I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 320 The weight of thick earth, a word is as weighty as gold.
Deep within the Stele Forest's cemetery, Xu Qing sat cross-legged before a vast, empty mass grave.

The mass grave in front of us is where the soldiers and horses of the Eight Banners marshals were buried after they died in battle. After those soldiers and horses turned into skeletons and left the burial pit, the place was still affected by the evil spirits and did not collapse. It was even more solid than an ordinary tomb.

Xu Qing was an expert in feng shui, especially in feng shui for burial sites.

At a glance, he could tell that this was a spacious tomb, similar to a palace, connected to the fortune of the Great Yong Dynasty.

"A mass grave, yet it exudes the grandeur of an imperial city. No wonder the Eight Banners Marshals chose to set up their camp here."

Xu Qing raised his index finger, flicked out his sharp claws, and carved a deep claw mark into the solid, uniform wall.

However, the claw marks were restored to their original state the next moment, as if he had scratched the water in the lake rather than the wall.

Xu Qing realized that this tomb was the underworld capital of the fallen soldiers of the Great Yong Dynasty. As long as the Great Yong Dynasty's fate was not exhausted, the tomb in front of him would not be damaged.

In other words, when the fortune of the Great Yong Dynasty is exhausted and the imperial city is occupied by others, the cemetery in front of us will also collapse, and the ghost soldiers and ghosts who depend on the fortune of the Great Yong Dynasty, such as the Eight Banners Marshals, will probably lose their meaning of existence.

Looking at the solid earthen wall that had been restored to its original state after being damaged, Xu Qing thought of Zuo Zixiong, whom he had buried in the earth.

"The significance of Zuo Zixiong's existence is mostly for the sake of the Great Yong Dynasty in his heart."

Unfortunately, Xu Qing would never allow Zuo Zixiong to return to Dayong.

His identity as a mortician had already been discovered by the other party. In Zuo Zixiong's eyes, he was at least a martial arts master hidden in the secular world.

So many things have happened in Tianjin over the years. Many people sent by the Dayong Dynasty have failed and perished in this area, including grandmasters and true disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

If Zuo Zixiong were to reveal that he had gone to the Yin River and eliminated the two masters of the Tianxin Sect, not only would the imperial court and the Celestial Master's Mansion be watching him closely, but the Tianxin Sect would also surely fight him to the death.

In truth, ninety-nine percent of the high-ranking members of the Tianxin Sect fell into his hands. If they were to realize that he was the one stirring up trouble in the dark, this sect, whose followers are spread throughout the Dayong region and whose mission is rebellion, would probably remove the slogans of rebellion and make the extermination of the demon Xu Qing its number one doctrine.

Not to mention there are several prodigies and true disciples from the Celestial Master's Mansion!

"Tsk," Xu Qing shook his head. Fortunately, he only agreed to help Zuo Zixiong leave Yinhe alive, but he didn't say when he would leave, let alone when he would wake up.

Zuo Zixiong is a remarkable person, but if he were to become his enemy and pose a threat to him in the future, Xu Qing would not choose to uphold his loyalty.

The entire realm of the Great Yong Dynasty could not contain even one Zuo Zixiong.

But his coffin of immortality can.

Xu Qing had no time to worry about a general who was working for a corrupt dynasty. He was struggling to take care of himself, and all he could see were thorns. There was also an old vixen waiting for him at the end of the road. How could he have the time to care about other people's dignity?

In the mass grave shrouded in malevolent energy, Xu Qing rose and went to the bottom of the pit where the malevolent energy was most concentrated.

He has now refined 203 bones in his body, but the three main bones among the twelve layers of bones—Heavenly Pillar, Yellow Court, and North Sea—have not yet been successfully refined.

The Heavenly Pillar is the pivot of the spine, connecting the deepest gates and the source of the earth's veins; the Yellow Court is the location of the skull, the central hub of the spirit palace; the North Sea is the foundation of the sacrum, the location of the immortal's origin.

Without these three bones, it will be difficult to reach the perfect state of the Undying Bone.

"Old neighbor, you'd better put in some effort and don't let me wait in vain for so long."

Before Xu Qing, a skeleton of a ghost king, as tall as a city gate tower, sat cross-legged on the ground with its head bowed.

The Demon King of Doe was cultivated from a skeleton demon, and his skeletal frame was the result of a thousand years of nurturing by Yin energy.

Xu Qing looked up at the almost perfect skeleton.

Its texture is like Kunlun white jade, pure and flawless.

If you tap it lightly with your finger, the sound will be like a golden chime, clear and melodious.

Beyond its flawless exterior, the white jade skeleton also contains pure and pristine Yin energy, as well as a dormant Ghost King's inner core.

Xu Qing admired the naturally textured skull for a while, and finally focused his gaze on the left hand of the Ghost King Duo'e.

All that could be seen was the Duo'e Ghost King, whose entire body was made of bone, but on his bone claws was an index finger that had skin and flesh attached and had not decayed for a thousand years.

"The severed finger of Yama, the King of Hell"

Xu Qing exerted a great deal of effort to extend his sharp claws, and only then, with the skill of a master butcher, was he able to cut off the severed finger by following the joint of the Demon King Duo'e's finger.

