The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

Bai Meng continued to chatter on, his tone becoming increasingly arrogant, as if Bai Xu felt that it was not Zhu Yu who had advanced to the "Foundation Establishment Realm," but Bai Meng himself.

"hiss…"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xu was startled. He secretly glanced up and met a pair of dark eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

When I came to my senses, a chill ran down my spine; I had been startled awake by a cold sweat just moments before.

"You're my elder brother, my ancestor, please stop talking..."

As Bai Meng berated Xun Su and the others, subtly pointing to Zhu Yu sitting at the head of the table, Bai Xu secretly groaned in despair.

If he was previously surprised that Bai Meng had such a lot of influence with Zhu Yu, then at this moment he wished he could shove his fist directly into Bai Meng's mouth to stop him from talking nonsense.

Only by personally encountering a "Foundation Building True Person" can one know what a "True Person" is. To put it bluntly, the essence of a "True Person" is no longer related to humans.

In their eyes, they were no different from livestock.

No matter how human-like they are, this fact remains unchanged.

Bai Xu understood this deeply.

Let alone master and disciple, even blood relatives, or even "real" parents and children, would only face death if they dared to do such a thing.

Bai Xu didn't know why Zhu Yu was so indulgent towards Bai Meng, but fearing that he would spoil the "real person's" mood, he could only force a smile and try to appease him.

Xun Su, Ni Ying, and Qiao Hewei were angered when they heard Bai Meng's rebuke, but they dared not argue back because of her different status from today onwards. They lowered their heads slightly and pretended not to hear.

What they didn't know was...

Bai Meng was surrounded by wisps of dark energy, which sometimes swarmed into his body like insects, and sometimes transformed into ghosts that cradled his head and took a deep sniff, instantly making him extremely agitated.

at the same time.

Scenes flashed before Zhu Yu's eyes, from Bai Meng's birth to his aptitude test, joining the "Netherworld Palace," opening his divine sea, and cultivating his way to the Dao...

Memories are like water, flowing by silently and imperceptibly...

It wasn't until Bai Meng, through her connection with Xun Su, managed to distract herself and enter the "Trading Spirit Ruins" that she was able to enter.

The image freezes when he picks up a cracked crystal ball from a stall.

"Found it..."

Zhu Yu's gaze sharpened, and his divine sense cut through the memory like a knife. Seeing nothing unusual, he confirmed that the opportunity Bai Meng had obtained was an inanimate object. He reached out and grabbed it, and a sphere shimmering with seven-colored light fell into his palm.

The connection between the sensory light sphere and the mysterious realm.

Outside the "Tower of Fallen Gods" area, on a desolate hill, wisps of black and gray aura appeared out of thin air and condensed into a bronze gate that was ten feet tall.

The door was wide open.

A young man in a black robe stepped out, and with one step, his body vanished silently like a wisp of smoke.

Tomb island, palaces.

"Well…"

Bai Meng, who was rambling on and on, suddenly stopped talking, and a look of confusion and helplessness appeared in her eyes.

In the ocean of his memory, woven from wisps of gray and black energy, the gaps in his memories were instantly filled in.

But I no longer remember the crystal ball covered in cracks.

Instead, it is a precious ancient talisman paper that can be forcibly drawn into a second-order talisman by a first-order talisman cultivator.

Using it as the root, the memory lines are reorganized…

Bai Meng suddenly shuddered, his eyes filled with confusion. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Bai Xu couldn't hold back any longer. He pushed him aside, took a few steps to the center of the hall, and knelt down.

As if afraid Bai Meng would come to help him again, he hurriedly took out a beast-shaped pouch from his sleeve, cupped his hands, and respectfully offered it, saying:

"This is a gift from the Bai family to congratulate the 'True Man'."

Fearing that Zhu Yu might not understand its value or Bai's sincerity, he quickly added:

"It is known that the 'True Man' was skilled in corpse refining in his youth. This contains a 'Biography of Corpse Refining' from my ancestor, ten unique corpses, ten corpse-raising coffins, and materials for raising corpses..."

In order to apologize and mend the relationship.

The items they brought alone were worth at least three million spirit stones, not to mention the ancestor's "Biography of Corpse Making".

Bai Xu believed he was full of sincerity and confidence this time.

Zhu Yu had only recently advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, while the Bai family had two Foundation Establishment members. He certainly didn't want to offend the ancestors, and since it was just a small matter before, he had shown enough sincerity this time, so he probably wouldn't hold a grudge.

Just as he was about to reply, he suddenly felt an irresistible, immense force surge in his chest, a sharp pain in his chest, and then he felt dizzy.

But in the eyes of Xun Su and others.

Zhu Yu simply waved his hand, and Bai Xu was sent flying like an arrow, along with his flying boat that was docked in the square, into the sky, disappearing without a trace.

"hiss…"

Xun Su and the other two gasped, their eyes brightening, a burning desire appearing deep in their pupils, and their expressions becoming even more respectful.

