Starting from the two realms, cultivating immortality by taming beasts

Chapter 660 True Venerable Fire Cloud

Chen Beiwu stood in front of the alchemy cauldron, remaining motionless for a long time.

With the Purple Gold Canopy as a warning, he did not want to easily touch the mysterious cauldron in front of him, which was suspected to be the core of the Fire Cloud Palace.

However, Chen Beiwu was somewhat unwilling to give up and retreat now because of a slight sense of unease.

After all, judging from the reactions of Gu Qinghan, the Holy Maiden of Taiyin, and Li Dongbin, the True Venerable of Zhengyang, this mysterious cauldron undoubtedly contains a treasure far exceeding the origin of the Great Forest Realm.

Should he give up or take the risk and try? Chen Beiwu's mind raced with thoughts.

With top experts from the Immortal Alliance stationed in the Great Forest Realm, and having taken the initiative to strip away the origin of heaven and earth, the changes in their spiritual senses should not have escaped the perception of such experts.

The fact that the powerful figures of the Immortal Alliance did not stop them, but instead allowed the three of them to take the initiative to access the Fire Cloud Palace's secret treasure, indicates that the danger level of this place is not high and it is within the control of the Immortal Alliance's higher-ups.

However, Chen Beiwu did not think that the omen of the Purple Gold Canopy position would bring any unexpected events.

The younger generation these days is quite cautious.

Li Dongbin raised an eyebrow, but he didn't think Chen Beiwu's passive behavior was too prudent.

That cauldron was quite extraordinary; even he couldn't budge it in the slightest.

If Chen Beiwu, a mere Nascent Soul True Monarch, were not careful, he might be injured by the alchemy cauldron.

Despite acknowledging the situation, Li Dongbin still felt that Chen Beiwu was wasting his time.

Even he and Taiyin Zhenzun failed, so the probability of Chen Beiwu successfully activating the cauldron is almost zero.

Li Dongbin then closed his eyes slightly and discussed with his fellow beast Xuan Tan Yang Jun how to subdue the cauldron.

"Um?"

Gu Qinghan's heart stirred slightly, sensing something amiss.

Her cultivation of the Taiyin Immortal Technique was extremely unique, allowing her to keenly perceive the barely perceptible apprehension in Chen Beiwu's eyes.

Despite having the Fire Cloud Palace's treasure right in front of him, Chen Beiwu's behavior suggests he may have discovered something.

With this in mind, Gu Qinghan pondered the matter and paid even closer attention to Chen Beiwu's behavior.

"Huh?" (Should I just swallow this thing?)

Seeing Chen Beiwu's conflicted state of mind, Jin Dan swallowed hard and subconsciously spoke.

"Hey!" (Swallowing everything will only get you hurt!)

Schiller's eyes widened, and he immediately objected.

That guy Jin Dan is really audacious! He even dares to covet this pill cauldron that looks like a quasi-Dao artifact!

"Roar." (What are you afraid of, you coward.)

Golden Egg twitched its nose and glanced at Schiller.

The Great Forest Realm has already fallen into the control of the Immortal Alliance. In addition, with the protection of powerful members of the Immortal Alliance during their refining of the Great Forest Realm's origin, there is no need to fear any accidents.

Even if something unexpected were to happen, the powerful members of the Immortal Alliance would be there to hold the fort.

Sensing the communication between the golden egg and Schiller, Chen Beiwu hesitated for a moment before deciding to test the waters.

He reached out his fingertip and gently touched it, only to feel a warm sensation.

"Buzz!"

The next instant, the cauldron trembled slightly, emitting a scorching aura.

This aura was like a warm breeze, not terrifying, but it made Gu Qinghan and Li Dongbin, who were standing to the side, narrow their eyes.

Is this treasure imbued with a spirit? Could it be that the Lord of Fire Cloud Palace has taken a liking to Chen Beiwu?

Li Dongbin frowned slightly, finally understanding why his master kept mentioning "destiny" and telling him to pay more attention to Chen Beiwu, this junior.

Fortunately, no matter how strong a cultivator's destiny is, they still need a sufficient cultivation level to suppress it.

