The Fate of Eternal Life

Chapter 192 Seizing the Immortal Elixir! Refining the Remains!
The ancient well was pitch black and extremely dark.

One could see that the bricks and stones were engraved with endless Dao patterns and emitted a faint divine light, forming a deep void passage.

The passage was so special that even the sense of time was disrupted, feeling like a fleeting moment, yet also like eternity. Outside the passage, the scenery changed endlessly, leaving behind one bizarre and wonderful sight after another.

After an unknown amount of time, the passage shook, and Ning Qing rushed out, arriving at the end.

He swept his divine sense across the ten directions, while simultaneously using a secret technique to conceal his aura, proceeding with extreme caution and meticulous probing.

This is a place of the Netherworld, a land of demons. Black demonic clouds roll, blood-red lightning flashes, and eerie winds howl, emitting ominous sounds. It is extremely chilling, as if one has entered a terrifying hell.

The overwhelming death energy transformed into a thick fog, and occasionally, one could see one ancient corpse after another lying in the dark earth, their armor long since rotted away, making it impossible to discern their era.

Ning Qingyi's expression was solemn. The spiritual energy in this demonic land was thin. If a cultivator stayed here for a long time, he would inevitably exhaust his divine power and die. However, it was precisely because of this that these corpses could not move for the time being. Otherwise, they would have encountered a great disaster as soon as they came down!
He walked deeper into the area, the Golden Heart Lamp of Tribulation on his shoulder shining like a radiant sun, and soon he stopped.

In a lake formed from the waters of the underworld ahead, there is a lotus flower, about ten feet in diameter, pure white and crystal clear, incomparably holy, like the most otherworldly sacred object!

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover streaks of blood flowing from within the pure white petals, as if they were wrapped around some flesh and blood, and the strands of blood were blooming with immortal radiance!
Ning Qingyi was shocked and immediately knew that it was the supreme treasure left behind by the Dao Venerable, used to refine the Great Perfection Holy Spirit of the past.

He stood motionless, ready to use the Minor Destiny Technique to activate the Desolate Tower at any moment. However, after a long while, nothing happened, and no large hand holding the Holy Spirit Ancestral Artifact struck down.

"Sure enough, without the blood sacrifice of living beings, everything inside the Demon Well is asleep. There's still a chance to snatch something from the fire!" Ning Qing breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit more confident.

Even though the Daoist had been refining it for millions of years and ultimately failed, the remnants of the Holy Spirit within the Demon Well were in extremely poor condition. Without replenishment of vital energy, it was impossible for them to revive at all times. They could only endure the hardship and wait for someone to break the seal.

Having figured this out, Ning Qingyi spent the next three days carefully surveying the sealed area, while simultaneously clearing away and refining the corpses buried in the soil.

The corpses of these powerful beings from the mythical era have long been tainted by the resentment and demonic energy of heaven and earth. Once released into the outside world, they will be deprived of the lifeblood of all living beings and will continuously revive, rapidly growing into Yin Corpses comparable to the realm of sages.

However, at this moment, when Ning Qingyi used the Golden Heart Lamp of the Dao Tribulation to refine it, it was powerless to resist and was burned to ashes by the divine fire.

During this time, a few corpses occasionally sensed the blood energy and revived, but Ning Qingyi quickly suppressed them without causing any disturbance.

Three days later, when he looked at the pure white lotus again, he became somewhat hesitant.

"The Daoist Master's arrangement wasn't completely ineffective; perhaps it can be repaired!"

This conclusion surprised him greatly. He had thought that Dao Zun had failed, but he did not expect that it was only because some of the Great Emperor's array patterns had been worn away by the power of heaven and earth, causing it to fail.

If the missing pieces can be made, there is still a chance of success.

Moreover, he possesses the secret of the "Group" character, the Origin Heaven Divine Technique, and the complete Daoist Scripture for reference. If he were to supplement it with the Lesser Destiny Technique, the probability of success would be very high.

