Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

Chapter 66: Three Types of Spiritual Bodies

‘That Demon Tree managed to thrive in Great Liang’s sparse spiritual energy environment; it likely doesn’t require specific meridian conditions…’

‘Furthermore, by consuming flesh and blood, it grows remarkably fast - changing visibly each day…’

‘I wonder if it could be considered a ‘Heaven-Earth Spiritual Root’?’

Although Fang Xi currently had no means to utilize the Demon Tree, he still possessed three dusty seeds left from defeating the wooden figures, stored within his bag of holding!

Aware of this potential, Fang Xi felt a surge of excitement.

If he could cultivate these into a postnatal spiritual body, despite his low-grade spirit root, there might truly be hope for advancing on his Dao path!

Thus, everything at the 10,000 Seas Pavilion was merely an act. Since Song Qing wanted to perform, Fang Xi played along accordingly.

After all, Song Qing initially harbored ill intentions towards him, a grudge Fang Xi hadn’t forgotten.

‘However, now I’ve lost all those accumulated mythical beast materials over the years… Time to restock in Great Liang…’

Fang Xi had long coveted the Eight Great Monster Kings, particularly their leader, the Dragonfish King.

As he exited the Green Bamboo Market, he sensed several gazes upon him, eliciting a wry smile internally:

‘No surprise with the most chaotic black market around; murder and theft have practically become an industry here…’

Nevertheless, Fang Xi remained unfazed.

As a True Astral Martial Saint, his Zongshi-level true astral energy could fully resist attacks from magical artifacts. Before it depleted, his defense was unparalleled.

This effectively made him equivalent to a third-stage Body Refinement cultivator, and combined with other cultivation techniques, he could confidently face even Late Stage Qi Refinement opponents!

To Fang Xi’s surprise, after initially targeting him, those gazes quickly dispersed. Throughout his entire journey away from Qingzhu Mountain, he encountered no tribulation cultivators.

‘Maybe…the Cyan Bamboo Society maintains a semblance of order better than I expected?’

‘Or is it because they see me as impoverished and think there’s little worth stealing?’

Regardless, this was fortunate for him.

Fang Xi promptly accelerated, swiftly leaving the vicinity of Qingzhu Mountain behind.

Outside Jiahe City,

In a desolate mountain range, Fang Xi used the high-grade magical artifact, the Golden Flood Dragon Sword, to haphazardly carve out an immortal’s cave within the rocky terrain.

He then moved a massive boulder to block the entrance and affixed a protective ‘amulet’ nearby.

Having completed these tasks, Fang Xi finally let out a long sigh.

His visit to the Qingzhu Mountain Market had been somewhat impulsive.

Yet, unexpectedly, the gains were immense!

With fervent eyes, Fang Xi retrieved the jade slip containing the ‘Longevity Technique’ and began meticulously studying it.

Sharpening one’s blade does not hinder chopping wood!

There were no spiritual meridians in this area, and given his low-grade spirit root, even cultivating for ten days or more would yield minimal progress.

It would have been wiser to focus on comprehending cultivation techniques first!

Three days later.

Fang Xi put down the jade slip, feeling his head heavy with exhaustion. He consumed a fasting pill and promptly fell asleep.

This deep slumber lasted another full day and night before Fang Xi awoke, fully refreshed. After some contemplation, he retrieved the three seeds from his bag of holding.

These seeds appeared unremarkable, covered in a dusty gray hue, yet Fang Xi had carefully sealed them due to their significance - they were products of the original Demon Tree!

“To cultivate the ‘Longevity Technique’, one must possess predominantly wood attribute spiritual roots, which I already fulfill.”

“Next, I need to find a seed or sapling of a celestial earth spiritual root!”

The jade slip provided guidance for identifying such celestial earth spiritual roots, and this was the primary method Fang Xi had been studying over these past few days!

Although he didn’t know the specific species of the Demon Tree, given its core body had reached third-order Core Formation level, it seemed promising.

