Cultivating To Immortality

Chapter 778: Close Call

However, the surroundings were desolate, with only the chirping of insects carried on the mountain wind.

There were no signs of rescue around the corpse, nor any lingering Spiritual Qi from a struggle.

"Could it be some secret technique of feigned death?"

Song Yan walked forward and gently nudged him with his foot, but there was no reaction.

Was he really dead?

To be honest, he wasn’t sure.

After a moment of thought, he decided not to get involved.

The Cave Abyss Sect and the Yang family had no deep ties, and rashly interfering could easily draw him into a vortex.

Besides, what if this state of death was just some secret technique of feigned death?

It wasn’t impossible.

"To be safe, I’ll wait until I get out and mention this to Elder Zhang, letting him decide."

His knowledge would surely be broader than his own.

Although Song Yan was now a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, there were still differences between Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Song Yan turned, intending to leave the area.

Buzz—

A crimson-gold stream of light, precise and unwavering, shot directly towards him.

Without any hesitation.

The crimson-gold light cut through the mountain mist and hovered not far from Song Yan.

The Profound Origin Sect’s apricot-yellow Daoist robes flapped in the wind.

Two Yin Talismans, two Yang Talismans, and two blank Talismans rotated around him.

This person, Song Yan recognized even more clearly.

Profound Origin Sect’s Fan Dongchen.

"Song Yan... is that your name?"

His expression was disdainful, his eyes full of arrogance, as he blocked Song Yan’s path.

"Give me the Talismans on you, and then you can crawl out of here unharmed. Be quick about it."

Hearing Fan Dongchen’s words, Song Yan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly laughed.

"Did you specifically seek me out?"

Fan Dongchen narrowed his eyes: "You’re thinking too much. I just happened to pass by and decided to kick you to death on a whim."

Song Yan sneered inwardly.

The Profound Origin Sect had been acting as the local emperor in the Chu Kingdom’s Cultivation World for far too long.

Not to mention these true Genius Disciples.

Even ordinary Cultivators like Wang Xi and Shen Huai would act arrogantly when outside.

Perhaps only the Cave Abyss Sect, this anomaly, was unwilling to be the Profound Origin Sect’s dog.

"Heh heh, alright."

Song Yan spread his hands: "The Talismans are right here. If you want them, come and take them yourself."

With that, he actually turned around and leisurely walked away into the distance.

Fan Dongchen’s expression stiffened: "So ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth! The Cave Abyss Sect’s lackeys truly need a good rectification!"

Before his words finished, a powerful, scorching Spiritual Pressure erupted from him, engulfing Song Yan.

"If I have to do it myself, it won’t be as simple as just a few broken bones!"

Fan Dongchen lunged forward, his gaze fixed on Song Yan’s back, murderous intent surging.

In Song Yan’s eyes, the golden light of the Void Gazer had not yet dissipated, and a profound Spiritual Light flickered within it, fleetingly.

At this moment, Song Yan’s figure abruptly stopped.

Then he suddenly turned around.

Fan Dongchen looked up, and those eyes were so cold and profound that just one glance made his heart tremble involuntarily.

"Playing tricks!"

His crimson-gold Spiritual Qi instantly exploded, and he formed a Daoist hand seal. In his vision, raging flames ignited everywhere.

They converged onto Fan Dongchen’s palms, unleashing a fierce and unparalleled killing move from the very start.

"Profound Fire Seal!"

He clasped his hands together.

A fire seal, like a burning meteor, tore through the air and swept towards Song Yan.

The surrounding blazing flames and converging storm of Qi also attacked.

The fire seal was incredibly fast, almost instantly reaching him.

Bang!

The fire seal struck, exploding against Song Yan’s protective Spiritual Armor with a bang, transforming into several fire snakes that instantly vaporized the already shattered protective Spiritual Qi.

"Heh."

Fan Dongchen sneered, as if in his view, the so-called "Killing Star" was even more fragile than he had imagined.

He casually waved a palm.

An even more scorching, massive fire seal suddenly exploded, transforming into countless tiny fire seals.

"I told you..."

A mocking smile played on Fan Dongchen’s lips as he muttered softly: "When I come to take it myself, it won’t be as simple as just a few broken bones."

"Why bother with such a superfluous act, only to suffer the torment of these Spiritual Flames burning your body?"

In his sight, Song Yan’s figure was like a small boat amidst raging waves, barely able to dodge and resist under his powerful Daoist magic, appearing incredibly disheveled.

These so-called Geniuses from other Sects were nothing more than dogs begging for scraps in his hands, nothing more.

A shattered fire seal heavily struck Song Yan’s chest.

Boom!

The next instant, several golden-red fire lights completely engulfed Song Yan.

"Die."

With a sinister laugh, he gathered the Spiritual Qi around him, and a palm print blazing with crimson-gold flames descended from the sky, smashing down directly and completely crushing Song Yan’s figure.

