124: Chapter 124 Subjugation

"It has been a long time since your Breakthrough to the Innate Realm. Have you encountered any obstacles in your cultivation?"

The First Commander raised his head and replied in a clear, sonorous voice, his tone respectful and sincere: "Reporting to Master! Thanks to the nourishment of the island's spiritual springs and spiritual materials, our Foundations are solid and stable, and our Origin Qi circulates smoothly without hindrance. We currently have no cultivation Bottlenecks. However, the Innate Realm focuses on accumulation and consolidation; making another Breakthrough in a short time is extremely difficult."

"No matter," Li Changqing said with a calm expression, slowly instructing, "In the Innate Realm, one must avoid impatience and rash advancement. Steady progress and the accumulation of depth are the Righteous Path. You two only need to stabilize your cultivation, lead everyone in diligent Martial Skill training, refine combat formations, and guard the outer defensive line of Xuanling Lake. That is fulfilling your duty."

"We shall respectfully obey Master's decree!" The two replied in unison, their voices shaking the martial arts arena.

All the Xuanling Guards on the field stopped and lined up, looking up in unison. Their dark, pure eyes were filled with absolute awe and loyalty.

Li Changqing scanned the entire field, his sharp gaze sweeping over every young yet determined face.

These youths had all been selected and survived from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They had long since severed all seven emotions and distracting thoughts; in their hearts, there was only the military order and loyalty to their Master's command. They were the most reliable force of dead soldiers.

His voice was steady, resounding throughout the entire martial arts arena: "The unit structure is complete, and the combat power has begun to take shape. In a few days, an Innate Peak Martial Artist who has mastered supreme poison arts will arrive on the island. He will personally teach you the ways of poison, and two compulsory courses will be added: poison identification and poison refining."

The Xuanling Guards were shaken upon hearing this, but not a single person made a sound or asked questions. They all silently committed the order to memory, waiting quietly for further arrangements.

A night passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, in the guest pavilion of Xuanling Island, Li Zifan bowed and led the way, bringing an old man inside to pay respects to Li Changqing.

The old man's hair and beard were sparse and white, his skin shriveled and wrinkled. His complexion had a dull, grayish-blue hue from years of immersion in potent poisons. His blood and Qi were weak and scattered, his vitality nearly exhausted. At a glance, he appeared to be in the twilight of his years, with his end imminent.

Yet, deep within those cloudy, aged eyes, hid a flame of obsession for the Martial Dao that refused to be extinguished—still sharp, its edge unblunted by the passage of time.

He was none other than Liu Yangfeng, the "Old Poison," a renowned master of poison arts among low-level Cultivators and Martial Artists in the area of Wangshan Town.

Upon entering the pavilion, Liu Yangfeng raised his head, his gaze immediately falling upon Li Changqing, who sat at the head of the room.

Having lived in Wangshan Town for a long time and experienced the beast tide, he naturally recognized this powerful Foundation Establishment Cultivator who guarded the region.

Even though he was decades older than the other, in the Cultivation World, status was always determined by cultivation level. Before the Great Dao, age was not worth mentioning.

Liu Yangfeng bowed his head in a respectful posture, his voice hoarse and dry, carrying the vicissitudes of time: "This old one, Liu Yangfeng, greets Senior Li."

Li Changqing sat on his chair, his expression calm as he quietly observed the old man before him. Without unnecessary pleasantries, he went straight to the point: "Liu Yangfeng, you have been trapped at the Innate Peak for fifty years. Is it true that your lifelong obsession is solely to achieve a Breakthrough to the True Essence Realm?"

The words struck his lifelong obsession, and Liu Yangfeng's aged body suddenly stiffened.

He was silent for a long time, complex emotions surging in his cloudy eyes. Finally, he slowly smiled bitterly, his voice full of exhaustion and unwillingness: "Senior speaks the truth. This old one has been obsessed with the Martial Dao his entire life, fixated on breaking through, but alas, heaven has not granted me the time. Now, my blood and Qi are declining, my Lifespan is coming to an end, and my time is near. I fear there is no chance to fulfill this dream in this lifetime."

