Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 268 They Go Their Separate Ways [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Here I am."

Ji Yuan replied directly with a single sentence.

He quickly opened a gap in the island's protective formation, and Dong Qian's figure passed through it, finally landing in front of him.

"What's wrong, Senior Sister?"

Seeing that her expression wasn't very good, Ji Yuan took the initiative to ask.

"No, it's nothing, I just have to go out for a bit."

After Dong Qian finished speaking, she looked up at Ji Yuan.

Their eyes met, and Ji Yuan, his expression unchanged, continued, "Do you need any help?"

"Need not."

Dong Qian shook her head, still not saying what she was going out to do, so Ji Yuan didn't ask. He simply said, "Then, Senior Sister, please be careful. If you need any help, just let me know... When will you be back?"

"It could take anywhere from a few months to a year."

Ji Yuan was about to speak when Dong Qian interrupted, saying, "About a year from now, Junior Brother, can you wait for me at the sect?"

"it is good."

Ji Yuan didn't hesitate and immediately agreed, "As long as I'm not sent to Shangshan, I'll come back to see you."

"Um."

Hearing Ji Yuan's answer, Dong Qian seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, relaxing completely. She then looked around, and then at Ji Yuan's attire, "Junior Brother, are you going out too?"

"Yes, I was just thinking of telling you, Senior Sister." Ji Yuan smiled. "Our Sect Leader has assigned us a mission, and I have to go to Black Dragon Island with my Senior Brothers and Sisters."

"Black Dragon Island?"

"Alright, then junior brother, be careful too."

Dong Qian gave the same instructions.

After exchanging a few more words, Dong Qian took her leave. It seemed she had been prepared all along. After leaving Worry-Free Island, she didn't even return to Fox Moon Island, heading straight south.

Ji Yuan watched her retreating figure until she disappeared into the southern horizon.

Is Dong Qian leaving?

maybe.

Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh, but there was nothing else he could do. He then took out Du Wanyi's communication talisman and told her that he was going out.

Du Wanyi came over as soon as she received the message.

Inevitably, another round of admonitions followed.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to leave, Du Wanyi took out a cyan spirit robe from her storage bag... Last time she gave him a low-grade spirit weapon-level robe, but this time it had become a mid-grade spirit weapon.

Clearly, Du Wanyi has been making progress quietly over the years.

"Fourth brother, I've always thought you look better in a blue robe."

Du Wanyi looked up at Ji Yuan, but dared not look him in the eye, and said with a somewhat evasive gaze.

"Then I'll wear blue robes more often from now on."

After thinking it over, Ji Yuan accepted the spirit robe. After all, it was a token of Du Wanyi's goodwill.

After accepting the gifts, Ji Yuan also took out a bottle of pills, two jugs of Peerless Wine, and three jade slips from his storage bag.

"Fourth brother, what's wrong with you...?"

Upon seeing this, Du Wanyi's expression changed slightly.

"What? I accepted all the gifts you gave me, but you're not going to accept the gifts I give you?"

Ji Yuan frowned, and even his voice changed slightly.

No...no.

Du Wanyi quickly denied it.

Ji Yuan seized the opportunity and said, "You know about these Qi and Blood Pills. There are still ten left inside, so if you get injured, don't hesitate to use them."

"These two jugs of wine are rare treasures I obtained by chance, which I named 'Peerless Wine.' Their specific effects are as follows..."

"Finally, here are three intermediate spells suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage: a set of escape techniques, an offensive spell, and a defensive spell, all of which are water-based. Remember to practice them diligently when you have time."

Ji Yuan has plenty of elixirs and peerless wine.

The remaining intermediate spells are not lacking in Ji Yuan, and they can even be imprinted.

"good……"

Du Wanyi accepted Ji Yuan's kindness, saying, "Fourth brother, my cultivation journey has been entirely guided by you."

"Second sister, that's a rather distant thing to say."

Ji Yuan smiled and put the blue robe into his storage bag. "In that case, I'll go first. My senior brothers are still waiting for me."

"Alright, fourth brother, be careful."

After finishing her sentence, Du Wanyi left Worry-Free Island.

After she left, the smile on Ji Yuan's face disappeared. He then summoned the Wind Locust Flying Boat and went to Fire Phoenix Island again.

Unexpectedly, he was the last one to arrive.

