Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 242 A Sudden Realm
A cool evening breeze dispersed the dark clouds, revealing a bright, full moon hanging high in the sky.

Li Ji'an lifted his eyelids and looked towards the courtyard gate, a faint, inappropriate unease creeping into his heart.

"Go in!" Li Ji'an said after taking a slight breath.

Ning Yutan pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in as usual.

The only difference was that as he got closer to Li Ji'an, his expression became gentler, more affectionate, and even showed a hint of aggrieved desire for comfort.

Her eyes were already blurred with tears, and her full lips were trembling.

"Li Lang..." Only when he got close did he finally utter the two words he had often called out in his dreams for more than a hundred years.

"Sister Jin!" Li Ji'an's smile was no longer concealed as he softly uttered the two words.

Under the bright full moon, the two figures nestled closely together.

Two souls, separated for 160 years, finally reunite.

At this moment, they looked at each other in silence.
-
After a long while, Ning Sujin gradually calmed down.

She looked up and stared at Li Ji'an intently.

"A hundred years have passed like a dream, as if a lifetime has passed. My beloved, I thought I would never see you again in this life."

Li Ji'an lowered his head and met her eyes, gently brushing the long hair from her forehead. His lips parted, but in the end, he didn't say anything sentimental.

Such a scene is full of romance, but having lived several lifetimes and experienced the baptism of modern society, he doesn't really have much deep affection, nor is he a love-struck person controlled by love and desire. His appreciation and liking for Ning Sujin is already the limit of what he can do.

However, Ning Sujin perceived Li Ji'an's hesitant manner as the image of a strong and upright man who bore everything alone and did not want her to know about his hardships.

In her mind, she even conjured up a tragic drama: someone who came here not to become an immortal, but simply to find her.

"What exactly happened between you back then?" Li Ji'an changed the subject.

Upon hearing this, Ning Sujin forced a trace of sorrow and said wistfully, "Li Lang, do you still remember what I said about good or bad fortune when I was taken away? Actually, my feeling at that time was that it was a minor misfortune. There was no danger to my life, but I lost my freedom."

Therefore, I was mentally prepared when I was brought to this realm of cultivation.

Unexpectedly, all of this originated from Yu Tan.

In her fifth year here, she was about to have her life essence devoured by the old thief. Just as she was about to die in despair, she cried out in anguish, regretting that she had not listened to me. The so-called immortality was indeed a terrible omen.

It was because of this desperate statement that the old thief noticed something was wrong and immediately searched my soul, learning that I had an extraordinary ability to predict the future since childhood.

That's why they sent someone to find me.

When I arrived at the Liu family, Yu Tan had already become a living dead due to the damage to her sea of ​​consciousness. The old thief claimed that she had gone astray and sealed her soul, and that it would take a great price to recover. He temporarily used the Frost Marrow to freeze her body, but in reality, he was using Yu Tan to restrain me.

After that, the old thief showed me all sorts of kindness, not only teaching me cultivation techniques but also taking me in as his personal disciple. He even put me in seclusion in the Peach Blossom Forest, providing me with plenty of spiritual medicines and elixirs, all with the aim of using my ability to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune to guide his actions.

For Yu Tan's sake, and for the sliver of hope of escape, I feigned gratitude.

However, at that time, the fate of the other immortal seedlings who came from the Immortal Dynasty was still unknown.

Forty-five years later, while I was in the Peach Blossom Illusion Forest, I unexpectedly learned that an internal conflict had broken out within the Liu family. A descendant of the family even accidentally stumbled into the Peach Blossom Illusion Forest and told me about the Liu family's practice of raising blood slaves.

Not long after, the old thief came to me to ask about the fortune of the seedling, and I tricked him into believing it was extremely unlucky.

Not long after, he came to tell me with a solemn expression that the prophecy had come true: the group of seedlings that were being guided to immortality had been attacked and killed by traitors within the clan, and most likely they were all dead.

From then on, he trusted me more and more, and would ask me about good or bad fortune whenever he made a major decision.

However, I was wary and hostile towards him from the bottom of my heart. In fact, I had no way of predicting his fortune or misfortune. I was just making up stories based on what he said about the benefits and harms to the Immortal Dynasty.

However, my progress in cultivating the techniques he gave me was slow. I had not broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining by the time I was seventy years old. Seeing that my lifespan was running out, he gave me longevity pills many times to prolong my life. Moreover, he suddenly gave me a jade slip containing a soul cultivation technique and told me to switch to cultivating the soul.

The cultivator of magic was of low talent, but unexpectedly, the cultivator of soul was exceptionally talented and made remarkable progress.

Based on the unique spiritual veins of this place, I cultivated from spiritual consciousness to primordial spirit in less than a hundred years. However, at that time, the old thief concealed many cultivation secrets from me, so I never knew my true strength. Furthermore, the old thief did not teach me any secret techniques for the soul. I only had a strong primordial spirit, but no offensive techniques...

......"

Ning Sujin recounted how she was brought to the cultivation world and how she sacrificed her physical body to save Ning Yutan's life, all the way until the Liu family was destroyed by the Liu-Cutting Alliance.

