From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 362 Refining the Willow Dragon in the Pool of Immortality

Inside Shangyang Cave, there is a hidden world, as if the entire mountain range had been hollowed out, making it a vast underground palace.

Chen Xuan walked leisurely through the spacious mountain cave, his feet treading on bluestone slabs. The surrounding vegetation was lush, with fallen petals scattered everywhere, radiating a crystal-clear light. The melodious sound of silk and bamboo instruments drifted from afar, peaceful and serene.

"There must be unparalleled treasures inside the cave. However, you are all powerful cultivators, so I'm sure no one can keep all the treasures for themselves. Why don't we go in together and each take a share?"

Chen Xuan noticed that not far ahead, the pioneers were caught in a delicate balance.

The black-clad immortal from the Dan Ding Daoist Temple stood at the forefront. He had a refined appearance and an ethereal bearing. His clothes were stained with blood, but in his hand, he was gripping the neck of the old man from the Tai Xu who had attacked him earlier.

"What do you all think?" he asked with a smile, snapping the old man's neck and smashing his head to ashes, which he then rolled into his sleeve.

This scene was very oppressive. The black-clad immortal had previously been considered by many as the first target to be dealt with, but after a short time, he not only broke free from his predicament but also made an example of him to others, thus gaining the upper hand.

"Zhao Xuanding, you are the only high-ranking immortal from the Qingding Dao here, so naturally you have a loud voice. Who would dare not give you face?"

The leader of the Hunter God organization flicked his whisk lightly, his tone mocking, "With so many people here, how could everyone who sees it get a share?"
However, he did not immediately intend to start another fight. He was a Qingding Daoist of the Wood element, and therefore gave face to Zhao Xuanding, the black-clad immortal.

Not long ago, most of the Shenyou who attacked the Taiyi Forbidden Land were Wood Virtue cultivators who loved alchemy. This lineage has been the main force on the Heavenly Fate Immortal Pill Path since ancient times. Even in Xiaoqingtian, a considerable number of people cultivate Azure Qi.

Chen Xuan's gaze swept back and forth between the Hunter God Organization and Zhao Xuanding, the Immortal Seed, then looked around at other places, thinking to himself, "Is Zhao Xuanding exploring the hidden world alone in search of treasure?"

The Moon Goddess of the Three-Eyed Ancient Clan, with her flowing silver hair and a pure smile on her beautiful face beneath her jade veil, said, "Those who are born into the Immortal Clan must be upright and honorable, with unparalleled integrity and a word that carries the weight of history. We naturally have no objections."

Seeing that the Hunter God Organization had agreed, more forces followed suit.

This is the true value of a divine seed: the reputation accumulated generation after generation, and the prestige to quell complex situations.

In the mortal world, there are at most one or two immortal beings in a generation. Therefore, the number of immortal beings below the True Monarch Realm on the entire Five Directions Land is only about fifty, and any one of them is a person of great renown.

However, some people are becoming more vigilant. If the strongest forces were to unite, the situation would be extremely dire for the other independent cultivators of Taixu.

"What a pity." Hua Liuli, Yan Yushu and the others originally wanted to take advantage of the chaotic situation to stir things up, but seeing this, they could only give up helplessly and wait for the next unexpected event to occur.

At present, Zhao Xuanding, the immortal seed of the Dan Ding Daoist Temple, spoke up and temporarily mediated the chaotic situation.

Chen Xuan was stared at with many puzzled looks, because some people noticed that he had closed the door to the cave behind him.

"Why is this person closing the door? Is he trying to cover his ears while stealing a bell? We are doing the very thing of forcibly taking the treasures left behind by immortals." A wandering spirit muttered to himself, not understanding, feeling that some Qi practitioners in the world were behaving strangely, as if they were adding unnecessary details to a snake.

"We're very close to the core area deep inside. I've already sensed the aura of a lost treasure, and the life force is abundant," said the voice of the Supreme Being ahead.

However, since methods of investigation such as spiritual perception were blocked, it was impossible to perceive the scene deep within.

Clearly, this Shangyang Cave contains residual special immortal energy, which severely suppresses their perception abilities.

