There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

At the summit of the mountain, clouds surged and billowed.

Leng Kezhen hovered in mid-air, surrounded by thirty-six bronze array symbols. These symbols were no bigger than a palm, with gray runes engraved on their surfaces. At this moment, they were buzzing and projecting a blood-red radiance that made one's heart tremble.

Amidst the intertwining of light, a massive array covering half a mountain unfolded beneath his feet in an instant. Within the array, malevolent energy condensed, and faint roars could be heard. Hundreds of translucent, dark blue warhorses, entirely formed from malevolent energy and the divine souls of demons, raised their heads and neighed, their hooves shattering the void. On the back of each warhorse sat a cavalryman of the same form, wielding a sword, whose blades pointed with a chilling killing intent as cold as the dead of winter.

Qingjiang stood on the other side, the ice beneath her feet spreading rapidly, turning the place where she stood into a smooth, mirror-like ice field, clearly distinct from the rolling killing aura. In her hand, she held a constantly spinning "Mysterious Ice Pearl." The pearl was only the size of a fist, yet it exuded extreme cold. It seemed as if an ancient abyss of ice was sealed within the pearl, and wisps of icy profound energy hung down, forming crystal-clear ice barriers around her.

After a brief eye contact, Leng Kezhen pointed her finger, and dozens of fierce warhorses in the formation suddenly started moving. Like arrows released from a bow, their hooves struck the air with a dull, drum-like sound. Blades sliced ​​through the air, leaving trails of eerie blue light, and charged towards Qingjiang from all directions. Their attack was fierce but cleverly avoided vital points.

A flicker of pain flashed in Qingjiang's eyes, but she did not hesitate to activate her magic power. The Xuanbing Pearl shone brightly, the temperature in front of her dropped sharply, and surging water elemental energy gathered from the void, instantly condensing into countless huge ice shards with distinct edges and sharpness, which shot towards the cavalry torrent like a rainstorm.

A moment later, the ice spikes and the azure cavalry clashed violently...

Click!

boom!
The icicles shattered continuously, exploding into countless crystalline ice powders, spreading a chilling aura that attempted to freeze the surging malevolent energy and battle spirit.

The cavalry's charge faltered for a moment, the blades shattered the ice shards, and their own forms swayed slightly, becoming a little thinner. But the cavalry following behind were fearless, and once again charged forward, stepping on the shattered spiritual light of their companions. The sound of hooves, the whistling of blades, and the cracking of ice crystals intertwined and were deafening.

Seeing the cavalry rush approaching, Qingjiang lightly touched the ice with her slender feet and retreated rapidly while forming hand seals.

The Xuanbing Pearl flew to the top of her head and poured down an even more powerful cold current. The air around her fluctuated violently, and countless water droplets instantly appeared. Then, they spun and condensed wildly, transforming into three enormous water dragons with clearly visible scales. The water dragons let out a silent roar, carrying the force to crush mountains and the chilling cold that freezes the soul, and crashed into the cavalry formation.

Boom!

The cavalrymen clashed fiercely with the water dragon. Blades struck the dragon's body, scattering countless ice shards. The dragon's claws tore at the cavalrymen and their horses, freezing and crushing them until they dissipated into wisps of malevolent energy.

Leng Kezhen frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the stalemate. He changed his hand seals, and the bronze array symbols surrounding his body suddenly accelerated their rotation speed. The blood-red light merged into one, and in the center of the huge killing array, a more solid, dozens of feet long, dark blue giant sword slowly emerged. Countless struggling and roaring demonic phantoms were wrapped around the blade, and the incomparably sharp blade locked onto Qingjiang.

Before the giant blade even struck, the terrifying pressure caused the ice crystal barrier around Qingjiang to crack under the strain.

Qingjiang's face paled. She gritted her teeth and poured most of her magic power into the Xuanbing Pearl. The pearl shone brightly, and all the ice and water vapor in front of her gathered frantically, eventually condensing into a giant ice shield several feet thick and covered with mysterious ice patterns. The shield surface was as smooth as a mirror, but it exuded an extreme chill that was enough to freeze the spiritual light of magic weapons. It fiercely met the dark blue giant blade that was slashing down from the sky.

The next moment, the giant sword and the ice shield collided with a deafening roar!
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable roar erupted, blinding light engulfed everything, and shockwaves spread wildly outward in a ring, completely clearing away the clouds and mist from the mountaintop, causing rocks to crumble and trees to turn to ashes.

As the light faded, the giant sword and the ice shield shattered simultaneously. Qingjiang groaned and retreated hundreds of feet before barely managing to steady herself. The ice field beneath her feet was covered in cracks, and the light of the Xuanbing Pearl dimmed slightly. It flew back into her hand and trembled slightly.

Leng Kezhen remained suspended in place, the bronze array symbols around him dimming slightly, the killing array diagram fluctuating incessantly, and the countless phantoms of the baleful cavalry also fading considerably. He looked at the slightly disheveled Qingjiang, a complex fluctuation that was extremely difficult to detect flashing in his eyes, but in the end he did not make another move. Then his array diagram slowly retracted, and the baleful aura receded like a tide, disappearing into the bronze array symbols.

