"Tiandu, Junior Sister Yan Shuitian has already advanced into the Longevity Secret Realm and become a Giant of Antiquity. You already know about this matter, right?" Tang Jingshan looked at Hua Tiandu and spoke slowly.
Both his hands were fully intact now. The arm that had been chopped off by Emperor Innate had grown back.
After cultivating an Undying Body, even if one's head was cut off and refined, it could still grow back anew just the same.
Fang Han's and Yan Shuitian's half-Undying Bodies could not do that.
Moreover, the power of an Undying Body was unknown times more formidable than that at the Ten Thousand Lifespan Realm. Cultivating into a Giant of Antiquity, the first level of the Longevity Secret Realm, the "Ten Thousand Lifespan Realm", meant living for ten thousand years. The status was exalted, being hailed as an ancestor. But cultivating an Undying Body meant true deathlessness!
Experts with an Undying Body were considered legends in the cultivation world.
Even the large sects of the cultivation world would not dare to offend a single such powerful expert. Because the other party was immortal and simply could not be killed no matter what. There would always be a chance for a comeback. Once offended to the death, the feud would not rest until one side was dead.
Unless one consumed Dharma power to suppress them eternally, or completely refined them.
Of course, the difficulty of cultivating an Undying Body was simply terrifyingly outrageous.
Like Elder Heaven's Punishment of the Ascension Sect, who had long since cultivated to the Ten Thousand Lifespan Realm, but kept failing to break through to the Undying Body. Even though he obtained Fang Han's Forgetfulness Water to cleanse his entire body, making his Dharma power purer, there was still an essential gap before breaking open that realm. Elder Ruyi obtained a massive amount of Pure Yang vital energy, yet similarly could not cultivate it successfully.
Toward a formidable figure with an Undying Body, even Hua Tiandu had to hold respect.
"Elder Tang, regarding Junior Sister Yan Shuitian cultivating into the Longevity Secret Realm, I already knew long ago. She is now the Vice Sectmaster of the Taiyi Sect, cultivating within the Eternal Divine Furnace, seeking to achieve an Undying Body before coming out." Hua Tiandu nodded, indicating that he was already aware.
"How much longer until you can cultivate an Undying Body?" Tang Jingshan fell silent for a moment before adding: "Stepping into the Longevity Secret Realm is definitely worth celebrating, but there still remains the danger of falling. Only when cultivating to an Undying Body can you truly be considered to have stood out and to proudly stand among the major sects. The Ten Thousand Lifespan Realm only grants a mere ten thousand years of lifespan. The time seems long, but it is not nearly enough to refine all sorts of divine abilities and Dao techniques. Only by cultivating an Undying Body will your lifespan be tripled! Only then will you truly have enough time to cultivate."
Indeed, while ten thousand years felt long, for a cultivator, it was far from enough.
Every time a cultivator practiced a single divine ability, it took hundreds, or even over a thousand years. Refining a type of magical treasure took even more time.
And after cultivating an Undying Body, one's lifespan would reach a full more than thirty thousand years. That would provide abundant time. With thirty thousand years, one could take any cultivation a step further.
Hua Tiandu naturally understood this logic as well, and had always desired to cultivate an Undying Body.
"After I consumed the Ever-Generating Creation Pill, I have successfully accumulated enough vital energy. Furthermore, due to advancing into the Longevity Secret Realm this time, I received quite a few rewards from the sect. Sectmaster Feng Baiyu even wielded the Heavenly Emperor Mirror to infuse worldly power into my Great Desolate Ancient Furnace. Within my natal Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation, I have also received quite a bit of nourishment from the worldly power. Now I am just one light step away from comprehending the bottleneck of the Undying Body." Hua Tiandu spoke seemingly casually yet intentionally: "I am, after all, the First True Heritage Disciple of the Ascension Sect, and currently also a Vice Sectmaster. Harboring the mysteries of the Heavenly Martial Treasury on my person, I receive correlating treatment. Sectmaster Feng Baiyu indeed treats me quite generously."
"Oh, even worldly power has been infused. Feng Baiyu is quite willing to invest heavy capital in you, Hua Tiandu." As Tang Jingshan listened, his gaze slightly flickered. He also picked up on some overtones in Hua Tiandu's words. However, having received instructions from Sectmaster Paramount Primal Chaos, Hua Tiandu's overtones were well within expectations.
