[Of course, before returning to Wujian Region, you still had one thing left to do.]
[Two months later, you returned to the desolate cave dwelling.]
[Moving as fast as possible, you extracted the first stream of Primordial Yin Qi that Li Yan had nurtured.]
[Over forty years had passed since Li Yan broke through to the Core Formation Stage.]
[You could distinctly feel the difference between the Primordial Yin Qi you took this time and the one from the last simulation.]
[Beyond the familiar ice-cold touch, it carried a faint, almost imperceptible Yin essence.]
['Is this the first stream of Primordial Yin Qi from a Core Formation Stage Primordial Yin Treasure Physique?']
[You marveled inwardly, vaguely sensing that if Li Yan nurtured it for a few more centuries, it might even aid in breaking through bottlenecks at the Nascent Soul Stage.]
["Master..."]
["Yan'er, I have to go."]
[You didn't linger in her tender embrace. Right now, your greatest priority was attempting to reach the Nascent Soul Stage.]
[A beautiful woman was certainly wonderful, but compared to your Great Dao, she was nothing.]
[The first stream of Primordial Yin Qi from a Core Formation Stage Primordial Yin Treasure Physique could be preserved within your body for half a year to a full year.]
[If you didn't absorb it before that time ran out, it would dissipate on its own.]
[To be safe, it was best to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough within half a year.]
["Go attend to your important matters, Master."]
[Li Yan was exceedingly obedient.]
[Two months later, you arrived in Zixiao Domain.]
[Before stepping into the cross-domain teleportation array, you sacrificed another two months of your lifespan to perform a deep Divination on this journey.]
[With the Nascent Soul breakthrough fast approaching, you couldn't afford any accidents.]
[The hexagram result was perfectly balanced and peaceful, indicating you would arrive safely in Wujian Region.]
[You stepped into the array and seamlessly reached Wujian Region.]
[Shortly after you arrived in Chiwu Immortal City, the token True Monarch Beiheng had given you began to vibrate.]
[You took it out, and True Monarch Beiheng's voice echoed from within.]
["Stay inside Chiwu Immortal City. Don't come out. I'll come pick you up."]
[True Monarch Beiheng's words were brief, but they made your expression shift slightly.]
[Clearly, during the decades you had been away from Wujian Region, something involving you had occurred.]
[You began to repeatedly divine the matter.]
[Since the issue concerned you directly, the results came quickly.]
['It involves Corpse Raising Mountain?']
[The hexagram you obtained pointed straight to Corpse Raising Mountain.]
[Corpse Raising Mountain was one of the five major Nascent Soul tier powers in Wujian Region.]
[Back when you were scouting for additional locations to form your Nascent Soul, you had consulted them.]
[However, you noticed they harbored malicious intentions toward you. Later, True Monarch Beiheng even found a trace of a corpse qi brand they had left on your body.]
[That corpse qi brand originated from a corpse-path spiritual treasure within Corpse Raising Mountain, which was how it had bypassed your senses to leave its mark.]
[After that, you stayed as far away from Corpse Raising Mountain as possible, never even passing by their territory.]
[You performed another deep Divination, not hesitating to sacrifice over half a month of lifespan.]
['Corpse Raising Mountain is planning an ambush on the only road to Jiuli Valley... but this poses no danger to me. They completely misjudged my strength...']
[Your expression turned odd.]
[At the same time, you realized that the temptation your physical body held for Corpse Raising Mountain far exceeded your expectations.]
['Could it be that a corpse's remaining lifespan significantly impacts the path of corpse refinement?']
[You pondered for a moment and arrived at the only logical conclusion.]
[Your body had reached the Third-Order Late Stage. However, a physique at that level alone wasn't worth Corpse Raising Mountain going to such extraordinary lengths.]
[After all, you had already joined Jiuli Valley. Their actions would undoubtedly enrage True Monarch Beiheng.]
[Yet they still did it. There was only one possibility: your physical body was so crucial to Corpse Raising Mountain that they were willing to provoke a body cultivation true lord for it.]
[And compared to other Third-Order Late Stage body cultivators, your only advantage was your abundant lifespan. You still had nearly four hundred years left before hitting your limit.]
[For an ordinary Third-Order Late Stage body cultivator, having one or two hundred years remaining was exceptionally rare.]
[Of course, Corpse Raising Mountain had no way to pinpoint your exact lifespan.]
[But they likely had some method to sense the deep-rooted foundation of your physical body, a foundation closely tied to factors like lifespan.]
['The path of corpse refinement...']
[You frowned. You had studied the legacies of such arts before, even if you weren't an expert.]
[Corpse refinement had massive limitations. It required forging specialized grounds to nurture the corpses, which was a huge hassle.]
['True Monarch Beiheng must have figured out Corpse Raising Mountain's intentions toward me, which is why he came to pick me up himself...']
