There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

After Wang Ping finished speaking, he asked Quan Xing, Zi Luan, and the others to leave, since these people couldn't give him any advice because they couldn't see what Wang Ping was seeing.

Just as Quan Xing, Zi Luan and the others left, Bai Yan Zhenjun appeared again at the Ascension Platform used by Jupiter. Wang Ping immediately ordered Liu Shuang and Yang Rong to go and greet him.

As Yu Lian watched Liu Shuang's figure streak across the sky, she asked Wang Ping, "What are your plans regarding Shuang'er?"

Wang Ping's gaze immediately locked onto Liu Shuang, but in the end he could only feel saddened. Even if he cultivated to a level above tens of thousands of people, he was powerless in the face of such a matter.

After a few breaths, Wang Ping asked, "Tell me, at what level of cultivation do I need to reach to be able to act without any scruples?"

Yu Lian was surprised by Wang Ping's question. She looked him up and down and replied, "Isn't what you want order? You want to restore civilization to the universe. If you had nothing to lose, why would you do all this?"

"Yes, there is no such thing as being unrestrained in this world. Even two saints cannot do that, otherwise the universe would not have been destroyed."

Wang Ping stretched out his left hand and grabbed at the air. Instantly, a jade-green talisman appeared in his hand. He handed the talisman to Yu Lian and said, "Give this talisman to Shuang'er. This talisman can suppress the consciousness of the spiritual veins in her body and can protect her for a thousand years."

Yu Lian used her 'object manipulation' to receive it and asked, "What about a thousand years from now?"

Wang Ping replied, "Even with my cultivation at the True Monarch level, there are times when my consciousness is in a state of chaos. How much more so for Shuang'er, who is at the third realm of cultivation, whose lifespan is predetermined. A thousand years later, I can continue to suppress the consciousness of the spiritual veins within her body, but it will distort her physical body and consciousness."

As he finished speaking, his voice became very low, and his emotions were in great turmoil. He had no choice but to use his cultivation to forcibly suppress those negative thoughts.

Yu Lian sensed Wang Ping's change and stopped talking about it.

"Meow~"

A calico cat leaped out from the dark corner of the spirit tree, followed by a spirit dog.

At that moment, a starlight flashed beneath the clouds, carrying Hu Qianqian's presence. She landed steadily on the summit of Jiuxuan Mountain and bowed to Wang Ping, saying, "Master."

She looked like she had just come out of quarantine.

Wang Ping nodded casually and said, "Wait over there, we have guests coming."

Upon hearing this, Hu Qianqian obediently walked to the side and took over the task of arranging the tea set for the upcoming guests. Yu Lian stretched out her body and blew a breath towards her. The two exchanged a knowing glance, which caused the calico cat next to them to meow again.

Wang Ping sensed Yu Lian's emotions, and his mood unconsciously improved. Just then, a cloud bridge was erected beneath the clouds, and the gentle aura of True Lord Bai Yan descended upon the summit of Mount Jiuxuan.

Then, a flash of purple light appeared, and Bai Yan landed directly in front of Wang Ping.

"Congratulations on your further advancement in cultivation, fellow Daoist."

A smile appeared on Bai Yan's cold face. "As expected, Heaven favors those with ideas. The likes of the Dragon Lord have struggled for nearly ten thousand years, yet they are not even a fraction as good as you, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Ping returned the greeting with a cupped hand and a smile appeared on his face. "When did you learn to use flattering words, fellow Daoist?"

Bai Yan shook his head. "This is not flattery, but genuine praise." He then changed the subject and said, "However, even so, the Dragon Lord is not an easy person. In recent years, he has not only continued to study the 'Hundred Waters Secret Technique,' but also cultivated his physical and spiritual bodies. It is said that water spirits are inherently suitable for the abilities of the dragon bloodline, so you must not be careless."

Wang Ping nodded solemnly.

The Dragon Clan has never acknowledged that they are a demon race. According to their own account, they are descendants of the Ancestral Dragon, who was one of the five elements created by the Primordial Sage.

