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

After the battle at the Poisonous Dragon Pool, Jiang Bai returned to the Yin-Yang Rift Cave.

The reclining ox stone at the cave entrance remained unmoved, showing no signs of being touched. He paced around the perimeter twice, carefully checking for any traces of tracking or signs that the restriction had been detected. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he push aside the boulder and enter the cave.

Jiang Bai opened the storage bag given to him by the gray-robed elder of the Starfall Pavilion. Several palm-sized black array flags fell to the ground with a thud. Twisted star patterns were interwoven on the flags. The array flags were icy cold to the touch. After applying spiritual power, they could produce a wonderful effect of isolating the fluctuations of divine sense.

"The spirit-isolating array flags are quite convenient."

With a flick of his finger, the array flags around him flew toward the four corners of the cave, disappearing into the stone wall about one centimeter deep. A ray of spiritual light suddenly appeared, and a pale black light curtain, like an inverted bowl, covered the inside of the cave. This light curtain could not completely prevent the inevitable changes in heaven and earth that would occur during the foundation building process, but it could delay time and prevent some malicious people from spying on it.

After doing all this, Jiang Bai sat cross-legged in the center of the cave.

A cool breeze emanated from the bluestone pavement, seeping into his skin through his clothes. He slowly regulated his breathing, making it long and steady. On his chest, nine dark golden holy runes rose and fell gently with his breath, like a sleeping dragon slowly awakening.

My mind was drawn into the system interface.

Above the pale blue light screen, the two dazzling golden entries, 【Ten Thousand Poisons Holy Body】 and 【Soul-Slaying Sword Intent】, floated leisurely, their luster deeper than that of the other entries around them.

That's the source of his confidence to take this path.

Jiang Bai slowly opened his eyes, his gaze revealing no hesitation, only a clear and resolute light. He took out a bottle of "Poison Base Spirit Liquid" made primarily from Condensing Yuan Jade Liquid from his robes.

As soon as the stopper was pulled out, an aroma that blended a rich medicinal fragrance with a faint fishy smell spread out in all directions. The dark golden liquid inside the bottle swayed slightly, and a flowing halo seemed to surround its surface.

Without pausing, Jiang Bai tilted his head back and poured the entire bottle of spiritual liquid into his mouth.

The moment the liquid entered his throat, it transformed into a scalding torrent, not as hot as flames, but with the overwhelming force of countless poisons converging and spiritual energy surging wildly, rushing straight down his esophagus!

"boom--!"

Jiang Bai was startled.

His limbs and bones felt as if they had been thrown into a furnace. Every inch of flesh and every meridian was trembling violently. The potent poison, pure spiritual energy, and soul-stabilizing power contained in the spiritual liquid, along with the mark of his own blood essence, all erupted at this moment, like an out-of-control flood raging wildly within his body.

pain.

An indescribable pain.

It wasn't as sharp as being chopped by a knife or axe, but rather it disintegrated and reformed from the smallest details. Muscle fibers were torn apart and then forcibly glued together by poison and spiritual power. Bones creaked under the strain, and fine dark gold patterns appeared on their surfaces. Meridians were almost bursting, but they were still expanded and strengthened according to the profound operating route in the "True Blood Poison Pattern Foundation Building Chapter".

Jiang Bai's forehead veins bulged, his jaw was clenched, and a trickle of dark red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

But his eyes remained clear.

The mind is tightly locked onto that icy, sharp edge in the soul; this edge is the source of the [Soul-Slaying Sword Intent].

No matter how much blood and flesh churn and how much pain surges within me, I will remain unmoved.

At the same time, the nine sacred runes on his chest came to life!

They broke free from the skin's constraints, transforming into nine dark golden ribbons that spread from the chest to the limbs, finally converging in the lower abdomen's dantian. Wherever they passed, the wild torrent of spiritual fluid was instantly cut, absorbed, and transformed, becoming nourishment for the growth of the sacred runes.

The sacred runes are growing, intertwining, and transforming.

They are not merely lines on the skin, but gradually integrate into the flesh, bones, and meridians, forming a deeper connection and slowly outlining a hazy yet three-dimensional structural contour, which is the so-called prototype of the Dao foundation.

Within the dantian, the roots of the nine sacred runes slowly intertwined and merged, transforming into a slowly rotating dark golden vortex. At the center of the vortex, a dazzling golden light was quietly taking shape.

Jiang Baineng sensed that his level of life was undergoing a fundamental leap.

But how can one avoid calamity when going against the will of Heaven?

---

Outside the grotto, in the desolate wasteland where bones are buried, the sky has changed.

First came the wind.

