Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 368: Getting there first
The three, who had already given up hope of the Dragon Burial Cave opening, suddenly looked at the scarlet pill in Li Ji'an's hand, and their expressions instantly became interesting.

"How much of your vital energy can this pill unleash?" Lin Xiuzhu asked expectantly.

"Could it be that he has twice as much Qi and blood as me?" The Yin Ghost Saint Son looked incredulous.

"Fellow Daoist Chang'an, please rest assured. As long as you can help us open the Dragon Burial Cave, you can focus on recuperating. You don't need to take any more risks. Afterwards, you will have plenty of opportunities," the Blood Spirit Saintess promised eagerly.

Li Ji'an nodded: "It should be possible!"

Then, before Lin Xiuzhu could examine the pill, he swallowed it in one gulp.

As soon as the pill entered his mouth, Li Ji'an immediately activated his Qi and Blood Refinement Technique, releasing some of the Qi and Blood that were originally integrated into his flesh and blood.

In an instant, his blood and qi levels, which were originally at the late stage of the first level of body refinement, doubled.

The rich qi and blood seemed to be overflowing, and Li Ji'an's body turned completely red, clearly unable to withstand the surge of qi and blood.

"Whoosh!" Without further hesitation, Li Ji'an shot a mouthful of blood essence towards the broken pendant.

Wow~
The moment the essence and blood were absorbed by the remnant, a radiant light shone forth.

The crimson light rapidly increased, instantly climbing from its original 70% to its peak.

"It's done!" the three exclaimed with joy.

The next moment, the broken jade pendant completely transformed into a cloud of blood-red mist.

The crimson mist gradually churned and rose...

Boom~
Before long, the crimson mist was completely absorbed by the depression in the mountain and disappeared without a trace, while the mountain shook violently once again.

This time, it didn't stop as before, but continued continuously.

The storm only stopped when the flying earth and rocks finally revealed a desolate and ancient bronze gate.

"Lock the Dragon Gate!"

"Quickly, don't delay, use your strongest magic to push open this door!" Lin Xiuzhu shouted immediately.

The three of them then unleashed their magical power.

"Squeak~"

In an instant, a crack appeared in the bronze gate.

Call ~
At the same time, a gust of demonic wind howled out.

The fierce wind was overwhelming, carrying with it flying sand and stones, and also a strong smell of blood.

Before the three could react, they were all swept up by the demonic wind and pulled into the giant bronze gate.

Li Ji'an, who was still pretending to be seriously injured by the impact of his qi and blood, was also swept away by the demonic wind without any power to resist.

Amidst the howling wind, Li Ji'an felt wind blades of at least True Core level frantically cutting through his protective magic shield.

The wind blades were not only incredibly powerful, but also relentlessly and frequently attacked. His golden core magic shield could withstand them, but it consumed a great deal of energy.

If an ordinary early-stage True Core cultivator were to face this wind blade, it would be difficult for them to escape unscathed unless their internal energy was profound and enduring.

A moment later, the demonic wind finally subsided, and the four of them had arrived at a stone cave.

"We've entered the Dragon Burial Cave!" came the Blood Spirit Saintess's joyful voice.

"Plop~" Just as the three were overjoyed, Li Ji'an fell straight to the ground after escaping the demonic wind. His aura was weak and his body was covered with wounds.

The three of them glanced at him, but simply put away the fragments of the Dragon-Locking Pendant that had been blown in by the demonic wind, and then ignored him.

In the dragon's lair, untouched for millions of years, there are too many opportunities waiting for them; they have no time to care about those who are already on the verge of death.

Moreover, only three people know the way out of this place.

"Now that we've entered this place, let's each rely on our own fate." The Yin Ghost Saint's aura surged, and he couldn't wait to head deeper into the cave.

"Old Ghost..." Lin Xiuzhu wanted to call out to him, but she was a step too late.

"Hmph, the Dragon Burial Cave has been sealed for millions of years. The only time it was opened was before the destruction of the ancient world. It must have been full of dangers. Old ghost is courting death!" Blood Spirit Saintess also snorted angrily.

Lin Xiuzhu shook his head slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Then you underestimate him. Since this place was sealed by the Immortal Lord, it has only been opened once in ancient times, but that was 100,000 years ago. There are basically no living things left. What exists are only the yin spirits worn away by the years. His Yin Ghost Sect's secret techniques are most adept at this, and this time he is like a fish in water."

"This old devil wants to monopolize the opportunity!" Blood Spirit Saintess's face showed anger.

Lin Xiuzhu remained silent, then turned and glanced at her.

"Brother Lin, don't worry, I definitely wouldn't have such thoughts," the Blood Spirit Saintess hurriedly explained.

But Lin Xiuzhu sneered inwardly at his reaction.

Ancient opportunities may even lead to advancement to the Nascent Soul stage, or even breakthrough to the Divine Transformation stage. Anyone who says they don't want to keep it all to themselves is lying.

"Let's go!" Lin Xiuzhu activated his upper-level True Core power and followed closely behind the Yin Ghost Saint.