Li Ji listened quietly. It was largely in line with his guess. The only surprise was that he had actually become a soul cultivator and had actually cultivated a primordial spirit.

"It's hard on you."

"Being able to see you again makes it all worthwhile!" Ning Sujin buried her head even deeper in Li Ji'an's arms.

"What's Yu Tan's situation now?"

“Yu Tan’s sea of ​​consciousness was almost destroyed back then, and many of her memories of coming to this cultivation world were fragmented. Over the years, I have used my primordial spirit to repair it, but because I am not good at the repair method, the effect is limited. This time, thanks to your wonderful skills, Yu Tan’s sea of ​​consciousness is now almost stable and will recover in at most half a year.” Ning Sujin’s expression showed even more gratitude.

Li Ji'an smiled and stroked her cheek: "That's good."

He then asked with concern, "How are you in now? How long can you sustain yourself without a physical body? Are you still able to cultivate?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Sujin's face showed a hint of desolation: "My primordial spirit is currently separated from my body and is only residing in Yu Tan's sea of ​​consciousness. Moreover, Yu Tan's sea of ​​consciousness is fragile and cannot remain dormant for a long time. Otherwise, there is a risk that my primordial spirit will take over its nest. In the end, this state is not a long-term solution, and I will no longer be able to cultivate."

Is there any way to solve this?

Ning Sujin remained silent for a moment, then sighed, "Either possess another person's body, or regain your physical form."

"However, I expended too much energy when I abandoned my physical body to awaken Yu Tan, so the chances of successfully possessing her are very slim, unless I can obtain a high-grade elixir to nourish my soul. And the physical body..."

When the topic turned to the physical body, Ning Sujin shut her mouth.

Her physical body is in the Palace of Myriad Laws, which, as the ruling power of the Heavenly Azure Domain, has a Nascent Soul True Monarch in charge, which is almost a luxury for them.

Moreover, she still remembered Li Ji'an's cautious behavior of frequently inquiring about good or bad fortune when he was in the Xianci Dynasty.

"How long can you hold on?" Li Ji'an understood Ning Sujin's thoughts, but this time he met Ning Sujin's eyes and asked with a firm expression.

"As long as Yu Tan doesn't die, my primordial spirit will not perish!" Ning Sujin sensed Li Ji'an's unwavering resolve and suddenly moved.

"I will definitely help you get your physical body back!" Li Ji'an made a solemn promise for the first time ever.

“You…” Ning Sujin was stunned, her beautiful eyes staring at Li Ji’an.

At this moment, Li Ji'an made her feel a little unfamiliar.

Could it be that he finally became brave after becoming a cultivator?
Or perhaps, the divine favor of his followers gave him confidence?
However, the next moment, Ning Sujin thought of Li Ji'an, who was the same age as her. Now, more than a hundred years have passed, and he is nearly two hundred years old, but he is only at the Foundation Establishment stage. It can be seen that he is not a genius of this world.

"Yes!" In the end, Ning Sujin nodded heavily, her eyes full of expectation.

Looking at Ning Sujin, who was sitting in his arms with a blissful expression, Li Ji'an also felt much more relaxed. He took Ning Sujin's hand and said, "Sister Jin, come on, I'll show you the carefree and unrestrained life of the cultivation world!"

Ning Sujin just recalled that she had been in the cultivation world for 160 years, and had spent most of that time under house arrest in the Peach Blossom Forest. She had never really seen the Immortal Realm in the eyes of the people of the Immortal Dynasty.

"Li Lang, the reason why my soul was able to break through to the primordial spirit is due to the help of the spiritual veins here. But now I have no physical body and cannot leave this place too far!" Ning Sujin was very much looking forward to it, but she could not.

"Oh?" Li Ji'an nodded to himself. No wonder Ning Yutan had already escaped before, but she still stayed in Biluo Market to open a spirit food shop instead of going far away.

“In a sense, my primordial spirit is bound to the spiritual veins of this place,” Ning Sujin explained further.

"Bound to the spiritual veins of this place?" Li Ji'an's understanding of soul cultivation is to use the soul to perceive the world, to unite the spirit with the world, and then to nourish the physical body in return, ultimately achieving harmony with the world.

In scattered ancient books, he had indeed seen cases of the soul merging with heaven and earth, but it seemed that there were more mountains and lakes, while spiritual veins were something he had never heard of before.

Ning Sujin nodded.

"Phew~" Li Ji'an slowly exhaled, the surge of heroic spirit he had just felt dissipated.

"It's alright. Once you've found your physical body, we'll travel the cultivation world together again!"

Ning Sujin smiled brightly: "We should also go back to the Immortal Dynasty together!"

“It’s a deal!” Li Ji’an agreed. Although the document he had obtained from the Liu family patriarch’s storage bag clearly stated that cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage could not safely enter the forbidden zone, who could predict the future? Perhaps they would have different methods when they reached the Nascent Soul stage or even the Divine Transformation stage.

The two hooked their little fingers together.

