I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Shen Yu let out a long sigh and sat down on the ground.

The battle just now had taken a toll on him.

He repeatedly used Daoist techniques and activated talismanic artifacts. These were high-grade talismanic artifacts that only Foundation Establishment stage cultivators could wield with ease, which was undoubtedly a challenge to his cultivation level.

When Feng Jian charged at him just now, he could have used his talisman sword to fight back.

This would be more secure, but it wouldn't guarantee victory.

So he pretended to throw the talisman sword. Feng Jian was too eager to kill, so he would not linger on the Spirit Sword. The Spirit Sword would naturally pass by him, and Yue Ling in the distance could then pick up the sword.

Compared to Shen Yu, a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining could not wield such a magical treasure with such skill; their abilities were worlds apart.

What Feng Jian didn't know was that Shen Yu also possessed a superior-grade talisman, the Three-Light Jade.

This magical artifact contains three naturally generated light veins, which are red, blue, and yellow respectively. Normally, they appear and disappear in a flowing and ever-changing manner. When in danger, the three lights shine together, condensing into three beams of light to surround the body and form a protective barrier, which can block Qi cultivators for a moment without much difficulty.

Therefore, Shen Yu doesn't need to worry too much about his life.

Feng Jian will surely panic when his first move fails, and Yue Ling will seize the opportunity to kill him while he is distracted.

This plan is risky, but the chances of success are extremely high.

If Yue Ling hadn't grasped the deeper meaning behind Shen Yu's throwing of the sword, Shen Yu himself would likely have suffered quite a bit.

"Fortunately, she's smart."

Although Shen Yu's plan succeeded, he still felt a little scared. Ever since he refined the three-tailed rock scorpion into a pill, the Xuanqiong Pagoda had been dormant, and his only trump cards were those few talisman artifacts.

This feeling of uncertainty was really unpleasant. Shen Yu made up his mind that he would never again take such a risky action as he had today.

He cleaned up the belongings of the two people in the room, sat down cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing.

...

Before long, a ray of moonlight came from the distant sky. Yue Ling withdrew her true energy and gracefully descended.

She tossed a storage bag to Shen Yu and said gently, "Little Taoist, thank you very much this time."

Shen Yu looked up at her and saw that the woman's fair and delicate face was flushed, indicating that she was seriously injured.

Shen Yu said, "There's no need for thanks. Fellow Daoist Yue Ling helped me before, didn't she?"

Yue Ling blinked her long, narrow phoenix eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, making her very beautiful.

"I helped you on a whim, but you risked your life to help me. Is this how you calculate things?"

Shen Yu didn't answer, but changed the subject, "Why would the Zhan Yue Sect plot against you? Was it just at the behest of the Fei Yun Sect? Although the Lu Jing Sect might let it go on the surface, how could the Zhan Yue Sect withstand their revenge behind the scenes?"

At this point, Yue Ling pursed her lips, then threw two pills into her mouth and swallowed them.

The flush on her face faded slightly.

He then said, "If it were only the Flying Cloud Sect that was causing trouble behind the scenes, the Moon Slash Sect would certainly not dare to attack our sect rashly, as the risk would be too great. If the Flying Cloud Sect were to abandon us afterward, the Moon Slash Sect, with its small sect foundation, would probably not be able to withstand the wrath of our Lu Jing Sect."

"The reason why the Zhan Yue Sect dares to act so recklessly is because they have an irreconcilable feud with our sect."

Shen Yu understood. If that was the case, it made sense. The Zhan Yue Sect and the Lu Jing Sect had a long-standing feud, and the Fei Yun Sect also wanted to expand its influence in the Southern Region. Since both were Xuan Sects, the Zhan Yue Sect was eager to behead Yue Ling as a pledge of loyalty and to tie itself firmly to the Fei Yun Sect.

Intrigued, he asked, "What grudge? What grievance?"

"The Gui-level spiritual vein that I'm in charge of originally belonged to the Zhan Yue Sect."

"I see." Shen Yu suddenly realized.

Spiritual veins are rich in spiritual stones, which are a type of spiritual object with many uses in the cultivation world.

