Zhang Jingmo's Molten Fire Pills caused him to recuperate for a full three months before his body recovered somewhat.

During these three months, Zhang Jingmo was like an ordinary mortal, without a trace of spiritual energy in his body. Zhang Jingmo also knew that in order to refine the Molten Fire Pill, he had injured his foundation, and it would probably take a long time to slowly recuperate.

However, there wasn't that much time left for Zhang Jingmo. He planned to take Lu Guijiu to the Dark Cavern to find the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture" that belonged to Lu Guijiu after the start of winter.

Back when Lu Guijiu obtained this strange book, he was also in the Qi Refining stage. It's just that at that time, he reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining in his twenties, about the same as his current cultivation.

The disciple of Daoist Cen, who had a grudge with Zhang Jingmo, entered the Dao at the age of six and took five years to reach the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Now Lu Guijiu was also eleven years old, but he had already reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Although there were only a few more words between the fourth level and the peak of the fourth level, it represented more than ten years of time. Zhang Jingmo clearly remembered that back then, Lu Guijiu had surpassed Daoist Cen's disciple in his twenties.

Not to mention the current eleven-year-old little monster.

The fact that Zhang Jingmo had successfully refined the Molten Fire Pill not only shocked the Lingxu Sect, but also caused other sects to come to investigate after seeing the strange phenomenon, wanting to know which expert had actually refined the Molten Fire Pill.

The Sect Master was quite understanding and blocked these people for Zhang Jingmo, not allowing anyone to disturb Zhang Jingmo who was recuperating. A month after the pill was born, he brought some spiritual medicines to visit Zhang Jingmo, but he didn't ask where the Molten Fire Pill had gone. It seemed that Bai Lingxiao had also spoken to him.

Since no one was disturbing him, Zhang Jingmo put all his energy into recuperating his body. Although he had been to the Dark Cavern before and had even figured out how to obtain the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture", he still didn't dare to be careless. After all, there were some subtle differences in each life, and a moment of negligence would allow these seemingly insignificant little things to take one's life.

Zhang Jingmo had suffered enough and didn't want to capsize in this kind of matter at all.

As for the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture", this strange book could be said to be a major foundation for Lu Guijiu's strength. Zhang Jingmo had also thought about cultivating it at first, but he quickly discovered that only those with the Ten Absolute Spiritual Roots could cultivate this strange book. Even if he got the book, it would be no different from getting a stack of waste paper.

Since that was the case, Zhang Jingmo could only find another way out, but he tried thousands of times and failed thousands of times. In the end, he had to admit that in this world, there was a kind of person called a genius who could achieve in a few decades what others would take several lifetimes to achieve.

Lu Guijiu was not the only one preparing to set out. Ever since he saw Zhang Jingmo's hair turn white from refining pills, he had been completely devastated.

In Lu Guijiu's eyes, his master refined pills just to earn money to support the family. He had to become strong as soon as possible in order to add his own strength and prevent Zhang Jingmo from being so exhausted.

Zhang Jingmo didn't know Lu Guijiu's thoughts. He originally thought that until they set out, Lu Guijiu's cultivation should have remained at the peak of the fourth level. However, to his surprise, on the second day of the snowfall, Lu Guijiu broke through again.

Zhang Jingmo was originally sitting in meditation, but suddenly felt an abnormal fluctuation of spiritual energy. With a little probing, he knew what had happened, and his eyes couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.

Lu Guijiu's breakthrough was very smooth and not forced to increase his cultivation for the sake of speed. After the breakthrough, he felt pain all over his body and couldn't help but fall on the bed, letting out a weak moan.

Zhang Jingmo walked into the room, picked up Lu Guijiu, and then used his own spiritual power to alleviate Lu Guijiu's pain. He said, "Endure it."

After the fifth level of Qi Refining, the body's constitution would be refined layer by layer, from the outside to the inside. And when one reached the top level of Qi Refining and achieved Foundation Establishment, it would be the final step of refining the dantian.

Lu Guijiu had just entered the fifth level, so naturally there was some pain, but this pain was unavoidable. Zhang Jingmo could only watch and couldn't help much.

After the pain passed, Lu Guijiu felt as if he had shed a layer of skin. He felt the lightness and comfort of his body, rubbed his head against Zhang Jingmo who was holding him, and said, "Master... it feels so good."

Zhang Jingmo laughed and said, "You little monkey, hurry up and go wash."

