Comprehension Ability: I Forge a Villainous Longevity Family

Chapter 832 578: Forced by Circumstance (2)

"You actually practiced it..."

"Why wouldn't I practice a technique that is useful to me?"

"Aren't you afraid there might be traps hidden in this technique? You know, as recorded by the Celestial Saint Palace, the Immortal Race is known for their cunning...."

"Stop!" Yimiao interrupted Chen Zhixing, then looked at him speechlessly and said, "The way you say it, it's like all the cultivators in the Celestial Profound Realm are good people, selflessly gifting others cultivation techniques that lead to the Great Tao."

"Uh, it seems you're right?" Chen Zhixing blinked upon hearing this. Well, even the cultivation techniques left by Taoist Lords come with traps, so why shouldn't the Immortal Race also leave traps to mislead people?

"The Innate Qi Profound True Immortal Technique is just the first step, and I'm not foolish enough to follow it entirely. Since it's something with unknown origins, why would I practice it casually? The reason for my approach is merely to extract its essence to enhance my own Tao."

"Really? But you've already acquired the technique, so why stop me from killing him? Don't tell me, Yimiao, you've grown fond of him over time?"

Yimiao: "..."

You were the one who grew fond, may you give birth to eight sons!

Yimiao's face turned dark, feeling a bit explosive, but after thinking about it, decided to speak straightforwardly to avoid losing her temper: "You guessed wrong earlier; now he is no longer the original Celestial Immortal from the Immortal Race. Instead, after failing to practice the Golden Immortal Technique, his physical body has regained spirit, essentially a corpse that has become refined, to put it simply—he is a Spirit Vein that has become sentient!"

"So, what does that have to do with me wanting to kill this guy?" Chen Zhixing blinked again.

Moreover, what's all this chaos? If even Spirit Veins can become sentient, then why wouldn't that Celestial Immortal use such a method to deceive Yimiao?

"And then...." Yimiao took a breath, then said to Chen Zhixing: "This is precisely the reason I sought you out. Help me rescue his residual soul, and spare his life as a favor owed to you."

"Reason."

"The technique he offered is incomplete, especially since I've broken through to the eighth sequence. The technique previously used for cultivation of the All Heavens Technique now seems flawed. Without completing it, it would be challenging to progress further."

Yimiao showed a bitter smile.

They say it's hard to repay the shortest debts and easy to feel indebted after taking favors. Since Yimiao had taken his things and inherited his karmic cause, naturally, when he needed her help, there were means to control her.

If it weren't the case, wouldn't the gifts from the Celestial Immortal be given for nothing?

"I realized after practicing that people like him who failed the Golden Immortal Technique essentially lose their foundation in Immortal Tao. Even if they survive by sheer luck, their remaining awareness soon gets assimilated by the World Consciousness they created, resulting in losing their identity and forming a new life form—a life form that transforms spirited veins into heavenly beings, known as the Holy Spirit in the Endless Star Sea."

"Holy Spirit? What's that!" Chen Zhixing was bizarrely familiar with this term.

"It's the Stone Man of the Celestial Saint; however, the Holy Order is a top-tier species among Stone Men. Once it comes to the world, it's inevitably blessed with great fortune, and its cultivation talent is exceptionally high. Especially among those who have perfected their seven orifices, it's a rare gem in millions of years!"

"And then?" Chen Zhixing frowned, "What does this have to do with me, Yimiao? If you don't talk about the point, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Rather than dragging on with unrelated matters, Chen Zhixing wished Yimiao would be more straightforward.

Seeing this, Yimiao helplessly smiled: "A naturally born Nine-orifice Stone Man, for cultivators with the same attribute and walking the same Tao, is like an endlessly readable 'Divine Format.' If I capture his original body, my cultivation speed could improve by leaps and bounds."

"Is it only because of cultivation?" Chen Zhixing squinted his eyes.

"Of course, it's for cultivation. Didn't you investigate his essence to see if, like me, he built his foundation on earth and wood, using this Stone Man for cultivation and absorption methods? If so, my cultivation speed could increase by another thirty percent."

Chen Zhixing: "..."

"Not everyone is like you. Honestly, my lifespan isn't long. Since I rejected entering the Spirit Realm earlier, I can only follow through this dark path now. But if I can't obtain the essence of the technique hidden by this Stone Man, hoping to perfect my Longevity Realm is nearly impossible."

Yimiao bitterly smiled while pointing to her forehead: "At your and my level, interacting with the Immortal Race's techniques becomes inevitable. Even if we do not engage now and choose the Taoist Lord's path, when the Taoist Lord breaks through tribulations later, it will require the Immortal Race's methods for further practice. It's not only me; virtually all ambitious Celestial Saint Palace ancestors in your and my realm engage with the Immortal Race's techniques and attempt transition because our cultivation methods no longer have a path forward after the Taoist Lord."

This time, Chen Zhixing didn't speak but looked at Yimiao in disbelief.

It seemed incredible that the Yimiao he once knew would say such things.

Unable to resist, Chen Zhixing retorted: "Aren't you fake? The Yimiao I knew wouldn't say things like that."

Yimiao rolled her eyes upon hearing this.

"Then stop wasting time and hurry up to help save him. Once we dig him out with both you and I suppressing him, can his mere residual soul ever overturn the heavens?"

"Does the Celestial Saint know about this?"

"Naturally, he knows. If it weren't for my senior assuring you, do you think I would bring you to see such existence?"

"He actually knows... Wait, do you mean...."

"Yes, my senior asked me to come and let you understand the situation of the Human Race lineage of the Celestial Saint Palace in advance, giving you a head start, telling you that we have no path ahead anymore. Whether you complete the Longevity Realm or whatever path you choose, it eventually needs to refer to the Immortal technique and attempt to become an Immortal—a nearly deadly quest for survival."

"Alright, I got it."

For this, Chen Zhixing wasn't surprised. Regarding Yimiao, cultivation of the Chaos Divine Demon Tao simply doesn't exist because her talent was insufficient to transform herself into a Chaos Divine Demon.

Since the Chaos Divine Demon Tao was untenable, the only option was the Celestial Immortal's path.

But the Celestial Immortal's path.... How can one easily interact with a Celestial Immortal?

Not to mention it's hard to find one, even upon finding a living Celestial Immortal, how can one ensure they would impart corresponding techniques and skills without hidden loopholes or flaws?

The answer from the Celestial Saint lineage is simple and practical.

If you can't find living ones, then we excavate small worlds to find those still practicing the Golden Core Technique. Whether through befriending, exchanging, or forcing, the goal is to extract the suitable cultivation techniques from these unwilling-to-die individuals.

It's said, the multitude of techniques collected by the Celestial Saint Palace mostly derived from the Immortal Race techniques, and these techniques originated from repeatedly excavating the 'graves' of Celestial Immortals by the Three Great Sacred Lands.

During this, the Three Great Sacred Lands might have suffered significant losses.

But there's no way around it.

If you want to forge a path from nothing, some losses are inevitable; they are necessary prices to pay!

"Alright, no more nonsense. That guy is merely a residual soul that I tormented for three thousand years now, virtually powerless. Once you and I extract him from the Star Core and put him into a living dead's corpse, he'll complete the remaining techniques I need. It's a very worthwhile deal....."