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

As the eastern sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, a gray-white forest silhouette appeared on the horizon.

That is the Forest of Rotten Bones.

Upon closer inspection, these trees have an eerie quality.

The trunk is grayish-white, the bark is cracked like the back of an old man's hand, and the branches stretch barely towards the sky without a single leaf.

Jiang Bai stopped half a mile outside the forest, pulled down his hood, and took a deep breath.

This smell contains poison.

Jiang Bai's right arm trembled slightly, a reaction to sensing a similar poisonous substance.

"It really is bone-corroding water."

With a slight thought, he quietly activated [Shadow Stealth].

His aura receded like the tide, and his black-robed figure gradually blurred in the morning mist, seemingly blending into the surrounding gray-white scenery. Jiang Bai stepped into the woods.

The forest was eerily quiet.

There were no birdsong, no insect chirping, only the sound of Jiang Bai's own footsteps.

[Killing Intent Perception] always maintains an alarm range of fifty feet.

Suddenly, a trace of malice flashed past thirty feet to the right front.

Jiang Bai stopped and hid behind a withered tree that would take three people to encircle.

A moment later, two men dressed in gray cloth shirts emerged from the mist, each with dominoes strapped to their waists. Their cultivation levels were around the sixth level of Qi Refining. They held bone spikes that glowed with blue light and were patrolling along their designated route. The man on the left spat angrily, the spittle landing on the ground and sending a small pebble flying out of a shallow ditch: "Staying in this godforsaken place for too long is making my bones crumble."

The man on the right sneered, "Be content. The reward Elder Yin Bone gave you is enough for you to live a carefree life in Blackstone Market for half a month."

"Carefree my ass! We've been guarding for seven days and haven't seen a single ghost..."

As they chatted, they passed by the withered tree where Jiang Bai was hiding, about ten feet away, and slowly disappeared into the depths of the thick fog.

Jiang Bai waited until they were far away before emerging from behind the tree.

He looked up in the direction the two had come from. The fog there was thinner than elsewhere, and he could vaguely see seven stone platforms of varying heights, scattered like the Big Dipper. On each stone platform stood a person, each with a different aura.

In the center, guarded by seven sentry posts, lies a pool of water.

The pool water was grayish-black, with a thin layer of white mist floating on the surface, and a tall figure stood by the pool.

The man was wearing rusty iron armor and a masked helmet, revealing only his eyes, which gleamed like will-o'-the-wisps.

Those are corpse puppets!

Jiang Baineng sensed that the cold, deathly aura was of the same origin as that of the Yin Bone Elder, but it was even more turbid and violent.

He squinted, not daring to approach rashly, but instead slowly walked around the outside.

Half an hour later, Jiang Bai retreated to the edge of the forest.

He took out a small cloth bag from his storage bag, untied the rope at the top of the bag, and poured out a dozen or so seeds.

These seeds were originally intended for setting traps in Lady Qing Teng's storage bag, and now they came in handy.

Jiang Bai then activated the [Corpse Poison Body], and gray-black miasma slowly emanated from his right palm, spreading towards the seeds.

The moment the seed was touched by the miasma, fine gray patterns immediately appeared on its surface, while simultaneously emitting a corpse poisonous aura.

He selected three nearby sentry posts, buried the seeds along the routes leading to the posts, and set up trigger formations.

Whenever a cultivator passes by, the seeds will immediately sprout and transform into poisonous vines to launch an attack.

Having done all this, Jiang Bai retreated into the shadows of the forest and waited quietly.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a cry of alarm came from the sentry post in the southeast: "There's something here!"

Almost at the same time, alarms also sounded at two other locations.

The guards at the three sentry posts jumped off the stone platform and gathered in the direction where the poison vines had appeared.

The remaining four guards became increasingly vigilant, and two of them left their original positions to look in the direction of the commotion.

Right now.

Jiang Bai's figure flashed out as swiftly as a ghost. He pushed [Shadow Stealth] to its limit and, under the cover of mist and withered trees, passed through the defense line and approached the vicinity of the central pool.

