Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 315 Reunited with an Old Friend [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The night was dark and the wind was high.

"laugh--"

With a flash of green light, a dark shadow streaked across the night sky and fell headlong into the swamp ahead.

Another, even faster black shadow swept past, and the falling shadow, along with the blood-red flying boat, vanished without a sound.

Even the chirping of insects in the swamp was not interrupted.

Unknown treetops.

A dark shadow flashed by, revealing a figure dressed in black. He weighed the storage bag in his hand and uttered two words indifferently.

"Poor wretch."

Then he took out another storage bag, glanced at the neatly arranged corpses around him, and muttered to himself:

"Killing this demonic cultivator means we've finally completed more than half of the 100 Foundation Establishment cultivator corpses needed to upgrade the [Mass Burial Mound]."

"The remaining 50 bodies, at this rate, will only take four or five months at most, and that's assuming there's no large-scale killing spree."

"Having killed more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators in this area, Old Demon Qiu's name has spread far and wide. It seems it's time to find another place to reap the rewards."

"However, it would be better to go back to the island first. This overseas island is not the same as before. Without anyone to look after it, even with the formation there, it is not safe."

With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan leaped up and headed straight east.

……

Several days later.

East of the Canglu Continent lies an unknown sea.

A Buddhist ship suddenly emerged from the sea, but it only appeared on the surface for a fleeting moment before disappearing again.

...Fortunately, there was no one around, so it seems no one noticed this place.

Having already passed through the Stardust Illusion Killing Array and returned to the isolated island overseas, Ji Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as the home is still there, that's good.

This island was found by him after returning from the Abyss Continent. It is located south of Black Dragon Island and is still within the control of the Water Dragon Sect. It has not yet reached the territory of the Joyful Palace.

It had been four months since he returned.

Over the past four months, he first settled down in his cave dwelling, set up formations, and released some buildings before returning to the mainland to hunt down Foundation Establishment cultivators.

While doing so, they also inquired about news from the Canglu Continent.

As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, quite a few were killed.

Qiu Qianhai's name had spread somewhat; at least in some places, the mere mention of "Old Demon Qiu" was enough to send some Foundation Establishment cultivators fleeing.

But that's not enough; the name still isn't prestigious enough.

In addition, there are the major events that have occurred on the Canglu Continent.

During this time, Ji Yuan had also been inquiring and keeping an eye out.

There are two major things.

First, there was finally some unusual activity in the Palace of Joy.

Following the escape of the Water Dragon Sect to the south and the surrender of Medicine King Valley, Joy Palace... disappeared.

It's not that the one that was wiped out didn't exist.

It's not that it's gone, but that it's missing.

While others might notice the Water Dragon Sect's escape to the Desolate Ancient Continent, no one knew about the disappearance of the Joyful Palace.

It just disappeared completely out of the blue.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that not many of them left in the first place.

The Huanxi Palace fled, but they didn't even take a single Foundation Establishment cultivator with them.

Only the Nascent Soul Ancestor was pleased with the Empress, along with those Core Formation cultivators who ran away.

The rest remained on the Canglu Continent, left to fend for themselves.

For a time, all the cultivators in Shangdong felt quite sentimental.

In the end, these so-called righteous cultivators were only pursuing their own righteous path.

Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

Tsk tsk.

As a result, 99% of the remaining disciples of the Joyful Palace turned to the demonic path, engaging in dual cultivation and absorbing the essence of others, using any means necessary.

Only a very small number retained their original intentions, but they were hunted down and forced to flee in all directions.

At this point, only the Sword Ruins remained of the Six Immortal Sects of Shangdong.

They are still struggling to hold on in the Shangshan Mountains.

I heard that the demonic path tried to persuade them to surrender more than once, but Sword Ruins only responded with one sentence each time.

"There are no spineless cowards in the Sword Ruins!!!"

Sword Ruins, on his own, managed to hold back many of the demonic forces.

At the same time, Sword Ruins also became a source of faith for the remaining righteous cultivators in Shangdong.

Even Ji Yuan was extremely impressed after hearing about the Sword Ruins.

The Six Immortals Gate of Shangdong.

Only the Sword Ruins are the most righteous path.

...I wonder how that fellow Daoist Changkun is doing now.

Ji Yuan didn't have much contact with Sword Ruins. The only person he had any connection with was Chang Kun, whom he met at the Alchemy Workshop.