Lu Guijiu lowered his head and saw that he was covered in dirt. His face turned red in embarrassment.

Zhang Jingmo didn't mind the dirt. He picked up Lu Guijiu and walked towards the bathing area, then threw Lu Guijiu into the spiritual spring.

Lu Guijiu buried his head and washed the dirt on his body. After he was clean, he shouted to Zhang Jingmo, "Master, you should also come and wash."

Zhang Jingmo said, "I won't wash. You consolidate your foundation well in this spiritual spring." After saying that, he turned and left, his brows showing a relaxed expression.

According to Lu Guijiu's development speed, Zhang Jingmo was even more confident about the future...

Because of Lu Guijiu's unexpected breakthrough, Zhang Jingmo's schedule had to be postponed.

It was now late November, and light snow had just fallen from the sky, wrapping the entire Lingxu Sect in a layer of silver.

During the waiting period, Zhang Jingmo's good friend came to drink with him a few more times. After learning that Lu Guijiu was already at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he also called him a monster several times. But in the end, he was a bit worried about Zhang Jingmo.

Zhang Jingmo laughed when he heard this and said, "What are you worried about me for? Who doesn't want such a disciple?"

Yu Fen shook his head and sighed, "Misfortune is the foundation of fortune, and fortune is the lurking place of misfortune..."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Why do you say that?"

Yu Fen said, "I went to find that fortune-teller to divine a hexagram a few days ago."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Oh?" The fortune-teller Yu Fen mentioned was a cultivator who specialized in hexagrams. The price of divining for others was extremely high, but the divination was extremely accurate.

Yu Fen said, "This time, the hexagram is... extremely inauspicious."

Zhang Jingmo finished the wine in front of him and rubbed the wine cup with his fingers. He laughed and said, "Whether it's inauspicious or auspicious, things that should be done still have to be done. It's not like after hearing your words, I'll expel him from my sect."

Yu Fen also felt that it made sense when he heard this. He shook his head and said nothing more.

Actually, Zhang Jingmo felt a bit helpless about his good friend. He knew what kind of path Yu Fen wanted to take and had tried to stop him, but failed almost every time... Seeing that Yu Fen was becoming less and less interested in cultivation, he could only sigh in his heart, unable to think of any solution.

Cultivating immortality is also cultivating the heart, and cultivating the heart can almost only be done by oneself. If you don't understand something, even if others tell you ten thousand times, you still won't understand it. Only when the time is right will you suddenly become enlightened and realize it.

But no one knows when that time will come.

Drinking wine and counting the days, Zhang Jingmo waited for two months. Finally, at the beginning of February, he left Lingxu Sect together with Lu Guijiu.

He told everyone that he wanted to take Lu Guijiu to see the world and experience all aspects of human life, without telling anyone the destination of this trip.

Bai Lingxiao had obtained the Molten Fire Pill and had already entered closed-door cultivation. Zhang Jingmo had one last drink with Yu Fen, then took Lu Guijiu and flew out of the mountain gate.

At this time, it was bitterly cold. Lu Guijiu, who still looked like a young boy, was wearing a red cotton-padded jacket. Although he no longer looked like a New Year painting doll, he did look a bit like Nezha causing havoc in the sea from those picture books.

Lu Guijiu didn't know where Zhang Jingmo was going to take him, and he didn't intend to ask. Anyway, in his heart, the person in this world who was least likely to harm him was his master.

The Dark Cavern was quite far from Lingxu Sect, but every year Lingxu Sect would send some disciples to the Dark Cavern to search for herbs.

This was because although the spiritual beasts in the Dark Cavern were not of a high level, a special kind of herb would grow there. That herb had a cold nature and large quantity, making it the best choice for refining ordinary cold-natured elixirs.

Back then, Zhang Jingmo did not dote on Lu Guijiu as much as he did now. Lu Guijiu had no choice but to take on the sect's missions every year in exchange for spirit stones.

And on one occasion after he entered the Dark Cavern, he inexplicably fell into another tunnel... and obtained the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture".

Zhang Jingmo had never encountered such luck in ten lifetimes.

At this time, winter was not over yet, and a bitter cold wind was blowing in the Dark Cavern. In this season, disciples from sects rarely came to gather herbs, because it was too cold and too dangerous. Zhang Jingmo had chosen this time, intending to find the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture" when no one was around.

The master and disciple traveled for more than ten days and finally arrived at the entrance of the Dark Cavern.

