Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improved Spirit Rice

Chapter 85 Did you do it on purpose, or by accident?

"hiss!"

Zhao Cheng'an covered his head and suddenly sat up in bed.

The back of his undershirt was soaked through, clinging coldly to his skin. Large beads of cold sweat trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto his clenched fists.

He was panting heavily, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the flickering candlelight ahead.

After several breaths, his breathing gradually calmed down.

The main hall was silent, with only the flickering flame in the bronze lamps. The cool night breeze rustled through the corridors outside the window, causing the open scrolls on the table to turn a few pages.

He loosened his clenched fist and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

My tense nerves finally began to relax in this genuine tranquility.

The Soul Jade felt warm yet cool to the touch, and under the flickering candlelight, its surface shimmered with a faint, ethereal glow. Zhao Cheng'an examined the Soul Jade several times, a look of surprise on his face.

This thing is not just a container for storing information—it is actually a inherited magical artifact. Moreover, it is an inherited magical artifact of the Calculator lineage. The calculation core structure inside the Soul Jade is extremely precise, nested layer by layer, like some kind of algorithm crystallized through countless refinements.

Judging from the name Mingxu Sect, it's not entirely unexpected.

This is a first-rate lineage known for its divine sense and mathematical formulas, and has produced many cultivators with profound attainments in the field of calculation.

According to the information revealed in the illusion, the destruction of the Netherworld Sect was clearly related to those Heavenly Demons.

The sect leader, Daoist Xuanming, was attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm when his sect was destroyed. Reaching that level indicates he was at least a Great True Person at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

A cultivator who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage and is about to touch the threshold of the Golden Core stage is by no means an ordinary person, whether in terms of cultivation or mental strength.

Judging from the profound foundation shown by the Mingxu Sect, it is clearly one of the most profound among first-class lineages.

But it's a pity.

In just a thousand years, such a profound sect completely disappeared from the East Sea region, and even the location of its mountain gate was transformed into a barren, low-spirit area.

Without a doubt, Daoist Xuanming has failed in his breakthrough.

Otherwise, the Mingxu Sect wouldn't have fallen to such a state.

I just don't know what that so-called Taiwei Changheng algorithm is.

Zhao Cheng'an frowned slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth surface of the jade pendant.

But what exactly is recorded inside this jade tablet?

If all he has to go through to enter the illusion is to witness the reenactment of the sect's destruction, then it has absolutely no practical meaning for him.

Moreover, within the illusion, one has almost no means of resistance.

Conventional spells and magical artifacts cannot be used to enter the illusion, and this body is also unable to mobilize spiritual energy. Facing those heavenly demons, he is practically just an unarmed mortal.

It felt like entering a treasure mountain but leaving empty-handed.

Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng'an couldn't help but sigh.

He stroked the warm, smooth jade pendant in his hand, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

"Wait a moment!"

"Since this jade tablet is a legacy artifact left by the diviner, then I should also use the diviner's methods to solve the problem."

"Conventional spells and magical artifacts cannot be brought into the illusion, but formulas may be."

Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng'an's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "The formula is essentially a structure built on divine thought, not spiritual energy, nor a physical magic weapon."

"If successful, even within the illusion, we will be able to use the interruption formula, and even try to construct more other formulas within the illusion."

"Worth trying again!"

He gripped the Soul Jade tightly again, closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and sank his mind into the depths of his Niwan Palace.

The Heavenly Evolution Formula within the Soul Jade was activated once again.

The feeling of weightlessness returned.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing once more in that magnificent golden hall.

The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood and old books, and everything was exactly the same as when the illusion last opened.

Outside the main hall, flames and black smoke continued to billow.

Screams and shouts of killing echoed between the distant mountain gates.

A few breaths later.

The door to the side hall was suddenly flung open, and Huai Xuanzi stumbled out, blood still dripping from his severed arm. Upon seeing Zhao Cheng'an, a glimmer of hope appeared on his face, and he shoved the Mingxu Dharma Seal into Zhao Cheng'an's hand.

"Zhao Xun! Hurry—get him to the Taiwei Dharma Hall! Go now!"

A violent explosion came from deep within the main hall.

Thick smoke billowed, and the demonic fox, possessed by the Heavenly Demon and shrouded in black mist, reappeared. Its vertical pupils burned with scarlet light, and its face was filled with savagery as it stared at Zhao Cheng'an and Huai Xuanzi.

