I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and you're saying I didn't time travel?

Chapter 124 Is the person who sent you on your way considered a destined one?
With his [Spiritual Sense], Qi Xuan noticed the unusual activity the moment it occurred.

Even so, he still narrowly avoided the attack that erupted from the tree roots.

Because the distance was so close, the attack was so sudden.

It feels like the enemy teleported nearby to launch an attack, or that the enemy only noticed his presence a second ago before launching an attack.

The situation on the ground is undoubtedly the second one.

The attack missed its mark, and the attacker staggered out of the tree roots.

His body was covered with many tiny roots, his joints were somewhat sluggish, his eyes were cloudy, his hair was almost gray, and he looked very old, as if he would die on the spot at any moment.

Upon seeing the attacker appear on the spot, the live stream chat erupted in gasps of surprise:
"What mummy?!"

"The tree-man has become a spirit?!"

"What kind of new monster is this?"

"Judging from this human form, especially the faint bulge under its ribs, could it be another terrestrial deity?"

"Damn it! You can't just keep popping up these kinds of land-based immortals all the time! How am I supposed to maintain my resolve to cultivate the Dao in the future?!"

"Qi Shen! Quickly, before they wake up, let's escape!"

"Yeah, run! We don't want to get beaten up like before! Even running away is better than getting hurt!"

……

However, Qi Xuan had no intention of running away.

He had already sensed the attacker's approximate strength when he was ambushed earlier.

Seeing him in person now has further solidified my suspicions.

If he wasn't mistaken, the attacker in front of him should be Nangong Yaohua, who had tried to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Judging from the results, he should be considered a success, but he can also be considered a failure.

On the one hand, he did indeed achieve Foundation Establishment, living up to his reputation as a Foundation Establishment seed.

On the other hand, his attempt to circumvent the harm of osteoporosis by relying on breakthroughs was, unsurprisingly, a failure.

Moreover, the failure was very rapid.

Almost a few days after becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he fell ill and turned into a monster.

Perhaps, he was already in the stage of illness before he attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage further accelerated this process, to the point that not long after achieving Foundation Establishment, he lost control of his illness, completely descended into madness, and mutated into a monster.

He probably anticipated this outcome.

Whether it was the instinct for survival, the fear of becoming a monster, or the fear of bringing disaster to the surrounding area... he had made preparations in advance.

After realizing that his transformation into a monster was irreversible, he sealed himself inside the roots of a tree using a secret technique.

If it weren't for his unexpected intrusion that woke the guy up.

He may soon perish in self-imposed isolation.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Xuan figured out the cause and effect.

Seeing the monster before him, devoid of any rationality, Qi Xuan lost all desire to communicate with it.

To be honest, even he finds it hard to accept that the once-proud genius has fallen to such a wretched state.

Let's just make it simple and send him on his way.

Qi Xuan raised his hand, took out the Dragon Spear, and slammed it down.

They started with long weapons.

In terms of power, the magic weapon's remnants clearly deal more damage.

Unfortunately, it's not quite suitable.

Although he had made the decision to eliminate Nangong Yaohua, he still acted very cautiously in actual combat.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator from nearly two hundred years ago, Nangong Yaohua has long since decayed and is no longer comparable to a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator, let alone a Qi Refining cultivator.

But he is, after all, a mutated monster, and may have some special abilities, so we must be extra careful.

In combat, first create distance to prevent the opponent from launching a sudden attack, giving yourself time to react.

A two-meter-long dragon spear is his reaction time.

The heavy dragon spear crashed down on Nangong Yaohua's head.

Before the other side could make any move to avoid it, Sunday, which had been hovering near the tree roots, immediately unleashed War Stomp.

It controlled the dizziness area very well, just covering Nangong Yaohua and preventing it from affecting him.

But just like when he encountered Nangong Wuji last time, the war trampling that had always been invincible failed to have any effect on Nangong Yaohua.

It was as if they had become completely immune to this skill.

It's understandable that Nangong Wuji is immune, after all, the opponent has been building a Foundation Establishment for many years, and it's definitely not something that ordinary Qi Refining skills can control.

