Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 258: Complete Recovery

Deep within the crevice, time passed slowly. Fang Hao lived like an ascetic monk; aside from occasionally swallowing a few mouthfuls of unpalatable dry rations, his entire mind was focused on contending with those two magic cores.

The magic cores of the Rank Five Magic Ape and the Magma Lizard contained energy that was truly tyrannical, but it was also incredibly nourishing. Relying on the domineering refining capabilities of the Chaos Derivation Art, Fang Hao forcibly broke down and ground those two rampaging energies bit by bit, turning them into a "miraculous medicine" to repair his body.

The process, naturally, was still agonizingly painful. Several times he felt as if his Meridians were about to burst; his body would be as cold as if he had fallen into an ice cellar one moment, and as hot as if he were rolling around in a Pill Furnace the next. But every time he was about to give up, the battle heaven axe he held in his arms would transmit a lukewarm warmth with a hint of soothing intent, helping him steady his mind. This axe was becoming increasingly "human-like."

He went through this cycle of pain and healing, healing and refining, refining and pain for an unknown amount of time. Regardless, by the time Fang Hao had squeezed nearly all the energy out of the two magic cores, leaving only a small handful of useless dross, the injuries on his body were finally completely healed.

"Whew—" Fang Hao exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi, which swirled within the crevice, carrying a faint scent of blood and energy fluctuations. He moved his limbs, and his joints popped and crackled like roasting beans, yet there was no pain; instead, he felt a profound sense of power.

Checking his internal state, he saw that the Golden Core in his Dantian had not only regained its previous luster but was even more solid and thick than before, spinning smoothly with Spiritual Power fluctuations that showed signs of a Breakthrough to Perfected Golden Core. His Meridians were much wider and tougher than before, with Spiritual Power surging through them like a roaring river. Most surprising was his Physical Body; after this life-and-death struggle and the tempering from the magic cores’ energy, his two Divine Abilities, Earth Fire Burning Body and Cold Ice Bone Erosion, seemed to have progressed another small step. A faint jade-like luster flowed beneath his skin, and his bones possessed a subtle metallic feel; his strike resistance had definitely reached a new level.

"Wealth is found in danger; the ancients truly did not deceive me." Fang Hao stood up and slightly adjusted to his fully recovered and even stronger body, feeling full of energy. He looked down at the battle heaven axe in his hand; the blood and filth on the axe had been wiped clean, and the dark gold body shimmered with a low-key but restrained light in the gloom. Holding it made him feel particularly grounded.

"Old partner, thanks." He patted the axe, then with a thought, he withdrew the battle axe back into his Dantian for nourishment.

After studying the subsequent parts of the War Heaven Scripture, he discovered a Divine Soul attack method: Soul-Shocking Spike. He immediately began to Cultivate it and eventually succeeded, keeping it as a trump card.

Next, he checked his other belongings. His Medicinal Pills were mostly consumed, and only a few Talismans for escaping remained, so he had to be frugal. The condition of the Puppet "Old Jin" was the worst; it had been severely damaged during the fierce battle with the ice-type demon king in the Ice Plains of the Secret Realm and had remained untouched in the depths of his storage ring since then.

When Fang Hao took Old Jin out to look, his heart immediately sank. The once golden and majestic Puppet now had a large hole in its chest, revealing the damaged spirit core and Talisman circuits within. One arm hung limp, there were cracks at the joints, and the overall appearance was dull and lusterless, like a pile of Advanced scrap metal. The previous battle had taken too much out of him; he had almost died himself and had neither the time nor the resources to repair it. Looking at it now, with this level of damage, he would need to study the fragment of the heavenly craft puppet manual and find rare Materials; he couldn’t count on it anytime soon.

"Sigh, Old Jin, Old Jin, you really worked hard this time." Fang Hao sighed and carefully put Old Jin back into the deepest part of his storage ring. This was one of his biggest trump cards; although he couldn’t use it for now, he had to find a way to fix it when he had the chance.

