Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: To Die and Start Anew
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"Foundation Establishment is the building of the Dao's immortal foundation. It is the tempering of the physical body to refine its mortal substance, bringing the six senses to a state of empty stillness. It is refining form into qi, with the five qi returning to their source, and the three flowers gathering atop the crown. When the work is complete, form is forgotten, and the immortal embryo transforms on its own. When yin is exhausted and yang becomes pure, a body exists outside the body. Only then can one shed their mortal coil and ascend to immortality, transcending the mundane to become a sage. From then on, one joins the ranks of immortals, leaving the mortal world behind."
Inside his cave residence, Lu Yang sat upright on a meditation mat, silently contemplating.
"This step of Foundation Establishment is described differently in various cultivation methods, but regardless of the method, when it comes to the actual practice, the steps are not truly all that different."
It is to use one's own true qi as the foundation, to lift the sea of consciousness, and refine the form to ascend.
For example, the *Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art* he cultivated could, upon completion, refine a third-grade true qi—the 'True Dragon Baleful Qi'.
And the more advanced Foundation Establishment technique, the *Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding Ascension Treasure Scroll*, clearly explained how to use the True Dragon Baleful Qi to complete the refinement of form and ascend.
Here, the importance of the true qi's grade became apparent.
If the grade of the true qi was insufficient, one either couldn't lift the sea of consciousness, or their strength and qi would be exhausted halfway through the ascension, causing them to crash down and die without a proper burial.
The entire process of Foundation Establishment was just such a path of ascension.
And the end of this path of ascension was the 'Foundation Establishment Realm'.
Reading this, Lu Yang couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "The Foundation Establishment Realm... so it doesn't refer to a state of being, but an actual place!"
That being said, ascension was only the first step.
After a cultivator lifted their sea of consciousness and fully ascended into the Foundation Establishment Realm, they had to begin forging their own immortal foundation to ensure they could remain there.
This was another great hurdle.
Even if ordinary cultivators completed the step of ascension, most would have exhausted their reserves, resulting in them only being able to build a shaky and precarious immortal foundation.
The result was an unstable immortal foundation that, unable to withstand the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Realm, would violently collapse.
Failing the ascension might still offer a chance of survival, but if the immortal foundation crumbled, the cultivator's death was certain. Luo Wuya had likely fallen at this very stage.
One had to understand that when a cultivator ascended to the Foundation Establishment Realm and began building their immortal foundation, not only did they need a solid cultivation base, but endless demonic thoughts would also arise from within. If their Dao heart was not firm and their mind wandered, they would inevitably be influenced by these demonic thoughts. Then, no matter how profound their foundation, it would be of no use.
"Truly, every step is fraught with difficulty."
After Lu Yang sorted out the process of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he committed the contents, secrets, and various key points of the *Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Riding Ascension Treasure Scroll* firmly to memory.
Immediately after, he took out the Ascension Token and activated it in his palm.
The next second, the Ascension Token transformed into a stream of light and flew into his sea of consciousness, illuminating his mind with clarity. His entire body felt ethereal, as if on the verge of becoming an immortal.
Closing his eyes, Lu Yang immediately entered a meditative state.
Within his dantian, a wisp of true qi manifested. It grew horns, scales, claws, teeth, and whiskers, finally transforming into a shockingly lifelike true dragon.
Boom!
With a loud bang, this true dragon left his dantian, traveled up through his main meridians, passed through the Crimson Palace, entered the Purple Mansion, and went straight into the depths of his sea of consciousness!
Immediately after, Lu Yang felt a great heavenly light burst forth before his eyes. His true qi, which had seemed so vast as to be inexhaustible, now poured out like water from a broken dam, transforming into an indescribable, immense force that pushed his sea of consciousness, causing it to gradually ascend higher and higher!
"Thank goodness for this Ascension Token."
Lu Yang's mind was clear. Lifting the sea of consciousness into the void was no easy task. Originally, nine heavenly gates should have blocked his path, and breaking through each one would have consumed a massive amount of primal qi.
However, with the aid of the Ascension Token given by Perfected Being Yin Shan, all nine heavenly gates were wide open, leaving his path of ascension completely unimpeded.
More importantly, he wasn't starting his ascension from the very bottom.
"Because I cultivated the 'Sage's Theft,' I already possessed a certain status. So, strictly speaking, I was actually starting my ascension from mid-air."
