Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

"This is..."

Zhang Yao’s Divine Thought captured a surprising scene:

Jiuhua Ancestor was floating mid-air, his entire body radiating ten thousand beams of white light, dazzling as if sunlight was illuminating the entire dark cavern.

"Ah!"

Several Black Death Beasts screamed and fled in panic, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

"Pfft."

Nether Abyss Ancestor frowned slightly, withdrawing his hand from the corpse of a Black Death Beast.

During the sudden attack, those two suspected puppet Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivators used some method to instantly restrain the Black Death Beasts, giving Nether Abyss Ancestor a chance for a killing blow.

Only he and Zhang Yao had the achievement of killing a Black Death Beast in the sudden skirmish.

"Jiuhua, that’s enough."

Nether Abyss Ancestor spoke in a deep voice, exuding undeniable authority.

Jiuhua Ancestor, hearing this, instantly restrained the white brilliance on his body, his whole body shook, almost tumbling from his Escape Light.

"Fellow Daoist Jiuhua!"

"Jiuhua, are you okay?"

Seeing this, Black Abyss Ascendant, Ying Mo Sect Leader, and others rushed forward to support him.

Although Jiuhua Ancestor was somewhat of an ’oddity’ in Da Mo due to his different cultivation school, he was surprisingly popular.

"Hoo, hoo... I’m fine."

Jiuhua Ancestor gasped heavily twice, waving his hand.

"I just exhausted my Magical Power too much, a bit of meditation will do."

Zhang Yao, observing this, showed a hint of understanding.

"So, he practices a Light Attribute Cultivation Technique..."

Many years ago, when he first met Jiuhua Ancestor, the latter mentioned the uniqueness of the Shenhua sect.

It wasn’t until today that he realized the primary Cultivation Technique of the Shenhua sect was the rare Light Attribute.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu."

While Jiuhua Ancestor was swallowing a Spirit Pill and meditating, Nether Abyss Ancestor flew over and spoke:

"You seem a bit surprised?"

"Indeed."

Zhang Yao did not hide, nodding:

"Fellow Daoist Jiuhua’s Cultivation Technique Attribute really surprised me."

"His venture into Mo Yuan this time is excessively risky..."

Among the Five Phases Attributes, Light and Dark are inherently opposed and counter each other.

Jiuhua Ancestor in Mo Yuan is at once possessing immense advantages and disadvantages, for example, his suppression of the Black Death Beasts is stronger than others, but conversely, the Black Death Beasts can inflict greater harm on him.

Overall, his venture into Mo Yuan undoubtedly places him in extreme danger, with a far higher risk of falling compared to other cultivators of the same grade.

"He’s certainly aware of these risks."

Nether Abyss Ancestor spoke slowly:

"In the past, Golden Core Cultivators of the Shenhua sect entering Mo Yuan would never go alone."

"Thus, they always maintain very good relationships with other major Golden Core level forces."

"As for why they, despite being Light Attribute cultivators, are so persistent in pursuing Mo Yuan through generations of Golden Core Cultivators..."

He paused here, speaking in a playful tone:

"The mystery in this, surely, with Fellow Daoist Qingxu’s wisdom, is not hard to guess?"

Zhang Yao nodded slightly and spoke:

"As the saying goes, extreme Yin begets Yang, and things revert upon reaching their limits."

"In the Mo Yuan, filled with Dark forces, there must exist an ultimate Bright object, which often is the Supreme Treasure for the light lineage."

In normal Spiritual Qi environments, various forces are balanced, including the most basic Five Elements and Five Phases.

But in such an extreme environment like Mo Yuan, the Dark Attribute strength is too powerful, often directly obliterating or squeezing other attribute strengths out of form.

And such extreme convergence is the foundation for the birth of the majority of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.

"Exactly, Fellow Daoist Qingxu hits the nail on the head!"

Nether Abyss Ancestor stroked his beard and spoke:

"Over a millennium ago, the patriarch of the Shenhua sect established the sect in Divine Splendor Mountain to pursue the Brightest Treasure in Mo Yuan."

"However, he never succeeded in his lifetime, passing with regret."

"Shenhua sect has passed through four generations till today, and every generation of Golden Core Ancestors tirelessly pursues this Brightest Treasure because it is connected to their Heaven-Reaching Dao."

At this point, he paused slightly before speaking:

"But this time is the closest Shenhua sect has gotten to their long-cherished wish in a thousand years."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao nodded in agreement.

It’s not that their luck is better than that of Shenhua sect’s predecessors, but purely that their strength is greater.

If in the area above thirty thousand zhang, there truly is the Brightest Treasure Shenhua sect has sought for a millennium, the chances of their group successfully capturing it are considerable.

"In previous discussions, the reason this wasn’t mentioned was purely because this is common knowledge in Da Mo, and consequently overlooked."

Nether Abyss Ancestor spoke, revealing a trace of apology:

"According to the tradition of Shenhua sect, once the Brightest Treasure is found, it belongs to Jiuhua Ancestor."

"And all of Jiuhua Ancestor’s assets, including the thousand-year accumulation of the Shenhua sect, belong to us. If there’s any deficiency, I will personally compensate Fellow Daoist."

Hearing this, Zhang Yao nodded and said:

"Alright, no problem."

Jiuhua Ancestor’s promise also includes substantial interests within the Da Mo Cultivation Realm, which Zhang Yao cannot obtain, naturally needing equitably compensated.

For him, the so-called Brightest Treasure carries little significance, and exchanging it for interests and favors is quite worthwhile.

"Besides this, there is another more important matter."

