Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 56 The Secret of Body Refinement, Ancient Secrets

The deeper you go into the secret realm, the more extraordinary the surrounding scenery becomes.

The spiritual energy in the air was so dense it was almost viscous; every breath felt like swallowing spiritual liquid, greatly beneficial to cultivation, yet one could vaguely sense that it was not inexhaustible.

Meng Xihong was both delighted and puzzled, and couldn't help but ask Yun Songzi, "Senior, this place is full of spiritual energy and has a hidden treasure light. The Yin Sha Sect has been entrenched here for many years, so why does it seem to have been developed to a limited extent... It seems to have been left specifically for us newcomers?"

Yun Songzi scoffed upon hearing this, a glint of insight flashing in his eyes: "Hmph, do you think this blessed land left behind by an ancient great being is so easy to deal with?"
The Yin Sha Sect, those wicked bastards, follow the evil path of quick success and instant benefits, only recognizing the Yin Meridian Poisonous Herbs that are full of evil energy and can directly enhance evil skills.

They were either blind to the many spiritual beings in this place that required careful cultivation or special methods to activate, or simply incapable of utilizing them.

He paused, then raised his hand and pointed to the rocks and plants around him that appeared natural but actually concealed mysterious patterns: "Furthermore, the array formations here are exquisite, with many areas concealed by natural illusion arrays or spatial folds."

Unless one is well-versed in the principles of array formations, or possesses a special affinity or skill that aligns with them, even standing before a treasure is like a blind man touching an elephant, unable to discern its true form.

The Yin Sha Sect Master, even with the combined strength of his entire sect, barely managed to figure out a path leading to the Yin Vein and the method to open the entrance. Discovering and utilizing that Yin Vein and its scattered resources was already incredibly lucky for them.

"I see." Meng Xihong suddenly realized. "No wonder they were able to rise to prominence in just a few years and guard this place so closely, not daring to leak a single word." He secretly rejoiced. If the Yin Sha Sect hadn't been so limited in its vision and hadn't been destroyed by his side, such a great opportunity would never have fallen into the hands of the Meng family.

Thinking that his son Meng Yanwei had become Yun Songzi's disciple, and now that the family had acquired this blessed land, the future was truly promising.

Just then, a strange energy fluctuation suddenly came.

The fluctuations were neither fiery nor cold, yet they seemed to act directly on the soul, bringing a heavy and condensed feeling.

The two followed the trail and passed through a jade bamboo forest that was becoming increasingly lush and verdant thanks to the nourishment of spiritual energy. Suddenly, a secluded valley appeared before them.

The scenery in the valley is not extreme, except for a grayish-white stone pool lying quietly in the center.

The pool was still and deep as ink, as if it contained immense power. As soon as you got close, you felt your body suddenly sink, as if carrying a mountain. Even your thoughts became slow yet unusually clear, as an invisible pressure was acting on your spiritual senses.

"Huh? This is... the 'Thousand-Pound Soul-Tempering Pool'?" Yun Songzi's eyes lit up with surprise.

"The water in this pool is extraordinary; it does not value the physical body, but rather tempers the spirit and refines the will."

If one cultivates by the pool, the 'divine pressure' emanating from it can greatly stabilize one's Dao heart and purify one's spiritual consciousness, and has a remarkable effect on resisting inner demons and breaking through barriers.

If one's physical body is strong enough, quenching it with diluted pool water can also achieve the effect of body tempering, but the core is still refining the spirit.

Meng Xihong was overjoyed upon hearing this.

A treasure land that can directly affect the soul is far more valuable than an ordinary spiritual spring for tempering the body.

"Senior, the divine pressure in this pool is so overwhelming, I'm afraid we can't stay here for long?"

“Of course.” Yun Songzi nodded solemnly.

"We need to proceed step by step. It's best to supplement with the 'Soul-Stabilizing Pill' to stabilize the sea of ​​consciousness before trying to approach and cultivate. The main ingredient of this pill, the 'Mind-Concentrating Flower,' usually grows near such spiritual pools." He pointed to several small, pale blue flowers with curled leaves growing in the crevices of the rocks by the pool.

"This is it. With it, refining the Soul-Stabilizing Pill will not be difficult. At that time, one can cultivate around this pool, refine one's foundation, and consolidate one's realm. Its value is immeasurable."

Meng Xihong carefully picked the mature Concentration Flower, leaving the seedling in its original place, letting it continue to grow by the pool.

Clearly, Meng Xihong regarded this spiritual pool as a treasure of the Meng family, waiting for the Concentration Flower to mature again so that he could come and collect it.

After leaving the Thousand-Pound Soul-Tempering Pool, they found the ancient abandoned medicinal garden.

