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

The further northeast you travel, the more bizarre the surrounding scenery becomes.

Jiang Bai walked extremely carefully.

The poisonous markings that were once visible on his right arm had disappeared, but the seven types of poison within his body remained dormant, like seven venomous snakes with different temperaments lurking within.

Although the "Hundred Poisons Tempering Technique" could barely suppress and control them, they still occasionally collided and rubbed against each other, planting an uneasy restlessness in his heart.

At the boundary between the two misty areas, there stands a stone tablet about half the height of a person.

The stele has been severely eroded by wind and rain, and is pitted and uneven. Three ancient characters, "Boundary Between Life and Death," are engraved on it.

Jiang Bai paused in front of the monument.

Looking to the left, there was a dark forest.

The trees in the forest are crooked and twisted, with countless vines entwined between their branches.

The vines were entirely grayish-black, with tiny protrusions all over their surface, resembling withered, curled tentacles.

This is the Yin Soul Vine.

Looking to the right, there is a sea of ​​crimson flowers.

The flowers are as large as bowls, with layers of petals, as red as congealed blood; the stamens are located in the center of the flower, are milky white, and emit a sweet and somewhat pungent fragrance.

This is the Corpse Fragrance Flower.

Flowers bloom in the forest, and corpses lurk in the shadows. Before the "Boundary Between Life and Death" monument, the two strangely intertwine and coexist, bringing an indescribable sense of horror.

Jiang Bai took a deep breath and activated the [Corpse Poison Body].

The poisonous miasma seeped out from the pores and condensed into a thin layer of armor on the body surface.

He then maximized his Blood Poison Resistance, causing a faint blush to appear under his skin.

Only after doing all this did he step into the passageway at the border.

As soon as I entered, the pressure around me increased dramatically.

When the pale blue mist drifting from the left touched my skin, the chill penetrated to my very bones, as if countless fine needles were piercing my soul.

The sweet floral scent wafting from the right side entered my nostrils, making my internal organs feel slightly itchy, as if something was about to sprout.

Fortunately, the two poisons counteracted each other, giving Jiang Bai a chance to catch his breath.

After walking about a hundred paces, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

At the center of the boundary between life and death was an open space with a radius of thirty feet.

In the center of the open space stood a blue stone platform, on which a rusty iron sword was stuck diagonally.

Most of the sword was embedded in the stone, with only half of the hilt and a small section of the blade exposed. It was covered in rust and had no trace of spiritual energy.

Five people were standing on the left side of the stone platform.

The leader was an old man in black robes, with a face as pale as wax, deep-set eyes, and holding a cane made from a human leg bone. He was none other than the Yin Bone Elder.

His breathing was erratic, far less solid and steady than when he was at the Burial Mound. There were still traces of undried blood on his clothes, indicating that he was injured.

Behind him were four Bloodfang Village cultivators, each wielding a bone knife or bone spike, who were nervously watching the opposite side.

Four people were also standing on the right side of the stone platform.

The woman at the head of the group wore a dark green dress and had withered vines tied in her hair; she was none other than Madam Qingluo.

Her face was equally pale, and there was a tear in the fabric of her clothes at her left shoulder. The staff in her hand was wrapped with living vines, but the once lush green leaves were now withered and lifeless.

Three cultivators from the Poison Ivy Village followed behind her.

The two groups faced each other across the stone platform, the atmosphere tense and strained.

The old man with the Yin bones spoke first, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping: "Qingluo, does Poison Ivy Village also want a piece of the pie in this opportunity in the Realm of Life and Death?"

Madam Qingluo sneered, "Yin Gu, your Blood Fang Stronghold has overstepped its bounds. This Corpse Fragrance Flower is of great benefit to my healing, and I am determined to have it today."

The old man with the skeletal frame, leaning on his cane, said, "What a coincidence! The Yin Soul Mist within the Yin Soul Vine is precisely the key to my soul's reconstruction. How about we each take what we need and leave each other alone?"

Lady Qingluo stared at him intently, her voice laced with sarcasm: "You make it sound so easy. Once you've taken the Yin Soul Mist and your soul has recovered, won't you come back to steal my Corpse Fragrance Flower?"

The two were talking, but their eyes kept darting between each other's faces, clearly both secretly assessing how much of their strength they still possessed.

Jiang Bai, hidden in the misty shadows at the border, saw everything clearly.

His gaze swept over two places. Deep in the Ghost Vine Forest, where the pale blue mist was densest, several vines were particularly thick, their surfaces gleaming with a faint light. In the center of the Corpse Fragrance Flower Sea, three bright red flowers were very eye-catching, the white powder in their stamens seemingly solidified.

