Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 642 Targeting
Ji An remained silent for a moment, then exhaled and said:
"It's all about timing and fate."

In this era, cultivating demonic arts is truly a good choice.

No matter what methods are used, as long as we can go further on the path to immortality, that's all that matters.

He pondered for a moment, then said:
"If a demon cultivator can advance to the Nascent Soul stage, is there still room for further advancement?"

Master Xuanmu looked at him with a strange expression. "Fellow Daoist, you have a long-term vision. I would be content if I could advance to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch in this lifetime."

As for whether there is a path for demon cultivators to advance to the Nascent Soul realm, I have no idea.

"Alas, if the price of switching to demonic cultivation weren't too high for me to bear, I would definitely become a demon cultivator."

The flesh, blood, and soul of a cultivator are also desired by those who cultivate demonic arts, but there is a conflict between the cultivator's magical power and the demonic energy generated by the demonic cultivation techniques.

This conflict is irreconcilable, and its accumulation over time will inevitably lead to an explosion.

To switch cultivation methods, one must relinquish one's cultivation and return the magical power gained through hundreds of years of arduous cultivation to the heavens and earth.

Another issue is the uncertainty of cultivating demonic arts. He cannot be sure of his aptitude for it, and if his aptitude is average, then he is doomed.

Ji An had no interest in cultivating demonic arts; the cultivation world, with its tens of thousands of years of heritage, certainly had a brighter future than cultivating demonic arts.

He asked cautiously, "The Tribulation of the True Demons lasted only a little over a hundred years. When the tribulation ends, what will become of those who cultivate demonic arts?"

"The True Lords have already proposed a plan: to preserve a few demon caves for demon cultivators to establish mountain gates for defense."

At that time, the demonic energy in the Demon Cave would not be dense, and the forces of demon cultivators would not be able to cause a major impact on the cultivation world. However, it would be enough to appease the demon cultivators and prevent a tragedy like the one that occurred after the last True Demon Calamity.

After the last True Demon Calamity ended, all the Demon Caves were sealed off. Demon cultivators, for their own benefit, used cultivators and demon beasts as resources. A great war broke out between immortal cultivators and demon cultivators, causing the second wave of calamity.

Ji An seized the opportunity and asked another question:
"What was the real reason for the destruction of the Tianshui Sect? Do you know, fellow Daoist?"

Tianshui Sect is a top-tier Nascent Soul sect that possesses the method for crafting the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag.

If no force can be found in the Central Continent to refine the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag, the only option left is to go to the East Sea.

"I am not an omniscient person. The sect's records only briefly mention this matter and are vague. There must be some other hidden story."

Master Xuanmu was not very interested in things buried in the dust of history and had not studied them in depth.

The two began to recount their respective cultivation practices, and the light in the cave gradually dimmed.

Ji An removed the cover from the luminous pearl, brewed a pot of spiritual tea, and then took out some pastries to continue their conversation.

The serene moonlight shone on the white ground, where the Golden Puppet Sect disciples responsible for felling the Azure Dragon Wood gathered together and talked.

Master Xuanmu gazed through the window at the bright moon, which was already high in the sky, and said with lingering relish:
“Fellow Daoist has a profound understanding of cultivation, which has greatly inspired me. We should exchange ideas more.”

He had been to the Western Continent several times and knew the general situation of the Golden Spirit Sect. He never expected that a disciple from a Golden Core level power would have such insights.

The feeling of talking to the other party was like discussing with those Nascent Soul seed cultivators in the sect, and some of the obstacles that I had been wondering about on a daily basis became clear.

Ji An smiled and agreed:
"I will visit the Golden Puppet Pavilion more often to exchange ideas with fellow Daoists, but I'm afraid you're too busy to make time for me."

"As long as you go, I will definitely have time."

Master Xuanmu assured him that the work of crafting puppets could be put on hold, as improving cultivation efficiency was the most important thing.

He stood up. "I have to go back and report. Farewell for today."

The next day, at Shen time (3-5 PM).

Ji An walked into Yunhai Pharmacy, the last large-scale medicine shop.

Upon finding the shopkeeper, he directly stated his purpose:

"Fellow Daoist, I would like to purchase some medicinal herbs for the Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pill, the whole set."

The shopkeeper shook his head with difficulty and said:

"It's really unfortunate. I checked the medicinal herbs in the shop last night and found that the main ingredient, Vermilion Bird Grass, is missing. Fellow Daoist, you will have to buy other spiritual herbs."

Do you have the materials for the Azure Treasure Light Pill?

"We do have some, but we lack the Azure Mist Fruit."

"What about the ingredients for the Fire Essence Pill?"

"The main ingredient, third-stage pine nuts, is missing."

Ji An feigned a serious expression. He had inquired at all the large pharmacies and received the same answer.

Do you have any alchemy materials? Yes, but we are missing the main ingredient.

The shopkeeper sighed, "There's a problem with the supply of medicinal herbs to the pharmacy. We need to stockpile a whole batch of materials, and we don't know how long this situation will last."

He glanced at Ji An's expression, then lowered his gaze and looked elsewhere.

He had dealt with the other party a few times, and he only learned about the fact that the other party had opened a pill shop in the last few days.

Several shopkeepers from various pill shops came together to ask him to evaluate the pills in the Crimson Flame Pavilion.

The quality of the pills, which was clearly a level above, made him very wary. Combining this with the information from the auction house, the managers concluded that they absolutely could not allow the Crimson Flame Pavilion to continue existing.

