Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 454: Chapter 418: He Needs a More Effective Method

The pool rippled, its water as cold as ice.

In the past, even as a mortal, his abundant Qi Blood would have made him immune to heat and cold.

But now, in his ravaged body, he felt a bone-chilling cold he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Chu Mu reached the bottom of the pool and followed his memories, moving along the subterranean current.

After just a short while, accompanied by a foul stench of mixed odors, the underground grotto from all those years ago reappeared before him.

The stalactites glowed brilliantly. The ground was stained with a thick layer of blood and gore, littered with rotting remains and broken bones. Under the fluorescent, multicolored light of the stalactites, even the ghastly white bones seemed cloaked in a strange, vibrant layer of color, creating a morbidly beautiful scene.

On the grotto’s ceiling, the marks where he had broken off several stalactites back then were still clearly visible.

He scanned his surroundings, and after confirming that nothing was amiss, Chu Mu went to a corner of the grotto. There, hidden beneath a pile of stark white bones and against the cave wall, a single drop of milky-white liquid could be seen coalescing on the tip of a peculiar stalactite before slowly dripping into a stone trough on the ground.

A thin layer of the milky-white liquid had collected in the stone trough. As the new drop fell, it caused barely a ripple before merging with the accumulated fluid.

Chu Mu pursed his lips and silently collected the accumulated Spiritual Milk.

Compared to his last visit, the amount of accumulated Bell Stone Spiritual Milk was clearly much less.

He filled a Jade Bottle, but it only reached a little over halfway.

Though it was only half a bottle, for him, this was undoubtedly a stroke of immense fortune.

Bell Stone Spiritual Milk was a Body Refining Holy Medicine. Its effects on the physical body were so profound that even many famous High Tier Spiritual Objects could not compare.

With his body in its current ravaged state, he could barely muster the slightest bit of his remaining Power.

Since Essence, Qi, and Spirit were all interconnected, the physical body was the best starting point for recovery, and the easiest for external aid to influence.

And this Bell Stone Spiritual Milk, being a Body Refining Holy Medicine, was naturally an excellent remedy for physical injuries.

Emerging from the grotto, he found the twin-headed giant snake still on the verge of death. Its massive body was motionless, but its dim eyes, fixed on Chu Mu, were still filled with venomous hatred and cruelty.

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...

Chu Mu couldn’t suppress another coughing fit. Spitting blood, he didn’t go far, simply finding a large rock beneath the waterfall to sit on.

Although the Spiritual Milk would be most effective if compounded and refined into an Elixir, Chu Mu clearly lacked the energy for such a task right now.

As if pouring himself a drink, he downed the Spiritual Milk from the Jade Bottle. Chu Mu closed his eyes. His stagnant Qi Blood and Magical Power began to slowly circulate once more.

Nourished by the Bell Stone Spiritual Milk, his ravaged body was like a parched desert being infused with a clear, unending spring.

Severed Meridians slowly reconnected, shattered flesh and bone regenerated at a visible rate, and even the cracks in his Dantian began to mend with excruciating slowness.

At some point, the bleeding also gradually stopped.

In just three days, the half-bottle of Bell Stone Spiritual Milk had been completely consumed through Refinement.

As the last of the Bell Stone Spiritual Milk’s medicinal effects were used up, his ravaged, mangled body finally began to resemble that of a human again.

’I’ve recovered about... thirty percent.’

Chu Mu clenched his fist. Even partially restored, his body possessed an indescribably terrifying Power.

The Great Sun Scripture cultivated both Dharma and Body. His Great Sun True Flame had also evolved after devouring the Earth Spirit Flame, causing his Dharma and Body Cultivation to leap to a new level as well.

Upon reaching the Golden Core Realm, it was natural that both his Dharma and Body had reached the Golden Core level.

With the physique of a Golden Core Body Cultivator, even at only thirty percent recovery, he was more than strong enough to crush any existence in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The recovery of his Combat Power was secondary. Most importantly, with his physical body restored by thirty percent, the interconnected nature of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit meant he had finally made a breakthrough in treating his devastating injuries.

