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

The corpse raised its skeletal hands and pointed them at Jiang Bai's right arm.

Even through the sleeves, the aura emanating from the scattered poisonous patterns could not escape the corpse's notice.

The corpse spoke: "You have killed many people, but not for the sake of killing. The resentment on your body was acquired after you came from piles of corpses."

Jiang Bai remained silent.

After a while, the ghostly fire in the corpse's eyes flickered slightly, as if it remembered something: "This place is called 'Burial Tomb of Soldiers,' the burial place of three thousand border guards many years ago. You were able to awaken me, so it can be said that we are destined to meet."

It paused for a moment, then pressed its skeletal hand to the ground, supporting its half-rotten body as it stood up, still clutching the nicked and broken knife tightly in its hand.

"Beat my three strikes. If you catch them, you will receive my inheritance, the 'Breaking Army Blade Technique,' and also this blood-stained blade."

Jiang Bai stared at it for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Senior, you are a Foundation Establishment stage warrior, while I am only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. To take three of your strikes is no different from suicide."

"I will suppress my cultivation level and only use the power of the fifth level of Qi Refining."

Hearing this, Jiang Bai was somewhat tempted, because he needed combat power.

We need the means to survive.

He took a deep breath and took out the heavy Burial Mountain Sword from his storage bag.

"Please enlighten me, senior."

The corpse nodded.

It stood upright, its broken skeleton exuding the imposing presence of a fierce warrior on the battlefield, holding a knife in both hands and slowly raising it.

The first strike is a mountain-splitting motion.

There are no fancy moves, just a simple vertical chop.

As the blade fell, the air seemed to freeze, and Jiang Bai felt a darkness above his head—not because the sky had changed, but because the intent of the blade was as heavy as a mountain, causing his breath to stop briefly.

He couldn't dodge it—this strike blocked all escape routes.

Jiang Bai gritted his teeth and raised the Burial Mountain Sword horizontally with both hands to block.

Clang—!

A clang of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying. Jiang Bai's tiger's mouth instantly split open, blood flowing down his wrist, the ground beneath his feet cracking open, his calf sinking half an inch into the mud. Using the force of the blow, he took three steps back, simultaneously activating the [Swift Shadow Step] to dodge to the side.

The blade grazed the hem of his clothes and struck the ground, leaving a two-foot-deep gash in the bluestone pavement.

The corpse sheathed its sword, a flicker of ghostly fire in its eyes: "You used trickery in your footwork, I'll let you off the hook. Second strike."

It gave Jiang Bai no chance to catch his breath.

The blade swung horizontally, suddenly transforming into a blur.

Wind-splitting type.

The slash was so fast that its trajectory was invisible; all that could be heard was the mournful sound of the wind, like the wailing of ghosts—it wasn't a chop, but a horizontal slash, the blade close to the ground, angled upwards, aimed directly at Jiang Bai's waist and abdomen.

Jiang Bai's pupils suddenly contracted.

[Killing Intent Perception] A fierce alarm sounded just as the blade was about to strike. His body involuntarily leaned back. The blade grazed his chest, his robes tore, and a piece of skin was cut off his shoulder, from which blood immediately gushed out.

He rolled over and got up, his right shoulder wound burning with pain.

"Sensory perception is fast enough, but the physical body is too weak." The corpse's voice was calm. "Third strike."

It slowly raised the broken knife.

This time, the blade made no sound of cutting through the wind, nor did it possess any terrifying power.

But Jiang Bai's hair stood on end.

He saw the ghostly fire in the corpse's eyes suddenly become extremely intense, and a layer of pale red light appeared on the surface of the broken sword. This was neither spiritual power nor sword light, but sword intent.

Soul-Slaying Style.

The sword was not drawn, but the intention had already arrived.

Jiang Bai felt as if his head had been struck by a hammer. His vision went completely black, and a cold, sharp consciousness, carrying the deathly silence of the battlefield, surged towards his soul.

Unstoppable.

This strike didn't sever the physical body, but the soul.

