New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 117: Individual Progress
Time flies. When Commander Zuo returned to [Chan City] first to pave the way for him, Yuan Zhu entered a low-energy consumption mode and lived a peaceful life of eating, waiting for death and doing minor research.

In fact, at this point, the mission was already largely accomplished. With Commander Zuo paving the way, the supply of raw materials to [Maomao King] would undoubtedly be successful; it was just a matter of scale.

He refused to leave out of a sense of responsibility. He wanted to see with his own eyes the first batch of caterpillars hatch, spin silk, spin cocoons, and lay eggs, completing the cycle. Then he would sign a labor contract with the indigenous people, organize a breeding company, and wait for the team leader to come and inspect the work.

Of course, during this time, he would further explore the underground world, unearthing valuable resources and completing a series of "private work" arrangements, striving to improve and strengthen his own extraordinary system, focusing on both [Shadow] and [Holy Light].

Currently, Yuan Zhu has two experimental control projects on hand, namely:
Group A: Brother Jun's "Holy Cough Breathing Method" and the owner's "Shadow Qi Refining Technique"

Group B: The interference of [Holy Light] and [Shadow] on the hatching of 'Mao's worm eggs', and the difference compared with the true Qi insect breeding.

In addition, he also plans to conduct two independent experiments, namely:
Group C: Create the [Mountain Jun Domain] with [Shadow Dream Hole] as the core, and explore the secrets behind the [Dream Hole].

Group D: The Qi Refiner's [Ghost] is refined.

Once the four experiments are completed and King Mao Mao's insects are grown, that will be the day for him to retire and return to Du Ling.

"Boss, you're awesome! Science is the primary productive force. This is the correct way to open the [Immortal Scripture]."

With Xiao Latiao's daily spiritual massage (flattery), he completed his spiritual recharge and came to a spacious underground space with high morale.

At this time, his younger brother Jun was practicing a martial art from the Insect City. The shop owner Lu Yan, who was forcibly detained by Yuan Zhu, sat cross-legged on the ground and breathed in and out to regulate his cardiopulmonary function. At the same time, he paid attention to other things and gave his younger brother Jun some advice from time to time, pointing out his bad luck.

The older sister clutched the strips of insect flesh in one hand, tearing and chewing them with great effort. With the other, she held the metal sheet containing the insect eggs, nurturing and hatching them with her true Qi. She stared at her younger brother with concern, fearing that something might go wrong in his practice and damage his foundation.

"Cough cough cough..."

Just when he was halfway through a boxing move, his brother Jun's breathing suddenly became disordered, his true energy was flowing backwards, he started coughing violently, and his face turned red, but fortunately he quickly suppressed the discomfort and calmed the disorder with a unique rhythm of rapid breathing.

He rushed forward on his short legs, looked up at his younger brother who looked like a middle school student, stood on tiptoe to wipe the sweat off his face, and asked, "Brother, are you okay?"

The younger brother, whose complexion had turned rosy again, felt the warmth in his chest (holy cough) and shook his head: "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"puff!"

At this moment, the shop owner, who was meditating nearby, suddenly expelled a black blood mist from his mouth. He then slowly spoke, "Don't worry, little girl. Your brother's condition is normal. The true Qi in his body has undergone a qualitative change due to the abnormality in his lungs. As a result, the entire meridian system has been affected and has to be restructured. Therefore, the [breathing method] and the route of the Qi will spontaneously change. This is normal and will dissipate after a while."

"And your brother is truly gifted. Each situation only occurs once, and he's able to quickly and instinctively minimize the consequences, then adjust to the optimal level without repeating the same mistake. Unlike me, my meridians have long been solidified, and now I have to forcibly alter them, damaging my foundation, causing my meridians to flow backward, my vital energy to become imbalanced, and me to cough up blood. I'm not dead, so how could your brother be?"

As he spoke, Lu Yan's tone was filled with sourness and jealousy. He hadn't expected that an eight-year-old kid from the slums could actually surpass him in the realm of cultivation, relying solely on instinct. (Yuan Zhu: Who wouldn't?)
Yuan Zhu also came to the training ground at this time to check the growth of his "crops". When he heard Lu Yan complaining, he said:

"If you want to join me, you have to prove your loyalty. Besides, I've gradually transferred ownership of the Shadow Eggplant to you. Can't you feel the immediate improvement it brings you? What's a mere meridian reversal? With the Dream Hole I'll provide you, reaching the Heavenly Realm is only a matter of time. I've heard that your Qi Refining lineage, after reaching the 'Heavenly Realm', has a 'Secret Armor Casting Technique' that allows you to undergo a 'Heavenly Transformation,' becoming an Immortal. No matter how severe the injury, disability, or foundational defect, it can be repaired."

