Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 294 Ice and Fire Agree, Ji Yuan Refuses [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

When Ji Yuan escaped from the Demon Cave, he overheard the conversation between the Ice and Fire Elder and the Dark Venerable of the Demonic Path.

This Dark Venerable is among the top three Golden Core cultivators in the Shangxi Demonic Path!

He was even once known as the number one person below the Nascent Soul stage.

Its strength is evident.

But now?

Judging from the old man's crazy words, it seemed as if he had won.

"Is this old thief really that strong?"

Ji Yuan's doubts were quickly answered when he saw a huge fireball flying from the north, its passage creating ripples in the air.

The person in the center of the fireball was no longer the hunched old man from before, but an old man wearing a crimson dragon robe. Although his beard and hair were white, his aura was extremely powerful, and his arrogant expression made it seem as if he didn't even care about this world.

The one who fought earlier was the Ice-type Ice-Fire Elder, but now that the fight is over, it has become the Fire-type Ice-Fire Elder in front of us.

He was extremely far away when I looked at him earlier, but in just a few breaths, he had already returned to the sky above the alchemy workshop.

He stood high above, looking down over the entire alchemy workshop.

Even with the array separating them, Ji Yuan could still feel the scorching heat that burned his skin.

"This Ice and Fire Elder... it seems he has broken through."

Li Changhe transmitted his voice to Ji Yuan, saying, "In this great battle, he actually broke through to a higher level while fighting."

"I think...it does!"

Ji Yuan could also sense that the aura of the Ice and Fire Elder was indeed much stronger than before the attack.

...There are still many geniuses in this world. It was a life-or-death battle at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and he was still able to break through on the eve of the battle.

Such talent is something even Ji Yuan could only admire from afar.

At least so far in his cultivation, every breakthrough he has made has been extremely difficult.

Not to mention the Core Formation stage in the future, just thinking about it makes Ji Yuan feel immense pressure.

Whether it was to show off or something else, Ice and Fire Master stayed in mid-air for a while before withdrawing his own image, falling from mid-air into the alchemy workshop, and finally going to the main hall.

Finally, whether it was a misperception or not, Ji Yuan noticed that he had given her an extra look.

"Let's go, let's follow them and see."

Li Changhe is really eager to join in the fun.

But before he could set off, the words of the Ice and Fire Elder came from inside the alchemy workshop.

"Foundation Building for Guarding, Golden Core for Discussion."

As soon as he spoke, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were preparing to go to the main hall dared not move. After all, the scene of the Ice and Fire Elder returning with great momentum had brought great pressure to everyone.

Then, several beams of light of various colors rose up from various parts of the alchemy workshop, eventually landing in the very center of the workshop.

"Alright, let's just stay here and guard it properly."

Li Changhe sat back down.

Ji Yuan glanced at him, but ultimately chose to transmit his voice, saying, "When I was in the Demon Cave, I overheard some news... I'm telling you, but you must not tell anyone else."

"What? You know that, Brother Ji? Don't worry, my mouth is the tightest seal I can keep."

Li Changhe quickly said.

"Hmm... so you have Void Stones?"

Ji Yuan hadn't forgotten that Li Changhe's real purpose in returning to the sect was twofold: first, to send the Fountain of Immortality back, and second, to see if the Li family possessed any Void Stones.

"Yes, but not much. There's really very little of this, only 11 jin (5 catties). I brought it all. Do you want to exchange it?"

Li Changhe replied telepathically.

"Change...how do I change it?"

Ji Yuan tried asking.

Li Changhe pondered and said, "Judging from the prices at several auctions, the price difference between the Void Stone and the Fountain of Youth is roughly that one bottle of the Fountain of Youth can be exchanged for 10 catties of Void Stone."

"The elders of our Li family want me to talk to you and see if we can negotiate to exchange 9 catties of Void Stones for a spring of immortality."

Ji Yuan thought for a moment, "If that's really the case, then I'll have to find something else to exchange with you. I won't lie to you, I need 10 jin of Void Stones."

"What nonsense."

Li Changhe rolled his eyes. "I'll give you all 11 jin. I'll just say I traded them. Do you think those old geezers will dare to beat me up when we get back?"

"Are you sure there's no problem?"

Ji Yuan definitely needs the Void Stone. He needs it, not just a pound or two, but even an ounce or two.

"No problem, don't worry."

Li Changhe waved his hand dismissively.

"it is good."

