Although she had long guessed Ren Yufeng mustâve either taken Look-Preserving Pills or used a cultivation technique with look-preserving effects, the fact that he was actually already three hundred years old really came as a surprise to her.
For Foundation Building cultivators, how old was three hundred years really? Early stage Foundation Building cultivators could only live until they were three hundred years old, while middle stage and late stage cultivators could live up to four hundred years old if they took good care of themselves. However, four hundred years old was the upper limit; generally, those cultivators wouldâve already fallen before they reached that age.
If what Ren Yufeng said was the truth, he indeed wasnât young. In other words, he already had one foot in the grave.
During realm-breakthroughs, it had always been âthe younger the better.â For example, during foundation-building, elite disciples of cultivation groups could generally build their foundation when they were around thirty to fifty years old at the latest, but if they surpassed fifty years old and still couldnât advance, then they were just the same as ordinary disciples. As for ordinary disciples, they generally built their foundation before they were a hundred years old. If they passed a hundred years old, their odds of succeeding would greatly decrease.
It was also the same for forming oneâs Gold Core. Prior to two hundred years old was the best time to form oneâs Gold Core. After two hundred years old, the hardships one would encounter during core-formation would greatly increase. If Ren Yufeng was already three hundred years old and his aptitude was really mediocre, then it was no wonder others thought he couldnât advance to the Core Formation realm. Cultivators who formed their Gold Core when they were around three hundred years old existed, but their odds of success were much lower than young cultivators under two hundred years old. Unless they encountered fated chances, it was generally hard for them to make a realm-breakthrough.
Once they passed this point, they would be considered old. Being old⌠was a cultivatorâs sorrow.
Ren Yufeng gazed into the nothingness in front of him and said slowly, âDo you guys think Iâm very aggressive really because of my arrogance? If I wasnât aggressive, not arrogant, who wouldâve respected me? Even this woman, whose cultivation level was far below me, looked down on me!â
His face showed a very fierce expression, and he glared at the dying Xiahou Yuan.
For a while, no one spoke.
Xiahou Yuan couldnât move already. Qiu Zhiming was stupefied. Ren Yufeng⌠had a vicious expression, but he just stared into the void silently.
Inside the Virtual Sky World, Mo Tiange was quietly watching them.
This was indeed how cruel the path of cultivation was. No matter how much of a genius one was in the beginning, they would still be ridiculed by others if they couldnât make a realm-breakthrough.
However, Mo Tiange didnât feel even a bit of sympathy for Ren Yufeng. He wasnât the only cultivator who was turning old. Those Aura Refining cultivators, who were trapped in the Aura Refining realm their whole lives without making even the slightest progress and eventually exhausting their lifespans when they were just a hundred some years old, were much, much more pitiful than him, but so what? There were so many people in the cultivation world, and all of them had to pass this hurdle.
In fact, Ren Yufengâs cultivation level was already in the late stage of the Foundation Building realm, and he was also accepted by a Core Formation cultivator as a discipleâforget about the elite disciples who obviously had some backing; which ordinary disciples would dare to look down on him? For example, Jiang Shanghang didnât dare to show even the slightest disrespect to this âSenior Martial Brother Ren.â There were so many people on this journey, so Xiahou Yuan definitely wasnât the only elite disciple there. Nevertheless, didnât all of them consider him the leader? So what if they gossiped a bit in private? If cultivatorsâ hearts werenât big enough to accept this trivial matter, how could they form their Gold Core? Maybe Ren Yufeng hadnât progressed in so many years because his mental state had long entered a demonic barrier. Even if he could reach the peak stage of the Foundation Building realm, he definitely wouldnât succeed in forming his Gold Core.
âSenior Martial Brother RenâŚâ Qiu Zhiming finally repressed his anger and said, âAre you really not going to let me go?â
Ren Yufeng looked at him coldly. âDo you have anything else to say?â
After losing all hope, Qiu Zhimingâs head dropped, and he became completely disheartened. However, a moment later, he seemed to sense a bit of hope. He straightened his back then said quickly, âJunior Martial Brother Tang and Junior Martial Brother Jiang have escaped. They mustâve reported this matter back to the sect. Our Nascent Soul grandmasters will certainly come out to clean up the sect. Senior Martial Brother Ren, even if you kill me, you canât do anything to keep this matter secret!â
Upon hearing what he said, Mo Tiange, who was inside the Virtual Sky World, felt a bit relieved. At least Jiang Shanghang and Tang Fang managed to escape.
