Immortality Cultivation

This was one of Old Jin’s functions—mimicry transformation, which allowed it to change into various forms to adapt to different environments.

Changing into a spider form not only made the target small and easy to hide, but its eight metal legs were also much more convenient for climbing and sneaking through complex terrain than a humanoid form.

Lin Feng watched from the side, dumbfounded, his awe for this Senior deepening a layer further.

Even the Puppet beside him was so miraculous; this Senior’s origins were likely even more astonishing than he had imagined.

Fang Hao did not delay any longer. With a flicker of his figure, he transformed into a faint shadow, like a ghost merging into the night, and swept silently towards the direction of the Bibo Pool pointed out by Lin Feng.

The movement technique he was using was obtained from a certain ’loot.’ Combined with his powerful Divine Sense and his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage, unless a Cultivator had a Divine Sense far surpassing his own or possessed a special probing secret technique, it would be extremely difficult to discover his tracks.

A hundred miles was, for the current Fang Hao, merely a moment’s work.

Soon, a valley shrouded in hazy twilight and faint mist appeared on the edge of his Divine Sense perception.

At the entrance of the valley, one could vaguely see the remnants of a Formation that had been violently destroyed, broken walls and ruins, and the air was still permeated with a faint scent of blood and smoke. This once spiritually beautiful place was now deathly silent and desolate.

Fang Hao did not enter from the valley entrance.

He circled to the side and rear of the valley, where the mountain terrain was steep and the forest was even denser.

According to Lin Feng’s description, he found that ’Bibo Pool’ under a cliff covered by vines.

The pool water was deep and appeared dark green. Even on a summer night, it emitted wisps of cold air, and faint white mist floated on the water’s surface.

The vegetation around the pool was lush, concealing the traces of the pool’s entrance; if not for Lin Feng’s information, it would have been extremely difficult to discover.

Fang Hao probed the pool with his Divine Sense and indeed discovered that the water was extremely deep. Furthermore, the deeper one went, the lower the water temperature and the greater the water pressure became. An ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator would likely be unable to withstand it after descending a few dozen zhang.

On one side of the pool bottom, there was an inconspicuous, pitch-black cave from which cold water continuously gushed out; this was the entrance to the underground river.

’Old Jin, scan it and see if there are any Restrictions or living things inside,’ Fang Hao instructed using his Divine Thought.

The red light in the eyes of the metal spider on his shoulder flashed slightly, and an invisible wave scanned into the underground river entrance.

A moment later, Old Jin’s rigid voice sounded in Fang Hao’s mind:’Scan complete. There are no obvious traces of Spiritual Qi Restrictions at the entrance. The internal structure of the underground river is complex, with a water flow speed of three to five meters per second, a water temperature of four degrees Celsius, and it is rich in Yin-Cold Water Spiritual Qi. No large life forms were detected; there are a small number of low-Rank water-type Demon Beasts and microorganisms adapted to low-temperature environments. Threat Level: Low.’

’Very good.’ Fang Hao did not hesitate any longer. The Spiritual Qi around his body circulated slightly, forming a thin shield outside his body, isolating the pool water and cold air.

His figure flickered, and like a swimming fish, he slid silently into Bibo Pool, diving towards the underground river entrance at the bottom of the pool.

The underground river entrance was wider than imagined, enough to accommodate two people side by side.

The water current was swift and icy, but for Fang Hao, it posed no obstacle at all.

He was like a shadow in the water, moving against the current at an extremely fast speed.

The spider that Old Jin had transformed into clung tightly to his collar, its eight metal legs occasionally tapping lightly against the rock wall to help adjust the direction.

The interior of the underground river was winding and tortuous with many forks; if not for the general route Lin Feng had provided beforehand, it would have been very easy to get lost.

Fang Hao moved forward according to the markers described by Lin Feng—such as a huge reef shaped like a resting ox, a forest of inverted stalactites, a whirlpool formed by the water current, and so on.

After diving for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the sound of water ahead grew louder, and faint light could be seen penetrating through.

Fang Hao knew he was almost at the exit.

He restrained his aura even more carefully, extending his Divine Sense like tentacles, slowly probing out of the underground river exit.

The exit was hidden behind a waterfall. The waterfall was not large, and the current was not particularly swift; it fell from a high cliff and poured into a small pool below.

The pool was located in a relatively hidden mountain hollow, surrounded by waist-high weeds and shrubs, and the air was permeated with a faint medicinal scent and... the smell of blood?

Fang Hao’s Divine Sense spread out silently like spilled mercury, quickly bringing the surrounding several miles into his perception.

Sure enough, this was the abandoned herb garden that Lin Feng had mentioned.

One could still vaguely see some dilapidated fences and collapsed thatched huts; the herb fields had long since gone to waste and were overgrown with weeds.

But at this moment, this desolate, abandoned herb garden was not peaceful.

At the edge of the herb garden, near the direction of the back mountain’s main path, one could vaguely see several temporarily erected simple sentry towers with Black-Clothed Cultivator figures moving about on them, their auras approximately at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Further away, on the road leading to the depths of the valley, squads of Black-Clothed Cultivators patrolled from time to time, the defenses tight.

The lingering scent of blood and faint fluctuations of magic power in the air indicated that a battle had occurred here not long ago, and it was not small in scale.

Fang Hao’s Divine Sense carefully avoided the overt and covert sentries, extending like an invisible spider web towards the depths of the valley, to the area Lin Feng called the ’Forbidden Land.’

Soon, a cliff shrouded in dense mist appeared in his ’field of vision.’

The cliff was steep and dark red, with some maple trees with crimson leaves growing sparsely on it, appearing somewhat eerie in the twilight.

