Qi Cultivation Starting from the Repair Panel

The Underground Palace never saw the light of day, apart from clusters of ghostly fire, not a glimmer of brightness, extremely cold and dark.

Under the watchful eyes of numerous Yin Gods, Jian Shier led Chu Zheng forward until they approached the most central hall.

The hall's doors were tightly sealed, engraved with dragon relief carvings, lifelike as if they were living creatures. The eyes of the dragons had been removed, leaving hollow voids.

"This place is the core of the Great Tomb; just beyond here lies the resting place of the Taoist Master,"

Jian Shier explained succinctly, his expression solemn. He bowed in front of the hall doors and extended a pitch-black command token with his hand.

The command token transformed into a streak of light and entered within the hall.

Boom—

A moment later, the tightly shut hall doors slowly opened, releasing a dull, musty air that had been sealed for ages, carrying with it a cold, chilling breeze.

As the wind brushed past him, Chu Zheng's heart tightened, his spiritual perception alerted to an overpowering oppressive force.

Before he could gather his wits, Jian Shier had already stepped into the hall.

Inside the hall was pitch black, one could not see their own fingers, but for cultivators like Chu Zheng and Jian Shier, night and day had long since ceased to bear any difference.

On a hall wall not far to the side, there hung a painting nearly as tall as a man and over ten zhang long, which drew Chu Zheng's gaze the moment he stepped through the doors.

The painting seemed to contain another universe, encompassing a vast and boundless galaxy. Within it, points of starlight shone, blood-colored mists pervaded, and faint sounds of slaughter echoed.

The interior of the hall was simply arranged; a pitch-black lotus platform stood at the center, surrounded by twelve treasure banners, each imprinted with ferocious likenesses of rakshasa ghost-gods.

Upon the lotus platform sat a shadowy figure, shrouded in black mist, emanating an aura that Chu Zheng found somewhat familiar.

A flash of spiritual light in Chu Zheng's eyes captured a snippet of information.

[Gongyi Zi Yu (Ninth Order): A residual soul transformed into a Yin God. A fragment of soul from the battlefield fell into the Vast Universe. Reborn into a True Spirit, later joined Lingtian Mansion, rising to the rank of Great Commander, second only to the Pavilion Master.]

A creature from the Vast Universe?!

Chu Zheng's heart shook violently; he hadn't imagined he would come into contact with a creature from the Vast Universe so soon.

No wonder he had felt a familiar aura from this person; this Qi originated from the evil demons of the Vast Universe, which he had encountered more than once within the Cangyun Realm.

This was a Supreme Being capable of contending with an Immortal King, no less than Shang Cangyun whom he had previously encountered.

However, Shang Cangyun's cultivation had since advanced further, presumably much stronger than this Great Commander.

Apart from the Great Commander himself, both his lotus platform and those twelve treasure banners were Supreme Treasures of the Ninth Order, far surpassing True Immortal Artifacts, warrior implements of Immortal King Level.

A series of information made Chu Zheng's eyes slightly blur.

"Great Commander,"

Jian Shier bowed respectfully and stepped aside to reveal Chu Zheng behind him, slowly saying, "During his earlier tribulation, he called down five strikes of Heavenly Thunder. Observing that this man is a talent ripe for shaping, I thus recommend him, disturbing the Great Commander's tranquility—for which I hope to be forgiven."

In his cold tone was hidden a hint of barely repressed excitement; the stronger the talent, the more advantageous it would be for the Taoist Master in the future, and he too might receive recognition and advance further.

A gaze landed on Chu Zheng. In an instant, Chu Zheng felt as if his Dantian and insides were completely transparent, with nowhere to hide.

"His passing through the Heavenly Tribulation has nothing to do with talent,"

The Great Commander spoke slowly, his voice crisp and pleasing to the ear, like pearls rolling on a jade disk, the sound of shattered jade from Kunshan.

Such a cadence sounded like an ancient ballad, not of the human world, a melody that could be called the sound of nature.

Upon hearing this, Chu Zheng almost seemed bewildered.

