Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 247 Old Friends Pass Away One by One [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The world changes, and time passes.

The Long family, which was once the dominant force in the waters of Five Dragons Island, saw its fortunes decline in just a few decades after its ancestor failed to achieve the Nascent Soul stage.

The Long family is now forced to retreat to a secluded place.

Although the Long family's power is not what it used to be, because the Long family has timely contracted its power, its overall strength is still a force to be reckoned with in the waters of Five Dragon Island.

Of the five major spiritual veins on Five Dragon Island, the Dragon family still occupies the main peaks of two of them.

The other three major spiritual veins are occupied by the Xuan Yin Pavilion and other forces, creating a sense of a three-way power struggle.

Tianquan Peak.

Lifespan: 141/586

[Realm Level: Early Golden Core Stage (1/100)]

In the underground magma world, Lin Chang'an, who was sitting cross-legged on the Fusang Divine Tree, slowly opened his eyes and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Indeed, the spiritual root aptitude and the quality of the golden core are particularly evident after the formation of the golden core."

Two years have passed and his cultivation level has only increased slightly. Doesn't that mean that if he wants to successfully break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, even without considering the bottlenecks, it will take him two hundred years?

"It takes 350 years to break through to the mid-stage of Core Formation, and there's still the later stage. My lifespan isn't enough to support me until I cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage."

Lin Chang'an shook his head. Fortunately, he had the recipe for the Heaven-Mending Pill.

"It seems it's time to collect the materials needed for the Heaven-Mending Pill, no! It should be the Spirit-Mending Pill. Once that's done, I can upgrade the quality of my spiritual root and golden core to the middle grade, which will greatly increase my cultivation speed."

Spiritual roots are related to cultivation speed, while the quality of the golden core is related to potential; the two complement each other.

"Xuanying Pavilion did reveal some secret methods to enhance spiritual roots before, but these methods have harsh cultivation conditions, and more importantly, their potential for improvement is not great."

Xuan Yin Pavilion went to great lengths to win him over.

Unfortunately, Lin Chang'an shook his head after only learning a little about the Xuan Yin Pavilion's secret method for enhancing spiritual roots.

Even setting aside the cultivation requirements, the effects of this secret method are rather unsatisfactory.

It was far inferior to the Heaven-Mending Pill formula he obtained from Lu Zhenjun.

"Five third-grade mid-level demon cores, along with other materials, can be used to refine a Spirit-Replenishing Pill that is enough to raise the quality of my spiritual root and golden core to the mid-grade limit."

Lin Chang'an pondered silently. As for the Heaven-Mending Pill, he didn't dare to hope for it, at least not now.

After all, it is said that it can directly cleanse a cultivator's spiritual root to the level of a heavenly spiritual root, and even improve the quality of the golden core to an immortal golden core.

The materials needed for this Heaven-Mending Pill are the demon cores of transformed great demons.

"Take it one step at a time, no rush. Your natal magic weapon and improving your spiritual root aptitude all take time."

With his current arduous cultivation, it would take him two hundred years to break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. It would be better for him to first improve his spiritual root and the quality of his Golden Core, which would also shorten his cultivation time.

This is the most efficient way to cultivate.

"No wonder Master Tan said that once a cultivator forms a core, the resources they need are far greater than before."

The resources required to continue cultivation after reaching the Core Formation stage are enormous.

This is why many Core Formation cultivators can only reach the early stage of Core Formation in their entire lives.

"If I want to earn more cultivation resources right now, I still have to rely on the merchant ship power behind this Sixth Elder."

At this moment, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but feel grateful and praised himself for his wise move.

The coming and going of merchant ships brought huge profits, which, although not to him, were still quite good for him as someone who drank the broth.

"It's not that I want to rely on such external forces, but once the skill breaks through to the third level, the materials become extremely scarce, which makes it impossible to earn spirit stones by quantity like before the Foundation Establishment stage."

Lin Chang'an's eyes flickered. Don't be fooled by the fact that he now possesses three third-tier skills: talismans, formations, and alchemy.

