Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

Since Liu Yuanqing led the team to investigate the Void Demon Space, the Xuan Tian Sect's higher-ups quickly made a decision, dispatching Core Formation Late Stage cultivators to repair the old seal with a precious lightning talisman, trapping the Void Demon Space and slowing down its continued evolution.

At the same time, they sent several Core Formation and many Foundation Establishment Stage deacons to be stationed in Mount Shumi, monitoring the situation at the seal day and night, while also guarding against sabotage by people with ulterior motives.

Five years ago, Zhang Yuanjing obtained both the Golden Scale Fruit and the Spirit Locking Armor, which gave him more confidence in breaking through a small realm. However, he did not immediately consume the Golden Scale Fruit.

Once that small golden fruit was consumed, it could mean eternal separation between the mortal and immortal realms. Making this decision was not an easy task.

Senior experts once said that when breaking through the barrier between life and death, in order to obtain a peaceful state of mind, one could choose to travel and experience the Way of Heaven, Earth, and Man. With a bit of luck, one might successfully break through the bottleneck by chance.

However, this was clearly not suitable for him. He was already one hundred and eighty-five years old, with only a little over a decade left before his lifespan ran out.

Every moment, he could feel the calamity of his lifespan pressing down on his heart. Under such circumstances, traveling would only make him overthink and exhaust his mind.

Therefore, he did something he was most accustomed to doing: seclusion. He had always been clumsy and, although he lacked comprehension in cultivation, he had a unique advantage in long-term seclusion, almost never having to worry about Qi Deviation.

This seclusion lasted for five years.

During these five years, he refined the Yellow Essence Fruit that Liu Yuanqing had given him, making his Earth Spiritual Power more pure. The Yellow Dragon Qi Condensation Art, which he mainly cultivated, advanced to the seventh level, and his cultivation reached the Great Accomplishment of the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage. However, there was no sign of a breakthrough.

On this day, Zhang Yuanjing left his cave and drove his flying sword straight to the Spirit Containment Hall of True One Peak. However, he was greeted by an acquaintance, Foundation Establishment cultivator Lin Yuancang, who was a few years older than him.

"Oh, Senior Brother Yuancang? It's you!" Zhang Yuanjing was greatly surprised when he saw who it was, and then a strong sense of joy arose.

"Strange, isn't it, why this old fogey is here!" Lin Yuancang laughed heartily, with the joy of old friends reuniting after a long separation, as well as some unusual pride.

"Your appearance has become much younger, did you take some kind of miraculous elixir?" Zhang Yuanjing suddenly noticed that his skin was rosy, his white hair had turned black, and he was not as old as he was.

"Old brother, I finally broke through the bottleneck the year before last and advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!" Lin Yuancang said with undiminished joy.

"I see, congratulations, Senior Brother!" Zhang Yuanjing suddenly realized, and then laughed, repeatedly congratulating him, but his heart was filled with unspeakable envy.

Lin Yuancang repeatedly said, "Just luck, just luck," but the pride at the corner of his mouth grew even wider.

After the two said a few words, Zhang Yuanjing asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Yuancang, are you a deacon here? Where did that kid Li Zhengfeng go? Now that you've broken through, why don't you seize the time to cultivate, or go find natural treasures, but come here to waste time!"

"What do you mean waste time! This is a decree personally issued by the Sect Leader, saying that he needs a mature and prudent Foundation Establishment cultivator to help him manage daily affairs. It just so happened that I had just broken through not long ago and didn't need long-term seclusion, so I was chosen. I'm just working with the Sect Leader, not a deacon here. Li Zhengfeng is still here, I came out to greet you on his behalf when I saw you!" Lin Yuancang rolled his eyes, and then explained with a smile.

"I see! Senior Brother has been entrusted with an important task, you must remember to take care of me in the future!" Zhang Yuanjing said with a smile.

Lin Yuancang chuckled, "You have the Sect Leader as your backer, what need do you have for me to take care of you! It's me who is working by the Sect Leader's side, with great responsibility, you have to say good things for me!"

"Haha, of course, who else would I help if not Senior Brother Yuancang!" Zhang Yuanjing joked with him, and then asked, "Is Sect Leader here? I want to pay him a visit."

"Didn't Junior Brother ask in advance with the Transmission Jade Talisman?" Lin Yuancang said, "The Sect Leader hasn't been in the mountain gate for some time."

"Oh, I just had a whim and came to see if the Sect Leader was here. If he was in the hall, I would go talk to him," Zhang Yuanjing said, suppressing his disappointment and pretending not to care.

Lin Yuancang smiled and said, "It's only Junior Brother Yuanjing who can see the Sect Leader at any time. If there is something important, you can also transmit a message."

