Starting Cultivation During a Trip

Chapter 566 - 278: Corpse Dissolving Immortal—Inhuman! Refining and Nourishing the Primordial Spirit_2

"What’s happening?" Zhang Fan raised his eyebrows, a sense of vigilance rising within him.

"The path of dissolution, undying and divine!"

Within Qi Delong, his blood surged, and even his breathing became heavy.

As a successor of Laojun Mountain, he knew more than Zhang Fan about the mystery and eeriness of the Corpse Dissolving Method. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Daoist Sect considered this method a top-grade path to immortality, and countless predecessors had toiled arduously in this endeavor.

Crack...

At this moment, the heavy chains began to pull, seemingly triggering a mechanism inside the ancient coffin. The copper locks on the coffin lid began to unlock one by one.

Clang... Clang... Clang...

The sound of metal turning echoed within the altar, the ground trembled, the walls shook, stone chips fell, and even the ancient murals began to show cracks.

Boom...

Finally, with a loud noise, the suspended coffin fell to the ground, the heavy lid flew open, and a rancid odor spread throughout the altar.

"Retreat!"

"Brother, it’s empty."

Just as Qi Delong’s words fell, Qi Dongqiang exclaimed softly.

Zhang Fan stared intently, and amidst the scattered dust, the view inside the coffin finally revealed itself; indeed, it was empty except for a rusted sword stuck inside and a tattered Daoist Robe.

"Old Qi, you’re right, it’s an empty coffin, there’s nothing in it."

Zhang Fan’s taut nerves slowly relaxed.

"Brother, I thought that Daoist was so..." Qi Dongqiang also spoke with relief.

"Shut up!" Qi Delong, whose face was grave, let out a low roar, his unblinking gaze did not move an inch.

"The empty coffin hides the truth, the sun and moon will be seen again... He practiced the Soldier Resolution Method!"

The pale white moonlight streamed through the gaps in the altar’s dome, reflecting off the rusty long sword, which measured three feet and nine inches. Characters like "ugly," "己," and "丁" were engraved on the hilt, while inside it was carved with seals of the sun and moon, and outside it was embossed with their forms.

Within the Corpse Dissolving Immortal Technique, there’s a branch called Soldier Resolution, among which the creation of sword soldiers is most renowned.

A Daoist enters the deep mountains, often creating a Magic Sword to entrust their form, thus the sword transforms into a corpse, after burial, it once again returns to the sword form, hoping for longevity through the passage of time.

Buzz...

Suddenly, the ancient Magic Sword lightly trembled, a soft humming resounded, the green rust slowly fell off, yet a glint of cold light flickered.

Swish...

The next moment, drops of viscous black liquid flowed from the sword’s surface, dripping onto the ground.

As the black viscous liquid landed, it abruptly spread open, resembling a captivating flower as its umbrella expanded, bright red like flesh.

The droplets of black liquid grew more numerous, and inside the altar, clusters of bright red flesh flowers multiplied, covering the ground, the walls, and the dome...

The entire altar was enveloped by those bright red flesh flowers, their weight threatening to collapse the structure.

"Let’s get out."

Zhang Fan ordered softly, the two streamed out.

In the next moment, the ancient altar collapsed with a roar, clusters of bright red flesh flowers squirmed out of the ruined smoke and dust, merging into a continuous expanse.

"What is this thing?" Zhang Fan’s expression was solemn.

"It seems like..."

"Fungi!?"

"Is this some kind of flesh-eating fungus?"

Qi Delong and Qi Dongqiang’s faces were equally grave, though they had heard of the name Corpse Dissolving Method, they had never witnessed it.

After all, the Corpse Dissolving Immortal Technique was viewed by the Daoist Sect as inferior during the Sui and Tang Dynasties and later considered heretical and not worth practicing.

"The sword bears the remains, using thee as a substitute for the body, making the form flawless, I shall conceal myself, you temporarily rest in the grave, five hundred years hence, come seek my path..."

Under the faint moonlight, amid the vastness of night, a whisper echoed as though reciting scriptures.

Within the massive flesh fungus, the ancient Magic Sword loomed indistinctly, enveloped by a layer of gray mist, faintly flickering with a layer of Primordial Divine Light.

"Ascending to Tai Chi, speaking of eight elements, Ascension, treading the immortal path..."

Viscous black liquid continuously seeped from within the bright red flesh fungus, causing its form to swell and undulate. Wherever it passed, flowers, grass, snakes, insects... even soil became nutrients for the flesh fungus, turning into part of its body.

"Is that Daoist still not dead?"

Qi Dongqiang asked incredulously, as a cultivator who had heard of the Immortal Technique since childhood, the true notion of becoming immortal seemed elusive and even living past a hundred was rare in the world.

Yet at this moment, they seemed to see a glimmer of hope for immortality.

The fluctuation atop the Magic Sword was undoubtedly the Primordial Spirit.

Using the Soldier Resolution Method to shed form, sacrificing to the sword could allow it to traverse hundreds of years without perishing!?

This is the legendary Corpse Dissolving Method!

"He is no longer human."

Zhang Fan bit his teeth, able to sense the fluctuation on that Magic Sword; although the Primordial Light was there, its divine essence had faded, as if there was only remaining consciousness, quite distinct from a true Primordial Spirit.

In truth, unless one reaches the Pure Yang Wuji Realm, any Primordial Spirit is unlikely to linger long in the Red Dust, for with time’s passage, it must fade away.

"The Immortal Technique must be Dual Cultivation of Body and Spirit..." Qi Delong spoke in a deep voice.

"Back then, the Daoist encountered an exceptional master who taught him such a method to avoid calamity through corpse dissolution, extend divine years, and seize this miraculous gift, using Innate Spirit Embryo as the body..."

"In this way, he could have his Primordial Spirit return to its rightful place, naturally nourished..." Qi Dongqiang said solemnly.

"How could such a heaven-defying method not have tribulations?" Zhang Fan’s gaze was sharp like a line.

Boom...

Just then, the embedded Magic Sword emitted a layer of cold silver-white brilliance, followed by the massive flesh fungus writhing, streams of viscous black liquid spreading outward.

Boom... Boom... Boom...

The ground cracked open, tentacle-like flesh spread from the rifts, seeming to have eyes, wantonly capturing the living creatures around the mountain.