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

Chapter 440 "Strange" Spirit Ruins, Qingyangzi (Please Subscribe)

Compared to "Ling" Lingxu.

Zhu Yu was more concerned about the "strange" spirit ruins described by Mi Zhenren.

Leaving aside other matters...

The fact that the black crystals nurtured within it alone can perfect the "Native Spirit Ruins" and give birth to native creatures makes it worthwhile for him to develop it vigorously.

Upon receiving the message from Master Mi, Zhu Yu immediately split off a "Dao Foundation" composed of ten thousand divine soul particles, manifesting a spiritual wisp, and headed straight for Master Mi's residence with the Dao Foundation.

It's not that I don't want to deploy a divided spirit manifested by more divine soul particles.

Rather, they feared that if their power was too great, they would have difficulty finding a suitable body to contain it after entering the "Strange" Spirit Ruins.

at this time.

The island where Mi Zhenren lived.

Guided by the Qi of Master Mi, Zhu Yu's mind wandered to the center of the island, to a small but quiet courtyard.

Just got close.

Then they saw several people standing in the courtyard.

Besides Mi Zhenren, there was Xiao Dinghai, a big-headed man who often accompanied him, Li Zhan, a burly man, and a man and a woman who were promoted from subordinate Foundation Establishment to "Spirit Ruins Master", named Liu Zong and Chang Yue respectively.

The former comes from the "Phoenix Nest" opened up by the Golden Roc Immortal.

The latter comes from the "Sword Pool" created by Sword Maiden.

When he arrived.

Everyone in the courtyard stood up and exchanged greetings.

"Fellow Daoist Li."

Zhu Han smiled and returned the greeting, exchanged pleasantries, and then took their seats.

Master Mi cleared his throat twice, and when the others looked at him, he said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, the 'Strange' Spirit Ruins are fraught with danger, but they also hold even greater opportunities and spiritual treasures. As long as you are careful and cautious, you will naturally reap rewards."

At this point, her gaze fell on Zhu Yu and the other two, her smile fading slightly, and she said seriously, "But there are some things I must say upfront."

"Fellow Daoists, upon entering the 'Strange' Spirit Ruins, I will only take 30% of the spoils. Whether you cooperate or go it alone after entering—"

"The premise is that the 'beacon' must not be destroyed, the two sides must not attack each other, and the teleportation 'altar' must not be set up independently. Any violation will be punished."

Master Mi paused, gave the three of them a deep look, and then suddenly shook her head and smiled, "This humble servant dares not say more."

"I wouldn't dare, fellow Daoist, you flatter me."

Zhu Yu and the others all cupped their hands in greeting, and regardless of what they were thinking, they all outwardly maintained that they would never do such a thing.

Master Mi smiled, stood up, and amidst the puzzled gazes of the others, respectfully bowed to the void, saying, "This disciple respectfully welcomes 'Young Ancestor Qingji'."

He then took out a black skull that looked like jade from his sleeve, held it up with both hands, and said respectfully, "Please, young master, escort this disciple on his way."

next moment.

With the clanging sound of chains grinding together, a grand will, as powerful as the might of heaven, descended.

The black skull held by Master Mi floated up, and without any strange phenomena, a dark and deep void appeared.

at the same time.

A message flashed through the minds of Zhu Yu and the others.

"Deploy fifty streams of spiritual essence from a foreign land, or five catties of the essence of the five elements."

"Qingji Xiaozu can also help people be sent to otherworldly spirit realms? —"

Zhu Yu was surprised for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Is this how Qingping Spirit Ruins was always placed before?!"

Coming to his senses, he saw Master Mi and his close friends, Masters Xiao and Li, presenting him with 150 "Spiritual Ruins Origins," and a ball of light, radiating a slight spiritual fluctuation, floated out from between his eyebrows and entered the vortex.

