170: Chapter 170 Refining Immortal Milk, Cultivation Advances

Deep within the Earth Vein Spirit Cavern, there was an extremely concealed natural karst cave.

The cave was not large, only a few zhang in circumference. Its entrance was obscured by a huge stalactite and dense fire moss, making it extremely hidden. The Spiritual Qi inside was thick, and the temperature was pleasant. A small subterranean Spiritual Vein flowed through the cave, bringing pure Spiritual Qi without attracting powerful fire-attribute Yao Beasts.

Lin Wan sat cross-legged on a flat rock with two jade bottles placed in front of him. One jade bottle contained eighteen drops of ordinary origin spirit immortal milk, while the other, slightly smaller jade bottle, contained five drops of crystal-clear, spiritually radiant "Milk Heart".

"origin spirit immortal milk can cleanse the immortal body, perform Purification on immortal essence, improve cultivation, and strengthen the Divine Soul. For an ordinary Earth Immortal Cultivator, refining one drop is enough to save decades of hard cultivation. These eighteen drops, plus the five drops of 'Milk Heart', should be enough to stabilize my Early Stage Earth Immortal Realm, and perhaps even impact the Middle Stage Earth Immortal." Lin Wan's eyes flashed with a trace of anticipation.

He did not immediately consume the "Milk Heart" as its medicinal power was too strong; it needed to be used after stabilizing his Realm. He first took out a drop of ordinary origin spirit immortal milk and dripped it into his mouth.

As the immortal milk entered his throat, it instantly turned into a warm, cool, yet majestic and pure stream of warmth. It flowed down his throat into his abdomen, then exploded with a bang, turning into countless streams of pure origin Spiritual Qi. It merged into his limbs and bones, his eight extraordinary meridians, and finally converged into the ocean of immortal essence in his Dantian.

"Chaos Reincarnation Sutra, Refine!"

Lin Wan did not dare to be negligent and immediately circulated his Cultivation Technique. In his Dantian, the Chaos-colored ocean of immortal essence began to rotate slowly like a waking Dragon, forming a huge vortex. The majestic origin Spiritual Qi was drawn into the vortex, rapidly assimilated and absorbed by the Chaos Immortal Energy, and converted into Lin Wan's own cultivation.

His aura began to rise steadily at a speed visible to the naked eye. His Early Stage Earth Immortal Realm quickly stabilized and moved toward the Peak of the Early Stage Earth Immortal Realm.

One drop, two drops, three drops...

Lin Wan was like an indefatigable glutton, refining the origin spirit immortal milk drop by drop. His aura climbed steadily during the refining process, his immortal essence becoming more condensed and majestic. His chaos reincarnation immortal body was also slowly and firmly strengthening under the nourishment of this pure origin spirit. Beneath his skin, a Chaos-colored luster flowed faintly, as if containing the great power of creating the world.

As he refined more and more immortal milk, Lin Wan's cultivation rose with the tide. Early Stage Earth Immortal Peak... Early Stage Earth Immortal Perfection... He was only one step away from the Middle Stage Earth Immortal!

"Hoo—"

When he finished refining the tenth drop of origin spirit immortal milk, Lin Wan exhaled a long breath of turbid air. This breath did not dissipate but turned into a gray-white arrow of Qi, piercing a deep hole in the cave wall. He slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of Chaos passed through them, as if scenes of the Universe's birth and death were evolving within.

"Early Stage Earth Immortal Perfection, my immortal essence is several times thicker, and my chaos reincarnation immortal body has also strengthened quite a bit. It is time to impact the Middle Stage Earth Immortal." Lin Wan felt the majestic power within his body, his eyes flashing with sharp light. He picked up the jade bottle containing the "Milk Heart" and opened the stopper.

In an instant, a fragrance ten times richer and a hundred times purer than the ordinary origin spirit immortal milk filled the entire cave. Just by smelling it, one felt refreshed, as if their Divine Soul had been cleansed. In the jade bottle, those five drops of "Milk Heart" were like five miniature stars, emitting a soft and restrained milky-white brilliance, beautiful and magnificent.

"As expected of the essence of origin spirit immortal milk, I hope it won't disappoint me." Lin Wan took a deep breath and inhaled a drop of "Milk Heart" into his mouth.

"Boom—!!!"

The moment the "Milk Heart" entered his mouth, it felt as if a sun had exploded inside his body! The origin Spiritual Qi, which was ten times more majestic, pure, and gentle than before, was like a burst dam, instantly breaking through the solid Bottleneck from Early Stage to Middle Stage Earth Immortal! No, perhaps "breaking through" is not the right word to describe it; that solid Bottleneck, in the face of this majestic and pure power, was like ice and snow under the scorching sun, rapidly melting and disintegrating!