Seeing Yuan Zhu appear, the three of them stopped and walked forward to greet him.

Lu Yan was even more grateful and said, "My Lord, I was just complaining casually. I have personally experienced the benefits of this 'Shadow Secret Technique'. The [Shadow Eggplant Silk] permeates my blood vessels, and does not directly conflict with the meridians. Instead, it brings a new energy, the 'Shadow Power'. Now, I am trying to incorporate the 'Shadow Power' into the 'True Qi' exhaled through the [Breathing Technique], and refine a new 'Shadow True Qi'."

"Although this process is painful and will cause abnormal deformation of the Dao Seed and the meridians throughout the body, I have a feeling that as long as I can endure this round of ordeal, my own Dao Seed will undergo a metamorphosis (cancer). This is the 'Pseudo-Innate Realm'! Invincible at the same level. Even if the body is full of deformations and hidden dangers (cancerous tissue), as long as I step into the Heavenly Realm [Casting Armor Feathering], I can reshape my Dao body. All of this is thanks to the Lord! I can never repay the Lord for his kindness!"

Despite her inner reluctance, Lu Yan, under Yuan Zhu's coercion and inducement, was forced to allow the "eggplant shreds" to proliferate wildly within her blood vessels, breeding shadow power (contamination increased by 30%). This caused her "True Qi System," which was primarily based on Qi refining, to lose its purity (dropping to 70%), and the "True Qi" she had painstakingly refined was contaminated and distorted by the shadow power.

The good news was that Yuan Zhu had given him control of Shadow Eggplant, effectively giving him two power systems.

The bad news is that Yuan Zhu doesn't understand the rituals of the Three Phases Power. A practitioner can only cultivate one system. The owner was once contaminated and ran away, causing a conflict between the systems and nearing death.

The good news: Shadow Pollution was under the control of the Tiger Demon. With the combined efforts of both parties, the Tiger Demon managed to stop the Shadow Pollution from increasing in intensity, giving the shop owner a break and successfully merging the two systems. The result was a hybridized version of Shadow Qi, a far less pure form that barely managed to survive.

The bad news: Lu Yan's vital energy has been severely contaminated, leading to her becoming possessed and her meridians flowing backwards, leaving her unable to recover. However, the Qi Refining System itself is a patchwork of problems, and the local indigenous people also possess all five poisons and suffer from multiple contaminations.

In the end, the [Tiger Demon] used his great magic power to prolong his life against the will of heaven, and forcibly inserted the [Shadow Eggplant] into the opponent's [Tao Seed System] in the form of a [built-in plug-in]. It deeply polluted and distorted the meridians and true Qi throughout the body, creating "shadow true Qi, deformed meridians, and mutated Tao seeds."

It has to be said that the compatibility of the [True Qi System] is unexpectedly strong. It absorbed and integrated the 'shadow pollution' and forced it to operate, causing the shop owner to come back to life. From time to time, his meridians would become disordered and he would spit out black blood, and then he would stumble and repair himself and continue to operate.

With the generous support of the Tiger Demon, the shop owner possessed ample Shadow Power (Shadow Eggplant Blood) for trial and error. Every update, patch, and optimization of his body was recorded by the Brain Eggplant and stored in the Shadow Memory Bar.

What Yuan Zhu desires most now is that the shop owner can re-sort out the [Shadow Pollution Version - Meridian Refining System] before he dies, so that he can master a complete operating path of the 'Shadow Refining Technique' as a reference.

If we load this thing into the soul program of the 'Eggplant-Headed Ghost', wouldn't all the [ghost minions] in the future be able to cultivate immortality?
...

Seeing the shop owner, whose face was as pale as gold paper and whose breath was weak, Yuan Zhu smiled warmly and asked with concern, "How are you feeling?"

"Puff!" Lu Yan spat out another mouthful of black blood, feeling his breathing become much smoother. Countless black root lines wriggled and twisted beneath his skin, pumping in powerful 'ketchup plasma' to replenish his vitality, bringing him back to life.

"I have lived up to your trust. I have reshaped three meridians and am becoming more and more accustomed to the 'shadow qi threads' within my body. I feel that if I persist, my efficiency will continue to improve and accelerate."

"Very good, keep up the good work, keep it up!" Yuan Zhu patted his shoulder encouragingly and said, "I've monitored your body through the [Brain Eggplant], and I've also discussed the transformation from heavenly being to human with Commander Zuo. Your current condition appears to damage your foundation, leaving you with many irreversible hidden injuries. But in fact, you're half a step away from the innate realm, and your future journey to the heavenly realm will be incredibly smooth. And once the [Shadow Eggplant] spreads throughout your flesh and blood, the 'Immortal Zombie Whiskers' will be completely eradicated."

