Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 374 Shifting Circumstances
In the eyes of the Blood Spirit Saintess, Li Ji'an's most powerful trump card is his third-tier body cultivation.

As for his early stage of Core Formation cultivation, he could not pose a threat to Lin Xiuzhu's Core Formation stage cultivation.

After all, the Corpse Puppet Sect's supreme holy technique is of heaven-level quality, and only the Myriad Laws Palace's supreme technique in the entire Tiancang Domain can compare with it.

Moreover, Lin Xiuzhu has exceptional talent and a golden-bodied corpse puppet comparable to the mid-stage of Core Formation. If Li Ji'an relies solely on his third-tier body cultivation, he has almost no chance of winning except for a sneak attack.

In particular, Lin Xiuzhu must have many trump cards to protect himself, and even a third-level body cultivator might not be able to succeed in a sneak attack.

Li Ji'an followed Lin Xiuzhu for a short while when Lin Xiuzhu suddenly turned around.

"What exactly happened inside the Blood Cave? Did you see any true dragon essence blood?" His face was gloomy, and his mid-stage Core Formation aura enveloped Li Ji'an without restraint.

Before Li Ji'an could react, Ning Sujin had already quietly arrived behind Lin Xiuzhu, and the invisible puppet was ready to strike.

If Li Ji'an agrees, Lin Xiuzhu will have almost no chance of survival.

However, Li Ji'an still used telepathy to stop Ning Sujin.

After all, he had not yet obtained Lin Xiuzhu's secret. If he were to kill him now, even if he absorbed his essence and soul, reading the fragments of his memories would not be something that could be done in a short time.

"Just now, Fairy Blood Kite did indeed obtain the essence blood of the true dragon," Li Ji'an hurriedly said, trembling with fear.

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Xiuzhu's eyes, and a contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

This aligns with his judgment.

"How did she open the Blood Cave?" Lin Xiuzhu's attitude softened slightly.

Li Ji'an truthfully replied, "The fairy instructed me to infuse her with my essence and blood..."

Having received the answer, Lin Xiuzhu had no patience to listen any further. As long as he was certain that the other party had obtained the True Dragon Essence Blood, that was enough. Once he obtained the Dragon Soul, the True Dragon Essence Blood would surely be his.

"Go!" He then gave the order without room for argument, urging Li Ji'an to follow.

Then his speed increased, and he seemed to already know the answer to every maze-like passage.

Two days later, he returned to the place where he had previously encountered the third-tier ghost king.

This time, without the entanglement of the Yin Ghost Saint, he moved forward again without hesitation.

Five days later, a seemingly ordinary pit appeared before them.

The pit was at the end of a passage, similar to other pits encountered along the way, and looked unremarkable at first glance.

However, after closing his eyes and concentrating for a moment, Lin Xiuzhu resolutely stopped there.

He then ignored Li Ji'an and sat cross-legged on the ground, using his divine sense to investigate the situation below the pit.

Unfortunately, like the other pits, once the divine sense entered, it was like a mud ox sinking into water, without any feedback.

After a short while, he slowly got up, stared at the bottom of the pit, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

Li Ji'an's heart stirred, realizing that this was their destination.

"You, pour your essence blood into this pit." Lin Xiuzhu stared for a moment, then suddenly turned around and forcefully ordered Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an chuckled slightly. Did they really think his essence blood was a magic key?

"Hmm?" Seeing the fleeting bitter smile on Li Ji'an's face, Lin Xiuzhu's eyes narrowed, he snorted coldly, and once again unleashed his magical pressure.

“Senior… my vital energy is already severely depleted, I’m afraid…” Li Ji’an said with a bitter expression.

"Enough with the nonsense, infuse me with your essence or die!" Lin Xiuzhu completely disregarded Li Ji'an's thoughts, his killing intent blazing forth, as his golden corpse puppet walked step by step toward Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an frowned slightly, hesitating whether to let Ning Sujin take action now.

"Heh~ Brother Lin, what a brilliant plan." Just then, a familiar cold laugh rang out.

Then, a cloud of dark mist slowly drifted in.