However, verification was still necessary.

Fang Xi recited an incantation, causing intricate syllables to echo throughout the immortal’s cave.

He extended his right hand, and at the tip of his index finger, a bright green glow emerged suddenly.

With a solemn expression, Fang Xi directed this glowing point into one of the tree seeds.

Thump! Thump!

In a momentary trance, he felt as if he could hear the heartbeat within the seed.

Subsequently, beneath the dusty surface of the seed, a layer of blood-red light began to shimmer.

“It responds!” Fang Xi exclaimed with delight, “This meets the criteria and can be refined as my lifebound spirit plant!”

To ensure reliability, he tested the other two seeds as well. Finding them equally vibrant with life force, all three met the requirements for refinement.

In the end, Fang Xi naturally chose the seed with the most abundant vitality and strongest aura, carefully preserving it for future use. The remaining two were also securely stored away.

At this moment, he realized that these Demon Tree seeds, comparable to third-order spirit plants, might indeed be his most valuable possessions!

‘Unfortunately… I dare not return to Blackstone City just yet…’

Fang Xi held no fear towards the beasts of the Great Liang World. However, devils were unpredictable, best avoided whenever possible, especially given his current weak strength!

Now, cultivating the ‘Longevity Technique’ had become his top priority.

With his limited aptitude, without improving his spiritual body, advancing further on the cultivation path would remain a distant dream.

‘The Longevity Technique will undoubtedly cultivate a wood elemental spiritual body… Over time, the stronger the spiritual body grows, spanning boundaries from a hundred years, to a thousand, even ten thousand!’

“The Demon Tree should grow quite rapidly… I wonder if transplanting it elsewhere will cause any changes?”

Having chosen his lifebound spirit plant, the next step was to find a location with spiritual meridians to plant its root.

This posed a significant challenge, as most meridian-rich areas in the Yue Kingdom were already occupied by powerful factions.

Fortunately, the Demon Tree likely requires minimal spiritual energy.

However, Fang Xi still decided to seek out a place with abundant spiritual energy whenever possible!

“In theory, the more plentiful the spiritual energy, the faster the spirit plant grows… Although the Demon Tree might not care, I certainly do!”

The Longevity Technique’s cultivation time is uncertain, but during this period, Fang Xi must continue refining his own skills!

The Longevity Technique only pertains to developing a postnatal spiritual body and does not enhance one’s cultivation base. If cultivating this technique delays his practice for several decades, even achieving the spiritual body eventually would be futile; Fang Xi would become an old man, facing a disheartening end to his life!

“While cultivating the spiritual body, it’s best to utilize the spiritual meridians’ power for refining the Everlasting Spring Art! This way, there’s a chance to break through the full Qi Refinement realm before my lifespan ends, thus increasing the likelihood of reaching Foundation Establishment!”

As a True Astral Martial Saint, Fang Xi could effortlessly live for two sixty-year cycles. Moreover, just before death, his hidden blood qi would surge, ensuring an abundance of vitality. This meant that one of the three barriers to Foundation Establishment - the Blood Qi Barrier - posed no issue for him.

Since he needed to cultivate the Everlasting Spring Art himself, Fang Xi decided against planting the Demon Tree in the Great Liang World.

Although it might have been less risky there,

cultivating the ‘Longevity Technique’ and developing a secondary spiritual body requires absorbing vast amounts of pure spiritual energy. However, Great Liag is essentially a cultivation wasteland… highly unsuitable for such practice.

“Additionally, there’s the matter of feeding the Demon Tree with blood… But I do have access to Beefwood!”

Recalling the tai sui, Fang Xi had brought it along to Three Origins City, occasionally cutting off pieces for consumption.

“The only uncertainty is how quickly the Demon Tree will grow… Nevertheless, I must prepare for potentially being confined to one location for at least twenty or thirty years…”

The major pitfall of cultivating the ‘Longevity Technique’ lies in the fact that during its lengthy process, one cannot leave the vicinity of their lifebound spirit plant.

