Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 241: Waking Up

Fang Hao felt as if he were being slowly and arduously dragged up from the bottom of a bottomless dry well by a rope so thin it was on the verge of snapping.

His ears were buzzing, as if separated by a thick layer of cotton.

Every part of his body ached, and his head felt as if it were splitting open, with a pain like needle pricks.

His throat was parched and burning, his mouth filled with the bitter taste of Medicinal Pill and the stench of blood.

He struggled to lift his eyelids; at first, there was only a blurry halo of light before his eyes, making him feel dizzy.

After several breaths, his vision slowly began to focus.

What met his eyes was the uneven, moss-covered gray-brown ceiling of a rock cave.

Then, there was a bright, beautiful, and charming face leaning in close, filled with worry and nervousness.

Dressed in fire-red combat attire with jet-black hair, it was none other than the Ninth Princess, Mu Fenghua.

Fang Hao’s brain was still a bit foggy, and he couldn’t immediately process where he was or what had happened.

He only remembered that he had finally escaped into a cave, set up a Formation, and then everything went black, and he knew nothing more.

"Fellow Daoist Ning? You’re awake? How do you feel? Can you hear me?" Mu Fenghua’s face immediately lit up with joy as she asked repeatedly, her voice filled with undisguised concern.

Fang Hao opened his mouth to speak, but only a hoarse, wheezing sound emerged from his throat, which was terribly parched.

"Water! Bring water quickly!" Mu Fenghua hurriedly turned her head and shouted towards the cave entrance.

A guard stationed at the cave entrance immediately brought in a waterskin. Mu Fenghua took it, carefully lifted Fang Hao’s head, and brought the waterskin to his lips.

As the cool, sweet spring water entered his mouth, it was like sweet rain after a long drought. Fang Hao greedily swallowed a few mouthfuls, and his parched throat was relieved, his mind also becoming a bit clearer.

"Th... thank you, Your Highness." His voice was hoarse as he forced out the words. His gaze swept over Mu Fenghua, then looked towards the two Cultivators at the cave entrance with steady auras who were clearly royal guards, and finally, he took in the unfamiliar cave.

It seemed Mu Fenghua had saved him. But... how did she appear there? And how was she lucky enough to find him while he was unconscious?

"Don’t rush to speak; you are severely injured, rest well first." Seeing that he could speak, Mu Fenghua breathed a sigh of relief, but her brows remained furrowed. "How do you feel? Where does it still hurt the most?"

Fang Hao performed an internal inspection of himself. His injuries were still severe, but they were much better than the near-death state he had been in before losing consciousness.

His broken bones had been set, though they were still fragile. His internal organs had returned to their proper places, but there was still a dull ache inside.

His Meridians were like parched, sun-baked earth, covered in tiny cracks, and the movement of his Qi felt sluggish and stinging, but at least he could Move them.

The most troublesome part was his Sea of Consciousness; although the medicinal efficacy of the Spirit Nourishing Pill was still nourishing it, the stinging pain and exhaustion from being repeatedly torn and battered remained clear. His Divine Soul power had not even recovered by one-tenth.

However, being able to survive was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

"Much better... thank you, Your Highness... for saving my life." Fang Hao leaned against the stone wall and said weakly, his gaze looking at Mu Fenghua with gratitude. This favor was a huge debt.

"Why are you being so polite with me!" Mu Fenghua waved her hand and asked curiously, "How did you end up like this? My guards and I were exploring the Secret Realm, passed by a cave, and discovered the Formation had failed. When we went inside, we found you collapsed there, injured in such a terrifying way!"

"Who injured you like this? Was it the Sun Family? Or Zhao Wuji? Or did you encounter some powerful Demon Beast?"

Fang Hao gave a wry smile in his heart. How could he explain it? Should he say he fought for his life against a Nascent Soul Old Monster from the Netherworld Sect, triggered the Restriction of the ancient War Heaven Clan, was almost overwhelmed by Battle Intent, ended up using Sun Tianqi as a sandbag to block attacks, was hunted by three Golden Core Elders of the Sun Family, and only escaped death after using his last minor teleportation talisman?

Saying this out loud would probably scare this little princess, and it involved too many secrets.

"I encountered... some accidents, a few powerful Demon Beasts, and also... some people with ill intentions." Fang Hao said vaguely, a look of lingering fear and exhaustion on his face. "Thanks to Your Highness for the timely rescue, otherwise this time... I truly would have been unable to escape my fate."

Seeing that he didn’t want to elaborate, Mu Fenghua didn’t press him, but said indignantly, "It must be those bastards from the Sun Family! I’ve heard since I came in that the Sun Family has been hunting you like mad in the Secret Realm, claiming you beat Sun Tianqi into a Trash and stole their belongings."

"Now, in the entire Secret Realm, as long as they aren’t from the Eight Great Families, many Loose Cultivators and small factions are helping the Sun Family look for you, wanting to take your head to claim the reward!"

Fang Hao’s eyes turned cold. The Sun Family had indeed shifted the blame, putting the entire account of Sun Tianqi’s severe injury (which was mainly the work of Ghost Bone Superior) on him, and even issued a kill order.

Now, he had completely become a rat crossing the street in the Secret Realm, with everyone wanting to beat him.

"The Sun Family... what a grand gesture." Fang Hao’s voice was low. It seemed the Sun Family was determined to put him to death.

