I Accumulate Spirit Roots for My Next Life

Chapter 255: Chapter 155: Venerable of the Infinite

Celestial Secret City, located within the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, is a powerful faction renowned alongside five other sects such as the Five Poison Sect and Yin Corpse Sect.

It is founded on puppetry, having achieved remarkable mastery in this art, producing many orthodox puppetry skills.

However, it is not accepted by the outside world because it has long gone astray.

In this realm, puppetry once involved merely the combination of artifact refining and Divine Soul during the ancient times. As the years passed, some genius madmen with ingenious ideas put them into practice.

The technique of fusing demon cores and demon pills into puppets originates from Celestial Secret City tens of thousands of years ago.

However, simply fusing demon cores and demon pills could no longer satisfy their fervent research enthusiasm.

Eventually, they set their sights on cultivators’ cores and even Nascent Souls.

Terrifyingly, they actually succeeded.

Li Jizhou speculated that it might be near Celestial Secret City, but the Swift Puppet was already too far away. Even with his late stage Core Formation Divine Sense, he could only connect to its vision through the Divine Soul Mark imprinted within, but controlling it was impossible.

He was worried that a passing Puppet Master might discover it.

After all, it was a meticulously crafted puppet made from quasi-fourth tier materials, fused with a celestial-level divine ability, and incorporated with Ghost Shadow Cold Gold to shield Divine Sense.

It would be distressing if someone picked it up and erased the Divine Soul Mark.

“This guy doesn’t seem in any hurry!” Helplessly, he withdrew from the Swift Puppet’s vision and reconnected to Guagua’s vision.

Guagua was still darting around the swamp, and in the short times Li Jizhou connected his Divine Soul Mark, he witnessed it devouring several mid-tier three medicinal herbs growing under the black water of the swamp.

It didn’t have any intention of bringing them back to Li Jizhou.

Li Jizhou could only stare helplessly.

Neither Guagua nor the Swift Puppet were the same as the Doppelgänger Puppet.

The former had Li Jizhou’s Divine Soul Mark, needing to be within the range of Divine Sense for manipulation or communication through Divine Sense.

The latter was soul-linked through secret skill and contained his own Divine Soul Seed, similar to another container for the Divine Soul. As long as it was on this land, Li Jizhou could awaken the seed and make his Divine Soul descend into it, considered a clever trick for a Nascent Soul level’s initial involvement in creating an external incarnation.

Thus, the current Swift Puppet and Guagua were actually beyond Li Jizhou’s control, and he could only briefly connect to their vision through the Divine Soul Mark, but not control or transmit messages.

“I should bring back the Doppelgänger Puppet first!” Li Jizhou sighed.

Because the Doppelgänger Puppet was occupied by a part of Li Jizhou’s soul, it was akin to Li Jizhou’s Divine Sense being nearby when it neared the puppet or Guagua.

Fortunately, the Doppelgänger Puppet wasn’t too far away and hadn’t exceeded the range of Li Jizhou’s Divine Sense to control Ghost Shadow.

Li Jizhou carefully controlled Ghost Shadow to swiftly fly toward the Doppelgänger Puppet, not daring to be careless.

Although Ghost Shadow was powerful, the farther away it was, the weaker Li Jizhou’s Divine Sense control became, reducing the effectiveness.

“Fellow Daoist Huang, this is a rare opportunity; don’t miss it!” Shortly after sending off Liu Hongling, another visitor came knocking.

It was, once again, Master Tongshan from the diagonally opposite residence.

Since they first met three years ago, this person had persistently invited him to join the Immortal Seeking Team.

He had visited many times over the three years to persuade him.

Master Tongshan, an earth-element spell cultivator at the early stage of Core Formation, also practiced Body Refining, reaching mid-Tier Three Body Refining.

He was powerful, once withstanding an ordinary late stage Core Formation cultivator and retreating unharmed.

He had once shown Li Jizhou the physical strength of his mid-Tier Three Body Refining, comparable to Li Jizhou’s current Fourth Layer Spiritual Sand Body Refining Skill.

Li Jizhou was already well aware of this.

From the Sacred Land in the Central Domain, only the Saint Heir could practice the Spiritual Sand Body Refining Skill, which had no corresponding Body Refining grades, only its original Cultivation Technique from first to ninth layer.

