Three hundred years old...
Although she had guessed earlier that Ren Yufeng had taken a Beauty-Freezing Pill or that his cultivation technique had a youth-preserving effect, she still hadn't expected him to be three hundred years old.
What kind of age was three hundred years for a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivators could only live to three hundred years. Those at the middle and late stages, if they maintained themselves well, could live to four hundred. But this four hundred was merely the upper limit; most would perish before reaching it.
If Ren Yufeng was telling the truth, his age was indeed not young. One could say he already had one foot in the grave.
For cultivators, advancement was always better the younger it occurred. For example, for Foundation Establishment, the elite disciples of a sect generally advanced in their thirties, with poorer ones around fifty. If one couldn't advance past fifty, they were no different from ordinary disciples. As for ordinary disciples, those who established their foundations generally did so before the age of one hundred. After one hundred, the chances of Foundation Establishment dropped drastically.
Core Formation followed the same principle. Before two hundred years of age was the best period for Core Formation. After two hundred, the difficulty increased greatly. If Ren Yufeng was already three hundred years old and his original aptitude was very ordinary, no wonder others believed he couldn't form his Core. It wasn't that no one formed their Core at three hundred, but the probability was much lower than for younger cultivators under two hundred. Unless one encountered a great opportunity, breakthroughs became very difficult.
Once cultivators passed this period, they could be considered elderly. Reaching old age was a cultivator's sorrow.
Ren Yufeng gazed into the empty space ahead, speaking slowly, "Do you think I'm arrogant and overbearing because I'm truly proud? If I weren't arrogant and didn't hold myself high, who would respect me? Even this woman, whose cultivation is far inferior to mine, could look down on me!"
A vicious expression appeared on his face as he glared at the nearly lifeless Xiahou Yuan.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Xiahou Yuan could no longer move. Qiu Zhiming was stunned into silence. Ren Yufeng's face was fierce, yet he looked into the void with a lonely gaze.
Mo Tiange watched them quietly from within the Void Heaven Realm.
The path of cultivation was just this cruel. Everything was judged by cultivation level. No matter how much of a genius one was at the beginning, when they couldn't advance, they would still be ridiculed.
However, she didn't sympathize with Ren Yufeng in the slightest. Was he the only cultivator who had entered the elderly stage? Those trapped for life at the Qi Refining stage, making no progress, ultimately exhausting their lifespan within a hundred-plus years—they were thousands of times more pitiful than him. But so what? So many people in the cultivation world had walked this same path.
In truth, Ren Yufeng was already a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and had even been taken as a disciple by a Core Formation cultivator. Apart from those elite disciples with backing, among ordinary disciples, who would dare look down on him? Like Jiang Shanghang, in front of this Senior Brother Ren, he didn't dare show the slightest disrespect. Among so many fellow disciples, Xiahou Yuan certainly wasn't the only elite disciple, yet weren't they all deferring to him? What did it matter if people gossiped behind his back? If a cultivator didn't even have that much breadth of mind, how could they possibly form their Core? Ren Yufeng had likely been unable to progress for many years, and his state of mind had long fallen into a demonic obstruction. Even if he reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, his Core Formation would not succeed.
"Senior Brother Ren..." Qiu Zhiming finally caught his breath and spoke up, "Do you really not want to spare me?"
Ren Yufeng swept a cold gaze over him. "Do you have anything else to say?"
Having lost all hope, Qiu Zhiming lowered his head, his whole person utterly dejected. But after a while, he seemed to sense a glimmer of hope, straightened up, and said urgently, "Junior Brother Tang and Junior Brother Jiang have already escaped. They will definitely report to the sect. When the time comes, the Nascent Soul Ancestors will come out to clean up the sect. Senior Brother Ren, even if you kill me, you won't be able to block the news!"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange in the Void Heaven Realm breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least Jiang Shanghang and Tang Fang had escaped.
