Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

None of the guests could comprehend what had just happened.

By the time they regained their senses, the surrounding Tianxuan Sect cultivators had already drawn their weapons and were charging toward them. Chaos erupted instantly.

Near Xu Ming, a Tianxuan Sect deacon brandished a massive axe and swung it down at him. Yet before Xu Ming could even rise, the deacon was reduced to a mist of blood with a single punch from Wu Yanhan.

The other cultivators who had been about to attack Xu Ming froze in shock, utterly intimidated by Wu Yanhan’s overwhelming power. But before they could recover from their daze, a blade of sword energy swept across their throats. Blood sprayed into the air as their lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground, staining the earth beneath them red.

Without even lifting a finger, Xu Ming watched the carnage unfold. Clapping his hands as he stood up, he smiled and asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask—can you even fight properly dressed like that?”

“What’s wrong with fighting like this?”

Wu Yanhan tore at her dress, transforming her ankle-length gown into a short skirt that revealed her snow-white legs and knees.

“Are you sure you won’t risk exposure like that?”

In the midst of life-and-death combat, Xu Ming seemed preoccupied with trivial concerns.

“Well then, let’s take them on together.”

Xu Ming unsheathed his Nine Heavens Thunder Sword and charged toward Xia He. However, no matter how hard Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan tried, they couldn’t get close to him.

A group of cultivators surrounded Xia He, determined to protect him from harm. As Xu Ming rushed forward, wave after wave of deacons attacked him, only to be slain by his blade.

The sword energy emanating from Xu Ming’s body shredded any cultivator who dared approach him into fragments.

Despite being engaged in battle, Xu Ming found a moment to glance at Wu Yanhan, worried for her safety—but he soon realized his concern was unnecessary.

Now in the Golden Body Realm, Wu Yanhan’s strength had reached an entirely new level.

In martial cultivation, there were three major realms: Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement.

The Golden Body Realm was the first stage of Spirit Refinement, equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm for cultivators. Its defining trait was its invincibility—impenetrable by blades or spells, with a body as tough as diamond.

Though Wu Yanhan’s physique still appeared as soft and delicate as any other young woman’s, her Golden Body was unbreakable.

In close-quarters combat, she was unstoppable—each punch she delivered claimed a life. Even a cultivator at the Nascent Soul level would struggle to survive a single blow from her.

And Nascent Soul cultivators were powerful enough to establish their own sects. Even a top-tier sect like the Tianxuan Sect couldn’t have many cultivators of that caliber.

By this point, Wu Yanhan had undoubtedly ascended into the ranks of the most formidable fighters in the cultivation world.

Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan worked together seamlessly.

Xu Ming countered the long-range spells from afar, while protecting Wu Yanhan as she engaged in close combat. Any cultivator who came within ten steps of her was as good as dead. ɽАΝОВĘs̩

Their coordination was flawless, reminding them of their childhood—when they used to carry out missions and endure life-or-death trials together as members of the Blood Asura Battalion.

Elsewhere, Wang Xuan and Qin Qingwan were also fighting their way toward Xia He.

Facing their former sect members, Wang Xuan wielded her whisk, obliterating them with a casual wave of her hand. There was no hesitation—she showed no mercy as she erased them from existence.

“Elder Wangxuan, from today onward, the Tianxuan Sect will cease to exist. Why not join us and ascend to the Great Dao together?”

The Sword Peak Master of Tianxuan Sect, holding a longsword, stood in Wangxuan’s path.

Wangxuan regarded him calmly. “I always thought you wouldn’t turn to Xia He. What has he offered you?”

The Sword Peak Master shook his head. “What benefit could compare to attaining the Great Dao?”

A deep melancholy flickered in Li Yi’s eyes. “I’ve been stuck in the Jade Purity Realm for far too long. Even if I can’t reach the Ascension Realm in this lifetime, I at least want to step into the Immortal Realm and catch a glimpse of the view at the mountain’s peak. Cultivators live their lives in pursuit of higher realms—that is our ultimate goal.”

Wangxuan shook her head, her gaze filled only with pity. “You are mistaken. Our sect’s founding patriarch once said that the lifelong pursuit of a cultivator is to verify one’s own Dao and one’s heart. The elevation of realms is merely a byproduct of that process.