This was ’Red Maple Cliff.’

At this moment, under Red Maple Cliff, the mist was churning, and various colors of Spiritual light were faintly flickering. Intense Spiritual Qi fluctuations continuously came from deep within the mist, interspersed with the roar of Spells and the angry shouts of Cultivators.

On an open space in front of the cliff, dozens of Black-Clothed Cultivators were gathered, clearly divided into two groups.

One group was larger, with about thirty people, their cultivation ranging from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, surrounding three Cultivators whose auras were significantly stronger.

The leader was a tall, sinister-faced old man wearing a black cloak. His aura was deep and obscure, and he had actually reached the Late Golden Core Stage!

In his hand, he held a fist-sized, constantly rotating black skull. Green fire flickered in the skull’s eye sockets as it faced the mist ahead, seemingly probing something.

The other two, a man and a woman: the man was a pale-faced youth holding a black banner, his aura at the Peak of the Early Golden Core Stage; the woman was a bewitching, beautiful woman dressed revealingly, holding a long black whip, and her aura was also at the Early Golden Core Stage.

These three were clearly the high-level members of the Black Fiend Sect left to guard this place.

Judging by their positioning and expressions, it seemed that the sinister old man was the leader.

Opposite them, a little further away, stood seven or eight people with different attire, not dressed like the Black Fiend Sect.

The leader was a middle-aged Cultivator wearing a brocade robe, with a ruddy complexion and three long tufts of beard. His aura also reached the Late Golden Core Stage. He was toying with two crystalline jade balls in his hand, his eyes flickering, not knowing what he was thinking.

Behind him followed several people, old and young, with cultivation ranging from Foundation Establishment to Early Golden Core Stage. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be Cultivators from several nearby small Sects or Families, and at this moment, their faces all bore expressions of either apprehension, greed, or nervousness.

The atmosphere between the two groups was somewhat subtle; they were neither like allies nor enemies, but rather seemed to be... in a standoff?

Or rather, was the Black Fiend Sect driving away and intimidating these outsiders?

Fang Hao’s Divine Sense was like the keenest of ears, catching the sporadic words carried on the wind.

’...Elder Li, this Red Leaf Valley is already in your Black Fiend Sect’s pocket, so this Forbidden Land legacy naturally belongs to your Sect as well. We just happened to be passing by and heard that there was some unusual activity here, so we came to take a look; we have no other intentions. Why be so hostile?’ This was the voice of the middle-aged Cultivator in the brocade robe; his tone seemed polite but carried a hint of imperceptible toughness.

’Hmph, Old Ghost Zhao, stop putting on an act here!’ The sinister old man, who was Elder Li of the Black Fiend Sect, snorted coldly, his voice hoarse and grating. ’What intentions you, the Flowing Cloud Sect, Qingyang Sect, and those few small Families have, do you think I don’t know? It’s nothing more than seeing my Black Fiend Sect conquer Red Leaf Valley and wanting to come and get a share of the spoils! I tell you, this Red Leaf Valley Ancestral Master’s hidden treasure is the war loot of my Black Fiend Sect; anyone who dares to reach out, don’t blame me for being impolite!’

’Elder Li, that statement is wrong.’ The brocade-robed Cultivator known as Old Ghost Zhao, who was the Sect Leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect, said with a forced smile, ’Red Leaf Valley is ownerless land; the legacy within naturally belongs to those destined for it. Although your Sect arrived first, you have not opened the Restriction, so how can you talk about monopolizing it? Moreover, this Restriction is powerful; hasn’t your Sect been attacking it for so long without being able to break it? Why not let us join forces to break the Restriction together, and then distribute the things inside according to how much effort each contributed? Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?’

’Bullshit!’ The bewitching beautiful woman beside Elder Li shrieked, ’Old Ghost Zhao, you’re dreaming! This Forbidden Land was conquered by our Black Fiend Sect, so everything inside naturally belongs to us! If you’re smart, get out quickly, otherwise, when our Elder Mo breaks the Restriction and comes out, none of you will be able to leave!’

The Elder Mo she spoke of was clearly the Early Nascent Soul Stage Elder of the Black Fiend Sect who had conquered Red Leaf Valley, and he seemed to be currently inside that misty Restriction, attempting to break it.

’Elder Mo?’ A trace of gravity flashed in Old Ghost Zhao’s eyes, but it immediately returned to normal. He chuckled, ’Elder Mo’s cultivation is profound, and we naturally admire it. However, this Restriction was left by the Red Leaf Loose Cultivator and is no small matter; I fear it will take Elder Mo some time to break it with his own strength alone. If we join forces, we could also share some of the burden for Elder Mo.’

Both sides traded verbal barbs, neither willing to yield.

The Black Fiend Sect wanted to monopolize it, while the nearby forces led by the Flowing Cloud Sect wanted a share of the spoils.

Apparently, the news that Red Leaf Valley had been destroyed and the Ancestral Master’s hidden treasure existed had somehow leaked out, attracting these ’vultures’ that smelled the scent of blood.

Although the Black Fiend Sect was powerful, they had just experienced a great battle and had a Nascent Soul Elder trapped in the Restriction. Facing the joint pressure of several nearby Sects and Families, they did not dare to easily take action to drive them away, and the situation was temporarily deadlocked.

Fang Hao hid in the shadows, taking all of this in with his ’eyes,’ and sneered inwardly.

Sure enough, dogs biting dogs, a mouthful of fur.

This was also good; when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman benefits.

He could just take this opportunity to observe the situation of the Restriction, as well as... the progress of that ’Elder Mo.’

His Divine Sense became even more cautious, like the gentlest breeze, probing towards the depths of the mist-churning Red Maple Cliff.