Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

Zhang Dai was reminiscing about his wonderful past with the fairy Qing'er from Qiangge Tower when, amidst his swaying thoughts, he suddenly felt an overwhelming divine pressure crushing down on him.

His eyes snapped open, his mind reeling, and his knees buckled as he collapsed to his knees with a thud. In an instant, a pool of murky, dark yellow water appeared beneath him.

At this moment, Zhang Dai's mind was not only perfectly clear, but he was also filled with endless panic.

After all, he had only ever felt this level of pressure from the family patriarch.

The thought returned to his mind, and he instantly understood.

The person before them was none other than a true cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Seeing Zhang Dai's disheveled appearance, Wu Fan frowned, his eyes narrowed, and he immediately created a spiritual energy barrier to completely isolate the pungent odor emanating from Zhang Dai.

Then, seeing the fear on his face, Wu Fan felt even more certain that the matter was settled.

After all, such a timid and cowardly person, who bullies the weak and fears the strong, would most likely not dare to take the money and not do the job when faced with the threat of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal of intimidation, Wu Fan withdrew the released divine sense pressure and then said in a calm tone:

"Alright, the reason I exerted this pressure on you with my divine sense was simply to make you understand. Even if your ancestor is a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, I have no fear whatsoever. If I truly wanted to kill you, it would be a simple matter of lifting a finger. However, you don't need to worry too much. As long as you handle this matter properly, not only will I not make things difficult for you, but the eight thousand low-grade spirit stones will still be yours. I imagine you're eager to leave this place as soon as possible. I wonder if I can obtain what I want within three days?"

"Brother Liu... Oh, no! No, Fellow Daoist Liu... Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."

Zhang Dai was so frightened that he became incoherent. He quickly composed himself before speaking again:

"Senior Liu, rest assured, I will definitely deliver the 'pass token' to you within three days."

His face was still full of fear as he bowed to Wu Fan.

Fearing that Wu Fan wouldn't believe him, he immediately raised his hand as if to swear an oath to heaven.

Seeing his expression, Wu Fan didn't bother to waste any more words and simply said:

"I will be waiting for you here in three days."

"Yes, yes, yes... Senior, I'll take care of it right away, I'll take care of it right away..."

Zhang Dai felt relieved and immediately got up, smiling obsequiously as he walked towards the door, bumping into a chair or two along the way.

Once he had finally stepped out of the room and closed the door, he immediately turned around and strode down the stairs.

A short while later, they left the restaurant and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just when Zhang Dai thought he had escaped the "sea of ​​suffering," a divine message from Wu Fan entered his mind.

"I have left a divine imprint on you. Take care of yourself."

The moment the message left his mind, Zhang Dai broke out in a cold sweat again. He glanced at the third floor, then left quickly with a mournful face.

......

A month later.

Wu Fan finally left this place, riding the Crimson Flame Sparrow Spirit Sword towards a place called Tianbao Mountain, a thousand miles away from Ganquan Town.

In fact, he had already obtained the pass token for the Nine Boats Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship, but the spirit ship rarely traveled back and forth, and a voyage was often three to six months apart.

Left with no other choice, Wu Fan had to stay in Ganquan Town for a month before finally departing when the spirit ship was about to arrive.

Meanwhile, Zhang Dai, far away in Ganquan Town, was overjoyed to learn that Wu Fan had finally left.

While flying, Wu Fan activated the Transformation Technique from the Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique, transforming his gaunt appearance into that of a short but extremely robust middle-aged man.

This "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique" is a top-tier cultivation method. The shape-changing technique attached to it is naturally quite effective. Its core function is to change a cultivator's body shape, appearance, skin color, and aura to achieve perfect disguise, but it has limitations on magical power.

To use this Transformation Technique, cultivators must maintain it at all times with a portion of their own magical power. Therefore, during the execution of this technique, they cannot fully activate the true essence in their dantian; at most, they can only mobilize 70% of their own magical power.

Once this limit is exceeded, the effect of the shapeshifting technique will immediately cancel itself.

Of course, if a cultivator's cultivation level and spiritual sense are much stronger than Wu Fan's, the Transformation Technique will still be seen through.

However, he probably won't have much of a chance to have face-to-face contact with Core Formation stage cultivators on this trip, so he doesn't need to worry too much.

And so, Wu Fan, disguised as a middle-aged cultivator, sped toward Tianbao Mountain, flying for a good half hour.

Just as he was about to unleash his spiritual power to increase his speed, his expression suddenly darkened, and his spiritual power surged and churned around him, instantly putting him into a state of combat readiness.

Throughout the flight, he kept his divine sense fully extended, fearing that he might encounter some unexpected situation.

Sure enough, sure enough, within my divine sense, I could clearly hear bursts of intense spiritual energy fluctuations from a battle taking place six miles away.

