Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 354 Solving the Nascent Soul Problem
Li Ji'an immediately instructed Guagua to spit out the withered tree branch from its mouth.

The fact that it was placed alongside top-tier Core Formation treasures like the Heavenly Pure Water and the Seven-Colored Jade Tree by that ancient sect, and even occupied a core position, suggests that it was no ordinary item.

Li Ji'an had always suspected that it was also some kind of extinct Core Formation treasure.

"Good, the vitality is weak but not declining, there is hope." Xiao Qiao took the withered branch, her eyes lighting up.

They then planted the dead branches in the spirit field.

Under Li Ji'an's gaze, Xiao Qiao sat on the ground, slowly pressing her hands against the earth, merging with the spirit of the earth.

hum~
In an instant, Li Ji'an sensed that Xiao Qiao's aura had disappeared. If he could not still see her with his naked eye, he would not have been able to detect a trace of a living person.

Immediately afterwards, an extremely strong spiritual energy of the earth surged towards the spirit field.

At this moment, Li Ji'an sensed the immense spiritual energy of the earth and his mind stirred.

His body-refining technique, "Divine Treasure Body Forging Technique," uses the five elements as a guide and the five elements' spiritual essence as nourishment. Now, his first divine treasure, the liver, is almost complete. To break through to the third level of body refinement, he needs the tempering of another divine treasure.

Earth-based spiritual energy corresponds to the spleen, which is suitable.

If he had a continuous supply of earth spiritual energy like Xiao Qiao, his breakthrough to the third level of body refinement would be just around the corner!

"It's terrifying!" Just then, Xiao Qiao withdrew her mind from the fusion with the earth, a hint of surprise appearing on her face.

"Senior sister, are you sure what this is?" Li Ji'an also came to her senses.

"This withered branch is actually imbued with a natural spiritual energy, and most importantly, I can sense a ethereal fortune within it that is not even found in the spirit of the earth!" Xiao Qiao exclaimed in shock.

"Luck?" The concept of luck has always been vague and ethereal, and Li Ji'an didn't know much about it either.

“That’s right, it is indeed destiny. In addition to observing the terrain and investigating the earth veins, we earth spirit masters pay the most attention to spiritual energy, spiritual charm and destiny, and we have a more acute perception than ordinary people.” Xiao Qiao explained in a serious tone.

He then added: "The fortune is divided into heaven, earth, and man. The fortune of heaven is related to the Great Dao, the fortune of earth determines the earth's veins, and the fortune of man is related to fortune and misfortune. My current level as an Earth Spirit Master is not enough to connect with the fortune of the earth, and the earth's spiritual energy that I can draw upon is not blessed by fortune."

"And within this withered branch, there is actually the aura of Heaven."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji'an was filled with respect.

"If I'm not mistaken, this withered branch is very likely a remnant of the ancestor of innate spiritual trees, the Jianmu tree!" Xiao Qiao was somewhat shocked by her own judgment.

"A branch left over from the Jianmu tree!"

The ancient Jianmu divine tree not only supports the foundation of heaven and earth, but also serves as a bridge connecting heaven, earth, and humanity. Born innate and imbued with spiritual essence, it is itself a primordial treasure of this world, possessing the laws of life.

Li Ji'an had previously been puzzled by many ancient texts, but he never imagined that his withered branch was actually a remnant of the Jianmu Divine Tree.

If that's really the case, once this branch recovers its vitality, it will likely possess unimaginable power!
"Unfortunately, such a supreme innate divine tree requires at least a superior-grade spiritual field and an entire high-grade spiritual vein to sustain its growth. Our spiritual field and spiritual vein here simply cannot support its vitality," Xiao Qiao said with some disappointment.

"A top-grade spirit field, supplied by an entire high-grade spirit vein..." Li Ji'an's eyes gleamed.

"Three lifetimes! At most three lifetimes, I will definitely find a cultivation field for the remnants of the Jianmu tree!" He secretly set a small goal in his heart.

"Ping An, Senior Sister has a favor to ask. I wonder... if it would be possible for this branch to stay in the Strange Stone Forest for a few years?" After a moment, Xiao Qiao pleaded.