"My cultivation level is not high enough, so the flying boat is a bit slow. I apologize for keeping you waiting, senior brothers and sisters."

Ji Yuan stepped forward and smiled.

"I bet you said goodbye to your senior sisters again."

Feng Zhitao rolled her eyes.

Ji Yuan ignored him and turned to Ran Kui, "Shall we leave now, Senior Brother?"

"Okay, let's not delay any longer."

After Ran Kui finished speaking, he took out a...flying ship from his storage bag, and its grade was even a top-grade spiritual artifact!

"Senior Brother, what...whetted your luck?!"

Feng Zhitao was somewhat shocked upon seeing this.

"Our master lent it to us, saying that with this flying boat, we can travel faster and be safer."

After Ran Kui finished speaking, he infused spiritual energy into it.

The flying ship suddenly grew larger, eventually transforming into a gigantic ship floating above Fire Phoenix Island.

The flag of the Water Dragon Sect fluttered in the wind above.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yuan understood that this was most likely the vehicle that the Water Dragon Sect had assigned to Hua Yaoyue.

The departure of this flying boat signifies that a Golden Core cultivator from the Water Dragon Sect is on a visit.

In this way, even a demonic cultivator with the Golden Core cultivation level would have to carefully consider whether or not to take action against this flying boat.

"I'm gone."

Ran Kui leaped up, followed closely by Ji Yuan and the other two.

Then the flying boat began to move. At first, it rose into the air at a slow speed. After passing through the clouds, it transformed into a streak of light and headed straight east.

Ji Yuan stood on the deck and carefully sensed the surroundings.

This top-grade spiritual artifact flying boat is indeed fast, but it is still a bit slower than his Sky-Splitting Boat.

After all, given the size of this large, multi-story flying ship, it's difficult for it to go fast.

Curious about how much spirit stone this flying ship consumed after it was activated, Ji Yuan went inside the cabin. What he saw there was quite a surprise…

His Sky-Splitting Boat had a special recessed area for storing spirit stones, which he already thought was outrageous enough.

But what about these multi-story ships and flying boats?

That was a whole room used to store spirit stones!

"The spirit stones were all given to us by our master, enough for our round trip," Ran Kui explained with a smile as he followed.

"No wonder, otherwise, even a small sect couldn't afford to use it at this cost."

Ji Yuan shook his head after seeing it.

"Alright, it will probably take another ten days or so to get to Black Dragon Island. I'll keep an eye on the flying boat. Junior brothers, you should go and cultivate first."

Ran Kui looks like a time management master; he doesn't waste a single moment.

And this is exactly what the concept of fate means.

He had already practiced for a while on Worry-Free Island, and if he had another ten days or so to practice... he should be able to improve his proficiency in the Sword Manual by another level.

That's what spiritual practice is all about; you can always find the time if you make the effort.

Afterwards, Ji Yuan found a room on the ship, deliberately avoiding Feng Zhitao and Yun Qianzai. He then activated the architectural effects of the [Scripture Pavilion] and [Enlightenment Room] and began his cultivation journey.

"Looks like I'll have to get myself a flying boat with a room in the future, so I can use the time I would spend traveling for cultivation."

Ji Yuan couldn't help but think this way, but then he realized that the journey was dangerous, and he wouldn't dare to cultivate with peace of mind if no one was watching him.

Corpse puppets are possible, but not suitable for Shangdong, unless you go to Shangxi.

In that place teeming with demonic forces, even corpse puppets become inconspicuous.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Just as Ji Yuan's proficiency level jumped from 75 to 76, Ran Kui's voice came from outside.

"Alright, we're almost at Black Dragon Island."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan exited his cultivation state, turned off the building effects, and then walked out of the cabin.

As soon as he came out, he smelled a familiar salty smell.

He had smelled this scent a lot when he was in seclusion on the island of Ice and Fire.

So, they've already set sail?

Ji Yuan took a few steps forward, came to the railing, and looked down. What met his eyes was an endless expanse of deep blue.

Because this ship flies at an extremely high altitude, even some islands and reefs appear as tiny black dots, no bigger than ants, when viewed from above.

Feng Zhitao and Yun Qianzai also came out from behind. Their faces showed no worry, but rather a relaxed and carefree expression.