At the very least, he would no longer be... completely helpless!

’My injuries are healing... and it’s starting to suppress... the Demonization.’

A quick check with his senses delivered another piece of great news.

When his injuries were at their worst, the Demonization Erosion had advanced unopposed. But now, with his body slightly recovered and his Magical Power circulating normally, its unimpeded advance was a thing of the past.

Under the instinctive resistance of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the speed of the Demonization Erosion had slowed considerably.

Confirming this, Chu Mu felt a great weight lift from his shoulders.

A partial recovery of his physical body meant his Magical Power could circulate normally, which in turn meant he could begin to regulate his condition himself.

It wouldn’t be like before, where his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were nearly inert, with only his Sword Intent remaining.

He took out several Healing Elixirs and consumed them. Now that he could direct his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the effects of the Healing Elixirs could finally manifest properly.

Several days of healing followed.

On the tenth day, when the effects of the Heavenly Deceit Pill were halfway gone, he finally ended this hasty period of recuperation.

He let out a long, turbid breath, stretched his limbs, and stepped down from the large rock, approaching the dying twin-headed giant snake.

Its venomous hatred remained, but its last flicker of life was faint, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Chu Mu sensed his own Magical Power and Divine Soul, then pondered for a moment. He summoned a wisp of Great Sun True Flame, and as he cast a series of Techniques, wisps of crimson light also emerged.

As if sensing its fate, the twin-headed giant snake struggled, its massive body writhing. It let out a shrill hiss like a wheezing bellows, but it could not escape its destiny.

As time passed, its hisses grew more piercing, and a blood-red Round Pearl slowly began to take shape.

With the death of the twin-headed giant snake that had once made him tremble, another Heavenly Deceit Pill was successfully refined.

And the massive snake’s body, prone on the ground, had shriveled into a desiccated corpse, as if it had been air-dried for a thousand years.

After storing the Pill, Chu Mu couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt. An unnatural flush returned to his face; in his current state, Refining this Heavenly Deceit Pill was still a considerable strain.

He glanced at the withered snake corpse, then scanned the valley. The Spiritual Qi billowed like clouds and mist, and the serene atmosphere was as beautiful as an Immortal Realm.

The tranquility of this place was perfectly suited for him to recuperate in peace.

Once his injuries healed a bit more, he could properly explore this Secret Realm. With his current strength, even while heavily injured, he should be able to move about unimpeded here.

Given the vastness of the Secret Realm and its ancient legacy, there were bound to be opportunities to be found.

He casually found a secluded spot and sat down cross-legged. Chu Mu didn’t bother setting up any protective Array Prohibitions. Since the twin-headed giant snake had occupied this area for many years, its territorial nature as a Demon Beast meant there were unlikely to be any other powerful Demon Beasts nearby.

As for any Low Tier Demon Beasts, the lingering aura of the twin-headed giant snake would ensure they wouldn’t dare set foot in the valley.

This valley would be extremely safe for the next several years.

As his thoughts churned, Chu Mu closed his eyes, directing his few remaining wisps of Divine Sense. He used this Divine Sense to guide his nearly depleted Magical Power and examine the devastated state of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

He skimmed past his other injuries; Chu Mu’s objective was very clear.

’None of the other injuries matter.’

’No matter how severe the damage to my Magical Power, physical body, or Divine Soul, it’s just a matter of how long it takes to recover.’

’My Divine Soul Injury can be ground away by my Sword Intent, so that will also heal sooner or later.’

’Only the cracks on my Golden Core are beyond my ability to fix.’

A wisp of his Divine Sense enveloped the Golden Core, meticulously analyzing the recently formed Pill as if peeling back layers of silk from a cocoon.

The core of the Golden Core Realm lay in this very Golden Core.