As Ji Yuan spoke, he immediately tossed a storage bag to Li Changhe.

The storage bag contained nothing but a pot of the Fountain of Immortality.

After receiving the pot of Immortality Spring, Li Changhe didn't show any exaggerated expression. He simply transferred the pot to his storage bag, then put the 11-jin Void Stone into the empty storage bag and threw it back.

Ji Yuan took it and used his divine sense to penetrate the storage bag, where he immediately saw 11 stones of roughly the same size.

The Void Stone is entirely grayish-black, adorned with mica-like inclusions, and has a shimmering, golden sheen that is quite beautiful.

But when Ji Yuan's divine sense landed on the Void Stone, he discovered that the thing seemed to be able to devour divine sense.

Or perhaps, this Void Stone seems to contain an endless space, and Ji Yuan's divine sense keeps probing out, but the Void Stone seems to absorb it endlessly.

After trying it for a while, Ji Yuan put the storage bag away.

There is nothing unusual.

He's curious about one thing now: can this Void Stone, like Spirit Stone, create its own upgradeable vein?

If that were possible, it would truly be a permanent solution.

...No rush, I'll try it when I have time to go back.

Ji Yuan didn't even plan to return to the Water Dragon Sect. He planned to dig a hole in the ground beneath the alchemy workshop to see if he could create a mineral vein.

"Alright, tell me what information you found out in that den of demons."

Having traded another Fountain of Youth, Li Changhe was overjoyed. For the Li family, spirit stones were not of much use... If it weren't for the chaos of the war between the righteous and the demonic, the Li family would have had more spirit stones than they could use up.

The Void Stone isn't very useful either.

If a Golden Core cultivator were to forge their own natal magic weapon, they could certainly trade with other powerful families.

But the Fountain of Youth is different; it's something that can't be traded.

"Well, even if I don't say anything, it won't be long before you hear the news."

Ji Yuan laid the groundwork before saying, "The Six Immortals Sect is preparing to abandon Shang Mountain; they want to let the Demonic Path in to fight."

Li Changhe, who was holding two walnuts in his hand, unconsciously exerted force with his right hand after hearing these words. With a "crack", the two walnuts in his hand were smashed to pieces.

Even the relaxed smile on his face froze.

Ji Yuan had long since passed the moment of surprise, so when he saw Li Changhe's reaction, he thought it was quite normal, and even picked up the walnut kernel in Li Changhe's hand to take a look.

It's from so long ago, I don't even know how long ago it was made; it's inedible now.

"You mean, Shangshan... is no longer defending it?"

Li Changhe took a deep breath and continued to ask telepathically.

Fortunately, everyone else was far away and no one noticed them.

"Yes, what follows is a guerrilla war centered around the Six Immortals Sect and these numerous markets," Ji Yuan explained.

"No wonder. I was wondering why my old man had been running around all this time. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't say. Turns out it was something big... But now that you mention it, I understand why."

After a brief moment of surprise, Li Changhe calmed down.

Why?

I don't know this about Ji Yuan.

Li Changhe pondered for a moment after hearing the question before replying via telepathy: "Actually, in recent years... you may not be aware of this, and even most of the cultivators in our six sects are not very clear about it. I only learned about the situation by chance from the Grand Elder and the others."

"Actually, judging from the data obtained from the Six Sect Alliance, the vast majority of those who have been guarding Shang Mountain over the years are actually disciples of our immortal sects."

"These independent cultivators from Shangdong haven't really contributed much, so it would be fine if that were the case."

"But they are still causing trouble within Shangdong. You should know a lot about this situation. Ever since the demonic path began its invasion, the entire Shangdong has been in extreme chaos."

Ji Yuan nodded slightly, "That's true. Not to mention the big cities, even the markets are in chaos, with demonic forces causing trouble every now and then."

Li Changhe scoffed, "There aren't that many demonic cultivators. It's just those rogue cultivators taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble. And often, it's a group of rogue cultivators who gather together to plot against our Six Immortals Sect."

"this……"

Ji Yuan actually knew this, but he didn't know that rogue cultivators didn't go to Shang Mountain.

"So the Six Sects Alliance believes... that rogue cultivators are beyond saving?"

Even when speaking telepathically, Ji Yuan's voice was much softer when he said these words.

"That's the truth. We, the Six Immortals Sect, are fighting tooth and nail on Mount Shang, while they're just sitting back and reaping the benefits. They're even dragging us down."

