Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 126 The Giant Toad Breakthrough

The giant toad saw Ji Yuan's figure emerge from the mist again, but before it could speak...

It then saw a huge black shadow being thrown over.

It immediately opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue, and grabbed the dark figure.

With its mouth wide open, it swallowed half a spirit pig in just a few bites.

After the giant toad finished eating the spirit pig, it looked up and saw another dark shadow being thrown over. It ate that too, and by the time Ji Yuan came to it, it had already eaten three spirit pigs in a row.

One big toad, two mouths and one pig.

At first, Ji Yuan fed the baby himself, but after a while, he became too lazy to feed it at all.

This kind of low-skilled work can be left to Tu Yue.

He tossed several storage bags to Tu Yue and explained that as long as the spirit pigs on the ground were eaten, they should be taken out again.

Ji Yuan himself returned to his cave to refine elixirs and draw talismans.

For the past few months, I've been busy with the Lingzhu project and haven't even had time for my side hustle.

Now that he has finally achieved the Foundation Establishment stage, Ji Yuan plans to draw some talismans and refine some pills to sell back to the sect and exchange for spirit stones to supplement his household income.

I'll also take a look at the tasks I assigned myself a few months ago to see how they're going.

If we manage to get our hands on the Illusionary Heart Flower, that would be ideal. We can then return to upgrade the Enlightenment Room.

But if that's not possible, then we'll have to think of another way.

Ji Yuan secluded himself in his cave to cultivate, leaving all the miscellaneous matters outside to Tu Yue. About half a month passed in this way. While he was drawing talismans, he suddenly sensed a sweeping aura approaching.

With a flick of his wrist, the talisman in his hand turned to ashes and vanished.

But Ji Yuan was not angry; on the contrary, he was extremely happy.

He took one step out of the cave, and the next step brought him right in front of the giant toad.

At this point, the giant toad... had grown even bigger!

Originally only a dozen meters long, it is now probably more than twenty meters long. Squatting on this island, it looks like a small mountain. The bumps on its back are more numerous and larger, and there is a noticeable layer of stone scales on it, so its defensive power is probably much stronger than before.

Especially the area above its eyelids.

The two protrusions resembled horns, adding to its imposing presence.

Perhaps because it had just broken through, its demonic aura had not been concealed.

Even Ji Yuan, standing in front of it, could feel a faint pressure... Damn it, this monster is just too damn strong!

The giant toad seemed not to have yet recovered from its breakthrough.

Ji Yuan was very close and could hear its heart pounding loudly for almost half an hour.

The giant toad suddenly opened its eyes, and immediately withdrew its previously emitted aura.

"Croak—"

With just its mouth, its original domineering aura vanished completely.

Especially the way it looked at Ji Yuan, which carried a hint of... flattery.

Having achieved a breakthrough in its cultivation level, the giant toad had become quite clever. How could it not understand that its current success was entirely thanks to its good older brother!

If he wants to improve his strength in the future, he will definitely need the help of his good older brother.

"Quack quack—"

"Alright, stop rubbing against me."

Previously, Ji Yuan couldn't handle the giant toad's affection, but now, as long as the toad doesn't exert any force, Ji Yuan can easily push it away with a little effort.

It looked somewhat aggrieved upon seeing the giant toad.

Ji Yuan had an idea. He pointed in the direction of Yun Yuze, made a eating gesture, took out a piece of spirit pig meat, threw it on the ground, and lit a fire.

The giant toad instantly understood, and its two lantern-sized eyes lit up.

It let out a "quack" and then leaped across dozens of meters, landing in the Yunyu Marsh.

This giant toad is already at the late stage of the second tier. In this Cloud Rain Marsh, it can be considered a local overlord, right?

If that's the case, what's the point of keeping it around to freeload? It should definitely go out and be a stray toad, bringing back some monster corpses or aquatic treasures from time to time. That would be much better.

I spent so much money raising it and used up so many spirit pigs, I have to get my money's worth, right?

Ji Yuangang counted that it took him a full 148.5 spirit pigs to help this giant toad break through.

The big toad has to pay this bill.

Ji Yuan then activated the [Kitchen] effect and started a fire to roast the meat.

Just as the meat was almost cooked, the wandering toad returned, bringing with it the corpse of a second-tier early-stage demon beast.

Knife-snake loach.

It was a formidable opponent among second-tier demonic beasts. Even ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would have to give it a wide berth. Unfortunately for it, it encountered a late-stage second-tier toad.

"Set up a fire! Set up a fire!"

Ji Yuan told Tu Yue to start a fire, while he himself couldn't wait to go up and perform CPR on the snake-like creature.

Hmm... I took its demon core.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation failed.

In addition, there's the demon core from the snake demon.

