Cube-like Supernatural Powers: Longevity Begins with Qi Refining

Chapter 44: A Corpse Appears, the Coffin is Lifted and People Rise

The ancient, gray-black remnant soul struggled, unleashing one spell after another. The laws responding to it boiled, attempting to extinguish the leaping flames.

All of this is in vain.

The fire was not violent, nor did it burn rapidly, but its essence was too vast, and the meaning and symbolism hidden within it were too magnificent.

Those laws and techniques, when they clash with them, are like moths drawn to a flame; they struggle for only a short time before turning to ashes, scattering into nothingness, and becoming mere illusions.

This is a celestial artifact, a complete celestial artifact, and a companion celestial artifact that can be used by beings below the level of immortals to draw upon even a wisp of their power.

Watching the completely collapsed, indescribable humanoid creature, towering a million feet tall, roar and struggle before finally turning into a wisp of ethereal remnant soul, Xiong Zhou's cheeks suddenly felt a little sore.

It's like a lemon trying desperately to pop into your mouth, then suddenly crunching it down, about to ascend to heaven on the spot.

It's so sour!

Immortal artifacts! Normally, only those who have cultivated Qi to become immortals can possess and wield them freely!

Even though Xiong Zhou had known for a long time that there were such overpowered individuals within the Tai Li Immortal Sect, when he truly witnessed the power of the companion immortal artifact, and thought of himself...

Innate supernatural powers, special physique, and companion artifacts are the three great tools for cultivation, but I only possess innate supernatural powers.

It's so sour it's unbearable!

Xiong Zhou took out orange juice, drank a few mouthfuls, shook his head, and then turned to enjoy the process of the ancient remnant soul that had been chasing him for quite some time being reduced to ashes, no longer thinking about these upsetting things.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning, causing his expression to change once again.

"This indescribable humanoid form, millions of feet tall, has been annihilated by flames, and the ancient remnant soul, fused with ancient Yin thoughts, has also been burned away by the fire of the immortal artifact..."

"Then why didn't the senior deacons in the heavens give me a notification that [Chain Quest 4] is complete?!"

Those senior brothers who wrote the scripts might have opinions or views about their junior brother who jumped into the script and started tearing things apart; there is indeed room for discretion.

However, under the supervision of the Tai Li Heavenly Network, all matters related to the Tai Li True Disciple Grand Competition must be objective and fair, and there can be no, and absolutely no, any bias.

Things like not providing notifications after a task is completed or not settling accounts are absolutely impossible.

Since [Chain Mission 4] did not display a completion message, there is only one explanation.

"The ancient remnant soul is not dead yet!"

This thought, when it suddenly appeared, was like a thunderclap out of nowhere, leaving Xiong Zhou completely stunned.

"This is a celestial artifact! How can a mere remnant soul that hasn't even achieved immortality survive the flames of a celestial artifact?!"

The two senior brothers, who had originally wanted to celebrate, were taken aback when they saw Xiong Zhou's unpleasant expression.

Immediately afterward, they realized something and quickly mobilized the remaining Qi of Heaven and Earth in their inner world to unfold the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram and the Taiji Bagua diagram to conduct deductions.

The secrets of the Azure Sky Realm, while seemingly orderly like that of living things, still exhibit subtle wisps of chaos and contain unknown variables.

Suddenly, the two brothers, Wang Qian and Wang Kuan, stopped their deductions, their expressions changed drastically, and they exclaimed in surprise.

"The ancient sinister thoughts still linger!"

"The ancient remnant soul is not dead!"

Upon hearing this, all the true disciples of Tai Li present had their pupils contract, including Xiong Zhou.

The last glimmer of hope that lingered in my heart was ruthlessly shattered.

A dozen or so Tai Li disciples looked one after another at the spot where the gray-black remnant soul had been burned.

Then, in the blank space, a terrifying thought silently coalesced, permeated with death and carrying an ominous air.

Wang Kuan's lips trembled, and he murmured in a low voice, "We just had a very tough fight, and our condition was almost at rock bottom."

"What should we do now about this weird thing that can come back to life?"

"It's all over."

-----------------

Shady place.

Duanmu Ning looked at the earth vein array plate, the remaining ink stains, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth placed in front of him, and his expression became extremely solemn.

"Before being eliminated, Senior Sister Zixuan left behind a message using the rich earth vein energy. I did anticipate this possibility."

"I just didn't expect that Senior Brother Wu Kang and Senior Brother Li Tianqing were able to leave behind relevant information before they were eliminated."

"Indeed, we cannot underestimate any true disciple of a celestial sect; they all possess unique skills."

