Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 249 Old Friends Are Like Leaves Falling in the Wind [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Clearwater Bay.

Lin Chang'an went to the graves to pay respects to several deceased old friends, as well as Master Lu, who had led him into the path of immortality.

Standing silently before the tombstone, Lin Chang'an kept flashing through his mind, but scenes from the past kept replaying in his mind.

In their youth, Erniu was honest and simple, Wei Buyi was proud and arrogant, and Shen Lie was shrewd and resourceful.

As they went through more experiences and matured, the disagreements of their youth turned into mutual support and companionship in the turbulent world of cultivation.

"Brother Lin, I believe you can definitely achieve the Core Formation!"

"Brother Lin, you are the most outstanding cultivator among us. You will definitely be able to form your core."

"The fact that Li Huo Palace didn't accept us back then was Li Huo Palace's biggest loss!"

The voices and faces of Li Erniu, Shen Lie, and Wei Buyi seemed to reappear before his eyes, and Lin Chang'an couldn't help but smile.

Slowly raising the spirit wine from Green Bamboo Mountain, the wine tasted bitter and spicy as it entered his throat. This time, Lin Chang'an drank it all in one gulp, but then gave a hoarse laugh.

"I've formed a pill!"

With just a simple sentence, he realized his trip outside hadn't been in vain; he had achieved Core Formation.

If his three old friends saw this, they would surely be happy for him.

Sitting alone on the grave, pouring the sacred wine of Qingzhu Mountain, Lin Chang'an smiled and recounted his experiences outside over the years.

As his old friends passed away one by one, fewer and fewer people were left to chat with him so easily.

At this moment, Lin Chang'an felt the loneliness of a cultivator and finally understood why many cultivators' personalities became increasingly eccentric, and why they would start killing at the slightest disagreement.

Because there are fewer and fewer old friends worth remembering and cherishing, the only path left on their lonely journey is spiritual practice.

The following day, Lin Chang'an hosted a welcome banquet at Juxianlou for Li Yifan and his direct descendants, as well as Shen Fan and Wei Yingying and their descendants.

We didn't go anywhere else, just stayed at Juxianlou.

This property originally belonged to Old Master Lu, and was later prepared by Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing.

Even now, Shen Fan and Wei Yingying are Foundation Establishment cultivators, so naturally they don't personally intervene, but instead hire cultivators to continue operating the business.

Juxianlou is also a well-known trading place for Foundation Establishment cultivators in Qingshui Bay Market.

At the same time, Lin Chang'an's open presence in Qingshui Bay Market attracted Foundation Establishment cultivators from several nearby markets to come and visit him.

This was the best he could do to protect these younger generations.

……

After staying in Qingshuiwan Market for three days, Lin Chang'an left.

As their cultivation level increased, the past friendships with these younger generations often became tainted by various conflicts of interest.

The once dull Li Yifan is now considered a qualified patriarch of a cultivation family.

However, many of the people below him, especially the children born to Erniu and his other concubines, hoped to get some benefits from him.

This made Lin Chang'an shake his head. Their cultivation levels were not even at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, yet they dared to dream of Foundation Establishment.

Some people even dared to try to become his disciples.

"This world has never lacked cultivators who dare to take a gamble."

For these younger generations, it's a win-win situation anyway, which makes Li Yifan secretly less angry.

Shen Fan's personality has matured a lot compared to before, but Wei Yingying is still very shrewd and has never mentioned the topic of teaching future generations.

Lin Chang'an, riding his green-horned ox towards Qingzhushan Market, shook his head.

It's true that he has a good relationship with Erniu, but it's not to the point that he would act as a nanny for all of Erniu's descendants.

Of all the younger generation, he only recognized the affection he had for Li Yifan, Wei Yingying, and Shen Fan; he didn't have that kind of affection for the others.

Moreover, he has already helped these younger generations enough.

"Zhou family!"

Upon seeing the familiar Qingzhushan Market from afar, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a look of nostalgia.

