The Secret Way of Immortality

The Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone was silent, all cultivators focused on the Fude Grotto, where vast true essence was boiling.

Eleven Immortal Seats had been successively refined by Song Zongwu and other cultivators, but Han Li was taking twenty years longer than Ren Qing had anticipated.

Because Han Li had been slow to complete the refinement of the Immortal Seat, the previously sealed Fude Grotto suddenly became unstable, giving the cultivators a glimmer of hope to take his place.

If it weren't for the Heavenly Court overseeing things, they would probably have been unable to resist taking action long ago.

The Fude Grotto was enveloped by the earth's veins and was now covered in cracks. If they worked together with magical artifacts, they might actually be able to break the seal.

Bang bang bang...

The Fude Grotto shook violently, and then a giant face appeared on its surface.

The face was not Han Li's, but that of the former Fude Earth Immortal, who had once been a human-faced worm. His expression was extremely unwilling, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

"Not good..."

The Heavenly Dao Child, who had been chatting and laughing in the Void Fortress, suddenly changed his expression, his eyes fixed on the Fude Grotto.

The Heavenly Dao Child had been confident in Han Li. Even if the grotto showed anomalies, he didn't think the latter would be backlashed at the last moment, but the situation was clearly deteriorating.

Qing Songzi stood beside the Heavenly Dao Child, his hair and beard all white, his face lined with deep wrinkles, looking somewhat listless.

As the nominal head of the Wuwei Taoist Temple, Qing Songzi had almost completely retired.

His Netherworld Heavenly Worm Technique had barely broken through to the Soul Division Stage, and his lifespan was nearing its end, relying entirely on longevity pills to keep his body alive.

He had thought that after Han Li became an immortal, the Wuwei Taoist Temple would have no more worries, but now a sudden change had occurred.

Qing Songzi asked nervously, "Ancestor, what's going on with this child Han Li?"

The Heavenly Dao Child used a talisman to contact the disciples of the Wuwei Taoist Temple, and said softly, "It's not Han Li's problem. Do you remember the Taiyin Grotto?"

"Taiyin Grotto..."

Qing Songzi's face showed a look of reminiscence. Due to organ failure caused by the depletion of his lifespan, even a Yang Soul Realm cultivator's brain would degenerate.

"It seems that many cultivators died in the Taiyin Grotto because of the Heavenly Dao transformation at that time."

The Prison Guard Hall did not participate in the competition for the Taiyin Star Lord's Immortal Seat. At that time, most of the rogue cultivators were involved in the Taiyin Grotto turmoil.

The Taiyin Immortal Seat was somewhat strange. Whenever a cultivator began to refine the Immortal Seat, they could not last long before their bodies and souls would collapse for no reason.

Therefore, many rogue cultivators died.

According to the rumors circulating among cultivators, it was because the Taiyin Star Lord had been a Turbid Immortal before his death, and his own Heavenly Dao transformation was too severe.

To obtain the Taiyin Star Lord's inheritance, one had to withstand the Heavenly Dao transformation.

In theory, rogue cultivators would be watching, but they soon flocked to it.

Because according to some说法, while refining the Immortal Seat, cultivators would also indirectly consume the Taiyin Star Lord's Heavenly Dao transformation.

Every time someone died, the latter's chances of success would increase.

Rogue cultivators rushed to the Taiyin Grotto like moths to a flame, not knowing how many died.

In the end, the Taiyin Star Lord's Immortal Seat fell into the hands of an unknown cultivator, who successfully refined it, making others envious.

The scene in the Fude Grotto made the rogue cultivators restless.

The Heavenly Dao Child shook his head and replied, "Qing Songzi, quickly signal the Taoist Temple disciples to come. It's not a Turbid Immortal problem."

"It is very likely that the Fude Earth Immortal is... still alive."

The Heavenly Dao Child suspected that there were unique rules within the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone that could allow severely injured Immortals and Gods to fall into slumber. If cultivators wanted to refine the Immortal Seat, they had to withstand the impact of the Immortal and God's consciousness.

The reason why the Taiyin Star Lord could not be refined at the beginning was definitely not because of the Heavenly Dao transformation, but because of the backlash from the Immortal and God's corpse's consciousness.

