Immortality starts from the liver proficiency

Chapter 526 The Largest Portion of a Great Master's Fortune

He couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean, senior brother?"

Chu Chengnan lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over his battered body, and carefully contemplated the situation.

"The Dao Foundation is merely the foundation upon which magical power is sustained. If it is shattered, one will be reduced to a mortal. The loss of the foundation is indeed extremely painful in the pursuit of gold, but it is not an incurable disease. After all, I was once a Great True Person who had achieved the peak of Foundation Establishment."

His tone carried a hint of barely perceptible arrogance.

Even if the grotto-heaven withers and the meridians are broken, as long as the soul remains, the profound cultivation accumulated over a hundred years of arduous practice and five lifetimes will still exist.

The path to enlightenment is not about cultivation, but rather about the 'knowledge' and 'accumulation' of the universe and one's true self. Even if this foundation is destroyed, how can one's path to enlightenment be completely scattered?

He paused, seemingly silently operating some kind of secret technique to sustain life. The blood energy emanating from his body stagnated slightly before he continued, "As long as you find a place with turbid energy or abundant vitality to prolong your life and recuperate for a few years, and supplement it with medicines to strengthen your foundation and cultivate your vital energy over a period of ten years, your body will naturally recover somewhat. Given time, it is not entirely impossible to rebuild a new foundation."

Although they will have lost all their former cultivation and fallen to the starting point of the mortal world, the insights gained over the past century will still remain in their foundation of cultivation, and starting from scratch will not necessarily mean they will not be without the opportunity to advance further...

These words, spoken by a cultivator who had just experienced the shattering of his Dao foundation, the failure to reach the pinnacle, becoming a cripple, and being abandoned by his master, were as calm as if he were telling someone else's story.

That unwavering resilience etched into his very bones and that steadfast dedication to his craft filled Xu Yunfan with awe.

The senior brother in front of him possessed a mental fortitude far exceeding his imagination.

I hadn't had any serious contact with this Master Chu of the Hundred Mountains before.

Within the Yuanshi Sect, those Foundation Establishment True Persons who had opened their own lineages and established their own peaks, he truly couldn't tell which were good people and which were bad.

Furthermore, the Yuanshi Sect is also known as the Yuanmo Sect, which naturally has its origins. It's not wrong to regard these Foundation Establishment cultivators as bad people, so Xu Yunfan naturally doesn't want to have too much contact with them.

Who knows, one day I might stumble and fall.

Chu Chengnan slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the murky smoke and dust that filled the valley, looking in a certain direction.

"This place is no place to linger, Junior Brother Xu. Take care on your journey ahead, as we may in the future..."

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he shook his head and didn't say it.

He braced himself with his hands on the ground and tried with all his might to stand up again, but he collapsed back down due to exhaustion, coughing up black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

Xu Yunfan stepped forward and extended his hand: "Senior brother, is there anything you need...?"

Chu Chengnan raised his hand, which was covered with terrible cracks, and waved it firmly but weakly, stopping Xu Yunfan from helping him up.

He clenched his teeth, his cheek muscles tensed, and his eyes burned with the last bit of fierce defiance.

He stopped speaking and tried again, little by little, extremely slowly but with extraordinary determination, using the remaining strength in his arms to drag his completely useless lower body, inch by inch along the gravel and pebbles toward the relatively calmer, turbid river outside the valley.

Each movement left a horrifying trail on the ground, a mixture of mud, bits of flesh, and dark red blood.

Xu Yunfan stood still, quietly watching the figure crawling tenaciously through the ruins of despair, its back hunched like that of an old man in the mortal world.

A strong wind blew by, stirring up the remaining malevolent energy, almost swallowing the figure whole.

Chu Chengnan's words that "his cultivation is still intact," his current struggle for survival, and his statement that "one must rely on oneself, and even the True Lord cannot be trusted," resonated repeatedly in Xu Yunfan's mind like a great bell.

As Chu Chengnan's figure finally disappeared into the jagged rocks and thick, murky fog, an indescribable complex emotion surged in Xu Yunfan's chest.

It was admiration, pity, a chilling sense of shared fate, and a profound sense of awe and unease, all amplified by the almost frantic obsession with survival in the face of adversity.

But more importantly, he looked at the storage bracelet in his hand, which contained seventy percent of Chu Chengnan's savings from five generations, almost making him dizzy.

The spiritual materials piled up like mountains, the various precious medicines, and the rare refining materials were simply countless.

The resources possessed by a Foundation Establishment Grandmaster who had cultivated for five lifetimes were so extravagant that they caused Xu Yunfan's calm mind to fluctuate for a long time.

This is like winning the lottery!

Chu Chengnan kept 30%, which was more than enough for him.

This is the true seeker of immortality.

With this generous gift, Xu Yunfan sighed deeply, his heart overflowing with praise for Chu Chengnan.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Chu Chengnan will definitely make a comeback.

The other party naturally understood that the Yuanshi Sect could not remain in its current state. Without the protection of the True Monarch, its own Dao foundation was shattered, and perhaps some Foundation Establishment True Person would be tempted.

Just as Xu Yunfan withdrew his gaze and prepared to return to the Cold Crow Gate, a magical message, devoid of any emotional fluctuation yet containing immense spiritual pressure, suddenly imprinted itself into his mind.

The aura originates from Qingyuan Zhenjun.

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow slightly.

The message was brief and direct, devoid of any warmth: "Xu Yunfan, a Foundation Establishment True Person of Zhenwu Peak, shall, within three days, take this order and leave Hanya Pass to return to Zhenwu Peak of the sect for service."

Immediately, a mark symbolizing the identity of True Lord Qingyuan, drawn with magical power, appeared before Xu Yunfan and transformed into a token that landed in his hand.

This is the transfer order.

"The decree of True Lord Qingyuan..."

Xu Yunfan muttered to himself silently, a knowing yet mocking smile curving his lips.

The battle at Hanya Pass is over.

Chu Chengnan is now a useless piece, and there is no longer any need to protect this place. Or rather, the resources that can be exchanged with other True Monarchs here are no longer worthwhile for True Monarch Qingyuan.

And this Foundation Establishment disciple, who was seen as somewhat strange by the True Lord and had just "witnessed an important lesson," was it time for him to be recalled and reassigned?

He looked up at the distant Han Ya Pass, where smoke still billowed, but the core battle seemed to have subsided.

The majestic wall barrier, having withstood the impact of the Great Immortal wielding a spiritual treasure, is now riddled with cracks, its cold energy disordered, and shrouded in an atmosphere of decay and chaos.

However, this is no longer his concern; all that remains is for the garrison commander of Hanya Pass to come and clean up the mess.

"What a pity about Hanya Pass. I thought I could stay longer and make a good profit. It seems that I can't make any more money from Hanya Pass."

Xu Yunfan muttered something to himself with a hint of regret.

As an important outpost for the Yuanshi Sect to contact the other two sects, Hanya Pass gathers resources from all sides. The turbid essence, minerals, and even the remnants that may have been left behind by cultivators who died in battle are all huge potential wealth.

Leaving now means giving up the huge potential benefits that may follow.

However, this slight regret was quickly replaced by Xu Yunfan's calculations.

(End of this chapter)