However, there were unfamiliar faces and some changes in the market.

The trees grew even more lush.

He first went to the back mountain, where he left a bottle of Qingzhu Lingjiu (a type of liquor) in front of the grave of Old He, where weeds grew rampant and the tombstone was almost blurred.

"Old He, I don't know when you'll be back next time. He Yan's cultivation is very strong now, much stronger than yours."

After glancing at Old He, Lin Chang'an sighed softly and looked toward the Zhou family, the most powerful beast-taming family in Qingzhushan Market.

They are also the most powerful Foundation Establishment family within a radius of several hundred miles.

The Zhou family, skilled in beast taming, has been lying low for many years and has finally cultivated a near-third-tier Xuan Shui Turtle with the strength of a pseudo-core cultivator.

More importantly, the Xuan Shui Turtle's long lifespan of over a thousand years means that the Zhou family, the Beastmaster, will always have a pseudo-Core Formation level guardian beast within their clan territory for a thousand years.

……

The Zhou family, masters of beasts.

"Greetings, Master Lin."

When Lin Chang'an appeared at the Zhou family riding his Green Horned Ox, the entire Zhou family was extremely excited. They never expected that this Core Formation True Person, Master Lin, would come to visit.

"Patriarch Zhou, it's been a long time."

Upon seeing Zhou Renmao, the head of the Zhou family, again, Lin Chang'an was filled with melancholy.

The once refined and scholarly head of the Zhou family now has white hair, clearly indicating that his lifespan is only a dozen or twenty years left.

"Master Lin!"

Seeing that Lin Chang'an still remembered their past relationship, Zhou Renmao, who had devoted his entire life to his family, couldn't help but have his eyes light up.

Afterwards, the Zhou family head seemed to know why Lin Chang'an had come. His expression was filled with sadness. He waved for the clansmen to leave and then led him to the ancestral hall in the clan's territory.

"Eight years ago, Bingyun was searching for spiritual fruits in the Cloud Mist Mountains when she encountered a cultivator from the Blazing Fire Palace, and then..."

Looking at Zhou Bingyun's memorial tablet, although he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow in his eyes when he actually saw it.

Zhou Bingyun had been writing letters all these years, but after sending a letter eight years ago announcing her intention to go into seclusion, there was no further communication, and no one else mentioned it either.

At that time, he vaguely suspected that the girl from back then had met with some misfortune.

After all, this seclusion came too suddenly, although it is normal for Foundation Establishment cultivators to go into seclusion for ten years or so.

The world of cultivation is ever-changing, and that's the norm. The fact that Li Erniu, Shen Lie, and Wei Buyi were able to die peacefully in their old age already surpasses that of many other cultivators.

“Master Lin, this is what this girl left behind before she died. As her father, I thought that if you still remember her, Master Lin, please take it out.”

A bundle of unfinished jade slips appeared before my eyes. Beneath the neat handwriting, as I probed with my divine sense, I discovered that these jade slips contained knowledge about various spirit beasts and spirit insects recorded by Zhou Bingyun.

It just wasn't finished in the end.

"Thank you!"

After receiving the jade slip, Lin Chang'an remained silent for a long time. How could he not know about the friendship they had shared?

But the cultivation world is in turmoil, and he is also blessed with great opportunities. How could he be content if he didn't plan to form his core?

Little did we know that this farewell would be our last.

"The Fire Palace is undergoing a tribulation!"

Lin Chang'an remained calm as he inquired about the identities and backgrounds of the group of robber cultivators.

This time, he did not stay long at the Zhou family's Beast Taming Clan. He only glanced at Zhou Bingyun's memorial tablet, left a message that he had already formed his core, and then turned and left.

……

Cloud-shrouded mountains.

The territory that once belonged to Li Huo Palace has long been taken over by various families and the Xuan Yin Pavilion.

Many of the disciples left behind by the Li Huo Palace have gone into hiding to become cultivators, while others have gone to distant lands to start anew.