Huai Xuanzi turned around and stood in front of Zhao Cheng'an.

"Walk!"

Unlike last time.

This time, Zhao Cheng'an didn't run away.

He stood still and took a deep breath.

Then close your eyes and immerse your mind deep into the Niwan Palace (a point on the lower back).

There, his first equation—the Interruption Equation—was quietly suspended. The light flowing between the four computational cores was stable and bright, structurally complete, and unaffected by any suppression from the Celestial Evolution Equation.

"It still works."

Zhao Cheng'an was overjoyed.

While he was conducting his experiment, Huai Xuanzi was once again locked in combat with the demon fox. Golden sword light crisscrossed the hall, carving deep sword marks into several thick nanmu pillars.

Although the fox demon had the upper hand, it was unable to break through Huai Xuanzi's sword barrier for the time being.

Zhao Cheng'an's gaze fell on the golden magic sword floating above Huai Xuanzi's head.

A thought suddenly popped into his mind.

The flow interruption formula is not offensive; its purpose is to interfere with and sever the spiritual connection between the cultivator and the magical artifact—in his previous words, it is to "steal the magic weapon" and render the opponent's flying sword ineffective.

It's definitely not effective against the Heavenly Demon, but he can first test whether this thing can be used in the illusion.

"If we succeed, we can switch to the Chaotic Divination Method and perhaps explore the true content of this inheritance!"

""

He glanced at the old Taoist priest who was engaged in fierce fighting over there, and thought to himself.

"I'm sorry, Elder. You wouldn't want the legacy of the Netherworld Sect to disappear like this, would you? Consider this a contribution to the Dao of Deduction."

He closed his eyes and ran the equation to cut off the flow.

As Huai Xuanzi was maneuvering his magic sword to fight the demon fox, the golden magic sword above his head suddenly emitted a resounding clang. Then, its spiritual light quickly dimmed, swayed twice in mid-air, and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Huai Xuanzi looked at his empty right hand, then looked down at the dull magic sword on the ground, his face showing a blank expression.

His natal flying sword, which he had refined for over a hundred years and had dominated his life, actually failed him at the crucial moment when he was fighting a life-or-death battle with the fox demon.

"What the hell?! Old Taoist, don't try to scam me!"

Even the fox demon opposite was startled by this sudden turn of events. Its originally fierce attack paused in mid-air, and a wary look appeared on its ferocious fox face.

For a moment, the once fiercely fighting hall fell into an eerie silence.

Only the distant sounds of explosions and screams reminded us that this was a battlefield.

Huai Xuanzi stiffly turned around and stared at Zhao Cheng'an, who was standing at the entrance of the main hall.

"you----"

"Did you do it on purpose, or accidentally?"

"It actually worked!" Zhao Cheng'an snapped out of his daze, a polite but slightly embarrassed smile on his face. "Elder, would you believe me if I said it was an accident?"

The next moment.

The fox demon let out a deafening laugh.

"Hahaha, even at a time like this, you're still fighting amongst yourselves!"

Its scarlet eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.

"This is truly a stroke of luck!"

Before the words were finished, the fox demon transformed into a black whirlwind and pounced forward.

Claws tear through the air.

Before Huai Xuanzi could even let out a scream, half of his body was torn apart by the huge beast's claws. Hot blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing onto the golden nanmu pillars in the hall, turning the carved dragons and black birds on them into a shocking dark red.

His face contorted in intense pain, changing from initial bewilderment to terror, and then to despair.

"Zhao Xun—could it be that even you have been controlled by the Heavenly Demon—?"

"Could it really be Gu—"

"Ahhhhh!"

The old man never got a chance to finish his sentence.

The fox spirit lowered its head and bit into the white-haired old man's head, crushing it in one bite. Broken bones and brains spilled out, splattering onto the smooth bluestone floor, leaving a mess.

The fox demon licked the blood from its lips, turned its head, and its scarlet vertical pupils, burning with flames, locked onto Zhao Cheng'an, who was standing at the entrance of the palace.

Then it lunged forward.

The wind howled, and a foul stench swept over us.

Zhao Cheng'an felt a chilling killing intent surge towards him, and the world before him was completely swallowed up by endless darkness in the next instant.