Chapter 513: 334 Five Elements Gourd, Secret of Ancient Times_2

Chapter 513: Chapter 334 Five Elements Gourd, Secret of Ancient Times_2

“Just a mere Qi Refining Realm, yet not only does he possess two Spiritual Artifacts, but now he has even successfully refined a Lifebound Magical Treasure with the potential to become a Spiritual Artifact.”

Such fortune, even if placed in the Ancient Immortal Cultivation Era, would almost be considered unique.

After all, for tens of thousands of years since its creation, there had never been such an outrageous event.

“It’s only a single layer of restriction that’s been refined, the path ahead is still long,” Lu Qing shook his head and said.

However, with his current cultivation, refining a single layer of restriction was already his limit.

To continue refining, he would have to wait for a breakthrough in his cultivation.

“Given the Young Master’s talent, reaching the realm required to refine the second layer of restrictions should not take too long,” Yan complimented.

“But Young Master, there is something I don’t quite understand, may I ask for your insight?”

“What does senior wish to inquire about?”

Noticing the change in Yan’s attitude, Lu Qing didn’t point it out, instead, he casually asked.

“I just observed the cultivation technique you are practising, it seems to be the ‘Five Elements Body Refining Technique.’

I wonder why you chose this technique for cultivation, don’t you know its flaws?”

“What flaws does senior refer to?”

“The ‘Five Elements Body Refining Technique’, involving the cultivation of all Five Elements, takes more than five times longer to produce a unit of Spiritual Power than other methods.

Its cultivation speed is notoriously slow.

Moreover, the upper limit of this technique is not high; the cultivator who created it only managed to reach the Golden Core Perfect Realm.

He exhausted his lifespan and perished with his path.

Are you not aware of these things?”

Yan asked with a somewhat inexplicable tone.

“Senior is referring to these flaws?” Lu Qing smiled, “I am naturally aware of them, but to me, these are not problems. The ‘Five Elements Body Refining Technique’ is very suitable for me, it was the technique I carefully selected for my cultivation, there’s no need for senior to worry.”

He did not disclose why the technique was suitable for him.

“I see, it appears I’ve asked an unnecessary question.”

Upon hearing this, Yan knew that Lu Qing did not want to elaborate.

Though curious, Yan did not continue to pry.

And now, Yan had gained some understanding of Lu Qing’s character as well.

Despite his young age, he was meticulous and ruthless, unlikely to do anything that would harm himself.

Since he dared to practise this technique, he presumably had something to rely on.

“Right, senior Yan, I have always heard you mention the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation, but what exactly is this tribulation? Can you explain it in detail to me?”

At that moment, Lu Qing also asked.

Yan’s heart suddenly chilled.

Lu Qing had asked him about this matter before, but at that time, he had used it as a bargaining chip.

Now, as Lu Qing brought it up again, Yan did not dare mention these conditions anymore.

Instead, he solemnly replied, “The Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation is essentially the major calamity triggered at the end of the last Immortal Cultivation Era, when the rules of Spiritual Energy began to weaken and the Heaven and Earth Rules started to change.”

“This great calamity primarily targeted cultivators above the Foundation Establishment Stage. For lower-level cultivators, the impact was not significant.

The main issue was that the Heaven and Earth Rules were evolving, and gradually, the world could no longer accommodate powerful cultivators.

Especially for those with Golden Core and above, it was all the more true.

Even if they did nothing, their cultivation and Divine Soul would continue to decay under the influence of the Heaven and Earth Rules.

You must understand, any powerful cultivator’s realm and cultivation are built over long years of hardship.

Even their lifespan depends on cultivation to sustain it, so that their True Spirit may not perish and they can enjoy a long life.

Once their cultivation and Divine Soul decay to a certain extent, these powerful cultivators will exhibit signs of physical and Divine Soul decays.

At that point, not only will all their cultivation disappear, but even their True Spirit will struggle to maintain itself and risk collapse.

This is what’s known as the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation.

At the end of the Cultivation Era, all powerful cultivators had to face this world-shaking catastrophe!”

Now Lu Qing understood why Yan was so shocked earlier when he learned that the pestilence ghost’s True Spirit was still intact.

It turns out that this so-called Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation is something that all powerful cultivators must confront.

“Does that mean that a Magic Treasure Spirit like senior doesn’t have to face the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation?”

“Yes, we Artifact Spirits do possess True Spirits, but as the spirits of Magical Treasures, we lack physical bodies and do not succumb to decay.

Hence, the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation does not affect us.

