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

Such dangers lurk everywhere.

This perfectly embodies the meaning of "taking chestnuts out of the fire".

Thus, Qin Wuxiang, with the intention of sharing life and death with "Yongzhou," whether it was the will of Heaven or not, easily yielded to the divine prophecy of "taking chestnuts out of the fire."

As the state fell, his cultivation level soared rapidly, becoming closely connected with "Yongzhou". However, when the capital of Yongzhou was destroyed, his cultivation level reached its limit and he reached the Great Perfection.

Therefore, he forcibly broke through to the sixth realm of immortality under the guise of a life-or-death crisis, intending to restore the "Yongzhou" to its former glory with his sixth realm cultivation...

The result was that he succeeded, but he also failed.

He successfully broke through to the sixth realm of cultivation, but his sieve-like physique ultimately could not withstand the transformation. His physical body rotted like mud, but his soul, because it was tainted by the undying aura of the sixth realm, did not dissipate with the wind. Instead, it resided in the "root" body in hopes of reviving.

"pity…"

Zhu Yu looked inward and felt his soul surge by more than 30%. Instead of being happy, he shook his head with regret.

An immortal divine soul.

Its uses are endless, and its value, even if it cannot compare to a third-tier spiritual item, is not far off. However, it has now been extracted and turned into spiritual resources, which is really a waste.

Since things had come to this, Zhu Yu stopped thinking about it and carefully experienced the benefits of the surge in his spiritual energy.

And a little understanding.

He then discovered that the benefits of his rapidly increasing spiritual energy were far greater than he had imagined.

The first is the "natal spirit realm" which is equivalent to the body.

The negative pressure on his soul caused by the continuous expansion of his "Native Spiritual Ruins" had completely disappeared. At the same time, it also made his control over his "Native Spiritual Ruins" more subtle. He could see every blade of grass, every corpse, and every soul as if he were looking at the lines on his palm. With the slightest thought, he could determine their life and death.

The next step is to condense "divine soul particles".

The number of divine soul particles that can be condensed daily has increased dramatically from the initial three hundred to four hundred.

This means that when he absorbed Qin Wuxiang's soul, he enhanced the essence and potential of the soul, rather than its temporary power.

Another issue is being distracted.

The enhancement of his divine soul essence means that he can bear more consciousness, and it also means that he can split into more fragmented spirits.

I gave it a simple try.

Before advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, he had about twenty split spirits; any more and his main consciousness would risk collapsing.

And then they will advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

This number could be said to have increased, but it could also be said not to have increased. If the splitting is of a "second-order" or lower level, the number will increase more than tenfold. However, if the splitting is of a level that has broken through to the "second order", the number will decrease instead of increase.

According to his estimate.

Before its divine soul had increased, it could support a maximum of ten "second-tier" avatars, but now it can support as many as thirteen.

"No wonder Senior Brother Hong told me not to sell the 'Sea Serpent Ugly Duckling' fruit, but to keep it for myself..."

Zhu Yu's eyes were glazed over.

For cultivators of the "Heavenly Dao Sect," each additional split spirit they can create represents not only strength, but also the ultimate trump card for preserving their lives.

Can be imagined.

Spiritual objects that can enhance the origin of the soul may be comparable to spiritual resources that can increase lifespan for cultivators of the "Heavenly Dao Sect".

Then consider the "Twelve Heavenly Immortals Alliance," which originated from the "Heavenly Dao Sect"...

"Soul, lifespan..."

Zhu Yu had a vague understanding in his heart. After a moment's thought, he conjured up the bronze door and stepped out.

As soon as he appeared, he was summoned to his side by "Master Bai Ze".

He didn't waste any words and stated directly:

"Junior Brother Yinming, you and Junior Brother Huangshi will be in charge of Yongzhou from now on. If you are unable to handle the situation, please send a message to us..."

Having said that, Master Bai Ze used his magic to conjure a jade pendant and handed it to him. He then manifested a nine-zhang-tall bronze gate and addressed Huang Shi, saying, "Junior Brother Huang Shi, come with me to pay homage to True Lord Qingping."

"Yes."

Huang Shi showed no apprehension, only excitement for the unknown, as he followed the "Bai Ze" immortal into the bronze gate and disappeared.

After the two left, Zhu Yu looked around and found that Lu Changsheng and the others were nowhere to be found. Most of the "Tuyu people" below had been driven to guard the border, leaving 100,000 "Tuyu people" to begin taking stock of the battlefield under the orders of Hong Youfu and others.

As the core city of Yongzhou, five or six out of ten residents of Yongzhou Prefecture were wealthy families, and even the commoners were mostly rich farmers.

Therefore, I simply searched through the pages.

A large number of low-level resources were then plundered.

First, there are gold and silver treasures that contain no spiritual energy but are rich in "human prestige." With simple extraction, a considerable amount of "spiritual essence" can be extracted from them.

Then came all sorts of low-grade "spiritual rice" and "spiritual medicine".