In a flash, Jiang Bai gritted his teeth and barely managed to mobilize the source deep within the shattered poisonous patterns on his right arm—the core of [Venomous Corrosion].

Although the poison pattern has shattered, this ability originated from the resentment and poison he accumulated during his seven near-death experiences, and it has long been deeply engraved in his soul.

A dark green, venomous aura emanated from the pores of his skin. This aura was neither tangible nor cool, but was filled with an intense and unyielding resentment.

This is the lingering resentment when the sword formation was destroyed, the undying obsession when sinking into the blood pool, the grievance born from betrayal, and the surging venomous ferocity when being hunted down.

Resentment and venom against the vengeful spirit.

The two forces of divine souls collided violently three feet in front of Jiang Bai!

Jiang Bai was silent, but traces of blood seeped out. He groaned, his knees bent slightly, almost kneeling, but he still gritted his teeth and stood up, barely managing to stay upright with the help of the Burial Mountain Sword.

Three breaths later.

The murderous intent of the sword slowly dissipated.

The broken knife in the corpse's hand fell to the ground, and the ghostly fire in its eyes returned to calm.

"Boy," it said slowly, "the resentment in your soul doesn't seem to come from killing people, but rather from the accumulation of many deaths you've had yourself."

Jiang Bai wiped the blood from his face, grinned, and said nothing.

The corpse did not ask any further questions. It plunged the broken knife into the ground, and with a flick of its skeletal palm, a dark red jade slip appeared.

"The Breaking Army Blade Technique is a top-grade Yellow Rank combat skill. It's not a particularly profound technique, but it's extremely fast at killing enemies on the battlefield."

It paused, picked up the broken knife, and said, "This knife is called 'Blood Remnant.' It's a low-grade magic weapon with no special abilities, but it can absorb some blood essence to nourish itself when it kills people. I've used it to kill 137 barbarians."

Jiang Bai reached out and took the jade slip and the knife.

The jade slip was warm to the touch, but the Bloodstained Blade was icy cold. The blade was heavy, and the hilt was wrapped in tattered strips of cloth, on which dark brown bloodstains were still faintly visible.

"A knife can kill, but it can also protect the righteous path." The corpse looked at him, the eerie light in its eyes gradually dimming. "Don't let it be stained with the blood of innocent people."

As soon as the words were spoken, its skeleton crumbled inch by inch, turning into ashes and scattering in the night wind.

The last pair of ghostly flames leaped gently, as if sighing, or perhaps finding release.

"Finally... I can sleep."

The skeleton completely disintegrated, leaving only a rusty suit of iron armor on the ground.

Jiang Bai gripped the bloodied blade, remained silent for three breaths, and then clasped his hands in a fist salute towards the armored figure.

System prompts will pop up as needed:

Master the new combat skill "Breaking Army Blade Technique" to boost your combat power assessment.

[Obtained the artifact "Bloodthirsty Blade" (Low Grade), with the trait "Bloodthirst"]

Before he could examine it closely, a sharp whistle came from outside the Stele Forest.

Madam Qing Teng shouted through the night, "Boy, I know you're in there. Come out and face your death, I'll give you a quick one!"

Jiang Bai turned around, knife in hand.

Holding the broken knife in his hand, the icy aura emanating from his palm spread outwards, calming his turbulent heart slightly.

He walked out of the Stele Forest.

Under the moonlight, Madam Qing Teng stood there with six cultivators from Poison Ivy Village.

"Think you can turn the tables just by picking up a broken knife?" Madam Qing Teng sneered. "Naive."

With a wave of her hand, six people behind her dismounted and surrounded her in a fan shape.

Jiang Bai didn't wait for them to surround him.

He moved.

With the [Swift Shadow Step] activated, his figure rushed forward like a ghost, the Bloodstained Blade drawing a dark red curve under the moonlight.

Before the monk on the far left could react, the blade was already at his neck.

puff-

The head flew off, and blood splattered everywhere.

The broken blade trembled slightly, and a warm current flowed into Jiang Bai's body through the hilt. Although very weak, it was real, and this blood energy invigorated him.

