Cube-like Supernatural Powers: Longevity Begins with Qi Refining

Chapter 41 Meeting Yan Feng

Seeing the slowly burning blood energy before his eyes and the scorching flames that made his body feel hot, Xiong Zhou took a half step back, his speechless expression filled with solemnity.

"Senior brothers, what should we do in this situation?"

Xiong Zhou pointed to the figure that was vaguely visible in the golden flames and asked Wang Qian and Wang Kuan beside him.

"Also, where is the great opportunity and fortune that my senior brother promised to help me plan, one that could give me hope of breaking through to the next stage of cultivation?"

"I looked around, but I didn't see any opportunities or good fortune."

"There is indeed danger and crisis, and it is a great terror that is fiercely fighting against Junior Brother Chen Fan."

If this world had not been damaged, preventing cultivators from being confined to the fourth level of Qi Refining, the ancient Yin energy remaining after the fall of this terrestrial immortal would likely have easily crushed most beings at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Possessing Chen Fan's body was a piece of cake; killing Xiong Zhou, Wang Qian, and Wang Kuan, who had just entered the main hall, was also a casual matter.

The two senior brothers exchanged a knowing glance, both seeing the helplessness and headache in each other's eyes.

This doesn't match their predictions.

Although they hadn't completely deviated, Xiong Zhou, the junior brother who was the subject of their deduction, was still beside them.

However, this kind of "accident" can make the information that was recently deduced into be treated as useless waste.

After a long silence, Wang Qian explained to Xiong Zhou, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, the Heavenly Evolution reaches fifty, then disappears into one, this is the most fundamental truth of the Heavenly Secrets Deduction."

"I am truly sorry that I have not yet been able to grasp the true meaning of the Small Heavenly Cycle Hexagram Method to the point where I can capture the essence of the universe within a mortal realm."

Wang Kuan, somewhat embarrassed, said in a low voice, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, I'm sorry, we don't know much about Chen Fan's current condition. The only solution at the moment might be to wait for Junior Brother Fan Chen to wake up on his own."

Wang Kuan looked at the raging fire of blood energy and continued, "When the current problem is unclear, the best way is to put Chen Fan and the ancient Yin thought that is entangled with him into a deep slumber."

"Whether this junior disciple succeeds in resisting the ancient Yin thoughts or fails, the main force in dealing with this extra factor is the several senior brothers who are stationed outside the heavens."

"This is the most conservative approach."

The method employed now, causing Junior Brother Chen Fan to fall into a deep sleep during this time when he has no time to attend to anything else, is to eliminate him completely.

In this way, the senior brothers in charge of the outer realms will definitely take action to cut off the ancient Yin thoughts that are already inside Junior Brother Chen Fan's body.

This is a roundabout suggestion with almost no benefit.

But a glint of light appeared in Xiong Zhou's eyes.

He asked, somewhat skeptically, "The most conservative approach?"

"So, that means there are also less conservative approaches?"

"What would the returns be if we took a more aggressive approach?"

Wang Qian slightly moved his fingers, and a Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram faintly emerged, exploring the future development direction and corresponding situation.

After assessment, he said, "If we're going to be aggressive, then we should enter this ball of blood and fire and get entangled with that ancient Yin thought."

"This ancient Yin thought is a wisp of thought left behind by a terrestrial immortal at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, generated from the death Qi and corpse Qi between heaven and earth."

"Obtaining this ancient Yin thought means gaining the cultivation insights of a peak sixth level Qi Refining cultivator. Although this insight is extremely incomplete, and due to the constraints of heaven and earth, it is highly likely that it does not contain the principles and information of the fifth level Qi Refining."

Xiong Zhou's expression became subtle.

He shifted his attention to his inner world, gazing at the sky above the pixelated plains and staring at the tens of thousands of azure orbs of light.

This was an apology left behind by Old Fish, who attempted to possess him but then "repented" before actually taking action.

So, do the two senior brothers want him to "use the same old trick"?

By taking advantage of its own unique characteristics, it managed to squeeze a large amount of wool out of the ancient Yin thought.

However, on the other hand, the true form of this ancient Yin thought is an indestructible holy body. Its talent and ability are exceptional, and it may have already taken half a step or even most of its body towards the realm of attaining immortality.

By gaining some of his insights, and adding the cultivation insights left by his parents, as well as the principles of heaven and earth within his bloodline, he might actually be able to push the "Tai Li Refining Qi Method" to [Lv.6] in one go.

