Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

Wouldn't all my previous investments in him and my hints about "succession" have become a joke?

"Perhaps... we should raise him to the Nascent Soul stage?"

Ying Xuan pondered in his heart. With his current cultivation level as a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, coupled with his mastery of pills and empowerment techniques, forcibly raising Han Li from the early Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage, although it would incur considerable losses and might affect Han Li's future potential ceiling, was not impossible. As long as he was willing to invest the resources.

Han Li, a Nascent Soul cultivator, holding the sect leader's token, was nominally his handpicked successor. If he formally passed the leadership to him before his ascension, Han Li would at least have the moral high ground.

With the ability of the Heavenly Bottle to cultivate resources, he also has enough capital to win over some cultivators who genuinely want to stay or have nowhere else to go, thus stabilizing the Heavenly Star Sect's base and preventing it from collapsing immediately.

Given time, he might actually be able to build up a significant situation, making the Tianxing Sect a long-term force in this world. This could be considered a strategic move he left behind, a window to observe the long-term changes in this world.

"but……"

Ying Xuan hesitated again.

"In this way, this kid has gained an immense fortune for nothing. I helped him go from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and if he goes from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, I will still give him my full support... The price he paid seems unworthy of this opportunity. Am I... being a little too unfair?"

Just as Ying Xuan was stroking his chin, weighing whether to make this potentially unprofitable investment, he suddenly had a premonition, raised an eyebrow, and turned to look into the depths of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation.

There, some activity that he had previously arranged related to the Star Island and the nascent "Star God" seemed to have caught his attention.

Ying Xuan's thoughts were still lingering on Han Li, wondering whether to "invest at a loss" or "let him grow freely and see how it goes," when the unusual fluctuation coming from the depths of the array space interrupted his weighing of options.

The fluctuation did not originate from the nascent Star God, nor from the normal operation of the Star Island, but rather from a kind of... disorder caused by an outsider forcibly intruding and triggering the array's alert mechanism, carrying a sense of panic and struggle.

"Ok?"

Ying Xuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his divine sense instantly swept over the area like a tidal wave.

Almost at the same time, a shout filled with panic and anger, attempting to seize the initiative, rang out somewhere in the array space.

"How dare you! Who are you, a lowly villain, to trespass on the sacred grounds of Tianxing Mountain?!"

With this shout, a terrifying bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket, deep purple in color, and exuding an aura of destruction, seemed to appear out of thin air and struck down fiercely towards the source of the disturbance! This was the counterattack after the Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiend Formation's autonomous defense mechanism was triggered, and its power was enough to instantly severely injure or even kill a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist, stop! Hold your hand! I mean no harm!"

An old, terrified voice rang out urgently, attempting to explain.

But the formation wouldn't listen to explanations; the purple lightning didn't stop at all and was about to engulf the intruder.

Just as the lightning was about to strike, the space where the intruder was located distorted slightly, and a somewhat disheveled figure forcibly appeared, narrowly avoiding the main power of the lightning. However, the scattered lightning still struck his protective aura, causing it to shake violently and dim.

This was an elderly man who looked to be around sixty or seventy years old, with a thin face and wearing a Taoist robe with Bagua symbols. But at this moment, the old man's face had lost all trace of his otherworldly demeanor, leaving only boundless horror and anxiety, and cold sweat even seeped from his forehead.

His aura was clearly that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, but within this array space, it appeared somewhat sluggish and...weak.

"Sect Leader Ying! Fellow Daoist Ying! Please hear me out!"

The old man disregarded his appearance and shouted urgently towards the core of the formation at an astonishing speed.

"I am Feng Xianzi, and I have no intention of offending you! It is truly... truly out of necessity that I have come to seek your assistance in exploring the path to ascension!"

Seeing that the formation did not launch a second, more powerful attack, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his expression remained tense as he quickly explained.

"I have been fortunate enough to break through to the Nascent Soul stage for over four hundred years. I thought the Great Dao was within my reach and immortality was within my sight... Who would have thought that from the moment I broke through, I would vaguely sense a certain... malice and rejection from this world towards Nascent Soul cultivators!"

It's not a heavenly tribulation, but an invisible erosion and confinement! The difficulty of advancing even a fraction of an inch in cultivation is secondary; the most terrifying thing is that lifespan seems to be draining away even faster than when one was in the Nascent Soul stage! It's as if this world... is unwilling to allow us Nascent Soul cultivators to exist for too long!

Feng Xianzi's face showed lingering fear and apprehension.

"After extensive research into ancient texts and years of secret observation of Fellow Daoist Xiang, I discovered that although he conceals his cultivation and plays in the mortal world, his aura is also slowly declining..."

