C4 Escaping from Death.

Two hours had passed before Loong Jiaoyang regained his composure. He gazed at the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument and inquired, "Pill Devil Senior, why have you chosen to bestow the Pill Refining Technique upon me?"

"You lack wisdom, and under normal circumstances, I would never impart the Pill Refining Technique to someone like you. But I'm trapped here and have no choice but to pass on my life's knowledge of alchemy to you. I considered transferring all my memories to you, but that could have disrupted your mental state. So, I've only given you the knowledge of alchemy and swordsmanship. Once you leave, honor the legacy of my techniques," the Pill Devil responded with frailty.

"Pill Devil Senior, I am a disciple of the Righteous Qi Sect. I will not practice the arts of the Devil Dao," Loong Jiaoyang declared defiantly.

"Hehe, what difference does it make if you refuse to practice? The Evil Blood Demon Foundation within you is already established. Unless you destroy your entire Pubic Region, there's no way to undo it," the Pill Devil sneered with a chilling laugh.

"You're deceiving me!" Loong Jiaoyang exclaimed, his face contorting with anger.

"Had I not recognized your potential, I wouldn't have bothered with your fate. You should consider yourself lucky for this misfortune, as it allows you the opportunity for Devil Rectifying Dual-cultivation in the future. You ought to be grateful to me," the Pill Devil retorted, clearly annoyed.

"I am a disciple of the righteous path, and I refuse to practice the spells of the Devil Dao!" Loong Jiaoyang insisted stubbornly.

"Hahaha, what defines righteousness? What constitutes the devil? Is everything you've seen and experienced within the Righteous Qi Sect truly righteous?" the Pill Devil roared with laughter, challenging his beliefs.

Rendered speechless by his experiences within the Righteous Qi Sect, Loong Jiaoyang had no rebuttal.

"Young man, whether you're righteous or evil depends on your heart. It's the nature of your heart that determines the morality of your actions. If you can't discern this simple truth, how do you expect to ascend the ultimate celestial path? The Nine Profound Great World has seen many remarkable individuals from both the righteous and devil paths, yet they didn't resort to slaughter or seek to obliterate the other. What does that tell you?" the Pill Devil lectured, his tone steeped in gravity.

Loong Jiaoyang fell silent, his mind reeling from Pill Devil's revelations. His understanding of righteousness and evil had shifted, his perspective widened.

"Kid, your views on good and evil will only crystallize through your experiences in the vast mortal world. For now, focus on your cultivation. Work towards reaching the Great Completion Period of the Human Rank. That's the key to pushing open the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument and finding your freedom," Pill Devil advised.

Loong Jiaoyang nodded in acknowledgment and set to work on the Righteousness Mantra—a Magic Spell he had mastered over a decade of diligent practice.

Pill Devil made no move to interfere with Loong Jiaoyang's cultivation of the Righteousness Mantra; he couldn't sway the young man's convictions.

Two hours later, Loong Jiaoyang's cultivation had ascended to the mid-stage of the Human Rank. Surviving the Heavenly Lightning Tribulation, he chose not to pursue further cultivation of the Righteousness Mantra. Instead, he shifted his focus to the Great Devil Heart Meridian.

Loong Jiaoyang first harnessed the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument to contain the surge of Vast Qi Spirit Power. Then, he tapped into the Evil Blood Demon Base, unleashing the formidable Great Demon Spirit Power. After replenishing the depleted Spirit Power in his meridians, he resumed the expansion of his Sea of Qi and Pubic Region.

His decision wasn't a sudden shift toward Devil Rectifying Dual-cultivation. Rather, following his transcendence of the tribulation with the Righteousness Mantra, the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument's power had begun to eclipse that of the Evil Blood Demon Base, threatening to overwhelm it.

To prevent his Pubic Region from shattering, Loong Jiaoyang had no choice but to urgently cultivate the Great Devil Heart Meridian, enhancing the strength of the Evil Blood Demon Base.

In the Human Rank, the primary goal of cultivation is to broaden the body's eight extraordinary meridians and the Sea of Qi in the Pubic Region, allowing them to store ample Spirit Power for breakthroughs.

Having already achieved a breakthrough with the Righteousness Mantra and repaired his damaged meridians, Loong Jiaoyang now sought to further expand his Sea of Qi, Pubic Region, and meridians through the Great Devil Heart Meridian, building upon his previous advancements.

The situation was so astonishing that even Loong Jiaoyang himself was taken aback.

Before a cultivator reaches the Heaven Stage and awakens their bloodline power, the competition hinges on the capacity of the Qi Sea Pubic Region and the eight extraordinary meridians. The more expansive your Qi Sea and Pubic Region, the greater the amount of Spirit Power you can store, giving you a significant advantage in battle.

