Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 72 Qi Refining Stage 1

"You can rest assured about this. Although this formation is powerful, it is a one-time consumable formation after being improved by several formation masters in our sect. After the formation is activated, all the formation tools will dissipate and disappear. The formation site will also leave no trace, making it absolutely undetectable."

"Even if there are busybodies after the war, we can easily distance ourselves from them and leave no hidden dangers." Ghost Clan explained confidently, as if he had been prepared for this.

"Fellow Daoist Ghost Clan, I will speak frankly without mincing words. This great battle was actually instigated by the Burial Ghost Sect. Our three sects only decided to join forces because of the enormous benefits you promised."

"This time, the Ghost Burial Sect's actions are not as simple as their usual probing; they are also quite concerned about the war between mortals. Fellow Daoist, could you please enlighten us on this matter?" After coughing for a while, the old woman looked at Ghost Clan and slowly spoke.

The other two were also somewhat puzzled by this matter, but the Burial Ghost Sect had promised them many benefits, and they were also wary of the Burial Ghost Sect, so they chose to remain silent. Unexpectedly, the old woman brought it up first, and with a thought, they couldn't help but prick up their ears.

"Hehe, Lady Yuandie, this matter is a secret of the Burial Ghost Gate, so I cannot tell you." Ghost Killer chuckled and directly refused.

Lady Yuandie paused upon hearing this, gave a heavy snort, but did not pursue the matter further.

"Alright, in short, as promised before, my Burial Ghost Sect will never break its word. As for the disciples of your three sects, they will all be returned to your sects after the war. Let's talk about another matter."

You must all know about the battle against the Golden Core cultivators of the Fire Feather Kingdom. However, the original plan needs to be changed. Originally, it was planned that my Burial Ghost Sect would send four Golden Core cultivators, while each of your three sects would send two.

However, the situation has changed. My Ghost Burial Sect can only send two Golden Core cultivators, including myself. The two vacant spots will have to be filled by you all.” Ghost Killer’s expression turned serious as he uttered words that greatly surprised the three of them.

"That's impossible. Everyone knows that each of our sects only has three Golden Core cultivators. Sending two to participate in the battle is already the limit. If all three were to go, wouldn't there be no one left to oversee things within the sect?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Yuandie's cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light. She looked abruptly at Ghost Slayer and spoke in a deep voice without hesitation.

The other two frowned deeply, clearly unable to accept this matter. Without a Golden Core cultivator to oversee the sect, it would be a very dangerous situation.

"I know that such a request is a bit excessive. Here's what we'll do: for every additional Golden Core cultivator you have, our Burial Ghost Sect will add 10,000 spirit stones to our original promise."

"Furthermore, I assure you all that there is absolutely no risk involved in this trip. The Golden Core cultivators we sent are merely there to maintain appearances. As for the specific reasons, I cannot disclose them here." Ghost Knight pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Ten thousand spirit stones? The Burial Ghost Sect is certainly wealthy and powerful." Madam Yuandie sneered upon hearing this.

Ten thousand spirit stones is a considerable sum for a Golden Core cultivator. A Golden Core cultivator's wealth usually doesn't exceed ten thousand. Of course, this amount of spirit stones is nothing compared to the safety of a sect.

Ghost Sha frowned, his face darkening, and the hall fell silent.

"If Fellow Daoist Ghost Shaman can offer 20,000 spirit stones, I, on behalf of the Rakshasa Sect, agree." After a long while, the alluring woman suddenly chuckled and spoke.

"Twenty thousand spirit stones? No problem!" Ghost Knight hesitated for a moment before agreeing, feeling a sense of relief.

"The Burial Ghost Sect is indeed far superior to our small sects. On behalf of the Earthly Lai Sect, I accept." Ku Lan laughed and said in return. After all, 20,000 spirit stones was definitely not a small amount for their small sect, and it was worth taking some risks.

Lady Iris rolled her cloudy eyes, gave a soft snort, and showed no intention of getting involved.

"Alright, I thank you all, fellow Daoists. Haha, now that the matter is settled, why don't you all try my Ghost Burial Sect's exclusive spirit wine, Ghost Heart Wine?" Ghost Killer laughed heartily as soon as he saw that things had gone smoothly.

"I will not taste your esteemed spirit wine. I need to return to my sect to make some arrangements. Once the time for the competition is set, I will need to trouble Fellow Daoist Gui Sha to inform you." Yuan Die stood up and directly said her farewell.

"That's right, Fellow Daoist Ghost King. We can't stay any longer. Please wait until this matter is settled before you taste your Ghost Heart Wine." The other two also stood up and politely declined.

"Very well, after this great victory, I will give each of you ten catties of this spirit wine. Since the three of you are in a hurry to go back and make some arrangements, I will not keep you any longer." Ghost Clan was very happy and spoke to the three of them very politely.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, only Ghost Killer, the leader of the Ghost Burial Sect, remained in the main hall, sitting at the head of the table.

"Come out," Ghost Slayer suddenly said.

Two figures emerged from the back door of the main hall. The one in the lead was a man in his forties or fifties with loose hair and an extraordinary appearance. He was none other than the strange man on the Black Mountain Altar that day.

Behind him followed a dull-looking boy in his teens, who was none other than Ghost Eye.

