40: Tianzihao Cultivation Method - Huangquan Guanzi's All Wonderful Methods

Gu Changsheng's face turned pale, and infinite regret surged in his heart.

'I shouldn't have been greedy...'

As an Immortal, staying alive was the ultimate Dao.

Looking back, he finally saw the woman's face clearly.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, rarely seen in the world, with a golden secret pattern between her brows, a cascade of long hair falling behind her like a waterfall, and a pair of snow-white feet bare beneath her thin red dress.

Gu Changsheng frowned slightly.

She looked no different from an Immortal Master, but the scent of death could not be concealed.

Although her aura was formidable, like a bottomless abyss, it was far inferior to the Black Mountain Old Demon in his memory.

At most, she was at the Peak True Core Realm.

'It is said that the Yellow Springs Great Emperor's cultivation was heaven-defying; with a single thought, he could create billions of Divided Souls, traveling between the Human and Demon Realms.

Could it be that this person before me... is not the Yellow Springs Great Emperor...?'

Doubt arose in his heart.

Just then, a bell-like laugh came from beside his ear.

"Interesting. Before this Emperor, your thoughts are still so active; you have quite some guts.

Among all the trial participants throughout history, you are the first to enter the Yellow Springs Secret Realm with a Foundation Building Realm cultivation without practicing any Yellow Springs Dao methods."

'Yellow Springs Secret Realm? So this place is called the Yellow Springs Secret Realm...'

Gu Changsheng silently noted it down, then bowed and said, "I am shallow in knowledge and intruded rashly. Please forgive me, Great Emperor."

He had to adapt to the situation and take a gamble.

"No matter. The Opportunity in this Immortal Cave was originally set for the Disciples of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect.

This Emperor set up a Restriction outside the Immortal Cave; only True Core Disciples of the Yellow Springs lineage could Breakthrough and enter.

But since you've entered, you barely meet the requirements."

The red-clad woman pondered for a moment, then spoke again: "Now, this Emperor intends to bestow an Opportunity upon you. Do you accept?"

Gu Changsheng had a faint guess, and his heart surged. He cupped his hands and said, "Please explain, Great Emperor."

"Simple. It is to join my Yellow Springs Dao Sect and undergo the True Legacy assessment.

If successful, all the rare treasures in this entire Immortal Cave can be bestowed upon you.

How about it?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng was overjoyed and quickly agreed.

"Good. To join my Yellow Springs Dao Sect, you must learn the Huangquan Sutra of our Sect. Give it a try..."

The woman raised a hand and pointed, and a wisp of spiritual light vanished into Gu Changsheng's mind.

Immediately, a cultivation method appeared in his mind.

[Huangquan Sutra. Incomplete (Earth)]

[Introduction: Created by the Yellow Springs Great Emperor, an Entry-Level cultivation method of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect. Cultivators must completely exhaust their vitality, be buried in the netherworld, and nourish their True Spirit with the source of the nether springs for ten years. Only by returning from death to life can it be mastered.]

It was another suicidal cultivation method.

Since the panel had already appeared, he could completely add points to get started.

However, Gu Changsheng kept a wary eye and did not directly add points.

'Huangquan Sutra. Incomplete... An Entry-Level cultivation method of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect, why is it incomplete?'

Logically, the more Entry-Level a cultivation method, the more widely it spreads, and the less likely it is to be missing.

Was it truly lost, or was something deliberately concealed?

Gu Changsheng quickly scanned the Huangquan Sutra and immediately discovered a familiar Divine Ability.

Yellow Springs Underworld Light.

It was the Divine Ability Lord Qiantang had used.

'Wait, Yan Chixia... Lord Qiantang... Could it be...'

Gu Changsheng forcibly suppressed the conjectures in his heart, feigning joy on his face.

"Thank you, Great Emperor, for bestowing the method..."

"Alright, the Huangquan Sutra has been given to you.

In the southwest corner of Yellow Springs Mountain, the aura of the nether spring source is most concentrated there, which can accelerate your entry.

The long Yellow Springs path of ten years can be mastered in as little as one month, or as long as three to five months.

Go.

After mastering the Huangquan Sutra, return here."

"Thank you, Great Emperor, for informing me."

Gu Changsheng bowed in farewell. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back and respectfully asked, "Great Emperor, I have one more presumptuous request."

"Speak."

"I wish to paint a portrait for Your Majesty..."

...One day later.

Southwest corner, nether spring.

Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged on the nether spring stone lotus, his face ashen.

A brand new cultivation method had appeared on his panel—Yellow Springs Free and Unfettered Wonderful Method.

Heaven-grade quality!