"Don’t be afraid, with me here, they wouldn’t dare do anything to you!" Mu Fenghua patted her chest, with a "I’ve got you covered" posture. "You are my person now, and my Imperial Father also values you; the Sun Family wouldn’t dare touch you openly."

"Let’s heal here first. When you’ve recovered, I’ll take you to find my eldest brother (the Crown Prince), or we can directly leave the Secret Realm and return to the Heavenly Capital; let’s see if the Sun Family still dares to act recklessly then!"

Fang Hao was moved, but he also knew things weren’t that simple. This was the Secret Realm, and the deterrent power of imperial authority was limited.

Since the Sun Family dared to issue a kill order, it meant they weren’t afraid of the imperial family investigating afterwards, or rather, they were confident they could make him die "reasonably" in the Secret Realm, with no evidence left behind.

Furthermore, he was still carrying the secrets of the "War Heaven Scripture" and the fragments, all of which were hot potatoes.

"Your Highness’s great kindness, this Junior will remember it. It’s just... the Sun Family is powerful, and we are in this Secret Realm; I’m afraid I will implicate Your Highness." Fang Hao said sincerely. He didn’t want to drag Mu Fenghua into this.

"What is this talk about implicating or not!" Mu Fenghua glared at him. "You are my friend; it is only right that I save you! Besides, I am a Princess after all, and I have guards by my side. No matter how arrogant the Sun Family is, they wouldn’t dare to directly make a Move on me, right? Just rest assured and heal, leave the rest to me!"

Looking at Mu Fenghua’s spoiled, "I’m the Princess, I say so" demeanor, Fang Hao felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that further refusal would just be pretentious.

He truly needed time to heal now, and he needed a relatively safe environment. With Mu Fenghua’s "tiger skin" backing, the Sun Family would at least have some scruples.

"Then... I shall trouble Your Highness." Fang Hao said no more and thanked her again.

"That’s right!" Mu Fenghua nodded with satisfaction and took out several bottles of Medicinal Pill, stuffing them into Fang Hao’s hands. "These are all Medicinal Pills for healing and recovering Qi; use them as you wish, if they’re not enough, I have more. You heal your injuries first, and when you can Move, we’ll discuss what to do next."

Fang Hao took the Medicinal Pills; they were all good fourth-grade items, and he thanked her again. He stopped being polite, sat cross-legged, and began to operate the Chaos Derivation Art, guiding the power of the Medicinal Pills, combining it with his own Cultivation Technique to heal and recover with all his might. What he lacked most right now was time.

Seeing him begin to heal, Mu Fenghua no longer disturbed him. She gave a look to the guards, signaling them to strengthen their vigilance, while she walked near the cave entrance, sat down cross-legged, and began Cultivating while acting as a Protector for Fang Hao.

In the cave, silence was restored, leaving only the long and faint sound of Fang Hao’s breathing, and the occasional weak fluctuation of Qi as the Medicinal Pills dissolved.

While healing, Fang Hao pondered in his heart. Although he had escaped death this time and obtained the Legacy of the "War Heaven Scripture" as a blessing in disguise, the crisis was far from resolved.

The Sun Family’s pursuit, the Zhao Family’s hostility, the threat of Ghost Bone Superior, and the uncertainty of the Secret Realm itself... he had to recover his strength as soon as possible, and he had to find a way to master the "War Heaven Scripture" to improve his combat power.

Additionally, he had to think about how to deal with the situation ahead. Constantly hiding under Mu Fenghua’s protection was not a long-term solution.

He sank his consciousness and guided the Chaos Qi produced by the Chaos Derivation Art to flow slowly through his damaged Meridians and internal organs.

The inclusive and nourishing characteristics of the Chaos Qi seemed to have a miraculous effect on healing, and combined with the fourth-grade Medicinal Pills, his recovery speed was faster than he had anticipated.

At the same time, he split a wisp of his consciousness and sank it into his Sea of Consciousness, beginning to "read" the basic Chapter of the "War Heaven Scripture" branded in the center of the "star evolution plate".

The text of the Cultivation Technique was archaic, and the Concept was profound. The opening did not describe specific Moves or routes for circulating Qi, but rather a kind of essential understanding of "power," as well as the ultimate development and application of the Physical Body’s potential.

It focused on nurturing through battle, honing one’s will in combat, stimulating potential, and twisting the power of every inch of flesh, bone, and even cells of the Physical Body into a single force, erupting with the power to split mountains and cleave stones.

"This Cultivation Technique... is practically tailor-made for me!" The more Fang Hao read, the more shocked and excited he became.

He was already dual-cultivating the Hundred Refinements Golden Body Art, and his Physical Body was formidable; this "War Heaven Scripture" seemed capable of bringing his Physical Body’s advantages to the extreme!

Moreover, this Cultivation Technique didn’t seem to be very picky about Spiritual Roots, focusing more on the compatibility of will and the Physical Body, which was just right for a "Trash" with Seven Spiritual Roots like him!

"Once my injuries are better, I must immediately start Cultivating this ’War Heaven Scripture’!" Fang Hao secretly made up his mind. This was his greatest reliance for rapidly improving his strength and dealing with the current crisis!

Time passed quietly while he was healing and studying the Cultivation Technique. Outside the cave, the undercurrents in the Secret Realm were becoming increasingly turbulent.