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

"The asking price is too high..."

Huang Shi's eyelids twitched, and he was speechless. He had already asked for the most he could, but unexpectedly, this "Green Child" was cheaper than he had imagined, or rather, his collection of weapons was more valuable in the eyes of this foreigner.

Thinking of this, he narrowed his eyes, watching Zhu Yu continuously taking out jade jars, and suddenly spoke:

"A legendary artifact, a fifth-realm 'divine seed,' would you like it?..."

Zhu Yu paused, looking at Huang Shi suspiciously, "You have it?"

A "famous artifact" is equivalent to half a spiritual artifact. It greatly enhances the strength of martial artists who are not skilled in artifact crafting and can be passed down as a family heirloom.

Even martial artists at the fifth level don't necessarily have one; it's almost never sold on the market.

The number of "divine seeds" in the fifth realm is even smaller. Knowing that they are doomed to die, no one would be foolish enough to leave supplies for their enemy unless they kill them before they can react. Otherwise, what they get is often just a pile of mud.

Huang Shi didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you have any elixirs or miraculous medicines containing a large amount of vital energy, the more and purer the better?" He paused, then added, "At least a hundred times the total vital energy of a Golden Body Realm cultivator."

"A elixir with a hundred times the total blood and qi of a Golden Body Realm cultivator..." Zhu Yu repeated, his brows furrowing involuntarily. "This kind of thing is not common..."

If it's uncommon, then it exists!

A hint of eagerness flickered in Huang Shi's eyes. Afraid that Zhu Yu would see through his thoughts, he boldly opened his mouth, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and feigned nonchalance, saying:

"Want a legendary weapon? A fifth-realm 'divine seed'? If you want it, go find it. If it's not difficult, this general will trade with you... "

"Too…"

Zhu Yu nodded as if suddenly realizing something, then said, "Let's talk about the present first. How many tens of thousands of 'Green Cattle' do you plan to need?..."

"Let's make it clear first, this is the price for the lowest quality Green Jade, and the price is different for the medium and high quality."

Huang Shi bought the green fodder not for his own consumption, but to train his "personal guards and subordinates," he waved his hand and said:

"We need to buy the lowest quality ones first... let's buy 100,000 of them."

"it is good."

Zhu Yu nodded in agreement and took out jars of green tea from his sleeve, continuing until he had collected a hundred boxes before stopping.

"Count them yourself, there are exactly 100,000."

He walked over to the display shelf, picking and choosing, his eyes sparkling with delight, but he muttered with disdain, "The quality is terrible. How can you, a dignified 'Descended from Heaven,' collect such junk?"

Before obtaining Fei Niangzi's top-tier "weapons," he found these weapons containing one or two strands of spiritual essence very appealing, since they were practically free. But now that he had two top-tier "weapons," he felt somewhat greedy looking at the other weapons on the shelf.

Huang Shi ignored his words, glancing at the hundred jade jars piled up on the ground, then at Zhu Yu's sleeve, his eyes filled with astonishment and eagerness. He steadied himself and said:

"How did you manage to fit so much stuff in there...?"

Zhu Yu turned his head, revealing an expression that said, "I knew you'd ask," and pulled a beast-shaped pouch from his sleeve, tossing it to Huang Shi and waving his hand generously, saying:

"Consider this a small gift from me to you, don't be shy."

Huang Shi took it, glanced at it briefly, and immediately noticed the bag's ingenuity. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Such a small cloth bag, yet it can hold an entire room! Truly wondrous!" He then accepted it without any hesitation.

He grew increasingly curious about the outer realm where Zhu Yu came from. It wasn't that he hadn't been to the outer realm before, but it was either a desolate wasteland where even breathing felt uncomfortable, or it was inhabited by strange and repulsive creatures.

Let alone humans, even humanoids are extremely rare...

Just as he was about to ask a question, he saw Zhu Yu, who had been picking and choosing, suddenly put away the ten "weapons," and the bronze door he had seen earlier appeared in front of him. He left behind the words, "General Huang, please wait a while, I will go down and get the elixir for you," and then entered the door and disappeared.

Huang Shi stared intently at the bronze door until it vanished into nothingness, but he still couldn't make out a single detail. Looking at the empty carriage shaft, he felt a strange sense of envy.

If he possessed such supernatural powers, there would be nowhere in the world he couldn't go!

Shaking his head to suppress these distracting thoughts, Huang Shi turned to look out the window. In his vision, a black dot was hurtling towards him from the horizon. A slight smile played on his lips as he murmured to himself:

"I wonder if this sneak attack could have left behind a fifth-realm 'divine seed'... Oh well, if I can't leave one, I'll just find another..."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, and with a sound like the rushing of a river, his dark and thin body visibly became fuller, and his ugly appearance gradually became more splendid...

Yinlan County.

Numerous monsters with lizard-like heads, long whiskers, yellow eyes, humanoid lower bodies, and fish tails, some wearing leather armor and wielding knives and forks, others naked and carrying weapons such as hammers and wooden spears, surged into villages, towns, and cities…

Just a moment later.

