171: Chapter 171 Breakthrough

After collecting her resources, Chen Lingtong left the treasure vault, and this time the old woman did not look at her again.

Even so, she still gave a respectful bow before leaving.

Before these Seniors, she dared not act presumptuously, no matter how arrogant she was.

Chen Lingtong continued on her way to the Immortal Cave of the Anti-Immortal Alliance, as she was about to begin preparing to make a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage during this period.

Along the way, there were not many Cultivators, and she wondered if they had all been sent out on missions or if the Anti-Immortal Alliance simply did not have many Cultivators to begin with.

However, almost every Cultivator here was at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage, with very few in the Qi Refinement Stage.

She learned from some maidservants that this place was divided into the Front Mountain and the Back Mountain, and her current location was the Back Mountain.

The Back Mountain was divided into nine peaks, and each peak had at least one Purple Mansion Master guarding it.

Next were the Disciples of various peaks, all of whose cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, as well as some maidservants, handymen, and other Cultivators who were all in the Qi Refinement Stage.

It was just that there weren't many such people.

The peak where Master Qianyu resided was Feather Peak, and he had been the peak master for over two hundred years.

Among the nine peaks, the strongest was undoubtedly where Master Zijiao of Purple Dragon Peak resided.

Master Zijiao's cultivation had reached the False Core Realm, and it was said that he was the most powerful existence among the five False Core experts of the Anti-Immortal Alliance.

As for where the other four False Core Immortal Masters were, those were things they could not know.

However, Chen Lingtong knew a thing or two. Ten years ago, the Taisu Mountain Zhao Family was destroyed, and that deed was done by two False Core Immortal Masters of the Anti-Immortal Alliance. It was just that ten years had passed, and it was hard to say whether these two people had returned.

Thinking no more, she returned to Feather Peak, and then began secluded cultivation within the Tier 2 Immortal Cave given to her by Master Qianyu.

The first step she was taking now was to polish her own magical power and refine it to Perfection.

If fast, it could be completed in a month; if slow, it would take two or three months.

...

Inside the dim and dark dungeon, the smell of blood and decay spread out.

Chen Lingyi and Zhong Yuan were trapped here together.

"Brother Chen, do you think we still have a chance to survive?" Zhong Yuan, or rather Han Lingfeng as he should be called.

He was a member of the Han Family's Ling generation, and also Han Lingjun's younger cousin.

"Hehe! Brother Han, do you think that with just a few of us Qi Refining Cultivators, we have any certainty of escaping from here?! The lowest cultivation among these guards is the Late Qi Refining Stage, and there are even a few stewards whose cultivation has reached the Foundation Establishment Stage," Chen Lingyi said with a bitter smile.

Ever since the two of them were locked up here, more than half a month had passed. Over these past twenty-odd days, as they chatted more and more, their relationship had instead grown much closer.

They had even told each other about their Family backgrounds and assets.

Chen Lingyi was rather curious about the Han Lingfeng before him. A member of a Purple Mansion Family had actually run all the way to Qinghe County and even participated in hunting a Tier 2 Monster Beast. If it were any other members of a Purple Mansion faction who loved to throw their weight around, they would disdain to mingle with people like them.

But that made sense too. Without a Purple Mansion Family as a background, he wouldn't be able to pull out a Tier 3 Talisman. After all, even Ninth Uncle's life-preserving items given to them were only of Tier 2 quality.

Of course, no one expected that a lofty Purple Mansion Master would disregard martial virtue and personally step down to deal with a few lowly Qi Refining Cultivators. If word got out, it would be despised by everyone in the Immortal Realm.

As the two chatted, they began to sit cross-legged and Cultivate. Although this was a dungeon, for the convenience of these guards, the Spiritual Qi here was still quite dense.

Especially since the two of them were only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining; this Spiritual Qi was enough for their cultivation. The only one they worried about was Chen Lingtong—who knew how she was doing right now? That Master Qianyu looked like no good stuff at a single glance.

When he looked at Chen Lingtong back then, there had even been a trace of an unspeakable smile in his eyes.