"My mind is made up. Take care!"

After saying this to Qingjiang, Leng Kezhen transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the mountains below.

A fleeting look of melancholy crossed Qingjiang's face. After taking a deep breath, she transformed into a streak of light and flew towards her Daoist mountain range. Only after everything returned to calm did the Taiyan Sect disciples go to investigate the situation and record the damaged areas of the ecological zone.

...

On Jiuxuan Mountain.

Wang Ping had been watching their fight the whole time, as had Yu Lian. When the two parted ways, she said to Wang Ping, "They should have become Daoist partners. What could have caused them to fight like this?"

After saying that, she added, "However, although the battle just now seemed dangerous, Leng Qianhu was actually holding back the whole time. He just wanted to force Xiu Yu's disciple away, not to hurt her."

Wang Ping was also very curious. To satisfy his curiosity, he even stretched out his left hand to deduce. After a few breaths, a helpless light flashed in his eyes, and he said to Yu Lian, "Leng Kezhen is preparing to advance to the fourth realm. He wants to sever his emotions and desires in order to meet the consciousness requirements for the advancement."

Yu Lian tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Can a person really sever all emotions and desires? I'm afraid that when he advances, his consciousness will be immediately devoured by the True Spirit. And if he really succeeds, then what is the point of his cultivation?"

Wang Ping also fell into thought. Cutting off emotions and desires is only relative, because when he decided to do so, he already had attachments and desires in his mind. If he couldn't get past this hurdle, how could he cut off emotions and desires?

Reaching this level is incredibly difficult, but it is the best cultivation method for weapon cultivators to advance to the fourth realm. Most other methods would drive one into a state of madness.

Wang Ping didn't dwell on the issue too much, because he didn't need to. After thinking for a quarter of an hour, he entered a meditative state again, while Yu Lian went about her own business.

Time passed slowly like this.

Wang Ping woke up again because Zang Yi of the Star God Alliance requested an audience.

When Zang Yi appeared before Wang Ping, led by the puppet, Wang Ping asked first, "Have the internal problems of the Star God Alliance been resolved?"

"Replying to True Lord, it has been resolved, and such a thing will definitely not happen again in the Star God Alliance in the future."

Zang Yi spoke with certainty, and finally made a firm promise to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping's face betrayed no emotion; his calm eyes fixed on Zang Yi for ten breaths. During this time, Zang Yi kept his head down, appearing ready to listen to instruction. "The Central Continent Star Region is no longer suitable for the Star God Alliance. I plan to relocate all cultivators below the third realm to other star systems. Your Star God Alliance should first make a statement and relocate to my Jupiter Star Region."

Wang Ping's voice was very soft, as if he were discussing something with Zang Yi.

Without hesitation, Zang Yi immediately agreed, saying, "Thank you for your mercy on my Star God Alliance, True Lord. I will immediately begin this matter upon my return and strive to complete the relocation within one year in Central Continent."

Wang Ping showed no particular emotion towards Zang Yi's compliance, and continued to speak slowly and deliberately: "You must have brought good news this time, right?"

Zang Yi quickly took out a crystal and said, "It is Yuanwu Zhenjun who has brought back news from beyond the realm."

Wang Ping nodded, and as he reached out his hand, the crystal was swept up by a ball of wood spirit energy and landed in his hand. He then said, "The future situation is uncertain. You must cultivate diligently, nurture more Fifth Realm Star Gods, and do not become complacent because of the current situation."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Zang Yi's eyes. In recent years, the Star God Alliance had been suppressing the advancement of lower-level cultivators for fear of excessive expansion and causing suspicion among the True Monarchs, and had not dared anyone attempt to reach the fifth realm. Now that he had received Wang Ping's promise, how could he not be overjoyed?

"Yes, I will certainly live up to your expectations, True Lord."

At this moment, Yu Lian returned to Jiu Xuan Mountain from the distant forest. She stared at Zang Yi shrinking his body and landing on Wang Ping's shoulder on a cloud. Wang Ping continued, "The faith in Yuanwu Zhenjun must not be severed. Not only must it not be severed, but his deeds must also be spread to the people."

Just as Zang Yi was about to answer, Wang Ping extended his right hand and waved it lightly, saying, "That's enough, you may leave now."

"Yes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared. It was the spacetime orbit of Jiuxuan Mountain that teleported him directly to the Ascension Platform in outer space of Jupiter.

Wang Ping ignored Zang Yi who had left. His gaze fell on the crystal he was holding, but he did not use his own consciousness to explore it. Instead, he summoned a puppet and used it as a medium to explore the contents of the crystal.

He was then slightly taken aback, because the information that Yuanwu brought back this time was actually the code of the gathering organization that Yuxiao had established, and the contents of it made Wang Ping frown, which was rare for him.

Yuan Wu sent back several pieces of news. The first piece of news was that he learned that the extraterrestrial forces had made a big move against this star field, with at least six Fifth Realm Demon Lords involved. Moreover, a war that had broken out among them recently affected several star fields.