Fireworks roared, and screams of battle filled the air. The fighting lasted for a few minutes at most, and half a day or a whole day at most. When the next day came, the monsters emerged from the towns and villages and headed to the next town or village.

The former towns and villages are now only filled with the rising smoke of cooking fires…

If you look up at the sky, you will find that wherever the monster goes, the blue sky turns into a clear blue sky, and a bright blue sun hangs high, radiating endless blue light.

At this time.

A group of about a thousand monsters, led by three young women on horseback, arrived not far from a town. Suddenly, the long-faced man in black, who was in the lead, let out a soft "Eh," and reined in his horse to stop.

As he watched the smoke rise and heard the faint sounds of fighting and crying from the town, his expression immediately turned grim.

The girl in green frowned slightly.

A handsome young man in a white robe stood to the side and cursed, "Which bastard doesn't know whose territory this is?..."

He then turned to the long-faced young man in black and said obsequiously:

"Brother Cao, what do you think we should do? Should we take him down? I, Wuyu, will be the first to rush in..."

The girl in green turned her head and looked at him. Her cold expression softened considerably. She said softly, "Ting'er will listen to Brother Cao."

Cao Kun wasn't blinded by their flattery. Suppressing his anger, he pondered for a moment and said, "Ting'er, you stay here and watch over the 'Fish People,' don't let them run around. Junior Brother Wu, let's go see who dares to disobey Steward Liang's orders and attack someone else's target."

"Yes, Brother Cao, be careful."

Wang Ting'er seemed to completely trust you.

Wu Yu's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up, flattering, "Brother Cao is so thoughtful. Once we find out which bastard it is, we'll report him to Steward Liang, and he'll be in big trouble."

Cao Kun shook his head slightly. He felt that things were not that simple. His mother had brought him into the manor in a high-profile manner, and with Wu Yu's big mouth, it was not uncommon knowledge in the Yinming Mansion.

Moreover, he spends most of his time cultivating and rarely offends anyone. Given his status, there's no reason why anyone would deliberately steal his mission objectives.

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, he led the blackfish into the town and soon reached the edge. Looking inward, he saw some blackfish people slaughtering the native residents on the street.

"Sure enough, which brat is it? Is it Li Ping? Or Qian Heng?..." Wu Yu glared and cursed.

Cao Kun frowned, about to say something, when he suddenly noticed that a local indigenous person who was manifesting divine words was not only not helping his own people kill the "Tuyu people," but was actually helping the "Tuyu people" slaughter the indigenous people.

He was taken aback, as if realizing something, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He reached out and tugged at the still-cursing Wuyu, transmitting his voice:

"These 'painted fish people' don't belong to the master... Let's go quickly."

After saying that, he grabbed the stunned blackfish and quickly left, returning to the location of the "Fish Man". Ignoring Wang Ting'er's words who were waiting there, he took out a talisman from his sleeve and activated it with spiritual power.

The talisman burned, transforming into a stream of light that shot into the sky and exploded into a firework visible for miles around.

Not long after.

A streak of black and red light descended from the sky and suddenly appeared, revealing a majestic and imposing figure.

"This disciple greets Steward Liang."

Cao Kun and the other two hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.

Liang Kuan glanced at the group, then at the noisy "Fish People" beside him, and looked down toward the town, saying calmly:

"What happened?"

"Deacon Liang, it is..."

Cao Kun quickly recounted his discovery.

Liang Kuan initially thought it was a dispute among disciples over resources, but as Cao Kun recounted the story, his expression gradually became serious.

Before he could finish speaking, he took to the air and quickly arrived above the town. Looking down at the numerous "Fish People" below, sensing their emanating aura, his eyes became serious.

"Other Foundation Establishment cultivators...?"

Without hesitation, he immediately took out his identity jade token and contacted Zhu Yu.

The wait wasn't long.

Then, wisps of green smoke appeared in front of him, revealing a bronze gate sixteen feet high. Seeing Zhu Yu walk out from it, he hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Senior brother."

Zhu Yu nodded slightly, looking down at the "Fish People" below. He raised his hand and picked one up. His divine sense swept over it roughly, and various memories surfaced in his mind, finally settling on a handsome man in black robes.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured:

"Shangguan Dazu..."

He casually tossed the "Fishman" aside, then turned to Liang Kuan and ordered, "Proceed according to plan." He paused, his eyes flashing with a chilling light, "Kill any 'Fishmen' who are not my kin."

After saying that, he raised his hand and pressed down, unleashing a burst of powerful magic. The entire town and the rampaging "Fish People" within it were reduced to dust in an instant, leaving only a giant handprint in the place.

"Yes."

Liang Kuan, his eyes equally piercing, nodded in agreement.

Just as Zhu Yu was about to leave, he suddenly heard someone call him "Master." Looking in the direction of the voice, his gaze fell on Cao Kun, who was kneeling with a servant's salute among the three. He reached out to help him up and said with a smile:

"You must be Zhu Yi's son, Cao Kun. That's right. You are a disciple of the 'Yinming Mansion.' In the future, you may treat me with the respect due to a disciple."

