Immortality starts from the liver proficiency

Chapter 432 The Dao Sect's Secret Weapon
The ancient bronze bell atop Qingwei Mountain rang nine times in succession, the sound waves carrying the true energy infused by Bi Yuan and surging back and forth among the thirty-six peaks.

The old monsters hidden in the blessed lands opened their turbid eyes. Three Supreme Elders who were sleeping in the cold jade coffins suddenly had the frost on the coffin lids shatter. Two withered old men who were meditating under the waterfall had the water around them instantly flow backward. There were also seven powerful figures scattered in various hidden and spiritual places. They were either refining pills or observing the stars. At this moment, they all stopped what they were doing.

The first to appear was an old man in purple robes who stepped out from the fire eye of the earth vein, his body wrapped in dark red chains.

It was a "sealing chain" made of millennia-old black iron, with each chain piercing into vital acupoints throughout the body to forcibly lock in the vital energy that was about to dissipate.

His face was so wrinkled it could trap a mosquito, and his sparse white hair was loosely tied into a topknot with a jade hairpin. The chains rattled as he walked, making him look like a zombie crawling out of an ancient tomb.

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow as he watched, secretly marveling at how these people had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, yet were unable to break through due to the constraints of heaven and earth. If they could transcend the nine realms and become terrestrial immortals, they might even be able to extend their lives by another hundred years.

This Taoist priest had already lived to the limit of two hundred years of lifespan.

"The sect leader has rung the bell nine times. Could it be that the Heavenly Demon has descended ahead of schedule?"

The old man in purple robes had a hoarse voice, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, and his whole body exuded a decaying aura, as if he would die at any moment.

Xu Yunfan slightly opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye between his brows. With a flowing divine light, he had already seen through the mystery within the purple-robed old man's body. Within that withered body, the life force and blood were compressed to the extreme and condensed into a pill. It formed a self-circulation between the flesh and acupoints. Wherever the blood pill passed, it would release a trace of life force to nourish this withered body, so that it would not completely lose its shell.

This "blood pill" is like a dying oil lamp, locking in the last embers of life in an almost sinister way, defying the heavens and prolonging life to this day.

In the world of martial arts, there are also many exceptionally talented individuals who have researched numerous methods.

Bi Yuan was about to answer.

Immediately afterwards, a beam of azure light shot into the sky from the sword mound behind the mountain.

The newcomer was an old woman who looked like a dwarf, less than four feet tall, but carrying a bronze giant sword that was taller than her on her back.

Her face was covered with spiderweb-like blue lines, which were the "sword intent" formed by refining sword energy into her flesh and blood. This was because her true energy had spread to the extremities of her blood vessels.

The strangest thing was her eyes; they had no pupils, only the whites of her eyes.

"Uncle Qingming's 'Blind Sword Heart' has actually reached such a level."

Bi Yuan nodded slightly.

This Supreme Elder, who was known as the "Sword Maniac" three hundred years ago, destroyed his own eyes fifty years ago in pursuit of the state of oneness between man and sword, and refined the sword intent into his visual nerves.

Although she was "looking" at Xu Yunfan at this moment, she was actually using her sword intent to perceive the world.

Suddenly, a mound of earth rose from the ground, and an old man who looked like a mud figure emerged.

His entire body was covered in a cracked crust of earth, and every step he took caused debris to fall.

This is the Thick Earth Wugen True Skill of the Daoist Cultivation Sect. It uses the rising spiritual energy of heaven and earth to connect oneself with the earth's veins and slows down aging by absorbing the earth's energy.

When he stood still in the morning light, the crust of dirt on his face peeled away, revealing the bluish-gray skin underneath, much like an unearthed bronze artifact.

"Ahem. My breathing technique has been interrupted, costing me three years of my lifespan."

As the old man with the earthen shell spoke, a muddy, fishy smell kept emanating from his nostrils.

Xu Yunfan suppressed his nausea and noticed that roots had grown from the soles of his feet, indicating that he hadn't moved in a long time.