âWho said I wanted to keep this matter secret?â Ren Yufeng cast him a contemptuous gaze. âIâll close the entrance to the underground palace in a moment. When Iâve finished absorbing the entire divine dragonâs breath, what could those Nascent Soul grandmasters do to me?â
ââŚâ Qiu Zhiming was rendered speechless. He never expected Ren Yufeng would actually have such confidence in his own strength.
Ren Yufeng extended his hand, which allowed a cloud of black aura to emerge again. As he played with that black aura, he looked Qiu Zhiming up and down; it was as if he was considering where he should attack from.
His current actions made Qiu Zhiming turn increasingly pale. His body even began to tremble violently.
But Ren Yufeng didnât throw that black aura at him. After remaining still for a long time, he eventually sighed. âJunior Martial Brother Qiu, I really donât want to kill you so quickly. I wouldnât have anyone to talk to if I killed you.â
Qiu Zhimingâs face brightened up instantly once he heard what Ren Yufeng said. âSenior Martial Brother Ren, spare meâplease just spare me! I promise Iâll listen to you; at least I can keep you company.â
Ren Yufengâs expression didnât change. It didnât seem like he intended to let Qiu Zhiming go, but it also didnât seem like heâd kill Qiu Zhiming immediately. In the end, he still took back the black aura in his hand and said, âForget it; Iâll spare you for now. However, donât feel happy so early. Iâm just sparing your life for the time being. When I want to kill you, youâll still have to die!â
Although this was only temporary, Qiu Zhiming still felt greatly relieved and grateful. He said, âThank you for not killing me, Senior Martial Brother Ren! Thank you, Senior Martial Brother RenâŚâ
Ren Yufeng waved his hand then said coldly, âIâm going to close the underground palace entrance; deal with the womanâs corpse!â Finally, he added a warning: âIf you try to do anything funny, Iâll immediately take your life!â
Qiu Zhiming naturally promised him again and again that he wouldnât, and Ren Yufeng finally turned around and walked away.
Once Ren Yufeng disappeared from his line of sight, the smile on Qiu Zhimingâs face faded. He fell on the ground, looking completely lifeless. For a while, he just sat like that with a stiff expression as if he still couldnât come to terms with his change of status. He continued to think until all of a sudden, he leaned on his legs and burst into tears.
This tall, robust man had curled up and bawled his eyes out⌠She really didnât know whether this scene was ridiculous or pitiful. Qiu Zhiming was obviously very innocent. In fact, he really didnât do anything wrong. It could even be said that he got caught by Ren Yufeng most likely because he took the injured Yu Xiaoran with him when he ran. Right now, the only ones who managed to escape were Jiang Shanghang and Tang Fang while Qiu Zhiming and Xiahou Yuan were caughtâYu Xiaoran was most likely dead already, and Qiu Zhiming himself probably couldnât escape from this calamity.
How much better was surviving temporarily compared to dying immediately? This place was an underwater underground palace, and the landscape of the Land of Hiding Dragon changed every year, so the landscape from the previous year wouldnât last until the next yearâwho knew where they would be next year? Not to mention whatâd happen next year, but even now, who knew when Ren Yufeng would suddenly be in a bad mood and want to kill him? Even if Ren Yufeng didnât kill him, they were underwater. Foundation Building cultivators still didnât have the ability to create waterproof enchantments on their own; even if he could survive underwater, it would only be for a limited time. The effects of one Bubble Fruit could only last for a day, and he only had several dozens of them at most. He would soon run out of them and at that point, heâd still have to dieâŚ
The more Qiu Zhiming thought about his situation, the more aggrieved he became, so he simply cried to his heartâs content.
Mo Tiange was watching the crumpled man quietly, doing nothing to help.
She could use this moment to knock Qiu Zhiming out and bring him into the Virtual Sky World, but if Qiu Zhiming went missing when there was only one passage in this underground palace, what would she do when Ren Yufeng became suspicious? After all, she didnât have any idea what kind of ability Ren Yufeng possessed now that he obtained the divine dragonâs breath. Besides, Qiu Zhiming was so weak. Even if she saved him, his willpower had already fallen apart, so he definitely wouldnât have any future.
Qiu Zhiming didnât have the slightest idea that during this short moment, he just brushed past his way out of this calamity. After crying for some time, he seemed to have sensed something, so he immediately stood up and started dealing with Xiahou Yuanâs corpse. After being covered by the black aura for so long, the waterproof enchantment on Xiahou Yuanâs body had long been destroyed and just like that, her body was filled with water, practically drowning her to death.
