Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

"Senior Brother Shang, are we not chasing those two from Cold Yin Valley? And Chen Bijian ran away too!"

Qi Shubiao, Guan Zhuofan, and the other twelve late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered around, all voicing their questions.

Zhen and Dan had already climbed to the entrance of the tunnel, their figures about to disappear into the darkness.

Shang Ming looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "The Yang Evolution Beast is dead!"

"Dead?" Everyone showed an expression of disbelief.

Qi Shubiao asked, "Senior Brother Shang, the Yang Evolution Beast has thick skin and flesh, how could it be killed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

Shang Ming shook his head, "I don't know the details. Does anyone recognize the cultivator who fought the Yang Evolution Beast?"

Everyone looked at each other.

At this moment, a clear voice came out, "Senior Brother Shang, that person is called Lin Dushan, and he's using a Scarlet Blood Valley token. I don't know if he stole it or if Scarlet Blood Valley gave it to him."

The speaker was Wang Xuanyi, who followed the Core Formation cultivators in the sect to receive the Foundation Establishment cultivators participating in the Xuan Yin Cave grass gathering. He knew the basic situation of each person like the back of his hand.

"This person is a bit strange, with an unusual background, but he can't escape the Thousand Swords Sect and the Candle God Sect. The fundamental techniques of Scarlet Blood Valley come from demonic cultivators, so he may be related to the Candle God Sect. After you go up, report this to the Sect Leader for a decision."

Shang Ming frowned and said, "The current trouble is not only that we can't rely on the Yang Evolution Beast to clear the King Weed, but even mining Yang Essence Crystals has become a problem. After the Yang Evolution Beast died, a big fire started around its body, and there is a continuous supply of Yang Essence Power in the cave, so I'm afraid it won't be extinguished for ten days or half a month."

Guan Zhuofan looked to the left and right, and seeing that everyone was a little puzzled, he asked, "Senior Brother Shang, can't even the power of the stars and moon resist this fire?"

Everyone was indeed wondering, not knowing what kind of fire was so powerful that even Shang Ming, who had a physical body Core Formation, could do nothing about it.

Shang Ming sighed and said, "Everyone will know when you go over and take a look."

He led everyone to the front of the cave, which sloped upwards. The purple fire inside had already burned to the edge of the cave entrance, and the heat wave could be felt from a distance.

Everyone used their mana to resist, but when they got within two zhang, except for Shang Ming, Qi Shubiao, and Guan Zhuofan, everyone else couldn't bear it and stopped.

Qi Shubiao said, "If we dig another tunnel from the side, would that work?"

Shang Ming pondered for a moment before answering, "If we can't locate it accurately, we may damage the spiritual veins. Moreover, the soil around the spiritual veins is very special, and it is difficult to break through without special tools."

Qi Shubiao said, "Then dig a tunnel connecting to the space below the cave, as long as we avoid the flames above."

Shang Ming looked hesitant, unable to make a decision for a while.

Qi Shubiao and Guan Zhuofan looked at each other. Guan Zhuofan took a step closer and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Shang, since the Yang Evolution Beast is dead, as long as we mine the Yang Essence Crystals, we can at least ensure the safety of the sect for a thousand years! There's no need to carry out that backup plan!"

Shang Ming knew what they meant and sighed, "The sect has worked hard for thousands of years, with the sacrifice of dozens of generations, to figure out the situation, find a solution, and calculate this opportunity. If we return so hastily, what face do I have to see the Sect Leader and the Great Elder!"

Guan Zhuofan, who was closest to Shang Ming, said excitedly, "How can taking back the Yang Essence Crystals be considered a hasty return? This is an unparalleled achievement for the revitalization of the sect!"

Shang Ming smiled self-deprecatingly, "What unparalleled achievement is there? The death of the Yang Evolution Beast was not at our hands, and it was not in the plan. If there is any merit, it is the merit of the Candle God Sect demon, who not only prevented us from cutting the grass, but also allowed us to obtain the Yang Essence Crystals, resisting the Thousand Swords Sect's plot in the case of the five factions' disunity.

"As long as we maintain this stalemate, and wait for his Candle God Sect to recover, wouldn't Xuan Yin Mountain be theirs for the taking! Knowing the other party's treachery, how can we fall into his calculations and be led by the nose!"

Qi Shubiao coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Shang, without the help of the Yang Essence Crystals, how can we repel the Thousand Swords Sect's attack in the next few decades?"

