds of dust.

The four elders were shaken by the shockwave, their blood churning and they staggered backward, their faces drained of color, replaced by utter shock and fear.

It's important to know that Zhou Xun didn't use any spiritual power; he relied solely on his physical strength.
They then broke the magic array.
Doesn't this mean that...
Even with only physical strength, Zhou Xun was still at the Nascent Soul stage.
This is truly astonishing. No wonder he was the Heavenly Lord of Wangchuan who was able to turn the tide and save humanity back then.

Zhou Xun didn't even glance at them. With a flicker of his figure, he passed through the huge hole and stepped into the interior of Luoyang Immortal Palace.

His powerful divine sense spread out instantly like mercury, carefully searching every corner where Fang Jiuzun might be hiding.

Outside, Zhou Xun's search yielded no results, and he frowned slightly.

He hovered above the main hall of the celestial palace, his voice echoing coldly once more:

"Fang Jiuzun, if you continue to be a coward, I will tear down your Luoyang Immortal Palace and see how long you can hide!"

Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed. A condensed purple lightning bolt shot out, instantly striking a towering and magnificent clock tower in the distance.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar of lightning, the bell tower, a symbol of the majesty of the Luoyang Immortal Palace, was instantly reduced to dust, with rubble flying everywhere!
This scene completely stunned all the disciples of the Immortal Palace and the onlookers in the distant Immortal City.

He actually dared to make a move!

Seeing that Fang Jiuzun still hadn't come out, Zhou Xun frowned slightly.
Could it be that these nine Venerable Ones are really not inside the Falling Sun Immortal Palace? After a moment of contemplation,

Zhou Xun took a large shot.
An invisible force instantly descended upon the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder felt a sudden tightness around his body, as if he were being firmly gripped by an invisible giant hand.
The vast and surging magical power within his body was completely frozen, and he couldn't mobilize even a tiny bit of it!

As the Grand Elder of the Falling Sun Immortal Palace, with cultivation unparalleled among Nascent Soul cultivators in the mortal realm, he was confident that he could hold his own against even a Deity Transformation cultivator for a while.

At this moment, she couldn't even move a finger, like an infant being manipulated at will.

This absolute sense of powerlessness and the horror of not being able to control his own life overwhelmed him instantly.

He could only watch helplessly as his body was lifted off the ground uncontrollably, and he was casually pulled in front of Zhou Xun by that force.

Zhou Xun's face was ashen, his gaze like two cold, sharp swords piercing the Grand Elder who was standing close at hand, and he demanded sharply:

"Where exactly is Fang Jiuzun?!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it contained the majesty of a Nascent Soul Heavenly Lord and an undisguised killing intent, causing the Grand Elder's soul to tremble.

The Grand Elder was terrified, fearing that a moment's delay in answering would mean certain death, and hurriedly replied:
"Lord Zhou... Lord Zhou, please be aware! The whereabouts of our Ancestor are indeed beyond our knowledge! He did not explain his destination when he left, we... we truly do not know!"

Seeing Zhou Xun's eyes grow increasingly cold, the Grand Elder was so anxious he was almost scared out of his wits, and hurriedly added:

"This junior...this junior swears an oath by my inner demons! If I know the whereabouts of the Ancestor but conceal it from him, I will be struck by my inner demons, my cultivation will be completely destroyed, and I will never be able to be reborn!"

The other three elders also spoke up to testify:

"Your Majesty is wise; the Grand Elder's words are all true!"

"Our ancestor never reveals a single detail of his actions to us!"

"We would never dare to deceive the Heavenly Emperor!"

Zhou Xun coldly swept his gaze across their terrified faces, his keen senses capturing every emotional fluctuation in them, confirming that they were not lying.

“If that’s the case,” Zhou Xun’s voice remained icy.
"Contact him immediately! Your Falling Sun Immortal Palace has a long and distinguished history; don't tell me you don't have the means to contact him in an emergency!"

Upon hearing this, the Grand Elder dared not hesitate for a moment and quickly replied:

"Yes! There is a way to make contact!"

He tried to reach out to retrieve the item, but found his body still restrained, and could only look at Zhou Xun with pleading eyes.

With a slight thought, Zhou Xun loosened his restraints on him, allowing him to move his arms.

The Grand Elder felt as if he had been granted a pardon. With trembling hands, he carefully took out a palm-sized, warm, and red phoenix-shaped jade talisman from his bosom.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and made an extremely complicated and special hand seal, touching the jade talisman.

Zhou Xun's cold voice rang out from the side:
"Tell him that the sect has been attacked by a powerful enemy, the protective formation has been broken, and the losses are heavy. He should return immediately to take charge of the situation!"

The Grand Elder dared not disobey, and could only obey, speaking urgently and with alarm to the jade talisman:

"Ancestor! Ancestor! Something terrible has happened! A powerful enemy has launched a surprise attack on the Immortal Palace. The sect's protective formation has been breached, and the palace has suffered heavy losses, with countless disciples killed or wounded!"