Fortunately, the trouble wasn't too bad. From the Taiyin Star Lord, it could be seen that the Immortal and God's corpse's consciousness was limited, otherwise it wouldn't have been worn away.

Qing Songzi gasped.

He fled back to the World Within the Stomach, where the Taoist Temple disciples were ready to go.

Qing Songzi had already made the worst plan. If he couldn't help Han Li refine the Immortal Seat, then he would have to hold on until the Heavenly Dao Child advanced to the Heavenly Bizarre Realm.

The Fude Earth Immortal must be one of the Wuwei Taoist Temple's people.

As for himself, Qing Songzi had already advanced to the Yang Soul Realm hundreds of years ago, and at that time he had already understood that he had no potential to go further.

It was indeed as the previous head of the Wuwei Taoist Temple, "Wu Liangzi," had said.

His identity should be a witness, witnessing the Prison Guard Hall's journey, so the Wuwei Taoist Temple positioned itself very correctly.

Many forces within the Prison Guard Hall called themselves the Six Great Branches in the World Within the Stomach.

The Wuwei Taoist Temple was willing to implement the sect system, and also followed the tradition of Jing Province, accepting disciples every few years.

Qing Songzi lowered his head and used his consciousness to have some of the Taoist Temple disciples watch over the Worm Vein.

After the rogue cultivators noticed the Wuwei Taoist Temple's abnormality, their expressions became strange, and they chose to watch the excitement from the sidelines.

The Taoist Temple disciples wore specific robes, stepping on flying swords and floating in the void.

The scale of the cultivators was more than ten thousand, two-thirds were Ghost Envoy Realm Perfection, one-third were Yin Messenger Realm, and there were also several Yang Soul Realm cultivators.

The Heavenly Dao Child moved to the head of the team, followed closely by Qing Songzi.

"Form the formation."

The Heavenly Dao Child's expression was a bit dazed, as if he could see the Wuwei Taoist Temple he commanded, with more than three hundred core disciples.

"Yes, Master."

The rogue cultivators could no longer laugh, and ghost shadows were released from the feet of the Taoist Temple disciples.

Tens of thousands of ghost shadows intertwined with each other, vaguely forming a huge phantom of the Heavenly Dao Child, but then disintegrated into parts in a moment.

The Shadowless Ghosts mastered by the Taoist Temple disciples were actually different from ordinary Prison Guard Techniques.

Their shadows were integrated with the shadow-transformed worm roots, causing the Nether Energy to gather together, exerting strength far beyond imagination.

Under the action of the air waves, the Void Fortress could not help but tilt.

"Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation."

The Heavenly Dao Child suppressed the throbbing in his heart, and then said calmly.

The Taoist Temple disciples immediately responded, controlling the ghost shadows to distribute around the Fude Grotto, actually forming a prototype of the formation in an instant.

Since Ren Qing decided to promote the Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation, the Heavenly Dao Child had been busy with this matter.

The Heavenly Dao Child understood a principle: any means were nothing more than speed. If it couldn't be set up in a short time, then it was meaningless.

The Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation enveloped the Fude Grotto, and tens of thousands of thoughts probed the grotto.

What needed to be done now was to lock the Fude Earth Immortal's consciousness, and then forcibly suppress it, leaving Han Li with enough time to refine the Immortal Seat.

The Heavenly Dao Child's cultivation had only just recovered to the Yang Soul Realm, but after the baptism of the God Path in the World Within the Stomach, the quality of his soul far exceeded the same realm.

He then probed the reality of the Fude Grotto and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The Heavenly Dao Child had made an estimate of the grotto. The worst result was that the Fude Earth Immortal's soul still existed, then Han Li would basically be in a life-and-death situation.

But now, the situation was that the Fude Earth Immortal's soul must not have dissipated, but the soul was missing, leaving only remnants to protect the Immortal Seat.

If there were no accidents, as long as the remnants were sealed with the Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation, Han Li would be able to refine the Fude Earth Immortal in a few years.

The Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation pierced into the face on the surface of the grotto, trying to forcibly pull out the remnants, but it fell into a stalemate.

