Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Several months later, in the Valley of Abandoned Spirits.

The stone door slammed shut, and Lu Nanzhu arrived at the secret cave in the Abandoned Spirit Valley.

As soon as he entered the cave, he felt a rather rich spiritual energy within. As he walked deeper, his vision was dominated by a blue-purple color.

After advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, Lu Nanzhu used the enhanced "Little Inkstone" to deduce some spiritual plants, and these "Spirit-Ghost Moss" were one of them.

These mosses not only covered the ground but also climbed up the rugged stone walls all the way to the dome. The fine blue-purple veins on their surface undulated slightly with the ebb and flow of spiritual energy, like breathing, creating layers of ripples.

Within this vast expanse of blue-purple water, numerous medicinal plants flourished, including the top-grade ones he had previously harvested from the Crimson Forbidden Land. These top-grade medicinal plants, each with its own unique form, grew freely amidst the rich spiritual energy.

"Click, click."

An untimely chewing sound came from deep within the medicinal field. Lu Nanzhu looked closely and saw "Mancang" sticking its rear end up, oblivious to everyone else, gnawing on the root of a spiritual herb.

This little guy has just advanced to the second level of demon beast, and his size has increased by a whole size. His fur is shiny and has a faint earthy yellow luster.

Noticing its master's gaze, Mancang's pair of emerald green eyes darted around, and before Lu Nanzhu could even reach out, its plump body smoothly "seeped" into the hard rock wall.

"That greedy fellow's escape skills have become increasingly refined." Lu Nanzhu looked at the rock wall that had returned to calm and shook his head helplessly.

Now this little guy's perception of spiritual energy is extremely sharp. If you really want to catch it, even its owner will have to put in some effort.

He took out a homemade sachet from his storage bag, which contained some "spirit-controlling powder". Before long, "Mancang" was lured out of the ground again and jumped onto Lu Nanzhu's shoulder.

After putting "Full Warehouse" into the spirit beast bag, they bypassed the herb field and came to a side room, where the air suddenly became hot and dry.

Upon entering, one's gaze is instantly drawn to the colorful streams of light interwoven in mid-air.

Those were the "Erosion Bees" he had newly cultivated with the help of the "Little Inkstone". These white jade bees, which were once as pure as jade, now had a metallic, colorful shell, and a pair of deep blue compound eyes gleamed with a cold, fierce light in the darkness.

These cultivated "Spirit-Eating Bees" have greatly enhanced their ability to absorb spiritual energy, and the queen's rank is no longer a constraint. They are best suited for breaking through some formations and restrictions that gather spiritual energy, as well as some defensive techniques.

In addition, the absorbed spiritual energy is also used to enhance the self-destruct power of these "Spirit-Eating Bees".

As Lu Nanzhu watched the little creatures hovering above the flower field, he secretly pondered: these ferocious insects, born specifically to erode restrictions and defenses, are also a powerful weapon.

On a whim, he tried using the Insect Control Technique he had just learned. With a flick of his hand, the swarm of Spirit-Eating Bees in the corner of the cave sensed the summons and buzzed as they flew over.

Under his command, the swarm of multicolored ferocious insects sometimes gathered into a shield, and sometimes spread out like a net, their movements of devouring spiritual energy were perfectly synchronized.

This pleased Lu Nanzhu greatly, and he nodded before leaving.

Passing through the flower field filled with the buzzing of bees, Lu Nanzhu entered a relatively dry stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, he built a high platform nest using several huge, hairy leaves of spiritual plants.

Sensing the familiar footsteps, a fledgling bird peeked out from the foliage.

It was a newly hatched Thunder Primordial Eagle, with tiny blue arcs of electricity occasionally crackling and leaping between its tender wings.

Upon seeing the Lunanzhu, the young eagle excitedly let out a few clear chirps and flapped its wings, begging for food.

Lu Nanzhu took out a few Spirit Feeding Pills from his storage bag and let it peck at them in his palm.

Finally, he arrived at the forbidden chamber at the very bottom of the cave.

This forbidden room was a place he used specifically to cultivate the "Spirit-Devouring Vine" that he had unexpectedly obtained in the market.

Now, thanks to countless simulations by "Little Inkstone," the Soul-Devouring Vine has long since shed its original withered appearance.

These vines now have a significantly enhanced ability to absorb spiritual energy. In addition to parasitizing ordinary spiritual plants, they can also directly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Inside the stone chamber, thick, python-like vines intertwine and almost fill half of the space.

