Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 209 Supernatural Powers Infected, Shocking Changes in Song
This communication was really difficult; even Lin Changheng felt that his brain was working overtime.

This purple-clad female cultivator was truly impenetrable; it must have been incredibly difficult for Lü Tong to get close to her and gain her trust and favor.

It seems that Lü Tong did indeed possess a special skill!
Lin Changheng couldn't help but sigh:
In this world of cultivation, everyone has their own destiny and their own unique abilities.

Lin Changheng asked himself, in this respect, he was inferior to Lü Tong.

Fortunately, he possessed the crucial skill of alchemy, which could compensate for some of the shortcomings and was sufficient for his needs.

……

Then, he remembered the first-tier [Youth Enhancement Pill].

He also confirmed one thing through the beautiful woman in purple: the [Youth-Preserving Pill] he prepared was indeed quite different.

It is "more vibrant with the life of plants and trees".

When Huang Linglin first gave feedback, it was thought that her constitution was more compatible with the pill, and that she absorbed the medicinal power better, thus receiving more efficient feedback.

That no longer appears to be the case.

"Could it be that the true meaning of my [Glorious Life Divine Power] has subtly influenced my magical power, imbuing it with a trace of vitality? Or is it that over the past few decades, I have been using my magical power to drive the true meaning of the [Glorious Life Divine Power] to accelerate the growth and ripening of spiritual plants and precious herbs, causing my magical power to become tainted?"

"Therefore, during the alchemy process, the use of incantations and magical power to control the refining also has a corresponding impact on the elixir?"

Lin Changheng kept thinking and proposing hypotheses.

A sense of alarm immediately arose in my mind.

He knew that while habits could save cognitive resources, they could also easily lead to complacency.

He had not noticed the anomaly in the magic power before.

It's like someone who has suffered for years, and eventually stops feeling the pain. Is it because they've stopped suffering? It's simply because they've become accustomed to it and have been numbed by this painful state.

Similarly, Lin Changheng was so used to the fact that magic power possessed vitality that he overlooked this point.

Fortunately, he didn't like to show off in front of others, so he went unnoticed.

However, such special circumstances must be avoided, otherwise they will inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later.

"Check it carefully when you get back!"

……

Back in his cave, Lin Changheng greeted Yan Mingyi.

He then went directly into the secluded meditation chamber.

The Dragon-Slaying Stone was slammed down, and Yan Mingyi wondered if Brother Lin had gained something or some enlightenment during his trip.
Thinking of this, I felt happy for Lin Changheng.

"Chirp!"

"GuluGulu——"

As soon as she entered the courtyard, two spirit beasts called out to her, as if composing a symphony of beast cries.

Clearly, the Deep Lake Spirit Clam has been spending too much time with the Black Armored Earth Turtle and has learned its tricks of flattering and asking for pills.

"Good good!"

Yan Mingyi had no choice but to take out some pills and feed one to each of the two clowns.

Little Black held the pill in its mouth and licked it repeatedly with its tongue, making satisfied sounds.

Little Bai also imitated it, using clam meat to mimic a tongue, and usually licked it.

"Pfft!"

This sight amused Yan Mingyi, who couldn't help but chuckle.

……

An hour later, in the secluded chamber.

Lin Changheng was already sitting cross-legged on the stone bed.

Various kinds of pills were placed in front of him, with the boxes and stoppers opened to reveal them.

They were clearly being carefully examined by Lin Changheng.

At this moment, he was holding a pill in his hand, his five senses and divine sense working together, and then he fell into deep thought.

Based on his careful introspection and discernment, he could indeed detect a faint but unmistakable presence of life force within the magical power.

It was quickly re-constricted by the [True Meaning of Rong Sheng's Divine Power], and the trace of life force within the magic power was completely swept away.

This relieved Lin Changheng. Often, the difficulty lies not in solving the problem, but in discovering it.

Once discovered, the problem can be easily solved immediately.

He also examined all the pills he had refined over the years, checking them all without exception.

Then another strange thing was discovered.

None of the pills he refined exhibited this kind of vitality!

He checked the entire volume thoroughly and confirmed this.

Only the [Face-Strengthening Pill] was affected, while the [Foundation Building Pill] remained unchanged.

"call!"

Lin Changheng let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Over the years, he has sold countless pills. If all of them have leaked their life force, there is likely a crisis brewing. He has no choice but to abandon the Immortal City, change his name, and live and cultivate in another place.

"Fortunately, it was only the [Youth Enhancement Pill] that was slightly affected, and the supply was limited, so you could count it on your fingers. In addition, the [Youth Enhancement Pill] is supposed to enhance youth and restore vitality, so some special effects are within the normal range and not strange."

