I forge immortality with a pagoda.

As the dust settled, the scenery in the valley gradually became clear.

Not far away, a man and a snake were locked in a fierce entanglement.

One section of the black-scaled serpent's body was almost completely smashed, leaving only a few tough tendons and bare white bones, barely connecting the upper and lower sections of its torso.

Thick snake blood gushed from the broken wound, mixing with the shattered organs and pooling into a dark red bloodstain.

However, this monster's vitality was terrifyingly tenacious, as if it could not feel this potentially fatal wound.

The thick, powerful snake body remained tightly coiled around the purple-faced man, one coil tighter than the next, so tight that it made a grinding sound.

The millstone-sized snake head dripped with viscous saliva, its gaping maw stretched to its limit, slowly pressing down, attempting to swallow the struggling man whole!

In contrast, the burly man with the purple face had a flushed purplish-red complexion and bulging veins on his neck.

His arm muscles were taut, and with pure physical strength, he held firmly against the two enormous, spear-like fangs, preventing the giant jaws from closing.

The once surging true qi around him was now like a candle flickering in the wind.

This powerful Qi Refining cultivator was actually at a disadvantage in the life-or-death struggle.

Shen Yu watched from the sidelines, secretly alarmed. The ferocity and tenacity of this monster far exceeded his expectations.

The stalemate continued for several more breaths, and the purple-faced man's arms began to tremble violently, and he was about to give way.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and with a sudden grit of his teeth, he forced out the last bit of true qi remaining in his dantian without reservation.

A beam of extremely concentrated light suddenly shot out from his mouth, heading straight for the upper jaw of the giant snake.

The giant snake couldn't shut its mouth in time, and the light instantly disappeared into it!

"Sizzle—"

A dazzling light pierced through the top of the giant snake's head, bringing with it a cloud of blood mist mixed with white brain matter!

The giant serpent's body stiffened abruptly, its coiling force suddenly loosened, and its violent vertical pupils instantly lost all their luster. It collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

After exhausting his true energy, the purple-faced man's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his aura extremely weak.

Shen Yu would never let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He forcefully released a burst of vital energy, raised his hand, and with a wave, the talisman sword transformed into a white rainbow, slashing down at the burly man.

Although the burly man had exhausted his true qi and could no longer use his Taoist arts, he still possessed a strong physique and some remaining strength after years of physical training.

In a life-or-death moment, he suddenly rolled to the side, avoiding the fatal sword strike.

Shen Yu was also severely injured at this moment, his mind was clouded, and he was unable to precisely control the flying sword to attack from a distance. He could only stagger forward, holding the sword in his hand, and his movements were much slower than usual.

"We must act swiftly, otherwise, if those black snakes regroup or attract other unknown dangers from the valley, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The ancient and ethereal pagoda once again appeared between his brows, emanating a chilling aura.

A streak of light shot out in response to the command, darting and flashing in the air with an unpredictable and mysterious trajectory, heading straight for the purple-faced man.

The man had just stood up, still wanting to fight with his bare hands.

Upon seeing the phantom of the pagoda, and especially upon sensing the immortal aura contained within its dazzling light, the purple-faced giant was struck dumb, instantly freezing in place.

He was insightful and immediately understood that such skills could not possibly be possessed by an ordinary rogue cultivator or even a disciple of a common sect.

He had once watched Golden Core cultivators fight from afar, and the aftershocks of those cultivators' supernatural powers seemed to pale in comparison to the seemingly gentle radiance before him.

The thought flashed through my mind, followed by a wave of despair.

"No! No—!!"

He let out a mournful wail, no longer caring about the dignity of a cultivator, and knelt down with a thud, frantically kowtowing to Shen Yu, his forehead instantly becoming a bloody mess.

"Senior, spare my life! Senior, please spare my dog's life! I'll never dare to do it again! I was blind and foolish! I'll give you everything, just please spare my life!"

Shen Yu's eyes were cold, and he remained unmoved.

After swirling around a few times, the Nine-Chang Transformation Source Refining Light gently wrapped around the purple-faced man's body.

Under his almost manic gaze, the refining light began to silently devour his flesh, bones, and even soul.

He could clearly feel his existence being erased bit by bit, but he couldn't even scream. In the end, his consciousness completely sank into endless darkness.

Just as the refining light swirled and circulated, tempering his life essence, Shen Yu's own life force was being frantically drained by the pagoda.

He felt excruciating pain throughout his body, his vision blurred, and the world spun around him.

"No, I must persevere until the elixir is successfully refined." He bit the tip of his tongue, using the intense pain to keep himself awake.

"Otherwise, once they fall into a coma... they might never wake up again..."

He dragged his legs, step by step, with great difficulty, to the shriveled corpse.

