Exploring Immortality Cultivation-Chapter 256 - 10: Returning Home

Jingxiang Plain is located in the middle reaches of Tianjiang, the largest river in Shenzhou, and is also crossed by the flowing Chu River. With fertile land and water, it is considered one of the most livable areas.

The location in the middle reaches of the Great River is very important. Upstream, there are many valleys and waterfalls. The middle reaches widen, with floodplains and terraces, while in the downstream, the riverbed has a gentler slope, and a breach in the riverbank could flood a thousand miles of marshland. During the Ancient Method Era, ceaseless battles among cultivators occurred, and a confrontation between two Golden Core Cultivators could significantly alter the course downstream. In addition, the lower reaches of the river are close to the sea, which has always been the territory of the Dragon Clan and Sea Demons. Therefore, even though the land at the river's mouth is fertile, it is not suitable for habitation and cannot form large settlements.

Thus, although Jingxiang Plain accounts for less than half of Shenzhou's area, it boasts thirty percent of its population. With a village every three miles, a hamlet every five, and a town every ten, it is indeed a scene of peace and prosperity. Even the undeveloped lands meant for new roads are not devoid of human traces.

Wang Qi, practicing his movement technique, dashed across the wilderness. Now in the Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation, having received a fraction of the True Inheritance, his ability to travel long distances was no different than that of a swift horse. Along the way, he passed many towns but never entered them. When encountering villages, he would detour whenever possible, without stopping for a moment.

Strangely, at this time, his eyes were vacant, as if his gaze lacked focus, unsure what he was looking at. Moments later, he rushed into a sparse forest, maintaining his speed, about to crash headlong into a tree.

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Just then, his ring vibrated and a thought entered his mind: "Left!" Wang Qi immediately stepped to the left, brushing past a tree with a trunk as wide as a bowl. But then, he was about to crash into another tree, and Zhen Chan shouted in his Spiritual Sense twice, "Left, left." Wang Qi took two steps left, narrowly avoiding another tree.

Shortly after, Wang Qi burst out of the woods to face a stream, and Zhen Chan shouted twice, "Jump! Jump!" Wang Qi leaped using his movement technique, easily clearing the six-zhang-wide river.

Having run for a while, Wang Qi finally stopped, blinked, and returned to normal. He asked, "Where have we arrived?"

The Ring Grandpa, who was used as a navigation device, chuckled and said, "We should reach it within a day—shall we keep running for a while?"

Hearing Zhen Chan's seemingly unfinished tone, Wang Qi's face twitched.

This old man is playing me like it's "Temple Run"?

Wang Qi's actions just now were not out of madness or for fun, but part of his practice.

During the Qi Cultivation Stage, cultivators must ponder over mental methods, unravel their mysteries, discover the true essence within, become familiar with the flow of mana, and prepare to forge their Magic Foundation. Wang Qi was practicing the Yao Ding Calculating Scripture and the Book of Geometry.

The practice of the Book of Geometry had three stages. At the first stage, one dealt with abstract geometric shapes. In the eyes of cultivators at this stage, Heaven and Earth became clearer, with more distinct angles and edges: a mountain was a mountain, water was water. The second realm was different: cultivators at this stage saw everything in the world abstracted into formulas and constantly changing variables; they no longer saw specific scenes—mountains were not mountains, and water was not water. At the third stage, myriad formulas unfolded in the eyes of the cultivator and reformed into scenery, corresponding to "seeing mountains as mountains, and water as water." At this step, cultivators could see through their surroundings at a glance.

At the second stage, when everything in the world turned into formulas in a cultivator's eyes, it was the perfect time to integrate the Book of Geometry with the Yao Ding Calculating Scripture. However, invoking the second stage of the Book of Geometry made the cultivator seemingly blind, unable to see actual objects, making the initial adaptation difficult. The practice method suggested by Su Junyu was to continuously walk and calculate without stopping for a moment.

This method was sound, yet as Wang Qi had barely entered the second stage, it was easy to miscalculate at first, leading to collisions with trees. Thus, he had no choice but to let Zhen Chan see for him—Wang Qi suddenly felt that Chen Jingyun's habit of walking into trees was not an anomaly but likely the norm for the Wanfa Sect.

After another half-day's journey, the number of people around thinned out even more. The countryside was still alright, as the land remained and many farmers had nowhere else to go. But the towns were already half empty. As they drew closer to their destination, Wang Qi saw two deserted hamlets.

Such a sight was rare on the Jingxiang Plain. With no recent Heavenly Calamities or human misfortunes, the emergence of these desolate "Ghost Villages" was peculiar. But Wang Qi merely sighed as if he had anticipated this.

A year prior, an entire village had perished here, the majority dying overnight.

In this world filled with Spiritual Energy, the existence of ghosts and resentful spirits was not a superstitious belief. When a life form's life ended and its body's systems collapsed, transitioning from Entropy Reduction to Entropy Increase, the Spiritual Energy inside naturally transformed. This specific Spirit Energy Eigenform reacted subnormally to thermal and chemical energy, resulting in a chilling sensation, impairing breathing, and weakening physiological functions. As for electromagnetic energy, it exhibited an amplified reaction. This was the basis for phenomena such as "Ghost Fire" and "Soul Fire" in this world. Spirited souls dissipating with negative emotions could even more so trigger this change.

During the previous year's "Immortal Calamity," the entire Dabai Village was wiped out overnight, and the Immortal Alliance only did the most basic clean-up, ensuring that the place wouldn't become accursed or a Dead Land. But that was the extent of it; after all, thoroughly dispelling Yin Qi and deathly energies would require significant effort.

Feng Luoyi had arranged for Wang Qi to take more than a month's leave, giving him plenty of time. With the approach of the mid-August festival and uncertain chances of returning home the following Tomb-Sweeping Day, Wang Qi decided to visit his hometown while he had the opportunity. Leiyang Branch's members, many of whom knew that he had the right to call Feng Luoyi "Teacher," facilitated his journey by rearranging his Spirit Boat schedule to a direct trip to Xiangkou. Xiangkou Branch was a small branch of the Immortal Alliance and the nearest to Wang Qi's birthplace. After disembarking from the Spirit Boat, a two-day run brought him close to his destination.

After crossing a small hill, Wang Qi could see the village of his birth. He didn't immediately return to the village but ran in a different direction. Soon, he arrived in front of a pit. Perhaps the lingering mana had suppressed the vitality of this area, making the land even more barren than a year before.

Wang Qi still remembered this place. It was where he first experienced a battle of life and death. The place where Li Ziye fell in combat.