A brief departure might be possible, but staying away for too long risks severing the connection, leading to all previous efforts becoming futile!

Once enemies discover this weakness, I could easily be trapped to my demise!

“The best approach would be to find an uninhabited location with spirit meridians, stockpile ample food, paper talismans, and spirit stones… then cultivate the Longevity Technique relentlessly until achieving great mastery!”

“At the very least, I should aim for cultivating the acquired ‘Greenwood Spirit Body’, right?”

The Longevity Technique’s claims were indeed grandiose, mentioning concepts like Yin Wood Embodiment and Longevity Dao Bodies found only in legends.

However, Fang Xi had heard of the “Greenwood Spirit Body,” also known as the ‘Greenwood Spirit Form,’ which was a recognized aptitude trait.

Decades ago, it was rumored that a Spirit Seeker from the neighboring Greenwood Sect of the Wood Nation discovered a genius within the Yue Kingdom possessing a ‘Blackwater Spirit Body’!

Despite having only mid-grade water spiritual roots, when combined with the Blackwater Spirit Body, their cultivation speed rivaled prodigies with Earth-ranked water spiritual roots. The individual was promptly taken away, elevating their entire family’s status, who subsequently moved to the Wood Nation.

This enraged the Profound Sky Sect, nearly sparking a conflict between them and the Greenwood Sect!

As this incident almost led to a full-blown war between the two nations’ cultivation worlds, it became a widely discussed topic for many years, even reaching Fang Xi’s ears.

The ‘Blackwater Spirit Body’ is similar in nature to the ‘Greenwood Spirit Body’.

“I’m not overly ambitious; achieving a secondary Greenwood Spirit Body would suffice,” Fang Xi murmured to himself. “Combined with my current spiritual root, it should be comparable to a high-grade one… But if I need long-term protection, formations are still the best option… I mustn’t neglect the legacies of the Dao of arrays! If all else fails, I’ll have to purchase some large spell formation plates…”

As for hiring an array master to set up formations? It posed privacy concerns, so Fang Xi dismissed that idea.

“Sigh… Still too reactive.”

Fang Xi disliked being on the defensive. Even if his weakness were discovered and enemies surrounded him, he could always abandon the Demon Tree and escape through transmigration to save his life. However, this would inevitably disrupt his progress with the Longevity Technique!

While contemplating future plans, Fang Xi suddenly recalled how the Demon Tree once commanded numerous demonic servants, wreaking havoc in Blackstone City. His eyes then lit up with realization:

“Hmm… Although I can’t stray far from my lifebound spirit plant, puppets might be possible… They could serve as the most convenient supplement. Perhaps I should focus on Puppetry Arts?”

With his mind broadening, Fang Xi also recognized the potential of Beast Control Techniques, which could assist him greatly despite his limited mobility.

Such is the convenience for cultivators; with their comprehensive knowledge, most problems can be circumvented through alternative solutions.

“The Puppet and Beast Control Techniques aren’t as widely spread as the four arts of cultivation. Finding their legacies might be troublesome… However, by investing spirit stones without focusing on quality, should I still be able to locate some?”

Mentioning the Beast Control Technique reminded Fang Xi of the abundant mythical beasts in the Great Liang world, causing his eyes to slightly narrow.

Previously, he had concerns that transporting living beings between worlds could risk exposing his secret. But if he could fully control a creature’s life and death, it wouldn’t pose much of an issue.

“Hmm… before bringing tai sui over, it would be best to establish a master-servant contract…”

“That way, any possibility of betrayal could be completely eliminated.”

With this thought, Fang Xi looked at the Demon Tree seed in his hand, suddenly finding its allure diminished.

To ensure safety, before refining the tree seed, he decided to repeatedly cleanse it using techniques from the Longevity Technique, only proceeding once certain no issues remained…