However, the materials required for talismans and alchemy are limited and relatively scarce. It is possible to make them yourself to be self-sufficient and occasionally sell them.

However, to achieve the same level of profit through sheer volume as before, simply collecting the materials is extremely difficult.

“Array formations are different. They require a wide range of precious materials, and more importantly, there is a large market demand for them.”

Lin Chang'an nodded secretly; this was also the reason why he revealed his identity as a formation master when he formed his core.

With a large market, cultivators who want to obtain formations will naturally prepare enough materials, or they will openly collect formation materials without anyone suspecting anything.

"There's even weapon crafting. In the future, we'll openly earn spirit stones through array formations, but we can also secretly make talismans and pills."

Lin Chang'an had already begun planning for the future.

If he was worried before that it would interfere with his cultivation, now that he has an external avatar, he is no longer worried about it affecting his cultivation.

"If I had two more clones, wouldn't my skill level improve even faster, without delaying my cultivation?"

The thought of the immense power of his external avatar filled Lin Chang'an with excitement, and he couldn't help but covet the remaining leaves still in the Long family.

Unfortunately, even though the Long family is weak right now, they are not someone he can easily manipulate.

Just as he was cultivating cross-legged on the Fusang Divine Tree in the underground magma world, he suddenly received a message that interrupted his daily cultivation.

……

Tianquan Peak.

Beneath the Yinchuan Waterfall, a late-stage Tier 2 Green Horned Ox leisurely soaks in the pool below; this is no longer the small pond it once was.

Lin Chang'an, who came out of the pavilion, used the Gentle Breeze Technique to remove the traces of the scorching heat that had accumulated on his body during his previous cultivation, before transforming into a streak of light and arriving outside the cave.

"Elder Lin, the trade route to Yue Kingdom has been reopened recently. These are letters that have been stored up for decades, and several of them are from you, Elder Lin."

A female cultivator at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage respectfully delivered a letter from the Yue Kingdom.

He had lost contact with the Vietnamese Kingdom for more than 20 years since the turmoil in the waters around Wulong Island.

Seeing these yellowed letters again, Lin Chang'an's expression shifted several times. Finally, he sighed and waved his hand, and the female cultivator respectfully withdrew.

Lin Chang'an, however, had a somewhat complicated expression and returned to the pavilion on the mountain peak alone.

It seems to be a habit that no matter where he moves his cave dwelling, he will arrange for someone to build a pavilion exactly the same as the one he built in Tianxuan City.

"Over two decades have passed, and you..."

After a long silence, Lin Chang'an finally slowly opened the letter that had been buried for more than ten or twenty years.

Shen Lie, Er Niu, Wei Buyi, Lu Qingqing...

Upon first seeing the familiar letter, Lin Chang'an's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, and a smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"Everyone is doing well."

In particular, Erniu's letters recount his life story, from a peasant boy to a legendary cultivator.

Even his descendants established a family of cultivators. For Li Erniu, this dramatic life experience was nothing short of destiny.

The first few letters were handwritten by Erniu, Shen Lie, and Wei Buyi, but later they became greetings from Junior Sister, Li Yifan, Wei Yingying, and Shen Fan.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, he guessed it.

"Yes, I'm 141 years old now, and everyone else is about the same age. Now, only my junior sister is left..."

As his old friends passed away one after another, Lin Chang'an eventually fell silent as he looked at the letters.

"So this is the loneliness of the path to immortality."

After a long while, Lin Chang'an finally let out a long sigh. The high spirits he had when he broke through to the Core Formation stage had long since dissipated.

Cultivating immortality! This path to immortality is destined to be lonely.

"Moo!" Just then, the Green Horned Ox seemed to sense its master's emotions and appeared in front of him at some point, lowering its head and letting out a low moo.

This made Lin Chang'an stare at the empty pavilion with a dazed look in his eyes. The echoes of the cows' mooing could still be faintly seen in the smiles of his old friends here.