The foreheads of the Taoist Temple disciples were covered with sweat. It took a lot of energy for tens of thousands of people to form an array together, and a slight carelessness could lead to complete failure.

There were also some Taoist Temple disciples who did not join the operation of the formation.

They constantly shuttled back and forth to the World Within the Stomach, carrying buckets of flesh and blood in their hands, directly pouring them into the formation, causing chewing sounds from the shadows.

The Blood Refinement Technique could share the pressure of the Taoist Temple disciples, which could be regarded as a clever method.

After the formation lasted for more than ten days, the Fude Earth Immortal's remnants were still very resilient, and most of them had already left the grotto, but they were still connected.

"Could it be that the Fude Earth Immortal's soul is in the depths of the grotto, but it hasn't been detected?"

The Heavenly Dao Child frowned, feeling that the situation was becoming more and more tricky. Continuing to maintain the Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation would undoubtedly damage the foundation of the Taoist Temple disciples.

"The Fude Earth Immortal's soul has merged with the Forbidden Zone."

The voice of the Great Dream True Man sounded, and then there was a flow of light and shadow. Blessed by the Immortal Seat of the Old Man Under the Moon, he seemed to be close at hand, yet far away.

The Heavenly Dao Child looked at the Great Dream True Man, and a strong sense of dread arose in his heart.

Ren Qing's brilliance in the Prison Guard Hall was too dazzling, so it seemed that the Great Dream True Man was ordinary, but the Heavenly Dao Child understood that the Great Dream True Man's talent was unique.

Otherwise, he would not have directly faced the Heavenly Dao as a child and comprehended the Dream Butterfly Technique.

"The Taiyin Star Lord's soul has also become part of the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone, used to construct the integrity of this small world."

The Heavenly Dao Child raised his eyebrows. When the Taiyin Star Lord and Fude Earth Immortal were refined by others, where would the souls of the Immortals and Gods stand? Wouldn't the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone collapse?

"Are you saying that the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone may not last long?"

"I don't know."

The Great Dream True Man shook his head, and then looked at the Eight Directions Locking Immortal Formation and said, "Senior Heavenly Dao Child, let's deal with the remnants first."

"What are you going to..."

Before the Heavenly Dao Child could finish speaking, the Great Dream True Man disappeared in place.

In the blink of an eye, distorted light and shadow enveloped the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone, and the Great Dream True Man's indifferent pupils could be vaguely seen in it.

Countless threads of light and shadow entangled the body of the Fude Earth Immortal.

"Over the years, life and death have been separated, and the soul has never come into my dream."

"It's time to enter the dream, Fude Earth Immortal."

After the Great Dream True Man finished speaking, the Fude Earth Immortal's remnants disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few breaths, only a tiny bit was left.

He forcefully retracted the threads, and the remaining remnants appeared in his palm.

The cultivators were silent, it would take at least decades to skillfully use the Immortal Seat after refining it, the Great Dream True Man was completely unexpected.

And how did he do it, dissipating most of the remnants with a wave of his hand.

Bearing the shocked gazes of the cultivators, the Great Dream True Man flashed away, transforming back into a huge human-shaped grotto. The magical power he had just used surprised even Ren Qing, it was "Dreaming Every Year".

With the blessing of the Old Man Under the Moon, few people could escape Dreaming Every Year.

The remnants were directly pulled into the thirty-sixth layer of dreams. How terrifying it was inside, perhaps thousands of years could pass in the dream every breath.

Even if the remnants came from the Fude Earth Immortal, as long as they were remnants, it was impossible to withstand the baptism of time. Tens of thousands of years were enough to change the world.

The Great Dream True Man's actions were also knocking on the Wuwei Taoist Temple.

The Heavenly Dao Child's prestige was too great. If he was determined to succeed, perhaps even Ren Qing could not suppress him, and the Prison Guard Hall would be in chaos.

Chen Changsheng was the same, but the threat to the Prison Guard Hall was far less than the Heavenly Dao Child.

Mainly because the Prison Guard Hall's previous records about Chen Changsheng were destroyed by him before he went to the Changsheng Forbidden Zone, for fear of exposing the location of the Changsheng Forbidden Zone, leading to failure in his promotion.

