Chapter 262: Past Events and Memories

Compared to spirit wine, the spirit Qi in spirit flower dew is much weaker, possessing at most the efficacy of a first-grade spirit pill. However, compared to the mellow and overbearing nature of spirit wine, it is much sweeter, softer, and more gentle, making it particularly suited to the tastes of female cultivators.

Thus, everyone raised their cups to invite one another again. After a cup of spirit flower dew went down, the atmosphere became much lighter and more cheerful. Chen Yang smacked his lips and said, "This spirit flower dew is delicious, but it lacks a kick."

Zhong Hui, however, beamed with joy and said, "Sister doesn't like hearing that from you, Junior Brother. I actually think this spirit flower dew is much better than spirit wine. I haven't tasted such a fragrant and sweet flavor in decades. Back when I was still in the Southern Border, I never drank anything this good."

Xu Chen laughed and said, "That is only natural. Yuqing Hall is one of the top ten immortal sects in the Shenzhou Xianjie, so how could what they produce be anything but good? Although this spirit flower dew is not as potent as spirit wine, the brewing process is extremely complex. I spent over half a month refining spirit pills for them, and I only managed to get three or five catties."

Guiling Zhenjun was stunned, however, and set down his wine cup, saying, "Since when did Yuqing Hall become one of the top ten immortal sects in Shenzhou? When I left, Yuqing Hall only had one True Monarch left, and they were only at the late Spirit Transformation stage. I doubt they would have even ranked in the top twenty in Shenzhou."

Xu Chen shook his head and said, "This junior does not know either; it is merely the rumor in the Immortal World. However, Yuqing Hall now not only has three great cultivators and seven Danyuan Realm Elders, but Chixia Zhenjun has already reached the mid-True Spirit Realm. With this strength, I imagine they are certainly not weak in Shenzhou. The neighboring Song Kingdom and Wu Kingdom do not seem to have any immortal sects more powerful than Yuqing Hall. I have only heard that the Qingcheng Mountain Dojo in the Shu Kingdom has more powerful great cultivators presiding over it, but this junior's cultivation is shallow, and I have not yet been to the Shu Kingdom, nor have I had contact with any Daoist Friends from the Qingcheng Mountain Dojo, so it is difficult for me to judge."

Regarding the situation around the Song Kingdom and the Shenzhou Xianjie, Xu Chen only came to understand it more clearly after the incident at Black Wind Ridge, during the process of communicating with the large number of cultivators who gathered from all over to set up arrays and hunt Nether Beasts. In reality, however, much of it was hearsay, and information from folk rogue cultivators and small-to-medium immortal sects was nine times out of ten unreliable. Although he knew more about Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain, it was not easy to interact with their disciples, so most of the news was just listened to as entertainment, much like the common folk in the Mortal World drinking, chatting, and bragging.

However, after hearing this, the expressions of Guiling Zhenjun and the others turned somewhat gloomy. Lu An even slammed his fist onto the stone table and said angrily, "Damn the Qingcheng Mountain Dojo! They are just a bunch of sanctimonious villains. It is simply an insult to the word 'Immortal'."

Xu Chen was extremely surprised and hurriedly asked for the reason. Chen Yang explained, "Junior Brother, you do not know this, but the guy who abandoned us and fled earlier was a cultivator from the Spirit Treasure Temple of Qingcheng Mountain. This person is cowardly and selfish by nature. We were forced to work with him, and we should have faced the danger with one heart, yet this guy actually abandoned us and ran away alone. If he were in the Taiyuan Sect, he would have been expelled from the sect long ago."

Xu Chen suddenly realized, and he deeply agreed with his Fourth Senior Brother's words.

The Taiyuan Sect may be poor, but everyone is very united and values the big picture. No matter how dangerous the moment, absolutely no one would ever abandon their companions to escape alone.

If such a person appeared among folk rogue cultivators or small immortal sects, it might be understandable, but for them to come from a famous sect like Qingcheng Mountain, their character is questionable.

Chen Yang, Zhong Hui, and Lu An were all filled with righteous indignation and began to denounce the cultivator named Wang Daolin.