Smoke and dust filled the air.

The scene was a mess, with charred marks from Spiritual Qi burning in the deep pit and almost unrecognizable fragments of a human form.

Fan Dongchen slowly hovered in the air, watching it all.

"Heh."

He lightly exhaled, a look of satisfaction on his face, having vented the ferocity in his heart.

However, this satisfaction lasted for an extremely brief moment.

An intensely strong sense of incongruity suddenly arose in his heart.

"..."

Something was wrong.

Yes.

Screams, wails, the sound of shattered Daoist magic—there was nothing... But why hadn’t he felt anything was wrong just now?

Moreover, he had clearly "killed" Song Yan, but the three Talismans that had been circling Song Yan had never appeared from beginning to end.

They neither glowed to resist his attacks nor were they teleported away by a Formation when Song Yan "died."

They vanished as if they had never existed.

"Drip."

Just then, a clear sound appeared in his ear.

Like a drop of dew in summer, falling from a very high treetop.

And landing on his glabella.

Fan Dongchen’s eyes suddenly widened, and his muscles twitched uncontrollably.

The scene before him, like Mirror Flower, Water Moon, swayed and peeled away.

The deep pit, the burn marks, all vanished without a trace.

He was still in his original spot, maintaining the posture of delivering the final palm strike, but there was nothing beneath his palm.

Song Yan’s figure appeared perfectly unharmed several zhang to his side, his gaze lowered, sitting cross-legged on a large rock.

A black and white Flying Sword rested across his knees.

Beside him, three Talismans quietly rotated, never having disappeared from beginning to end.

"..."

Fan Dongchen was speechless for a moment.

He felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, his scalp instantly tingling.

An illusion?!

Impossible.

Unless it was a Demon Beast or Spirit Beast with innate illusionary talents, the illusionary techniques cultivated by ordinary Cultivators were utterly low-grade stuff!?

Song Yan did not make a move; he simply lowered his gaze, lost in thought.

"This special effect, after the Fusion of the Sword Pill and the Mirage Pearl (Mirage Pearl), seems to be more direct than I imagined."

His gaze fell on Fan Dongchen, the dreamy luster in the depths of his pupils not yet completely faded.

Captivating the mind and Soul, like gazing into an abyss.

"You dare to trick me!"

Fan Dongchen awoke as if from a dream, startled by the immense shock and humiliation.

Shame and indignation completely transformed into fury and murderous intent.

This time, he no longer dared to show the slightest contempt, even a trace of fear arose in his heart, but the Profound Origin Sect Disciple’s arrogance would not allow him to retreat in defeat.

With a furious roar, he forcibly suppressed the apprehension in his heart, and the crimson-gold Spiritual Flames around him surged again, with countless profound runes appearing and disappearing within the flames.

He continuously drew Spiritual Qi from his body and conjured a small black ring.

Just a fleeting glance revealed its astonishing power.

It was actually a Spiritual Artifact.

However, just as Fan Dongchen’s Spiritual Qi was pushed to its limit, and the Black Sun Ring had just manifested a circle of blazing fiery light, Song Yan moved.

His movements were not exaggerated; he simply raised his right hand in a normal manner, bringing his index and middle fingers together to form a sword seal.

At his fingertip, a wisp of condensed Sword Light quietly emerged.

Right here, he would try out true Sword Intent.

As he murmured, the Sword Light, inch by inch, brushed against the Unmoored Boat.

The sword body immediately hummed.

At the same time, surging Sword Qi instantly converged, and a dreamlike Spiritual Essence also gushed forth.

Behind Song Yan’s head, faintly, a brilliant halo condensed, sharp and irresistible.

Buzz—!

The sword body let out a clear chime, radiating brilliant light.

Black and white light flowed, deep and vast.

He pointed his sword finger into the void.

The Unmoored Boat transformed into a black and white stream of light, cutting straight towards Fan Dongchen.

This sword strike was silent, unremarkable.

Fast? It didn’t seem fast.

Its momentum was also far less than Fan Dongchen’s previous towering flames.

However, in Fan Dongchen’s eyes, the entire world had completely transformed!

Where the Sword Light passed, the sky darkened, and mountains and seas overturned.

This was an illusion! A hallucination!

But... Fan Dongchen felt his Soul wailing, as if truly torn apart by a storm, crushed by mountains and seas.

A fear originating from the depths of his Soul instantly engulfed him.

He could clearly "hear" and "see" his limbs and body being torn apart, and "feel" his internal organs shattering... "Ah—!"

A horrifying shriek, not human.

His condensed crimson-gold Spiritual Flames flickered like a candle in the wind, instantly extinguishing. The Black Sun Ring let out a mournful cry, its Spiritual Light dimming, and then it fell and dissipated.

The Flying Sword stopped an inch from his neck.