Moreover, Chen Changsheng's reputation in the Changsheng Forbidden Zone was not good, otherwise he would not have been called a "taboo" by the martial arts halls.

The Heavenly Dao Child realized what the Great Dream True Man had done and returned to the World Within the Stomach with a wry smile.

In the Heavenly Dao Palace gathered in the Wuwei Taoist Temple, the Heavenly Dao Child's image had indeed been deified. If he had taken the God Path at that time, it would have been twice the effort with half the result.

But the Heavenly Dao Child was already tired of walking the Immortal Path alone and did not want to cause the Wuwei Taoist Temple to be isolated.

Otherwise, if he wanted to compete for the Fude Earth Immortal's Immortal Seat, Han Li could only give up, after all, the Heavenly Dao Child possessed the general trend.

No matter how strong Han Li was, it was impossible to fight against the entire Wuwei Taoist Temple.

When the Fude Earth Immortal's remnants disappeared, the cracks on the surface of the grotto immediately healed, and Han Li's aura became stable.

In addition to being disappointed, the cultivators were deeply shocked by the strength of the Great Dream True Man.

Clearly still in the Heavenly Bizarre Realm, he gave them a sense of powerlessness to resist, as if they would be pulled into a dream with a wave of his hand.

As expected of the Heavenly Court, the foundation was really deep.

Han Li was indeed a bit unlucky. The Fude Grotto he chose had a lot of things going on. Even if the result was smooth, the process was tormented enough.

It was not until the fifth year after the remnants were removed that he barely refined the Immortal Seat.

The other cultivators had been refining the Immortal Seat for hundreds of years, and Han Li's progress was far behind, not to mention that he had to change his main cultivation technique to the Prison Guard Technique.

So as soon as Han Li woke up, he did not stay in the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone according to the rules, but set off to the World Within the Stomach to practice the Prison Guard Technique assiduously.

Because of the difference in the Heavenly Dao, the World Within the Stomach would definitely weaken the effect of the Immortal Seat, resulting in a reduction in cultivation efficiency.

But it was only limited to the small realms above the Heavenly Bizarre Realm.

Han Li's Prison Guard Technique was still in the Yang Soul Realm and had to advance to the Heavenly Bizarre Realm as soon as possible.

After Han Li left the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone, Ren Qing, who was in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the void above his head with a strange gaze.

Ren Qing felt that the massive amount of Buddhist energy that constituted the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone was rapidly flowing away.

The reason for the abnormality must have originated from the lack of Forbidden Zone rules, 80% of which was related to Han Li's departure to the World Within the Stomach.

Ren Qing was not in a hurry to recall Han Li, and carefully observed the Forbidden Zone.

The lack of rules, in disguise, made it easier for techniques to communicate with the outside world, especially the group of undead on the border between the North and South.

Ren Qing's ribs stung slightly, and then a white jade-like Buddhist hand drilled out, with scriptures praising the Spirit Mountain Tathagata all over its skin.

The monstrous Buddhist energy poured into the void, maintaining the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone from collapsing.

The cultivators seemed at a loss. What was the origin of this Celestial Venerable of the Heavenly Court? Not only did he advance both the concurrent cultivation techniques to the same level, but he also had the weird magical powers of Buddhism.

Buddhism was not a good thing. I had never heard of a cultivator who could drive Buddhist energy.

Their worldview was subverted by Ren Qing time and time again. Could it be that while refining the two Immortal Seats, he did not let go of the Buddhist Fruition?

Taking advantage of the fact that the Heavenly Dao crack was not enough to advance to the Heavenly Demon Tribulation, Ren Qing focused his attention on the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone. Because of the change in the Forbidden Zone rules, he could vaguely perceive the location of the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone.

It just so happened that the Corpse Immortal had recovered almost completely and could be driven to find the Immortal Abode Forbidden Zone.

Ren Qing closed his eyes and communicated with the Corpse Immortal, who was far away in the hinterland of the Buddhist Realm, but his consciousness felt an unspeakable madness.

He seemed to hear whispers in his ear, his skin felt an indescribable itching, and his internal organs crawled with countless ants.

Ren Qing immediately snapped back to his senses.

