Immortality starts from the liver proficiency

Chapter 686 Trapped in a Jar
"Do not!!!"

The God of Light, Orion, let out a shrill divine cry, his divine body disintegrating inch by inch in the starlight, eventually transforming into a pure source of light, which was forcibly absorbed by the Star Banner.

After the life force of all things was forcibly stripped away, Orion's enormous body quickly withered and weathered away, leaving only a turquoise crystal containing boundless natural vitality, which also disappeared into the banner.

On the other hand, the stripping away of Dongming Zhenjun is also nearing its end.

As the last trace of the dark and profound power of eternal night was devoured by the Nine Netherworld Mist, the body of the Dark God Ymir completely vanished into nothingness, leaving only the pitch-black Dao Fruit that exuded a cold and desolate aura. It was carefully sealed into a bone jade treasure box by the True Lord of Insight using the Mysterious Sha Secret Technique.

To utilize these external paths, one needs a considerable amount of time to refine them in order to match one's own path; otherwise, one will suffer harm instead.

The heavens above the realm of Attila seemed to emit a heavy and mournful wail.

The brilliance of the three main gods' authority was completely extinguished, and the origin of the Heavenly Dao of this world suffered a severe blow, falling into an unprecedented silence and weakness.

Having been betrayed, the Heavenly Dao of this realm naturally sensed Xu Yunfan's betrayal and immediately unleashed boundless heavenly punishment in an attempt to kill him.

Xu Yunfan accepted all of them without hesitation.

After bombarding Xu Yunfan for a while, realizing that it could not do anything to him, Heaven had no choice but to retreat and fall silent.

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan retrieved the Star Spirit Banner, feeling the two newly acquired Dao Fruit authority within the banner and the previously suppressed Crimson Sun Dao Fruit, but he felt little joy.

He was thinking of the fleeing True Lord Tongxuan.

Golden Core True Monarchs, especially sword cultivators of the Wancheng Sword Sect who are unparalleled in killing, are indeed extremely difficult to kill.

The fact that the True Monarch Tongxuan managed to escape unscathed right under the noses of two True Monarchs of the same rank, at the cost of a precious sword-wielding treasure, made Xu Yunfan extremely wary.

If it weren't for the advantage of Aitila's suppression by the Heavenly Dao and Zhang Ziyang's incense and divine Dao restraint, and the unexpected attack on Chiyang, the outcome would have been unpredictable.

Dongming Zhenjun looked at the empty Boundary Sea in silence.

Although she gained the Eternal Night's Fall Dao Fruit in this battle, she also completely offended the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect. Moreover, Xu Yunfan's growth and scheming made her even more wary of him.

The sky above the realm of Attila is filled with cracks from the annihilation of energy, and the aftershocks of the annihilation of the three main gods' authority are still reverberating.

Xu Yunfan retrieved the Star Spirit Banner. The newly suppressed powers of the Myriad Things Life and the Great Brightness Boundless Dao Fruit within the banner were faintly restless, while the Crimson Sun Dao Fruit was tightly imprisoned by the Purple Gold Thunder Net.

The True Lord of Insight played with the bone and jade treasure box that sealed the Dao Fruit of Eternal Night's Sinking. His fingertips, shrouded in the Nine Netherworld Mist, brushed across the surface of the box, his eyes filled with joy.

With this achievement, her cultivation will surely advance further.

The two stood on a broken ruin, with dried divine blood and shattered mountains and rivers beneath their feet.

Xu Yunfan broke the silence first, his purple-gold thunderous eyes sweeping towards Dongming.

"Senior Sister has gained a lot this time. The Dao Fruit of Eternal Night's Sinking is enough to harmonize the Nine Nether Profound Evils. With the balance of Yin and Yang, breaking through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm is just around the corner."

He deliberately downplayed his own gains and steered the conversation toward the other person's weaknesses.

"Junior brother is joking. I haven't even taken the first step in seeking a suitable Dao Fruit to complete the Small Heavenly Cycle."

The True Lord of Insight leaned lazily against a crumbling temple pillar, his black Taoist robe stained with gold blood, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Junior Brother Xu, why beat around the bush? You have stripped the Crimson Sun Dao Fruit and suppressed the light, so naturally you have the authority of two gods. With the Divine Firmament Thunder supplemented by the Pure Yang Fire, you will probably reach the mid-stage threshold even faster than Senior Sister."

