I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Shen Yu held his breath and tried to circulate the true qi in his body. As soon as he did, he felt a series of dull pains coming from his limbs and bones, like being pricked by fine needles or bitten by ants.

This must be due to a deviation during the previous transmission, which caused some damage to the meridians throughout the body.

Fortunately, the injury was not serious, and he was able to recover quickly after a short rest.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and stepped out of the cave.

Looking around, one sees a vast and boundless mountain range, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, gnarled branches intertwined, and lush forests undulating in the wind.

The mountain is filled with a rich spiritual atmosphere, no less than that of Dongling Prefecture.

Rare and exotic flowers and herbs grow in abundance in the secluded valleys and forests, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

Further away, brightly colored rare birds occasionally fly past the treetops, their cries filling the air.

While he was still in a daze, Shen Yu suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation coming from not far away, and faint shouts could be heard.

He immediately channeled his true qi, his body soaring into the air. Gazing into the distance, he saw two streaks of light, one in front of the other, fiercely chasing each other above the distant mountains and forests, tearing through the sky and startling the birds in the forest into scattering.

The one fleeing ahead was a young cultivator with a youthful face, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. He was already drenched in sweat, his face was pale, and he looked as panicked as a dog that had lost its home. He pushed his escape light to the limit and darted left and right among the trees, trying to shake off his pursuers.

The pursuer was a black-robed Taoist priest holding a clean bottle. He had a fierce face, a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and an aura of menace around him, clearly not a kind person.

He rode on black clouds at incredible speed. "Youngster, surrender now! You may have the chance to seize it, but you might not have the life to enjoy it! Once I capture you, I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit, making you wish you were dead!"

The black-robed Taoist shouted in a fierce voice, like a night owl, sending chills down one's spine.

He tilted the bottle in his hand slightly, and a faint light was already flashing at the mouth of the bottle, ready to launch a fatal blow at any moment.

The youth's escape technique was quite profound; his figure moved erratically like willow catkins in the wind, and he was able to hold his own against the black-robed Taoist for a time.

His face was pale and his breathing was disordered. His chest was heaving violently, which clearly indicated that he was at his limit and could not continue for long.

He pressed his pale lips together, blindly rushing forward. Suddenly, he saw someone looking up from the forest below. As if seeing a lifeline, he hurriedly activated his escape technique, leaped to Shen Yu's side, bowed deeply to the ground, and said in a trembling voice:

"Senior, save me! I'll repay you with a priceless treasure!"

Shen Yu remained calm and composed, standing still without responding immediately.

Seeing this, the black-robed cultivator also arrived, landing a few feet in front of Shen Yu, his gaze cold as he sized up Shen Yu.

The boy was so frightened that he quickly shrank behind Shen Yu, trembling and not daring to breathe.

"Boy, you're still too naive." The black-robed Taoist smiled sinisterly, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Do you really think a complete stranger would stand up for you? This world is unpredictable; perhaps this fellow Taoist will be tempted by your wealth and try to take your life first!"

Although he was already at the peak of Qi Refining, seeing Shen Yu's calm and composed demeanor, his imposing presence and extraordinary aura made him feel somewhat apprehensive and he dared not make a move rashly.

After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"I am Li Guihe. This boy is cunning and despicable. He took advantage of my unpreparedness to steal my opportunity. This matter is a private grudge between the two of us. I believe you will not interfere, right? If you are willing to do me a favor, I will surely repay you handsomely in the future."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu smiled faintly and actually stepped aside to make way for the young man behind him, saying, "Since it is a private matter between the two of you, I, Shen, will not meddle in other people's business."

"Please proceed, fellow Daoist."

Qin Yan's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled violently. He said urgently, "Senior, I am Qin Yan, a disciple of the Yu Yuan Sect! If you are willing to lend a helping hand, I am willing to offer this opportunity without hesitation, and I will reward you handsomely afterwards! I swear to heaven that I have not lied!"

He knew that even if he handed over the treasure, Li Guihe, a demonic cultivator, would never let him go.

