Inside the meditation chamber, Han Yi took stock of his weapons. At his current level, only the Green Ripple Sword, used for Sword Flight, remained practical. His primary combat tools had transitioned to Magic Treasures.
The Seven Stars Kunwu Sword and the Demon-Slaying Dagger now served as his main weapons.
In addition to these two Magic Treasures, he possessed two Immortal Fall Talismans, each capable of threatening early-stage and mid-stage Golden Core cultivators. These talismans had nearly depleted his resources, leaving him with just over three thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and around one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Beyond these, he still had several Top-Grade Magic Artifacts: the Phoenix Feather Sword, Thunder Swamp Sword, and Fire Mist Sword.
Han Yi currently carried the Green Ripple Sword for Sword Flight, the Seven Stars Kunwu Sword for its formidable power, and the Demon-Slaying Dagger concealed at his waist.
After reviewing his Storage Pouch's arsenal, he turned to his Proficiency Panel. For over a year and a half, he had devoted himself entirely to cultivating the Ancient God Contemplation Technique.
As his mana gradually "melted" within his body and his physical body reaped the benefits, his cultivation had reached the advanced stage of Late Foundation Establishment.
Lifespan: 63/260
Cultivation Realm: Late Foundation Establishment (74/100)
Skills:
Ancient God Contemplation Technique (Masterful 31/100)
Ten days later.
"This won't work. I can't calm my mind enough to cultivate."
"My progress is too slow. At this rate, I'll never reach the Perfected Purity stage of the Ancient God Contemplation Technique in the short term."
"Even if I did reach Perfected Purity, I still wouldn't be able to immediately attempt Core Formation, and the boost to my combat strength would be minimal."
"Most importantly, before attempting Core Formation, I need to completely purge the residual toxins from my Spirit Sea."
Han Yi frowned in contemplation. The residual toxins in his Dantian had already been forced by his physical body to retreat to the innermost depths of his Spirit Sea. However, this final, stubborn clump of toxins, no matter how hard he tried, refused to budge.
According to his plan, reaching Perfected Purity in Body Refinement should have provided an opportunity to eliminate the toxins. But that would take far too long—at least another year.
He had already waited over a year for his strength to recover. He couldn't afford to wait another year now.
If his own inner strength was insufficient, he would have to consider external assistance.
However, that could wait until he returned to the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom.
Although residual toxins lingered in his Spirit Sea, they posed no immediate threat. His priority now was returning to Great Qian.
On one hand, Han Yi Xin's strength had recovered, allowing him to handle any minor dangers. On the other hand, anxiety weighed heavily on his mind.
After he left, Zhuge Wuyou would undoubtedly visit the Profound Immortal Pavilion and discover the note in the hidden compartment. Upon finding it, he would undoubtedly become wary of the Primal Beast Sect. Furthermore, the recent assassination of Que Chen, a prominent member of the sect, would likely trigger a response. A year had passed since the original incident, and Han Yi Xin had no way of knowing what developments might have transpired during that time.
This was the primary reason for his urgent return.
His prolonged wait had pushed his anxiety to its limits. Remaining away any longer would risk the formation of an inner demon due to his restless mind, making it counterproductive to continue cultivating in such a state.
The next day, Han Yi Xin emerged from his meditation chamber at the inn. He was currently using the identity of Lu Li, the second-in-command of the Azure Dragon Palace, and his appearance was that of Tang Yiyuan, the eldest disciple of Fu Canghai—a man with the weathered look of a seventy-year-old mortal.
For this journey, he went directly to a stronghold of the Flying Immortal Pavilion to inquire about Immortal Boat routes traversing the Myriad Demon Mountain Range's trade routes. To avoid attracting attention, he deliberately refrained from presenting his Myriad Immortals Token.
Han Yi Xin's luck held. Three days later, a large Immortal Boat was scheduled to depart from Tiannan Immortal City for Jinyun Immortal City. He promptly reserved a seat.
For the next three days, Han Yi cultivated at an inn affiliated with the Supreme Tower.