Without any supernatural interference, and seeing Bai Xu's fate again, Bai Meng's arrogant expression immediately subsided, and he lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhu Yu glanced at him, then turned his gaze to Xun Su and the others, saying, "Would you all be willing to join my 'manor'?"

With the establishment of the "Prefecture," the more cultivators there are, the more intangible resources it will provide. Moreover, it will soon be time to conquer the "Martial World," and Xun Su and others are excellent in terms of background and aptitude, making them worth recruiting.

"We are willing, thank you Master Zhu."

Xun Su, Ni Ying, and Qiao Hewei had come here for this very reason. Upon hearing this, their faces lit up with joy, and they hurriedly stood up and respectfully agreed.

Zhu Yu glanced at the group and said meaningfully, "I know your purpose. If you can satisfy me, I will not disappoint you."

Zhu Yu glanced at the group and said meaningfully, "I know your purpose. If you can satisfy me, I will not disappoint you."

Ignoring the agitated group, he waved his hand and said:

"Go ahead, you still have time, but not much..."

"Yes, disciple thanks 'True Man'..."

Xun Su, Ni Ying, and Qiao Hewei greeted him with great enthusiasm, then bowed and slowly withdrew from the hall.

Bai Meng stared blankly to the side, clearly somewhat bewildered.

Zhu Yu looked at Bai Meng, and with a flick of his sleeve, a giant ape covered in black scales appeared in the hall, exuding a chilling aura. Bai Meng trembled for a moment and subconsciously took a step back.

"It belongs to you now, 'Whale,' send him away from the graveyard island."

After speaking, his figure vanished in an instant.

"Yes, my lord."

"Whale" respectfully agreed, grabbed the stunned Bai Meng, shouldered the armored corpse "Blue-backed Ape", and turned to leave the palace.

They were to be transported to the island by suspended chains.

Bai Meng seemed to have just woken up from a dream. Looking at the Explosive Ape standing in front of her, sensing the powerful aura it contained, a look of mixed joy and worry appeared on her face.

The good thing is...

This "Explosive Ape" is comparable to that "Second-Tier Talisman".

What worries me is that my previous boastful remarks seem to have displeased Master Zhu.

But remembering that Master Zhu hadn't said anything about expelling him from the sect, Bai Meng's mood changed from worry to joy again. He raised his hand and forced out a drop of essence blood, simply refined the "Explosive Ape," put it into his beast pouch, glanced back at the tomb island, and left with light steps.

"The Tower of Fallen Gods", a certain market town.

A room filled with talismanic papers.

A young man in a black robe quietly appeared in the room. He approached the soft couch with a purpose, flicked his sleeve, and the couch shifted, revealing a hidden compartment from which a crystal ball covered in cracks emerged.

He gathered his sleeves and, without pausing, restored them to their original state, his body slowly disappearing from sight.

……

Tomb Island.

Underground palace and mausoleum.

A bronze door appeared, and as it opened, a crystal ball covered in cracks floated out.

Zhu Yu reached out and took it, scanning it with his divine sense. He couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh." In his perception, the crystal ball was simply carved from ordinary first-grade high-quality white crystal, with nothing unusual about it.

He glanced at it and examined it for a few moments, his gaze lingering.

A full moment.

A piece of information came to mind.

[A wondrous artifact imbued with the power of strange and fantastical ideas.]

[Each month, a wisp of strange and fantastical power can be gathered, capable of transforming the illusory into the real; the stronger the intention, the greater its effect.]

"It's a rare and powerful artifact..."

Zhu Yu was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with surprise.

Based on some information he obtained.

"Strange Treasures" originate from a place called "Gensokyo," a mysterious and strange world that is both an otherworldly realm and one of the "sources" of "fantasy power."

therefore.

Gensokyo is a strange and mysterious place where time and space are intricately disordered, giving rise to many "strange artifacts" that are both ridiculously powerful and so weak that they can be destroyed with a flick of the wrist if their operating rules are understood.

Based on whether they possess a certain level of logical intelligence, they are further divided into two categories: "strange objects" and "treasures".

The weapon that injured "Qingping Zhenjun" not long ago was a "treasure weapon" that possesses a certain degree of "logical intelligence" and can operate on its own to exert its power.

The "crystal ball" is a type of "strange object".

It lacks "logical intelligence" but contains the original power of "Gensokyo" and often possesses unexpected and strange abilities.

Unfortunately, the "crystal ball" was damaged.

Its original "strange ability" is gone; only the ability to extract the original power of "Gensokyo" remains.

But even so.

The "crystal ball" is a treasure among treasures.

As you can see, upon hearing that there was a treasure in the "Martial World," Master Fenghou was willing to risk his life.

Zhu Yuqiang suppressed his joy and recalled Bai Meng's method of activating the "crystal ball," rubbing his palms together three times on each side.

A sudden, magnificent color, like a ribbon of glass, appears at the core of the translucent white "crystal ball," meandering and flowing, exuding a dazzling and enchanting aura.

