Becoming a leader of the immortal path begins with sowing the seeds of inner demons.

When I opened my eyes again, it was still the familiar white, boundless and stretching to the horizon.

Lu Ming looked around and soon sensed Feng Zai's location, but he did not go there immediately. Instead, he looked down at his body.

Its jet-black body flowed slowly like water, gathering and dispersing according to Lu Ming's will, changing into various shapes.

The first time Lu Ming encountered his inner demon, his consciousness was hazy. He simply chose a more imposing body to resemble Da Jin, and his success was purely accidental.

But when facing a cultivator... even a dying cultivator, an overly casual demeanor will definitely arouse their suspicion.

With this in mind, Lu Ming decided not to take the risk and to observe the situation first.

With a thought, Lu Ming's body rapidly shrank, transforming into a tiny speck of ink, and flew towards Feng Zai's location.

After an unknown amount of time, the scenery ahead suddenly changed.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky.

A small house sits in the middle of three green hills, seemingly possessing some kind of attraction that draws all the moonlight to this place.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man dressed in a moon-white robe, with a gentle yet dignified expression, was walking among two men and a woman who were sitting cross-legged, his hands behind his back.

Lu Ming recognized one of the girls; it was Zhou Qianqian, whom he had seen the night before.

"The Way of Taiyin, passed down from ancient times, is based on Yin and cultivated by borrowing the moon. It is a direct path to heaven and man."

When one first absorbs the moonlight, one often experiences the illusion of lightness and clarity of mind, and the illusion of ascending to the heavens to observe the world. One must not become immersed in this, otherwise one will be led astray by the moon, lose one's soul, and become a walking corpse.

Even if it is found, it will be branded with the mark of moonlight, its true spirit will be tainted, and its path will be completely severed.

Remember to calm your mind and focus your attention, transforming the moonlight into true energy...

Snapped!

After a crisp sound, Zhou Qianqian covered the back of her head, her face still showing a dazed look.

The middle-aged man shook his head helplessly, stopped, and continued to say loudly: "If you don't store the true energy after it's transformed into true energy, it's like a tree without roots or water without a source."

Refining Qi is not just about transforming the essence of heaven and earth into true Qi, but also about keeping it stable within the body.

The three stages of Qi cultivation are the opening of the microcosm within the human body.

Opening the Qi Sea is the entry point, and opening the Yellow Court is the ultimate achievement. Once you have accumulated enough true qi and have mastered the control of true qi, you can open the Upper Dantian Purple Mansion.

After achieving perfection, you can then attempt Foundation Establishment...

As soon as the words were spoken, the moonlight seemed to be summoned by something, surging from all directions to the base of a green mountain.

In an instant, a powerful aura spread out, dyeing the entire courtyard, along with the surrounding grass, trees, and green hills, all in moon white.

Seeing this, the middle-aged Taoist priest showed a look of satisfaction and nodded slightly. Then he turned to the others and admonished them, "Learn from your eldest brother. Spend less time on frivolous pursuits and more time on cultivation. Otherwise, you won't even be able to open your Purple Mansion!"

"Master, my junior brothers and sisters are still young and playful. They will get better in the future."

Lu Ming, who had been eavesdropping from a distance, was taken aback.

It was indeed Feng Zai's voice, but it sounded incredibly old and weary.

Moreover, the sound... came from the bottom of the mountain.

Out of curiosity, Lu Ming silently flew into the courtyard, and when he saw the scene before him, he froze on the spot.

Feng Zai, surrounded by several fellow disciples offering their congratulations, was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the green mountain.

Amidst the congratulations from his fellow disciples and the praise from the middle-aged Taoist, Feng Zai's back bent at a visible speed, and his hair rapidly faded from black to moon white.

That face no longer possessed the air of a celestial being from our first meeting; it looked more like that of a frail old man.

But the others didn't notice anything amiss and continued to praise him.

The green mountains grew heavier and heavier, and the entire mountain trembled incessantly.

Feng Zai's smile grew increasingly forced, and as his chest heaved violently, a bright moon appeared in his heart.

Almost at the same time, Feng Zai coughed violently, his face contorted in extreme pain.

"Senior brother, are you alright?" Zhou Qianqian asked with concern.

"No, it's alright." Feng Zai patted his chest to catch his breath and smiled slightly. "My luck has run into a snag, but it won't affect my cultivation."

