Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 350 Pillars of the Sect
The Five Blessings Chamber of Commerce was born from a fortuitous encounter more than two thousand years ago by the Meng family ancestor.

At that time, the Merchant Alliance had already been established, while the Meng family patriarch was just a poor and destitute Qi Refining cultivator who earned cultivation funds by working as a guide in Floating Cloud City.

The turning point in their lives came on that sunny afternoon.

Menghe encountered the old man who had traveled a long and dusty road.

The old man was dressed simply and in an old-fashioned style, and at first glance he looked like a rural refugee. However, Meng He, being a professional, carefully observed many details and found that although the appearance was simple, the craftsmanship was exquisite. There was not a single rough spot on his body, and not even a single wrinkle.

Looking at the old man's appearance and demeanor, from a distance he looked like an old man, eroded by the years, but up close, one suddenly realized that the old man had a rosy complexion and skin as smooth as jade.

Although there are mottled silver strands among the neatly trimmed hair, there is no sense of decay; instead, it adds a touch of gentleness and peace.

The aged appearance seen from afar is merely the natural aura of time emanating from the person.

He couldn't sense a trace of magical power from the old man, a feeling that was distinctly different from the methods used by Core Formation cultivators he encountered by chance to conceal their aura.

So Menghe took the initiative to strike up a conversation. The old man was gentle and kind, and his speech and manners were naturally kind and peaceful. He also had a personal charm that made people want to follow him.

After that, Menghe followed him, explaining the local customs and culture, and leading him to explore all the spiritual workshops within the region.

The old man would preach to him every day, explaining the great principles of heaven and earth.

Although he hadn't actually engaged in any cultivation practices, he unknowingly broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining without any obstacles, something that would normally require a Breakthrough Pill. Everything happened naturally and without warning.

During this period, the old man never displayed any magical power or supernatural abilities. He always traveled within the domain with Meng He on a spirit boat, and his three meals a day were like those of an ordinary person who had not abstained from grains.

The only difference is that the spiritual resources he carries are like a bottomless pit. He travels all over the Wanshang Domain and buys anything that catches his eye. Whether it is a mundane item or a treasure of the fourth rank, it is like a novel toy in his eyes. However, he usually loses interest after playing with it for a few days and gives it away to Meng He.

In just ten years, Menghe accumulated nearly a million spirit stones in wealth, and it was on this foundation that he founded the now-famous Five Blessings Chamber of Commerce.

The patriarch Menghe eventually stopped at the mid-stage of Core Formation. A hundred years before his death, he began to secretly search for that old man, but to no avail. In the end, he left a will to pass on this matter to his descendants.

The text explicitly tells future generations that the old man claimed to come from the Taihao Realm, where cultivation civilization flourished and followed ancient traditions, unlike the Great Swamp cultivation world which suffered a cataclysmic disaster.

However, the old man also made it clear that there is a great chasm between the two worlds, making it almost impossible to travel between them. Even if one were lucky enough to succeed, it would come at a great cost.

Meng He's last wish was simply that his descendants, if given the chance, would find the old man and serve him in his place. However, after several generations of Meng family descendants, their intentions had long since changed.

The current leaders of the Five Blessings Chamber of Commerce are even more convinced that the old man has long since passed away, and that the spiritual resources he left behind must be more abundant than those of any region. Therefore, they are single-mindedly trying to find this legacy.

They had also speculated about the possibility of him taking on apprentices to pass on his skills.

Ten years ago, after the Meng family learned that Huang Jie's master was proficient in at least two advanced skills, they began to suspect that Huang Jie's master might be the successor of that old man.

Last year, Huang Jie's attainment of the Golden Elixir made the Meng family completely certain.

In the entire Tiancang Domain, only the legacy of that old man could enable a Foundation Establishment cultivator with mediocre magical power and above-average talent to condense a Golden Core.