The journey of ascension was thus shortened by a small section.
Don't underestimate that small section; it could very well have been the straw that broke the camel's back. It had saved Lu Yang an untold amount of mental and spiritual energy.
The Sage's Theft and the Ascension Token had each resolved a different tribulation on his path of ascension. Meanwhile, the third-grade 'True Dragon Baleful Qi' provided him with a sufficiently profound foundation, allowing him to proceed step by step, ascending all the way to the Foundation Establishment Realm without worrying about exhausting his true qi halfway through.
Just like that, an unknown amount of time passed. Lu Yang felt the brilliant heavenly light before him gradually dim, as if he had passed through a region, and a boundless land appeared within his vision.
Looking down, Lu Yang actually saw himself.
Beyond that, he saw Yin Shan, the Primal Saint Sect, the mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, and the teeming masses bustling about their lives.
In other words—the mortal world.
He had seen this scene once before. On Skull Mountain, Perfected Being Yin Shan had shown him a great battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the sight had been just like this.
But at that time, his true spirit was unenlightened, and he couldn't make out the forms of the Foundation Establishment cultivators at all, only the magical light they emitted. If he had the chance to see it again, he felt he would be able to see much more clearly. In fact, at this very moment, he could see a figure sitting upright to the northwest, closest to him.
It was Perfected Being Yin Shan.
The immortal foundation beneath him was a great black mountain. Though it stretched for ten thousand li, in the boundless Foundation Establishment Realm, it seemed infinitesimally small.
At the same time, Perfected Being Yin Shan also seemed to have noticed him.
The next second, a voice drifted over leisurely:
"Focus your mind. Do not let it wander."
The voice was like the tinkling of a clear spring, washing down and instantly cleansing Lu Yang of his reverie. Only then did he realize with a start, "The demonic thoughts have invaded, stirring my stray thoughts!?"
At this thought, Lu Yang dared not delay any longer and immediately focused his attention on the Foundation Establishment Realm. The effects of the Sage's Theft, the Ascension Token, and the third-grade true qi had all been pushed to their limits. From here on, he could only rely on himself. Lu Yang gathered his true qi step by step and began to construct his immortal foundation.
Soon, however, he discovered a problem.
"There's not enough true qi."
That momentary lapse in concentration had caused him to lose thirty percent of his true qi, making his already meager supply even more precarious. It was becoming impossible to continue.
Helpless, Lu Yang could only reduce the scale of his immortal foundation.
The size of an immortal foundation often corresponded to the potential, cultivation level, and magical power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. By reducing its scale, he was sacrificing his future prospects for the sake of a breakthrough.
He kept cutting it down until it was half its original size, at which point his true qi was finally, barely, enough.
But the next second, Lu Yang saw Perfected Being Yin Shan suddenly rise to his feet and stride towards him, letting out a grim, cold cackle:
"Not bad, not bad. The immortal foundation is built."
"My efforts to help you were not in vain. The spirit treasure in my hand is currently lacking an immortal foundation to complete it. Junior Brother Lu, you truly have not disappointed me. You are excellent material!"
Before his voice had even faded, Perfected Being Yin Shan reached out!
A familiar feeling, a familiar terror. Lu Yang had personally seen Perfected Being Yin Shan in action, and the power he displayed now was identical to his memory...
Wait, identical?
"That's not right!"
Lu Yang was suddenly jolted awake. The Perfected Being Yin Shan in his memory had been dealing with the Yun family's ancestor. To deal with him, why would he need such a grand display? A single glance would have been enough.
This is fake!
The next second, Lu Yang's vision blurred. When he looked again, the demonic thoughts had dispersed. Perfected Being Yin Shan was still sitting in his original spot, letting out a regretful sigh:
"Junior Brother, what a pity."
Lu Yang looked down and saw that the immortal foundation he had just painstakingly built was already riddled with holes, all because he had been influenced by the demonic thoughts for that brief moment.
Seeing this, Lu Yang could only give a helpless smile. "How bitter..."
Rumble!
Before his voice faded, the sound of his immortal foundation shattering echoed throughout the Foundation Establishment Realm. It even triggered a change in the celestial phenomena of the outside world, the mournful wail of the wind sounding like the very cry of the heavens.
As Lu Yang committed this experience to memory, he silently chanted in his mind:
"Book of a Hundred Lives!"