Yuan Wu also learned about their activities targeting the 'Edge 07' star system from this war. He reminded Wang Ping that these extraterrestrial life forms were targeting a specific person, and Wang Ping and Long Jun might be one of their targets.

However, due to certain reasons, they failed to reach an agreement, which led to their internal strife. The information he learned was that the Demon Lord who entered this material star field was in contact with the Demon Lord of another star field and was planning another plan that they could not accept. However, Yuan Wu did not find out the specifics of the plan.

The second piece of news was that the Dragon Lord had already sent people to the outer realms, but he didn't know exactly what they were doing. At the same time, he also reminded Wang Ping not to underestimate the Dragon Lord, as his strength might be more than what he had shown.

In the third message, Yuan Wu specifically mentioned that there was already intelligence about Wang Ping outside the domain. All the major powers that were interested in the 'Edge 07' star system had taken notice of him, and some were even plotting to pollute or destroy him.

Wang Ping fell into deep thought upon reading this, and suddenly thought of the story Quan Xing told him from 100,000 years ago, and of the Jade Purity Sect True Monarch who was about to step into the sixth realm. He was obviously tricked by the extraterrestrial forces and his own people.

Looking at myself again…

He has indeed been acting too high-profile lately, but this is unavoidable because his cultivation level makes it impossible for him to continue hiding. He can only move forward step by step against the wind.

Sensing Wang Ping's emotions, Yu Lian whispered, "A bunch of petty scoundrels who only know how to make underhanded moves behind our backs. This proves that they have no strength to confront us head-on. Otherwise, they would have already attacked us by force. There is no need to fear these petty scoundrels. When the time comes, they will naturally know what it means to be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping composed himself and continued reading. The fourth piece of news Yuan Wu brought back was about the sixth realm demon lords from beyond the realm. He told Wang Ping that, according to the information he had gathered, almost without exception, the sixth realm demon lords were either in a deep sleep or had gone mad.

Yuan Wu also told Wang Ping his guess that the reason for this was that the extraterrestrial space was too extreme and lacked the balance of order and rules. Once those demon lords advanced to the sixth realm, they would be assimilated by the demonic source in their bodies and could only alleviate the process by falling asleep.

This also tells Wang Ping that the extraterrestrial forces' obsession with the Order Starry Sky is not only about destruction; they seem to be looking for other ways out. However, all of this must be based on their own interests, and there is a high probability that there are cultivators at the peak of the Fifth Realm among the Demon Lords.

The last piece of information was a demonic cultivation secret technique sent back by Yuan Wu. It was the very cultivation technique for the 'Netherworld Demonic Source' that Wang Ping had previously needed. Once he memorized this secret technique, the light screen panel immediately reacted:

[The Extraterrestrial Demon Scripture (Volume 1 of the Netherworld Chapter): Cultivating the 'Netherworld' demonic source corresponds to the water elemental energy within the Xuanmen (Mystic Sect). By guiding demonic energy into the body using a mortal form, one can defy fate and change one's destiny.]

[1. Find a naturally formed 'Nether Abyss' attribute demonic source, plant it in your own spiritual veins, and let it merge with your own spiritual veins. Nourish it with the demonic energy you cultivate within your body. A mortal can only attempt this once a day until their spiritual veins are completely integrated with it. Progress (0/100).]

[2. Gather the hidden energy flow at the Qi Sea, find a swamp or abyss fissure rich in demonic energy, use your physical body as a boat to draw the fallen demonic energy within the fissure, causing it to flow through your meridians like a tide and naturally converge at the Qi Sea. You can try this once every ten Central Continent Heavens, with a maximum of one hundred attempts. If you fail after one hundred attempts, you must wait twenty years for your physical body and demonic energy to resonate once more.]

[3. When the Qi Sea's undercurrents stabilize, you can clearly perceive the flow and levels of the nine energies within the demonic energy. Guide the sinking energy, which resonates with the 'Nether Abyss' demonic source, to complete a full tidal cycle within the already tainted spiritual veins. Each Central Continent can attempt this twice, until indelible flow patterns are imprinted deep within the spiritual veins. Progress (0/100).]

[4. Once the flowing patterns are fully formed, the power of the demonic source will begin to thoroughly erode and transform your soul. You will need to endure at least three years of immersion in consciousness. During this process, you must maintain your original heart. When the 'Abyss' mark emerges in the deepest part of your soul, you will have successfully entered the realm. The success rate of entering the realm is (20/100), which is determined by the laws of Heaven.]

[Note 1: The source of the demonic energy must be pure; any impurities must be cleansed and purified using one's own cultivation.]

[Note 1.2: To fuse with the demonic source, one must have at least the Foundation Establishment stage cultivation level, and their spiritual veins must possess a water-type foundation.]

[Note 2: When imprinting the flowing patterns, one's consciousness is prone to falling into illusion; one must maintain a clear mind, otherwise the spirit will be devoured and assimilated.]

[Note 3: The concentration of 'Nether Abyss' magic source in the swamp or abyss must be above (60/100), otherwise it will be difficult to succeed even after a hundred attempts.]

[Note 4: It is impossible to increase the chances of entry through external means; such a method does not exist.] (End of Chapter)