"Who said I want to block the news?" Ren Yufeng glanced at him disdainfully. "I'll close the entrance to the underground palace in a moment. Once I've completely absorbed the Breath of the Divine Dragon, what are Nascent Soul Ancestors to me?"
"..." Qiu Zhiming fell silent, never having expected Ren Yufeng to have such confidence in his own strength.
Ren Yufeng stretched out his hand, playing with a ball of black energy in his palm as he sized up Qiu Zhiming, seemingly considering where to strike.
Watching this behavior, Qiu Zhiming's face grew paler and paler, and he began to tremble violently.
But Ren Yufeng never threw out that ball of black energy. He paused for a long time, then suddenly sighed. "Junior Brother Qiu, I really don't want to kill you so soon. If I kill you, there'll be no one to talk to me."
Hearing this, Qiu Zhiming's eyes instantly lit up. "Senior Brother Ren, spare me, please spare me! I promise I'll listen to you, at least I can keep you company."
Ren Yufeng's expression didn't change. He neither showed any intention of sparing him nor killed him immediately. In the end, he still put away the black energy in his hand. "Forget it, I'll keep you for a while. But don't get too happy too soon. I'm only sparing you temporarily. Whenever I want your life, you'll still have to die!"
Even though it was only temporary, Qiu Zhiming heaved a huge sigh of relief, full of gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brother Ren, for sparing my life. Thank you, Senior Brother Ren..."
Ren Yufeng waved his hand coldly. "Deal with this woman's corpse. I'm going to close the entrance to the underground palace." He gave a final warning. "If you don't behave, I'll take your life immediately!"
Naturally, Qiu Zhiming repeatedly promised, and Ren Yufeng turned and left.
Once Ren Yufeng was out of sight, Qiu Zhiming's smile vanished. He plopped down, his expression vacant. He sat there woodenly for a while, seemingly not yet adapted to the change in his status. Thinking about it, he suddenly buried his face in his knees and burst into loud sobs.
A tall, sturdy man, curled up into a ball, wailing—it was hard to say whether the scene was laughable or pitiful. Qiu Zhiming was innocent. He hadn't really done anything wrong. In fact, he was probably captured by Ren Yufeng because he tried to escape with Yu Xiaoran. Now, only Jiang Shanghang and Tang Fang had escaped. Qiu Zhiming and Xiahou Yuan had been captured. Yu Xiaoran was probably already dead, and he himself couldn't escape this calamity.
Being alive temporarily—how much better was that than being dead? This was an unknown underwater underground palace. The Land of Hidden Dragons changed every year; things from one year couldn't remain until the next. Who knew where they would be next year? Never mind next year—who knew when Ren Yufeng might suddenly be in a bad mood and decide to kill him? Even if Ren Yufeng didn't kill him, this was the bottom of the water. At the Foundation Establishment stage, he couldn't create a Water-Proof Barrier himself. Even though he was a cultivator and could survive underwater, that had a time limit. And a single Bubble Fruit could only last one day. He probably had at most a few dozen on him. Once they were used up, he would still die...
The more Qiu Zhiming thought about it, the more sorrowful he felt. He simply cried his heart out.
Mo Tiange watched this broken man quietly, doing nothing.
She could bring Qiu Zhiming into the Void Heaven Realm right now. But if Qiu Zhiming disappeared, and there was only one path in this underground palace, what if Ren Yufeng grew suspicious? Having obtained the Breath of the Divine Dragon, exactly what abilities Ren Yufeng now possessed, she had no idea. Moreover, this person was so weak-willed. Even if she saved him, his will had already collapsed; he had no future.
Qiu Zhiming didn't know that during this time, he had brushed shoulders with a chance at survival. After crying for a while, he seemed to sense something, hurriedly stood up, and dealt with Xiahou Yuan's corpse—after being entangled by that ball of black energy for so long, and with her Water-Proof Barrier long destroyed, Xiahou Yuan had been immersed in the water, drowning bit by bit.