Secondly.

This makes things even bigger.

Because people from the Abyss Continent have arrived, and they seem to have already fought with the people here as soon as they arrived on the Azure Fall Continent.

The battle between Nascent Soul cultivators took place over the eastern sea of ​​the Cangluo Continent.

Ji Yuan is not very clear.

Because when he returned from the Abyss Continent, he heard that the battle was over.

Nobody knows what happened in the end.

In short, after the fight, all those Nascent Soul stage monsters disappeared.

Hua Yaoyue is gone, and the sect is gone.

Ji Yuan had no way of contacting "high society" and had no idea what had happened.

What he was most curious about was how the people from the Abyss Continent got here. Could it be that there were other passages?

We can't just force our way in.

It's not that a Nascent Soul cultivator can't get through this wind barrier.

"Shangxi has basically taken over Shangdong. Jianxu... won't be able to hold out for long. Now the people from Jiyuan Continent have come over. I don't know how this matter will eventually turn out."

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment and then landed on this island.

A sweep of divine sense.

The output from the [Pigpen] and [Fishpond] has been collected. The remaining [Beehouse] is also steadily producing Soul-Devouring Bees, continuing to grow the bee colony and constantly adding bricks and tiles to the name of "Insect Demon".

As for the [wine cellar], Ji Yuan, adhering to the principle of "why not use it if it's free," also released it.

Although he had already separated from Hua Yaoyue, brewing wine had become a habit for Ji Yuan. He was even thinking about what kind of wine he should offer Hua Yaoyue when they met again.

The remaining resource is the [Spirit Field], which is also a valuable resource that Ji Yuan dares not waste.

The production of "Dan Yuan Fruit" is still a long way off.

However, the corpse puppet receiving welfare here is not Tu Yue.

It's not safe here. If a Core Formation cultivator targets this place and breaks in, and I happen to be away from home, then this corpse puppet will be in danger.

Such a dangerous task could not be undertaken by Tu Yue, so Ji Yuan placed the old woman at the peak of Qi Refining on the fifth day of the lunar month here.

Anyway, all you have to do is collect the minimum living allowance every day, it's very simple.

As for Tu Yue, she should just stay obediently in Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and collect spirit stones every day.

As for pretending to be alive, Ji Yuan had secretly tried it. He first placed the cave dwelling outside and then had someone stay inside it.

Finally, I tried using the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to hide the [Cave Mansion].

The attempt was unsuccessful.

It can hold chickens and pigs, but not living people.

As for living people, currently only Ji Yuan himself can enter.

It's probably because the [Cave Heaven] level isn't high enough. Once the building's level is higher, we'll definitely be able to put living people into the [Cave Abode] and then store the Cave Abode in our dantian.

That will be the perfect time to keep a mistress hidden away.

Now all we can do is work honestly.

Ji Yuan took the storage bag from the corpse puppet, put the contents into his own pocket, and then went to the [Scripture Pavilion] inside the cave to cultivate and comprehend the cultivation techniques.

【The Nine Tribulations Sword Manual of Canglan】

[Proficiency: 96/100]

Ji Yuan glanced at the words on the wall. He was very close to comprehending the Dao of Core Formation, but it was also becoming increasingly difficult.

Even with the combined help of the [Scripture Pavilion] and the [Enlightenment Chamber], Ji Yuan still needs one or two months to increase his skill proficiency by even one point.

Ultimately, the level of this [Enlightenment Room] is not high enough.

At level 2, you can only increase your comprehension by 30%.

Not really, not really.

In short, it's definitely not that I lack understanding; it's just that the building's level is insufficient.

But if you want to upgrade this [Enlightenment Room] again...

[Upgrade Requirements: 600 mid-grade spirit stones; one each of the third-tier metal, wood, water, fire, and earth demon pills; one branch of the Transparent Fruit Tree. (Not yet achieved)]

Ji Yuan can now gather both spirit stones and demon cores.

There has been no clue about this translucent fruit tree.

Ji Yuan had previously asked Li Changhe, who said that the last spirit fruit tree on the Canglu Continent had perished ten thousand years ago.

Hua Yaoyue also said that there are no spirit fruit trees on the Canglu Continent.

We can only wait until we reach the Abyss Continent to see if there is any news.