“Besides, do you truly believe following Xia He will lead you to the Immortal Realm? The so-called Great Dao is a path one must walk alone. How can it be entrusted to others? This is the ancestral teaching of our Tianxuan Sect. The very first stone seen by every disciple upon entering the sect is inscribed with these words.”

“Hahaha!” Li Yi laughed heartily. “If there were hope, why would I rely on others? Or does Elder Wangxuan have a way to help me enter the Immortal Realm? Oh, by the way, you still have a disciple—an excellent dual-cultivation vessel. How about handing her over to me?”

“Pathetic.”

With a wave of her whisk, Wangxuan summoned the Four Divine Phantoms, transforming the clouds above into colossal divine beasts that charged at Li Yi.

“The Four Divine Astral Beasts!” Li Yi looked up at the approaching beasts. “It’s said Elder Wangxuan used this technique to slay a demon king in the Southern Territories. Let me see its might for myself!”

Li Yi swung his sword, slashing the phantoms formed from clouds into pieces. However, the phantoms reformed instantly.

The Vermilion Bird among the Four Divine Beasts let out a piercing cry and unleashed a torrent of Vermilion True Flame.

Li Yi broke through the flames with a sword strike, thrusting toward Wangxuan’s chest.

But just as he closed in, the White Tiger clawed downward, smashing Li Yi into a mountain and shattering it into rubble.

At that moment, ten cultivators ascended and surrounded Wangxuan.

They didn’t engage her directly but formed a formation, trapping Wangxuan inside.

Wangxuan began chanting another incantation.

A luminous river of time appeared beneath her feet, threatening to drag her opponents into its current.

However, the ten cultivators each pulled out a piece of black jade.

The ten pieces radiated dark light, intertwining and forming a cage within a single breath, imprisoning Wangxuan.

“Master!” Qin Qingwan cried out and rushed to save him.

But her movements immediately drew the attention of others.

Everyone in the Tianxuan Sect knew Qin Qingwan was an exceptional dual-cultivation vessel. Not to mention, her beauty ranked her in the top ten of the Beauty List!

Cultivators were still human—they were not immune to the allure of beauty. Their desires didn’t disappear; they simply shifted from mundane riches to celestial treasures and enchanting immortals.

In this chaotic battle, Qin Qingwan seemed like the ultimate prize.

Just as some cultivators moved to seize her, ten others stepped forward to shield her.

Meanwhile, beneath the Xuantian Tree, the Tianxuan Sect’s guardian spirit had fallen silent.

The guardian spirit knelt on the ground, head bowed, its long hair disheveled.

At the spirit’s center, the soil began to blacken, spreading outward in all directions.

The once-clear springs scattered across the plain turned pitch black and murky, resembling pools of ink.

“Xia He! What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Xia He! Aren’t you afraid of being hunted down by all the major sects for such actions?”

“Have you gone mad, Xia He?!”

One after another, the guests who had come to offer their congratulations fell into pools of blood.

None of them could understand what Xia He was trying to achieve, or why he was doing this.

“Mad?” Xia He turned around, glanced at the crowd, and let out a cold laugh. “I’m not mad. On the contrary, I’m perfectly sane. In fact, all of you should feel honored—honored to become the fuel for my breakthrough into the Ascension Realm!”

“Xia He! You lunatic!”

Several elders leading their sects charged forward together.

But Xia He remained calm, not the least bit flustered.

He took the original heart of the Tianxuan Sect’s guardian spirit and swallowed it whole.

The immense fortune energy of the sect surged through his body.

With a wave of his sleeve, the cultivators charging toward him exploded into clouds of blood mist.

Boom!

A deafening sound reverberated as the entire Tianxuan Sect trembled violently.

The sect’s fortune energy transformed into countless threads, flowing incessantly into Xia He’s body.

Unexpectedly, the protective formation of the Tianxuan Sect activated—but not to repel invaders. Instead, it was slaughtering its own disciples.

Yin-Yang fish symbols emerged around the sect, piercing through disciple after disciple.

These disciples were reduced to blood mist, which then condensed into dark threads that surged upward, coalescing above the Xuantian Tree.

Even the deceased guests were not spared.

Their corpses were devoured by the blackened waters, gradually merging into the pitch-black soil.