Guiling Zhenjun, however, sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Stranded here, life is worse than death. No matter how good one's Daoist heart is, it will slowly collapse. Wang Daolin was once a Danyuan Realm powerhouse, after all. Falling to the state of being neither human nor ghost, I imagine it has been a great blow to him. It is more reasonable for us to discuss how to leave Minghuang."

Thus, the group changed the subject and began to discuss, all talking at once, how to find a way to leave Minghuang.

While listening, Xu Chen took out a teapot and some ice cubes, using his internal energy as a furnace to boil water and brew tea. Soon, a pot of steaming, fragrant spirit tea was ready.

Smelling the curling tea aroma, everyone, including Guiling Zhenjun, instantly lost interest in talking and stared at the teapot, swallowing their saliva.

When it comes to drinking tea, cultivators have much more interest than in drinking wine.

Because almost all spirit tea has the effect of calming the mind and soul. Although its spirit Qi is not as strong as spirit wine or spirit pills, it has endless flavor and is more in line with the tastes of those who cultivate the Dao.

Xu Chen did not delay; as the tea aroma began to settle, he hurriedly poured a cup for everyone.

The four of them did not stand on ceremony and hurriedly picked them up to sniff and sip slowly, each holding their cups with both hands, their faces full of excitement.

"Good tea! This Daoist has not drunk this Flowing Flower Jade Dew for over seven hundred years. I didn't feel it before, but today, this cup makes me feel that I can die without regrets!" Guiling Zhenjun sipped a few times, his face full of intoxication and lingering aftertaste, his tone filled with deep emotion.

Xu Chen laughed and said, "Senior, you are being too pessimistic. With your cultivation, why speak lightly of death? With your cultivation, once you return to the Mortal World, you will surely be a giant of the region. Yuqing Hall becoming one of the top five immortal sects in Shenzhou would be a matter of course. We small cultivators would also be able to be protected by you and walk sideways in the Mortal World."

Guiling Zhenjun laughed heartily, his mood brightening quite a bit. He smiled and said, "Little Friend Xu has an open mind; it is indeed the mindset of a strong person. I truly believe you were able to find your way here from the depths of Minghuang alone. A so-called strong person must first have a heart of unparalleled strength. Although your cultivation is not yet enough, your future will surely be limitless. However, I have self-knowledge. A Spirit Realm cultivator has a lifespan of no more than a thousand years. Now that my lifespan is coming to an end, how can I have the power to defy the heavens? At the least thirty years, at most a hundred, and this life will be returned to the heavens. Whether I can return alive, I have long since stopped thinking about. But you are all still young with bright futures. If I can help you, even if I die, I will have no regrets."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen was filled with respect.

Zhong Hui choked with sobs and knelt on the ground, bowing, "Although Zhong Hui was born in the wilderness, I was fortunate to be saved by Master and taught the profound Ghost Cultivation technique, finally surviving. This disciple has nothing to repay you with in this life; I am willing to follow by Master's side, unwavering for this life."

Chen Yang and Lu An also knelt down, kowtowing and weeping.

Guiling Zhenjun looked sorrowful and emotional, saying, "Why must you all act like this? Life and death are fated. Being able to meet you juniors before I die, I have had a few more people to talk to in my daily life, and I have gained more vitality and joy, as well as the courage to live a few more years. Stop crying, all of you, get up. If you can all truly escape, it will not have been in vain for me to pass on my skills."

After the three kowtowed again and sat up, Xu Chen poured another cup of spirit tea for everyone before asking, "Just now, Senior and the other Daoist Friends all said you fell in from nearby but could not find a way to leave. This junior has a question: how did everyone fall in here in the first place?"

Guiling Zhenjun sipped his tea slowly, held his cup, and sighed, "I fell in entirely due to greed. When I was young, I was combative, which damaged my Dao foundation. I used many spirit pills and medicines, but I could not recover as before, so I completely lost the chance for Spirit Transformation. However, I was unwilling to give up, so I could only take some crooked paths. I browsed through many classics and materials in the Yuqing Hall and finally found a type of Ghost Cultivation technique. However, this method was incomplete and very dangerous, but I had no other choice at the time and could only risk it."

