Chapter 182 - 109: The Immortal Threefold Path, Complete Qi and Spirit Return to the Root

Chapter 182: Chapter 109: The Immortal Threefold Path, Complete Qi and Spirit Return to the Root

The Pure Bottle absorbed all the formless, defiling qi in an instant. It then trembled slightly, and the twisted script on its surface glowed faintly before quickly falling silent.

The script on this Pure Bottle was a Spell from the Demon Refining Scripture, specifically designed to capture Formless Celestial Demons. Moreover, Xuzhuang had written it with his own blood, imbuing it with immense Magical Power, so naturally, nothing could go wrong.

Having captured the Formless Celestial Demon, Xuzhuang looked up again. He saw that the vital qi from the three Meng Fushengs had transformed into three thin clouds of mist, coalescing and dispersing erratically in the air. Though the Celestial Demon’s corruption had been purged, they now seemed rather muddled and chaotic.

Xuzhuang’s brow furrowed slightly. He walked over to Meng Fusheng’s body and tapped a finger on his forehead. Meng Fusheng’s body shuddered, and an unseen force manifested above, drawing in the three clouds of vital qi as if meticulously peeling a cocoon. The qi flowed continuously into the fontanelle on Meng Fusheng’s head.

As the vital qi continuously returned to his body, color instantly flooded back into Meng Fusheng’s face. His body seemed to relax, and his expression grew much more peaceful. A moment later, the sound of slow, deep breaths finally emerged from his nose and mouth. Although he had yet to move, he no longer looked like a rigid corpse. Instead, he appeared like a Cultivator who had entered a state of extremely deep meditation.

Seeing this, Xuzhuang was not in a hurry. He stood to the side and slowly began to chant from a Tao Scripture: a Chapter to awaken the spirit, a Chapter to calm the mind, and a Chapter to soothe the soul. After reciting all three, he gave a sharp cry, "Awaken now!"

In response, Meng Fusheng’s brow twitched, and his eyelids slowly fluttered open. A trace of confusion flickered in his eyes as he slowly asked, "Junior Martial Uncle Xu?"

"Oh?" Xuzhuang smiled. "It seems my dear nephew has retained his memories. That saves me a great deal of explanation."

Meng Fusheng gave a bitter smile. "Yes. My cultivation is too shallow. I was tainted by an external demon, making a fool of myself before you, Junior Martial Uncle."

"You were vulnerable to the Celestial Demon for so long, yet your mind was never completely taken over. That in itself is commendable. Even if I hadn’t arrived, you might have been able to escape this tribulation by diligently guarding your mind."

Xuzhuang shook his head and, before Meng Fusheng could offer any modest protests, asked, "Nephew, can you open the way out of this place?"

Meng Fusheng hesitated. "To open the way out, I must first cultivate the Three Elements Elephant Body Technique to the ’Three Elements Responding Marvel’ realm. After I regulate my vital qi, it might be possible after another one or two years of arduous training."

Xuzhuang’s brow furrowed slightly. The so-called "Three Elements Responding Marvel" was a wondrous realm of the Three Elements Elephant Body Technique, unrelated to the depth of one’s cultivation. If one could comprehend it, their three types of Magical Power would enter a regenerative cycle, rapidly growing back to their original levels. It also possessed various other marvels, such as automatically restoring Magical Power after one had borrowed from the three elements.

If they failed to comprehend it, Cultivators practicing the Three-Element Elephant Body could only struggle to regain one-third of their Magical Power. After borrowing the three types of Magical Power, they would also face an arduous recovery, diminishing the technique’s marvels greatly.

One or two years wasn’t a long time, but for Xuzhuang, the Innate Tai Su Realm was set to open soon. If he wanted to enter it to cultivate, he could not afford the delay.

Xuzhuang’s attainment of the Nascent Soul stage would take up one of the available slots, meaning the allocation of all slots would need to be replanned. This wasn’t something he could resolve by rushing back at the last minute.

Noticing Xuzhuang’s expression, Meng Fusheng asked, "Is there something urgent, Junior Martial Uncle?"

Xuzhuang pondered for a moment before saying breezily, "It’s nothing. You should focus on regulating your breath for now, nephew."

The Innate Tai Su Realm was undoubtedly a supreme opportunity, but before Xuzhuang had even come to the Celestial Waterfall Realm, he had already seen past the concepts of gain and loss. He wouldn’t let himself be troubled by such a small problem.

Besides, he didn’t necessarily have to rely on Meng Fusheng mastering the "Three Elements Responding Marvel" to get out of this place. Xuzhuang himself was also quite interested in this Three Elements Elephant Body Technique.

Meng Fusheng was taken aback. He saw Xuzhuang turn around, walk back to the wall carving, and sit down cross-legged on the floor, seemingly starting to study it.

’Could Junior Martial Uncle also intend to study the *Three Elements Elephant Body Technique*?’ Meng Fusheng hesitated for a moment, then thought, ’He is a Tai Su True Inheritance, of the same generation as my own Master. A person of his stature would never make the same mistakes I did. What need is there for a junior like me to say anything?’

Reassured, Meng Fusheng took a medicinal pill from his pouch, swallowed it, and sat cross-legged to enter a meditative state.

...

With their minds free from distractions, three or four months passed.

For a Nascent Soul Cultivator, spirit and qi were united, so regulating vital qi was also a process of purifying the mind and nurturing the spirit. After three or four months of regulating his breath, when Meng Fusheng emerged from his state of tranquil meditation, all traces of his former dejection were gone. He was reinvigorated and glowing with vitality. Feeling that his essence was full and his qi abundant, he thought, ’I was disturbed by the Celestial Demon and trapped in this place for decades. If something has gone wrong with the sect, how could I ever face my two senior martial brothers and my esteemed Master?’

Meng Fusheng looked up and glanced inward, seeing Xuzhuang sitting cross-legged beneath the wall carving, apparently also in a state of tranquil meditation. A wave of relief washed over him:

’Fortunately, Junior Martial Uncle came to this realm to take charge of the sect. But now he has come to this place to find me, so I cannot remain trapped here for much longer. I must study the *Three Elements Elephant Body Technique* diligently.’

His mind made up, Meng Fusheng shook out his sleeves, rose to his feet, and was about to walk forward to study the wall carving. But after just two steps, he suddenly stopped short and murmured, stunned, "What is this?"

He had the fleeting impression that his vision had blurred; Xuzhuang’s figure seemed to faintly manifest three overlapping shadows.

"This is..." Meng Fusheng was shocked. "Dividing into three elements... He’s so fast."

For a Nascent Soul Cultivator, spirit and qi are one; you could say that every strand of Magical Power contains a thread of divine sense. Although the Three-Element Elephant Body was not a divine-sense-splitting technique, it was still exceptionally dangerous.

Having experienced his own practice going awry, Meng Fusheng was terrified of disturbing Xuzhuang. He immediately dared not take another step forward. As he stood there watching, Xuzhuang’s figure seemed to shift between near and far. At times, he was distant like layered Immortal Mountains, too vast and remote to perceive. At others, he seemed to be right before him, within arm’s reach. The figure flickered back and forth, changing ceaselessly.

Meng Fusheng had a strange feeling that observing Xuzhuang refine the technique was more beneficial to his own understanding of the Three-Element Elephant Body than studying the wall carving. While he observed and comprehended, he also kept a nervous watch on Xuzhuang’s condition. He was so engrossed that he completely lost track of time, until he suddenly saw Xuzhuang’s figure freeze in place.