Cube-like Supernatural Powers: Longevity Begins with Qi Refining

Chapter 17 Taking Control of the Azure Sky Realm

The Void Sea, beyond the Azure Sky Realm.

The six deacons of the Tai Li Immortal Sect watched as each of the active disciples in the realm received the power of the Tai Li Heavenly Network, meticulously recording all their decisions and actions, and writing their own evaluations and opinions on them.

The senior disciple, whose hair was tied up with a crown and had a few silver strands, sighed softly: "This year's disciples at the first level of Qi Refining are arguably the highest-quality group in nearly a million years."

A tall, imposing senior brother with a thick beard and hair, carrying a dark yellow staff, stroked his beard with his left hand and chuckled, "With three junior brothers on the special observation list, how could the overall quality of this year's Qi Refining Level 1 cultivators not be high?"

The senior brother in charge, who had tied up his hair with a few silver strands, shook his head and said with a smile, "Indeed, with the sect elders personally watching over them, they are either blessed with extraordinary fortune and endless opportunities, favored by the times, or they possess extraordinary talent and can surpass their peers. It is no problem for them to attain immortality in the future."

A female Taoist priest dressed in a red robe calmly said, "Although the first level of Qi Refining is very important and is the absolute foundation for a Qi Refiner's future Qi Refining, it is still too early to determine whether one can attain immortality based on this."

"Most of the elders in our sect who attained immortality could hardly be considered to have outstanding talent and ability among their peers when they reached the first level of Qi Refining. On the contrary, those with extraordinary talent and ability have long since become the experience and lessons engraved in the sect's records."

"Talent and innate qualities are important, but cultivation resources and opportunities should not be ignored, and the cultivation of one's Dao heart should be given even more attention."

On the path to immortality, who can always stay ahead?

On the path of cultivating Qi, who can guarantee that they will be free from disasters and calamities, or that they will turn misfortune into good fortune?

The chosen one, the fortune he possesses, the favor of heaven and earth he carries, will one day be exhausted.

Time comes and the world has the same force, and it is not free to transport heroes.

Throughout the vast history of the past, countless so-called "defiant individuals" have fallen at the gates of immortality, dying unwillingly.

The world where the Tai Li Immortal Sect is located is too vast and too boundless, and there are countless powerful individuals within it.

However, among the records preserved by the Tai Li Immortal Sect, there are nearly a million true disciples who are blessed by heaven and earth and have joined the sect, but very few of them have actually attained immortality.

The female Taoist priest, dressed in a blue robe and with a delicate face, looked at the female Taoist priest in a red robe with a hint of surprise and doubt.

She asked, "Senior sister, isn't it said that the fortunes of the heavens have been fluctuating for the past few hundred years, and that there might be unforeseen changes in the future, perhaps only occurring once every billion or even millions of years?"

"Sixty years ago, Li Dahei, Junior Brother Li, became a true disciple before he was even twenty years old. He dominated that year's True Disciple Ranking Competition and won first place with an overwhelming advantage."

"Now, sixty years later, we have seen the emergence of Junior Brother Chen Fan and Junior Brother Yan Feng." She paused, then continued with a hint of hesitation, "And Junior Brother Xiong Zhou."

"Of the three junior brothers, two of them are favored by heaven and earth, with Junior Brother Chen Fan being the most outstanding. Surely one of them should attain immortality."

A senior disciple carrying a light blue array flag nodded slightly to the female Taoist priest wearing a blue robe.

He said, "Junior sister, take this so-called once-in-a-millennium variable with a grain of salt. With that emperor of the Qin Dynasty around, who in the vast heavens would dare to start a rebellion?"

"At most, it will usher in a golden age."

The senior brother carrying the light blue array flag said with a hint of admonition, "If you can avoid unorthodox paths, then try to avoid them."

The senior brother's tone turned self-deprecating, "No matter what, we were once disciples of the Tai Li lineage, having achieved a high level of cultivation and successfully reached the first level of Qi Refining."

"The title of 'prodigy' bestowed upon us outside the sect, implying that we have the potential to attain immortality, still circulates to this day."

"Our hope of attaining immortality has not been completely extinguished yet."

It's not much, though.

A young man, exuding an ethereal aura, gently shook the bronze bell in his hand, producing a clear, resonant sound that echoed in the ears of the five deacons.

The young man looked serious, his gaze never leaving the Azure Sky Realm for a moment.

He said slowly, "There are some things we should keep to ourselves and not say more, out of respect for the elders."

"The fact that the sect elders don't care about our opinions doesn't mean we can discuss them at will. We still need to show them the respect we deserve."

"Our current task is to keep a close watch on the Azure Sky Realm and ensure that all our true disciples are brought back to the sect before they suffer irreparable damage."