These are all rare treasures.

He then looked at the stone platform and the rusty sword; these objects, standing there, always exuded an indescribable strangeness.

Just as he was pondering, the old man with the Yin Bone suddenly turned his head and glanced in the direction where Jiang Bai was hiding.

Jiang Bai was startled and immediately held his breath, focusing his mind and pushing [Shadow Stealth] to its limit, his figure completely merging into the mist.

The old man with the yin bones frowned, looked away, and assumed he was just being paranoid.

He suddenly sighed: "Since we lack trust in each other, we might as well act together. You pick your flowers, I'll gather my vines, and we won't interfere with each other."

Lady Qingluo pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. But what if someone harbors ill intentions..."

"Then let's see who's the best," the old man with the dark bones chimed in.

The two reached a fragile agreement and each led their men toward their target area.

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

He first arrived at the edge of the Ghost Vine Forest.

A pale blue, ghostly mist permeated the forest. This mist specifically damages the soul; ordinary cultivators who inhale it will become disoriented. Although Jiang Bai possessed the [Corpse Poison Body] for protection, he dared not be careless. With a thought, he activated the [Poison Puppet Sensing].

The power of the entry spread out and quickly locked onto a set of remains in the forest.

This was a cultivator who had passed away long ago. His body was partially buried under decaying leaves, and his bones were grayish-black, clearly indicating that his soul had been absorbed by the Yin Soul Vine. Jiang Bai channeled a little spiritual energy into the remains, and two clusters of green flames immediately ignited in the eye sockets.

"go."

The remains swayed as they stood up and walked with stiff steps into the depths of the vine forest.

After walking about ten feet, the surrounding vines began to wriggle as if they were alive.

Several gray-black vines suddenly leaped up and tightly wrapped around the remains's legs, waist, and neck. The protrusions on the surface of the vines pierced into the bones and eagerly absorbed the remaining soul power within the body.

The green flames in the remains' eye sockets flickered violently, then exploded with a deafening roar!

"boom!"

Green flames splashed everywhere, igniting the surrounding vines.

The Yin Soul Vine is not afraid of ordinary flames, but this green fire is formed from the remnants of the dead and carries a sinister nature. The vines immediately made a sizzling sound, and the mist in the forest also began to churn violently. Countless vines swarmed from all sides and rushed towards the explosion point.

The commotion was quite significant.

The old man with the skeletal frame, who had already reached the middle of the forest, suddenly changed his expression: "Something has stirred the vines!"

Without a second thought, he quickened his pace and rushed toward the place where the fog was thickest, where he was sure to find the essence of the Yin Soul Fog.

This is exactly the effect Jiang Bai wanted.

He turned around and walked to the other side, his body moving swiftly across the boundary like a ghost, before plunging headfirst into the corpse-scented flower bushes.

[Swift Shadow Step] Bursts forth, increasing speed by 30%.

The sweet fragrance of flowers wafted towards him. Jiang Bai held his breath and activated his blood poison resistance. The blush under his skin became more and more obvious. He rushed towards the center of the sea of ​​flowers, his eyes fixed on the three bright red flowers.

The white powder at the center of the flower has condensed into frost.

Jiang Bai took out three jade boxes from his bosom. His movements were as fast as lightning. With his right hand, he grabbed three corpse-fragrant flowers, along with the soil, and stuffed them into the boxes. Then he tightly closed the lids. This series of actions only took two breaths.

The fragrance of the flowers suddenly became stronger.

When Madam Qingluo reached the edge of the flower sea, she suddenly turned around and saw Jiang Baishou put the box into his arms and his back flash by.

She shouted, "You little thief!" With a wave of her staff, the living vines wrapped around it transformed into venomous snakes and shot towards Jiang Bai's heart.

Jiang Bai didn't turn around and slashed out with his sword.

The bloodied blade struck the vine, and a grayish-white, bone-corroding poison spread along the blade, causing the vine to immediately wither and break. Using this force, he charged forward, activating the [Shadow Stealth] skill once more. His figure flashed several times through the sea of ​​flowers as he fled towards the Ghost Vine Forest.

"Chase!" Madam Qingluo was furious and led three of her subordinates in hot pursuit.

The two groups, one fleeing and the other chasing, quickly rushed into the Ghost Vine Forest.

The mist in the forest surged violently due to the self-destruction of the remains. The old man of Yin bones had just found a thick vine and was about to collect the essence of the Yin Soul Mist when he saw Jiang Baichong enter, followed by Madam Qingluo and three others.

Upon seeing the Yin Bone Elder, Lady Qingluo angrily shouted, "Yin Bone! Did one of my clansmen steal my Corpse Fragrance Flower?"

