Chapter 48: Rejuvenation, Secluded Breakthrough

One year had passed since Jiuyou refined the Ten-Thousand-Year Life-Extending Fruit.

Deep within the Soul Wraith Great Hall, inside his cave abode.

Jiuyou had changed into a loose black-gray robe and sat cross-legged in the center of the cave. He finally exhaled a long breath of turbid air, his aura lingering like silk, slow to dissipate.

By now, the medicinal power of the Ten-Thousand-Year Life-Extending Fruit inside him had been thoroughly refined and completely absorbed.

He slowly opened his eyes.

In his cloudy aged eyes, for the first time there was a hint of something different. He raised his hand and held it before his face to examine it carefully. He saw that his fingers had somehow become long, fair, and smooth like a youth’s, no longer covered with the old calluses and withered wrinkles from before.

Jiuyou slowly stood and walked to a pool of water in the cave.

He looked down.

The water was like a mirror, reflecting a handsome, pale, youthful face: sword-like brows, bright eyes, skin like congealed cream. Only the faint sinister light in the eyes revealed that this person was by no means benevolent.

This was the face of a young man.

It was how he had looked in his youth.

Jiuyou let out a cold laugh, and the youth in the pool returned a grim smile. His fingertips trembled slightly as he brushed the surface of the pool, then touched his smooth cheeks—cheeks that no longer bore the deep wrinkles of old age.

His breathing involuntarily quickened.

"Life... life increased by eight hundred... rejuvenation!"

His voice quivered with every word.

Jiuyou staggered backward a few steps, then struck his own cheeks hard with both palms, repeatedly feeling his hands and neck to confirm the smoothness that belonged only to youth.

"Ha ha ha—"

Jiuyou laughed out loud, the sound echoing through the cave with both thrill and madness.

"Yes, this old man really has become young again! I never thought I could defy heaven and change fate, extend my life by eight hundred years! With the remaining lifespan I already had, I can easily live for over a thousand years!"

The sinister light in his eyes flared, his fists clenched tightly.

"With so much lifespan, it's not just Mid-Nascent Soul stage that's possible, even Late Nascent Soul, or reaching that level, is not out of the question!"

His laughter slowly died down as Jiuyou took a deep breath, forcing down the excitement in his heart.

He raised his right hand and placed it on his face, wiping downward lightly.

A flash of spiritual light appeared in his palm as the Face-Altering Technique unfolded. In no time, the handsome youthful face in the pool was covered by a layer of withered old skin, and he returned to his previous elder appearance.

No hurry.

If someone discovered him suddenly young, even a fool could guess that the Ten-Thousand-Year Life-Extending Fruit had fallen into his hands. At that point, it wouldn’t be only him in danger—probably the whole Soul Wraith Island would...

Jiuyou did not dare to think further. In one flash he disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Outside the Soul Wraith Great Hall.

Canfeng scratched his head, staring at the Storage Pouch in his hands with curiosity, though he didn’t dare to open it without permission. He paced back and forth at the hall entrance, murmuring to himself.

"I wonder how long the patriarch plans to seclude himself this time..."

He rubbed his hands together and intended to wait a little longer. Over these past six months he had come dozens of times, each time waiting half a day outside the hall out of fear of disturbing the patriarch's seclusion.

At that moment,

a flash of azure light.

Jiuyou’s figure appeared before him in an instant, without warning, silent and unseen.

Canfeng was startled, his body stiffening. Only after sensing his master’s familiar and terrifying aura did he exhale in relief, his face immediately filling with a smile as he hurried forward.

"Congratulations on the patriarch’s emergence from seclusion, for the great advancement in cultivation, you are only one step away from Mid-Nascent Soul!"

Jiuyou remained expressionless and only glanced at him faintly, nodding slightly.

"Enough with the useless flattery. You come to my hall every day—do you have some important matter?"

Canfeng quickly shook his head, then bowed and stepped closer, offering the Storage Pouch with both hands respectfully.

"No, no. Heh heh, Patriarch, this was sent by people from Endless Island six months ago. Your grandson feared disturbing your seclusion, so I kept it for now. Rest assured, patriarch, I never opened it—the Prohibition Mark on the pouch remains intact."

Jiuyou took the Storage Pouch and probed it with Divine Sense; the Prohibition Mark was indeed intact. Then with a slight thought, his divine awareness silently slipped inside.

The Storage Pouch was empty except for two items.

One was a jade box containing the Myriad Spirit Pill. The pill was milky white with faint pill-patterns flowing across its surface, emitting a refreshing medicinal fragrance that hinted at its extraordinariness even through the jade box.

The other was a platinum-colored shell, palm-sized, translucent and jade-like, faintly radiating spiritual light. Jiuyou’s divine sense swept over it and immediately knew its power was not ordinary—clearly a high-grade defensive ancient relic.

A trace of satisfaction and surprise flickered in his eyes, but his face remained impassive as he nodded slightly.

"Well done."

He tucked the Storage Pouch into his sleeve and changed the subject.

"By the way, how has Gu Qing been this past year?"