The ghostly green flames in the corpse puppet's eye sockets suddenly flickered.

Jiang Baixin was startled and immediately withdrew his concealment. With a flick of his black robe, he revealed his figure.

"Who goes there!"

The four guards by the pool turned around at the same time, the sharp sound of their magical weapons being drawn breaking the surrounding silence.

Among them, a burly man with a face full of scars stood at the front, tightly gripping a heavy bone hammer in his hand.

All four attacked at the same time.

The bone hammer struck the ground, stirring up a pale white shockwave; the cultivator on the left threw out three bone-piercing nails, their shafts wreathed in a ghostly blue poisonous light; the two on the right attacked from both sides, their bone knives slashing in crisscrossing arcs.

Instead of retreating, Jiang advanced.

He used the [Swift Shadow Step] to suddenly increase his speed, just avoiding the edge of the bone hammer's shockwave; gray-black corpse poison miasma surged from his right palm, condensing into a mist shield in front of him.

Three bone-piercing nails shot into the mist, instantly corroded and dimmed in light, before falling to the ground with a "clang".

But the bone knives flanking from both sides were already upon them.

Jiang Bai blocked with his left arm, and the [Corpse Poison Armor] appeared, the gray-black armor covering his arm. The bone knife struck the armor, producing a piercing scraping sound. The poisonous light of the blade collided violently with the corpse poison, and finally dissipated together.

Seizing the momentary opening, the scarred man swept his bone hammer horizontally, aiming straight for Jiang Bai's waist and abdomen.

This hammer blow was powerful and heavy; if it had landed squarely, even a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining would have suffered broken bones.

Jiang Baishun dodged to the side, the bone hammer barely grazing his waist, the force of the wind tearing a hole in his black robe. He gripped the hammer handle with his left hand, and his right palm, like a viper's forked tongue, slammed towards the scarred man's face.

The man was shocked and looked up, simultaneously dropping his hammer and retreating three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in a flash.

Seeing this, the other three became even more aggressive, raining down bone knives, bone spikes, and bone nails all over Jiang Bai's body, covering all his vital points.

Jiang Bai defended and retreated, seemingly in a sorry state, but his footwork was actually quite clever, slowly leading the four of them toward the pool.

The dark gray, bone-corroding water in the pool was right in front of me, and the white mist rising from the surface of the water brought a burning pain like needles when it touched my skin.

At that moment, the ghostly green flames in the eye sockets of the standing corpse puppet suddenly surged!

It moved.

The armor was rusted and the sound of friction on its surface was enough to make your teeth ache.

As the corpse puppet took a step, the ground beneath its feet cracked, and its movement was so fast that it was almost a blur. Its five fingers transformed into sharp claws, which went straight for Jiang Bai's back.

That claw came too fast and too quickly.

Jiang Baisi had no way to avoid it.

He suddenly turned around and, without dodging or avoiding, charged straight at the claw!

"Pfft—"

Iron claws pierced his back, penetrating his black robe and tearing through flesh to the bone. A wave of excruciating pain washed over him; Jiang Bai groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

But he used the force of that claw to lunge forward, plunging his hands deep into the bone-corroding water in the pool!

"You're asking for it!" the scarred man roared.

The four guards rushed forward together, their magical artifacts emitting a strong light, wanting to immediately execute this madman who had come to their door.

Jiang Bai laughed.

His arms sank into the corrosive water, and the grayish-black poison made a hissing sound as soon as it touched his skin.

[Symbiotic Poisonous Mist] It tries its best to convert the poison in the water into life energy, but the toxicity of the bone-corroding water is too strong, far exceeding the conversion limit.

The skin on both arms was visibly ulcerated and melting, revealing the bright red muscle underneath. Later, the muscle turned black and atrophied. The excruciating pain spread along the arms, as if thousands of poisonous insects were gnawing at the bone marrow.

Jiang Bai's forehead veins bulged, and his teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding together, but he held on with all his might.

The corpse puppet drew its iron claws, tearing up a patch of flesh and blood. The ghostly fire in its eye sockets flickered. Then it raised its claws again, intending to completely execute the intruder.

