Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

The sudden rain has just stopped.

The lingering light of the [Minor Yin-Yang Creation Array] still wandered among the cracks in the ground.

Beneath the cracked earth, the incomplete body of the old Taoist Yin Fu lay silently.

Lu Zaian gave Jiu You a look.

Jiuyou, understanding the situation, stepped forward and grabbed the mangled body of the old Taoist priest Yinfu.

This guy wasn't quite dead yet; he was barely breathing, and on his bloodied and mangled face, only a pair of venomous eyes gleamed with cold light.

"The demise of the Dao and the dissipation of the soul are all predetermined. Even if you stare at me a hundred more times, you will still not escape death."

Lu Zaian sighed with emotion.

All array symbols share the same origin.

Under normal circumstances, the old Taoist Yin Fu would have been able to detect even a trace of this formation.

Or perhaps if the old Taoist priest Yin Fu really fought to the death, he might even hurt himself.

Unfortunately, the other party panicked and made a rash decision, their cleverness backfiring on them...

Of course, that's a story for another time.

"I will accept your soul."

Lu Zaian's eyes flashed with a cold light as he spoke.

If he hadn't deliberately suppressed the "Ghostly Netherworld Tribulation," this technique would have already started operating on its own.

It was as if a large plate of delicious food was placed in front of him, and Lu Zaian was a gourmand who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights.

The Soul Devouring Calamity transformed into a black skull, hanging high above the old Taoist's sea of ​​consciousness.

Like a black sun rising in the sky.

The black skull opened its jaws, unleashing a frenzied and violent suction force!

His consciousness was churned into a vortex, and countless fragments of memories, along with mournful curses, collapsed and were swept into an abyss...

"Ahhh!! Once Soul Devouring... is activated, you'll just be... prey in the net. I'll be waiting for you down there!!"

The old Taoist priest's spirit emitted a reluctant final note and a curse.

Until the noisy sounds disappeared... the corpse slumped to the ground from Lu Zaian's hands!

Thus, a powerful figure in the late Foundation Establishment stage of the Dao of Talismans perished.

"Phew... My head is throbbing!"

Lu Zaian shrunk back into human form, rubbed his forehead, as if he had drunk fake alcohol.

"Jiuyou, you clean up the battlefield. I'll go back and process this first."

"it is good."

After giving instructions to Jiuyou, Lu Zaian flew towards Yunli Mountain without looking back.

.........

Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The sunlight was just right, and everything was quiet.

Lu Zaian sat cross-legged on the cloud cliff, and invisible spiritual fluctuations spread out in waves, strange and unusual.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide.

A vast surge of divine consciousness radiated outwards, sweeping across ten miles of mountains and rivers like a tidal wave.

The rolling sea of ​​clouds, the noisy wind, and the delicate snowflakes all paused for a moment!

In an instant, everything within a ten-mile radius was revealed in perfect detail!

"Phew... I never expected the 'Ghostly Netherworld Tribulation' to be so terrifying."

After absorbing and digesting the old Taoist's soul, my divine sense suddenly surged to a range of 10 miles!

Lu Zai'an let out a long breath and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

The Soul-Devouring Calamity is terrifying beyond measure.

After this battle, his "Ghostly Netherworld Tribulation" has reached its twenty-fifth tribulation.

He discovered the true shortcut to mastering this technique.

That is to grow by devouring the souls of their own kind!

The "same kind" here refers to cultivators who have also cultivated the "Netherworld Tribulation of the Ghostly Souls".

For ordinary cultivators, devouring something only allows them to search the soul and obtain memories, but it cannot increase their own divine consciousness.

at the same time.

Lu Zaian was also able to perceive it more clearly—

In the darkness, many lines connect, one end of which plunges into the void, guiding one's way... but also exposing one's true nature.

The two ends of the line are constantly sending each other their coordinates, attracting each other.

"Old Daoist Yin Fu is right. Once Soul Devouring is activated, it's like an arrow released from a bow; there's no turning back."

Lu Zaian rubbed his chin, feeling a lingering fear in his heart.

Fortunately, this technique is difficult to learn, which discourages most people.

Otherwise, the entire cultivation world would probably have become a breeding ground for Gu poison.

Fortunately, when I had just reached the twelfth tribulation, I did not directly encounter other similar beings.

Otherwise, I would never have been a match for the old Taoist priest Yin Fu back then...

"The only saving grace is that, through the 'Netherworld Lines,' I vaguely sensed that there are probably very few cultivators left in the Northern Sky Domain who have cultivated the 'Netherworld Wheel of Tribulation' to the twelfth tribulation or higher..."

Lu Zaian called this kind of sensation "the nether line".

Only cultivators who have cultivated to the twelfth kalpa or higher can sense each other.

Moreover, it can roughly sense the distance and cultivation level of the other party.

Unless the gap is as vast as an insurmountable chasm, it will not be blocked.

"With my current spiritual power, I can sense Core Formation cultivators, but there aren't any in the Northern Sky Domain, so there probably aren't any..."

The Ghostly Tribulation was brought out by the "Twin Ghosts" in the desolate marshland.

It spread within the city of Huangze later, and it has only been twenty or thirty years since then.

No new Core Formation cultivators emerged during this period, and those older Core Formation cultivators would likely not risk such a huge opportunity to cultivate this technique.

