Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

“These three… villains… have trespassed into the forbidden area… and coveted the Daoist lineage… should… be executed…”

As soon as the giant phantom finished speaking, the dark golden contract patterns covering the canyon suddenly lit up! They transformed into three "Spears of Judgment" made purely of contract laws, silently shooting towards the black-clad leader and the two silver-blade envoys!
The speed was not fast, but it carried a sense of "inevitable hit" and "inevitable punishment," as if their "existence" itself had been marked and judged by the contractual laws of this area!
"No—!" the leader in black roared in despair.

The two Silver Blade Envoys roared and unleashed their full power, summoning several defensive magical artifacts to desperately defend themselves!
However, their resistance was futile against the "Spear of Judgment," which represented the guardian rules of the core forbidden area of ​​the ancient Xuan Yuan Qi Sect.

puff!puff!puff!
Three soft sounds.

The black-clad leader's roar abruptly ceased, his soul and spirit utterly annihilated by the Spear of Judgment, vanishing into nothingness.

The defensive artifacts in front of the two Silver Blade Envoys shattered like paper. The Spear of Judgment pierced through their bodies, and before they could even scream, their bodies disintegrated like sand sculptures, their souls and spirits annihilated without leaving a trace.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Three Foundation Establishment experts, capable of causing a stir in the outside world, were easily wiped out like ants before the remnants of the ancient sect's protective contract.

Fu Shaoping stared blankly at the scene before him, utterly shocked. Was this the true foundation of an ancient sect? Even after countless ages of destruction, a mere remnant protective contract could easily annihilate a powerful enemy!

After unleashing this attack, the dark golden giant phantom became even more blurred and transparent.

"My mission... is complete..."

"Future generations... protectors of the Way... I hope you... uphold your true heart... and do not betray... the Way of the Covenant..."

"This place... will be completely... sealed off... You... must leave immediately..."

The phantom's voice grew fainter and fainter, until finally, like a candle flickering in the wind, it vanished completely. The dark golden patterns on the rocks on both sides of the canyon also dimmed and disappeared. A colorful mist returned, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Only those three empty spots on the ground testified to the reality of that earth-shattering blow.

Fu Shaoping bowed deeply in the direction where the illusory figure disappeared. He knew that this was the last protection left by the ancestors of the Xuan Yuan Qi Sect, who had exhausted their last strength for him, the successor of the lineage.

Not daring to delay, he forced himself to stagger across the canyon and ran desperately toward the exit he remembered.

He didn't know what the guardian spirit meant by "completely sealed off," but he absolutely did not want to be trapped in this perilous place.

Perhaps it was the last bit of power from the guardian spirit that worked, or perhaps it was just luck, but the journey that followed was surprisingly smooth. He encountered no more Annihilation Worms, and the disorientation of the Twisted Hills lessened considerably. He even vaguely sensed that the laws governing this area were undergoing a slow but steady change, becoming more exclusive and more "closed off."

Finally, he saw the edge of that gray, silent plain, and further away, the familiar, charred, and twisted landscape of the meteorite basin.

He broke out of the Heavenly Meteor Forbidden Zone.

Looking back, the eerie region shrouded in leaden-gray light seemed unchanged. But he knew that from now on, perhaps no one would be able to easily set foot there again.

Fu Shaoping could no longer hold on. His vision went black, and he collapsed onto a relatively solid patch of scorched earth, completely losing consciousness.

……

A cold, dry wind swept across the scorched earth.

Fu Shaoping was awakened by the sound of flapping wings. He opened his eyes abruptly and saw a black, fleshy-crested crow tilting its head and curiously observing him. These crows feed on the decaying corpses and energy residue of meteorite basins and are sensitive to the scent of living creatures.

Upon seeing Fu Shaoping wake up, the carrion crows were startled and flew away, cawing loudly.

Fu Shaoping struggled to sit up and examined himself. His external injuries had healed considerably during his unconsciousness thanks to the powerful self-healing abilities of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, the damage to his meridians and soul remained severe. He had less than one-tenth of his true essence remaining, his spiritual consciousness was weak, and his head was still foggy and throbbing.

He barely managed to take out a few healing pills from his storage bag and swallow them. He then took out a mid-grade spirit stone, held it in his hand, and slowly absorbed its spiritual energy to nourish his parched meridians.

It took him two full hours to recover some of his mobility.

Looking around, he found himself on the edge of a meteorite basin, in a secluded depression not far from the entrance to the Heavenly Meteor Forbidden Zone. In the distance, he could still see the strange outline of the twisted hills.

"We must leave here as soon as possible," Fu Shaoping thought warily. The fact that the Shadow Pavilion had tracked him to the entrance of the forbidden area meant they might have a backup plan. Moreover, in his current state, he could barely handle even a second-tier demonic beast.