Unfortunately, Huang Jie attracted too many important figures this time. The Meng family could not compare with those superiors, let alone obtain any trace of the elders' inheritance from them.

Therefore, we can only place our hopes on Huang Jie's master.

Although the Merchant Alliance had already investigated and found out the truth about Huang Jie's deliberate help to Guo Wanzhi back then, and knew that the two had never known each other before and were not true senior and junior brothers and sisters, Huang Jie was, after all, from the Tiancang Domain, and Guo Wanzhi happened to be a pill master from the Biyun Sect, so this question was raised at this moment.

Upon hearing this question, Li Ji'an already had a prepared answer in mind: "Guo Wanzhi? My Biyun Sect has a senior sister with that name. I wonder if it's the same person."

Upon receiving the answer, Master Meng nodded secretly: "Indeed, he is a disciple of your sect, but he is now a serving alchemist of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce."

Li Ji'an nodded slightly: "That's excellent!"

"May I ask, Master Li, what is the matter concerning Fellow Daoist Guo's master..." Master Meng then asked again.

"Hmm?" Li Ji'an frowned instantly and turned to look at Master Meng with a strange expression.

Master Meng quickly stopped him, smiling apologetically, and said, "Master Li, please forgive me. I misspoke. I did not mean to pry into your sect's secrets, nor did I have any ill intentions towards Fellow Daoist Guo. Please forgive me."

Li Ji'an shook his head, his expression slightly indifferent.

After a moment's hesitation, Master Meng decisively got up to take his leave, fearing that he might offend Li Ji'an.

Sensing that Master Meng had left, Li Ji'an shook his head slightly. This time, the "Huang Jie" alias still left some hidden dangers.

However, human strength has its limits. Li Ji'an was just an ordinary person who had lived for more than three hundred years and experienced three different social environments. His journey to the Wanshang Domain was initially just to escape the chaos of war.

Unexpectedly, the subsequent shock of the Core Formation at the Fei Hong Dojo led him to lend a helping hand when he encountered Guo Wanzhi on his way out.

They never expected to encounter Wu Weixiong in the Shadowless Grassland, which led to everyone speculating about his master.

"Well, it would be abnormal if we could predict everything." Li Ji'an didn't feel too sorry for himself and faced the situation calmly.

Ning Sujin's past ability to sense good fortune and avoid misfortune was merely a prediction of the outcome of events, and she could not be certain of any unexpected changes along the way.

Even the most famous leader of the "Tianji Sect" in the post-ancient era could not calculate all the affairs of the world, otherwise he would not have been lost to the dust of history.

The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe. Although they encountered many cultivators who were about to be defeated, most of them fled under the intimidation of the early-stage True Core cultivator from the Five Blessings Merchant Guild.

The only major crisis occurred shortly after crossing the Shadowless Grassland, when three True Core Elders of the Yin Ghost Sect attempted to board the spirit ship under the pretext of investigating wanted criminals.

However, Master Meng resolved the conflict by presenting the Corpse Puppet Sect's token and exchanging gifts with each other.

The closer they got to the Tiancang Domain, the more tribulations and bloodshed occurred, causing Li Ji'an to frown upon the cultivation environment of the Tiancang Domain.

If he hadn't now advanced to the True Person realm, he would be considered a top-tier existence even in the three realms of Tiancang Domain, Wuya Domain, and Huangtian Domain. Otherwise, he would never have cultivated here, as the risks were too great.

Two years later, the border of the Tiancang Domain was already visible in the distance.

Unlike the strict defenses that were once maintained by the Wanfa Palace, the high walls and formations along the border are now just ruins, with no obstacles left.

Li Ji'an decisively refused Meng Zhenren's offer to stay, flew out of the spirit ship, and headed south.

After traveling south for two months, the Blackwater Swamp below came into view.

Standing atop the third heaven, Li Ji'an looked down and saw that the seemingly endless Blackwater Swamp appeared as a small pond before the Misty Phantom Forest to the west.

