A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Judging by the square’s layout, this place must have been a sacrificial site.

Many of the architectural styles were similar to those used in the sacrificial rites of Daoist Sects. It was a well-established fact in the Cultivation Realm that these rites were inherited from ancient sacrificial practices.

After crossing the desolate square, the two saw the legendary Dao Transmission Stone.

To the Immortal Dao, this object was of immense significance.

But Lü Zhong never would have imagined that the Dao Transmission Stone was just an ordinary bluestone. Its shape was even similar to a boulder he had seen during the Daoist Palace’s trial.

Mustering his courage, he peeked upward out of the corner of his eye.

He was stunned to see that an old man in a white robe was also sitting atop this boulder. The man was still looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought, so much so that he didn’t notice Lü Zhong’s subtle movement.

‘This is the Immortal Envoy?’

To be honest, Lü Zhong was a little disappointed.

The man before him hardly matched his idea of an Immortal. He looked more like an ordinary cultivator. Beyond that, there was nothing divine or wondrous about him.

Despite his thoughts, Lü Zhong neglected none of the proper etiquette. He cupped his fist, bowed, and said:

“Junior Lü Zhong pays his respects, Lord Immortal Envoy!”

Beside him, Feng Rui also bowed respectfully.

Yet even after a long while, there was still no response.

Several more days passed. The Immortal Envoy remained looking up at the sky. Just as the two were wondering whether they should continue to wait, Chun’Er, who stood beside the white-robed old man, spoke up curiously.

“Seniors, is there something you wish to ask the Lord Immortal Envoy? He’s always like this. It didn’t matter if the seniors before you danced, or if I keep dancing now… the Lord Immortal Envoy has never once responded.”

“Never responded?”

The expressions on both their faces turned grim.

Lü Zhong looked up and observed the Immortal Envoy on the Dao Transmission Stone. Although he projected the unmistakable aura of a living person, Lü Zhong couldn’t detect the slightest hint of breath. His posture remained frozen, making him look just like a statue.

“Then did we come all this way for nothing?” Feng Rui couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lü Zhong sighed. He was about to say something when his gaze accidentally fell upon Chun’Er. A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he turned to her and said:

“Chun’Er, since the Lord Immortal Envoy can’t respond, could you perhaps help us in his place?”

“Hmm…” Chun’Er heard this and thought for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, “I suppose I can, but I…”

Before she could finish, her figure suddenly vanished.

At the same time, a voice—Chun’Er’s voice—came from a distance.

Lü Zhong looked toward the source of the sound, his face a mask of astonishment.

At some point, a giant golden stele had appeared in the center of the once-empty square. Chun’Er’s voice had come from within this very stele.

‘Could it be… Yes, that must be it.’

He had already been guessing that Chun’Er was the Artifact Spirit of some object.

He just never imagined her true form would be such a massive stele.

‘The Dao Transmission Stele! Perhaps my opportunity lies with this stele.’ Lü Zhong’s heart pounded with excitement. He had thought this trip would be for naught, but a new hope had unexpectedly blossomed.

He immediately flew over.

“Alright, Senior, you can start asking now. But you only have three chances. I don’t know the answers to overly profound questions, and the Lord Immortal Envoy won’t allow me to speak of them. So, if you ask a question and don’t get an answer, you can’t take it back, okay?” Chun’Er said with a beaming smile as she emerged from the stele.

Hearing this, Lü Zhong glanced at Feng Rui.

He watched Feng Rui approach Chun’Er. It was unclear what method Feng Rui used, but he successfully communicated with her. Judging by his satisfied expression, he must have achieved his goal.

‘Now, it’s my turn!’

Taking a deep breath, Lü Zhong asked for a way to resolve the issue with the Nai River.

“The Nai River? You’re asking me how to fix it? I don’t know either. I only remember this…” As she spoke, Chun’Er suddenly waved her fair arm, and an inscription in Silver Tadpole Script instantly materialized.

Lü Zhong read it and saw that it was, in fact, the solution.

‘It’s actually a way to restart the Nai River!’

According to the text, by setting up a Taichu Soul Revival Array at each of the nine nodes in the Qinghe Realm, one could restart the Nai River and thereby solve its problems.

‘How simple and direct.’

The only problem was that setting up the Taichu Soul Revival Array would require an enormous amount of manpower and resources.

It was far beyond what a single person or sect could accomplish.

But that was a matter for another time.

Then, Lü Zhong asked about the opportunity for Divinity Transformation.