Furthermore, even after ascending to the Heaven Stage and unlocking bloodline power, those with more expansive Qi Seas and Pubic Regions still tend to emerge victorious.

Unaware of Loong Jiaoyang's past trials, Pill Devil watched him practice the Great Devil Heart Meridian and offered reassurance, "The boy shows great promise."

After two days of alternating his practice, Loong Jiaoyang was so famished that he felt dizzy and struggled to maintain mental clarity. His cultivation had not yet reached the Great Completion of the Human Realm, remaining at the Peak Period.

Cultivators must eat daily until they ascend to the Saint Level, consuming twice as much food as ordinary people. Cultivation is energy-intensive, and poor nutrition can slow a cultivator's progress.

"Loong Jiaoyang, if you can no longer continue your cultivation, try to push open the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument now," Pill Devil suggested, concerned that Loong Jiaoyang, pushed to his limits, might collapse from exhaustion and hunger.

With parched lips, Loong Jiaoyang staggered to the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument. Biting his tongue to regain a moment's clarity through the pain, he cried out, "Open!" and channeled all his Vast Qi Spirit Power into moving the monument.

The five-meter-tall Vast Qi Heavenly Monument stood immovable, like an unyielding boulder. Pill Devil let out a deep sigh within the monument, fearing that his successor might perish before him.

"Pill Devil Senior..." With a heavy heart, Loong Jiaoyang admitted, "It looks like I won't be able to leave and risk shaming you... I can't budge the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument." He lay despondently beneath the monument.

After a lengthy silence, Pill Devil finally spoke, "If you're trapped, then tell me, how did you end up here?"

Trapped with no way out, Loong Jiaoyang recounted his ordeal, his voice tinged with anger, sorrow, and a sense of abandonment.

Pill Devil listened intently before responding with a cutting remark, "Loong Jiaoyang, you've been foolish, carrying the can for someone else."

"Carrying the can? Pill Devil Senior, what exactly are you implying?" Loong Jiaoyang was perplexed.

"What am I implying? The Sect Master of the Righteous Qi Sect is a Saint Stage powerhouse. Do you really think you could kill such a person with just one sword strike?" Pill Devil scoffed.

"Senior Pill Devil, under normal circumstances, I might not stand a chance, but at that moment, he was so intent on dishonoring Junior Sister Sunn Jing that he let his guard down. That's how I managed to strike him down!" Loong Jiaoyang defended himself.

"Boy, only someone who hasn't ascended to the Saint Stage would make such a claim. Once a cultivator reaches the Saint Stage, they attune to the cosmic Dao. How could Li Mingchong, a cultivator of your Earth Stage without any aura-concealing artifact, fail to detect you?" Pill Devil laughed scornfully. "The truth is, you've merely killed a Li Mingchong who was already dead. And your childhood friend, Junior Sister Sunn Jing, she might have intentionally been the bait in a trap meant for you to take the fall."

"That's absurd! Junior Sister Sunn Jing is inherently kind-hearted; she would never set me up!" Loong Jiaoyang protested vehemently.

Loong Jiaoyang had never stopped to consider whether his strength was sufficient to slay Li Mingchong with a single sword strike, nor had he ever suspected a plot.

"Kid, don't jump to conclusions. The human heart is unfathomable," Pill Devil advised.

"I can't believe that Junior Sister Sunn Jing would do this to me," Loong Jiaoyang growled in disbelief.

Pill Devil responded with an icy voice, "Loong Jiaoyang, to uncover the truth, you have no choice but to push aside the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument and leave. Seek out your Junior Sister, and only then will you find the answers you're looking for."

The storm of emotions that had once calmed in Loong Jiaoyang's heart now surged wildly. With bloodshot eyes, he leapt to his feet, channeled his Spirit Power, and shoved against the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument, bellowing, "Vast Qi Heavenly Monument, grant me passage! I demand the truth!"

Immovable as a towering peak, the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument stood firm. Loong Jiaoyang's limbs, strained from the exertion, split open, splattering blood in all directions.

"Vast Qi Heavenly Monument, do you truly wish to see me dead?" Loong Jiaoyang lamented, pouring more of his Vast Qi Spirit Power into the effort to move the monument. Despite his pleas, the monument remained steadfast. Yet, within Loong Jiaoyang's Qi Sea, the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument began to glow, the light traveling through his palms and igniting the monument itself.

Under the force of Loong Jiaoyang's hands, the once unyielding Vast Qi Heavenly Monument began to shift, slowly unveiling an ancient, worn Teleportation Array.

With a resounding crash, the monument slid aside. The light from the Vast Qi Heavenly Monument within Loong Jiaoyang's Qi Sea faded, and, drained of strength, he collapsed to his knees.