The magical weapons of the four guards were already crashing down on him.

At the critical moment.

Jiang Bai suddenly looked up and burst into loud laughter, his voice hoarse yet ruthless: "Old ghost of Yin Bones, I'll take your poison pool!"

The spiritual energy within his dantian reversed wildly, and all the corpse poison stored in his [Corpse Poison Body], along with the remaining bone poison in his body, exploded at this moment.

The gray-black poisonous fog suddenly exploded, spreading outwards like a raging tide.

Wherever it passed, the bones on the ground turned to powder, and the dead trees quickly rotted and disintegrated.

The four guards were the first to be hit.

The protective aura around them shattered like paper by the poisonous mist, their skin instantly turned black and rotted, and their screams were cut short before they even finished. In just two breaths, the four had turned into four pitch-black skeletons, which scattered on the ground with a clatter.

The corpse puppet's movements faltered.

Its rusty iron armor was corroded by the poisonous fog, emitting a piercing "sizzling" sound. However, its internal torso was extremely resistant to the poison, and its movements were only slightly slower.

Blood flowed from Jiang Bai's seven orifices, and his arms rotted down to his elbows, revealing the white bones clearly, yet a resolute glint flashed in his eyes. He struggled to pull his severed arms from the pool, and with his last ounce of strength, he lunged at the corpse puppet.

The ghostly flames flickered in the corpse puppet's eye sockets, and its iron claws stabbed out again.

This time, the claw pierced through Jiang Bai's dantian.

Just as the excruciating pain was about to overwhelm his senses, Jiang Bai grinned and poured all the remaining poison from the bone-corroding water from his arms into the gaps in the Corpse Puppet Iron Armor, reaching straight to the core.

The two perished together.

Suddenly, darkness fell.

In the familiar void, the system's voice sounded once more:

The eleventh death, the following terms are available:

【Bone-Corroding Poisonous Hand】(Blue): Both palms contain bone-corroding water poison, which can corrode magical artifacts and protective auras.

[Poison Puppet Sense] (Green): Can sense and control unclaimed poison-attribute puppets.

【Absolute Poison Outburst】(Purple): A one-time use ability that compresses and detonates all toxins in the body, causing damage beyond the level of the user; note that all poison-related abilities will be temporarily disabled after use, lasting for three days.

Jiang Bai's remaining divine sense swept over the three options and said without hesitation, "Choose two."

The green light entered between his eyebrows.

The next moment, time reversed.

When Jiang Baisu awoke, his arms were submerged in the bone-corroding water. Just as the pain began to surge, the iron claws of the corpse puppet behind him were about to fall, and the magical artifacts of the four guards also emitted a dazzling light.

Everything was exactly the same as it was just before death.

But this time, Jiang Baixin had a sudden thought, and the newly acquired entry [Poison Puppet Sensing] was activated.

An invisible wave spread out from his body, and when it touched the core of the corpse puppet, it formed a connection with the ghostly green flame inside.

Give it to me! Attack the guard.

Chaotic commands were transmitted into the corpse puppet's consciousness.

The ghostly fire in the corpse puppet's eye sockets suddenly fluctuated violently. The iron claws that were originally reaching for Jiang Bai stopped abruptly in mid-air, then quickly turned around and slammed down on the scarred man closest to it.

"What are you doing!" The scarred man retreated in horror, his bone hammer held horizontally in front of his chest to block.

The iron claws and bone hammer collided with a deafening roar, sparks flying everywhere. This corpse puppet's combat power was comparable to that of a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining; such formidable strength could not be underestimated. The scarred man and his hammer were sent flying more than three zhang away, and blood immediately spurted from his mouth.

The other three guards were stunned.

"The corpse puppet has gone out of control!"

"Stop it quickly!"

The three of them temporarily disregarded Jiang Bai and each activated their magical weapons to attack the corpse puppet: the bone knife slashed at the iron armor, producing a sharp metallic clang; the bone spikes tried to pierce into the gaps in the armor; and the bone-piercing nails shot straight at the ghostly fire dancing in the corpse puppet's eye sockets.