Before long, a nearly transparent light purple pill was formed. The pill was hard, shiny, and had a strong medicinal fragrance.

Shen Yu didn't hesitate and immediately took it in his hand and swallowed it.

Then everything went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

......

......

In his dazed state, Shen Yu seemed to hear someone softly calling his name.

"Senior Brother Shen, Senior Brother Shen?"

The voice was very familiar; it was Zhu Jianda.

But in this call, there was no trace of anxiety or concern; instead, there was a cautiousness and an undisguised coldness.

Shen Yu felt excruciating pain all over his body, as if he had been crushed from head to toe by a giant hammer, making it extremely difficult to even move a finger.

The call paused for a moment, as if observing his reaction.

Just then, Shen Yu, sitting upright in his spiritual platform, suddenly felt a prickling, alarming sensation.

He forced his heavy eyelids open.

What came into view was Zhu Jianda's familiar face, but now that face was filled with struggle and ruthlessness.

He was gripping a talisman sword tightly with both hands, the tip of the sword trembling, aimed at Shen Yu's throat, about to plunge it down.

Shen Yu shuddered and, using the last bit of strength he had just recovered, rolled violently to the side.

The sword grazed his neck and then plunged deep into the rubble where he had just been lying.

"Jian Da! Are you crazy?!" Shen Yu staggered to her feet, staring at Zhu Jian Da in shock and anger, her eyes filled with disbelief.

When Zhu Jianda saw that Shen Yu had regained consciousness and that his sword had missed its mark, he immediately panicked and tried to strike again.

Shen Yu frowned. The medicinal power of the purple pill in his body had already dissipated, but he had not yet had time to refine it.

But his body is already able to move around with difficulty.

He reached out and a large cloud of sand shot out, instantly transforming into a giant hand that firmly gripped Zhu Jianda.

This is the Sand Refining Technique that Shen Yu had previously learned.

Zhu Jian was immediately unable to move, his eyes filled with fear, and the talisman sword in his hand naturally fell to the ground.

"Senior Brother Shen, I...I..."

He stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

A cold glint flashed in Shen Yu's eyes. "Why?!"

Seeing that things had come to this point, Zhu Jianda did not argue, but remained silent.

"I have treated you well." Shen Yu's voice trembled slightly.

"I even helped you comprehend a technique like the Profound Ice Condensation Qi Technique, not to mention the several times I saved your life. Why would you commit such an ungrateful act and harm me?"

He felt a wave of nausea churning in his chest, and he almost vomited.

He simply couldn't understand why someone he had treated with such sincerity would turn on him at this moment.

Zhu Jianda was filled with guilt and choked up as he said, "Senior brother, I'm sorry for what I did to you. If anyone is to blame, it's because you have too many treasures on you."

After saying that, he suddenly started sobbing.

But the crying stopped abruptly after a short while.

Zhu Jianda suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and glared fiercely at Shen Yu, his voice sharp: "Why? We are all rogue cultivators. Why can you get so many treasures, while I, Zhu Jianda, have to fight to the death for a few broken talismans in this cannibalistic world, living a life of uncertainty?"

He was crying uncontrollably, his voice hoarse, as if he were trying to unleash all the resentment and anger that had been building up over the years.

"Over the years, I've endured countless hardships, traveling far and wide, visiting numerous sects, yet not a single one was willing to accept me as a disciple. And you, you have such good fortune to be accepted into the Lu Jing Sect!"

"And your little pagoda treasure."

Shen Yu's pupils contracted. "You saw it?"

Zhu Jianda was acting like a madman, "I saw it! I saw it all! That's definitely not an ordinary talisman, it's a real immortal artifact! A supreme treasure!"

Shen Yu, such a divine being is wasted on you.

If it were given to me... if it were given to me, Zhu Jianda, there's nowhere in the world I couldn't go! Hahahahahaha!

The maniacal laughter echoed through the valley, leaving Shen Yu in a daze.

Sheng Mien, fight against Mien.

It turns out that treating people sincerely can really lead to such terrible consequences.

"This world..."

Shen Yu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then sighed.

"Why--"

As the sigh subsided, a thought flashed through his mind, and the fallen talisman sword suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a bolt of lightning that swept across Zhu Jianda's neck.

A head, frozen in shock and resentment, rolled to the ground.

The vast valley floor fell into a deathly silence in an instant, with only the howling wind sounding like the wailing of ghosts.

Shen Yu stood still for a long time.

He looked at Zhu Jianda's headless corpse and the head that had rolled to the side, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Anger, disappointment, and a faint sense of sadness lingered in my heart.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the deep valley still shrouded in thick fog.

His gaze, as always, was as calm as a deep well, undisturbed.

However, beneath that calm, there seemed to be a chill in the air.

......

......