The Dao Lord's Judgment

Are you sure you can handle it?

"You think you have to learn it this way if you haven't even learned it yourself?"

"Hurry and find the information! I feel the smell in this tomb is getting worse and worse; I'm afraid I won't live much longer!"

Do you have any Secret Method to break the Mountain and River Eternal Formation?

Thanks to the Jade Guidance Incantation, Zhang Xuezhou and Hongku, who was performing the ritual through the altar, were able to communicate relatively smoothly.

Hongku was anxious, and Zhang Xuezhou wasn't much better off.

He urged Hongku anxiously, forcing Hongku to rack his brains for help.

"Calm down first, that's all I know right now," Hongku finally said helplessly. "But I can go find a solution immediately, and even ask the Daoist Master for help to see if he can solve the problem!"

"Alright!"

"You must hold on. Activate the jade artifact that grants the Person-Fixing Technique a day later. I will then perform the ritual and contact you again!"

Now that things have come to this, Hongku can only be thankful that he had the will to die back then, and in order to ensure the integrity of the Xiang family's inheritance, he gave both pieces of inheritance jade to Zhang Xuezhou.

This meant that Zhang Xuezhou had one piece left over, preventing both sides from only being able to have one insufficiently prepared communication session.

"You must study the Acupoint-Fixing Technique diligently and strive to master it," Hongku said after a few seconds of hesitation. "The mountains and rivers that King Liang used to construct his tomb, while not top-tier, are at least among the best. If you can master the Acupoint-Fixing Technique using this kind of method, your future path will be very broad, and you will save yourself countless hours of searching for and locating burial sites!"

"Then I need to be able to master it too!" Zhang Xuezhou said dejectedly. "You've studied for decades and still haven't succeeded. You can't expect me to master this divine skill in just a few days!"

"The Acupoint-Fixing Technique isn't as difficult as you imagine," Hongku comforted him. "The reason I couldn't master it was because I was trapped in the Sacred Land, which prevented me from venturing out to search for ley lines and explore acupoints. Otherwise, how could I have ended up in this predicament!"

"Real?"

"Indeed, even the Person-Fixing Technique is the same," Hongku said sincerely. "Being trapped in the Sacred Land, I haven't seen the myriad people of the world, nor have I been able to examine the physiognomy and life of top figures. Therefore, I haven't been able to master this Person-Fixing Technique."

"That's a bit of a shame!"

"In this Sacred Land, the only thing that has been fair to me is Heaven, which allowed me to study the Star-Fixing Technique," Hongku. "In terms of the Star-Fixing Technique, I wouldn't say I'm the first, but there are very few who can surpass me!"

"You mean the reason you haven't mastered physiognomy after decades of practice isn't because the knowledge is profound and difficult to learn, but because you lack the necessary conditions for cultivation!" Zhang Xuezhou confirmed.

"That's right, after all, it's not difficult to get started with physiognomy!"

Hongku nodded in agreement.

Once Zhang Xuezhou had gained more confidence and settled down to study the Acupoint-Fixing Technique, Hongku finally let out a deep breath, withdrew the Law Power from the altar, and put away the three-inch-long black hiltless sword.

"That kid... ugh!"

Hongku pondered the pep talk he had given Zhang Xuezhou, and then his heart began to churn involuntarily.

After spitting out a mouthful of bitter bile, he stood up, looking utterly defeated.

Few cultivators can fight while vomiting, and Hongku was no exception.

He finally reached the Sole Self Realm he had longed for, but the forced breakthrough with the help of the Great Elixir brought too many aftereffects to Hongku.

Without a sufficient foundation, relying solely on a heavenly materials and earthly treasures to close the gap with other great cultivators is undoubtedly an extremely difficult task.

If he could easily possess the same cultivation level as Venerables like Black Mountain and White Bone, not to mention that the benefits other cultivators gained through years of hard work and fortuitous encounters were wasted, others could also easily catch up to Hongku's cultivation level.

The gap in cultivation level among cultivators is indeed a chasm. When one's cultivation level is low, one may convince oneself with thoughts such as "I'm only one major realm away," "Don't underestimate a young person's cultivation level, I'll beat you up tomorrow," "I'll catch up with you in two years," or "When I have money and powerful medicine." However, the higher one's cultivation level, the more obvious this gap becomes.

The interplay of numerous factors, including time, fortuitous opportunity, status, power, and accumulated knowledge, creates a stark divide between the three realms: the Divine Ability Realm, the Sole Self Realm, and the True Self Realm.

A "small realm" is a threshold that many people can never overcome in their entire lives.