"Everyone, I'll go first!" Zhao Xuanding moved. He stood in the blue sky, ethereal and otherworldly, his robes flowing with a rich immortal aura, and rode away on the clouds.

Instantly, everyone else followed suit, afraid of falling behind.

Chen Xuan also took action, soaring through the air like a black breeze, his Taiyin Qi spreading out, making him appear like a wandering god in the night.

The practitioners here range from those at the Taixu Realm to those from high-ranking immortal families, and even from the God-Hunting Organization and the Three-Eyed Ancient Clan. Their backgrounds are diverse, but at this moment, they have reached a temporary state of truce, and no one dares to make any rash moves.

Even those who have reached the end of their spiritual journey are forced to adjust their speed, unwilling to be the first to leave the group and become a conspicuous target.

At this point, anyone who dares to be the first to speak out will break the balance and end up being besieged just like Zhao Xuanding before.

"It's raining! This is divine rain, capable of healing old ailments!" someone shouted. The closer they got to the depths, the more intense the mystical phenomena became, and many realized that the Shangyang relic was about to appear.

Soon, the practitioners traveled through the winding mountain passages to a fork in the road. At the end of the fork, they saw a stone palace-like structure with a magnificent pool inside, radiating rich life energy.

"Is this a treasure pool that can heal the dead and restore flesh to bones?" someone commented. Just by taking a breath of the mist rising from the pool, one felt as if their lifespan had increased by several days, experiencing a wonderful feeling of immortality.

"May God bless us! This spiritual object can help us survive the most difficult period of the battle to become immortals!" an old, powerful Taixu God exclaimed excitedly, his eyes burning with fervor.

The battle for immortality may not end anytime soon, but if they can hold out until the end, these Taixu Gods may have a chance to occupy a place among the many vacant True Monarch positions!
"despair!"

Chen Xuan caught a raindrop falling from his fingertip, glanced at it, and flicked it away.

"This is the legendary Longevity Water of Yunmeng Marsh, which is sometimes used as a main ingredient in the refining of the Heavenly Fate Elixir." Zhao Xuanding, who was at the front, spoke, with a smile on his face and glancing in a certain direction.

Chen Xuan followed his gaze and saw that it was where Yan Yushu and the others were.

The area was shrouded in a black mist, which could conceal one's presence, but through the concealment techniques of the Rain Master Sect, it was not difficult to deduce who was inside.

"You're courting death!" Amidst the mist, one of the chosen ones muttered angrily to himself, having suffered several major losses at the hands of Zhao Xuanding in recent days.

“This pool doesn’t have much energy. There’s a Longevity Pool with much more intense energy ahead,” the leader of the Hunter God Organization said, ignoring the first pool in the side path and continuing forward.

Everyone was excited and continued onward to deeper areas.

Ahead, forked paths appeared one after another, each corresponding to a pool of immortality. In the air, rich life energy transformed into a rain curtain, drizzling down, while spiritual water also flowed down the cave walls on both sides.

"Meow!" The black kitten stopped and ran happily to the pool at the first fork in the road. It reached out to scoop up water and refined a few drops of bluish-red longevity water.

"Senior Cat Cat, there are even more treasures ahead!" Xiao Hou said anxiously.

"The kitten only picked up things that others didn't want. Lord Black and White said that we little monsters can't waste treasures." The black cat wrinkled its nose and exclaimed, holding the water droplet treasure.

With a whoosh, her tail was grabbed by Hua Liuli, and she continued walking towards the depths of the main road without stopping.

At this moment, the treasure began to show signs of life, and some people dispersed, entering the forked paths to search for opportunities.

Chen Xuan strolled leisurely, not venturing into the side paths to compete with others, but instead following the main group. He was happy to see others scouting ahead to prepare for any potential dangers within the cave.

"Strange, is this really the Water of Immortality? Why do I smell blood?" A being in a state of mental wandering muttered strangely to himself, sniffing the scent of rain.

Soon after, they arrived at a deeper part of the cave and stopped in their tracks.