The three figures quickly disappeared from Li Ji'an's sight.

Li Ji'an then carefully examined the place where he was.

This is a cave filled with malevolent energy. At this moment, I am at the entrance of the cave, behind which is that massive bronze door.

The massive gate was perfectly sealed, giving it an unparalleled sense of heaviness.

The cave was a maze of interconnected passages, and Li Ji'an could feel immense pressure within it, which severely limited his spiritual sense.

"Let's see if we can burrow underground!" Li Ji'an transmitted his thoughts telepathically.

The next moment, Guagua popped out of the pet pouch and quickly burrowed underground.

"Can we only descend three zhang?"

The quack quickly emerged, and Li Ji'an nodded secretly. This cave was full of restrictions, and it was already quite remarkable that the quack was able to escape three zhang (approximately 10 meters) into it.

"My lord, my primordial spirit is severely restricted, and I even feel a kind of soul trembling." Ning Sujin also took advantage of this moment to reveal the secrets of the world that Guagua had spoken of.

“The Dragon-Slaying Ground before the Immortal Lord's Ascension is still beyond our ability to withstand even after millions of years. Let us observe the situation from here,” Li Ji’an reassured softly.

"Mmm." Ning Sujin's eyes revealed a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

This was her first adventure in the cultivation world, and she was deeply troubled.

"Go." With a command from Li Ji'an, Guagua once again disappeared underground and chased after Lin Xiuzhu and the other two.

Immediately, Ning Sujin opened her full primordial spirit to protect Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an then completely merged with Guagua's divine senses, using Guagua's perception to discern what lay ahead.

"Wait!" However, just as Guagua had run a hundred feet, Li Ji'an hurriedly called him to stop.

Following Li Ji'an's instructions, Guagua quietly emerged from the ground and faced a pile of withered bones beside the passage.

“No, this bone quality can’t possibly be more than three thousand years old!” After carefully sensing the withered bones, Li Ji’an raised an eyebrow.

The skeleton in front of Guagua was as hard as firewood, and there were traces of time worn away inside. Moreover, judging from the traces of magic power nourishing the bone inside, it belonged to a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator who died no more than three thousand years ago.

"Could it be that there are special laws here that resist the erosion of time?" Li Ji'an pondered for a moment, unable to make an accurate judgment. "Continue!" He then ordered Guagua to move forward again.

Before long, Lin Xiuzhu and the Blood Spirit Saintess appeared ahead, cautiously observing something.

“Brother Lin, could it be that someone from the post-ancient era has actually been here? This iron beetle is only at the second level, and its armored wings would have rotted away in a thousand years at most, but it is still so hard now, so it must have died no more than a thousand years ago.”

Lin Xiuzhu pondered for a long time before slowly raising his head: "I tried using the method of refining corpse puppets to examine the skeleton just now, and I can confirm that its spiritual essence disappeared about three thousand years ago. With this insect here, it is almost certain that someone must have come in here."

"That manuscript said... Oh, it's a record from ancient times, and someone actually got there first in later times." The Blood Spirit Saintess suddenly realized.

Both of their faces darkened simultaneously.

Since someone has already been here, the opportunities here must have already been cleared out.

“Three thousand years ago…that was the time when the Myriad Laws Palace led its seven sects to drive us out of the Heavenly Azure Domain. Could it be that it was the Myriad Laws Palace from back then?”

"No wonder the situation in our sect's records was suddenly broken because of this opportunity."

Li Ji'an was slightly disappointed when he heard the two talking.

However, after glancing at Ning Sujin beside him, he was filled with anticipation again.

Although some people have already gotten there first, Ning Sujin's divination indicates that she will have a great opportunity this time, suggesting that there must be something that people from three thousand years ago overlooked.

At the same time, the Blood Spirit Saintess was also moved, thinking of a matter recorded in a part of the notes that her Blood Spirit Sect ancestor had secretly intercepted. The Immortal Lord here sealed the remnant soul of the True Dragon, and that Dragon Soul was the ultimate treasure. Moreover, after so many years, although the originally supreme True Dragon Soul was immortal, it must have been worn down to the point of extreme weakness.

Moreover, along with the dragon soul, there is also a drop of true dragon blood.

If she could obtain that drop of true dragon blood, she could achieve mastery of the Blood Fiend Technique, increasing her chances of reaching the Nascent Soul stage by at least 20%.

Most importantly, the notes state that if the true dragon's essence and blood are lost here and the dragon's soul dissipates, the Immortal Lord's seal will also dissipate.

The fact that the Immortal Lord's seal is still intact means that the dragon's blood and soul have not been obtained by anyone.

She lowered her gaze, concealing her joy, which remained unnoticed by Lin Xiuzhu.

"Since someone has already come, we can only rely on luck." Lin Xiuzhu pondered for a long time and then sighed softly.

The Blood Spirit Saintess nodded in agreement, looking somewhat disappointed.

“Let’s split up and rely on luck,” Lin Xiuzhu suggested again.

"Well then, I wish Brother Lin great fortune and that he may find the treasure." The Blood Spirit Saintess couldn't be happier.