"If you are tired, go and rest." The middle-aged Taoist stepped forward and said earnestly, "You are the eldest brother, you must not ruin your future path of cultivation for the sake of momentary pleasure."

"In the future, the sect will depend on you for its revitalization."

Upon hearing this, Feng Zai straightened up as if in a final burst of energy, stood up tremblingly, and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Zai suddenly staggered.

Lu Ming sensed something and looked up.

The green hills grew even heavier.

......

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, one is unaware of the passage of time.

Lu Ming didn't know how long he had been there, he only remembered that he had failed thirty-seven times.

The people and scenery before me are all manifestations of Feng Zai's consciousness.

The only true person is Feng Zai himself.

The good news is that, in his final moments, Feng Zai's consciousness seemed less sharp than when he was fully conscious, and he did not notice the ink spot.

The bad news is that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get within three inches of Feng Zai.

Anyone who gets close will be bounced away.

Lu Ming recalled reading about this situation in books about cultivation.

Those who cultivate themselves close the four gates internally and stop the five escapes externally. They carefully guard their inner selves and close the outer selves completely. They embrace the spirit with stillness, and their form will naturally become upright.

This is also why Lu Ming felt that it was difficult for cultivators to cultivate inner demons.

I just didn't expect it to be this difficult.

Through years of practice, Feng Zai has ingrained the concept of "guarding one's mind" into his very being.

The relentless mental defenses made Lu Ming feel like he was facing a turtle that had retreated into its shell, with nowhere to bite. He could only watch the same scene repeat itself over and over again. The mountains of darkness above Feng Zai's head grew heavier and heavier, and Feng Zai's condition deteriorated at a visible rate.

Lu Ming could see that when Feng Zai could no longer bear the weight of Qingshan, it would be his death.

Seeing that he could not find a breakthrough from Feng Zai, and that Feng Zai's condition was getting worse and worse, Lu Ming stopped doing useless work and instead began to wander around in this state of mind.

This place is not boundless. Apart from the houses, if you want to walk out of the green mountains, you will soon enter that white expanse.

Lu Ming had looked at all the rooms in the courtyard. The furnishings were very simple: a bed, a table, and several cabinets filled with books.

Unfortunately, the book was completely blank when opened; there was nothing of value in it.

After exploring every corner of the mansion, Lu Ming knew he wouldn't find anything more. Returning to the courtyard, he looked at Feng Zai, whose body was cracked at the foot of the green hill. For some reason, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

It seems that cultivators are not as carefree as one might imagine.

I really don't know why Feng Zai is under so much pressure. Why does a cultivator like him think about so many things?

Even if the sky falls, there's still the Golden Core Master to hold it up...

A sudden inspiration flashed through Lu Ming's mind. He looked at Feng Zai again, scrutinized him carefully for a long time, and finally discovered the anomaly.

Feng Zai remained calm while talking with his fellow students.

Only when conversing with that middle-aged Taoist priest did his words always carry a sense of... the sorrow of inheriting someone's legacy.

Thinking about it this way... Feng Zai was perhaps a little too humble that night.

Could it be that...

Lu Ming glanced at the middle-aged Taoist priest, then at Feng Zai, and decided to give it one last try. He turned around and slipped into the middle-aged Taoist priest's residence...

Feng Zai's consciousness became increasingly blurred, and with each breath, his head and chest felt like they were being burned and cut by knives.

He knew that this was because his Yellow Court Purple Mansion had been severely damaged after his failed attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage, making it impossible for him to refine the attracted moonlight in time, which was causing the moonlight to continuously erode his body.

But he didn't want to just die like that.

The sect has not yet gained a firm foothold, and the junior brothers and sisters have not yet broken through... They need a guide, a pillar of support!

Master, your disciple can hold on a little longer!

Master...

creak.

The door opened.

Feng Zai looked over instinctively and saw Yin Xuan Zhenren slowly walking out from there, expressionless, his eyes full of pity.

Feng Zai's eyes suddenly cleared, and his expression changed drastically.

And the surrounding scenery also disappeared.

In the vast expanse of white, only the two of them remained, gazing at each other from afar.

After a long while, Feng Zai suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down his face. His eyes were half pleading and half doubting as he spoke in a trembling voice.

"Master?"

"You're not dead?!"