Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 14 The Wang Family's Conspiracy

Within the city.

Lin Chang'an packed up and moved into the accommodation arranged by the Zhou family.

Compared to my previous residence, this is now a courtyard.

It has a small courtyard, the environment is indeed beautiful, and the accommodation is much better than before.

[Golden Light Rune +5 (Mastery 18/1000)]

Inside the room, Lin Chang'an looked at the first-tier mid-grade golden light talisman manual provided by the Zhou family, and a notification sound appeared in his mind, but he fell into deep thought.

He seemed to have discovered an important problem in the lifespan section.

【Lifespan: 40/98】

"Although I can now earn spirit stones, and even my cultivation has broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, there seems to be one thing that hasn't changed."

Before the cheat system came along, I would have lived to be a hundred years old. If the cheat system came along and I still lived to be a hundred, then the cheat system would have been a waste!

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an's good mood vanished instantly. Perhaps it was the excitement of seeing others already planning to build their foundations that spurred him on.

The main problem is that he awakened too late. If it had been twenty years earlier, he would probably have already started preparing for Foundation Establishment. Instead, he's now starting to worry about his lifespan.

"Foundation Establishment cultivators have a lifespan starting at two hundred years!"

"With the talent I've awakened now, it's not necessarily a case of being overly ambitious."

Although the cheat system didn't grant him immortality, it did give him endless opportunities.

The more Lin Chang'an thought about it, the more motivated he became.

"After the age of sixty, the chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage will only decrease. There are still twenty years left. Let's set a small goal first: to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining within ten years."

"If I can't break through before I'm sixty, I must enjoy myself while I still have a few decades left, otherwise, wouldn't I have come all this way for nothing?"

With a goal in mind, Lin Chang'an was full of energy. He put down the notes in his hand and went to the talisman drawing table that had been prepared in advance.

Holding his breath and concentrating, Lin Chang'an took a deep breath. Unlike other talisman masters who closed their eyes to rest, he picked up the talisman brush without hesitation and dipped it in cinnabar.

"Swish!"

The brush tip moved across the talisman paper with graceful, flowing strokes.

"Pfft!"

A cloud of thick smoke rose up, choking Lin Chang'an and causing him to cough. It was clear that his first attempt at a mid-grade first-level talisman had failed.

"Come again!"

Other talisman masters need to readjust their state after a failure, but he is exceptionally talented and doesn't need to at all.

Undeterred, Lin Chang'an focused intently and began drawing talismans once more.

The mid-grade Golden Light Talisman is not only more difficult to produce in terms of materials and mana consumption, but more importantly, it is much more complicated and tedious. The increased difficulty is incomparable to the previous simplified low-grade talisman.

Swish!

As white smoke rose from each talisman, a golden light finally flashed on the sixth talisman.

"It's done!"

With a broad smile on his face, Lin Chang'an looked at his first mid-grade first-tier golden light talisman and couldn't help but laugh.

"I never thought I would actually be able to draw a mid-grade first-level talisman."

Half a year ago, he was a disheartened cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, who was preparing to return to the mortal world and waste his life. However, in less than half a year, he was gone.

He has now not only broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, but he can also make mid-grade first-level golden light talismans.

"A mid-grade first-tier talisman, and a defensive golden light talisman at that, it would be worth four spirit stones outside."

From one spirit stone to four spirit stones, he achieved another qualitative breakthrough.

In the days that followed, Lin Chang'an returned to his life of staying at home.

In the eyes of the Zhou family, Lin Chang'an was a talisman master with some talent. In just two months, he mastered the technique and created his first mid-grade talisman.

Starting from the third month, Lin Chang'an began to teach the four apprentices arranged by the Zhou family.

……

Wang family.

Inside the secret chamber, rows of iron cages held howling demon beast cubs, two of which bared their fangs fiercely. "Elder, we have captured a total of thirty-eight Black Wind Wolf pack demon beast cubs, two of which possess the bloodline of a second-tier Wolf King demon beast."

In the dimly lit secret room, listening to the report, the Foundation Establishment elder of the Wang family nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Good, very good. This time, we must make the Zhou family of Beast Taming suffer a great defeat."

The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Wang family who was following behind felt a pang of regret upon hearing this.