Before his divine sense could even reach the Lost Forest, it was annihilated by an unknown force, and Li Ji'an hurriedly cut off the connection.

Looking down at the Blackwater Swamp, one sees it teeming with cultivators. Compared to before, the number of cultivators here has increased several times. However, a large portion of them are not there to explore, but rather to cultivate using the poisonous mist of the Blackwater Swamp.

When they arrived at the underground tomb from back then, they saw many cultivators going in and out, but they did not find any trace of real people.

The first three chambers of this tomb are fraught with danger. Even the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws suffered damage to his Dharma body here, so it must have become a death trap. True people would not take such a risk.

Li Ji'an didn't linger and headed straight for the Biyun Sect. Two months later, he passed by the Eighteen Spirit Village, which had now become a no-man's land. It was in complete chaos, with no trade or commerce. A sweep of his divine sense easily revealed several evil cultivators who had gone mad, acting like lunatics and behaving wildly.

Moreover, in his senses, Li Ji'an was shocked to discover that the spiritual veins here had been damaged, and the level of spiritual energy was about to drop below the second tier.

This situation usually occurs when the spiritual energy is absorbed without limit, leading to a long-term depletion of the spiritual energy in the vein.

Li Ji'an frowned slightly. This was completely contrary to his guess back then. When he saw the development of this place, he thought that it would not be long before it could develop into the number one holy land of rogue cultivators in the Tiancang Domain, and even give birth to a rogue cultivator force that could rival the sects.

I never imagined it would end like this.

Half a month later, Li Ji'an finally returned to the Biyun Sect.

this day,
High above, Li Ji'an, dressed in a moon-white robe, descended gracefully. Before he even entered the airspace of the Biyun Sect, the sect's protective formation was suddenly activated.

"Who are you, my sacred being, to grace my Biyun Sect with your presence? Please state your purpose." The next moment, a figure in a crimson robe ascended against the wind.

"Again? These demonic cultivators are truly going too far!"

"Be careful what you say, we are all fellow Daoists."

"That's enough. In this day and age, as long as we can protect our sect's homeland, we are already content."

……

The few disciples in the sect sensed the activation of the sect's protective formation, and their hearts tightened immediately. Like frightened birds, they instinctively cried out in distress.

After the defeat of Wanfa Palace, the demonic cultivators swept through the land like a whirlwind, causing panic among the various sects.

Although the Biyun Sect is located at the southernmost tip of the Tiancang Domain, which is also a relatively barren area in the entire Tiancang Domain, many elders and disciples of the sect still could not withstand the pressure and fled in panic.

The Biyun Sect, which once had tens of thousands of members, now has fewer than a thousand.

Master Yunqing died in battle, Elder Tian had already disappeared before the destruction of Wanfa Palace, half of the fake Dan elders perished, and nearly 30% escaped. Now, in the upper echelons of the entire Biyun Sect, only Xiao Changfeng is left to hold the reins, and below him are three fake Dan masters.

Even more tragically, when Elder Tian and several fake Dan elders fled, they took away the sect's already meager spiritual resources, leaving the Biyun Sect in an even more precarious situation.

Faced with the unbridled demonic cultivators, only Xiao Changfeng had the power to fight them.

With the help of the sect's grand formation, they can barely withstand the combined attack of two True Core cultivators.

However, now that demonic cultivators are in control of the domain, Xiao Changfeng doesn't dare to act forcefully and often has to compromise.

Therefore, whenever a True Core cultivator attempted to harm the Biyun Sect, Xiao Changfeng would first reveal his strength, then offer kind words of advice, and occasionally bleed a little.

This has left the Biyun Sect with nothing more than a third-tier high-grade spiritual vein dojo and some cultivation techniques, except for a few spiritual resources to aid cultivation.

Since reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Xiao Changfeng, who had returned to his true nature and acted as he pleased, was forced to take on heavy responsibilities and compromise. These past few years have truly been unbearable.