After using his Dantian True Fire to burn Xiahou Yuan's corpse to ashes, Ren Yufeng came back in. Seeming quite satisfied with Qiu Zhiming's obedience, he didn't say much and directly walked to the stone platform beside the plaza, sitting down cross-legged.
This stone platform was the place where the Dragon's foot rested. Ren Yufeng sat right on top of the Dragon's metacarpal bones.
He seemed to be regulating his breathing. Mo Tiange saw black energy surging over his body. Gradually, the Breath of the Divine Dragon on the Dragon Bones also slowly flowed towards him.
Qiu Zhiming watched this scene blankly. He had already been intimidated by Ren Yufeng's methods and didn't dare make any move.
But Mo Tiange was different. She carefully observed every detail of Ren Yufeng's cultivation. The Breath of the Divine Dragon shouldn't logically produce demonic energy. Perhaps she could find the answer from the details of Ren Yufeng's cultivation.
After watching for a long time, Mo Tiange's eyes suddenly lit up.
She noticed one point: Ren Yufeng looked like he was absorbing the Breath of the Divine Dragon, but that Breath only slowly flowed towards him, while the Breath on the Dragon Bones didn't decrease at all! What did this mean? At the very least, it indicated that the aura on Ren Yufeng's body was not the Breath of the Divine Dragon!
But if it wasn't the Breath of the Divine Dragon, what was it? Mo Tiange couldn't figure it out. After thinking for a long time, she could only be sure that Ren Yufeng's so-called Divine Dragon Secret Technique, which would make him a Son of the Divine Dragon, was completely fake, or entirely wrong!
If his method of absorbing the Breath of the Divine Dragon was wrong, then what was happening now?
These questions had no leads at all. Mo Tiange could only give up helplessly. Rather than thinking about these problems, she'd better think about what she should do next.
Of course, she was safe within the Void Heaven Realm, but that was only safety. She couldn't stay inside forever. Naturally, within the Void Heaven Realm, she could use various spiritual medicines to cultivate slowly. But without progress in her state of mind, advancement was too dangerous. Who knew how long it would take to grow strong enough to oppose Ren Yufeng? What if Ren Yufeng's evil technique also allowed for rapid advancement?
Sitting in the small hut within the Void Heaven Realm, she pondered deeply for a long time. Suddenly, inspiration flashed. Right, how could she have forgotten? Ren Yufeng had made an Inner Demon Oath to her, promising to let her leave safely.
But this thought only flashed by, and Mo Tiange lost heart again. Inner Demon Oaths were very important vows for righteous path cultivators because, in the eyes of cultivators, inner demons were the greatest obstacle to advancement. But demonic path cultivators weren't limited by this. If Ren Yufeng had already turned into a demonic cultivator, then the Inner Demon Oath meant nothing to him, because demonic cultivators didn't need to face inner demons during advancement.
Things had returned to the starting point. How was she going to leave?
In the end, Mo Tiange sighed and muttered to herself, "Forget it. If I can't get out, I'll just consider it a closed-door cultivation session here. Maybe it won't take decades before Ren Yufeng makes a mistake in his cultivation, and then..."
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard a loud noise from outside, followed by Qiu Zhiming's panicked voice, "Senior Brother Ren, what's wrong with you?"
Mo Tiange looked up and saw that Ren Yufeng had finished his cultivation session. He now sat on the high platform with a gloomy face. Qiu Zhiming had fallen to the ground not far away, blood at the corner of his mouth. It seemed... he had been thrown by Ren Yufeng.
Ren Yufeng swept a disdainful glance over Qiu Zhiming. "What? Were you hoping I'd make a mistake in my cultivation?"
Hearing the killing intent in his words, Qiu Zhiming quickly shook his head. "Of course not, I was just worried..."
"Worried about me?" Ren Yufeng sneered. "You'd be worried about me? What a joke! Only if something happens to me can you survive!"