The senior in front of me is upright and honest, and if he is willing to protect me, there may be a glimmer of hope.

Thinking of this, he bowed repeatedly, cold sweat pouring down his back.

Shen Yu had already intended to seize the treasure, and upon hearing this, his heart stirred slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

"I wonder what kind of opportunity you two are talking about that's worth risking your lives for? I'm quite curious myself."

Displeasure flashed in Li Guihe's eyes. He narrowed his eyes and quietly tightened his grip on the jade bottle with his right hand.

When Qin Yan heard Shen Yu ask, he felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly took out three white and pink fruits from his storage bag.

As soon as the fruit was taken out, a delicate and unique fragrance wafted out, intoxicating the senses.

He offered it with both hands, respectfully saying, "I dare not conceal this from you, senior. This item is called the Mysterious Jade Fruit, formed from the spiritual roots of heaven and earth. It is of great benefit to cultivators who refine Qi, helping them to enhance their cultivation and increase their chances of breaking through to higher realms. Even one fruit is priceless. I am willing to offer all three of these to you, senior, and only ask for your protection."

"It really is this..."

Shen Yu's heart stirred slightly, and his gaze fell on the three spiritual fruits.

He had acquired several of these items in his early years, when he had just entered the Qi Refining stage and had snatched them from several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But in order to shake off his pursuers, he traversed mountains and valleys, even throwing out the other two balls, and only then did he manage to escape by sheer luck.

I never expected to encounter them again here today, and this time there were three of them.

Although his cultivation progressed rapidly, the condensation of true qi consumed a great deal of energy, which slowed down his advancement in realm.

Now that we have obtained this Mysterious Jade Fruit, it is like rain after a long drought, and breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining is just around the corner.

Thinking of this, a look of greed flashed in his eyes.

Li Guihe, observing Shen Yu's expression, saw that Shen Yu's gaze was fixed on the Xuan Yu Fruit and knew what he meant. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly launched an attack!

"You're asking for it!"

He roared, and the jade bottle in his hand suddenly tipped over. A stream of emerald-green spring water, like a dragon emerging from its cave, swept towards Shen Yu, covering the sky and the earth.

As soon as the clear spring appeared, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and the grass and trees were instantly covered with white frost.

Caught off guard, Shen Yu was chilled by the cold air and involuntarily shivered.

"Hmph! A mere trick!"

Shen Yu snorted coldly, unhurriedly, and spat out a ball of blazing true fire. At first, it was only the size of a fist, but with the help of the wind, it expanded and instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire, with raging flames, heading towards the pool of green spring.

The water and fire clashed, producing a constant hissing sound.

A cloud of steam rose from the sky, creating a white expanse that completely enveloped the three figures.

Just as the fog thickened and visibility was obstructed, Li Guihe darted out of the fog like a ghost, his white, bony claw aimed straight at Shen Yu's eyes.

This attack was insidious, ruthless, unexpected, and extremely tricky.

Shen Yu did not dodge. His skin was covered with a layer of purple aura, like diamond and black iron. He simply threw a punch, which hit the bone claw squarely.

Click—!

With a crisp sound, the mid-grade talisman artifact, the Xuan Yin Bone Claw, was shattered by this simple and unadorned punch, turning into dust that fell in droves!

"What?!"

Li Guihe's pupils constricted sharply, and he was horrified.

His Xuan Yin Bone Claw, refined over many years, was made from the finger bone of a century-old corpse king. It was harder than refined steel, yet it was shattered by the opponent's physical strength! What kind of terrifying physical strength would that require?

In his shock, he had no time to feel sorry for Shen Yu. He waved his sleeves repeatedly, and in an instant, seven or eight low-grade talismanic weapons, including flying swords, golden knives, iron forks, and bone spurs, flew out like a flock of crows and attacked Shen Yu from all directions.

He subtly held a fine needle between his fingers, ready to strike.

Sure enough, facing the barrage of attacks, Shen Yu extended his fists and palms, knocking away and shattering the talismans one by one.

