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

Jiang Bai sat cross-legged, with three battle flags spread out in front of his knees.

The crimson Fire Banner, the jet-black Mountain Banner, and the earthen-yellow Earth Banner.

After circulating the "Hundred Poisons Tempering Body Technique" for three cycles, a tingling and itchy sensation arose at the fracture site in his chest, and most of the stagnant blood in his internal organs was also dissolved.

The Foundation Establishment stage pills were indeed extraordinary; after taking that Meridian Renewal Pill, the broken bones healed twice as fast as expected.

Jiang Bai opened his eyes and looked down at the altar.

This central altar is older than I imagined. Nine dark stone pillars, each requiring two people to encircle, stand in a ring around the perimeter. The pillars are covered with twisted vine patterns, and some sections have peeled away, revealing the dark red stone core beneath.

The altar floor was paved with a whole slab of dark blue-black stone, each slab with grooves carved into its edges, and a thin layer of dark red sand accumulated in the grooves, resembling dried bloodstains.

The flagpole at the very center is entirely black, with shallow spiral grooves on its shaft.

Jiang Bai stood up and inserted the three battle flags into the three holes on the flagpole base in turn.

The flagpole trembled slightly, and a dark red light shone from the spiral grooves of the shaft, spiraling upwards and eventually merging into the top of the pole.

The nine stone pillars simultaneously emitted a faint light, and the vine-like patterns on the pillars lit up segment by segment, as if the dormant veins were being awakened anew.

The ground began to shake.

Pale golden light emanated from the cracks in the dark blue stone slabs. The light flowed and connected along the grooves on the edges of the slabs, crisscrossing and outlining a vast and intricate array on the surface of the altar.

At the center of the formation was the flagpole.

Jiang Bai took two steps back and stared at the scene before him.

This is the ancient teleportation array left behind by True Immortal Blood Vine, a path to survival that leads to the desolate state tens of thousands of miles away.

The array's light grew increasingly intense, and the poisonous miasma surrounding the altar was pushed aside by an invisible force, forming a clear space with a diameter of thirty feet. At the top of each of the nine stone pillars, a ball of light the size of a fist appeared, each a different color—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, black, and white.

Jiang Bai stared at the nine orbs of light, and a thought suddenly struck him.

He recalled the record in the jade slip: the teleportation array requires three flags as coordinates, nine pillars as foundation, and the infusion of the spiritual power of the nine elements to be activated.

Nine elemental powers...

As I was pondering this, a low, grinding sound came from the shadows at the edge of the altar.

Jiang Bai turned his head to look.

Beside the flagpole, two stone statues that had lost their luster, a dark golden, viscous liquid seeped from a crack in the chest of one of them. The liquid flowed down the stone body, and wherever it passed, the crack healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

wrong!

Jiang Bai's pupils shrank suddenly, and he retreated rapidly!

Almost simultaneously, the stone statue suddenly raised its head!

Deep within its stone eye sockets, two crimson lights suddenly blazed, even more dazzling than before. Its arms trembled, the stone halberds in its hands shattering inch by inch, replaced by a pair of stone fists covered in dark gold patterns. Its height increased from one zhang to three zhang, and its serpentine tail slammed into the ground, causing the entire altar to tremble.

The oppressive aura of the early Foundation Establishment stage spread out without reservation.

Another stone statue also began to writhe, with dark gold liquid seeping from its chest.

The Blood Vine Immortal's backup plan—these two puppets actually have the ability to repair themselves!

Jiang Bai had retreated to the edge of the altar, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Burial Mountain Sword.

The first stone statue moved.

There were no fancy moves, just a simple step.

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters) is covered in a single step.

The stone fist crashed down with a deafening roar.

Before the fist even arrived, the stone slab beneath Jiang Bai's feet had already cracked with spiderweb-like patterns. He activated [Swift Shadow Step], shifting his body two zhang to the side. The spot where he had stood was immediately blasted into a pit about a foot deep by the stone fist, with fragments of stone flying everywhere.