Xiong Zhou was somewhat tempted.

[Chain Mission 3] has been completed, and the "basic points" for the True Disciple Ranking Competition should already be in hand. Whether [Chain Mission 4] is completed or not, Xiong Zhou can accept it. In any case, even in the worst-case scenario, he won't be at the bottom.

Now, a shortcut has been laid out before Xiong Zhou.

Just then, a huge wave suddenly splashed up in the dreamlike ocean of the inner world, reflecting a young man carrying a heavy black ruler on his back, slowly walking towards a bronze hall.

"Yan Feng?"

Xiong Zhou muttered something subconsciously, turned around, and looked at the entrance of the bronze hall.

Hearing Xiong Zhou's low mutterings, Wang Qian and Wang Kuan also sensed something and turned around to look at the entrance of the bronze hall.

A streak of red light flashed from afar, and a bridge of blazing light stretched to a spot not far from Xiong Zhou, landing in front of the threshold of the main hall.

A hazy figure slowly appeared and then solidified completely.

It was Yan Feng.

The boy's gaze immediately focused on Xiong Zhou, then swept over the Wang Qian and Wang Kuan brothers.

Yan Feng nodded and greeted him calmly, "This is our second meeting, Senior Brother Xiong Zhou."

He continued, with a pointed remark, "Your square-shaped wheat plant is a good thing, as long as it is used properly."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiong Zhou's inner world once again reflected a scene.

That was the elderly Grand Minister of Agriculture, who planted a pixelated wheat in the ground, which gave rise to a block of earth. Within half an hour, he watched with astonishment the entire process of the seedling, growth, flowering, ear formation, and maturity, ultimately resulting in a golden pixelated wheat plant.

The second image appeared.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture and a monarch dressed in dragon robes began to promote the use of these pixelated wheat seeds on a large scale throughout the country, so that farmers could plant them and harvest a variety of rare and precious foods that could be considered as a "food for sustenance" and a "national treasure" for those at the first level of Qi Refining. As the amount consumed increased, these foods could also have a certain effect on those at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

The scene changed again, and a third image appeared.

The monarchs of neighboring countries, having received word of this, learned of the relevant information from within Xiaochang and dispatched envoys to Xiaochang.

Their goal is a seed of pixelated wheat.

Gradually, a fourth image appeared, extremely clear, seemingly depicting the very moment that was unfolding.

Those were the cheers of farmers, the smiling faces of soldiers, and the figures of people discussing national affairs while holding golden, pixelated wheat.

All of these transformed into wisps of incense smoke, pointing directly to Xiong Zhou himself.

At the same time, the name "Abundance" spread rapidly throughout the Azure Sky Realm.

All living beings that use pixelated wheat to fill their stomachs, and all beings that have achieved a breakthrough in sustenance by consuming pixelated wheat, know this "name".

In this world where death energy and corpse energy are almost everywhere, the pixelated land is becoming more and more numerous. The Path of Abundance, which was reshaped by Senior Sister Baiyu's projection, and the laws related to abundance, are experiencing a kind of upward ascension.

A subtle vitality is slowly emerging throughout the Azure Sky Realm.

Those were patches of land that suddenly pixelated into earthen blocks, those were patches of lush green grass, those were grass blocks that gradually "bloomed everywhere".

Xiong Zhou could sense that the speed at which he was becoming a Saint was accelerating. The seal set up by a senior brother deacon from outer space was progressing from "slightly damaged" to "half-damaged," and it seemed to be very close to "severely damaged."

"Bang......."

In the next instant, on the Pixel Plain, the Daoist chains binding the path of the Saint truly collapsed by more than half.

With just a little effort, Xiong Zhou could completely break free from this restraint.

Xiong Zhou suppressed the urge to immediately shatter the Daoist chains. The Mountain and Sea Realm hadn't yet completely inscribed the Daoist runes on the sealing chains. He still wanted to extract some useful information from this senior brother deacon who had placed the seal on the path of the Saint.

With a touch of joy, he shifted his attention away from the inner world.

Xiong Zhou looked at the young man in front of him and chuckled, "Junior Brother Yan Feng, your words have a hidden meaning. If you have any special thoughts, you can speak them out."

Yan Feng said calmly, "Senior Brother Xiong Zhou should know what I'm talking about. That stalk of wheat was the one I handed to Fellow Daoist Qing."

"It is a good thing that there is no more famine in the world, but some things, when taken to excess, can turn into bad things."