Initially, Li Jizhou thought that the so-called first to ninth layers corresponded to Body Refining grades.

He eventually realized this was not the case; when he cultivated the Body Refining Skill to the Fourth Layer, if it corresponded to fourth tier Body Refining, it should match a Nascent Soul level Mana Shield, but it only matched a middle stage Core Formation level Mana Shield.

Until he received Ye Jingyu’s True Flame Hundred Forgings in the Fire Domain, during the process of tempering, his flesh in the Fourth Layer Body Refining was further refined and sublimated, he finally understood that the Spiritual Sand Body Refining Skill he had been practicing was incomplete and must have a matching Cultivation Technique; otherwise, the trained body would appear strong but would, at most, have one-tenth to two-tenths of its intended power.

Based on the results of his five tempers in the Fire Domain, if the Fourth Layer of the Spiritual Sand Body Refining Skill were fully refined, it might indeed correspond to the Nascent Soul level Mana Shield of fourth tier Body Refining.

Unfortunately, after five temperings, the Fourth Layer Body Refining Skill could no longer be refined, and Li Jizhou sensed that without a supporting method, it was basically impossible.

And if he aimed to covet the core method of that body cultivation Sacred Land in the Central Domain, it would be tantamount to seeking his death.

Even when Li Jizhou was cultivating the Body Refining Skill to the Fourth Layer, the vague sensation and the conjecture of proving Tao with the physical body made him hesitant to continue this Body Refining Skill.

After all, with a sense of heaven and earth, it was hard to avoid being perceived by that body cultivation Sacred Land in the Central Domain.

“Fellow Daoist Huang, this is truly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity; if missed, it will be a lifelong regret!” Tongshan stressed earnestly upon entering.

Li Jizhou smiled and nodded: “Fellow Daoist Tongshan’s words, I trust entirely. However, I don’t consider myself very fortunate, and the greater the opportunity, the less I dare to hope for it.”

“Fellow Daoist Huang! Only those who enter the abyss can see the true dragon!” Tongshan expressed frustration, pounding his chest and shaking his head.

He then secretly transmitted a message: “This matter should only be shared with team members, but today I’ll make an exception and give you some information early. Are you familiar with the Venerable of the Infinite?”

Li Jizhou kept a poker face without any reaction.

However, within his heart, waves had already arisen.

Because this name was a taboo!

If he hadn’t happened across a dilapidated ancient text containing a few words, he wouldn’t have this knowledge.

According to the ancient text, the Venerable of the Infinite was the one with the greatest potential to transcend to the Immortal Realm in the last hundred thousand years in Celestial Profound Continent’s current post-ancient era,

But, born at the wrong time.

His lifespan couldn’t support the wear off of the Celestial Dao imprint of the previous Immortal Emperor who transcended, always unable to usher in the Celestial Tribulation for ascension.

In his twilight years, he did something intolerable to all the high figures of this realm.

Although he eventually ushered in his tribulation, it was not the ascension tribulation, but the Celestial Punishment.

Despite his unparalleled genius and invincibility, he couldn’t withstand the Celestial Punishment.

In the end, he was severely injured by the Great Dao, his path broken, his life in peril.

Furthermore, he was attacked collectively, and in his dying moments, he burned his Dao seed, using his crafted Wuji Immortal Palace as his burial ground.

Ultimately, the Immortal Palace retreated into the earth’s veins, drifting beneath the core, evading the covetous eyes of high figures.

Of course, there are many versions, claiming the reason he was attacked was not due to heinous deeds,

but because he, invincible and unable to transcend, attempted to gather the world’s forces to attack the Celestial Dao, collecting numerous supreme weapons.

Among them is even the legendary Central State’s supreme treasure Nine Dragon Tripod, as well as a quasi-immortal artifact left by an Eastern Desolation ascension-era Immortal Emperor, and the demon race’s divine weapon Eastern Emperor Bell!

No matter the version, the final result was that the elites of each domain failed to capture the Wuji Immortal Palace, unable to seize the Venerable of the Infinite’s treasures.

This undoubtedly enraged the high figures.

Since then, the Venerable of the Infinite’s name was listed as a taboo by the elites of each domain! Gradually fading into the river of time.