Burial Furnace

"puff--"

Dark golden flames suddenly erupted!

It was wrapped around the jade pendant.

Within a few breaths, the jade pendant completely melted, turning into primordial power, most of which returned to the heavens and earth.

One percent of it rushed into Zhang Yuan's body!

There were far more of them, many times more than the iron axes that were burned.

It was like a warm river, washing over his meridians that had been parched for many years. Under the impact of this force, those meridians that had long since shrunk and become blocked began to loosen, expand, and become unblocked inch by inch!

His complexion changed from sallow to rosy;

His breathing went from faint to steady;

His cloudy old eyes actually regained a glimmer of light!

He felt that his life, which was originally only left with three days, had been extended to a month!

Moreover, his talent for cultivating immortality has also improved. Although he still has a trashy five-element spiritual root, his blocked meridians have been cleared, and he can now cultivate.

"I'm rich! I'm really rich! I don't have to die anymore, I'm going to embark on the path of cultivation..."

Zhang Yuan was overjoyed.

He immediately sat down cross-legged and began to practice a technique he had long since memorized—the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique.

This is a cultivation technique he obtained by chance when he was young, and it can be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage.

He tried to cultivate with high hopes, only to find that he was born with a defective meridian and could not draw qi into his body at all.

But now, everything is different.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly entered his body with his breath. As the cultivation technique was activated, some of it merged into his meridians. After circulating for one cycle, it became his true energy and remained in his dantian.

This means that—

He, Zhang Yuan, a useless person with five elemental spiritual roots and a congenitally useless meridian, a transmigrator who had been humiliated for eighty years, finally embarked on the path of cultivation!

Eighty years have passed.

Eighty years!

He had finally waited for this day!

He was so excited that he was trembling all over, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

His eyes burned with an unprecedented light of hope.

He stood up, walked to the window, pushed open the old wooden window, and gazed at the distant horizon.

That place is in the direction of Zhongzhou, where immortal sects abound, and where high-ranking cultivators reside.

That's also where that woman is.

"Just wait and see."

He spoke in a low voice, hoarse but with an unwavering determination.

I will come to find you.

"I will ask you to your face why you wanted to kill me."

"I will let those high and mighty cultivators know—"

"What you owe me, I will collect it all back, penny by penny, with interest."

Behind him, the Immortal Transformation Furnace inexplicably lit up, as if in response to his vow.

Before dawn, Zhang Yuan had already finished getting ready.

I said I was packing, but there wasn't much to bring.

A few changes of clothes, a worn-out luggage bag, and half a bag of dry food. 50 taels of silver.

He took one last look at the dilapidated house where he had lived for more than a decade.

The earthen walls are mottled, and the stove is cold.

This place bears witness to his many hardships and resentments, and also to the turning point in his fate.

"I'm gone."

He didn't alert anyone, not even his own descendants.

Those descendants were all ordinary people, living mediocre and peaceful lives.

If he stays, he will only bring disaster to them—if the man in blue knows he is not dead, he will surely return; and if the three rogue cultivators find out they have been deceived, they will certainly not let it go.

Only by leaving will he be safe, and only then will his descendants be safe.

Only by leaving this mortal village can he extend his lifespan!

Zhang Yuan shouldered his bag, pushed open the door, and stepped into the deepest darkness before dawn.

The morning breeze was biting, ruffling his full head of white hair.

……

Nine days later.

Zhang Yuan arrived in Qingmu Town.

Qingmu Town is the largest market town within a radius of a thousand miles, with an extremely unique geographical location—100 miles north of the Saintess Mountains, 50 miles south of the Forget-Me-Not Mountains, bordering the Luoxia Mountains to the east, and the Canglan Plain to the west. Numerous cultivation sects reside in the first three locations, including the Saintess Sect and the Hehuan Sect.

The town's streets are wide, with shops lining both sides.

There are vendors selling elixirs and miraculous medicines, selling magical artifacts and talismans, buying materials from demonic beasts, and trading spiritual herbs and ores.

There are also many cultivators.

They either fly on swords, descending from the sky; or ride spirit beasts, heads held high; or wear magnificent clothes, exuding extraordinary bearing.

The men were handsome and tall, and the women were as beautiful as angels; each of them exuded an aura, whether strong or weak.

Zhang Yuan strolled around the town, his gaze lingering on the shops selling Buddhist artifacts on both sides of the street.

The shops displayed magical artifacts, elixirs, talismans, and the like.

If you could get your hands on one and feed it to the furnace, it would definitely increase your lifespan and enhance your talents.

Unfortunately, he only had fifty taels of silver and not even a single low-grade spirit stone.

We can only look on with envy and sigh.

To make matters worse, he had already inquired and found out that although this place was only 100 miles from the Holy Maiden's Gate, it was all mountains, and there were all kinds of ferocious beasts in the mountains. Although he had cultivated some true essence, he was still a mortal until he advanced to the first level of Qi Refining.

Going to the St. Mary's Gate alone is tantamount to suicide.

He only has 20 days left to live!

"I want to gain an infinite lifespan here, and I want to embark on the path of cultivation here."

Zhang Yuan wandered around the town, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

Soon, he chose a particularly remote shop on the west side of the town. The shop was dilapidated and no one was running it.

After some questioning, they finally found the landlord, surnamed Xia, 75 years old, blind in one eye. Everyone called him the blind old man, or perhaps he was Old Man Xia.

After some haggling, they finally bought it for 300 taels of silver, agreeing to pay 30 taels upfront and the rest a year later.

Zhang Yuan tidied up the front yard of the shop.

The front yard wasn't large, about two or three zhang square, and the ground was paved with bluestone slabs. Although there were some potholes, it was quite clean after being swept.

He set up a worn-out eight-immortal table in the center of the courtyard, with a pot of coarse tea and several rough porcelain bowls on it, which served as a place to receive guests.

The backyard is the real heart of the place.

The backyard was slightly larger than the front yard, and it was surrounded by high earthen walls covered with withered vines.

Zhang Yuan spent most of the day building a huge stove in the center of the backyard using bricks and mud.

The stove is round, about five feet in diameter and seven feet high, with thick walls that make it look quite sturdy.

They brought in several more bluestone slabs from outside to seal the furnace opening, leaving only an entrance about the size of a water bucket.

He can make the Immortal Transformation Furnace fly out of his dantian at any time, enter the opening, and hide inside.

In this way, what outsiders see is just an ordinary brick stove, and they would never imagine that there is something more inside.

Zhang Yuan then pretended to draw many mysterious lines around the furnace, making it look like an array.

"Hey bro, what kind of shop are you planning to open?"

Old Man Xia walked in and looked around, his face full of curiosity. "Are you planning to have a barbecue?"

You'll find out tomorrow.

Zhang Yuan smiled mysteriously.