In his Dantian, the ocean of Chaos Immortal Energy expanded and rotated crazily, setting off towering waves! Within his Sea of Consciousness, the power of his Divine Soul was also rising crazily, and the range of his Divine Sense expanded several times again, becoming more condensed and sharp!

"Crack..."

A clear sound, as if an eggshell had broken, rang out inside Lin Wan's body. Middle Stage Earth Immortal, achieved naturally!

However, the medicinal power of the "Milk Heart" had only just begun! The majestic origin Spiritual Qi continued to pour in continuously, continuing to refine his immortal essence, Physical Body, and Divine Soul, pushing his cultivation toward the Peak of Middle Stage Earth Immortal, steadily advancing!

"Such powerful medicinal strength! It truly lives up to the name 'Milk Heart'!" Lin Wan was secretly overjoyed, not daring to be distracted in the slightest, and fully operated the "Chaos Reincarnation Sutra" to guide and refine this majestic power.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the cave, Lin Wan's aura rose rapidly, like a rocket. Middle Stage Earth Immortal... Middle Stage Earth Immortal stabilized... Middle Stage Earth Immortal Minor Achievement...

When all five drops of "Milk Heart" were refined, Lin Wan's cultivation was firmly stabilized at the Peak of Middle Stage Earth Immortal, only one step away from Late Stage Earth Immortal!

"Hum—"

Around Lin Wan, Chaos Qi swirled, and faint phantoms of Reincarnation floated. A powerful and profound aura permeated the area, illuminating the entire cave in a hazy light. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze shining with divine light, as if the sun, moon, and stars were rotating within them, incomparably deep.

"Middle Stage Earth Immortal Peak... Not bad." Lin Wan clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. In just a few days, he had advanced from Early Stage Earth Immortal to Middle Stage Earth Immortal Peak. If this speed were known, it would be enough to scare many people to death. Of course, this was also thanks to the origin spirit immortal milk, especially rare treasures like "Milk Heart". Ordinary Earth Immortals would consider obtaining one drop of origin spirit immortal milk a great Opportunity. For someone like him to refine eighteen drops of ordinary immortal milk and five drops of "Milk Heart" at once was simply wasting heavenly treasures, extravagant to the extreme.

However, the effect was also extremely significant. At this moment, Lin Wan's total amount and quality of immortal essence, as well as the strength of his Physical Body and the condensation of his Divine Soul, were several times stronger than when he first entered the Earth Immortal Realm! He was confident that even without using trump cards like the Chaos Reincarnation Domain and "Universe Birth and Death Finger", he could easily defeat ordinary Late Stage Earth Immortals with just his ordinary Chaos Return to Void Fist and Samsara Tribulation Finger. If he went all out, he could even fight a Peak Earth Immortal! He might even have the power to protect himself against an Early Stage Heavenly Immortal!

"With my strength greatly increased, it's time to go out for a walk. Those mice hiding in the dark must be getting impatient, right?" A cold arc curled at the corner of Lin Wan's mouth. His Divine Sense spread out, instantly covering a radius of several hundred miles. After promoting to Middle Stage Earth Immortal Peak, his Divine Sense range expanded again, allowing him to perceive everything around him more clearly.

Soon, he "saw" several groups of people searching everywhere in the outer area of the Earth Vein Spirit Cavern like hounds. Among them were the team led by the effeminate man from the Xuan Yin Sect, as well as several other teams clearly dressed as Cultivators from the Black Flame Valley and the Tian Sha Sect. They scattered, carefully investigating every suspicious corner, clearly determined to find him.

"Three Late Stage Earth Immortals, six Middle Stage Earth Immortals, nine Early Stage Earth Immortals... What a grand gesture." Lin Wan's eyes were slightly cold. To deal with one "Human Immortal", the Xuan Yin Sect, Tian Sha Sect, and Black Flame Valley had actually dispatched three Late Stage Earth Immortals, plus Middle Stage and Early Stage Earth Immortals, for a total of eighteen people! This lineup was enough to surround and kill an ordinary Peak Earth Immortal. It seemed they were determined to get his "secret".

"Since you want to play, I will play with you." Lin Wan stood up and stretched his muscles and bones. His bones made a series of crackling sounds, like popping beans. His figure flickered, and he disappeared from the cave like a ghost, without a sound.

...

Earth Vein Spirit Cavern, beside a scorching magma river.

Three Cultivators from the Tian Sha Sect were cautiously searching along the riverbank. These three included two Middle Stage Earth Immortals and one Early Stage Earth Immortal, and their strength was not weak.

