Time flew by swiftly, and the years passed like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, thirty years had gone by once more.

When Lü Yang opened his eyes again, although his appearance showed no signs of aging, a strand of white had appeared amidst his once jet-black hair.

“In the blink of an eye, I’m already eighty years old.”

Although Qi Refining cultivators lived longer than ordinary people, their lifespan was only about one hundred and fifty years, not significantly longer; at eighty, he was already considered middle-aged.

In another twenty years, Zhao Xuhe’s Stealing Heaven’s Secrets would be unlocked.

“Although there’s no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime, once I master the Saintly Theft, I can attempt Foundation Establishment again to gain experience in advance.”

The path of Dao was within sight, the path of Dao was within sight.

Even the 『Taiyin Body-Shedding Corpse Liberation True Method』, after thirty years of secluded research, he had successfully developed a clever secret technique with the help of the Bright Dao Jade Slip.

“To truly cultivate the 『Taiyin Shedding Form Corpse Dissolution True Method』, one must experience ‘death before shedding’, but if I die, it will trigger the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes to restart. However, this ‘death’ isn’t absolute; the 『Taiyin Shedding Form Corpse Dissolution True Method』 doesn’t truly cause the cultivator to die.”

“The so-called ‘death’ actually refers only to the physical body.”

“After the physical body dies, it refines underground, claws and hair grow subtly, the corpse appears lifelike, and over time, it achieves the Dao. But for others, the death of the physical body is true death.”

“After all, the physical body is the vessel of the soul; once the body dies, the soul gradually dissipates, and death is only a matter of time.”

“However, conversely, as long as I keep my soul conscious while letting the physical body die, preventing the soul from dying, the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes won’t be triggered.”

“In this way, there might be an opportunity for ‘death before shedding’.”

This was the solution provided by the Bright Dao Jade Slip, and Lü Yang found it highly feasible; the only issue was the clever secret technique he had developed for this purpose.

“Although, according to the deductions of the Bright Dao Jade Slip, this secret technique is sufficient to stabilize my soul after the death of the physical body, I have never seen a soul that truly exists independently of the body. If I could witness it once and record it with the Bright Dao Jade Slip, having the data would perfect the secret technique.”

More importantly, Lü Yang knew that such existences did exist in the world.

Foundation Establishment True Persons!

Foundation Establishment True Persons have a natural lifespan of three hundred years, which is actually just the lifespan of the physical body; the soul’s lifespan is much longer, so they often choose to reincarnate after death.

Although after reincarnation, everything starts anew, and cultivation falls back to the Foundation Establishment level, there is no mystery of the womb; before the age of eight, they will inevitably awaken past memories, and thereafter, cultivation progresses rapidly. As long as they can reach Foundation Establishment again, they can gain another three hundred years of natural lifespan.

Of course, this cannot continue indefinitely.

Because each reincarnation consumes one’s achievements; if the Foundation Establishment True Person’s Dao practice doesn’t grow, they will only become weaker over time.

The first reincarnation is undoubtedly a prodigy.

The second reincarnation can still be outstanding among people.

By the third reincarnation, they become an ordinary genius.

By the fourth or fifth life, if the Foundation Establishment True Person’s cultivation hasn’t improved, they will completely become ordinary, no longer transcendent as before.

This is the so-called: the fruit of a True Person is severed after five lifetimes.

Moreover, after reincarnation, it’s not guaranteed to return to Foundation Establishment; once a True Person reincarnates, if they can’t suppress their fate, past karma will follow.

A slight mistake, and premature death is quite normal.

Therefore, every True Person is extremely cautious when reincarnating, concealing their fate, and rarely informing outsiders to avoid unexpected karmic tribulations.

Under such circumstances, how difficult is it to witness the reincarnated soul of a Foundation Establishment True Person?

Thinking of this, Lü Yang felt a headache again and had to temporarily set it aside, turning to calculate whether his grand plan of spreading the Dao had made any progress.

