Chapter 125: One of the Eight Foundation Establishment True Immortals of the Li Fire Domain

"That is truly remarkable. Most cultivators, when facing those in the late stage of Qi Refining, naturally feel their aura diminish and wouldn't dare to make a move. The fact that you acted in the first instance rather than turning to flee already puts you ahead of countless others. Not to mention, you actually ended up slaying that person."

As she spoke, Shen Xinyue sighed with emotion. Even though she had held Zhou Changwang in high regard, she had mostly valued him for his skill in spiritual plant cultivation; she had not expected his combat prowess to be so formidable.

"It was merely luck," Zhou Changwang said, waving his hands dismissively. "I just happened to have a few life-saving talismans tucked away, and that seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator was rather careless. That is why I succeeded in one stroke. Had he been on guard, the outcome might have been very different."

"Enough, I won't press you further. The stronger you are, the happier I am, of course. Besides this, there is one more thing I wanted to ask you." Shen Xinyue paused slightly before continuing: "This time, when we travel to the Divine Wind Valley market, aside from the few of us who will remain there, Xiaoyue and Yuru will be departing again to head to the Water Cloud Immortal Sect to participate in the entry examination. I want to ask if you are willing to join our Water Cloud Immortal Sect and participate in this examination as well?"

"This... I haven't decided yet," Zhou Changwang replied after a silence. Qian Xiaoyue had mentioned this before, and he had brushed it off. Now that Shen Xinyue brought it up, he couldn't easily evade the question. "Senior Shen, even if I don't say it, you know that my aptitude is poor. I possess a Five-Element spirit root, and it is very balanced. Only a place where all five elements are present is most suitable for my cultivation. While the Water Cloud Immortal Sect is excellent, its main spirit vein is a water-attribute one, which does not suit me. As it happens, I luckily placed first in the last spiritual planter examination and received a Qingyuan Token. Although the spirit vein quality in the Qingyuan Sect is far inferior to the Water Cloud Immortal Sect's, it is a vein possessing all five elements. So, barring any accidents, I am more inclined to join the Qingyuan Sect."

"In fact, ever since you proactively asked about searching for high-level five-element techniques last time, I guessed that you have great ambition. You are not one to settle for mediocrity. The territory of the Water Cloud Immortal Sect is indeed not suitable for your cultivation. Since you have such plans, I will not force you." Shen Xinyue nodded in understanding, not at all surprised.

"Thank you for your understanding, Senior Shen. Then, I shall return this Water Cloud Token to you," Zhou Changwang said decisively, taking out the token.

"Keep it. I, Shen Xinyue, have never had the habit of taking back what I have given away. If you don't need this Water Cloud Token, you can give it to your descendants. As long as I have not fallen, it will remain valid, so there is no need to worry." Shen Xinyue waved her hand.

"In that case, thank you, Senior." Zhou Changwang had no choice but to nod, tucking the token away. He then asked curiously, "Senior, I have one thing I don't understand. Why are you moving the entire Water Cloud Pavilion to the Divine Wind Valley market? Although the Phoenix Cry Dock market is chaotic now, once the victor is decided and the situation clears, it shouldn't be dangerous, so why..."

"Our trip to the Divine Wind Valley market is not only to temporarily avoid the crisis at Phoenix Cry Dock, but also to participate in the Great Valley Hunt held every ten years. Speaking of this, one must mention the Divine Wind Valley itself. The valley is shrouded in toxic fog all year round. To enter, one must use detoxification pills or anti-toxin talismans. The deeper one goes, the more potent the toxins; it is said that ten miles in, even Foundation Establishment experts would fall into a coma if trapped for too long. Consequently, it has hidden countless treasures and rare spiritual items for ages. However, every ten years, the toxic fog dissipates slightly. Though it never clears completely, each instance is a prime opportunity for countless cultivators to enter and seek their fortunes. Hence, the so-called Great Valley Hunt."

"The Great Valley Hunt? I have heard of it. It is said that the interior of the Divine Wind Valley is a third-grade spirit vein, so the spiritual energy is extremely abundant. It was only because the fog was too thick that it couldn't be occupied. Rumor has it that at its deepest point, there are even late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic beasts. In such a place, even Core Formation cultivators would struggle." Zhou Changwang had lived in the cultivation world for many years; although Divine Wind Valley was far from Phoenix Cry Dock, news often traveled, so he had some knowledge of it.

"Indeed. However, the reports of late-stage Foundation Establishment beasts are from a century ago. Whether stronger beasts exist now, I doubt even the Valley Master at the Divine Wind Valley market knows for sure," Shen Xinyue said with a nod.

