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

The wind whipped up sand and gravel, which stung my face.

Jiang Bai left the canyon and walked about ten miles into the deeper wilderness.

The soil beneath his feet gradually turned from scorched black to dark yellow, and in the distance, several crooked, withered trees could be seen, their branches outstretched in the gray mist. He walked at a leisurely pace, the Soul-Suppressing Jade on his chest pressed against his skin, the warm and cool sensation continuously soothing his soul—the lingering stagnation from reading his memories earlier had now completely dissipated.

The sacred markings on his right arm lay dormant, their dark gold hue faintly visible beneath the skin.

The Myriad Poisons Dao Foundation slowly rotated in his dantian, and with each rotation, the poisonous essence was washed through his meridians. The first level of Foundation Establishment was completely stabilized, and the range of his divine sense was fixed at sixteen zhang; it would be difficult to probe further outwards.

This distance is enough to detect most ambushes in advance.

As Jiang Baizheng was thinking this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Three powerful auras locked onto him from three directions almost simultaneously.

fast.

They moved as fast as hunting dogs that had been waiting nearby, just as their prey stepped into the encirclement.

Jiang Bai raised his eyes.

A hundred feet directly ahead, a figure in black robes stepped out from the gray mist. The newcomer was a middle-aged cultivator with a sinister face, deep-set eyes, a high nose, and silver star patterns embroidered on his cuffs—not the simple patterns of before, but seven small stars surrounding a crescent moon.

Mid-stage of foundation building.

Thirty feet to the left, a short, stocky man emerged from behind a rock, also dressed in a black robe with silver patterns, carrying a chain hammer with a jet-black head, from which a faint blood-red light seemed to flow. Early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Fifty feet to the right, a tall, thin cultivator emerged from behind a withered tree, carrying a long sword on his back. The sword was not yet drawn, but its sword aura had already cut through the surrounding mist. He was also in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

The three men stood in a triangle, effectively blocking all of Jiang Bai's escape routes.

"Quick reaction," Jiang Bai thought to himself, his right hand already on the hilt of his knife.

The middle-aged cultivator at the head of the group spoke, his voice like scraping metal: "Hand over what you obtained from the ruins, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse."

The words were spoken in a plain tone, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Jiang Bai didn't respond, his gaze sweeping over the silver star patterns on the sleeves of the three men—these were the true elites of the Starfall Pavilion, not on the same level as the injured steward from before. Their coordination was impeccable; their auras were linked when they appeared, clearly indicating they had practiced combined attack techniques.

"Not going to talk?" The short, stocky man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Then we'll do it the old way: kill him first, then search him."

Before the words were even finished, the three of them moved at the same time.

No nonsense, no probing.

The middle-aged cultivator raised his hand to form a hand seal, seven cold stars bursting from his fingertips, forming the shape of the Big Dipper and hovering in mid-air. The short, stocky man swung his chain hammer, the black hammerhead cutting through the wind; before the hammer even arrived, a foul stench followed. The tall, thin cultivator drew his sword, its blade flashing like a bolt of lightning as it slashed across Jiang Bai's lower body.

The moment the three attacked, their auras became completely intertwined.

hum-

Three intersecting lines of light appeared on the ground, forming a triangle that firmly locked the space within ten feet of Jiang Bai. The air became viscous, his escape techniques were restricted, and even lifting his feet felt heavy.

"The Three Talents Locking Void Formation." Jiang Bai recognized it.

The Starfall Pavilion's foundation is indeed profound. This kind of formation requires three people to practice together for many years before they can use it. Once it is formed, even a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator will find it difficult to break free.

The chain hammer is already at my face.

Jiang Bai did not dodge.

The nine sacred runes on his chest suddenly lit up, and a dark golden radiance flowed throughout his body.

[All Poisons Return to the Flow], activate!

A powerful suction force erupted from him, drawing in the surrounding poisonous miasma, yin energy, and even the remnants of spiritual energy contained in the three attackers' attacks, like rivers flowing into the sea. The hammerhead struck the light barrier with a dull thud, but failed to break through—instead, wisps of black energy were stripped away and merged into Jiang Bai's body.