Lin Xiuzhu nodded lightly, then faced with the three passages ahead, he chose the left passage.

Lin Xiuzhu smiled slightly after the Blood Spirit Saintess's aura disappeared from his senses. The Corpse Puppet Sect had obtained the most notes back then, including a route map.

This picture points directly to the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron, the supreme treasure used by the Primordial Immortal Lord to seal the dragon's soul.

According to the records of that ancient cultivator, the Dragon Suppressing Cauldron was a spiritual treasure personally crafted by an immortal lord, and it had even survived seven tribulations.

The Seven Tribulations Spiritual Treasure was considered a supreme treasure even back then, second only to the Innate Spiritual Treasure, and was known as the Supreme Treasure of the Mysterious Heaven.

Unfortunately, in order to slay the true dragon, the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron was shattered into pieces.

In the end, the immortal lord poured dragon blood into it and even extracted the true spirit of the dragon soul to nourish the artifact spirit, thus ensuring that the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron would not perish. However, he could not save it from the tribulation it had already survived, and it fell into the state of an ordinary spiritual treasure.

Subsequently, because it was reborn with dragon blood, the immortal lord left it here to continue suppressing the dragon soul.

Moreover, as long as the dragon soul remains, its spirituality will not be lost, and even after millions of years, it will still be a spiritual treasure.

It's even possible that a spirit might be born again.

In the post-ancient era, spiritual treasures were rare, and top-grade magic treasures were already the pinnacle. Even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would fight to the death for a first-grade magic treasure. Therefore, if he could obtain this spiritual treasure, he would have the confidence to face the heroes of the Central Region when he advanced to the Nascent Soul realm.

At least he no longer needs to be summoned and dismissed at will by the nine sects of the Central Demonic Path, like the current Golden Puppet Saint King.

Besides the inherent power of the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron, it is said that there is also an elixir left behind by a celestial lord inside the cauldron.

After all, it was the spirit of the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron that had accompanied him for ten thousand years. He was about to ascend to immortality and could not stay for long, but he also hoped that the spirit of the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron could be re-formed one day. Therefore, he specially left behind a celestial pill that could greatly enhance the growth of the spirit.

If cultivators take this elixir, it will also be of great benefit, especially when they are condensing their nascent soul.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuzhu quickened his pace.

Li Ji'an had Guagua follow in Lin Xiuzhu's footsteps, since Guagua held the highest position among the three and should know more secrets.

In the following days, Lin Xiuzhu had a clear goal, and every time he encountered a fork in the road, he seemed to have been there before, choosing the path forward without the slightest hesitation.

This made Li Ji'an realize something was amiss.

Along the way, several more corpses appeared, each with different signs of age. The oldest one was almost completely weathered, indicating it was from at least ancient times.

The newest one is like the first one, dating back to around three thousand years ago.

This negates Li Ji'an's previous speculation that there might be some kind of law that resists the erosion of time here.

This also proves that people did not only enter this place 100,000 years ago, nor only 3,000 years ago, but at least three groups of people entered.

Guagua also found many iron beetle corpses and traces underground.

However, the environment here is indeed unsuitable for living beings; evidence of survival suggests that they could not survive for more than a hundred years.

Moreover, the corpses of those iron beetles underground all contained a strong aura of bloodlust.

This is very attractive to Guagua.

After all, these blood demons are true dragon blood demons, the supreme bloodline demonic energy of the demon race.

The frog swallowed almost every dead iron beetle it encountered.

Li Ji'an did not object to this, but secretly deduced that this move might have many benefits for Guagua's bloodline.

Clearly, this is an incredible opportunity for Guagua, and its effects are even more powerful than those of the Sacred Beast Pill.

"Whoosh~" When faced with another fork in the road, Lin Xiuzhu once again decisively chose the middle one and continued to walk quickly.

However, a cloud of black mist suddenly appeared and completely enveloped him.

"You're courting death!" Lin Xiuzhu, enveloped in black mist, shouted, and flames blazed around him.

"Hiss hiss hiss~" The moment the flames appeared, a low hiss came from the black mist, clearly indicating that the flames were restraining it.

However, after a period of distortion, the black mist not only did not dissipate, but suddenly split into several clusters.

Several wisps of black mist then transformed into vengeful ghosts and pounced on Lin Xiuzhu.

"Clang~" The dark golden corpse puppet that had been following Lin Xiuzhu closely immediately protected its master and confronted the Yin spirit, making a muffled sound.

"A tangible Yin spirit? A third-tier Ghost King!" Lin Xiuzhu frowned slightly, a hint of seriousness appearing on his face.

I thought that the Dragon Burial Cave, which was built millions of years ago, was where countless cultivators died and were killed, and their spirits should have been eliminated long ago.

However, unexpectedly, cultivators from the later ancient period entered and perished here, naturally turning into vengeful spirits imprisoned here.

With the nourishment of the Blood Fiend Dragon Soul, it is an excellent treasure land for ghost cultivators.

(End of this chapter)