Ji Yuan already possesses two second-tier demon cores, which are required for the Foundation Establishment Pill alone.

There is only one of these thousand-year-old Qinghui grass plants left.

It seems we need to focus on finding out more information about this.

After a while, Ji Yuan was eating barbecue blessed by the [Kitchen] and drinking fine wine produced by the [Wine Cellar], with a beautiful woman... oh no, a beautiful corpse helping him grill the meat.

This feeling is indescribably delightful.

Even the roasted meat they ate was from a second-tier demon beast.

How many Qi Refining cultivators can enjoy such treatment?!

But after eating and drinking his fill, Ji Yuan calmed down. This life was too decadent... He couldn't let it continue like this.

The most important thing now is to get back to the Water Dragon Sect and find out what's going on.

Oh, and I should also bring a few jugs of spirit wine over to submit the quest.

Don't forget the merit points you get for free!

So Ji Yuan spent the next three days eating and drinking at home. During that time, he went out on a boat with the giant toad and hunted a second-stage early-stage demon beast in the waters of Yunyuze.

Ji Yuan was the main force in the battle, while the giant toad provided support.

This fight, however, made Ji Yuan much more sober.

There's nothing special about it; we just didn't win.

If it weren't for the giant toad nearby, he probably would have had to urge the Thunder Falcon Boat to escape.

There was no way around it; the early-stage second-tier demonic beast in the water was simply too powerful. Even though Ji Yuan's physique had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, without the magic power and various techniques of the Foundation Establishment stage, it was still very difficult to defeat him.

But he was more than capable of protecting himself; this second-tier demonic beast couldn't kill him, and he couldn't kill the demonic beast either.

Ji Yuan estimated that if they were on the ground, he might be able to turn the tide.

Even if it succeeds, I will most likely be seriously injured.

The monsters are ferocious, so we must proceed with caution.

One must never become arrogant and overbearing just because one's strength has made some progress.

……

a few days later.

Upon returning to Dragon Hatchery Island, Ji Yuan first went to find Du Wanyi, but to his surprise, his second sister was not there, and he didn't know where she had gone...

Ji Yuan guessed that she had probably really joined some gang, so she went out to work.

Ji Yuan had no choice but to return home first, preparing to go to Qianji Island to investigate the situation.

Unexpectedly, before he even reached his doorstep, he saw a pure black magic ship appear in the sky above the fledgling dragon island, followed by a golden light shooting out from it.

"call out--"

The golden light descended with a sharp whistle, then transformed into a golden iron cage, locking directly into house number nineteen next to Ji Yuan's house.

Then, several figures dressed in black robes flew out of the Dharma ship.

Each of them held an iron chain, which were intertwined like a magic array. When they landed on the ground, they sealed off room number 19 of the Ding family a second time.

This caused Ji Yuan, who was almost home, to immediately stop in his tracks.

Although he hadn't been in the Water Dragon Sect for long, he still understood some basic things, such as the group of people in front of him and this magic ship.

Those are standard equipment for the Enforcement Hall!

So what we're seeing right now is clearly the Enforcement Hall enforcing the law!

Ji Yuan looked at the locked room number 19... The child Tang Ran lived there. What prohibition of the Water Dragon Sect had he violated?

They actually forced the Enforcement Hall to resort to such measures?

Ji Yuan had already reached the door of room number seventeen when, perhaps sensing the situation outside, the old weapon-refining man Pi Fangzhi also came out.

When he saw Ji Yuan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, he was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

"Brother Ji, it's been a long time."

"Yes, I accepted the mission and went out for a while."

A plausible excuse always works.

"Brother Ji seems to enjoy adventure; he's been on missions ever since he arrived."

Pi Fangzhi sighed, then looked at house number nineteen in the distance. He was startled at first, then sneered:

"The Hall of Enforcement? Ha, I told that kid to be more discreet a long time ago, but he wouldn't listen. Now he's probably paying the price, but it's too late. Once he's caught and put in the Hall of Enforcement, he'll be lucky to escape with his life."

"What's wrong with him?"

Even though Ji Yuan tried to remain aloof, he still felt some curiosity and doubt when faced with something that happened to his neighbor.

"He's probably just having illicit relationships, ha, calling several female cultivators 'mother' at the same time, and even eating and living with them."

"Our Water Dragon Sect is a righteous sect, not a demonic one!"

"That's ridiculous."

The author of the article, Pi Fang, was filled with righteous indignation and spoke with great righteousness.

But Ji Yuan was somewhat skeptical when he heard this.

This... could it really warrant such a large-scale mobilization from the Enforcement Hall?

In that very short time, a Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped out from the magic ship above the sky. He flew down on his sword and landed above house number nineteen, reaching out to grab it.