One of them was a group of remnants from the Li Huo Palace. Six Foundation Establishment cultivators joined forces and hid in the Cloud Mist Mountains, becoming notorious Tribulation Cultivators.

"Hmph! Stubborn fool, you even dare to fight back!"

With a disgruntled snort, a father and son lay dead in a pool of blood deep within the Cloud Mist Mountains. The older man was clearly at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while the younger man was at the Qi Refining Perfection stage. It was obvious that this grandfather and grandson had entered the Cloud Mist Mountains to plot for a Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure.

As a result, they encountered a thief.

"Alright, let's clean this up and go back."

Tian Yuan said with dissatisfaction. As a former high-ranking member of the Li Huo Palace, he had fallen to such a state. It would be a lie to say that he was not resentful.

"Senior brother, we're living a pretty carefree life, so why don't we skip going to the Demon Beast Sea Abyss to look for the sect leader and the others? I heard they're not doing too well..."

The junior brother surnamed Gan couldn't help but laugh and tease, while the senior brother surnamed Tian fell silent.

"Let's discuss this further when we get back, brothers, and see if we should go looking for the sect leader or go into hiding."

Just as the two were cleaning up the battlefield, a cow's moo suddenly rang out, startling them. They then realized that a figure riding a cow had appeared in front of them at some point.

"S-senpai!"

Lin Chang'an looked at the two calmly, but said gently:

"Both of you young friends come from a great sect like the Li Huo Palace, so why have you become Tribulation Cultivators?"

Despite the gentle voice, both men turned pale, with the junior brother surnamed Gan swallowing nervously.

The cultivator before them, whom they were unable to detect, was probably at least at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage.

"Senior...we had no choice..."

However, before the other party could finish speaking, Lin Chang'an calmly raised his hand, and two sword beams flashed and rushed towards the two of them.

"Core Formation cultivator! Senior, spare my life!"

Under the terrifying pressure, the two were terrified. However, their normally powerful spiritual weapons were as fragile as paper under the sword light, which was comparable to the power of a low-grade magic weapon.

The magical shield shattered instantly, and the next moment the magical artifacts emitted a piercing clang before being knocked away with a loud bang. It was clear that both of their magical artifacts were severely damaged.

If it happens one or two more times, it will probably be completely unusable.

However, before the two could react, Lin Chang'an had already appeared behind them.

"Young friends, was a Foundation Establishment female cultivator from the Zhou family of Beast Taming severely injured by you eight years ago?"

"Senior, spare us! We've been wronged..."

However, amidst the screams, Lin Chang'an, with a gentle smile, used his sword energy to completely destroy the foundation of their cultivation.

Then, for the first time, I tried to probe memories using a living monk.

"The disciples of Li Huo Palace, six fellow disciples, have joined forces to gather cultivation resources for this generation of tribulation cultivators..."

Based on their memories, after he discovered a raid on cultivators eight years ago, Lin Chang'an's expression changed, and the sword light in his hand flickered.

He killed the two men instantly with his palm.

"It seems you didn't die unjustly."

After confirming that he had not mistaken the person, Lin Chang'an's brows furrowed with a murderous aura.

He, a Core Formation cultivator, was merely killing a few Foundation Establishment cultivators; he felt no remorse whatsoever for such a humiliating act.

His cultivation principle is not that once he reaches the Core Formation stage, he should only seek out Core Formation cultivators as opponents.

"There are still four left. It seems that I am really incompatible with Li Huo Palace."

He initially wanted to join the immortal sect of Li Huo Palace, but was rejected due to his aptitude and age, which later led to many grudges.

……

These six people were quite shrewd; they managed to stay hidden in the Cloud Mist Mountains by relying on the formation they had obtained from the sect.

Furthermore, since the six of them come from the same sect and cultivate combined attack techniques, ordinary Foundation Establishment families really have no way to deal with them.

However, that night, flames suddenly flickered within the valley's array.

"A Core Formation cultivator!"