Wu Fan used his divine sense again to investigate and discovered that it was actually two groups of Foundation Establishment cultivators engaged in a large-scale battle!

One group had three people, and the other group had four. At this moment, the group with three people was already at a disadvantage.

But it would have been better if he hadn't investigated; the investigation immediately put him in a difficult position.

He recognized "people" in both groups of monks.

His companions were his fellow disciples from Falling Star Valley—Pan Feng'an.

And his childhood friend, Li Buhui, whom he hadn't seen for many years.

Wu Fan wasn't particularly surprised to see Pan Feng'an here.

After all, so much time has passed, and Falling Star Valley must have been breached long ago. It's not surprising that some disciples managed to escape alive.

But the fact that Li Buhui was also there gave him a sudden shock.

Looking at Li Buhui's current appearance, he was no longer a "person" but clearly a corpse puppet.

Moreover, Wu Fan was very familiar with the appearance of this corpse. It was the strange corpse that looked like a living person in the cave of the Yin Corpse Sect when he explored the ruins of the ancient sect with Jiang Ling and the others. It was also the living corpse-refining corpse recorded in the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique" - the Mysterious Yin Corpse Puppet.

He observed with his divine sense the appearance of another Xuan Yin corpse puppet that exuded the aura of the early Foundation Establishment stage. It was actually five or six points similar to Li Buhui. He immediately knew who the black-robed cultivator who controlled "Li Buhui" was!

No one could have predicted that Li Buhui, who had fled to Zhongtianxu City to avoid disaster for more than twenty years, would still not escape the Foundation Establishment cultivator who wanted to kill him back then. He was also refined into a Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet by this person, just like his second uncle, whose soul was locked in his body and could never enter the cycle of reincarnation.

How lamentable and pathetic!

In this way, Wu Fan, who had already considered withdrawing, no longer hesitated at all.

He had just scanned the area again with his divine sense and discovered that the black-robed cultivator who controlled the three corpses in the battle was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Such strength is not enough to make him "fear" it.

With his mind made up, Wu Fan immediately transformed into a streak of light and slowly flew towards the place where the two sides were fighting fiercely.

He carefully traveled through the air, and when he got close enough to be easily detected, he quietly activated the Concealing Breath Technique to hide his aura to almost nothing, and used his divine sense to "watch" the battle in the distance.

Pan Feng'an controlled two refined corpses. One of them had a powerful aura and was clearly at the late Foundation Establishment stage, while the other was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Moreover, both of these are ordinary corpses, not Xuan Yin corpse puppets.

In contrast, the black-robed cultivator held three refined corpses, the strongest of which only had the aura of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while the other two only had the cultivation of the early-Foundation Establishment stage.

However, all three corpses were Xuan Yin Corpse Puppets, each moving swiftly and agilely, far surpassing Pan Feng'an's ordinary corpses.

This is why the black-robed cultivator's mid-stage Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet and one early-stage Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet were able to hold off Pan Feng'an's late-stage Corpse Refining, while the other early-stage Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet, 'Li Buhui,' directly overwhelmed his early-stage Corpse Refining.

Pan Feng'an's cultivation level was only at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while the black-robed cultivator opposite him was a genuine peak of the late-Foundation Establishment stage.

With the tide turning against each other, he was already at a disadvantage. In addition, he was injured in many places and his breathing was disordered and unstable. He was already at his limit and would be completely defeated and killed in no time.

Pan Feng'an, of course, could not sit idly by and wait for his death. He immediately activated various Yin techniques from the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique" to fight against the black-robed cultivator.

However, both of them cultivated the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique," which belonged to the same lineage of cultivation methods. Moreover, the other party's cultivation level was a notch higher, making it impossible for him to break through the predicament.

During this time, although Pan Feng'an occasionally used other unorthodox techniques, none of them could suppress the Xuan Yin Yin Qi, making the battle increasingly dangerous and the perilous situation ever closer.

Just as Wu Fan was "watching" the two fighting in the distance, inwardly shaking his head for Pan Feng'an, the black-robed cultivator suddenly spoke:

"Good nephew, I've already promised you that as long as you hand over the second and third levels of the 'Refining Spirit Technique' and the complete third level, I will let you go. Why are you still so stubborn, insisting that I disregard our fraternal bond and kill you?"

The black-robed cultivator's voice was somewhat hoarse and unpleasant, yet it possessed a strangely alluring quality.

However, Pan Feng'an, who was fighting him, sneered and cursed:

"If I were to hand over the subsequent techniques, I'm afraid you would silence me the moment I pass away. Back then, right after my great-grandfather passed away, you couldn't wait to seize the sect's foundation, kill many of my relatives, and even tried to capture me to force me to reveal the subsequent techniques of the 'Refining God Technique.' If it weren't for Elder Gui sacrificing himself to protect me and holding you back at the cost of his life, how could I have survived to this day?"

