Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 988 Returning to the Immortal Realm, Su Yuanqing Transforms into a God!

Zhou Xun put away the Boundary Core in his hand and placed it in his storage bag.

With this item, the human world was like a backyard he could come and go as he pleased, with no more worries.

"It's time to return to the Immortal Realm," he thought to himself.

He then looked at Xiaoqing and instructed her:

"Open a spatial passage and return to the Immortal Realm!"

"Yes!"

Xiaoqing nodded in agreement, then with a flick of her claw, a beam of spiritual light shot out from between her brows.
It hit the empty space in front of it.

Immediately afterwards, the air surged, and streams of spatial power dissipated, forming a vortex about ten feet in size in the sky.

It is a spatial vortex that connects to the Immortal Realm.

"Let's go!"

With that, Zhou Xun, carrying Xiao Qing, jumped into the whirlpool.
After a long while, accompanied by a dizzying sensation, I stepped back onto solid ground.

Zhou Xun then knew that they had arrived at the Immortal Realm!

He looked around.
Indeed, it was the Ten Thousand Mountains; which region of the human realm did he return to?

"Now I can focus on developing my career in the Immortal Realm!"

He sighed, then prepared to fly towards Beishan City.
"Master, please wait a moment!" Just then, Xiaoqing suddenly spoke, her voice trembling with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun stopped what he was doing and looked at it curiously:

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

Xiao Qing raised her paw and pointed to the stable entrance to the spatial vortex they had entered through in the sky, and said:

“Master, I sense that this ‘storage space’ created by the Devouring Ancestor is extremely special in nature, and it originates from the same source as me!”

It became more and more excited as it spoke:
"If I could use a secret technique to completely devour this now-unclaimed gray space and integrate it into the inner world that is currently developing within me..."

"This will greatly accelerate the growth and stabilization of my inner world, saving me countless years of hard work,"

"What!" Zhou Xun was greatly surprised upon hearing this.
"Devouring this small world?"

Soul-devouring beasts actually possess such supernatural abilities?
Keep in mind, Xiao Qing has only just entered the fifth level, yet she already possesses such amazing abilities?
Is it capable of devouring and merging with this space?
A thought flashed through Zhou Xun's mind like lightning, instantly connecting many clues!

Yes!

Inside the core of the boundary crystal, there are numerous small spheres and spatial fragments surrounding the two main planets of the human realm and the ghost realm!

Previously, he had been wondering where these ancillary spaces came from.

Now it seems the answer is very likely—devour!
That True Immortal-level "Devouring Ancestor" likely traveled through countless worlds back then.

It continuously devours and merges those unclaimed or weak spaces, secret realms, and even fragments of the world.
This eventually led to the formation of the human realm, the ghost realm, and numerous subordinate secret realms!

In ancient legends, wasn't the human realm "snatched" from a certain place in the immortal realm by the "Devouring Ancestor"?
This process may essentially be a higher level of "devouring" and "fusion"!
As a descendant of hers, it is only natural that Xiaoqing would awaken a similar innate talent!

Zhou Xun suddenly understood, and his gaze towards Xiao Qing was filled with amazement.

"If that's really the case, once you integrate with this space, who knows how high your potential will be?"

Thinking of this, Zhou Xun nodded in support without hesitation:

"Since that's the case, go ahead and try! I'll protect you!"

With her master's approval, Xiaoqing had no more worries.

It let out a low roar, its body radiating golden light, and its size began to slowly expand, returning to its battle form several meters tall.

Immediately afterwards, the mysterious pattern between its eyebrows suddenly lit up, emitting a strong spatial fluctuation!
A thick beam of light, a mixture of pale gold and gray, shot out from between its eyebrows, and like a bridge, one end connected to itself, while the other end plunged into the stable spatial vortex above!
"Om-!"

The entire gray space shuddered violently! The spatial vortex began to spin and expand wildly, as if it had become a giant funnel.

The hazy, chaotic airflow began to surge uncontrollably towards the funnel opening, where it was continuously drawn in by the beam of light and absorbed into Xiaoqing's body!

This process was clearly not easy.

Xiao Qing's body trembled violently, and a look of pain appeared on its face. It was clear that absorbing such a huge space at the same time was a huge burden for it.

Zhou Xun watched nervously from the side, ready to lend a hand at any moment.

He could sense that the energy within Xiaoqing's body was undergoing some kind of profound change; a nascent world seemed to be rapidly gestating and expanding...

I don't know how much time passed, maybe a few hours, maybe longer.

As the last wisp of gray air was drawn in, the pillar of light between Xiaoqing's brows slowly receded.

Its massive body fell from mid-air as if it were exhausted, but Zhou Xun caught it in time.