Crack—

As the voice faded, the figure on the Lotus Platform moved lightly, accompanied by the soft clanking of armor.

Several breaths later, the Great Commander approached the two, the black mist wrapping around him like windblown sand, gradually dispersing to reveal his true face.

Chu Zheng lifted his head for a look and felt a hint of surprise. Gongyi Zi Yu appeared to be merely an ordinary young woman. In her early twenties, she had an elegantly tall figure and a delicate face, exceedingly pale, lacking even the slightest hint of blood color. Her hair was neatly tied back, and there was a certain majesty in her presence.

"His talent is indeed exceptional, but it's not once in eternity. The abnormality of the Heavenly Tribulation originates from the Qi-refining Technique he practices. His foolhardy challenge against the heavens has led to divine punishment."

Gongyi Zi Yu spoke slowly, her gaze revealing that she recognized the Qi-refining Technique within Chu Zheng and identified the source of the Heavenly Tribulation.

But it seemed she had not perceived the whereabouts of Chu Zheng's true self; otherwise, her reaction at this moment would be different.
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If the Eternal Calamity Treasure Record could be detected so easily, transforming to survive the tribulations would scarcely be effective.

If it couldn't deceive living creatures, how could it deceive heaven?

Gongyi Zi Yu scrutinized Chu Zheng a few more times, then suddenly raised her hand and brushed across Chu Zheng's cheek. Golden hairs fell away, revealing a slightly greenish face beneath.

She gazed intently at Chu Zheng's face, her brow slightly furrowed, puzzlement apparent:

"You... bear a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine."

Hearing this, Chu Zheng's eyes sharpened. He didn't miss this rare opportunity and ventured with some probing, "Great Commander, could this acquaintance of yours be Daoist Venerable Zheng Chu?"

As his cultivation of the Qi-refining Technique progressed, his face was now likely not much different from his original appearance.

The ancient temple that stood against the long stream of years, along with this Great Commander's words, made it difficult for him not to ponder deeper.

"Daoist Venerable Zheng Chu... that does sound somewhat familiar."

Gongyi Zi Yu fell into thought, then turned and walked toward a hanging scroll on the side.

As the distance between them closed, the shouting and killing from the painting grew louder, mixed with the thunderous booms of exploding stars, piercing the eardrums.

Chu Zheng stepped closer, his eyes suddenly reflecting a starry battlefield. In the next instant, the great hall vanished without a trace, leaving him standing alone upon a meteorite, surrounded by divine halos and Immortal Light.

Shadowy, terrifying figures whose faces were indiscernible battled at the top of the starry river. With every movement, star domains collapsed, and Great Realms shattered.

The invisible force of Heavenly Fate intertwined above the dome of the starry sky, waxing and waning.

Without a doubt, this was a Dao War, involving peak individuals from many Taoist Orthodoxies.

Chu Zheng was captivated by what he saw until suddenly, a ray of Spiritual Light swept past, shattering the scene before him into fragments. He stepped back instinctively, and as his vision dimmed, the great hall reappeared. The scroll hung nearby, and the shouting and killing sounds had also vanished without a trace.

"Past events have become hazy to me. What you just witnessed was the final scene before my death, which I painted after my True Spirit awakened, in order to seek traces left from my past life."

Gongyi Zi Yu turned her head to look at Chu Zheng: "Did you discern anything just now?"

Chu Zheng concentrated, recalling the scene, then shook his head somewhat helplessly after a while. Once he entered the painting, his Spiritual Eye lost its effectiveness, and it was difficult to see any subtle clues.

The worlds he had witnessed were still too narrow.

"Your memory also has gaps. Perhaps there will be hope for mending in the future. What you don't understand now, maybe you will in the days to come."

Gongyi Zi Yu was not concerned, waved her hand indicating for Jian Shier to escort Chu Zheng away.

As the doors closed again, a reminder was heard:

"Continue with your Qi-refining Technique, but know that your path in cultivation cannot last long. It would be best to stop sooner."