"An elixir of immortality!" The treasure pool in this side path was glowing crimson, and a huge lotus flower in the pool attracted everyone's attention. It was rooted in the pool and its roots were drawing energy from the pool.

The ancient lotus is entirely blood red, brimming with vitality. Its petals are crimson, and its surface flows with a brilliant radiance, as if it is dripping blood, making it incomparably beautiful.

Zhao Xuanding, the Hunter God Organization, the Three-Eyed Ancient Clan, and others all stopped here. Some hesitated whether to enter the side path to explore further, worried that others would continue forward and miss the treasures further ahead. "This blood-red ancient lotus is absorbing the power of the treasure pool; it is an immortal lotus," said You Zhijing Shenyou in a heavy voice.

“There’s something even better ahead. We’re not far from the deepest part.” Some of the spirits hesitated. At this point, many people realized that the energy in the next pool would be even more concentrated, and its value would certainly be higher.

But the pond and the ancient lotus here were enough to move even the most detached spirits.

Chen Xuan arrived at the front and stared at the blood-red lotus. Then, his gaze fell on the water below the lotus, where a faint white hue could be seen.

“Lotus roots entwined with something? Lotus root? But why does it feel strangely familiar?” Chen Xuan suddenly had a feeling. He glanced at the hesitant crowd around him, but there was nothing to say. He immediately entered the fork in the road.

Seeing Chen Xuan set off, some elderly cultivators became anxious and immediately made up their minds to follow him.

After all, the treasures at the deepest depths may not be obtained, but the ponds and lotuses here are enough to stir the heart and ignite passion.

Chen Xuan acted the fastest. Before even reaching the end, he activated the Water Virtue Qi, which transformed into a giant hand and pulled up the ancient lotus. The crimson glow and the gleaming white object with its entwined roots came into view.

"A bone?" Chen Xuan's pupils shrank, not expecting that the ancient lotus would grow from a bone.

However, the instant he reached out to catch the ancient lotus, an invisible killing intent erupted violently from the void, covering his entire body.

"Wow!"

A powerful figure had already secretly set out, bypassing the senses of Zhao Xuanding and other experts, to retrieve the ancient lotus. If Chen Xuan hadn't intervened, the lotus would already be in that person's hands.

The attacker appeared silently, like a shadow, and unleashed a devastating attack.

"This..." Many people were shocked. Even the experts at the crossroads frowned as they saw a black copper coin sword with moonlight shining from its tip, dazzlingly bright, aimed at Chen Xuan's head.

It was only at this moment that everyone realized that this was a Taiyin cultivator from the Taixu realm. But before that, no one had noticed that there was another Taiyin cultivator traveling with them, which was quite terrifying.

"Bang!"

It was as if a divine moon had exploded, and the frost-like moonlight illuminated the entire side path, even the Yin Qi was illuminated.

"Taiyin cultivators are extremely treacherous!" someone said coldly. Although Taiyin cultivators are not good at fighting head-on, a carefully prepared attack is hard to defend against. Other immortal cultivators in the world can hardly withstand it and usually suffer great losses.

Of all the true masters of the Taiyin Dao in the world, apart from the one named Tianming Heibai, it is almost impossible to find anyone who acts with integrity and uprightness.

"This ancient lotus has an owner." Someone at the crossroads thought to themselves. The Taiyin divination is meticulous in its planning and action. Once they have their eyes on something and decide to fight for it, they almost never fail.

“Let’s keep going.” Zhao Xuanding was about to continue deeper into the area when he suddenly stopped, his pupils shrinking: “It’s him?!”

In the radiant light illuminating the Yin Qi, he glimpsed a figure that would be familiar to any immortal being destined for heaven: the crippled Xin Zhai.

"Huh!" Chen Xuan frowned. He was attacked by Zhi Jing, but Taiyin Qi had not given him a warning in advance because the attacker was also a Taiyin cultivator, which was not within his calculations, and his realm was far higher than his.

But he did not dodge. In the blink of an eye, his killing intent suddenly erupted, and his other hand burst forth with a dazzling nine-colored divine light, grabbing at the black copper coin sword. Other spells had no chance to be activated, but the Five Hidden Martial Immortal Body met the attack.