The old man with the Yin Bone was slightly taken aback, but he quickly noticed that Jiang Baihuai had the shape of a jade box on his body, and that Madam Qingluo was filled with murderous intent. At this moment, he finally realized that he had become someone else's pawn.

His face darkened: "Qingluo, don't cause trouble for no reason. This person is not one of my people."

"If he's not one of yours, why would he flee here?" Madam Qingluo sneered.

During the brief standoff between the two, Jiang Bai had already rushed to the other side of the forest.

With another thought, he quietly released the [Snake-Python Sensing] ability.

Several gray-scaled venomous snakes in the forest were frightened by the rustling vines. Jiang Bai's power merged into their consciousness, issuing a brief command: "Take the vines."

The venomous snake is naturally immune to the venom of the Yin Soul Vine, so when it approached several Yin Soul Vine vines, it was not poisoned. Instead, it opened its mouth, bit the vines, and injected venom. As a result, the vines immediately became paralyzed and stiffened. Then the venomous snake began to wrap its body around these vines, and finally tore off several pieces, and then dragged them toward Jiang Baiyou.

Jiang Bai caught the vine and felt a chill in his palm. The protruding parts of the vine were still trembling slightly. So, he took the jade box next to him and put the vine inside.

Just as the lid closed,

Nine kinds of poisons suddenly boiled up at the scar on his right arm!

Black Swamp Poison, Bone Mound Corpse Poison, Bone-Corroding Water Poison, Heart-Rotting Grass Poison, Miasma Mother Crystal Poison, Blood Toad Sand Poison, Ghost-Faced Spider Poison, Yin Soul Vine Poison, Corpse Fragrance Flower Poison—these nine potent poisons, found only in the desolate land, collided and fused wildly within his body.

Jiang Bai grunted, knelt on one knee, and veins bulged on his forehead.

A system notification sounded in my mind:

Hidden quest "Poisonous Pattern Rebirth" completed.

[Reward: 1 random gold affix]

Please choose one of the following three options.

Three golden orbs of light appeared before my eyes.

The first ball of light revealed four ancient characters: "Sacred Body of Ten Thousand Poisons." The annotation indicated that this was a doubled effect of the poison-related attribute, increasing poison resistance to 90% and enabling it to devour any toxins and convert them into cultivation.

The second orb of light is the [Seal of Reincarnation]. After the holder dies, this mark will be left on the body. Anyone who touches it will be poisoned by it. Moreover, the mark has the ability to regenerate and can be reborn once every 100 days.

The third orb of light belongs to the [Poison Path Dominator], which can temporarily control all poisonous creatures, poisonous fog and poisonous objects within a radius of 100 miles. This ability lasts for ten minutes, but the cooldown time is as long as one month.

Jiang Bai glanced at it and made his choice.

"one."

A golden light entered between the eyebrows.

Instantly, a boundless power surged through his entire body like a flood bursting its banks. As soon as the [Ten Thousand Poisons Sacred Body] attribute took effect, the nine types of poison that had been clashing within his body were forcibly combined by an invisible hand and began to converge wildly.

The skin and flesh at the scar on the right arm were twitching violently.

"Sizzle!"

The sleeve ripped open, revealing a shocking scene underneath.

The original dark red scar had completely disappeared, replaced by a pattern composed of nine interwoven dark gold lines. The lines, like dragons and vines, meandered upwards from the forearm, through the elbow and shoulder, all the way to half of the chest.

The surface of the textured surface flows with a dark golden luster, and nine colors can be vaguely seen flowing within it: gray, green, black, red, multicolored, dark green, light blue, crimson, and dark gold.

New poisonous markings formed!

Jiang Bai clearly sensed the terrifying power contained in these nine poisonous patterns. They were no longer inanimate objects; they seemed to have come to life, moving erratically under the skin. They could detach from the body to attack enemies, or absorb surrounding toxins and transform them into pure spiritual energy to replenish themselves.

The original [Venomous Corrosion] ability was completely restored and amplified several times by the [Ten Thousand Poisons Sacred Body].

Within his dantian, spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave.

The Great Perfection of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining!

They are only a thin layer of paper, as thin as a cicada's wing, away from reaching the foundation stage.

Jiang Bai slowly stood up, his aura already different. Dark golden poison patterns faintly appeared beneath his skin, and he exuded a venomous majesty that inspired instinctive fear.

At this moment, the battle in the forest was nearing its end.

The Yin Bone Elder and Madam Qingluo finally made their move. They were already wary of each other and suspected that the other was plotting against them. They disagreed and immediately broke off their relationship.