A chain flew out from his sleeve, fell into the courtyard, and was finally pulled sharply.

The child, Tang Ran, was bound tightly and carried back to the Dharma ship in the sky by the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Then the other disciples of the Enforcement Hall went about their own business, some of them entering the house as if to seal it off.

Two other disciples from the Enforcement Hall, dressed in black robes, approached Ji Yuan and his companion, each holding a jade slip.

In this situation, Ji Yuan had no choice but to stand there obediently. Moreover, he could see clearly that one of the two disciples of the Enforcement Hall was none other than his fellow villager from Yun Yuze... Fang Jie.

"You two are the owners of houses numbered Ding Seventeen and Ding Eighteen, Pi Fangzhi and Ji Yuan, right?"

Fang Jie held the jade slip and asked the routine question.

"Exactly."

"Alright, don't leave the sect for the next few days. Be ready to be summoned by our Enforcement Hall at any time."

After Fang Jie finished speaking, he glanced at Ji Yuan with a questioning look in his eyes.

Ji Yuan, who was half a step behind, shook his head slightly.

Fang Jie's tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

Ji Yuan understood his implication: as long as he didn't get too close to Tang Ran, there wouldn't be much of a problem, and he figured it would just be a routine inquiry.

After Fang Jie finished speaking, he threw out two pitch-black talismans, which landed in the hands of Ji Yuan and Pi Fangzhi respectively.

"Upon seeing the communication talisman light up, they rushed to the Enforcement Hall within a day."

"May I ask when we can leave, fellow Daoist? I've arranged to meet a few friends outside to hunt monsters together."

Pi Fangzhi gripped the communication talisman in his hand and pressed for an answer.

"Wait for further notice."

After Fang Jie finished speaking, he and another disciple from the Enforcement Hall turned and left, appearing incredibly arrogant.

But for Ji Yuan, it didn't feel like anything... In this world where great power is concentrated in oneself, no matter how strong one's appearance is, it's not as useful as one's own strength.

Take Fang Jie in front of us, for example. Although he looks very strong right now, it is actually all thanks to the power that the Water Dragon Sect has bestowed upon him.

If they were to actually fight, Ji Yuan conservatively estimates that someone who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage in physical cultivation could at least defeat two Fang Jies.

As for why, even after achieving the Foundation Establishment stage in physical cultivation, one can only fight two opponents... as mentioned before, this is a conservative estimate.

Ji Yuan has always been a conservative person.

Therefore, instead of spending time working for the Water Dragon Sect, it's better to focus on improving one's own strength.

"This has caused a lot of trouble for no reason, that damn Tang Ran."

After finishing his sentence, Pi Fangzhi shook his head and sighed before returning home.

But judging from his appearance, Ji Yuan felt that he seemed a little panicked... His relationship with Tang Ran was definitely not as bad as it seemed on the surface.

There were likely other relationships or interactions between the two.

That's why he was so anxious when he saw Tang Ran being arrested.

But none of this has anything to do with Ji Yuan. He acts with integrity and is not afraid of investigation. If the Enforcement Hall wants to force a confession and wrong an innocent person.

Ji Yuan could also leverage Li Changhe's connections.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

After returning home and waiting for more than half an hour, seeing that the people from the Enforcement Hall had left, Ji Yuan summoned his flying boat and headed to Thousand Machine Island.

When he arrived, he first used the talisman that the Qinghe Island Master had given him.

Before long, he saw his Foundation Establishment senior uncle hurrying out, a look of joy on his face. "Junior nephew, you've finally arrived."

Ji Yuan came up with an excuse he had prepared beforehand.

"This wine was hard to come by. I went to many places before I could gather enough ingredients and barely brew three jars."

"Three jars?"

Upon hearing this, the Qinghe Island Master seemed somewhat disappointed, finding the amount insufficient, but he said aloud:

"Three jars are fine, three jars are enough."

Ji Yuan handed over three jars, while keeping three more in his own storage bag for later use.

"I'll add the merit points to my junior disciple later. If you manage to get your hands on this spirit wine again in a few days, remember to contact me anytime. As long as you're within the Water Dragon Sect, I'll come find you."

"In a few days..."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan could only smile wryly and say, "Junior Nephew will certainly do his best."

Seeing the Qinghe Island Master hurriedly leaving, Ji Yuan became curious about who this old drunkard behind it all was.

He initially suspected that the cultivator was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but if he really was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would it be worth the Qinghe Island Master's concern?

Could there be a Golden Core cultivator behind this?

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Ji Yuan quickly shook his head. He then went to a monk on duty, took out the token he had previously obtained, and asked:

"Could you please check if anyone has completed this task?"

(End of this chapter)