Qi Cultivation Starting from the Repair Panel

At the instant Chu Zheng crushed the chip, the Reformation Place discovered an anomaly.

In the vast silvery-white room, numerous virtual screens flickered with various information and data, occasionally emitting a sharp beep.

Beep—

Another sharp sound resonated, and a young woman turned her gaze toward it, scanning the information that appeared. She quickly reached a conclusion:

"Number 46—173, the chip has been destroyed, forcibly excavated and damaged with external force, over thirty percent of brain tissue is damaged, survival rate extremely low, even if he survives, likely to lose all mobility."

Not far away, an older man heard this and said indifferently, "Check, who took away number 46—173?"

The woman bowed her head, and after a couple of breaths, she lifted it again, with a look of realization on her face: "It was... Miss Qi Hua."

Hearing the name Qi Hua, the man waved his hand dismissively, shifting his gaze:

"Don't bother with him anymore, managing to last more than two months before losing Miss Qi's interest is already quite an achievement, delete his file records."

"Yes."

Many indigenous beings die every day, some within the Reformation Place, and even more at the hands of their buyers.

But no one would be held accountable for these indigenous lives, for after all, indigenous beings are not federal citizens.

The Reformation Place is merely a marketplace for pets and doesn't possess any enforcement authority, moreover, there are no laws mandating the protection of these natives.

......

......

Within the cold, silent alloy fighting arena.

In front of the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Zheng casually pulled over a fluffy curtain and slowly wiped the blood off his hands.

Without permission from Qi Hua, the maids stationed outside would not enter, lest they disturb the young lady's enjoyment.

However, if too much time passed, those perimeter maids would definitely check on the conditions within the arena; Chu Zheng didn't have much time left.

Looking at the unrecognizable corpse before him, he pondered for a moment, then turned back into the arena, following the iron cage's ascending pathway into the underground, arriving in front of the cage where Nie Longhu was being held.

Nie Longhu sat cross-legged in the cage, immovable as a mountain, exuding an obviously tranquil qi, serene as water, free of any hint of anxiety, slowly cultivating.

Even if Qi Hua hadn't died by Chu Zheng's hand, as soon as this Heavenly Immortal accumulated enough strength, he would likely still face an inevitable death.

Noticing Chu Zheng's approach, Nie Longhu did not stop, but continued to circulate his Circuit of Qi.

After a long while, only after completing a full Circuit of Qi did he slowly open his eyes.

Nie Longhu had previously sensed the fluctuations in Chu Zheng's qi, and with no sign of surprise, he spoke in a calm voice, "Which Dao Lord do you hail from, fellow Daoist?"

"We all come from the Ancestral Dao, there is no question of lineage."

Chu Zheng casually sidestepped the topic, stating bluntly:

"I killed Qi Hua and need to find a way to escape. There's not much time."
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To attempt a forceful escape on his own was certainly an option, but on Heaven Sent Star, it would still be difficult to move a single inch; this was a cure for the symptoms, not the root.

Upon hearing this, Nie Longhu's brows slightly furrowed: "You disrupt my tribulation sequence; you're breaking some rules."

Killing Qi Hua brought with it inevitable greater troubles, and he could very well be implicated, with Qi Shanyong taking out his anger on him, leading directly to his death, a foreseeable outcome.

Surviving as a Heavenly Immortal's incarnated tribulation was not easy. Even as a Heavenly Immortal, it would take him several years to recuperate before he could embark on the next one.

To shield a Heavenly Immortal from tribulation, this incarnation's cultivation would at least need to be at the Unity Realm Stage to be barely sufficient.

If this incarnation died too soon and failed to absorb enough Tribulation Qi, over the next few years, it's unpredictable what might happen to his true form.

The tribulation sequence of a Qi Cultivator is often unpredictable; even the most basic natural calamities and man-made disasters are indiscernible, with no knowing from where death might strike.

Chu Zheng naturally didn't know about these rules, nor was he inclined to ask.

He gave Nie Longhu a faint glance, slowly rolled his sleeves, and said in a calm tone:

"How about I repay you with one tribulation right now?"

As a fellow at the Jade Bone Realm, coupled with the fact he possessed a healing panel, even facing an incarnation of a Heavenly Immortal, Chu Zheng had no reason to be apprehensive.

This tribulation, if Nie Longhu couldn't withstand it, then his incarnated journey through tribulation was likely to come to an end prematurely.