Because Yongzhou produces grain, the city of Yongzhou has stockpiled a large amount of new and old grain, totaling about six million catties.

The amount of ordinary grain is in the hundreds of millions of kilograms, and if used sparingly, this grain is enough to feed three million "Tuyu people" for three months.

Then there are all sorts of spiritual items and local products...

It took 100,000 Tuyu people two full days to search and loot everything.

Hong Youfu and the others arrived at the hill, all with smiles on their faces.

"Looks like a considerable harvest..."

Zhu Yu smiled.

Yao Ye nodded excitedly, handed the account book to Zhu Yu, and explained, "My lord, please take a look. The spoils from this conquest of the city are..."

After listening to his words, Zhu Yu glanced through the book briefly, clearly understanding what he had learned, and his smile broadened.

The low-level resources alone are worth nearly 20 million spirit stones.

Gold, silver, and money contain "popularity." According to Hong Youfu and others' estimates, if they were refined into "Spiritual Ruins Origin," there would be at least five thousand "Spiritual Ruins Origin."

However, some precious resources are indeed scarce in its "prefecture".

For example, the "Original Weapon" has only seven handles, and there is not a single famous weapon.

The second-tier spiritual items are mostly spiritual herbs, and there are actually more of them: twelve spiritual herbs and nine different spiritual items.

Zhu Yu was fully aware of this.

Lu Changsheng and his group must have done a thorough search, but they didn't go too far, leaving behind some scattered resources that were enough to offset his efforts.

Zhu Yu put away the account book, looked at the expectant faces of the group, and smiled:

"You've all been busy for a long time, it hasn't been easy for you, so..."

He thought for a moment and said:

"I will take fifty percent of the harvest, and the remaining fifty percent will be divided equally among you all..."

Upon hearing this...

Hong Youfu roughly estimated that if the 50% were divided equally, each person would receive about 500 strands of "Spiritual Ruins Origin". Overjoyed, they all bowed down and said, "Thank you for your generous reward, sir."

"Thank you for the generous reward, Your Majesty."

Whale, Blood Slave, and Dream also had their eyes light up and bowed in gratitude.

Zhu Yu waved his hand, flew down, and put the mountain of resources into his "Life Spirit Ruins". He then gave each of the six people 500 "Spirit Ruins Origin" at a discount.

After the group finished celebrating, he turned his gaze to Hong Youfu, Qiao Heyong, Yao Ye, and Xue Nu, and gave them instructions:

"Although Yongzhou has been occupied by us, the Great Yu will certainly not give up. The four of you will temporarily guard the border of Yongzhou. Do your best to stop them, and if you cannot, send a message to me."

"Yes, sir."

The two people, both from the Abyss, respectfully agreed and then rode away in their escape light.

Zhu Yu looked at Jing and Meng and instructed them, "Each of you lead a group of 'Tuyu people' to plunder the remaining territory."

Although other states have been looted several times, due to foreign enemies, there must have been a lot of resources left behind, so it is still worthwhile to loot them again.

Especially ordinary grains.

He doesn't have a subordinate "Spirit Ruins" yet, and supporting millions of "Fish People" is no easy task. Food alone is a considerable expense, so he tries to save money wherever possible.

"Yes, my lord."

Whale and Dream respectfully agreed and each led 50,000 "Fish People" away.

Yongzhou has now fallen.

The matter has been temporarily resolved.

Zhu Yu remembered the "Yinmingfu" disciples he had almost forgotten and briefly checked everyone's "contributions".

As he expected, Liang Kuan was in first place.

Looking at Xiang Sui, he contributed very few points, clearly indicating that he had been assisting Liang Kuan during this period, striving for first place for him.

Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction.

The drought affliction in Liang Kuan's "Record of the Three Calamities" is a good match for his second "Natal Spiritual Ruins," which he is preparing to open with the "Record of the Three Calamities." As it is a suitable foundational text, it will provide a greater boost to Liang Kuan's "Natal Spiritual Ruins" than it would to Hong Youfu and others.

Keep reading.

Second on the list is "White Flame," which was once his mount.

"Unfortunately, it clashes with my attributes..."

Zhu Yu stared at them for a few moments, then shook his head inwardly and continued reading. He recognized none of them by name, and their appearances were all quite ordinary.

After thinking it over, and having nothing else to do, he decided to go to "Nightmare Province" to distribute rewards to the "Disciples of the Underworld" and also to see what was so special about the Gensokyo "Treasure" that had once injured "True Lord Qingping".

The thought arose.

A bronze door appears; step inside.

When they reappeared, they found themselves in a lush, green region. They soared into the sky, gazing at the blank pillar of light that clearly distinguished it from other regions, and rode their escape light straight toward it.

moment.

A massive city, surrounded by desert for miles around, covering a vast area, billowing black smoke, and constructed of steel, came into view.

As you can see, the interior is bustling with traffic and people coming and going.