From Yan Feng's perspective, Xiong Zhou's image became somewhat blurred, vaguely overlapping with a large dog with black and white stripes, bordered by light brown, and bearing bull horns.

In a hazy blur, indistinct tiny cubes appeared, covering everything. In the end, only one cube, 1 meter in length, width, and height, with a yellow lower half and a layer of greenish-blue cubes on top, remained, dominating the view.

Yan Feng was slightly startled. It was impossible to investigate any further. This Senior Brother Xiong Zhou was hiding something that might be comparable to the secrets he possessed.

Xiong Zhou's expression turned serious. He slowly cupped his hands towards Yan Feng and said, "Xiong Zhou is here. Thank you for your help, Junior Brother Yan Feng."

"Otherwise, it would be difficult to achieve this effect at this time."

Immediately afterwards, Xiong Zhou spread his palms.

"However, this is the karma I created with that country using Pixel Wheat, and also the karma I created with all the beings in the Azure Sky Realm who depend on it using Pixel Wheat."

"They provide me with incense offerings and follow my path, and I give them food to fill their stomachs. In terms of the connection between cause and effect, this cause and effect has been resolved."

"What they want to do in the future is their business and has nothing to do with me, unless some being comprehends 'abundance' from it and becomes my servant."

This understanding of cause and effect, and how to comprehend it, was learned from Senior Sister Baiyu.

On the path of spiritual practice, not all causes and effects need to be eliminated. Learning to be like a non-stick pan is very important, as it relates to potential external calamities in the future.

Yan Feng frowned slightly, then relaxed, nodded to Xiong Zhou, and said nothing more.

He accepted Qing Daoyou's eldest grandson, intending to introduce him to the sect. If that didn't work out, he could at least have him as a servant in his own sect.

Regardless of what the future holds, he will always have a bond with the eldest grandson of Fellow Daoist Qing, who is at the third level of Qi Refining.

This is also why Yan Feng indirectly brought up this matter to Xiong Zhou.

The reason for this is to prevent the future Xiaochang Kingdom from going down an extreme path that has a high probability of occurring.

However, Xiong Zhou, a senior disciple of Tai Li, said that this was a karmic debt that had already been settled, so he naturally let it go.

His superficial friendship with Daoist Qing was not comparable to that of his fellow disciples.

To betray one's own lineage for such a shallow friendship... He could never do something so foolish.

Besides, he has already acted as a bridge of communication, so even if something really happens in Fellow Daoist Qing's country in the future, it will be difficult to implicate him.

Yan Feng's gaze passed over Xiong Zhou and fell on the golden flames burning fiercely in the distance.

He asked in a low voice, "I wonder what Senior Brother Xiong Zhou thinks of this Junior Brother Chen Fan?"

Xiong Zhou made no attempt to conceal his true intentions; "naturally, I want to 'snatch chestnuts from the fire' and get a share of the pie."

"This is an ancient Yin thought; under the right conditions, it would be a great opportunity and a stroke of luck."

"Of course, I wouldn't mind having a junior brother. It's always better for two people to share the pressure than for one person to bear it all."

Yan Feng's expression hardened as he stared at Chen Fan in the golden flames, somewhat tempted.

"Then, we'll..."

Before he could finish speaking, the four Tai Li disciples present all looked out of the bronze hall, staring in astonishment at the gray-black pillar of light that shot down from the sky.

"You damned extraterrestrial variables, I'm going to wipe you all out!"

A roar, clearly breached to its limit, echoed in the core area, unleashing wave after wave of fierce death energy and corpse energy, threatening to annihilate the entire bronze palace and destroy all possible opportunities and fortunes.

"boom!"

The entire bronze palace shook, and cracks appeared on the walls of the bronze hall where Xiong Zhou was located.

At the same time, the blood fire that had been burning relatively calmly in the center of the tens of thousands of bronze statues began to flicker and extinguish.

That ancient Yin thought seemed to sense the soaring death energy and corpse energy, and it also stirred up waves of golden blood energy, breaking through the hall and transforming into golden pillars of light that shot straight into the sky.

Xiong Zhou's eyelids twitched, and he muttered to himself, "I... I can't be that unlucky, can I?"

His gaze swept over Wang Qian and Wang Kuan, carrying a subtle, inquiring look.

"cough......"

"cough......"

Wang Qian and Wang Kuan exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked away and gazed up at the sky.

They spoke in unison, explaining in a low voice, "Please believe us brothers, this was all an accident..."