With Chen Beiwu's current Nascent Soul cultivation level, he might not be able to securely take down that pill cauldron, otherwise the strange phenomenon emanating from the cauldron wouldn't be so subtle right now.

The aura of a half-step Void Refinement cultivator!

Gu Qinghan's expression turned serious, and his eyes were fixed on the cauldron.

She had frequent interactions with the higher-ups of the cave heaven and had met with the sect leader of the cave heaven many times, so she was naturally familiar with the indescribable aura characteristics of a half-step Void Refinement cultivator.

Normally, Gu Qinghan would retreat the moment he sensed the Qi of a half-step Void Refinement cultivator.

But today is different. With the high-ranking officials of Taiyin Cave Heaven and Yuqing Immortal Sect present, she wants to witness firsthand the power of a half-step Void Refinement cultivator from another realm.

In an instant, a flash of light appeared, and Gu Qinghan and Li Dongbin both landed two zhang behind Chen Beiwu.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Chen Beiwu had no time to pay attention to the two people's behavior; he only felt his heart beating faster and faster, and the unease emanating from the Purple Gold Canopy position grew stronger.

So Chen Beiwu changed his mind and wanted to withdraw his fingertip and give up.

"Boom!"

Just then, the mouth of the alchemy furnace trembled slightly, and it floated up into the air, revealing a figure inside.

His features were regular, his eyes were bright and piercing, and he made eye contact with Chen Beiwu.

Chen Beiwu visualized the Great Profound Oneness, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart and barely maintaining a calm expression.

The reason is simple: the moment this figure appeared, a terrifying pressure, enough to make even a Nascent Soul True Venerable tremble with fear, surged into Chen Beiwu's heart.

At this moment, Chen Beiwu could clearly feel the absolute difference in their cultivation levels.

If the figure inside the cauldron harbors hostility and launches a sudden attack, even if Golden Egg and Schiller join forces, they may not be able to protect him.

"His eyes were bright, but his whole body was stiff, without any spiritual aura or flow of magic power. This mysterious expert has most likely been dead for more than 10,000 years."

Li Dongbin's eyes flashed, and he made his judgment.

"No, that's not right."

Gu Qinghan shook his head slightly, his temperament ethereal and otherworldly, his tone cold: "Even if a half-step Void Refinement being dies and his Dao dissipates, he can still be reborn through various secret techniques using his primordial spirit."

"One method is reincarnation, which allows one to take over the body of a fetus."

"Secondly, there is the method of usurping the throne, which allows one to forcibly seize the body of a chosen prodigy."

"Thirdly, there is the method of possession, which can devour and annihilate the three souls and seven spirits of others, and seize the soulless body of the fallen."

"The fourth method is the Old Residence Method, which allows the primordial spirit to remain intact, using the physical body as a dwelling place, guarding the old body, and using secret methods to revive and preserve the foundation."

At this point, Gu Qinghan's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the red-robed figure inside the cauldron.

"Senior, if I'm not mistaken, you're using the old residence method."

Upon hearing this, both Chen Beiwu and Li Dongbin were slightly startled and subconsciously looked at the figure in red robes.

No wonder the Immortal Alliance's higher-ups were so at ease letting the three of them contact the Fire Cloud Palace. It turns out that the half-step Void Refinement cultivator sleeping inside the Fire Cloud Palace was in dire condition and needed a secret technique to live another life.

In this situation, the Immortal Alliance only needs to send one or two half-step Void Refinement cultivators, or even cultivation giants, to easily subdue a half-crippled half-step Void Refinement cultivator.

Conversely, if the Lord of Fire Cloud Palace were at his peak, these juniors would have no right to interfere in Fire Cloud Palace's explorations.

"You're quite something, young lady, to be able to see through my condition at a glance." The red-robed cultivator's eyes flickered, but he didn't deny it.

The universe is finite, but the path to immortality is boundless.

When he broke through to the Void Refinement Realm, he made a wrong move and failed to successfully master the Void Refinement Dao. In order to preserve his foundation and leave hope for him to break through to the Void Refinement Dao again in the future, he could only use a secret technique to preserve his remaining body.

"You flatter me, senior." Gu Qinghan smiled calmly.