The gray fog that had lingered over the wasteland all year round was no longer calm. As if disturbed by an invisible force, it gradually gathered into vortexes. Within the vortexes, lead-gray clouds rapidly gathered, instantly obscuring the sky within a ten-mile radius.

These clouds are no ordinary dark clouds.

It was an eerie cloud formation, a chaotic mix of dark red, deep green, and gray-black, its weight suggesting it would crash to the ground at any moment. The clouds churned like surging waves, within which enormous phantoms appeared and disappeared: coiled, hissing venomous pythons, roaring skulls, and endless wailing spirits. The entire sky seemed to have been silently opened, a terrifying gate leading to a netherworld of poison.

Powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy and the oppressive force of the Heavenly Dao spread out like a tidal wave.

The lingering deathly aura that had long haunted the wasteland was suddenly stirred by this invisible force, instantly transforming into a gray-black vortex that roared and spun wildly along the ground like an enraged beast. The wandering, lonely ghosts screamed in terror, fleeing in all directions in a panic. In the distance, within the forest of steles, the clanging of armor as ghostly soldiers trod across the ground suddenly erupted, as if a long-dormant army had been abruptly awakened by this extraordinary sight.

On the edge of the wasteland, in a few inconspicuous corners.

Inside the Starfall Pavilion, an elderly man in grey robes sat cross-legged behind a weathered boulder. His face remained as pale as paper, yet his eyes blazed with a fiery light. Beside him stood a cold, aloof woman, gripping her longsword tightly. She looked up at the strange spectacle in the sky, her voice trembling with barely suppressed fear as she said, "Steward, is this... is this the aura that a Foundation Establishment cultivator can produce?"

The old man took a deep breath, enduring his injuries, and coughed up two mouthfuls of black blood. But he didn't care and said, "The cultivation technique this child is practicing must be a heaven-defying poison technique lost from ancient times. This kind of phenomenon is unprecedented. If we can seize the essence in his Dao foundation and obtain the secrets of the technique..."

The greed in his eyes was almost tangible.

In another direction, behind a low hill about five miles from the cave.

The old man with the Yin Bone sat cross-legged, surrounded by a grayish-white mist of corpse poison, healing his wounds. To his left stood an extremely tall man in a blood-red robe, his face full of scars, with a hideous scar on his left eye that stretched from his brow to his chin, and he exuded a strong aura of blood.

Tu Gang, nicknamed "Blood Blade," is the second-in-command of Blood Fang Village.

Tu Gang crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the strange sight on the horizon, a smile playing on his lips as he said, "Old Yin Bone Ghost, you're saying that kid is practicing his foundation nearby? Setting up such a grand formation like this will save us a lot of time searching."

The old man with the Yin Bone slowly opened his eyes. His deep green eyes, like a dark pool, were fixed on the core of the strange phenomenon. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, as he said, "This child's poison technique is extremely peculiar, and he has mastered the method of suppressing the soul. He must not be underestimated. However, at the moment, he must be focusing all his efforts on Foundation Establishment and has no time to attend to anything else. This is the perfect opportunity to strike."

Tu Gang stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, grinning, "Foundation Establishment... I love interrupting other people's Foundation Establishment. I've heard that cultivators whose Foundation Establishment is interrupted receive extra nourishment in their essence, blood, and soul."

Further away, at the boundary between the wilderness and the surrounding mountains and forests.

Several figures, their auras fluctuating in strength, slowly emerged, some concealed in the treetops, others hidden behind rocks. They were all drawn to the astonishingly unusual scene before them; these were spies sent by independent cultivators or minor forces from the desolate state. Some had shifty eyes, calculating whether they could gain any advantage; others wore expressions of fear, unsure whether they should leave to avoid trouble.

All eyes were focused on the three-colored tribulation cloud.

---

Inside the grotto, Jiang Bai was completely unaware of, and did not need to be, the changes in the outside world.

He focused all his attention on fighting the violent energy within his body and guiding the transformation of the sacred runes.

When the dark golden vortex in the dantian reached its spinning limit, and the golden light at its center was about to solidify—

"Sizzle!"

The black light shield formed by the spirit-isolating array flags at the top of the grotto was torn apart as if it were made of paper.

It wasn't breached from the outside.

Internally, it was quietly permeated and slowly corroded by an extremely yin and poisonous, invisible and intangible force, eventually collapsing silently.

Then, the first wave of calamity descended.

There was no thunder, no lightning.

Several holes gradually eroded into the stone wall above the grotto, from which flowed thick, dark green flames, like paste. These flames were not blazing, but rather emitted a bone-chilling cold, corroding even the stone in their wake, with hissing smoke rising from them.

Poisonous Fire Calamity!