Zhang Yuanjing shook his head: "That's not necessary. But Senior Brother's advancement is a great and worthy celebration. I wonder when you'll have a rest day, I, and those old guys Yuanzang, Yuanwei, and Yuanxi, will hold a banquet to celebrate for you?"

Hearing this, Lin Yuancang's expression gradually darkened. He sighed and said:

"Junior Brother just came out of seclusion, right? Two years ago, Yuanzang, Yuanwei, and I agreed to break through together, if we die, everything will be over, if we live, we will continue to be carefree. We were going to ask you to join us, but you were always in seclusion, and we didn't know when you would wake up, so we had to give up. As a result of the breakthrough, I was lucky and gained another twenty years of lifespan, but Yuanzang and Yuanwei suffered Qi Deviation and died on the spot. As for Junior Brother Yuanxi, he is after all ten years younger, and I heard that he went out to find opportunities a few years ago."

Lin Yuancang, Zhao Yuanzang, Wu Yuanwei, Wang Yuanxi, plus Lu Yuantong, were the most familiar cultivators to Zhang Yuanjing. Their ages were similar, their aptitudes varied, but they all broke through to Foundation Establishment when their lifespans were about to expire. Therefore, they were not favored in the sect and were placed on Jindu Peak.

Their caves were not far apart, and after decades, they became familiar with each other. Especially since, as they expected, their cultivation stagnated at the early stage of Foundation Establishment for a long time, they were often ridiculed by younger and more promising Foundation Establishment and even Qi Refining disciples. They had a lot in common, often exchanging ideas and chatting, and their relationship grew day by day, gradually becoming old friends who could talk about anything.

In the past twenty years, apart from Lu Yuantong's accidental death, the remaining five had shrunk to Jindu Peak, ignoring affairs and eking out a living.

"Striving, striving, how can we know the road ahead!" Zhang Yuanjing was filled with sorrow and couldn't dispel it, unconsciously saying the words that the few of them used to mock themselves with the name of Jindu Peak.

Mortals are born for a hundred years, whether they are earth-shattering or petty, they are ultimately just a handful of yellow earth. Cultivators defy the heavens to extend their lives, what is it for? Immortality, or transcendence over all beings? For the sake of prolonging life, for the sake of becoming stronger, day after day of hard cultivation, is this the meaning of cultivation?

Lin Yuancang was also lost in memories for a moment, and remained silent.

"Yo, isn't this Senior Brother Yuanjing! You've come out of seclusion! Has your cultivation broken through?" Just as the two were feeling sentimental, a frivolous voice suddenly came from behind.

Zhang Yuanjing was startled from his contemplation and looked back, only to see his old nemesis Guo Yuanmeng. This guy had changed his gray-faced appearance from when he returned from the Void Demon Space five years ago, and had returned to his usual arrogant self.

"Oh, Junior Brother Guo, are you here to find the Sect Leader?" He replied indifferently, without mentioning the issue of cultivation.

"Senior Brother, it seems that you haven't taken that Golden Scale Fruit yet, otherwise you wouldn't be so old. Hey, don't delay any longer, you don't have many years left to live. You have to make a decision on this kind of thing, or it will be too late."

Guo Yuanmeng said a few words in a strange tone, and suddenly approached Zhang Yuanjing, carefully observing him up and down, "To be honest, Senior Brother, you seem to have entered the 'leaking body' stage."

When Foundation Establishment cultivators have sufficient lifespan, they have spiritual power to protect their bodies, which is called the 'unleaking golden body', which can imprison the vital energy and prevent it from being lost.

Once the lifespan is insufficient, the 'unleaking golden body' cannot be maintained, and the vital energy slowly leaks out, which is called 'leaking body'. Once a cultivator enters 'leaking body', the foundation begins to decay, and it is almost impossible to break through at this time.

"Uh, this, Junior Brother Guo, don't talk nonsense, Junior Brother Yuanjing still has enough lifespan, how could he have entered 'leaking body'?" Lin Yuancang coughed and said quickly.

"How could he not? Senior Brother Lin, we have to tell the truth about this matter, otherwise we will be harming Senior Brother Yuanjing." Guo Yuanmeng exclaimed exaggeratedly, pointing to several gray spots on Zhang Yuanjing's face, "Look, what is this? 'Qi Exhaustion Spots', right!"

Zhang Yuanjing subconsciously stroked his face and looked at Lin Yuancang with some confusion.

"This… Junior Brother Guo, 'Qi Exhaustion Spots' are 'Qi Exhaustion Spots'. Cultivators with less than one-tenth of their lifespan will have 'Qi Exhaustion Spots', but it's still early before 'leaking body', don't be alarmist."

Like Zhang Yuanjing, Lin Yuancang hated this person very much, but he was now a deacon by the Sect Leader's side and couldn't express his emotions casually, so he had to suppress his anger and speak.