"Later, I figured out the method for refining Ghost Pills, which is the Jade Slip that Little Friend saw in the Alchemy Hall of Yuqing Hall. After having the Ghost Pills, combined with the incomplete Ghost Cultivation method, I actually succeeded in Spirit Transformation. Although I went through nine deaths and one life to survive the Huailing Heavenly Tribulation, I finally won myself a thousand-year lifespan..."

Speaking of this, Guiling Zhenjun's face was full of sighs, and there was even a trace of lingering fear in his eyes.

"After the success of Spirit Transformation, what I didn't expect was that my subsequent cultivation progress was unusually smooth, faster than other Spirit Transformation cultivators. In less than fifty years, I actually stepped into the late Spirit Transformation stage. But at this time, trouble arrived. Because Ghost Cultivation relies on refining Yin souls to advance, the death energy was too heavy, and I dared not face the True Spirit Heavenly Tribulation. Therefore, I had to travel the world to find a way to resolve it. Later, I finally learned from other cultivators that the long-vanished Taiyuan Sect had once found a powerful Ghost Cultivation technique from the Yelang Ancient Kingdom that could use the power of the netherworld to cultivate and advance. At that time, the Taiyuan Sect was already in ruins. I went to search several times without any clues, so I could only go to the Yelang Ancient Kingdom..."

"Sigh, everything is fate. Ghost Cultivation is not the righteous path of the Mortal World. I was almost on the verge of going into demonic deviation at the time. I dug three feet into the ground in the Yelang Ancient Kingdom looking for a way to survive, and as a result, I accidentally triggered a strange hidden array and was swept into this Minghuang. When I first arrived, the abundant Underworld Qi here made me ecstatic; I felt I had indeed found a cave-heaven treasure land suitable for Ghost Cultivation. But later, I realized that while Ghost Cultivation techniques do not attract Heavenly Tribulation in Minghuang, and my Primordial Spirit successfully cultivated to the Out-of-Body Stage, because of the lack of spirit Qi here, my body and Soul were eroded by Underworld Qi for a long time, and I could no longer advance. Instead, my cultivation kept regressing. To stabilize my Primordial Spirit so as not to lose my intelligence, I could only hide here and live a wretched life. This hiding has lasted seven hundred years. Now my lifespan is nearly exhausted. Even if I could escape alive, I would inevitably have to experience a terrifying Great Heavenly Tribulation. According to my current strength, I fear I wouldn't be able to withstand a single bolt of lightning."

After Guiling Zhenjun finished speaking, everyone sighed in silence.

Xu Chen finally understood that it was not that Guiling Zhenjun did not want to go back, but that he could not.

Because his Primordial Spirit is now at the True Spirit Out-of-Body Stage, but because of long-term erosion by Underworld Qi and the lack of spirit Qi replenishment, his body can no longer keep up with the strength of his Primordial Spirit. In Minghuang, there seems to be no Heavenly Tribulation targeting cultivators, so he is safe, but once he appears in the Mortal World, the Heavenly Tribulation will inevitably descend.

According to his current state, there is only a dead end.

After a long silence, Chen Yang also said, "Actually, when I went to the Yelang Ancient Kingdom with Junior Sister Qu, it was also when I was traveling down the mountain and inadvertently heard some legends about the Taiyuan Sect and the Yelang Ancient Kingdom, so I wanted to try my luck. But I didn't expect that, like Senior Guilingzi, I would be inexplicably swept here."

The process of Lu An and Zhong Hui falling in was much the same; they were all familiar with the Immortal World cultivators' habit of visiting ancient sites and exploring for treasures, stimulated by the thought of getting rich in the Yelang Ancient Kingdom, and then they fell in.

In the end, as Guiling Zhenjun said, it was greed at work; no one else to blame.

But in reality, such things as exploring ancient ruins and digging for treasures are common for cultivators in the Mortal World.

For thousands of years, countless cultivators have gone to the Yelang Ancient Kingdom to search for treasures and get rich; they are just the unluckiest among them.

(End of chapter)