He completely softened, falling heavily to his knees, his body trembling violently, his face pale.

Only a pair of blank, hollow eyes remained.

Mirror Flower, Water Moon, slowly dissipated.

The wind was still the mountain wind, the stream still gurgled, and everything that had just happened never occurred.

The Unmoored Boat was already quietly hovering beside Song Yan.

Fan Dongchen knelt in the mud, gasping and retching violently.

His eyes were unfocused, and he looked incredulously at his perfectly unharmed body, then with terror at the dark-robed figure in the distance.

Song Yan was expressionless, his fingertip pointing into the void.

The six Talismans circling Fan Dongchen slowly detached, gently flying into Song Yan’s hand.

A flash of Sword Qi in his palm instantly erased Fan Dongchen’s imprint, refining them one by one.

After doing all this, Song Yan didn’t even glance at Fan Dongchen again, muttering to himself as he slowly walked away.

Song Yan, who was attempting to unleash this complete Sword Intent for the first time, had just felt something was wrong.

He immediately changed his mind, reining in the sharpness, retaining only the effect of the "Mirage."

He also had not expected the full Sword Intent to be so astonishingly powerful.

"That was really close..."

In the last moment before he was teleported away from the place, Song Yan’s self-muttering softly drifted into Fan Dongchen’s ears.

"I almost killed you just now."

...Outside the Boundary, in the wide valley.

The square was now bustling with many people, with Nine Pulses Cultivators and Elders observing from the surrounding viewing platforms.

However, because there was no Spiritual Cloud broadcast during the selection phase, not many Cultivators came.

Some were also interested parties, solely to inform their respective superiors of the advancement situation as soon as possible.

Cultivators who completed the selection, whether eliminated or qualified, would appear in the central square.

The formal selection process was actually relatively short, as most Cultivators would choose to leave directly after obtaining qualification.

To ensure they retained their qualification.

Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators were especially so; knowing their strength was no match for Foundation Establishment, lingering there, if unlucky, could easily lead to becoming prey.

At this moment, a Qi Refining Disciple from Hanging Sword Mountain appeared outside the Boundary, with exactly two Spiritual Talismans, one Yin and one Yang, on him.

Once outside the Boundary, the two Spiritual Talismans naturally merged into one, forming a Yin and Yang colored jade pendant that fell into his hand.

He seemed to have been fleeing all the way, only now letting out a sigh of relief.

He looked around for a while and found a fellow Disciple in the crowd who had also secured qualification, and immediately hurried over.

"Congratulations, congratulations."

"Phew, good thing I ran fast. As soon as I got it, I rushed out without looking back."

"Who wants to stay longer? What if you run into..."

"Cough, cough."

Such conversations appeared in various parts of the square.

Although only a little over half a day had passed, the selection was actually nearing its end.

These Cultivators were all outstanding individuals from the younger generation of the Nine Pulses; once a battle broke out, it would end very quickly.

A slight flaw could already signal defeat.

Although the selection mechanism for this session had some changes, the fundamental rules were largely the same.

Few would continue to risk fighting others for more Spiritual Talismans after acquiring qualification.

After all, everyone who made it here had some skills.

Unless one had absolute confidence in their own strength, creating complications could easily lead to unexpected failure.

Even Zhou Liu, the absolute powerhouse of this session, did not go on a rampage to snatch Spiritual Talismans.

He had no interest.

Profound Origin Sect Cultivators naturally did not need others to grant them qualification.

So he merely casually sent away a few people who blocked his way, ultimately possessing one additional qualification spot besides his own.

What was mentioned before was the "formal" selection process; after this concluded, there would naturally be "informal" opportunities.

However, for those, one would have to rely on connections and Spiritual resources to display their Divine Abilities.

In the square, people who had been eliminated occasionally appeared.

Some sighed, others expressed indignation.

Occasionally, someone would whisper: "That Fan Dongchen from the Profound Origin Sect is really like a madman, causing trouble everywhere."

Most of the information came from those eliminated in the selection; three or five acquaintances would gather, cursing his domineering behavior.

"It’s fine for others to spar a bit; for Spiritual Talismans, for qualification, that’s normal."

"Cultivators with blank Talismans were all eliminated by him, some were even Qi Refining, he has no shame."

"When I was eliminated by him, he already had six Talismans on him."

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Ordinary Cultivators, constrained by the harmony between the Nine Pulses, rarely did such things.

But for the Profound Origin Sect to produce such a person... "Sigh... I can only say, utterly unlucky."

"Don’t say any more, don’t say any more, Zhou Liu and Xi Shuyan are right nearby, be careful..."

Suddenly, the person’s voice abruptly stopped.

Even the buzzing discussions around them seemed to be choked off, instantly falling into a dead silence.

In the center of the square’s circular ring, the teleportation Formation suddenly glowed with dazzling light.

As the light dissipated, a figure stumbled into view.