This is already the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage; with a little more cultivation, it will take several months.

When Ji Yuan opened his eyes again, he saw that the number on the wall had jumped from 96 to 97.

This immediately put him in a great mood.

This kind of cultivation method, where you can see the progress bar, is truly delightful.

Therefore, after clearing the border, he did not linger and left the isolated island in a hurry after receiving his subsistence allowance.

Upon returning, the natural course of action is to continue hunting down Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Last time, we went to the territory of the Water Dragon Sect, and we made a name for ourselves there.

Of course, the main problem is that it's quite difficult to find a Foundation Establishment cultivator who is alone.

So Ji Yuan plans to go a little further south this time to check out the territory of Huanxi Palace.

With the Joyful Palace just gone, this region is in a state of chaos, and there might just be a good opportunity to hunt.

"While we're at it, let's see if we can buy any corpses. Blood Luo Mountain may be powerful, but surely they can't reach this far, can they?"

Thinking of this.

Ji Yuan swayed slightly in the air, transforming from Ji Yuan in green robes into Ji Yuan in black robes.

He then accelerated again, a black streak of light flashed, and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

In the blink of an eye.

It was a month after Ji Yuan arrived in the territory of the Joyful Palace. In a small tavern within a fairy city called Peony City.

He was sitting in a corner drinking, while also slightly releasing his divine sense to inquire about the surrounding news.

Before long, he heard what he wanted to hear.

"Have you heard of the 'Old Demon Qiu' who has appeared in our area recently? He is extremely ruthless and even killed the three heroes of the Mo family."

...The three heroes of the Mo family should be the three Foundation Establishment cultivators killed that day. The one with the highest cultivation level was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment, so there was no challenge.

Ji Yuan picked up the wine and took a small sip.

"Heh, what kind of old demon is this? He's just a righteous sect who specifically targets and kills us demonic cultivators."

"Brother Duan, you are mistaken. He killed even cultivators from the Joyful Palace and the Medicine King Valley without the slightest hesitation."

"What? Even righteous people are being killed? That's definitely a bit sinister."

"..."

Ji Yuan took another sip of his drink and shook his head.

It was like tasting wine, but in reality, it was just a response to that person.

Although he killed many cultivators from Medicine King Valley and Joy Palace, those he killed... were actually no different from the demonic path.

They commit all sorts of evil deeds and have absolutely no moral bottom line as cultivators.

Take, for example, the female cultivator from the Joyful Palace whom he killed not long ago. He even found pleasure in torturing her during the process of absorbing her essence.

What use are these cultivators?

Ji Yuan then sent him to his death with a single sword strike.

...However, after listening for so long, it seems that nothing major has happened on the Canglu Continent.

It's still pretty much the same as before.

Ji Yuan was most curious about the visitors from the Abyss Continent, but no news of them leaked out.

Just as he was about to pay for the drinks and run away, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and suddenly noticed a young man hurriedly leaving outside the window, with a heavy expression on his face.

That aura... why does it feel so familiar?

Ji Yuan scanned the area with his divine sense and found nothing unusual.

He immediately focused his mind, and his mid-stage Core Formation divine sense pressed down, instantly seeing through the person's disguise.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it; Ji Yuan was actually quite pleased.

Because the person with the panicked expression was none other than Ji Yuan's old friend.

A dear old friend.

Demonic Cultivator - Huli!

Ji Yuan first met him, also to buy this immortal material.

The second time we met was at the ruins of an ancient battlefield.

This is the third time.

Seeing his hurried and panicked appearance, Ji Yuan guessed the reason.

Why?

That was naturally because he had heard the name of his old friend.

Because whether it was the first or the second meeting, Ji Yuan used the name Qiu Qianhai.

Even now...

But how did he end up in the territory of the Joyful Palace again?

After meeting him repeatedly, Ji Yuan felt that he and he were truly destined to be together. In addition, since so much time had passed since the previous incident, he no longer had the idea of ​​killing him.

Thinking of this, Ji Yuan decided to follow them and take a look.

Anyway, nothing much has happened lately.

He gave Huli a mental mark and then followed behind at a leisurely pace.

He eventually arrived at a courtyard in the city after many twists and turns.

This must be his lodging in Peony City.

Ji Yuan sat down in the teahouse opposite his house, and set up a formation outside the courtyard.

