Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 236 Encounter on the Road. (First Update!)

Danqiu Peak is covered with maple and other maple trees, with branches and leaves that are mostly crimson, yellow smoke tree, and autumn fragrance tree. It is named for its resemblance to autumn all year round.

As the convoy traveled through this mountainous region, unlike places like Zhuixing Bay and Baozhen Valley, the forest was free of gloom, and the sunlight shining down was exceptionally bright, carrying a faint warmth, giving people a sense of crisp autumn air.

The lush vegetation is a sight to behold, like a painting, and this bright and cheerful scene even seems to have diluted the gloom and miasma in the mountains.

Zheng Que followed Zhang Guitu, guarding the left side of the "甲"-shaped carriage.

After walking for a while, Zhang Guitu took the initiative to strike up a conversation. The two chatted casually for a few minutes, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Zhang Guitu suddenly asked in a very low voice, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, did Senior Lu mention Foundation Establishment to you yesterday?"

Foundation building?

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que nodded slightly. Senior Lu had indeed mentioned some aspects of Foundation Establishment to him, but why was Zhang Guitu asking him about this?
Thinking of this, he immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhang Guitu took a deep breath and quickly said, "Fellow Daoist, with your current cultivation level, you should also know that cultivators have two hurdles in the Qi Refining stage."

"The first is breaking through from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level, which is the bottleneck between the early and middle stages of Qi Refining."

"Many cultivators with low aptitude are stuck here. No matter how hard they work, unless they have a special opportunity, they will remain at the third level of Qi Refining for their entire lives, with no hope of making any progress."

"The second is to break through from the sixth level of Qi Refining to the seventh level of Qi Refining."

"This is the bottleneck between the mid-stage and late-stage Qi Refining."

"A considerable number of cultivators lack the necessary aptitude, or suffer from issues such as the age at which they enter the Dao, the availability of elixirs, or the availability of resources... They remain stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refining for their entire lives, unable to make any breakthrough."

"However, once one's cultivation breaks through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, there will be no more obstacles in the entire Qi Refining stage."

"The only remaining constraint is lifespan. As long as one has enough lifespan and doesn't die prematurely, even the most impoverished cultivator can eventually break through to the eighth or even ninth level of Qi Refining by cultivating diligently for decades or even centuries."

"Therefore, cultivators like us who have already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining naturally need to begin preparing for Foundation Establishment..."

"Let's not beat around the bush. Fellow Daoist Zheng is a descendant of Senior Lu's old friend. Senior Lu has always been sentimental, but I wonder if he has given Fellow Daoist Zheng any guidance on Foundation Establishment?"

"If you are willing to offer some guidance, I, Zhang, have accumulated some savings over the years and am willing to offer them with both hands!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que understood Zhang Guitu's meaning. He immediately shook his head and said briefly, "Senior Lu told me about two paths. One is to focus on serving the court. In fifty years, one can exchange this for an opportunity to establish one's foundation."

"The other one is to participate in the imperial court's 'Immortal Examination'."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guitu immediately shook his head and quickly said, "I know both of these methods!"

"With Senior Lu's strength, after fifty years of traveling around, he could indeed have earned a chance to establish his foundation."

"But for us ordinary cultivators, let alone fifty years, given the trivialities of the imperial court's assignments and the stinginess of their rewards, even doing tasks for a hundred years might not be enough to accumulate sufficient merit..."

"As for the 'Immortal Trial,' needless to say, I, Zhang, do not want to die so early."

"I wonder if Senior Lu has mentioned any Foundation Establishment methods other than these two to you?"

Zheng Que listened, frowning slightly. "For an ordinary cultivator, even a hundred years of missions wouldn't be enough to get them a chance to establish their foundation?"
He instantly understood the boastful expression on Senior Lu's face when he mentioned that he could exchange fifty years for the chance to establish his foundation...

Thinking of this, Zheng Que calmly replied, "Senior Lu also mentioned a kind of evil technique, but he only mentioned it briefly and didn't say anything else."

"Has Fellow Daoist Zhang ever heard of such an evil technique?"

Zhang Guitu frowned and said, "Evil magic?" "I heard a senior at the ninth level of Qi Refining mention it in the offering hall in Taiping County, but I don't know the specifics..."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que's expression remained unchanged. Zhang Guitu also did not know about this evil technique; it seemed that only those who had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining could access it.
Thinking of this, Zheng Que also asked, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Zhang, you inspected the convoy several times yesterday. What were the results? Did you discover any ghostly creatures lurking there?"

Zhang Guitu snapped out of his daze, immediately shook his head, and said, "These past few days, as Senior Lu instructed, I have been checking the entire convoy every day, and I also conduct random checks from time to time... There are no problems with any people or things."

"Senior Lu personally investigated yesterday, but found nothing."

"Actually, Senior Lu might be mistaken. There probably aren't any ghosts lurking in the convoy..."

Is the team okay?
If that's really the case, then it's good news!

Zheng Que nodded, then asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you know anything about the Wanshan Temple on Danqiu Peak?"

Wanshan Temple?
Zhang Guitu immediately shook his head and replied decisively, "I don't know!"

"All Zhang knows is that of the three 'strange' things along this stretch of Yaotai Mountain, Wanshan Temple is the most dangerous..."

As the two were talking, a large group of crimson ghosts suddenly sprang out of the nearby woods and rushed toward the convoy.

Another ghostly attack on the convoy!

The two reacted quickly, and without saying a word, they each used their own methods to attack the charging ghost.

Boom boom boom...

After a series of muffled thuds, broken branches and fallen leaves flew everywhere, and the ghosts attacking the convoy were all repelled.

Lu Maohong's deep voice soon came from the front: "Keep moving forward."

Next, the convoy encountered large and small groups of ghosts every so often. However, with Lu Maohong in charge, these ghosts from the Tongue-Pulling Hell were no match for the convoy. Each time, they were defeated and retreated like a tide after only a short while.

Around noon, the entire convoy suddenly stopped without warning.

Zheng Que was slightly taken aback, then immediately looked at Zhang Guitu and asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, what's going on?"

Zhang Guitu looked equally puzzled and shook his head, saying, "I don't know..."

Just then, Lu Maohong's voice came from ahead: "Zheng Que, come here for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que did not hesitate and immediately strode towards the front of the vehicle with the letter "甲".

At the feet of the two exceptionally tall corpse puppets on the "A" shaped vehicle stood Lu Maohong, dressed in a long robe, as well as Shen Tu Jinghai and Yu Zhongyin, both at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

At this moment, the three most powerful members of the convoy all had solemn expressions and were looking ahead with wary eyes.

Zheng Que followed their gaze and saw a strange figure on the mountain road in the distance.

He was a robust young man around twenty years old, with dark skin, long eyebrows and bright eyes. He wore a copper-green robe with bamboo patterns, and his waist was adorned with a dazzling array of exquisite and luxurious items.

In stark contrast to Lu Maohong's tense demeanor, the young man appeared calm and composed, as if he were simply on a leisurely outing rather than navigating the perilous Yaotai Mountain. He held a maple branch that had been broken off from somewhere, its leaves of unknown species, blood-red and paper-thin, swaying in the mountain breeze like fresh, vibrant blood.

Seemingly sensing the seriousness of the convoy, the young man who had been walking slowly stopped and looked in the direction of Lu Maohong and the others.

This is not a ghost, but a cultivator!
(End of this chapter)