Qiu Zhiming had no rebuttal. He lowered his head and said nothing.
Ren Yufeng snorted coldly. "Don't delude yourself. I won't die. And don't expect those old fellows to come save you either. This underground palace cannot be opened without a special method. The reason we could enter was because the Breath of the Divine Dragon inside was attracted by the Divine Dragon Stele, opening an entrance. Now, only the Dragon Bones still retain the Breath of the Divine Dragon. Those old fellows could die trying, but they still wouldn't be able to get in!"
After saying this, Ren Yufeng stood up and walked down from the high platform. "What a pity that Ye Xiaotian from the Xuanqing Sect escaped! That woman has many treasures. If only I could get my hands on them..."
Qiu Zhiming looked up and said hesitantly, "That Junior Sister Ye..." He stopped halfway, seemingly unsure whether to continue.
"What?" Ren Yufeng glanced at him sideways. "Speak if you have something to say!"
With Ren Yufeng's permission, Qiu Zhiming hurriedly said, "I never saw that Junior Sister Ye leave. We Zhengfa Sect cultivators use Water Evasion in the water, our speed is much faster than hers. There's no reason she could escape faster than I did."
Ren Yufeng curled his lip. "How ignorant! That Ye Xiaotian has many treasures. Who knows if she has one or two items that allow her to escape?" He sighed again. "Not only does this woman have many treasures, her cultivation is also high. Judging by her age... my estimate is not only that she hasn't exceeded eighty, she's probably even younger."
Qiu Zhiming didn't understand and looked at Ren Yufeng in confusion.
Ren Yufeng frowned impatiently. "So stupid! Do you remember how old Jiang Shui Han is? He seems to be around fifty, right? Obviously, Ye Xiaotian's cultivation is higher than his now, yet he keeps calling her 'Junior Sister Ye.' That shows Ye Xiaotian is younger than him!"
Jiang Shui Han was Jiang Shanghang's current name. Mo Tiange thought, although Ren Yufeng had a strange temper and a cruel personality, he wasn't stupid. He actually knew how to deduce her age this way.
After Ren Yufeng said this, Qiu Zhiming was shocked. "Less than fifty? That... that Junior Sister Ye is already at the peak of Foundation Establishment mid-stage! She must be out on a journey to advance to the late stage. If she succeeds, wouldn't that be..."
Reaching Foundation Establishment late-stage at fifty years of age was truly astonishing. Even among those called geniuses, few could achieve this.
Ren Yufeng snorted. "How ignorant! Have you forgotten she's from the Xuanqing Sect? The Xuanqing Sect's current strength isn't much worse than the Tiandao Sect. If they produce one or two more Nascent Soul cultivators within a hundred years, they'll surpass the Tiandao Sect and become the number one sect in Tianji! Unlike the Tiandao Sect, which has the most members and thus more Nascent Soul cultivators, the Xuanqing Sect is famously known for producing genius cultivators. The current late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator Dao Lord Zhenyang, and Dao Lord Miaoyi who advanced to Nascent Soul two hundred years ago, both succeeded in forming their Nascent Souls at two to three hundred years old. Among the Core Formation realm, there are also Perfected Ones Lingxi and Shoujing, who formed their Cores around a hundred years old and have high hopes of advancing to Nascent Soul before two hundred. Do you think it's impossible?"
"But..." Qiu Zhiming was still puzzled. "Junior Brother Jiang clearly said that when they met, Junior Sister Ye was still a rogue cultivator. Aren't cultivation geniuses like that usually raised by their sects from childhood?"
"You think they never miss any?" Ren Yufeng's face was full of disdain. "The methods for testing spiritual roots among rogue cultivators aren't complete. Maybe they simply never tested Junior Sister Ye's true aptitude. Besides, the fact that she could enter the Xuanqing Sect already shows her talent isn't bad. The Xuanqing Sect isn't like our Zhengfa Sect, where anyone in the Extreme North with spiritual roots can join. A great sect like the Xuanqing Sect in Kunwu even picks and chooses among three-spiritual-root cultivators!"
