Immortal Spring

Lu Yuzhen?

Xie Xuanyi carefully racked his brain... the name drew a blank.

Over the past sixty years, among the Grandmasters who founded sects and established schools in the Great Chu and Southern Li dynasties, the exceptionally powerful cultivators, those who could claim a place among the heroes of the world—

There was no such person as Lu Yuzhen.

The white-robed Daoist seemed to read Xie Xuanyi's thoughts.

He smiled gently, "Lu is new to the jianghu, and has no reputation."

"Judging by your appearance, you don't seem new to the jianghu."

Xie Xuanyi re-examined the Daoist before him. Judging by his features and age, Lu Yuzhen was at least forty or fifty years old.

"The outer shell is the most useless thing in this world."

Lu Yuzhen asked with a smile, "Leaving me aside, Xie Xuanyi, look at yourself. What can your current appearance prove?"

"..."

Xie Xuanyi was speechless.

He waved his sleeve, dispersing the Golden Qi in his palm.

Regardless of how much truth or falsehood there was in Lu Yuzhen's words.

At least one thing he could be sure of.

This white-robed Daoist had no "killing intent" towards him. Now that he was re-cultivating, his realm was low. Judging from the details of the previous confrontation, Lu Yuzhen's realm and strength were clearly higher than his own. If he had intended to harm him, the previous two moves would not have been like that.

The great river surged, and Lu Yuzhen was like a weed, clinging to the surface of the river.

"You say you saved me... why should I believe you?"

Xie Xuanyi slowly opened his mouth.

"Haven't you already believed it?"

"You set off from the Northern Prefecture, traveled thousands of miles south to Carp Tide City, and standing here proves that you believe me."

The white-robed Daoist stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he said, "Although I don't need to prove anything. But after the battle of the Northern Sea, your corpse fell into the sea and was fished out by me, placed in a coffin treasure to prevent it from rotting. Only one person in the world knows the burial place of you, Xie Xuanyi, and that person... is me."

Xie Xuanyi's eyes flickered.

He was a little puzzled, "But... why?"

"How can there be so many whys in this world?"

Lu Yuzhen said lightly, "In the battle of the Northern Sea, your most trusted sect, the Great Grain Sword Palace, did not intervene, your most trusted friend did not appear, and the Daoist Sect's All-Under-Heaven Pavilion, which has always upheld justice, knew the truth but stayed out of it, unwilling to help you clear your name and dispel suspicion. I can't stand those large sects with rotten foundations who call themselves righteous, and I can't bear to see those geniuses with extraordinary talents fall like this."

A very reasonable reason.

But Xie Xuanyi's heart did not waver in the slightest.

He smiled self-deprecatingly, "Do you think I would believe that? Just for this reason, you resolutely chose to save me, risking the world's condemnation... even if that's true. Saving me is not a simple matter."

"Brother Xuanyi, are you once bitten, twice shy?"

Lu Yuzhen slowly sat down cross-legged, riding the high tide, looking down at the white-clothed youth on the riverbank.

He said with a smile, "I know, what you're really curious about is... how exactly I saved you."

Correct.

This was the "truth" that Xie Xuanyi was truly concerned about.

He didn't care about the motive, didn't care about Lu Yuzhen's high-sounding reasons—

He just wanted to know how, at that time, his meridians were broken, his Qi was exhausted, and he was in a desperate situation with no chance of survival.

In this situation, who could save him?

If that person was really Lu Yuzhen, how did he do it?

"Rebirth."

Lu Yuzhen, sitting on the great tide, gently uttered two words.

These two words struck Xie Xuanyi's heart.

He was stunned for a moment.

"In the Demon Realm, there is a word called 'rebirth'. Grandmaster Mozhen once promised that every 'death warrior' who is willing to give their life and follow the Demon Realm's southern expedition will receive 'rebirth'."

Lu Yuzhen said calmly, "It was this oath that led the Northern Territory War into a long stalemate, with countless human cultivators choosing to 'believe'... of course, the vast majority of these cultivators are stupid. Even if there really is such a thing as 'rebirth', it certainly won't be the turn of those pitiful worms with humble realms and weak strength. But as the Northern Territory War developed to the end, even Daoist Sect Great Perfected cultivators who had cultivated to the Yang God Realm were willing to join the Demon Realm and sign contracts with Grandmaster Mozhen. Is this so-called 'rebirth' really a lie?"

Cold sweat broke out on Xie Xuanyi's back.

In the Taian City mansion, he had mercilessly ridiculed the word rebirth in front of Shen Yan.

But now that Lu Yuzhen mentioned it again.

He realized...

Wasn't he the best proof?

"Those Daoist Sect Great Perfected cultivators can even try 'Seated Rebirth'."

Lu Yuzhen said quietly, "If Grandmaster Mozhen's so-called 'rebirth' is false, or if 'rebirth' is not as good as 'sitting in meditation until death,' why would they betray Great Chu and join the Demon Realm?"

"There is only one truth."

"Rebirth... is real."

Lu Yuzhen sighed, resting his cheek in his hand, and murmured, "The Demon Realm survives in the barren lands north of the Northern Territory. That place has thin Qi, a severed life force, and is extremely poor... but the more barren the life force, the easier it is for miracles to be born. The 'rebirth' that Grandmaster Mozhen promised back then is the Demon Realm's unique miracle."

"The Demon Realm cultivators call it... the Immortal Spring."

The white-robed Daoist looked at Xie Xuanyi meaningfully, "The Immortal Spring can revive the dead and regrow flesh on bones. Even a single drop can definitely be called a priceless treasure. The Immortal Spring has always been just a legend passed down by word of mouth in the Demon Realm, like creatures such as true dragons and true phoenixes. If they really exist, then everyone believes that these creatures must only exist in the Immortal Realm. The Immortal Spring is such a thing."

He paused slightly.

"Until... Grandmaster Mozhen proved its existence to the world."

Lu Yuzhen said meaningfully, "That's why even dignified Daoist Sect Grandmasters, those figures standing at the pinnacle of the world, would choose to betray. For those great cultivators who seek longevity, obtaining the Immortal Spring is obtaining immortality."

"It sounds so real..."

Xie Xuanyi said hoarsely, "Is Mozhen having the Immortal Spring something you saw with your own eyes, or did those Daoist Sect Grandmasters who joined the Demon Realm tell you personally?"

"..."

Lu Yuzhen was speechless and could only smile wryly.

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "If Mozhen really had the 'Immortal Spring,' then how could it die?"

"I don't know about that."

Lu Yuzhen smiled and said, "But Mozhen's affairs are not important... Although he is dead, you are still alive."

He stretched out his finger and gently pointed in the air.

"You have ignited forty-three acupoints."

The white-robed Daoist's fingertip landed.

Xie Xuanyi lowered his head.

Strands of golden light ignited, boiled, and roared at the acupoint locations!

"After each acupoint is ignited, it will send Golden Qi to the dantian location."

Lu Yuzhen asked softly, "Why not wait until all the acupoints are ignited and see... what exactly those Qi are condensing?"

A strong wind rose, and the great tide surged, dispelling the dark clouds in the sky.

The great moon hung high.

Xie Xuanyi looked down at the Grotto-Heaven in his dantian, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He realized...

What Lu Yuzhen said was very likely the truth.

Immortal Spring, Immortal Spring.

These Golden Qi in his body, condensed to the dantian location, then spread into mist. These clusters of mist lingered and spread, seemingly without form, but in fact, they were intricately intertwined and gradually collapsing inward, condensing!

If all the acupoints were ignited, the golden mist would condense.

This would be a drop of spring water!