Duanmu Ning stretched out his hands, activated his innate supernatural powers, and the fire of the medicinal pill rose from nothingness, swirling around his palms, evolving into blue and red colors. He first probed into the righteous energy of heaven and earth left by Senior Brother Wu Kang, extracting strands of corresponding information.

[I don't know which fellow disciple will discover the message I left behind, but I'm probably already eliminated.]

[Without further ado, here are my findings and speculations.]

[I possess two accompanying weapons, both bearing the names of true dragons. They are naturally imbued with the pure energy of heaven and earth, capable of discerning diverse forms, and are used to defend against enemies.]

[After various tests and attempts, surprisingly, the primordial energy of heaven and earth carried by my two companion artifacts did not exhibit a strong and clear rejection of the "Yin Land" region.]

[What conflicts with the righteous energy of heaven and earth is only the abnormally abundant death energy and corpse energy.]

[There are still problems with "Yin Land," and these problems are definitely not limited to the convergence and generation of corpse energy and death energy; there are other hidden secrets that have not yet been uncovered.]

[The "Yin Land" may have been, in ancient times, a place filled with positive cosmic energy, or even the birthplace of certain positive cosmic energies.]

Duanmu Ning was taken aback.

"The place where the positive Qi of Heaven and Earth originates is inherently in strong conflict with 'Yin land,' a place that generates death Qi and corpse Qi. How could such a near-earth-shattering transformation possibly occur?"

With a sense of doubt, she slowly withdrew her hands from the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and reached out with her fingers to extract the ink stains left by Master Li Tianqing, drawing out strands of information.

[The one who can extract information from the ink stains I left behind is probably Junior Sister Duanmu, right?]

[In this grand competition of true disciples, probably only Junior Sister Duanmu possesses that special flame and a sufficiently high level of medical skill. I was able to extract this information from the "spirit" I deliberately left behind.]

[Ah, let me tell you what I've discovered first.]

[This "yin land" contains traces of true meaning. When black rain falls, this remnant will become extremely active, with faint fluctuations carrying a hint of positive energy spreading throughout the entire "yin land."]

[This is the result of my painting of green mountains to resist the black rain; it should be accurate.]

[Here, everywhere is filled with traces of human intervention, yet also brimming with the charm of nature, giving me a strange yet harmonious feeling.]

[Somewhere in this "yin land," there is a high probability that a true lineage of knowledge exists. If you wish to come into contact with this lineage, you must be extremely careful.]

Upon seeing the message left by Senior Brother Li Tianqing, Duanmu Ning immediately looked up at the nine-story altar not far from him.

If there truly is a lineage of true meaning, it could only exist on this Altar of Heaven.

Duanmu Ning's fingertips trembled slightly, leaving the ink stain.

Her gaze fell upon the array plate left behind by Senior Sister Zixuan, which was constructed from miniature earth vein arrays.

This item left behind by Senior Sister Zixuan contains the most and most complex amount of information.

The red and blue light on Duanmu Ning's hands slowly faded, and he only mobilized a wisp of the Qi of Heaven and Earth from his inner world and input it into this array plate.

In an instant, strands of earth vein energy rose from within, forming an incredibly complex network diagram before Duanmu Ning's eyes, clearly indicating the direction of each earth vein and the flow of various types of earth vein energy.

Senior Sister Zixuan didn't leave behind a single word; this complete map of the earth's veins in the Yin region seems to be enough to explain everything.

As Duanmu Ning gazed at the intricate, layered, yet orderly map of the earth's veins, his face grew increasingly pale with each attempt to decipher it.

As a true disciple of Tai Li, who came from a family of doctors, she was extremely familiar with the trends of these "lines".

This is clearly a diagram of the neural network structure inside the brain.

Although it differed significantly from the normal trend, the rhythm of its flow and convergence, the dense transmission method, and even the resonance with the Qi of Heaven and Earth were all telling her a certain truth.

Our current location is perhaps inside the mind of that immortal holy body that has already fallen and whose size is unknown.

"The geological formations within this 'yin land' are so similar to those of a neural network... This is the only inexplicable explanation..."

"In this way, many things can be explained."

Why does the death energy and corpse energy of the Azure Sky Realm permeate the entire world, even though there are regional differences, it fills every corner?

That naturally means something died and evolved naturally, and this dead thing was extremely large, directly affecting the laws of heaven and earth.

The quest description stated that the ancient remnant soul that was awakened was resurrected by using the body of the immortal holy body.

Duanmu Ning was still somewhat confused at the time: where was the body of the Immortal Holy Body?

Now it seems that the body of that fallen immortal saint is right under my feet. Entering the underworld, the ground I tread upon is all part of his body.

