Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 36 Is this how you repay Uncle Lin?

Qingzhushan Market, behind the mountain.

"Old He, you're really lucky. Even in death, someone will take care of you."

Under the light rain, Lin Chang'an went out to buy some supplies and on his way back, he happened to pass by the back mountain, so he stopped to take a look at Old He's grave.

In the cultivation world, countless cultivators die without a proper burial place.

However, just as Lin Chang'an shook his head and was about to leave, he seemed to notice something and narrowed his eyes.

"This means... someone has been here!"

Although the traces in front of Old He's grave had been deliberately erased, the weeds around it had clearly been cleared away.

"Does this old man He have any relatives?"

Lin Chang'an was stunned. He clearly remembered that all of Old He's relatives had died. Surely no one had taken pity on him and cleaned up the back mountain.

"Could it be that someone cried at the wrong grave?!"

Under Lin Chang'an's solemn gaze, he noticed that the cleared weeds had clearly been cleared by someone's own hands.

Holding the Wood Spirit Thorn in his hand, the high-grade golden talisman affixed to his robe was already poised to strike.

Damn it, you really shouldn't go to graves unless you have to, or you'll easily run into ghosts!
Are the current cultivators of the Tribulation Realm already so powerful that they've ended up squatting at gravesites?
Under the drizzle, Lin Chang'an squinted, pretending to be nonchalant, and secretly vowed that he would never visit the grave again if he happened to pass by here.

As Lin Chang'an's figure disappeared into the drizzle, a figure wearing a straw hat slowly emerged from under the big tree on the back mountain.

"Uncle Lin."

Beneath the hoarse voice, the figure under the bamboo hat was none other than He Yan.

Old He's grandson, He Yan, who is rumored to be dead.

However, He Yan at this moment was no longer the young and impetuous man he once was; his temples were streaked with gray, and his eyes bore the marks of time.

He is clearly a middle-aged man.

……

As he hurried home, Lin Chang'an became somewhat suspicious after discovering that no one was following him.

"The market has been too chaotic lately, so we need to be careful."

However, as soon as Lin Chang'an returned to his courtyard, a jade talisman shimmering with spiritual light slowly appeared, along with a jade slip.

"This is a sound-recording jade talisman! Who's so wasteful!"

Lin Chang'an was taken aback. Each of these sound-recording jade talismans cost one spirit stone and was only used by cultivators from sects and some large clans. Ordinary cultivators would not use them.

"This is!"

The sound-recording jade talisman did not transmit any cultivator's voice, but the jade slip below revealed the inheritance of the Fireball Talisman.

"Complete version of the first-tier fireball spell inheritance!"

However, upon seeing this unexpected benefit, Lin Chang'an immediately became wary.

But after checking repeatedly, he found that it was indeed the complete version of the first-tier fireball talisman.

"This is……"

The incomplete marks on the back of the jade talisman, along with the character 'He', connected all the clues in Lin Chang'an's mind.

"Could it be that what Old He bragged back then was actually true?!"

Old He once boasted that his ancestors had produced Foundation Establishment cultivators, but unfortunately, they declined after several generations.

Lin Chang'an fell silent, seemingly having already guessed what was going on.

He Yan did not die, but he did not return, nor did he join the Li Huo Palace.

This gave him a bad feeling.

Li Huo Palace is one of the three major sects in Yue Kingdom. What makes He Yan afraid to face people? He even gave up his identity as a disciple of Li Huo Palace.

"Could this kid have joined the Divine Sword Sect?!"

Thinking about what had happened recently, Lin Chang'an felt a tightness in his chest; the jade talisman in his hand was a hot potato.

“Good boy, good nephew, is this how you repay your Uncle Lin?”

Lin Chang'an memorized the inheritance and destroyed the jade talisman and jade slip with a wave of his hand, eliminating all evidence.

At this point, if anyone knew that he had any connection with the Divine Sword Sect's Tribulation Cultivator, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would not fare well.

Although he understood that this might be He Yan's way of repaying him, he was still tempted, but the traces that needed to be erased still had to be erased.

"No, we have to move!"

Without hesitation, Lin Chang'an left the courtyard and, pretending to be nonchalant, went to Juxianlou.

He met with Shen Lie once, and then said that Erniu had moved to the heart of the Zhou family's territory, and he wanted to move as well, so that he would have someone to look after him.

So, quite naturally, he moved to the vicinity of Shen Lie's residence, right under the nose of the Li Huo Palace. Even if someone wanted to cause trouble, it wouldn't be so easy for them.

After observing cautiously for a few days, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was being overly cautious, but rather that these were turbulent times, and he didn't want to be dragged into it.

However, during this period, a series of major events occurred in the market.

With rampant plundering and chaos among demonic beasts, and then news breaking that the Xuan Yin Pavilion had discovered a purple-gold mine, danger and opportunity suddenly overlapped.

……

"Tsk tsk, the Zhou family really went all out this time. I heard that the Zhou family personally took two Black Wind Wolf cubs to visit the Xuan Yin Pavilion."

"They're really willing to go all out. But this is only now. If it were before, they would be considered traitors."

"I heard that the Zhou family patriarch's lifespan is coming to an end."

On this day, Lin Chang'an came to the market and listened to the rumors outside. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "How can the Zhou family let this news spread so widely?"

Zhenbaolou. "Manager Miao, give me one of these small spirit-gathering arrays."

After passing through the bustling area, they arrived at Zhenbaolou and went straight to Manager Miao. With a wave of his hand, he gave her two hundred spirit stones, which made Manager Miao grin.

"Oh my, Master Lin, you are a rare guest indeed."