"This time, as soon as Junior Sister Yan Shuitian leaves seclusion, you will officially be wedded to her. To this end, Senior Sectmaster Brother has specially prepared a lot of dowry for Junior Sister Yan Shuitian. Here are ten 'Supreme Purity Jade Liquid Great Restoration Pills', as well as one Immortal Pill, the 'Heavenly Emperor Resplendent Yang Pill', which are to prepare you for your breakthrough to the Undying Body. You will go to my Taiyi Sect right now. The Supreme Sectmaster has already opened the Eternal Divine Furnace for you, allowing you to enter it again to cultivate. This Heavenly Emperor Resplendent Yang Pill can increase your lifespan by five thousand years! After you enter the Eternal Divine Furnace, make good use of these five thousand years of lifespan to cultivate thoroughly."
Tang Jingshan first took out ten Supreme Purity Jade Liquid Great Restoration Pills, and then retrieved a sealed jade stone from his robes. Inside the jade stone, a pill appeared. The pill was a pure purple-gold color. Amongst swirling purple aura, a phantom projection of an emperor emerged. This emperor, with one hand forming a wheel to turn the heavenly Dao, emanated a terrifying aura.
It was actually another Immortal Pill, the "Heavenly Emperor Resplendent Yang Pill"!
Only the Taiyi Sect, possessing the Immortal Artifact Eternal Divine Furnace, had the ability to refine Immortal Pills.
"Heavenly Emperor Resplendent Yang Pill!"
Hua Tiandu exclaimed in shock inwardly, but his mental fortitude was extremely deep. Feigning an indifferent expression on his face, he nodded: "Since Taiyi Sect’s Supreme Sectmaster Senior Primal Chaos treats me so generously, I will naturally plan how to repay him in the future."
"Alright, let us leave first."
Tang Jingshan took all this in, actually knowing that even though it was an Immortal Pill, it would not be enough to make Hua Tiandu betray his master's sect. Furthermore, this fellow Hua Tiandu would certainly try to please both sides and rake in enough benefits for himself.
However, he was not willing to pressure Hua Tiandu too tightly to completely surrender to the Ascension Sect.
"Does Hua Tiandu think he can please both sides and scoop up advantages everywhere so easily? The Supreme Sectmaster naturally has methods to make you completely defect to our Taiyi Sect and become a pawn for our Taiyi Sect to annihilate the Ascension Sect." Tang Jingshan sneered inwardly.
"By the way, that little vile spawn Fang Han might have already left the Reincarnation Peak and headed to the Dragon-Wood Planet to take that Dragon-Wood planet core. If he succeeds again, then there really will be no way to restrain him anymore. I have already asked the Two Fairies and Two Elders to lay an ambush, but I fear they might not be able to deal with him."
Hua Tiandu suddenly spoke again.
"You can naturally rest assured about this. The Two Fairies and Two Elders have already contacted my Taiyi Sect, and the Supreme Sectmaster has even granted them the titles of External Elders. As for the matter over at the Dragon-Wood planet core, Sectmaster Primal Chaos had already calculated it perfectly. He also made ample preparations. Once the Dragon-Wood planet core emerges, it is a High-Grade Dao Artifact. Such an item must naturally be controlled within our Taiyi Sect's hands; otherwise, it will bring chaos to the world."
As Tang Jingshan spoke, he had already taken off in flight.
Hua Tiandu naturally flew shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Hearing these words, a smile appeared on his face: "Fang Han, I will let your insatiable greed bring you to take the Dragon-Wood planet core. I had already calculated this. The journey to the Dragon-Wood Planet will be your, Fang Han's, doomsday!"
Feeling immensely satisfied, he flew toward the Taiyi Sect.
Deep within the Heavenly Feather Palace, Feng Baiyu's Heavenly Emperor Mirror perfectly displayed the conversation between Hua Tiandu and Tang Jingshan.
Beside Feng Baiyu was Elder Heaven's Punishment.
"Sectmaster Senior Brother, do you think Hua Tiandu going to the Taiyi Sect this time will cause any obstruction to our plan to retrieve the Heavenly Martial Treasury? The Taiyi Sect will definitively make a huge fuss over this matter and scheme something detrimental to our Ascension Sect." Elder Heaven's Punishment said with concern.