After all, even the former Lord Ji Chun called this technique "a chicken rib".

However, better safe than sorry...

This battle not only devoured the old Taoist's spiritual cultivation, but also took over all his wealth, enough for me to digest for a while.

Taking advantage of the surge in spiritual energy, it's the perfect time to refine my cultivation techniques...

Oh, and... let's strengthen the mountain-protecting formation as well..."

Lu Zaian's current spiritual strength, which can cover 10 miles, has surpassed that of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

It should be noted that the average late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator only travels to about 9 li.

In addition, Lu Zaian also learned some secrets from the memories of the old Taoist Yin Fu.

Now I understand why the Demon Gun Cult launched this great war;

He also understood why Yin Fu Lao Dao was ambushed and hunted down by the Demon Spear Sect.

Thirteen years ago, the Demon Spear Cult Leader reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and attempted to break through to the Core Formation realm.

Lacking resources and coveting the "Thunder Suppressing Pool" of Zixiao Temple, they launched this war.

The two sides were evenly matched, resulting in a stalemate.

Later, by chance, the Demon Spear Cult, together with Yin Fu, a traitor from Zixiao Temple, and the Burning Blood Sect, broke through the gates of Zixiao Temple.

The Demon Spear Cult Master reaped a great harvest and, overjoyed, thought he could finally break through to the Core Formation stage.

I don't know.

The true Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Northern Airspace sits atop the clouds, overlooking all living beings. How could he allow a rising star to share the spoils?

So when the Demon Spear Cult Leader was secretly forming his core, the Heavenly Nether Ancestor used his own lifespan as a price to forcibly curse him from afar, severely injuring him!

Although the Demon Spear Cult Leader remained calm in the face of danger and forcibly condensed a fake core, his cultivation would stop there for the rest of his life.

The rest of the plot is simple.

Knowing he had no hope of achieving the Golden Core stage, the Demon Spear Cult Leader decisively discarded his former servant, clearing obstacles for the next generation.

Yin Fu was the first to be affected.

He was originally a traitor of the Zixiao Temple. In that battle, he devoured a large number of Celestial Master Thunder Talismans, broke through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and his natal talisman was also close to perfection.

If the Yin Fu is allowed to continue to grow, it may escape the control of the Demon Spear Cult.

Then the Demon Spear Cult Leader suddenly made a move to kill Yin Fu.

However, Yin Fu had been on guard all along, and in the end, he managed to break through and escape at the cost of being severely injured by the [Mother-Child Yin Thunder Talisman].

This is why Yin Fu was severely injured when he encountered him, and even the [Mother-Child Yin Thunder Talisman] could not exert much of its power.

Otherwise, Lu Zaian might not necessarily be his match.

"The Demon Spear Cult Leader was a formidable figure, having plotted for years to achieve the Core Formation. He must have been hiding in a heavily fortified place, but unexpectedly, he was cursed by the protective array, thus ending his path to immortality..."

Yin Fu is quite capable; he was able to sense the danger in advance and escape from the pursuit of the sect. He truly is a wise old man…

Lu Zaian's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, and he secretly admired her.

There are countless talented people in the world, like carp crossing a river.

Whether they are ruthless heroes, cunning schemers, treacherous villains, or cunning villains...

Despite being enemies, Lu Zaian genuinely respected and respected them.

"Unfortunately... there are countless fish crossing the river, but the Core Formation stage is the true heaven of the Northern Sky Domain."

If we compare the path of cultivation to the transformation from a loach into a true dragon.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Then a Core Formation cultivator can be considered to have glimpsed even a small part of the dragon's scales.

"...It was Ancestor Tianming who made a move again. Normally, it would be rare to see someone reach the Core Formation stage once every hundred years, but in recent years he has made a move twice in a row."

First they took over Huangze City, and now they've secretly cut off the Demon Spear Sect's path to Core Formation.

"Perhaps his own lifespan is nearing its end, and he is paving the way for the future of the Heavenly Underworld Palace..."

Lu Zaian's thoughts drifted as he summarized the lessons learned from the Demon Gun Cult Leader and planned for his own future.

The Demon Gun Cult Leader was defeated in a grand manner.

By storming the Zixiao Temple and plundering its resources, it's clear to everyone what he's up to.

Later, he underestimated the strength of a Core Formation cultivator, believing that if he risked damaging his own lifespan, he could actually kill them through a spell across a formation.

"A newly promoted Core Formation cultivator should be reluctant to give up his own lifespan."

At worst, I'll outlive those old Core Formation cultivators first, then reinforce the formation to the third level.

Only by forming the core in such a secret way can we ensure that nothing goes wrong…

The matter with the Demon Gun Cult has come to a halt.

The Blood Burning Sect and the Fire Refining Sect, far away in the Black Soil Mountains, have probably also encountered sanctions from Core Formation forces.

The chaos between good and evil in the northern airspace has been abruptly averted by the sudden downpour.

"A matter is accomplished in secrecy, and ruined by being revealed."

"To become a true dragon, one must first conceal one's scales and claws."

Lu Zaian withdrew his consciousness in an instant.

Amidst the churning sea of ​​clouds, the roots of the Seven Treasures Tree behind them had quietly sunk deeper into the earth…