Why does the righteous energy of heaven and earth not reject yin places?

The mind of the Undying Holy Body is part of the Undying Holy Body, and as long as even a trace of that extremely strong and yang fiery blood energy remains, it will naturally not be rejected.

Why would a yin place have positive energy fluctuations?

This is where thoughts are transmitted. Even if the consciousness within the inner world is solidified, it is still a crucial and vital part of the human body. These positive energy fluctuations most likely come from the remaining true meaning, so it is only natural that they exist.

Why were the Shanhe Squad affected silently at that time, subconsciously ignoring the abnormalities and having their own way of thinking distorted?

The specific reason lies in this dark place, inside the mind of the Undying Holy Body, a location naturally possessing the power to influence thoughts.

As for the completely distorted, fragmented laws of heaven and earth, and the environment in which a large number of armored, dried-up corpses are buried.

There must have been other powerful external interference.

Or it could be the "Dharma has a primordial spirit" that was discussed with the members of the Mountain and River Squad before.

Duanmu Ning carefully collected the earth vein array plate, the remaining ink stains, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth in front of him. He walked to the Nine Heavenly Altar and climbed up step by step, where he saw the crystal that emitted wisps of ominous intent.

"Crystals are also found inside the 'brain,' which is part of the spinal cord?"

Duanmu Ning slowly reached out, and the flames of the medicinal pill rose, transforming into a protective layer, before touching it.

"Ding!"

A clear and crisp sound echoed through the shady place.

"cough......"

In an instant, Duanmu Ning's pupils dilated, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his hand, which had been touching the crystal, was forced to move away.

She suffered a backlash.

Duanmu Ning looked grim, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at the altar with extreme disgust.

"What kind of nonsense is this about the inheritance of true meaning? Why are the requirements so high?!"

"To be at the first level of Qi Refining and actually have to bear the karma of the entire Azure Sky Realm?! Who the hell could do that?!"

"And even if it were possible, what Qi cultivator would be so foolish as to inherit the karma of this world?"

"We Qi cultivators seek longevity and transcendence, unlike those who cultivate the path of saints and do not seek transcendence."

"With too many causes and effects, who knows what terrifying external calamities might be attracted, ultimately leading to one's demise?"

"Going back hundreds of generations, there are far too many true disciples of Tai Li who perished in the external calamities."

Wait a minute...

Junior Brother Xiong Zhou seems to be pursuing the path of the Sage, and judging from his attainments and level, he seems to have gone even further than the path of Qi Refining.

Duanmu Ning's eyes lit up, and her disdainful look instantly changed.

"Those who assist in cultivating the path of sainthood will certainly not dislike the heavy karma they bear with heaven and earth."

"Furthermore, Junior Brother Xiong Zhou is a second-generation immortal who was able to become a true disciple of Tai Li through back channels. I can use this to exchange for some resources with him."

"A tremendous opportunity, a great destiny!"

Duanmu Ning squatted slightly, his hands touching the ground.

One after another, illusory wooden planks emerged from the void, beginning to firmly envelop the Temple of Heaven, eventually transforming into a massive wooden box.

With a smile, Duanmu Ning whispered sharply, "Little! Little! Little!"

The void began to overlap, and space was gradually compressed, reducing the wooden box that had enveloped the entire Temple of Heaven to its normal size.

Duanmu Ning reached out and, as usual, carried it on his back.

Her gaze fell on the tunnel leading to the surface left by Xiong Zhou, her expression filled with anticipation.

"I need to find Junior Brother Xiong Zhou as soon as possible. Whether I can accumulate enough cultivation resources that suit me depends on this opportunity."

-----------------

The ancient remnant soul, resurrected once more, floated in mid-air.

He stared menacingly at the dozen or so Tai Li disciples who were preparing to unleash their attacks and suppress him once again.

The ancient remnant soul's face twisted instantly, and the rationality deep within its pupils dwindled to a certain point.

He summoned a translucent shard, which hovered above his head, and roared, "You forced me to this!"

"I didn't want to do this; it's all because of you variables from outer space!"

"You will all die!"

The voice of the ancient, remnant soul echoed constantly in the ears of sentient beings throughout the entire Azure Sky Realm, aided by the laws of heaven and earth that had been largely controlled.

"Boom!"

The entire Azure Sky Realm shook and gradually tilted, generating terrifying natural disasters.

A massive hand, covered in red fur, shrouded in deathly and corpse energy, carrying an ominous aura, and splattered with black blood, emerged from the thick earth.

Heaven and earth are like a coffin, and a corpse lifts the lid and rises!