"Besides... only the senior couple with profound skills in preserving youth have noticed it over such a long time, so it should be fine."

As the dark clouds overhead dissipated, Lin Changheng felt much more relaxed. Looking at the [Youth Enhancement Pill] in his hand, he had some ideas in mind.

Why is this pill so special? Other pills cannot be contaminated by it, but this one is an exception. It is very likely related to the "longevity-promoting and common-origin" that Lin Changheng discovered earlier.

Because they are of the same origin, they can be adsorbed and accumulated.

If other pills are used, they are not from the same source and therefore cannot be combined.

Lin Changheng's eyes lit up slightly, and he became even more curious about the "same origin" effect that the [Youth Preservation Pill] would bring when it was refined.

……

After a short rest.

Lin Changheng flipped his hand and took out the [semi-finished treasure talisman]. He felt that it was shining with a blue light and was quite extraordinary.

Immediately with a thought, he unleashed the [Spiritual Essence Technique: Path of Insight] obtained from the [Deep Lake Spirit Clam], and a ball of azure light was projected out.

Like smoke or mist, it has no form and cannot be touched, yet it truly exists.

It landed on the blue talisman.

"call out!"

What happened next made Lin Changheng's eyes widen slightly. He saw the palm-sized talisman fly directly towards him, shrinking continuously until it was swallowed by his mouth under a bright blue glow.

Finally, it settled in the dantian, avoiding the central [Crimson Sky Profound Flame], and occupied a corner, beginning to rise and fall.

But Lin Changheng felt that this thing seemed to have lost its form, as if it had been assimilated by the blue light.

"Truly miraculous..."

Lin Changheng couldn't help but marvel, simultaneously noticing that the [Treasure Talisman] was being nurtured, seemingly breathing in and out spiritual energy. "Anyway, my lifespan is long. If I nurture this genuine [Treasure Talisman] for a hundred years, who knows, it might one day be able to kill high-level cultivators! It could become one of my reliance!"

Having achieved his goal of acquiring external things, Lin Changheng no longer needed to spend time or effort on it.

The next step is to focus on improving one's cultivation level.

……

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Two major events occurred in the cultivation world of Song during this period, and they spread like wildfire to Fusheng Immortal City.

This news naturally reached Lin Changheng's ears as well.

This long, peaceful, and developmental period suddenly changed, giving him a vague feeling that a storm was brewing.

The first event was a medium-sized beast tide that occurred in the area under the jurisdiction of Qingxia Temple in the south.

Countless demonic beasts suddenly attacked from the depths of the wilderness, sweeping towards the territory occupied by human cultivators.

Because of the long period of peace, human cultivators have been actively clearing land and suppressing the demonic beasts for many years. Just as the clearing of land had come to an end and it was time to reward merits, the cultivators were caught off guard, and the demonic beast horde came too fiercely.

Whether it was the bridgeheads established by human cultivators on the front lines of the wilderness, or the resource points that were being digested, or the markets where cultivators could rest and exchange supplies, they all fell rapidly in a short period of time.

Only a few quick-witted cultivators with strong escape skills managed to escape alive.

The remaining cultivators who could not escape could only defend themselves with the protective array, but under the fierce fangs and claws of the beasts, they were like an old lighthouse under a tsunami, and were directly shattered after a few impacts!
The formation is destroyed... and the men will perish!
The roars, wails, and clashes of magical power from the cultivators were incessant. All sorts of magical artifacts and talismans shone brightly, illuminating the night as if it were daytime.

But it was all in vain.

They were all surrounded by ferocious and fearless monsters, and one by one they died tragically, becoming food for the monsters.

You should know that ordinary humans are neither tasty to eat nor worth throwing away by demonic beasts.

However, human cultivators are different. Because they have undergone cultivation, their bodies are not only cleansed by spiritual energy, but they have also undergone a fundamental transformation compared to ordinary people. To demonic beasts, they taste sweet and have a refreshing taste.

More importantly, the blood and spiritual energy within flesh and blood are highly nourishing for demonic beasts!
Therefore, playing dead is useless when facing monsters.

It's nothing more than the difference between killing first and eating later, or gnawing first and dying later.

It just goes to show that humans eat demons and demons eat humans; it's a kind of cycle of natural law.

……

When the news spread, the Qingxia Temple was furious, and the whole world was in an uproar.

It can be said that the result this time was extremely tragic. The fruits of Qingxia Temple's thirty years of land reclamation were wiped out overnight!
The spoils of war, won at the cost of countless lives and the spiritual lands and resources acquired at the expense of countless cultivators, have been seized by the demon race.