Although Zhu Yu can project his spirit through the array, it's uncertain whether Master Mi will lend him the "Dao Beacon." On the contrary, he might offend Qingji Xiaozu, who came to earn a meager "Spiritual Ruins Origin."

This is clearly not worth it.

He immediately notified his main body, which manifested a bronze gate, from which fifty "Spiritual Ruins Origins" were taken and offered. Then, he threw the "Dao Foundation" into the vortex.

Although Liu Zong and Chang Yue were somewhat dissatisfied, they still reluctantly handed over fifty "Spiritual Ruins Origins" to Qingji Xiaozu.

After Qingji Xiaozu finished collecting the "Origin of the Spirit Ruins".

The dark vortex suddenly brightened, transforming into a black sun. It lasted for several breaths before shattering with a deafening roar, disappearing into the void and vanishing without a trace.

"this--"

Zhu Yu was taken aback. Sensing the "distraction," his expression changed slightly, and a look of shock appeared in his eyes.

"So fast? —"

Through his senses, he discovered that in just a few breaths, the distraction he had projected had already entered the "Spirit Ruins" passage.

This is the efficiency of the delivery.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a "Dao artifact" capable of dragging and dropping spiritual ruins.

One word: "Strong"!

Since that was the case, Zhu Yu did not linger. He glanced at Mi Zhenren and the others who had sensed the information from the divided spirits, then manifested the bronze gate and stepped away.

An inverted tower, three stories high.

The back room.

Zhu Yu thought to himself, "In the future, I might ask Qingji Xiaozu to send a portion of his spirit to him—"

Although it costs fifty "Spiritual Void Origins", it's highly efficient. With the time he has to invest, he could have already earned back those "Spiritual Void Origins".

of course.

The premise is that he confirms that the "Otherworldly Spirit Ruins" he is deploying are worth spending "Spirit Ruins Origin" to enter in advance.

The thought flashed through my mind, and Zhu Yu's attention fell on the distraction.

Unlike the narrow and cramped passageway when entering the "Spirit" Ruins, the passageway of the "Strange" Ruins was very spacious and smooth, to the point that he wondered if this "alien spirit ruin" was frequently visited by people.

There was no time to think.

As you pass through the boundary wall, all you see is a hazy gray expanse, as if thick sand and dust are floating in the air. If you project your senses outward a little, all sorts of chaotic and filthy smells rush towards you.

Just for this one moment.

He sensed hundreds of chilling auras, dozens of which were no less powerful than his own body, and faintly, there were even more terrifying auras rising and falling.

A brief contact.

"True Sight" then spammed blocked messages.

"hiss--"

Zhu Yu gasped, hastily withdrawing his senses, his heart filled with indescribable shock. "This 'Spirit Ruins'—"

For a moment, he didn't know if he had landed in a monster's lair or if the level of this "Spirit Ruins" was a bit too high.

They dared not be so presumptuous again.

Honestly, I followed the "beacon" and slowly fell.

moment.

In the hazy gray sky, a cluster of warm orange-yellow flames appeared in his sight.

"arrive--"

Zhu Yu was overjoyed and quickly descended. As he got closer, a mountain village shrouded in an orange-yellow light came into view.

It is evident that someone crossed the river on foot.

The "road sign" is located in the "village".

Without hesitation, Zhu Yu steered his Dao Foundation toward the village. The moment he touched the orange-yellow light shield, he felt no warmth whatsoever. Instead, a bone-chilling coldness clung to him like a sticky snake.

[Warning - Under the influence of an unknown force -]

[Warning—Being corrupted by an unknown force, now blocked—]

【warn--】

Zhu Yu felt that his mind was filled with random thoughts, and illusions were constantly arising.

As the "Eye of True Sight" blocked the information, a still and eerie image appeared in his mind.

In the gray world, countless twisted and eerie figures crawled on the ground like insects, kowtowing and worshipping, while the direction of their worship was a phantom black sun radiating evil, eeriness, and radiation.