The moment Chu Zheng rolled up his sleeves, Nie Longhu's mouth slightly twitched, as he perceived the surge of Tribulation Qi next to him beginning to roil; Chu Zheng was not joking in the slightest.

A moment later, he took a deep breath, as if he had made some great resolution, and said in a measured tone,

"Let me out, I have a way."

Time was running short, so Chu Zheng didn't ask any further questions and directly opened the iron cage, taking the lead towards the ground.

One after the other, the two quickly exited the underground, arriving in front of Qi Hua's corpse.

Looking at Qi Hua's corpse, Nie Longhu slightly furrowed his brow, "The demonic Qi on this woman's body is heavier, even if you hadn't killed her, she probably wouldn't have lived much longer."

Upon hearing Nie Longhu's words, Chu Zheng's eyes flashed, clearly this Heavenly Immortal knew many secrets of which he was unaware.

Before he could ponder further, a crisp crackling sound suddenly emanated from Nie Longhu's body, his towering form began to shrink, rapidly becoming shorter and slender.

Then, Nie Longhu slowly extended his hand, sliced open Qi Hua's skin, and peeled off pieces of skin thin as cicada wings, placing them on his own body.

The moment the skin attached to his body, in the blink of an eye, it adhered and fused into one piece, smooth and like new.

Watching Nie Longhu's actions, Chu Zheng's eyes narrowed involuntarily, and he murmured subconsciously,

"Skin Painting..."

"Skin Painting? This term is quite interesting, self-explanatory."

Nie Longhu heard Chu Zheng's whisper and explained,

"This is a method of the demonic beings within the Vast Universe; often having to contend with them, one must make some progress, for staying behind closed doors will only lead to a dead end."

"I see..." Chu Zheng came to a realization.

"You truly do not come from a Daoist Sect of Qi Cultivators."

Nie Longhu glanced at Chu Zheng and spoke indifferently, "This is a Divine Skill that all Heavenly Immortals must master. If you were from the Daoist Sect, you would have surely known about it, and you also know the name 'Vast Universe.' It seems the power behind you is not simple either."

Chu Zheng couldn't help but fall silent for a moment. A Heavenly Immortal who had survived countless tribulations was indeed not one to be taken lightly; within a few words, Nie Longhu had already probed much information.

"I won't inquire about the lineage of your teacher; as fellow Qi Cultivators, you should understand that cultivation is not easy."

Nie Longhu didn't speak further on the matter and slowly attached the facial skin. In an instant, he was indistinguishable from Qi Hua, his eyes shining with a cunning and agile light.

Even Chu Zheng was somewhat unable to tell at this moment whether this person in front of him was Qi Hua or not.

Looking at Qi Hua's shattered head, Nie Longhu shook his head slightly, feeling a bit of regret,

"You have wasted a pair of eyes worth their weight in gold. Many things here need to be confirmed by a membrane in the eyes; this thing is hard to simulate to complete likeness."

"You seem to have a deep understanding of this place?" Chu Zheng was somewhat surprised; this Heavenly Immortal in front of him had given him too many surprises, nothing like an ancient relic who had experienced a thousand tribulations.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do; without understanding this world, how can one live a long life? Did you take the trouble to project a Soul Division here just to meet your death?"

With a low murmur, Nie Longhu's gaze suddenly swept towards the door not far behind him.

Because they had spent quite a long time, some maids had quietly stepped in, wanting to check on the situation.

"Get out!" Nie Longhu suddenly roared sharply, his voice piercing and with a penetrating force identical to Qi Hua's, true and false indistinguishable.

The maids immediately retreated with faces full of panic, not daring to stay in the slightest.

"Do you have a way to deal with the chip in the back of the head?" Chu Zheng regained his thoughts and looked towards the back of Nie Longhu's head.

Granted, the appearance could be changed, but the implanted chip was undoubtedly a ticking time bomb.

"Wait until I master the art of 'Head Replacing Immortality,' and I can break it with a flick of my finger."

Nie Longhu apparently had no immediate solution, but after freezing for a moment, he suddenly came to his senses, his eyes narrowing,

"You have a way?"

If Chu Zheng could resist Qi Hua, then the chip was certainly unable to threaten him.

Chu Zheng did not deny it, nodded slightly, made his hand into a sword gesture and with a bolt-like swiftness, stabbed directly at the back of Nie Longhu's head.

"It might hurt a bit, just bear with it."