Cultivating To Immortality

Chapter 736: Immortal Dynasty Ancient Battlefield

Song Yan sat opposite him, with Xiao Ju and Xiao He on either side, not to be outdone in Aura.

"Immortal Dynasty Ancient Battlefield?"

He pondered.

Regarding Immortal Dynasties, Song Yan had naturally heard of them. In ancient times, not only the Great Tang, but also various small Border Region countries, had established their own Immortal Dynasties.

Where there were Immortal Dynasties, there would be emperors.

Where there were emperors, there would be ambition.

Conflicts and disputes constantly arose between the various Immortal Dynasties, and Changping was once the largest battlefield.

However, although Changping was recorded in history as the largest Immortal Dynasty battlefield, it could not be called an Ancient Battlefield.

After the Battle of Changping, the strength and Foundation of the various Immortal Dynasties plummeted, and they quickly declined.

As for the ultimate catalyst that caused the Immortal Dynasties to completely evolve and disappear, Song Yan had no idea.

Even though the battle of Changping in history was fought with great ferocity, and there must have been many treasures left by Cultivators, this battle was too large in scale and known to all.

Over the years, no matter how many treasures were left, they had long been dug up clean.

Calling him all this way, with the pretext of some big business, the meaning of the Ancient Battlefield mentioned by Sheng Nian became clear.

"What? Could it be that you know of an unexplored Ancient Battlefield ruin?"

"Indeed."

Sheng Nian took out an ancient Talisman from his qiankun bag. This Talisman was red and purple, with ancient runes inscribed on it, and placed it on the table.

"I came to Yi River this time to explore the Immortal Cave of an ancient Cultivator’s tomb. Unexpectedly, this Cultivator was once a subordinate of a local general in the ancient Qin Kingdom Immortal Dynasty."

"There were many treasures in his Immortal Cave, and this Spiritual Talisman was one of the items placed in the most central position."

Recalling the various things in the Secret Realm, Sheng Nian sighed softly: "To retrieve this item, I spent an enormous amount of effort. The Restriction sealing this item was extremely strange. Forcibly breaking the Restriction actually caused my Realm to drop."

Sheng Nian shook his head: "At that time, when exploring that Immortal Cave tomb, no one initially knew what this item was for, so no one was willing to be the first to break the Restriction."

"However, during subsequent exploration, some autobiographies and military books left by this person were discovered, which contained multiple descriptions of a battle from that year."

"It seemed to be a small-scale battle where three armies, belonging to different ancient Immortal Dynasties, clashed in Yangling."

Song Yan suddenly interrupted, asking: "Yangling? Where is that now?"

"Right here, east of Yi River."

Sheng Nian said: "According to this person’s records, this battle was extremely fierce, with the three Immortal Dynasty armies equally matched."

"It’s just that for some unknown reason, the battle was ordered to stop by their respective monarchs before it even ended, and this battlefield was sealed up before it could be cleared."

"This person, having been ordered by his general to seek reinforcements, fortunately survived, but he remained deeply troubled by that battle, believing it to be highly suspicious, and always wanted to return to that battlefield to investigate."

"This Spiritual Talisman is one of the keys he painstakingly obtained to enter that Ancient Battlefield."

Sheng Nian’s tone shifted: "However, this matter is clearly not that simple. The Seal Formation there is not an ordinary Formation. Even with this item, one cannot enter. Perhaps some important item is missing."

"This person then, under the pretext of guarding the spirits of old friends, built an Immortal Cave near the site of that year’s battle, secretly searching for a way to break this Formation."

"Although the Formation was ultimately not broken, he did discover some patterns. In short, approximately every sixty years, the Formation’s Restriction power reaches its weakest point."

"When that time comes, a part of the Seal within the Formation will become ineffective, and by then, offering this Talisman will make it highly possible to enter."

Song Yan frowned: "Every sixty years?"

Sheng Nian nodded: "Exactly. That Cultivator back then already had little Lifespan left, so he naturally didn’t wait for the result."

"Before his death, he forcefully attempted it without success, and ultimately passed away with regret."

Chen Jiping, Xiao He, and Xiao Ju all listened intently to Sheng Nian’s conversation with Song Yan.

Only the Corpse Puppet A Yuan was lost in thought, with the crow Xianxian perched idly on his shoulder, looking at him with some curiosity.

The Corpse Puppet reached out to touch the crow’s head, but Xianxian pecked him, leaving a small scratch on his palm.

Fortunately, he was already dead and felt no pain.

He seemed completely unconcerned about such an astonishing secret.

Instead, Young Master Song’s little crow made him happy.

"So, the weakest point in time has arrived?" Song Yan asked.

"Not yet." Sheng Nian shook his head: "But it should be soon, as short as two years, as long as five years."

He took out a red Sound Transmission Talisman from his qiankun bag and tossed it to Song Yan.

"This Talisman is split into two, only for you and me to transmit messages. As long as we don’t leave the territory of Chu Kingdom, it can be transmitted."

