Immortality Cultivation

This might be extremely difficult for others, but for Fang Hao, who possessed Divine Sense intensity far exceeding those of the same Rank and the precise control over energy and the Divine Soul brought by the Chaos Derivation Art, simulating a masterless, residual Soul imprint fluctuation was not impossible.

He did not hesitate. Holding the red leaf token, he lightly pressed it into the newly emerged groove on the portal.

"Click..."

With a soft sound, the red leaf token fit perfectly into the groove.

In the next instant, the entire stone chamber portal burst with light! The transparent layer of the Restriction’s halo receded as quickly as melting snow, revealing the heavy door panel behind it, forged from an unknown metal. On the door panel, the originally blurred cloud patterns now lit up clearly, emitting a warm crimson glow as it slowly opened inward without making a sound.

A richer, purer Spiritual Qi, mixed with the faint scent of sandalwood and old scrolls that seemed to have been sealed away for countless years, surged out from within the room.

Fang Hao felt a surge of joy, but he did not enter immediately. Instead, he took a cautious step back and said to Old Jin, "Old Jin, go in first. Perform a full scan and confirm it’s safe."

"Command confirmed." The silver-white spider turned into a streak of silver light, darting into the open stone chamber first. Its compound eyes flickered with various lights, and invisible scanning waves instantly covered every corner of the room.

A moment later, Old Jin’s voice rang out in Fang Hao’s mind: "Scan complete. No life signs detected in the room. No active offensive Restriction residues found. Air composition is normal. Spiritual energy concentration: High. No obvious threats detected. Multiple spiritual energy sources found, suspected to be storage items, Magic Treasures, ancient texts, etc. Safety level: Green. Entry permitted."

Hearing the "Green" safety level, Fang Hao finally felt at ease and stepped into the stone chamber.

The interior of the stone chamber was more spacious than it appeared from the outside, roughly twenty zhang square and three zhang high. The furnishings were simple yet extraordinary in every detail. The floor was paved with warm jade; walking on it, threads of warmth rose from the soles of his feet, calming his mind. More and larger fluorites were embedded in the walls and ceiling, illuminating the room like daylight.

In the center of the stone chamber stood a waist-high white jade platform, upon which three items were neatly placed.

On the left was a palm-sized, entirely crimson jade box shaped like a maple leaf. The box’s surface shimmered with flowing light, and faint sealing runes circulated over it; the item sealed inside was clearly of no small consequence.

In the middle was a dark-colored Storage Ring of an ancient style, made of neither metal nor wood. It lay there quietly without leaking any spiritual energy fluctuations, but Fang Hao could feel that the Rank of this Storage Ring was definitely not low.

On the right was a green Jade Slip. The jade was warm and the surface smooth, without any text or patterns.

Aside from these three items, a row of bookshelves also made of warm jade stood against the left wall. On the shelves were not books, but Jade Slips of varying colors and sizes, numbering nearly a hundred! Beside the bookshelf was a waist-high bronze pill furnace. Its body was carved with exquisite cloud patterns and beast heads. Though the furnace fire had long been extinguished, one could still feel its extraordinary spiritual rhythm; it was clearly a high-ranking Pill Furnace.

On the right side of the stone chamber was a weapon rack, though only a single sheathed longsword hung there in isolation. The scabbard was dark red and ancient in style, devoid of any decoration. However, when Fang Hao’s Divine Sense swept over it, he could feel a hidden yet incomparably sharp Sword Intent emanating from the sword within the sheath. This was absolutely a peerless sword!

At the very back of the stone chamber, against the wall, was a simple stone bed. On the bed sat a skeleton cross-legged, draped in a crimson Daoist robe. The skeleton was as translucent as jade, showing no signs of decay and faintly shimmering with a treasure-like glow. Clearly, the owner had possessed an extremely high cultivation level during their life and had tempered their Physical Body to an incredibly strong Realm. This must be the remains of the Ancestral Master of Red Leaf Valley—Red Leaf Hermit.

The skeleton’s hands were formed into a strange hand Seal resting on its knees, its expression peaceful as if it had merely fallen into a deep sleep. On the stone bed in front of it lay a dark yellow scroll made of a material that was neither silk nor paper.

"It seems this Red Leaf Hermit passed away quite calmly," Fang Hao thought to himself. To leave behind such a complete remains and arrange a Legacy, he had clearly reached the end of his Lifespan and passed away peacefully rather than dying in combat.

His gaze first fell upon the translucent skeleton. The remains of a Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator were a formidable treasure in their own right. The skeleton, translucent as jade, contained a massive amount of life essence and residual Dao charm, making it an excellent material for refining certain special Medicinal Pills, Magic Treasures, or practicing certain Demonic Path or Ghost Path techniques. However, Fang Hao was not a demonic or ghost Cultivator, so he had little interest in the remains themselves. He was more interested in the items Red Leaf Hermit had left behind.

He did not touch the three items on the white jade platform first, nor did he touch the longsword on the weapon rack or the Jade Slips on the bookshelf. Instead, he first walked up to the skeleton and solemnly cupped his hands to this Senior from eight hundred years ago.

"Junior Fang Hao has arrived here by chance and has no intention of disturbing Senior’s rest. I shall take the gifts Senior has left behind. If I encounter descendants of Red Leaf Valley in the future, I will naturally look after them to fulfill the Karma of this day," Fang Hao said in a low voice. This was basic courtesy and respect for a predecessor. Although Red Leaf Valley was destroyed and it was unknown if Lin Feng could survive or revive the Sect in the future, since he had said these words, he would fulfill them if the Opportunity arose.

Having spoken, his gaze fell upon the dark yellow scroll in front of the skeleton. He reached out and carefully picked it up.