The battle heaven axe was strong, but its consumption was also high, and it was too conspicuous to be a regular weapon. With the Old Jin card temporarily out of play, he had lost a Nascent Soul Level combat force. He weighed his current state: his cultivation was close to Perfected Golden Core, his Physical Body was powerful, his ice and fire Divine Abilities had reached Minor Achievement, he held the great killing weapon that was the battle heaven axe, and he had obtained the full version of the War Heaven Scripture. Although he hadn’t Cultivated it deeply yet, his vision and foundation had improved. Overall, fighting an ordinary Perfected Golden Core shouldn’t be a problem, and he could even clash with an Early Nascent Soul Stage. But if he faced an established Nascent Soul, especially one at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage or above, he would likely still have to flee.

"Well, my trump cards have decreased, but my enemies likely haven’t, and there might even be more now," Fang Hao laughed self-deprecatingly. Sun Tianqi was crippled and Sun Tianlin was dead; it would be a miracle if the Sun Family let him off. Zhao Wuji had suffered a great loss, so the Zhao family surely held a grudge as well. Other factions coveting his nascent soul puppet and his gains from the Secret Realm were likely watching expectantly too.

"First, I’ll find a way out and scout the situation. If it’s really not possible, I’ll find a place to hide until the heat dies down or my cultivation increases," Fang Hao decided. This Unknown Forbidden Land was no place to stay for long; who knew if there were even more sinister things here. Moreover, he had to go out to understand the situation and see exactly how many people were after him.

He packed up, gathering any Materials of value from the magic creatures (like bone spikes, scales, poison sacs, etc.); even the smallest bit of meat was still meat. Then, he determined his direction and quietly moved toward the exit of the basin, heading back toward the Secret Realm entrance.

This time he was even more cautious, using the Shadowless Evasion Technique and Ereal Art to their limits, trying not to leak a single trace of his aura. He had caused quite a stir here before; heaven knows if it would attract something even more terrifying. The journey was uneventful, and after a few days, he finally made it back to the edge of the canyon where he had first entered the Unknown Forbidden Land.

Looking up at the churning gray mist above, Fang Hao took a deep breath and began to climb. Going up was harder than coming down; he had to be wary of the gray mist’s erosion and hidden dangers. However, with his cultivation restored and even improved, these were no longer major issues. After another two days, he finally emerged from the gray mist and saw the dark red but relatively "normal" sky outside again.

"Phew, finally out." Fang Hao breathed a sigh of relief, found a hidden spot to meditate for a moment to recover his spent energy, and then sped toward the Secret Realm entrance. He didn’t dare walk out through the entrance openly; instead, he stopped in a relatively hidden valley some distance away.

First, he pulled a spare, unremarkable set of gray clothes from his storage ring to change into. Then, using some crude disguise techniques he had learned back in the servants’ quarters, he smeared his face with dust and restrained his aura, making himself look like a travel-worn Loose Cultivator with ordinary cultivation. Only then did he cautiously approach the entrance area, hiding behind a rock where he could observe the exit from afar.

Upon looking, Fang Hao’s brow furrowed.

Outside the Secret Realm entrance, it was much busier than it had been a month ago. Various tents and simple structures had been set up, with people coming and going like a small marketplace. But despite the bustle, the atmosphere felt off. Many Cultivators wearing uniform clothing—clearly members of major factions—were gathered in groups of three to five near the exit, their sharp gazes scanning every Cultivator emerging from the Secret Realm, especially those alone or appearing injured.

Fang Hao’s gaze soon locked onto the two most prominent and heavily guarded camps. One camp’s flag was embroidered with a flamboyant "Sun" character; the Cultivators entering and leaving that camp all had cold expressions, their eyes filled with undisguised hostility and anxiety. The other bore a "Zhao" flag, and the atmosphere there was equally somber and heavily guarded.