Just as Qiu Zhiming used his Dantian Real Fire to burn Xiahou Yuanâs corpse, Ren Yufeng walked into the hall. He seemed very satisfied that Qiu Zhiming was doing what he was told, so he directly made his way towards the stone platform next to the square and sat cross-legged without saying anything.
This stone platform was where the dragonâs foot was, so when Ren Yufeng sat, he sat on the dragonâs metacarpal bones.
He seemed to be regulating his breath. Mo Tiange saw the black aura on his body raging. Gradually, the divine dragonâs breath lingering on the dragon bones also headed towards him.
Qiu Zhiming was watching this scene with astonishment. He was already completely intimidated by Ren Yufengâs means of doing things, so he didnât dare to do anything else now.
But Mo Tiange was different from him. She cautiously examined every little detail that occurred when Ren Yufeng was cultivating. It made absolutely no sense that the divine dragonâs breath could produce devil auraâperhaps she could find the answer to this problem from the series of events that occurred when Ren Yufeng was cultivating.
After watching for a long time, Mo Tiangeâs gaze suddenly brightened.
She discovered something: Ren Yufeng seemed to be absorbing divine dragonâs breath, but the breath only flowed towards himâthe divine dragonâs breath on the dragon bones didnât decrease in the slightest! What did this mean? This meant that the breath on Ren Yufengâs body wasnât divine dragonâs breath!
But if it wasnât divine dragonâs breath, what was it? Mo Tiange really couldnât understand. She thought for a long time, but the only thing she was certain was that the so-called divine dragon secret technique Ren Yufeng had, which he thought could turn him into a descendent of the divine dragons, was either simply a fake or completely wrong!
If the method he used to absorb the divine dragonâs breath was wrong, what was going on now?
There was no clue whatsoever to these problems, so Mo Tiange could only grudgingly give them up for the time being. Rather than thinking about those problems, she better think about what she should do next.
Although she was naturally safe inside the Virtual Sky World, safety was all she had hereâshe couldnât remain there her whole life. Of course, inside the Virtual Sky World, she could use all kinds of spiritual panacea and cultivate slowly. However, if her mental state didnât progress, the dangers during realm-breakthrough would be too great; she might take a very long time before she could grow strong enough to fight Ren Yufeng. Moreover, what if Ren Yufengâs evil technique also allowed him to advance to the next realm very quickly?
Mo Tiange sat inside the small hut in the Virtual Sky World and racked her brain for a long time when she suddenly became enlightened. Right! How could she forget about it? Ren Yufeng pledged a Heart Demonâs Oath to her, vowing that he would let her leave safely!
Nevertheless, this thought only flitted by, and Mo Tiange once again felt disappointed. For cultivators from the Righteous Path, a Heart Demonâs Oath was a very important oath because Inner Demons were the biggest obstacle they could face during their realm-breakthroughs. The cultivators from the Devil Path, on the other hand, werenât restricted by Inner Demons. If Ren Yufeng had indeed turned into a devil cultivator, Inner Demons simply wouldnât play any role in his eyes because devil cultivators didnât encounter Inner Demons during their realm-breakthroughs.
Now she was back to square oneâhow could she leave?
In the end, Mo Tiange heaved a sigh then thought out loud: âForget it; just think of this as being in Closed Door Meditation. Maybe before several dozen years pass, Ren Yufeng will have an accident during his cultivation. At that timeâŚâ
Just as she was engrossed in her own thoughts, she suddenly heard a loud sound from outside. Soon after, Qiu Zhimingâs panic-filled voice rang out: âSenior Martial Brother Ren, are you alright?â
Mo Tiange looked up and saw that Ren Yufeng already ended his cultivation. Right now, he was sitting on the high platform, looking completely gloomy. As for Qiu Zhiming, he was sprawled on the ground not too far away with traces of blood on the corners of his mouth. It seemed⌠he was flung away by Ren Yufeng.
Ren Yufeng cast him a contemptuous glance. âWhat? Were you hoping for a mistake to occur while I cultivated?â
Upon catching the murderous intent hidden within his question, Qiu Zhiming instantly shook his head. âOf course not. I was just worriedâŚâ
âWorried about me?â Ren Yufeng sneered, âItâd be a wonder if you really worried about me! You can survive only if something happens to me, right?!â
Qiu Zhiming didnât refute him. He just hung his head down silently.
