Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

Two years ago, the story of Qin Le, Chen Yun, Chu Xiaonan, Luo Qiuyue, Lu Qingshuang, Li Yanran, and Wang Zhiheng ascending to the celestial ranks together is still talked about and praised in the mortal world.

After all, since the era of cultivation was restarted more than 500 years ago, there are very few cultivators who have reached the Celestial Immortal realm through their own hard work and step by step, and who have ascended to immortality in a proper manner, apart from their group.

The vast majority of cultivators, when they reach the Refining Void and Harmonizing Dao or the Earth Immortal realm, travel to the Heavenly Realm through the interdimensional passage to seek opportunities for further advancement.

Therefore, one can imagine the shock Zhou Xuanyi, his old high school classmate, felt when he saw the three people who should have been high in the heavens on the vast ocean of the mortal realm.

"I came back to see my family and brought them some things," Qin Le explained with a smile, his tone as casual as if he had just returned from a long trip. "And you? How have you been these past few years? Judging from your appearance, you've been at sea the whole time?"

Qin Le remembered that when she first entered university, she ran into Zhou Xuanyi once.

Zhou Xuanyi missed out on university due to a lack of ambition.

He once said that he planned to drill for oil at sea, hoping to use this monotonous, repetitive, and quiet environment and work to hone his character.

Unexpectedly, more than ten years have passed, and this old classmate has actually persevered.

"I see." Zhou Xuan nodded knowingly, a simple smile on his face. "I'm fine. Staying here all these years, day after day, although it's monotonous, it has indeed helped me calm down a lot, and it has been very helpful in improving my state of mind."

"That's great, Lao Zhou!" Chen Yun became interested and asked curiously, "When did you start doing this? I've never heard you mention it before."

Chu Xiaonan, who was standing next to her, also cast a curious glance at her.

The two of them had never heard of Zhou Xuan coming to the sea to drill for oil and temper his character before.

This is not surprising, as their relationship with Zhou Xuanyi was just so-so during high school; they were just ordinary classmates who knew each other's names and could chat for a few minutes.

After entering university, we were in two completely different worlds and had no contact with each other at all.

As for Qin Le knowing?

Chen Yun and Chu Xiaonan were not surprised at all.

Qin Le was a very helpful citizen during his student days, often giving guidance to his classmates in cultivation, and he was incredibly popular.

They all suspected that Zhou Xuanyi's idea of ​​honing his skills at sea might have been Qin Le's idea.

"Back when you guys first entered university," Zhou Xuan replied, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "It's been over ten years since then."

"Could it be that Qin Le came up with this idea for you?"

Chu Xiaonan asked half-jokingly, exchanging a glance with Chen Yun.

"Hey, can you stop pinning everything on me?" Qin Le glanced at them irritably. "This was Old Zhou's idea."

"It really was something I figured out myself," Zhou Xuan confirmed with a smile, his tone frank. "Back then, I was restless and felt like I needed to find a place to 'suppress' myself. After thinking it over, this place was the most suitable. It's quiet, has few things to do, and lots of rules, which is perfect for tempering my temper."

"Great idea, Lao Zhou!" Chen Yun gave him a genuine thumbs up.

To be able to see one's own problems clearly and to find such a simple method and stick to it for more than ten years—this perseverance and clarity of mind are truly remarkable.

"That's right." Zhou Xuanyi's face showed a hint of smugness, his eyes bright. "I'm even hoping that in the future, I can ascend to heaven with dignity, just like you!"

After more than ten years of tedious and relentless training, Zhou Xuanyi's cultivation has steadily improved to the perfection of the Refining Void and Harmonizing the Dao, and the wind conception he comprehended in his early years has also been pushed to the perfect state.

Next comes the crucial step of questioning the laws. Although the laws still seem elusive to him, he is no longer confused, only calm and confident.

Once you comprehend the laws and become an Earth Immortal, you will have immortality in your hands.

As for celestial beings?

Take your time; he has plenty of time and patience.

Seeing Zhou Xuan's confident expression and firm gaze, Qin Le and the other two exchanged smiles, said no more, and changed the subject to other lighthearted topics.

The four of them leaned against the cold railing of the aircraft carrier, enjoying the slightly salty sea breeze, chatting about everything under the sun, from embarrassing moments in their student days to their experiences over the years, as if they had returned to that age when things were less complicated and worries seemed far away.