In front of the cave, Zhang Jingmo handed Lu Guijiu an elixir pill and told him to hold it in his mouth after entering the cave.

Lu Guijiu didn't ask what the elixir was and obediently held it in his hand.

Zhang Jingmo said, "There are some evil ghosts in this Dark Cavern that will take on the appearance of your deceased loved ones. When the time comes, you must not panic. Your master will be right by your side."

Lu Guijiu nodded.

Zhang Jingmo looked into the cave, then took Lu Guijiu's hand and stepped into the Dark Cavern step by step.

Actually, Zhang Jingmo could have found the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture" on this trip to the Dark Cavern without bringing Lu Guijiu. But firstly, he wanted to train Lu Guijiu in preparation for the Xuanwu Conference a few years later; secondly, the Dark Cavern was the perfect environment for cultivating the "Blood Hell Heaven Scripture", so he brought Lu Guijiu with him.

As soon as they entered the Dark Cavern, even with spiritual energy protecting their bodies, they still felt a bone-chilling coldness. Zhang Jingmo held Lu Guijiu's hand and walked in step by step.

Outside the cave was howling wind and snow, and although there was not a single snowflake inside the cave, it made people feel cold from the bottom of their hearts.

Zhang Jingmo was afraid that Lu Guijiu would be cold, so he let the little sparrow transformed from Zhu Yan perch on Lu Guijiu's shoulder. Lu Guijiu glanced at the chirping sparrow, then withdrew his gaze.

The Dark Cavern was deep and winding, with the path meandering like a complex maze. Zhang Jingmo walked forward step by step, but he seemed to be counting something with his mouth. If Lu Guijiu could see Zhang Jingmo's face at this time, he would find that his master was almost walking with his eyes closed.

Lu Guijiu's small hand tightly grasped Zhang Jingmo's big hand. After entering the cave, he would curiously look around from time to time, very curious about everything unknown.

However, after walking a few hundred steps, Lu Guijiu suddenly tightened his grip on Zhang Jingmo's hand, as if he had seen something strange.

Zhang Jingmo noticed Lu Guijiu's abnormality, but didn't take it to heart. He didn't know that Lu Guijiu had memories of his mother since he was a child, so he thought that a child in his early teens who had never seen death probably wouldn't be affected by evil ghosts.

But at this moment, Lu Guijiu saw a woman in white clothes following beside him, calling out faintly, "Guijiu, Guijiu, my son, my son..."

Lu Guijiu's breath caught, and he held Zhang Jingmo's hand even tighter. He watched as his mother's face began to rot, falling off in chunks of flesh and blood, with maggots emerging from her eye sockets and nostrils. Her face drifted closer and closer, almost sticking to Lu Guijiu's face.

Lu Guijiu's face was deathly pale, but he didn't make a sound. The cold sweat from his hand made Zhang Jingmo realize that something was wrong. Zhang Jingmo stopped and asked softly, "What's the matter?"

Lu Guijiu stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, then slowly shook his head.

Zhang Jingmo asked, "Are you cold?" Seeing Lu Guijiu's face as white as a sheet and his lips tightly pursed, he thought it was because of the cold, so he told Zhu Yan to make the spiritual fire burn a little stronger.

Only then did Lu Guijiu feel a hint of warmth. He looked at his master's gentle face, then at the face of his deceased mother, and his eyes darkened. He followed Zhang Jingmo step by step and continued walking in.

The woman's face was still changing, sometimes sorrowful, sometimes angry, but Lu Guijiu's complexion improved. His gaze had already penetrated through the illusion created by the evil ghost and was looking towards the unknown distance.

Zhang Jingmo led Lu Guijiu to a stone wall. It was clearly a dead end ahead, but Zhang Jingmo took Lu Guijiu's hand and stepped right in.

Lu Guijiu still had his eyes open. When he saw this, he was slightly startled in his heart, but suppressed the cry in his mouth.

Passing through the wall, it suddenly opened up. Lu Guijiu stared and saw a narrow path appear in front of him. The path was only the width of a palm, and below the path was a pitch-black abyss that seemed bottomless.

Lu Guijiu's mind was shaken, and he couldn't help but pause his steps. Just as he was hesitating, he heard Zhang Jingmo say, "Close your eyes."

Lu Guijiu obediently closed his eyes, but his hand holding Zhang Jingmo's became even tighter.