This was clearly a rather unique Sound Transmission Talisman. Song Yan played with it for a while before putting it away.

"Are you just going to wait here?" he asked, somewhat confused.

Sheng Nian waved his hand: "It’s not just waiting. Firstly, I need to recuperate from my injuries here, and secondly, I need to prepare for Foundation Establishment."

He looked at Song Yan: "You are already at Level 9 Qi Refining. If there’s an opportunity here, it’s best to achieve Foundation Establishment sooner."

"I suspect that there won’t be just one of these ancient Talismans. By then, there will probably be other Cultivators entering that Ancient Battlefield."

"If both of us can enter in the Foundation Establishment Realm, our chances of retrieving the treasures within will be much greater."

Achieving Foundation Establishment sooner... easier said than done.

But Song Yan still nodded.

"Aren’t there still many Cultivators pursuing you outside? Recuperating here..." He changed the subject: "Aren’t you afraid of being forced into a corner again, and having me bail you out?"

"Heh." At this point, Sheng Nian couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Before, I wanted to run because I didn’t expect these people to act so quickly, and I was alone, only regretting my insufficient strength..."

"But now it’s completely different."

"With the help of Sword Immortal Young Master Song, why should we run? Why don’t we switch from defense to offense and capture all these annoying people in one fell swoop, huh? Don’t you agree, Sword Immortal Song?"

"Not to mention..." He looked at Song Yan with a smile.

"Among these people, there are many Mo Xu Cultivators, instructed by Liu Ciming of the Yellow Springs Path, to pursue you."

"If we eliminate these people one by one, it will both avenge me and make Master Song’s journey smoother. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?"

Song Yan frowned: "Demonic Ruins?"

"The lair of Demonic Path Cultivators."

Sheng Nian said concisely: "My future domain."

"Strictly speaking, it’s not actually in this Realm, but in the narrow space between this Human Realm and the Underworld’s Hell Gate."

"The Four Great Demonic Sects: Asura Sect, Yellow Springs Path, Seed Demon Path, and Joyful Union Sect, all have their Foundation there."

Sheng Nian looked relaxed, showing no sign of worry for his good brother: "You ruined a good thing for Liu Ciming in Changping, so he naturally wants you dead."

"But don’t worry, you’re just a mere Qi Refining Cultivator. As long as you don’t deliver yourself to them, Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators won’t bother to risk chasing you all over the world."

"And those Qi Refining Cultivators are no match for you."

Song Yan suddenly understood. It seemed the so-called big business was just a heads-up.

Otherwise, making him travel thousands of miles to discuss something that would happen several years later seemed a bit superfluous.

The real purpose was to team up with him and eliminate the Cultivators pursuing him.

He chuckled: "It seems Young Master Sheng isn’t doing so well in the Demonic Path."

"It’s understandable that these Demonic Ruins brothers are pursuing me, but why do they want to kill you?"

Sheng Nian feigned a deep sigh: "Alas, it’s a long story, so let’s not talk about it."

It didn’t matter, Song Yan wasn’t particularly keen on knowing either.

"Tell me, where are those Mo Xu Cultivators now?"

Sheng Nian, however, shook his head: "No rush."

He pointed casually, and Song Yan followed his gaze to the Demonic Cultivator thrown in the corner by the Corpse Puppet A Yuan.

The man was covered in blood, his Qi barely discernible, clearly having lost the ability to resist.

"We can find out whenever we want."

"For now, let’s divide these treasures."

Sheng Nian gestured, and the Corpse Puppet A Yuan understood, placing all the qiankun bags before the two of them.

Song Yan slightly raised his eyes, realizing that in just a short moment, this intelligent Corpse Puppet had started playing with the crow Xianxian.

Why did this corpse feel so familiar to him?

"..."

As he pondered, Sheng Nian had already broken the Restrictions on all the qiankun bags one by one.

"Master Song’s life-saving grace this time means, by rights, all these things should belong to you."

Sheng Nian said with a playful smile, rubbing his hands excitedly: "However, among the treasures these people obtained from that Immortal Cave, there is indeed one item that is of extraordinary significance to me. I hope Master Song will not be stingy in parting with it."

"What is it?" Song Yan asked casually.

Sheng Nian took out an oval Spiritual Jade from one of the qiankun bags. It was dark gold all over, appearing warm and smooth like grease.

It was small enough to be held in one hand, and under the light, a faint golden Spiritual Light could be seen flowing within the jade.

"Solitary Enlightenment Ancient Jade."

Sheng Nian held the Ancient Jade with both hands, slowly exhaling a turbid breath.

Song Yan, seeing him treat this item so seriously, couldn’t help but be curious: "What is its function?"

"On this path of Cultivation, whether you kill humans, demons, or devils, Evil Qi will accumulate on your body."

"This kind of thing is invisible and intangible, but it’s hidden in the body. Normally, there’s nothing special about it, but once you reach a Bottleneck in Breakthrough, it can be fatal."

