Xiaoxiao.

The spiritual energy of the earth and sky is extremely thin nowadays, and those cultivation methods that inexplicably merge into the consciousness of several people are simply not feasible on the current Penglai planet.

This plunged their cultivation into a great predicament, even a desperate situation.

The forced self-destruction of the previous four team members is proof of this; the idea that cultivating immortality is about defying fate and changing one's destiny is not just empty talk.

Absorbing the spiritual energy from spiritual objects to stabilize oneself is merely a delaying tactic; attempting to improve one's cultivation level is simply wishful thinking.

Even in the cultivation world, spiritual objects are rare, and those that have survived to this day on Penglai Planet are extremely rare.

All spiritual beings need to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, to grow. Now that the spiritual energy is exhausted, where can they find the conditions to survive?

Therefore, since ancient times, spiritual treasures in nature have already disappeared, so relying on spiritual objects for cultivation is simply not feasible.

Furthermore, the amount of spiritual energy required for each step of cultivation advancement is enormous, and the demand increases as one progresses.

The spiritual roots and fruits that can be found now are not even enough to maintain basic cultivation, let alone improve it.

However, spiritual practice is a one-way ticket that can only move forward, like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you will fall behind.

If one's cultivation stagnates or even regresses for an extended period, then death is not far off...

The previous four people were in the same situation. Because they did not receive any external spiritual energy, their internal spiritual energy eventually went completely out of control and could not be contained.

They are getting weaker and weaker, and if they can't find the spiritual treasure, the consequences will be unimaginable!

Due to the long-term lack of spiritual energy, the three of them could barely exert 30% of their strength.

With the spiritual energy surges becoming more frequent, their time is running out...

The spiritual objects that can be found now were all collected by our predecessors. After countless years, the spiritual energy they contained has long since dissipated.

Even these are well-preserved; most are just discarded items whose spiritual energy has dissipated.

Therefore, over the past three years, the three great empires have been thoroughly ransacked by them.

Besides the ten major sects, they left their footprints in various places.

Even the top ten sects have had their thresholds worn down by the crowds.

Within the Tang and Han dynasties alone, they left behind countless bizarre theft cases, which would ultimately remain unsolved mysteries, because the methods of cultivators were considered miracles by ordinary people.

Even so, the spiritual items they obtained were still few and far between.

Even self-preservation was a problem, let alone any improvement; otherwise, those four wouldn't have ventured into the wilderness.

The wilderness might be the last hope, but that hope was also another dead end. It was far too dangerous, and the chances of survival were slim, as evidenced by the fate of those few individuals.

If there had been hope, they wouldn't have self-destructed.

Legend has it that the Vermilion Fruit grows in the wilderness, but this appears to be just a legend at present...

Finally, they entered the wilderness, partly to avoid a horrific humanitarian tragedy during the self-destruction, and partly in the hope of finding a source of spiritual energy or the legendary Vermilion Fruit.

Legend has it that the Vermilion Fruit grows in the wilderness and possesses the magical power to modify the body, enabling the user to absorb the energy of wild beasts and transform it into their own spiritual energy.

However, it seems that the legend is just that—a legend—and the Vermilion Fruit remains nowhere to be found...

Among the mysterious inheritances obtained by these individuals were records related to rare and precious materials, spiritual treasures, and spiritual roots.

There are also descriptions of other blessed lands, which are self-contained microcosms containing spiritual energy sources, similar to spiritual springs, and are considered treasures of heaven and earth.

However, the transmission makes no mention of the specific locations of these blessed lands. It only states that they are "among the vast mountains"...

Perhaps such beings exist in the wilderness, because the wilderness fits the description of "vast mountains," and the giant beasts within it possess extraordinary power, some even possessing magical abilities.

For example, spiritual energy attacks, true energy waves, and so on...

Such ferocious behemoths appear during the once-in-a-millennium beast tides, and this is recorded in detail in the empire's records.

But all of this is just speculation, mere conjecture on their own...

Since the advent of written records, there has never been any record of venturing more than a hundred li into the wilderness.

A hundred li is less than one hundred millionth of the area of ​​the vast plains, yet countless lives of our ancestors were lost to cover this distance.

Unfortunately, none of the records of what was seen or heard within those hundred miles were related to spiritual energy.

Four team members ventured in at the last moment, with the deepest of them reaching nearly 500 li (approximately 250 kilometers).

They might not have found anything, because the final signal flare clearly indicated that they had not found anything.

Therefore, the wilderness is less a source of hope and more a dead end...

Unlike the cultivation of ancient martial arts, once you embark on the path of cultivation, there is no turning back.

Because Heaven will not tolerate you giving up halfway, if you dare to defy Heaven, you must be prepared to face Heaven's wrath.

Either you transcend tribulation and ascend to immortality, or you are reduced to ashes.

It's not only when you reach the point of transcending tribulations and ascending to immortality that you face the danger of death and the loss of your cultivation; all sorts of calamities and tribulations can occur along the way of cultivation.

This is the consequence of going against the will of Heaven!

Although the Heavenly Way is due to "the forty-nine Great Evolutions, one of which has been lost".

It was a last resort to give cultivators a loophole, but that was by no means its original intention.

This is the will of the Great Dao. Although the Heavenly Dao is high above, the Great Dao is even higher.

However, the Great Dao is formless, therefore the Heavenly Dao has become the most powerful existence!

As the saying goes, one cannot defy destiny, nor can one defy the will of Heaven.

The more powerful an existence is, the more inviolable it is.

The Way of Heaven, as the representative of the Great Way, is the absolute ruler of all things in the universe.