Lu Nanzhu walked through the tangled vines and his gaze fell on a few special plants in the far corner of the stone chamber.

It was a mutated variety that he had accidentally cultivated over hundreds of generations of research. Unlike other wildly expanding varieties of the same kind, these vines were a calm, waxy yellow color all over.

They were firmly embedded in the crevices deep within the stone wall, as if sensing something from the earth. A probe with divine sense revealed that they emanated pure earth-attribute spiritual energy.

"It seems that these plants have an unusual affinity for earth-attribute spiritual energy."

Lu Nanzhu hadn't yet figured out a specific use for these vines.

"Alchemy? Or crafting magical artifacts?... Never mind, I'll keep them for now; they'll come in handy eventually."

After inspecting the "strange species" he had cultivated, he returned to a stone bed inside the cave used for cultivation and began his training.

He sat cross-legged on the stone bed and took out the jade slip containing the "Record of Soaring Clouds".

"Although one still needs to reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to cultivate the second level of the technique, the step of tempering the body with spiritual herbs can begin earlier."

After saying that, he patted his storage bag and took out the "Royal Wind Orchid" that he had won at the auction house.

"We have the main ingredient; we still need to collect some auxiliary medicinal materials. Then we can begin tempering our bodies."

Having made up his mind, he put away the jade slip, formed hand seals, and slowly began to circulate the fourth level of the Taiyi Muhua Scripture within his body...

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Lu Nanzhu was practicing his cultivation technique in his cave when a streak of crimson light fell into the Abandoned Spirit Valley, transforming into a communication talisman that hovered within the valley.

Lu Nanzhu took the communication talisman into his cave. The talisman spontaneously combusted and emitted a voice:

"Nanzhu, come to my cave immediately, I have important matters to discuss."

The slightly authoritative voice echoed through the cave.

After listening, Lu Nanzhu got up, straightened his clothes, and left the cave. Without a moment's hesitation, he rode his magical artifact to his master's cave.

Before long, he arrived at Elder Wang's cave.

As soon as Lu Nanzhu stepped into the main hall, he took a closer look and saw that, besides his master Elder Wang, a young Core Formation cultivator he had never seen before was sitting to the side of the main seat.

The man had an extremely handsome face, even with a touch of effeminate and eerie beauty.

Meanwhile, at the lower position, the usually carefree senior brother Kong Yuan stood with his hands clasped, completely devoid of his usual nonchalance, his expression solemn.

"Disciple Lu Nanzhu greets Master." Lu Nanzhu stepped forward quickly and bowed.

Elder Wang nodded slightly and pointed to the strange young man beside him, saying, "Nanzhu, this is my senior brother, Elder Lin."

Lu Nanzhu felt a chill run down his spine. He bowed deeply again and said respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Uncle Lin."

Elder Lin's narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes swept over Lu Nanzhu, a smile playing at the corners of his lips:

"Junior brother, is this your newly accepted disciple? His innate talent is profound; he is truly a promising talent. I am extremely envious."

Elder Wang coughed lightly and chuckled:

"Senior brother, you flatter me."

Then, with a solemn expression, he said to the two of them:

"I have summoned you two here today because there is an important matter to discuss."

A few days ago, the head of the Han family in Fengzhou mysteriously disappeared. The Han family has a long-standing relationship with our Spirit Beast Mountain, and they specifically entrusted us to investigate this matter.

I've decided to send the two of you to join the investigation team. What do you think?

"Disciples obey," Lu Nanzhu and Senior Brother Kong replied in unison.

"The investigation team will be led by Zhou Tong from the Enforcement Hall. Go to the Enforcement Hall to find him in three days."

Elder Lin, who was standing to the side, added.

......

After exchanging pleasantries with Elder Wang, Elder Lin returned to his cave dwelling first.

Watching Elder Lin's disappearing light, Elder Wang's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of seriousness.

Then he turned around and gave him instructions:

"You two should act within your capabilities in this investigation. I didn't want to get involved in the Han family's mess."

However, Senior Brother Lin's disciples suffered heavy losses in the Bloodstained Forbidden Land and he did not have enough manpower, so he came to me for help.

I didn't want to offend him, so I had no choice but to send the two of you to help first.

After saying that, he handed Kong Yuan several more sound transmission talismans:

"If you encounter any difficulties, send me a message."

Kong Yuan accepted the talisman, then bowed to Lu Nanzhu and left the cave.