The two had known each other for a long time, and the news that Lin Chang'an had become a top-grade talisman master had already spread. Therefore, they were not surprised when Lin Chang'an took out two hundred spirit stones this time; instead, they were filled with envy.

"Master Lin's Daoist heart is so resolute that he is even willing to sacrifice this small spirit-gathering array."

For Lin Chang'an to be willing to spend two hundred spirit stones on this at his age truly demonstrates his unwavering resolve.

However, Lin Chang'an shook his head and sighed:
"The world outside is so chaotic, who knows when a war will break out? While my energy and blood are still strong, I dare not even think about Foundation Establishment, but I can still give it a shot in the late stage of Qi Refining."

Manager Miao looked enlightened upon hearing Lin Chang'an's words.

"Master Lin, this is the Spirit Gathering Array and the method for setting it up."

After learning how to use the Spirit Gathering Array, Lin Chang'an nodded secretly, realizing that all the arts of cultivation indeed had their own uses.

Once I've established my foundation and have a lifespan of two hundred years, I'll definitely learn another skill to aid my cultivation.

After storing the spirit-gathering array in his storage bag, Lin Chang'an purchased some more cultivation resources before turning to leave.

……

Fangshi shantytown.

Inside the dimly lit room, a group of figures gathered.

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators, exuding a sinister aura, looked down at more than a dozen late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

What sets them apart is their sunken eyes and sallow, emaciated appearance, clearly indicating that they have all practiced demonic techniques that exploit one's potential.

Do you have any news?

A group of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators shook their heads. Among them was He Yan, whose expression was solemn as he said in a hoarse voice:
"Your Excellency, things were too chaotic at the time. We searched for several days without success, and I'm afraid..."

Although He Yan did not say it explicitly, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't help but angrily rebuke him:
"They're all a bunch of useless trash! We risked our lives, only to have a bunch of rogue cultivators take advantage of us!"

"Pah, who says otherwise? The Zhou family and Xuan Yin Pavilion had Foundation Establishment Pills in their two storage bags, but some scoundrel who tried to take advantage of the situation picked them up."

Just as the three Foundation Establishment cultivators were angrily rebuking each other in low voices, a figure suddenly appeared inside the house.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Protector!"

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators turned pale and hurriedly knelt on one knee, calling themselves protectors.

The newcomer was a pale-faced, sinister figure who coldly surveyed the crowd and coldly shouted:
"A bunch of useless trash! Your mission is to incite internal strife in Yue, not to fight over Foundation Establishment Pills. Is my Xuan Yin Divine Sect's Foundation Seizing Method not enough?!"

One sentence was enough to terrify the three Foundation Establishment Demonic Cult cultivators, turning their faces pale and prompting them to hastily bow.

"Excuse me, my lord!"

"waste!"

The bloodthirsty voice echoed, chills ran down everyone's spines, yet no one dared to utter a word of protest. One of them, eager to claim credit, hurriedly bowed his head and reported:

"Reporting to Your Excellency, someone in the Zhou family is resentful and wants to seek the Foundation Establishment stage..."

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. It turned out that someone from the Zhou family had betrayed the family in order to achieve Foundation Establishment, even revealing that the family's guardian spirit beast was weak and about to give birth.

"The Zhou family's guardian spirit beast, the Xuan Shui Turtle, is about to give birth! That's really good news."

Hearing the protector's praise, the Foundation Establishment cultivator below secretly breathed a sigh of relief and revealed a fawning smile.

The guardian, who exuded a sinister and terrifying aura, grinned and revealed a horrifying smile.

"Heh heh, you bunch of good-for-nothings have been at it for so long, do you know why things haven't fallen apart yet?"

The cultivators were taken aback, and they all lowered their heads and clasped their hands, pretending not to know anything.

The guard sneered, "Because these rogue cultivators aren't crazy enough! Their greed hasn't been fully unleashed. If one or two of them were to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, guess what would happen?"

One sentence sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Once one or two people successfully establish their foundation, it will give these rogue cultivators hope, open the door to their desires, and drive them completely mad.

"Your Excellency is wise!"

One of them showed a fawning expression, but upon hearing the man's flattery, the sinister protector revealed a sinister smile.

"Very good! Then you'll handle this matter!"

"Me!" The Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been praising him widened his eyes, but upon seeing the other party's intimidating gaze, he quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute and said:
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will definitely lure these traitors into a trap!"

"And you too!" The guardian turned to look at the group of nervous Qi Refining cultivators and revealed a terrifying smile.

"I just heard you all say that you want to establish your foundation, right? Now the opportunity is right in front of you. As long as you make great contributions, I will personally help you establish your foundation using the Divine Sect's secret method of seizing foundations."

Foundation Establishment! This was a realm they never even dared to dream of before.

Although seizing the throne comes at a price, it's still better than not having the chance at all.

"What are you all standing there for? Get to work and make Yue Kingdom fall into chaos."

"Yes!"

As the members of the demonic sect departed, the protector revealed a sinister gaze.

"Hehe, the ancestor is right. We have indeed found clues to a secret realm in the Cloud Mist Mountains. Since the ancestor is in seclusion, we can take this opportunity to use these cannon fodder to explore the way."

With my False Core Formation cultivation, this market is nothing more than a bunch of Foundation Establishment cultivators. They're like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and they can even take advantage of the situation to sow discord and muddy the waters. I truly have the potential of an ancestor.”

A hoarse laugh echoed from the dimly lit space.

I humbly request your monthly votes and recommendation votes, fellow cultivators.

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(End of this chapter)