The Elder of Yin Bones unleashed seven pale ghostly flames with his bone staff, while Lady Qingluo transformed her staff into a sky full of whip shadows. Both had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and even though they were injured, their attacks still stirred up storms. Their subordinates were even more ferocious; bone knives clashed with vine whips, and venom met bone spikes, and five people fell in the blink of an eye.

When the two men realized something was wrong and stopped fighting, only one of their trusted confidants remained standing beside them.

Only then did they notice the unusual fluctuations emanating from where Jiang Bai was.

A dark golden poisonous light shot into the sky, tinting the pale blue mist in the forest with a golden edge.

The Yin Bone Elder and Madam Qingluo turned their heads at the same time. When they saw the dark golden poison patterns flowing on Jiang Baizhou's body and sensed the aura of a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator containing the pressure of a Foundation Establishment level cultivator, their expressions immediately turned extremely ugly.

A glint of shock, anger, and greed flashed in the old man's eyes. "Hand over the Poison Pattern inheritance, and I might spare your life!"

Madam Qingluo gritted her teeth and said, "I want you to pay for my sister's life!"

The two suffered heavy losses during their standoff, but being Foundation Establishment cultivators, their combined strength still commands respect.

Jiang Bai turned around and looked at the two of them.

He suddenly smiled and reached out to grasp the hilt of the Bloodstained Blade on his back.

The sword was slowly drawn from its sheath.

Dark gold poison patterns emerged from the right arm, encircling the blade as if alive, turning the originally dark red blade into a dark gold.

Jiang Bai stepped forward with his knife, pointing the tip at both the Yin Bone Elder and Madam Qingluo, and asked, "What's the difference between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining?"

Before the two could answer, he stepped forward.

As he took that step, nine dark gold poison patterns suddenly lit up all around his body!

"The difference is..."

The blade, now with only a sliver of blood, fell.

The blade light contained the power of nine poisons, which transformed into nine dark golden poison dragons as they left the blade. The dragons twisted and bent, their heads fierce and terrifying, and roared as they pounced on the two of them.

The pale blue mist of the Ghost Vine Forest was stirred by the poisonous dragons, and the sweet fragrance of the Corpse Fragrance Flower Sea was dispersed by the dragon's breath. Wherever the nine poisonous dragons passed, the vegetation withered and the soil and rocks were eroded.

The old man with the yin bones was horrified. He pointed his bone staff repeatedly, and seven ghostly flames rushed forward.

Lady Qingluo waved her staff, and vines intertwined to form a wall.

"Boom! Boom boom boom!"

The venomous dragon crashed into the wall of ghostly fire vines, and the dark gold, pale white, and dark green spiritual lights clashed and exploded wildly.

The two were already injured, and even with their combined efforts, they were still forced to retreat continuously by this strike. Their protective aura shattered into pieces under the bite of the poisonous dragon, and the old wound on the Yin Bone Elder's chest broke open, with blood soaking through his black robe; the bandage on Lady Qingluo's left shoulder tore open, and black energy emanated from the wound.

The two retreated ten feet away, panting heavily. The look of shock and anger in their eyes when they looked at Jiang Baishi earlier had now been replaced by fear.

This strike has already touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment!

Jiang Bai sheathed his knife, the tip of which dipped to the ground.

His gaze swept over the two men, and he said in a calm voice, "The difference is that from this day forward, anyone below the Foundation Establishment realm is my opponent."

The dark gold poison pattern slowly disappeared into his skin. He strode towards the edge of life and death, his steps unhurried.

The old man with the Yin Bone and Lady Qingluo stared intently at his retreating figure, their hands gripping their canes tightly and loosely, but in the end, they did not dare to chase after him.

Jiang Bai stepped out of the boundary between life and death and sat down on a low hill. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, looking inward at his dantian. At this moment, his spiritual power was as abundant as a tide, surging endlessly through his meridians. He only needed a trigger to step into the Foundation Establishment realm. Meanwhile, the nine newly formed poisonous patterns were quietly lurking near his right arm and chest, without any conflict between them, merging perfectly together, no longer exhibiting the irreconcilable state of the past.

The system notification sounded in my mind again:

The milestone of ten deaths has been passed.

[Next level: Thirty deaths]

[At that time, part of the system's truth will be revealed]

Jiang Bai opened his eyes and looked northeast. In the misty distance, the shadowy mountains were faintly visible; that was the border connecting the desolate state to the outside world.

"It's time to establish the foundation..."

He muttered to himself, a flash of dark gold light disappearing from his eyes.

"Then, let's go to Zhongzhou and see what the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons is really like."