Chapter 57: Cultivating Immortality, Unaware of the Passing Years

The Primordial Saint Sect, where clouds touch the heavens.

When Lu Yang finally returned to Heaven-Mending Peak, there was hardly an inch of healthy flesh left on his body; his injuries were even more severe than those sustained during the great battle at Skeleton Mountain.

While he was traveling back to the sect by flying boat, the vessel had been ambushed by righteous sects. An expert at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement had used divine abilities to sever his left hand, leaving nothing but bone. His face was covered in festering sores, the result of a sneak attack by a scorpion demon using its stinger while he was passing through a forest.

And these were only his visible injuries.

Beneath the surface of this body, his meridians, acupoints, dantian, and purple palace had all suffered varying degrees of damage—and all of it had been inflicted by people weaker than himself.

"This is what it means when luck departs; a hero is no longer free."

Lu Yang felt utterly helpless. His fortune for the next thirty years had been prematurely exhausted by Yinshan Zhenren’s "fishing" scheme. Now, shrouded in misfortune, nothing went his way.

At first, Lu Yang had attempted to fight back.

However, the moment he engaged in combat, various accidents would occur: old injuries would flare up, he would exert too much force, or his divine abilities would backfire.

In the end, his only option was to keep running.

Nevertheless, he was currently at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement. Although his luck was gone, his life was still resilient enough to allow him to endure until his return to the sect.

As for the war of extermination launched by the Saint Sect against the Divine Martial Sect following the Skeleton Mountain incident, Lu Yang didn't dare participate. Given his current state—where he could practically fall into a latrine while trying to use the restroom—he feared that if he actually went to the Divine Martial Sect, a Foundation Establishment True Person might kill him with a single slap from eight hundred miles away.

Upon returning to the Saint Sect, Lu Yang immediately hid in his private cave dwelling.

He then placed the "Heavenly River Sword Array Diagram Blood-Washing" outside and plastered the interior and exterior of his cave with various talismans, sealing it completely to isolate himself from all external interference.

"For the next thirty years, I am not leaving this cave!"

Not only that, but under the shroud of misfortune, even cultivation was a luxury. Forget increasing his cultivation; the only likely result would be qi deviation.

Fortunately, he had already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, so there was no urgent need to continue cultivating.

Lu Yang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat and took out a jade slip from his storage bag. This slip was different from ordinary ones; it was a brilliant golden color.

It was called the "Dao-Enlightenment Jade Slip."

As a substitute for a Foundation Establishment treasure, Yinshan Zhenren had bestowed it upon him. As he had wished, it was a secret treasure that could assist one in comprehending the Dao.

Whenever he encountered difficulties during cultivation, he only needed to project his question into the jade slip, and it would provide an answer. Within the Qi Refinement realm, the accuracy rate was one hundred percent. The effect was almost equivalent to having a Foundation Establishment True Person helping him deduce divine abilities, which was a lifesaver for Lu Yang.

"In my current state, there is no way to gain insight into divine abilities."

"Since I am so unlucky, I certainly won't be able to grasp the correct path; I might even wander onto a crooked one. But this Dao-Enlightenment Jade Slip is different."

"That Yinshan Zhenren said this extraordinary object has faintly touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment. Therefore, the answers it provides will not be affected by my misfortune."

That being said, Lu Yang was in no hurry to use it to comprehend the *Taiwei Imperial Decree Treasure Register*. Although his great divine ability, the *Great Yin Morphing Corpse-解 (Jie) True Method*, had only this final technique remaining, he valued another harvest from Skeleton Mountain even more: the *Taiyi Golden Flower Pill Scripture*!

Of course, he had not obtained the complete *Taiyi Golden Flower Pill Scripture*.

After all, he was not a true disciple of Heaven-Mending Peak, and the grade of his manual was limited, so he had not received the full version from Yun Miaozhen.

He had only obtained one-third: a divine ability called "Taiyi Primordial Essence Jade Radiance."

As the name suggested, once this divine ability was mastered, it could condense a jade-colored "essence light." When applied to the physical body, it could make the flesh indestructible like Vajra.

Additionally, it had the effect of repairing physical injuries.

This was particularly important to the current Lu Yang. Because of his misfortune, his body was currently "short on weight and measure," with extremely severe physical damage.

"Once my injuries and luck recover, I might need to find a body-tempering technique to practice."

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately took out his disciple token and contacted Luo Wuya, the Second Senior Brother of the Three Rivers Society, intending to ask if there were any suitable techniques.

As a Great Perfection Qi Refinement cultivator, he now possessed the status to speak with Luo Wuya as an equal.

Soon, Luo Wuya sent a reply

"There is indeed a technique very suitable for Junior Brother, but it cannot be practiced yet. You might as well wait a few years. Once the matter is settled, I will notify you."

Lu Yang naturally agreed readily and then entered a state of meditative seclusion.

***

Several years later, a spirited young man arrived outside Lu Yang's cave dwelling.