The remaining five people's expressions changed drastically, and they attacked simultaneously.

Bone whips, poison darts, and short knives flew in with a whistling sound. Jiang Bai dodged the flower whip, swung his left arm, and three poison darts shot towards two other people. Then, he swept his blood-stained knife horizontally, cutting a short knife that was coming at him in half along with the person holding it.

【Touch of Corruption】spreads along the blade.

The wounds of the cultivators who were struck quickly turned black and festered, and they collapsed to the ground screaming in agony.

In just five breaths, the three men were killed.

Madam Qing Teng's eyes reddened.

"court death!"

She dismounted and made a hand seal. The earth began to tremble once again, but this time it was not vines that emerged, but dozens of poisonous thorns as thick as an arm. They flew rapidly towards Jiang Bai in all directions.

Jiang Bai parried with his knife, the blade striking the poisonous barbs with a sharp scraping sound. There were many barbs, and although one grazed his left leg, it still left a bloody mark.

A numbing sensation immediately came from the wound.

Madam Qing Teng grinned maliciously: "My poison will surely kill you within three hours!"

Jiang Bai ignored her and instead activated [Poisonous Miasma Symbiosis] at full power. The numbness in his legs, which had gradually disappeared, slowly returned, but the process was extremely slow. After taking a deep breath, he activated [Shadow Stealth], and his figure nimbly darted through the poisonous thorn forest.

But the green vine mark on my wrist suddenly became hot.

Madam Qing Teng's eyes lit up: "You can't escape!"

She clasped her hands together, and all the poisonous thorns simultaneously changed direction, stabbing towards the location where Jiang Bai was hiding!

Jiang Bai reluctantly appeared, his sword dance transforming into a blur of light as he was left with low health, severing the poisonous thorns aimed at him one by one. However, the thorns seemed endless, and his stamina was rapidly being depleted.

This can't go on.

Jiang Bai recalled the military motto: "The sword is the guardian of the path."

His eyes hardened, he bit his tongue, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the blood-stained blade!

The blade suddenly erupted with a blinding blood-red light!

The icy aura instantly turned scalding hot, and the blade trembled, emitting a deep hum. Jiang Bai felt all the blood in his body rushing to the blade, but he did not stop. He gripped the hilt tightly with both hands and slashed down fiercely at Madam Qing Teng.

A streak of blood-red light shot out from the sky!

Wherever it passed, all the poisonous thorns shattered!

Lady Qing Teng's expression changed drastically. She quickly formed a hand seal, and a thick shield woven from vines appeared before her.

The crimson streak struck the vine shield.

click-

The rattan shield shattered, and the remaining force of the bolt of lightning struck Lady Green Vine hard in the chest!

She let out a shrill scream and flew backward, her robe tearing open at the chest, revealing a horrifying knife wound that spurted blood from her front.

Jiang Bai himself knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

That single strike took away nearly 30% of his vital essence, leaving him dizzy and his vision blurring. However, he managed to stand up and, gripping the knife, walked towards Madam Qing Teng.

The other three cultivators from Poison Vine Village wanted to stop him, but after seeing Jiang Bai's blood-red eyes, none of them dared to step forward.

Madam Qing Teng tried to stand up, but the wound in her chest was too severe; even the slightest movement would cause her to cough up blood. She stared fixedly at Jiang Bai, her eyes filled with fear and shock: "You... what kind of monster are you?"

Jiang Bai walked up to her, the tip of his knife pressed against her throat.

"I'm someone you can't afford to mess with."

Lady Qing Teng gritted her teeth: "We won't let Poison Ivy Stronghold get away with this..."

The blade sliced ​​through.

The sound stopped abruptly.

Jiang Baishou drew his sword and carefully searched Madam Qing Teng's body, finding a dark green token, several bottles of poison, and a tattered animal hide map.

The map marks a place with the words "Poisonous Dragon's Nest" written in ancient seal script next to it.

