Chapter 531: 法身元婴,回阳灵水

Zhou Shengqing had long considered the possibility of his failure to form a Nascent Soul. Therefore, this "Reverse Longevity Art" had already been written down, and Chen Mobai and Fu Zongjue each took a copy.

"This technique requires cultivating the Everlasting Scripture to the eighteenth level to be performed. Once activated, all spiritual power will be exhausted, leading to certain death. Furthermore, during the technique's operation, the vast spiritual consciousness of the Everlasting Wood will continuously assimilate your divine consciousness. If you cannot endure it, you will, in turn, become nourishment for the tree."

As Zhou Shengqing spoke, a new crack appeared in the Soul-Guiding Lamp.

"Senior Brother..."

Seeing this, Mo Douguang started to speak, then stopped himself.

"From now on, the sect is entrusted to you. After I am gone, cremate my body. If there's an opportunity in the future, bury me beside Master's tomb."

As death approached, Zhou Shengqing found complete peace. A scene from his youth came to mind: chopping firewood in the mountains when the Primordial Ancestor descended from the sky.

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Upon hearing this, Fu Zongjue and Chen Mobai bowed solemnly to Zhou Shengqing's ethereal form.

"Here is my storage bag; the spirit stones and other miscellaneous items within should be left for the sect."

Zhou Shengqing waved his hand, and a cyan storage bag opened, from which he took out a set of wooden armor and three talismans.

"Junior Brother Chen, you possess numerous magical artifacts, so I'll entrust this Divine Wood Armor to Junior Brother Fu."

Chen Mobai nodded. Fu Zongjue carefully accepted Zhou Shengqing's soul-bound artifact.

"These talismans are Tier 4 Spirit Leaf Talismans; each of you should take one."

Chen Mobai, Fu Zongjue, and Mo Douguang nodded and each took a talisman.

Zhou Shengqing then produced a golden talisman brush, a hint of reluctance on his face, and tossed it to Chen Mobai.

"Junior Brother Chen, this is a high-grade Tier 3 Sun-Chasing Talisman Brush. Master and Fourth Junior Sister collaborated to refine it as a gift for my two hundredth birthday. Since you are the only one in the sect proficient in the art of talismans, I bequeath it to you."

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for bestowing this treasure!"

As Chen Mobai took the brush, he felt an unprecedented weight.

"Junior Brother Mo, you have toiled diligently guarding me and the Divine Wood Sect for many years. Please accept this storage bag."

Mo Douguang said nothing, silently accepting the small storage bag from Zhou Shengqing.

"And these," he added, "I have no idea what treasures they might contain."

After distributing his own possessions, Zhou Shengqing smiled and produced four more storage bags—those he had taken from the Core Formation cultivators he had slain. Only Zhao Xuankang, with his extensive experience, had managed to destroy his storage bag; the others were all here.

Zhou Shengqing first opened the loose cultivator's storage bag. Inside, besides two dozen high-grade spirit stones and a few water-attribute cultivation manuals, was a bottle of elixirs secured by a powerful seal. However, at Zhou Shengqing's current cultivation level, the seal was easily broken.

The bottle contained three blood-red elixirs, emitting a faint fragrance. Chen Mobai was completely unfamiliar with the elixirs of the Heavenly River Realm, but Zhou Shengqing seemed to recognize them.

"These appear to be Blood Spirit Pills, which are useful for Core Formation cultivators trying to break through bottlenecks. To confirm their identity, you can later ask Zeng Woyou or invite Yan Shaoyin."

Zhou Shengqing was primarily skilled in talismans; his knowledge of elixirs was limited to hearsay. If they were indeed Blood Spirit Pills, then the yield from this first storage bag was quite satisfactory.

Zhou Shengqing then smiled and opened the three remaining storage bags belonging to the ghost cultivators. Instantly, their attention was drawn to a potted plant, as dark as ink, as thick as an arm, and shaped like a coiled dragon. The plant had no leaves; its branches resembled dark jade, shimmering with a deep, captivating dark green glow under the spiritual light.

