Chapter 69: Foundation Establishment Immortal Affinity

The autumn moon slanted westward.

Chen Zhao gripped the Brocade Cloud Shuttle, crouched atop the ruins.

Though the divination did not specify an exact direction, years of calculation had given him small insights.

"Mountain over Marsh, Upper Gen, Lower Dui—this place resonates with the character Dui; perhaps near water to the west, but slightly northward."

He walked to a depression, shallow water reaching his ankles.

A thin layer of sticky gel floated on its surface, different from elsewhere.

Chen Zhao's heart settled; he glanced left and right for a long while, then dispelled the Concealment Technique and activated the Brocade Cloud Shuttle.

Hum!

The mud and sand vanished as if nonexistent—he sank completely!

"This place is far from where the Sarira resonated—could it be a weak spot?"

His body sank in twisting, winding paths; his spiritual sense extended outward, yet he saw nothing.

Only red, white, and black flashed rapidly before his eyes.

After roughly several hours, he crashed down with a thud.

"What kind of hellish place..."

Beneath him was slick, slippery gel again.

This place was truly strange—Chen Zhao could only unleash two-tenths of his spiritual power.

Had he not braked in time, and had his physical strength not been decent, he might have become the first Qi Refining eighth-layer cultivator to die from a fall.

Chen Zhao rose slowly; darkness surrounded him, save for one entrance emitting a ghastly green glow.

It certainly didn't resemble a blessed cave or immortal abode.

"Perhaps the Black Snake Gallbladder lies within—but I've never even heard of such a thing. Better not risk myself."

He cast a divination—the character "ill omen" appeared before his eyes.

Unfortunately,

the Storage Bag lay ten paces from the cave entrance.

"Friend, hesitating so—were you waiting for this girl?"

In the ghostly light, a slender shadow flashed past, leaving trails of sword shadows.

Chen Zhao raised his sword to block—but saw Jiang Yanqiu's slender fingers plucking up the Storage Bag, waving it before his eyes.

"Thank you, friend, for such a generous gift. This girl truly doesn't know how to repay you."

How did she get in here?

Chen Zhao merely paused slightly; the Wuqing Treasure Sword was already behind his back, poised to strike.

"If the Immortal Lady truly wishes to show goodwill, perhaps she might gift the contents of the bag—thus fulfilling the bond of fellow sect members."

He was happy to bluff.

Jiang Yanqiu stood so close to the cave entrance—he'd let her trigger the ill-omen divination.

Yet...

Chen Zhao couldn't fathom this girl's thoughts, nor had he ever heard any rumors about her.

As if appearing out of thin air.

Jiang Yanqiu lightly pursed her red lips, tilted her head in thought—as if genuinely considering Chen Zhao's request.

Secretly, she glided forward with delicate steps, creeping closer.

Did she sense the killing intent?

Chen Zhao's grip on the sword tightened slightly; his vision blurred all external details, leaving only a few acupoints on her jade-like body.

The instant Jiang Yanqiu stepped down the stairs,

the Heartless Treasure Sword, bathed in ghostly light, grew dark and deep—yet he couldn't decide how to strike, and three sword beams flashed out for no reason.

Jiang Yanqiu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly; she closed her eyes instead, listening only to the wind.

Baihui, Tianzhong, Guanyuan.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The Cang Bai Chang Jian suddenly flashed out, blocking, deflecting, then piercing.

Smooth as flowing clouds.

The sword formation shattered instantly, revealing an opening in the center—the Cang Bai Chang Jian thrust forward, its blade like a serpent's tongue striking.

The figure before him twisted with the swordwind, dissolving into inkblots!

Yet from the darkness, a sword tip suddenly erupted, stabbing toward Jiang Yanqiu's lower back, aiming to subdue her.

Under spiritual suppression, Chen Zhao could not wield the Kuai Xue Shi Qing Sword—he could only summon the Qingming Naling Sword.

Even so, his physical strength remained intact.

The spiritual wind scattered her hair, revealing Jiang Yanqiu's slightly parted lips in surprise.

Her sword momentum was spent—how could she defend in time?

The next second,

Jiang Yanqiu's lips curled into a smile, like a fox that had just won a trick.

Her slender waist thrust forward as if glancing back at the moon; her foot shifted, executing an absurdly awkward Su Qin Carrying Sword posture!

The two swords met—sparks erupted.

Her spiritual power seemed greater than Chen Zhao's; even in this unnatural stance, she held the Wuqing Treasure Sword steady.

