Forty-nine days later.
Inside the Blood Centipede Cave, thousands of blood centipedes vanished in an eerie unison, leaving behind only a few sets of withered bones and a scattering of broken swords as if bearing witness that the cave's former reputation for lethal terror was no falsehood.
Chen Dengming, who had successfully refined the Blood Centipede Gu, could be considered completely done with all worldly affairs within the Nanxun Kingdom.
He packed all his preparations for the Ascension Convention, and after putting on a disguise, he boarded a carriage and departed in a low-profile manner.
Around the time of his departure, people from some secluded aristocratic clans within Nanxun Kingdom and old monsters who had lived in deep mountain forests as recluses for ages also emerged into the world one after another.
Even deep within the Imperial Palace, an old eunuch left the palace with two princes.
Although these people set out from various different locations, they all pointed toward a single destination: Misty Cliff in the northern Ice Wind Forest.
The centennial period of the Ascension Convention was drawing near, and both the imperial court and the Martial World were churning with undercurrents, but this was ultimately a domain accessible to only an extremely small fraction of people.
The common masses still followed their routine day after day, resting at sunset and working at sunrise, fluctuating just like the rise and fall of the tide without change.
Swish—
When a wave surged against the wind toward a great river and its main streams, a fleet of fishing boats also vied for the current upon the surging waters like a hundred racing war-ships.
Wearing a bamboo hat and a black cloak with a broad saber slung across his back, Chen Dengming was aboard a merchant vessel at that moment, mingling with the fishing boats as he leisurely set off.
There were still three months left before the official start of the Ascension Convention.
Yet it would take him less than a month to reach the Ice Wind Forest, so he was in no hurry.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood alone at the stern of the boat. Facing the northern wind and watching the gradually receding, vanishing dock alongside the churning river waters, a myriad of emotions washed over his heart before finally settling into firm resolve.
Rustle, rustle—
A blood-red centipede no larger than an infant's finger poked its head about, crawling out from between his sleeves and along his arm. Its pitch-black eyes shimmered with a faint, sickly verdant light, its back was dark red with four thin, cicada-wing-like membranes born within, and its belly displayed a pale red hue. As its hundred tiny jointed legs scuttled across Chen Dengming's arm, they brought a tickling sensation.
This was none other than the Blood Centipede Gu that Chen Dengming had successfully refined from the Blood Centipede Cave.
Seeming similar in size to an ordinary centipede at first glance save for its extra four wings and a somewhat more ferocious appearance, its entire carapace was in truth impervious to blades and spears, difficult to harm with mortal weapons, and proof against water and fire with extremely tenacious vitality.
Beyond that, its two sickle-like mouths contained a lethal poison, and the stinger at its tail along with the venom sac within its body could also release toxins, boasting astonishing lethality.
Watching the Blood Centipede Gu crawl out, Chen Dengming wore a smile at the corners of his mouth and retrieved a piece of flesh from the gu pouch at his waist to feed it.
The venomous creature clamped the flesh with its two sickle-like mouths and darted back into his sleeve in a flash.
Refining a gu for forty years, the day the gu is perfected is the day achievement is attained.
The successful refinement of this Blood Centipede Gu finally pushed the Gu Refining Chapter—which had remained difficult for him to break through in for a long time—from proficiency to the mastery realm.
Chen Dengming wore an emotional expression.
He truly lived up to being a Daoist magic more profound than martial arts. Back when he practiced the Innate Qi Skill ultimate technique, breaking through to its final tier had only extended his maximal lifespan by a mere two years.
As for this Gu Refining Chapter, merely advancing from proficiency to mastery boosted his maximal lifespan from one hundred thirty-two years to one hundred thirty-five years, buying him another three good years to live.
Chen Dengming felt quite delighted. Gathering his focus slightly, a panel residing within his consciousness surfaced in his mind.
Xiantian 7th Heaven martial artist [Chen Dengming] Lifespan: 82/135 Martial Dao: Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline (Great Accomplishment 89/100) Daoist Magic: Gu Refining Chapter (Mastery 0/100)
This panel appearing within his mind was precisely the Golden Finger that Chen Dengming had acquired after transmigrating.
Before transmigrating to this world, he had still been playing a small game named Health Cultivation.
Following an accidental transmigration, he triggered the special cultivation panel from this very game, Health Cultivation.
Yet this panel differed from what he imagined; it lacked the joy of adding points via Blue Sea, and all techniques still required him to practice them down-to-earth with solid effort before they could improve. Moreover, once he learned a technique or improved one, it would increase his lifespan.
However, although the panel could not directly add points to martial arts or Daoist magic, as long as he diligently practiced and performed an exercise once, its proficiency would increase by a single point.
This resembled a welfare rule in a game: he only needed to put in effort to reap rewards, and the panel would naturally strengthen his comprehension as if generating numerous insights and realizations during his practice. While rapidly cultivating the technique to mightiness, it caused his personal lifespan to become even more protracted, meaning practicing martial arts extended one's life until seeking the Dao and longevity.
Therefore, across these eighty-some years, Chen Dengming could indeed boast with confidence that his achievements today were entirely won through his own diligent cultivation.
Yet the sole pity was that for martial arts of the same grade, no matter how many varieties one practiced, they could only extend his lifespan once at the initial learning and at each breakthrough in realm. The life-extending effect could not multiply through practicing techniques of the same tier.