Only then did they realize that it was not a good thing for Nascent Soul cultivators to remain in this realm; on the contrary, it was like a dragon trapped in shallow waters—if it lingered, its life would be in danger! The only way to survive was to find a stable void passage as soon as possible and ascend to the upper realm!

He looked toward where Ying Xuan's divine sense was, his eyes filled with a hint of earnestness and urgency.

"I was cultivating in seclusion in the outer sea when I heard that you had established the Heavenly Star Sect and were recruiting cultivators. Your only request was a clue to the void passage, so I knew you were a fellow cultivator!"
I thought that with tens of thousands of cultivators gathered over the years, you would surely have found hundreds of reliable coordinates… Furthermore, I heard that you have been quite tolerant of the deceptions of your Nascent Soul disciples and haven't launched a major crackdown, so I felt that you might be someone I could rely on and consult with… That's why I risked coming here, hoping to join forces with you, share information, rely on each other, and together brave the perilous path to ascension!”

At this point, Feng Xianzi's face showed a bitter smile and deep fear.

"But I never expected... Fellow Daoist's formation to be so domineering and wondrous! As soon as I entered, I felt my connection with the power of heaven and earth outside was suddenly severed and isolated! I felt as if I had become a rootless duckweed, and most of my strongest abilities were gone!"

Life and death hung in the balance, fellow Daoist… That's why I panicked and spoke rashly, almost bringing about my own demise! I was reckless! Please, fellow Daoist, for the sake of us both being human cultivators striving for ascension, allow me to explain!”

He spoke quickly and urgently, conveying a wealth of information. He pointed out the awkward and dangerous situation of Nascent Soul cultivators in this realm, explained why he had come to them, frankly admitted his predicament in the formation, and apologized.

However, what responded to him was a loud laugh, both mocking and cold, coming from the direction of the core of the formation.

"Hahaha! A joint effort? A collaborative exploration?"

Ying Xuan's voice echoed in the array space, carrying undisguised sarcasm.

"Feng Xianzi, you make it sound nice. Too bad... it's too late!"

Feng Xianzi's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition gripped his heart instantly.

“Why do you say that, fellow Daoist? I have indeed come with sincerity! That void passage is extremely dangerous. Ancient records describe it as often containing spatial turbulence, otherworldly demons, and bizarre restrictions. One person alone would almost certainly die! Only by joining forces can we have a better chance of survival!”

"vitality?"

Ying Xuan scoffed.

"Why should I share my life with you? As for your sincerity... I have seen another kind of 'sincerity'."

Before he finished speaking, the array space suddenly changed!
No longer was it the self-defending purple lightning from before; instead, the entire "sky" instantly darkened, and countless fine silver electric snakes frantically multiplied, wandered, and converged in the void! An aura of destruction ten or even a hundred times more terrifying than before locked onto Feng Xianzi, making his hair stand on end and his very soul tremble!
"What...what do you want to do?!"

Feng Xianzi screamed in terror, his Nascent Soul stage mana surging wildly within him, attempting to break through the formation that isolated him from the outside world. At the same time, he summoned several dazzling and awe-inspiring defensive magic treasures to protect himself. "Ying Xuan! We have no enmity! Killing me will do you no good! You'll face an even greater chance of death if you venture into the passage alone!"

"benefit?"

Ying Xuan's voice carried the pleasure of a hunter watching his plump prey fall into a trap.

"Who says there are no benefits? I know from Xiang Zhili that you old monsters who have lived for countless years are the richest 'treasure trove' in this world."

A quick rummage through his person reveals over a dozen top-tier magical artifacts with the potential to be upgraded to immortal weapons, along with rare spiritual root and herb seeds that he's kept for countless years and that even the Heavenly Star Sect's medicine garden doesn't possess… If I were to let this 'gift package' delivered to my doorstep pass me by, wouldn't I be letting down your hard work of 'breaking through the formation'?

"You...you were..."

Feng Xianzi instantly realized the truth, and all color drained from his face. The other party had never intended to discuss any alliance. From the moment he broke into the formation and was isolated from the power of heaven and earth, in their eyes, he was already a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered!

Tolerating Nascent Soul cultivators' deception, trustworthiness—it's all wishful thinking and misjudgment! This Ying Xuan acts without any logic or restraint!

"Ying Xuan! You can't kill me!"

Feng Xianzi roared fiercely, making a final struggle.

"The dangers of that void passage far exceed your imagination! Without fellow Nascent Soul cultivators to protect you, you will surely die! If I die, you won't survive either! Let me leave, and I swear by my inner demons that I will share all the coordinates and passage-crossing tips with you! I'll also give you half of all my collections!"

"Noisy."

Ying Xuan coldly uttered two words.

"BOOM—!!!"

The countless silver lightning snakes converged into a dazzling lightning pillar that seemed capable of splitting the heavens and earth. Ignoring the layers of magical treasures that Feng Xianzi had erected, it descended with a bang, carrying an overbearing will to purify and judge everything!
"Do not--!!!"

