Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 59 Privileges

After a while.

The headless female corpse lay on the ground.

The dwarf old man coughed repeatedly, got up, and looked at Fang Qing, who had a gloomy face: "This old man is convinced. Do as you please, sir..."

"Running into that witch from the Hehuan Sect on the way out is truly bad luck... Pah!"

Fang Qing was washing his hands with water when he heard this and glanced at Xu Hei: "You and this woman seem to be from major sects of the Demonic Path, how did you end up like this?"

"Ahem... I don't know anything about that woman, but the cultivation techniques and true qi I practiced... I obtained them unintentionally when I was young and went out to seek the Dao. My cultivation technique is called the 'Yin Yuan Cai Dao Jue' (陰元采道诀), and it did indeed originate from the Southern Demonic Sect—the Yin Corpse Sect. There was even a message in the book instructing me to absorb 'Yin Corpse Qi' (陰尸炅) before going to the Yin Corpse Sect to become a disciple... But I was cautious and secretly investigated for a long time. Knowing the habits of that Demonic Sect, I dared not go..."

Xu Hei replied with a wry smile.

"Oh? Tell me more..." Fang Qing became interested.

"Those major demonic sects, since they call themselves demons, do they have any good people among them?" Xu Hei's face showed even more bitterness: "The method of human alchemy originated from the demonic path... The techniques they passed down often have hidden gates and restrictions... People like me who joined halfway through were either treated as servants, or had themselves refined into some kind of magical artifact, or even, as our cultivation level increased, became a powerful medicine for other disciples to break through their realms!"

"Hmm, that makes sense."

Fang Qing understood this perfectly, and it was one of the reasons he didn't join a sect: "Offer up the Taoist scriptures you practice..."

"Yes." Xu Hei obeyed, his expression exceptionally respectful: "This 'Yin Yuan Cai Dao Jue' cultivates [Female Earth]. [Female Earth] is soil where Yin energy accumulates, also known as [Yin Corpse Soil]. Therefore, the Yin Corpse Sect enjoys digging up people's graves to collect Yin energy and refine corpses... I don't want to become a refined corpse after death, being driven by others, so I've always dared not meet with the experts of the Yin Corpse Sect. I bought some Daoist books and compared them with the annotations of the cultivation methods, but there are always some errors and omissions, which is why I've cultivated myself into this ghastly state..."

After saying that, he gave another bitter smile.

"Sigh, life is tough for everyone."

Fang Qing sighed, his expression a half-smile: "Unfortunately... you've offended the Buddha, and the Buddha can't easily forgive you... How about this, you kneel down, sincerely beg the Buddha to bestow initiation upon you, and become his disciple. The Buddha, in his great mercy, will spare your life, how about that?"

"Buddha...Buddha?"

Xu Hei's expression was as if he had seen a ghost: "You...you are a master from the Secret Realm? Didn't Moyun Cliff have an agreement with the Great Snow Mountain that secret monks are not allowed to cross eastward?"

Looking at Xu Hei's expression, Fang Qing felt that being a disciple of the Secret Realm was worse than joining the Yin Corpse Sect, and couldn't help but secretly lament that the Great Snow Mountain had such a bad reputation.

"Hey! The Buddha has taken a liking to you, and you still dare to be picky? Do you want to end up like that vixen from the Hehuan Sect next to you?"

He activated the "Great Sun Initiation Secret Technique," and an enormous sun leaped from his sea of ​​consciousness, causing the surrounding temperature to rise dramatically as it rushed into Xu Hei's sea of ​​consciousness: "Live or die... the choice is yours!"

As it turns out, cultivators may not even recognize their own limitations until they are facing a life-or-death situation.

For example, Li Rulong!

Take Xu Hei, for example!

The older people get, the more afraid they become of death; this is indeed true.

A moment later, looking at Xu Hei kneeling on the ground after being converted, Fang Qing tossed him a storage bag he had acquired: "You've been cursed by the Buddha. You must not reveal anything about the Buddha, or you will be cursed to death!"

"Don't worry, Buddha won't take your life or ask you to sacrifice your body and descendants... You just need to take these spiritual funds to various markets and exchange fairs to exchange for other spiritual items with Buddha, and also gather information along the way."

Xu Hei, who had been in despair, barely managed a flicker of life in his eyes upon hearing this: "Everything... I will follow Master's orders."

"good!"

Fang Qing laughed heartily and rode away on the Xuanbing Wheel.

Xu Hei got up and slapped himself several times: "I'll teach you to be greedy, I'll teach you to be greedy... Sigh..."

His cheeks were swollen, and as he opened his storage bag, his mouth gaped open again: "So...so many spiritual resources?!"

……

Jade Island.

The Azure Sea Gate, inside the cave.

The pure and impure energies converge and transform into a gateway.

With a flash of light, Fang Qing's figure instantly appeared.

"The Heavenly Wave Formation is operating as usual..."

He took out the array plate, examined it, and nodded to himself: "During this time I traveled, no one came to my cave... Of course, there are still quite a few communication talismans."

When Fang Qing arrived at the entrance of the cave, he saw many communication talismans.

Of course, compared to when they first became true disciples, their numbers are much smaller, indicating a significant drop in popularity.

However, there were quite a few cases that required serious responses, such as those involving Qin Ruxue, Linghu Zhong, and others...

"Oh? Linghu Zhong has already successfully established his foundation?"

Fang Qing held the communication talisman, slightly surprised: "We almost missed their Foundation Establishment celebration? But it's not a big deal..."

Nothing major is happening now, and everything in the Bihai Gate is peaceful and prosperous.

What the Qi Refining disciples talk about most is which true disciple has successfully established their foundation, or failed to do so...