Spirit stones are required for casting talisman coins and magic coins, as well as for refining weapons and alchemy. In fact, during battles between cultivators, spirit stones can replenish their spiritual energy for unforeseen circumstances.

It can be said that spiritual veins are the source of wealth for sects.

The spiritual veins are located in places rich in spiritual energy, which is of great benefit to cultivators and is also related to the future development prospects of a sect.

If a sect's spiritual vein is seized, its disciples will naturally leave, and the sect's status will plummet.

It can be said that they are mortal enemies.

"The treasures of the world belong to the virtuous. If I don't like you, I'll beat you up. If I want something, I'll naturally take it."

"If things can't go as planned, what's the point of cultivating to become an immortal?"

Yue Ling said casually, seemingly unconcerned.

"His Zhan Yue Sect is incompetent, yet it has occupied such a good spiritual vein for nothing. It's only a matter of time before it's snatched away. It would be better if my Lu Jing Sect kept it for him."

Shen Yu was somewhat speechless. Though her words were crude, they were not unreasonable, and he somewhat agreed with what she said.

But that's too crude a way of putting it.

"What a little devil," Shen Yu thought to herself.

As if sensing something, Yue Ling glanced at Shen Yu with her beautiful eyes. "What, little Taoist priest, do you have a problem with that?"

Shen Yu's forehead veins throbbed, and he raised an eyebrow: "I wouldn't dare."

Yue Ling's eyes darted around. "The fact that you say 'I dare not' instead of 'I don't' means you have a problem with it."

Shen Yu's lips twitched a few times, and she really didn't know how to respond.

"Fine, I won't stoop to your level."

Yue Ling pointed to the pile of things on the ground.

"Take a few things from here; you contributed a lot to the battle against them."

Shen Yu looked at those things and saw that, apart from the three talismans, all the magical artifacts were dim, obviously because they had been injured by Yue Ling earlier.

He couldn't help but gasp. This woman had previously defeated four Qi Refining cultivators, and now she and he had killed three more, one of whom was a Qi Refining seventh-level cultivator. The ninth-level True Qi was truly extraordinary.

Shen Yu didn't stand on ceremony. He pointed to the three pale green talismans engraved with skulls and said, "I want these three talismans."

Yue Ling nodded and put away all the other items.

She instructed, "Talismans are generally not meant to be used for a long time. These three talismans should be usable twice more."

"If you want to use it again in the future, you will need to inscribe a restriction on it and refine it again."

"I understand."

The two chatted for a while longer, discussing the situation of the Xuanmo (Mysterious Demon) and the key points of Qi Refining.

And so they parted ways.

...

The royal palace of the State of Yu.

Behind the layers of gray-blue palace walls lies a palace garden.

This palace garden has three courtyards, planted with some green bamboo and common flowers and trees. It doesn't have much of a royal atmosphere, but rather resembles a small courtyard in Jiangnan.

Hidden in the courtyard is a spring, simply encircled by bluestone. The spring water is extremely clear. Although the spring is not large, the water that gushes out never runs dry, forming a shallow pool.

The pool water felt warm to the touch, carrying a faint, sweet scent.

If an ordinary person stands by a shallow pool, they will immediately feel calm and peaceful. If they are lucky enough to drink a sip, their eyes will become clear and their skin will glow, and all diseases will be cured.

This spring is the only Gui-level spiritual spring in the Yu Kingdom.

At this moment, sitting on a blue stone beside the spring, was a burly man with a thick beard, dressed in an ochre-yellow dragon robe.

His breathing was extremely deep and slow, and each breath expelled the stale air accumulated in his body.

The faint spiritual energy emanating from the spring no longer drifted away randomly, but was drawn by an invisible force, winding around his body like a dragon and entering his nostrils.

Suddenly, he felt a slight tremor throughout his body.

The thin white vapor that had been swirling around it suddenly cleared away, as if it had been instantly absorbed into its body.

Immediately afterwards, a vast and profound aura, extremely refined, rose powerfully from his dantian!

He simply opened his hand, and a thin, misty stream of five-colored true qi faintly appeared in his palm.

At the first level of Qi Refining, Qi condenses into mist.

...

...