"So, is that why Fellow Daoist Gong and the others are leaving with you—for this Great Valley Hunt?" Zhou Changwang asked, remembering something.

"That is one factor, but they are mostly seeking to avoid disaster. Those from cultivation families do not put all their eggs in one basket. They have branches not only in Phoenix Cry Dock but also in Divine Wind Valley. I happen to have partnerships with their families, and when they heard I intended to retreat to Divine Wind Valley, they entrusted me to take them along," Shen Xinyue explained with a smile.

Zhou Changwang nodded silently and looked back toward the market. "Senior Shen, who do you think will win? And why did this chaos erupt so suddenly?"

"I don't know who will win. There are many factions in the market that don't belong to either family. Look at the innermost circle of the East District; it has hardly been touched because both sides are exercising restraint, not wanting to drag others in. This battle is, after all, between the Chen and Bai families for control of the market. So, for some factions and families, the risk isn't great. Of course, with so many rogue cultivators, there are always those who take risks for profit. For instance, we were surrounded earlier. They claimed to be rogue cultivators, but there may well have been family-aligned cultivators fishing in troubled waters. To be safe, even experts in the East District need to make preparations."

"Take the Gong, Zhao, and Wenren families, for example. They have sent their promising descendants to the Divine Wind Valley market to avoid the disaster; some even left before the chaos erupted. However, don't be fooled by the intense fighting in the market; the true battlefield is not here." Shen Xinyue shook her head before continuing.

"Not here? Then where is it?" Zhou Changwang asked quickly.

"One hundred miles west of Phoenix Cry Dock, at the Bai family's ancestral land, the Alpaca Mountain spiritual site. That is where the two sides will fight to the death. The Chen family has long stationed countless scouts around the Bai family to prevent any surprises. As for why the chaos erupted early, I only learned a snippet of information from the head of the Gong family when I was meeting Gong Baixue. It is said that the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill was smuggled back to the Bai family through special means. The Chen family head, Chen Jiudao, feared that the Bai family patriarch, Bai Dongxian, would have time to recover, so he struck early."

Shen Xinyue shook her head as she spoke. "In my opinion, Chen Jiudao lacked courage. He should have launched a surprise attack before the pill was refined. Now that the Bai family patriarch has the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill, even if he cannot fully refine it in the short term, his injuries will surely recover somewhat. Bai Dongxian was once one of the Eight Great Foundation Establishment Masters of the Li Huo Region. Fifty years ago, he was a glorious figure, one of the eight known Foundation Establishment cultivators who had cultivated a 'True Body'."

"'Foundation Establishment True Body'?" Zhou Changwang was startled. He suddenly thought of the 'Pure Yang True Body' technique recorded in the *Pure Yang Five-Element Manual* he had acquired. However, he noted that the Pure Yang True Body required at least seventh-level Qi Refining and the awakening of 'Divine Sense' to begin cultivation, so he hadn't delved into it.

"It is a 'True Body' technique cultivated by Foundation Establishment cultivators. It is said that some top-tier manuals allow for it to be practiced at the Qi Refining stage, but only those at the Foundation Establishment stage can truly unleash its power. Once the 'True Body' emerges, a cultivator's strength surges. Three hundred years ago, Master Bai Ku fought the newly advanced Core Formation Master Nine-Eyes with his 'Myriad Wood True Body'. Although he was defeated and perished, he blinded Nine-Eyes' nine spiritual eyes, forcing him to recover for fifty years. It was a sensation. This means a cultivator who masters a 'True Body' has the potential to fight a Core Formation cultivator." Shen Xinyue sighed, a look of longing in her eyes.

"So the 'Pure Yang True Body' in my manual is indeed a 'True Body' technique. 'True Body'... no wonder Foundation Establishment experts are called 'True Cultivators'; it is because of this 'True Body'," Zhou Changwang thought with a sense of sudden realization.

...

After a short rest of about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, everyone stood up and continued their journey. They had just escaped the market and were not yet safe. Although Divine Wind Valley was only a few hundred miles away, the path crossed wild mountains and dangerous spiritual sites infested with demonic beasts.

After an hour, the group arrived between two massive mountains.

Two-Abyss Mountain!

It was one of the famous dangerous spots near Phoenix Cry Dock, often frequented by hunting squads. It was in these very mountains that Zhou Changwang’s father had last gone on an expedition, encountering the Ice-Fire Two-Headed Wolf, which led to Zhou Qiankun’s act of revenge and the leaving of the storage bag for his son.