The next moment, the Holy Son of Yin Ghosts appeared through the Yin Mist.

"Brother Lin, it's not my fault, it was Old Ghost who insisted on doing this." The Blood Spirit Saintess's voice rang out from behind.

Lin Xiuzhu's face was ashen as he stared straight at the Yin Ghost Saint: "You dare to place the Yin Ghost Seal on me?"

The Yin Ghost Saint smiled sinisterly: "Brother Lin, don't stare at me like that. You were unkind first, so don't blame me for being unjust."

"The reason why that ghost king suddenly regained its senses and then suddenly lost its mind and attacked me was all because of your behind-the-scenes machinations!" Lin Xiuzhu said with certainty.

The Holy Son of the Yin Ghost nodded frankly: "That's right, it is me!"

"I might as well tell you, when the Ghost King pierced your protective shield, you were already struck by my Yin Ghost Seal!"

Lin Xiuzhu's expression returned to normal, and he even sneered: "It seems that before you came here, you already had the plan to harm us and enjoy the opportunity here all to yourself."

The people of the Yin Ghost Sect are indeed untrustworthy.

As he spoke, Lin Xiuzhu glanced at the Blood Spirit Saintess, his intentions quite clear.

"Hahaha, Lin Xiuzhu, even now you still have to act all righteous? Your Corpse Puppet Sect's ancestor must have kept a trick up his sleeve; there must be some secrets we don't know about."

"If you're talking about harboring evil intentions, you probably didn't treat us like living people when you summoned us." The Yin Ghost Saint Son laughed wildly.

Lin Xiuzhu stopped talking and looked at the Blood Spirit Saintess.

"The Blood Maiden has already told me the secret of her sect's ancestors: the true dragon's essence blood and dragon soul are suppressed separately here. Even though the Blood Maiden has now obtained the true dragon's essence blood, I don't care. As long as I kill you, I will get the dragon soul, and the Blood Maiden will get the dragon blood. It's just the right thing to do!" The Yin Ghost Saint Son smiled contemptuously and looked at the Blood Spirit Saint Maiden as well.

In the current situation, they didn't even consider Li Ji'an. With three mid-stage Core Formation cultivators, a two-on-one fight would be a sure win.

Therefore, the side the Blood Spirit Saintess stands on plays a decisive role.

Facing their gazes, the Blood Spirit Saintess did not respond, but decisively took a step back.

"Hmm?" The Yin Ghost Saint frowned.

In the past few days, he believed that he had formed an alliance with the Blood Spirit Saintess.

Unexpectedly, this woman tricked him again.

"Blood Maiden, do you still want to sit back and watch the tigers fight?" Yin Ghost Saint Son sneered, exposing Blood Spirit Saint Maiden's thoughts.

Lin Xiuzhu's eyes narrowed as well, but he quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, Xue Yuan, I will never covet the true dragon's blood essence. Even if you choose to remain neutral now, I will never blame you later."

After all, once my master returns, the Blood Spirit Holy Mother should receive a personal letter of betrothal from him. From now on, we will be Daoist partners, so why distinguish between us?"

Upon hearing this, the Blood Spirit Saintess showed a hint of joy on her face, but inwardly she scoffed.

Before she formed her core, she genuinely wanted to attach herself to Lin Xiuzhu in order to break through to the upper-level True Core stage and obtain higher-grade Core Formation spiritual treasures. Unfortunately, Lin Xiuzhu preferred to deal with corpses rather than spend any effort on female cultivators.

No matter how humble Xue Yuan was back then, she could not move the other party.

Now that she has already condensed the middle-level true core, it's too late to take back what's done, so why would she have such thoughts again?

"Brother Lin understands me," the Blood Spirit Saintess said gratefully.

"Hmph! You wretch, I'll kill you first!" The Yin Ghost Saint Son roared in fury, instantly transforming into thousands of soul threads and rushing towards the Blood Spirit Saintess.

The Blood Spirit Saintess's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, showing no fear. Her figure vanished without a trace, leaving only a thin mist of blood floating in the air. "Whoosh~" In an instant, the entire cave was filled with ghostly wails and howls, and the crimson blood mist spread, truly resembling hell.

Both of them practiced demonic techniques, one Yin Sha and the other Blood Sha, which corresponded to various secret arts. They were also mid-stage Core Formation cultivators fighting each other, making for a truly spectacular scene.

After the two exchanged blows for several rounds, Lin Xiuzhu did not stand aside but decisively joined the battle and attacked the Yin Ghost Saint.

All his words just now were merely a ploy to provoke the Yin Ghost Saint Son into dealing with the Blood Spirit Saintess, and to drag the Blood Spirit Saintess into the mess.

Now that the objective has been achieved, it's crucial to avoid letting either side feel that he will be the one to reap the benefits.

Moreover, what he fears now is the Yin Ghost Saint Son. If he can capture the Yin Ghost Saint Son, he is somewhat confident in dealing with the Blood Spirit Saintess.

With Lin Xiuzhu joining the fray, the Yin Ghost Saint Son was instantly put at a disadvantage.

The Soul-Summoning Banner was immediately unleashed, and countless fierce ghosts roared out from within, including a third-tier ghost king comparable to a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Lin Xiuzhu wielded his natal magic weapon, the Bloodthirsty Cudgel, which had some effect on the vengeful spirits.

The Blood Spirit Saintess then unleashed a blood-red scythe, over ten feet long, to harvest the souls of the dead.

However, it is clear that the Blood Spirit Saintess did not give her all and was mostly slacking off.

The real main fighting force is still Lin Xiuzhu and Yin Gui Shengzi.

Li Ji'an, unnoticed by anyone, stepped aside to carefully observe the battle between the two sides, gaining a deeper understanding of demonic techniques and accumulating more experience.

Boom~
An hour later, the three of them engaged in a magical battle that erupted with a loud bang.

Yin energy, blood energy, and corpse energy filled the entire space. Lin Xiuzhu retreated several feet. Yin Gui Shengzi waved his soul banner and stared at Lin Xiuzhu with some apprehension.

This was because Lin Xiuzhu once again took out that Thunder Talisman.

The Yin Ghost Saint's natal magic weapon, the Soul Banner, had been fully upgraded after absorbing the previous Ghost King. He could now unleash its full power. Under these circumstances, Lin Xiuzhu, who was already injured by the Ghost King and had no special means to counter Yin Ghosts, was slightly outmatched.

However, as soon as the Thunder Talisman was unleashed, countless vengeful spirits howled and fled.

This poses a tremendous threat to the Holy Son of Yin Ghosts.

"Brother Lin, you only have one chance with this talisman. Can you guarantee that even if you lose to me, you're still confident you can control it with your current injured body?" The Yin Ghost Saint took a step back with apprehension.

The Blood Spirit Saintess stared at the lightning-shimmering talisman and sensed the danger, involuntarily taking another step back.

However, upon hearing what the Yin Ghost Saint said, that this talisman only had one chance to be activated, she breathed a sigh of relief.

One-tenth of the power of such a top-grade magic weapon is equivalent to one-tenth of the power of a Nascent Soul True Monarch. They, as mid-stage Core Formation True Immortals, have no chance of resisting it. Even if they don't die, they will definitely be seriously injured.

At the same time, she glanced somewhat guiltily at Li Ji'an, who was sitting unnoticed in the corner.

Surprisingly, he remained calm and showed no fear despite the appearance of the Thunder Talisman.

This made her feel more at ease.

Holding the Thunder Talisman, Lin Xiuzhu was also filled with complex thoughts.

He never expected that the Soul-Summoning Banner of the Yin Ghost Saint Son would possess such power after its upgrade.

Similarly, he was even more annoyed by the Blood Spirit Saintess's slacking off.

In this battle, he suffered a great loss and even revealed his trump card, making the situation very critical.

The Thunder Talisman in hand should not be wasted, otherwise, as the Yin Ghost Saint Son said, the Blood Spirit Saintess might really benefit from it.

"Hmph, Xue Yuan and I are of one mind, so naturally she is one of us. What do I have to fear?" Although he felt embarrassed, he still forcefully pulled Xue Ling Saintess away.

