Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

"what!"

The middle-aged cultivator screamed madly, his heart pounding with fear.

As he shouted, the surrounding mist surged and seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lu Yuan keenly sensed that this person was surrounded by deathly aura, like a vortex, slowly drawing away the vitality of the tender bamboo leaves within a radius of several feet.

"Xiaoxue, hide well."

Snow Soul Ice Silkworm's tiny, sesame-seed-sized eyes glanced at Lu Yuan with remarkable human-like sensitivity.

Then he plunged headfirst into the soil.

Although the Snow Soul Ice Silkworm possesses the strength of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, it is weak and would die instantly if struck head-on by the opponent's magic.

To deal with powerful cultivators, the Frost Vortex should be used to launch a surprise attack when the opportunity arises, in order to unleash its full potential.

"You killed my Daoist partner..."

"Today I will tear out your heart and lungs, and with the Jade Bone Staff, I will pluck your soul, condemning you to eternal torment!"

The middle-aged monk's eyes were bloodshot.

The deathly aura surrounding him had turned from grayish-white to inky black, and the once vibrant green bamboo within a radius of several feet had turned into withered branches and fallen leaves.

His name is Yin Lao Jiu.

He was once a protector of Yinluo Palace. He escaped before the Qinglian Sword Sect attacked Yinluo Palace that night, thus avoiding disaster.

His Daoist partner, the beautiful woman in the purple dress, was an inner disciple of Ningcui Valley.

Their marriage was never made public, and no one knew that they had children.

Their offspring are exceptionally talented, possessing mid-grade spiritual roots and having already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining by their early thirties.

The couple entered the Jiuling Mountains to gather materials for the Foundation Building Pill.

Unexpectedly, his greed backfired, and he was killed on the spot by this Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator.

at this point.

Lu Yuan knew there was no way to avoid it. It had already dragged on for a long time. He could only hope that Gu Qingyao could establish her foundation as soon as possible, so that there would be a glimmer of hope.

Speaking of top-tier spiritual roots, how long does it actually take to establish a foundation?

He had no time to think further.

The opponent held a white bone staff horizontally in front of him. The pale bone staff seemed to be alive, trembling slightly and emitting a faint humming sound.

In the blink of an eye.

The pitch-black aura of death surged and rose, emerging from the white bone staff, with ghostly figures moving about and howling mournfully, as if hundreds of wronged souls were crying at the same time.

Lu Yuan was so shocked by the howling that his head throbbed with pain.

He mustered all his remaining strength and persevered.

With a wave of his left hand, he unleashed all three Wind and Thunder Talismans from his storage bag, transforming them into hurricanes and lightning bolts that crackled and struck Yin Lao Jiu.

The deathly aura, carrying countless ghostly figures, vanished instantly upon encountering the hurricane and lightning generated by the activation of the Wind and Thunder Talisman.

Silently.

Taking advantage of this gap, the Five Elements Mist Array was activated again, with surging mist encircling the area.

Lu Yuan hid himself back inside the formation.

"Break it!"

Yin Lao Jiu shouted sharply.

The white bone staff emitted a faint green light, and the condensed death energy, carrying countless ghostly souls, poured down like a waterfall, instantly shattering a large area of ​​mist.

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Knowing this, Yin Lao Jiu was furious and no match for him.

He quickly regretted using the Qi Concealing Technique, made hand seals, and manipulated the array of mist to cover the area again, while desperately unleashing the Five Elements spells.

Under such circumstances.

Lu Yuan's spiritual energy in his dantian was almost depleted.

After activating the Swiftness Talisman, it circled around Yin Laojiu and sped towards the cave.

The Five Elements Mist Array was no ordinary array. Even though Yin Lao Jiu wreaked havoc within the array, he was helpless for the time being.

However, Lu Yuan had already noticed it.

The array plate buried in the bamboo forest has now developed cracks, its base is teetering on the verge of collapse, and even the mist is showing signs of dissipating.

Lu Yuan decisively abandoned it.

He then focused all his attention on the array plate in front of the cave.