"Moreover, according to the information we have gathered, many independent cultivators have already made up their minds that once the demonic path invades, they will not only join the demonic path, but also guide it."

As Li Changhe said this, his anger intensified, and he even crushed the walnuts in his hand to pieces.

"If that's the case, then there's really no need to defend Shangshan, mainly because it can't be defended anyway."

Ji Yuan neither confirmed nor denied it, but simply stated the facts.

"Who says otherwise?"

Li Changhe chuckled telepathically, "Since those rogue cultivators have such a favorable impression of the demonic path, then let them in. They'll see then whether the demonic path considers them one of their own, or just potential immortals!"

"Besides, if we really don't defend Shang Mountain, our Six Immortals Sect won't be under that much pressure."

Ji Yuan analyzed as he spoke.

"Who says otherwise? You have no idea how many disciples of our Six Immortals Sect have died over the years, and the battle lines have been stretched too thin, we can no longer hold them."

"Didn't you see that even a demonic cultivator with the strength of the Dark Venerable was able to infiltrate? Actually, it can't be called infiltration at all; they just broke in. It's impossible to defend against them; it's simply impossible to defend against them."

Li Changhe sighed as he spoke.

"Next, the battle between good and evil will enter its second phase."

"indeed."

Hearing Li Changhe say this, Ji Yuan felt quite heavy-hearted.

If the defense of Shangshan is likened to a siege, then the next phase is the street fighting phase.

If you can avoid participating in siege warfare, then there's no way you can handle street fighting.

Even if you don't participate in the war, the enemy will still come to your doorstep.

Regardless of whether we're in this alchemy workshop or back to the Water Dragon Sect.

"Judging from the state of our alchemy workshop, I estimate that Shangshan has already been abandoned, but the news hasn't reached us yet."

Li Changhe looked at the alchemy workshop, which resembled a fortress, and said.

"Indeed, I'm pretty much right."

Ji Yuan shares the same view.

"Don't worry, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

As Li Changhe spoke, he glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to him before transmitting his voice:

"Put yourself in their shoes. If you were a demonic cultivator who had invaded Shangdong from the west, would you be eyeing the easy prey of rogue cultivators, or would you be here to gnaw on the tough nuts to crack in Shangdong?"

While it shouldn't be said too directly, that's really the case.

...Actually, I don't need to put myself in someone else's shoes.

Ji Yuan recalled the demonic cultivation technique called "The Book of Yin Transformation and Spirit Absorption" in his mind.

He glanced at the upgrade requirements for the [Mass Graveyard] on the panel again.

[Upgrade Requirements: Bury 100 Foundation Establishment stage corpses, 10 peak Foundation Establishment stage corpses, and 1 Golden Core stage corpse. (Not yet achieved)]

After a long period of arduous training, it's time to enhance my demonic power.

For example, once the Yin Corpse Demon Fire is unleashed, who among cultivators of the same level would dare to raise their voice at them?

As the two were talking, several streaks of light suddenly flew out from the main hall of the alchemy workshop, followed by the voice of the Ice and Fire Elder once again.

"Golden Core Guardian, Foundation Establishment Council."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Changhe pulled Ji Yuan to his feet, saying, "Let's go, it's our turn."

Then, figures flew up from the four walls of the alchemy workshop and flew towards the main hall in the center.

When Ji Yuan arrived, he glanced around and saw that there were nearly forty or fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators in this alchemy workshop alone.

The vast majority of them were unfamiliar faces, each with a distinct aura.

It's obviously from another immortal sect.

Li Changhe originally wanted to pull Ji Yuan to squeeze to the front.

But Ji Yuan stayed by the door, habitually shielding everyone in front of him.

Once everyone had arrived, the old man dressed like an emperor, Ice and Fire, suddenly opened his eyes in the main hall.

The slightest leak of the aura of a peak Golden Core cultivator put immense psychological pressure on everyone present.

The main hall was silent.

Jin Dan spoke, "From now on, we will no longer guard Shangshan. We only need to guard the alchemy workshop on Wangcheng Mountain."

The hall immediately erupted in excitement, with everyone discussing the matter animatedly.

To avoid seeming abrupt, Ji Yuan started talking to Li Changhe beside him.

"..."

The rest is simple.

The old man of ice and fire didn't say much, only instructing everyone to guard the alchemy workshop well. Afterwards, he redistributed the tasks to the many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They reduced alchemy practice and strengthened garrison duty.