"Secondly, we must also protect this world that the sect elders personally brought back from the vast void sea. As the place for this year's true disciples' test, we must not allow any accidents to happen."

The five deacons bowed to the young man.

The tall, bearded senior brother, carrying a dark yellow staff, said, "Senior brother is right. These matters concerning the sect elders are recorded in special files. Once one reaches a certain level of cultivation, one can access them. We really shouldn't say anything more."

Then, he smiled and pointed to the Azure Sky Realm: "However, I don't quite believe that my senior brother said there will be an accident in this world."

"The true disciples within this world may not know, but do you think we don't?"

"This world originally had an upper limit of the sixth level of Qi Refining. Now, even though its origin has been greatly damaged and the upper limit has been drastically reduced to the fourth level of Qi Refining, the essence of the origin of this world will not change."

"It's very sturdy."

This senior brother, with his thick beard and hair, stood with his hands on his hips, exuding an imposing aura.

"As for external troubles, who would be so blind as to try and seize the Dao lineage of the current Qi Refining Dao Lord?"

"Other lineages of the same level, unless they also produce a first-generation immortal holy body, would not bother with this world whose origin is severely damaged and whose upper limit is only the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"But the probability of two first-generation immortal holy bodies appearing at the same time in the present era... hehe, that's much, much smaller than the probability of me attaining immortality."

The young man holding the bronze bell glanced at his junior brother, a man with a thick beard and hair.

He asked casually, "What if something really goes wrong?"

The bearded butler waved his hand dismissively, "If anything goes wrong, I'll just chew on the stick I'm carrying and take the main responsibility for this mission."

Suddenly, the butler, whose hair was tied up with a crown and had a few silver strands, tugged at the sleeve of the bearded butler.

"Junior brother, stop talking! Quickly look at the Azure Sky Realm. It seems like something really is going to happen there..."

The deacon's finger was firmly pointed at the small city gate that Zixuan had raised, and was locked on the prototype of an altar with seven tiers that was being built, as well as the sturdy figure who had changed into an ancient and wild-style outfit and ascended the altar.

"Um?"

"That junior brother Xiong Zhou, who got in through connections and relied on his parents to become a true disciple?"

"With his current talent and abilities, what earth-shattering things could he possibly accomplish?"

"It's all child's play; I can suppress this upheaval with just one hand..."

The bearded senior brother glanced at Xiong Zhou without paying any attention.

The next moment, his expression changed.

"Holy crap!"

"What is he planning to do with such a high-level altar?!"

-----------------

At this moment, Xiong Zhou stood on the seventh-level altar, looking at the simple, square altar below him, his eagerness undisguised.

Looking at the sturdy figure on the altar, Zi Xuan asked again with concern, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, this is a totem ritual. Are you sure it will work?"

"Leaving aside whether this thing can succeed, once it does, the effects may be difficult to control, and even worse, it may attract the attention of some terrifying beings."

"If we're not careful, our Mountain and River Team will become the first team to be eliminated in this year's Qi Refining Level 1 True Disciple Ranking Competition."

Li Tianqing and Wu Kang nodded quickly, saying in unison, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, shouldn't we abandon this plan? It's really too dangerous!"

Xiong Zhou shrugged, his face full of helplessness.

He said, "Besides that, can you think of any other way to break through the encirclement?"

"Can you think of a method with an even higher success rate than this?"

Zi Xuan, Wu Kang, and Li Tianqing all opened their lips at the same time, as if they wanted to say something, but in the end they kept their mouths shut.

If Xiong Zhou's method had a 30% chance of completing [Chain Mission 1], their method had less than a 50% chance.

At this moment, Duanmu Ning stood at one end of the seven-tiered altar, his eyes shining brightly, his expression extremely excited.

She called out loudly, "Senior brother, I'm ready!"

"If you can really do that, I have absolutely no problem with it!"

Xiong Zhou rubbed his hands together, put a jade ornament on his forehead, and wore a jade cong and a jade bi at his waist.

He took out an exquisite tiger-shaped bronze artifact and three bronze zun vessels from his storage bag and placed them in the very center of the altar.

Xiong Zhou, with an even brighter smile on his face, looked at Duanmu Ning and nodded slightly.

Then, he looked at Zixuan, who looked nervous and held a thunder drum, Wu Kang, who held a jade chime, and Li Tianqing, who held an ocarina.

Xiong Zhou gave a thumbs-up, his voice booming, "Trust me, you won't regret it!"

"The time for the new moon and lunar phases is almost here, everyone, it's time to have some fun."

Zi Xuan, Wu Kang, and Li Tianqing exchanged a glance, made a sudden decision, picked up their instruments, and slowly began to play according to the score that Xiong Zhou had just given them.