Consequently, over all these years, Chen Dengming had pursued martial arts all the way from superficial techniques, constantly chasing higher and more profound martial arts manuals and even ultimate techniques, solely to extend his lifespan through progressively deeper martial arts.
This precisely harmonized with the profound realm in martial arts: neither wind nor pennant nor heart, pursuing a long, distant path with no trace to chase.
White clouds naturally leave no traces behind, flying down to fall deeper into the depths of a sheer cliff.
Between intentionality and intentlessness, his state of mind resembled those white clouds, leaving no marks yet naturally flying down to fall upon the precipice, seeking those even deeper, more profound realms that lay lower than the cliff itself.
By now, he had already cultivated all manner of mortal martial arts—fists, palms, fingers, legs, claws, sabers, swords, and spears—to great accomplishment, integrating and fusing them together to forge a set of Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline.
From this point onward, any mortal martial arts in the world, even the legendary supreme Nine Yin and Nine Yang Secret Classics, were useless to him and could no longer cause his lifespan to extend after practicing them.
This was simply because the Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline he created already encompassed techniques of the same caliber, such as the Pure Yang Boundless Skill, the Innate Qi Skill, and the Indestructible Vajra Zen Skill.
It could be said that among the eight great Xiantian realm martial artists in the world, Chen Dengming's strength realm might not be the absolute strongest, but the martial arts he learned were definitely the most numerous and profound. A three-foot Qi wall, plucking flowers and flying leaves, Shakya throwing an elephant—there was nothing he failed to master.
Nevertheless, with true immortals about to descend, the so-called martial dao could not contend against divine powers. No matter how strong the Xiantian state was, it might still prove to be mere ants, and Chen Dengming still did not dare to harbor the slightest carelessness.
At that moment, extremely faint footsteps approached from behind.
The newcomer was an expert.
If even Chen Dengming could only hear faint footsteps, then aside from a Xiantian Grandmaster, there was no one else in the entire world capable of having their footsteps heard approaching in this manner.
Yet Chen Dengming did not turn around.
For with a thud sound, the newcomer had already half-kneeling on the ground, reporting respectfully.
"Master, the first batch of the Shadow Eighteen Guards arrived at the Ice Wind Forest a month ago. They have searched the Ice Wind Forest for over a month, yet have persistently failed to find any traces or divine manifestations of immortals, nor have they even managed to find Misty Cliff. Your subordinates are incompetent, and I ask Master to punish us."
"They still haven't appeared?"
Chen Dengming pondered inwardly, already forming judgments.
He had visited the Ice Wind Forest many times in his early years, yet had persistently failed to find any clues of immortal traces or divine manifestations.
Back then, he had already suspected that perhaps that region had been sealed off and obscured by formations laid down by cultivators, making it difficult for anyone who was not a true cultivator to pierce through the illusions.
As for the so-called Misty Cliff, it presumably served to describe that cliff as illusory and ethereal, difficult to track down, bearing a mocking implication of cultivators holding a lofty stance and toying with mortals.
Chen Dengming had originally thought that with the upcoming convening of the Ascension Convention, the Ice Wind Forest would undergo special phenomena recently, but as it turned out, there was still no movement at all.
"Are there any other discoveries?"
"Reporting to Master, Master is wise. Just as you anticipated, people from over a dozen other factions have indeed appeared near the Ice Wind Forest, likewise investigating and searching for the whereabouts of Misty Cliff.
The Eighteen Guards strictly obeyed Master's commands and acted with a low profile, avoiding any conflicts. Some experts attempted to tail the Eighteen Guards to investigate Master's identity, but they were already dealt with using the snake gu bestowed by Master."
"Hmph," Chen Dengming murmured thoughtfully, stating indifferently, "Have the identities of those various factions been investigated?"
"Presently, we have only identified a few of them: people from the Nangong Family, the Shaoyu Family, and the Wu Family, along with another contingent suspected to stem from the Imperial Palace."
"Oh?"
A tiger-like glint swept across Chen Dengming's eyes as he chuckled lightly. "These old foxes truly did not escape my expectations. They hold invitations in their hands as well. Go instruct the Eighteen Guards to show themselves less frequently of late and lie low, awaiting my next commands."
Waving his hand, Chen Dengming dismissed his subordinate, then retreated low-profile to the merchant vessel's cabin to familiarize himself with the Blood Centipede Gu and silently lie low while journeying onward.
He knew deeply that this was precisely a dangerous moment, and he must not rashly expose that he possessed an invitation, lest he invite unnecessary trouble.
This was because the invitation was anonymous.
Once the Ascension Convention commenced, regardless of one's identity or status, one merely needed to hold an invitation to enter and participate; without an invitation, even if the old Emperor himself descended in person, it would be useless.
Thus, the invitation was exceptionally crucial, whereas he, Chen Dengming, stepping into the Xiantian realm as the eighth grandmaster, appeared quite fragile.
Although he possessed gu arts and feared no battle against any Xiantian Grandmaster, there was no need to court trouble with a high profile. The higher one jumped, the more miserably one died; playing it safe was the true way.
Jia Nan is publishing a book once again, which can be considered fulfilling a dream regarding the theme of ascending to immortality through martial arts that was not well-written previously. If you feel it is acceptable, please add it to your collection and follow along; investing in this book is free, and you are welcome to invest. This one has been very thoroughly prepared. Of course, if you ask about a stockpile of chapters, cough cough, there aren't many stockpiled chapters, but there are quite a few discarded drafts.
In short, please cast monthly votes and add some investments. Thank you!
Before you continue