But the impact of the beast tide did not stop; it continued to gather, like a wave, and continued to move forward.

The Qingxia Temple reacted extremely quickly, immediately issuing a sect mission and mobilizing cultivators from its subordinate immortal families and independent cultivators to put up a full-scale resistance.

The strategy was clear: first, stop the advance of the beast tide, hold the position, and establish a firm foothold before considering a counterattack.

……

As the saying goes, "a single hair can move the whole body," and in the face of the beast tide, the demand for various elixirs, talismans, formations, and other items has also increased dramatically.

Prices naturally soared, and the cultivators of all arts worked tirelessly to produce them. It could be said that the war machine of this cultivation world was in full swing.

The demand even extended to the Floating Immortal City, causing a slight increase in the prices of various combat aids, healing items, and raw materials.

Furthermore, a group of cultivators from the immortal city spontaneously formed a team to go there, hoping to make a fortune by hunting down a large number of demonic beasts.

……

When Lin Changheng learned of this news, his first reaction was surprise, and his second reaction was that he found it strange.

Logically speaking, the convergence of beast tides usually produces signs in advance, such as an explosive increase in numbers, which is a common reason for beast tides.

When the interior of a wild and untamed place becomes too crowded, and natural selection cannot quickly reduce the number of animals, high-level demonic beasts will intervene to drive some low-level demonic beast groups to the outer perimeter, forming a beast tide. This serves both to consume the excess numbers and as a way to expand territory.

Therefore, before a beast tide breaks out, there are often obvious signs such as the migration of small monsters over several months or even years, an abnormal increase in the number of low-level monsters, and escalating territorial conflicts.

The strongholds of major sects and Taoist factions can usually detect and issue warnings in advance.

But this beast tide came without warning. As if overnight, countless demonic beasts emerged from the depths of the wilderness, forming a torrent that surged towards the human race's territory. This defied common sense, as if an invisible hand, an unseen force, was forcibly driving, or even... manipulating, the beast horde from behind.

Lin Changheng frowned, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.

Something unusual must be going on. The truth behind this sudden beast tide may be far more terrifying than the apparent disaster.

Is it a high-level demon king that has awakened its intelligence, intending to head south? Or has some rare treasure or ancient ruin appeared in the depths of the wilderness, driving the demons into a frenzy? Or perhaps... a human shadow is stirring up trouble?

Either possibility implies greater uncertainty and danger.

This alerted the usually steady Lin Changheng.

Fortunately, he was quite far away, so he didn't have to turn around and run away immediately.

"But there are also opportunities within this."

Lin Changheng's gaze was calm and far-reaching. Under the beast tide, not only would the pill business be easier to do, but there would also be more monster materials, such as essence blood, flowing into the market.

Of course, Lin Changheng couldn't possibly go and kill the demon himself; there was no need for him to risk his life.

However, he does have the ability to hire someone to collect the materials, but he still needs to find someone he can trust... At that time, he can sit comfortably in the Immortal City.

……

The other message came from the Bixiao Sect in the east.

Four words: The demon has reappeared!

A hideout of demonic cultivators was discovered and attacked by the [Bixiao Sect].

But for some unknown reason, the group of demonic cultivators lurking underground were not wiped out and the same thorough victory as the previous [Purple Extreme Sect] was not achieved.

The leader has escaped.

……

Later, unofficial rumors began to circulate:

They said the information about the [Bixiao Sect] was wrong, and that the group of demonic cultivators were at most at the late Foundation Establishment stage. So they sent two late Foundation Establishment cultivators to lead the team to wipe them out, thinking it would be a sure thing.

It turned out that a fake Core Formation cultivator was hidden among the demonic cultivators!
Upon its appearance, it killed and injured one of the two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the [Bixiao Sect].

He left with a wild laugh before reinforcements arrived.

In addition, most of the remaining demonic cultivators died, but a small force scattered and fled, hiding in the cultivation world, making them difficult to identify.

……

Lin Changheng frowned.

For decades, nothing major had happened, but this time, after only a year of seclusion, two major events broke out in quick succession.

All of these are enough to severely impact the stability of the Song Dynasty!

"No matter what has happened or what is to come, we must steadily improve ourselves. This is the fundamental source of confidence to face all uncertainties!"

Lin Changheng showed no anxiety about the situation, only clarity and determination.

Then his gaze swept over the three pieces of [Eastern Willow Wood] on the table. He picked up the shorter one, cut off a small piece, put it into the medicinal bath tub, and sat down inside.

"Om..."

The Evergreen Body Technique resonated powerfully, the medicinal bath surged, and the body was continuously strengthened...

(End of this chapter)