"The way of the ghosts is joyful, as it leads to the gate of life."

The immortal way values ​​life, the ghost way values ​​death.

The path of immortals is always auspicious, while the path of ghosts is always ominous."

Xu Qing held the severed finger in his hand and recited scriptures for salvation, but there was no response.

He did not give up. Instead, based on the size of the severed finger and the proportions of the Demon King Duo'e, he made a paper figure that was just as tall as a city gate tower.

However, this paper figure is missing a finger on its left hand.

Xu Qing reattached Yama King's severed finger and tried to communicate with the Scripture of Salvation again, but there was still no response.

"As expected, corpses that are too badly damaged cannot be sent to the afterlife."

Xu Qing regretfully put the severed finger into the box garden.

The owner of this severed finger was a true immortal or saint, but he could not confirm whether the other party was the Yama King mentioned by the Venerable Fuluan.

In the following days, Xu Qing sat in a half-lotus position on the skull of the Demon King Duo'e, which was as big as a millstone, and devoted himself to cultivation.

As Xu Qing observed the skeleton, his aura grew increasingly deathly still.

This tomb is a natural place for nurturing corpses. While observing the white bones, Xu Qing continuously activated the Yin energy within the tomb, drawing upon the pure Yin energy contained within the bones.

As his own Heavenly Pillar White Bone gradually emitted a faint light, Xu Qing also faced the backlash from the Ghost Core beneath him.

If an ordinary person were to enter into such a meditative state, it would be absolutely impossible to resist the invasion of the ghost pill during the cultivation process.

But Xu Qing was different. He was at a critical stage of condensing the Heavenly Pillar Spine and was lacking Yin energy. The Yin energy released by the Ghost Pill was not only harmless to him, but also a godsend!

Gui Dan realized something was wrong and turned to run away, but found that the young man was being drawn in by an extremely thirsty suction force, as if it were a bottomless pit, which was pulling him in front of him.

The Ghost King's inner core was like a middle-aged man who had just escaped to the door, only to be dragged back into the house by the shrewish woman in the house, who then slammed the door shut behind him.

The entire world seemed to turn gray and white in that instant.

The Ghost King Pill is an extremely Yin substance, containing a heavy amount of Yin evil energy. At first, the Yin energy enters the bones, but it does not have a significant effect. However, when the surging Yin energy breaks through the coccyx, it is like a river overflowing its gates, flowing straight down the spine to the crown of the head!

Xu Qing noticed the evil thoughts and resentment growing in his heart, and his brows immediately furrowed.

When Xu Qing realized that his mind was about to slip out of his meditative state, he felt a slight urge in his heart and immediately used the Stillness Technique to eliminate all distracting thoughts.

The Immovable Method, ranked among the highest levels of the Earth category, is a superior method for cultivating the mind. Long-term practice of this method can not only make the practitioner's mind as still as water and as immovable as a mountain, but also resist the erosion of illusions, restrain the disturbance of inner demons, and keep the mind clear and tranquil, so as not to lose oneself.

At this moment, the Earth-based cultivation method, which had been gathering dust, became the key to Xu Qing's breakthrough.

When the Ghost King Pill was suspended above his head and ceased its agitation, strands of pure Yin energy flowed like a long stream, falling onto Xu Qing's fontanelle and traveling down his spine, continuously washing away impurities and nourishing the entire spine.

At the same time, beneath Xu Qing, the Ghost King's body was filled with Xuan Qi, which continuously gathered at his coccyx and moved upwards inch by inch, working in conjunction with the Ghost Pill to nourish the joints of his spine.

In this mundane world, spring comes and autumn goes, and the seasons change.

A black cat has appeared in the coffin shop, always sitting in front of it and staring blankly at it.

In the Shuimen Bridge villa, a female ghost appeared who loved to sing "The Moon Worship Pavilion" and prayed to the moon day and night for her husband's early return.

In the ancient Yinhe River, devoid of sun and moon, the golden phoenix lost its instinct to crow. The whole chicken just droops listlessly every day, guarding the entrance to the tomb and counting the grains of rice in the bag.

1,101 grains, 1,110 grains
Wait, last time we counted to over a thousand.
Jinluan, who was not very bright to begin with, became even more foolish now.

The golden phoenix lived a few days a week, and only when it heard some faint noises coming from inside the tomb would it suddenly raise its head and look expectantly at the completely sealed tomb door.

When it didn't see that familiar figure, it drooped its head again and nestled in the rice bag to continue counting the grains of rice.

Outside the cemetery, the Eight Banners Marshals and the Yin Shi Dharma King fought more than a hundred times, but still could not determine a winner.

The ghostly figures of the Dry Bone Inn drifted to and fro, and even the exposed tortoise shell of the Bixi was covered again by the wind and sand. Only the marks carved by the Heavenly Gang Axe on the broken stele remained unchanged.

On this day, the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground suddenly came from the depths of the silent tomb.

The golden rooster guarding the tomb entrance immediately raised its head and stared at the tomb door without moving.