"Yes, yes, yes, Senior Brother Lin is right, but it's also true to say that 'Qi Exhaustion Spots' are a sign of entering 'leaking body'. Besides, Senior Brother Zhang's age is here, and he might enter 'leaking body' one day. I'm just kindly reminding him that if you want to break through, you should do it as soon as possible. If you wait until the foundation is broken, where will there be any chance? The Golden Scale Fruit has such a strong medicinal property, even a perfect foundation may not be able to withstand it, let alone a decaying foundation?"

Guo Yuanmeng put away his cynical expression and said very seriously.

Seeing this, Lin Yuancang didn't say anything more, and said to Zhang Yuanjing: "Junior Brother Yuanjing, the Sect Leader asked me to call Junior Brother Guo, there are some things that need to be explained in person. If you want to see the Sect Leader, you should send a message first and make an appointment. I heard from Junior Brother Guo that you want to take a strong spiritual fruit to break through, if that's the case, you should try it before the foundation starts to decay, the chances of success will be higher."

After saying that, he said goodbye to Zhang Yuanjing and took Guo Yuanmeng to the hall to talk.

Zhang Yuanjing stood blankly on the long road outside the Spirit Containment Hall. The red maples and green bamboos on both sides were as green as jade, the magnolias and hibiscus were fragrant, and there were occasional chirping of birds.

The calamity of lifespan was a huge stone pressing on Zhang Yuanjing's heart, and it had been so for twenty years. Sometimes he would think that if he were a mortal, he might not have so many worries.

Mortals have no power to change the sky, and when death comes, they can only accept fate and die peacefully.

Cultivators are different, seeing the road to immortality in front of them, but unable to continue due to various reasons, falling halfway, how can they be willing! Infinite sorrow is produced in this way.

A cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment has abundant spiritual energy and cultivates both body and soul, and can live to over two hundred years.

After that, each time they advance a small realm, their lifespan can be increased by about twenty years. A cultivator in the late stage of Foundation Establishment can live to over two hundred and forty years.

If they can break through to Core Formation, cast a golden core, and sort out their physical body, their lifespan will greatly increase, and they can live to six hundred years. If they can cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm, their lifespan can reach over one thousand two hundred years, which can be said to be like terrestrial immortals.

Zhang Yuanjing had fantasized more than once about becoming a Nascent Soul True Person like Qi Tianxiang, with crane hair and youthful face, and a fairy-like aura. With a wave of his hand, mountains and rivers would shift, and the world would change color.

It was because there was such a realm and such power on the road ahead that he could persevere to this day, and always hold a glimmer of hope, unwilling to give up.

After a long time, Zhang Yuanjing took a deep breath, drove his flying sword into the sky, and flew towards Jindu Peak in the northwest.

Among the mountains, the mist was heavy. It was already dusk.

In the sky, sword lights flashed from time to time, which were the flying swords of Foundation Establishment cultivators. These people saw Zhang Yuanjing from afar, some nodded in greeting, some avoided him indifferently, and some would smile and greet him, in various ways.

The weather in early summer was cool and breezy, with a slight chill.

The thirty-six peaks of the inner sect were filled with spiritual energy, and there were many scenic spots among the overlapping peaks, and I don't know how many spiritual objects of heaven and earth were bred in them.

The Xuan Tian Sect established its mountain gate here, with unique advantages. For nearly two thousand years, talents have emerged in large numbers, and its reputation has spread throughout the Southern Region. Such a heritage, such a holy place, how can it be betrayed!

Zhang Yuanjing returned to his cave and began to meditate in seclusion to adjust his body and mind.

Time flew by, and another two years passed.

He experienced many battles between heaven and man, spent countless days and nights in torment, finally put down the innate and lingering fear, accumulated an indomitable spirit, put on the Spirit Locking Armor, and took out the Golden Scale Fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.

Before he could chew, the strange fruit turned into a stream of hot slurry and flowed into his abdomen.

After a few breaths, a violent force rose from his dantian and rampaged through his meridians. Pain far beyond imagination attacked from all directions. Zhang Yuanjing only had time to scream before his eyes went black and he fainted.

If there were other people in the cave, they would see Zhang Yuanjing's whole body red and swollen, and there were violent air currents impacting his acupoints between his chest and abdomen, forming fleshy sacs the size of eggs.

He convulsed violently, and fresh red blood spurted out of his mouth from time to time.

The Spirit Locking Armor firmly restrained the ravages of spiritual power, imprisoning it within his body and avoiding the danger of exploding and dying. Even so, his condition was extremely dangerous, and there was a risk of broken meridians, disordered spiritual power, and internal organs exploding at any time.

However, Zhang Yuanjing was already unconscious, and everything depended on fate.