But now even Nangong Yaohua is immune, which only means that their mutated monsters have the characteristic of being immune to control.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. The dizziness skill mainly targets the cultivator's consciousness, achieving control by creating dizziness through vibrations of the consciousness.

But they're crazy to begin with, who the hell can control a madman?

With a crisp "bang".

The tough and heavy dragon spear slammed into Nangong Yaohua's right shoulder, causing his right shoulder to sag slightly.

Seeing this, Qi Xuan was greatly encouraged.

The fact that he couldn't completely dodge it means he wasn't fast enough.

His collapsed shoulders indicate that he is not physically strong enough.

These two behaviors alone are enough to show that this guy is no longer at the Foundation Establishment stage.

He can be considered a cultivator who has fallen from the Foundation Establishment stage.

"I fucking love bullying old weaklings the most!!"

Qi Xuan withdrew his spear and slashed back, knocking Nangong Yaohua back with a single blow. Then, he shot out, the spear tip aimed straight for the opponent's chest, but a crisp sound rang out as it hit the target.

"Ding!!"

Upon hearing the sound and feeling the recoil in his hand, Qi Xuan's gaze faltered slightly.

Through the tear in his clothes by the gun tip, he immediately saw a treasure map that the other person had placed between his chest and abdomen.

It was a defensive treasure map made up of various colorful bird feathers.

If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the key treasure that allowed everyone to resist the Zhang family's ambush: the Hundred Feather Universe Diagram.

I never expected it to be on Nangong Yaohua; I thought it was completely damaged.

"Your treasure map is excellent, but it will soon be mine!"

Qi Xuan changed his attack direction, avoiding the chest and abdomen protected by the Hundred Feather Universe Diagram, and instead launched a strong attack on the opponent's head.

Perhaps because his cultivation level was too low or he went mad too early, Nangong Yaohua had little fighting instinct left. Like a mad beast, he only knew how to pounce forward and kill.

Even though his opponent's skill level was still higher than his after his decline, in the end, it only took a dozen or so shots for his already decaying head to be blown off on the spot.

But what Qi Xuan was extremely wary of was...

Although he had already broken the other person's neck, with the head and body separated into two parts.

But whether it was a head or a headless corpse, it still struggled fiercely to launch an attack and did not die on the spot.

On Sunday, it was being chased by that head and screamed loudly, its face filled with terror.

After Qi Xuan finished dealing with the headless corpse and was about to go to help, he saw that the head had also stopped moving.

It felt like all the stored energy had been completely exhausted.

This also served as a reminder to him that he could not simply equate mutated monsters with humans.

It is very likely that their physiological structure has completely changed after the mutation, and now they are more like monsters in human skin than humans.

At the same time, Qi Xuan felt extremely fortunate that he was facing Nangong Yaohua today.

If it were Nangong Wuji instead, after winning the battle, he might be caught off guard and taken away on the spot.

Nangong Wuji was clearly much stronger than Nangong Yaohua, so he would definitely be able to move for a longer time after his head was separated from his body.

Even splitting the neck of such a monster would be a terrible move.

You only needed to deal with one enemy, but splitting them up means you have to deal with two. Why create more enemies for yourself?!
While Qi Xuan was reflecting on his actions, the live stream chat was buzzing with discussion because of the battle:
"It seems this four-armed monster isn't as strong as we thought?"

"It is indeed far inferior to the previous one. The previous one was overwhelmingly powerful, while this one is like it hasn't even fully developed yet."

"Do you think it's possible that the monster's strength is related to its side appendages? Long, thick appendages indicate great strength, while short, small appendages indicate weak strength?"

"It's so short and small, it looks like a small fish."

"Come on, even if he's just a short-headed nobody, his strength is extraordinary, okay? The reason he looks like a nobody is because he's in front of Qi Shen. If it were you guys, you'd get thoroughly beaten up, or I'd change my name right now!"

“Indeed, these monsters cannot be taken lightly. So the question is, how strong is the monster on the island? Judging by the size of its appendages, its strength must be greater than the one in front of us. Even if it is not as strong as Nangong Wuji, it is probably not much different.”

