Chapter 22: Breaking Free from Captivity

Abandoning the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman to aid his escape was currently Qingxu’s only option; there was no other way. Though unwilling, he had no choice. Upon summoning the immortal talisman, the power of Jade Purity surged from his entire being, flowing into it. In an instant, the talisman radiated with a brilliant light, clear and misty, immortal energy billowing.

Accompanied by an overwhelming and terrifying aura, the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman fully transformed into its primordial avatar.

Peak Da Luo Golden Immortal!

This primordial avatar was indeed at the peak of the Da Luo realm, just as Qingxu had anticipated. No avatar could surpass the Da Luo stage, let alone reach the Scatter Immortal of the Primordial level—such feats were all but nonexistent in myth, with only a handful of exceptions: the Supreme Sage’s “One Qi Becomes Three Purities,” the Daoist of Reception, and the Daoist Zhun Ti’s “Lotus Golden Body, Bodhi Golden Body”…

Faced with the aura of the primordial avatar, Qingxu felt unbearably oppressed, both startled and crestfallen. This was with the avatar’s aura still restrained, diffusing but a fraction of its true power—yet even so, Qingxu could barely muster half his cultivation. It was truly astonishing.

“So powerful! I never imagined the Da Luo Golden Immortal could be this strong,” Qingxu marveled inwardly.

Perhaps due to the influence of the demonic realm, the primordial avatar was like a lifeless puppet, entirely at Qingxu’s command.

He tried to take control and found it effortless; this brought him great joy. He had thought that, at his current mid-stage Earth Immortal level, his spirit would be hard-pressed to maneuver a Da Luo avatar, given the vast disparity.

In truth, he owed it to the Primordial Lord of Heaven, who had crafted the talisman in harmony with Qingxu’s aura, and attuned it to the techniques and immortal force of the Jade Purity lineage; thus, manipulation was remarkably simple.

Crackling and sizzling filled the air as thunder and lightning flashed incessantly. Between the hands of the primordial avatar, the Jade Purity Violet Firmament Divine Thunder brewed and condensed. As expected of a peak Da Luo Golden Immortal, the divine thunder it summoned possessed power enough to shake the heavens and shatter stars. It was hundreds of thousands—even millions—of times more formidable than Qingxu’s own thunder.

With a mere gesture, the divine thunder struck out, blasting the void three fathoms away.

A deafening explosion tore through the air. In the void, earth, fire, water, and wind erupted in chaos, the violet thunder roaring and swirling, annihilating all in its path.

A terrifying hurricane swept toward Qingxu; even with all his might, he was flung back over ten fathoms, his immortal essence churning within.

Ignoring his own condition, Qingxu kept his gaze fixed on the void before him. After unleashing the Jade Purity Divine Thunder, the primordial avatar had dissipated. This failure meant his life hung by a thread. His heart pounded with anxiety and tension, nerves taut—if there was the slightest chance, he had to seize it.

The void trembled; thunder and fire howled, wind and water surged, and massive rocks whirled. A sliver of blackness—a thin crack—gradually appeared, which Qingxu’s primordial spirit perceived clearly.

“Now!” he shouted, his body transforming into a streak of azure light that shot into the fissure. In less than a second, he was through, and the crack sealed immediately after.

Earth, fire, water, and wind slowly subsided; silence returned to the demonic realm. Suddenly, an old Daoist in purple robes appeared. His face was ancient and dignified, his eyes holding the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, a vast and boundless aura emanating around him. He seemed half-real, half-illusory, like a flower seen through mist.

“Sigh!” The old Daoist gazed long at the place where Qingxu had vanished, let out a sigh, and then faded away.

…

The Primeval World.

Within the Great Ba Mountains, Qingxu slumped to the ground, utterly devoid of strength. Escaping with his life had cost him dearly: the Central Xu-Yellow Banner and his own Dao foundation and immortal force were gravely damaged. Earth, fire, water, wind, and the Jade Purity Violet Firmament Divine Thunder were not so easily overcome. Only his speed had saved him; a few moments more, and he would have been reduced to ashes, his spirit obliterated.

Sensing the aura of Ba Liming, the old demon of Ba Mountain, Qingxu was startled. At his peak he would not fear him, but now, grievously wounded, he would not survive three exchanges against the demon.

At present, restoring his cultivation was the utmost priority; once recovered, even dealing with Ba Liming would be no great trouble.

“There is plenty of miasma, resentment, baleful, and deathly energy in these mountains, but the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is scarce. Recovering here is a thankless task; but seeking a truly spiritual place now is far too dangerous.” For the time being, Qingxu could not exert much power, and the world teemed with beasts and tribal shamans. Encountering even one at the Nascent Soul stage would put his life in grave peril.

Doing his utmost to suppress his aura, so as not to attract Ba Liming, Qingxu found a cave to begin restoring his immortal force.

Thread by thread, spiritual energy trickled into his body; his strength grew, but the progress was slow. At this rate, recovering to the initial stage of Earth Immortal would take at least a month.

“Alas! If only the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir were available. If I could take it now, I would not only instantly regain my cultivation, but might even break through to late-stage Earth Immortal, even the peak, perhaps even the early Heaven Immortal realm.” He sighed inwardly. The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, refined by the Supreme Sage, was gentle in effect; even a mortal could take it safely. But relying on pills to boost cultivation would destabilize one’s foundation and ultimately harm one’s pursuit of the Great Dao.

The Earth Immortal and Heaven Immortal stages were precisely when one forged their immortal foundation. Qingxu was unwilling to sacrifice the greater for the lesser; otherwise, with the power of the Three Pure Ones, their disciples could reach the Profound Immortal stage in a day, but then they would have no hope of ascending to Da Luo Golden Immortal, much less to the Primordial Scatter Immortal or the Great Da Luo Golden Immortal.

For fear of being detected by Ba Liming, Qingxu was exceedingly cautious, only daring to draw in spiritual energy when the old demon was away.

Time passed swiftly; after a month, Qingxu had recovered to the initial Earth Immortal stage.

Yet he knew, facing Ba Liming, his odds were slim to none. In this time, Ba Liming had broken through to the mid-Earth Immortal stage; relying on his demonic form, he was at least late-stage, possibly even peak Earth Immortal.

With each realm, the gap widened. The difference between late and mid-Earth Immortal was at least three times that between mid and initial, and the gulf between peak and late was greater still. As for Heaven Immortal and Earth Immortal, they were worlds apart, utterly incomparable.

“Better to seek my immortal fate first, and settle accounts later! But before I go, I’ll collect a little interest.”

At least two months had been lost in all this; Qingxu was anxious. Immortal opportunities waited for no one—if someone else claimed them, he’d be beside himself with regret.

At the thought of this, Qingxu found his spirits lifted—the difficulty had lessened considerably.

Mission: [Seek Opportunity]: Difficulty 80 (out of 100), location: Eastern Sea, Wanqiu.

Originally the difficulty was 85, now it was only 80; once his power aligned with his cultivation, it would fall even further.

It just so happened that Ba Liming was out; taking advantage of the situation, Qingxu gave a cold laugh and headed straight for the old demon’s lair. Over the past month, he had thoroughly scoped it out and was now intimately familiar with the place.