Chapter 34: Nine Deaths

The young man in black sighed and said,

"Sincerity can move even metal and stone. Seeing as you are single-mindedly pursuing the Dao, if you can make it out of that cave alive, I shall teach you the methods of immortal cultivation."

Chen Yuan’s expression turned solemn. He said, "Please wait a moment, Immortal. This junior shall return shortly!"

With that, he swallowed the Boiling Blood Pill without hesitation.

A domineering surge of medicinal power rushed through his limbs and bones. Chen Yuan felt as if he were inside a furnace; his face flushed crimson, his blood boiled, and his body felt filled with an inexhaustible heat.

Daring not to waste a moment, he gave a slight salute to the young man in black, held up the night pearl, and rushed into the cave using his Shadow-Leaping Steps.

Watching his retreating figure, the young man in black clenched his hands behind his back, his grip tightening silently.

...

Upon entering the cave, an endless, biting wind rushed toward him. It felt like needles pricking his skin; the wind howled shrilly, and a chilling frost seeped into his body.

Fortunately, having swallowed the Boiling Blood Pill, his body was burning hot, allowing him to firmly keep the chilling force at bay.

There was only a single path leading forward into the unfathomable depths. Chen Yuan raised the night pearl and pressed on.

The wind grew increasingly violent, transitioning from the sensation of needles to that of slicing blades.

His black martial attire was shredded by the wind, hanging off him in tatters like rags, leaving him in a wretched state.

Chen Yuan was forced to squint his eyes, shielding his face with one hand and his chest with the other to protect the jade pendant and the medicinal pills held in his bosom.

Yet, his pace did not slow; instead, it quickened.

The medicinal power of the Boiling Blood Pill was steadily depleting, and wisps of chilling energy began to invade his body. He could not afford any delay.

Braving the wind, he ventured deeper into the cave, scanning his surroundings for the three white herbs.

However, after walking over ten yards, there was still no sign of the herbs.

The cave seemed to contain nothing but the endless, shrieking wind, which carved bloody gashes into Chen Yuan’s body.

As blood seeped out, it was frozen by the chilling force into tiny ice beads, which then struck the cave walls and shattered with faint popping sounds.

The depletion of the Boiling Blood Pill accelerated. Shivering, Chen Yuan gritted his teeth and increased his speed once more.

*Ssh! Ssh!*

The wounds carved by the wind grew deeper. The ice beads formed from his blood droplets struck the cave walls, creating a continuous crackling sound.

Chen Yuan felt as though he were undergoing the torture of a thousand cuts; an indescribable agony racked his entire body.

Yet, his mind remained as cold as ice and as resolute as iron, and his footsteps grew even faster.

The two years of suffering on a sickbed in his previous life had instilled in him a profound fear of death.

If he returned now without the methods of immortal cultivation, he would be nothing more than a handful of yellow earth in a hundred years—no different from dying under this freezing wind.

He had already enjoyed riches and honors beyond the imagination of ordinary people; he held no attachment to worldly luxury. His heart held only one goal: longevity.

Without immortal cultivation, there was only death!

*Ssh! Ssh!*

The wind raged like blades and swords. The wounds on Chen Yuan’s body grew deeper, exposing bone as white as jade, which was immediately covered by a layer of frost.

The medicinal power of the Boiling Blood Pill was nearly exhausted, and the chilling force threatened to freeze him solid.

A thick layer of white frost coated Chen Yuan’s skin, yet his feet, like they were forged of tempered steel, never faltered.

Finally, the medicinal power of the Boiling Blood Pill vanished completely. White frost slowly climbed up Chen Yuan’s face, covering his mouth and nose.

Forced to slow down, he began to crawl forward step by step.

Suddenly, a glimmer of crystalline light caught his eye.

Focusing his gaze, he saw three ice-like, translucent white spiritual herbs swaying gently in the endless wind.

A sudden burst of strength erupted from deep within Chen Yuan’s body. He lunged forward two steps and reached out to grab them.

The spiritual herbs, though unfazed by the raging wind, were not firmly rooted; Chen Yuan plucked them with ease.

Clutching the three herbs in his hand, he turned to head back.

Moving with the wind made the journey much easier.

Chen Yuan soon escaped the danger. No longer subjected to the "lingchi" torture, the chilling force within him also weakened significantly.

As he quickened his pace, the wind blowing from behind grew weaker, and no new wounds appeared on his body.

Finally, seeing the faintly glowing mouth of the cave, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.

*Thud!*

Chen Yuan’s strength gave out. His hand went limp, and the night pearl fell to the ground, rolling to the side.

He staggered toward the young man in black, slowly raising the three white herbs and speaking with great difficulty

"Imm... Immortal, this junior has retrieved the spiritual herbs for you..."

The young man in black walked over quickly. He took the herbs, examined them closely for a moment, and let out a long sigh of relief.

With a touch to the yellow silk pouch at his waist, the herbs vanished, and a pill appeared in his hand. He handed it to Chen Yuan and said, "Swallow this."

At this moment, Chen Yuan was covered in a layer of white frost. Beneath it were dense, overlapping wounds; his blood and the shredded black cloth had frozen together. He looked like a death row prisoner who had been tortured in a dungeon and then cast out into the midwinter wilderness for three days and nights—utterly miserable.

Trembling, he took the pill and placed it in his mouth.

The pill dissolved into a wisp of clear qi upon entering his mouth, settling in his stomach before spreading through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

A warm sensation washed over Chen Yuan’s entire body. The chilling force within him dissipated rapidly. Looking down, he saw the frost melting away and his wounds ceasing to bleed. Some of the smaller wounds had even begun to scab over and heal.

