Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect
Chapter 73: Death and Rebirth

“Foundation Establishment cultivators lay the foundation of the Great Dao, tempering their physical bodies to refine their mortal essence. When the six senses become empty and still, form is refined into Qi, and the five Qi ascend to the origin. With the three Yang energies converging at the crown, when the cultivation is complete and form is forgotten, the Immortal Embryo naturally transforms. When Yin is exhausted and Yang is pure, an external body is formed, allowing one to transcend the mortal shell and ascend to immortality, entering sainthood and forever departing from the mundane world.”

Inside the cave dwelling, Lü Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, silently comprehending.

“The process of Foundation Establishment varies across different cultivation methods, but regardless of the approach, the actual steps are not significantly different.”

That is, using one's own true Qi as the foundation to support the sea of consciousness and refine the form to ascend.

For instance, the 『Nine Transformations Dragon Art』 he cultivated, upon perfection, could refine third-grade true Qi known as 'True Dragon Qi'.

Furthermore, the more advanced Foundation Establishment method, the 『Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Scroll』, explicitly described how to use the True Dragon Fiend to complete the refinement and ascension.

This highlighted the importance of the grade of true Qi.

If the grade of true Qi was insufficient, one might be unable to lift the sea of consciousness or might exhaust their strength halfway through the ascension, resulting in a catastrophic fall with no burial place.

The entire process of Foundation Establishment was essentially a path of ascension.

And the endpoint of this ascension path was the 'Foundation Establishment Realm'.

Upon realizing this, Lü Yang couldn't help but exclaim, “Foundation Establishment Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, it turns out it's not referring to a state but to a place!”

That being said, ascension was merely the first step.

When a cultivator lifted their sea of consciousness and fully ascended into the Foundation Establishment Realm, they had to begin constructing their own Immortal Foundation to ensure they could remain in the realm.

This was another significant challenge.

Ordinary cultivators, even after completing the ascension step, often exhausted their own resources, resulting in a barely stable Immortal Foundation.

The consequence was an unstable Immortal Foundation, unable to withstand the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Realm, leading to a sudden collapse.

Failure in ascension might still leave hope for survival, but the collapse of the Immortal Foundation meant certain death for the cultivator. Luo Wuya likely fell at this hurdle.

It was important to note that when a cultivator ascended to the Foundation Establishment Realm and began constructing the Immortal Foundation, not only was a solid cultivation base required, but countless demonic thoughts would also arise spontaneously. If the Dao heart was not firm and the mind wavered, one would inevitably be influenced by these demonic thoughts. Even with a deep foundation, it would be to no avail.

“Truly, every step is fraught with difficulty.”

After organizing the process of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Lü Yang committed the contents, secrets, and various key points of the 『Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Scroll』 to memory.

Immediately afterward, he took out the Ascension Token and began channeling energy into it.

In the next moment, the Ascension Token transformed into a stream of light and entered his sea of consciousness, illuminating his mind and making his entire body feel ethereal and transcendent.

Closing his eyes, Lü Yang instantly entered a meditative state.

Within his dantian, a strand of true Qi manifested, sprouting wooden limbs, scales, claws, teeth, and whiskers, eventually transforming into a lifelike True Dragon.

Boom!

With a loud roar, this True Dragon departed from the dantian, traveled upward through the Ren and Du meridians, passed through the Crimson Palace, entered the Purple Mansion, and directly reached the depths of the sea of consciousness!

Immediately, Lü Yang felt a great light before him.

The originally vast and seemingly inexhaustible true Qi now poured out like a floodgate opened, transforming into an indescribable force that propelled his sea of consciousness to gradually ascend!

“Fortunately, I have this Ascension Token.”

Lü Yang's mind was clear.

Supporting the sea of consciousness to ascend was no easy task.

Originally, there should have been nine layers of heavenly barriers obstructing the path, each requiring significant expenditure of vital energy to overcome.

However, with the Ascension Token bestowed by True Person Yinshan, all nine heavenly barriers opened completely, making his ascension path smooth and unimpeded.

More importantly, he was not ascending from the very bottom.

“Because I have cultivated the 'Saint Thief', I already possess a certain status. Strictly speaking, I started ascending from mid-air.”