If this statement is true, then their practice of the "Hundred Waters Secret Technique" is a process of restoring their own strength. The spells and cultivation methods recorded in the secret technique are perfectly compatible with their bloodline, and will make it easier for them to cast water spirit spells and sense the existence of water spirit rules.

"Given your progress in cultivation, I suspect the Dragon Lord will launch an attack soon. Are you prepared to face him?"

Bai Yan put away his smile and asked Wang Ping.

Wang Ping responded truthfully: "At present, I can only guarantee that I am in an invincible position."

Bai Yan's eyes flashed upon hearing this, and he said, "That's good. That Dragon Lord is very arrogant. If he doesn't capture you immediately, he will definitely become agitated. You can then seek an opportunity from that."

As he spoke, he stretched out his left hand and flipped it over, and a gray-black command flag immediately appeared in his hand.

The flag has an ancient design, with the flagpole seemingly made of some kind of dark bone, and the flag surface is neither cloth nor silk, but rather a mass of constantly writhing and struggling gray mist forcibly restrained into the shape of a triangular flag.

Upon closer inspection, within the gray mist, the outline of a pained human face could be vaguely seen, sometimes coalescing and sometimes dissipating. It had no clear features, only endless resentment and madness overflowing from it, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply, and even light that approached would be swallowed and distorted by it.

On the flag, fine purple runes appeared and disappeared, like chains binding the gray mist inside. It was a restriction carved with the secret method of Taiyin, which both bound this wisp of consciousness and kept it from dissipating.

Bai Yan Zhenjun's voice carried a hint of coldness, "Imprisoned within the flag is the remnant consciousness of the Dragon Lord's first Daoist partner, a human female cultivator named 'Su Xin'."

He lightly tapped the flag with his fingertip, and the gray mist churned violently, while the distorted human face emitted a silent shriek.

"Back then, there were no secret techniques of the Xuanmen sect, so she could only cultivate by fusing the bloodline of the demon race. This was how all human cultivators cultivated at that time. When her lifespan came to an end, the Dragon Lord attempted to forcibly fuse the bloodline of a fourth-realm demon race with his own great power to help her break through to the fourth realm. Unfortunately, how could the human path and the demon bloodline be easily combined? In the end, she failed to advance, her physical body collapsed, and her primordial spirit also dissipated."

Bai Yan spoke in a calm tone, as if recounting an ordinary old story: "I happened to be there and found her obsession quite interesting. So, before her consciousness was completely extinguished, I used a secret method to collect her last bit of remnant soul, which was intertwined with resentment and infatuation. I then used the power of the Taiyin to nurture and reshape it into what it is today."

He looked at Wang Ping with a deep gaze: "This item is of no use in combat, but if it is used at a critical moment to arouse the obsession within and directly attack the Dragon Lord's mind, then even if his heart is as hard as iron, when faced with the remnant soul of his Daoist companion who perished because of him and has become so twisted, his Dao heart will be impacted. Even if it is only for a moment of confusion, it may be the decisive opportunity for you, fellow Daoist."

The banner trembled slightly in Bai Yan's hand, as if the face in the gray mist had sensed the name "Dragon Lord" and become even more agitated, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation.

This is not some divine weapon, but a strange object that directly targets the human heart.

Wang Ping looked at the command flag, and Yu Lian, Liu Shuang, Hu Qianqian, and Yang Rong were also drawn to it. The atmosphere was silent for two seconds before Wang Ping asked, "Does this flag have a name?"

Bai Yan shook his head and said, "I just thought it was interesting at first. Later, with the rise of the Dragon Lord, I remembered it and have kept it ever since. I never thought it would actually come in handy."

Yu Lian couldn't help but ask, "Is this thing really useful?" Bai Yan looked at Yu Lian and replied, "Back then, the love between the Dragon Lord and his Daoist partner was earth-shattering. After she fell, Zhongzhou Star experienced months of torrential rain. Moreover, for her advancement, the Dragon Lord slaughtered several demon tribes to refine the advancement array, including four demon tribe chiefs who were at the 'Dan Cheng' stage."

After saying that, he looked at Wang Ping and said, "However, this method can only be used once, and it cannot cause fatal damage to the Dragon Lord. At most, it can only delay the Dragon Lord for several hundred years. It is best not to use it unless absolutely necessary."