He wiped away the moisture left by the melting frost and said gratefully, "Thank you, Immortal, for the pill!"

The young man in black smiled. "Compared to these three Frost-Ice Herbs, this Clear Spirit Pill is nothing. However, I am powerless to remedy the depletion of your essence and blood; you must rely on yourself to recover slowly."

As he spoke, he touched the yellow silk pouch, and a scroll of silk appeared in his hand. He handed it to Chen Yuan and said, "Since you brought me the herbs, I will not break my word. This *Crimson Flame Manual* is enough to carry you through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Chen Yuan received the scroll with both hands, his eyes fixed upon it. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Immortal, for the cultivation method!"

The young man in black said indifferently, "I will grant you one more word: the path of immortal cultivation is to act against the heavens. It is a struggle for a single thread of life—to contend with heaven, with earth, with men, and with oneself. Though your spiritual roots are poor, if your Dao heart is steadfast, you may yet achieve something. Take care of yourself."

With that, his figure blurred, and he leaped several yards toward the cliff edge. He tapped a stone on the cliff wall and drifted away into the air.

Chen Yuan watched the shrinking figure of the young man in black and bowed deeply. Only after a long time did he straighten his back.

Looking at the scroll in his hands, the corners of his mouth curled upward involuntarily.

"Haha! Hahahaha! Haha... *cough, cough!*"

Chen Yuan laughed loudly several times before suddenly breaking into a violent coughing fit. Hunching over, he staggered toward a large rock and slowly sat down against it.

As the medicinal power of the Clear Spirit Pill vanished, Chen Yuan felt as though his body had been hollowed out. He was so weak that he lacked even the strength to lift a finger.

*This must be the depletion of essence and blood the Immortal spoke of...*

Chen Yuan’s consciousness grew increasingly blurred. He slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

...

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yuan was suddenly jolted awake from his dream. He leaped up from the ground, looking around warily.

Immediately after, he stumbled a few steps and nearly collapsed.

His body was still extremely weak; though slightly improved, he still could not perform any strenuous movements.

Propping himself up against the rock, Chen Yuan scanned his surroundings.

The valley was pitch black, save for the faint moonlight and starlight. The vegetation swayed, insects chirped, and the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.

He breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down against the rock.

According to the Immortal, this valley was the territory of that demon tiger. No other fierce beasts should dare approach; his situation was relatively safe.

However, as long as he did not replenish his depleted essence and blood, he would remain trapped in this state of weakness.

Chen Yuan clenched his fist. The strength was there, but he could not fully manifest it.

He attempted to circulate his *Six Yang Technique* again, only to find that his true qi was only equivalent to that of a Marrow-Refining martial artist, and it was extremely sluggish.

Both the physical body and true qi relied on essence and blood as their foundation. With his essence and blood damaged, his body and qi naturally could not maintain their original state.

Even the young man in black could not replenish his essence and blood; Chen Yuan could only wait for it to recover naturally, which would not happen overnight.

Chen Yuan let out a long sigh toward the sky, his emotions complex.

He did not blame the young man in black. When one's strength is inferior, one is at the mercy of others; he had not dared to refuse the man's command.

If he had encountered a truly cruel and violent cultivator who forced him to pick the herbs and then killed him, there would have been nothing he could do.

The young man in black had kept his promise by giving him a cultivation method and a pill to heal his injuries; he had acted with more benevolence than required.

But if his essence and blood were difficult to recover, how could he cultivate?

He was not worried about his parents, his elder brother, or his little sister. Before he returned, or before news of his death was confirmed, the Tiger-Subduing Gang would not dare touch them.

But to have obtained a cultivation method through a brush with death, only to find it unusable, filled Chen Yuan with an uncontrollable anxiety.

He gazed at the stars, the Milky Way, and the slender crescent moon, his expression shifting as his thoughts raced.

Suddenly, Chen Yuan’s eyes lit up. He reached into his chest and pulled out a coarse cloth bag he kept close to his body.

The jade pendant was his last hope. If even the "Starlight Infusion" had no effect, he would have to wait patiently for several years until his essence and blood recovered before attempting to cultivate.

Supporting himself against the large rock, Chen Yuan struggled to stand and took out the jade pendant.

The jade pendant emitted a green light. The stars in the sky shimmered in unison, converging into a beam of faint white light that descended from the heavens, landing atop Chen Yuan’s head.

The familiar sensation of cool tingling emerged. Chen Yuan closed his eyes slightly, enjoying a rare moment of comfort.

Twenty breaths later, the green light on the jade pendant faded, and the starlight dissipated. A sense of weakness, accompanied by intense hunger, rushed over him.

Chen Yuan pulled out his last five Essence Pills, swallowed one, and closed his eyes to quietly sense the changes in his body.

As the pill went down, its medicinal power spread through his meridians. The hunger subsided significantly, and the sense of weakness also diminished somewhat.

Chen Yuan’s eyes snapped open, a sharp light flashing within them. He clenched his fist and felt that his strength was much greater than before.

He swallowed another Essence Pill. The hunger vanished completely, and the weakness subsided even further.

He circulated the *Six Yang Technique* again; the flow of his true qi was much smoother, and its density was now comparable to that of an Inner-Strength martial artist.

Chen Yuan let out a long breath of relief.

The Starlight Infusion truly could replenish depleted essence and blood. He wouldn't have to wait years to begin his cultivation.

But this was something even an Immortal could not do. Was the jade pendant an extraordinary treasure even more precious than he had imagined?

Chen Yuan looked down at the jade pendant in his hand, a flash of excitement crossing his eyes.

(End of Chapter)