"No need for modesty. I have already joined the Immortal Alliance and become a member of it. The lineage of Fire Cloud Palace and its blessed land can naturally be handed over to the Immortal Alliance's prodigies."

The red-robed cultivator said bluntly, "I have already examined you all. Whether it is your aptitude or your comprehension, you three are all outstanding individuals."

But let me make it clear from the start: the Huoyun Palace's lineage and blessed land can only be inherited by one destined individual; all others are unworthy.

"Senior, please tell me, what does it mean to be destined?"

Li Dongbin's heart stirred slightly, realizing that his previous guess was wrong.

The reason why he and Gu Qinghan failed to activate that cauldron was perhaps not because they were not destined for it, nor because they lacked the necessary talent, but because this half-step Void Refinement expert was secretly investigating.

By the same token, Chen Beiwu's ability to trigger a trace of the cauldron's unusual phenomena might not be due to divine mandate, but more likely because this red-robed expert decided to reveal himself after observing the situation.

"It's very simple. My Fire Cloud Palace has three trials that can verify a cultivator's path of cultivation. Whether you are compatible and qualified to inherit the Fire Cloud lineage can be tested simply by passing the trials," the red-robed cultivator said succinctly.

"A trial, huh? Interesting." Gu Qinghan raised her eyebrows slightly.

Although I didn't achieve my goal this time and witnessed the strength of a half-step Void Refinement cultivator's crippled body, having a trial to play with was enough to kill some time.

Yes, that's right. In Gu Qinghan's eyes, while the Fire Cloud Palace's blessed land and lineage were indeed good, they were far from comparable to the profound foundation of the Taiyin Cave Heaven.

"Those who wish to participate in the trial may step forward, while those who do not may step back," the red-robed cultivator reminded.

"tread!"

"tread!"

Gu Qinghan and Li Dongbin both took a step forward, while Chen Beiwu remained standing still.

"Um?"

Huoyun Zhenzun's eyes flickered as he looked at Chen Beiwu.

Of the three present, Chen Beiwu was the weakest in terms of cultivation level, but he was the most valued genius of the Immortal Alliance.

Noticing the gazes of the crowd, Chen Beiwu gave a slight lip response.

Since the red-robed cultivator appeared, the warning signals from the Purple-Gold Canopy position within the chaotic world have become increasingly frequent.

This strange occurrence made Chen Beiwu suspicious. Had the red-robed cultivator truly joined the Immortal Alliance, or was he scheming and feigning allegiance?

"tread!"

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Beiwu took a step forward.

The reason is simple: when the thought of taking a step back arose in his mind, the warning from the Purple Gold Canopy became increasingly intense.

Clearly, retreating now would be too conspicuous; it would be safer for him to wait for an opportunity to act under the watchful eyes of the Immortal Alliance's powerful figures.

To be on the safe side, as Chen Beiwu took a step, he had Xue Le subtly remind Gu Qinghan and Li Dongbin to be on guard using his divine sense.

Even though the old residence is half-ruined, the half-step Void Refinement stage should not be underestimated.

As a Nascent Soul True Monarch, his use of divine sense to transmit sound is highly likely to be detected, far less secure than that of Schiller, who possesses the profound power of the [Taiyi Golden Shuttle].

There may be danger; it's best to proceed with caution.

Despite being reminded by Schiller, Gu Qinghan remained calm and pretended not to notice.

Li Dongbin crossed his arms, took a slight breath, and did not respond.

Whether Chen Beiwu was deliberately stirring up trouble or had actually sensed something, he showed no fear whatsoever.

there is always a solution to a problem.

With the protection of powerful figures from the Immortal Alliance, he is completely safe. If he doesn't even dare to take the slightest risk, what kind of immortality is he cultivating?

"Buzz!"

With a flick of his sleeve, True Venerable Huoyun sent three streaks of light swiftly out from the top of the alchemy furnace and landed in front of Chen Beiwu and his group.

Soon, the radiance dissipated, and three peculiar pebbles, each the size of a thumb and the color of deep red chicken blood, came into Chen Beiwu's view.

"This is the Scale Blood Stone, which contains the blood of the Fiery Cloud Scale. Whoever can refine it initially or completely within a month will demonstrate that their cultivation path is highly compatible with the lineage of the Fiery Cloud Palace."