A dark gray wind suddenly swept through the cave, weak yet seemingly capable of piercing through everything, ignoring flesh and blood, and sweeping straight towards Jiang Bai's soul. The wind howled mournfully, carrying fragments of illusions: mountains of corpses, seas of blood, the wrongful deaths of loved ones, blocked roads, leading to eternal damnation…

Yin Wind Calamity!

The Poison Fire Yin Wind Tribulation, which specializes in attacking those who defy the heavens with poisonous cultivation, ignores conventional restrictions and goes straight to the source.

The dark green poisonous flames approached Jiang Bai within three feet, only to be blocked by the dark golden holy runes that spontaneously appeared on his body. Instead of burning, the flames displayed a penetrating ability; wisps of dark green poisonous fire seemed to come alive, drilling into the cracks in the holy runes.

Jiang Bai's body trembled slightly.

The fire toxin that penetrates the body is constantly changing in nature. Sometimes it can cause corrosion, sometimes it can cause paralysis, and it may even cause blood to flow backward. It intertwines with the flesh and meridians that are changing and being rebuilt, and if you are not careful, it can completely destroy the foundation.

He grunted and activated the [Ten Thousand Poisons Sacred Body] with all his might.

The nine sacred runes on his chest suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, and the dark golden aura within his body spun rapidly like a whirlwind, instantly forming an incomparably powerful attraction. The fire poison that had invaded his body was forcibly pulled into the vortex by this force.

"Sizzle..."

As the vortex swirled, the dark golden light and the dark green flames clashed fiercely like two ferocious beasts, eroding each other's strength. Each collision made the vortex more solid, and at the same time, it slammed into Jiang Bai's soul and body like a heavy hammer, bringing him a painful feeling of being oppressed by both his soul and body.

This is how, in the midst of the "poisonous tribulation of refining the body with poison," one bravely confronts the heavenly tribulation's poisonous fire by relying on one's own foundation in the Dao, and refines and absorbs it, thus turning it into nourishment for forging the foundation of the Dao!

Almost simultaneously, a dark, gloomy wind blew in.

Jiang Baishi was shocked.

Countless horrific illusions rushed towards him like a surging tide, as if to drag him completely into the endless abyss of nightmares. If he were an ordinary cultivator, he would probably have already suffered a mental breakdown and his foundation would have collapsed.

But deep within his soul, a golden sword light suddenly shone.

[Soul-Slaying Sword Intent], suppress!

The sharp and pure sword intent acted like a stabilizing force, calming the turbulent sea of ​​consciousness. When those illusory images encountered this sword intent, they were like ice and snow meeting heat, immediately disintegrating and melting. The soul-severing power contained in the yin wind was also gradually reduced by the sword intent until it disappeared.

Dark red blood kept flowing from the corners of Jiang Bai's mouth. This blood was a mixture of toxins accumulated in his body and injured flesh. When his skin was attacked by the poisonous fire, tiny wounds would constantly appear, but under the effect of the Holy Rune's life force, they would rapidly heal, crack, heal; crack, heal...

It is as if it has endured the torture of being sliced ​​to pieces, yet it is reborn from the ashes with each shattering.

One hour.

The poisonous fire gradually thinned, and the sound of the eerie wind slowly subsided.

Jiang Baili remained seated cross-legged, looking as if he had just been pulled from a pool of blood. His robes were soaked with dark red blood, clinging to his body, and on his exposed skin, the dark golden holy runes shone brightly, two or three times brighter than before, resembling flowing molten gold.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a dark gold hue and a silver-white sword light flashed alternately before disappearing.

At the dantian, the qi vortex had stabilized, transforming into a blurry, dark golden base phantom about the size of a fist. On the surface of the base, nine sacred runes faintly appeared, flowing slowly, radiating a rich yet restrained vitality and pressure.

The foundation of the Dao is taking shape!

Jiang Bai let out a long breath, his aura instantly weakened, and his face turned as pale as paper.

The old forces have been exhausted, and the new forces have not yet emerged.

The sacred runes underwent a transformation, and the fight against the heavenly tribulation consumed a large amount of his essence. Currently, he is in the weakest stage of forming his Dao foundation.

It was also...the most dangerous moment.

He raised his face and looked through the cracks in the cave ceiling, scorched by poisonous fire, at the still surging three-colored tribulation clouds outside.

The first ordeal is over.

The second calamity is probably just around the corner.

Outside the cave, those predatory eyes were fixed intently on this place...

Jiang Bai slowly clenched his fist on his knee, his knuckles turning white.

He keenly sensed that four or five killing intents of varying strengths were locked onto the cave, the closest of which carried the familiar scent of corpse poison and was only a few miles away.

"Trying to get a freebie?"

Jiang Bai tugged at the corner of his mouth, but this aggravated his injuries, causing him to cough up blood.

He raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Then give it a try!