"Junior Brother Gui Li, you must set off immediately and send Ghost Eye to the front lines of the war. Once a town is captured, immediately carry out a city-wide ghost sacrifice. Do not concern yourself with the hundred major cities previously selected." Ghost Sha's eyes flashed as he gave the order in a deep voice.

"Yes, Sect Master." Gui Li didn't ask any further questions and immediately left with the boy behind him.

Ghost Eyes followed Ghost Depart without expression, not uttering a single word from beginning to end, his expression blank and wooden.

"The biggest bottleneck for cultivators with ghost spirit roots is not in Core Formation, nor in Nascent Soul Formation, but in Foundation Establishment..."

The Ghost Spirit Root, which seizes the creation of heaven and earth and the spirits of countless living beings into one person, is intolerable to the Heavenly Dao. It is punished by the ghosts, and a ghost barrier is set up to stifle the Ghost Spirit Root before it reaches the Foundation Establishment stage...

"Once he breaks through this barrier, his future in the path of ghost cultivation will be limitless. In a few hundred years, the Ghost Burial Sect will be renamed the Ghost Burial Clan..." Looking at Ghost Eye's back, Ghost Killer was somewhat lost in thought, and then a look of madness appeared in his eyes.

……

Half a month later, in the thatched hut of the Spirit Garden, many medicine bottles were scattered on the ground, but by this time they were all empty. Du Fan sat on the wooden bed with his eyes closed and his hands forming a mudra. As his arms swayed, the hand seals on his hands changed continuously.

After a long while, his arm movements came to an abrupt halt. He placed his hands flat on his knees and slowly exhaled a visible cloud of turbid air. As the turbid air spread, Du Fan suddenly opened his eyes, and two beams of light shot out from them.

"Finally, I have opened up the eight extraordinary meridians and generated magical power in my dantian, thus entering the first level of the Qi Refining stage." Du Fan's eyes were brighter than ever before, and an indescribable aura emanated from him, as if he were otherworldly and detached from the mortal world, with a more ethereal feel than before.

"For a cultivator like me with a useless spiritual root, advancing to the next level is really not an easy thing."

Du Fan gave a wry smile and then examined himself internally.

"My divine sense has become more than half stronger, and with the added boost from the third level of the Soul Devouring Technique, my current divine sense strength should not be weaker than that of a cultivator at the second or third level of the Qi Refining stage."

As for physical strength, there hasn't been much change, but his senses are much sharper than before; his hearing and sight are far beyond what ordinary people can match.

These discoveries naturally delighted Du Fan. He went outside to stretch his muscles and found that he was much more agile than before, which was another good thing.

Next, Du Fan first checked the herb garden. Everything was normal, so he felt relieved. After a moment's thought, he went back to the thatched hut.

Du Fan took out Gui Yuan's "Spirit Devouring Technique" and Ye Feng's "Introduction to the Water Chapter of the Lesser Five Elements Technique," a hint of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

"Forget it, although the Soul Devouring Technique can increase the strength of one's divine sense, its effect is not very noticeable for me right now." After a moment, he made a decision and put away the Soul Devouring Technique for the time being, intending to cultivate it again when he had time in the future.

The "Introduction to the Water Chapter of the Lesser Five Elements Manual" records several magical techniques, but it does not contain general physical techniques such as the Body Strengthening Technique, which inevitably makes Du Fan feel slightly disappointed.

He originally intended to cultivate one offensive spell and one defensive spell, but when he saw a support spell, his expression changed, because this spell was the Cloud and Rain Technique that Yao Ruoxi had used back then.

This was the first spell Du Fan had ever seen, and it was from that moment that he developed a yearning for cultivation and was also amazed by the spell that created something from nothing. Now that he had the opportunity, he chose to learn this spell without hesitation.

At the first level of Qi Refining, one can only learn level one spells. The Cloud and Rain Spell is the simplest of all water-attribute spells, so Du Fan only needed an hour to fully comprehend it. In the following time, Du Fan began to cultivate according to the description of the technique.

Half a day later, Du Fan's expression became somewhat strange.

"You've mastered the Level 1 Cloud and Rain Technique just like that? Doesn't the manual say it takes at least half a month, or at most a year...?" Du Fan murmured, dumbfounded for a long time.

Du Fan had some doubts, so he deliberately went outside and demonstrated it twice, and the result was undoubtedly successful.

"Could it be that I have an amazing talent for magical arts... If so, then Heaven hasn't been too cruel to me. That makes sense; the way of Heaven is to take from those who have more and give to those who have less. There is no one who is completely useless..."

"A useless spiritual root paired with an amazing talent for magical cultivation...not bad!" Du Fan couldn't help but find some humor in his predicament.

"Since cultivating spells is not a big problem for me, there's no need to dwell on what happened before. I can cultivate the Soul Devouring Technique and water-attribute spells at the same time."

Du Fan chose two water-attribute techniques: the defensive spell Weak Water Shield and the Water Shadow Sword, which Kong Qing frequently used during the outer sect competition.

The Water Shadow Sword, in particular, was exceptionally sharp in its attacks and had left a very deep impression on him.

Over the next few days, Du Fan began to practice the Weak Water Shield, the Water Shadow Sword, and the Soul Devouring Technique.

In addition, he used his rest time to refine another batch of juice essence and Qi-refining essential oil. There was a lot of these essential oils, enough to make him develop drug resistance even if his aptitude was poor.