"The Nine Death Rebirth Divine Power was Zhong Shenxiu’s most satisfying divine skill in the previous world.
It involved the mysteries of time and the cycle of life and death, and it somewhat echoed the transitions from life to death—where the extreme of death tasted like life.
However... it had its flaws.
The mechanism of reviving on the spot worked well against opponents who were not much stronger than himself, but against overwhelmingly powerful experts, it simply led to dying over and over again.
Therefore, it was very necessary to resurrect in a different location, and at a sufficient distance.
At this moment, feeling the changing patterns within his body, Zhong Shenxiu subtly perceived some information.
"Using the Star-shifting and Pole-swapping Divine Ability, coupled with the Void Divine Power of the Headless Earl, the Nine Death Rebirth Divine Power has undergone a new change... Could it be possible to leave behind blood containing a trace of my mark in some secret locations, and, should the main body die, to use that drop of essence blood to resurrect in a different place?"
Upon this realization, he became somewhat excited, employed the Five Elements Heavenly Escape, and covered a distance of a thousand miles underground, establishing coordinates at three different locations.
Since these were the rebirth locations, Zhong Shenxiu didn’t choose any Spirit Mountains or extremely dangerous places.
He always believed that the more one tried to conceal, the easier it was to reveal flaws.
Therefore, he chose the locations quite randomly, just picking a few barren mountain tops and tossing the beacons into the ground.
’Actually, such techniques of life-saving caskets aren’t absent among the cultivators of this world. Zhang Taiyi once recalled a man known as the "Seven Death Demons," a renowned master of the Demon Path, who was said to have separated his seven souls to create different life objects and placed them in various locations. If someone killed his physical body, he could quickly resurrect through those life objects... As long as his seven souls remained intact, his three spiritual souls were immortal!’
’However... that demon was foolish. All seven vital life objects, which were of great importance and significance to him, were traced by some juniors of the righteous path, who eventually found and destroyed each one... His end was too miserable to witness, unwittingly elevating the reputation of the juniors.’
’If it were me, I would simply make them out of pebbles and toss them into the sea... Even I wouldn’t be able to find them, so I cannot believe that anyone else could...’
Zhong Shenxiu took this lesson to heart and did not make the same mistake.
When he returned to Xuanyu City, he saw that Xu Shaoling was still waiting outside the inn. Upon seeing him, Xu Shaoling bowed respectfully, "Thank you for the elixir, my lord."
Zhong Shenxiu glanced at him, "Why aren’t you going back to cultivate? What are you waiting for me for?"
"I came specifically to express my thanks for the elixir my lord bestowed. Also... since I haven’t succeeded in martial arts, the Condensing Method Pill has been taken by my father, who entered the path overnight..."
Xu Shaoling answered respectfully, "It was thanks to my lord that my father could embark on the path..."
"So you gave it to your old man, wise enough..." Zhong Shenxiu nodded.
This Xu Shaoling, he didn’t even have the Innate yet!
Waiting for him to achieve Innate Great Success and then taking elixir pills to break through would take who knows how many years.
If the matter of the Condensing Method Pill were unknown to outsiders, that would be one thing, but if it became known, there would certainly be endless schemes and traps waiting, which was a given.
A moment of carelessness could spell the destruction of the Xu Family.
Thus, administering it to the Innate father of Xu Shaoling, to give birth to a cultivator to protect the family, was also a move of no choice.
"I have heard of Mr. Su’s story. The fact that my lord could rise from a lowly background to practice the Ten Directions Beast Skill and still enter the path, I greatly admire you and hope to take you as my role model."
Xu Shaoling’s gaze was firm; it seemed he was prepared to follow the path of the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique.
Zhong Shenxiu looked at the boy and couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity.
This path was truly not easy to tread.
Even he, who had a "Golden Finger," found it extremely arduous.
It could only be said that Xu Shaoling really had lofty aspirations; even now, they had not diminished much.
"It’s fine if you are determined. Above the Ten Directions Beast Skill lies the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique. If you can enter the path, you will have some affinity with one of the three great sects of the Taoist, the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect... Whether you can seize the opportunity, though, depends on fate."
Zhong Shenxiu casually gave some advice and then suddenly looked up.
A huge shadow emerged from the high sky.
It was a towering ship breaking through the clouds, suspended above Xuanyu City, casting a shadow that oppressed all beings.
Several streaks of light descended from the Supreme Nine Heavens Golden Light Earth-Piercing Mysterious Shuttle above, the light dazzling as they charged directly towards Zhong Shenxiu.
When the streaks of light ceased, the figures of Sima Shu and others appeared.
"Greetings to the junior masters."
Zhong Shenxiu bowed slightly and smiled, "Junior Master Sima, have you seen my message?"
"Hmm... At first, I didn’t really care when I heard there might be activities of the Black Lotus Cult in this area, but just now, something big happened..."
Sima Shu’s expression was grave, and even the naively innocent Lan Ying’er had a serious face, "The sect just sent news, Zhang Taiyi’s Divine Soul has been utterly destroyed, he’s dead... and he died on Colorful Cloud Mountain... There has been another incident there, with the Black Lotus God Master causing chaos... Even if it’s a discarded disciple, my Dragon Tiger Sect must not allow such an unclear and undignified death."
"I see, is there something I can assist you with?"
Zhong Shenxiu asked quite calmly.
Zhang Taiyi indeed had been killed by the Black Lotus Venerable, and no matter how much one investigated there, that would be the outcome.
As for divination? The contamination by the breath of the Evil God had already eliminated that possibility.
"... I have sent messages to brothers and sisters who have been traveling around, to gather here as soon as possible... The Black Lotus God Master is suspected to have Primordial Pill strength, and without the Supreme Nine Heavens Golden Light Earth-Piercing Mysterious Shuttle, even self-preservation would be difficult for us... it’s very dangerous now; you, my nephew, should join us so we can look after each other."
After speaking, without waiting for Zhong Shenxiu’s agreement, Sima Shu directly pulled him onto the Supreme Nine Heavens Golden Light Earth-Piercing Mysterious Shuttle.
Leaving Xu Shaoling standing there, dumbfounded.
As a mere clerk of the Xuantian Department who had entered the sect through connections and had yet to achieve the Innate, he was not worth a glance from Sima Shu and Lan Ying’er.
Hence, he was practically ignored during the entire process.
But even so, he didn’t dare to pipe up, staying timidly to the side; the news he heard was shocking enough.
"The Dragon Tiger Sect..."
He looked up at the magnificent and grand Supreme Nine Heavens Golden Light Earth-Piercing Mysterious Shuttle, eyes filled with profound envy, "So Mr. Su is already a disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sect... The Ten Thousand Beasts Technique, huh? I must work hard to master the Ten Directions Beast Skill, enter the path with the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique, and join the Dragon Tiger Sect!"
The young boy clenched his fists, further firming his determination to seek immortality and pursue the path.
However, what he didn’t know was that this road was difficult, extremely difficult.
Not to mention the chances of being taught the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique were incredibly rare.
Even if one were to successfully enter the path through it, joining the Dragon Tiger Sect was still a journey of a hundred thousand miles...