He looked up at Li Changqing, his gaze cautious: "I do not know why Senior summoned this old one to the island. What is your intention?"

Li Changqing's eyes were clear, his tone firm, every word distinct: "I can help you achieve a Breakthrough to the True Essence Realm."

As he finished speaking, he flipped his hand, and a pill with a lustrous body and restrained spiritual light quietly floated in his palm.

A light, elegant, yet powerful and pure medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the entire pavilion, refreshing the heart and soul. It was exactly the Medium Grade true essence pill personally refined by Zhang Yuxi.

"This is a true essence pill, prepared specifically for the Innate Bottleneck. It is the Opportunity for a Breakthrough that you have dreamed of."

"If you are willing to acknowledge me as your Master, pledge lifelong loyalty, and serve me, this true essence pill will be bestowed upon you immediately. Furthermore, I will grant you a blood and Qi pill to regulate your decaying Physical Body, nourish your exhausted blood and Qi, and maximize your success rate for breaking through to the True Essence Realm."

The moment the rich medicinal fragrance entered his nostrils, Liu Yangfeng trembled violently. His withered eyes suddenly erupted with an extreme light, staring fixedly at the pill floating in mid-air, his face full of disbelief.

Fifty years of bitter searching, fifty years of tormenting obsession—the Opportunity for a Breakthrough that he had been unable to reach his entire life was now laid bare before his eyes.

His chest heaved violently as he forcefully suppressed the surging, monstrous agitation in his heart.

A lifetime of Martial Dao, a lifetime of obsession. Now that his Lifespan was nearing its end, this was his only and final hope for a Breakthrough.

For the True Essence Realm, for an extended Lifespan of up to three hundred years, what did it matter if he had to bow his head in submission and live under another's roof?

Moreover, being favored by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a limitless future and a profound Foundation was already the greatest Opportunity of his life.

In a moment, Liu Yangfeng had made his decision. The struggle in his eyes faded away, leaving only determination and solemnity.

In a flash, all the arrogance and stubbornness in Liu Yangfeng's heart collapsed.

For half a life, he had been aloof, not admiring the powerful, mixing in the marketplace and wilderness, preferring to exhaust his Lifespan and die with regrets rather than bow his knees to rely on others.

But when the real Opportunity for a Breakthrough was placed before him, he finally understood that his so-called integrity and pride were fragile and vulnerable in the face of his lifelong obsession and Lifespan.

He had been bitterly stuck at the Innate Peak for fifty years, watching all his peers wither away, seeing the path of the Martial Dao completely sealed off, and had long been on the verge of despair. Now that a glimmer of life had appeared, he had no qualification to refuse.

Thump—a dull sound of kneeling rang out.

Liu Yangfeng's knees slammed heavily onto the cold bluestone floor. His aged body prostrated deeply, his head touching the ground. His posture was extremely respectful, with not a trace of the arrogance of a Loose Cultivator remaining.

"This old one, Liu Yangfeng! I am willing to acknowledge Senior Li as my Master! Lifelong loyalty, with no regrets in life or death!"

His hoarse voice carried the excitement and determination suppressed for decades, each word resounding with strength.

"From this day forward, I am Master's person in life and Master's ghost in death! I will obey your commands, go through fire and water, and never refuse even if it means death! If I violate this oath, may poison devour my Divine Soul, and may my body and soul be destroyed!"

He had studied the poison Dao all his life and understood its viciousness best, so he swore the most sinister and inescapable Dao oath, cutting off all paths of retreat to demonstrate his sincere loyalty.

The pavilion was silent, with only the echo of the oath lingering for a long time.

Li Changqing sat in the seat of honor, his expression calm and waveless, but a flash of understanding passed through his eyes. What he wanted was never empty verbal promises, but substantial means of control.

"Open your Sea of Consciousness; do not resist."

Hearing Li Changqing's indifferent command, he did not have a shred of hesitation in his heart. All remaining concerns, pride, and unwillingness were crushed by the extreme desire to break through the shackles and extend his Lifespan.