"If that's the case, the monsters on the island might actually be from the Nangong family, or perhaps they are terrestrial deities guarding the other sub-trees."

"At least it's not that missing clan chief, who was one of the top figures among the terrestrial immortals. It's hard to imagine what kind of terrifying monster he would become after his mutation."

"Don't be too happy yet, everyone. Even if the monster on the island isn't as powerful as Nangong Wuji, it's still not to be underestimated. Just look at this one right now; even with its head blown off, it can still chase after pigs and bite them. That kind of terrifying immortality is terrifying. What if we blow the one on the island to pieces, and its shredded flesh spreads out and attacks humans everywhere..."

"Damn it! You guys always keep me up at night."

……

While netizens were discussing in the live stream, Qi Xuan wasn't idle either, and started reaping his spoils on the spot.

The first thing they targeted was naturally the treasure map that Nangong Yaohua carried with him.

After finally managing to untie it, Qi Xuan felt a pang of regret upon seeing the marks on it.

This treasure map is not a true defensive artifact; it is more like a one-time defensive treasure.

That makes sense, because even someone at the peak of Qi Refining would find it difficult to successfully activate a true defensive magic weapon.

Moreover, defensive magical artifacts consume a lot of spiritual energy; if the spiritual energy injected is insufficient, their defensive power cannot be fully utilized.

It would be impossible for the group of Qi Refining geniuses present to successfully activate the defensive artifact.

The enemy doesn't even need to exert too much effort; the defensive magic artifacts alone are enough to exhaust their spiritual energy and capture and kill them on the spot.

Therefore, it's understandable that Nangong Wuji gave them such easily activated defensive treasures.

However, since it's a one-time defensive treasure, the Hundred Feathers Universe Diagram should be usable a few more times, or even dozens of times.

To understand this, we need to start with its own mechanism.

Each time the Hundred Feathers Universe Diagram withstands a powerful external attack, it will consume at least one bird feather, depending on the power of the attack.

The greater the attack power, the more bird feathers are consumed.

It was forged from the feathers of one hundred rare birds, and theoretically, it should be able to withstand a full-force attack from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. After such an attack, the entire diagram would completely collapse. From this perspective, although the Hundred Feather Universe Diagram is merely a defensive treasure, its value surpasses that of ordinary defensive magic weapons.

After all, not every defensive magic weapon can withstand a full-force attack from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yongze, the man the Zhang family led to intercept and kill, was not at the peak of Foundation Establishment, but his strength was still not to be underestimated.

In that brief exchange during the ambush, the Hundred Feathers Universe Diagram destroyed forty bird feathers. While they may have been used elsewhere, the vast majority were likely consumed by the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This also shows Zhang Yongze's strength; he is at least a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Moreover, the Hundred Feather Universe Diagram can not only be placed on the body to resist attacks, but after being refined, it can also be released and remotely controlled to resist attacks. That's why the Nangong family was not defeated one by one by Zhang Yongze.

Now that Nangong Yaohua has not used this treasure at all during his battle with him, this is quite good news.

If the monster could still freely use its magical artifacts and equipment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After putting away the Hundred Feathers Universe Diagram, Qi Xuan searched Nangong Yaohua's body again and found four more usable talismans and a small jade box.

Two of them were actually teleportation talismans that helped them escape Zhang Yongze's ambush.

Although the teleportation distance of the Minor Teleportation Talisman is not as great as that of the Teleportation Talisman (10,000 zhang), it surpasses that of the Earth Escape Talisman (1,000 zhang), reaching a massive 3,000 zhang, making it a rare and valuable talisman.

With this talisman, even if he accidentally bumps into Nangong Wuji again in the future, he can at least escape immediately.

That provides a safety net.

As for the jade box, it was small and exquisite, with spiritual seals on its surface. It looked like a self-destruct device and could not be opened casually. No one knew what was inside.

In addition to the talismans and jade box, he also found a will.

Yes, a suicide note.

In a sense, it can also be considered a memoir.

Just as he had guessed, Nangong Yaohua had already made the worst preparations before his breakthrough, and had even written his will in advance.

