Return to the City: The Strongest King-Chapter 1770 - 1705: Dragon Gate Archives_3

After the establishment of Taoism, the alchemical knowledge of the Square Immortal Technique was inherited by Taoists and gradually developed into a secretive alchemy practice. The Taoist alchemist Ge Hong compiled the complete works of External Alchemy Skills in the book "Baopuzi," classifying external elixirs into three kinds: Divine Pill, Gold Liquid, and Gold. This practice flourished during the Tang Dynasty, forming a societal trend of consuming external elixirs. However, many elixirs from external alchemy contained mercury, which is toxic to the human body, leading to its decline after the Song Dynasty. Dragon Gate remains one of the few extant External Alchemy Sects to this day.

Dragon Gate has persisted as one of the few intact External Alchemy Sects largely because the Dragon Gate Sect Leader mastered a method of refining elixirs using True Qi. Each generation’s Sect Leader possessed a special Wood Attribute True Qi, which is characterized by spring and agriculture, symbolizing the vigorous life force of all things in creation. Following the zenith of the External Alchemy Sect during the Tang Dynasty, it quickly declined, but Dragon Gate survives because only the Dragon Gate Sect Leader has mastered the method to neutralize the elixir’s toxicity.

There is a row of empty shelves at the end of the bookshelf, with only one book placed upon it.

Song Xiaodong picked up this book. On the ancient cover were five bold characters that read "Immortal Rank Ethereal Record."

"Hmm? Is our Dragon Gate also interested in writing novels?"

Song Xiaodong opened the book and discovered that it was, in fact, a collection of biographical sketches of past Dragon Gate Sect Leaders.

"Dragon Qingyang, the founder of Dragon Gate, mastered the Nine Meridians of True Qi, completed the Golden Core, absorbed the Immortal Elixir, and ascended to immortality."

"Dragon Xiangyun, the second ancestor of Dragon Gate, mastered the Nine Meridians of True Qi, completed the Golden Core, absorbed the Immortal Elixir, and transcended through corpse liberation to immortality."

"So the ancestors of Dragon Gate really had the surname Dragon," thought Song Xiaodong.

"Dragon Jizhi, the third ancestor of Dragon Gate, mastered the Nine Meridians of True Qi, completed the Golden Core, absorbed the Immortal Elixir, and returned his soul to the nine heavens."

"Dragon Rise, the fourth ancestor of Dragon Gate, mastered the Nine Meridians of True Qi, but failed to complete the Golden Core, passing with regret."

"Dragon Fangyuan, the fifth ancestor of Dragon Gate, mastered the Nine Meridians of True Qi, but failed to complete the Golden Core, entrusting himself to the void."

...

"Li Xingyue, the ninth ancestor of Dragon Gate, mastered the Nine Meridians of True Qi, completed the Golden Core, absorbed the Immortal Elixir, formed the Immortal Body, the Heaven Gate opened wide, descended at the Immortal Rank, but failed to ascend to the heavens, perishing at the Immortal Rank."

"Absorbing the Immortal Elixir and ascending to immortality?" Song Xiaodong was somewhat puzzled.

"It seems my Dragon Gate ancestors had great ambitions, aiming for the divine dream of ascending during broad daylight. But do gods really exist in this world?" Song Xiaodong suddenly realized, no wonder Dragon Gate could carry its heritage for a thousand years, who wouldn’t desire immortality and ascension to become an immortal?

More importantly, it seemed from the text that the founder and second ancestor of Dragon Gate had already become immortals?

Song Xiaodong then looked over it roughly again, realizing that Dragon Gate had been passed down to the present generation, where he was the thirty-second ancestor.

"Song Xiaodong, the thirty-second ancestor of Dragon Gate, mastered the Three Meridians of True Qi, failed to complete the Golden Core, with everything in disarray, and a long road ahead." Song Xiaodong chuckled bitterly.

It seems that Dragon Gate’s inheritance, too, declines like a yellow weasel birthing mice, each generation weaker than the last.

But it’s not Dragon Gate’s fault, the modern world is not as old-fashioned, temptations run rampant, and nature’s spiritual energy is dissipating. Cultivating with Three Meridians True Qi is already difficult, let alone refining the Golden Core, where the inheritance is almost severed.

Song Xiaodong pondered as he walked forward, noticing a coffin placed in the center of this enormous archive.

"A coffin in a library, really. Didn’t ancient people pay the most attention to Feng Shui? Were previous Sect Leaders used to researching literatures and texts next to this coffin?"

Song Xiaodong muttered inwardly, moving closer. It was a crystal coffin containing the body of a woman, exuding an eerie presence.