Zhang Jingmo thought to himself that Lu Guijiu was indeed just an 11-year-old child, and it was normal for him to be a little scared seeing these scenes. So he bent down, picked up Lu Guijiu, and stepped onto the small path with a calm expression.

From the abyss below the small path, wailing cries that sounded like a woman's sobs rang out, causing Lu Guijiu's mind to waver and his whole body to start trembling.

Zhang Jingmo had long anticipated this situation and said, "Eat the elixir I gave you."

Hearing Zhang Jingmo's voice, Lu Guijiu pursed his lips, took out the elixir from his sleeve, and put it into his mouth.

As soon as the elixir entered his mouth, Lu Guijiu felt a hot current surging inside his body. That heat flowed from his throat all the way to his dantian. His body, which had turned cold from the wailing, became warm again.

Zhang Jingmo said, "Guijiu, the road ahead is a hundred times more perilous than this. This time, your master is with you to protect you, but in the future, you will have to walk the path alone."

Lu Guijiu didn't understand what Zhang Jingmo meant. He just tightly grasped Zhang Jingmo's lapel and said softly, "Master, I don't want to leave you."

Zhang Jingmo didn't speak, but reached out and gently stroked Lu Guijiu's head.

Lu Guijiu buried his face against Zhang Jingmo's chest, feeling his master's steady heartbeat. The cold wind and shrill cries seemed unable to affect him anymore.

After the small path, there was a flat area. Zhang Jingmo put Lu Guijiu down.

Feeling his feet touch the flat ground, Lu Guijiu opened his eyes. As soon as he did, he saw Zhang Jingmo's face. For some reason, Lu Guijiu really wanted to lean in and kiss the corner of his master's beautiful mouth.

Zhang Jingmo asked, "Guijiu, were you scared?"

Lu Guijiu glanced back at the small path behind him, but shook his head.

Zhang Jingmo said, "You're not afraid?"

Lu Guijiu's severe fear had subsided. He said, "If Master is by my side, I'm not afraid."

Hearing this, Zhang Jingmo found it a bit amusing. He said, "Why are you afraid when I'm not by your side then?"

Lu Guijiu said, "Because I know if I'm scared, Master will protect me." When he said this, his eyes were shining, full of deep admiration as he looked at Zhang Jingmo.

However, upon hearing these words, the smile on Zhang Jingmo's face faded. He thought of Lu Guijiu from the first life.

At that time, Lu Guijiu was only in his early twenties, having just reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. His relationship with Zhang Jingmo was not very good, and because of his strange fate, his days in the Lingxu Sect were not comfortable.

Without Zhang Jingmo by his side, he still walked alone through this abyss path and forged ahead on an even more difficult road.

Looking at the little Lu Guijiu beside him, what surfaced in Zhang Jingmo's mind was the silent face of Lu Guijiu from that world. For a moment, he couldn't describe the feeling in his heart. Zhang Jingmo felt that since his rebirth this time, his state of mind seemed a bit off, but he couldn't pinpoint where exactly.

Unable to figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. Zhang Jingmo took Lu Guijiu's hand again and said, "Guijiu, the road ahead will be even harder. Do you want Master to carry you?"

Lu Guijiu shook his head and said, "No need."

Zhang Jingmo smiled and said, "Master will accompany you for another section of the road. After that, can you walk on your own?"

Lu Guijiu didn't understand why Zhang Jingmo brought him here, yet wanted him to walk the final stretch alone, but he still obediently nodded like a good child trying to win the favor of an adult.

Zhang Jingmo also gently said, "Good boy," just like Lu Guijiu.

He walked step by step holding Lu Guijiu's hand and soon arrived at an open space. At first glance, the area looked ordinary, but if one looked up at the ceiling, one would see countless human skulls embedded in it. Zhang Jingmo stood still and threw a piece of gravel into the center of the space.

As soon as the gravel hit the ground, the skulls above also fell, smashing a huge hole.

Zhang Jingmo said, "Guijiu, this is a Five Elements and Eight Trigrams formation. Do you want to learn it?"

Lu Guijiu nodded without hesitation.

Zhang Jingmo then said, "Even if it means leaving me for decades, you still want to learn it?"

Lu Guijiu was about to say no, but saw Zhang Jingmo's half-smiling expression. He had an intuition that if he said no, his master would definitely be very unhappy.

So, Lu Guijiu hesitantly and slowly nodded.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingmo smiled again. He knew that Lu Guijiu... would not disappoint him.