Three days later, the Immortal Boat smoothly departed from a clearing in Tiannan Immortal City, soaring towards the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
Within fifteen minutes, it had reached the outer fringes of the mountain range and began flying above the dense forests.
According to the information Han Yi had gathered, traversing the Myriad Demon Mountain Range would take about half a month.
Ten days later, the Immortal Boat suddenly halted. Ahead, a swarm of avian demon beasts descended with a deafening roar. A figure leapt from the boat, assumed a cross-legged posture in mid-air, and held a zither horizontally across his lap. The moment the first note resonated, it conjured a vision of a thousand warhorses charging across the battlefield—a scene of overwhelming, thunderous fury. The onrushing swarm of avian demon beasts instantly plummeted like raindrops, their divine souls shattering mid-air.
"It's True Person Wu Gang of Jade Capital Mountain!"
"Incredible! The mere sound of his zither gripped my heart like a vice. And he wasn't even targeting me directly! Had he focused his power on me, I'd be dead for sure."
"He's the top-ranked True Person on the True Person List—Junior Brother to Heavenly Lyre True Person Li Qiushui. His strength is beyond question."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Holy Land Fragment is about to manifest. Wu Gang must also be heading to Mount Yuanlao. Thirty years ago, Li Qiushui's legendary battle there shook the world, solidifying his place as the undisputed leader of the True Person List. I wonder what spectacular feat Wu Gang will demonstrate this time."
"That's hard to say," one cultivator remarked. "There are countless cultivators in the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom, but there's only one Li Qiushui. Expecting another like him, even Wu Gang, is unrealistic. Besides, Wu Gang is only at the mid-stage Golden Core realm, far from Li Qiushi's Peak Golden Core strength thirty years ago."
"Still," another chimed in, "the four of us seek only Eternal Life. We despise conflict and wish to avoid it. Such matters are naturally distant from us."
"Exactly," a third agreed. "Skilled swimmers often drown, and those who shun strife and cultivate in solitude find the true path to Eternal Life."
"True enough," the fourth cultivator murmured.
Four Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby spoke in hushed tones. Han Yi also rose to his feet, gazing at the young cultivator descending slowly from mid-air, muttering to himself, "Wu Gang? Li Qiushi's Junior Brother?"
At the Star River Garden, Han Yi had attended the grand unveiling ceremony of the Heavenly Secrets Stele organized by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. He had memorized all the names on the True Person List, though he only knew most of them by reputation.
The True Person List was topped by Li Qiushui of Jade Capital Mountain, Daoist Title: Heavenly Lyre True Person. According to the records, Li Qiushui, as a Golden Core cultivator, had slain three Nascent Soul cultivators on Mount Yuanlao.
This feat was astonishing. For cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage, defeating opponents a major realm higher was already exceedingly rare. To single-handedly kill three cultivators a full realm above oneself was nearly impossible.
At that moment, Han Yi was confident that he could defeat an early-stage Golden Core cultivator in a one-on-one fight. However, if faced with three Golden Core cultivators simultaneously, he couldn't guarantee victory—only survival.
This was already an astonishing feat. The idea of a Peak Golden Core cultivator killing three Nascent Soul experts was something Han Yi couldn't even dare to imagine.
"Fellow Daoist, are you heading to Mount Yuanlao?"
One of the four Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby, who had been conversing among themselves, noticed Han Yi standing a few meters away. He seemed to be around their age, and the cultivator's curiosity was piqued. He cupped his hands in a polite greeting.
Han Yi turned and returned the gesture. "This humble one is Lu Li. I have urgent business returning to Jinyun Immortal City from Tiannan Immortal City and am unfamiliar with Mount Yuanlao."
"I overheard you mentioning fragments of the Immortal Palace on Mount Yuanlao. Could you enlighten me?"
The cultivator who had addressed Han Yi also appeared elderly, roughly the same age as Han Yi himself. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, living to two hundred years old was effortless, provided they avoided premature death or severe injuries to their Spirit Sea or Divine Soul.