"This is Two-Abyss Mountain. Are we planning to pass through it?" Qian Xiaoyue asked curiously.

"For many cultivators, this is a dangerous place filled with demonic beasts, and legend says there are even Foundation Establishment-level great demons. But crossing these mountains leads to Ice Ridge Mountain, the shortest route to Divine Wind Valley. If we detour, we would add dozens of miles and it wouldn't necessarily be safer. It is better to take this path; as long as we carefully avoid powerful beasts, we can reach Divine Wind Valley in the shortest time," said Li Qianyun, the manager of the Water Cloud Pavilion. Before Shen Xinyue arrived, she had managed the pavilion and frequently traveled this route, so she was very familiar with it.

Qian Xiaoyue nodded obediently. With Senior Shen and the late-stage Qi Refining experts here, they had nothing to fear.

The group stepped into Two-Abyss Mountain. Zhou Changwang, along with Qian Xiaoyue, Lu Wei'er, Gong Baixue, Wenren Xiu, Zhao Gongpeng, and other weaker cultivators, walked in the middle. Zhou Changwang did not relax his vigilance. He maintained his Light-Body and Protective spells, and frequently used his Spiritual Eye to scan the surroundings, along with his Derivation Technique to sense potential threats.

The Derivation Technique was particularly useful. Having reached the consummate level, it allowed him to sense any 'living creature' within a certain range and determine its distance and strength. Along the way, while it appeared peaceful, he had detected dozens of demonic beasts and insects with strength above the first level of Qi Refining, most hiding underground or in dense forests.

Two-Abyss Mountain was teeming with beasts. However, their group was strong. Including the three bodyguards, there were seven cultivators at or above the seventh level of Qi Refining. With five at the sixth level, four at the fifth, and three at the fourth, they were a formidable force. Just the aura they exuded was enough to keep most beasts at bay.

"Be careful. Ahead is the territory of the One-Horned Red Python. Not only are there snakes everywhere, but the python itself may appear. Use your concealment and hiding techniques. If necessary, use concealment talismans... we will try to detour," Li Qianyun suddenly warned, leading the group toward the edge of the mountain path.

Zhou Changwang looked up. He knew that while a normal Red Python was only at the Qi Refining level, the One-Horned variety was a Foundation Establishment-level great demon, vastly different in power and size. This was the subject of several high-level tasks in the Green Leaf Alliance, but none had dared to accept them for months.

They were strong, but if they encountered a Foundation Establishment-level demon, they would be as lambs to the slaughter. Even Shen Xinyue would struggle to protect herself.

Zhou Changwang kept his spells active, his spiritual energy being slowly replenished by his Pure Yang Five-Element Manual.

After some time, they finally cleared the python's territory. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, Zhou Changwang’s expression changed. Under his Derivation Technique, he sensed a dangerous, blood-red aura ahead.

"Senior Shen, wait, there is danger ahead," Zhou Changwang said without hesitation.

"What is it?" Shen Xinyue paused, her eyes scanning the path. It looked clear, so she was puzzled, but she trusted his caution.

"I am not sure of the specifics, but I sense danger. We should detour," Zhou Changwang replied solemnly.

"A detour? The path is clear, we can just cross it. Why waste time?" Zhao Gongpeng retorted impatiently.

"I have traveled this path five times. Besides a small valley, it is clear. Ordinary beasts don't hide here," Li Qianyun added.

Zhou Changwang frowned. "I possess a technique that can anticipate danger. My intuition is restless; we should avoid that spot."

"An anticipation technique? Probably just a basic one that judges danger based on your own low strength," Zhao Gongpeng sneered. "You are just a fourth-level Qi Refining spiritual planter. Your 'danger' is nothing to our seven late-stage Qi Refining experts."

"I trust Fellow Daoist Zhou. He wouldn't speak without cause," Fang Shitong said, with Lu Wei'er nodding in agreement.

"Better safe than sorry," Gong Baixue added.

"I hear something," Qian Xiaoyue suddenly said, her ears twitching. Zhou Changwang knew she was using her Listening Technique.

"Footsteps. People are fleeing, and something is chasing them... very fast," Qian Xiaoyue said urgently. "They are coming!"

As she spoke, a figure burst out from the valley ahead, rushing straight toward them.

"Fellow Daoists, help!" the man shouted, using a movement technique at high speed.

"Him?" Zhou Changwang’s pupils contracted. He recognized the man as his neighbor, 'Ghost Eye' Zhao Shanhe, who had been obsessed with exploring a Foundation Establishment tomb.

Could the tomb he had mentioned be right here?