"Tier 4 Soul-Nourishing Wood!"

After identifying it, Fu Zongjue exclaimed in surprise, though his face immediately fell into an expression of regret.

"If only it were Tier 5!"

A Tier 5 Soul-Nourishing Wood could allow a cultivator who failed to form a Nascent Soul to abandon their physical body and transform into a Dharma Body Nascent Soul, a state perfectly suited to Zhou Shengqing's current predicament.

"Even if it were Tier 5, what good would that do? Our sect lacks the cultivation method for a Dharma Body Nascent Soul, and we don't have the Spirit Water of Returning Yang."

Zhou Shengqing himself had initially been surprised and delighted to see the Soul-Nourishing Wood, but he quickly came to a realization and sighed. To transform into a Dharma Body Nascent Soul, one needs not only the Soul-Nourishing Wood but also a spiritual liquid called "Spirit Water of Returning Yang" to protect the divine consciousness. The Divine Wood Sect lacked all three conditions.

"Senior Brother, look at this pill recipe!"

Just then, Fu Zongjue swept his divine consciousness over all the items emptied from the three ghost cultivators' storage bags and instantly discovered something significant. It was, remarkably, the pill recipe for the Spirit Water of Returning Yang. Judging by the delicate appearance of the storage bag, it must have belonged to the ghost cultivator who possessed Madam Guo's body. It was unclear why she would have kept this recipe.

"It's a high-grade Tier 4 pill recipe, one that even Yan Shaoyin might not be confident in refining. Many of the listed ingredients are exceptionally rare, and numerous herbs on it can only grow in the underworld..."

After reviewing the recipe, everyone again shook their heads and sighed.

"Senior Brother Zhou," Chen Mobai suddenly asked, "if your soul were to reside within this Soul-Nourishing Wood, how long could it last?" He himself possessed a section of Tier 3 Soul-Nourishing Wood and deeply understood these rare natural treasures. He knew that even with Zhou Shengqing's essence and spirit drained by the Everlasting Wood, his soul and divine consciousness could be transferred to the Soul-Nourishing Wood for continued survival.

"This Soul-Nourishing Wood belonged to that Underworld Monarch, who was on the cusp of becoming a Ghost King. It was likely prepared for his own advancement, and its quality is nearly Tier 5. If I transfer my soul into it, I estimate it could sustain me for about a century."

However, once he entered the Soul-Nourishing Wood, he would only be able to transform into a ghost cultivator or a Dharma Body Nascent Soul, losing the chance for reincarnation. If he became a ghost cultivator, there would be no hope of an afterlife. A Dharma Body Nascent Soul, however, upon nearing the end of its lifespan, would need to use a Pure Yang magical artifact to shed its physical form and enter reincarnation. Coincidentally, Pure Yang magical artifacts were something Chen Mobai possessed in abundance.

"Senior Brother, if you trust me, I guarantee that within a century, I can find both the method for Dharma Body Nascent Soul and the Spirit Water of Returning Yang for you."

Chen Mobai's tone was firm and confident as he spoke. This, however, would force Zhou Shengqing to make a critical choice. No one could predict what the next life held. In the Heavenly River Realm, ninety-nine percent of those reborn would be ordinary mortals without spiritual roots. Having glimpsed the realm of Nascent Soul formation, how could Zhou Shengqing willingly abandon everything in this life to gamble on such a remote possibility?

"Hahahaha, since there's an opportunity to reach a higher cultivation level in this life, what does a century of solitude matter?"

Seizing the chance for a Dharma Body Nascent Soul, Zhou Shengqing deliberated no further. He immediately withdrew his soul and consciousness entirely from the Soul-Guiding Lamp, transforming into a wisp of green smoke that settled into the Soul-Nourishing Wood.