Chapter 73: Death and Restart
Chapter 73: Death and Rebirth
"Foundation Establishment—building the immortal foundation of the Great Dao, refining the physical form to temper mortal substance. With the six senses emptied and still, refining form into qi as the five energies converge toward the origin, the three yangs gather at the crown. When merit is fulfilled and form forgotten, the embryonic immortal transforms naturally. Only when yin is exhausted and yang purified, with a body beyond the body, can one shed the mortal shell and ascend, transcending the mundane to stand among the ranks of immortals, bidding farewell to the secular world..."
Seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion within his cave abode, Lü Yang silently contemplated these truths.
"The step of Foundation Establishment is described differently across various cultivation arts, but when put into practice, the actual steps do not differ greatly."
The essence was to use one's own true qi as a foundation, lifting the sea of consciousness and refining the form for ascension.
For example, the 《Nine Transformations Dragon Art》 he cultivated, once perfected, could refine third-grade true qi—'True Dragon Aura.'
The subsequent Foundation Establishment technique, 《Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Treasure Scroll》, explicitly detailed how to use True Dragon Aura to complete the refinement and ascension of form.
Here, the importance of true qi grade became evident.
If the grade of true qi was insufficient, one might either fail to lift the sea of consciousness or exhaust their strength midway through ascension, plummeting to a gruesome death.
The entire process of Foundation Establishment was, in essence, a path of ascension.
And the endpoint of this ascension path was the 'Foundation Establishment Realm.'
Upon realizing this, Lü Yang couldn't help but marvel: "The Foundation Establishment Realm isn't just a cultivation stage—it refers to an actual place!"
That said, ascension was merely the first step.
Once a cultivator lifted their sea of consciousness and fully ascended into the Foundation Establishment Realm, they had to begin constructing their immortal foundation to ensure they could remain there.
This was another formidable challenge.
Most ordinary cultivators, even if they completed the ascension, would have exhausted their reserves by then, barely managing to erect a shaky immortal foundation.
The result? An unstable foundation unable to withstand the pressures of the Foundation Establishment Realm, collapsing in an instant.
Failure in ascension might still leave room for survival, but the destruction of one's immortal foundation was invariably fatal. Luo Wuya had likely fallen at this very hurdle.
When cultivators ascended to the Foundation Establishment Realm and began constructing their immortal foundations, aside from requiring a solid cultivation base, they would also be besieged by endless demonic thoughts. If their Dao heart wavered, distracted by fleeting desires, they would inevitably be influenced by these demonic intrusions. No matter how profound their cultivation, it would be futile.
"Truly, every step is fraught with peril..."
After thoroughly reviewing the process of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Lü Yang committed every detail, secret, and critical juncture of the 《Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Treasure Scroll》 to memory.
Next, he retrieved the Ascension Token and placed it in his palm, circulating his qi.
In the next moment, the token transformed into a stream of light that flew into his sea of consciousness, illuminating his mind with clarity and filling his body with a sensation of weightless transcendence.
Closing his eyes, Lü Yang immediately entered deep meditation.
Within his dantian, a surge of true qi manifested, growing a ruler-length wooden branch, dragon scales, claws, fangs, and whiskers... until it finally took the form of a lifelike true dragon.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the dragon departed from his dantian, ascended through the Governing and Conception Vessels, passed the Crimson Palace, entered the Purple Mansion, and arrived deep within his sea of consciousness!
Immediately, Lü Yang felt a radiant light burst before his eyes. The vast reserves of true qi, which had once seemed inexhaustible, now poured forth like floodwaters through an opened sluice, transforming into an indescribable force that propelled his sea of consciousness upward in a steady climb.
"Thankfully, I have this Ascension Token..."
Lü Yang's mind remained lucid. Lifting the sea of consciousness into the void was no easy feat—ordinarily, there would be nine celestial barriers obstructing the path, each requiring immense effort to overcome.
Yet, with the Ascension Token bestowed by True Person Yinshan, all nine barriers lay wide open, granting him unimpeded passage on his ascension journey.
Moreover, he wasn't starting his ascent from the very bottom.
