The token served as proof. Combined with the secret technique Kou Chun had already revealed, Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun and Blood Snake King Dai Feng both believed Xu Xing’s lies. If they hadn’t, this rescue mission for Kou Chun would have been entirely in vain. Their earlier questioning of Xu Xing also stemd from this concern.
"Shooting Sun Marquis, with your strength, you are no match for the three of us combined," Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun said, withdrawing her gaze from Xu Xing and looking directly at Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi. The two opposing sides began to negotiate. Compared to Kou Chun, Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi was the one the two great demon immortals considered a truly formidable opponent.
"At this juncture, it would be best for both our sides to take a step back..."
"Better than fighting, from which neither side would truly benefit," Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun added, her words tactful.
Although they didn’t fear Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi, fighting him would inevitably deplete their vital essence—a loss not worth the gain. Sacrificing so face, if necessary, was acceptable.
"What Heavenly Fox King says is reasonable." Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi did not insist, rely nodding slightly. "However, this Marquis never returns from an expedition empty-handed. Kou Chun has already fled, and it would be difficult for this Marquis to pursue him..."
His aning was already quite clear. If they wanted him to retreat, the two great demon immortals would have to offer him so benefits.
"What does Shooting Sun Marquis desire?" Blood Snake King Dai Feng frowned. They had secretly agreed that Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun would play the good cop, while he played the bad cop. In such confrontations, a beautiful woman like Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun was best suited for negotiations.
"Simple!" Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi flicked his sleeve, his bearing exuding the majesty of a conquering hero, the aura of a brave general in the army on full display. His robust, powerful physique, with its tiger-like back and ape-like waist, appeared even more imposing under the augntation of his formidable martial strength.
"The Heavenly Fox Clan possesses Unaging Spring Water; this Marquis wants a pot. And from the Blood Snake Clan, this Marquis requires three hundred stones of their exuviae," he stated coldly.
The highest form of warfare is to attack strategy itself; the next best is to disrupt alliances; next, to attack the army; and the worst policy is to besiege cities. Wu Yi, who revered The Art of War, was no reckless fool. Since direct confrontation was unadvisable, securing benefits was the superior path. Fighting the two great demon immortals would yield no profit and would only offend them. While he didn’t fear the latter, he couldn’t conduct himself in a way that made enemies of everyone under the heavens.
Hearing his exorbitant demands, Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun and Blood Snake King Dai Feng exchanged a glance and nodded.
Given Wu Yi’s current cultivation speed, he was not far from reaching the Golden Body and Cave Sky Realms, which followed the Three Realms of Celestial Humans. Once he achieved the Golden Body, unless hidden powerhouses like the East Sea Dragon King erged from seclusion, no one would be Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi’s match.
It’s better to diffuse enmity than to let it escalate. As long as they didn’t beco mortal enemies, these losses were sothing they could bear.
A Silver Pot and a Yellow Cloth Bag were tossed out from the hands of Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun and Blood Snake King Dai Feng respectively.
Imdiately after, Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun appeared beside Xu Xing in a flash, grabbed his sleeve with one hand, and whisked him far away from the area.
Only martial artists on the Path of the Physical Body who had achieved the Leakproof Realm could remain airborne for extended periods. Although those in the Blood Change Realm could also fly, their speed was like a turtle’s crawl compared to Leakproof Realm martial artists. If the two great demon immortals abandoned Xu Xing and fled, he would inevitably fall prey to Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi.
「Nanchuan Valley.」
This was the core territory of the Heavenly Fox Clan.
"Three years from now..." Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun said, having brought Xu Xing to a secret location within Nanchuan Valley. "After this King and Blood Snake King have t your Master, we will allow you to leave."
This place was essentially a cave, its rock walls incredibly hard and flecked with particles of a silver-like mineral. Venturing deeper, they found a clear spring gushing from the earth. Above it stood a sculpture of a nine-tailed white fox, baring its fangs and extending its claws. From the fox’s mouth, milky-white, crystalline droplets fell from its canine teeth. Approximately every nine breaths, a single drop would fall into the Silver Pot positioned beneath the fox’s mouth.