"Damn it, where the hell is that kid hiding? This Earth Vein Spirit Cavern is so big, searching for someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack." A scar-faced Middle Stage Earth Immortal Cultivator cursed impatiently.

"Stop complaining. The higher-ups gave a death order: we must see the person if they are alive, or the corpse if they are dead. That kid has the secret of the Ascension Tower, and might have obtained the origin spirit immortal milk; its value is immeasurable. If we find him, we will all be heavily rewarded." Another Middle Stage Earth Immortal Cultivator, a one-eyed man, said coldly.

"The one-eyed man is right. Everyone be more careful. That kid was able to kill those three pieces of trash from the Xuan Yin Sect, so he must have some ability. Don't capsize in the gutter." The short and thin Early Stage Earth Immortal Cultivator looked around vigilantly.

"Hmph, he just relied on a sneak attack. The three of us are working together, are we still afraid of a kid who just ascended..." The scar-faced Cultivator hadn't finished speaking when his voice stopped abruptly.

Because a green figure appeared in front of them like a ghost, without any warning, only three zhang away.

The person was dressed in green, with a handsome face and a calm expression. It was Lin Wan, whom they had been searching for so hard.

"It... It's you!" The one-eyed man's pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted sternly, "Lin Wan! You were indeed hiding here!"

"Lin Wan! Hand over the origin spirit immortal milk and the secret you obtained in the Ascension Tower, and I will spare your life!" The scar-faced man also reacted, a trace of greed and ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. Together with the one-eyed man and the short, thin Cultivator, they instantly surrounded Lin Wan in a triangular Formation, locking onto him with their Qi.

"Hand over the secret, and spare my life?" Lin Wan seemed to have heard some joke, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth, "Just relying on you three pieces of trash?"

"Arrogant! You are courting death!" The scar-faced man was furious. A blood-colored long saber in his hand slashed out violently, bringing up a wave of blade light like a bloody storm, slashing toward Lin Wan. He cultivated the "Blood Evil Saber Technique" of the Tian Sha Sect. His saber technique was ruthless, and his Evil Qi was oppressive. Ordinary Middle Stage Earth Immortals would not dare to take it head-on.

The one-eyed man and the short, thin Cultivator also attacked at the same time. The one-eyed man sacrificed a small black banner. The banner unfurled, shooting out countless black fine needles, specifically designed to break protective immortal light, which was extremely vicious. The short, thin Cultivator patted the Spirit Beast bag at his waist and released a millstone-sized, pitch-black scorpion Yao Beast covered in barbs. It exuded the aura of an Early Stage Earth Immortal and rushed toward Lin Wan, waving two huge pincers.

The three of them cooperated tacitly, and their first moves were killing blows, obviously wanting to end the battle quickly and capture or kill Lin Wan.

However, facing this fierce onslaught, Lin Wan merely glanced at it indifferently, then slowly raised his right hand and gently clenched it towards the sky filled with blade light, black needles, and the Scorpion Yao Beast.

"Domain, expand."

Silently, an invisible force field centered on Lin Wan instantly enveloped a radius of ten zhang.

Gray Chaos Qi permeated the area, within which faint phantoms of Reincarnation drifted.

Inside the Domain, it was as if a separate world had been formed, cutting off the outside.

The blood-colored blade light slashed out by the Scar-faced man, the moment it entered the Domain, felt as if it had fallen into a quagmire; its speed plummeted, its power greatly diminished, and that sharp Evil Qi was rapidly dissolved and assimilated by the Chaos Qi, causing the blade light to quickly fade and ultimately dissipate.

The black needles shot by the One-eyed man were even more like snowflakes meeting a blazing sun; before they could get within three feet of Lin Wan, they decomposed into the most basic Origin Qi within the Chaos Qi and disappeared without a trace.

The ferocious Scorpion Yao Beast had just rushed into the Domain's range when it let out a terrified hiss, as if it had encountered a natural predator. Its massive body trembled violently, and then, under the horrified gazes of the three men, its body withered, aged, and decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into a pile of dried bones that turned to dust in the wind.

The power of Reincarnation annihilated all of its vitality.

"This... this is impossible!" The Scar-faced man, the One-eyed man, and the Short and thin Cultivator all wore expressions of extreme terror.

Their attacks had actually been resolved so casually? And that Earth Immortal Early Stage Scorpion Yao Beast had been instantly reduced to ashes? What kind of technique was this?

"Run!"

Without any hesitation, this thought rose in all three of their minds simultaneously.