Her tone suddenly changed.

"Speaking of which, junior brother, do you know how much time it took me to attain the Nine Abyss Profound Fiend Dao Fruit?"

Xu Yunfan's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

"I would like to hear the details." In the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, which one of those who can become a Golden Core True Monarch is not a person of extraordinary talent, great wisdom, great fortune, and great perseverance?

"During the foundation-building process, five lifetimes were passed, and in pursuit of the ultimate peak, each person faced death nine times out of ten."

A wisp of dark, malevolent energy swirled around Dongming Zhenjun's fingertips, his voice carrying a nostalgic remembrance.

"In each lifetime, he cultivated to the point of perfect foundation building, but he was always ambushed and killed when he was about to activate his Dao fruit."

Until six thousand years ago, when the three sects were engaged in a chaotic battle in the Northern Sea, the heavenly secrets were as turbulent as boiling porridge. The Great Compassionate Bodhisattva of the Pure Land of Bodhi and the Xuanji True Monarch of the Ten Thousand Chariots Sword Sect fought to the point that their Dao foundations collapsed. Taking advantage of their weakness, I used the Nine Netherworld Escape Technique to sneak into the Ruins of the Northern Sea, and with the Xuan Yin Evil Marrow accumulated throughout my life as a guide, I forcibly drew upon the Dao Fruit.

She looked up at Xu Yunfan, a mocking smile playing on her red lips.

"If I had been even half a breath slower that day, and the True Lord Dongxu, who was patrolling the realm of the Primordial Sect, had noticed me, I would probably be a handful of dust by now."

Xu Yunfan felt a pang of regret as he recalled that most of the True Lords mentioned by Dongming Zhenjun had died in the great calamity.

The old are gone and the new are in their place.

Nothing could be more true than this.

Xu Yunfan grasped the key point.

"The lifespan of someone at the initial stage of the Golden Core realm is only five thousand years, yet my senior sister has lived for six thousand years. Could it be..."

He paused deliberately, trying to get her to answer her question.

"The causal secret technique I cultivate can deceive my own lifespan limit, greatly extending my lifespan, and it is protected by the immortal golden nature."

The True Lord of Insight said, "The true spirit of the Golden Core is indestructible. Even if the physical body collapses, it can still reincarnate in the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm and reunite with its past wisdom."

However, this method is extremely dangerous. After reincarnation, one's spiritual roots, aptitude, and social standing are all determined by fate. If one is reborn into a mortal or enemy sect, one may be easily crushed to death before awakening.

Even if one is fortunate enough to revisit the path of cultivation and find their former celestial abode, fusing with the Dao fruit requires a long time. A slight misstep could mean losing one's original place, condemning one to endless reincarnation. Possessing innate wisdom but unable to enter the true path—what can one do?

Xu Yunfan seemed to be deep in thought.

According to Dongming Zhenjun's words, the Taihua Lingxu Realm has accumulated countless years of history, and there are probably a considerable number of Golden Core True Monarchs who are hidden in the mortal world, or who spend their entire lives wasting their time building their foundations and never have the opportunity to rise to great heights.

What a tragedy!

Having witnessed the peaks, one can only look up at them for eternity.

There was a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

"Secret techniques can prolong life, but that's all there is to it. How can it compare to the Golden Core stage, where one's own grotto-heaven is suspended high in the void? One's true spirit resides there forever. Even if one dies and one's Dao dissipates, one can be reincarnated in an instant, and then one's Dao body can be reshaped and one can be reborn on the spot. That is true longevity."

Xu Yunfan looked inward at the Divine Firmament Golden Elixir floating in his dantian, where purple-gold lightning flowed endlessly.

Dongming's words confirmed his subsequent deduction on the attribute panel that the mid-stage Golden Core realm required the support of a grotto-heaven.

He took the opportunity to probe, "Since you know the path ahead, why not refine the Eternal Night Dao Fruit now to seek a breakthrough?"

Just as Dongming Zhenjun was about to respond, a gentle and peaceful voice suddenly pierced through the barrier of their divine senses and rang in Xu Yunfan's ear.

“Junior Brother Xu, this realm is of extraordinary stature. The Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit you swallowed earlier shares the same origin as a Dao Seed I lost years ago. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it and return the Dao Fruit you just acquired to me as a form of barter?”

Xu Yunfan was shocked, and lightning instinctively erupted around him.

(End of this chapter)