"Last time it was the three of us traveling together, this time we finally managed to get our junior brother along."

After Feng Zhitao came out, she said with a hint of excitement.

"Indeed, it's not easy to go out with my junior brother."

Perhaps because everyone present was one of his own, Yun Qianzai finally stopped pretending and even his tone of voice became much more normal.

"Alright, get ready. At this flight speed, we should arrive at Black Dragon Island in about a day."

Ran Kui remained as composed as ever.

Ji Yuan looked them over, thought for a moment, and then took out six jugs of Peerless Wine from his storage bag.

"Huh? Junior brother, what are you doing? Are you trying to boost your courage with some kind of drink?"

Feng Zhitao leaned closer, sniffed gently, then wrinkled her delicate nose slightly and fanned the tip of her nose with her small hand.

"Such strong liquor, I'm afraid only Master can handle it."

Ji Yuan smiled and then explained the effects of the Peerless Wine to them.

"It works so well?"

After Ran Kui finished speaking, he couldn't help but pick up a pot and take a sip.

Even though it wasn't much wine, it still counted as a sip, triggering the effects of the Peerless Wine. His face instantly turned red, and even the spiritual energy around him began to boil.

Feng Zhitao and Yun Qianzai just stared at him.

It wasn't until three breaths had passed that he exhaled a long breath of alcohol, and then his spiritual energy gradually returned to normal.

"Excellent wine!"

"Who told you it was good wine? I was asking how effective it was," Feng Zhitao rolled her eyes.

"Just as my junior brother said, it truly lives up to its name of Peerless." Ran Kui put the Peerless Wine into his storage bag. "Taking a sip at the crucial moment of battle can indeed catch the opponent off guard. Most importantly, there are no negative effects afterward, which is excellent."

"Junior brother, do you have any more? Get me some more."

Yun Qianzai said without any politeness.

Feng Zhitao also said, "That's right, junior brother. I've noticed you often bring wine to Master, and the one you bring is this Peerless Wine."

"There's one more thing."

Ji Yuan didn't expect them to be so impolite, but it was better that they were, so he wouldn't have to persuade them.

As for the Peerless Wine, he produces a pot every day, so he has plenty more.

It's hard to explain why they took out more than they should at once.

"And these too, I need to keep some on hand as well."

Ji Yuan then took out six more flasks.

"That's enough, that's enough."

Ran Kui nodded.

"And this Qi and Blood Pill is one I've improved, adding a lot of rare and precious ingredients. As long as it's not a severed limb or a broken soul, even the most serious injuries can be almost healed after taking one pill."

Ji Yuan gave each of them two Qi and Blood Pills containing the Tempering Pearl.

Ran Kui took it, sniffed it, and his eyes lit up immediately.

"This is better than any healing pill I've ever taken. Junior Brother, you have quite a few good things on you!"

"It was just a stroke of luck."

If this had happened when they first met, Ji Yuan wouldn't have dared to bring these things out.

But having known each other for so long, they trusted Ji Yuan completely, and naturally gained Ji Yuan's trust in return.

"Hmph, Ji Yuan, Ji Yuan, just hearing the name tells you there's a lot of good fortune in things."

After chatting for a while, Ran Kui reminded Yun Qianzai and Feng Zhitao not to be careless, as this mission was different from the last one... Last time, they were just there for fun, but this time, there might be danger.

Fortunately, none of the four people present were novices.

They were relatively relaxed on the way, but once they were close to Black Dragon Island, they were on high alert.

As the junior brother, Ji Yuan naturally stood at the very back of them.

"That's Black Dragon Island."

As soon as Ran Kui finished speaking, the ship descended, gradually passing through the thick clouds, and a giant island in the sea appeared before the four of them.

Of all the islands Ji Yuan had seen, Black Dragon Island was the second largest, after Ice and Fire Island.

There are not many trees on the island; most of it is black stone.

The overall shape is similar to the Misty Island that Ji Yuan had previously encountered, because the eastern side of the highest mountain on the island is a cliff.

As soon as the ship broke through the clouds, nearly ten streams of light rose from Black Dragon Island and eventually came to the ship's perimeter, transforming into small flying boats.

One of the middle-aged men in black went straight into the ship and landed on the deck.

"Li Yuan, the leader of Black Dragon Island."

Feng Zhitao explained the telepathic communication strategy.