Unfortunately, time changes everything, and those familiar faces have aged and eventually disappeared.

"Leaving my homeland in my twilight years, I traveled to a distant land to end my life at 140. My life has been full of ups and downs, and everyone is writing their own legend."

As he put away the letters one by one, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a melancholy expression.

Although not explicitly stated in the letters, these old friends all lived remarkable lives, each a legendary protagonist in their own right.

So is he.

"It's time to go back and take a look. After all, there are too many regrets and things I'm reluctant to leave behind in Vietnam."

Sitting upright in the pavilion, stroking the soft fur of the Green Horned Ox, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but mutter to himself.

He genuinely wanted to go back and see his old friends, and he also genuinely longed to return home in glory. Now that he had reached the Golden Core stage, he also wanted to explore the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountains.

In the fragmented memories left behind by the Blood Fiend True Man, there was a mid-stage third-tier poisonous insect deep in the Cloud Mist Mountains, which was the mid-grade third-tier wood-attribute demon core he needed to refine the Spirit Replenishing Pill.

Although his cultivation level was far inferior to that of Blood Fiend True Man, his ability to be immune to poisonous miasma was unmatched by Blood Fiend True Man.

He hadn't thought about going any deeper, but he still wanted to explore some of the places in his fragmented memories.

and!

"The third-tier poisonous insects in the Cloud Mist Mountains are the best hunting grounds. If we can collect one or two mid-grade third-tier demon cores, this trip will be worthwhile."

Lin Chang'an pondered inwardly that refining the Spirit-Replenishing Pill required a mid-grade third-tier demon core.

Although the Demon Beast Sea Abyss is not lacking in demon beasts, due to the elemental advantage, the poisonous insects deep in the Cloud Mist Mountains are actually the easiest for him to hunt successfully.

The Phoenix Bird is a natural counter to him, as he is immune to toxins of the same level.

It is even more restrained than in places where evil spirits gather.

Moreover, in the Demon Beast Sea Abyss, there are often several demon beasts together, making it very risky.

"Moreover, the spiritual veins of the three main peaks of Tianxuan City are of no less quality than my Tianquan Peak, and they are also rich in spiritual liquid. With my current third-level array master skills..."

"I have the ability to sneak in without damaging the formation. These spiritual liquids, though tainted by poisonous miasma, are useless to outsiders, but to my natal spiritual plant, they are invaluable nourishing substances."

Upon closer examination, it seems that he didn't lose out at all by going back this time.

After thinking about this, Lin Chang'an sent a telepathic message to the Fairy of Rainbow Robes from the Xuan Yin Pavilion.

After all, as a guest elder of the Xuan Yin Pavilion, it was his duty to escort merchant ships back sometimes, and he could also earn some spirit stones in the process.

Not a loss!

……

"Elder Lin, would you like to take on this escort mission for the merchant ship?"

The Xuan Yin Pavilion Master, Fairy Ni Chang, was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Elder Lin, who rarely ventured out, to propose taking the next escort mission lightly.

Faced with the fairy's surprise, Lin Chang'an remained calm, but sighed wistfully:
"I have been away from my homeland for nearly fifty years. I was determined to achieve the Golden Core back then, and now it's time to go back and take a look."

A hint of sadness flashed across Lin Chang'an's brows, and combined with the fact that she had previously arranged for her subordinates to deliver the letter, Fairy Ni Chang suddenly realized something.

"I see. It's good that the trade route is now open. If we have a merchant ship going back next year, then we'll have to trouble Elder Lin."

The Fairy of Rainbow Robes showed an apologetic expression, but also felt a little envious.

At least Elder Lin still has old friends who care about him, but what about her?
It seemed that she had been given high expectations since she joined the sect, which led her to rarely connect with her fellow disciples and spend her days in arduous cultivation.

Then, the turbulent situation in Yue Kingdom made her eager to start cultivating. Just when she had finally formed her core, she encountered the Xuan Yin Pavilion being attacked by two major sects.