This cultivator's weathered appearance suggested he was at least a hundred and fifty years old.
The other three cultivators were all male and roughly the same age as Han Yi.
"I see," Han Yi murmured.
"The matter of Mount Yuanlao is no secret; the entire realm is aware of it," one of the cultivators said.
"We four are rogue cultivators from Luo Xia Mountain, affiliated with the Taiyi Workshop of Great Qian. Meeting you here today, Fellow Daoist, feels like fate. Why not join us for a chat?"
After a moment's thought, Han Yi walked over and sat down.
Coincidentally, Han Yi had recently encountered another cultivator from Luo Xia Mountain under the Taiyi Workshop—Dou Yu, the one who had been swindling Spirit Stones from female cultivators using Han Yi's name.
"My name is He Xuan," the man said. "These three fellow Daoists are Lu Yi, Yang Heda, and Meng Yangyu."
Han Yi nodded politely to each of them in turn, and they responded with warm smiles.
He Xuan continued, "Mount Yuanlao is located in eastern Qian Prefecture. Not far to the north lies the Scarlet Cloud Sword Sect, and to the east, beyond the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, is the Great Yong Immortal Kingdom."
"Mount Yuanlao holds a unique significance. Tens of thousands of years ago, this land was home to a Holy Land known as the Yuanlao Sacred Land. However, even the most glorious empires eventually decline and fall."
"After the Yuanlao Sacred Land collapsed, nothing unusual occurred for millennia. But about a thousand years ago, fragments of its palaces began to sporadically appear on the mountain."
"In the beginning," He Xuan explained, "Great Qian's Duke of Anguo and the Divine Transformation Great Powers from Jade Capital Mountain's Myriad Stars Sea all investigated the site. However, even if the unearthed Holy Land Fragments contained treasures, they were of no use to those at the Divine Transformation realm."
"Later, rumors spread that a Demigod had directly pulled the palaces of the Yuanlao Sacred Land into a spatial rift. Over tens of thousands of years, this rift gradually collapsed, releasing the trapped palaces."
"But these historical details are secondary to our purpose. The crucial point is that the treasures within the Holy Land Fragments survived intact because the space-time within the spatial rift was nearly static, preserving them from the ravages of time."
"Our group of four originally came to Tiannan Immortal City for a mission. Now that it's complete, we plan to visit Mount Yuanlao. Fellow Daoist Lu, if you don't mind, would you care to join us?"
He Xuan's explanation deepened Han Yi's understanding of Mount Yuanlao. He knew of the Yuanlao Sacred Land, but he had never heard about the recent discovery of Holy Land Fragments on Mount Yuanlao. Without a moment's hesitation, he naturally declined the invitation.
"I apologize, Fellow Daoist, but I have pressing matters and cannot join you on Mount Yuanlao," Han Yi said. He Xuan didn't press the issue.
"Very well. To be honest, while new fragments of the Palace on Mount Yuanlao surface every decade or so, they are always claimed by powerful cultivators. We wouldn't want you to laugh at us, but our main reason for going this time is simply to try our luck."
"The four of us aren't fond of combat. The true Immortal Path should focus on nurturing life to achieve Eternal Life."
Han Yi didn't entirely agree with He Xuan's philosophy.
In the brutal Cultivation World, how could one achieve Eternal Life by focusing solely on nurturing life and neglecting combat prowess? To Han Yi, Eternal Life was the goal, while combat ability was an equally vital means of safeguarding one's path.
An old saying from his previous life came to mind: "If your neighbor hoards grain, I'll hoard guns. After all, my neighbor is my granary." This principle applied equally well in the Cultivation World.
Still, he could see that these four cultivators genuinely seemed to harbor no ill intentions. They were a refreshing breath of air in the often ruthless Cultivation World. Having recently endured a series of assassination attempts, comparing their ideals to his own made him feel even more out of place.
Nevertheless,
every cultivator held different beliefs. Though he disagreed with them, he respected their choices.