"Is this the 'power of imagination'?..."

As Zhu Yu gazed at it, his mind raced with thoughts. He had a vague feeling that if he held firm to his beliefs, the power of illusion within the "crystal ball" would manifest according to his thoughts.

"Such a strange and powerful force..."

The thought flashed through his mind, and he chose "immortality" without hesitation. However, the "crystal ball" remained unmoved by his intention. With that thought, he compromised and decided that doubling his "lifespan" would also be acceptable...

The "crystal ball" remained unmoved.

After some thought, Zhu Yu chose to extend his life by a hundred years…

Time and again, we have strengthened our resolve.

In the end, the "power of fantasy" inside the "crystal ball" disappeared, and a fresh and beautiful "white-tailed pear divine fruit" appeared in Zhu Yu's palm.

He was overthinking it.

It is unclear whether the "power of fantasy" contained in the "crystal ball" is too weak, or whether the "power of fantasy" is inherently like this.

If you want to manifest something, you need to understand it thoroughly; otherwise, as before, the "power of imagination" will remain unmoved.

"good…"

Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction. Although the "crystal ball" was not as effective as expected, it was still a "miracle object". Just because it could not manifest anything good now did not mean it could not in the future.

He immediately used the "Eye of True Sight" to deduce and repair the "Crystal Ball." Seeing the "Indefinite" characters displayed on it, he was not disappointed. He fixed it, manifested a bronze door, and stepped inside.

He placed the "crystal ball" high in the sky, came to the "Source Sea," took out a beast-shaped bag from his sleeve, opened it, and poured it down without hesitation.

A large number of water-attribute demon beast corpses fell into the pool. After they piled up to half the pool, another beast bag was taken out and poured out, causing a large number of mid-to-low-grade water-attribute spiritual items to fall into the pool.

Finally, he took out a bronze bottle containing fragments of divine souls, opened the lid, and a black liquid exuding a chilling aura flowed out.

Once the "Source Sea" was completely filled.

With a slight thought, Zhu Yu felt a faint glow emanate from the "Source Sea," covering the pool. In his perception, the corpses of demonic beasts, fragments of divine souls, and water-attribute spiritual objects slowly melted into liquid, and the "Tu Yu Ren" bloodline was activated.

Not long after.

Dark green eggs appeared in the liquid, absorbing the nutrients and spiritual energy contained within, growing rapidly at a visible speed…

As the eggs grew to the size of a fist, under Zhu Yu's expectant gaze, one after another, ugly "fish-man" cubs covered in slime hatched, opening their mouths wide and swallowing at an accelerated pace.

Until the "Yuanhai" was densely packed with "Tuyuren".

A flash of light.

The "Fishmen" sprang forth, growing taller with the wind, reaching five feet in height by the time they landed on the ground, each one lean and wiry.

Wow wow wow…

The space was cramped, and the Tu Yu people were crammed together, frantically kowtowing and shouting to Zhu Yulian.

Zhu Yu sized up the "Fish-Painting Man," and his lips twitched slightly.

Despite being somewhat prepared, I was still greatly disappointed when I saw the murlocs that resembled exotic goblins and gnomes.

"Even your bloodline won't do, 'Hai'..."

Hearing the commotion, he had a slight thought and threw the hundred "Fish People" into the pool of water created by his supernatural power of "Water Control".

"Oh well, it didn't cost us much resources anyway, so let it be a bit of a waste..."

Looking at the remaining large amount of nurturing liquid in the "Origin Sea", Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, then chose to continue nurturing the "Tu Yu Ren".

Not long.

When the "Source Sea" elixir is exhausted.

The total number of "Painted Fish People" has reached 10,000.

To his relief, the bloodline of "Hai" was not entirely useless. Although none of the 10,000 "Tuyuren" were as powerful as the "Jing" type, more than a dozen of them were significantly stronger than their counterparts.

Zhu Yu named it "Da Tu Yu Ren".

After "cultivating" the "Fishman".

He didn't linger. He returned to the tomb island, summoned the "whale," and under its dumbfounded gaze, summoned ten thousand "painted fish people" and handed them over to it for training.

And then these 10,000 Tuyu people appeared.

The cemetery island suddenly became lively.

"Fish people" are not just tools; everything from eating, drinking, and relieving themselves to clothing and shelter is an activity...

Whales are always calm and obedient.

However, after only a few days, he could no longer bear the low intelligence of his fellow clansmen. He went to Zhu Yu and asked him for Zhong Li, Zhu Er, and those servants who had entered the Daoist path. Only then could he barely keep the "Tu Yu Ren" under control.

But how to train him was a real headache for him.

Zhu Yu completely disregarded all of this.

It would be best if the "whales" were trained well, but it wouldn't matter if they weren't trained well either way, since they would all be cannon fodder. Later, when they attacked the "Martial World", they would die and die, and eventually a group of usable "Fishman Warriors" would be trained.

Amidst this hustle and bustle.

Zhu Yu's "mansion" was finally completed.