However, if Spiritual Energy is depleted and we are long deprived of its nourishment, our True Spirits will still weaken and fall into slumber.

The plague-ridden old ghost’s purpose in seizing a body and becoming the Artifact Spirit of his Lifebound Magical Treasure was precisely to exploit this.”

“Is there really no way to resist the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation? Surely, in the Ancient Immortal Cultivation Era, all those powerful beings wouldn’t just sit around waiting for death?” Lu Qing inquired.

“How could they just sit around waiting for death!”

“Yan” let out a cold laugh.

“People who practice cultivation cherish their lives the most, especially those old monsters who have strong cultivation and have lived a long time—they fear death the most!

When the Cultivation Era was just entering its end and the Heaven and Earth Rules began to change, with Spiritual Energy showing signs of decline,

those old monsters had already foreseen this great calamity and started to make arrangements early on.”

“Later on, when many Cultivation Sects began to clash and fight over resources, it was their doing behind the scenes.

Their goal was to consolidate the resources of the entire Cultivation World and carry out their plan to evade the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation.”

“What plan?” Lu Qing asked.

“I can’t be certain of that either; at that time, there were many rumors.

Some said that those old monsters wanted to create a secret realm, to escape the sensing of the Heaven and Earth Rules, and then wait for the revival of the next Cultivation Era.

Others claimed they intended to gather all the resources of the Cultivation World and forge an unprecedented Magical Treasure to break through the realm barrier and leave this world.

There were even rumors that they planned to collect all the Spiritual Medicine from the entire Cultivation World to refine a batch of top-quality Elixirs to push their cultivation to the limit and ascend by crossing the tribulation.

In short, opinions varied, and it’s uncertain what was true.

In any case, my Li Huo Sect didn’t survive to see the true coming of the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation, as we were already annihilated in a fight against a rival Sect.”

“Creating a secret realm to escape disaster?” A thought struck Lu Qing, and he said, “Senior, nowadays, there are a few secret lands in the world, which are said to have a history of tens of thousands of years. I wonder if these are the secret realms you speak of.”

Then, Lu Qing shared with “Yan” the information he knew about the Four Great Secret Places.

“Suspended Mountain, Cloud Water Secret Realm, Qingyang Temple, Cold Water Palace?”

“Yan” showed a hint of confusion upon hearing these names.

“These four Sects, although they were considered top forces in the Ancient Immortal Cultivation Era, by logic, their foundations should not be sufficient to create a secret realm able to evade the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation.

Could it be that something significant has happened in the Cultivation World after I fell into slumber?”

“Are you suggesting that Suspended Mountain and the rest couldn’t possibly have created a secret realm that’s been passed down for tens of thousands of years?” Lu Qing asked.

“Not necessarily, in the Ancient Immortal Cultivation Era, there were many secret realms, born and annihilated alongside the space of this world.

If a power is willing to pay the price, using a powerful Spiritual Artifact as a sacrifice to merge into the secret realm and suppress the space,

it is possible to keep the secret realm in existence for a long time without closure.

Back then, nearly all the top Cultivation Sects each owned one or two secret realms as a contingency.

But as I said, secret realms are born from the space of this world and are likewise affected by the Heaven and Earth Laws of this world.

Even if one hides in a secret realm, they cannot avoid the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation.

Unless one is willing to pay an unimaginable price to make the space of the secret realm completely independent, shielding it from the sensing of the external Heaven and Earth Laws.

Only then might there be a slim chance to not be ensnared by the Heavenly Human Five Decays Tribulation.

However, the cost is far beyond what a single Sect can bear.

So these four secret lands you mentioned, even if they really have been passed down for tens of thousands of years and are forces inherited from the Ancient Immortal Cultivation Era,

the disciples inside would have changed countless generations and it would be absolutely impossible for old monsters from ancient times to survive.”

“What if there are existences like the plague-ridden old ghost, who have survived by seizing Artifact Spirits?” Lu Qing asked.

“In that case, it is possible, but Spiritual Artifacts are rare, and seizing a body carries great risks if it’s not one’s Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Even if one is lucky enough to successfully seize a body and become an Artifact Spirit, it’s like trapping oneself in a cage; not everyone has the resolve to make such a decision.

So even if some of these old monsters survived, there would undoubtedly be very few of them.

At most two or three.”

Hearing this, Lu Qing felt somewhat relieved.

“Yan” keenly noticed this slight change in Lu Qing.

He couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, “Why, does Young Master have a grudge with these several secret lands?”