Shang Ming stroked his short beard and said slowly, "A total of four people walked into the cave, but none of these four can escape. The road taken by the two from Cold Yin Valley is a dead end, which can only be entered but not exited, and the entrance is also very hidden. Lin Dushan and the others were able to enter from there, they must have stumbled upon it by accident.

"As for Chen Bijian of the Heavy Sword Sect, and the previous rogue cultivator, they can't escape from the middle passage either. There is still the Eight Trigrams Void Origin Formation, and Lao Deren has been controlling the formation hub. Before you retreat, go and kill these two.

"As for the other two, if they escape back here, they will naturally have no way to survive. If they don't return here, once the King Weed awakens and the Yin poison erupts, they will only die. Therefore, the news from the cave will never leak out. With the lure of the Enlightenment God Pill, the five factions will at least cooperate with us in the short term to fight against the Thousand Swords Sect. In this way, we can come back to mine the Yang Essence Crystals next time we enter the cave."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xuanyi in the crowd suddenly said, "Senior Brother Shang, there is one more person who has not been seen, and whose body has not been found. I don't know why?"

Shang Ming raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

Wang Xuanyi said, "A rogue cultivator named Zhang Jing, who was sent to the Six Mountains Immortal City by Fire Crow Daoist of the Qiongshan Sect, but entered this place with Lin Dushan. Just now, he was trapped by us in the Seven Stars Divine Light Formation. After the formation was withdrawn, he disappeared. I don't know if he has any concealment methods!"

Shang Ming also remembered that there was such a person, and couldn't help but be surprised, "You didn't kill him?"

Guan Zhuofan was the main formation controller who trapped Zhang Yuanjing. After thinking for a moment, he said, "At that time, I was busy controlling the formation and didn't pay attention. I thought he was blown up by Yao Yinglin's blood corpse."

"Search carefully to see if there are any clues!" Shang Ming said in a deep voice.

The cultivators immediately split up into groups of three and searched around, but in the end, they found nothing.

Shang Ming shook his head and said, "Forget it, there's no time to care about him. Anyway, there is a net in the outside world, and he can't get out. The top priority is to discuss how to deal with the Xuan Yin King Weed!"

Qi Shubiao said, "Senior Brother Shang, if we have the Yang Essence Crystals, the sect will always be able to maintain the existence of a Nascent Soul cultivator, why bother to cut the King Weed?"

Shang Ming shook his head and said, "Yang Essence Crystals are not so easy to form. The reason why we think there will be Yang Essence Crystals below is because the Yang Evolution Beast does not need to swallow Yang Essence Crystals before the Transformation stage, so it will leave the Yang Essence Crystals to be eaten after advancing to the Transformation stage. After thousands of years, how many Yang Essence Crystals can be formed?

"According to the Great Elder's estimate, there are at most three. Removing the first one formed and transformed into the Yang Evolution Beast, there are only two left. The Great Elder said that only with extremely good luck can one advance to the Nascent Soul stage with one Yang Essence Crystal, otherwise, two are needed. Therefore, he specifically instructed me that the first priority when going down to the earth veins is to cut the grass, not to collect the Yang Essence Crystals."

Guan Zhuofan said again, "Senior Brother Shang, it's not that we don't want to cut the grass, but now the situation has changed significantly. There is almost no obstacle to collecting the Yang Essence Crystals, but there is no hope for cutting the grass. Why not choose something that is easier to see results?"

Shang Ming's face showed a serious expression, he looked around at the fourteen junior brothers in front of him, and said in a slightly desolate tone:

"In order to fulfill the wishes of the sect's ancestors for thousands of years, my two junior brothers, Liu Guangyi and Yuan Shoucheng, and I simultaneously took the Mad Beast Pill. They two unfortunately suffered misfortune, and I was lucky enough to succeed. Do you know how many seniors have taken this pill to relieve the sect's suffering since the three of us?

"Seventeen people! What was the result? None of them succeeded! Saying this is not to prove how powerful I, Shang Ming, am, but to tell everyone how difficult it is to forcibly create a physical body Core Formation in this Xuan Yin Cave. Now, although we don't have the help of the Yang Evolution Beast, we can still implement a backup plan relying on my physical body Core Formation. This is what the Great Elder and several of our Foundation Establishment Completion cultivators specifically instructed. Junior Brother Guan, please introduce it to everyone."