"Because I've mastered the 'Saint's Theft,' I already possess a certain level of status. Strictly speaking, I began my ascension from midair."
This shortened the journey by a fraction.
Though seemingly minor, this difference could very well be the straw that broke the camel's back, saving Lü Yang an incalculable amount of effort.
The Saint's Theft and the Ascension Token each resolved a tribulation on his path, while the third-grade 'True Dragon Aura' provided him with a sufficiently profound foundation, ensuring he wouldn't exhaust his true qi midway and allowing him to ascend step by step into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Thus, after an immeasurable length of time...
Lü Yang sensed the dazzling celestial light before him gradually dimming, as if he had traversed a boundary, revealing an endless expanse within his vision.
Looking down, he saw—himself.
Beyond that, he saw Mount Yinshan, the Primordial Saint Sect, the mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, and the countless mortals toiling away in their daily lives.
Or rather—the mortal world.
He had witnessed this scene once before at Skeleton Mountain, when True Person Yinshan showed him a battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators. The view had been identical.
Back then, however, his true spirit had been obscured, preventing him from discerning the forms of the Foundation Establishment True Persons—he could only see their outward radiance. If given another chance, he would surely see more clearly. Even now, he could make out a figure seated due northwest, closest to him.
That was True Person Yinshan.
His immortal foundation took the form of a vast black mountain, stretching endlessly yet appearing infinitesimal within the boundless expanse of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
At the same time, True Person Yinshan seemed to notice him.
A moment later, a serene voice drifted over:
"Focus your mind. Do not let your thoughts wander..."
The words cascaded like a clear spring, washing over Lü Yang and instantly purging his reflections. Only then did he realize in alarm: "Demonic thoughts invaded and stirred my distractions!?"
With this realization, Lü Yang dared not delay further. He immediately directed his attention to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Now that the Saint's Theft, Ascension Token, and third-grade true qi had all fulfilled their roles to the utmost, the rest depended solely on him. Step by step, Lü Yang gathered his true qi and began constructing his immortal foundation.
Yet soon, he encountered a problem.
"My true qi is insufficient..."
That momentary lapse had drained thirty percent of his true qi, exacerbating his already limited reserves to the point of near depletion.
Left with no choice, Lü Yang had to reduce the scale of his immortal foundation.
The size of an immortal foundation typically corresponded to a Foundation Establishment True Person's potential, cultivation, and strength of magic power. By scaling it down, he was sacrificing future prospects for the sake of immediate breakthrough.
Only after halving its original size did his true qi barely suffice.
But the next moment, Lü Yang saw True Person Yinshan abruptly rise from his seat and stride toward him, letting out a sinister chuckle:
"Excellent, excellent. The immortal foundation is built."
"My efforts in aiding you have not been in vain. The spirit treasure in my hand lacks only an immortal foundation to complete it. Junior Brother Lü, you truly live up to expectations—you are prime material!"
Before the words faded, True Person Yinshan reached out a hand!
The familiar sensation, the familiar terror—Lü Yang had witnessed True Person Yinshan's power firsthand before, and the might displayed now matched his memories perfectly...
...Wait, perfectly?
"Wrong!"
Lü Yang jolted awake. In his memories, True Person Yinshan had acted against the Yun Family Patriarch. To deal with him, a mere glance would suffice—such extravagance was unnecessary.
This was an illusion!
The next instant, Lü Yang's vision blurred. When it cleared, the demonic thoughts had receded, and True Person Yinshan remained seated in place, releasing only a sigh of regret:
"A pity, Junior Brother."
Lü Yang lowered his gaze and saw that the immortal foundation he had painstakingly constructed, affected by that momentary lapse, was now riddled with flaws.
With a wry smile, Lü Yang could only lament: "Bitter indeed..."
Boom!
Before the words fully left his mouth, the sound of his immortal foundation shattering reverberated through the Foundation Establishment Realm, even stirring celestial phenomena in the outside world. The howling wind carried a mournful wail, as if the heavens themselves wept.
As Lü Yang committed this experience to memory, he silently recited in his heart:
"Book of a Hundred Lifetimes!"