"Huh?!" The attacker was shocked, his eyes wide with horror. This was defended against? The opponent wasn't a fragile Taiyin cultivator?!

"Bang!"

Nine-colored divine light burst forth, illuminating the heavens and earth like thunder. The copper coin sword shattered, blood splattered, and accompanied by a muffled groan of shock, the attacker, stained with blood, retreated swiftly, leaving trails of shadows in the void, dazzling to the eye.

His carefully prepared attack failed; instead, his weapons were destroyed, and the copper coins, imbued with divine power, scattered like pearls falling from the sky.

"It is the Daoist disciple of the Nine Netherworld Dojo—Youmingzi."

Many people's eyes narrowed as they recognized the identity of this Yin cultivator.

Within a year of the Mountain and Sea Banquet, the battle of the True Lords entered its most intense phase. The Taiyin True Lords, who were the least likely to die, were also successively brought out. Xuanming True Lord was one of the first Taiyin True Lords to fall.

"Unexpectedly, Youmingzi actually appeared here. He managed to escape with his life from the hands of the True Monarch who was about to wipe out his entire clan. His strength is terrifying."

Some people exclaimed, "He is a Daoist master who is over three hundred years old and doesn't have many years left to live. However, the Daoist lineage was suddenly destroyed. He is trying to obtain the treasure of immortality to prolong his life. He is enduring humiliation and hardship."

"It was you all along. No wonder you were able to escape danger." Youmingzi, the Daoist of the Nine Netherworlds, retreated, his old and thin figure appearing and disappearing in the void. He stared intently at Chen Xuan, a large area of ​​gloom rising in his heart.

He originally did not want to show himself, but he probably didn't have a share of the treasures in the deepest part, so he wanted to stop after taking the blood lotus. However, Chen Xuan interfered, so he was forced to show himself.

After all, he desperately needed something to prolong his life. The great battle for immortality in the Taiyin lineage would surely be the longest. If he didn't live to see the day the war ended, his lineage would completely decline in this generation.

Unexpectedly, the opponent was Chen Xuan, who had cultivated the Five Treasures Martial Immortal Body. With just his physical strength, he blocked the attack that Chen Xuan was determined to win.

"Hmph!" Chen Xuan snorted coldly, and with a backhand, he threw the copper coin he had grabbed. It streaked across several brilliant arcs of light, shooting towards You Mingzi like a bronze meteor.

He was furious. Fortunately, he cultivated the Five Treasures Martial Immortal Body; otherwise, he would have really suffered a great loss.

Youmingzi left many afterimages in the same spot, drifting like a ghost. However, he was still hit by the flying copper coins, which tore several large holes in his body.

With a whoosh, his body exploded, burning like a torn paper doll, turning to ashes and disappearing without a trace.

"Fake?" Chen Xuan frowned. It was impossible for someone at the Limitless Realm to perish so easily.

He suddenly turned his head and looked in a certain direction, noticing that the space there had inexplicably distorted. Without any hesitation, he unleashed a White Emperor Sword Qi from his fingertip, and the killing intent spread out like a vast ocean.

"Pfft!" A blood-stained piece of cloth fell from the void, and then the dark entity, which seemed to be the true form of Youmingzi, completely disappeared from the area.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; many who had been lost in thought had just turned their attention back when the battle was over.

"As expected of Xinzhai, even after being reduced to an ordinary person, he can still defend against Youmingzi's sneak attack. He truly deserves to be called a genius on par with a perfect immortal seed like Yuzhexian," someone sighed.

"Is he the legendary Xinzhai?" In the distance, the people of the Three-Eyed Ancient Clan looked at Chen Xuan in surprise.

The moon goddess's eyes shimmered, and a hint of amusement graced her beautiful face as she pondered something: "This is getting interesting."

Chen Xuan examined the blood lotus in his palm, mainly observing the stark white bones entwined around its roots. He thought to himself, "A human forearm bone, with a faint aura of destiny. It feels strangely familiar; it must come from..."

"The Immortal Species - Willow Dragon".

Chen Xuan muttered to himself, guessing the origin of this hand bone.

(End of this chapter)