Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

In an instant, every pore on Yan Cheng's body stood on end.

This is the first time in his cultivation that someone has been able to see through the lineage he cultivates!

Even with the profound foundation accumulated over a thousand years by the Taiyin Immortal Sect, which originated from the Immortal Lord.

As a holy maiden of the true lineage of the Hall of Longevity, her understanding of the "Upper Yin" was limited to merely knowing the name of the lineage.

Wang Qing and Zhong Tianying, this ill-fated couple—no, their old rivals—are both Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Given their cultivation levels far exceeding those of Qi cultivators, they still regarded Yan Cheng as a Taiyin cultivator, demonstrating that it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between Taiyin and Shangyin.

It was only because Yan Cheng himself cultivated the Upper Yin that he was able to distinguish the subtle differences between these lineages, otherwise, with his level of cultivation, he would not have been able to discern them.

The woman before me should be a corpse-raising woman.

"The corpse-raising woman shouldn't be able to establish a foundation, yet she could see through my cultivation path at a glance. Could it be that she cultivates the Upper Yin path?"

He subconsciously made a handprint.

As expected, the female cultivator's internal energy was shrouded in an indeterminate mist, and her realm, lineage, and cultivation method were all unknown. Even the Hidden Immortal Mirror could not see the truth.

Yan Cheng's gaze flickered between light and shadow:

"This person's background is probably far beyond my imagination..."

"But she shows no hostility. If I could use her, it would greatly benefit my future path!"

Thinking of this, he decided to stop hiding it and simply replied:

"I never expected that I would meet a like-minded person under these circumstances."

Upon hearing this, the female cultivator slowly bowed to him and said in a gentle tone:

"I dare not claim to share the same path as you, sir."

"I am the one who looks after the altars of the immortals in this Moon-Hidden Palace. I usually do chores such as sweeping sacrifices and burning incense. You may call me Mi Niang."

Yan Cheng had assumed that the corpse-raising women were all nameless.

Hearing her name, I became even more certain that she was not like the other low-level consumables I had seen before, who didn't even need to have a name.

Don't be fooled by the low-key tone of this female cultivator. In ancient times, she could serve as a temple priest for the Taiyin and Taiyang temples. How ordinary could she be?

If Yan Cheng hadn't been certain that the other party was a corpse-raising woman, he would have almost mistaken her for a hidden, high-level cultivator.

Only a True Immortal who has attained the Elixir of Immortality is qualified to guard the [Whispering Bell] that was originally located in the Moon-Sealing Palace!

Even if the other party was not a True Immortal of the Core Formation, their cultivation and knowledge were clearly far superior to any other high-level cultivator Yan Cheng had ever met.

Although she never displayed any superiority over him, Yan Cheng would never regard her as an ordinary person.

Sure enough, the female cultivator who called herself Mi Niang's next words were already shocking:

"I have been waiting here for over a thousand years, and today I am fortunate enough to meet you, my lord."

"This place has been opened seven times in the past thousand years."

"Apart from the fellow Daoist Zhou who wielded a sword and whose cultivation was considered authentic and received a response here, only you, young master, are fortunate enough to step into this hall."

Her voice was very low, but it wasn't hard to hear the relief she was carrying:

"I have been waiting here for you, young master, for quite some time."

Yan Cheng's eyelids twitched at the sound.

millennium?

This guy has lived way too long!

Tian Tong once mentioned in class that cultivators who practice the ancient method of "cultivating qi and nourishing nature" have a much longer lifespan than those self-proclaimed righteous fellows in the south.

However, their lifespan is only 150 years for Qi Refining, 300 years for Foundation Establishment, 600 years for Core Formation, and 1200 years for Nascent Soul Formation.

The situation is even worse for corpse cultivators, who have to have their lifespan reduced by the amount they lived before their death.

Fortunately, the original owner only lived for sixteen or seventeen years; otherwise, if the original owner had lived to the fullest, Yan Cheng would have faced much greater pressure on his path to enlightenment.

If this person in front of me can really live for more than a thousand years, could he be some kind of Nascent Soul stage old monster who suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

Yan Cheng immediately looked away, fearing that if he looked at this Nascent Soul stage monster for even a moment longer, he would be crushed into a pool of blood by the monster's power.

Mi Niang seemed to anticipate what he was thinking, and simply sighed softly:

"I am not a Nascent Soul cultivator."

"The reason we've been able to live so long is because of our connection to the lives of people here."

"As long as the Moon-Covering Palace remains in the mortal realm, I will have no fear of my lifespan ending."

"Unless... this place falls completely into the hands of outsiders."

Yan Cheng was taken aback. He was quite curious about how much Mi Niang knew about the situation outside, and tentatively asked:

"As far as I know, the Heavenly Corpse Path cultivators attempted to infiltrate this place several hundred years ago and even took the [Whispering Bell]."

"At that time, the Heavenly Corpse Path had no shortage of Core Formation cultivators. Even if they were blocked by the Unstable Mist, they must have had the means to forcibly break through the mist."

"We had no choice but to ensure that... this place was not damaged."

Mi Niang shook her head upon hearing this:

"What you just mentioned is an old story from hundreds of years ago."

"Those Netherworld cultivators really caused quite a stir back then. Even the rune restrictions outside the palace that were designed to target cultivators with yang bodies were repeatedly repaired because of them."

"However, with their methods, they are not yet capable of forcibly breaking into the hall of the ancient immortals."

"Besides myself, only cultivators practicing the righteous path of [Upper Yin] are allowed to set foot here."

"Even if others enter the palace, they will lose their way in the winding corridors and can at most gain some benefits in the various palaces."

"The two who entered the palace with you are now in the same predicament."

"There are no deadly traps in the palace. The fog everywhere is connected to me, so you don't need to worry about your two companions."

Yan Cheng smiled:

"Those two are not greedy people; they are overjoyed to have received even a small benefit."

"If they gain nothing, that's their fate. Why should I worry about them?"

At that moment, all he could think about was Huang Tong, who had gone to great lengths to sneak in but was destined to never find the corpse-raising woman to help her build her foundation. He almost couldn't help but laugh.

Important matters must be taken seriously. Important matters must be taken seriously.

Yan Cheng finally managed to suppress the smile on his lips and said with a serious expression:

"According to you, fellow Daoist, even a True Immortal at the Core Formation stage cannot break the restrictions here."

"Then the one who took the [Whispering Bell] that day was someone who cultivated the [Upper Yin] path and was able to enter this hall."

When it comes to ancient cultivators who practice the [Upper Yin], he only knows of one person: the Sword Immortal Qingping.

However, it is simply against the common sense that Yan Cheng has accumulated over his years of cultivation to say that a Foundation Establishment cultivator is capable of moving an entire magical artifact.

Unless that person possesses a rank far exceeding their cultivation level, allowing them to wield magical treasures at will...

But would someone like him need to fight a mere palace guard so hard that he even lost his weapon?

The extraordinary intuition that Yan Cheng had cultivated during his six months of training in the palace allowed him to keenly grasp the crux of the problem.

Mi Niang shook her head:

"That person was never put into this hall."

"I do not know that person's name, background, or how he managed to bypass the restrictions here and take away the Whispering Bell that was originally hanging high in the sky above this hall."

"Based solely on my life-or-death connection with this place, I can vaguely sense that the other party used the connection between [Taiyin] and [Shangyin] to seize the magic treasure through some secret method."

"The Baodan people who were above the fog sea at that time were not all the same kind of people."

"When that person succeeded, I only vaguely heard a master call him Sect Master..."

"She should... be a member of the Taiyin lineage."