Before Li Ji'an could reply, Xiao Qiao continued frankly, "If it is indeed a remnant of the Jianmu tree, the heavenly fortune it carries should have the effect of nourishing the land. If it stays here for a long time, it may enhance the fortune of the Qishi Forest's earth veins."

"It has such miraculous effects? Can it improve the fortune of humanity?" Li Ji'an was surprised and also expectant.

The withered tree branch had been with him for over a hundred years, yet he had never experienced this kind of connection.

“Of course!” Xiao Qiao did not deny it.

"Since that branch of the Jianmu tree has been in Guagua's mouth all this time, does it also benefit its fortune?"

"There must be!"

Li Ji'an turned his head to look at Guagua, recalling that in the years since he obtained the deadwood branch, the deadwood branch had been kept in Guagua's mouth most of the time.

Although the universe within its mouth has no chance of survival, it can maintain its vitality and not decay, which is why the dead branches have been well preserved over the years.

"The Sacred Beast Pill transforms the bloodline... The Azure Blood Pill impacts the Demon Core... and the Demon Core Formation Method provided by Bai Cailing..." Li Ji'an belatedly realized that these seemingly coincidental opportunities were actually the source of Guagua's good fortune.

The concept of luck is truly amazing!

He was even a little envious.

Unfortunately, according to the characteristics of Qiankun mentioned by Guagua, the remaining branches of Jianmu have probably had little impact on his fortune over the years.

But he had no choice; the storage bag couldn't keep the dead branch alive, and he couldn't carry it with him for long.

"Please take good care of it, Senior Sister!" Given how frankly Xiao Qiao had told him about the Jianmu branch, he couldn't possibly refuse her.

Xiao Qiao was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Thank you, Ping An. I will take good care of it and make sure to water the earth with spiritual energy every day."

"Senior sister, you're too kind," Li Ji'an said with a faint smile.

Then Xiao Qiao focused all her attention on the withered tree branch, where the little fire spirit perched, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy.

Guagua looked at the withered branch as if he understood but not quite.

Li Ji'an grew increasingly anxious. Now that he knew about the extraordinary nature of the Jianmu branch, it was clear that Wanfa Zhenjun's nascent soul had been living in the same room with the Jianmu branch for the past few years, and its fortune must have been enhanced as well.

Fortunately, it didn't last long, but this crisis must be resolved as soon as possible.

After bidding farewell to Xiao Qiao, Li Ji'an returned to the Taoist temple that had been reserved for him.

Its interior remains unchanged, just as it did in the previous life.

He first summoned Ning Yutan and spoke with her as a junior.

It wasn't until evening that Ning Sujin took control of her body and they met again.

The two, separated for a short time, felt like newlyweds, and after discussing philosophy until midnight, they embraced each other tenderly and poured out their hearts to one another.

After hearing about Li Ji'an's journey from the front lines of the battlefield to the Myriad Merchant Domain via the Merchant Alliance's spirit ship, as well as the novel experiences he had there and his eventual attainment of the Golden Core stage, Ning Sujin felt quite fascinated.

I have high hopes for the prosperous business alliance of Wanshangyu.

Unfortunately, without a physical body, her primordial spirit was bound to the spiritual veins of this place, destined to be unable to leave.

When the Myriad Laws Palace was destroyed by the Corpse Puppet Sect, her hope of regaining her physical body was shattered.

However, she hid her emotions well. When Li Ji'an said he would help her find her physical body, she had expectations, but she was unwilling for Li Ji'an to take risks for him.

Now, she was even more unwilling to let Li Ji'an become even more gloomy. She then composed herself and poured out her heart about some of her experiences over the years.

“Li Lang, I can now control the invisible puppet for a short time and have about 70-80% of the strength of the early Nascent Soul stage. However, if I were to face the Golden Puppet Saint, I would probably still be somewhat outmatched.”

"Don't worry, Sister Jin. Unless there's a life-or-death feud, even a True Core cultivator wouldn't fight to the death for an incredible opportunity, let alone a Nascent Soul True Monarch. As long as you have the strength to make them wary, that's enough to protect yourself," Li Ji'an comforted her.