Li Guihe saw it clearly and seized the opportunity when Shen Yu made his move, flicking his finger.

The Swift Shadow Needle pierced the air, leaving only a blur in the sky, and arrived at Shen Yu's brow in an instant.

This needle carried 70% of his true qi, specifically designed to break through protective qi. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would suffer a great loss if caught off guard.

However, a soft light suddenly shone from between Shen Yu's brows, and the barriers formed by the three light veins layered upon each other, like a lotus flower blooming.

The Swift Shadow Needle struck the ball of light, as if sinking into a quagmire, barely managing to penetrate an inch before being unable to advance any further.

The needle vibrated violently, emitting a buzzing sound.

Shen Yu moved with lightning speed, pinching the still-trembling flying needle firmly between his two fingers.

No matter how Li Guihe urged it, the flying needle remained motionless between Shen Yu's fingers.

"you!!!"

Li Guihe's face turned deathly pale instantly; he never expected Shen Yu to have so many tricks up her sleeve.

He had already played all his cards, yet he couldn't even damage the hem of his opponent's clothes, and a chill ran through him.

"Good lad, today I'll show you what the peak of Qi Refining is all about."

In a fit of shock and rage, Li Guihe roared and released his inner energy without reservation.

He cultivated seventh-order true qi, which was of far superior quality. At this moment, he exerted his full power, and a powerful aura spread out.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yu chuckled lightly, "Fellow Daoist, are you sure you want to compete with me in true qi?"

Before he finished speaking, an indescribable, powerful aura rose from his dantian.

The Primordial Profound Truth, like a raging dragon breaking through the abyss, surged and roamed, instantly coiling around the body and transforming into a majestic and awe-inspiring phantom of a true dragon, as radiant as the rising clouds. A powerful and mysterious aura, encompassing the vitality of all living beings, suddenly spread out.

The moment this supreme-grade true qi appeared, Li Guihe's true qi was immediately suppressed by three-tenths, paling in comparison.

"You're only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, how could you..."

In Li Guihe's understanding, only the highest-grade True Qi can suppress his seventh-grade True Qi, and these secret highest-grade True Qi can only be kept by top-tier immortal sects. The person in front of him must be extraordinary.

Fear gripped him, his fighting spirit vanished, and he jerked away, attempting to flee.

Contrary to expectations, a highly condensed, blazing white streak suddenly shot out from between Shen Yu's eyebrows, like a celestial river, instantly piercing through Li Guihe's body.

His vital essence and energy were rapidly draining away, and Li Guihe watched helplessly as his body dissolved and disintegrated, his consciousness quickly sinking into boundless darkness.

In the end, he transformed into a precious pill and floated in the air.

Qin Yan was stunned. He had witnessed Li Guihe, who was at the peak of Qi Refining, being completely destroyed in an instant. Such methods were simply terrifying.

Seeing Shen Yu's indifferent gaze sweep over him, he swallowed hard, "Senior...please spare my life."

The blazing white ribbon had already followed and coiled around him.

In an instant, the two Qi Refining cultivators were annihilated, leaving only two precious pills slowly rotating in the air, emitting an alluring medicinal fragrance.

Shen Yu raised his hand and gestured, taking the two precious pills into his hand. The pills were round and full, with a faint luster on their surface, clearly indicating that they were of excellent quality.

When he first heard the word "opportunity," he already harbored the idea of ​​killing and robbing the treasure. When Qin Yan offered him the Xuan Yu Fruit, his thoughts were further solidified.

As it happened, the Xuanqiong Pagoda hadn't had any meat for a long time, so it went with the flow and refined the two of them.

With these two pills, and the miraculous effects of the Mysterious Jade Fruit, breaking through to the next realm is practically a certainty.

Thinking of this, he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

Shen Yu waved his hand to collect the two people's belongings, then glanced at the bone fragments left by Qin Yan and shook his head slightly.