At this moment, although Xiaoqing's aura was somewhat disordered and weak, Zhou Xun could clearly sense that the aura of the world's origin within its body had become unprecedentedly thick and powerful!

Deep within his dantian, a vague, ten-thousand-mile-long nascent space had already stabilized, and its edges were slowly expanding outwards!
"I did it... Master, I did it..." Xiaoqing was extremely tired, but also extremely happy.

"Take good care of yourself!"

With a wave of his hand, he took out the ghost banner, put Xiaoqing inside, and placed her in a deep sleep.

As for him, he transformed into a streak of light and sped towards Beishan City.

……

Half a month later, an inconspicuous streak of light quietly passed through the protective array of Beishan City without attracting anyone's attention.

Zhou Xun returned once again to this immortal city nestled deep within the mountains.

Without alerting anyone, he returned directly to his secluded cave dwelling in the Tianbao Pavilion area.

The array formations and restrictions within the cave were useless to him. With a flash, he passed through layers of light curtains and appeared in the courtyard.

It was afternoon, and sunlight filtered through the sparse branches and leaves of the spiritual plants, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone slabs.

In a pavilion in a corner of the courtyard, a slender figure sat leaning against the railing.

This person was none other than Sun Yuanxuan.

She wore a light purple, fitted long dress that accentuated her beautiful figure, and her dark hair was simply tied up, revealing her graceful, fair neck.

However, she was not cultivating at the moment. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly at the "Concentration Flower" that was in full bloom in the courtyard.

A hint of melancholy and longing lingered between her brows and eyes.

"More than thirty years have passed... Young Master has been gone for so long, without a trace... I wonder where he is now,"

"I wonder when I will be able to see you again, young master..." She murmured silently as her red lips moved slightly, her eyes unfocused, as if she could see the person she longed for through that spiritual flower.

at this time--

A faint light flashed behind him, and an aura appeared in the cave without warning!

Sun Yuanxuan was startled and abruptly stood up, turning around. Her spiritual energy surged instantly as she warily shouted:
"Who?!"

However, when she saw the smiling figure in the green robe looking at her, she was frozen in place as if she had been struck by lightning.

Sun Yuanxuan was initially stunned and incredulous, then her eyes quickly welled up with tears. "Young...Young Master?"

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she feared that what she was seeing was just a hallucination caused by her excessive longing.

After confirming that it really was Zhou Xun,
A huge surprise welled up inside me.

She hurried forward to Zhou Xun, so excited she was almost at a loss for words. Finally, she gracefully bowed and performed a deep curtsy, her voice trembling with barely suppressed sobs:
"Yuan Xuan... greets you, young master! Welcome back to your residence!"

Looking at the beautiful woman before me, her face trembling with tears, a sight that evoked pity in me...

A gentle warmth also welled up in Zhou Xun's heart, and he said softly:
"No need for formalities. You've had to wait here alone all these years; it must have been hard for you."

These words instantly broke through Sun Yuanxuan's defenses.

She could no longer hold back, and glistening tears slid down her fair cheeks like broken pearls.

But she quickly realized her mistake, hurriedly raised her sleeve, wiped away her tears somewhat awkwardly, and tried to force a smile.

Tears and smiles mingled, creating a breathtakingly beautiful face, like pear blossoms in the rain.

"It's good that the young master is back...it's good that he's back..."

Her voice was still a little choked up, but she forced herself to remain calm and asked,
"Young master, you must be tired from your journey. Have you had a meal? Yuanxuan... Yuanxuan, would you mind going to prepare some food for you?"

Zhou Xun shook his head as he looked at her.

He stepped forward and gently put his arm around her waist.

"No need to be busy."

He said something in a low voice, then with a slight effort, he lifted Sun Yuanxuan up in his arms amidst a soft gasp of surprise.

Sun Yuanxuan's cheeks instantly flushed red, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She buried her burning cheeks deep into Zhou Xun's firm chest, inhaling his comforting and familiar scent, and could no longer speak.

Zhou Xun carried her, his steps steady, and walked straight toward the inner chamber of the cave.

That night, the red silk curtains were warm, and the quilt was rippling with crimson waves.

The passion and longing of the long-awaited reunion were poured out, and the blush-inducing noise in the cave gradually subsided late into the night.

The next morning, the warm sunlight streamed into the room through the window.

Zhou Xun got up feeling refreshed and sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard.

Before long, Sun Yuanxuan finished washing up and changed into a light blue dress.
After a night of pleasure, her eyes and brows carried a hint of languid satisfaction.

"Young master, please have some porridge."

Sun Yuanxuan gently placed the bowl of porridge in front of Zhou Xun and said softly.