Ning Sujin's thinking was very prudent. She was not arrogant because she had an invisible puppet. After all, although she could exert some of the strength of this fifth-order puppet, a puppet without a spirit still needed to be controlled by a person. She also did not have the means of using magic weapons and spirit talismans like a true Nascent Soul True Monarch. In a real fight to the death, she was naturally no match for him.

As she spoke, Ning Sujin released the invisibility puppet. When it concealed its form, even Li Ji'an's divine sense, which had stabilized after he entered the late stage of Core Formation, could not detect it.

When it revealed itself, its fourth-tier aura was concealed, yet Li Ji'an already felt a great threat.

Besides becoming increasingly skilled at controlling the puppet, Ning Sujin's greatest achievement over the years has been in divination.

He has now advanced to the third level of divination master, and can observe qi, predict some major events in the near future, and also deduce the fortune of the target person based on some important mediums.

This aligns well with her innate supernatural abilities during the Immortal Dynasty, but there are still some shortcomings. Her innate supernatural ability can predict the future fortunes of those close to her. Although the effect is singular, it has a long duration. Given the current closeness between Li Ji'an and her, at least the fortunes of the next ten years can be predicted.

Nowadays, divination and supernatural practices have an effect that lasts at most a year and can easily shorten one's lifespan.

"Sister Jin, how is my luck these days? Are there any ominous signs?" Upon hearing that she was already a third-level fortune teller, Li Ji'an immediately raised an eyebrow and subconsciously asked.

Ning Sujin rolled her eyes at him: "Li Lang, you've already reached the Golden Core stage, so your luck is naturally extraordinary. I'm only at the third level of divination, so I can hardly see through your luck. Besides, the Golden Core Daoist aura naturally shields you from the mysteries of heaven, so how can it be divined so easily?"

However, she silently thought to herself, "If I return to my physical body, I will be unaffected by the innate law of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune."

"Haha, then I'll wait patiently for Sister Jin to break through to the fourth-level divination master. With you protecting me then, I'll be safe and sound." Li Ji'an laughed heartily.

After joking around for a while, Li Ji'an told him about the Myriad Laws True Lord.

"You have the Nascent Soul of the Myriad Laws True Monarch?" Ning Sujin's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

She was also a Nascent Soul who had lost her physical body. Although residing in Ning Yutan's body limited her strength to some extent, she was well aware of how powerful a Nascent Soul was.

"His physical body was destroyed and his nascent soul was also injured back then. He has been hiding in a magic treasure to recuperate all these years. I can only use some minor tricks to slightly hinder his recovery." Li Ji'an truthfully recounted his dealings with the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws and his secret poisoning.

Ning Sujin's expression froze, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.

He then questioned, "With the strength of the Myriad Laws True Monarch, even if his nascent soul is injured, it is far beyond what a true cultivator can withstand. Even if the nascent soul escaped when you discovered it, you still wouldn't be able to match it. But according to you, he actually cooperated so well by staying inside the Black Light Umbrella, and even endured your little trick..."

Li Ji'an paused upon hearing this.

"So that's how it is!" Then, after combining what Xiao Qiao had said about the Jianmu branch, he finally understood the true purpose of the Myriad Laws True Lord.

He must have sensed the strangeness of the Jianmu remnant immediately. He pretended to be a remnant soul in order to keep me calm and stay with the Jianmu remnant for a long time!
For a moment, Li Ji'an felt a slight sense of defeat.

He thought he had been fooled by the fact that he had been reincarnated six times, but it turned out that he had been played by the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws.

"I have lived for over three hundred years in my six lifetimes, while that old monster has lived for nearly a thousand years and was able to attain the Nascent Soul True Monarch. How could he be an ordinary person?" Li Ji'an chuckled and accepted the fact with equanimity.

But then, a sudden tightness gripped my heart.

Since that old thief deliberately left the Qiankun in the Guagua's mouth for the purpose of enhancing the fortune of the Jianmu remnant branch.

But now that the remnants of the Jianmu tree have been brought out, they will probably take some action.