The Lin Wan before them possessed strength far beyond their imagination; he was simply invincible! They turned around and tried to flee.

However, within the Chaos Reincarnation Domain, their movements were as slow as a crawling turtle.

"Since you've come, don't leave." Lin Wan's indifferent voice sounded, like the whisper of the Grim Reaper.

He formed his fingers into a sword shape and gently pointed at the Scar-faced man.

"Samsara Tribulation Finger."

A gray-black finger energy, launched later but arriving first, instantly plunged into the Scar-faced man's back.

The Scar-faced man's forward-rushing figure suddenly froze, his face still etched with terror and despair, the light in his eyes rapidly fading, and then, just like the Scorpion Yao Beast before him, his body quickly withered, decayed, and turned into a handful of fly ash, drifting away with the wind.

"No!"

Seeing this, the One-eyed man and the Short and thin Cultivator were scared out of their wits; they desperately circulated their Immortal Essence, wanting to break free from the Domain's restraints and escape with their lives.

Lin Wan flashed and appeared in front of the One-eyed man, slapping his palm onto the top of his head.

The power of Chaos surged in, instantly destroying his Sea of Consciousness and annihilating his Divine Soul.

The One-eyed man couldn't even let out a scream before he collapsed softly to the ground, his aura completely extinguished.

Finally, Lin Wan looked at the Short and thin Cultivator, who was already terrified out of his wits.

The Short and thin Cultivator's legs went weak, and he fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Senior, spare me! Senior, spare me! This one was blind and offended you; I beg you to spare my life! I am willing to serve you like an ox or a horse, just please spare..."

"Noisy." Lin Wan flicked his finger, and a wisp of Chaos finger energy shot out, piercing through the center of the Short and thin Cultivator's forehead.

He never showed mercy to his enemies. Mercy to the enemy was cruelty to oneself. He had understood this point long ago when he was fighting in the business world in his past life.

Waving his hand to collect the three men's Storage Rings and flicking a flame to destroy the bodies, Lin Wan's movements were fluid and clean.

The entire process, from start to finish, took only a few breaths of time; three Earth Immortal Cultivators had already died, as if they had never appeared at all.

"The first one." Lin Wan whispered to himself, his eyes cold.

His figure flickered, and he merged into the shadows again, stealthily moving towards his next target.

Having advanced to the Earth Immortal Middle Stage Peak, the power of the Chaos Reincarnation Domain had greatly increased, its coverage was wider, and its suppression was stronger; combined with the Samsara Tribulation Finger, dealing with Cultivators at the Earth Immortal Middle Stage and below was simply a harvest.

The hunt officially began.

...

In another branch of the Earth Vein Spirit Cavern.

Four Black Flame Valley Cultivators were cautiously exploring.

These four included one Earth Immortal Late Stage, two Earth Immortal Middle Stage, and one Earth Immortal Early Stage Cultivator; their strength was greater than the three from the Tian Sha Sect just now.

"Senior Brother Liu, do you think that Lin Wan is really in this Earth Vein Spirit Cavern? We've been searching for so long and haven't even seen a ghost." A red-haired Earth Immortal Middle Stage Cultivator asked impatiently.

The leader, Senior Brother Liu, was a middle-aged man with a sinister face and a deep aura, possessing Earth Immortal Late Stage cultivation. Hearing this, he said coldly: "The message from the Xuan Yin Sect cannot be wrong. The origin spirit immortal milk was taken, strange traces of power were left at the scene, and the Earth Fire Pangolin was killed instantly; besides that Lin Wan, who else could it be?"

"He must still be in the Earth Vein Spirit Cavern, perhaps hiding in some corner refining the origin spirit immortal milk. Everyone, perk up and search carefully! Whoever finds him will be heavily rewarded by the Elder!"

"Yes!" The other three quickly replied.

Just then, at the corner of the passage ahead, a green-robed figure slowly walked out, running straight into Senior Brother Liu and the others.

The person wore green robes and had a calm expression; it was none other than Lin Wan.

"Lin Wan!" Senior Brother Liu's pupils suddenly constricted, and then wild joy and killing intent flashed in his eyes. "Truly, finding this required no effort at all! Kid, let's see where you can run this time! Set up the Formation!"

Without any nonsense, Senior Brother Liu shouted sharply, and along with the other three, quickly occupied the four directions, forming hand seals. Four black flames rose from their bodies and quickly intertwined, forming a huge black fire net that covered Lin Wan from above!

This was Black Flame Valley's joint attack Formation, the "Black Flame Heaven-Burning Array"; once trapped, even an Earth Immortal Late Stage Cultivator would find it difficult to escape and would be burned alive by the black flames.

