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

Yan Cheng was lamenting the dragon-headed giant statue's lack of practical use when, unexpectedly, the sword light struck him in the next moment!

This was a sword strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Yan Cheng had no intention of taking it head-on. In the midst of the chaos, he quickly moved backward using the "White Crane Seven Star Steps" like a bird avoiding the waves, barely managing to dodge the sword light that nearly cleaved him in two.

Even though he escaped with his life, Yan Cheng was still in shock.

He pressed himself against the edge of the ice wall, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock and anger as he gazed in Wang Qing's direction.

From that blue-faced golden beast pendant, it can be known that Wang Qing is definitely not the rogue cultivator from the northern foothills as she claimed.

Hancheng Academy is a well-known Confucian sect in the Northern Territory, and it has always been on par with Shengao Sect and Lotus Temple, known as the three major orthodox sects.

What these three major sects have in common is that they all have a True Immortal of the Core Formation in charge.

This alone is enough to give them absolute dominance in the thirteen northern kingdoms where cultivators generally stop at the Foundation Establishment stage!

Is it possible for a cultivator who claims to be on the righteous path to actually perform a Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Reversal?

Yan Cheng cursed inwardly, "Damn it, all the high-level cultivators are the same!"

Of course, he also knew that the other party seemed to have no intention of actually taking his life.

The sword strike just now was intentionally left him with room to dodge.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have even had time to take a step before he died under the dazzling, sharp sword energy!

In an instant, thoughts raced through his mind:

This is a warning... but not a warning to me.

In her eyes, what threat could a Qi Refining cultivator pose to her?

"This sword strike was aimed at the Foundation Establishment cultivator standing behind me, or rather, at the cultivator she believed was behind me."

"She has no idea that the palace didn't send any Foundation Establishment cultivators this time."

"But... are there really no Foundation Establishment cultivators watching over us in the hall right now?"

Yan Cheng gradually recovered from the shock of being attacked by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his gaze slowly turned cold:

"If the item that Tian Tong and the others were ordered to retrieve is truly so important that it has provoked the guardian spirits left behind by the Heavenly Corpse Path to take action."

"Then His Highness must have foreseen beforehand that this was not something that could be resolved simply by sending a few mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators."

"Would those high-ranking cultivators in the hall really place their hopes of obtaining the treasure in the hands of lower-ranking cultivators?"

He suddenly realized:

"At this very moment, there must be Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Hall watching outside the Corpse-Raising Institute!"

"Wang Qing's sword strike just now was meant to intimidate them, a warning that if they dared to act recklessly, she would annihilate all the lower-level cultivators present and destroy the treasures the hall desired with a single strike!"

As he expected, Wang Qing spoke the next moment, her voice like the clash of metal and stone, clear and melodious, audible for miles around:

"Zhong Tianying, I know you're watching."

"For hundreds of years, the Hall of Longevity has not been able to collect the pure yin essence of the laurel, nor has it produced a single Taiyin cultivator."

"Now that Yan Cheng possesses the cultivation of Taiyin, he is surely the hope of the court."

"If you dare to use a mere, ignorant clay figure to eliminate me, I, Wang Qing, swear here and now that I will cut off Yan Cheng's head before my life force is exhausted!"

"Before I can even lay a hand on you, once your master is enraged, you'll know exactly how horribly you'll die!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Cheng's previously composed expression crumbled once more, and only one thought remained in his mind:

"If I had known, I would have silenced her before her remnant soul returned to her body!"

He had tried before; as soon as he noticed that Wang Qing was not in a good state, he had already used the puppet-pulling silk in his hand.

However, no matter how fast a Qi Refining cultivator's reaction is, how can it be faster than a Foundation Establishment cultivator's single thought!

A growing gloom settled in Yan Cheng's eyes.

If a cultivator with the [Cold Qi] suddenly appeared, it would only attract the vigilance and attention of some of the high-ranking cultivators in the hall.

The significance of a [Taiyin] cultivator is entirely different!

What suitable spiritual objects can people in this world consume if they want to cultivate the Taiyin (Great Yin)?

It's nothing more than the pure osmanthus and the mysterious essence of laurel!

This item is so rare in the modern world that even the dignified Master of the Longevity Palace could not obtain one even after a hundred years of gathering Qi.

Even the Taiyin Immortal Sect, which inherited the orthodox lineage of Taiyin, reportedly has very little moon essence left in its reserves. Many exceptionally talented cultivators within the sect have been forced to cultivate the cold qi of the Three Yin Auxiliary Sect simply because of insufficient resources...

Yan Cheng was almost certain that once this matter was over, he would face scrutiny from the highest levels of the Longevity Palace, and it might even alarm the entire sect!

Just then, a kind and comforting voice rang out from outside the door:

"Junior brother, there's no need to worry."

"The method of refining human pills has long been lost in the sect. Even if you have a whole pot of Moon Laurel Pure Yin Essence in your body, no one will capture you to refine you into a great tonic pill."

Yan Cheng suddenly turned around and saw a figure in a white robe standing quietly outside the steel door.

"Since the foundation-building stage at that academy has already exposed the matter, if I were to kill you, it would only arouse my master's suspicion."

"Conversely, if you are truly practicing the orthodox Taiyin lineage..."

"Perhaps I need to cultivate with you to obtain the benefits of yin and yang harmony in order to make further progress."

"Junior brother, please come out from behind the door."

"Do you really think I, your senior sister, am more dangerous than a Foundation Establishment sword beam that could strike again at any moment?"

……

At the same time, the ground of the central courtyard was torn open by the sudden rise of the dragon-headed colossus and its massive body.

First, a dark figure covered in a loose, earthy yellow aura was launched into the air and crashed heavily into the dilapidated walls and tiles in the corner of the courtyard.

The wind blew the dust off her face, revealing Yu Caiying's face.

However, this corpse cultivator, who was once famous in the hall for her beautiful appearance, is now beyond dead.

As her last breath dissipated, a gloomy, dark aura emanated from her body, leaving the female cultivator's pale face with only deep terror and despair.

After nearly a dozen snaps of the fingers, a young man in a flowing cloak, looking like an immortal, leaped out from the hole.

He stood firm, his gaze first falling on Yu Caiying's corpse not far away, the solemn expression on his face gradually turning into relief:

"Fortunately, I reacted quickly. The instant that thing shot up, I used the silk threads to hook my junior sister and used the 'Yin Puppet Substitute Death Secret Technique' to swap our bodies."

Otherwise, I'd be lying there like a tattered rag right now!

"The Nourishing Soil, nourished by the [Yin-Dispelling Fire], is indeed powerful. In an instant, its spiritual energy erupted, and even the malevolent energy my junior sister had cultivated for twenty years couldn't withstand it..."

Tian Tong's lips slowly curved upwards, but he sighed as he spoke:

"It's a pity that I tried to travel light this time and didn't bring the mother's body with me."

"Otherwise, my junior sister wouldn't have had to die."

"However, sacrificing oneself to serve as a vessel for the future possession of the sect master and shield him from disaster can also be considered a way to contribute to the sect."

"Junior sister, if you have a spirit after death, knowing that your death was so worthwhile, you would surely feel gratified!"