"What a pity. You young man do have some of my courage, daring to snatch food from the tiger's mouth and steal an opportunity from the peak of Qi Refining. If you had been smarter and escaped earlier, you might have saved your life. It's just a pity that you were unlucky and saw something you shouldn't have."

Human hearts are unpredictable, and after Zhu Jianda, Shen Yu no longer dared to trust people easily.

He knew that only the dead could truly keep secrets. In the dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, being soft-hearted would only bring him death.

Having finished his business, Shen Yu returned to his temporary cave dwelling.

As the sun set and dusk deepened, a thin layer of twilight enveloped the mountains and forests.

He stepped into the cave, took out four small array flags from his storage bag, and placed them in the four corners of the cave, setting up a four-way spirit-concealing array.

This magic array was one of his many spoils of war. It had both concealment and protection functions. Although it was only a low-level array, it was better than nothing.

He then took out several spirit-sealing talismans and affixed them to the cave wall.

The talismans touched the stone wall and immediately merged into it. These talismans could further isolate the fluctuations of aura, making it difficult for even Foundation Establishment cultivators passing by to detect anything unusual in the cave.

With everything arranged, Shen Yu sat cross-legged on the white jade slab, calming his mind and making final preparations for breaking through to the next realm.

......

Ten days later, Shen Yu, who had been sitting in the cave, suddenly opened his eyes.

The aura suddenly burst forth, shaking the cave walls and causing soil and rocks to fall.

The four array flags shook violently, flashing with spiritual light, almost collapsing under this momentum.

Everything fell into place naturally.

With the help of the Xuan Yu Fruit, Shen Yu only needed to consume one precious pill obtained from Qin Yan to naturally enter the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Shen Yu stood up, feeling immense power in every movement he made.

He practiced several Taoist techniques, and saw wind and fire swirling around, purple energy rolling in, its power more than double that of the past.

He then used his qi to soar through the air, circling outside the cave several times with incredible speed, more than 30% faster than when he was at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"Hahaha!"

Shen Yu was filled with excitement. This breakthrough had increased his strength far beyond previous breakthroughs in minor realms, giving him even more confidence for his journey to the Abyss.

Now that the task is accomplished, there is no need to delay any longer.

After collecting the array talisman and determining the direction, Shen Yu immediately transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the sky.

From the belongings of Li Guihe and Qin Yan, he had already gained a general understanding of this place.

This place is the southern region of Donghun Prefecture, where the main forces are the two major sects, Yanqiu Mountain and Blackwater Sect.

The two sects were evenly matched, each with a Golden Elixir True Person in charge.

Li Guihe was a highly respected inner disciple of the Blackwater Sect, just one step away from becoming a true disciple.

As for the Yu Yuan Sect to which Qin Yan belonged, it was just an obscure little sect, with the strongest member only at the second level of Foundation Establishment.

His current location is actually much closer to the entrance of the abyss than when he started from Dongmi Prefecture.

By a twist of fate, it actually saved a lot of effort.

Shen Yu flew at full speed, reaching his destination in just over a month.

Nestled among the mountains, there lies a bottomless, pitch-black cave with a narrow, cramped entrance that can only accommodate a few people walking side by side at a time.

A faint, chilling wind howled from the cave, so cold that even at midday, sunlight could hardly penetrate it.

Shen Yu did not rush forward, but hid in the shadows, found a dense tree canopy to hide in, and silently observed.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a person emerged from the cave in a disheveled state.

This person had a shifty appearance, looked flustered, and his clothes were torn in several places and stained with blood.

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he hurriedly left, clearly having received a benefit and fearing being targeted.

Before long, three or five more cultivators arrived together. After exchanging a few words, they jumped into the cave together, presumably to venture out and seek opportunities.

"It seems that quite a few cultivators know about this abyss, but the dangers within are unpredictable, causing most people to hesitate. Those who dare to enter are either desperate criminals or have something to rely on."

Shen Yu observed quietly for a while longer, until there were no other people around, before he quietly appeared, leaped up, and plunged into the cave.

......

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