Ren Yufeng âhmphedâ then said, âStop daydreaming! I wonât die, and donât expect those old codgers will come to save youâthis underground palace cannot be opened without the designated technique. We entered this underground palace only because the divine dragonâs breath inside was drawn by the divine dragon monument outside, thus opening the entrance to this palace. Right now, only the divine dragonâs breath on these dragon bones remain, so those old codgers definitely cannot come in!â
Once he finished talking, Ren Yufeng stood up then walked down the platform. âItâs really a pity that Ye Xiaotian from Xuanqing School escaped! That woman has a lot of treasures. How good it wouldâve been if I could snatch them awayâŚâ
Qiu Zhiming raised his head then said somewhat hesitatingly, âThat Junior Martial Sister YeâŚâ He suddenly stopped, seemingly undecided whether he should tell Ren Yufeng or not.
âWhat?â Ren Yufeng turned his head to glance at him. âJust speak if you have something to say!â
Since Ren Yufeng made the order, Qiu Zhiming immediately said, âI didnât see Junior Martial Sister Ye leaving. Us Zhengfa Sect cultivators used Fleeing Water Technique underwater, so our speed was naturally much faster than hers. It wouldnât make sense that she could escape faster than me.â
Ren Yufeng pursed his lips. âNaive! That Ye Xiaotian has a lot of treasures; who knows whether or not she has something that wouldâve allowed her to escape?â He paused to heave a sigh before continuing on: âNot only does she have a lot of treasures, but her cultivation level is also high, and her age⌠According to my estimates, her age isnât more than eighty years old; Iâm afraid she might be even younger than that.â
Qiu Zhiming didnât understand what he meant, so he just stared at Ren Yufeng in bewilderment.
Ren Yufengâs brows were wrinkled in his impatience. âYouâre really stupid! Do you remember how old Jiang Shuihan is? I think heâs about fifty years old, isnât he? That Ye Xioatianâs cultivation level is obviously higher than his now, but heâs still calling her âJunior Martial Sister Yeââit clearly shows that Ye Xiaotian is still younger than him!â
Jiang Shuihan was Jiang Shanghangâs current name. Mo Tiange thought that despite his grotesque temperament and cruel character, this Ren Yufeng was unexpectedly not stupid. He actually thought of a way to guess her age.
Ren Yufengâs explanation made Qiu Zhimingâs jaws drop. He said, âLess than fifty years old? This⌠but Junior Martial Sister Yeâs already in the peak of the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm! She most likely went out to get field experience to breakthrough to the late stage. If she succeeds, wouldnât she beâŚâ
Reaching the late stage of the Foundation Building realm at fifty years old was indeed rather astonishing. It was a feat that even so-called geniuses rarely achieved.
Ren Yufeng âhmphedâ again then said, âNaive! Donât forget that she came from Xuanqing School! Nowadays, the strength of Xuanqing School doesnât lose out to Tiandao Sectâs. If gives birth to one or two more Nascent Soul cultivators within the next hundred years, itâll surpass Tiandao Sect and become the greatest cultivation group in the Celestial Pole! Unlike Tiandao Sect, which could have a lot of Nascent Soul cultivators because it has a lot of disciples, Xuanqing Schoolâs famous for coming up with genius cultivators. The current late stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Lord Daoist Zhenyang, and the cultivator who made a realm-breakthrough two hundred years ago, Lord Daoist Miaoyi, both succeeded in forming their Nascent Soul when they were about two to three hundred years old. Among its Core Formation cultivators, it has cultivators like Master Daoist Lingxi and Master Daoist Shoujing, who formed their Gold Core when they were around a hundred years old and who have very high chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul realm when theyâre about two hundred years old. Do you still think itâs impossible?â
âButâŚâ Qiu Zhiming still felt puzzled. âJunior Martial Brother Jiang said that when they got acquainted, Junior Martial Sister Ye was an individual cultivator. Isnât that kind of genius usually raised by their cultivation group from a young age?â
âDo you think those cultivation groups never mistakenly miss out on people?â Ren Yufengâs expression was suffused with disdain. âThe technique to measure spiritual roots among individual cultivators isnât a complete one; maybe Junior Martial Sister Yeâs real aptitude wasnât measured correctly. Besides, the fact that she was able to join Xuanqing School already shows that her skills arenât poor. Xuanqing School isnât like our Zhengfa Sect, which accepts every northernmost person who possesses spiritual roots; a big cultivation group like Xuanqing School is very selective even towards cultivators with three spiritual roots!â
Qiu Zhiming didnât say anything. Although Ren Yufengâs temperament wasnât good, Qiu Zhiming admitted that he couldnât compare to him in terms of intelligence. Moreover, whether Ye Xiaotian was a genius or not didnât really have anything to do with himâit wasnât like she was going to save him anyway.
