Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 138 Growth Type: Phantom Mask
Upon landing, Huang Shaohai looked at Lin Chang'an's blank and empty eyes and gave a resentful sneer.

"What I hate most is the look in your eyes, you bunch of rogue cultivators. You have nothing, yet you think you can get everything just by working hard."

Today I'll show you that some things are beyond the reach of you rogue cultivators, no matter how hard you try your whole lives.

Just as the black claws were about to dig into his eyes, a fierce glint flashed in Lin Chang'an's pupils, and he suddenly grabbed Huang Shaohai with one hand.

"not good!"

In his shock and anger, a glint of blood appeared in Huang Shaohai's pupils.

Blood Spirit Thorn

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered everywhere as Lin Chang'an's arm was severed, while Huang Shaohai, who had retreated hastily, clutched his neck in horror as the gilded needle pierced his throat.

"Damn you! You lowly rogue cultivators!"

Slurring his words, blood flowed from his mouth, and Huang Shaohai was still unaware of what was happening.

Lin Chang'an suddenly stood up, a sight that startled Huang Shaohai, who hurriedly cast a magical shield.

However, instead of attacking, Lin Chang'an unleashed several talismans in succession.

Lin Chang'an actually used the Vajra Defense Talisman, and at the same time, a ruthless look appeared on his face.

"burst!"

Huang Shaohai stared in horror at the severed arm that was still gripping his wrist, the explosive runes drawn on the arm flashing with fire.

The roaring flames instantly engulfed him.

The magical shield that Huang Shaohai cast actually reduced the explosive power.

"Go to hell!"

This time, Lin Chang'an was really determined. He never expected that this unorthodox disciple would actually have a talisman treasure.

He unleashed the full power of the Fiendish Sword Technique, and a crimson sword beam shot straight up.

At the same time, under the powerful control of divine sense, the gilded needles quickly pierced through Huang Shaohai's body.

Under Fu Bao's threat, if he ran, he would be a sitting duck.

Right now, the only option is to fight tooth and nail.

"Fellow Daoist...it's a misunderstanding...please have mercy! I have the secret to Core Formation, I can tell you..."

As the smoke cleared, Huang Shaohai was covered in blood and gore. After being pierced through the body by the Green Bamboo Sword, he begged for mercy in terror.

However, what awaited him was an attack from a blood-soaked blue-horned bull behind him.

"Pfft!"

Amidst the splattering of blood, Huang Shaohai looked down in disbelief at the bull horn that had pierced through his chest.

"How...how could I..."

As the Azure Bamboo Sword's malevolent energy shattered his life force, Huang Shaohai was filled with resentment. He still had talisman treasures and ancient opportunities; how could he die?

"Don't be so smug, the Blazing Fire Palace won't let this go..."

The Green Horned Ox let out an angry bellow and sent Huang Shaohai flying. After landing, Huang Shaohai was then trampled on by the Green Horned Ox.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you, thank you for that Beast Spirit Pill, otherwise my ox wouldn't have been able to break through."

Before Huang Shaohai died, Lin Chang'an grinned and revealed a sincere smile.

Upon hearing this, Huang Shaohai's eyes widened, staring intently at Lin Chang'an with unwavering eyes.

Before he was plunged into darkness, he seemed to remember that the other party had benefited from his misfortune by obtaining a high-quality Beast Spirit Pill from the Zhou family.

……

"They almost died!"

After quickly clearing the battlefield, Lin Chang'an led Qingjiao Niu and the other man into a tree hole within the miasma area to secretly begin recuperating.

"If it weren't for this self-healing body, I would have been doomed today."

Lin Chang'an, inside the tree hollow, revealed a sense of relief at surviving a disaster, thankful that he had been cultivating his natal spiritual plant all these years.

His self-healing ability is incredibly powerful.

The wound in his abdomen that was pierced by the talisman has begun to heal visibly.

Even the severed arm is now itchy, indicating that it is clearly healing.

"I'm even more fortunate that this talisman is penetrating."

If it were a talisman or treasure of the seal, hammer, or other attribute type, then he would truly be gone today.

The moment the other party took out the talisman, he knew he couldn't escape. This thing was a dimensional attack, unless he also had a talisman.

So he had no choice but to take a gamble. At the moment the needle pierced his body, he feigned death using the Breath Concealment Technique.

"Fu Bao, what kind of person is Huang Shaohai? Has the Li Huo Palace gone mad?"

Lin Chang'an couldn't help but curse inwardly, "When did talismans become so common?"

Even the three major sects only bestow talismans upon their talented disciples who are preparing to form their core.

From the moment he was targeted, he did consider escaping.

However, the problem is that the opposing Earth Dragon Beast is tracking them, giving them no chance to escape.

Who would have thought that they would almost capsize in a ditch?

The Green Horned Ox, its spirits waning, lay sprawled to the side, its injuries rapidly healing under his Evergreen Magic.

"But this Huang Shaohai!"

Huang Shaohai's unrecognizable corpse lay to one side, with bloodthirsty poisonous vines spreading from his abdomen, devouring his body.

Or rather, it is devouring the host's flesh, blood, and magical power.

"This is my natal spiritual plant!"

After looking at the spiritual plant, Lin Chang'an fell silent for a moment.

"This is the cultivation technique that Li Huo Palace obtained by searching the souls of the Wang family."

At first, he thought Huang Shaohai was practicing some kind of poisonous martial art, but he never expected it to be the same kind of martial art as his own.

However, the two used different natal spiritual plants.

At this moment, the remaining leaves of the Xuan Tian Immortal Vine in his dantian seemed to sense something and actually flickered out from his body.

"This is!?"

One tendril from the base of the withered leaves of the Heavenly Mystic Vine slowly took root in this bloodthirsty poison vine.

The next moment, countless memories of Huang Shaohai surfaced in Lin Chang'an's sea of ​​consciousness.

The Li Huo Palace is one of the three major sects of the Yue Kingdom, accumulated over hundreds of years.

Although Huang Shaohai's status is not quite up to par, he is still a direct descendant of the Huang family.

The relationships between cultivators within the Li Huo Palace, as well as their cultivation techniques, secret arts, and resources...

These are the true treasures of the Fire Palace!
It may not be recorded in the jade slip.

And after obtaining this ancient cultivation technique from the sect, he began to cultivate it, and eventually became like this.

The conspiracy of Li Huo Palace against Tianxuan City.

And why he possesses the talisman treasure.

……

After a while.

At this moment, Huang Shaohai's corpse had been completely devoured, leaving only this bloodthirsty poison vine spirit plant.

Lin Chang'an slowly opened his eyes, revealing a look of realization.

"I see... Huang Shaohai was ordered to create chaos while also being responsible for surveillance, which is a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. Over the years, Huang Shaohai has been feeding his natal spiritual plant with the flesh and blood of rogue cultivators."

This talisman, whose power was more than half depleted, was actually obtained by his father from Huang Tianxiao, at the cost of half of the annual resources earned from the Tribulation Cultivation...

After learning everything from his memories, Lin Chang'an shook his head. He had seen cases of collusion between the underworld and the legitimate world before, but this time it had happened to him.

"This Huang Tianxiao is quite a character. He doesn't miss any opportunity to achieve the Core Formation stage, and he even arranged for his sect disciples to obtain resources for him."

The main problem is that the Yue Kingdom is poor in resources. Even for the Li Huo Palace, one of the three major sects, it is not easy to obtain enough resources to form a Core Formation Core.

Although Huang Tianxiao is a prodigy of the sect, the sect is deeply entrenched, and he is not the only prodigy.

Moreover, having more resources for Core Formation means having more security, and no one will complain about having too little.

"Although the losses were significant, the gains were equally substantial."

Lin Chang'an secretly calculated that his defensive magical artifact, the armor of the Green Horned Ox, and the second-tier Fiery Array were all rendered useless.

Even the Green Bamboo Sword was severely damaged.

"However, the biggest gain was the vast amount of knowledge about the Li Huo Palace."

Lin Chang'an sighed with emotion, realizing he had to thank Huang Shaohai for his generosity, who had imparted all his knowledge to him.

"This one talisman that can be used twice is enough to make up for everything."

A fiery red talisman appeared in his palm, illuminating Lin Chang'an's face in the dark cave, and he revealed an excited smile.

With a talisman in hand, even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would have to avoid him.

"And this Chen Wen, I underestimated you before, you actually dared to collude with the Tribulation Cultivator."

After learning everything from Huang Shaohai's memories, a chill flashed in Lin Chang'an's eyes. In the world of cultivation, wrongdoing comes at a price.

"Enjoy the last days of your life."

Under Lin Chang'an's indifferent gaze, a spirit stone in his palm had been completely absorbed. With a casual toss, he took out another one.

Use spirit stones to quickly restore mana and heal injuries.

This is also the strength of a self-healing body; as long as its origin remains intact and its magical power is abundant, its injuries can be restored indefinitely.

……

After receiving the memories, the withered leaves of the Xuan Tian Immortal Vine, which originally wanted to devour the spiritual plant, seemed to reject it and directly burrowed into Lin Chang'an's dantian.

"Does this mean they look down on you?"

Lin Chang'an shook his head. Back when he was fleeing from the Wang family in Qingzhushan Market, he knew that the two major sects must have obtained this cultivation technique by searching the souls of the captured Wang family cultivators.

Unexpectedly, Huang Shaohai had actually started cultivating.

Everyone else thinks the most important thing is the cultivation technique, but they don't know that the most important thing is actually the withered leaves that record the technique.

"It's truly a coincidence that this ancient opportunity is being delivered right into my hands."

After sensing the life force of the natal spiritual plant within his dantian, Lin Chang'an revealed a satisfied smile.

The Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy feeds on the life essence of living beings. It is extremely poisonous and can emit an aura that attracts prey by devouring living beings.

At this moment, Lin Chang'an recalled the records of the Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy and couldn't help but ponder.

"When a natal spiritual plant dies, it transforms into a special treasure. As for the Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy, its toxicity is irrelevant to me; rather, it can disguise itself as a creature that devours the aura of living beings..."

After thinking of something, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a curious expression. After being tamed by the immortal vine, he activated it with his mind.

next moment,
The Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy emitted bursts of black energy, an energy identical to that of the deceased Huang Shaohai.

"Doesn't this mean that this is a disguised treasure?"

Upon seeing this treasure, Lin Chang'an smiled. This thing wasn't very valuable as medicine, but its ability was quite good for him.

"However, it doesn't seem appropriate to hold such a plant."

Lin Chang'an frowned slightly as he used his mind to activate it.

The poisonous vine began to coil, slowly forming a black, menacing vine mask.

Seeing the results, Lin Chang'an smiled with satisfaction.

"The Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy itself is not very strong and cannot be used as a combat weapon, but the shape of this mask is quite nice."

"This is very similar to Yun Yao's mask artifact. It can completely transform into another person's magical aura, thereby concealing oneself."

However, mine is a growth-type plant; as long as I continue to nurture this Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy, it can continue to grow.

Lin Chang'an nodded secretly. With this mask, he could only exert the power of the early Foundation Establishment stage at most when disguised. Once he exceeded that, he would be unable to conceal his original magical power and would be exposed.

However, the mask itself is a bloodthirsty poison vine, which can grow by devouring flesh and blood to increase its upper limit.

It can even devour flesh and blood, transforming into the aura of other cultivators. However, currently, this Bloodthirsty Poison Vine can only preserve the aura of three people.

"In that case, let's call it the Phantom Mask."

Huang Shaohai probably never imagined, even in death, that the natal spiritual plant he had painstakingly cultivated would actually transform into Lin Chang'an's growing magical artifact.

"With this mask, I can do a lot of things in secret."

Looking at the mask woven from fine vines in his hand, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but nod in approval.

No matter what happens in the future, Huang Shaohai of Li Huo Palace will be the one to take the blame, not him.

……

a few days later.

Lin Chang'an returned to Tianxuan City from the Cloud Mist Mountains. To make his performance more convincing, he even used his internal energy to the fullest extent, causing his body to be injured.

His self-healing ability was simply too strong; in just a few days, his severed arm had grown back.

It was the essence blood that had burned during the Blood Shadow Escape technique that made him pale; he still needs some time to recover.

"My reliance is my self-healing body."

"However, Fellow Daoist Huang, you owe me money from before, so pay back some interest today."

Upon seeing Wanbaolou, Lin Chang'an's expression immediately changed, and he feigned a look of panic.

Wanbao Tower.

"Fellow Daoist Feng!"

A hurried call startled the shopkeeper, surnamed Feng, who was examining a magical artifact. Upon seeing the newcomer, he exclaimed in surprise:
"Fellow Daoist Lin, what happened to you?!"

Lin Chang'an's face was pale, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had suffered a loss of vital energy.

Upon seeing Manager Feng, Lin Chang'an urgently transmitted his voice:

"Fellow Daoist Feng, hurry! I have important business to discuss with Fellow Daoist Su and Fellow Daoist Song."

Seeing the hesitation of the shopkeeper surnamed Feng, Lin Chang'an said urgently, "It's a conspiracy by the Li Huo Palace! I encountered that Tribulation Cultivator Poison Demon on my trip out!"

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please wait a moment. Miss and Fellow Daoist Song will be here shortly."

Upon hearing this, the old man surnamed Feng's expression changed, and without any hesitation, he immediately contacted the two of them using a sound transmission jade talisman.

A moment later, Su Miaoyin and Song Tingfeng arrived at the top floor of Wanbaolou.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, what happened to you? You're almost dead!?"

Upon seeing Lin Chang'an's disheveled appearance, Song Tingfeng couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Song! Fellow Daoist Su!"

Upon seeing the two, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a look of lingering fear.

"I encountered a calamity cultivator when I came out of the Cloud Mist Mountains, and this calamity cultivator turned out to be Huang Shaohai, a disciple of the Li Huo Palace... This person seems to have cultivated some kind of demonic technique, and has become neither human nor ghost."

I was actually fighting with the people of Li Huo Palace when I was discovered…

Overwhelmed with grief, Lin Chang'an revealed that Huang Shaohai was utterly depraved, not only robbing rogue cultivators but also not sparing his own sect's disciples.

Song Tingfeng and Su Miaoyin were even more astonished upon hearing this.

Is this authentic?

"This person also roared wildly, saying that he would never be Huang Tianxiao's dog again, and that the Huang family patriarch was utterly shameless... In the end, I finally managed to escape."

These are the letters I obtained during the battle, risking my life, between Huang Shaohai and the bandits in the city. There are even letters between him and the Li Huo Palace. I didn't dare to linger for a moment after reading them..."

When Lin Chang'an took out a blood-stained storage bag, it was found to be filled with a dense pile of jade talismans and letters.

Su Miaoyin and Song Tingfeng were even more shocked.

These jade talisman letters cannot be faked; they all require the cultivator's own magical power to input.

“Senior sister, I’ve seen the murdered rogue cultivator before. My spirit beast is very familiar with the Poison Demon’s magical aura.”

Song Tingfeng summoned his spirit pet, which turned out to be a spirit rat.

Lin Chang'an, standing to the side, clutched his chest, looking as if he were seriously injured, but in his heart he thought to himself, this is definitely more real than the real thing.

The authenticity of the magical aura he conjured with the Phantom Mask (Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy) is so great that even if Huang Shaohai were to come back to life now, he would still be a fake.

"This Huang Tianxiao is a shameless scoundrel!"

"And these Tribulation Cultivators, there are so many of them..."

After verifying the authenticity, Song Tingfeng was shocked.

Through these letters, it was discovered that so many cultivators in Tianxuan City had secretly made contact with Li Huo Palace.

There are Qi Refining cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"And then there's this earth dragon beast. This person is incredibly cruel; he uses this method to track down us rogue cultivators..."

Lin Chang'an even reluctantly took out the spirit beast pouch of the earth dragon beast.

These were all his spoils of war, but for greater value, one must give up something to gain something else.

"I've met Huang Shaohai before, but it's truly unbelievable that he records every single thing in such detail."

Su Miaoyin frowned, somewhat unable to understand this behavior.

"Senior sister, this person cultivates demonic arts. If he weren't mentally unstable, he wouldn't have secretly killed fellow cultivators."

Song Tingfeng also frowned, but in the end he could only attribute it to the cultivation of demonic arts.

Lin Chang'an, standing to the side, nodded in resentment and said:

“This person is definitely suspicious. When I met him, he was shouting something like, ‘What ancient technique did Huang Laogou use to trick him into becoming like this?’”

He also said that once he reached the Core Formation stage, he would definitely storm the Li Huo Palace.

Lin Chang'an clutched his chest and spoke weakly.

It seems absurd, but the evidence is right in front of us, after we arrest dozens of robbers.

This absurdity is irrefutable proof.

Lin Chang'an is a great contributor to Tianxuan City.

At this moment, Lin Chang'an felt secretly grateful. Although Huang Shaohai's character was somewhat flawed, he was definitely wealthy and generous.

Not only did they give him talismans, but they also told him so many secrets of the Li Huo Palace.

How could he possibly let down someone's good intentions?

(End of this chapter)