The most chilling thing was the black shadow that emerged from the murals in the Ancestral Master's Hall. It was a misty humanoid figure without any physical form, its entire body formed from the power of incense and prayers.

This is the "Divine Body" of the previous leader of the Daoist sect. His true form passed away a hundred years ago, and his consciousness is only maintained by the incense offerings from his followers. Wherever the dark shadow passes, the grass and trees instantly wither and turn yellow, constantly absorbing life force to sustain its existence.

Xu Yunfan frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the dark figure with lightning speed.

He was no stranger to this form condensed from the power of incense and prayers. The Mingzun worshipped by the Incense Sect was just like this. Under the erosion of the distracting thoughts and prayers of a large number of believers, he became a being that was neither alive nor dead. When he finally achieved the realm of a terrestrial immortal and crushed him with a wave of his hand, he was already a mindless walking corpse.

However, the previous leader of the Daoist sect in front of him was completely different.

The black figure was surrounded by pure, unblemished spiritual energy, as clear as fresh snow, and his features still hinted at the ethereal and otherworldly air he once possessed.

Even more surprisingly, when Xu Yunfan's Foundation Establishment stage divine sense swept over, he actually caught a trace of clarity in the other party's empty eye sockets.

That was not the madness tainted by incense offerings, but rather the clarity that has settled after a century of vicissitudes.

The Daoist sect truly lives up to its reputation as a great sect; only through devout worship can one attain such a pure and virtuous incense offering.

As if sensing Xu Yunfan's scrutiny, the dark figure slowly raised his head, a half-smile curving his lips, and solemnly nodded to Xu Yunfan.

This simple action caused the candlelight in the hall to flicker, casting twelve shadows of varying depths on the blue bricks, just like the grand occasion when the twelve branches of the Daoist sect jointly ruled the world.

Now, however, it is even better.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had already designated Daoism as the state religion.

Twelve Grandmasters of the Ninth Realm gathered in Qingwei Hall, the air thick with the mixed smells of decay and medicinal stones.

Xu Yunfan let out a soft sigh, his eye twitching slightly.

Dao Zong has truly laid bare his entire fortune to him.

Looking at these "living fossils," some had seven useless soul-stabilizing beads hanging around their necks, some had life-extending silkworm threads wrapped around their waists, and an old Taoist priest had three golden needles stuck in his crown, the ends of which were still trembling slightly.

This isn't the foundation of Taoism; it's clearly a group of old zombies crawling out of their coffins!
"Dear senior uncles and elders."

Bi Yuan's voice carried a hint of emotion, "This is my disciple, Xu Yunfan, who has now successfully established his foundation in the Upper Realm. You have all surely heard of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm. You have not lived in vain; once you have passed through this world, you will surely be able to live a second life!"

Twelve pairs of eyes pierced through at once.

The "clay figure" elder suddenly coughed violently, and the cracked clay shell revealed blackened internal organs: "Cough cough... This kid has dragons and snakes coiled on his body, could it be..."

"The True Martial Subduing Demon Scripture is the method cultivated by the Divine Martial Immortal in the past. It is the continuation of martial arts, or rather, the root of all martial arts in the world."

Xu Yunfan opened his palm, and the Dao patterns of tortoise and snake intertwined appeared in the air.

The snake-like patterns are like lightning, their sharpness fully revealed as they coil, signifying fierce and ruthless killing. The tortoise shell is heavy and solid, as stable as a mountain when dormant, ensuring flawless defense.

The two forces intertwined, with the tortoise's head holding the snake's tail and the snake's body coiling around the tortoise's feet. In the interplay of yin and yang, the image of Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) was formed in the void.

The tortoise's back supports the heavens and bears all things, while the snake's eyes are deep and dim. Starlight bursts forth from where the tortoise and snake intertwine their necks, which is clearly an external manifestation of the "True Martial Subduing Demon Scripture" when it has been cultivated to its greatest extent.

In an instant, the stale aura emanating from the twelve old monsters was invigorated.

(End of this chapter)