The short, stocky man's expression changed slightly, and he quickly put away his hammer.

However, Jiang Bai used the force of this attack to retreat three zhang backward, while simultaneously pointing his left hand with fingers like a knife at the tall, thin cultivator on his left.

A wisp of dark red energy burst forth from his fingertips.

[Resentment and venom corrupt!]

Just as the tall, thin cultivator was about to give chase, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his mind, and countless distorted images flashed before his eyes: mountains of corpses and seas of blood, severed limbs, dying screams... Negative emotions surged like a tide, his sword momentum faltered, and his movements slowed by half a beat.

In that short span of time, Jiang Bai had already escaped the range of the sword light.

But the middle-aged cultivator directly in front of them had been waiting for this moment.

He brought his right index and middle fingers together and made a small gesture towards Jiang Bai's brow.

"Starfall Finger"

The wind moves silently, yet with terrifying speed.

Jiang Bai felt a sharp pain between his eyebrows and, without thinking, parried with his sword.

clang--!

The knife, now low on health, trembled violently.

A tremendous force surged through the blade, making Jiang Bai's mouth go numb. Looking down, he saw a fine crack on the blade—extending from the edge to the spine, about three inches long.

"A fine magical artifact." Jiang Baixin's heart sank.

The middle-aged cultivator's finger techniques possessed extremely strong penetrating power and contained a certain ability to break through defensive barriers. The Bloodstained Blade was merely a blood-drinking magic weapon, its grade ultimately insufficient. Against this killing move specifically designed to break through defenses, it immediately showed its inadequacy.

The tall, thin cultivator had broken free from the poison's influence; his face was ashen, and his sword flashed once more.

The short, stocky man also swung his hammer and attacked again.

The middle-aged cultivator stood at the center of the formation, his fingertips flashing with cold light, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

Besieged on three sides, the sword is damaged.

Jiang Bai's breathing became slightly heavy.

Just then, a system notification suddenly sounded:

[The terms "Shadow Stealth (Blue)" and "Swift Step (Green)" have been detected to resonate and can be merged into the purple term "Void Shadow". Merge?]

Jiang Baixin's mind raced.

Shadow Step excels in stealth, while Swift Step excels in burst speed; combining the two...

"Merge."

The moment the thought crossed my mind, the two terms shattered and reformed in my consciousness.

New purple entries have appeared:

【Void Shadow (Purple)】: Short-range teleportation, maximum range of ten zhang, consumes true energy, can be used three times consecutively in a single battle, with a thirty-breath interval between uses. A residual image is left behind during teleportation to confuse enemies; the residual image lasts for one breath and can be attacked.

A purple glow flashed and disappeared in Jiang Bai's eyes.

At that moment, the chain hammer and the sword light arrived simultaneously.

Instead of retreating, Jiang Bai advanced, his figure suddenly rushing forward—but just as he was about to collide with the hammer head, he vanished into thin air.

The short, stocky man was taken aback.

The next moment, Jiang Bai appeared three feet behind him.

The Soul-Slaying Sword Intent on the bloodied blade erupted with full force, and the pale golden arc of the blade slashed down like a crescent moon!

"Watch out!" the middle-aged monk shouted sharply.

Despite being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the short, stocky man managed to twist his body and parry the blow at the critical moment of life and death.

clang!

Knife and hammer clashed.

The hammerhead suddenly gleamed with dark light, actually blocking the blade. However, the [Soul-Slaying Sword Intent] had already penetrated through the hammer handle, and the short, stocky man felt as if his soul was being pricked by needles, and everything went black before his eyes.

In that instant, Jiang Bai's left hand was already pressed against his back.

The dark golden holy runes suddenly shone brightly.

[All Poisons Return to the Flow] is activated for the second time—but this time it's not for defense, but for devouring.

The short, stocky man's inner energy leaked out like a burst dam, surging wildly towards Jiang Bai's palm. He was terrified and tried to break free, but felt all his strength rapidly draining away.

"Get out of my way!" The tall, thin cultivator's sword light arrived, aiming straight for Jiang Baihou's heart.

Jiang Bai didn't turn around, and with his right hand, still wielding a bloodied blade, he slashed backhand

Swords clashed, sparks flew.

