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

Chapter 81 The Value of the Underworld (Please Subscribe)

"Um?"

Zhu Yu was stunned upon hearing this, and opened his mouth as if to speak.

"No need to answer me right away."

Xiang Kui waved her hand to interrupt, gave him a deep look, and said, "Do you know what kind of bloodline this corpse tiger possesses?"

"Know."

Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, landed on his feet, and replied, "I checked in the Dharma Pavilion; the Black Tiger contains the bloodline of the 'Netherworld Ghost Tiger.'"

"Netherworld Tiger?"

Xiang Sui, standing to the side, sized up Black Tiger, his eyes filled with doubt.

Xiang Kui ignored him, staring intently at Zhu Yu, or rather, the black tiger beside him, with a strange smile on her face.

"The Netherworld Tiger is born with the ability to escape into the Netherworld. Your Corpse Tiger bloodline is not thin. Once you break through to the mid-stage of the first rank, you will probably be able to awaken the ability to escape into the Netherworld."

"Do you know what this means?"

"Um?

Zhu Yu looked on with doubt, then a thought stirred in his heart.

Since Xiang Kui was willing to exchange a Foundation Establishment spiritual artifact for the Black Tiger, and mentioned the "Netherworld Ghost Tiger's" ability to escape into the underworld, it's obvious that this ability must be extremely useful.

"The Netherworld—The Netherworld Spirit Ruins?"

As if realizing something, Zhu Yu suddenly paused, his brows furrowing, and hesitantly asked, "Does Senior Brother Xiang Kui mean that Black Tiger is related to those Qi Refining Perfection senior brothers who returned to the Spirit Ruins?"

"Your comprehension is indeed very high."

Kui nodded approvingly, a smile spreading across her face, and explained, "Because True Person Yinming was trapped in the Otherworldly Spirit Ruins, the Yinming Spirit Ruins closed its advancement channels, and the Great Thousand Mirror sealed the Yinming Cave. This has prevented Perfected cultivators like Lian Sheng, whose life roots have been shattered, from elevating their Dao foundation to the 'Immortal Tomb,' and from leaving the Yinming Spirit Ruins."

"If the Yinming True Man does not return in time, those few longevity roots will be unable to hold on any longer, and they will have no choice but to pass away peacefully."

"Your corpse tiger is their only hope—"

Seeing that Zhu Yu still had doubts, Xiang Kui smiled and said, "The 'Immortal Tomb' Lingxu has two sides, Yin and Yang. The Yang side is where we are now, and the Yin side is the 'Yinming'."

"Your ability to allow the Corpse Tiger to escape into the Netherworld can lead them into the Netherworld of a True Person, allowing them to escape this prison."

"so--"

Zhu Yu's eyes flickered, and he felt a surge of excitement.

He realized the importance of Black Tiger to the people Xiang Kui mentioned; it was almost equivalent to a life-saving grace.

If one of them breaks through.

How rich must one repay the life-saving grace of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

But seeing Xiang Kui's faint smile, Zhu Yu quickly calmed down, pondered for a few moments, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He suddenly remembered a sentence.

Great kindness can be as great an enemy.

If the favor is too great, repaying it would come at too high a price; not repaying it would ruin one's reputation and credibility. In that case, making the benefactor disappear is clearly a reasonable and good idea.

"She is quite clever—"

Seeing Zhu Yu's changing expression, Xiang Kui knew that he had already considered the consequences. He nodded secretly and said, "If you are reluctant to part with this corpse tiger, how about lending it to my Xiang family for the time being? Once the Yinming Cave is sealed off, no matter what the outcome, I will give you a Foundation Establishment spiritual item."

He paused, then added, "You can also make requests, as long as they're not too unreasonable, I can grant them—"

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Xiang Sui beside him.

Xiang Sui, however, seemed oblivious, looking down at the ground as if sensing something good underground.

Zhu Yu took in the sight and felt even more favorably disposed toward Xiang Sui. After thinking for a moment, he did not haggle and said with a smile, "I will do as Senior Brother Xiang Kui says and lend the Black Tiger to you for the time being."

After speaking, he raised his arm, and a corpse stinger crawled out from his palm. A layer of crystals visibly condensed on its surface, and in just a few breaths, it transformed into a piece of exquisite jade.