Ning Sujin then asked Li Ji'an about matters concerning the cultivation world.

Ning Sujin's correct understanding of the cultivation world actually began after the Liu family's downfall, and most of her information came from some ancient bookstores in Biluo Market.

Li Ji'an shared his knowledge without reservation.

From this point on, the division of the cultivation world into regions, states, domains, and realms, as well as the division of cultivators into independent cultivators, family cultivators, sect cultivators, merchant guilds, and the righteous and demonic paths of inheritance and factions, are all explained.

Of course, he also informed the outside world of what Duanmu Qin had said back then.

According to Duanmu Qin, this world is not just the Great Swamp Cultivation World, but there are other cultivation worlds as well, and judging from her tone, they should be even more prosperous.

Ning Sujin listened with rapt attention. Originally from the Immortal Gift Dynasty, she could hardly imagine that there would be such a vast world.

However, just as he was about to hear more about the situation within the sect, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Yu Tan seems to be waking up. Li Lang, I have to go back."

"Yes, you can stay here and cultivate in peace. I will come to see you often." Li Ji'an had just told him that he would be spending most of his time cultivating in the sect in the future.

Ning Sujin's eyes seemed reluctant, but she nodded firmly: "Yes, Li Lang, you don't need to worry about us. Just focus on your cultivation. Next time we meet, I will pass on the 'Divine Grinding Soul Forging Technique' to you."

As Li Ji'an watched Ning Sujin leave, a warm smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Although I am not a sentimental person and I don't take love lightly, it doesn't stop my soul from being nourished by true feelings.

This feeling makes me feel refreshed and comfortable.

Sensing that Ning Sujin had entered the Peach Blossom Illusion Forest, Li Ji'an released a small fire spirit to clear the aura from the secret chamber.

They then boarded a flying boat and headed towards the outer peak of the Biyun Sect.

A month later, after five years, I returned to the outer peak, and everything there was as before.

Li Ji'an took another look at the withered branch. It still had only a sliver of life left, but there was still no sign of it sprouting.

"If we transplant it into Xiao Qiao's fifth-grade spirit field, it should be able to sprout, right?"

Just as he was squatting on the ground carefully examining the withered branches, Little Fire Spirit suddenly ran over and lay down on one of the branches, looking utterly listless.

"Huh? Is it about to advance to the mid-stage of the second tier?" Seeing the little fire spirit in this state, Li Ji'an was overjoyed.

Five years ago in the Fire Domain, the little fire spirit devoured a lot of earth fire.

However, given his Holy Spirit physique, Li Ji'an had no information about his cultivation or advancement, making it impossible to determine his condition.

However, its current state is similar to that when it advanced to the second-tier fire spirit.

Once the Little Fire Spirit advances to the mid-stage of the second tier, its flame power will be sufficient to refine Crystallization Pills.

"Unfortunately, we are still missing a portion of the Mystic Ice Blue Lotus." Thinking this, Li Ji'an turned his gaze toward the main peak of the Azure Cloud Sect.

If he had all the necessary ingredients for the Crystal Condensation Pill now, he could try refining it after Little Fire Spirit advanced.

Based on his many years of repeated research and deduction on the Crystallization Pill, although he may not be able to guarantee the quality, he is still somewhat confident that he can successfully form the pill.

If Xiao Changfeng hadn't started forming his core by then, he would have liked to find a reason to give him one, which would have made his core formation more secure and would also have allowed him to test the medicinal properties.

This also serves as a way to offset the emotional attachment to the top-grade magic weapon, the Azure Profound Magic Sword.

Thinking of this, he took out a communication talisman to contact Xiao Changfeng, wanting to see if he had begun his attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage.

I waited for a long time but received no reply.

Li Ji'an nodded and stopped thinking about it.

However, it is understandable that he rushed to the Core Formation stage so quickly, after all, he snatched the spiritual resources that were originally prepared for Zhao Qi, and Zhao Qi's soul lamp is still burning.

"Boom~"

Just as I was thinking about this, a loud shout suddenly came from the direction of the main peak.

"Xiao Changfeng! You little thief, you actually stole my Core Formation materials! I, Zhao Qi, will never forgive you for such an obstruction of my path!"

Immediately, Li Ji'an spotted a figure rushing towards the Biyun Sect from the northeast.

"Senior Brother Zhao Qi is back?" Li Ji'an was slightly surprised.

At the same time, a tightness gripped my heart, and I was somewhat worried about Xiao Changfeng's safety.

If it is the crucial moment for him to form his core, Zhao Qi's interference from outside could very likely affect the normal formation of his core.

Most importantly, Xiao Changfeng had previously stated that the situation at the border of the Demon Realm was becoming increasingly tense, and after Elder Fang helped him obtain the Core Formation materials, he was summoned to the front lines by the Myriad Laws Palace.

Moreover, Elder Tian has also gone to the front line, and now the sect is temporarily guarded by three pseudo-Dan elders.

Given Zhao Qi's status as a true disciple of the Supreme Elder, the three fake Dan elders might not be able to maintain impartiality!
(End of this chapter)