Unaging Spring? Xu Xing guessed this was the legendary Unaging Spring of the Heavenly Fox Clan. Previously, Shooting Sun Marquis Wuyi had requested a pot of Unaging Spring Water from Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun. After receiving it, Wuyi had opened the pot for a look, and Xu Xing had caught the rich fragrance of the Unaging Spring then.
"Your cultivation is at the Blood Change Realm..." Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun continued, "In our Heavenly Fox Clan, aside from myself, no one is your match. Junior Xu, please enter this cave and enter seclusion for three years. During this period, the spiritual energy naturally emanating from the Unaging Spring will be sufficient for your cultivation...
"If it is not enough, you may inform this King.
"This King will send soone once a month."
Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun unleashed a surge of Magic Power, and a section of the smooth rock wall cracked open, revealing an entrance. Instantly, the interior of the passage beyond was brightly illuminated. From the opening, one could see stone steps extending downwards.
"As it should be." Xu Xing nodded, offering no objection.
Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun and Blood Snake King Dai Feng aren’t fools. Even if they believed my lies, they’re still detaining temporarily to ensure nothing goes wrong. However, this suits my purposes perfectly. Whether it’s secluded cultivation to break through to the Three Realms of Celestial Humans or switching to the Cultivating Immortal Path thod, both require ti. With these two great demon immortals protecting and providing resources, this prison is like a blessed land.
Upon entering the opening, Xu Xing descended the stone steps. After he had descended about a hundred steps, the cave entrance sealed shut, leaving not even the slightest gap.
This rock wall... Xu Xing tried channeling his strength, pressing his fingers hard against the rock wall beside the steps. The result was as he expected. His fingers sank into the rock, but the resistance increased the deeper he pushed. With his current strength, he could penetrate roughly two chi, about two feet, at most before his power would be exhausted. This cave, even at its thinnest point near the entrance, was three zhang thick.
Breaking out of the Cave Mansion wouldn’t be difficult. If he persevered, given ti—less than a month—he could blast open this ’prison’. But the Blood Snake King and Heavenly Fox King are surely waiting outside; any disturbance would bring them to investigate. Therefore, trying to break out and escape would be a losing proposition.
Is this the Heavenly Fox King’s boudoir? Xu Xing continued downwards and soon, at the end of the stone steps, saw the chamber’s interior.
The first thing to catch his eye was a Redwood Step Bed. There was also a dressing table. The pillows and bedding on the couch seed to belong to a young woman. Beside the bronze mirror on the dressing table lay a box of scented powder.
Rumor has it that the Fox Clan excels at enchantnt. It seems the Heavenly Fox King left these furnishings intentionally, hoping I would be distracted by thoughts of romance and fall for her charms... Perhaps it was unintentional, perhaps deliberate. Xu Xing’s eyes flickered.
He adopted the deanor of a gentleman, not approaching the embroidered couch, but instead sat on the floor and began his cultivation. For cultivators, subsisting on wind and dew is commonplace. There was nothing to be particular about.
This place was indeed, as the Heavenly Fox King had said, an excellent spot for cultivation. The spiritual energy drawn from the Unaging Spring alone was sufficient for his daily needs.
If Nine Luminaries is a realm... My cultivation of the Path of the Physical Body, upon reaching the Three Realms of Celestial Humans, would be akin to achieving the Returning Core Realm through a different thod. I could glimpse the mysteries of that realm. Moreover, I’ve already reached the Blood Change Realm, so abandoning my progress to switch to the Cultivating Immortal Path thod now would likely be a net loss. Absorbing the cultivation insights from other worlds is also beneficial to .