He discerned the direction and slowly walked in the opposite direction from the Ancient Qi Valley and the Crimson Blood River—that is, the outermost part of the Vast Ancient Plains, and also the direction back to the area of ​​human activity.

This time, he moved more slowly and more stealthily. Every so often, he would find a secluded spot to rest for a moment and try to erase any trace of his presence.

Five days later, he finally left the meteorite basin and entered a relatively flat Gobi desert area with sparse, drought-resistant shrubs. This area was now part of the "outer ring" of the vast ancient plain, where he could occasionally see some low-level demonic beasts and small oases.

Beside a small oasis with only a single, murky spring, Fu Shaoping encountered a small, weary caravan of seven or eight cultivators. They seemed to be returning from deeper within the ancient plains, carrying little cargo, and their faces bore the marks of exhaustion and relief at surviving a calamity.

The caravan leader was an elderly man who looked to be in his fifties and had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Seeing that Fu Shaoping was alone and had a weak aura (Fu Shaoping deliberately concealed his Foundation Establishment cultivation, only revealing the fluctuations of the late Qi Refining stage), and that he was a stranger and did not look like a bandit, he kindly invited him to travel with him so that he could have someone to look after him.

Fu Shaoping hesitated for a moment before agreeing. He needed intelligence, but also a relatively safe journey. Integrating into an inconspicuous small caravan was the best cover.

The caravan members were very talkative, especially after escaping the danger zone. From their casual conversation, Fu Shaoping learned that the Vast Ancient Plains had indeed been quite turbulent lately. In addition to the usual dangers, there seemed to be some mysterious and powerful groups of unfamiliar cultivators active, as if they were searching for something. Their caravan had even witnessed a conflict between two groups of people in the distance, which frightened them so much that they quickly took a detour.

"I've heard that Black Wind Stronghold and Flowing Sand Alliance have been clashing lately, apparently over a newly discovered small spirit stone mine deep in the ancient plains," a young guard whispered. "We lone wolves have to be careful not to get dragged into this."

Fu Shao listened calmly, memorizing the information. The Shadow Pavilion, the Blood Shadow Cult, and other unknown forces… the waters of the vast ancient plains were growing increasingly murky.

Following the caravan, they traveled for more than ten days. Apart from encountering a few groups of low-level sand beasts, there were no major setbacks along the way. Fu Shaoping's injuries were also slowly recovering. Although he was far from fully recovered, he was at least able to move around without any problems, and his true energy had recovered to about 30-40%.

On this day, the outline of a city finally appeared on the horizon. It was built of huge, earthen-yellow stones, looking rather rough and simple, yet exuding a rugged vitality. "Look! It's 'Stone Fortress'! We've arrived!" the caravan cheered.

Stone Fortress City, one of the largest human settlements and trading centers on the edge of the vast ancient plains, is jointly managed by several cultivation families and loose cultivator alliances that have been rooted here for hundreds of years.

Fu Shaoping also breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now, he was safe here. He needed to find an absolutely quiet place for a long period of seclusion to fully recover from his injuries and digest what he had gained on this trip—especially Xuan Shuzi's insights into Daoist principles and his understanding of the purification ritual.

The caravan paid the entrance fee and entered Stone Castle.

The city was far more bustling than it appeared from the outside. The streets were narrow and crowded, lined with various stone shops selling ores, medicinal herbs, and materials from demonic beasts—all products of the ancient plains—as well as elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts brought in from elsewhere. The air was thick with the mixed odors of dust, sweat, inferior elixirs, and roasted meat. The cultivators there varied greatly in their cultivation levels, ranging from the early Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage. Most walked hurriedly, displaying the characteristic fierceness and vigilance of the ancient plains' cultivators.

Fu Shaoping bid farewell to the caravan and found a secluded but reputable inn in the city, where he rented a quiet underground room with a simple protective array.

Close the door and activate the formation.

He could finally let down his guard for a while and focus on dealing with his injuries and gains.

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the quiet room, Fu Shaoping first took out the dormant source core.

The source core remained dim, but upon careful sensing, one could detect that the primordial power within it was slowly recovering on its own, like a seed gradually awakening after hibernation.

"It needs a high-level spiritual object related to the contract or a special environment to nurture it in order to accelerate recovery," Fu Shaoping pondered. He placed the source core close to his body and slowly nourished it with his own gentle contract essence.

Next, he took out the palm-sized "Demon-Sealing Stele." The stele felt heavy and cold to the touch, its dark golden luster subdued. Communicating with it through contractual spiritual sense, he could sense the vast and stable power of the contractual seal contained within. Although the purification process had consumed a great deal of its essence, this item was of extremely high quality, making it an incredibly powerful contractual treasure. It could be used for both combat (suppression and sealing) and cultivation (comprehension of sealing and protective contracts).

He also placed the Demon-Sealing Stele aside to nurture it.