The Great Dao will not easily reveal itself unless faced with a cataclysmic calamity. Therefore, to a certain extent, the Heavenly Dao is the Great Dao.

Ultimately, he's just a spokesperson, and there's always the risk of being "replaced."

To maintain its own position, Heaven will do everything in its power to prevent a rising star from taking its place.

Thus, at each stage of ascension, attainment of the Dao, becoming an immortal, and becoming a god, the Heavenly Dao has set up countless barriers.

Its purpose is not, as rumored, to "weed out the dross and retain the essence," but to stifle all threats and all possible "rising stars."

Only by nipping all dangers in the bud can the Way of Heaven remain the sole representative of the Great Way and forever enjoy boundless power and desire.

Therefore, once a cultivator embarks on the path of cultivation, every step they take is like walking on thin ice, with a life-or-death situation at the very least.

Mortals only see the immortals moving mountains and seas, summoning wind and rain.

The hardships and suffering involved are far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

This is the meaning of the saying: "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

Every gain comes with ten parts effort; it's just a matter of whether the effort was made "first" or "later."

But we must know that 'the way of Heaven is cyclical and never spares anyone'.

Enjoying the blessings of one's ancestors will ultimately lead to the sins of future generations.

The greatest truth is impartial, and this has remained true throughout history.

Although the path of cultivation is extremely dangerous, the Great Dao has also left a glimmer of hope.

"The One That Escapes" is the glimmer of hope that the Great Dao gives to all things and all spirits, but it is also an invisible shackle on the Heavenly Dao.

The Great Way is without action, yet it is supremely impartial.

Wuwei does not mean being idle or doing nothing.

Instead, it means not acting rashly or recklessly.

In order to solve the problems they faced, Kuang Zheng and his companions went through countless hardships that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

In the end, they were still going in circles, with no way out.

The path of absorbing the remaining spiritual energy of spiritual objects has become increasingly narrow and is almost at its end.

Because the spiritual roots of heaven and earth are finite, and spiritual treasures are constant.

There are very few remaining relics on Penglai Planet, and it has been more than a year since the spiritual aura of Xiubei County was first sensed.

Clearly, if we don't adjust our direction and find a better approach, with the tragedy of the four deceased team members looming before us, we must break this deadlock!

But how easy is that?

For this purpose, Kuang Zheng spent a lot of time researching and organizing materials, especially the history of some long-standing sects and families.

And believe it or not, they actually found some clues for him.

On the planet Penglai, the schools most closely related to cultivation are Taoism and Buddhism, whose history can be traced back to the pre-literate era.

Their lineage existed even before humans existed.

The most compelling evidence is the wordless inscriptions and cliff carvings found in various places. Although there are no words on the carvings, their imagery still clearly conveys the spirit of both families.

The fact that Taoism and Buddhism have flourished for hundreds of thousands of years without ceasing must be due to their unique characteristics.

Taoism emphasizes self-cultivation, which requires communicating with heaven and earth to achieve the highest state of harmony between humanity and nature, and the forgetting of self and external things.

Buddhism emphasizes cultivating the mind and pursuing inner perfection, believing that the universe is formed within the body.

It is a universe in itself, encompassing everything and containing all things.

One emphasizes transcending the physical and mental barriers and becoming one with the universe.

One emphasizes physical transcendence and sainthood.

A unity of heaven and man,

One achieves sainthood in the physical body, transcending self and others.

Although their methods of cultivation differ, both transcend worldly concerns.

More importantly, both emphasize the cultivation of the "heart," which is similar to the emphasis on spiritual consciousness in Taoist cultivation.

It can be said that different paths lead to the same destination, and the great way ultimately converges.

Moreover, both families emphasize "entering the world and leaving the world," cleansing their souls in the mundane world and pursuing their true selves in the mundane world.

After completing his merits, he transcended worldly affairs and left behind a solitary existence.

Refining one's mind in the mortal world is the only way for both families to achieve sainthood.

Kuang Zheng and his companions were cultivating the path to physical immortality, but unfortunately, the spiritual energy of Penglai was nearly exhausted.

Since there are no documents left by our predecessors for reference, the path to absorbing spiritual treasures is blocked. So, we have no choice but to forge our own way.

How could this be easy?

In retrospect, drawing on the methods of self-cultivation from Taoism and Buddhism is a viable option for the time being.

Let's try anything, even if it's a last resort!

That's how the reasons for his appointment as county magistrate came about; all three of them had discussed these points.

We didn't go into detail at the time; we just mentioned it casually.

Wu Ren and Ying Yue didn't say anything at the time, but Kuang Zheng decided to put it into practice.

Anyway, we've tried countless methods before, this is just another verification.

This seems to be the only viable path at present, although Wu Ren and Ying Yue have actually given up on it.

I thought I should take advantage of the time I still had to experience the wonderful world of ordinary people.

But Kuangzheng continued to search and explore relentlessly.

He was unwilling to give up because the final moment had not yet arrived.

Despite experiencing countless disappointments,

Sometimes I don't even know what the point of continuing is.

But he just didn't want to give up, he refused to give up!

Kuang Zheng quickly stopped Yao Changqing's bleeding; thankfully, the injury wasn't fatal.

This was thanks to his strong physique, and also because he managed to avoid fatal blows at the last moment.

Even so, he was already seriously injured and on the verge of death, but these were no problem for Kuang Zheng.

He casually touched Yao Changqing's body, and the gushing blood immediately stopped, while his pale face began to recover rapidly at a visible speed.

Before leaving, Wu Ren had already cleaned up the battlefield, and apart from the bloodstains on the ground, there was nothing unusual to be seen.