"We implore the Ancestor to return immediately and take charge of the overall situation!"

……

Meanwhile, far away on the western front,
Inside an extremely secluded temporary cave thousands of feet underground.

This place is isolated from all the noise and ghostly atmosphere of the outside world, with only a few moonstones embedded in the wall emitting a cool glow.

A middle-aged man dressed in a crimson Taoist robe, with a dignified face, sat cross-legged, surrounded by a faint crimson glow.

It was none other than Fang Jiuzun, the Heavenly Lord of Falling Sun, who was hiding here.

Suddenly, a crimson phoenix jade talisman hanging from his waist trembled slightly.
Fang Jiuzun slowly opened his eyes, a hint of displeasure at being disturbed flashing in them.

He took off the jade talisman and immersed his divine sense into it, immediately sensing the panicked distress message from the Grand Elder.

"The sect has suffered a blow; please, Ancestor, return immediately?"

Fang Jiuzun's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.

"Hmph, what a clumsy trick. Besides that brat Zhou Xun, who else could force them to use this emergency communication talisman?"

He guessed the truth almost instantly.

When Zhou Xun could not find him, he forced his disciples to trick him into returning.

The reason he hid underground on the western front was to avoid Zhou Xun, who was at the height of his power and whose strength was unfathomable.

"Trying to lure me back? Absolutely not!"

Fang Jiuzun muttered to himself, his eyes showing no concern for the sect's safety, only deep apprehension and cold indifference for self-preservation.

"Even if the Falling Sun Immortal Palace is completely destroyed, it is not as important as my life!"

Without hesitation, he put the still slightly vibrating jade talisman directly into his storage bag, completely isolating himself from any further contact.

He then closed his eyes again, as if nothing had happened, and continued his "seclusion."
Having made up his mind, no matter what changes occur in the outside world, he would never leave this cave before the great battle between Zhou Xun and Ti Yu.

……

After delivering the message, Zhou Xun stood with his hands behind his back in the air, his divine sense covering all directions, waiting quietly.

Time passed slowly, with only the sound of the wind and the suppressed breathing of the Immortal Palace disciples below.

The elder, still bound by an invisible force and only able to move his arms with difficulty, stood to the side.
Seeing this, he bowed cautiously and spoke, his voice filled with reverence and flattery:
"Your Majesty, even if the Ancestor returns immediately upon receiving the message, traversing billions of miles will still take considerable time." "Your Majesty, why don't you move inside the palace to rest for a while and sample some of the 'Luoyang Immortal Tea,' a specialty of my Luoyang Immortal Palace?"

"Although this tea is not as good as the one the Heavenly Lord usually uses, it is still a top-grade fourth-rank tea with a unique flavor. I hope the Heavenly Lord will take the liberty of enjoying it."

Zhou Xun's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded: "Alright."

Seeing that Zhou Xun agreed, the Grand Elder secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led the way.

Zhou Xun removed most of the restraints on him, leaving only a trace of his divine consciousness as a precaution.

The two landed one after the other in the most magnificent main hall of the celestial palace below.

The servants and disciples inside the hall, who had already heard the news, were all trembling with fear, bowing their heads and holding their breath.

The Grand Elder dismissed the crowd and personally took a set of crimson jade tea utensils from the display cabinet beside him.
Then, he carefully took out a small pinch of tea leaves from a jade box covered with talismans.

The tea leaves are fiery red in color and curled like a sparrow's tongue. As soon as they are taken out, a faint aroma of hot tea and a pure, fiery spirit permeates the air.

The Grand Elder raised a wisp of pure infant fire from his fingertips, carefully warming the crimson jade pot. Once the pot was slightly warm, he added tea leaves and then poured in the prepared spiritual spring water.

The moment the spring water touched the tea leaves, a soft "hiss" was heard, and a cloud of red mist rose up, vaguely transforming into the shape of a tiny phoenix, which hovered for a few breaths before slowly dissipating.

The tea soup instantly turned amber-gold, and the aroma became even more mellow and enticing.

"Your Majesty, please use it."

The Grand Elder respectfully presented Zhou Xun with a cup of freshly brewed immortal tea.

Zhou Xun took the tea and sipped it lightly. The tea was smooth and warm on the palate, quickly transforming into a warm current that flowed straight to his lower abdomen, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth.
Furthermore, a trace of pure fire elemental power spread into the limbs and bones, which is indeed of great benefit to cultivators who practice fire-attribute techniques.

"good."

Zhou Xun gave a brief comment.

Seeing that Zhou Xun seemed satisfied, the First Elder relaxed a little and hurriedly said:

"If the Heavenly Lord likes it, that's good. This tea comes from a fifth-tier 'Sunset Immortal Tea Tree.' It's just a pity that the mother tree has always been personally guarded by the Ancestor, so we have no chance to see it, let alone pick it. Otherwise, we would definitely bring the freshest and tenderest spiritual leaves to brew for the Heavenly Lord."