Finally, one should examine the fundamentals of oneself—the injuries and the gains.

Damage to the meridians can be gradually repaired using the healing methods and elixirs in the *General Outline of the Origin*. The weakness and stinging pain in his soul, however, require more time and nourishing treasures. Fortunately, the final gift of Daoist essence from Xuan Shuzi is like the best tonic, slowly and steadily nourishing and strengthening the essence of his soul—perhaps his greatest hidden gain from this journey.

As for the gains... he closed his eyes, and the true interpretation of the runes of the Ancient Qi Valley, the deathly silence of the laws of the Heavenly Meteor Forbidden Domain, and the supreme mysteries of "contract," "sacrifice," "protection," "purification," and "cause and effect" revealed by the intertwining and collision of the Dao Source Fragment, Xuan Shuzi's remnant soul, inner demon, and his own source core during the final purification ritual.

These insights are more profound and valuable than anything he could gain from reading countless books or traveling extensively. They are subtly changing his understanding of the principles of contracts and reshaping his "foundation of the contract doctrine."

"Once my injuries heal, I will use this as a foundation to rebuild the 'General Principles of Contract Origin,' and my Way of Contract will be completely transformed." Fu Shaoping understood this clearly.

He didn't rush into deep seclusion. Instead, he spent several days stabilizing his injuries and restoring his true essence to about 50%. Then, he left the inn and carefully purchased a batch of higher-quality healing pills, "mind-nourishing incense" to nourish his soul, and jade slips containing the latest developments in the Vast Ancient Plains, the distribution of major forces, and information on possible contract-related relics or treasures within Stone Fortress City.

Back in his quiet room, he began a true period of seclusion.

This seclusion lasted for a full three months.

Time passed quickly in the quiet room.

With the help of elixirs, his own cultivation techniques, and the Daoist aura of Xuan Shuzi, Fu Shaoping's injuries were finally completely healed. Not only were they healed, but his meridians, as if by divine intervention, became even wider and more resilient under the aftershocks of the Purifying Light and the cleansing effect of the Daoist aura. His soul also became more solid and powerful, with his spiritual awareness covering a range nearly twice as wide as before the injury, and becoming much more acute.

His cultivation level broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage naturally! Moreover, the solidity of his foundation far surpassed that of others of the same level. Pale golden contract true essence flowed slowly in his dantian, like liquid gold, containing astonishing activity and contract power.

Under his continued nurturing, the Source Core regained some luster. Although it was still far from its peak, it could already provide a stable source of power to aid cultivation. The Demon Sealing Stele was also initially refined and connected to his mind.

More importantly, his understanding of the "General Principles of Contract Origin," especially his cultivation of the "Human Contract" section, has reached a completely new level. Combining his insights from the ancient Contract Valley's rune interpretations and purification rituals, his application of contracts has become even more masterful.

He created several Foundation Establishment stage contract spells that were more suitable for him and more powerful, and optimized and upgraded existing spells such as "Words Become Laws", "Contract Protection", and "Origin Seal".

On the day he emerged from seclusion, Fu Shaoping pushed open the stone door of the quiet room.

The sunlight (Stone Fortress City is located on the edge of the ancient plain, and the weather is relatively good) was somewhat dazzling. He squinted slightly, feeling the surging power within his body and his incredibly clear spiritual sense.

The three-month seclusion not only restored him to his peak condition, but also enabled him to complete an important transformation.

Now, he possesses the complete inheritance of the contract, wields the Source Core (though damaged) and the Demon Sealing Stele, and has reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His foundation is profound, and his spells are exquisite. Even if he were to face the Silver Blade Envoy of the Shadow Tower again, he is confident that he has the strength to fight.

"It's time to leave the vast ancient plains," Fu Shaoping thought to himself.

Although this place is large, there is nothing else urgently needed (except for the possible treasures that could help restore the source core), and forces such as the Shadow Tower and the Blood Shadow Cult are frequently active here. Staying here would be more risky than rewarding.

His goal is to return to the core area of ​​the relatively orderly human cultivation world, find higher-level cultivation resources, further comprehend the Great Dao of Contracts, and prepare for the Golden Core realm.

At the same time, it is also necessary to gather more information about "Shadow Tower" and "Blood Shadow Cult" to know ourselves and our enemy.

He settled his room bill, left the inn, and once again merged into the bustling crowds of Stone Castle.

This time, however, he was no longer the weak, disheveled wounded man who needed the caravan's protection.

His figure, silhouetted against the harsh winds of the ancient plains, appeared upright and composed.

The chapter of the vast ancient plains slowly closed as he stepped out of the stone fortress city gate.

Ahead lies an even wider and more boundless world of cultivation.

The path of contracts is long and arduous, but with the light of the heart shining, the way forward is clear. (End of Chapter)