Ning Qingyi remained calm and conducted another survey to confirm the results before sighing, "As expected of a Holy Spirit, favored by Heaven, even the Dao Venerable's methods have failed."

The Holy Spirit is a chosen one of heaven, born of the earth and the universe. Once fully born, he has the opportunity to attain enlightenment and become an emperor. However, the process is extremely long and involves many uncertainties. Very few can successfully reach the final step. Therefore, anyone who harms the Holy Spirit will incur divine wrath.

When the Daoist Master was alive, Heaven's will could not be defied. But after the Daoist Master passed away, various divine wills descended, erasing the Daoist Master's arrangements with time and rendering his plans futile.

But an emperor is an emperor, and even the will of heaven cannot be completely defied; in the end, some of the array patterns were preserved.

“However, even if we truly replicate Dao Zun’s arrangements, it will still take a long time to refine the Immortal Elixir,” Ning Qingyi frowned.

The time required to refine the immortal liquid is so long that it can be measured in tens of thousands of years; he simply cannot wait that long.

Ning Qingyi pondered for a long time before finally coming up with an idea: "Alright, let's give it a try first. Even if it doesn't work, it will still enhance our understanding of array patterns."

He made up his mind and spent the rest of his time diligently entering and exiting one damaged Daoist formation after another, working step by step to fix the problem.

Restoring an ancient formation requires complete dedication; in a sense, it requires imbuing one's spirit and energy into it, hence the saying "spirit communication formation."

He didn't intend to restore all the divine arrays in this burial ground; that was obviously impossible, as the project was too massive, and the imperial array couldn't be repaired by anyone below the Great Emperor realm. He only needed to repair the key parts.

Among them, he valued one particular array the most. This was the part of the Dao Venerable that had extinguished the Holy Spirit, which was like a fuse. The Dao patterns arranged on it were intricate and complex, with streaks of blood flowing along the array diagram, which increased its divine power, making it grand and majestic.

It can be said that if it weren't for the long passage of time, even if someone were to break the seal using a blood sacrifice, the Daoist's backup plan would have completely destroyed the creature being refined.

Five months passed in the blink of an eye. Ning Qing was just one step away from completing the crucial repair, but when he looked at the last part, an expression of surprise appeared on his face.

"Daoist Master, it seems you anticipated that your backup plan would be annihilated..." Ning Qingyi murmured, a brilliant light flashing in her eyes.

The repairs went incredibly smoothly. Even though there were a few places that took him a long time to figure out, he eventually overcame them and completed this feat.

Furthermore, the parts of the Imperial Array that were not erased contained many "redundant" array patterns, which automatically connected with his repair work, greatly accelerating the progress.

The final step in activating the Imperial Array is a natural progression; all that's needed is to send the Imperial scripture from the Daoist scriptures into it.

The efficiency of the revived formation was much faster than he had expected; it would only take a thousand years at most to completely refine the remnant body of the Holy Spirit!
The higher the level of cultivation, the shorter the time required for this step.

Ning Qingyi exclaimed in amazement, "The ancient emperors were indeed very thoughtful, having foreseen the events long before their deaths."

It's hard to say that this arrangement wasn't intentionally made by the Daoist Master, but it's clear that there was a mistake in the transmission of the Daoist lineage, which is why later generations didn't come here to continue the great feat of refining a Great Perfection Holy Spirit.

He sighed for a long time, and couldn't help but think of his lineage's ancestor, Lingbao Tianzun. This ancestor had also made many arrangements to continue the imperial mandate, and the ancient star of heavenly soldiers that the Sendai had transformed into had existed for millions of years.

Finally, Ning Qing stood before the pure white lotus. He had long since realized that as the imperial array was repaired step by step, the remnants in the white lotus were like frogs being slowly boiled in water, inevitably falling into the deepest slumber. Otherwise, if they had sensed his actions, they would have already awakened on their own and slapped him to death.

“Even if it takes a thousand years, I can’t wait that long. It’s just too long.” A struggle flashed in Ning Qing’s eyes, but she finally decided to put her idea into practice: “I have the secret of the ‘Group’ character and the inheritance of the Boundless Killing Array. I’m confident that I can change the array into a killing array!”