At this moment, Yu Lian said in Wang Ping's spiritual sea, "The more I look at us, the more we seem like despicable villains from a storybook, while the Dragon Lord is the righteous one."

Wang Ping remained noncommittal. When Bai Yan handed him the command flag, he instinctively used his wood spirit energy to probe the inside and outside of the magic artifact. After confirming that it was just a sealed consciousness, a bright green light appeared beside him and swallowed it into his wood spirit world.

At this moment, Bai Yan cupped his hands and said, "I know you have profound cultivation, but I don't know to what extent. If you are interested, how about we have a match?"

Wang Ping was taken aback, but then realized that Bai Yan was testing his current true strength, so he smiled and replied, "That's exactly what I was thinking too."

As soon as he finished speaking, a space-time portal opened up around Wang Ping, teleporting him and Bai Yan to a quiet starry sky. This was the edge of the starry sky where he had placed his fortress artifacts. There was a fixed magic array to stabilize the starry sky, allowing them to do whatever they wanted.

"Good place."

Bai Yan looked around, a serious expression appearing on his usually cold face.

Then his aura suddenly changed. The originally gentle Yin energy instantly turned into a bone-chilling cold, and a dark red current appeared on his wrist. It was a magic artifact.

"This is something I refined when I first started cultivating. It's called the Life-Devouring Ring. As for its abilities, you'll find out soon enough." As Bai Yan spoke, the Life-Devouring Ring pulsed like a living thing, resonating with his entire 'Asura Body'.

Wang Ping stood with his hands behind his back, a faint aura of wood spirit flowing around him. He appeared peaceful, yet seemed to be one with the starry sky.

Then he gestured with his hand, saying, "Fellow Daoist Bai Yan, please."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yulian slipped back into her sleeve.

Bai Yan knew that Wang Ping's cultivation was profound, so he naturally dared not be negligent. He immediately used the exquisite application of the Taiyin rules. With a flick of his sleeve, a 'Netherworld Barrier' was silently erected between the two of them. The moment the barrier appeared, it distorted light and space. Then, a ghostly light flashed in his eyes.

His eyes held the 'invisible fire' cultivated to the fifth level of the 'Taiyin Forging God Technique', which could burn away the seven emotions and six desires. This attack was unpredictable and concealed, and if the opponent was not careful, their mind would fall into a disadvantageous position.

However, Wang Ping simply watched quietly, even with a faint smile on his lips. The invisible fire that could burn away all emotions and desires dissipated as quietly as ice and snow meeting the spring sun when it touched the seemingly thin layer of wood spirit energy around him, without stirring up the slightest ripple.

"What a brilliant 'peeping into the rules, casting spells on cause and effect'!" Bai Yan's gaze sharpened as he saw through the trick.

He stopped testing him and revealed his true form as Asura. His originally cold and aloof figure suddenly grew taller, and his skin turned into a dark color like the black iron of the abyss, with dense dark red patterns appearing on it.

The next moment, Bai Yan's Asura Body burst forth with astonishing speed, rushing straight towards Wang Ping like a shadow tearing through space. The Life-Devouring Ring on his wrist shone brightly with blood-red light, carrying a domineering meaning of plundering life force. He extended a claw, his fingertip wrapped with 'ice and fire' that could freeze the primordial spirit and 'yin lightning' that could tear through space.

Faced with this close-range, thunderous attack, Wang Ping did not dodge. He simply raised his right hand, his index finger tracing a line in the air, and an incredibly complex 'binding talisman' instantly formed, precisely imprinting itself in the void in front of him.

In an instant, Bai Yan felt the space around him become incredibly viscous, as if he were trapped in invisible amber, causing his speed to drop drastically. What alarmed him even more was that the 'ice and fire' and 'yin lightning' he had gathered at his claws showed signs of going out of control and backfiring. This was because Wang Ping had not only imprisoned the space, but also interfered with his control over the rules of his own spells to a certain extent.

"it is good!"