Suddenly, an idea struck Han Yi. While Rogue Cultivators might lack the raw power of those from Great Sects, their diverse experiences and broad knowledge could rival, if not surpass, those of their sect-bound counterparts. Moreover, the four cultivators before him were all over 150 years old, with the eldest nearing 200.
Longevity implied extensive knowledge.
"Fellow Daoists, I have a question for you," Han Yi said, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.
He Xuan waved dismissively. "Fellow Daoist Lu, there's no need for formalities. We Rogue Cultivators should assist each other."
Remarkably, these four cultivators—perhaps due to their advanced age and Rogue Cultivator status—were exceptionally courteous. Han Yi reciprocated by getting straight to the point.
"Three years ago, two of my fellow Daoists were poisoned simultaneously with different toxins. Both succumbed within fifteen minutes..."
Han Yi then fabricated two separate incidents from his own past poisoning experiences, detailing the symptoms before death and the circumstances surrounding their demise.
He Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Fellow Daoist Lu, your two companions must have offended someone. The first likely crossed paths with a cultivator from the Primal Beast Sect."
Han Yi's face lit up. "The Primal Beast Sect? My Fellow Daoist did have some issues with them before being poisoned. But I didn't think they were a poison-using sect. How could they possess such a vicious poison?"
This time, it wasn't He Xuan who spoke, but the short, wiry Lu Yi.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, you may not be aware," Lu Yi began, "but while the Primal Beast Sect primarily focuses on Contracted Demonic Beasts, they also possess a unique poison called Chaos Spirit Demon Poison. This toxin is extracted from the bodies of Peak Golden Core Demon Cultivators."
"For cultivators, this poison seeps into the Divine Soul, causing them to lose control and develop a bloodthirsty, chaotic desire for destruction. Foundation Establishment cultivators like us wouldn't last long before succumbing to madness."
"But for Demon Cultivators, it's not a poison at all—it's a spiritual object that enhances their Divine Soul's power. Truly, one man's poison is another man's honey."
Lu Yi's explanation, supplemented by the others' knowledge, finally enlightened Han Yi.
"Chaos Spirit Demon Poison?"
"I see..."
"What about the second poison?" Han Yi asked, his gaze intense as he turned to the four elderly cultivators. The first poison had been absorbed by the black pearl in his Sea of Consciousness Space, leaving him unaffected. But the second poison had burrowed deep into his Spirit Sea, stubbornly resisting all attempts to purge it. This was clearly no ordinary toxin.
The four elderly cultivators, seated cross-legged in meditation, fell into deep contemplation.
Suddenly, Yang Heda, who was sitting a bit further away, seemed to remember something. He reached into his Storage Pouch and pulled out a slightly crumpled notebook, clearly quite old. Flipping through it, his eyes lit up.
"I know what it is!"
"It's Black Hell Powder. There's no doubt about it."
Among the other three cultivators, only He Xuan seemed to recognize the name. The other two looked utterly bewildered, clearly unfamiliar with it.
"That's right! It must be Black Hell Powder. It's been over a century—I'd almost forgotten!"
"Fellow Daoist He, what exactly is Black Hell Powder?" Lu Yi and Meng Yangyu asked eagerly, their impatience surpassing even Han Yi's.
For rogue cultivators, every scrap of knowledge was precious wealth.
Han Yi's gaze burned with curiosity as he turned to He Xuan.
Relishing the anticipation, He Xuan stroked his white beard and began:
"Don't be hasty, everyone."
"Over a century ago, when Fellow Daoist Yang and I first arrived at Luo Xia Mountain, we encountered an assassination attempt."
"At the time, a rising Heaven's Chosen among the rogue cultivators of Luo Xia Mountain was poisoned to death. The assassin was discovered on the spot, yet still managed to escape using an Escape Technique. Later, after some investigation, we learned the nature of the poison used."
"Its name is Black Hell Powder, a lethal poison exclusive to the Black God Tower."
"Black God Tower."