The saying, "Swallow a Golden Core and know for the first time that my fate is my own, not heaven’s to decide," was widely known in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

While somewhat exaggerated, the idea that entering the Golden Core Realm meant "my fate is my own, not heaven’s to decide" was not far from the truth in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

After all, in the major powers of the Cultivation Immortal Realm, it was only Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators who managed daily affairs. The Golden Core True Masters above them generally remained hidden behind the scenes, their words deciding the fate of the world.

As for the Nascent Soul Great Powers, they were as elusive as divine dragons, showing their heads but never their tails.

With the Cultivation and lifespan of a Nascent Soul Great Power, they would often enter seclusion for decades or even centuries at a time, making them nearly impossible to find.

Even for the Golden Core True Masters of the major powers, seeking an audience with a Nascent Soul Great Power who stood at the apex of the Cultivation Immortal Realm was likely no easy task.

In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, only by entering the Golden Core Realm could one truly take fate into their own hands, truly living by the principle of "my fate is my own, not heaven’s to decide."

As for him, he was clearly an exception.

’Not everyone is as unlucky as I am, forced to deal with multiple Nascent Soul Great Powers time and again while still in the mere Foundation Establishment Realm, before even forming my Golden Core.’

’I finally, with great difficulty, reached the Golden Core Realm, and before I could even stabilize my Cultivation, I was forced into a life-or-death battle with a Nascent Soul True Demon. Although I was lucky enough to escape with my life, I’ve clearly brought a sky-high disaster upon myself.’

If he ever encountered that Nascent Soul True Demon again, it would surely be another monumental life-or-death crisis!

And now, on this brilliant Golden Core, three patterns containing the fortune of heaven and earth swirled around it. At the same time, several hideous cracks on the Pill’s surface were also extremely clear.

’A shattered Golden Core... means a severed path of cultivation...’

Chu Mu suddenly recalled this phrase, though he couldn’t remember which classic text it came from.

The Golden Core was a product of the fusion of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. An Immortal Golden Core signified the path to the Nascent Soul.

A shattered Golden Core clearly meant the fusion of Essence, Qi, and Spirit had become unbalanced, which in turn meant the path of cultivation was severed...

Now, under the influence of the fractured Golden Core, just using twenty or thirty percent of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit felt like being stuck in a mire, heavily obstructed and almost impossible to mobilize.

The only silver lining seemed to be that his Golden Core was different from what was recorded in the classics.

According to the texts, a shattered Golden Core was an incurable dao injury.

But right now, as the three heaven-and-earth-forged Pill Patterns swirled around the Golden Core within his Divine Sense Perception, a mysterious power seemed to envelop it, suppressing the spread of the cracks.

At the same time, it seemed to be slowly repairing the cracks that crisscrossed the Golden Core’s surface...

’Three-Patterned...’

Chu Mu pursed his lips. Seeing this, much of the gloom in his heart seemed to dissipate.

A Three-Patterned Golden Core, forged by Celestial Thunder Refining Golden Pill through three waves and nine bolts of Thunder Tribulation, clearly possessed many wonders he had yet to understand.

He observed for a long time. After confirming that the Golden Core’s self-healing under the effect of the three Pill Patterns was not an illusion, he finally shifted his attention to carefully inspect the other injuries throughout his body.

「Several months passed in the blink of an eye.」

Over the course of that time, Chu Mu only left the valley a few times. He captured several Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts to refine into Heavenly Deceit Pills, which served as his token to remain in the Secret Realm. Otherwise, he remained in the valley, single-mindedly focused on recuperating in seclusion.

After finding a breakthrough in treating his tangled mess of injuries, for Chu Mu, physical recovery had become a secondary concern.

The most pressing matter was how to suppress the speed of the Demonization Erosion as much as possible while his injuries healed.

Although the healing of his injuries did provide some suppression against the Demonization Erosion, it was not enough.

Clearly, relying solely on this instinctive resistance, he would likely be Fallen into the Demon Dao, forced to become a Demon Cultivator, long before his injuries could fully heal...

He needed a more effective method...

...

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