The stone statue slowly turned around, its scarlet eyes fixed on Jiang Bai, and another fist swept across with a strong wind.

Jiang Bai drew his sword, and the Burial Mountain Ancient Sword emitted a deep hum the instant it left its sheath. He gripped the sword with both hands and fiercely slashed at Shi Quan!

clang!!!

The clang of metal clashing suddenly exploded.

Jiang Baihu's mouth split open, and blood dripped down the hilt of his sword. He was thrown back three zhang by the force of the impact, and his feet plowed two shallow furrows into the stone slab.

On the fist of the stone statue, only a white mark remains, no more than half an inch deep.

"Tough enough."

Jiang Bai shook his numb arm, his eyes remaining calm.

The puppet's defense was stronger than expected. Although the Burial Mountain Sword was an ancient artifact, it was ultimately incomplete, and with his current strength, it would be difficult for him to break through its hard stone body.

The stone statue lunged at them again.

This time, it unleashed both fists simultaneously, the force of which covered a three-zhang radius in all directions, sealing off all angles of evasion.

Jiang Bai did not take the hit head-on.

He lowered his body and quietly activated [Shadow Stealth].

Its aura suddenly diminished, and its presence became as thin as mist.

The statue's fist slammed into empty air, creating two large craters in the ground. Its scarlet eye sockets rolled, as if searching for a target, its movements momentarily slowed.

Jiang Bai had already circled around to its back.

The poisonous markings on his right arm lit up, and the tenth gray-black line detached from his arm, transforming into a chain that wrapped around the joint of the stone statue's snake tail!

"Sizzle—"

The venomous chains made a corrosive sound as they touched the stone surface. The stone statue's serpentine tail stiffened, slowing its turn by a fraction of a second.

Jiang Bai seized the fleeting opportunity and thrust the Burial Mountain Sword straight into an inconspicuous seam on the lower back of the stone statue—the very weak point of the joint recorded in the jade slip.

The sword tip pierced three inches!

The stone statue let out a silent roar and slammed its fist behind it.

Jiang Bai drew his sword and retreated hastily, the force of the punch grazing his nose and stinging his cheek.

He landed and rolled, and when he stood up, his left shoulder robe had been torn by the force of the punch, leaving a bloody mark on his skin.

Dark gold liquid oozed from the sword wound on the statue's lower back, slowly repairing itself. However, the corroded joints of the snake's tail, entwined with venomous chains, were showing increasingly deeper signs of corrosion, making its movements noticeably sluggish.

it works.

Jiang Baixin's mind raced.

This puppet possesses formidable defense and astonishing strength, but it lacks intelligence and its movements are predictable. If we can exploit its weak points and combine this with the corrosive effects of its venomous nature, we might have a chance to wear it down.

The problem is...time.

The restoration of the other statue is nearing completion; only one crack remains on its chest. Once the two puppets join forces, he will truly have no chance.

We must act swiftly and decisively.

Jiang Bai took a deep breath, fully activating the "Hundred Poisons Tempering Technique" within his body. A burning sensation emanated from the poisonous markings on his right arm, and the stored toxins began to boil and surge.

He sheathed the Burial Mountain Sword and formed a hand seal in front of his chest—not a spell, but purely using the power of the poisonous patterns to guide the toxins in his body to circulate along a specific trajectory.

The thirty toxins belong to the five elements and yin and yang, colliding, merging and compressing with each other in the poisonous patterns.

The stone statue lunged again, this time raising its fists high, the dark gold patterns on its fists suddenly shining brightly, clearly indicating that it was about to unleash a full-force attack.

Jiang Bai neither dodged nor evaded.

He looked up at the massive fist that had just crashed down, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"burst."

The poisonous markings on his right arm suddenly exploded with blinding light!

It is not expanding outward, but rather collapsing inward.

All the toxins were compressed to their limit within a fraction of a breath, and then released with a roar three feet in front of Jiang Bai!