"Is this the Noble Phantasm? A city..."

Zhu Yu glanced around and suddenly saw a convoy emerge from the steel megacity, followed by several police cars with flashing lights, speeding across the desert amidst gunfire, staging a scene of speed and passion.

soon.

The convoy riddled with bullet holes drove out of the area illuminated by the beam of light and stopped outside the dense forest. A dozen or so men, women, and children, covered in blood, emerged from the forest. Ignoring the police cars, they sat cross-legged on the ground and took out medicine to heal their wounds.

The police car caught up, but instead of leaving the beam of light, it circled around a few times, kicking up a cloud of dust, before heading toward the steel behemoth.

"Can't we leave the pillar of light...?"

Zhu Yu watched the police car leave, then turned to look at the convoy of cars. His gaze fell on a young man in the crowd, and he leaped down.

Cao Kun quickly recovered from his injuries, opened his eyes, and suddenly saw a strange figure in a black robe banging on the vehicle he had bought at a high price. Cao Kun's eyes were filled with annoyance, and he was about to say something when he suddenly saw the figure's profile and froze.

Coming to his senses, his face instantly turned crimson, and he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed:

"Cao Kun greets Your Excellency."

The people around him were startled by his words and opened their eyes. They were shocked to see Cao Kun, who came from an extraordinary background, kneeling on the ground with the etiquette of a servant.

"Brother Cao, what's wrong...?"

The girl in green standing to the side saw this and her expression changed. She tried to help him up, but as soon as she reached halfway, she seemed to remember something, and her expression changed again. She looked in the direction where Cao Kun was kneeling and saw a figure in black. Her eyes widened immediately, and she knelt down.

"Disciple Wang Ting greets the Lord of the Manor."

Lord of the Manor?

The others were stunned upon hearing this. When they came to their senses, as if they had realized something, their breath caught in their throats, and they hurriedly kowtowed.

"Disciple greets the Lord of the Manor."

Before they could even bow down, everyone felt an irresistible, gentle force rising from below, causing them to involuntarily straighten up.

Immediately, a clear voice was heard.

"I don't need so many formalities, please get up."

"Cao Kun, tell me, where did you get this thing from...?"

Cao Kunqiang suppressed his excitement, slowly moved behind Zhu Yu, and respectfully replied:

"Reporting to you, sir, this fine carriage was obtained by me from the 'Mechanical City' using spirit stones."

Obtained through redemption...

Zhu Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly, "Tell me about Mechanical City..."

"Yes, sir."

Cao Kun briefly organized his thoughts and began to recount his account.

"Machine City".

It was the name that Cao Kun and others gave to the "treasure".

According to what he said.

After they returned to Yanzhou from Yongzhou, someone accidentally discovered this special "mechanical city" located in the desert.

soon.

Someone attempted to enter and brought out a strange device from the "Mechanical City" that was as powerful as an early-stage Qi Refining spell and could be fired in rapid succession. This immediately caused an uproar, and many people rushed in.

The unique architecture, strange food, clothing, and other aspects of "Mechanical City" greatly shocked the disciples of "Netherworld Palace".

However, for the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect who revered "power," these external objects were only novel for a short time before they became obsolete. They began to seek out things that could enhance their strength.

Then they discovered the exchange office in "Mechanical City".

Among them was the strange device that the man had brought earlier, capable of firing in rapid succession comparable to an early-stage Qi Refining technique. It was the lowest-value item among them, and its name was a pistol.

Everyone was overjoyed at the sight, but they soon discovered that they couldn't afford to redeem 99% of the items inside.

Take that man's pistol as an example.

It costs 300 resource points to exchange for this item, but 300 resource points require a full 3,000 low-grade spirit stones. And this is just a pistol. To unleash its power, you also need to buy the corresponding bullets, which cost 10 spirit stones each, making it more expensive than talismans.

This immediately dispelled the thought of 99% of people making a purchase.

Soon, some people discovered that they could have pistols without buying them; they obtained them by completing tasks posted in the "Government Affairs Hall" of the Mechanical City.

The tasks are varied.

They were needed to gather ores and vegetation, and also to search for items in the city and repair damaged things...

Cao Kun's pickup trucks were one of the rewards he received for taking on the task of mining ore.

They were being chased by police cars because they violated the traffic regulations of the Machinery City by carrying cargo that was ten times overweight...

At this point, Cao Kun said helplessly, "The Machinery City clearly told us to haul more ore, but the Machinery City police cars always chase after us..."

"Hmm, you're not bad."

Upon learning that he desired information, Zhu Yu did not linger. He casually bestowed upon him a spiritual object that suited his cultivation, and his figure vanished in a puff of green smoke.

And wait until he left.

Only then did everyone dare to raise their heads, exchange glances, and breathe a sigh of relief. They then turned their gaze to Cao Kun, who was grinning from ear to ear, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy, and gathered around him.

"Senior Brother Cao, from now on I will follow your lead without question..."

"..."