Xu Xing didn’t rush to switch to the Cultivating Immortal Path thod but first weighed the pros and cons. Within three years, he was confident he could reach the Immortal Foundation Realm. However, he wasn’t confident of reaching the Late Immortal Foundation Stage or the Returning Core Realm in that ti. The path of Immortal Cultivation is long and arduous, not achievable in a short period.
In his estimation, the Leakproof Realm within the Three Realms of Celestial Humans was already equivalent in strength to the Late Immortal Foundation Stage. The Golden Body Realm, beyond the Leakproof Realm, was comparable to the Returning Core Realm itself. As for the Cave Sky Realm, that was a level approaching this world’s apex, a height few could ever reach.
Even though he believed the Immortal Path was superior to this world’s Path of the Physical Body and Path of the Yin Soul—as the latter two paths had inherent flaws—even the weakest ’Returning Core Realm’ cultivator was far stronger than most Foundation Establishnt Cultivators.
Admittedly, individuals existed who could overco and slay opponents a major realm above them. However, such talents were undoubtedly exceedingly rare.
First, break through to the Leakproof Realm. At least then I’ll have the strength for self-preservation. Even when facing the two great demon immortals, I won’t be afraid. Xu Xing mused.
He had initially resolved to switch to the Immortal Path after dealing with Kou Chun. However, with the intervention of the two great demon immortals, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to cripple his current cultivation at this juncture. His lifespan in this world was still considerable; there was no need to obsess over imdiate gains or losses.
Xu Xing began his arduous cultivation.
In the Main World, his cultivation had reached the Immortal Foundation Middle Stage, roughly equivalent to this world’s Blood Change Realm. Though the cultivation paths differed, every realm involved the refinent of the three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit. It was like learning foreign languages: while each appears different on the surface, understanding the underlying principles makes acquisition exponentially faster.
With the insights from the Immortal Path, breaking through the cultivation bottlenecks below the Blood Change Realm wasn’t difficult for Xu Xing. However, reaching the Leakproof Realm, which was above the Blood Change Realm, would require arduous cultivation.
The Xuanguang Talisman of the Late Immortal Foundation Stage and the Leakproof Realm share common principles. One uses the Light Sealing Talisman to stabilize one’s Xuanguang, then inscribes talismans upon it to achieve a state of internal containnt, preventing any leakage. Finally, the Mysterious Symbol protects the Immortal Base, and Jade Liquid condenses the Returning Core—this too is a path to being ’leakproof’. As for the Golden Body Realm, cultivating one’s own Golden Body, that is different from the Returning Core. The Golden Body Realm is more akin to using the Golden Body as a Furnace Ding, while the Returning Core Realm uses oneself as the Furnace Ding. The forr is external, the latter internal...
Xu Xing contemplated the essentials of the "Carp Dragon Change" cultivation thod, comparing it with the thods of the Immortal Path.
「Nanchuan Valley, Fox Heavenly Palace.」
"Three years..." Blood Snake King Dai Feng said, seated in a secondary high seat, glancing at Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun in the main seat. "For you and , it’s but a mont; we can afford to wait. It is said that Moyun Palace appears once every hundred years. Thirteen years ago, it just opened. Does Kou Chun truly have a way for us to enter Moyun Palace again within this current hundred-year cycle?"
During this "rescue" of Kou Chun, he had used sound transmission via divine consciousness to promise them several benefits, one of which was to help them enter Moyun Palace.
"Kou Chun has locked Shi Yuyan in Moyun Palace." Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun took a black stone from her sleeve and recited a few incantations.
In the next mont, the mory stone projected an image into the air. Within a colossal hall, by a stone column, Shi Yuyan sat cross-legged, eyes closed and brows furrowed, seemingly cultivating so unknown technique. Above the majestic hall, a celestial star map shimred.
"We wait for him for three years," Blood Snake King Dai Feng nodded slightly. The opportunities within Moyun Palace were extraordinary, said to contain the secrets to shattering the void.
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