Dark blue, dark red, gray-black, purplish-brown... various colors of poisonous mist intertwined to form a colorful poisonous cloud, instantly engulfing the stone statue's fists and spreading upwards along its arms!

Wherever the poisonous cloud passed, the stone surface hissed and crackled, and the dark gold patterns quickly faded and peeled away. The stone statue's scarlet eyes flashed wildly as it tried to retreat, but its snake tail joints were tightly bound by chains of venomous resentment, slowing its movements by a fraction of a second.

It's that half-beat delay.

Jiang Bai was moved.

[Desperate Counterattack] Triggered!

A surge of power, increasing all his attributes by 50%, flowed into his limbs and bones, instantly dispelling the sluggishness caused by his injuries. He stomped his foot hard, shattering the stone slab, and shot towards the statue's chest like a cannonball.

With his right hand, the five fingers spread wide, and the poisonous light condensed at his fingertips, transforming into five gray-black spikes.

"break!"

Five fingers plunged deep into the not-yet-fully-healed crack in the stone statue's chest!

scoff-

The sound of stone cracking rang out.

Jiang Bai's entire right arm was buried in the chest of the stone statue, and his fingertips touched a warm crystal the size of a fist.

Puppet core.

He exerted a sudden force, gripping the crystal with his five fingers and pulling it outwards!

"Snap!"

The moment the crystal detached from the chest cavity, the statue's crimson eye sockets suddenly went dark. The three-zhang-tall body froze in place, then collapsed with a roar, turning into a pile of rubble.

Jiang Bai landed, staggered two steps, and clutched the dark golden core crystal in his hand.

The crystal was warm, with liquid flowing slowly inside, radiating pure earth elemental energy.

He didn't have time to look closely and looked up at another stone statue.

The restoration of the stone statue was in its final stages; the crack in its chest was now only as thick as a hair. Seeing its companion destroyed, its crimson eyes blazed with a brilliant red light, and its serpentine tail slammed into the ground, causing the entire altar to tremble.

It didn't pounce directly.

Instead, it opened its large, stone-like mouth, and a dazzling golden light shone from its throat.

"Buzz—"

A golden beam of light, as thick as a bowl, shot out, distorting the air and evaporating poisonous miasma wherever it passed, melting deep grooves in the stone slabs on the ground!

Jiang Bai's pupils suddenly contracted.

The power of this attack is close to that of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

He activated the [Swift Shadow Step] with all his might, shifting his body to the left.

The beam of light grazed his right arm, instantly charring his robe and causing a burning pain in his skin. The aftershock struck a stone pillar at the edge of the altar, blasting a gaping hole the size of a washbasin into its shaft, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

The stone statue missed its first attack, and golden light flashed again from its throat.

The second beam of light followed immediately.

Jiang Bai could only continue dodging.

The beam of light swept across him, carving scorched furrows into the altar floor. The nine stone pillars were struck in succession, their light flashing violently, and the teleportation array began to stagnate.

This can't go on any longer.

Jiang Bai dodged while keeping a close eye on the statue's movements. Before each beam of light it unleashed, the golden light in its throat would gather strength for about a breath, and the beams could only attack in a straight line, their turning speed extremely slow. The opportunity had arrived.

As the third beam of light shot out, Jiang Bai didn't dodge to the left or right. Instead, he lunged forward to meet it! Just as the beam was about to hit him, he suddenly ducked, sliding along the ground to narrowly escape beneath it. At the same time, he raised his right hand, and three caltrops coated with a poison-suppressing powder shot straight towards the statue's eyes.

The stone statue abruptly closed its eyes, the caltrops striking its eyelids and exploding into three clouds of poisonous mist. The mist had limited effect on it, but it was enough to impair its vision. Jiang Bai had already slid to the statue's feet, and as he leaped up, his right hand drew the Burial Mountain Sword—the blade swirling with a gray-black, resentful aura—and thrust it straight at the statue's left knee joint! Clang! The sword tip pierced three inches into the stone, but became stuck. The statue lowered its head, its right fist slamming down. Jiang Bai released the sword, leaning back, the force of the punch grazing his chest.