What startled Chen Zhao wasn't that.

"This sword didn't break?"

The Qingming Spirit-Absorbing Sword had always been invincible—even top-grade Dharma Treasures shattered before it—yet here it failed?

Top-Grade Magical Tool?

Impossible—if true, I'd already have been beheaded by a single sword strike.

"What technique?"

"The Ten Heavens, Nine Earths Universal Primordial Divine Art."

Jiang Yanqiu's dimples faintly appeared, her laughter luring the soul.

Chen Zhao would never take it seriously.

He was seizing the moment to restore his Qi.

Water-elemental cultivation methods restore Qi extremely quickly; while the opponent is still breathing, you can strike directly.

As one weakens, the other grows stronger—the advantage naturally emerges.

Jiang Yanqiu would not fulfill his wish; she suddenly attacked, toe tapping, the Cang Bai Chang Jian slashing horizontally toward him.

Boom—

Thunder erupted from the ground.

In the darkness, purple light blazed fiercely, thunder roared in the ears, as if a thousand juns of lightning awaited release.

Had Chen Zhao broken the Qi suppression?

Jiang Yanqiu was slightly surprised; her sword retreated and returned, resting horizontally before her chest, guarding against the Yin Thunder Sword Art's follow-up.

The swordlight never arrived.

Instead, a tremendous force struck her waist; her beautiful eyes narrowed, and she slashed her sword downward into the air!

Clang!

Chen Zhao turned with ease, also bearing the sword like Su Qin.

His left hand held a Storage Bag!

And he pressed his foot against Jiang Yanqiu's lower abdomen, kicking her violently into the ghostly light.

No resistance at all?

Chen Zhao was stunned, watching her smile mischievously as she accelerated into the cave.

Boom!

The cave entrance suddenly slammed shut, revealing two lines of vermilion characters.

"If emptiness is not attained, one becomes nothing but dust and ash."

Chen Zhao murmured—it felt familiar.

But the cave entrance was only half-closed—what caused the trembling earth and shaking mountains?

Suddenly.

The ground beneath his feet rapidly withdrew, and the cave exploded violently.

Chen Zhao's gaze sharpened; he involuntarily drew a sharp breath.

This wasn't ground at all—it was sheets of black scales; no wonder it felt like "steps!"

Inside the great cave, the black snake's eyes blazed like the sun, its head raised as high as a mountain.

Its wounds exposed bone, revealing a pale purple gallbladder; its shed skin covered the wounds, slowly healing.

It let out a long, soul-shattering roar.

Chen Zhao hastily retracted his spiritual awareness—but too late by a second; his vision instantly flashed with a whirl of images.

Blood streamed from all seven orifices; his five viscera and six bowels violently shifted.

Two more breaths, and he would be dead.

Fortunately, the black snake was not targeting him; its tongue shot into the cave, faster than Lin Yutang's sword strike!

Beneath its pressure, a thousand ripples surged through the air, following close behind.

Chen Zhao barely managed to pilot the Flying Boat, when suddenly his back grew heavy—he flew backward like a kite with severed string.

The Flying Boat split in two; using the momentum, he reached Tingxiang Water Pavilion in just two breaths.

Puff!

Chen Zhao spat out a mouthful of blood; seven-tenths of his tendons and bones were shattered.

The pain arrived belatedly; he could no longer endure it, and before setting up an Array, he pounded the ground and let out a long howl, startling a flock of gulls and egrets.

Long after, he could finally channel Qi to heal.

The great cave was strange; Chen Zhao passed through unimpeded, yet it blocked the black snake's attacks.

He was lucky to retreat in time, and since the black snake had no intention of killing him, he escaped unscathed, barely saving his life.

"The black snake was probably sealed here—some great cultivator's trap, easy to enter but hard to leave, truly ruined me."

The Divination also played with words—it only said "discovered," not "obtained."

Chen Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his brow, silently grumbling.

The only two good pieces of news.

That mad crone was surely dead, spared from causing chaos everywhere.

And...

Chen Zhao gripped the Storage Bag tightly, fearing it might sprout wings and fly away.

That was a Foundation Establishment Pill—the essential item for a Three Spirit Root to achieve Foundation Establishment!

Yue Guo was barren; most had only Two Spirit Roots, or were blood relatives of great cultivators to qualify for its use.

A single pill could raise Foundation Establishment chances by over ten percent; wait for a favorable day, and Foundation Establishment was within reach!

Even with a thousand dangers, this was guaranteed profit.