The suicide note contained many recollections and reflections, including his past cultivation experiences and recent events, which indirectly solved some mysteries that Nangong Nan had failed to unravel, and filled in the gaps in their ending:

"...I hesitated for a long time before taking action, but I told myself that I had to do it because Ah Xin's condition was really bad, and he was about to collapse."

The most crucial point is that his screams are tormenting everyone's nerves day and night, and the atmosphere in the tree hole is getting worse and worse. The whole team might collapse at any time, and as the leader, I have to be responsible for everyone.

So I killed him; this was the first time I'd ever laid a hand on one of my own.

"...I was heartbroken to see Apeng and Ayu die together. My parents died early, and they and Awei were my best friends since childhood. But Awei committed suicide, and now they are both dead. I am all alone in this world."

In the middle of the night, Xiao Qi came to me and said that she saw me attacking and killing A Xin, but she did not intend to report it. Instead, she asked me to cooperate in preparing to take action against A Nan and take the remaining Qing Shen Yu Lu from him.

Haha, to attack one's own companion, someone who has always admired her—such behavior, such scheming, how vicious!
I killed her on the spot, to her disbelief.

"...The cave was deathly still, with only the five of us left."

I saw the numb and desperate expressions on their faces, and I suppose I felt the same way.

But as the team leader, I must be full of confidence and lead everyone to survive.

I've decided to go into seclusion and attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Success would be great, but if it fails, I don't need to worry about it.

"...I've reached Foundation Establishment! I've successfully broken through and emerged!!"

I thought everyone would be waiting for me, but all I saw was a half-mad Anan.

When he saw me, he cried and laughed, and sang and danced around me.

When I asked him about the others, he laughed and said he had killed the crazed Ah Feng.

Then, crying, he said that he had ambushed and killed Afan and Ayang.

But he soon said that he heard the other party conspired to harm him and had no choice but to take action in self-defense.

I stayed with Anan for three days, and his symptoms got worse and worse.

On the third night, Anan barely regained consciousness and begged me to kill him.

He said he was in so much pain, and he never wanted to be in pain again.

Seeing his tearful pleading, I agreed.

I killed my last comrade with my own hands.

Now I am truly all alone.

The once vast Nangong family may now be reduced to just me.

"...I dug a pit for them and buried all the bodies."

But when I wake up from meditation the next day, those corpses will reappear in front of me.

Am I finally going crazy too?

"...The exposed corpses are becoming increasingly damaged."

It was as if some kind of monster had entered the cave, tearing at them and devouring them.

But what kind of monster could evade my senses?
I've decided to keep watch.

"...The vigil did not solve the problem; the body was becoming increasingly damaged."

Awei had been bitten before, and now he's almost just bones.

Who is it?

Who is it?!

They won't even spare the corpses of my own kind?!

"...In order to repel the insects, I used the Water Arrow technique, but the puddles that landed reflected the bright red appearance of my lips."

That unknown monster was actually me?

Haha, it was me?!
"Oh, it was me!!"

"...Becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator did not slow down my illness; on the contrary, it greatly aggravated it."

I finally understand why the Fourth Elder said that breakthroughs are not necessarily a good thing.

I need to prepare early, at least until I completely turn into a monster, and end all this!

"...I have decided to use the Wood Sealing Technique."

If successful, time may allow them to overcome the illness.

If I fail, then let me become part of the mother tree; at least I won't cause any more harm.

"...It's just a pity that I still have unresolved regrets."

Since I began my cultivation, I have always been regarded as a seed for foundation building, as a pillar who will support my family in the future.

My family never mistreated me because I was an orphan. The elders and my companions were all very kind to me, and they made sure I had access to all the cultivation resources.

However, the Nangong family did not grow stronger because of my breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage. In fact, my condition is too serious now, and I cannot even go home to visit them.

This is the biggest regret of my life, and after the wood is sealed, I'm afraid it can never be made up for.

Besides that, there was the marriage arrangement with the Zhao family.

I was engaged to Zhao Lingyun, the daughter of the Zhao family patriarch, because of my talent, the family gave me the greatest choice.

