The entry for cultivating immortality states that after dying a hundred times, I attained immortalit

"The Valley Master has ordered the deployment of a soul-searching net!"

"At each exit, two people should be on duty at each point in shifts!"

"Once he enters the core area, he will surely die. All we need to do is guard his body."

The sound came out intermittently and gradually faded away.

Jiang Bai glanced behind him, his expression calm.

He looked up and glanced around.

This is the deepest part of the area, the core area of ​​the ancient battlefield.

The third layer of poisonous miasma truly lives up to its name.

All that could be seen was churning black mist, making it difficult to see beyond three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and the deeper areas were completely shrouded in darkness.

An ordinary Qi Refining cultivator here would have their lungs and internal organs corroded and penetrated by the poisonous miasma in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Jiang Bai, however, did not feel any discomfort.

A subtle suction force came from his right arm, and the True Blood Poison Soul Pattern operated on its own, absorbing and transforming the poisonous miasma that had seeped into his body, turning it into nutrients to nourish his flesh.

[Toxicity Immunity] Still effective against the third layer of toxic miasma.

But the real problem isn't the poison.

They are those things that cannot be seen or touched.

Jiang Bai closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to extend his senses outward.

[Killing Intent Perception] It had only extended ten zhang when it collided with a chaotic and distorted intent.

It wasn't some specific malice, but rather a cacophony of countless broken roars, wails, and resentments.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Those resentments are constantly eroding one's sanity.

Even with the [Killing Intent Perception] filtering, fragmented images still uncontrollably flooded into my mind.

Broken weapons, collapsed mountains, blood-stained figures falling from the sky... all are fragments of memories left over from millions of years ago on this ancient battlefield.

Jiang Bai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the irritation rising in his heart.

He stood up and walked deeper into the core area.

After walking about half a mile, a faint green light suddenly appeared in the pitch-black miasma ahead.

The light flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, like the eyes of some kind of being.

Jiang Bai stopped and placed his right hand on the hilt of the Thunder Fang Sword.

More and more eerie green spots of light appeared.

One, two, five... ten.

They drifted from the depths of the poisonous miasma, gradually gathering together, and forming a dark shadow the size of a house ten feet in front of Jiang Bai.

The shadow had no fixed shape; distorted human face outlines would occasionally appear on its surface before quickly disappearing.

An aura similar to that of the Foundation Establishment stage emanated from it.

Jiang Bai felt a chill run down his spine.

Could this be the "fierce soul" that the Black Fiend Valley Master spoke of?

A monster formed from the resentment of an ancient battlefield.

The dark shadow slowly crawled and drifted towards Jiang Bai.

Wherever it passed, wisps of black smoke rose from the dark red soil, and even the third layer of poisonous miasma was driven away by its even stronger resentment.

The poisonous markings on Jiang Bai's right arm glowed slightly, with nine lines flowing beneath the skin, emitting a pale blue halo.

The moment the dark shadow touched the halo, it paused abruptly, and the outline of a human face that appeared on its surface let out a roar, shrinking back half a foot.

The True Blood Poison Soul Mark seems to have a restraining effect on such beings formed from resentment.

But the gap between the two sides is simply too large.

The shadowy figure paused for only a moment before suddenly expanding, transforming into a gigantic, pitch-black maw that blotted out the sky and swallowed Jiang Bai head-on!

Jiang Bai drew his sword, and the blade of the Thunder Fang sword crackled with purple lightning as he slashed at the dark figure.

The sword energy disappeared into the shadow, like a mud ox entering the sea, without even causing a ripple.

He retreated rapidly, pushing his [Swift Shadow Step] to its limit, but the area covered by the shadow was too large. He was swallowed up by the darkness after retreating only three zhang.

A bone-chilling cold enveloped us from all directions, directly affecting our souls.

Countless shattered thoughts flooded his mind like a tidal wave, roaring, wailing, cursing... the resentment of thousands of dead souls tore at his consciousness.

Jiang Bai groaned, blood gushing from all seven orifices at the same time.

He gritted his teeth, and the poisonous markings on his right arm shone brightly with a blue light. The nine markings writhed like living things, desperately resisting the erosion of resentment.

