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In the boundless forbidden sea, a hidden, massive ship moved as if teleporting, gliding across the water without disturbing it, crossing vast distances in the blink of an eye.
"Brother Xun, Brother Ox, run fast!!" Little Red shouted, stomping his feet in panic, his forehead covered in cold sweat as he pointed ahead, "Brother Ox, charge left!"
"Moo moo!!"
The big black ox waved the formation flag, infusing the ship with the power of the Five Elements, and guided it forward at breakneck speed.
Chen Xun stood at the front, still looking back, his clenched fists cracking with anger, his eyes filled with rage. Damn it, they're trying to ambush us.
The Yu family was one of the three ancient cultivation families of Great Li Realm, immensely powerful. If they couldn't obliterate them in one blow, the Yu family would send endless reinforcements while they had nothing to rely on.
If they got entangled, who knows what monsters would show up to join the fray.
"Damn it, that Long Guanzi! Brothers, remember this grudge!" Chen Xun's gaze was icy as he yelled, "When we reach the Nascent Soul stage, if that old scoundrel is still alive, we'll ambush and break his teeth. If he's dead, then we'll dig up his family's graves!"
"Moo!!" The big black ox bellowed in anger. It had been years since it had encountered anything like this; they dared to set them up in the middle of a transaction.
"Brother Xun…" Little Red was terrified to his core—that was one of the three ancient cultivation families of Great Li Realm! "Maybe we wait until that old scoundrel dies, and then we dig up the graves?"
"Little Red, we'll consider this carefully. I won't let that dog thief get away with this!" Chen Xun took a deep breath; the oppressive force he sensed was immense; even his spiritual pressure was hard to hold up. "If we really fall for his trap, who knows what price we'll pay to escape."
He felt anger boiling inside. When he's at his peak, I’ll hold back, but when he's fallen, we brothers will come after him without mercy.
“Roar!!”
Little Red roared in anger, pushed to the brink by the fear of almost dying. Luckily, Brother Ox was prepared, allowing them to escape in mere moments.
These humans had no sense for the forbidden sea's dangers. If they dared to chase, he’d lead them beneath the ancient warship and give them a proper scare.
"We shouldn't deal with these major powers anymore; we've achieved our goal." Chen Xun held both the big black ox and Little Red, feeling much more secure. "Old Ox, the teleportation array is all up to you. I’ll study this body-strengthening technique."
"Moo~~!" The big black ox was still furious, planning to curse that old villain, even in death, to haunt his afterlife.
"Brother Xun is right; I fully agree!"
Little Red, feeling as though he'd narrowly escaped death, found it surprising even Brother Xun had opted to flee. "But, I have one more thing to say."
"Shut up!"
"Moo!"
Chen Xun and the big black ox yelled at him together, making Little Red laugh sheepishly.
He thought the Tian Duan Plains were a safer place; there were no powerful spirit beasts near the chasms at its edge.
The massive ship continued to sail swiftly. Chen Xun looked at the treasures in his storage ring, feeling much more at ease. The big black ox had already checked them during the exchange, and there was no issue.
Long Guanzi probably thought he valued the fifth-layer Water Spirit Technique and the method for crafting the god-killing artifact the most.
When that descent spell was activated, they sensed a disturbance in the spiritual energy that could veil the immortal path, though Little Red hadn't noticed. But they cultivated the Five Elements.
Fortune favors the bold. Both sides stalled, pretending to negotiate, while he swapped out all of Yu Chen's items.
"Hmph, that Guanzi certainly had the fifth-layer Water Spirit Technique and the god-killing artifact method, but I wasn’t greedy enough to endanger my brothers."
Chen Xun gazed coldly at the dark sea; compared to human schemes, the forbidden sea’s demonic lairs felt far more trustworthy.
That descent spell, whatever its limitations, used an avatar as a vessel, allowing the main body to descend here in the forbidden sea. For a brief moment, he hadn't felt any suppressive force from the sea.
"These ancient cultivation families have some truly intricate spells," Chen Xun's gaze grew sharper, "but the forbidden sea’s demonic lairs aren’t simple either; otherwise, he wouldn’t need an avatar."
And judging by Yu Chen’s attitude towards Guanzi, the latter wasn't an avatar but an actual person...
There’s no hurry. When I’m strong enough, I'll investigate the Yu family down to the last detail. How dare they provoke an immortal seeker?! A faint killing intent appeared in Chen Xun's eyes.
Buzz—
The massive ship entered its final acceleration stage, covering hundreds of miles in an instant before disappearing from the sea. A few days later, they returned to the island, where the quiet sea breeze blew softly.
"Old Ox, take these formation diagrams and destroy them once you understand them."
Chen Xun stepped ashore and took several glowing teleportation formation diagrams from his storage ring. "Little Red, help your brother Ox with the setup. It’s a complex process."
"No problem, Brother Xun." Little Red jumped down, grinning. "The Starshifting Blackstone Mine is all yours, Brother Ox."
"Moo~~" The big black ox happily trotted off, nudging Chen Xun and quickly stowing the large diagrams as if they were treasures.
"Off you go; I'll study this body-strengthening technique." Chen Xun glanced at the island; nothing had changed. "If anything happens, just shout."
"Moo~~" The big black ox was already running toward the mine, with Little Red clinging to its back, thrilled. There was no safer place than here.
Chen Xun sat cross-legged on the shore, casually pulling out a body-strengthening technique and letting his spiritual sense seep into it.
The essence is indeed very strong, yet it has reached a bottleneck and remains quite passive. Body refinement and tempering are entirely different from cultivating the Immortal Path.
Throughout history, some have cultivated the Immortal Path, while others have focused on body refinement. Those cultivating the Immortal Path draw on the world's spiritual energy, relying on their innate spiritual roots and tapping into the "wool of heaven and earth" to elevate themselves and ultimately achieve the Immortal Path.
In contrast, body refinement is an entirely different path. It is extremely arduous, consuming vast amounts of cultivation resources without enhancing cultivation levels. It merely provides a bit more self-preservation in the face of danger.
"This aligns with my own thinking—these sea beasts, spirit beasts, and demon beasts' essence blood and Nascent Soul energy are exceptional supplements for body refinement." As Chen Xun flipped through the pages, he sighed softly, "If an immortal seeker practiced this method, they’d likely decimate spirit beasts in the world, which would indeed be harmful to the natural order."
Body refinement emphasizes using spiritual herbs to temper the bones and strengthen the body’s ordinary bloodline. Finally, it relies on the essence blood of spirit beasts from various realms to cleanse and transform the meridians.
The goal is to make one's own life force as vigorous as a dragon's. To reach the end of this path is a journey more brutal than cultivating the Immortal Path—a path of blood where all creatures are enemies, bearing a resemblance to the ways of demonic cultivators.
Nowadays, most sects focus only on purging impurities at the Qi Refinement stage to help their disciples forcefully break into the Foundation Establishment stage, bypassing the need for Foundation Establishment Pills.
However, these remaining body refinement techniques are mostly legacies from ancient cultivators. Back then, fierce beasts and violent spirit creatures roamed widely, and relying solely on spiritual energy was often insufficient to handle them.