Through the full-body monitoring of the advanced white mice by [Brain Eggplant], as well as the "advanced cultivation knowledge" obtained from the previous conversation with Zuo Fan, Yuan Zhu gained a deep understanding of [Qi Refining Technique].

The insect cultivators of the underground world are a group of super-stitched freaks. The [Qi Refining System] is also the product of the combination of three polluting systems, but it has broken free from the constraints of many polluting systems and is unique.

The flesh of the local humans, enslaved by the Kunlun Immortal Sect since ancient times, carries a strong lingering legacy of "spiritual root contamination" within their veins. Consequently, upon entry of the Dao Seed, insect eggs spontaneously follow the traces of this contamination, developing a "meridian system" unique to the Kunlun sect. Secondly, there's the "insect contamination." The underground world abounds with insect eggs (contamination), but lacks a corresponding system (cultivation method). The Immortal Sect simply cultivates spirit insects, using their "spiritual insect materials" to refine magical instruments and elixirs. Eventually, these insect eggs are seized by the indigenous people and implanted in their flesh in place of their "spiritual roots," creating a "different meridian system."

The last one is the [Breathing Method]. This thing is neither the Kunlun system nor the insect egg system, but the [Undead Iron Cavalry] that originated from one of the surface demonic disasters.

...

One hundred years ago, a group of knights from another world descended on the bubble world and began hunting down the Kunlun Earth Immortals.

Ultimately, the "Immortal Tree" was felled, and the Knights triumphed. However, this left behind a vast number of knight corpses and debris, and the world itself was overthrown, shattered, and shattered. With the destruction of the World Tree, the contaminated atmosphere of the [Foam Layer] invaded, ushering in the end of the world.

Because the environment deteriorated rapidly, the surviving indigenous people moved underground to survive.

The remains of the dead and abandoned knights, tainted and twisted, rose again as the 'Undead Knights'. Unable to reason, driven solely by their killing instinct, they roamed the surface of the earth in a relentless slaughter that lasted for a century, constantly devouring the living to grow in size.

Eventually, they wandered wantonly on the surface and killed aimlessly, forming one of the natural disasters, the [Undead Iron Cavalry]; the Undead Knights continued to spread "metal pollution", which mixed into the atmosphere and seeped into the ground in the form of the demonic disaster [Corrupted Iron Rain], contaminating and corroding the roots of the fairy trees; at the same time, during the movement, the legion trampled on the earth in the form of the "Power of the Legion", transmitting the vibrations to the underground world, forming the natural disaster [Earth Rumbling].

These three natural disasters are all remnants of pollution left by the "Knights" who once invaded the bubble world, and they have not disappeared to this day.

The indigenous people, with their invincible tolerance, learned the [Breathing Technique] from the lone 'Undead Riders' on the surface to strengthen their bodies, and used it to circulate the 'corrupted spiritual energy' released by the roots (pollution) of the fairy tree in their bodies.

In the end, the Qi-refiners used their 'spiritual root polluted bodies', integrated the 'insect pollution' as the Tao seeds, and practiced the [Knight Breathing Method] to refine the polluted spiritual energy in the meridians, thus creating the original 'Qi-refining technique'.

Therefore, after reaching the Heavenly Realm, 'Casting Armor' once again embarked on the mutated [Knight Route], casting 'Insect Armor' and using it as a pupa to transform the internal body (insect-type transformation).

Therefore, [Qi Refining Technique] has nothing to do with Kunlun Immortal Techniques and is a product of [Knight + Bug]. However, from beginning to end, it utilizes raw materials such as 'spiritual energy and spiritual roots'... It is an independent product of the mixture of these three pollutants.

It is said that when a Qi cultivator reaches the [Heavenly Stage], he will spontaneously open up the 'Bridge between Heaven and Earth' and continue to absorb new 'power from outside the sky (the fourth type of unknown pollution)' from the nightmare layer outside the [Dream Hole], and continue to refine the 'Innate Qi', causing the Tao Seed to mutate deeply.

Since it's so tolerant, then adding [Shadow] is not a problem. It's just a matter of moving the "Innate Qi" step forward and limiting it to "Shadow."

Sure enough, the shop owner survived...which made Yuan Zhu very happy!

……

While Yuan Zhu was training the newly acquired 'Earth-level Qi Refiner', his teammates on the other side of the underground world were also not idle, and each of them was working frantically.

In [Centipede City], Huotuo Luo, a black butcher who would kill people indiscriminately at the slightest disagreement, was taciturn and unwilling to communicate. He just kept slaughtering the weak in the Upper City, which soon attracted the attention of the security team.