However, the difference between the spiritual pressure, which was similar to that of Foundation Establishment, and that of Qi Refining was like an insurmountable chasm. The light of the poisonous patterns quickly dimmed, and those resentments, like a bone-deep ailment, slowly eroded his sanity.

My vision started to blur.

All that remained in my ears were the howls of the dead.

The last thing that flashed through my mind was the Black Fiend Valley Master's parting words: "None of them have ever come out alive."

Ha ha.

Jiang Bai smiled before he died, his consciousness sinking completely into darkness.

[Host death detected]

[Seventh Death Affix Selection Enabled]

In the chaos, three lines of light characters appeared:

[Resentment Resistance (Blue)]: Immune to resentment erosion, increases resistance to resentment during Foundation Establishment (pseudo) stage by 30%.

【Soul Spike (Green)】: Can launch a soul counterattack once. The power depends on the host's soul strength. Cooldown is twelve hours.

[Poison Pattern Resonance (Purple)]: Passive. The poison pattern can resonate with "poison-type entities" consumed by the host, absorbing their characteristics to evolve. Currently absorbable target: Miasma Vengeance.

Purple!!

Jiang Bai's consciousness suddenly cleared from the chaos.

The highest number of times a character died was a blue entry.

This seventh time, it actually turned out to be of purple quality.

More importantly—[Poisonous Pattern Resonance]

The emergence of this entry has solved a long-standing problem.

His powerful True Blood Poison Soul Mark and the Death Affix System have always been like two parallel lines that never intersect, each growing along its own independent trajectory.

At this moment, this entry will become the bridge connecting the two.

"Choose [Poisonous Pattern Resonance]".

The moment the thought crossed his mind, the purple light characters suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless tiny specks of light that poured into the poisonous markings on his right arm.

In an instant, all nine lines lit up simultaneously!

Deep blue, purplish blue, dark red, grayish white... The originally silent and still patterns seemed to be given life, and began to slowly wriggle, extend, and intertwine with each other, and even on the basis of the original patterns, the phantom of the tenth pattern was generated.

The illusory image was extremely faint, grayish-black, and appeared and disappeared between the arms.

[Respawn point confirmed]

[Time rewinds to: the moment before being devoured by the miasma demon]

……

A chilling sensation enveloped my entire body once again.

The roar of resentment surged forth like a tidal wave.

But this time, a completely different fluctuation came from the depths of the poisonous markings on Jiang Bai's right arm.

It wasn't burning, it wasn't stinging, but rather a strong, almost greedy, "devouring" sensation.

It was as if a ferocious beast, starved for countless years, had suddenly smelled its most delicious prey.

hum!

The poisonous patterns shone brightly!

The nine patterns simultaneously emitted dazzling light, and the tenth gray-black phantom extended at a speed visible to the naked eye, instantly intertwining with the other nine patterns to form the complete tenth pattern!

The dark figure trembled violently.

To be precise, it should be described as a struggle!

Its shapeless body twisted wildly, and the human face outline that appeared on its surface emitted a shrill scream!

The dark shadow, centered on Jiang Bai, began to shrink rapidly.

The intense resentment and poison were frantically devoured and absorbed by the poisonous markings on his right arm, transforming into spiritual and toxic power that nourished Jiang Bai's entire body.

Jiang Bai felt a cool current surge into his right arm, dispelling the coldness and tearing sensation in his soul.

Immediately afterwards, this torrent split into two: one flowed into the sea of ​​consciousness, nourishing the soul; the other dispersed into the limbs and bones, propelling the spiritual energy to circulate wildly!

The barrier between the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Refining shattered like paper under the impact of this pure soul power.

Within the dantian and dantian, spiritual energy spun and compressed wildly, causing the original total amount of spiritual energy to nearly double!

boom--

Jiang Baizhou's aura suddenly surged!

Qi Refining Level 5, Early Stage!

Almost simultaneously, the absorption of the poisonous markings on his right arm was also nearing its end.

The house-sized black shadow had shrunk to the size of a fist, a ball of gray-black mist, and was still struggling desperately, but like a flying insect caught in a spider web, it was all in vain.

The tenth Poison Pattern – a gray-black line extending from the wrist to the elbow, blends perfectly with the other nine patterns.

[Resentment and malice erode it].