Just as Yun Songzi had predicted, the Yin Sha Sect only picked a few spiritual plants that emitted Yin Sha energy, as well as a small amount of common spiritual herbs, while they either didn't recognize most of the other spiritual herbs in the garden or disdained them. Meng Xihong was overjoyed and carefully examined them.

"Jade Marrow Fungus", "Three Yang Fruit", "Star Dew Grass"... are mostly spiritual plants suitable for use in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. Although they are not peerless immortal flowers, they are diverse in variety and have been around for a long time. There are also many rare varieties that are hard to find in the outside world. They are the most urgently needed and practical resources for the early development of the sect.

Sustainable output is far more reassuring than a one-off solution.

He had already planned that with a little tidying up, he could transplant all the herbs that Yunniang had cultivated, creating a ready-made "Meng Family Herb Garden".

At the edge of the herb garden, they found a stone wall with faint engravings.

After observing it, Yun Songzi said, "It is a body-refining technique, but it is severely incomplete. Only the first few levels are available, and it can be used as a reference."

"Senior, what is the difference between this body-refining technique and martial arts?" Meng Xihong asked in confusion, as he had never heard of body-refining before.

Upon hearing this, Yun Songzi's expression suddenly turned solemn, and a sense of vicissitude appeared in his eyes: "This matter concerns ancient secrets. Since you have asked, I will tell you a little about it, so that you may know the origin of our current predicament as cultivators."

A thousand years ago, and even further back in time, was a golden age of cultivation, a time when all paths of cultivation contended.

Far beyond the current Qi Refining and Literary Path, there is also the Way of Runes to connect with heaven and earth, the Way of Arrays to evolve the universe, the Way of Body Refining to shatter the void… All these great paths can directly lead to the path of immortality, proving the Dao and attaining eternal life.”

"And the martial arts of today are nothing more than the remnants that have been passed down to the mortal world after the Great Dao of Body Refinement was broken." He said in a heavy tone.

"The martial arts path reaches the Grandmaster level, comparable to the peak of Qi Refining, which is the limit of mortals. But the true ancient body-refining techniques are the orthodox methods of immortality cultivation that are on par with Qi Refining. They temper the physical body and develop the divine treasures within, making every punch and kick have the power to shatter mountains and break peaks. They can even regenerate from a drop of blood and achieve physical sainthood, thus enabling one to become a god and an immortal!"

"Then why..." Meng Xihong's breathing quickened, shocked by this magnificent yet now forgotten history.

"It's because in ancient times, evil spirits from beyond the realm suddenly descended upon this world." Yun Songzi's voice was low, as if he were recounting a heavy memory ingrained in his blood.

"They are not creatures of this realm, formless and shapeless, but extremely filthy things that seep out from the dark side of the endless void. They feed on the essence and soul of all things, and wherever they pass, all things wither, the laws collapse, and they turn into a dead land devoid of spirits."

A world-destroying war engulfing the entire cultivation world erupted, incredibly fierce, and is said to have lasted for countless years.

"In the final battle, on the 'Meteor Plain' recorded in ancient books, all the ancient peak experts of our race came out in full force."

The Holy Emperor, wielding the human race's supreme treasure, the 'Human Emperor Banner,' shook the starry river, suppressing and slaying the myriad demonic forms manifested by the Demon Lord; His Majesty the Human Emperor led billions of cultivators, burning their divine souls and blood essence to set up the 'Great Celestial Array,' perishing together with the demonic army…

In the final battle, all the powerful perished, their blood staining the heavens. The glorious ancient civilization of cultivation was thus severed, and countless lineages were cut off.

His tone grew increasingly somber: "However, the origin of evil is the manifestation of the rules of the dark side of the void, and it is fundamentally different from the beings of this world."

They are not ordinary beings; they have no true soul or physical body. At their core is an extremely evil 'demonic thought,' which is born by attaching itself to the laws of the dark side of the void.

Within this realm, even if its form can be destroyed, it is difficult to completely eradicate the primordial demonic thought rooted in the dark side of the void. As long as the dark side of the void exists, the demonic thought will grow back like weeds in the spring breeze. This is limited by the rules of Heaven, beyond human power.

Yun Songzi's words were like a massive boulder, pressing down on Meng Xihong so much that he could hardly breathe.

The concepts of "the dark side of the void" and "the primordial demonic thought" were profound and terrifying, far beyond his comprehension.

A terrifying thought flashed through his mind: since evil cannot be completely eradicated, then now...

　We'll be giving away red envelopes at 7 PM today! Wishing all our readers a happy Qixi Festival in advance!

(End of this chapter)