But in the end I chose Zhao Lingyun, whom they preferred, because I don't really crave romantic love.

If my marriage can add some leverage to the alliance between our families, then I'm happy to do so.

Moreover, Zhao Lingyun herself is quite capable, and she might even advance to the Foundation Establishment stage in the future. In addition, she has a good impression of me, so choosing her should be a good decision.

In the days that followed, Lingyun and I got along well. Although we weren't exactly lovers, we were still a model of marriage between our two clans.

I've gradually come to appreciate some of Lingyun's strengths. There's still plenty of time in the future, enough for us to cultivate a strong relationship and become a model couple in the eyes of others.

That’s what I thought.

Until that ambush.

Because of the suddenness of the event and the need for secrecy, the clan chief told us to set off as soon as possible. Our family members were okay, and we could barely say goodbye, but if our relatives were in other clans, we might not even have time to notify them.

Fortunately, I had prepared a teleportation talisman beforehand. I used it to tell Lingyun about the situation here and express my concerns about the journey.

Lingyun said she would come with her second uncle and some people to help. Although she is not yet married into the family, she considers herself my wife and should do her part for my safety.

I've met my second uncle, Zhao Yuehong. He's in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and is a generous and magnanimous person. With him escorting us on the road, we should be able to reach the Mother Tree safely.

When we arrived at the agreed location, we waited for them for a long time, but in the end, none of them came.

Everyone was trying to comfort me, saying that Lingyun and the others might have encountered a monster, or that they were delayed by something else.

But what are the chances of such a coincidence? The most likely explanation is that they were afraid of incurring losses.

Foundation Establishment combat power is extremely important to every family. Not to mention any loss, even an injury would be a huge loss to the family.

Now that we are heading to the mother tree, the journey is extremely dangerous, and we may encounter any calamities. It is completely understandable that we might hesitate or even break our promises.

They should have notified us promptly instead of leaving us waiting and wasting precious time, which ultimately led to our ambush by the Zhang family! Five of our men were lost!
Five people! They are all my closest clansmen and my companions with whom I have spent a long time!
How am I supposed to face them after I die?!

I am still upset because I don't understand this.

For now, all I can do is wait until I wake up from this self-imposed isolation.

Or perhaps I will never wake up; in that case, I can only plead with someone destined to find out for me.

Qi Xuan was taken aback when he saw this.

Destined person?
Is the person who sends you on your way considered a destined one?
It should be counted.

But that Zhao family is obviously not simple. Who would go there for no reason?

Qi Xuan shook his head, turned the page, and continued reading:
"...Of course I won't let you make a wasted trip. I have nothing of value except two Qing Shen Jade Dews and an attack treasure, which I have stored in the Fire Heart Jade Box."

This jade box was originally intended as a gift for Zhao Lingyun. Only her aura could unlock the spiritual seal; forcibly opening the box would only destroy the contents.

Therefore, this will be entrusted to the destined person who sees this will. You only need to find Zhao Lingyun, approach her, and you can open this jade box and obtain the treasure inside.

Qi Xuan touched the small jade box and said righteously:
"But then again, couples still need to find ways to resolve their problems. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding?"

The reason for keeping Nangong Yaohua's suicide note safe was not only because it contained a rough map, but also because the note itself could help Zhao Lingyun gain his trust.

Although so much time has passed, Zhao Lingyun may have already died, but if she happens to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and uses a self-sealing technique similar to the Wood Sealing Technique to actively seal herself, we might still be able to see her in person.

As for whether she will also turn into a monster like Nangong Yaohua?

Of course, it's possible.

However, there's no need to worry too much, since he has two small teleportation talismans.

If I can't move one card, I'll use two in a row. How can I not escape?
In this way, Qing Shen Yu Lu has a clue for the time being, and there is a way to deal with the [Bone Disease], so that she will no longer be deeply worried and anxious.

Qi Xuan was immediately greatly encouraged.

He was preparing to give the audience a general overview of the scene.

Suddenly, as if burned, his eyes widened in shock, and he froze.
"this is……"

(End of this chapter)