"Brother Wu Dao, you've finally arrived." Li Yuan greeted him with a mournful face, then bowed deeply to Ran Kui.

"Brother Li, there's no need for this. Has something happened on the island again?"

Ran Kui stepped forward and helped him up.

"That's right, sigh..."

Li Yuan stood up and greeted Ji Yuan and the other two people behind Ran Kui one by one.

Ran Kui explained that they only gave their names and did not disclose their real names.

"It's like this. After I returned from your sect, I learned that during the time I was away, another late-stage Foundation Establishment elder on the island mysteriously disappeared. And since I returned, that... that demonic cultivator seems to be deliberately provoking us. Now, four or five Qi Refining disciples are disappearing every day."

Li Yuan explained in a very fast voice.

"I knew things were serious, so I made all the Qi Refining disciples stay overnight in the main hall. But even so, under everyone's watchful eyes, some disciples still disappeared into thin air."

"Heh, that's because my Lord of Tian Shu Island hasn't come."

With outsiders present, Yun Qianzai reverted to his aloof demeanor.

His words startled Li Yuan, who quickly bowed to Yun Qianzai and replied in a cooperative manner:

"With Fellow Daoist Tian Shu here, victory is practically assured this time."

"No."

Yun Qianzai slowly shook his head.

"That is?"

Li Yuan frowned, seemingly puzzled.

"It's not just a sure thing, it's definitely going to work."

Li Yuan: "..."

"Are all the remaining elders here now?" Ran Kui changed the subject.

"Yes, there were originally fifteen elders, but now there are only thirteen left. Two of them are guarding the Black Dragon Stone, and the rest are here."

Before Li Yuan could reply, Ji Yuan had already taken a good look at the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were "flying alongside" him.

Of these eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators, one is at the peak of Foundation Establishment, three are at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, five are at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and two are at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Even after its losses, this team would still be considered a very powerful force in the East China Sea.

No wonder they were able to occupy this treasure land, Black Dragon Island.

Before long, the enormous flying ship landed on the open ground in front of the main hall of Black Dragon Island.

Ran Kui put away the flying ship.

Li Yuan whispered a few words to an elder in the Foundation Establishment stage, and then the elder flew away in a flying boat.

Ji Yuan was quite far away, but he still heard what Li Yuan said.

He instructed the elder to invite the two elders stationed at Black Dragon Stone over, saying that a welcome banquet was about to begin.

Ji Yuan then followed the crowd and entered the main hall together.

At this moment, a grand banquet had been set up inside the Black Dragon Palace on Black Dragon Island. There were five seats on the high platform, for Li Yuan, the island lord of Black Dragon Island, and four distinguished guests from the upper sect.

Ji Yuan couldn't refuse the offer, so he had no choice but to follow and sit down on the high platform.

He always greeted everyone who looked at him with a smile.

But before he could even warm up his seat, a flying boat landed in front of the main hall, and then the elder who had left earlier stumbled in.

"Sect Leader, Sect Leader, something terrible has happened!"

"What's the matter that you're in such a panic..." Li Yuan hadn't finished speaking when he realized something and quickly stood up from his seat, urgently asking, "Where are Elder Huang and Elder Zheng?!"

"Missing...missing."

"What?"

Li Yuan's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and then he stiffly turned around to look at Ran Kui.

"Brother Wu Dao, you...look, those two elders are both in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

Ran Kui picked up a piece of sashimi and ate it slowly before standing up and saying, "It seems that guy is indeed quite arrogant. This isn't just eating people; it's clearly slapping the face of our Water Dragon Sect."

"Brother Li, lead the way!"

After Ran Kui finished speaking, he stepped down from the high platform, releasing his pseudo-core realm cultivation, instantly putting pressure on everyone.

"Those two elders were originally guarding the Black Dragon Stone. That's where they went missing. Come on, I'll take you there now, Brother Wu Dao."

Li Yuan took the lead.

Ran Kui followed closely behind.

Ji Yuan and his two companions fell behind, while the remaining elders looked at each other in confusion and ultimately decided not to follow.

But as soon as Ji Yuan stepped out of the main hall, he received a telepathic message from Yun Qianzai.

"An elder I know just messaged me saying that the four who died were all elders who always liked to stand against Li Yuan."

(End of this chapter)