"As expected, they’re like lingering ghosts," Fang Hao sneered inwardly. It seemed the Sun Family and the Zhao family truly hated him; they were planning to wait at the exit like hunters for a cornered rabbit, ready to strike as soon as he appeared.

He observed more closely. Besides these two families, people from other factions were also wandering around, some seemingly waiting for their own members, while others were purely there to watch the show or pick up scraps. Fang Hao even saw a few Cultivators wearing Heavenly Sword Sect robes, though they seemed to be there only to receive their fellow disciples and didn’t appear to care much about the Sun and Zhao families’ business.

"Hmm? That is..." Fang Hao’s gaze suddenly froze on the largest tent in the center of the Sun Family camp. The tent flap was pulled back, and a purple-robed elder with white hair but a ruddy complexion and eyes as sharp as an eagle walked out, accompanied by a Sun Family manager. The elder seemed to be in an extremely foul mood; he said a few words to his subordinate, and the manager immediately bowed, turned, and went to make arrangements.

Although they were far apart, Fang Hao’s Divine Sense was not weak now, and he could faintly sense the Spiritual Pressure emanating from that purple-robed elder, which was as heavy as a mountain. It far exceeded any Golden Core Cultivator he had ever seen, and seemed even more solid and thick than that of Ghost Bone Superior!

"Nascent Soul! Definitely a Nascent Soul Old Monster! And not just a simple newcomer to the stage; he’s likely at the Peak of the Early Nascent Soul Stage, or even touching the threshold of the Middle Stage!" Fang Hao’s heart shuddered. This old fellow was likely the Sun Family Old Ancestor who had been in secluded cultivation! For such an old monster to personally come out and block the Secret Realm entrance, he was clearly determined to take Fang Hao’s life!

He looked toward the Zhao family camp; although he didn’t see a similar ancestor-level figure, the atmosphere there was also unfriendly, and he could faintly sense several auras no weaker than Perfected Golden Core lurking within. The Zhao family had likely sent experts as well, just not as high-profile as the Sun Family Old Ancestor.

"An Early Nascent Soul Peak ancestor, plus a group of Sun Family elites, and the hovering Zhao family and other forces..." Fang Hao licked his dry lips, feeling a bit of a headache. This lineup provided no less pressure than the magic creatures he had faced inside the Secret Realm.

A frontal assault? That would be seeking death. He had some skill now, but he wasn’t so arrogant as to think he could take down a Nascent Soul Old Monster plus a group of elites. Especially since Old Jin was temporarily out of commission, and his biggest trump card was gone.

"What to do?" Fang Hao’s mind raced. Wait? Who knew how long these two families would block the way; if the Secret Realm closed, they might even send people inside to search. Disguise his way out? Ordinary disguise techniques were useless under the Divine Sense scan of a Nascent Soul Old Monster, almost like being naked, unless he had high-grade secret arts or treasures for changing appearance and hiding his aura, which he currently lacked.

A forced Breakthrough was a dead end, waiting wasn’t an option, and trying to sneak out was too risky...

Just as Fang Hao was feeling troubled, he suddenly noticed that a bit further from the entrance, some scattered Cultivators were setting up stalls for trading. They seemed to be people who had come out of the Secret Realm, exchanging their gains or selling things they didn’t need. The foot traffic there was heavy and the crowd was mixed; while the Sun and Zhao families’ people were watching, it clearly wasn’t as strict.

"Perhaps... I can find a way through there." Fang Hao rubbed his chin as a vague plan began to take shape in his mind. If the direct approach wouldn’t work, he’d try a indirect one. If the overt way failed, he’d go covert. He didn’t believe the Sun and Zhao families could thoroughly check every single person when so many Cultivators were coming and going.

"I’ll blend into that crowd first, see what the situation is, and then look for an opportunity." Fang Hao made up his mind, checked his disguise again to ensure there were no obvious flaws, then stepped out from behind the rock and walked slowly toward the relatively busy trading area with his head down.