[Once you understood Corpse Raising Mountain's movements, True Monarch Beiheng's actions were easy to deduce without even needing Divination.]
['For the people of Corpse Raising Mountain to pinpoint my tracks and the exact time of my return to Jiuli Valley... did they hire a peak Tier 3 Divination master to divine my location?']
[You surmised inwardly.]
[Your Divination skill was only at Third-Order High-Grade. It wasn't enough to block the scrying of a peak Tier 3 Divination master.]
[Moreover, you hadn't sensed a thing while the Divination took place. While part of that was because the act posed no direct danger to you, it was also likely because that peak Tier 3 Divination master had burned their lifespan and utilized a top-tier Divination wondrous item.]
[Wujian Region was far more prosperous than Taiyuan Region. It wouldn't be difficult for a Nascent Soul tier faction to get their hands on a top-tier Divination wondrous item.]
[With a peak Tier 3 Divination master combining forces with a top-tier Divination wondrous item and sacrificing lifespan for a deep Divination, they had bypassed your senses entirely.]
[A short while later, your token informed you that True Monarch Beiheng had arrived just outside Chiwu Immortal City.]
[You immediately left the city and presented yourself before True Monarch Beiheng.]
["True lord..."]
[You quickly schooled your expression to show a hint of confusion.]
[Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have known why True Monarch Beiheng had come to escort you personally.]
[Your Third-Order High-Grade Divination skill was your hidden trump card.]
[Until you had enough strength and backing, recklessly revealing your Divination mastery would do more harm than good.]
[For example, what if True Monarch Beiheng came to you one day asking for a Divination that required a heavy toll on your lifespan?]
[Would you agree or refuse?]
[Divination was not like alchemy; it was far more peculiar.]
["Come back with me."]
[True Monarch Beiheng glanced at Chiwu Immortal City.]
[Because of his arrival, a massive divine sense was already sweeping rapidly in this direction.]
[Chiwu Immortal City was Chiwu Sect's most vital immortal city; naturally, there was a true lord standing guard.]
[Whoosh—]
[True Monarch Beiheng didn't bother greeting the true lord inside the city. Instead, he swept you up and headed straight for Jiuli Valley.]
["Over thirty years ago, True Monarch Yinxiao of Corpse Raising Mountain contacted me, saying he wanted your physical body."]
[On the way back, True Monarch Beiheng glanced at you and spoke slowly.]
["True Monarch Yinxiao..."]
[Your expression turned ugly. You knew exactly how troublesome this corpse-path true lord was.]
[True Monarch Yinxiao wasn't just any true lord; he commanded a Tier 4 corpse puppet.]
[Rumor had it that this corpse puppet was refined from his most beloved dao companion, allowing them to share a telepathic bond. When fighting alongside his corpse puppet, True Monarch Yinxiao could unleash power greater than two true lords combined.]
["Relax, I refused him. No matter what, you are a guest elder of my Jiuli Valley. How could Corpse Raising Mountain be allowed to covet you?"]
[True Monarch Beiheng said casually.]
["Thank you, true lord."]
[You immediately offered your gratitude.]
["However, I figured that since True Monarch Yinxiao stepped forward to ask for you personally, he wouldn't just let it go after being rejected. That's why I came to get you the moment you returned to Wujian Region..."]
[By the time True Monarch Beiheng finished speaking, he had already brought you back to Jiuli Valley.]
[He then asked offhandedly, "Did everything go smoothly on your return home?"]
["Everything went smoothly."]
[You replied.]
["Good."]
[True Monarch Beiheng nodded slightly. "When do you plan to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough?"]
["Now."]
[You didn't hesitate. With the Heavenly Infant Fruit in hand, the Nascent Soul breakthrough could not be delayed.]
["Now? Alright."]
[True Monarch Beiheng nodded. "I'll issue the orders to prepare a Tier 4 spiritual vein cave dwelling for you."]
[Failing the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage almost always meant death. True Monarch Beiheng trusted you wouldn't attempt it recklessly.]
[Tens of thousands of li away, on the only path leading to Jiuli Valley.]
[Several figures, practically radiating corpse qi, lay in ambush.]
["There's no need to wait any longer... That man has already returned to Jiuli Valley..." one of the figures—an emaciated old man with eyes burning like ghost fire—rasped.]
["Didn't Elder Mo perform a Divination saying Wang Lin would pass through here?" a figure beside him asked. The voice was sinister and cold. It was the vice mountain lord of Corpse Raising Mountain, the very same cultivator who had received you in the past.]
[Back then, the mountain lord of Corpse Raising Mountain had vaguely sensed the surging origin deep within your physical body—you were prime, natural material for corpse refinement.]
[Through the spiritual treasure hidden deep within the mountain, they had planted a corpse qi brand on you. Even if you didn't choose Corpse Raising Mountain as your breakthrough site, they could track you down using that brand.]