[Yellow Springs Free and Unfettered Wonderful Method (Heaven)]

[Introduction: Created by the Yellow Springs Great Emperor, the sacred method of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect. Cultivators must master the Huangquan Sutra, Yin Spirit Scripture, Ghost God Scripture, Divided Soul Scripture, and Hengsha Scripture, the five great Entry-Level cultivation methods of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect, and use Yellow Springs Mountain to suppress the Sect's Luck before it can be mastered.]

The Yellow Springs Free and Unfettered Wonderful Method was the source of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect's cultivation methods.

The five great Dao Scriptures, such as the Huangquan Sutra and Yin Spirit Scripture, were all derived from it.

The five combined, plus the establishment of a Sect to suppress Luck, were barely enough for entry, showing the difficulty of cultivating this method.

What made Gu Changsheng's face particularly grim was that the complete Huangquan Sutra was clearly recorded within the Yellow Springs Free and Unfettered Wonderful Method.

The missing part of the scripture was precisely the Possession chapter.

While obtaining the Heaven-grade cultivation method, memories of the Yellow Springs Great Emperor's life flooded into his mind.

Gu Changsheng recalled.

One hundred thousand years ago, a million demons besieged the Undying Dynasty.

In that battle, the heavens and earth were torn apart, and the Evil Qi emanating from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood obscured the sun and moon.

Ultimately, the Undying Dynasty was destroyed, and billions of lives were slaughtered.

A palace maid escaped with an infant in her arms.

This infant had a natural Divine Mark between his brows and was blessed with great Luck, being the son of the last Human Emperor.

The palace maid raised the infant under an assumed name.

Years later, the infant grew into a jade-like young man.

The young man was exceptionally intelligent, rarely seen in the world. He became a Disciple of an Immortal Sect, the Heaven-Suppressing Palace, surpassing his peers. Later, he betrayed the Sect, delved deep into the Demon Realm, and slew the ten great Demon Sages of his generation, shaking the world.

He later established his own Sect, recruited one hundred thousand Dao children, founded the Yellow Springs Dao Sect, and proclaimed himself the Yellow Springs Great Emperor.

During its peak, its power was no less than that of the Undying Dynasty.

However, ten thousand years later, as the Yellow Springs Great Emperor's Lifespan neared its end, the white-haired old man divided his soul into a million parts, simultaneously possessing a million Disciples of the Yellow Springs Dao Sect.

He attempted to live a second life.

Unfortunately, he was thwarted by the Heaven-Suppressing Palace, and Immortals descended. He had no choice but to scatter his True Spirit throughout the world, laying down a vast Legacy, hoping to unify his myriad spirits and return to the human world.

The Yellow Springs Secret Realm was one of the seventy-two True Legacies he had left behind.

And the red-clad woman was a Divided Soul of the Yellow Springs Great Emperor after his Possession; her true name was Yun Niang.

Over ten thousand years, the Divided Soul had already developed self-awareness, and her thoughts were completely different from the original Yellow Springs Great Emperor.

However, all of this was already within the Yellow Springs Great Emperor's calculations.

Once a Divided Soul developed self-awareness, it would be forever bound within the True Legacy Secret Realm.

Yun Niang, after much contemplation, devised a plan to use the Possession chapter to possess a True Core successor of the Yellow Springs Sect, thereby acquiring the True Legacy here and returning to the human world.

'It's Possession, after all... Like Lord Qiantang possessing Yan Chixia, does she want me to be the next one...?'

Gu Changsheng's eyes were cold.

[Possession] is a spell from the final chapter of the Huangquan Sutra, with many Restrictions on its use.

For instance, Lord Qiantang's Possession, after more than three hundred years of Family proliferation, possessing a descendant with a Bloodline connection, was still a near-death experience.

Yet, Yun Niang found a different path, actually improving the Possession chapter, broadening the conditions to True Core Disciples of the Yellow Springs lineage.

'It seems that even if Lord Qiantang survived until the end, happily arriving at the Immortal Cave, he would just be a body provider for Possession.

Hmm... wait a minute, theoretically, Lord Qiantang would be the best Possession target, why bother with me, going to such lengths to cultivate me?

Ordinary Cultivators often take decades to advance to the True Core Realm, and success isn't even guaranteed... things could easily go awry.

Unless... her influence is limited to the Immortal Cave and she cannot interfere with anything outside the Immortal Cave.'

Gu Changsheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

He looked at the [Yellow Springs Free and Unfettered Wonderful Method] on his attribute panel and clicked the '+' sign.

Ten years of Lifespan flowed away.

A massive amount of cultivation insights surged into his mind.

After a long while, Gu Changsheng opened his eyes and let out a long, turbid breath.

[Yellow Springs Free and Unfettered Wonderful Method].

Entry-Level First Stage!