Seeing those last four characters, Li Yundong was utterly stunned. He never imagined that the script before him was penned by the Fox Zen Sect’s most powerful yet most controversial figure: the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox!

Li Yundong couldn't help but walk to the wall and stretch out his hand to touch it. He found the surface incredibly hard—it was solid granite!

He then traced his fingers into the grooves carved by the script and was astonished to realize they were etched out by human fingernails!

This shock was no minor event!

Li Yundong gasped internally: These were carved by actual human hands? How was this possible?

Li Yundong channeled his qi to his fingertips and attempted to carve characters onto the stone surface himself. But as soon as he applied force, a sharp pain shot through his fingertip. The unyielding granite remained completely unmoved!

Li Yundong immediately drew a sharp breath. He possessed the Golden Core Reconstitution Body; his physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary mortals. Even after mobilizing his true essence, while his body couldn't be called impervious to blades and spears, a strong blow from an iron bar felt no worse than a tickle.

Yet, even with all his might, Li Yundong couldn't leave the slightest mark on that hard stone surface. This showed just how earth-shattering it was when the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox carved these characters with her fingers back then!

Li Yundong looked up at the entire wall covered in script, momentarily lost in a daze. He felt as if a colossal shadow, reaching up to the heavens, was looking down upon him, making him feel utterly insignificant!

But that thought flashed through Li Yundong’s mind and vanished, replaced by a surging will to strive forward and catch up!

"I even passed the Heavenly Tribulation; what is there left to fear! If the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox, a frail woman with a Five-Leakage Body, could cultivate to this level, can I, a majestic man of the Seven Treasures Body, not achieve it?"

Li Yundong took a deep breath and began reading the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art carved on the wall again. The more he read, the more he found the cultivation methods described within to be exquisitely profound and utterly astonishing.

A thought struck Li Yundong, and he suddenly chuckled, murmuring to himself: Isn't this the Nine Yang Divine Art of the cultivation world!

As he was focused intently on the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art, he suddenly heard Lin Youfa burst into a loud laugh, exclaiming, "I found the door! I found the door!!"

Lin Youfa pointed to a crack in the wall before him and declared, "It's here!"

After speaking, he pushed the door with great force, but it remained completely still. He then loudly called out to Li Yundong, "Immortal Li, come lend a hand!"

Li Yundong walked over and, together with Lin Youfa, shoved the door. But no matter how hard they pushed, the door wouldn't budge. Lin Youfa immediately deflated, staring at the door and cursing, "Damn it, what is this broken door up to!"

Lin Youfa was singularly focused on finding magical artifacts, but Li Yundong’s mind was entirely absorbed by the Nine Revolutions Inner Elixir Art carved on the wall.

While he was pondering the esoteric meanings of the text, he heard Lin Youfa say from the side, "Immortal Li, do you think this door will require your Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan to open it again?"

Li Yundong snapped back to attention with an "Ah!" He carefully examined the wall, swept his hand across it, and shook his head, "No, there are no patterns or grooves here."

Seeing Li Yundong’s flickering expression, as if deep in thought, Lin Youfa grew suspicious, wondering to himself: Could this fellow be deliberately withholding information, intending to ditch me and hoard all these treasures for himself?

While he was brooding over this, Li Yundong ignored him and walked back to the wall to examine the inscriptions closely.

It was only then that Lin Youfa noticed Li Yundong’s actions. He also looked up curiously. At first, he regarded the writing with impatience, but the more he looked, the more astonished he became, and his shock deepened, especially when he saw the final inscription. Lin Youfa leaped up and stammered, "The Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox! This, this was actually left by the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox!"

Li Yundong turned to glance at him, and a sudden thought struck him: How incredibly formidable must this Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox have been for her very name to still cause such shock over a thousand years later!

Li Yundong involuntarily took two steps back, gazing intently at the script filling the room. He couldn't help but sigh internally: These characters were truly majestic and grand in scope, showing nothing of a woman’s hand! Especially those four characters, Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox—they were so soaringly arrogant and exceptionally elegant that upon seeing them, one was immediately convinced they must have come from the hand of the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox!

"Amazing, truly amazing!" Li Yundong marveled the more he looked, astounded both by the peerless cultivation classic, the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art, and by the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox herself.

After reading the text, Lin Youfa stammered out in utter shock, "This, this is actually the lost Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art!!"

"Lost?" Li Yundong asked curiously.

Lin Youfa turned to him, "Of course. Back then, Chen Pu was a disciple of Han Zhongli, one of the Eight Immortals. Later, he founded the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art, which was known as one of the supreme scriptures of Daoist cultivation. However, it was lost during the chaotic period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. I never expected to find the complete version here!"