If word gets out about the reputation of the other pill shop, it will have an impact on all pill shops.

Currently, the Crimson Flame Pavilion doesn't sell many types of pills, so the impact isn't too great yet, but we absolutely cannot let it develop unchecked.

Ji An sighed deeply and said:
"Bring me the materials for the Fire Essence Pill and the Azure Treasure Light Pill. I'll think of another way to see if I can find the main ingredients." The shopkeeper immediately became wary. "There are only two sets of materials left for the Fire Essence Pill. They need to be exchanged for a third-grade spirit fruit or a spirit herb that is over a thousand years old. There are more materials for the Azure Treasure Light Pill, but only ten sets. I accept high-grade spirit stones for the transaction."

The Azure Light Pills sold in the Crimson Flame Pavilion are of good quality, but not significantly different from those sold elsewhere. Some may be sold as appropriate.

He knew very well that the other side must have sensed their combined attack, and what they needed to do now was to ensure that the Crimson Flame Pavilion had no materials available.

Ideally, the other party's medicine shop should not be able to survive, or you should force them to negotiate.

Your pills are of high quality, right? No problem, you can sell them! But the price must be raised to match the quality of the pills.

Ji An nodded in agreement, took out several spirit fruits and some spirit stones to complete the transaction, and then stood up and said:
"Thank you, fellow Daoist. We can exchange ideas and share our knowledge more often in the future."

The shopkeeper said with a forced smile, "Definitely."

In the quiet room of the Crimson Flame Pavilion.

Ji An took out all the medicinal herbs and said:

"We only obtained materials for sixteen batches of Fire Essence Pills and thirty-four batches of Azure Treasure Light Pills; the other pills were missing their main ingredients."

Your guess is accurate; we are being targeted, and all the major elixir shops are involved.

We'll each take half of the materials, refine them into pills, and sell them in the shop.

Small and medium-sized pill shops survive in the cracks between large pill shops, and it is even more difficult to buy second-tier pill materials.

Han Yan's face darkened. "Senior Brother was able to buy materials this time, but he might not be able to next time. What should we do then?"

She never expected that the medicine shop would encounter such a huge crisis after only one month of operation.

This was Zhongzhou, a place she knew no one about, and she was at a loss for what to do.

Ji An said in a deep voice, "I suspect that Master Guangping and the others are also under tremendous pressure. Now we just need to see if they can withstand it."

If they can succeed, the medicine shop's business still has a good chance of survival; if not, it will be very difficult to manage.

As long as there is a stable 'resource supply point', the supply of elixirs can be maintained.

He chuckled coldly a few times, then said:

"Surely our talisman business won't be suppressed too?"

Even if they are of the same grade, his talismans will be better drawn than those of other talisman makers, but the power of the talismans is difficult to quantify and will not be very obvious.

"Probably not, but it's a bit sad that the two of us alchemists with the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame have no pills to refine."

Han Yan said helplessly that in the Western Continent, Golden Core cultivators stood at the peak of their cultivation, while in the Central Continent, late-stage Golden Core cultivators were only the backbone of the force.

Faced with this kind of targeting, one can only silently endure one's fate.

Ji An raised his voice and comforted him:

"Don't worry, there's always a way out. I'll think of another way."

If all else fails, I'll go to the medium-sized immortal cities nearby to buy spiritual herbs. If that still doesn't work, I'll go to the immortal cities within the jurisdiction of Nascent Soul sects.

His cultivation level had been steadily improving, so he was unwilling to go out and waste time, and thus he stayed in Cloud Sea Immortal City without moving.

If you go to other immortal cities, you can sell some Tier 3 resources to exchange for materials, and then never set foot there again to avoid potential dangers.

Master Xuanmu's unintentional words greatly increased his vigilance, and he will be extra careful in the future.

Those at the Golden Core stage have no right to be arrogant; it's better to keep a low profile.

Han Yan cautioned, "If you go out to purchase spiritual herbs, Senior Brother, you must be extra careful. There are shadows everywhere."

Ji An patted his chest and said confidently:

"Don't worry, I'll be fast enough to run if there's any danger."

By the way, what was Zhang Liangyu's response? Is it possible to contact a talisman maker for cooperation?

He replied that the talisman makers he knew all had partnered shops, and he could only help inquire.

However, he also said he could introduce demon-hunting cultivators to sell us the materials, and I promised that cultivators who came to sell the materials would receive a 5% discount when purchasing pills or talismans.

Alchemists and talisman makers can create higher added value, but they are extremely dependent on the supply of materials.

As long as there are sufficient materials, there is a basis for finding partners.

“You’ve done a great job. This is the most difficult time for us. Once we’ve built up a good reputation, things will be much easier.”

That night, Ji An stayed in the shop. Instead of cultivating, he took out all the talisman-making materials he had accumulated and also took out the talismans that he no longer needed.

He stroked the pale golden talisman that had reached the second tier, his heart filled with memories.

He never used any of these things after drawing them; I don't know if he should feel lucky.

He felt it necessary to revive the art of drawing talisman soldiers, using tree bark as a medium to improve their rank as the spirit trees grew.

Perhaps we can nurture a fourth-tier talisman soldier; that would be a huge profit.

Ji An sorted out most of the second-tier resources from the Void Stone and stored them in several storage bags. The chances of using these things in the future were extremely slim.

Keeping it is just for show; it's better to exchange it for spirit stones.

(End of this chapter)