...

One month later, inside Chen Lingtong's Immortal Cave.

Bursts of scarlet-gold light flashed and then converged back into her body.

Immediately after, a foundation platform gradually appeared at her Dantian.

A scarlet-gold foundation platform slowly formed, and countless strands of magical power within her body continued to gather towards the center of the Dantian, completing this scarlet-gold foundation platform.

As time passed, this scarlet-gold foundation platform began to stabilize.

It was just that Chen Lingtong was still somewhat dissatisfied with this. This foundation platform was merely a top-grade Dao foundation. Originally, she had thought that with the assistance of that first-transformation Spirit Pill, she could elevate the Dao foundation to the Peerless Grade, but it seemed she had still underestimated the difficulty.

Although her dual Spiritual Roots and Gold-Fire Spirit Eyes had already provided her with combat power surpassing those of the same Realm,

plus a top-grade Dao foundation that granted her twice the amount of magical power as a Low Grade Dao foundation, allowing her to even cross more Realms in combat,

yet her personality of pursuing Perfection always made her feel dissatisfied.

Chen Lingtong opened her eyes, her calm pupils as tranquil as an abyss.

"It is finally done!"

Chen Lingtong's tone was bland. Her aura was instantly released, and an aura far more formidable than before erupted.

Previously, with her cultivation at the Perfection of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, she was at most equivalent to the combat power of the first layer of Foundation Establishment. If she unleashed her Gold-Fire Spirit Eyes, she could even burst out with strength at the Perfection of the first layer of Foundation Establishment.

But now, she could feel that even without using her Gold-Fire Spirit Eyes, her strength was definitely no less than the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.

Thinking back then, Seventh Uncle Chen Changqing used the cultivation of the first layer of Foundation Establishment to hard-shake the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment. However, thinking about it now, Ninth Uncle must have hidden his strength back then.

"This bit of strength is still not enough. If I reach the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, my strength should still be around the seventh layer. This bit of strength is completely insignificant before Master Qianyu," Chen Lingtong thought with a heavy heart.

The gap between the Purple Mansion stage and the Foundation Establishment Stage was not like the gap between the Foundation Establishment Stage and the Qi Refining stage.

Even a Prodigy like Ninth Uncle, I'm afraid even if his cultivation reached the Perfection of the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, he would not dare say he could deal with a Purple Mansion Master.

As for her, needless to say, ever since she came to understand Ninth Uncle Chen Changqing, she knew that she would never be able to become as powerful as Ninth Uncle in her entire life.

Chen Lingtong sighed and thought no more. She continued her secluded cultivation to stabilize herself.

Meanwhile, far away at the Chen Family on Qingyang Mountain, a guest had arrived at this moment. Chen Changqing and Chen Yuanwen immediately appeared, looking at the person before them with respectful yet solemn expressions.

"Little Friend Chen, what happened to the Zhao Family this time? I hope the two little friends will tell the truth," Master Yuzhen looked at Chen Changqing and the other, his tone very bland, yet carrying an unrejectable majesty.

"Senior, ..." Chen Changqing had no choice but to tell the truth.

"That is to say, your Chen Family has all along connived with the Cultivators of the Anti-Immortal Alliance in this place, and even forged Magical Artifacts, Formations, and all other strategic resources for them," Fellow Daoist Yuzhen finished listening, his tone chillingly cold.

The moods of Chen Changqing and Chen Yuanwen instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

It was not that they didn't want to lie, but rather that this Master Yuzhen had brought a lie-detecting Magical Artifact. If the two of them dared to play dumb and muddle through, they would probably have already turned into corpses by now.

"Senior, we are guilty, but we had no choice. My clansmen were controlled, and coupled with the fact that the Cultivator hidden in the Zhao Family was a Purple Mansion Master, ..."

Chen Changqing wanted to explain further, but before he could finish, he was forcibly interrupted.

"Enough! Harboring the Cultivators of the Anti-Immortal Alliance is already a grave crime. I hereby order your entire clan to go to the border and atone for your sins for my Yan Country."