At this point, True Venerable Huoyun paused slightly: "Among the cultivators of Huoyun Sect throughout history, those who can pass any one of the three trials can become the sect master of Huoyun Palace; those who can pass two can become the ancestor of Huoyun Palace; and those who can pass all three are only myself."

"If you fail to refine the Scale Bloodstone, there is no need to force it; you can proceed to the next trial."

After saying this, True Venerable Huoyun gestured, indicating that Chen Beiwu and the other two could begin at any time.

Chen Beiwu sensed that Gu Qinghan's eyes were slightly closed, and her right hand gently held the Bloodstone, without any leakage of energy.

Li Dongbin, on the other hand, formed a hand seal and used the Xuan Tan Yang Jun, a beast of the same kind, as the main body to make the latter swallow the Lin Xue Shi in one gulp for refining.

"Woof?" (Let me do it?)

Tie Dan barked softly, sensing that the Yuan Fire Qi within the Lin Blood Stone was extremely domineering.

But it can withstand even the strange fires of heaven and earth, so the primordial fire within the Bloodstone is naturally no problem for it either.

"No rush, let me do it."

Chen Beiwu glanced down at the Bloodstone and then activated the Primordial Fundamental Immortal Technique.

"Buzz!"

Without the slightest resistance or obstruction, Chen Beiwu could easily extract the Yuan Fire from the Lin Blood Stone into his body with just a thought.

However, he only held the Bloodstone with one hand and did not continue to refine it, as part of his mind sank into the Heavenly Abyss Daoist Technique.

Ten days later, Gu Qinghan finished the initial refining of the Scale Bloodstone.

Twenty days later, Li Dongbin was a step behind and chose to completely refine the Scale Bloodstone.

Both of them easily passed the first trial within the time limit, but Chen Beiwu was the only one who failed to succeed.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Beiwu calmly put down the Bloodstone in his hand and said with a hint of regret, "Unfortunately, it's still a little short."

"It's alright, this is just the first trial." True Venerable Huoyun gave Chen Beiwu a deep look.

He rarely makes mistakes in judging people.

Given Chen Beiwu's aptitude and talent, he should be able to begin refining the Scale Bloodstone within half a month.

The result was quite strange; Chen Beiwu only refined one-tenth of the Yuan Fire from the Lin Blood Stone within a month.

"The second trial is the Fiery Cloud Hammer Chain."

The True Venerable Fire Cloud gently patted the cauldron, causing a series of powerful fiery clouds to gush out from its mouth: "Whoever can refine within the cauldron for eighty-one days without damage to their physical body or soul can awaken the Profound Power of Fire Cloud and pass the trial."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghan and Li Dongbin, perhaps possessing valuable treasures, were not afraid of the red-robed cultivator's tricks. They immediately used their escape light to enter the cauldron together with the Tongcan Beast.

Chen Beiwu ran his finger over the mouth of the cauldron, then frowned slightly and shook his head helplessly: "With my cultivation level, I'm afraid I can't withstand these fiery cloud hammers."

"With me protecting you, you can try with complete peace of mind. Even if you fail to forge it, at most you will only suffer a slight loss of vital energy," said True Venerable Fire Cloud.

Chen Beiwu showed a hint of interest and activated his escape light to enter the cauldron, but he only lasted for an hour before his face turned slightly pale, and he chose to voluntarily withdraw from the second trial.

Soon, eighty-one days passed. Having been tempered by the Fire Cloud Hammer, Gu Qinghan and Li Dongbin opened their eyes at the same time. Their spirit and energy had undergone a transformation, and their cultivation seemed to have improved considerably.

However, Chen Beiwu, who possessed the Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Divine Power, keenly sensed that the two people's fortunes had suddenly changed, and were now shrouded in a shadow of calamity.

The so-called three trials of the Fire Cloud Realm are indeed problematic!

Chen Beiwu felt a chill in his heart and began to ponder a practical question: would it be faster for him to ask for help, or for the half-crippled cultivator in the old residence to make a move?

If it's the former, that's fine, but if it's the latter, he doesn't want to sacrifice himself for others and face a half-step Void Refinement cultivator head-on.