Lu Yi and Meng Yangyu's faces paled dramatically, as if the mere mention of the name struck fear into their hearts.
Han Yi's expression also shifted slightly. He had long suspected the poison afflicting him originated from the Black God Tower, though he lacked concrete evidence.
The Black God Tower was the Cultivation World's largest organization of robber cultivators, assassins, and poison masters. Legend had it they even attempted to assassinate a Divine Transformation Dao Lord with poison, though unsuccessfully. Despite this failure, the Tower's reputation as the Cultivation World's foremost dark power was cemented.
And this dark power's deadliest weapon was poison.
"That's right, it must be the Black God Tower's Black Hell Powder," Yang Heda confirmed, closing his notebook with a grave expression.
"The lowest-ranking assassins in the Black God Tower are all Foundation Establishment cultivators. We've avoided conflict thus far, so we've naturally never encountered this dark force."
"Black Hell Powder is immensely potent. Once a cultivator is afflicted, their mana, Spirit Sea, and physical body will gradually be corrupted. Even a trace of this poison leaves any cultivator below the Golden Core realm with virtually no chance of survival."
"Only Golden Core cultivators, having condensed their Spirit Sea Golden Core, can expel the poison using the power of their core."
"Rumor has it the Black God Tower possesses even more potent poisons, specifically targeting Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. They're said to be utterly terrifying."
"Fellow Daoist Lu, it's best to avoid any contact with this dark organization," Yang Heda said earnestly.
Han Yi nodded, a faint, almost imperceptible glint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
"Is there an antidote?" Han Yi asked.
The four Rogue Cultivators shook their heads in unison. As Rogue Cultivators, they naturally wouldn't know the antidote to the Black God Tower's most potent poisons.
Still, knowing the organization's identity was already a significant gain, and Han Yi expressed his gratitude.
Afterward, the four resumed their rambling conversation, ranging from the Divine Transformation Dao Lords of the realm to the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and then to the Heavenly Secrets Stele, the True Person List, and the Qian Dragon List, reciting the details as if they were treasured possessions.
Han Yi gained a deeper appreciation for the breadth of their knowledge.
Half a month later, the mountain forests below the Immortal Boat had come to an end. Ten kilometers ahead, Jinyun Immortal City stood tall against the horizon.
Jinyun Immortal City was now within easy reach.
An incense stick later,
The Immortal Boat landed in an open space behind the Flying Immortal Pavilion in Jinyun Immortal City. Han Yi bid farewell to the four Luo Xia Mountain cultivators and departed without delay.
After he left, He Xuan suddenly sighed.
"That Lu Li is rather peculiar. He must have altered his appearance. I wonder if he's also concealed his aura."
"However," one of the four cultivators said, "we should avoid entangling ourselves in the causal affairs of other cultivators as much as possible. In the pursuit of eternal life, we must remember to refrain from unnecessary conflicts."
The other three nodded in agreement.
"Fellow Daoist He speaks wisely," one of them said.
"Indeed, that's the truth," another added.
"Think back to those who entered the Cultivation World with us long ago," the first cultivator continued. "They've all turned to dust, while we remain free and alive. This proves our philosophy is the correct one."
"Let's rest briefly before boarding the Immortal Boat," he concluded. "We'll head to Mount Yuanlao. It's been years since we last visited; hopefully, this time we'll find something worthwhile."
Meanwhile, Han Yi hadn't actually left. Instead, he observed the four cultivators from a nearby tower. Overhearing their conversation, he felt a pang of shame; his actions now seemed petty in comparison.
However, caution was ingrained in his nature, and he didn't regret his actions. He viewed this prudence as a necessary layer of self-protection.
After a moment, Han Yi left the tower, entered an alley, and emerged with a completely new appearance—this time, he resembled an unremarkable Inner Sect Disciple he had once seen. With his plain features and unassuming demeanor, he blended seamlessly into the crowd.
He mounted his sword and soared into the sky, heading straight for the Profound Immortal Pavilion.