âYe Xiaotian is Lord Daoist Xuanyinâs disciple. Although he hadnât yet formed his Nascent Soul when she worshiped him as her master, would a late stage Core Formation cultivator have accepted a disciple randomly? Furthermore, she herself said she hadnât built her foundation when she joined Xuanqing School. She went from the Aura Refining realm to the middle stage of the Foundation Building ream within ten odd years⌠With this kind of cultivation speed, how could she possibly not be a genius?â
After a brief pause, Ren Yufeng shook his head then said with a sigh, âWhat a pity⌠It must be very good if I could get such a young middle stage female cultivator as my Human FurnaceâŚâ Apparently imagining some scenes, perverseness emerged in his gaze.
Inside the Virtual Sky World, Mo Tiange, whoâd been watching this scene, slammed her hand on the table.
Ever since she entered Xuanqing School, sheâd never met anyone who wanted to make her their Human Furnace! Human Furnace was originally a heretical practice, while Xuanqing School was an orthodox Dao School. Dao Schools encouraged their disciples to have pure hearts and few desires, so the principle of harvesting one to nurture the other wasnât at all suitable for themâthey would only permit Dual Cultivation at most. Besides, right after she joined the school, she immediately became Lord Daoist Jingheâs registered disciple. There was really no one who dared to make her their Human Furnaceânobody would even dare to think about it!
Outside, Qiu Zhiming didnât dare to say anything and just stared at Ren Yufeng fearfully.
Upon spending some time in his own fantasy, Ren Yufeng finally regained his train of thought. He shook his head regretfully and said, âI actually let her escapeâhmph! I really want to taste what itâs like to humiliate this kind of extremely privileged person! But itâs not like thereâs no chance in the future. Once I practice the divine dragon secret technique properly and my cultivation level progress greatly, Iâll go to Kunwu and temper myself. Maybe Iâll still run into her later! HAHAHAHAâŚâ
Ren Yufengâs arrogant look really made Mo Tiange, who was inside the Virtual Sky World, outraged.
Zhengfa Sect was also a Dao Sect, so it also didnât encourage the principle of harvesting one to nurture the other. This Ren Yufeng just recently obtained a divine dragon secret technique, yet he was immediately this shamelessâhe most likely already had a very filthy mind in the past!
When she saw Ren Yufengâs completely perverse smile then thought about how he might very well be having a fantasy about herself, Mo Tiange instantly got goosebumps all over her body. She really wanted to slap that abominable face of his then chop him into minced meat!
It was only after taking several deep breaths that her mind gradually calmed down, and she returned to her seat.
Thinking about this was useless; in order to kill Ren Yufeng, she had to plan properly beforehand. But in fact, it wasnât like she had no advantages over Ren Yufeng.
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First of all, inside the Virtual Sky World, she had medicinal pills to eat, and the spiritual aura was also very abundantâthis was the perfect environment for her to cultivate in. Sheâd kept her cultivation from progressing for several years, so there would be no problem for her to try to advance to the late stage of the Foundation Building realm now. It was just that itâd be a bit dangerous if she wanted to try forming her Gold Core later, but the amount of danger was minimal; it didnât mean she would have no chances of succeeding.
Secondly, the origin of Ren Yufengâs cultivation technique was questionable. Who knew what the aftermath would be like? Cultivation techniques of the Devil Path were more likely to cause aura deviations, and Ren Yufeng had long entered a demonic barrier; maybe one day heâd have an accident when he practiced, and she could directly finish him off.
Lastly, she was inside the Virtual Sky World, and Ren Yufeng was completely unaware of her existence. She could always find an opportunity to ambush him!
Mo Tiange considered many things in her head. Eventually, she decided that until she had a better solution, she would just stay there and cultivate properly. She believed that when it came to simply playing a waiting game, Ren Yufeng wouldnât be able to defeat her. Because she, who had taken a Longevity Pill before, had at least eight hundred years left in her lifespan!