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

Yan Cheng stared intently at the scratches on the door, secretly making a handprint, a mysterious feeling already forming.

The marks were clearly not from yesterday, yet the depth of the marks and the strength of the person who made the move meant that even today, a faint golden aura still lingers in the depths of the scratches.

As far as he knew, even a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining could not necessarily create such a long-lasting residual spiritual energy even if they went all out.

These are traces left by a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Yan Cheng was not skilled in weaponry and could not distinguish the weapon used by the attacker from the scratches alone, but it was clearly a sharp weapon.

Could he be a swordsman, one of the rarest talents in the Northern Territory?

His expression quickly darkened.

Sword cultivator? Here?

How is that possible!

Based on his understanding of the restrictions on this place, Foundation Establishment cultivators should not be able to enter the Corpse Raising Institute.

Unless the other party possesses some kind of magical artifact capable of bypassing the restrictions...

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator is troublesome enough.

Moreover, this is a Foundation Establishment cultivator who possesses a magical artifact and is likely proficient in the art of artifact crafting!

Let alone Yan Cheng herself, even if it were a Saintess or Huang Tong, who were in the late stage of Qi Refining, here...

Against such a being, one cannot withstand even a single move!

Now he finally understood why Wang Qing was so certain that the Holy Maiden wouldn't dare to pursue them.

What Qi Refining cultivator wouldn't feel a chill upon seeing this deep scar?

The problem is that these marks not only deterred the Holy Maiden from entering, but also made Yan Cheng hesitant to go inside.

He stared at Wang Qing with suspicion, both afraid that she might be hiding some kind of scheme behind the door, and also afraid that she might hide inside herself, leaving him outside.

As a thousand thoughts swirled in his mind, a figure that appeared in the distance of the corridor instantly froze his thoughts.

It was a figure with a hood covering his head and a flowing robe. His seemingly slender body gave off a heavy feeling due to the stagnant and menacing aura that made up his body.

Regardless of her attire or appearance, she was exactly the same as the saint herself.

Wang Qing said softly:

"Yin Sha Clone..."

"The [Clone Technique], one of the three essential body techniques for late-stage Qi Refining corpse cultivators in the Hall of Longevity!"

Yan Cheng also had some rough understanding of these Three Body Techniques.

Just like the early and middle stages of the corpse cultivators, the later stages of the cultivators in the hall also have their own three-piece set.

These techniques are said to be not particularly difficult, but only late-stage cultivators who have opened up the Upper Dan Qi Palace and mastered the Dao of Divine Sense can truly master them.

The celestial child who mentioned these things to him had once performed a clone technique in front of him.

However, as a mid-stage cultivator, Tian Tong's divine sense was insufficient to maintain more than one clone, and the clones' lifespan was also quite short.

Furthermore, since the group of corpse cultivators followed the path of corpse demons, they had to consume a large amount of Yin Corpse Demons in order to condense clones.

Considering the plight of the vast majority of corpse cultivators, Yan Cheng believed that many of them would rather die than use this Yin Sha clone technique.

These restrictions, however, do not apply to the saintess.

Yan Cheng cursed inwardly, only to see the Yin Sha clone in the distance turn its head, seemingly having discovered him.

The next instant, the murky black liquid flowing beneath its feet slowly expanded outward, condensing into one identical clone after another.

Before long, the corridor was filled with the saintess's clones.

"It's a ghost!"

Wang Qing, whose cultivation level was lower, showed more unease in her eyes than Yan Cheng when facing the army of clones in front of her.

All I could hear was her telepathic message, delivered as swiftly as beans pouring from a bamboo tube:

"Fellow Daoist, we can no longer hesitate!"

"These clones can share thoughts with the Holy Maiden, and they also possess the perceptual abilities granted by the Holy Maiden's late-stage Qi Refining realm divine sense!"

"Although they cannot use Yang magic, these clones can still use any Yin-attribute magic that the Holy Maiden has mastered."

"It's no exaggeration to say that each of them possesses the combat power of a mid-stage perfected warrior!"

"Moreover, these clones are creations of the Yin Corpse Fiend, and they do not consume the Holy Maiden's own cultivation and spiritual power."

"If she's willing to squander all her savings accumulated over the years, it's not impossible for her to simultaneously create dozens or even a hundred clones!"

Her words subtly revealed her resentment:

"It's impossible for a late-stage cultivator's divine sense to be this powerful."

"She must possess a spiritual artifact, one that can amplify the range of a cultivator's divine sense."

"At this moment, she is already a first-rate fighter below the Foundation Establishment stage."

"The only way to suppress her is through the power of the Foundation Establishment level!"

Seeing the numerous clones slowly approaching, Yan Cheng made a quick decision, nodded, and followed Wang Qing into the steel door whose protective barrier had been removed.

Then he felt a bone-chilling cold.

The handsome young man with long, flowing hair first stepped back a few paces, away from the doorway.

He then raised his head and looked at the countless runes that covered the room, stretching from the walls to the sky, exuding a frosty aura.

He understood at the beginning of his cultivation that runes are like words, but more secretive and profound carriers of cultivation techniques.

The silk weavers had never formally cultivated; they simply mastered the "Hidden Mist Concealing Origin Technique" without a teacher because their backs were engraved with talismans containing cultivation techniques.

Sects with long histories, such as the Taiyin Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Corpse Path, mostly believe that writing is an imperfect medium.

To pass on the Daoist teachings, their contents are encrypted and inscribed in the form of runes. How much one can comprehend depends entirely on the aptitude and understanding of future generations.

What? If this method of inheritance happens to a mediocre descendant, there is a risk that the true method will be lost?

That's because the later generations are not up to par; what does it have to do with the ancestors who left behind the legacy?

Unlike the neighboring Taiyin Demon Sect, our ancestors didn't tamper with the cultivation techniques. They passed down the original, authentic techniques, which already makes them a moral benchmark for the cultivation world in the Northern Territory!

Yan Cheng was already used to this; survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle were ingrained in the very marrow of every Northerner.

It's just that other sects still have some bottom line, and they don't go to the extremes of the Immortal Sect, making the best use of everyone's talents without leaving any room for maneuver.

In any case, with the Hidden Immortal Mirror in his possession, understanding these runes was as simple as eating and drinking.

The cultivation technique recorded in this dark room is called "Heavenly Weeping God and Ghost Technique". Mastering it will grant one the Cold Qi Immortal Foundation [Lone Ghost Weeping].

Besides this fundamental method, there are several other techniques for using cold qi.

Most of them, by the standards of the contemporary cultivation world, could be considered among the best in Xuan-rank techniques.

Each one possesses the power equivalent to the [Corpse Fiend Yin Fire] in Yu Caiying's hands!

As Yan Cheng carefully read the scriptures reflected in the mirror, the purple flames in his pupils grew even brighter.

If it were just a single cold qi cultivation technique plus a few spells, it wouldn't have made him so happy.

The "Heavenly Weeping Gods and Ghosts Manual" deciphered in the mirror ends with the attainment of the elixir.

In other words, this is a true scripture for seeking the Dao that allows one to cultivate all the way to embracing the Golden Elixir and becoming a True Person who Embraces the Elixir!