"I have already anticipated that the Taiyi Sect is hatching an earth-shattering grand conspiracy against our Ascension Sect. And the entry point of this grand conspiracy is precisely Hua Tiandu. However, it is not impossible for our Ascension Sect to beat them at their own game and make the Taiyi Sect bite off more than they can chew." Feng Baiyu’s expression remained calm: "As for Hua Tiandu, if he displays sufficient loyalty and garners more merit than Fang Han, then the seat of the Ascension Sect’s Master will sooner or later be his. If he is not loyal enough and tries to please both sides, his only outcome will be a dead end."
"Fang Han went to the Dragon-Wood Planet this time to subjugate Daoist Mu and obtain the Dragon-Wood planet core. Might there be any problems? Need we secretly send someone over to protect him?" Elder Heaven's Punishment asked.
"There is no need for that. Fang Han possesses great karmic luck, and the experts secretly protecting him are many: Demon Venerable Chiyuan, Immortal Venerable Linglong. So there shouldn't be any danger. Furthermore, he is also a candidate for Sectmaster; he should be able to stand on his own. In the past, I also don't know how many dangers I experienced, fortuitously escaping death time and again, to reach this point today." Feng Baiyu said, "Rather, Heaven's Punishment, you should quickly push to cultivate an Undying Body. Otherwise, managing the criminal law authority in the future will be extremely difficult for you. I dare to safely predict that within no more than a hundred years, Fang Han, Fang Qingxue, and Meng Shaobai will definitively cultivate into the Longevity Secret Realm consecutively. At that time, matching Hua Tiandu, the four dragons will contend, and the sect will be surging with wind and clouds. Your position as Elder of Criminal Law will not be easy to occupy."
"I will naturally break through. Sectmaster Senior Brother need not worry about this." Elder Heaven's Punishment said: "However, Sectmaster Senior Brother, you should pay a bit more attention to this boy Meng Shaobai. Even though he lost to Fang Han, his potential is exceptionally potent. He had already reached the peak of the Tenth Level of the Divine Ability Realm, the Heaven Defying Fate Changing Realm, and might break through at any moment."
"Meng Shaobai's talent is not beneath Hua Tiandu's or Fang Han's. He is also a highly competitive candidate within our sect. I will naturally find a way to train him accordingly." As Feng Baiyu spoke, his body gradually faded away: "During this time, I still need to enter secluded cultivation to refine the Heavenly Emperor Mirror, striving to be able to re-condense the Artifact Spirit. Take up more of the burden regarding all affairs within the sect. Moreover, pay a little more attention to the few Vice Sectmasters to prevent them from scrambling for power and profit, damaging the unity of my Ascension Sect."
"Sectmaster Senior Brother, I will pay very close attention to all these matters. Yi Jianqiu, Chen Tianxia, and Wang Daoling—these three have trained in seclusion for a thousand years without breaking through to the Undying Body. Clearly, their potential is already exhausted. They are nowhere near as fiercely sharp as the new generation of Hua Tiandu, Fang Han, Fang Qingxue, and Meng Shaobai. If they exhibit arrogant presumption, I will teach them a lesson."
With a flash of his body, Elder Heaven's Punishment disappeared as well.
At the exact same time, far beyond the Xuanhuang Great World, tens of billions of miles away, deep in the profound cosmos and space-time, right outside the Heavenly Astral Atmosphere of the Dragon-Wood Planet. A tense atmosphere was brewing.
"The Dragon-Wood planet core could emerge at any moment. Why has that Fang Han still not shown up?" Lu Lanpo's face was filled with extreme malice, grinding her teeth. Releasing her divine intent, she conversed with the rest of the giants.
"This little vile spawn is probably hiding in the dark. He won't reveal himself until the very last critical moment." Ancestor True Demon replied, "Once we suppress this little vile spawn, I truly want to see what kind of a three-headed, six-armed figure he really is."
"This Lu Lanpo… it seems she must be dealt with first." Within his heart, Fang Han had already listed Lu Lanpo as one of the giants who absolutely must be crossed over or killed.
"The Dragon-Wood planet core has emerged!"
Right at this moment, the Dragon-Wood Planet down below suddenly trembled.
Countless arcs of bloody light and pillars of fire erupted from within the depths of the planet, reaching a towering height of hundreds of thousands of feet! They directly smashed out into outer space.