However, in order to fulfill Master Yunqing's dying wish, he had no choice but to endure it.

Upon seeing the visitors from the sky again, a fierce killing intent surged within him, and he wished he could annihilate all the enemies who dared to invade.

However, sensing the aura of a True Core cultivator approaching from afar, which was no weaker than his own, he suppressed his true nature.

"Uncle-Master Changfeng, how have you been?"

Suddenly, a warm and familiar voice resounded throughout the entire Biyun Sect.

"Peaceful?" Xiao Changfeng stared intently, the figure with flowing robes outside the formation becoming increasingly familiar.

His divine sense swept over it, and the power of the "Yi Mu Chang Qing Gong" was exactly the same. It was the top-grade earth-level cultivation technique that he had carefully selected for Li Ji'an back then.

The only difference is that ten years ago, Li Ping'an was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, but because he did not have a top-quality Core Formation treasure, his Core Formation was delayed.

However, at this moment, the pure magical power of that person was not much weaker than his own magical power when he was about to advance to the middle stage of True Core Formation. But the other party's realm was clearly still in the early stage of Core Formation. There was only one possible explanation: the quality of the magic core that the other party had formed was not low, at least a mid-level True Core Formation.

"Peace! You're finally back." After repeatedly confirming his magical aura and consuming a Cleansing Talisman, Xiao Changfeng seemed to vent the pent-up frustration of the past few years, and suddenly roared.

Immediately, the sect's grand formation was activated, and Xiao Changfeng decisively went out to meet them.

"Safety?"

Does my sect have a True Person Ping An?

"Hiss, could it be that Senior Brother Li Ping'an, the chief disciple from back then, has returned?"

"Senior Brother Li has returned after advancing to the True Person realm. The sect is saved."

In an instant, the hundreds of disciples who remained at the sect cheered with joy.

Although many disciples found that a lot of people were missing when they returned to defend the sect, including the chief disciple Li Ping'an, many disciples vented their dissatisfaction.

Many people also used this as an excuse to leave the sect.

Many people secretly cursed Li Ping'an for enjoying all the sect's resources but running away when the sect was in danger, saying he was of low character and a disgrace to the sect.

However, seeing Li Ping'an, who had already advanced to the True Person realm, return at this moment, the disciples automatically regarded him as the savior of the sect.

The act of fleeing back then naturally transformed into a noble act of preserving strength and enduring humiliation.

Above the sect, Xiao Changfeng gripped Li Ji'an's shoulders tightly, his expression excited.

With two True Core cultivators stationed here, we are basically safe within Cangyun Prefecture!
As long as the sect's spiritual veins and dojos can be protected, the Biyun Sect will surely have a day of revival.

"Ping An, you're finally back."

Li Ji'an smiled and nodded emphatically as he looked at Xiao Changfeng, who had clearly aged considerably.

"Uncle-Master Changfeng, you've worked hard."

Previously, while in the Wanshang Domain, he had learned about the situation of the Biyun Sect through many escaped Tiancang Domain cultivators. Xiao Changfeng had indeed had a difficult time these past few years.

Although the Golden Puppet Saint Lord had announced a decree a few years ago that he would no longer purge the remaining forces within the domain, due to his adherence to the law of the jungle, apart from a few major forces such as the Corpse Puppet Sect and the Blood Spirit Sect, many other small forces or rogue cultivators did not need to abide by this decree. The law of the jungle prevailed, and the fittest survived, with plundering and killing continuing unabated.

The Biyun Sect has been attacked several times in recent years, and its disciples have suffered heavy casualties.

If it weren't for Xiao Changfeng, the pillar of the sect, it would have ceased to exist long ago.

Li Ji'an's return to the sect this time can both ensure the stability of his early Golden Core stage and repay the sect for its nurturing kindness, achieving two goals at once.

(End of this chapter)