Bai Qiuran left the main peak of the Qinming Sword Sect, feeling quite pleased after obtaining what he wanted from the Sect Leader. He made his way back to the Seven Stars Peak where he resided.
“I suggest you give up,” Xue Ling said coldly. “There’s no foundation-building pill with such power in this world. You might as well follow me back to the Underworld. The Immortal Emperor himself has stated that if you die, he will crown you as the king of the Underworld, ruling over the ten halls of the Underworld.”
Bai Qiuran and Xue Ling's first encounter occurred over two thousand years ago when Bai Qiuran was on the brink of running out of lifespan. At that time, Bai Qiuran was traveling and got trapped in a ruin left by a True Immortal, unable to concoct the Longevity Pill. Thus, Xue Ling, a newly appointed Soul Reaping Envoy, came to collect his soul.
For three thousand years, Bai Qiuran diligently cultivated, seeking to break through the bottleneck of foundation building. However, during his time away, an unwelcome presence seemed to have invaded the courtyard. As he approached the outer courtyard, Bai Qiuran felt the unnerving aura that was spreading from within.
As a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, he had been battling the obstacles of foundation building for three thousand years.
“Don’t!” Bai Qiuran said impatiently, scratching his waist. Lying on his bed, he murmured, “Looks like I have to go down the mountain again to look for the herbs for the Longevity Pill.”
After a moment, he scratched his head of white hair in annoyance and replied, “Here we go again... All right, I get it, you can head back.”
He paused at the courtyard entrance for a moment, then boldly pushed open the courtyard door and walked into his chamber, where he faced an uninvited guest standing by his bed.
A Qi Condensation stage cultivator would typically live only three to four hundred years. At this age, if one had still not managed to successfully cultivate, their body would wither away, and their soul would be taken by the Soul Reaping Envoy to the Underworld for reincarnation, awaiting another chance.
Bai Qiuran resolutely stated, “I am determined to build my foundation!”
“Have you thought about it? Your Qi Sea is vastly greater than that of ordinary individuals, and your True Qi is the same. Building a foundation requires condensing True Qi into essence; with so much True Qi, do you truly wish to cultivate a sea of essence within yourself?”
“It really is you, Xue Ling.” Upon seeing Bai Qiuran’s expression, Xue Ling no longer felt the need to waste words. He turned and walked to the side of the room. Then, his figure gradually became translucent and vanished into the wall.
“Leave, leave!” Bai Qiuran urged. Year after year, he faced the impending doom, relying on the Longevity Pill to prolong his life.
After a moment, Bai Qiuran scratched his hair again in irritation. “Why is it this time already... All right, I know, you can return now.”
Seeing the young man in white robes with a pale face standing before him, Bai Qiuran sighed deeply.
“You never think about this: your Qi Sea is infinitely larger than that of a regular person, as is your True Qi. Foundation building requires concentrating True Qi and converting it into essence. Do you really think you can create a sea of essence in that body of yours?”
Bai Qiuran's demeanor grew cold, and they stared at each other in silence.
“If the time comes and you have not found a way to extend your life, I will come to claim your soul,” Xue Ling said, his expression devoid of humor.
Bai Qiuran felt a sense of annoyance growing once more, and as he lay on the bed, he murmured to himself, “It seems I must go down the mountain to gather materials for the Longevity Pill again.”
A moment later, he scratched his head again, “Here we go again… Fine, I understand, you can head back.”
As a cultivator who brought death to the human realm and maintained the order of heaven and earth, Xue Ling, unless he chose to show himself, would remain invisible to mortals, even to those who had embarked on the path of immortality.
“No partners, no fame,” Bai Qiuran thought as he watched the senior sisters and junior sisters he had feelings for become celestial couples with others, while he remained alone for three thousand years, unable to even ride a sword through the wind.
Indeed, Xue Ling, as one of the Envoys of the Underworld serving under the King of Hell, was a Soul Reaping Envoy. Bai Qiuran had developed a certain level of understanding and mutual annoyance with him over the years.
Furthermore, Bai Qiuran, being a unique Qi Condensation stage cultivator, had immense amounts of True Qi ensuring that his body would not decay and with his Heavenly Spiritual Root, he could absorb the power of the Longevity Pill without limitations, allowing him to rely on it to extend his life by a thousand years.
As Bai Qiuran looked at Xue Ling’s unfazed expression, he realized their antagonism had been ongoing for more than two thousand years. Each time his fate was about to reach its end, Xue Ling would come to trouble him, their conflicts sparking considerable attention from both the Underworld and the Immortal World.
Years passed, as Bai Qiuran reflected on the high hopes others had placed in him. Some had ascended, some had failed their tribulations, and others had perished in struggles, while those who aimed to harm him or the Qinming Sword Sect had all met their end at his hands, with none remaining.
“What brings you here?” Bai Qiuran asked, trying to shake off his irritation.
“Are you so bored that you’re just hanging around?” Xue Ling rolled his eyes at Bai Qiuran, who lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, surrendering to his thoughts.
“Fast, fast!”
The struggle of life and death and the pursuit of cultivation continued, year after year, but Bai Qiuran, against the tides of fate, remained resolute in his quest to break through and build his foundation.