Communicating with the Corpse Immortal felt like facing the Three Daos Ancestors. It was the influence of the Heavenly Dao turning into nothingness, and carelessness could lead to the alienation of his body and soul.

Immediately, the Flesh Body Tathagata exerted its power, absorbing any Heavenly Dao transformation like a glutton devouring dates.

Ren Qing endured the discomfort, already understanding the reason.

Although the Corpse Immortal possessed immortal bones, its immortal position was actually integrated with its body, leading to the Heavenly Dao's influence on itself.

Proportionately, if the Corpse Immortal suffered severe damage to its body and soul, it would also affect its immortal position.

When Ren Qing first possessed the Corpse Immortal, it was already on the verge of death, showing no signs of its original madness, and still retained its rationality. The situation of Heavenly Dao transformation was not obvious. Now, it was the opposite.

"Could it be that the immortal position... is really refined from the brain?"

Otherwise, how could it be explained that when the body and soul were near death, the immortal position was damaged, and the Corpse Immortal clearly possessed the possibility of basic communication?

Ren Qing secretly pondered whether there was anything he could exploit.

But after thinking about it, the secrets hidden in the immortal position far exceeded Ren Qing's imagination. Only after advancing to Corpse Disintegration Immortal would he have the strength to trace its origins.

Since Ren Qing wanted to use the Corpse Immortal to find the Immortal Position Forbidden Zone, he couldn't let it run wild.

He communicated with the Heavenly Immortal position "Soul Retriever" within the Corpse Immortal's body, using it to transfer the Heavenly Dao transformation to the Flesh Body Tathagata in his stomach world.

Ren Qing felt a slight pang of heartache. The advancement of the Heavenly Demon Tribulation would be delayed for some time.

But there was no choice. Only the Corpse Immortal was usable. The other Undead were hundreds of thousands of miles away from the Buddhist realm, and their strength was not enough to resist the aura of the Heavenly Demon.

The Corpse Immortal trembled, and goat hooves emerged from the soil.

The surrounding aura of the Heavenly Demon scattered, and tens of thousands of Black Goats were attracted, standing on the distant mountain peaks, staring at the Corpse Immortal with strange and inexplicable eyes.

The Heavenly Immortal position was more than enough as a medium. The Heavenly Dao Tree shook continuously.

The sprout unique to the Soul Retriever connected the bridge between the two worlds, and a torrent of karmic fire poured into the Western Buddhist realm, absorbed by Mount Meru.

Ren Qing didn't bite off more than he could chew. The Heavenly Dao transformation was maintained to the point where he could control the Corpse Immortal's actions. Whether it lived or died afterward was none of his concern.

The Corpse Immortal slowly stood up. From Ren Qing's perspective, a black and white Heavenly Dao Tree branch grew from its back.

It looked a bit like cordyceps. The Corpse Immortal was like a parasitic worm.

Ren Qing, according to the location of the Immortal Position Forbidden Zone, guided the Corpse Immortal to gradually approach, while chunks of flesh constantly peeled off from the Corpse Immortal's body.

The flesh contained a trace of Yin energy, and after drilling into the soil, it transformed into fish-shaped zombies.

The Corpse Immortal was too attractive to the Black Goats. To ensure that nothing went wrong, Ren Qing temporarily decided to use Corpse Fish to explore the Buddhist realm.

However, the Corpse Fish could not survive for long. After all, with the erosion of the Heavenly Demon's aura, the Corpse Fish would eventually show the characteristics of the Black Goat.

Ren Qing raced against time, and the Corpse Fish quietly shuttled through the underground.

Then, something puzzling happened to him. The closer the Corpse Fish got to the center of the Buddhist realm, the more the concentration of the Heavenly Demon's aura should have increased.

But Ren Qing felt that, compared to before the Immortal Buddha war in the beast pen, the content of the Heavenly Demon's aura had been diluted at least tenfold.

So, was the Supreme Heavenly Demon really the winner?

The Corpse Fish arrived at the predetermined area. With Ren Qing guiding the direction in the Forbidden Zone, it quickly discovered the deep pit that had been filled in back then.

Hundreds of years had passed, but there was no change in the Buddhist realm.