At this point, his face became extremely distorted, and his tone was filled with intense hatred.

"You still want me to hand over the follow-up techniques of the 'Refining God Technique'? That's wishful thinking! I only regret that my talent is too shallow and my cultivation progress is too slow, so I can't personally turn you into a Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet and prevent you from reincarnating for eternity, to vent my hatred!"

"Heh! I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. Then don't blame my uncle for capturing you alive and using the Soul Searching Technique on you. I refuse to believe that I can't get the follow-up techniques of the 'Refining Spirit Technique'."

Seeing Pan Feng'an's resolute attitude, the black-robed cultivator stopped pretending and directly threatened him.

If he hadn't wanted to capture the other party alive, he could have killed him long ago; why would he have waited until now?

Pan Feng'an felt a chill in his heart, realizing that he had no chance of leaving this place alive today.

He had been hiding his identity in Falling Star Valley for many years, intending to cultivate steadily there, advance all the way to the late Foundation Establishment stage, and then use the Refining Spirit Technique to solidify his soul and greatly improve his chances of forming a Golden Core. After that, he would find some rare and precious materials to help him form a Golden Core, and then achieving the Golden Core would not be a pipe dream.

When the Golden Core cultivation is fully achieved, settling old scores with the current enemies will be a piece of cake.

But life is unpredictable, and fate can be cruel.

The entire cultivation world of Chu Kingdom was suddenly thrown into chaos. The allied forces of the six sects of Yan Kingdom not only swiftly breached the mountain gate of Lingjing Sect, but also directly surrounded Falling Star Valley.

He happened to be out of the sect that day to purchase some cultivation supplies, and luckily escaped the calamity of the sect's destruction. He thought it was a glimmer of hope given to him by heaven, but he never expected that he would still be hunted down here by his former senior uncle.

Now, with the road ahead blocked and the road behind sealed, years of planning have all vanished, leaving only a heart full of resentment and despair.

A trace of sorrow flashed across Pan Feng'an's face, but his vital essence was already surging within him, all converging towards his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, wisps of dark red blood energy rose from his body, his spiritual power began to surge, and his aura became increasingly deep and fierce.

"Blood Fiend Slash?!"

Upon seeing this, the black-robed cultivator's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm.

He and Pan Feng'an were from the same sect and practiced the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique" together, so he naturally knew the terrifying power of this secret technique.

However, the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique" in his possession only contains the chapters on cultivation methods before the Golden Core stage, and it lacks the many top-level secret techniques recorded within, and he has no chance to cultivate the Blood Fiend Slash.

This was also the reason why he ultimately decided to betray the Holy Church.

He risked his life and fought for the Holy Sect for decades, but the sect leader always treated him as an outsider, was wary of him at all times, and refused to teach him the complete secret method of "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique", let alone the follow-up mental techniques of "Refining God Technique".

Instead, he passed on all these unique skills to his descendants and relatives who were far less talented than him.

How incredibly unfair this is!!

If he were to take charge of the Holy Church, it would surely regain its prestige and restore its former glory...

Although the black-robed cultivator was extremely angry, he knew that the "Blood Fiend Slash" that the other party was using must have been nurtured for many years, and once it was unleashed, its power would be extremely terrifying.

Even with his peak late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he might not be able to withstand it.

Therefore, the black-robed cultivator no longer held back for the sake of the subsequent techniques of the "Refining God Technique". Instead, he slapped the corpse puppet bag at his waist, and several refined corpses with auras reaching the late stage of Qi Refining emerged in response, roaring as they pounced on Pan Feng'an, trying to interrupt his spellcasting.

Then, he immediately manipulated the short sword spirit weapon beside him and shot it straight at Pan Feng'an.

Then, without pausing, he took out a sharp magical artifact from his storage bag, which looked like it was made from the tooth of some kind of demonic beast. Green liquid condensed on the blade, which looked like it was highly poisonous. He shot it directly into the air towards the opponent's vital point.

At this moment, Pan Feng'an was surrounded by several late-stage Qi Refining Corpses. Although he couldn't break through them immediately, these Corpses also couldn't break through the spiritual energy shield he had condensed with his true essence.

However, if another powerful magical artifact were to shoot down, the situation would be completely different. This poisonous spiked artifact could easily break through his defenses.

If Pan Feng'an had immediately stopped activating the Blood Fiend Technique and instead used all his defensive methods to resist, he would have had a great chance of blocking the attack.

But instead of stopping, he simply summoned an ordinary circular defensive magical artifact to hastily defend himself.

"Clang!"

A clang of metal clashing rang out as the short sword and round shield were deflected, but the poisoned spiked magic weapon pierced through Pan Feng'an's spiritual energy shield and stabbed directly at his chest.

But his eyes were resolute as he slowly raised his right hand, letting out a furious roar:

"Kill him!!!"