The Land of Fallen

"Land of Fallen immortals?" In the brightly lit laboratory, Lin Chen Heard this, and Frowned.

"That's right!" Yu Man hurriedly replied, terrified that Lin Chen would Make A Move again. He hastily spilled every scrap of information he had obtained.

"Lingnan Great Land was originally a place barren of spiritual qi, somewhere even demon beasts were unwilling to visit. Let alone producing a Golden Core True Person, it was hard enough for this place to produce even a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator."

"The reason it now possesses such an immortal cultivation scene is that, three thousand years ago, two Spirit Transformation immortals fell here. Their corpses transformed into countless showers of spiritual rain, nourishing the great and small spirit veins of today's Lingnan Cultivation World!"

"And at the places where they fell, the patriarchs of your Azure Cloud Sect and Mysterious Yin Gate respectively comprehended the inheritances of those two immortals. They then established their Dao lineages and inherited the immortals' unfulfilled wills, battling one another for three thousand years to this day!"

"And that is the true origin of the Lingnan Cultivation World. It was not a naturally formed Spirit Land, but was more like a whale fall born upon corpses!"

Hearing news that would be enough to leave ordinary cultivators of the Lingnan Cultivation World Shocked, Lin Chen's first thought was actually:

A mere Spirit Transformation cultivator can be called an immortal?!

Ahem. Perhaps we transmigrators had set our sights a little too high.

Lin Chen suddenly recalled that he was merely a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator himself, and seemed to have no standing to comment. He silently withdrew that thought.

But Lin Chen could not really be blamed. In his view, Spirit Transformation was merely a minor realm of the mortal world. Shouldn't Void Refinement, Body Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, and Mahayana come afterward, each divided into nine levels—early, middle, late—plus peak and great perfection?

Who would have known that even a Spirit Transformation cultivator could be called an immortal?

Perhaps I took it too much for granted. Maybe after Spirit Transformation comes Void Refinement and Dao Integration, followed by the attainment of Great Luo? Besides, the Primordial Spirit is an outstanding achievement in Daoism; calling one an immortal is not impossible. And a Spirit Transformation cultivator's death being able to create an entire cultivation land... that really does have quite the impressive air...

Lin Chen's Gaze shifted. He had originally thought that when High Order Cultivators died, they simply died. Yet he had not expected their corpses to not only directly give birth to an entire Lingnan Cultivation World, but even let their lingering wishes influence countless cultivators, creating the Azure Cloud Sect and Mysterious Yin Gate and making them fight to the death for those wills, generation after generation without end!

Their Cultivation Level reaches Heaven and Earth while alive, and even after death, they are like a centipede that does not stiffen even when dead. They can still influence so many cultivators, even giving rise to the slaughter and opposition between Dao lineages. This Spirit Transformation realm is rather interesting...

But Speaking of which, their deaths created countless spirit veins. Does that mean High Order Cultivators are essentially energy lifeforms, and that the essence of cultivation is to gradually turn oneself into energy?

Thinking of this, Lin Chen could not help sinking into deep thought.

Seeing Lin Chen fall silent, Yu Man thought his words had moved him. Gritting his teeth, he continued, "Fellow Daoist, every word I have spoken is true—there is absolutely no falsehood! As long as you spare me, I can not only offer you the relevant records, but also an unparalleled cultivation art that previous cultivators comprehended from the Land of Fallen!"

His form of address had immediately changed from "little bastard" to "Fellow Daoist." Against a softhearted fool, he could still resort to moral coercion, but against someone equally ruthless, doing so would be courting death!

Thus, he could only tempt him with profit!

"Oh?" Hearing this, Lin Chen gave him a smile that was not quite a smile. "An unparalleled cultivation art?"

"That's right. What I obtained from the Cave Mansion of a predecessor was not only this secret, but also an unparalleled cultivation art comprehended by that predecessor from the Land of Fallen. Once cultivated, Foundation Establishment is guaranteed, and one may even hope for Golden Core!" Afraid that Lin Chen would not believe him, Yu Man hurriedly explained, "Otherwise, how could I, a cultivator with four spirit roots, reach the Late Qi Refining Stage and Qi Vortex Realm at barely over forty? It is all thanks to this cultivation art!"

"Is that so?" Lin Chen smiled faintly. "Why do I feel that you are lying to me?"

"How could I? Fellow Daoist, you and I are both cultivators. My life is in your hands—how would I dare deceive you under such circumstances? So long as you spare my life, I will not only present this unparalleled cultivation art with both hands, but am even willing to swear a great heart demon oath and become your servant!" Yu Man's face was full of sincerity.

He did not again ask to be released. Everything that had happened just now had made him understand that the other party would absolutely not release a tiger back into the mountains. He was far more likely to kill the donkey once it had finished turning the millstone!

Thus, Yu Man offered to become a servant, hoping to seize that sliver of life in this Desperate Situation!

Yet Lin Chen did not answer. He merely put away his smile and looked at him with a calm face.

"Fellow Daoist..." Seeing Lin Chen's tranquil expression, Yu Man could not help feeling a chill creep down his back.

Even if a stranger stared blankly at you like that, it would make you uncomfortable, much less someone who held the power of life and death over you.

"Fellow Daoist..." Yu Man involuntarily Swallowed, forcing a smile.