"Ah? Master...this...Mother, she..."

Cao Kun was momentarily timid and trembling, unsure of how to respond.

"Never mind..."

Zhu Yu roughly understood his meaning, smiled, and took out several "divine seeds" of the Divine Realm to bestow upon him. Ignoring his joyful expression, he disappeared like a wisp of green smoke.

He toured Silver Leaf County.

For some unknown reason, Shangguan Dazu did not show himself to compete with him, but instead gathered the "Tuyuren" and left Yinye County, disappearing without a trace.

"They're fast runners, though..."

Zhu Yu looked at Shangguan Dazu's aura, which seemed to be wandering aimlessly, shook his head slightly, stopped searching, reminded Cang Hai and the others, manifested the bronze gate, and returned to the "Original Spirit Ruins".

In front of an altar.

"Judging by the time, Hanabishi should be arriving soon..."

Zhu Yu mentally connected with the information from the "Insect Realm" and thought to himself, "I wonder if the 'Lord of Ye Lian Mountain' has any high-quality fruits similar to the 'Flesh Ganoderma'..."

"And the Elixir of Life, if only..."

Various thoughts flashed through Zhu Yu's mind, but he did not leave his "natal spiritual ruins". He used his mind to communicate with his "insect realm" spirit, as well as his "heavenly principles" spirit and "righteous energy" spirit located in Taihu Lake.

As the information flooded in, a strange look appeared on his face.

It was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

The "Heavenly Principle" avatar did not create a sect, but instead joined the long-declining "White Lotus Sect". After breaking through to the "Golden Body Realm", it naturally became the Green-Clad Envoy, whose status was second only to the Holy Maiden.

The position of Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect is currently vacant, and the fate of the White-Clad Envoy is unknown. The Divine Spirit of Heavenly Principle can be said to be all-powerful.

In order to consolidate the loose forces of the "White Lotus Sect", the "Heavenly Principle" branch deliberately provoked the "Peace Society", which was also a rebel force. He used trickery to ruthlessly kill a Golden Body Realm martial artist of the "Peace Society", and was wanted by the sect. His reputation gradually rose.

The "Righteous Spirit" shard and its eight hundred brothers and sisters did not cause any trouble. After occupying Qingfeng Village, they took the initiative to pay tribute to Baima Village in exchange for temporary peace.

Now, having absorbed a portion of the terrifying "popularity" of the "Eight Hundred Brotherhoods," his cultivation has reached the "Golden Body Realm," and he is at the peak of the "Golden Body Realm," only one step away from breaking through to the fifth realm, "Dharma Aspect."

His eight hundred sworn brothers and sisters have all broken through to the "Dao Fruit Realm".

Among them, Yu Fushui, Yu Lou, Li Ling, Yuan Guang, Dang Qing, Liu Peisan, You Mang and others were just one step away from breaking through to the Golden Body Realm.

Compared to hiding and fleeing from the Taiping Society's pursuit, the "Tianli" sect, which was using the guise of the White Lotus Sect to seek further development and expansion, was distracted.

The "Righteous Spirit" is developing steadily, and it is only waiting to break through the fifth realm "Dharma Form" before it can begin the next step of the plan.

At this time.

Insect world.

A mountain peak in the southern border region.

The shrubs were neatly tended, and the thick grapevines meandered around the trunks. When the breeze blew, the leaves fluttered, revealing bunches of Kyoho grapes hanging like purplish-red gems.

Approaching maturity.

Not far away, a "Giant Peak Market" was set up. Often, three or five spirit beasts would come to the foot of the mountain to check if the "Giant Peak Grapes" were ripe and when they would ripen, so as to be the first to grab a grape-picking job.

"It smells so good, it must be almost cooked, right?... "

"We'll have to wait a few more days. The bald guy will let us know when it's ripe."

"No way, the bald guy has to raise so many giant grass rats, and he's so close to the giant beetles, he'll definitely pick his fill first..."

"Wow... okay, then let's do it once a day, no, twice a day..."

"Won't this be too much trouble for the giant peak?"

"No, the Giant Beetle is great, it even returned it to me last time..."

"..."

Three snow hares, each about half a person's height, murmured to themselves and hopped away from the foot of the mountain into the forest.

"Those silly rabbits, they don't know that the fruit is ripe just because it smells good..."

In a large tree in the mountains, a bright red fire ant, its head adorned with a leaf, sprang up, carrying a bucket of water to the base of a grapevine. Watching the snow rabbits' retreating figures, it gave them a smug look of disdain.

After watering, it leaned against the tree trunk, lay back, took out a "southern jujube" fruit from the spider silk pouch on its chest, took a bite, and looked up at the sky with its crystal red pupils.

"Maybe we should just go back..."

"The Divine Tree of Inheritance is gone, so be it. They won't die without it anyway..."