The courtyard was almost filled with fallen leaves, making a creaking sound when stepped on.
Three or five damaged Immortal Statues leaned against the ground, half buried in the soil.
A carving knife used for sculpting was casually placed on the stone steps in front of the main hall, while inside the main hall, the altar was piled with dozens of lifelike stone sculptures of beautiful women.
Crossing the main hall, they pushed open the tightly closed door.
Finally, the back yard that had always been inaccessible came into view for Qiao Mu and the others.
Indeed, in his back yard, just as Qiao Mu had expected, it was filled with stone statues everywhere.
However, the types of statues were different from what he had imagined.
There was a stone sword carved in the shape of a sword, slanted into the ground. The most eye-catching thing was a grand stone carved ancient city.
The stone carved city was grand and exquisite, with streets and houses. When Qiao Mu looked at it, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Captain Hai and the others were greatly shocked. Even though they had witnessed Earth Sword Immortal’s extraordinary techniques effortlessly killing two hundred bean generals, they still found it unbelievable.
Especially Clairvoyance, a knowledgeable storyteller, couldn’t help but say:
"This is not a martial arts technique at all! Even with the modern methods of martial arts after forty years, this can’t be achieved."
"That’s right, this is a technique of the immortal path." Earth Sword Immortal calmly looked at the floating Stone City in his palm and said lightly:
"I am Earth Sword Immortal, why should I bow to Immortal Gate? I can also ascend the path of immortality."
Earth Sword Immortal was the leading martial artist forty years ago.
Surprisingly, the previous generation’s leading martial artist had secretly started cultivating immortality at some point.
Lu Yanbei suddenly glanced at his younger brother’s face, only realizing it later.
They were twin brothers from the same mother, actually the same age.
However, Lu Yanbei appeared elderly, truly being an old man over eighty.
Earth Sword Immortal Lu Yannan, on the other hand, only had gray hair, with no wrinkles on his face, still looking like a charming middle-aged man.
Lu Yanbei didn’t think about it much in his daily life.
Because Earth Sword Immortal had much greater power than him, he thought that Earth Sword Immortal’s profound skills made him look younger, but he didn’t expect this twist.
A successful monk can stay young forever, but that is different from the immortal life that people long for.
The physical appearance of an immortal cultivator is only an expression of their soul.
In other words, the appearance of a cultivator’s body reflects the nature of their soul.
If the heart grows old, then it is old age. If the heart stays young, it shows as everlasting youth.
Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, in the world of immortality, there are techniques such as illusions and shapeshifting. Some female cultivators also take special elixirs to maintain their youthful appearance.
Therefore, it is impossible to determine the true age of a successful cultivator based on their appearance alone.
"When did you start cultivating the immortal path? Was it before entering the city, or after? Could it be that your ability to rival Taoist Qingzhuo from the Great Dao Sect is because of your proficiency in these immortal techniques?" Lu Yanbei blurted out his doubts.
"No, it is impossible to compete with that old man Qingzhuo solely through cultivation. Earth Sword Immortal stated frankly,
"Even I would need to cultivate for hundreds or even thousands of years to have a chance at catching up to him in the realm of immortality."
Taoist Qingzhuo was not an ordinary immortal cultivator. He was an elder of the Nine Immortal Gates Great Dao Sect, with a respected status and strong abilities. He was well-known in the entire cultivation world.
Even a talented wandering cultivator who didn’t join an Immortal Gate would not be able to compete with them in a short period of time.
As an elder of the Nine Immortal Gates, he had excellent treasures, techniques, and spells. On the other hand, Earth Sword Immortal was just a prisoner trapped in the Hundred-mile Desert, in a worse situation than an ordinary wandering cultivator.
Without any external opportunities, it was impossible to compete with Qingzhuo.
"My cultivation is just a small attempt, not worth mentioning."
Although Earth Sword Immortal claimed it wasn’t worth mentioning, his voice unintentionally became louder and echoed in the distance.
He cultivated not for immortality, but because he had the idea of escaping from this city in the beginning.