Fang Qing took a second-tier "Muscle Regeneration and Bone Repairing Pill" that he had refined himself, intending to give it as a congratulatory gift to Linghu Zhong for his Foundation Establishment. He then went to attend the Foundation Establishment Gathering.

A single second-tier pill is already quite valuable.

Moreover, he was only a Qi Refining disciple, not a Foundation Establishment disciple.

After Linghu Chong rebuilt his foundation, the sect specially allocated him a second-tier cave dwelling called "Piaomiao Water Pavilion," which was a spiritual retreat.

There are pavilions and towers on the lake, and lotus flowers are in full bloom nearby, filling the air with fragrance.

"Linghu Zhong truly lives up to his reputation as a descendant of the sect leader. If it were me, my second-tier cave dwelling after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage would never be this good... The spiritual energy here must already be at the upper-grade second tier, right?"

Fang Qing arrived at the entrance of the waterside pavilion, showed his invitation, and a disciple came to lead him inside.

"Junior Brother Fang?"

Linghu Chong, dressed in magnificent robes, came forward to greet him, exuding an unfathomable spiritual pressure.

Each major realm of Qi Refining is like an insurmountable chasm.

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master Linghu!"

Fang Qing smiled and handed over the gift box.

"I believe that my junior brother will also have such a day." Linghu Chong said earnestly, "After this short meeting, all of you junior brothers and sisters, please stay behind. I have something to say."

"Hmm? What's Linghu Chong up to? Could it be...?"

Fang Qing's heart stirred, but he remained expressionless and walked into the waterside pavilion.

There were already many cultivators in the waterside pavilion, sitting or standing in twos and threes, with subtle distinctions between them.

Foundation Establishment cultivators would never allow Qi Refining cultivators to join their circle; this is called "a dragon does not associate with a snake."

"Senior Sister Qin? What happened?"

Fang Qing naturally found a Qi-refining circle and met Qin Ruxue and the others.

At this moment, Qin Ruxue's face was pale and bloodless, making her look rather pitiful.

"Sigh... I tried to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, but failed. Fortunately, I had a Foundation Establishment Pill to save my life, but I was still injured."

Qin Ruxue sighed, her eyes seeming somewhat dim.

"Senior Sister Qin was relatively lucky. That Fifth Prince, still harboring wicked intentions, exchanged a 'Ice Heart Protecting Pulse Pill' from a certain senior brother and attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage again. It's said that he couldn't even make it to the Divine Sense stage and failed at the Qi Yuan stage, making it difficult for his mana to condense... leading to a backlash. Although he survived, his cultivation level regressed, almost dropping to the mid-stage of Qi Refining..."

Another junior brother spoke up, seemingly with a smile on his face.

"The Five Dragon Sons?"

Fang Qing had almost forgotten about this person, but upon hearing the news, he nodded: "Hmm... As a near-second-tier alchemist, he is indeed wealthy. Could this Ice Heart Protecting Meridian Pill also have been lost from Flying Fish Island last time?"

"This person has already condensed his divine sense. If he can hold out until the Divine Origin Gate, his chances of achieving Foundation Establishment are very high... It's indeed a bit of a pity... Just kidding! Luckily, I didn't get him a Foundation Establishment Pill, otherwise, he would definitely come looking for trouble after successfully establishing his foundation."

……

Linghu Zhong's Foundation Establishment Gathering attracted quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators who showed their respect, making it a very lively event with a full house of guests.

Fang Qing glanced around and noticed that there were quite a few cultivators he felt were dangerous.

Among them was Cui Zhe!

This sword cultivator, with a slightly pointed chin and a pair of peach blossom eyes, became even more sharp and fierce after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

After most of the guests had left, the monks who had been warned earlier stayed behind.

Fang Qing looked around and found that everyone there was a Qi Refining disciple, including Qin Ruxue.

"Fellow junior brothers and sisters..."

Linghu Chong held a jade pot in his hand, his posture was very intimate, and he did not call him "Junior Nephew" but used a more affectionate term.

"Uncle-Master Linghu, what are your orders? We will do our best to fulfill them."

One of the true disciples, with a smile on his face, asked the question.

"It's not an order, but something big has happened recently, and most Foundation Establishment cultivators already know about it. I thought I should let you know so you can be prepared."

Linghu Chong calmly explained, "The sect may be mobilizing all forces soon, not just engaging in small-scale skirmishes like the Punishment Hall, but waging war against the Core Formation forces!"

"War?" Qin Ruxue exclaimed in surprise, "It's only been a few years! Does the sect already intend to retaliate against the Zhong family?"

The last time the Azure Sea Sect was defeated and sent to Jade Island, the Chaotic Sea Flood Dragon failed to advance, which has always been a disgrace to the sect.

These disciples did not expect the retaliation to happen so quickly.

"It seems Sect Leader Linghu has already refined the 'Tide-Rising Pearl' and possesses Core Formation combat power... I wonder which unlucky Core Formation ancestor ran into him first?"

Fang Qing had a guess in his mind.

The fact that the news could spread so widely suggests that Sect Leader Linghu has likely joined forces with Fairy Bibo Ruan Zhixuan to cause the death of a Core Formation cultivator!

"It's not the Chung family!"

Linghu Zhong shook his head.

"What? It's actually Tianxin Linked Islands?"

The Qi Refining disciples present were all taken aback.

Fang Qing chuckled inwardly: 'When the eldest and second eldest fought, the third eldest died first…'

"This great battle will definitely have special war missions, and there will definitely be Foundation Establishment Pills as rewards after the battle. If you junior brothers and sisters want to earn a lot of contribution points, you can't miss this opportunity. Now is the time to find trusted teammates."

Linghu Chong preemptively offered a favorable offer: "Of course... if any of you true disciples are unwilling to participate in the battle, that's fine too... after all, true disciples have the privilege of refusing mandatory missions from the sect."