The youth's name was Wang Song. He had only joined the Saint Sect a few days ago and had joined the Three Rivers Society under the recommendation of his grandfather, Wang Bairong, accepting a commission from Luo Wuya.

"Senior Brother Luo had an agreement with Senior Brother Lu regarding a body-tempering technique. However, Senior Brother Luo has fought a bloody war with the Divine Martial Sect for several years and has achieved great merit. He was rewarded by a True Person with a Foundation Establishment treasure and is currently preparing to attempt Foundation Establishment. He cannot come in person, so he specifically asked me to deliver the technique..."

"But now Senior Brother Lu is also in seclusion. What should I do?"

Wang Song looked distressed. In the end, he had no choice but to find a cave dwelling near Lu Yang's to stay in. He was young, after all, and had plenty of time to wait for Lu Yang to emerge.

Thinking of this, Wang Song glanced at Lu Yang's cave dwelling with eyes full of hope.

As far as he knew, this Senior Brother Lu had also been an ordinary disciple before standing out to become a Great Perfection Qi Refinement cultivator, with Foundation Establishment in his sights.

"If Senior Brother Lu can do it, so can I!"

"I am already at the first layer of Qi Refinement. As long as I study hard and strive relentlessly, I will surely become a figure like Senior Brother Luo or Senior Brother Lu in the future!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not look down on a youth for being poor!"

In the world of cultivation, age is irrelevant. In the blink of an eye, thirty years had passed.

The Library of Heaven-Mending Peak.

Wang Song, now over fifty years old, had been stuck at the bottleneck of the third layer of Qi Refinement for over a decade. His cultivation had seen little progress, and signs of old age had appeared in his features.

The elder of the Library who had originally recommended him to the Saint Sect, Wang Bairong, had long since passed away, leaving him only with a steady job as a Library Deacon and a cave dwelling that required another thirty years of mortgage payments. Fortunately, his luck was decent; after thirty years of diligent work, he was finally nearing the end of his debt.

The sharp edges of his youth had long been smoothed away.

Now, Wang Song's face only bore the numbness of being "beaten down" by the Saint Sect, and his mindset had shifted from "do not look down on a youth for being poor" to "the dead have the final say."

He just lived day by day.

Looking on the bright side, at least he was almost done paying off the cave dwelling, so his son would have a foundation once he joined the Saint Sect...

Just then, a loud boom suddenly echoed from the distance.

"Hmm?"

Wang Song looked up blankly, only to see that the cave dwelling—the one he both loved, hated, and felt helpless toward, the one he had once cursed at but never managed to open—was suddenly moving.

"Emerging from seclusion... Senior Brother Lu is coming out!?"

In the next second, the cave dwelling opened. Wang Song immediately saw a handsome, spirited young man, looking exactly as young as he had been thirty years ago, strolling out.

Thirty years of time had flowed by, yet not a single trace had been left upon him.

Immediately after, as if sensing his gaze, the handsome youth suddenly turned his head. His calm gaze felt as though it could pierce through the human heart.

"You are...?"

Lu Yang showed a look of curiosity. With a thought, a ring of circular light suddenly appeared behind his head, resembling a full moon, within which extremely complex talismanic scripts flowed.

The scripts resembled dragons and phoenixes, giving off an extremely contradictory feeling. At first glance, they were as minute as mustard seeds, but once one focused on them, one would sink into them as if seeing the vastness of the Sumeru heavens. As time passed, these scripts constantly changed, manifesting the images of all things—flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

The *Taiwei Imperial Decree Treasure Register*!

The final divine ability of the *Great Yin Morphing Corpse-解 (Jie) True Method* was entirely different from the *Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light* or the *Mystic Yin Form-Seizing Great Method*; it was not used for combat.

It was used for divination.

Therefore, the moment Lu Yang's gaze fell upon Wang Song, as the Treasure Register operated, the cause and effect of the matter were no longer a secret to him.

Whether it was Wang Song's identity, his eighteen generations of ancestors, the techniques he practiced, his cultivation level, his specialized divine abilities, or even why he was waiting outside the cave—the entire history was revealed to Lu Yang. This feeling of having all things in the world as clear as the patterns on one's palm made Lu Yang unable to help but marvel

*'Is this perhaps what a Foundation Establishment True Person feels like?'*

Of course, this was also due to the massive gap in cultivation between him and Wang Song. If he were to attempt divination on a Great Perfection Qi Refinement expert, it certainly wouldn't be this effortless.

From this, it was evident that he was still far from being a Foundation Establishment True Person.

On the other side, Wang Song had finally waited for the Senior Brother he had been longing for for decades. He was stumbling forward to pay his respects, only to hear a sigh

"No need for bows. Just give me the item."

Wang Song did not dare to delay and hurriedly produced a jade slip that he had kept for thirty years. With a sweep of Lu Yang's spiritual sense, the jade slip's restriction unraveled, and its contents emerged.

Luo Wuya had not lied to him; a body-tempering technique had indeed been sent, and it was indeed very suitable for him.

Its name was: *The Saint's Theft*.