"Senior, our Li Huo Palace's patriarch is a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. You should think this through!"

"Senior, spare our lives! We are willing to be your slaves..."

As night fell, the firelight within the formation went out, and the third-tier spirit pet, the Phoenix Crying Bird, landed on Lin Chang'an's shoulder.

Meanwhile, in the valley, the other four Foundation Establishment cultivators died tragically, their faces filled with fear and regret before their deaths.

They never imagined that their cultivation level eight years ago would attract such a formidable enemy today.

"A Core Formation cultivator killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's truly a crushing defeat."

Under Lin Chang'an's indifferent gaze, he completely forgot that although he had only recently formed his core, his sword cultivators were known for their powerful attacks among their peers.

Even his "Sword Shadow at Will" divine ability, which can condense three sword beams in the early stage of Core Formation, each sword beam is as powerful as a third-grade low-level magic weapon.

With this level of strength, very few people in the early stages of Core Formation could compare to him.

As the autumn wind blew and leaves fell, Lin Chang'an, after personally killing six people, let out a soft sigh.

"Old friends are passing away one after another, like leaves falling in the wind."

His figure appeared even more solitary in the darkness, a life experience that every powerful cultivator must go through.

……

Two days later, six more heads of Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared in the Zhou family ancestral hall, and they were not discovered until the following day.

After seeing this, Zhou Renmao, the head of the Zhou family, got extremely drunk.

After that, various rumors began to circulate.

Legendary rogue cultivator Lin Zhenren, who famously risked everything for a woman, and other such tales.

Without exception, this time Lin Chang'an and Xuan Yin Pavilion's return brought stability back to the Yue Kingdom.

At the same time, the Zhou family of Qingzhushan Market, the Li family of Qingshui Bay, and the Shen couple became friends, and the three parties formally formed an alliance.

In a short time, it became a force that could not be ignored within a radius of a hundred miles.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Chang'an led two spirit pets deep into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

"I never imagined that the miasma would be this dense. The depths of the Cloud Mist Mountains are now practically a paradise for poisonous creatures."

The deeper Lin Chang'an went, the more alarmed he became. In less than fifty years, the miasma in the Cloud and Mist Mountains had become several times denser.

If it weren't for his special cultivation technique and his self-healing body's immunity to toxins of the same level, he would probably be suffering from a deep-seated headache by now.

In the area where he is now, ordinary Core Formation cultivators would probably be frowning and preparing to retreat.

"According to the fragmented memories of Blood Fiend True Man, the territory of mid-stage third-order poisonous insects is not far away."

Looking down, he saw a dark and damp valley, and Lin Chang'an couldn't help but squint.

Although Blood Fiend Master's memories are over a hundred years old, for most demonic beasts or poisonous insects, they are territorial instincts.

Just like human cultivators, once they have finally occupied a spiritual vein, they will naturally regard it as their territory and will not easily move away.

"And they are two mid-stage third-tier poisonous insects."

At this moment, the phoenix on Lin Chang'an's shoulder seemed to sense something and couldn't help but reveal a greedy look.

These poisonous insects are something that other demonic beasts and even cultivators would avoid like the plague.

But for the phoenix, it is its natural food.

Even for Lin Chang'an, after he became immune to all poisons of the same level, the greatest threat from poisonous insects was gone. The remaining threat in terms of combat power was probably not as great as that of an ordinary early-stage third-tier demonic beast.

"Don't be greedy this time. You have to save these two wood-attribute demon cores for me."

Despite Lin Chang'an's warning, only the Green Horned Ox stared with its big eyes at its master and the stinky bird.

Damn it, it's the only one with late-stage second-tier Foundation Establishment cultivation! What is it going to do?
　Thank you to fellow Daoist '残夜独醉梦' for the 1600 spirit stones donated.

　　Book friend 140620175015126' donated 100 spirit stones.

　　Thank you all for your support. It's almost the end of the month, and there won't be any double monthly tickets this month. I would appreciate it if you could use your tickets to support me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)