Guan Zhuofan's fair and refined face flashed with a painful expression, but facing Shang Ming's stern gaze, he had to restrain his mind and say, word by word:

"Senior Brother Shang holds the great axe refined from Gold Obsidian Stone, and cuts a crack in the main stem of the King Weed, and then... then Senior Brother carries the axe and drills into it, using his physical body to resist the erosion of the King Weed, and continues to cut and destroy its structure from the inside, directly dying.

"At the same time, he sprinkles the sect's collected Zhiyang objects into various meridians of the King Weed, hindering its Qi and blood circulation and weakening its ability to absorb and digest Yin Yuan power. In this way, the weakening cycle of the King Weed will become shorter. If there are fellow disciples who achieve physical body Core Formation with the Mad Beast Pill in the future, they can still imitate this method and continue to do so. In this way, without three or five times, this grass will surely die!"

After hearing this, everyone realized why Qi Shubiao and Guan Zhuofan had been persuading Shang Ming to take the Yang Essence Crystals. It turned out that the implementation of this plan required Shang Ming to sacrifice his life.

Although Shang Ming would face one blood qi frenzy test after another after taking the Mad Beast Pill, as long as he could condense the spirit, break through the Core Formation from the soul, then he could catalyze the spirit fire, slowly refine the demon qi in his body, and save his life. After that, except that his cultivation could not increase, he would be the same as the early Core Formation cultivator.

Shang Ming looked at everyone's expressions and saw that they all had a look of intolerance. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Compared to my five junior brothers, such as Liu Guangyi and Yuan Shoucheng, who died midway, I have lived many more days. Those Candle God Sect demons, and Zhong Bixing, these cultivators of the five factions, they can all give up their lives for the fate of the sect, so why can't I, Shang Ming!"

Guan Zhuofan shook his head, "Senior Brother, it is not necessary to carry out this plan..."

Shang Ming waved his hand, interrupted him, and said decisively, "I have made up my mind! Now, the awakening of the Xuan Yin King Weed will not exceed ten hours. Don't be verbose, prepare quickly!"

After saying that, he ignored everyone's reaction, turned around and grabbed the bodies of Qi Mingxuan and Yao Yinglin on the ground, and flew towards the Xuan Yin King Weed.

Wang Xuanyi and the other twelve late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators all looked at Qi Shubiao and Guan Zhuofan. This time, when entering the Xuan Yin Cave, the Sect Leader's orders to them were very clear. In the event of major events, all Foundation Establishment Completion cultivators would make decisions together, and if there was a dispute, the majority would decide.

Guan Zhuofan looked helplessly at Qi Shubiao, "Senior Brother Qi, what should we do about this?"

Qi Shubiao sighed lightly, also feeling a little embarrassed.

He knew that Guan Zhuofan was brought up the mountain by Shang Ming back then, and had received much care from him for more than a hundred years, so he had been advancing all the way to Foundation Establishment Completion. They were said to be fellow disciples, but in reality, they were like master and disciple. The two had an extraordinary relationship, and at this time, he was unwilling to watch Shang Ming, who treated him like a father, walk to his death.

However, what could he do if he disagreed? Would Shang Ming not cut the grass?

He pointed to the raging purple fire in the cave in front of him and said in a low voice, "Junior Brother Guan, without Senior Brother Shang's action, even if we open another passage, we would not be able to withstand the high temperature in the cave to take down the Yang Essence Crystals!"

Guan Zhuofan also understood that since Senior Brother Shang had made a decision, he would never change it, at least none of the people in the field could make him change his mind. His face became even paler, and he bit his steel teeth, unwilling to let go.

"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and set up the Seven Stars Linked Pearl Formation! Don't delay!" Shang Ming's somewhat hoarse roar came from under the King Weed.

Everyone looked over and saw that this contemporary Foundation Establishment senior brother, wearing tattered leather armor and with a somewhat thin figure, was already holding a large axe with a blade more than five feet long, and was cutting at the thick main stem of the Xuan Yin King Weed along the crack originally cut by the sword formation.

"Senior Brother Qi, let's go!" Guan Zhuofan's eyes dimmed, and he said with a hint of sorrow.

Qi Shubiao nodded and said to the others, "Everyone go over there, set up two Seven Stars Linked Pearl Formations, condense the starlight and moonlight, and help Senior Brother!"

Everyone responded in a low voice.