The Path to Immortality Begins as a Sect's Menial Servant

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

Over the past six months, aside from his daily indulgence with Tan Qingxue and cultivation of Yin-Yang Demonic Qi, Li An also made trips to the spiritual herb shop to purchase some Vitality-Stimulating Pills, which he took at regular intervals.

As Gu Hong had said, the medicinal toxicity of Vitality-Stimulating Pills was indeed heavier than that of ordinary pills. After half a year, quite a lot had already built up in his system.

However, thanks to the combined effects of the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique and the Vitality-Stimulating Pills, Li An’s cultivation swiftly reached the peak of the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining—he was nearly ready to break through to the Fifth Layer.

This was the benefit of pills and furnace cauldrons.

A thousand miles in one day.

But this state couldn’t be sustained forever. The effects of the Vitality-Stimulating Pills would fade over time, and after an initial leap in progress, the benefit from the furnace cauldron would gradually decline, settling into a slower pace of growth.

That night, since her monthly cycle had arrived, Tan Qingxue finally got a chance to catch her breath. After dinner, she hurriedly pushed Li An out of the room.

She had no choice. Li An cultivated the Iron Tree Technique, and his body was already far superior to the average person. On top of that, he had somehow acquired a strange bedroom art, with unpredictable rhythm and endless variation—she truly couldn’t keep up…

Returning to his own room, deep in the night, Li An activated the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique.

By now, the Yin-Yang Demonic Qi in his body had built up significantly. Although he still couldn’t reshape his entire body, altering his facial features and partial traits was no longer difficult.

Most importantly, with this amount of Yin-Yang Demonic Qi, he could now control Gu Hong’s life and death—

There was Yin-Yang Demonic Qi lingering in Gu Hong’s body as well. If she encountered someone who had reached minor success in cultivating the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique, they could directly turn her into a furnace cauldron.

But Li An had no interest in that.

After two lifetimes, he viewed women and furnace cauldrons lightly—he neither sought nor resisted, simply letting things take their course. He would never force it.

Because if the heart was moved by feelings, it would shake the firmness of the Dao!

He opened his storage ring and entered within.

“Fellow Daoist Li, it’s been a while.”

Gu Hong was quite pleased to see Li An enter.

Though she had remained trapped within the storage ring all this time, she wasn’t exactly bored. Aside from cultivating day and night, Li An often came to speak with her and periodically brought her roses, camellias, and other plants.

She had come to understand Li An more deeply.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, I’ve come with good news today.”

Li An smiled and pulled out a box, opening it. “Ten Cleansing Qi Pills.”

At the sight of it, Gu Hong was overjoyed, beaming with delight.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist! Thank you!”

She quickly stood and took the Cleansing Qi Pills, her hands trembling slightly.

Over the past six months, her cultivation had gradually recovered and was now at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

But the Yin-Yang Demonic Qi in her body remained, something she had no way of removing.

Now, with ten Cleansing Qi Pills, she finally saw hope of cleansing it.

Once the Yin-Yang Demonic Qi was gone, she would truly be free.

“Fellow Daoist, take one first. I’ll protect you.”

Li An said.

Gu Hong nodded at once. She sat cross-legged on the jade bed, swallowed a Cleansing Qi Pill, and began to circulate her energy.

Time flew by. Three hours later, Gu Hong finally opened her eyes.

“How is it?” Li An asked expectantly.

Gu Hong nodded. “It’s working well. I estimate that within a month, I’ll be able to completely purge the demonic qi.”

“Thank you, Daoist Li!”

Her eyes were filled with gratitude.

“No need for thanks!”

Li An smiled. “Daoist Gu, I should be breaking through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining myself.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a Spirit-Rush Pill.

“Fellow Daoist Li, did you really resort to Vitality-Stimulating Pills?”

Gu Hong frowned slightly.

Li An couldn’t have progressed so quickly otherwise.

The Vitality-Stimulating Pill was the only possible explanation.

“Yes, I’ve been targeted by the Demonic Path, so I had no other choice but to raise my strength…” Li An said helplessly. With that, he sat down in meditation and swallowed the Spirit-Rush Pill to attempt his breakthrough.

Gu Hong stood guard beside him.

Half an hour later—

Pfft—

Li An shuddered and suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. His face went pale as paper, and he collapsed backward, losing consciousness instantly.

“Daoist Li!”

Gu Hong was startled, rushing forward to support him. A single glance was enough to shake her heart.