They also assigned all the Foundation Establishment cultivators to the ranks of Core Formation cultivators, but that was alright.

Perhaps out of consideration for the grudges between sects, the Ice and Fire Elder assigned the Foundation Establishment cultivators of each sect to their respective Core Formation cultivators.

Ji Yuan and Li Changhe, on the other hand, were assigned to the tutelage of Master Lie Xiao.

With the division of labor, Ji Yuan was no longer assigned to guard the streets, but instead to protect the alchemy workshop.

It's really just about defending the city.

Most of those sent to refine pills were early Foundation Establishment cultivators.

That goes without saying; everyone is doing things based on their abilities.

You can't expect someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment to cower in the market and expect early Foundation Establishment cultivators to protect you.

After the meeting concluded, everyone prepared to leave.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to leave, the voice transmission from the Ice and Fire Elder rang in his mind once again.

"You stay."

Just those three simple words brought Ji Yuan to a halt.

Just when he thought the old man of ice and fire wanted him to stay and talk about matters of the Demon Cave, he discovered that he was not the only one who stayed.

Including him, there were a total of 6 Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators.

What are you doing?

Ji Yuan couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

After all, even a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator like Li Changhe wasn't left behind, but several Foundation Establishment peak cultivators were...

Six people, four men and two women.

Ji Yuan was sizing them up, judging from their clothes and aura.

Of the four men, one each came from Sword Ruins, Medicine King Valley, Spirit Control Sect, and Water Dragon Sect.

Both women came from the Palace of Joy.

There wasn't a single corpse on the Corpse-Driving Mountain.

Ji Yuan was sizing them up, and they were sizing Ji Yuan up too...

After all, Ji Yuan had used the "Concealing Breath Technique," and his cultivation level was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Just as he was wondering, the old man of ice and fire raised his hand and closed the palace door.

"Come over here, everyone."

The crowd gathered around and arrived in front of the high platform.

"You all know the general situation, so I won't go into details. The reason I'm asking you to stay is because the Six Sects Alliance has another plan."

The old man of ice and fire paused slightly before continuing:

"The Six Immortals Sect will gather the best resources and the most talented Foundation Establishment peak disciples to form a dedicated demon-hunting team."

"The goal of this demon-hunting team is to wait for the demon cultivators to arrive, and then go out to hunt demons."

"Any resources available from the Six Sects will be prioritized for the Demon Hunting Team, including some treasures that can assist in Core Formation, such as the Core Formation Wood from the Sword Ruins, which will be offered for exchange."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, even the Foundation Establishment peak cultivator from Sword Ruins couldn't help but be somewhat taken aback.

"You can even exchange for Condensed Elixir Wood?"

"As long as you achieve enough merit, it's fine."

The old man of ice and fire waved his hand, saying, "Let me finish speaking first."

"Yes, I have overstepped my bounds."

The man cupped his hands and took a step back, only to find that there were others standing even further back... He smiled at Ji Yuan and said nothing more.

"The six of you are the most talented and capable Foundation Establishment Peak... and late-stage cultivators that I selected from our alchemy workshop. So I'd like to form a demon-hunting team with you. What do you think?"

"Of course, participation is not mandatory; it's entirely voluntary."

After the old man of ice and fire finished speaking, his gaze swept across everyone's faces, clearly waiting for their answers.

For a moment, they all exchanged glances.

Finally, the Foundation Establishment peak cultivator from the Spirit Control Sect stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"May I ask, senior, why do you choose to use a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator instead of a fellow cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment?"

After saying that, he turned back to look at Ji Yuan and said politely with a smile, "I have no intention of looking down on this fellow Daoist, but I just feel that... perhaps the Tongyou Daoist from the Corpse-Driving Mountain is slightly stronger."

The Ice and Fire Elder raised an eyebrow upon hearing this... Late Foundation Establishment stage?

The late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator you see has just killed a Core Formation cultivator.

After saying that, he glanced at Ji Yuan, as if to say, "You kid, stop hiding your strength and show me your cultivation level, then I'll have a better talk to you."

So, under his gaze, Ji Yuan actually took a step forward.

He cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the senior, this junior thinks that what this fellow Daoist said makes sense. My cultivation is low and I am not good at killing. It would be better to give this spot in the demon-hunting team to fellow Daoist Tongyou from Corpse-Driving Mountain."

(End of this chapter)