Bai Yan let out a deep roar, his Asura battle intent was fully ignited, and the 'Life-Devouring Ring' was activated at full power, forcibly devouring the surrounding scattered energy to stabilize himself. At the same time, a blood-red barrier appeared in front of him, forcefully shattering the spatial confinement.

Yu Lian poked her head out and looked at the fierce Bai Yan. She said in her spiritual sea, "This violent aura is most likely the 'Blood Fiend Barrier' cast by the Taiyin Sect's Asura Body. It can release the plundered energy instantly and form a boiling blood fiend shield in front of the body. This barrier is full of ferocity and can not only resist attacks, but also erode the mind and magic treasures of the person who comes into contact with it."

However, as soon as Bai Yan broke free from his restraints, the scene before him changed drastically. He was no longer in the original starry sky, but in a boundless world of wood spirits. Towering ancient trees were rooted in the void, and the aura of life and rules flowed among their branches and leaves. The laws of the entire world bore Wang Ping's distinct mark.

"Is this your Wood Spirit World, fellow Daoist?"

Bai Yan floated within, feeling the suppression of his own Yin power by the world, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

Wang Ping's figure appeared on a towering spiritual tree at the center of the world, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Fellow Daoist Bai Yan, be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, the power of the entire world converged, and countless vines shot towards Bai Yan from the void like chains of rules, containing two completely opposite wood spirit characteristics: 'growth' and 'corrosion'.

Bai Yan wielded his Netherworld Qi, severing one group, but more surged forth, seemingly endless. He wanted to use his Netherworld Qi to directly erase the "existence" of these creations, but found that their core rules were protected by Wang Ping with unbreakable strength.

What troubled Bai Yan the most was that several times when he gathered powerful 'Yin Lightning', the core rules and energy of the spell were quietly stolen by this world as soon as the spell was formed, leaving it with less than one-tenth of its power.

Bai Yan had already pushed the power of the Asura Body to its limit. The 'Life-Devouring Ring' was running wildly, devouring all the energy around it that could be devoured. His injuries were recovering rapidly, and he was waging a war of attrition against the entire Wood Spirit World.

Although he appeared passive in the Wood Spirit World, and his Taiyin Divine Power was restrained and stolen by the laws of this world, there was no trace of panic in his Asura eyes burning with dark flames.

A dozen or so breaths passed in the blink of an eye. The instant Bai Yan broke free from the vines, he tore open a hole in the Wood Spirit World with his Asura Body and took the opportunity to draw upon the Yin Qi of the starry sky.

Then, in the deep starry sky background outside the Wood Spirit World, among those cold and desolate distant stars, dark ripples appeared at some unknown time. These ripples spread rapidly, outlining huge and complex dark runes!
These runes are scattered throughout the starry sky, yet they are incredibly well hidden, so even if others know about them, they cannot destroy them.

At this moment, all these hidden Yin secrets have been activated. They draw upon the cold power of the void, transforming into tangible Netherworld energy that silently penetrates the barriers of the Wood Spirit World, attempting to fundamentally freeze and erode the vitality of this world constructed by Wang Ping's rules.

The light in the entire Wood Spirit World dimmed, and the vibrant greenery seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gray, even the swaying of the Jianmu phantom appeared somewhat sluggish.

This was Bai Yan's test; he wanted to know if Wang Ping's control over this Wood Spirit World could resist the erosion from outside the world's rules.

Standing atop the illusory Jianmu tree, Wang Ping remained calm and composed. He made no extra movements, only a slight thought...

Instantly, the entire Wood Spirit World emitted a deep hum, and every plant and tree, every wisp of Wood Spirit energy within the world resonated with him. A boundless surge of vitality and power of rules rose up, gently cleansing the areas that had been eroded and frozen.

The corrosive power brought by the Taiyin Secret Technique, upon contact with the most fundamental Wood Spirit Rule, was like ink dripping into a river. Although it stirred up a ripple, it was quickly assimilated and diluted, eventually dissipating into nothingness.

Upon seeing this, Bai Yan immediately formed a hand seal, and the Taiyin runes in the starry sky disappeared, instantly restoring clarity to the sky, making it even more vibrant than before. (End of Chapter)