The corpse puppet paid no heed, its iron claws sweeping out and sending one of the men flying, sword and body at the same time. Though its movements were somewhat stiff, its strength and defense far surpassed that of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. Even with the combined efforts of the three guards, they were unable to subdue it for a time.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, Jiang Bai fully activated the [Poisonous Miasma Symbiosis] technique.

With the aid of the [Corpse Poison Body] and the prior disruption of the corpse puppet using [Poisonous Miasma Sensing], he was able to focus wholeheartedly on combating the toxicity of the Bone-Corroding Water.

The grayish-black venomous liquid flowed into his body through the wounds on his arms. The [Poisonous Miasma Symbiosis] ability frantically transformed it into life force to repair his body, and the festering flesh visibly healed and regenerated. At the same time, the "Hundred Poisons Tempering Technique" operated on its own, refining and absorbing the essence of the bone-corroding liquid, and integrating it into the root of the poisonous pattern under the scar on his right arm.

The dark red pattern was now greedily devouring the poisonous power of the Bone-Corroding Water.

The scar gradually darkened, changing from dark red to grayish-black, and tiny, twisted branches appeared at the edges of the lines, spreading out like tree roots.

After an incense stick had burned, the water level in the entire pool of bone-corroding water dropped by one-third.

Half an hour later, the water in the pool had reached its bottom.

Jiang Bai's arms have returned to normal, only slightly darker in color, with a faint grayish-white sheen; on his right arm, a grayish-white twisted line has fully formed at the scar site, intertwining with the original dark red line, radiating a chilling aura.

Poison Pattern Rebirth Progress: 3.5/9.

Jiang Bai let out a long sigh of relief and stood up from the dried-up bottom of the pool.

The battle is now nearing its end.

Two of the three guards were knocked to the ground by the corpse puppet's claws, and the third was seriously injured and on the verge of death; the scarred man lay in the distance with a caved-in chest, his fate unknown. The corpse puppet's armor was tattered, and the ghostly fire in its eye sockets flickered more and more wildly, with unstable fluctuations emanating from its core—the restriction left behind by the Yin Bone Elder was about to erupt.

Jiang Bai's eyes turned cold.

He activated [Poison Puppet Sense] again, forcing the corpse puppet to pounce on the three guards who had rushed back from the outer perimeter. These three had just finished dealing with the poison vines and, sensing something amiss in the center, hurriedly returned to provide support, only to be met head-on by the out-of-control corpse puppet.

"Stop it!"

The three were horrified and attacked.

The corpse puppet was on the verge of self-destruction, yet it still charged into the crowd without hesitation, its uncontrollable, sinister spiritual power suddenly erupting.

"boom--!"

A thick, dark green poisonous cloud rose from the center of the Corpse Forest, and the shockwave swept outwards, destroying all the dead trees within a radius of thirty feet. A large pit two feet deep was dug into the ground, and charred limbs and broken arms were scattered at the bottom of the pit, along with the completely disintegrated armor of the corpse puppet.

Jiang Bai had begun to retreat before the explosion, but was still hit by the aftershock. His chest felt as if it had been struck by a heavy object, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He staggered to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at the ruins.

All seven guards were killed, the corpse puppet self-destructed, and the bone-corroding water was completely absorbed.

He dismantled the entire operation completely.

Jiang Bai walked to the edge of the pit and picked up a few relatively intact storage bags. Upon closer inspection, he found some spirit stones, pills, and a more detailed map of the Corrupted Bone Forest.

He packed his things up and turned to walk out of the woods.

The morning light shone on the bare branches of the tree, casting a long shadow behind him. On his right arm, where there was a scar, the grayish-white veins gradually warmed, revealing the unique, bone-chilling cold of the corrosive water.

Jiang Bai walked out of the Forest of Rotting Bones, glanced back at the gray and lifeless forest, and muttered to himself:

"You old ghost of Yin Bones, I've torn down your garden."

"Next time we meet, it'll be time to tear you apart."