A system notification popped up:

[Complete the hidden achievement "Comeback Against a Higher Level", Reward: +1 Death Count]

Jiang Bai didn't look at it carefully. Instead, he put the items into his storage bag and then turned around to face the remaining three Poison Ivy Village cultivators.

The three men had already mounted their horses and fled without looking back.

Jiang Bai didn't chase after him—he didn't have the energy to chase after him anymore.

He slowly walked forward, supporting his knife, heading towards the village of Broken Stele. With each step, the numbness in his left leg intensified, and the weakness caused by the loss of vital essence surged into his heart like a tide.

When we returned to the ruined village, it was already dawn.

Beside the bonfire at the village entrance, the old cripple was still sitting there, poking at the remaining embers with a twig. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Jiang Bai covered in blood, his cloudy eyes trembling slightly.

"You killed Madam Qing Teng?"

Jiang Bai nodded, sat down by the fire, and took out a water pouch from his storage bag and drank a few mouthfuls.

The old cripple was silent for a while, then sighed softly and said, "Then you must leave quickly. The Poison Ivy Chieftain is her own sister, and her cultivation is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. She will definitely arrive here in three days at most."

Jiang Bai wiped the blood from his face: "Thank you for reminding me."

The old cripple pulled out his worn-out wine gourd from his pocket and handed it over: "Let me give you an old saying from the desolate land: when you kill someone, you must kill them all; when you cut weeds, you must remove the roots. You've left survivors in Poison Ivy Village, and you'll surely face retribution in the future."

Jiang Bai took the gourd of wine, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

The liquor was very strong, and it burned my throat.

After he finished drinking, he handed the gourd back, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and turned to leave.

When we left the ruined village, it was already broad daylight.

Jiang Bai walked south along the edge of the Black Swamp, trying to find a place to recuperate from his injuries, but his essence and blood were too depleted, and the recovery speed of [Poisonous Miasma Symbiosis] could not keep up with the speed at which his injuries were worsening.

After walking about twenty miles, my vision began to darken.

He struggled to the riverbank, intending to scoop up some water to wash his face, but just as he reached out, he suddenly collapsed to the ground and fainted.

……

When I woke up again, the first thing I smelled was herbs.

When Jiang Baisu woke up, he found himself in a simple wooden house. He had a bed made of dry grass under his feet and a quilt made of coarse cloth covering him. There were some holes in the thatched roof, and a few rays of sunlight would occasionally shine through the gaps.

He tried to move, but his whole body was in excruciating pain.

"Don't move."

A crisp sound rang out.

Jiang Bai turned his head and saw a young girl squatting by the stove in the corner of the room, brewing medicine. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was wearing a faded coarse cloth dress, and her hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin. From the side, her features were delicate, but her eyes revealed a wary expression.

Seeing that Jiang Bai had woken up, she stood up, still holding the medicine spoon in her hand.

The girl said, "I found you lying by the river when I was gathering herbs, so I dragged you home. Your injuries were severe. The poison in your left leg has been neutralized, but you have suffered a great loss of energy and blood."

Jiang Bai propped himself up: "Thank you for saving me... Where am I?"

On the southern shore of Kurosawa, my family makes a living by gathering herbs. The girl walked to the bedside, brought a bowl of medicine, and said, "Drink this; it will replenish your qi and blood."

The medicine was very bitter, but Jiang Bai drank it all in one gulp.

He put down the bowl and subconsciously looked inward at his body.

Upon closer inspection, they were stunned.

The right arm originally had broken poison marks, but after being stimulated by the medicinal power of the Crimson Sun Fruit and multiple bloody battles, a new mark formed on its own.

The line was dark red, like a scar branded onto the skin, lying dormant.

At the same time, a system prompt popped up:

[Poisonous Pattern Rebirth Progress 1/9, please continue collecting the unique poisons of the Wasteland]

Before Jiang Bai could think it through, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside.

The girl's face changed drastically, and she almost dropped the medicine bowl in her hand.

"Oh no...it's the Bloodfang Knights! They've come to collect their 'blood tax'!"