After landing, he rolled over and took out the last two Blazing Flame Talismans from his storage bag. The edges of the talismans were still coated with highly poisonous powder scraped from the Black Fiend Valley Master's skull cane.

"Go!" The talisman transformed into two lines of fire, shooting towards the stone statue's knees.

Boom! Boom! The explosion instantly engulfed the lower half of the stone statue, causing it to freeze abruptly. Jiang Bai seized this fleeting opportunity and pounced again. This time, he didn't use his sword; instead, his right hand formed a claw, poisonous patterns condensing within it, as he clawed at the crack on the statue's chest that was about to heal!

"Open it!"

He plunged his five fingers deep into the crack, gripped the edge, and tore it apart with force!

scoff-

A piercing sound of stone cracking rang out, and the crack was forcibly torn open by half a foot, revealing the dark golden core of the puppet inside.

The stone statue's crimson eyes flashed wildly as it clenched its fists and slammed them down towards Jiang Bai's head. If this punch landed, even with Jiang Bai's current physical strength, his skull would shatter.

But instead of retreating, he took a step forward, squeezing his entire body into the crack in the statue's chest, his right arm completely submerged, his five fingers gripping the warm core tightly.

"come out!"

With a roar, Jiang Bai unleashed his full power, pushing the "Hundred Poisons Tempering Technique" to its limit. His right arm muscles bulged and veins sprang out, forcefully tearing the crystal out of his chest cavity!

The stone statue's fists stopped abruptly three inches above Jiang Bai's head. The light in its crimson eye sockets flickered like a candle in the wind before finally going out completely. The three-zhang-tall body stood frozen for a moment before collapsing with a deafening roar.

Jiang Bai crawled out of the rubble, covered in blood, his left shoulder robe completely torn, and a charred burn mark on his chest. He was panting heavily, his right hand clutching the second dark gold core, its surface still coated with a viscous dark gold liquid.

The altar fell silent again, with only the light from the nine stone pillars still slowly swirling.

Jiang Bai walked to the flagpole, casually tossed the two cores into his storage bag, and then looked at the three array flags in front of his knees—Crimson Fire, Dark Black Mountain, and Earth Yellow Mountain. The three flags were finally complete.

He reached out and grasped the flagpole, about to infuse it with the power of the poisonous runes to activate the teleportation array, when a whooshing sound suddenly came from outside the altar. Immediately afterward, an aged and icy voice swept across the entire area like a chilling tide: "Youngster, hand over the array flag, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse."

Jiang Bai turned his head and looked over. At the edge of the altar, beyond the nine stone pillars, eight figures stood in mid-air. The leader was dressed in an indigo Taoist robe, with white hair and no beard, his face withered like old tree bark, and his eyes deep and unfathomable. He did not exude any aura, yet standing there, he was like a mountain or an ocean, unfathomable.

Li Zhen, the patriarch of the Li family, was a Golden Core cultivator.

Although it was just a phantom clone with an aura only at the peak of Foundation Establishment, the vision and methods of a Golden Core cultivator were still far superior to those of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. The seven people behind him were the last core elites of the Li family, with the lowest cultivation level being the sixth level of Qi Refining, and the highest being the black-clad elder who already possessed the aura of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

All eight men's eyes fell on the three array flags in Jiang Bai's hand, their greed, fervor, and killing intent undisguised.

Jiang Bai looked at them, then glanced down at his own blood-stained and wounded appearance, and suddenly laughed—a wide laugh that revealed his blood-stained teeth.

"Old Ancestor Li".

He loosened the flagpole, turned to face the eight people, and slowly placed his right hand on the hilt of the Burial Mountain Sword.

"want to?"

"Come and get it yourself."