The Terrifying Path of Immortal Cultivation

Li Qing, under the guidance of the palace maid, sat down at a nearby bronze table.

The old man clapped his hands lightly, and music filled the hall.

Numerous beautiful maidens from the Dragon Palace took turns to come out and began to dance gracefully.

These dancers were incredibly beautiful, with tender expressions, dressed in feathered gauze, their graceful figures appearing and disappearing, making people's blood boil as they watched.

At this moment, exquisite dishes were brought out by the attendants, all of which were "delicacies" that Li Qing had never seen before.

For example, there was a plate of strange fruits that looked like the shape of a baby, exuding a tempting fragrance.

Looking at this thing, Li Qing felt that it was not an ordinary plaything.

There was also a plate of steamed meatballs, crystal clear and jelly-like in appearance, also exuding a tempting fragrance.

Li Qing didn't touch any of them. These things were all extraordinary.

In this world of cultivation, anything different from the ordinary must be treated with caution.

The old man seemed to sense Li Qing's caution and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"That plate of fruit is called the 'Human Embryo Fruit.'"

"Infants thrown into the river are soaked in the Hundred Herb Spirit Wine for 81 days."

"Then they are fumigated with dragon musk for 49 days."

"Finally, they are placed in the infant fruit's mouth and refined using alchemy for 9 days and 9 nights."

"Removing all impurities, they are condensed into the Human Embryo Fruit."

"An ordinary Essence Refinement cultivator who eats one can achieve perfect Essence Refinement."

"It is a top-notch tonic."

Listening to the old man's words, a chill suddenly rose in Li Qing's heart.

This method was obviously the result of countless studies, it was simply a method of preparing human food.

Li Qing felt a chill in his heart, but he just nodded slightly, showing no interest in tasting it at all.

The old man continued, "These crystal-clear meatballs require the use of fresh virgins."

"The organs that nurture life are soaked in medicinal wine for 9 days and 9 nights, then mixed with the Purification Pill to absorb all impurities, leaving only the pure essence that nurtures life."

"Ground into a paste, mixed with a hundred kinds of Spirit Medicine, and finally steamed for a day and a night."

"Nourishing the origin, strengthening the Essence Qi, it is the favorite of the Monster Race."

"And also..."

There were a total of 10 dishes on the table, and the old man explained each one in detail.

The main ingredients of each dish were human, and the more Li Qing listened, the colder he felt inside.

Humans seemed to be nothing more than food in this Dragon Palace, at least in the eyes of cultivators.

Li Qing maintained a smile on his face, which was slightly stiff.

But he used his ten years of cultivation to control his emotions, showing no joy or anger, just feeling cold inside.

"What does this old man want to do?"

"Is he telling me all this to scare me?"

"No, this guy must want to do something."

"Could it be some kind of test?"

His mind was constantly changing, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

After the old man finished speaking, he seemed to pay no attention to Li Qing, but quietly watched the dance in front of him.

Occasionally tasting the dishes in front of him, his face was full of intoxication, not at all avoiding Li Qing.

Li Qing could be sure of two things.

First, the old man in front of him was probably the legendary Dragon King.

Second, this old man ate people, and was not bound by human morality.

"I must use an extraordinary perspective to examine this existence."

He naturally wouldn't eat the food, but he could drink the only fine wine.

This was the Hundred Herb Spirit Wine, refined from a hundred kinds of Spirit Medicine, without any human ingredients.

After taking a sip, the medicinal wine entered his body, quickly being digested and absorbed, transforming into a large amount of Essence Qi merging into his body.

The singing and dancing continued for nearly half an hour, and Li Qing kept drinking the wine.

He had already drunk at least two pots, and the Essence Qi in his body had actually increased to ten percent.

In his mind, he thought, "At least the Essence Qi has increased, which can be considered a gain."

His eyes showed a hint of contemplation, and it seemed that the singing and dancing in the palace had come to an end.

The beautiful dancers and the guarding attendants suddenly began to withdraw one by one.

Li Qing put down the wine glass in his hand, feeling a chill in his heart, knowing that the real drama was about to begin.

His gaze turned to the old man, and a pair of cold and merciless eyes also looked at him.

"It seems that the young friend is not very interested in my hospitality."

Li Qing nodded and said frankly, "It's not to my taste, after all, I consider myself human, and cannibalism is against my principles and morals."

The old man's gaze remained indifferent, "All living things compete freely in the world."

"Since the young friend understands the law of the jungle between heaven and earth, why still adhere to such conservative principles."

"By consuming these things, the young friend can step into the realm of Body Refining."

"Even entering Foundation Building is not impossible."

"And with a solid foundation, a great future in the Great Dao can be expected."

"In this world, human Essence Qi is the most precious. Regardless of the cultivator, they all enjoy consuming humans."

"Even among human cultivators, there are such people."

"Some of them hold high positions, and even achieve immortality."

"Entering the path of cultivation, they are no longer the same race as humans. Consuming different species is in line with the natural order of competition."

"That is the path of the Great Dao, why does the young friend refuse?"

Listening to the old man's words, Li Qing suddenly felt a chill in his heart, as the information revealed was extensive.

It made him once again understand the relationship between ordinary people and cultivators in this world. It seemed that the two were not as he had imagined, but rather a more cruel picture.

Li Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and the old man's gaze had been fixed on him, as if waiting for his response.

Li Qing took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps cultivators are different from humans in their cultivation methods."

"But what determines whether a person is human is not their physical body, but their spiritual self."

"I consider myself human, so I cannot engage in inhuman acts!"

"This is my discipline, my rule, my self, and cannot be distorted by any force."

"This is the unwavering path of my cultivation. Only by maintaining my original intention can I go further."

"This is an anchor of discipline, always maintaining my original intention, especially in this distorted cultivation world."

Having never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run.

Li Qing directly brought up some theories of cultivation from Earth.

Listening to Li Qing's words, a strange contemplation appeared on the old man's face.

"The young friend's words are truly enlightening."

"Discipline, anchoring, and original intention, indeed."

"Looking back on my life experiences, I have seen countless people."

"As cultivation gradually improves, few can maintain their original intention, gradually resorting to any means to become stronger, even breaking the rules, and ultimately becoming strange, with no place to die."

"Fellow Daoist's kind nature, it seems that there will be another Fellow Daoist on the path of the Great Dao in the future."

The old man, who had always had a cold expression, showed a faint smile on his face.

In Li Qing's heart, there was a slight sense of relief.

"Really dangerous, should I have passed this test?"