Although it didn't particularly like Xu Qing, and even occasionally had some opinions about this 'evil sorcerer' who did nothing, after spending so many years together, especially relying on each other for so long in the unfamiliar Yinhe Ancient Road, its feelings for him had reached the point where it couldn't eat if it didn't see him for a day.

This rice is so bad, I really can't eat it all day!

Deep within the cemetery, at the bottom of a mass grave.

After three years of hard work, Xu Qing suddenly moved his fingers, and then his whole body slowly straightened up. As his bones moved, the sound of a golden chime rang out from under his skin.

At one point, Xu Qing opened his eyes. In his perception, the outside world seemed just like yesterday, as if nothing had changed.

He stood up and jumped to the ground. Looking back, he saw that the once flawless white jade skeleton of the Ghost King had lost its luster and turned into a mottled, decayed structure, as if it were the remains of a previous dynasty that had been eroded by a thousand years of wind and frost.

Without Xu Qing in charge, the once indestructible skeleton of the Ghost King suddenly collapsed and scattered, turning into a pile of decaying bones and white ash.

Xu Qing didn't care. He stood on the land of the Yin River, his eyes revealing a restrained divine light.

At this moment, Xu Qing, who was in the tomb, was already connected with the earth. The density of the earth's yin energy; the feng shui energy surging between the graves; and the subtle movements of the entire cemetery forest and thousands of burial sites within a radius of fifty miles were all laid out in his mind.

The eerie wind brushing against the monument, the ghostly burial mound, and even the whispering of wandering spirits—all these are as clear as reading the lines on one's palm, revealing every detail.

With a slight thought, Xu Qing's Heavenly Pillar Spine, forged from the Undying Bone, immediately emitted a deep, resonant sound. At this moment, wherever the earth veins beneath his feet passed, wherever there was stagnant Yin energy, wherever there was a hidden ancient tomb, wherever there was a stone coffin, wherever there were buried gold and jade artifacts.
They all appeared in his mind like a map.

"The Heavenly Pillar's spine connects to the Netherworld Palace; upon completion, it will allow one to survey the four directions and discern the source of the earth's veins."

As Xu Qing felt the changes in his body, his profound understanding of the land deepened once again.

Zombies are connected to the earth; if zombies have a second life, then the earth is their mother.

Xu Qing opened his eyes and turned to look at the piles of decaying bones scattered in front of him.

He had promised his old neighbor that he would have the name of the Ghost King engraved on a monument and erected outside the Ghost King's tomb so that people would remember him.

After thinking it over, Xu Qing decided to properly collect the scattered remains of the other party and planned to find an auspicious day in the future to bury his old neighbor back in the royal mausoleum.

As soon as Xu Qing opened the tomb passage after leaving the mass grave, he saw a golden afterimage rushing towards him!
He frowned slightly, reached out and grabbed the afterimage by the neck, then tossed it aside like trash.

Jinluan wasn't surprised and still ran up to her excitedly, asking when they could return to Tianjin.

"Go back to Tianjin? Go back to Tianjin? Didn't you want to come to Yinhe with me to eat out just a few days ago? How come you want to go back after only a few days?"

Xu Qing immediately launched into a series of questions.

Jinluan stared with her cross-eyed eyes, raising her voice several decibels.

A few days? A few days seems a bit long!

Without further ado, Jinluan ran to the rice bag, pointed with her wing at the small pile of rice grains on the ground, and said:

“I’ve been keeping track of every single day, down to the last grain of rice. It’s been at least three years. Do you know how I’ve managed to get through these three years?”

three years?

Xu Qing's expression changed. He raised his fingers to calculate, and just as Jin Luan had said, three years had passed in the mortal world!

At this moment, Xu Qing felt as if he had overslept. When he looked at the water clock, there wasn't a single drop of water left!
Fortunately, he had anticipated this. Although the seclusion lasted more than half again as long as he had expected, he didn't panic when he came to his senses.

In three or four years, less than a third of the twelve-year seclusion period was achieved.

After calming down, Xu Qing looked at the indignant Jin Luan, shook his head and sighed with a smile, "You! Everyone says that there is no sun or moon in the Yin River, how could your timing be accurate? I just calculated according to the human calendar, only three months have passed in the Yin River!"

Jinluan stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief.

"Three months? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and pointed to the rice bag in the corner.

"Given your appetite, you eat at least five catties of rice a day. I reckon the leftover rice bag weighs no more than five hundred catties. No matter how you calculate it, it won't last more than three months!"

Before Jin Luan could ponder, Xu Qing turned around and put the empty rice bag, which had consumed nearly ten thousand catties, into the Landscape Painting.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing was also thinking to himself, "This chicken has only eaten so little over the past three years, it must be something on its mind."

Recalling the light and airy feeling when I lost the golden phoenix, and looking back at the golden rooster which has clearly lost weight again.

Xu Qing felt somewhat guilty.

"I promise you, if we say we'll go out to eat, we definitely will!"

"Can I not eat anymore? I want to go back to the Five Elders Temple."

"That won't do! As the head of the Immortal Hall, my word is my bond. What I say, I must do."

(End of this chapter)