From the depths of the Sanshi Peak, streaks of crimson light shot into the sky, joining the growing blood sphere above the Xuantian Tree.

Within the hollow prison of Sanshi Peak, Xu Cang and the others furrowed their brows, sweat pouring from their foreheads. Their blood essence and spiritual energy were being relentlessly drained by the formation.

“One incense stick of time.”

Xu Cang and the others closed their eyes in resignation.

Xu Ming had only one incense stick’s worth of time. Once that time passed, they were certain of their deaths.

Not only them—within that same span, Xia He would likely break through into the Ascension Realm. At that point, no one who dared to resist him would be left alive.

Back at the Baiquan (Hundred Springs) Plains, most people had already realized what Xia He was doing.

He was using the deaths of Tianxuan Sect disciples and the visiting guests as nourishment to aid his breakthrough into the Ascension Realm.

Despair filled the hearts of nearly everyone.

From the Baiquan Plains alone, nearly half of the peak masters, hall masters, and deacons had betrayed the sect and joined Xia He.

The other half, caught off guard, had been ambushed by their peers. Some were injured, while others had died outright.

As for the visiting elders who had come to congratulate the sect, most of them were only at the Nascent Soul Realm.

Cultivators of the Upper Five Realms were revered figures, rarely sent to attend celebratory events—even by the Four Great Sacred Lands.

Thus, among those present, Xia He held the highest cultivation. The only other Immortal Realm cultivator, Wangxuan, was now trapped and unable to act.

Most people had already accepted their impending deaths.

But just as despair took root in their hearts, a flash of sword light streaked through the air before them.

The sharp sword aura filled the atmosphere, so potent that even breathing felt like it could draw the aura into their bodies, shredding their organs.@@novelbin@@

All eyes turned to see a young man striding forward, wielding a longsword with unwavering determination.

“Courting death!”

Xia He let out a cold chuckle, extending his hand toward Xu Ming.

A massive manifestation of spiritual energy materialized before Xu Ming, as if it intended to crush him into dust.

Xu Ming swung his sword, executing the Grass Script Sword Technique, shattering the enormous hand-shaped manifestation.

However, the resulting spiritual shockwave blasted Xu Ming backward. He drove his Nine Heavens Thunder Sword into the ground, carving a twenty-meter-long fissure into the earth.

“Pfft!” Xu Ming spat out a mouthful of blood.

“This young man is indeed remarkable,” Xia He remarked with a tone of approval.

It had been a long time since Xia He had seen such a prodigious talent.

“Father, please allow me to deal with this man. I want to kill him with my own hands!”

Seeing Xu Ming injured, Xia Donghua’s breathing grew ragged.

His hatred for Xu Ming burned deeply—a hatred born of repeated humiliations in the past. He could only atone for his wounded pride by taking Xu Ming’s life! Otherwise, his Dao Heart would remain unsteady.

And now, Xu Ming was ranked second on the Qingyun List.

If Xia Donghua killed him, regardless of the method, as long as Xu Ming died by his hand, Xia Donghua would become the new number two!

Hatred and vanity consumed him, leaving him desperate for this moment.

“Go ahead, but be careful,” Xia He said, nodding and making no effort to stop his son.

Xia He knew very well that Xu Ming had become a heart demon for his son.

Xia Donghua had to overcome this demon personally. Otherwise, when he faced the Dragon Gate Tribulation to ascend into the Golden Core Realm, the unresolved heart demon could lead to his death and the collapse of his Dao.

“Yes!”

With his father’s permission, Xia Donghua gripped his sword and charged directly at Xu Ming.

Once, he had been unable to defeat Xu Ming. But now? Surely that was no longer the case!

Today, he would ensure that Xu Ming died with no chance of resurrection!

“Xu Ming! Prepare to die!”

Xia Donghua recited an incantation, transforming into a black dragon. His form melded with his sword, becoming a single entity as he aimed a deadly strike at Xu Ming’s heart.

To everyone watching, it was a foregone conclusion. Xu Ming had barely managed to withstand Xia He’s earlier attack—a feat that was already astonishing.

Now, wounded and weakened, how could he possibly survive this full-force strike from Xia Donghua?

Yet, as Xia Donghua’s sword hurtled toward him, Xu Ming’s lips curled into a faint smile.

It was as if…

He had been waiting for this very moment.