Using the force of that attack, Jiang Bai suddenly exerted force with his left hand, draining the last bit of true energy from the short, stocky man's body, and then released his grip, his figure disappearing once again.

The short, stocky man collapsed to the ground, his face ashen and his breath weak—though not dead, most of his vital energy had been forcibly drained, leaving him with no strength to fight again.

When he reappeared, Jiang Bai was already more than ten feet away.

The middle-aged cultivator's face turned completely gloomy.

He stared intently at Jiang Bai, his voice icy: "Teleportation technique... no wonder he dared to venture into the wilderness alone."

Jiang Bai didn't speak, but simply calmed his breathing.

Two consecutive teleportations took a considerable toll. The Myriad Poisons Dao Foundation rotated, rapidly replenishing its poison essence, but the burden on the divine sense remained—the [Void Shadow Escape] technique consumed more of the mind than anticipated.

The tall, thin cultivator helped the short, stocky man to his feet, fed him a pill, and looked up at the middle-aged cultivator: "Senior brother, this boy is troublesome."

"I know." The middle-aged monk took out a small black banner from his robes.

The banner was no bigger than a palm, yet it was covered in twisted runes. He bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the banner.

The black banner grew longer in the wind, instantly becoming over ten feet in size. The banner moved without wind, emitting a heart-palpitating suction force—not aimed at the physical body, but at the soul.

"The Soul-Capturing Banner?" Jiang Bai's eyes narrowed.

He had seen this thing in the Yin Bone Elder's books. It was an evil magic tool specifically designed to capture souls. Once covered by the banner's light, the soul would be forcibly pulled out of the body.

The middle-aged monk waved the banner.

A black light, like a curtain, descended.

Jiang Bai tried to teleport, but found that the surrounding space had been imprisoned by the banner light—this banner actually had the effect of locking the air.

There is no way to avoid it.

The moment the black light struck, the Soul-Suppressing Jade on his chest suddenly emitted a white light.

The warm, jade-like light rippled outwards, colliding with the black light.

hiss hiss hiss—

The black and white light eroded and eroded each other. The black light was fierce and domineering, while the jade light was gentle and resilient, protecting Jiang Bai's sea of ​​consciousness like a rock. Those forces that tried to penetrate his soul were quickly dissipated upon hitting the jade light, like snow meeting the blazing sun.

The middle-aged cultivator's pupils contracted: "Soul-Suppressing Jade?!"

He clearly recognized the item; a flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes, quickly turning to greed: "No wonder I survived in this land of evil artifacts... I want this jade!"

The banner shook again, and the black light shone even brighter.

However, Jiang Baiyi disappeared again during the brief moment when the jade light protected him.

The third teleportation.

This time, they appeared behind the tall, thin monk.

The tall, thin monk was prepared and swung his sword backhand.

Jiang Bai didn't get entangled with him. He feinted with his Bloodstained Blade, then sped off into the depths of the wasteland. He had already used up his three teleports. If he stayed any longer, the middle-aged cultivator would be free to attack, and then things would get really bad.

"Chase!" The middle-aged cultivator put away the banner and shot out like lightning.

The tall, thin cultivator glanced at his limp companion, gritted his teeth, and also drew his sword to chase after him.

The three fled while the other two pursued, leaving three afterimages across the wasteland.

Jiang Bai pushed his [Swift Shadow Step] to its limit, his figure flickering among the rocks and withered trees. The sound of wind breaking behind him grew closer; the middle-aged cultivator's cultivation was ultimately a notch above his, and his escape speed was even faster.

Thirty breaths.

Jiang Bai silently counted in his mind.

When he counted to twenty-eight breaths, he suddenly turned and rushed into a severely weathered rocky forest.

The rocky forest is filled with towering stone pillars and piles of boulders, obstructing the view.

The middle-aged cultivator chased Jiang Bai to the edge of the rocky forest, then paused—he feared Jiang Bai might use the terrain to his advantage and ambush him. In that moment of hesitation, Jiang Bai's figure had already vanished into the depths of the stone pillars.

"Senior brother?" The tall, thin cultivator arrived.