Hongku was stuck at the first small threshold of the Sole Self Realm. He had doubts about many things, but it wasn't until Zhang Xuezhou confirmed that he realized one of his directions was correct.

If he cannot be freed from this confinement, Hongku will be trapped on this small threshold for the rest of his life.

He took a deep breath and then began to look through his many bamboo slips in the Ostentatious Palace.

He only left the Ostentatious Palace when he could find out nothing more.

"Ostentatious Palace Hongku requests an audience with the Daoist Lord!"

After climbing ninety-nine steps, Hongku knelt down, pressed his head to the ground, and then shouted.

What is it?

An extremely ethereal voice emanated from the palace amidst the clouds Sacred Mountain, leaving Hongku momentarily unable to discern the Dao Lord's location.

"Hongku has a question... My friend is trapped in the Everlasting Mountain and River Formation and is desperately seeking a chance to survive, but his chances of survival are slim. I beg you, Daoist, for guidance!" Hongku shouted.

"Those who rob tombs must be prepared to die in the tomb; I cannot save those who are greedy," Daojun replied.

"He wasn't greedy; he was simply forced into the tomb to be buried alive with the dead," Hongku said.

"You mean that the tomb has just been reborn?"

"Yes, that's what he said!"

"The new tomb's natural defenses are still being refined. Inserting a metal rod or sword into the earth's veins can temporarily block the way, but you can simply blast open the tomb door and escape!"

"But these ley lines are too difficult for him to find, and his cultivation level is probably insufficient to break through the tomb!"

Daojun's words were simple, but Hongku knew very well that Daojun regarded Zhang Xuezhou as a cultivator of the same level as Hongku.

For cultivators in the Sole Self Realm, doing what Daojun said is not too difficult, but the difficulty lies in the fact that Zhang Xuezhou is only a minor cultivator in the True Spirit Realm.

It's virtually impossible for Zhang Xuezhou to achieve the same effect across several realms.

"What is his cultivation level?" Daojun asked.

"It should only be the True Spirit Realm," Hongku replied.

"Wait... you have friends in the True Spirit Realm?"

Daojun was about to say "Just wait to die" when he changed his mind and asked a question instead.

"Actually, he is Wu Jin, a student I expelled from my school," Hongku honestly replied. "I gave him two inheritance jades, which allow him to cast spells to find people whenever he infuses blood to activate his inheritance!"

"It seems you still take good care of him!"

Daojun responded, and Hongku didn't dare to give a reply.

He was far from being kind to Zhang Xuezhou by resorting to such methods; had he been more wicked, he could have easily cursed Zhang Xuezhou to death with a large amount of blood.

However, Zhang Xuezhou possessed the antidote, leaving Hongku with no choice but to transform his spell control and killing into communication.

He even had to help Zhang Xuezhou.

After all, the Western Kunlun Holy Land was not a place he could go to whenever he wanted. Given his and Venerable Lei's current state, the two of them lacked the ability to act recklessly in the Western Kunlun Holy Land.

"His medical skills are no match for him!"

Sensing that Hongku was still kneeling outside, Daojun pondered for a long time before finally confirming it.

"True Spirit Realm cultivators lack sufficient knowledge and cannot achieve rapid cultivation. Being trapped in the Eternal Mountain and River Formation requires not only the ability to locate burial sites through physiognomy but also the skill of feng shui formations to find and break the formation. He doesn't meet the requirements for survival in tomb raiding!"

After pondering for a few seconds, Daojun continued his analysis.

Even if he meets certain conditions and can learn rapidly within a few days, people will eventually get hungry and thirsty, leading to exhaustion. Even if the tomb's formation stops functioning, he will be powerless to break through the tomb chamber!

"Then... there's still some hope!"

The Daoist Lord had decided on life and death, and Hongku could not refute it, since the conditions the Daoist Lord had set were all real and difficult obstacles.

But the antidote lies with Zhang Xuezhou.

If the condition cannot be resolved in Western Kunlun, his only hope for recovery rests on Zhang Xuezhou.

This forced him to help.

"Please, Daoist Lord, help him!" Hongku kowtowed and said, "Hongku asks for nothing else but that he can master the art of physiognomy. This would at least allow him to take the first step out of the Great Array of Eternal Mountain and River."

"Very well, things should be done one step at a time," Daojun agreed. "If you want to find some ancient Fuxi methods here to help him learn, then come in directly!"

Daojun finally agreed, which made Hongku three more times before he walked step by step toward the Sacred Mountain secret place he had never set foot in before.