But what does it matter?

While no one was paying attention, Ji Yuan released his Eye of Truth and scanned the formation, immediately discerning its flaws. Then, his divine sense invaded it.

Ji Yuan was somewhat surprised from the first glance at the interior of the courtyard.

Because the courtyard was filled with many materials: Evil Yellow Powder, Earth Spirit Water, Heavenly Spring Liquid, Black Demon Flower...

It's not exactly precious, but it's still quite rare.

But when all these materials were put together, Ji Yuan began to see some clues.

These magical materials all seem to be related to cultivating spirit insects.

For example, when Ji Yuan was still in the Water Dragon Sect, he bought this Black Demon Flower on the Island of All Things to cultivate Soul-Devouring Bees.

The evil yellow powder is used to cultivate a kind of spirit insect called "army ant".

Earthly water is an excellent source of nourishment for "corpse worms".

"Could it be that Hu Li has taken the path of insect cultivation? But wasn't he a formation cultivator before? Those thirty-six smoke arrays, though rather useless, were still quite effective against cultivators who didn't know formations."

Meanwhile, Hu Li was sitting in the courtyard, feeling restless.

Ji Yuan even noticed that his forehead was covered with a dense layer of sweat.

He looked around at the materials, seemingly hesitating whether or not to run away.

After all, Ji Yuan had witnessed his ability to run away.

We finally managed to run into him this time, we can't let him get away again, can we?

Ji Yuan then transmitted his thoughts, and the voice that sounded like a nightmare to Hu Li instantly echoed in Hu Li's sea of ​​consciousness.

The voice said:

"I still need a few more Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Hu has any?"

"If not, then Fellow Daoist Hu will have to make do with being a precious material himself."

When Huli heard the voice, he instinctively shivered.

His first reaction was to take out a talisman from his storage bag.

But before he could infuse it with spiritual energy...

He then saw a figure appear in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished, along with the talisman he was holding.

"This is a nice gift, so I'll reluctantly accept it."

The moment the voice came from behind, Hu Li's knees buckled, and he could no longer hold on, so he knelt down.

After Ji Yuan put away the talisman and the Sky Shuttle, he turned around to look at his "old friend" who seemed to have given up resisting.

"Why did you stop running?"

Ji Yuan asked with a half-smile.

"I'm not running anymore, I'll never run again."

Hu Li said tearfully, "Senior, I have no grudge against you, why are you holding me hostage?"

"I'm also curious why you always follow me around."

Ji Yuan smiled and glanced around. "Alright, if I really wanted to kill you, do you think you'd be alive by now?"

Get up.

Upon hearing this, Hu Li quickly reached out and wiped away non-existent tears from his face, saying, "Okay, okay."

After getting up, he stood behind Ji Yuan, grinning obsequiously.

"Weren't you a formation cultivator before? Why are you now eyeing insect cultivators?"

Ji Yuan looked around at the immortal materials and asked casually.

Hu Li dared not conceal anything and immediately replied, "Reporting to Senior, this is not my own possession."

"I recently sought refuge with a demonic insect cultivator from Shangxi, and these are the things he asked me to collect."

"Oh? A bug cultivator from Shangxi?"

Ji Yuan became interested as soon as he heard that.

"That's right. His name is the Hundred Insect Immortal. He has many strange insects under his command. Although he is only at the early stage of Core Formation, he has a great reputation in Shangxi. It is said that he can face mid-stage Core Formation demonic cultivators head-on, and even some late-stage Core Formation demonic cultivators are willing to give him face."

Huli explained in detail.

"So, you're quite strong."

Ji Yuan became more cautious.

Hu Li continued, "That's right. I've followed him for several years and have noticed some signs."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"This person seems to possess a lineage that allows him to cultivate and improve all kinds of strange insects. His famous insect, the army ant, has been improved by him into the Blazing Army Ant, which is incredibly powerful."

...To improve the wonders of the world's insects?

What a boastful tone!

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan became even more interested.

If I could get my hands on this, even if it couldn't improve my own Soul-Devouring Bee, as long as it could lead to the birth of a third-tier queen bee, it would be worth it!

"What, you're following him? Are you perhaps after this inheritance?"

Ji Yuan glanced at the handsome demonic cultivator in front of him and smiled with narrowed eyes.

(End of this chapter)