"Another Formation..." Lin Wan shook his head, seeming somewhat helpless, but his eyes were as cold as frost. "Unfortunately, it's useless against me."

He took a step forward, and the Chaos Reincarnation Domain expanded silently, instantly enveloping a radius of fifteen zhang!

After advancing to the Earth Immortal Middle Stage Peak, the Domain's range had expanded by fifty percent, and its power was even stronger.

The seemingly ferocious black fire net, the moment it entered the Domain, was like meeting its nemesis. The Chaos Qi acted like an invisible millstone, rapidly grinding down and devouring the black flames. The power of Reincarnation, meanwhile, silently eroded along the connection between the fire net and the four people.

"Not good! It's a Domain! Retreat quickly!" Senior Brother Liu's expression changed drastically. He felt that strange power that seemed to be able to dissolve everything and end everything. Alarm bells rang in his heart, and he shouted sharply while trying to cut off his connection to the fire net and retreat.

However, it was already too late.

The power of Reincarnation, like a maggot attached to bone, followed the Formation's connection and instantly invaded the four people's bodies.

Senior Brother Liu had the highest cultivation and could barely resist, but the two Earth Immortal Middle Stage and one Earth Immortal Early Stage Cultivators immediately let out shrill screams.

"Ah! My Lifespan! My vitality!"

"No! I don't want to die!"

"Senior Brother, save me!"

Under the terrified and desperate gazes of the three, their bodies, like trees drained of water, quickly withered and shriveled; deep wrinkles appeared on their skin, their hair turned gray, and it was as if they had instantly aged thousands of years!

Then, under Senior Brother Liu's horrified gaze, the three turned into three skeletons, collapsed with a crash, and shattered into pieces.

"No! What kind of evil magic is this?!" Senior Brother Liu was scared out of his wits; he had never seen such a strange and overbearing attack method that could directly deprive a person of their Lifespan and vitality! This simply exceeded his understanding!

"Run! Must run! This person cannot be defeated!" Senior Brother Liu no longer had any will to fight; he burned his essence blood, turned into a streak of blood light, and fled frantically back the way he came.

He didn't even dare to look back, fearing that if he was one step too slow, he would follow in the footsteps of the other three.

"Can you escape?" Lin Wan's indifferent voice, like the sound of the Grim Reaper, sounded behind him.

Lin Wan didn't move his body; he just pointed a finger gently from afar at Senior Brother Liu's fleeing back.

"Universe Birth and Death Finger."

This time, he didn't use the "Samsara Tribulation Finger", but instead used a stronger finger technique he had created himself, which contained a trace of the Concept of Universe Birth and Death! Although it was only a prototype, its power far exceeded the Samsara Tribulation Finger!

A gray finger energy, which seemed to contain the Concept of the beginning of Chaos and the end of the Universe, shot out silently, crossed space, and instantly caught up with Senior Brother Liu.

Senior Brother Liu seemed to sense a fatal crisis; he roared wildly and sacrificed a black shield to block behind him. This shield was a Low Grade defensive Immortal Artifact he had refined for many years, and its defensive power was extremely strong.

However, in front of that gray finger energy, the black shield was like paper, and a large hole was silently pierced through it. The finger energy's momentum remained undiminished, instantly piercing through Senior Brother Liu's back and out through his chest.

Senior Brother Liu's forward-rushing figure suddenly froze. He looked down at the bowl-sized, transparent hole in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair.

He could feel a power that ended everything and extinguished everything rapidly spreading within his body, destroying all his vitality and annihilating his Divine Soul.

"This... what is this..." Senior Brother Liu spat out a few words with difficulty, and then the light in his eyes rapidly faded; his body, like broken porcelain, was covered with cracks, and finally, with a "bang", it exploded into a sky full of fly ash, his form and spirit destroyed.

An Earth Immortal Late Stage Cultivator, under Lin Wan's "Universe Birth and Death Finger", didn't even have room to struggle before completely perishing.

"The second one." Lin Wan withdrew his finger, his face slightly pale for a moment.

Casting the "Universe Birth and Death Finger" was still a bit taxing for him now; with his Earth Immortal Middle Stage Peak cultivation, he could only cast it at most three times. However, its power was truly terrifying; an Earth Immortal Late Stage Cultivator was killed in one strike.

He waved his hand to collect the Storage Rings of Senior Brother Liu and the others, destroyed the bodies, and then his figure merged into the shadows again, like the top-tier hunter, continuing to look for the next target.

In the Earth Vein Spirit Cavern, the game of hunting and counter-hunting had just begun. And the master of this game had quietly changed. Those who were originally hunters had now become the prey.