Lin Youfa was overjoyed, burning with the desire to immediately cultivate this art. But quickly, he glanced cautiously at Li Yundong, seemingly contemplating something. After a moment, he said, "Immortal Li, let me be frank with you. Although we’ve had past grievances, we have fought side-by-side before; we share a bond of comradeship. As the saying goes, it is better to resolve enmities than to foster them. I think we should settle our scores. Especially now that we are in danger, we should cooperate to overcome this obstacle. Whatever issues we have, we can resolve them after we get out, what do you say?"

Li Yundong considered it, then readily agreed, "Fine!"

Lin Youfa was delighted and extended his hand toward Li Yundong, saying, "A gentleman's word!"

Li Yundong responded, "As fast as a galloping horse!" With that, the two clapped hands across the air, sealing their oath.

Lin Youfa had spent his entire life seeking such supreme cultivation techniques. Seeing it now was like a thirsty traveler in the desert encountering fine wine and delicious food, or like a long-deprived woman meeting a potent man. How could he possibly restrain himself?

Lin Youfa settled into a corner of the room, backed against the wall, and sat cross-legged, beginning to circulate his qi according to the instructions in the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art.

Although Li Yundong had sworn an oath with Lin Youfa, he remained inwardly reserved and vigilant. However, when he noticed Lin Youfa entering deep meditation, his vigilance slowly eased. After all, true meditative absorption could not be faked.

Li Yundong himself sat cross-legged on the Yin-Yang cushion in the center of the room, placing the Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan aside, and began circulating his own qi.

The two cultivated in the room for an unknown period. Finally, Lin Youfa awoke from his deep trance. Although he was a cultivator, the techniques he practiced were considered low-tier summoning methods in the cultivation world. Such methods relied on draining one's own life force, severely damaging one's vital energy. He only managed to cultivate to the Second Revolution before he could advance no further and automatically awoke from his meditation.

Upon waking, Lin Youfa let out a long sigh, filled with both sentiment and the weight of time. He was moved that in his old age, he had the chance to glimpse the most wondrous and profound method of cultivation in the world, yet sorrowful that decades of his life had been wasted!

Lin Youfa exhaled, then his gaze fell upon Li Yundong, who was meditating in the center of the room. He walked closer to take a look.

That single look brought Lin Youfa a mixture of astonishment and envy, admiration and hatred!

There sat Li Yundong on the cushion, a beam of dense, pure white qi rising straight up from his head. His facial color constantly shifted, turning crimson red one moment, black the next, and then green.

Lin Youfa knew this meant Li Yundong had cultivated to the Seventh Revolution stage and was currently transforming his internal organs!

The Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art had nine stages: First Revolution to Reduce the Elixir; Second Revolution to Form the Elixir; Third Revolution to Nurture Yang; Fourth Revolution to Nurture Yin; Fifth Revolution to Transform Bone; Sixth Revolution to Transform Flesh; Seventh Revolution to Transform the Five Viscera; Eighth Revolution to Cultivate Fire; Ninth Revolution to Achieve Immortality.

The shifting five colors on Li Yundong’s face clearly indicated that the five vital energies—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—were circulating incessantly as he transformed his five viscera, causing this extraordinary phenomenon.

Lin Youfa mused inwardly: I have cultivated for decades, and even with this technique, I only reached the Second Revolution in one breath. I originally thought that after learning it, I could practice slowly and eventually reach the Ninth Revolution, then emerge to compete with cultivators across the world. But unexpectedly, this young man before me has reached the Seventh Revolution in a single continuous burst! His innate talent is terrifyingly formidable. If he is around, how could I ever rise to prominence?

Lin Youfa was inherently competitive; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered seeking trouble with Li Yundong just because his disciple goaded him, all for the sake of testing who was superior.

The more Lin Youfa thought, the more jealous and unwilling he became. He watched the five energies changing on Li Yundong's face, and the white qi rising from his head shot up to the ceiling before spreading out like mist. This filled him with even greater jealousy and hatred. He thought: This person is so formidable, and he already holds a grudge against me. If we get out, I probably won't have any easy days ahead!

With that thought, Lin Youfa's mind stirred. His gaze fell upon the Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan beside Li Yundong. He recalled the miraculous power of that fan from before, and his greed surged uncontrollably.

"Why does he have such a fine magical artifact, and I don't? Why is he so adept and making such rapid progress practicing such marvelous techniques, while I stumble along, stuck at the Second Revolution? Why is Heaven so unfair?" Lin Youfa's anger surged from his heart, and malice bloomed in his mind.

He sneered, "Immortal Li, Immortal Li, you are indeed amazing, reaching the Seventh Revolution in one go while I woke up at the Second! Hmph, hmph, but no matter how great your skill, you cannot resist me right now, can you? Killing you now would be as easy as turning my hand! Heh, I shall relieve you of this Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan!"

Saying this, he flipped his hand and struck viciously toward the crown of Li Yundong’s head! (45278941954)E