Song Xiaodong did not know that this coffin held Dragon Gate’s greatest secret and the goal for which Dragon Gate Young Disciples had strived for generations.

Song Xiaodong carefully examined the woman’s body within the coffin, instantly understanding why Dragon Gate persevered for the vague hope of immortality, and also why Dragon Gate Young Disciples, knowing the toxicity of elixirs, still risked their own lives, willing to fill out research records with their own lives.

Because this was an Immortal Corpse.

The "Family Sayings" states: "Those who don’t eat do not die and become immortals."

The "Explanations of Terms" states: "Growing old without dying is called becoming an immortal."

The belief in immortals first appeared during the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period. In the Jiaodong Peninsula where the State of Lu was located, the special climate caused year-round fog over the sea, with many mirages appearing. Fishermen mistook mirages or dugongs as gods or immortals. Subsequently, Taoist Alchemists used this to delude rulers, selling various Immortal Elixirs for immortality, much like the modern schemes of selling health products to seniors.

The woman’s body inside the coffin was not laying on the coffin board but floating in mid-air, clothed in an ancient white robe with delicate features, her body was crystalline and translucent.

Her entire body was transparent, even her clothes. Through her body, one could see the velvet lining at the bottom of the coffin; the entire body lacked blood, flesh, bones, or nerves, only refracting a five-color auspicious light from within.

Song Xiaodong observed that this body seemed not dead, as the internal meridians continued to function with pure True Qi. Song Xiaodong had never seen such pure, natural, powerful, and unconfined, grand, and open True Qi, nor witnessed such an ingenious flow of True Qi meridians.

There wasn’t the slightest sign of life in the corpse, so it was surely dead. Yet the circulation of True Qi within this Immortal Body continued as naturally as the rising and setting of the sun.

"This body’s flow of True Qi conceals the supreme Dao of the operation of the heavens and the harmony of yin and yang!"

With just one glance at this body, Song Xiaodong’s previous cultivation bottlenecks suddenly opened, and from the instinctual flow of aura in this body, he gained insight into a new path of cultivation!

It should be known that Dragon Gate Young Disciples, at most, possessed only the Nine Meridians of True Qi, while within this Immortal Corpse, the True Qi seemed innumerable, as if the entire body was congealed from True Qi.

As Song Xiaodong looked at this body, it was as though he saw his parents and countless distant yet resonant names from Chinese legends — Pangu, Nüwa, Laozi, Pengzu...

"Boom!" Song Xiaodong finally could not help himself and knelt down.

"Youngster Song Xiaodong, pays respect to the ancestor!"

"But if the Immortal Body is already achieved, why did it not ascend?" Song Xiaodong still had some doubts.

Beneath the underground Secret Vault was another level, filled with various furnaces, medicinal herbs, and the finished elixirs needed for refining elixirs. These elixirs could be considered Dragon Gate’s assets.

When Song Xiaodong finally walked out of the underground Secret Vault, it was already late at night. Song Xiaodong appeared expressionless, like a walking corpse, mechanically closing mechanisms and mechanically walking back to his room.

The women of Song Xiaodong were still together, and Elder Lin and Elder Su, along with the three princesses, were busy during the day. After receiving Lin Feng and Su Lie’s message, the mainland quickly delivered Dragon Gate Warriors and essential supplies to the island. The first night, Song Xiaodong squeezed in with the girls, resulting in much embarrassment, but the conditions this night were far better.

So when Song Xiaodong returned, the girls were in high spirits, though Song Xiaodong, preoccupied with his thoughts, didn’t respond to their teasing.

"Where are Elder Lin and Elder Su?" Song Xiaodong asked abruptly.

"Sect Leader, the two elders are waiting for you in the front courtyard’s council hall," Qiao Yunxi replied.

Qiao Yunxi, having gone through an intensive training in the underground world, efficiently handled island affairs with Elder Lin and Elder Su during the day. She was much more mature than Feng Kexin and Qi Lanqin, the two princesses, showing signs of a future great leader. Lin Feng and Su Lie were well aware, considering Qiao Yunxi as the main subject for cultivation by the Sect Leader.

Resonating with this, Elder Lin sensed that the new Sect Leader, emerging from the Dragon Gate Secret Vault, might want to discuss something with him, so he specifically asked Qiao Yunxi to inform him that he and Elder Su were waiting in the council hall.

"You all go to sleep first; I have some matters to attend to," Song Xiaodong told the girls.

Seeing Song Xiaodong was burdened with heavy thoughts, everyone refrained from speaking.