Song Yan frowned. This explanation was somewhat similar to a Heart Demon.

Sheng Nian glanced at him: "For Righteous Path Cultivators like you, whether it’s self-defense or slaying demons and devils, if you’ve killed some Cultivators or demonic creatures, that bit of Evil Qi is negligible, and can even dissipate on its own after a few years of pure Cultivation, without needing any treasures."

"I’m different. All my Cultivation was achieved by killing, one blade at a time, so the Evil Qi on my body is incredibly heavy."

Song Yan pondered: "Can this item dispel Heart Demons?"

Sheng Nian thought for a moment, then said with a strange expression: "No."

"Heart Demons cannot be dispelled by any external objects. So-called Talismans, Formations, Medicinal Pills, they can only assist and suppress. To dispel Heart Demons, one can only rely on the Cultivation of one’s state of mind; outsiders cannot help."

Sheng Nian put away the Solitary Enlightenment Ancient Jade: "I only want this item. Everything else is yours."

Song Yan pushed back the qiankun bags of Jiang Chen and the two Cultivators killed by the Corpse Puppet A Yuan.

"Your Dao brother also contributed a lot. Song is not one to accept rewards without merit."

"Alright, alright, hehe."

Sheng Nian took out some treasures from his qiankun bag for Song Yan to choose from.

"These were also obtained from that Immortal Cave. Pick whatever catches your eye."

His gains from this trip to the Immortal Cave tomb were mainly three things.

The ancient Talisman was one, all the Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants from the medicinal garden were the second.

The third was a supreme spiritual item of the Metal and Earth elements, named "Sinking Sand Profound Gold."

The rest were just miscellaneous extras, not worth Song Yan’s Dharma Eye.

He had no intention of being polite with Sheng Nian. Having saved his life, taking something from his pocket was only right.

First, he scanned over the Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants.

It must be said, putting aside that ancient Talisman, the Spirit Medicine had the highest value among these items.

Many of the Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants were several centuries old.

However, to Song Yan’s slight disappointment, after a careful inspection, he did not find any Luo Zhen Vines among them.

So Song Yan didn’t hesitate and immediately chose the Sinking Sand Profound Gold.

Sheng Nian would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a pang of regret, but then he remembered that Song Yan had also given him a good blade, and his heart broadened again.

This Sinking Sand Profound Gold was originally intended for forging a blade in his plan.

Now, Old Song had directly given him a precious blade, saving him the trouble of forging one.

Originally, Song Yan had stopped deliberately pursuing supreme spiritual items, as even if he refined them now, his Cultivation speed would no longer increase without a complete Dao Foundation.

However, facing Foundation Establishment now, his thoughts had changed.

Although Cultivators achieving Foundation Establishment in the Cultivation World were not explicitly divided into grades.

However, a Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique, the Dao Technique they regularly practiced, and even their habitual Spiritual Artifacts, Talismans, Formations, Medicinal Pills, and so on, would all affect the Dao Foundation they built.

Undoubtedly, it was impossible for all Cultivators in this world to build identical Dao Foundations.

Therefore, there would always be an inherent distinction of superiority and inferiority.

At present, it seemed that his spirit-slaying sword seed, the Dao of the Sword seed that had already sprouted under the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, was his Foundation.

So, if he could refine more supreme spiritual items before Foundation Establishment, could he, in some subtle way, improve the quality of his Dao Foundation?

After all, this was almost the simplest and most direct thing he could do.

Song Yan put away the remaining qiankun bags one by one.

"When do we act? Let’s resolve this quickly, I still need to go to Longquan Prefecture."

Sheng Nian nodded, gesturing for the Corpse Puppet A Yuan to drag the Mo Xu Cultivator to the center of the stone chamber.

The Cultivator, whose Cultivation had been crippled, no longer feigned unconsciousness, but his body was limp like mud, and with a rag stuffed in his mouth, he could only emit muffled whimpers.

His heart was filled with despair. Sheng Nian had discussed these secrets with Song Yan without any qualms about his presence.

Undoubtedly, in his eyes, he was a dead man from the very beginning.

A Yuan gripped the top of his head with one hand, like carrying a chicken waiting to be slaughtered, and respectfully faced Sheng Nian: "Young Lord, please."

"Thank you." Sheng Nian leaned lazily on the stone stool, and a wisp of black-purple Devilish Qi suddenly shot out from his fingertip, coiling into the Mo Xu Cultivator’s glabella like a nimble little snake.

He turned to Song Yan and grinned: "These are low-level Demonic Path methods, please don’t mind them."

After speaking, he said no more, and the demonic light on his fingertip suddenly brightened.

That wisp of Devilish Qi fiercely plunged into the Mo Xu Cultivator’s glabella. The opponent immediately convulsed, his eyeballs bulging, and blue veins pulsed wildly under his pale skin.

Xiao Ju watched, terrified.