Canfeng quickly turned his head and pointed northward, his tone carrying a hint of seeking credit.

"Patriarch, rest assured! Under my supervision, that kid has behaved himself all year and dared not act recklessly. I’ve also checked the insects he’s raising—each one’s spiritual radiance is complete. They look chilling to behold; it won’t be long before they produce the Soul-Eating Insects’ eggs."

"Oh? Good." Jiuyou’s tone carried approval as his Divine Sense swept toward that direction.

In no time, he "saw" the newly opened cave abode. The furnishings were simple but tidy, all tools arranged neatly.

Gu Qing sat cross-legged in a corner, several Spirit Insect Pouches placed before him.

He formed hand seals, and a faint purple spiritual light flowed from his fingertips into the pouches. The pouch mouths trembled slightly, and a faint buzzing could be heard—the Soul-Eating Insects were absorbing the spiritual energy he injected. Their purple glow flickered, clearly well cared for.

Clearly, he had not been idle this past year; he had been both raising the insects and training diligently.

Jiuyou took all of it in and a faint smile curved his lips.

"Not bad, the kid knows how to behave."

He withdrew his divine awareness, turned to Canfeng, and his expression grew serious.

"Canfeng, I will seclude myself to break into Mid-Nascent Soul. This seclusion will require at least decades of arduous cultivation. During this time you are to take full charge of matters on the island."

Canfeng bowed immediately and replied solemnly.

"Yes! Patriarch, rest assured. Your grandson will spare no effort and will ensure no trouble befalls the island!"

Jiuyou nodded slightly and added,

"Dan Xuanzi gave you a bottle of pills within the secret realm that can help you break through Late Golden Core. After I begin seclusion and break through, you should consume the pill and use the opportunity to push past your bottleneck."

A glimmer of joy passed through Canfeng’s eyes as he nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you for your concern, Patriarch! Your grandson will not betray your expectations!"

Jiuyou said no more. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked deeper into the hall.

Canfeng stood respectfully in place until that gaunt back had completely disappeared into the darkness before straightening. He clutched the Storage Pouch, his eyes burning with fervor.

Late Golden Core...

The day he had waited for had finally arrived.

Deep within the Soul Wraith Great Hall, inside the cave.

Thick stone doors closed, one after another, heavy thuds echoing down the tunnel. Jiuyou stepped slowly into the center of the cave. Array formations around him activated layer by layer, runes flowing, spiritual light intertwining, isolating this patch of space from the outside world once more.

He took from his waist a Storage Pouch he had already prepared and the one from his sleeve, sweeping them gently.

Several treasures floated before him.

The three eighth-level beast pills emitted a cold, eerie glow. The Tranquility Herb’s scent was faint, lingering, and a number of pills to replenish magical power were neatly arranged.

Also on display were the Myriad Spirit Pill and that platinum shell, which he set aside for the moment. That item wasn’t urgent; it could wait until after the breakthrough.

Jiuyou sat cross-legged and surveyed the possessions he had accumulated over the years, thinking silently.

His cultivation essence was purer than any peer.

He had devoured Old Ghost Qingshan’s Nascent Soul root, his spirit greatly enlarged, the bottleneck long loosened.

He had the Ten-Thousand-Year Life-Extending Fruit as a foundation, dramatically increasing his lifespan. His body vitality surged, his qi and blood vigorous as the sea. He had the Tranquility Herb to calm the mind and dispel distractions, protecting him from inner demons.

Besides that, there was the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk to restore magical power; the Myriad Spirit Pill to break through the bottleneck; the like-element eighth-level beast pills...

Hundreds of years of accumulation and countless fortunes had come together, waiting for this day.

"If successful, there will be boundless horizons, extended lifespan, and reaching the Divine Transformation realm will not be mere wishful thinking."

"Failure—"

Jiuyou did not finish the thought, only sneered.

He never planned for failure.

Jiuyou closed his eyes and tuned his state to its peak.

One day, two days, three days...

He sat quietly in the cave center, breathing long and steady. His magical power circulated slowly through his meridians like trickling streams, neither rushed nor impatient. He waited for the moment his spiritual platform would be at its clearest.

On the tenth day,

Jiuyou suddenly opened his eyes.

A great surge of sinister light flared in them. The clarity in his eyes held no trace of decay; instead, it burned like fierce flames—ambition and resolve blazing.

"Begin."

He formed hand seals and his magical power roared into motion.

The three eighth-level beast pills rose and hovered above his head, slowly rotating. The pure spiritual energy within the pills poured down like a waterfall, enveloping him. Blue-tinged spiritual light flickered in the cave.

He ignited the Tranquility Herb; a wisp of greenish smoke curled up and entered his nostrils. Jiuyou felt his consciousness become crystalline clear, his mind washed clean as if by water, without the slightest distraction.

In his dantian, the Nascent Soul opened its eyes. Jiuyou’s hands formed the same seals, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy flooding into his body.

Within the cave, spiritual radiance surged like a tide, energy waves rolling.

Jiuyou’s robe fluttered, his jet-black hair lifted in the stirring power.

His aura began to climb slowly...