“Taiwei Talisman, decree of heavenly pardon.”

Lü Yang pinched his fingers and recited the incantation; the Taiwei Talisman divined the heavenly secrets, and his mind quickly immersed into the omnipresent karmic web of the world, beginning a keyword search.

Soon, corresponding information emerged in his mind:

“At the end of the Great Zhou dynasty, the emperor was tyrannical, and the people suffered; thus, the Heavenly Book appeared, divided into four volumes, scattered among the people, causing hidden dragons to rise across the land.”

“After the chaos settled, the four volumes of the Heavenly Book found their owners. One volume was held by the Haoran Academy, passed down through generations of scholars; one was obtained by the Hanging Temple, becoming the supreme scripture of Buddhism; one was annotated by the Celestial Master Mansion, serving as the token of successive Celestial Masters; only the last volume was lost among the common people, its whereabouts unknown.”

Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, the three schools divided the world, becoming the source of contemporary martial arts!

“Excellent, excellent!”

Lü Yang’s face showed joy, and he immediately activated the Saintly Theft. In the next moment, he felt a surge of overwhelming fate sweeping over him, instantly engulfing his body.

In an instant, Lü Yang’s body exploded.

However, miraculously, after the explosion, his body did not turn into flesh and blood but transformed into countless specks of dust, with Lü Yang’s consciousness residing at the center of the dust.

He could feel that each speck of his physical body’s dust was being tempered and refined by the burning fate.

Human worldly experiences refine the golden body of a saint!

After a long time, until the overwhelming fate was exhausted, the dust regrouped and reformed Lü Yang’s body.

However, this time, his body had undergone a tremendous transformation.

“Saintly Theft Golden Body, minor achievement!”

A gleam flashed in Lü Yang’s eyes; then he took a step, and in an instant, a terrifying ripple capable of shaking mountains spread out like waves!

Under the impact of this terrifying ripple, the cliff cave dwelling where Lü Yang was located seemed to experience an upheaval; rocks tumbled down as if an invisible storm was raging.

Countless fierce birds and beasts were startled, looking toward the mountain where Lü Yang was in seclusion, then fled in panic.

“…Feels pretty good.”

Lü Yang exhaled deeply, feeling for the first time the “solidity” of his body; now, he feared that his physical body alone could rival the late stage of Qi Refining!

However, in the next second, his expression turned solemn.

“According to Senior Brother Luo’s experience, the Saintly Theft uses the people of the world as resources, greatly damaging virtue. Minor achievement can still be muddled through, but major achievement will inevitably attract tribulations.”

“Many who cultivated the Saintly Theft failed because of this tribulation; the lucky ones could save their lives, while the unlucky ones, like that true disciple who was counter-killed by a native in the secret realm, died unexpectedly. But now I remain behind the scenes; who in the secret realm could become my tribulation?”

Thinking of this, Lü Yang couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.

Jiangnan, Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion.

Yun Zhiqiu stood on a pavilion, but compared to his heroic demeanor sixty years ago, he now looked like an old man nearing death.

At this moment, a flying letter broke through the air.

Yun Zhiqiu caught the letter and looked at it intently; his expression changed dramatically, and he immediately rode a light of escape, soon arriving at the ancestral home of the Yun family.

As soon as he entered, a young man with a sorrowful expression came out. Upon seeing Yun Zhiqiu, he cried out, “Granduncle, the patriarch is about to pass away. To see you one last time, he has already lit the Seven-Star Lamp. Once the lamp extinguishes, he will inevitably reincarnate. There’s not much time; please go in quickly to see him!”

“How could this be!” Yun Zhiqiu showed a sorrowful expression upon hearing this.

Besides that, there was also panic.

The Yun family patriarch, currently the only Foundation Establishment True Person in the Yun family, and the pillar of the Yun family in the Sword Pavilion for hundreds of years, had actually reached the end of this life!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep