Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 396 A Misunderstanding

Seeing Li Ji'an's confident demeanor, Consort Duanmu, with some skepticism, revealed the whole story.

It turns out that when the two domains invaded the Tiancang Domain, seeing that the demonic cultivators of the Huangtian Domain, led by the Hehuan Sect, were about to defeat the Tiancang Domain's allied forces, the Tianyin Pavilion Master finally compromised with the Hehuan Sect.

I don't know what conditions they agreed to with the Hehuan Sect in exchange for Tianyin Pavilion relocating to Huangtian Domain.

After arriving in Huangtian Domain, the Hehuan Sect found a training ground for Tianyin Pavilion ten thousand miles south of Yin-Yang Spring that was no less impressive than Tianyin Pavilion's training ground in Tiancang Domain.

From then on, Tianyin Pavilion avoided the invasion of the demonic path, was able to preserve its strength, and gained a foothold in the Yellow Heaven Domain.

However, a few years ago, the Pavilion Master of Tianyin Pavilion suddenly demanded that a Core Formation cultivator from the Duanmu lineage within the pavilion marry an elder from the Hehuan Sect.

This infuriated the Duanmu lineage, as they all knew the Hehuan Sect's intentions; such a marriage was tantamount to offering themselves up as a furnace for cultivation.

Because of this incident, the Duanmu lineage conducted an in-depth investigation and discovered more of the underhanded actions of the Tianyin Pavilion Master, Master Hongzhu.

It turns out that ever since Tianyin Pavilion first came to Huangtian Domain, Master Hongzhu had already sent his disciples to Hehuan Sect several times.

The pavilion was thrown into chaos, with voices denouncing Master Hongzhu rising and falling.

However, some people had actually anticipated this, and the fact that they were able to survive the invasion of the demonic path was a relatively good price compared to the other sects.

From the perspective of Tianyin Pavilion, Master Hongzhu can be considered to have made a contribution by sacrificing his own interests to preserve the greater good.

Therefore, most of the people in the pavilion still sided with Master Hongzhu.

However, the Duanmu lineage resolutely refused to comply.

In the end, the Duanmu lineage clashed with the Pavilion and, unsurprisingly, failed.

The elder of the Duanmu lineage agreed to Master Hongzhu's request in exchange for the Duanmu lineage not being held accountable by Master Hongzhu, but it was definitely impossible for them to stay any longer.

Ultimately, the Duanmu lineage was expelled from Tianyin Pavilion and came here.

Two years ago, I rented a high-level second-tier training ground near Funiu Immortal City, and that's where things have settled down for now.

The cultivators within the clan earn spiritual wealth through music, quietly accumulating the spiritual resources needed for their comeback.

Their clan has a Core Formation cultivator and dozens of late-Foundation Establishment elders. In addition, they are low-key, and music is a novel skill in this area with remarkable healing effects. They are also peaceful and have accumulated a lot of goodwill, so their future looks very promising.

They even consider themselves direct descendants of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, asserting that the Red Candle Master will surely push the Heavenly Sound Pavilion into an endless abyss, and that in the end, they will have to rely on them to restore the glory of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion.

However, just two months ago, a group of barbarians suddenly attacked the Duanmu family's True Core Elder on his way back from Funiu Immortal City, and ultimately captured the entire Duanmu family elder and his party alive.

The Duanmu family suffered this great calamity, and was instantly thrown into turmoil.

Without the presence of the True Core Elder and half of the Foundation Establishment stage elders, they couldn't even establish a stable Daoist temple, let alone develop their sect.

There are countless evil cultivators and treacherous practitioners here, and they will surely target them.

Therefore, Duanmu Fei, the pride of the Duanmu family, and the remaining Foundation Establishment stage clansmen came to rescue her.

The result was that the Calabash Brothers rescued their grandfather, while a group of their clansmen were captured alive.

She is now the only one left in the late Foundation Establishment stage in the clan, so she is going all in this time, trying to kidnap a few barbarians and exchange them for the clan elders.

"Then do you know why the barbarians kidnapped your clan elders?" Li Ji'an asked after carefully considering what he had said.

"Hmph, those barbarian beasts! Every member of my Duanmu clan is a beauty of unparalleled grace, so naturally they should be captured and used for filthy acts!" Duanmu Fei said indignantly.

Then, remembering something, he added, "Many fairies in Funiu Immortal City were also abducted by the barbarians, and they were all eventually ravaged to death by the barbarians, and their bodies were even eaten."

Li Ji'an frowned slightly; this statement clearly contradicted his understanding of the barbarians.

"What is the Taoist name of your clan elder?"

"Qiong Yao herself."

"Old woman, you take the little girl and find a safe place. Wait for my news," Li Ji'an said decisively.

"Old man..." Ning Sujin couldn't help but feel worried upon hearing this.

"Grandpa, what are you doing?" Duanmu Fei's expression also changed abruptly.

Li Ji'an waved his hand: "There may be a misunderstanding in this matter. Let me go and ask about it."

"No! Grandfather, this is the stronghold of the barbarians. Not only are there barbarian leaders, but also a powerful old patriarch. It is said that even the Venerable Funiu is unwilling to provoke him. There are even rumors that the ancestors of the Hehuan Sect have decreed that there should be no conflict with the barbarians, because each generation of barbarian patriarchs is powerful enough to fight against the Venerable Funiu." In her anxiety, Duanmu Fei immediately reached out to block Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an smiled slightly: "Indeed, the barbarian chieftain is extraordinary. I admit that I am no match for him. However, I can reason with him."

When he competed with Banu in a contest of divine strength, he realized that the source of the barbarian's power lay in their bloodline.

Then, during the battle, Banubi activated his ancestral bloodline and successfully reverted to his ancestral form for the first time, instantly elevating his physical strength to the level of a third-tier early-stage body cultivator.

This forced him to unleash almost all the power of a mid-stage third-tier body cultivator.

It was at that time that the old chieftain of the barbarian tribe arrived in person.

The physical strength emanating from him was several times stronger than that of Banu, and also stronger than that of Li Ji'an, a mid-stage third-order body cultivator.

However, he was very friendly to Li Ji'an, and eventually invited him to drink with the courtesy due to a distinguished guest, and had the entire clan leader accompany him.

During the pre-meeting greetings, the old clan chief generously revealed the source of the barbarian tribe's power.

The certainty comes from the bloodline within the body.

All barbarians are born with the innate power of their bloodline, making their physiques far superior to those of ordinary cultivators.

However, bloodline can be both a blessing and a curse.

The old clan chief bluntly stated that the barbarian bloodline talent did indeed make barbarians much stronger than ordinary people in the early stages, but their potential was also very low.

Nine out of ten members of the clan are already at their peak when they are born.

The only way to take it to the next level is to activate the bloodline and revert to its ancestral state.

Each time you revert to your ancestral form, you will receive a boost.

However, the atavism of bloodlines is unpredictable and largely depends on luck, which creates great uncertainty for barbarian groups.

If a generation of barbarians fails to produce a wise man, and lacks enough descendants to revert to their ancestral lineage, the entire race will be in grave danger.

Moreover, the old clan chief also frankly told Li Ji'an that the so-called cultivation techniques of the barbarians were actually blood-burning methods based on bloodline and physique. They were created by the ancestors to solve the problem of activating the barbarian bloodline, but the effect was minimal.

The old patriarch had returned to his ancestral form four times, reaching the pinnacle of the barbarian race. His physique was comparable to that of a high-level third-tier body cultivator, and coupled with his bloodline supernatural abilities, ordinary Core Formation cultivators dared not directly confront his sharp edge.

Li Ji'an believed that without the Daoist essence of the Demon-Suppressing Fist and the dragon's breath from the True Dragon's essence blood, his current mid-stage third-tier physique would not last more than three rounds.

“Reason with them? Grandpa, you… barbarians are rude, unwise, and inhuman. Their language is so complex that ordinary people can’t even communicate with them. How can you reason with them? This is even worse than us music cultivators playing music to a cow!” Duanmu Fei became even more anxious.

"Uka, so you're here!" Just as Duanmu Fei finished speaking, a rough shout suddenly rang out.

Immediately, a burly, dark figure approached.

"It's over, that barbarian leader!" Duanmu Fei's expression changed instantly upon seeing this person.

It was the leader of the group she had ambushed earlier, Niu Mang, who had won a fortune from the duel between Li Ji'an and Banu, and one of the eighteen barbarian commanders.

Previously, when the old clan chief called on the leaders to accompany him to drink, he was still taking the spiritual funds he had won into the house.

After he finished tidying up, he was excited to go have a good drink with Li Ji'an, but found that all the clansmen had already gotten drunk. Then, following the clues provided by the clansmen, he finally found Li Ji'an here.

"Come on, come on, I must drink with you!" Niu Mang walked straight up to Li Ji'an, his enthusiasm burning. "..." Duanmu Fei, who was originally on guard, suddenly widened her eyes upon seeing this.

"Don't worry, he's not here to cause you trouble," Ning Sujin transmitted her voice promptly.

"This...they...how did Grandpa meet him? Isn't this your first time here? Didn't you arrive a day before me?" Duanmu Fei looked at Ning Sujin incredulously.

At one point, she even felt as if she had been deceived.

“This is indeed our first time here, but… your grandfather is quite capable; he’s already become a distinguished guest of the barbarian tribe.” Ning Sujin said with a smile.

"Distinguished guests? In just one day, they have developed such a relationship with such a barbaric race as the barbarians?" Consort Duanmu could not believe it.

As they were talking, Li Ji'an and Niu Mang had already headed to the barbarian stone fortress.

Before leaving, Li Ji'an sent a telepathic message to Ning Sujin, asking her to take Consort Duanmu for a walk first.

After all, the matter was not yet clear, and he could not treat Consort Duanmu's safety as a joke.

Soon, Li Ji'an returned to the stone fortress.

The group of leaders were still fast asleep, just as they had been before they left.

Surprisingly, not a single member of the clan came to serve them.

Niu Mang became agitated and, from who knows where, brought out another vat of Hundred Beasts Wine.

He excitedly toasted Li Ji'an to express his gratitude. Before Li Ji'an could even pick up his stone urn, he eagerly wanted to drink to express his feelings.

Li Ji'an hurriedly stopped him: "Don't rush, don't rush, I have another question to ask."

"What's wrong? Ask away," Niu Mang said, eager to drink.

"Have you captured the cultivators from the Duanmu family?"

"I don't know who the cultivators from the Duanmu family are."

"Do you recognize that female cultivator who was just next to me?"

"The female cultivator beside you? Isn't that Granny Jin? Who else is she?" Niu Mang asked, looking bewildered.

Li Ji'an chuckled slightly, then thought for a moment and asked, "A few days ago, did you encounter a female cultivator lying in ambush with you?"

Niu Mang frowned, a pained expression on his face, and thought for a long time before saying, "Oh dear, I can't remember, I don't know. Come on, let's drink!"

"So, did you capture some cultivators and bring them here?" Li Ji'an wasn't in a hurry and simplified his question again.

"Yes, yes," Niu Mang said directly this time.

"Why did you bring them here?" Li Ji'an was also puzzled. According to the old clan chief, they tried their best to avoid conflicts with others.

"Grandma Ba is dying, and the clan chief wants to find a doctor to save her," Niu Mang said succinctly.

"Oh? Has it been cured? Where did those who were captured go?" Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow instantly, which confirmed a guess he had after Duanmu Fei finished telling the whole story.

"No, no, Grandma Ba is very ill. We've consulted many doctors, but none of them can cure her. They're still trying to find a solution." Niu Mang waved his hand impatiently.

"If those doctors can't cure Grandma Ba, what will you do to them?" Li Ji'an asked further.

“Oh dear, everyone who gets sick is going to die anyway. If it can’t be cured, it can’t be cured. We should let the doctor go. We don’t even have enough to eat yet,” Niu Mang said again.

Hearing this, Li Ji'an breathed a sigh of relief, confirming that it was indeed a misunderstanding.

The root cause lies in the prejudice of human cultivators against barbarians.

Afterwards, Li Ji'an inquired about the location of the so-called Granny Ba and the location of the doctor.

Immediately afterwards, Niu Mang drank impatiently, then became excited, and then completely drunk.

After he was completely drunk, Li Ji'an saw that there was still a little bit of Hundred Beasts Wine left at the bottom of the jar, so he used his magic to drink it all into his mouth.

In an instant, the true dragon's essence blood absorbed it all.

Immediately, the true dragon's essence expressed satisfaction.

Li Ji'an keenly sensed that the true dragon's essence blood had regained a trace of activity.

"The king of beasts can regain its vitality by drinking the blood of all beasts." This boost was somewhat unexpected.

Judging from the recovery of Li Ji'an over the years since this drop of true dragon blood entered his body, given time, he may indeed be reborn from the blood and give birth to a true dragon.

Of course, this is on the premise of dragon soul fusion.

After confirming the changes in the true dragon blood essence within his body, Li Ji'an glanced at the barbarians in the stone fortress, then strode deeper into the fortress.

After leaving the stone fortress and passing through several stone corridors, we finally arrived at the place that Niu Mang had indicated before he fell into a drunken stupor.

This is the old chieftain's residence, where his spouse lives.

Compared to other places, the materials here are extraordinary, and even Li Ji'an's current divine sense cannot penetrate them at all.

In front of the house, four young and strong barbarians were pacing back and forth at the door.

"Grandpa Changqing." Upon seeing Li Ji'an approach, the four of them excitedly greeted him.

Today, the old clan chief has officially recognized Li Ji'an as the most honored guest of the barbarian tribe in front of the entire tribe, and these people admire Li Ji'an's strength in defeating Banu.

"What's going on here?" Li Ji'an smiled and nodded, asking casually.

"Grandma Ba is sick and about to die. We don't want her to die."

"Are the doctors all inside treating her?" Li Ji'an asked again.

"None of these doctors can save Grandma Ba."

“I’ll go check on Grandma Ba,” Li Ji’an nodded.

"Grandma Ba will surely be very happy to see you; you are an honored guest of our divine race."

Li Ji'an then swaggered into the house.

Upon entering the house, he felt his consciousness recover somewhat, and at the same time, he instantly detected the telepathic communication from the adjacent room.

"Fairy Qiongyao, do you have a way to cure this barbarian?"

"Alas, our Tianyin Pavilion is skilled in music, but music only heals the sea of ​​consciousness, and its effect on the physical body is very limited. I am powerless to help."

"What can we do? Given the nature of barbarians, if we can't cure this person, we probably won't be able to leave alive."

"Hmph, even if I, Zhou, could cure them, I would never treat barbarians."

"I don't think that barbarian chieftain is as bad as the rumors say. Maybe he won't die even if he can't be cured? Should we just be honest with him?"

"No, no, absolutely not! If we keep dragging this out, we can still think of a way. But once a decision is made, we'll probably become their meal that very night."

"There are still barbarians guarding the outside; there's no way to escape."

……

Li Ji'an scanned the room with his divine sense and found that all seven people in the side room had their brows furrowed.

(End of this chapter)