"Heh~ Since that's the case, then let's go." Yin Gui Shengzi sneered, having already seen that Lin Xiuzhu was not at the point where he absolutely had to activate the Thunder Talisman, and immediately adopted a strategy of advancing while retreating.

This put Lin Xiuzhu in a dilemma.

More importantly, the Blood Spirit Saintess, who is usually very emotionally intelligent and good at giving others a way out, remained silent at this moment, stepped aside, and observed the situation quietly.

"Hmph, if it weren't for Master's orders not to let the four sects kill each other, I would have definitely destroyed you this time!" In the end, Lin Xiuzhu had no choice but to save face for himself.

The Yin Ghost Saint sneered repeatedly, but did not provoke him further for the time being. Instead, he softened his tone and said, "Then I thank Brother Lin for sparing my life. However, now that things have come to this, shouldn't Brother Lin reveal the secrets of this place?"

"This place is where the dragon's soul resides, and there should be a spiritual treasure to suppress it," Lin Xiuzhu said stiffly.

"Just as I thought!" A surge of wild joy appeared in the eyes of the Yin Ghost Saint.

Compared to dragon blood, dragon soul held a greater attraction for him.

If he could refine the remnant soul of the true dragon, he would essentially have the spirit of a true dragon at his command. At that time, he might be able to be fearless throughout the entire cultivation world of the Great Swamp.

The remnant soul of the true dragon can greatly enhance the power of his cultivation techniques, helping him reach a higher level.

"Brother Lin, let's not beat around the bush. I only want this remnant soul of the true dragon. I don't care about anything else. If you can grant me that, I'll do whatever you ask." As he spoke, his gaze swept toward the Blood Spirit Saintess.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuzhu was intrigued.

In the current situation, it's very difficult for one person to monopolize both the Dragon Blood and the Dragon Soul.

The Yin Corpse Fiend he cultivated, whether from dragon blood or dragon soul, was not very effective.

In comparison, the fact that dragon blood increases the success rate of Nascent Soul transformation is more attractive to him.

Besides the dragon blood, he was more concerned about the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron recorded in the notes.

If the Yin Ghost Saint can truly hand over the Dragon Suppressing Cauldron to him, and at the same time join forces with him to deal with the Blood Spirit Saintess and seize the Dragon Blood, he will still be the biggest winner this time.

However... he couldn't be sure what the Yin Ghost Saint was thinking.

"Brother Lin, if you don't trust me, I can swear a great oath to the demons within my heart!" the Yin Ghost Saint Prince pleaded again.

"Thump~" The situation changed in an instant, causing the Blood Spirit Saintess to pause in surprise.

If Lin Xiuzhu and Lao Gui really succeed in joining forces, it's obvious they're going to work together to deal with her.

Having just witnessed the power of the old ghost's newly upgraded Soul-Summoning Banner and the Thunder Talisman in Lin Xiuzhu's hand, she felt a sudden tremor in her heart.

We can only place our hopes on Li Ji'an.

She subconsciously took two more steps toward Li Ji'an.

As Lin Xiuzhu's expression shifted, he suddenly waved his hand and said, "Hmph, we don't even know if the Dragon Soul is still there or if someone else has gotten there first. It's too early for us to talk about these things. Let's open up this Soul Abyss first."

"Brother Lin is absolutely right!" Yin Gui Shengzi nodded in agreement.

"That's right, we should at least find out the current state of the Dragon Soul." The Blood Spirit Saintess also breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the other party had not joined forces.

The only one who frowned was Li Ji'an, who had been watching from the sidelines.

Lin Xiuzhu and Yin Gui Shengzi failed to achieve mutual destruction, and there is still a possibility that they can join forces at this moment.

Moreover, having just witnessed the opponent's methods, he was not confident that he could face both of them simultaneously without taking any risks, and might even have to reveal more of his trump cards.

As expected, after Lin Xiuzhu and the Yin Ghost Saint reached a consensus, he looked at Li Ji'an and commanded even more forcefully, "Infuse with essence blood!"

(End of this chapter)