The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 10

Chapter 1: Torture

Li Xun was no fool driven by instinct. For the next few days, he no longer practiced rashly. Instead, he pored over countless texts, drawing on Lin Ge’s insights and experiences. He deduced dozens of optimal solutions, then further integrated them, hoping to find a more stable and solid method.

This time, it took only ten days for Li Xun to find his answer.

On the evening of the day he agreed to visit Shan Zhi at Guanxia Peak to enjoy the scenery, Li Xun once again completed the “Golden Elixir True Qi Locking Structure”—the name he had given his masterpiece in a fit of childish whimsy.

After returning from Guanxia Peak, he didn’t hesitate a moment to consolidate his completed system. Then, he sat in his quiet room, observing his inner thoughts, thoroughly examining the flow of qi within his body, silently awaiting the arrival of his daily pain.

Finally, at a certain moment, his heart twitched softly, and then thousands of thin streams of qi suddenly burst out, piercing the blood vessels and veins connecting to his heart.

At that moment, the “Golden Core True Qi Locking Structure” trembled violently, and several links even showed signs of cracking. A portion of the True Qi began to surge.

The next moment, the Yin Fire within the heart’s orifice burst forth with a roar. This force collided with the entire system, instantly destroying the previously unstable links. Naturally, this portion of True Qi lost control and began to surge wildly within the body.

“It’s not over yet!”

This situation was exactly as Li Xun had expected. The fact that the entire system hadn’t collapsed instantly like last time was a testament to the progress he had made over the past few days, and this boosted his confidence.

While striving to maintain the integrity of the system, he also began to gather the uncontrolled True Qi. Thanks to over a month of dedicated practice, his control over the Golden Core within him had greatly improved. His skill in gathering the Qi was perfect, and the scattered True Qi began to be absorbed into the system again.

But the difficult stage had just begun.

Li Xun knew that after more than ten days of preparation, withstanding the initial attack would be easy. But the real difficulty lay in the ensuing protracted battle, which lasted half an incense stick of time.

Maintaining such a delicate and fragile system during this time was incredibly difficult!

Time had never passed so slowly as it did now.

One-third of the entire system had already been destroyed, and as the percentage of damage increased, the rate of collapse accelerated. Li Xun had steadied his failing will countless times, repeatedly, almost in vain, propping up the fragile, precarious system.

The damage inflicted by the escaping True Qi was a hundred times greater than that inflicted by the Blood Nightmare, but it was manageable. What

truly frustrated him was the Blood Nightmare’s slow yet steady suction, which he simply couldn’t withstand.

Even if he could refine every meridian and acupoint in his body to an iron wall, they would still be shattered by the thin threads of the Blood Nightmare. He could only watch helplessly as his painstakingly cultivated energy was sucked away. The feeling was utterly nauseating.

To replenish his lost vital energy, he doubled down on drawing upon the Yin Fire’s abundant vitality. Perhaps the truest reward in this process was witnessing the Blood Nightmare’s full activity for the first time, recognizing its treacherous power for the first time.

After forcing himself to resist the pressure of the scattered True Qi, the Blood Nightmare and Yin Fire quickly retreated, leaving behind a shattered mess.

As before, the Blood Nightmare and Yin Fire were merely triggers; the true destroyer was the uncontrolled True Qi.

Now came the moment when both willpower and skill were truly required.

An unknown amount of time passed, perhaps as Li Xun bled from all seven orifices and his skin capillaries ruptured, when a complete and stable “Golden Core True Qi Locking Construct” was once again formed within him, rapidly repairing his body.

Li Xun finally opened his eyes, wiped the dried blood from the corners of his swollen eyes, and couldn’t help but smile triumphantly. He glanced

at the hourglass beside him. But at that moment, his smile froze—a full twelve hours had already passed. In other words, the next “Blood Nightmare Gnawing at the Heart” could begin at any time!

He closed his eyes in despair and groaned.