With his remaining spiritual power, he could only manipulate the Five Elements Mist Array to launch one last attack.

After that...

Lu Yuan turned to look into the deep cave, his expression complex.

"It's better to die for a fellow cultivator than for yourself"—this is an extremely common principle in the world of cultivation.

But when it really comes to this point, it takes real courage, even...

"I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me"—this kind of extreme egoism.

"Gu Qingyao... Gu Qingyao, I, Lu Yuan, have done everything in my power. If I still cannot protect you as you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, then this is the tribulation you were destined to face..."

Gu Qingyao, who was wholeheartedly focused on breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, would die instantly if subjected to even the slightest external force.

He has already made his decision.

If things truly become impossible, immediately activate the Mystic Fire Array within the cave.

Rather than letting that malevolent cultivator shrouded in deathly aura do the work, it's better to end Gu Qingyao's life myself.

"bring it on!"

Lu Yuan's eyes were bloodshot as he stared straight ahead.

at the same time.

The array plates within the bamboo forest could not withstand the pressure and shattered completely. The mist dissipated instantly, leaving only a thick aura of death, carrying Yin Laojiu's anger, which then swept towards the cave.

"If you kneel down now, I might spare your life."

His voice was hoarse, yet it was filled with barely suppressed anger.

Lu Yuan circulated his spiritual power and performed a hand seal.

Manipulating the Five Elements Mist Array to meet it head-on, the surging fog and the Five Elements techniques hidden within it were shattered the moment they came into contact with the ink-like heavy death energy.

Boom...

This was the first time Lu Yuan had ever faced a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining head-on. He immediately felt his breath catch in his throat and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

The dantian was also empty.

Fortunately, the fog array is still functioning, which should be enough to delay Yin Lao Jiu for a while.

Lu Yuan glanced back into the cave and sighed...

"Ugh."

Just now.

Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy emanated from the cave behind them, and an extremely strong spiritual pressure slowly spread outwards.

This spiritual pressure bypassed Lu Yuan and headed straight for the heavy, deathly aura outside the cave.

The vortex formed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly dissipated at this moment, revealing the setting sun on the horizon.

The sunset glowed brilliantly, a breathtaking sight.

"Brother Lu, you step back first, I'll deal with him."

Gu Qingyao's voice came out.

Her voice was low, soft, and gentle, unlike her previous cold and aloof tone. Lu Yuan felt as if he were bathed in a spring breeze when he heard it.

"Congratulations on your foundation building, Fairy Gu."

Lu Yuan wore a relaxed smile, but was secretly alarmed.

Foundation building in one day...

Such terrifying power of a top-grade spiritual root.

Just then.

Yin Lao Jiu completely tore apart the thick fog, and his figure slowly materialized, his robes fluttering and his face contorted with rage.

He was taken aback when he saw another aloof and beautiful woman appear at the cave entrance.

They were immediately astonished to find that the strange phenomena that had occurred during the Foundation Establishment stage had already dissipated.

This woman possessed an ethereal气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament), and her stunning beauty went without saying. Furthermore, a faint sense of pressure emanated from her.

As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood...

Yin Lao Jiu turned and fled.

However, a frost-covered sword aura appeared even faster from behind, arriving in an instant, slicing through the protective death aura, shattering the white bone staff, and landing on his back.

"what!"

He only had time to let out a scream before his body was split in two, splattering blood everywhere.

Before the blood and corpses could fall, they condensed into ice shards and shot towards the distant mountain peaks.

"Run!"

"Please spare us, senior! We meant no harm."

"You bitch..."

From a distant mountaintop came several loud shouts, followed by several mournful cries, and then silence.

Gu Qingyao's pretty face was icy. Holding the Frost Sword, she stood in mid-air, coldly surveying her surroundings to make sure no more cultivators were hiding before slowly descending.

"Brother Lu, let's go back to the market first."

"Um."

Lu Yuan nodded in agreement, then his vision went black and he fell forward.

She fainted and fell into Gu Qingyao's arms.