"Sister Jin, is it possible to resolve her nascent soul spirit body issue?" Li Ji'an then placed his hopes on Ning Sujin.

Ning Sujin frowned, her expression quite solemn.

"A nascent soul spirit is difficult to destroy without the power of a primordial spirit one level higher, and there is no guarantee that it can even be preserved. Moreover, if it is driven to the brink of destruction, there is no guarantee that it will not self-destruct. The power of a nascent soul self-destructing is extraordinary!"

"Li Lang, do you have any magical artifacts related to the soul?" After a moment of contemplation, Ning Sujin looked at Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an immediately took out the prototype of the Binding God Rope, a magical artifact given to him by Xiao Changfeng when he formed a false core in his previous life, from his storage bag. It had a binding effect on the soul.

Ning Sujin glanced at it and shook her head: "It must be at least a third-grade magic weapon, and it must be effective against the soul."

Li Ji'an immediately thought of the Green Wood Magic Sword that Xiao Changfeng brought out from the Boundless Domain, and the Black Water Magic Sword in the Black Water Swamp.

"Oh no!" The next moment, he remembered the Nascent Soul of the Myriad Laws True Lord in the universe that Guagua had mentioned.

Those two magical treasures, which were at least of the third grade, had been kept hidden in Guagua's mouth. Since the old thief had deliberately hidden himself there, he must have known the two magical swords very well.

Previously, Li Ji'an had not considered the possibility of it coming out, so he did not pay much attention to it. But now he knew that it was not that it could not come out, but that it was deliberately not coming out. Once its nascent soul left the dark light umbrella, it could easily penetrate the universe inside the mouth of the croaking frog.

At that time, all the treasures that exist within the universe contained in the frog's mouth will be lost.

The main concern is that one's secrets are likely to be exposed.

The existence of Little Fire Spirit and Guagua must have made him aware that he was the one who had devoured the third-tier spiritual flame of Pure Yuan Shangren. Following this line of thought, he might even discover his greatest secret.

"This must be resolved as soon as possible!" Li Ji'an looked at Ning Sujin with a solemn expression.

"Since that's the case, then we have no choice but to fight!" After confirming the current situation of the Myriad Laws True Monarch and Li Ji'an's attitude, Ning Sujin took a deep breath and made her decision.

"How confident are you?" Li Ji'an asked.

"Don't worry, Mr. Li, if all goes well, we should have at least a 60% chance of success," Ning Sujin said gently.

"What are you planning to do?" Li Ji'an was still unsure. At least based on all his current methods, he had no other means besides the Soul Poison.

Moreover, the poisons he can currently concoct are at most at the mid-stage of the third tier.

To have a poison that can kill a Nascent Soul spirit, it must be of the fourth rank, and it must be a Nascent Soul poison, specifically for Nascent Souls.

"Could you give me the soul of the soul cultivator from today, Mr. Li?" Ning Sujin asked with a smile.

"What use do you have for this person's soul?" Li Ji'an then released the soul of the soul cultivator he had collected.

Ning Sujin made a single gesture, and her primordial spirit instantly enveloped it.

"Li Lang, you may not know this, but the reason I was able to advance to the Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit realms here through soul cultivation was due to a special technique. This technique has almost no bottlenecks when breaking through to the Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit realms, except for inner demons. Moreover, this secret technique has the effect of devouring. This person's soul is in the mid-stage of Core Formation and is of the same origin as all my soul secret techniques, so the replenishing effect is great. Once I devour his soul origin, I may be able to advance to another level. At that time, I should have a certain degree of confidence when facing the already damaged Yuan Yin Spiritual Body of True Monarch Wanfa."

"One absorption can take you to the next level?" Upon hearing this, Li Ji'an felt a surge of joy.

Ning Sujin had always given him methods for refining his soul, rather than true soul cultivation techniques. After all, he cultivated both soul and magic, and his progress in magic cultivation was sufficient to support the refinement of his soul, so he didn't need soul cultivation techniques to boost it.

I only heard today that Ning Sujin actually possesses such a superior soul cultivation technique.

(End of this chapter)