"hiss--"

Zhu Yu suddenly came to his senses. Without thinking, he sealed away and erased the thought containing the strange image, completely forgetting the image. Then, without looking back, he turned and walked out of the village.

What is it that burns with one's lifespan to fight against the eerie "Eternal Flame"?

That was clearly a bizarre creature beyond reason; he had only ever sensed that strange feeling in the will of the "Abyss".

It doesn't mean that its strength is comparable to "The Abyss".

Rather, it was because its existence was beyond his comprehension.

"This is a 'weird' world. These humans are clearly being raised by some powerful being, and there is no way for them to fight against the monsters—"

With a thought flashing through his mind, Zhu Yu plunged into the mist. After crossing a mountain, a dilapidated Taoist temple with an eerie glow appeared in his sight.

It dropped slightly, getting closer.

He could sense four cold, gloomy auras within the Taoist temple, one strong and three weak. The strong one was comparable to the perfect Qi Refining stage, while the weak one was comparable to the mid-stage and early-stage Qi Refining stages.

"This is it—"

Having made up his mind, Zhu Yu drove the "Daoji" down to the house in the center of the Taoist temple, passed through the porch, and crashed straight into the dark ball of light.

The feeling was as if breaking through a cold, icy membrane, and a stream of unfamiliar memories welled up like flowing water.

Most of the memories were fragmented, except for one memory called "Qingyangzi," which was somewhat complete.

He was the abbot of Qingyang Temple, and had two young disciples and an old tree. He spent his days chanting scriptures and practicing alchemy, and had a wide circle of friends.

It is quite famous in the Black Wind Mountain area.

People flocked to his door seeking elixirs.

Some seekers of elixirs got their wish, while others became elixirs themselves and lived a rather peaceful life.

My deepest memories of this world are only of this small area of ​​Black Wind Mountain.

There's an old woman named Huang in the east. She can defeat her in a one-on-one fight, but she has a lot of children and grandchildren, while Huang only has two children and an old tree. She's not someone to mess with.

There's a pretty young woman in a wedding dress to the south who's always flaunting her charms and attracting attention. She's not someone to mess with!

There's a village to the west; I'm tempted, but I dare not—

There's a market to the north with good things, but they're very expensive, and it really wants to steal them—

There are also some guys who are dirt poor.

Most of the materials used by "Qingyangzi" in alchemy were provided by them.

The dimly lit main room remained dark for a few moments, then suddenly lamps lit up.

Under the light.

A middle-aged Taoist priest, dressed in a tattered ginger-yellow robe, with gray hair, pale skin, and dark, cold eyes, sat cross-legged on a futon.

Zhu Yu raised his hand, which resembled a chicken claw, and wisps of black and gray energy rose up, manifesting in mid-air as shapes such as chickens, dogs, and beasts. He then closed his hand, and the energy exploded outwards.

His sinister face twitched, his mouth slightly open, and a hoarse, cold voice rang out.

"It's an unexpectedly good match—"

His gaze was fixed on himself.

An information panel that only he could see appeared.

[Target: Zhu Yu "Qingyangzi"]

[Race: Uncanny]

[Rank: Black - Fiend "15%"]

[Deceptive Technique: Elixir of Immortality]

Status: Healthy

He has access to information.

The monsters are divided into three levels of strength.

From lowest to highest, they are Black, Blood, and Netherworld, with each rank further divided into Wandering Soul, Vengeful Soul, and Malevolent Soul.

"Qingyangzi" is a Black-level evil spirit.

Deceptive tactics.

It is a kind of talent spell, but a more bizarre spell.

For example, the trickery of "Qingyangzi" called "Paodan".

It can transform humans, monsters, spirits, and strange creatures into elixirs like a butcher dissecting an ox, and as for the effect, it depends entirely on fate.

of course.

If one can make elixirs, one can naturally also kill people and monsters.