"You cultivate the Mountain Star Spirit Mist Art sold in the Marketplace, don't you?" Lin Chen suddenly said.

Yu Man's pupils shrank, and he forcibly squeezed out A Trace of a smile. "Fellow Daoist, you really know how to joke..."

Lin Chen ignored him and continued on his own. "This cultivation art is indeed somewhat special. If sufficient Spirit Stones are arranged through a formation in a Mountain Forest and activated at dawn, it can draw out the spiritual qi from the mountains and the Spirit Stones, mix it with the dew of morning light, and form a spiritual substance that rapidly increases one's Cultivation Level—Morning Glow Spirit Dew..."

"To be honest, this method is quite unique. The spiritual qi within Spirit Stones is difficult to refine, while the spiritual qi in the mountains is hard to gather, yet this method can easily collect and use both. Some of the concepts Within It even Has Similarities with my research into [Non-toxic Qi Pill]."

Lin Chen smiled faintly and glanced at Yu Man.

"However, this method is not without its flaws. It consumes Not Small amounts of Spirit Stones. You are a Rogue Cultivator; even if you plundered others, you could not possibly gather enough Spirit Stones to reach the Late Qi Refining Stage. Thus, you turned spirit into demon. Using this method as a foundation and combining it with blood-refining techniques, you extracted the blood essence of mortals and even cultivators into Blood Mist, then purified it with the spiritual qi of the mountains to increase your Cultivation Level. Am I right?"

Whether it was the spiritual qi of the mountains or the blood essence of the human body, in This Side World, both were manifestations of spiritual qi. Thus, as long as one researched the corresponding methods and techniques, they could be gathered and used.

"You!" Hearing this, Yu Man's expression abruptly changed.

This was the greatest achievement of his Immortal Path, as well as his greatest secret. How had the other party learned of it?!

What he did not know was that during the time he had been unconscious, Lin Chen had already examined every inch of him, inside and out. Lin Chen knew Yu Man's body even better than Yu Man himself did.

After all, as a scientist, if one did not possess even a basic understanding of one's own experimental subject, it would be utterly inexcusable!

"Your idea is quite good, but unfortunately, putting it into practice leaves behind an enormous Hidden Danger. The reason spiritual qi Between Heaven and Earth can be refined is that, compared to all things that have already evolved, it contains less unique information. Therefore, it can be contaminated by the information belonging to a cultivator's Essence, Qi, and Spirit. But your direct refinement of others' blood essence..."

Lin Chen looked at him with pity. "Every night at midnight, does your chest ache sharply for increasingly longer periods? And when engaging in bedchamber arts, do you often fail to rise? Even in daily life, do you feel an inexplicable craving for raw meat? These are all signs that something has gone wrong with your cultivation—that sudden death is imminent..."

"Th-this is impossible?!" Yu Man was completely stunned upon hearing this, because everything Lin Chen said matched his experiences exactly.

All this time, he had been smug over his own talent, convinced that the cultivation art he had improved was marvelously Xuanmiao and sufficient to let him strike at the Foundation Establishment Realm. But now, it seemed to be nothing more than a joke!

"No! No! This can't be!" Yu Man was on the verge of collapse.

For So Much years, he had exhausted every effort in pursuit of immortality. For This, he had not hesitated to be ruthless and merciless, staining his hands with blood. Yet what he received in the end was an early death caused by his own cleverness? Such a reversal and blow were more than Yu Man could bear.

"You have a way to solve it, don't you? You definitely have a solution!" Yu Man abruptly raised his head and pleaded, "As long as you can solve it, I swear that I am willing to do anything you ask!"

Unlike before, when he had been forced into it, this time he was willing of his own accord.

However, Lin Chen merely glanced at the formation's charging within the Laboratory, then nodded and promised, "As long as you cooperate with my Experiments, it will naturally be resolved."

Ex... experiment?

Yu Man froze for a moment. Then he recalled the splattered flesh and blood all over the floor when he had entered the Laboratory, and seemed to understand something. His expression abruptly turned terrified. Just as he was about to say something, Lin Chen sealed his mouth.

Ever since learning that Lingnan was the Land of Fallen Spirit Transmutation, he had activated the array at once.

The array had been charging just now, so Lin Chen had not minded exchanging a few pointless words with him. But now that charging was complete, why should he waste so many words on an experiment subject?

As for the peerless cultivation technique Yu Man had mentioned, it might have been the most important stroke of fortune in another person's life, but to Lin Chen, it was merely something he could take or leave.

If he had it, it could offer him a direction for thought. If he did not, it would not affect his research. There was no need to spend any more effort For This.

Of course, the most crucial point was that compared with a So-called peerless cultivation technique that was obscure and difficult to understand, of unknown origin, and fraught with unknown risks, what Lin Chen cared about more was his current exploration of the Foundation Establishment Realm and verification of Spiritual Energy Level!

A systematic theory born from scientific research was what Lin Chen relied on in his path of cultivation, not those So-called peerless cultivation techniques!

Brilliant spiritual radiance lit up once more, and countless streams of spiritual energy surged into Yu Man's body along designated pathways.

They rotated, compressed, condensed, and then...

Lin Chen's Gaze sharpened, because within the Spirit Observation Array, a speck of milky-white spiritual light was slowly beginning to glow!