However, what gave Ren Qing a headache was that he had deliberately allowed the Immortal Position Forbidden Zone to be in a state of falling. After hundreds of years, he didn't know where it had fallen.

Ren Qing used the bones of the Corpse Fish to make a mark, and his consciousness returned to his body.

He also stripped the Heavenly Immortal position "Soul Retriever" from the Corpse Immortal's body and replaced it with a Earthly Immortal position, ensuring that he could descend his consciousness at any time.

After the Soul Retriever was in the stomach world, it immediately turned into a sapling and merged into the Heavenly Dao Tree.

The Heavenly Dao Tree vaguely showed signs of transformation, but it was not enough to affect the rules of the Three Realms. It only made the Yin energy of the Underworld a bit denser.

Seeing this, Ren Qing cast the Corpse Fengdu, taking back the Heavenly Immortal position of the Soul-Snatching Ghost Immortal.

The Heavenly Immortal position born from the Soul-Snatching Ghost Immortal was called "Soul-Snatching Envoy", and together with the Soul Retriever, they were collectively called Black and White Impermanence, specializing in arresting ghosts.

After the Heavenly Dao Tree absorbed the Heavenly Immortal positions of Black and White Impermanence, the Underworld shook.

Ren Qing thought it was just the Heavenly Dao Tree perfecting the rules regarding the Underworld, but his expression became strange, and his eyes locked onto the third level of the Underworld.

The Yin energy of the third level of the Underworld was the most concentrated, and many cultivators were imprisoned there.

A magnificent town sat deep in the third level of the Underworld, named Yincao by Ren Qing, mainly inhabited by corpse veins above the Yang God realm.

In addition to zombie cultivators, it was also filled with a massive number of wandering souls.

Since the stomach world advanced to Earthly Immortal, wandering souls were constantly born in the Yellow Springs, even without the Water Marsh Technique that had been perfected through cultivation.

Over time, wandering souls gradually became the mortal class in the Underworld.

Wandering souls were usually transformed from the remnants of mortal souls. They retained their appearance from their lifetime, and their number reached more than thirty million.

The corpse veins also had some headaches about how to deal with the wandering souls. Of course, there had always been the saying of reincarnation in the mortal world, but in reality, it was a one-way street.

They could only allow the wandering souls to expand Yincao, which led to this massive town.

The daily food of the wandering souls was rice stained with Yin energy. Even without cultivating the Water Marsh Technique, they could live for at least five hundred years.

The corpse veins allowed the wandering souls to do as they pleased, causing many mortal things to appear in Yincao.

For example, festivals for sacrificial celebrations. Of course, the wandering souls worshiped ghosts and gods, entrusting their thoughts to relatives and friends from their lifetime.

Because Yincao concentrated the mortals from the north and south of the stomach world, the evolved ghosts and gods numbered as many as a hundred, with different duties.

In the northwest corner of Yincao Town, many wandering souls came in and out of a remote temple.

The temple worshiped the Black and White Evil Ghosts. The statues were a bit similar to the constables in the mortal world. The incense was far from being prosperous in Yincao.

When the Heavenly Immortal positions of Black and White Impermanence merged into the Heavenly Dao Tree, the two statues became lifelike.

The wandering souls in the temple immediately knelt on the ground, and then Black and White Impermanence walked out of the statues, exuding an aura of incense.

Black and White Impermanence were silent, and with a wave of their hands, the statues transformed into their appearance.

Then, Black and White Impermanence遁入 disappeared into the ground, and the Underworld began to change drastically. The area of the third level was growing, and a prototype of the fourth level, specially used to accommodate incense Immortals, also appeared.

The fourth level of the Underworld, "Fengdu", was completely a palace setting, with rows of seats placed on both sides of the wall.

Black and White Impermanence sat on the periphery, and then transformed into two crystal clear divine seals, waiting for a ascending judge to inherit.

Ren Qing glanced at the Immortal positions on the branches of the Heavenly Dao Tree, and sure enough, two Immortal god positions were missing.

Under the action of the Heavenly Dao Tree, the god positions autonomously gave birth to two incense Immortals, specializing in going to the mortal world to arrest evil ghosts.

"I must find a way to get more Heavenly Immortal positions to perfect the stomach world."