Qiu Zhiming said nothing more. Although Ren Yufeng had a bad personality, in terms of intelligence, he himself couldn't compare. Besides, whether Mo Tiange was a genius or not had little to do with him; she wouldn't save him anyway.
"This Ye Xiaotian is a disciple of Dao Lord Xuanyin. Even though Dao Lord Xuanyin hadn't formed his Nascent Soul when he took her as a disciple, how could a late-stage Core Formation cultivator casually take a disciple? And she said herself that when she entered the Xuanqing Sect, she hadn't yet established her Foundation. In just over ten years, she went from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment mid-stage. With such a cultivation speed, how could she not be a genius?"
Ren Yufeng paused, then tsked and shook his head with a sigh. "What a pity. Such a young Foundation Establishment mid-stage female cultivator... if I could take her as a cultivation cauldron, it would definitely be excellent..." As if thinking of some images, a wicked light appeared in his eyes.
Inside the Void Heaven Realm, Mo Tiange watching this scene slammed her palm on the table!
Since entering the Xuanqing Sect, she had never encountered anyone who wanted to take her as a cultivation cauldron! Cultivation cauldrons were already a heterodox path. The Xuanqing Sect was an orthodox Daoist sect. Daoism advocated purity of heart and few desires. The path of absorption and replenishment wasn't suitable for them; at most, they practiced dual cultivation. Moreover, from the moment she entered the sect, she had been Dao Lord Jinghe's nominal disciple. No one truly dared to want her as a cauldron; they didn't even dare to think it!
Outside, Qiu Zhiming looked at Ren Yufeng somewhat fearfully, not daring to speak.
After thinking for a while, Ren Yufeng came back to himself and regretfully shook his head. "To think she escaped. Hmph! These heaven-favored geniuses, I really want to know what it feels like to humiliate them! But it's not like there's no chance. Once I've cultivated the Divine Dragon Secret Technique and my cultivation greatly advances, I'll go to Kunwu for a while. Maybe I'll run into her then! Hahahaha..."
Seeing Ren Yufeng's arrogant posture, Mo Tiange inside the Void Heaven Realm burned with fury!
The Zhengfa Sect was also a Daoist sect and didn't advocate the path of absorption and replenishment either. Ren Yufeng had merely obtained the Divine Dragon Secret Technique and had become so shameless. He probably had filthy thoughts in his heart all along!
Looking at Ren Yufeng's wicked smile outside, thinking that the other party might be fantasizing about her, Mo Tiange instantly felt extremely uncomfortable. She really wanted to slap that detestable face and then chop him into mincemeat!
She took several deep breaths before calming her emotions and sitting back down.
Thinking about this now was useless. If she wanted to kill Ren Yufeng, she had to plan carefully. In truth, compared to Ren Yufeng, she did have some advantages.
First, she was inside the Void Heaven Realm. She had pills to take, and the spiritual energy was extremely abundant—an excellent cultivation environment. She had suppressed her cultivation for several years. Advancing to Foundation Establishment late-stage now wouldn't be a problem. Core Formation was somewhat dangerous, but only somewhat. It didn't mean there was no chance.
Second, the origin of Ren Yufeng's technique was strange. Who knew the consequences? Demonic path techniques were more prone to Qi Deviation. Ren Yufeng already had a demonic obstruction. Maybe at some point, his cultivation would go awry, and he'd die directly.
Finally, she was inside the Void Heaven Realm. Ren Yufeng didn't know about it. She could completely look for an opportunity to ambush him!
Thinking over these points repeatedly in her heart, Mo Tiange finally decided that, before finding a better method, she would cultivate properly here. She believed that if it came down to simply grinding out time, Ren Yufeng couldn't outlast her. Because she had taken the Longevity Pill, she still had at least eight hundred years of lifespan.