Having made his decision, he immediately put it into action. No matter how well the Daoist's plan was, it was not in line with his cultivation. The ancestral techniques of the Holy Spirit on the ancient road were related to the future achievements of his Dao Palace Secret Realm, so he had no choice but to take the risk!

His momentum was unstoppable as he continued to alter the formation. Just before he was about to succeed, he had to stop. As the killing formation gathered, the Dao Lotus began to slowly rotate. Clearly, the sealed remnant consciousness within it sensed the impending crisis and was about to awaken.

If things go wrong at that time, it could lead to a major disaster.

Fortunately, Ning Qing had planned ahead and solemnly used the Art of Controlling Troops to summon the Desolate Tower from the Sea of ​​Wheels, then carefully placed it in the center of the formation.

The desolate tower was not large, only about the size of a palm. However, once it entered the great formation, it gave the entire imperial formation a stabilizing force. An indescribable majesty awakened here, and even the Dao Lotus was bound, as if it had been frozen in place, unable to move anymore.

"Success or failure hinges on this one step!"

With a solemn expression, Ning Qingyi summoned the Imperial Scripture obtained from the Daoist scriptures. Nine ancient characters appeared one by one, shimmering with immortal radiance, illuminating this Yin land.

Although it consists of only nine characters, it contains intricate and complex variations, constantly flashing and changing, becoming an extreme evolution, cascading down like a vast divine waterfall.

The infinite variations, from simple to complex, and then back to simple again, represent the supreme meaning, condensed within nine characters. This not only inherits a Dao, but also a spirit, as if reproducing the supreme divine power of the Daoist Master, and the entire grand formation begins to operate.

Moreover, at the wellhead above the Yin Earth, an old Taoist appeared, indistinct and unclear, sitting cross-legged at the wellhead, chanting scriptures, possessing an aura of majesty and terror, gradually becoming solidified under the stimulation of the great formation.

In contrast, within the Yin Earth, howling winds raged, torrential rain of blood fell, and demonic energy surged. A chilling change occurred within the Yin Earth, as if a terrifying hell had opened up, or as if heaven and earth had shattered, and the world had reached the end of its destruction.

This sight horrified Ning Qingyi, and her expression became extremely solemn: "It's starting!"

Om!

The mountains collapsed and the seas tsunami roared, and a terrifying sound emanated from the Dao Lotus, as if it were about to explode.

A terrifying wave emanated from it, and cracks appeared in the void, spreading across the entire Yin Land and beginning to impact the entire ancient star.

This fluctuation was unprecedented and terrifying. In an instant, the ancient beasts of Cheng Sheng Star felt the impending calamity, and the guide of the tenth city of the human race also showed surprise, remembering Ning Qingyi's words before leaving.

"He didn't actually make it, did he...?"

In an ancient place on the Star of Sainthood, an old and frail dragon opened its eyes and looked toward the direction of the Great Moon Slope, a look of surprise flashing in its eyes.

"Roar!"

With a roar, its aura as a peak Great Sage spread throughout the entire ancient star, and one beast king after another awoke, echoing each other, causing the entire ancient star to tremble.

"Your Majesty!" Another Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared. It was called Tuolan, a sacred beast king and the mate of this old Tyrannosaurus Rex, with whom it had a son.

“Go to Dayue Slope, that’s the forbidden place where the Daoist Venerable sealed the Holy Spirit. If something big happens there, the entire ancient star will collapse,” the old tyrannosaur said.

Tuolan looked surprised and led the sacred beasts to rush towards Dayuepo to suppress the anomaly.

The old tyrannosaurus looked at a dragon egg beneath it, its eyes filled with affection. Originally, it intended to infuse all its cultivation into this dragon egg to lay an immortal foundation for its offspring, but now that was no longer possible.

"Roar!"

It let out a long roar, gradually recovering its strength and preparing to face the great calamity in its strongest form.

"boom!"