Zhu Yu closed the information panel, just as he was about to ponder his future, when, accompanied by children's laughter, a series of light footsteps approached from outside.

Suppressing my thoughts, I turned to look.

Two figures, each less than a meter tall, pushed and shoved each other as two ugly children, dressed in tattered children's clothes, skin clinging to their bones, with large heads and hardly any hair, burst into the main room.

What they were fighting over was a weasel. As the weasel playfully gnawed at it, its skin was torn open and blood flowed freely. Strangely, the weasel did not struggle as the boy's rotten teeth gnawed at it, its withered yellow eyes calm and inhuman.

And when Zhu Yu looked over.

The two big-headed boys threw down the weasel, knelt on the ground with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly. Soon, their foreheads were torn open, and turbid blood flowed out.

Zhu Yu ignored them. The two boys were two clever "big-headed ghosts" chosen by "Qingyangzi" from among the wandering spirits at the foot of the mountain.

He is both a child and a medicinal ingredient.

His dark and cold gaze fell on the weasel, and he said nothing. A strange power, like a field, enveloped it.

The weasel's calm eyes widened in terror as it kowtowed repeatedly, splattering blood everywhere, and its shrill, piercing voice rang out.

"Great Immortal Qingyangzi, the Empress invites you to descend the mountain and pull off a heist—"

"Let's pull off a heist—"

Zhu Yu recalled the memory of "Qingyangzi" and then realized that the so-called "doing a job" meant lurking outside the "market".

The elixir was given to him.

The rest belonged to Granny Huang.

"understood."

Zhu Yu nodded, his gaze falling once more on the weasel that was kowtowing, and the invisible force field surrounding it suddenly tightened.

His body stiffened, and a look of terror appeared in his eyes.

Then the skin is peeled back like paper, revealing flesh, bones, tendons, organs, brain, and pupils—

The parts were assembled in mid-air.

A few breaths later.

As an enticing fragrance wafted out, a golden, fuzzy pill fell to the ground.

Zhu Yu reached out and took it, glanced at it a few times, and casually threw it into his mouth. A gurgling evil aura emerged, and the faint screams of "weasel" could be heard, but the sound stopped abruptly as the cold torrent swept over it.

A short while later.

A middle-aged Taoist priest, holding a black and white banner, led two boys down the slippery stone steps.

The tall, lush locust trees outside the courtyard gate swayed and cast shadows, as if bidding farewell.

Ancient trees stand silently, phosphorescent lights twinkle like stars.

Zhu Yu arrived at the foot of the mountain. After taking only a few steps, he heard rustling sounds coming from the bushes beside him, and a gleaming, greedy light emanated from within.

He stopped in his tracks, tilted his head to look, and with a grab, a vine covered in snake scales and a ghostly face flew out.

Waaah—

It struggled incessantly in his hands, its twisted face dripping with black liquid, emitting mournful cries.

Zhu Yu raised his leg and twisted it forcefully. With a crack, the "Ghost Face Vine" broke in two, black water seeping out from the broken pieces, and the screams became even more mournful.

He casually tossed half a vine to the two big-headed ghost children, then picked up the "Ghost Face Vine" and took a bite.

It's crunchy, juicy, and slightly sweet, like unripe green sugarcane.

"It tastes good!"

Zhu Yu nodded slightly, thinking that he would raise a few more at the Taoist temple later. While eating, he looked around and headed towards the old place.

The two big-headed ghost children fought and ate, their faces blackened, their uneven, rotten teeth embedded with twisting, screaming wood chips.

I wonder if it's because of his aura.

We've traveled all the way here.

I only encountered one wave of "Lantern Ghosts".

Zhu Yu casually killed two of them, but they tasted like chewing wax. He did manage to extract some lamp oil, but it smelled terrible, like rotten salted fish, so he threw it away in disgust.

After crossing a hill.

Woohoo—

Suddenly, the sounds of trumpets and gongs echoed from the quiet, dense forest.