The scroll felt neither like metal nor leather, but was exceptionally tough. He slowly unfurled it.

The beginning of the scroll featured lines of handwriting as forceful as iron strokes cutting through paper:

"I, Red Leaf Hermit, was born in the Southern Wilds and grew up in the Eastern Sea. After wandering for a thousand years, I finally found this Red Leaf Valley and established a Sect, hoping that my lineage and path would not be severed. However, the Great Dao is difficult to seek. I have reached the end of the Nascent Soul stage, Soul Transformation is hopeless, and my Lifespan is exhausted. I pass away here..."

The opening was Red Leaf Hermit’s self-narration, briefly explaining his life, the reason for founding Red Leaf Valley, and the reason for his passing here. Between the lines, there was a sense of detachment that saw through life and death, yet also carried a slight hint of regret.

"...The primary technique I practiced throughout my life was the ’Green Wood Crimson Fire Art,’ a path of mutual generation between wood and fire that can lead directly to the Late Nascent Soul Stage. Alas, the Cultivation Technique is incomplete, leaving no path to Soul Transformation—how regrettable! I have recorded its core technique, my lifelong cultivation insights, and various miscellaneous studies such as Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formations, and Spiritual Plants into the Jade Slips on the left bookshelf, leaving them for one destined to find them..."

Fang Hao nodded and looked toward the nearly hundred Jade Slips on the left bookshelf. The accumulation of Red Leaf Hermit’s entire life was indeed here. A technique that could be cultivated to the Late Nascent Soul Stage, combined with numerous miscellaneous insights, was of incalculable value. For Loose Cultivators or small Sects lacking high-level techniques and systematic knowledge, this was simply a massive Opportunity. However, for Fang Hao, who possessed the Chaos Derivation Art, the technique itself had limited appeal. But the cultivation insights and knowledge of Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formations, and Spiritual Plants were extremely precious treasures that could greatly enrich his experience and foundation.

The scroll continued:

"...The items left in this room are the essence of my lifelong collection. Within the Crimson Maple Jade Box are sealed three ’Crimson Sun Fire Dates.’ These are Rank Five spiritual fruits; consuming them can temper the Nascent Soul and purify spiritual energy. They have miraculous effects on breaking through the Middle Nascent Soul Stage Bottleneck and can also be used as the primary medicine for refining ’chiyang pills.’ Use them with caution."

Rank Five spiritual fruits! Crimson Sun Fire Dates! A sharp light flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes. These were good things! They were two full grades higher than the earth heart flame fruits in the medicine field outside! They were of great benefit even to a Nascent Soul Cultivator, especially when breaking through a Bottleneck; they were absolutely rare treasures. Red Leaf Hermit hadn’t used them himself, likely because it was too late, or his Lifespan had reached its end and using them would have been a waste, so he left them behind.

"Within the Storage Ring, there are five thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, two hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, various Artifact Refining Materials, various Medicinal Pills, three Magic Treasures, and a remnant map I obtained during my early travels. It is suspected to be related to a certain ancient secret land, but it is incomplete. I leave it for the destined one."

Five thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! Two hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! Even though Fang Hao was quite wealthy, he was startled by Red Leaf Hermit’s generosity. This was absolutely a fortune! Not to mention the three Magic Treasures (treasures collected by a Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator were certainly no ordinary items), various Materials and pills, and... a remnant map suspected to be related to an ancient secret land? Fang Hao’s heart stirred, and he immediately thought of Mo Yunhe’s beast-skin map. Could there be a connection?

"Within the green Jade Slip, a wisp of my Divided Soul is sealed, which can answer three questions. However, the power of the Divided Soul is limited; use it with caution."

A Divided Soul Jade Slip? Fang Hao looked at that green Jade Slip. This was indeed a good item, equivalent to a chance to ask Red Leaf Hermit himself questions. Although it was only a wisp of a Divided Soul and the information it knew might be limited, at a critical moment, it might be able to answer important doubts.

The end of the scroll read:

"...My personal sword, ’Chixiao,’ has fought alongside me throughout my life and tasted countless blood. It has already developed the embryonic form of a Sword Spirit. I hope my successor will use it well and not let it gather dust. This sword has a spirit; it is difficult to master for those who do not practice fire or wood attribute techniques, or for those who do not possess a pure Heart-Nature and decisive killing intent. Be cautious."

"Beneath the stone bed is a secret passage leading to a chamber deep within the earth’s veins. Inside that chamber is an Ancient Teleportation Formation I discovered by accident. However, the Formation is damaged, the coordinates of the other end are unknown, and the energy required to drive it is massive—one must be at the Nascent Soul stage to attempt it. I have made slight repairs, but throughout my life, I was unable to find enough energy to activate it, nor did I dare to step into it blindly. I leave it for the destined. Remember, the fortune or woe at the other end of the teleportation Formation is unpredictable. Enter with caution! Enter with caution!"

Seeing this, Fang Hao’s eyes lit up completely!

An Ancient Teleportation Formation! Unknown coordinates! Requires massive energy to drive!

Didn’t this perfectly match the small note on Mo Yunhe’s beast-skin map next to the "Xuanfeng Mountain Range" Ancient Cultivators Relic, which said "Space unstable, suspected Ancient Teleportation Formation residue"?!

So that was it! The core of the secret treasure Red Leaf Hermit discovered was not this stone chamber at all, but the secret room deep within the earth’s veins beneath the stone bed, and the Ancient Teleportation Formation inside it! The techniques and treasures of Red Leaf Valley were likely just a Legacy Red Leaf Hermit left behind after his failed attempts to explore that Ancient Teleportation Formation, choosing instead to establish a Sect here!

The true secret was that Ancient Teleportation Formation leading to parts unknown!

Fang Hao’s heart instantly became fervent.