This time, Chun’Er didn’t shake her head. Instead, she directly presented him with another inscription in Silver Tadpole Script.

Lü Zhong took it and read it, his face immediately beaming with joy.

‘This is exactly what I was looking for!’

Heaven-Mending Mantra

A method for completing one’s Spirit Root.

It was only then that Lü Zhong understood. From the very beginning of cultivation, starting with introducing Qi into the body, all the way to breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, the sole purpose for Immortal Dao Cultivators was to become able to utilize the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi could be described as omnipresent.

A single wisp possessed immense power.

According to the ancient records, Divinity Transformation cultivators could unleash earth-shattering power precisely because they could utilize Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Thanks to its unique properties, cultivators at this Realm no longer had to worry about depleting their Magical Power, as they could use the Primordial Qi to replenish themselves.

On the surface, the purpose of the Heaven-Mending Mantra was to complete one’s Five Elements Spirit Root.

In reality, however, its purpose was “Five Elements Unification.”

This would allow one to achieve a flawless Primordial Spirit and a perfect Nascent Soul.

In this state of perfection, once the Metamorphosis was complete and Divinity Transformation began, the most obvious benefit was that the transformation speed would far exceed that of someone with an incomplete Spirit Root—a full five times faster than even a cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root. The faster one could combine their Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit into a Yang Spirit, the more time they could buy to adapt to the new Realm before the Celestial Tribulation truly descended.

The better one adapted to the new Realm, the more power they could wield, and the higher their chances of successfully Crossing Tribulation would naturally be.

Furthermore, the Heaven-Mending Mantra mentioned one other thing.

Completing one’s Spirit Root early would be of great benefit when advancing to the Void Refining Stage in the future.

Lü Zhong read this and committed the words to heart.

He continued reading, reaching the section on how to complete the Spirit Root. The Heaven-Mending Mantra introduced three methods in total, each progressively more difficult. However, with the aid of the Technique Mantra, any of them could be used to achieve Five Elements Unification.

The first was the Artifact Spirit Root.

This method involved using Magical Treasures of specific attributes to substitute for the missing Spirit Roots. Its only advantage was that the materials were simple to acquire; for a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, obtaining Five Elements Spiritual Treasures was an easy task.

The disadvantage was that refining an Artifact Spirit Root was an extremely lengthy process, easily taking thousands of years.

Anyone who chose this method would obviously need to start planning for it early.

Clearly, the Artifact Spirit Root method was not suitable for Lü Zhong.

The next was the Pill Spirit Root.

The Pill Spirit Root method was somewhat similar to the Artifact Spirit Root, except it used Demon Pills as the material.

Compared to the Artifact Spirit Root, this method greatly increased the refining speed. However, this brought its own problem: the Demon Pills from suitable Demon Beasts often contained the lingering will of the original beast, which would cause immense trouble during the refining process.

The slightest carelessness could lead to Qigong Deviation.

As for the final method, it was the one most highly recommended by the Heaven-Mending Mantra.

Nurturing an Acquired Spirit Root!

Unlike the previous two methods, the Acquired Spirit Root didn’t rely on external objects. Instead, one used the Heaven-Mending Mantra itself to nurture a new Spirit Root, thereby achieving a true completion.

The advantage of an Acquired Spirit Root was obvious: it was completely indistinguishable from a real Spirit Root, so naturally, it came with no hidden dangers.

The disadvantage was also extremely obvious.

The cultivation process for such a heaven-defying method was similar to the Sleeve Universe Technique, involving massive amounts of calculation that were beyond the ability of an ordinary cultivator. The process was precise and unforgiving. If an accident were to occur, the lightest consequence would be the complete loss of one’s cultivation.

Not to mention, nurturing an Acquired Spirit Root also required consuming Heaven-Mending Liquid as an aid.

The resources needed to refine the Heaven-Mending Liquid were substantial. Although there were no age requirements for the raw materials, Lü Zhong roughly estimated that each portion would cost at least ten million Spirit Stones.

‘It’s incredible, but it’s also incredibly expensive!’

Lü Zhong lamented.

Even so, he still decided to choose the Acquired Spirit Root method.

Then, Lü Zhong’s expression grew complicated.

Having lived for so many years, it wasn’t hard for him to see another of the Heaven-Mending Mantra’s functions.

It could help mortals complete what they lacked, thereby shattering the so-called “iron law of the Celestial Dao.” It would allow mortals to use an Acquired Spirit Root to step onto the path of cultivation, seeking the Immortal Dao and Longevity.

‘Perhaps this is the True Intent of “mending the heavens.”‘