Chapter 504: Deeply Ingrained and Hard to Change

In less than a day, the power of the *Heaven and Earth Confluence Scripture* had become as innate as if it had been born with them, deeply ingrained in their very bones. It had completely merged with their own cultivation power, making it impossible to distinguish between them. Like a fundamental cultivation technique that was the source of their power, forcibly abandoning it would be a minor issue, potentially causing them to drop several major cultivation realms. It was highly likely to damage their spiritual foundation, rendering them unable to cultivate further.

"This..." Li Fan sat cross-legged on the ground, tried for a long time, and finally gave up despondently, his face grim.

Senior Sister Zhao's delicate brows also furrowed slightly. She said, "The demonic art of the Profound Heaven Sect is indeed strange. It seems we cannot easily get rid of it for now. It is said that the *Supreme Pristine True Scripture* of the Grand Supreme Sect allows cultivators to change their techniques at will. If we were fortunate enough to study it, perhaps we could abolish this *Heaven and Earth Confluence Scripture*."

"The *Supreme Pristine True Scripture*?" Li Fan frowned slightly. Although he had never heard of this cultivation method, for some reason, he had a faint sense of familiarity.

As Senior Sister Zhao spoke, she shook her head, abandoning the impractical fantasy. "Unfortunately, just like our Dao Sect's *Heaven Punishing Grand Dao Scripture*, it's a sect-founding absolute art, an unrevealed secret. Only direct descendants of the sect leader can cultivate it within their own sect, let alone outsiders like us."

Seeing Senior Sister Zhao's helpless expression, Li Fan pulled her into his embrace and gently comforted her, saying, "Since things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time. The Profound Heaven Sect has been defunct for a long time, and the *Heaven and Earth Confluence Scripture* is merely a dual cultivation technique. I doubt the sect elders will be able to notice anything amiss."

Although Senior Sister Zhao nodded in agreement, the worry in her eyes remained.

The two rested for half a month in the secret chamber of the ruins, during which they thoroughly consolidated their cultivation realms with the aid of dual cultivation. Only then did they set off to return to the Dao Sect. Before leaving, Senior Sister Zhao's sword light crisscrossed, completely destroying the ruins.

Upon returning to the sect, the shattering of Qin Shou's life lantern had already caused a great commotion. Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan secretly discussed the matter and decided it couldn't be kept hidden. They simply met their master together and confessed that Qin Shou had secretly followed them with malicious intent and was ultimately killed by their combined effort. However, they concealed some details, not mentioning the Profound Heaven Sect. They only said that at a critical life-or-death moment, they achieved a breakthrough during the fight, which allowed them to successfully retaliate and kill him.

Yet, Zhang Wangshuang seemed to already know, showing little surprise. He sentenced them to ten years of seclusion, keeping them protectively confined in the back mountains.

Ten years passed in a flash. The trials and tribulations of the Dao Sect had no bearing on the two in seclusion.

Initially, the two still had some reservations about practicing dual cultivation within the sect. But in the third year, they both encountered a bottleneck. Mustering their courage, they once again cultivated the *Heaven and Earth Confluence Scripture* together. Perhaps it was like rain after a long drought, or perhaps their cultivation had advanced, but the effect of this dual cultivation was even better than three years prior. Senior Sister Zhao broke through to the Mid-Nascent Soul stage, and Li Fan's realm also reached the Mid-Golden Core stage. The speed of their cultivation left them secretly astonished.

Their inner worries inevitably surged forth. They knew that occasional breakthroughs could be explained by good fortune. However, such consistently rapid progress, far exceeding what their talents could account for, would surely arouse suspicion. If it were discovered that they possessed the Profound Heaven Sect's demonic art, their fate would undoubtedly be miserable. Having their cultivation crippled would likely be a light punishment.

After a difficult discussion, the two resolved not to engage in dual cultivation unless absolutely necessary. The plan was sound, but...

Another five years passed, and that peculiar bottleneck reappeared within them. No matter how they cultivated, they couldn't make any progress. They persevered through a year of struggle. For an entire year, they rested not for a moment, dedicating all their energy to cultivation, attempting to break through the bottleneck through sheer human effort. But it was all in vain. The despair of their cultivation remaining stagnant tormented them. Both Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were devoted to the Dao and would never allow themselves to remain perpetually stuck at their current realm.

Thus, in their ninth year of seclusion, they could no longer resist and engaged in dual cultivation for a third time. Like dry tinder meeting a raging fire, the intoxicating pleasure was even greater than before. As expected, after the dual cultivation, the bottleneck vanished without a trace. Their cultivation advanced further. Although they didn't break through immediately, they were very close.

After the passion subsided, the two, now calm, felt afraid. Firstly, they feared that their practice of the Profound Heaven Sect's technique would be discovered. Secondly, because the *Heaven and Earth Confluence Scripture* was so strange, they worried they might be controlled by it for the rest of their lives. Both were proud individuals who could not tolerate such a fate.

For the last period, they did not cultivate. Instead, they spent their days together, living simply like mortal couples. At the same time, they researched ways to break free.

"Heaven gives birth to all things, which is why there's the saying of 'Heavenly Father, Earthly Mother' in the world. All living beings, from the moment of their birth, bear the imprint left by Heaven and Earth. Rumor has it that the Profound Heaven Sect usurped Heavenly authority and also gained the power to bestow and alter such imprints given by Heaven and Earth. Even unarmed mortals, once consecrated by the Profound Heaven Sect, could become indistinguishable from cultivators like us. Furthermore, it is said that the Profound Heaven Sect's Heavenly Kings controlled the so-called 'Immortality Attainment.' Whoever obtained it could achieve eternal life, living as long as Heaven and Earth." Senior Sister Zhao recounted the hidden knowledge she had heard from various sources to Li Fan.

"Achieve eternal life..." A strange look flickered in Li Fan's eyes. "Senior Sister, do you mean that the Profound Heaven Sect's techniques also possess the ability of this imprint?"

Senior Sister Zhao sighed lightly. "It's just my guess. Only fragments of the Profound Heaven Sect's knowledge remain in the world today. But from those scattered words, one can vaguely perceive how terrifying the Profound Heaven Sect once was. Its doctrines were strict, like heavenly laws. It dominated the world, and no one dared to defy it. Although it's merely a resurrected phantom, it won't be easy for us to break free."

Li Fan grasped Senior Sister's hand, his gaze firm. "Don't worry, we can definitely do it."

Time flew by, and soon the ten-year period of seclusion was over. The sealed doors boomed open, and the two walked out of the seclusion chamber with trepidation. Originally, they had worried that their rapid progress within ten years would arouse suspicion. However, upon returning to the sect, they were astonished to find that their cultivation progress was now utterly insignificant.

It turned out that in their second year of seclusion, a so-called "New Method" had quietly begun to spread. Drawing upon the spirits of Heaven and Earth, borrowing from the marvels of Heaven and Earth, prying into the laws of Heaven and Earth... until it defied the very principles of Heaven and Earth. This was in stark contrast to the current practice of sensing the Heavenly Dao and cultivating in accordance with Heaven. It was about plundering Heaven and Earth, resorting to any means necessary. Yet, its actual effects far surpassed the current cultivation methods.