With a slight thought, Jiang Baixin understood the function of this new ability: it could inflict resentment damage on the level of the soul during attacks, and had an additional restraining effect on beings with resentment.

He raised his hand, and a wisp of gray-black mist swirled from his fingertips.

The last dark shadow touched the mist, let out a desperate wail, and vanished completely.

A perfectly round black bead fell from where it had disappeared, landing with a "thud" on the dark red soil.

Jiang Bai bent down and picked up the bead.

The surface of the bead is smooth, and inside it seems to have a misty flow, with countless tiny points of light floating and sinking within it.

This is... the Yin Soul Bead.

Ancient texts record that only the core of a resentful being in the Foundation Establishment stage has an extremely low probability of condensing this substance.

It can nourish the soul and assist in cultivating spiritual techniques. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators regard it as a rare treasure.

Jiang Bai put it into his storage bag, and then carefully felt the changes in himself.

His cultivation level stabilized at the early stage of the fifth level of Qi Refining, and the total amount and purity of his spiritual power both improved significantly.

The physical body was tempered by spiritual energy again during the breakthrough, and although it did not reach the level of a mid-grade magic weapon, it was not far off.

More importantly—he looked up and gazed outside the core area.

[Killing Intent Perception] spreads out, and within a fifty-foot radius, all movements are reflected in the mind.

A hundred feet to the southeast, a powerful yet chaotic aura was moving—it was the Black Fiend Valley Master.

He didn't go far, but lingered on the outskirts, both wary of the dangers of the core area and unwilling to leave.

Jiang Bai squinted.

An idea slowly took shape in my mind.

……

Outside the core area, black fog swirled.

The man in black robes stood in mid-air, his gaze beneath the mask fixed on the dark, poisonous miasma ahead.

He has been here for nearly two hours.

The backlash caused by the suppression of the secret realm intensified, and a needle-like stinging pain came from the meridians of his left arm.

Those were hidden injuries left when forcibly breaking into the restricted area.

If it weren't for the strangeness about that kid that even he couldn't understand, he would have already turned around and left.

Just as they were hesitating, a muffled explosion suddenly came from the depths of the poisonous miasma.

Immediately afterwards, a piercing scream rang out!

That voice... was clearly terrifying!

The man in black robes suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, the pitch-black poisonous miasma ahead surged violently, like boiling ink.

Three dark figures shot out from the depths, carrying with them overwhelming resentment, and rushed straight towards his location!

"court death!"

The man in black robes roared, and three jet-black bone nails flew out from his sleeve, shooting out into three dark shadows.

The bone nail pierced the shadow, exploding into three balls of ghastly green flames, scorching the human face on the shadow's surface until it twisted and screamed in agony.

But these evil spirits seemed to have been completely enraged, and disregarding their own injuries, they rushed forward madly!

The man in black robes had no choice but to fight with all his might.

He formed hand seals, and black mist surged around him, transforming into three ferocious black pythons that entangled with the three evil spirits.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds of explosions were incessant.

The aftershocks of the battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators scattered and destroyed the poisonous miasma within a radius of several dozen feet, and plowed several deep trenches into the ground.

The man in black robes was already in poor condition and was further suppressed by the secret realm. Although he used all his strength to kill two evil spirits, he was attacked by the last one in its dying moments, and his left arm was grazed by a venomous aura.

"laugh--"

The sleeve of the robe was instantly corroded into a large hole, and the skin on the forearm turned a strange grayish-black color, with resentment and venom drilling into the depths of the meridians like a living thing.

The man in black robes groaned, forcibly urging his spiritual power to suppress the resentment and poison, his face paling even more.

Just then, a figure silently appeared in the shadow of the rock wall three zhang behind him.

Jiang Bai, draped in a Shadow Cloak, pushed the [Shadow Stealth] skill to its limit, his entire body moving like a shadow as he skimmed along the ground.

He drew the ancient sword from his right hand.

The sword was jet black and dull, with a blunt and thick blade, yet it emitted a deep, resonant hum the moment it was drawn from its sheath.

The dark red gem on the hilt of the sword suddenly lit up!

It wasn't a dazzling light, but a layer of thick, dark red luster, like blood, flowing along the patterns on the sword and eventually converging at the tip.

At the same time, the tenth line on Jiang Bai's right arm—a gray-black line—suddenly lit up!