Her life was dazzling in the eyes of outsiders, but only she knew the weariness within it.

However, Lin Chang'an was naturally unaware of all this. After seeing that Fairy Ni Chang had agreed, he cupped his hands in gratitude and said:
"Thank you, Sect Master."

……

Lin Chang'an returned to Tianquan Peak. As for the prosperity of Wulong Island, he was somewhat envious, but he also knew that when you gain something, you will also lose something else.

If he were to build up his power and develop on Five Dragons Island now, his income from spirit stones would naturally increase significantly.

However, the same forces can also be a hindrance, and developing strength in the early stages can also be a burden.

"With my openly third-tier array master, and secretly third-tier alchemist and talisman master, if I were to pursue profits with all my might, I would be no less capable than some of these small forces."

Inside the cave, Lin Chang'an frowned inwardly. By using his avatar, his clone was refining a batch of pills.

"However, the third-tier pill formula is relatively easy to obtain, but the difficulty lies in collecting the spiritual herbs required for the formula, while the inheritance of third-tier talismans is quite rare."

It can be said that third-tier skills are very precious, and these major powers will not easily let them slip out.

"However, since this third-tier array inheritance is out in the open and also has the inheritance of the Xuan Yin Pavilion, there is no need to worry about the array for the time being."

At this moment, Lin Chang'an was holding a bundle of array jade slips that had been copied from the Xuan Yin Pavilion.

"Moo!"

Inside the pavilion, a green-horned ox bellowed and came to his side ingratiatingly.

"Alright, the Phoenix Bird has a treasure land for cultivation, but this place is not bad for you either. You must work hard and not delay your cultivation."

Stroking the green-horned ox, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but shake his head in envy.

With a superior bloodline and a cultivation level at the late stage of the second tier, breaking through to the third tier would be much easier for someone like him.

"However, breaking through to the third rank is not something that can be done overnight."

Although the Green Horned Ox's bloodline is good, it's not even in the same league as the Phoenix Crying Bird.

But given the intelligence of the Green Horned Ox, seeing its companion, the Phoenix Crying Bird, break through first, and then its own master, it would be a lie to say it wasn't anxious.

"If we're talking about fate, you've really won by doing nothing."

Looking at the Green Horned Ox, Lin Chang'an felt a sense of envy, though he could only sigh.

When the Phoenix Bird broke through, he planned extensively, fearing he might make a mistake.

When it was his turn to form his core, he was extremely cautious, and he almost got sold off while riding the spirit ship.

As a result, when it was the turn of the Green Horned Ox, both he and the Phoenix Bird had already formed their cores, making the preparation of the spiritual item for the Green Horned Ox's core formation much simpler.

"It just so happens that we've been preparing materials for the Spirit Replenishing Pill for the past few years, so I'll also collect some Core Formation Spiritual Items for you while I'm at it."

Lin Chang'an's eyes flickered. The Phoenix Bird could not be exposed in the open, but the Green Horned Ox could.

Moreover, the Green Horned Ox has a superior bloodline, so the chances of it forming a core are still quite high; otherwise, he wouldn't have wasted the resources.

Moreover, this Green Horned Ox is only a little over ninety years old, not even a hundred, and over the years he has been able to feel the effects of his profound spiritual energy.

This Green Horned Ox's lifespan has greatly increased, probably far exceeding that of other similar demonic beasts. Therefore, if it wants to break through to the third rank, it should lay a solid foundation so that it can go further and save resources in the future.

"But let's pack up first and prepare to return to Yue Kingdom next year."

　I'm asking for your votes next month.

　　Ahem, fellow cultivators who wanted to watch the live stream of chopping down birds, you're in for a disappointment.

　　Although this virus was quite severe, causing the author to be dehydrated and weak for several days, he has been feeling better each day for the past two days.

　　I'll adjust my schedule in a few days. I need to run for half an hour every morning. After three years of being a full-time job, my immune system is surprisingly weak.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)