The middle-aged cultivator's face turned ashen. He took out a silver talisman from his robes and activated it with his true essence.

The talisman transformed into a stream of light, soaring into the sky and exploding into a silver star pattern on the hazy heavens, lasting for three breaths before slowly dissipating.

"The message talisman has been sent; the cabinet will send someone to meet him soon," he said coldly. "He can't have gone far. Search!"

The two men, one on the left and one on the right, darted into the rocky forest.

……

Thirty miles away.

Beneath a giant rock eroded by the wind, Jiang Bai leaned against the rock wall and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

His chest rose and fell slightly, indicating that nearly half of his true energy had been consumed.

He looked down at the bloodied blade in his hand—the crack had widened slightly, the blade's spiritual light had dimmed, and it was no longer of much use.

"Old friend, I can't keep up," Jiang Bai said softly.

This blade, obtained from the Burial Mound of Soldiers, accompanied him through countless battles, including slaying Qingluo, killing Yingu, and drinking the blood of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now, its blade is damaged and its spiritual essence is fading; forcibly activating it again would likely cause it to shatter completely in the next clash.

He put the blood-stained knife back into his storage ring, and then took out two other rings—one from the Yin Bone Elder and the other from the heavily injured steward of the Starfall Pavilion.

He probed with his divine sense and searched carefully.

The Yin Bone Elder's storage ring contained mostly insidious materials, bone-refining tools, and a few soul-refining manuals, none of which were of high quality. The steward's ring, however, contained a considerable amount of items: over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, more than a dozen bottles of various pills, and several magical artifacts.

Jiang Bai picked out a long sword.

The sword is three feet and three inches long, with a narrow and straight blade that gleams with a pale blue luster. The hilt is engraved with the words "Flowing Wind," indicating that it is a high-grade yellow-rank wind-attribute flying sword—one rank higher than the Bloodstained Blade, but not exclusively for poison cultivators or soul cultivators, so it may not be easy for them to use.

Then they found a bronze mirror about the size of a palm.

The mirror was blurry, unable to reflect any human image, and cloud patterns were engraved on its back. Jiang Bai poured his true essence into the mirror, causing ripples to appear on its surface, revealing the scene within a radius of fifty feet—it was a reconnaissance magic artifact, and its grade was also high-grade yellow.

"It's better than nothing." Jiang Bai put away the Flowing Wind Sword and the Cloud Pattern Mirror.

Other magical artifacts either didn't match his attributes or were too low-grade, so he didn't want them.

Finally, he found a jade slip in the corner of the butler's ring.

The jade slip contained records about the dangerous places and the distribution of forces in various parts of the desolate state. It mentioned several places: the details of the three major strongholds in the Black Swamp, several ancient battlefield ruins deep in the wasteland, and... three thousand miles to the north, a gathering place for rogue cultivators called "Falling Star City".

"Fallen Star City..." Jiang Bai wrote down the name.

He put away the jade slip, swallowed two Qi-restoring pills, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The wind howled outside the cave, whipping up sand and gravel that pelted the rock walls with a rustling sound.

Half an hour later, Jiang Bai opened his eyes.

His true energy had recovered to about 70-80%, and his divine sense had also been restored. He stood up, walked to the edge of the cave, and looked out.

A thick gray fog obscured the view, and no one could be seen.

But he knew the people from the Starfall Pavilion wouldn't give up. Since the message talisman had been sent, the messenger would arrive sooner or later.

"I need to find a place and see if there are any handy tools," Jiang Bai muttered to himself. "And while I'm at it... wait for them to arrive."

His eyes were calm, showing neither the relief of escaping death nor the panic of being hunted.

Just like an old hunter who goes into the mountains and knows there are wolves in the forest, he sharpens his knife and sets a snare beforehand, then lights a campfire and waits quietly.

The wind outside the cave seemed to be blowing harder.

From the direction of the distant rocky forest, the faint sound of clothes rustling through the air could be heard.

Jiang Bai smiled and disappeared into the shadows deep within the cave.

Some principles apply in Ping'an County, and they also apply in Huangzhou: if someone is watching you, hiding won't help. You have to let the person watching you know that you're not someone to be trifled with.

If you can't chew it, you'll break a few teeth.