Thus, the ascension journey was shortened by a small segment.

Although it seemed minor, it could very well be the final straw that breaks the camel's back, saving Lü Yang considerable effort.

The Saint Thief and the Ascension Token each resolved a tribulation on Lü Yang's ascension path, while the third-grade 'True Dragon Qi' provided a sufficiently deep foundation, allowing him to ascend into the Foundation Establishment Realm step by step without worrying about depleting his true Qi midway.

In this manner, after an indeterminate amount of time.

Lü Yang felt the brilliant light before him gradually dim, as if he had passed through a region, revealing an endless expanse in his field of vision.

Looking down, Lü Yang actually saw himself.

In addition, he saw Yinshan, the First Saint Demon Sect, the mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, and the myriad beings busy with their lives.

Or rather—the mortal world.

He had seen this scene once before, at Skull Mountain, when True Person Yinshan showed him a battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was the same spectacle.

However, at that time, his true spirit was ignorant, unable to discern the appearance of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, only perceiving their emitted magical light. If given another chance to observe, he should be able to see more clearly.

Indeed, at this moment, he could see a figure sitting cross-legged in the northwest direction, closest to him.

That was True Person Yinshan.

His Immortal Foundation was a black mountain. Although it stretched for thousands of miles, in the boundless Foundation Establishment Realm, it appeared extremely small.

Simultaneously, True Person Yinshan seemed to have noticed him.

In the next moment, a voice gently echoed:

“Focus your mind, do not be distracted.”

The voice, like a clear spring, washed over him, instantly cleansing Lü Yang's emotions. He suddenly realized, “Demonic thoughts have invaded, stirring my distractions!?”

Realizing this, Lü Yang dared not be negligent and immediately focused his attention on the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Now that the Saint Thief, Ascension Token, and third-grade true Qi had all been utilized to their fullest, the rest depended solely on himself.

Lü Yang began to gather his true Qi step by step, initiating the construction of the Immortal Foundation.

However, he quickly encountered a problem.

“Insufficient true Qi.”

That brief moment of distraction had caused a sudden loss of thirty percent of his true Qi, exacerbating the already limited supply, making it difficult to continue.

Helpless, Lü Yang had to reduce the scale of the Immortal Foundation.

The size of the Immortal Foundation often corresponded to the potential, cultivation, and magical power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

By reducing its scale, he was sacrificing future prospects for the sake of breaking through.

He continued to cut down until it was half the original size, and only then was the true Qi barely sufficient.

But in the next moment, Lü Yang saw True Person Yinshan suddenly rise and stride toward him, emitting a sinister laugh:

“Not bad, not bad, the Immortal Foundation is established.”

“My efforts to assist you were not in vain. Now, the spiritual treasure in my hand lacks an Immortal Foundation to complete it. Junior Brother Lü, you truly live up to my expectations; you are an excellent talent!”

Before the words had even fallen, True Person Yinshan reached out his hand!

The familiar sensation, the familiar terror—Lü Yang had witnessed True Person Yinshan's actions before.

At this moment, the power displayed was identical to his memories.

Wait, identical?

“Something's not right!”

Lü Yang suddenly awoke.

In his memory, True Person Yinshan dealt with the Yun Clan ancestor. To handle him, there was no need for such a grand display; a mere glance would suffice.

This was an illusion!

In the next moment, Lü Yang's vision blurred. When he looked again, the demonic thoughts had dissipated, and True Person Yinshan remained seated in his original position, merely letting out a regretful sigh:

“It's a pity, Junior Brother.”

Lü Yang responded by lowering his head, only to see that the Immortal Foundation he had painstakingly constructed was now riddled with holes due to the momentary influence of demonic thoughts.

Seeing this, Lü Yang could only smile wryly, “Such suffering.”

Boom!

Before the words had even faded, the sound of the Immortal Foundation shattering echoed throughout the Foundation Establishment Realm, even triggering changes in the external celestial phenomena.

The wind howled mournfully, resembling the weeping of the heavens.

While committing this experience to memory, Lü Yang silently chanted in his heart:

“Book of a Hundred Lifetimes!”