Before they knew it, the sky had been dyed a warm orange-red by the sunset. Zhou Xuan glanced at the sky, then stood up. "Alright, I have to go back to my shift. You guys... how long are you staying this time?"

"I'm leaving in two days," Chu Xiaonan replied.

"Alright, then... see you in the Heavenly Realm!"

Zhou Xuan waved his hand casually, then his body soared into the air, flying towards the drilling platform where lights were gradually coming on not far away.

"I'm gone."

Chen Yun also dropped his joking expression and reached out to put the steel behemoth back into his storage ring.

The three of them rose into the air on the wind, transforming into streaks of light as they flew towards the capital. They eventually parted ways in the sky above the bustling city and went home.

Meanwhile, in the celestial realm, deep within the ruins of the Holy War.

Ye Hongli was nestled in a soft beanbag chair, wearing loose loungewear, her black hair flowing freely.

In front of her, on a giant screen that almost covered the entire wall, a brightly colored animated film was playing.

She held the fruit plate in one hand and slowly used a fork to pick up a piece of cut spiritual fruit with the other, then put it into her mouth.

As the episode ended and the ending theme played, Ye Hongli didn't immediately click to watch the next episode. Instead, she put down the fruit plate and spoke as if to thin air, "Senior, I have a question for you."

A palm-sized spirit of the Dharma Source Stele appeared on her shoulder in response, its voice calm: "What is it?"

"Now that the traitor strongholds are all taken over by those brainless Chaos Beasts, my 'undercover' career is completely over." Ye Hongli turned her head, looking at the spirit of the Law Source Stele on her shoulder, a hint of amusement in her red eyes: "I... don't seem to have any 'usefulness' for you anymore, right? Why are you still here?"

She had previously used a Golden Immortal-level clone, disguised as a gray-robed youth, to infiltrate the last remaining traitor's stronghold.

As a result, their infiltration was exposed by the intelligent Chaos Beasts that had completely taken control of the stronghold.

The other party seemed to be able to sense the anomaly at the source level. Her disguise, which was enough to fool all traitors, was exposed in front of the Chaos Beast.

In the end, she had no choice but to decisively self-destruct her clone, severing all connections to avoid being tracked down to her main body.

With the last batch of traitors being eliminated by the intelligent Chaos Beasts and all the strongholds changing hands, Ye Hongli's undercover path has completely reached a dead end.

She can no longer obtain intelligence as easily as before, nor can she quickly improve her abilities by devouring traitors.

From a tool perspective, her value to the spirit of the Fayuan Stele has indeed greatly diminished.

But the spirit of the Dharma Source Stele doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

"What has a beginning must have an end." The voice of the spirit of the Dharma Source Stele remained calm and emotionless: "Since I guided you onto the path of demons, then I have a responsibility to accompany you to the very end."

"That sounds nice," Ye Hongli scoffed, leaning back into the sofa. Her gaze returned to the screen playing the new movie intro, her tone languid. "Actually, you're just afraid that one day I'll be completely consumed by my inner demons and become a menace, and you'll be there to 'clean house' in time, right?"

"If that's how you understand it," the spirit of the Fayuan Stele paused for a moment, then readily admitted, "there's nothing wrong with that."

This is indeed one of the important reasons why it stayed.

Ye Hongli had overcome her previous inner demons by relying on her twisted and obsessive attachment to Qin Le. However, as her cultivation level increased dramatically, her inner demons also grew and intensified in tandem.

When the next inner demon tribulation arrives, will she still be able to maintain her mental clarity?

No one can guarantee.

A demon who has devoured the origin of chaos, whose strength has reached the Golden Immortal level, and who is proficient in transformation and concealment, would pose an immeasurable threat to the Three Realms if he were to completely lose control.

She can evade all divine deductions below the level of a sage; her methods are ever-changing and impossible to defend against.

At that time, apart from a few saints who are restrained by chaos, who can subdue her?

The spirit of the Dharma Source Stele remains here as a final safeguard.

Seeing that the spirit of the Dharma Source Stele spoke frankly, Ye Hongli simply curled the corners of her lips indifferently and said nothing more.

She turned up the volume of the cartoon and buried herself again in the softness of the sofa and the light and shadow of the screen, as if the conversation that had just been about her life and death was just a weather forecast she had mentioned casually when she was bored.