Feng Xianzi let out a desperate and unwilling roar. The moment the lightning struck his body, his primordial spirit felt an overwhelming pure yang suppressive force, and it froze for a moment! It was this momentary stagnation that cut off his last chance to self-destruct or escape.

The lightning and fire engulfed him. Those few defensive magic treasures of excellent quality, enough to drive a Nascent Soul cultivator crazy, were like paper in the lightning pillar. Their spiritual light was quickly extinguished, cracks appeared in their bodies, and then they disintegrated!
"what--!"

Feng Xianzi's screams sounded brief and shrill amidst the thunder and fire.

However, just as the thunder and fire were about to turn it to ashes, another change occurred!

The seemingly unremarkable, simple Taoist robe embroidered with cloud patterns on Feng Xianzi's body suddenly burst forth with dazzling multicolored light! A magnificent, extraordinary, and dazzlingly beautiful phantom of a giant bird emerged from the robe, letting out a clear yet mournful cry, and took the initiative to meet the remaining majority of the lightning and fire!

"boom!"

The giant bird phantom wailed and dissipated amidst the thunder and fire, but the Taoist robe took this opportunity to wrap around Feng Xianzi's extremely weak and almost transparent primordial spirit, transforming into a faint stream of five-colored light, attempting to escape out of the array space at an incredible speed!
"A method to substitute for one's own life? That's rather interesting."

Ying Xuan's voice rang out with a hint of surprise, but he showed no panic.

"Unfortunately, within my formation, how many times can you take my place?"

He didn't even bother to unleash the full power of the formation; he simply moved his mind.

"Crack!"

The second, slightly smaller but more concentrated golden lightning bolt, imbued with the pure Yang energy of exorcising evil, struck the five-colored stream of light with unparalleled precision.

This time, no further unusual phenomena occurred.

"Ugh—!"

Feng Xianzi let out a short, desperate scream filled with endless resentment and regret.

"Ying Xuan! I hate you! If you hadn't allowed your Nascent Soul disciples to mislead the world, causing me to misjudge your character... If it weren't for your treacherous formation that isolated heaven and earth... I, a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, could have been nearly immortal by borrowing the power of heaven and earth in the outside world, how could I... how could I..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

The multicolored light and the weakened primordial spirit within it were completely annihilated in the golden thunder and fire, turning into the finest particles and dissipating into the array space.

What remained were more than a dozen magical treasures, each gleaming with a different kind of light, their auras either sharp, heavy, or ethereal, as well as more than a dozen bulging storage bags made of extraordinary materials, which floated quietly in mid-air after the thunder and fire dissipated.

The seven-colored feather robe that had saved Feng Xianzi once, now dimmed of its brilliance, also drifted down among them.

"Heh, it's clean, though."

Ying Xuan's figure had appeared in this space at some point, and with a wave of his hand, all the spoils of war flew into his hands.

He first picked up the seven-colored feather robe. It felt as light as if it were nothing in his hand. Every feather on the robe shimmered with a faint five-colored radiance, and he could vaguely sense a strange Daoist charm that originated from the same source and was perfectly integrated.

"It's actually a complete magic weapon made from the natal feathers of the same Nascent Soul stage avian demon beast, supplemented with other precious materials... Not only can it defend, but it can also take someone's place once in a critical moment. What a 'birdman'! He's certainly willing to invest in making this thing."

Ying Xuan commented, his tone tinged with disdain.

"Unfortunately, one can only die once, and recovery after injury is extremely difficult. For me, it's already a useless thing."

He casually tossed the feather robe, which was considered a life-saving treasure even for Nascent Soul cultivators, and the robe transformed into a stream of light, passing through the array space and flying straight towards the Star Palace in the Tianxing Mountain Range below, hovering beside the throne in the palace.

"Let's leave it as a gift for the next sect leader. For cultivators in this realm, it is still a top-tier defensive treasure capable of withstanding attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators."

Ying Xuan muttered to himself.

Next, he began to inventory the other magical treasures. Knives, swords, seals, bells, towers, mirrors, beads… all kinds, each made with exquisite materials, finely crafted, and imbued with powerful energy; each had the potential to grow into a celestial artifact. Any one of them, if it fell into the outside world, would be enough to trigger a frenzied struggle among Nascent Soul cultivators.

But Ying Xuan's face showed obvious disgust.

"What a poor wretch trying to become a god."

A dozen or so so-called top-tier magical treasures, yet not even a single one showed the rudiments of a 'heaven-reaching spiritual treasure'! They were all just methodical, craftsman-like concoctions, revealing the person's conservative and unambitious nature; no wonder they were trapped in this realm. Useless trash. (End of Chapter)