"Elder, should we also abandon these two second-tier bloodline demonic beasts?"

It wasn't that he was petty, but that once a second-tier demonic beast was raised to adulthood, it could rival a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, the elder simply snorted coldly.

"Demon beasts! Putting aside the difficulty of raising them, wouldn't it be better to use the time and resources spent raising a beast on the younger generation of cultivators in my clan?"

Our Wang family is large and prosperous, unlike the Zhou family, who associate with beasts.

"Yes, yes." The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator bowed.

"Be careful."

Looking at the cage in the secret room, the eldest elder of the Wang family revealed a greedy smile.

"Taking advantage of the current chaos in the market, we can release these wolf cubs into the black market. The Zhou family will definitely not let this opportunity pass. Then we can spread the word to bolster their prestige."

Let all cultivators know one thing: the Zhou family of Beast Taming has acquired two more second-tier demonic beast cubs.

Upon hearing this, the late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Wang family also revealed a sinister smile.

"Don't worry, Elder. I personally led the team when we captured the wolf cubs. All we left behind were the clothes of Zhou family disciples, the scent of talismans, and even fragments of the shell of the Zhou family's guardian spirit beast, the Xuan Shui Turtle. These beasts must have gone mad."

"When the monsters attack the market, the Zhou family will have no choice but to accept this accusation!"

Upon hearing the name of the Xuan Shui Turtle, the eldest elder of the Wang family revealed a hint of hatred in his eyes.

"Twenty years ago, it was because of this beast that this market would have been under the control of the Wang family long ago. This time, we will definitely take down the Zhou family!"

Twenty years ago, the Wang family and the Zhou family had a feud over market resources. The Zhou family survived thanks to their trump card, the Xuan Shui Turtle, but they were also severely weakened.

It was precisely because of this that Li Erniu had the opportunity to marry into the Zhou family.

……

From a valley in the Cloud and Mist Mountains came the eerie howls of wolves.

Under the moonlight, one could see that the wolf dens had been emptied, and there were traces of battles between cultivators and demonic beasts.

The scene was particularly gruesome, with dismembered wolf cubs and mother wolves everywhere, a scene of extreme brutality that seemed more like an act of revenge.

As pairs of oily green, beastly eyes radiating human-like rage appeared, two black wind wolf demonic beasts exuding a terrifying aura emerged above the valley.

He stared intently at the direction of Qingzhushan Market, then let out a long howl in the moonlight above the valley.

The wolf's howl shook the valley, causing rocks to tumble down. Countless demonic beasts a hundred miles away seemed to sense something, and were instantly terrified, their fur standing on end.

At the same time, an even more intense howl of wolves echoed through the valley.

Under the cover of night, led by the wolf king, countless dark figures rushed out of the valley, their destination not Qingzhushan Market, but the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountains.

As the wolf king led the pack toward the Cloud Mist Mountain Pulse, he glanced back toward the direction of Green Bamboo Mountain Market, his chilling beastly eyes revealing a human-like, deep-seated hatred.

As the wolf pack disappeared, the night was eerily silent. However, on the outskirts of the valley, a figure slowly emerged from a large tree.

"What a terrifying aura! This wolf king's aura is probably already at the late stage of the second tier, and there's also a demonic beast at the early stage of the second tier."

The figure that emerged looked at the wolf's shadow disappearing into the distance, a sinister smile appearing on its face.

“A bunch of beasts, now go obediently into the mountains to drive away the monsters. Otherwise, the Qingzhu Mountain market will suffer the same fate as when the monsters attacked the market fifteen years ago.”

Beneath his hoarse laughter, the man recalled the scene of the monster attack on the market fifteen years ago, and fear still lingered in his eyes.

"But this time it will be different. All the cultivators in the market will vent their anger on the Zhou family."

With a chilling smile, the figure threw out a flying boat and vanished into the night.

The Black Wind Wolf monster is not only extremely vengeful, but also highly intelligent.

When faced with the human market, it did not impulsively seek revenge. Instead, just as the Wang family had predicted, it chose to rush into the mountains, using its advantages to drive out countless monsters and cause chaos in the market.

Please remember to read on Tuesday to show your support.

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(End of this chapter)