Zhou Xun took a bite. The rice porridge was soft and sticky, brimming with spiritual energy. Although it couldn't compare to Xiao Jia's magical cooking skills,
But it has a unique flavor.

"Not bad!" Zhou Xun praised.
Upon hearing this, Sun Yuanxuan's face broke into a satisfied smile.

He then asked softly:

"Now that you have returned, young master, may I ask... where shall we go next? And when shall we depart?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun remained silent for a moment, put down the bowl, looked calmly at Sun Yuanxuan, and finally spoke:

“Yuan Xuan, this time I plan to leave alone.”

"what!"

Sun Yuanxuan's smile froze instantly, replaced by panic and urgency. She abruptly stood up and knelt down.

"Please, young master, don't abandon Yuanxuan. Yuanxuan is willing to serve you forever!"

Seeing this, Zhou Xun sighed inwardly and explained:
It's not that you're bad.

He explained, "My return to the Wandao Lake area this time is due to the complex situation there, where the Lu family's influence is deeply entrenched."

"And you... back in Tian Shu City, many people saw you traveling with me."

"If you come with me, it will be very easy to expose my identity and whereabouts. At that time, not only will I be in danger, but you will also be implicated."

Sun Yuanxuan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself speechless.

A profound sense of powerlessness instantly gripped her.

Strength! It's all because of insufficient strength!
If she were also a Nascent Soul cultivator, or even more powerful, how could she become a burden to the young master?
How could they not even be qualified to follow him?
At this moment, she craved power more than ever before.

She secretly vowed in her heart that she would cultivate diligently and improve her cultivation level as soon as possible. Only in this way could she be qualified to continue standing by the young master's side in the future!

Seeing her dimmed eyes, Zhou Xun softened his tone and comforted her:
"You can focus on your cultivation here. I will arrange everything for you; you will have no shortage of cave dwellings or resources."

"Once I have established myself and the situation has stabilized, I will come to fetch you."

Sun Yuanxuan knew that Zhou Xun's mind was made up.
She suppressed the bitterness and reluctance in her heart and forced a smile onto her face:
“Yuan Xuan… understands. Everything is up to you, young master. I will diligently cultivate here and await your good news.”

The atmosphere inside the cave became somewhat somber for a moment.

Then, Zhou Xun began to guide her cultivation. After thirty years of practice, coupled with the resources Zhou Xun had previously provided, Sun Yuanxuan was now...

He has already made more than halfway through the mid-stage of Core Formation, and in another twenty or thirty years, he will be able to break through to the late stage.

At noon, a beam of spiritual light passed through the cave's restrictions, circled once, and transformed into an exquisite communication talisman, which landed on the stone table in front of Zhou Xun.

Zhou Xun flicked his finger, injecting a stream of magical power into it.

Then Su Yuanqing's clear voice rang out:

"Senior Zhou, Su Yuanqing has taken the liberty of visiting you. Would it be convenient for us to meet?"

"Sect Master Su, what brings her here?" Zhou Xun's thoughts stirred slightly.
With a wave of his hand, the protective light barrier around the cave rippled out like water, revealing the passage.

A moment later, a graceful figure walked into the courtyard.

The person who arrived was none other than Su Yuanqing.

The woman wore a flowing, turquoise dress that shimmered and shimmered as she walked, like waves rippling across the water.

Her black hair was tied up high, adorned only with a simple jade hairpin, which only accentuated her long neck and snow-white skin.

Zhou Xun swept his divine sense across the area, and a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in his eyes!

The stage of transformation of spirit!
Su Yuanqing stepped into the pavilion and approached Zhou Xun. Despite his improved cultivation, he showed no sign of arrogance and bowed respectfully.
"Junior Su Yuanqing greets Senior Zhou."

Zhou Xun snapped out of his daze, a gentle smile appearing on his face, and offered a helping hand:

“No need for such formalities, Pavilion Master Su. Now that you have broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, you are a cultivator of the same level as me. From now on, we can address each other as peers. I, Zhou, am not worthy of being called a senior.”

Su Yuanqing shook his head firmly and said seriously:
"Senior Zhou, you are mistaken."

"If it weren't for your righteous intervention back then, and the painstaking effort you put into refining that 'Nine-Bend Divine Transformation Pill' for me,"

"I fear I will never even glimpse the path to the Nascent Soul stage in my lifetime. This kindness is like a second birth. How could I dare to be disrespectful simply because my cultivation has made a slight improvement?"

Seeing her resolute attitude, Zhou Xun chuckled and didn't press the matter further, waving his hand and saying:
"In that case, we don't need to be formal with each other's titles. But calling me 'senior' would seem too distant, so just call me 'Master Zhou'."

(End of this chapter)