Centipede City is different from the relatively peaceful Cicada City. It is a city of demonic cultivation. It not only cooperates with the "Nisheng Xianzong", but is also famous for its bloody weapon refining and production of highly toxic materials.

After discovering the black-skinned creature killing people indiscriminately, they immediately thought it was some kind of "black flesh Ganoderma lucidum incarnation" and started chasing and fighting it.

Huotuo Luo relies on his racial talent (skin color) to sneak madly in the tunnel, and uses his uniform to conceal his breath. He is only three points inferior to Yuan Zhu in the field of concealment.

Not only did he slaughter innocent civilians for no reason, he was also performing some kind of crazy and bloody "art display", similar to a BT killer, always arranging his victims into special shapes, as if he was performing some kind of sacrifice?

Finally, after several consecutive escapes, the hunting team was upgraded to an 'Earth-level Hunting Team', successfully captured it, and imprisoned it in the Sky Prison.

[Happy Home] team, the first member was arrested!
After being captured, Huotuo Luo still did not use the authority to return, but allowed the hunter to take it to the dungeon, where it was subjected to a series of cruel torture and interrogation. There was determination in its bloodthirsty eyes, and it was suspected that it was undergoing some special practice?
...

Unlike the Black Butcher who actively provoked the Insect City, attacked the Insect City, and killed innocent people... Meng Xiyue in [Grasswing City] turned into an ambassador of communication between different worlds and took the initiative to fall into the trap.

She made a high-profile appearance, attracting the attention of the Insect City's guards. Then, she flaunted her combat prowess, utilizing her unique [Mechanical Model] to draw a draw with an Earth-rank Qi Refiner. After a round of commercial praise, she voluntarily gave up resistance, allowing a group of people to surround her and take her to the Lower City, where she was summoned by the City Lord.

Then she revealed her true intentions and transformed herself into a salesperson named "Maomao Wang". She took out a luxury children's fashion magazine from her backpack and started selling clothes to the city lord.

This abstract behavior was naturally considered a provocation. Fortunately, Meng Xiyue remained undaunted and began to proactively demonstrate her talents as a "college student," expressing her willingness to sell her knowledge from another world to help [Caolong City] live a happier and more advanced life.

"I know how to improve soil! I know how to breed efficiently! I know how to make compost! I can make glass, gunpowder, and even brew wine! Lord City Lord, I'm very useful. I'm willing to sell my hometown's precious knowledge to help you dominate the underground world! I have a boss behind me, she's a deity, and she can provide you with abundant supplies, weapons, medicine... to help you conquer other insect cities! I also know the [Kunlun Immortal Sect], the 'Fude Earth Immortals' that once ruled the earth. I can help you decipher the cultivation materials left behind by the Immortal Sect! I'm a genius university student. Do you understand the value of university students? We can talk, we can talk together! I can love [Grasswing City] too!"

[Happy Home] team, the second member was arrested!
...

【Firefly City】

Investigator Zhou Chu had no intention of completing any missions. She simply ignored the mission from [Mao Mao Wang]. However, after witnessing the poverty of the underground world and the struggles of the lower-class residents of Insect City, she suddenly felt a surge of compassion and began to enforce her sense of justice.

The domineering young lady kidnapped a group of poor little ghosts who were starving and cold-clothed, and then she defeated two giant demonized insects with her own strength, revealing her [Knight Armor], which completely ignited the fear in the hearts of the little ghosts.

What's the scariest story in this world? It's the [Undead Cavalry], of course!
The culprit behind the destruction of the world, the one responsible for felling the Immortal Realm Tree, the one responsible for a century of continuous slaughter and the triggering of the [Rotten Iron Rain + Rumbling Earthquake]. All the suffering in the world stems from this group of Iron Cavalry.

Therefore, Zhou Chu's fear index in the hearts of the little ghosts soared to the maximum. Because in this world, had never heard of a "iron cavalry" that could speak, possess consciousness, and invade the root network of the immortal tree?!

This is terrifying! The Undead Knight has become a spirit and invaded the underground world! Doomsday, the real doomsday!

Zhou Chu, who was completely unaware of this, kidnapped a group of little ghosts who were almost scared crazy, and began to force them to follow him to practice the [Pale Law]. He firmly believed that only the [Law] could save this hopeless underground devil's cave!

Only laws can bring new hope to these little ghosts.

Without a care in the world's terrified little ghosts' hearts, they thought: The world-destroying demon king has appeared in person, forcing them to cultivate the "power of the demon king." Despair, utter despair! We are the murderers who will destroy our own homeland! Is it too late to commit suicide by swallowing poisonous mushrooms?
(End of this chapter)