Without hesitation, he handed the mark that controlled the black tiger to Xiang Kui.

"You're very good."

Xiang Kui gave him a deep look, took the mark, and used her spiritual energy to refine it in an instant. Then she raised her hand and slapped Xiang Sui on the back of the head, nodded slightly to Zhu Yu, and left with the Black Tiger.

After his elder brother left, Xiang Sui rubbed the back of his head, grinning, and turned to Zhu Yu, saying fiercely, "Junior brother, you should have asked for more. He's the Xiang family's Foundation Establishment seed, rolling in money—"

He chattered on and on about Xiang Kui, how he bullied him when they were kids, and how he would behave once his cultivation surpassed Xiang Kui's—

Zhu Yu listened with a smile.

The fact that Xiang Sui frequently mentioned Xiang Kui in his conversations suggests that the two brothers had an excellent relationship, and this also gives a general indication that the Xiang family had a good internal atmosphere.

"It seems the Black Tiger won't just disappear for nothing; there will most likely be no Foundation Establishment level spiritual treasures left—"

Zhu Yu nodded to himself. After the classroom was full, he nodded to Xiang Sui, straightened his expression, and stepped into the room.

"Greetings, Master Zhu."

"Fellow disciples, please be kind. Today I will tell you—"

The outer room.

Hearing the soft voices coming from the classroom, Xiang Sui's smile deepened. Then, as if remembering something, he hummed, "Junior Brother Zhu trusts me so much, I certainly can't let him down—"

He wasn't stupid; he could guess from their simple conversation that the corpse tiger was extremely valuable to the Xiang family and Xiang Kui.

If we take it as an example.

If Jiao Zuo and the others sign a contract, they probably won't dare to refuse no matter how unreasonable the conditions are.

If any of them manage to break through, the Xiang family will make a fortune. If they all fail to break through, the overflowing essence will still be enough to feed Xiang Kui. In either case, they will not lose money.

As for Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.

For a force with a Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge, it is precious, but not as precious as the rumors suggest.

the other side.

Xiang Kui left the street without hesitation and immediately notified Jiao Zuo and the other two, saying she had a way to get them into the Yinming Spirit Ruins.

We have received the news.

The three anxious people seemed to have grasped at a straw and immediately appeared in front of Xiang Kui.

Restaurant.

Jiao Zuo, the middle-aged man, and the girl with the birthmark examined the Corpse Tiger one by one. When they sensed its bloodline, they all showed excitement!

"There's hope!"

Smiles lit up their faces as they exchanged pleasantries with Xiang Kui.

Seeing the three people's expressions change several times, Xiang Kui was overjoyed. The "Heavenly Dao Sect" is known for its strength. No matter how powerful your background is, if you are not strong, no one will respect you.

Jiao Zuo and the other two, who survived the aftershocks of Foundation Establishment, were all outstanding among their peers. They used to look down on people like Xiang Kui, but now they had to put on a smiling face.

However, Xiang Kui only thought about it in his heart. On the surface, he was humble and polite, exchanged a few pleasantries, took out three contracts from his sleeve, placed them on the table, and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Jiao, Senior Brother Ning, Senior Sister Bai, you can take a look. If you feel it is suitable, sign the contract. Half a month later, I will send the three of you into the Yinming Spirit Ruins—"

The three exchanged a glance, silently picked up the contract, and as they read it through, their faces gradually turned ashen.

Before the three could speak, Xiang Kui shook her head and sighed, "If senior brothers and sisters are unwilling, let's just let this matter rest—"

"Sign! I'll sign!"

Jiao Zuo took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and imprinted the contract with his divine sense. Seeing this, Ning Ze and Bai Ling could only reluctantly imprint their divine senses as well.

"See you in half a month, senior brothers and sisters."

7

Fearing that the three would get angry and start beating him, Xiang Kui put away the contract and left without lingering for a moment, taking Black Tiger with her.

"well--"

The three looked at each other and sighed helplessly.

"If I can break through, I will definitely fight him!"

Jiao Zuo was filled with resentment. If he had condensed the field that day, even if he couldn't support the Dao Foundation, he could have left the Yinming Cave earlier. Why was he forced to sign this contract that was almost equivalent to selling himself?