Beyond the heavens, supreme holy might descended, manifesting a colossal stone figure. Its blood-red aura surged to the heavens, causing the entire star field to tremble. Its eyes burned with a terrifying intensity, like torches. Standing tall and immeasurably vast, it appeared in another direction on the planet, its gaze fixed on the location of Great Moon Slope.
"Who triggered the arrangement in advance, or did the ancient ancestor escape on his own..."

Just as he was deep in thought, one domain gate after another appeared, and powerful figures appeared around him, their boundless killing intent sweeping back through the ages, shaking the entire ancient star road.

Within the burial ground.

Ning Qingyi stood at the Gate of Life in the killing formation, with the Primordial Azure Gold Pagoda above his head, resisting the terrifying aura that was like a vast ocean.

At the center of the killing formation, a pure white lotus, imbued with immortal radiance, spun continuously. Its tightly closed petals trembled, and streaks of blood flowed out, dazzling and brilliant. Although small in quantity, they were filled with immortal divinity and were incomparably radiant.

This is celestial elixir!

The divine blood born from the Great Perfection Holy Spirit!

Although the Daoist Master did not achieve complete success, he still managed to refine some of the creations. Just one drop was enough to create an unparalleled genius, comparable to consuming a fragment of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir!

"boom!"

One could see that within the pure white refining chamber, a shadow was trembling wildly and struggling. Wisps of blood mist, filled with immortal baleful energy, emanated from the Dao Lotus and dispersed into the air as the immortal liquid dripped down.

"Ow!"

Blood mist and malevolent energy condensed, transforming into several terrifying creatures, each emanating a power akin to that of a Great Sage, their terror overwhelming.

As soon as they appeared, they set their sights on Ning Qingyi and charged at her.

"boom!"

One after another, towering blood-red hands came crashing down, aiming to kill him, the leader of the formation, right there.

Ning Qingyi remained very calm and used the "Group" secret technique. The desolate tower in the array eye trembled. Even though it did not actively revive, it was passively flipped a few times by the energy of the array and burst out with endless immortal light!

"Buzz!"

Strands of primordial energy were unleashed, and countless rays of light soared into the sky, transforming into an ancient tower that caused the entire ancient star and the surrounding star field to tremble.

Outside, all the experts showed expressions of fear, especially those from the Holy Spirit lineage, whose several still-open dimensional gates were shattered, and the fate of many experts was unknown.

"What happened? Could it be that the Daoist Master still has a backup plan...?"

"This is... the Desolate Tower!"

Soon, someone recognized the tower's true form, and instantly the crowd erupted in a clamor, everyone stunned by the sudden turn of events!
Within the grand formation, the desolate tower trembled, bursting forth with immortal light. With a single strike, it shattered the transformed blood demon and completely purified the divine ghost nurtured by the Holy Spirit Ancestor.

At the same time, the divine power was repeatedly injected into the Dao Lotus, making its aura greatly stronger. Like a fist that was gradually clenching, the petals kept closing, squeezing out the debris inside little by little.

"boom!"

For the next two weeks, a torrent of divine blood continued to fall from the petals, clearly indicating that the Holy Spirit Ancestor had suffered a severe blow and had his essence squeezed out. At the same time, blood demons continued to emerge, but they were all suppressed by the Desolate Tower and could not cause any trouble.

Finally, when the blood stopped flowing, the lotus stopped spinning.

Then, one lotus petal after another bloomed, growing larger and larger, snow-white and crystal clear, emitting a delicate fragrance.

One zhang, ten zhang... a thousand zhang!
When the enormous lotus fully bloomed, its diameter reached a thousand feet, revealing the remains inside, the hollow and withered lotus seedpod, and a stone token.

"Danglang"

The stone tablet fell, the lotus cracked inch by inch, the lotus platform withered away, and finally only seven blood lotus seeds remained before it disappeared.

Ning Qing could no longer suppress her joy. She took a step forward, held the Blood Lotus Seed in her hand, and felt the abundant divine essence. Her eyes couldn't help but reveal joy.

(End of this chapter)