In an instant, one after another, sharp and desolate sounds with a strong rhythm resounded through the night sky.

Thunder drums, jade chimes, and pottery ocarinas sounded one after another, overlapping and blending together, like the low howls and roars of beasts, rising and falling, forming a symphony of all beasts.

Ancient, primitive, weathered, and sacred music lingered between heaven and earth, gently influencing all kinds of laws and principles.

As the music flowed with the wildness of nature, and the drumbeats rose and fell, the bear boat slowly danced towards the west of the world.

Every step that landed, every sway of the body, trod upon the very fabric of heaven and earth, pointing directly to a fierce and powerful deity, drawing upon the power of that ancient totem.

Xiong Zhou spoke, chanting loudly in an unusually ancient incantation that did not belong to this era.

"In the realm of azure skies, at the time of the new moon, I proclaim this to the Jade Goddess."

"Heavenly wrath descends, death energy runs rampant, and corpse energy rises."

"Only the gods govern the punishments of Heaven and hold the reins of the five punishments."

"We offer sacrifices and wine, present jade ornaments, and pray at Kunlun."

"May Heaven watch over us, ward off misfortune, and ensure abundance."

"Kunlun belongs to the cunning of abundance, may you pray."

Every word and every phrase carries a primal meaning, imbued with the spirit of ancient, wild gods.

They rushed out of the Azure Sky Realm along a path that was difficult for non-saints to perceive, heading straight for the very nearby "Qi Refining World," and landed at the Tianli Dojo of the Tai Li Immortal Sect.

-----------------

Bai Yu Yuanjun, who was meditating and adjusting her own laws and aura, subconsciously opened her cold and sharp tiger eyes.

The entire Tianli Daoist Temple trembled. The fierce metal element energy, powerful enough to carry out executions on behalf of Heaven, pierced through the void and was projected across the distance along the location of the totem's deity.

In less than a few breaths, six stiff-bodied Tai Li stewards came into view in the tiger's eyes, and a world exuding death energy and corpse energy came into view in the mind.

Half a breath later, the celestial obscuring brought about by the laws of this world was forcibly broken, revealing a sturdy young man dressed in ancient clothing, dancing an ancient and wild dance.

Bai Yu Yuan Jun: ?

-----------------

Above the seven-tiered altar in the Azure Sky Realm.

A fierce figure resembling a tiger emerged from the void, its piercing gaze sweeping across the entire ancient battlefield and even across the entire world, causing all living beings except Xiong Zhou to feel a bone-chilling cold from an unknown place.

Finally, that cold, sharp gaze settled on a certain sturdy figure.

Xiong Zhou cupped his hands in greeting to the figure that appeared in mid-air, and said with a bright smile, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou greets Senior Sister Bai Yu."

"I taught you the method of invoking the gods, not for this purpose."

"This is not a cheating method you can use in the True Inheritance Competition."

A cold, stern voice, tinged with helplessness, echoed in the air.

Xiong Zhou blinked, her face showing an expression that said, "Senior sister, what are you talking about? I don't understand at all."

"This will not be repeated."

The cold, sharp voice echoed once more, and the tiger-shaped Daoist image projected in mid-air slowly dissipated, disappearing without a trace.

Everything in the Azure Sky Realm remained the same as before, as if nothing had happened. Senior Sister Baiyu's tiger-shaped projection also seemed to have never arrived.

However, as an ageless totem god at the peak, His projection was only a manifestation of the fourth level of Qi Refining in the world. How could the laws of heaven and earth not have changed!

Xiong Zhou looked up and gazed at the hazy heavens and earth. Several paths gradually became clear, and the shackles that most likely limited the upper limit of the fourth level of Qi Refining had been broken.

In the far distance, the stern and inaccessible power of the Heavenly Emperor shines in the world, governing all the laws of heaven and earth related to the element of metal in the Azure Sky Realm.

Beneath this authority, an incredibly fragile and still nascent authority of abundance faintly reveals its own traces. At the intersection of the Earth Path and the Wood Path, it gathers the Heavenly Path and corresponding Heavenly Laws called "Abundance".

"Come!"

Xiong Zhou roared loudly, and a wisp of the aura of a totem god soared into the sky, reflecting the myriad paths of heaven and earth.

In an instant, the authority over the "abundance" of this world, and the vast majority of the Way of Abundance, fell into his hands and were controlled by him.

At this very moment, in this world, Xiong Zhou has officially been promoted to GM, second only to Senior Sister Bai Yu!

He is about to become invincible in the Azure Sky Realm!

Xiong Zhou grinned.

He laughed unusually happily, and gradually became perverted.

"Hahaha......"

"Gagaga..."

"Hehehe..."