The Nether Abyss Ancestor spoke, his expression becoming solemn:

"The recent Black Death Beast ambush, I’m afraid it wasn’t because we were unlucky, but rather someone deliberately set a trap!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao’s pupils suddenly contracted, his heart shaken:

"Fellow Daoist’s meaning is... someone can manipulate these Black Death Beasts?"

The words of the Nether Abyss Ancestor, at first, sounded shocking, but upon careful consideration, it seemed quite possible.

The timing of the Black Death Beast’s ambush was just too perfect, right when everyone had broken through the Magnetic Barrier, affected by space distortion, dispersed and still adapting.

In just a brief exchange lasting one or two breaths, someone in the team was already injured. If it weren’t for Jiuhua Ancestor’s sudden burst forcing the Black Death Beast back, someone might have died in the ambush.

"No, that’s not what I mean..."

The Nether Abyss Ancestor hesitated slightly, stuttering:

"What I mean to say is, perhaps... perhaps someone can exert some influence over these Black Death Beasts to lure them into ambushing us."

"..."

Zhang Yao, remaining silent, glanced deeply at him before speaking:

"Fellow Daoist Mingyuan, I advise you to speak honestly."

"Earlier, I sensed your confrontation with that person in the Black Tide."

"If you’re unwilling to speak the truth, then our collaboration is unnecessary. Once we’ve collected enough Endless Yin Earth, I’ll head straight back."

The Nether Abyss Ancestor’s expression changed slightly, he remained silent for a moment before speaking softly:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, now is not the time for talk."

"I promise, before reaching the deepest layer, I will fully disclose the truth."

"By then, whether you advance or retreat, the choice is entirely yours; if you still choose to return, I definitely won’t stop you."

"...Alright."

After a brief contemplation, Zhang Yao agreed:

"Then it’s settled."

The Nether Abyss Ancestor visibly relaxed upon hearing this, he continued:

"Earlier in the Black Tide, I indeed confronted that adversary once, it was a draw."

"Not to hide from you, the reason I invited Fellow Daoist to join forces with me this time was to deal with that guy, this recent ambush was likely orchestrated by him..."

On hearing this, Zhang Yao’s eyes narrowed, he then asked:

"He can do it, but you can’t?"

"No."

The Nether Abyss Ancestor straightforwardly replied:

"He has his skills, I also have my methods."

"He can influence the Black Death Beasts, but I cannot. Similarly, I can absorb Black Tide to recover Magical Power and heal wounds, whereas he cannot accomplish that."

Knowing that Zhang Yao was suspicious, he risked exposing a secret to gain his trust.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhang Yao showed a hint of interest on his face.

Both the Nether Abyss Ancestor and that mysterious individual were cultivators on the path of Qi Refining, yet one could influence Black Death Beasts and the other could absorb the power of the Black Tide, clearly, it wasn’t something achievable by normal Divine Techniques.

What secret lies behind this?

"Daoist Brother Mingyuan, Fellow Daoist Qingxu."

The dialogue between the two had barely begun when Jiuhua Ancestor and others started urging.

After all, having just experienced an ambush here, this was certainly not a place suitable for a prolonged stay, hence everyone regrouped and moved towards the deeper regions.

......

In the depths of the dark cavern.

Zhang Yao and his group were sweeping through various treasures and spiritual objects here.

The strategy for actions in the second zone differed greatly from the first; the focus lay primarily on gathering spiritual objects and treasures, naturally slowing the pace considerably.

A multitude of Golden Core Cultivators spread out at certain intervals, sweeping through treasures and spiritual objects in their respective areas, eventually gathering it all together.

Along the way, they encountered several crises, exterminating a few Black Death Beasts, but overall it remained safe despite the thrills.

"Goodness! This place really is strewn with treasures..."

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Yao drew a palm-sized piece of Endless Yin Earth into his grasp, evidently in a good mood.

In the region between twenty thousand to thirty thousand feet deep within Mo Yuan, the locally condensed and Black Tide-carried various spiritual objects and treasures truly lay scattered everywhere.

It could be said:

Any Golden Core Cultivator participating in this exploration, as long as they survive to return, could see their wealth multiply several times without difficulty.

Considering the sheer abundance of treasures and spiritual objects here, most are of third grade, undeniably valuable.

"No wonder those Golden Core Cultivators journey across countless mountains and rivers, from the Central Plains Countries to here for this opportunity that occurs once every few hundred or thousand years..."

Zhang Yao was filled with exhilaration.

Following the main group to sweep, only six or seven hours had passed, yet alone, he had collected nearly fifteen taels of Endless Yin Earth.

According to the previous agreement, during designated meeting times, all Endless Yin Earth was passed to Zhang Yao.

To cultivate the "Infinite Shadow Walking Technique," merely 3 taels and 6 qian of Endless Yin Earth were needed, which he had already gathered, and the rest was pure gain.

Of course, the more such treasures the better, not only enhancing Divine Technique cultivation efficiency, but also fortifying one’s Treasure Body through ingestion and refining, or making exclusive Magical Treasures, or exchanging for other treasures, yielding numerous benefits.

"Boom..."

Suddenly, within Zhang Yao’s Divine Thought, he detected faint booming sounds.

Though distant, these sounds reached here faintly, yet passed through the Magnetic Barrier, implying significant commotion where they originated!

Such commotions were clearly larger than the previous skirmishes at the second Magnetic Barrier between Black Death Beasts and Golden Core Cultivators!

"Golden Core Cultivators are engaging in a Magical Battle!"

Zhang Yao immediately realized this fact.