“The accumulated pill toxins erupted during the breakthrough, not only failing to break through, but endangering his life…”

Her expression shifted repeatedly.

As a Grade-One Alchemist, she was very familiar with pills and understood all too well—Li An was now critically ill. If he wasn’t treated in time, he would die on the spot.

But there was no pill furnace or ingredients nearby. Even if she wanted to refine an Antidote Pill, she had no way to do so.

“To save him, there’s only one way…”

Gu Hong’s face was filled with hesitation.

Only by using her own body to guide the poison away could she help Li An survive.

She thought deeply. The memories of the past six months with Li An flowed through her heart…

“Forget it. Daoist Li treated me with such sincerity. If not for him, how could I have seen the light of day again? I’m already a withered flower, so what’s left to fear? I’ll help guide the poison out now, and once I leave this place in the future, I’ll search for an Antidote Pill to cleanse us both.”

With that thought, she pressed her slender jade hand to Li An’s lower abdomen, circulating her spiritual energy, and lightly kissed his lips.

To guide the poison did not require dual cultivation. This alone was enough.

…

Some time later.

Li An slowly awoke. His face was pale, and his eyes slightly dazed. “I… what happened?”

Gu Hong sat calmly to the side, as if nothing had happened. “Daoist Li, the pill toxins erupted and caused your breakthrough to fail.”

Li An’s eyes were filled with shock. “It really… happened like that!”

“For now, you can’t attempt another breakthrough. You must first find an Antidote Pill to remove the toxins, or your life will remain in danger.”

Gu Hong advised.

Li An nodded, then asked curiously, “Daoist Gu, if my pill toxins erupted, I should have killed… you…”

“No need to speak further.”

Gu Hong smiled calmly. “Don’t worry, Daoist Li, I didn’t do anything to you. You’re still untouched.”

She was quite carefree about it.

Li An rose gratefully. “Thank you, Daoist Gu. I won’t say more—you have my deepest gratitude. I’ll always remember this.”

“I’ll go look for an Antidote Pill tomorrow and bring it back to you.”

…

Back in his room—

Li An was finally at ease.

In truth, he had taken the Vitality-Stimulating Pills and accumulated the pill toxins on purpose, just for today.

He was testing her.

Having lived two lives, Li An knew well how hard it was to read people’s hearts. So even after six months of getting along, he still couldn’t fully trust her—and made this move.

If the toxins had erupted and she had evil intentions, or simply ignored him…

Then Li An absolutely wouldn’t let her leave alive.

Though Gu Hong’s cultivation was now slightly higher than Li An’s, Li An had cultivated the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique for half a year. He could take full control of the demonic qi in her body and turn her into a demonic puppet at any time.

But Gu Hong’s actions proved he hadn’t misjudged her.

“Once the Yin-Yang Demonic Qi is cleared from Gu Hong’s body, I should let her go…”

Li An murmured.

Keeping her inside the storage ring long-term was not wise. She would surely grow suspicious.

Moreover, a storage ring—a special spatial artifact—had a very short lifespan.

At most, a storage ring could only be used for three years before it failed.

“Looks like I need to accelerate the cultivation of the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique… gather more demonic qi… and truly master the Shifting Body Art!”

With that thought, he couldn’t help but hope Tan Qingxue’s monthly cycle would end soon…

The thought flashed by, and he calmed himself, laying out talisman paper and brush.

Currently, his success rate for High-Grade First-Rank Talismans had improved significantly—about five percent.

Still a long way from the ten percent needed for certification.

The main issue was his low cultivation level. In truth, crafting High-Grade First-Rank Talismans at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining was considered delusional by other talisman masters.

…

Two months later—

That day, Li An left the house in plain clothes.

He activated his Super Sense to the limit, ensuring no one was following him. In a remote place, he activated the Shifting Body Art and quickly altered his appearance. The once-handsome young face now had coarse pores and a round, butcher-like face.

Even his belly bulged out, looking quite bloated.

He changed his clothes and, combined with the Life Seed’s concealment of his life aura, he could even stand before Tan Qingxue—who had spent every night with him—and she still wouldn’t recognize him.

Then, he went to a private trading market. Just like before, four or five people gathered in secret. Li An casually sold two Recovery Pills, careful not to draw attention.

Once the transaction ended, Li An turned and left toward the outskirts of the market.

He was leaving the market!

…

(End of Chapter)