[But later, you joined Jiuli Valley, and True Monarch Beiheng erased the brand.]
[Decades later, True Monarch Yinxiao of Corpse Raising Mountain emerged from seclusion with his cultivation having advanced, holding the potential to control a second Tier 4 corpse puppet.]
[However, none of the peak Tier 3 corpse puppets currently residing in Corpse Raising Mountain had the potential to advance to Tier 4.]
[The vice mountain lord remembered you and reported the matter to True Monarch Yinxiao.]
[True Monarch Yinxiao had immediately contacted True Monarch Beiheng, only to be flatly rejected.]
[Left with no other choice, True Monarch Yinxiao ordered them to move against you in secret, perfectly willing to risk True Monarch Beiheng's fury to get the job done.]
[Though Corpse Raising Mountain and Jiuli Valley were enemies, at the level of true lords, benefits outweighed all else.]
[True Monarch Yinxiao had reached out to True Monarch Beiheng initially in hopes of acquiring your body through a normal trade.]
[True Monarch Beiheng didn't know the precise value of your physical body. If True Monarch Yinxiao had offered terms tempting enough, a deal might have been struck.]
[The emaciated old man was Elder Mo, a peak Tier 3 Divination master trained by Corpse Raising Mountain.]
[The operation to strike against you had been placed entirely under Elder Mo's command.]
[A peak Tier 3 Divination master calculating the heavenly secrets to scheme against a Core Formation Perfection Stage cultivator? The odds of success were incredibly high.]
["I only said it was highly likely he would pass through here. Wang Lin's heavenly secrets are hazy, making the Divination extremely difficult. He must have some top-tier heavenly secret wondrous item protecting him. I've sacrificed quite a bit of lifespan for this..."]
[Elder Mo's heart bled. To fulfill True Monarch Yinxiao's orders, he had constantly performed Divinations over the past few decades, burning through more than ten years of his lifespan.]
[Ten years of lifespan wasn't much for a normal Core Formation True Person.]
[But in the eyes of a Divination master—especially one like Elder Mo, who constantly had to clean up messes for Corpse Raising Mountain—it was an agonizing loss.]
[Despite Elder Mo looking like he had one foot in the grave, he was actually only a little over three hundred years old. Logically, among normal Core Formation stage true persons, he should have been in the prime of his life.]
[In truth, Elder Mo rarely performed Divinations anymore. He only took up your matter because it was a direct order from True Monarch Yinxiao, one he couldn't refuse.]
["What should we do now?" the vice mountain lord of Corpse Raising Mountain asked, his tone laced with worry.]
[If they failed to carry out their true lord's orders, even a vice mountain lord like him wouldn't escape severe punishment.]
["Wait..."]
[Elder Mo steadied himself, pulled out several tortoise shells, and began another Divination.]
[A moment later, Elder Mo opened his eyes, his face ghastly pale.]
["Go wait outside Jiuli Valley."]
[Elder Mo said weakly.]
["Why?" the vice mountain lord asked in confusion.]
["That Wang Lin is going to attempt his Nascent Soul breakthrough soon... Once he fails and dies, we can trade with Jiuli Valley. There's a high chance we can exchange for his corpse..."]
[Elder Mo coughed violently, spitting up a mouthful of blood.]
[He had burned another few years of his lifespan to divine this crucial piece of information.]
[He didn't know the actual result of your breakthrough, nor was he certain True Monarch Beiheng would be willing to trade your body after your failure.]
[He only received a hexagram showing that you were about to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough in the near future.]
[From that, standard logic allowed him to deduce the possibility of acquiring your corpse through proper channels.]
["I see."]
[Realization dawned on the vice mountain lord.]
[Once you failed the Nascent Soul breakthrough and your body died and the Dao perished, your corpse would be completely useless to Jiuli Valley.]
[As long as they paid a high enough price, trading for your body wasn't out of the question.]
[Jiuli Valley, inside a Tier 4 cave dwelling.]
[Rich spiritual energy rolled through the air like mist.]
[You sat cross-legged in the center, your state of mind beginning to condense.]
[Compared to your Nascent Soul attempt in the fourth simulation, the difference now wasn't just in the quality of your magic power—your mental state had undergone a profound transformation.]
[Having experienced a Heart Demon Tribulation once, starting over, living through another hundred years, and spending decades repeatedly braving the illusion worlds within Purgatory Forest...]
[Not to mention your continuous comprehension of the Lotus Heart Seed, experiencing the state of the 'Lotus Heart'... ]
[Right now, your mind was completely tranquil. Even if you failed the Nascent Soul breakthrough again, it wouldn't disturb your mental state in the slightest.]
Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing's expression was solemn.
Compared to his last attempt, the chances of reaching the Nascent Soul Stage this time were many times greater.
"Nascent Soul Stage, here I come..."
Zhou Qing stared at the constantly shifting illusory text, his expression filled with anticipation.
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