[Vicious Infiltration] activated!

Grayish-black mist surged from his fingertips, coiling around the sword and merging with the profound sword intent of the Burial Mountain Sword, transforming into a grayish-black sword beam refined to its extreme.

At this moment, Jiang Bai's [Desperate Counterattack] ability was simultaneously triggered!

All attributes increased by 50%!

He took a step forward, and the ground beneath his feet exploded with a deafening roar. His figure shot out like an arrow, piercing straight into the back of the man in black robes!

Before the sword even arrived, the wind from it pressed down on the back of the black-robed man, causing his robes to cling tightly to his skin.

"How dare you, junior!"

The man in black robes turned around in shock and anger, his pupils suddenly contracting beneath his mask.

He was completely unaware of how Jiang Bai got close!

In the rush, he only had time to turn to the side, and at the same time, he struck out with his left palm, and the black mist condensed into a ghost-headed shield, blocking the tip of the sword.

clang--!!!

Sword and shield clashed, producing a deafening clang of metal striking metal!

The ghost-headed shield shattered instantly, and the Burial Mountain Sword, unstoppable, pierced through the black mist, striking the black-robed man three inches to the left of his heart!

"Pfft!"

The sword tip pierced three inches into the flesh, and the gray-black resentment surged wildly into the blade!

The man in black robes let out a beast-like roar, and with his right palm filled with boundless rage, he slammed it hard into Jiang Bai's chest!

boom! ! !

Jiang Bai was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, a clear cracking sound coming from his chest—he had broken at least three ribs.

He crashed heavily onto the rock face ten feet away, slid to the ground, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

But the man in the black robe wasn't having an easy time either.

The Burial Mountain Sword was still stuck in his back, and the gray-black resentment had already invaded his heart meridian along his meridians. His face under the mask was distorted as he frantically urged his spiritual power to suppress it, but the resentment was like a malignant sore that, together with the suppression of the secret realm, it made the circulation of his Foundation Establishment spiritual power sluggish.

"You...you actually manage to control resentment and venom..."

The man in black robes spoke in a hoarse voice, filled with disbelief and shock.

Jiang Bai used his sword to support himself as he shakily stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and grinned, "Didn't the Valley Master want to know what I smell like?"

He raised his hand and took out the last three Blazing Flame Talismans from his storage bag.

The edges of the talisman were coated with highly toxic powder scraped from the one-armed old man's skull cane.

"Now……"

Jiang Bai threw out three talismans at the same time.

"Take as much of a sniff as you like."

The talisman exploded in the air.

It wasn't a single flame, but three intertwined storms of poisonous fire that instantly engulfed the area where the two were!

The black-robed man's pupils contracted sharply as he activated his last layer of protective spiritual light.

boom--!!!

The roar of the explosion echoed throughout half of the core area.

When the flames subsided, only a charred crater remained.

At the bottom of the pit, the man in black robes lay supine, his mask mostly shattered, revealing half of his withered, corpse-like face. The Burial Mountain Sword was still embedded in his chest, and the gray-black resentment had spread from his heart to his entire body, completely extinguishing his life force.

Jiang Bai lay sprawled at the edge of the pit, the effects of [Desperate Counterattack] just wearing off, his entire body wracked with excruciating pain as if it were falling apart. He coughed up several mouthfuls of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, struggled to crawl into the pit, tore off the storage ring from the black-robed man's hand, drew the Burial Mountain Sword, and staggered toward the depths of the core area.

Behind them, the sound of wind rushing past was rapidly approaching from afar.

Without turning his head, he disappeared into the depths of the dark, poisonous miasma.

The storage ring in his hand was cold, with twisted ghost head patterns engraved on its face.

The Black Fiend Valley Master is dead.

He died by the sword of a young man at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

If this gets out, the landscape of Ping'an County will likely change drastically.

Jiang Bai tugged at the corner of his mouth, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain.

He swallowed two Foundation Establishment stage healing pills that he had taken from the Valley Master's storage ring, barely managing to keep himself alive.

Ahead, the poisonous miasma grew increasingly thick.

Deeper inside, a larger shadow was slowly creeping about.

But he didn't stop.

Some paths, once taken, offer no turning back.

The martial arts world is like this, and so is the cultivation of immortality...