"A fifth-tier spiritual plant?" Zhou Xun paused slightly, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.
"Fang Jiuzun actually cultivated such a spiritual creature? Take me to see it."

The elder's heart skipped a beat. He cursed himself for being so talkative, but dared not disobey in the slightest, and could only bite the bullet and reply:

"Yes... Heavenly Lord, please come with me."

The two left the main hall and flew to the deepest forbidden area of ​​the celestial palace.

Only a solitary peak could be seen standing alone.
The entire mountain was shrouded in thick clouds and blazing fire clouds, and powerful restrictive fluctuations emanated from it, clearly indicating that it was at the fifth level!
Zhou Xun snorted coldly and threw out a simple and direct punch!
His fists were powerful and concentrated, unstoppable!
"Boom!"

The light curtain trembled violently, let out a mournful cry, and forcefully smashed open a huge gap.

Instantly, a pure spiritual energy, ten times more concentrated than the outside world, mixed with an astonishing fire elemental power, emanated from it, making people feel refreshed and relaxed.

Zhou Xun instantly scanned it with his divine sense.

Within the forbidden area, spiritual soil was abundant, and in the central region, two spiritual plants stood out particularly:
One of them is a tea tree about the height of a person, its entire body carved like fire jade, with natural Dao patterns flowing between its branches and leaves. It is the mother tree of Luoyang Immortal Tea.

The other plant was a ginseng with leaves as white as jade and roots emitting a hazy white glow; its grade had also reached the fifth-grade low level!

"There are actually two fifth-tier spiritual plants! Fang Jiuzun has certainly amassed quite a few good things."

With a flick of his sleeve, a gentle surge of magical power emerged, enveloping the two spiritual plants and the large amount of spiritual soil beneath them, instantly uprooting them and shrinking them before absorbing them into his sleeve.

"Since we can't find the real culprit, let's collect some interest first," Zhou Xun said calmly.

The elder standing to the side was terrified, his heart pounding and cold sweat pouring down his face, but he didn't dare to even breathe loudly, let alone say anything to stop it.

After collecting the spiritual plants, Zhou Xun looked at the ancient cave dwelling deep within the forbidden area, which was Fang Jiuzun's place of seclusion.

He strode in, carefully scanning the area with his divine sense, and soon discovered a secret chamber at the deepest part of the cave.

After the restriction was broken, the room was filled with fiery red, crystal-clear stones that emitted an extremely rich fire elemental power.

"Fire element crystal? It's an excellent material for modifying fire attribute dojos."

Without any hesitation, Zhou Xun used his hidden power once again to collect all the crystals.

After doing all this, Zhou Xun acted as if he had only done a trivial little thing.

He turned back to the main hall of the celestial palace, sat there again, leisurely sipping the celestial tea he hadn't finished earlier, and waited quietly.

The Grand Elder stood by, filled with anxiety, feeling as if each day was an eternity.

However, the two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the hall, clouds drifted across the sky, and inside, incense smoke curled from the burner, yet no word or sign of Fang Jiuzun was received.

As time went by, Zhou Xun's expression gradually turned cold.

The Grand Elder stood to one side, not daring to breathe, feeling as if the low pressure emanating from Zhou Xun was about to freeze him.

He watched as Zhou Xun's face grew increasingly gloomy over time, and his heart was filled with extreme fear.

Zhou Xun suddenly looked up, his icy gaze falling on him, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his lips:

"It's been two days, and there's still no word from them."

"It seems your Ancestor Fang has completely abandoned you all. He's quite decisive."

The elder's throat went dry, and he dared not speak, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

"In that case,"

Zhou Xun's voice was indifferent, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"From this day forward, the Falling Sun Immortal Palace will be under the command of my Forgotten River Lake, becoming my affiliated sect. Do you have any objections?"

The elder trembled, feeling the tangible pressure, and dared not utter a single word of dissent.

He bent down with difficulty, his voice extremely hoarse:
"This junior... will respectfully obey the Heavenly Emperor's decree."

He secretly comforted himself, thinking that this was just a temporary measure to ensure the continuation of the Immortal Palace's lineage.

When Ancestor Fang returns and defeats Zhou Xun, everything will naturally return to normal, and Luoyang Immortal Palace will remain the number one sect in the human realm.

"very good."

Zhou Xun nodded slightly, then extended his hand.

"Bring me that communication jade talisman."

The Grand Elder dared not hesitate and quickly took out the crimson phoenix jade talisman from his bosom, respectfully presenting it with both hands.

Zhou Xun accepted the jade talisman.

The next moment, he waved his hand.
A beam of light flew out and landed on the ground, transforming into a disc-shaped treasure, which was his 'Divination Compass'.

Zhou Xun formed hand seals, performing a divination technique, and then gently touched the compass and jade talisman.
"disease!"

A beam of light shone forth.
It seemed as if some divine light flew from the jade talisman into the compass.

Soon,
The compass flickered faintly, and after a short while, it pointed to a certain direction in the northwest.

"So you were here, Fang Jiuzun, you can't escape now!"

(End of this chapter)