Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 332 The Secrets of the Mermaids [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The old merman spoke with a stutter, but after a couple of sentences, he spoke much better.

The surroundings were extremely quiet, and all the mermaids watched obediently, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Ji Yuan stepped forward, bowed to the old merman again, and tentatively asked, "You... can speak human language?"

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to change his words, he saw the old merman wave his hand.

"We were originally human, and even though we have now become merfolk, we are still part of the human race. How can we not speak human language?"

"The Merfolk..."

Ji Yuan recalled the books he had read, and it seemed that there were indeed descriptions of merfolk.

However, most descriptions say that fishermen saw a mermaid with a human body and a fish tail on the beach, and as soon as they saw it, the mermaid immediately returned to the sea.

Or they'll say something like they fell into the sea and were rescued by merfolk.

There wasn't much detailed or systematic description.

"I am the chieftain of the Merfolk tribe here, and my name is... in our human language, it should be Yu Yuan. Originally, everyone in our Merfolk tribe could speak the elegant language, but since we have never seen a living person, it has gradually become the case that only the chieftain has to learn the elegant language."

"Elegant language, so this is what we call elegant language..." Ji Yuan silently noted it down, just as he was about to speak.

But then Yu Yuan turned around slightly.

"Fellow Daoist has come from afar and has even saved our people. You are an honored guest of our Merfolk. Please follow me."

After Yu Yuan finished speaking, he swam back in the direction he had come from. As he passed by the merfolk, he spoke a few words in their language.

Ji Yuan didn't know what he was saying, only that after he finished speaking, the merfolk all bowed to him.

Moreover, he placed his right hand in front of his chest and bowed deeply to himself in a grand gesture.

Fortunately, Ji Yuan had experienced many big events and was not flustered. He simply nodded to both sides and followed the old merman away.

After he passed by the many mermaids, they stood up, but they were much more excited than before.

They kept talking.

It exhaled a series of bubbles.

Ji Yuan was walking when, as if suddenly sensing something, he stopped and tentatively activated a wisp of spiritual energy.

As a result... no water blade appeared!

There are no water blades here!

Yu Yuan, who was ahead, noticed his unusual behavior and turned around, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Fellow Daoist, is there something you're worried about?"

"No, may I ask, senior, does your place not have any water blades?" Ji Yuan asked in return.

Upon hearing this question, Yu Yuan smiled.

"Indeed, this is the key to our Merfolk's survival here. We are constantly attacked by water blades outside, but this place is a peaceful one."

...Without the water blade, I can use magic, which makes me feel safer.

Ji Yuan nodded admiringly, "It is indeed a treasure land."

After Yu Yuan finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly realize something, and the warm expression on his face suddenly froze.

He admitted that he was indeed overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of the humans and had forgotten to be vigilant... he even assumed that all humans were good people.

Suddenly, he remembered an ancestral motto passed down from his ancestors.

That is, "Of all the races in the world, the human race is the most cunning!"

Ji Yuan could tell what he was thinking just by looking at him.

But what good is it to have thought of it?

Ji Yuan had already thoroughly explored this place with his divine sense. The strongest person in the area that his divine sense could perceive was... in terms of physical cultivation, he was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

It's really good, but unfortunately there's only one.

They are currently practicing boxing in a mountain cave. Ji Yuan has watched it several times with his divine sense and has already memorized the boxing technique.

The boxing technique was useful, but it was no longer of much use to Ji Yuan.

What Ji Yuan is most curious about regarding the Merfolk is the tattoos that can be applied to the body to enhance one's strength.

"Senior, please rest assured. I only fell into this Fallen Immortal Ravine by chance. I was just thinking of asking you how to escape. I have no intention of staying here for long, so please don't worry."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan's expression softened slightly.

"It's alright, it's alright, fellow Daoist, you're being too polite."

Yu Yuan continued to lead the way, eventually leading Ji Yuan into a cave inside the mountain wall. Ji Yuan noticed them as soon as they entered.

Of the four guards who had crab tattoos, one of them is now missing.

Judging from that direction, they must be going to invite that merman whose physique has reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ji Yuan wasn't worried; he simply sat down as Yu Yuan had arranged.

If nothing unexpected happens, this cave should be the council hall of this merfolk, or rather, their... ancestral hall.

Upon arriving at this location, the remaining three guards also looked Ji Yuan up and down with curious eyes.

Yu Yuan was a little calmer. He first had several beautiful mermaid women serve Ji Yuan something that looked like tea.

Ji Yuan was also curious as to why there was tea in the seawater.

However, it seems that the two are not compatible.

Ji Yuan took it, but dared not drink it, so he placed it on the table.

Yu Yuan chuckled and said, "The last time a human visited our Merfolk was back when my great-great-grandfather was still alive. Nowadays, none of us have ever seen a human, so we are inevitably a little curious about you, fellow Daoist. Please forgive us."

"It's alright, I'm quite curious about you all too."

Ji Yuan smiled and said, "By the way, I just heard you say, senior, that you were also human before? Then how come you are now..."

Speaking of this, Yu Yuan also put away his smile, sighed, and said, "I don't know the specifics very well. Our Merfolk have very few written records left behind; most of it has been passed down orally."

"I remember that around that time, a turmoil swept across our entire continent of Jiyuan. Countless cultivators fled, some to isolated islands, others to other continents, and of course, some, like our ancestors, escaped into the Endless Sea."

"Perhaps it was because of the cultivation techniques they practiced at the time, or for some other reason, they survived in this underwater world. Later, through generations of reproduction, somehow they became mermaids."

Yu Yuan spread his hands, speaking in a rather helpless tone.

From a scientific perspective, this should be considered human degeneration?

It's still "survival of the fittest".

Ji Yuan inwardly complained, but he also grasped the key point Yu Yuan had made: this was indeed the Abyss Continent.

"What a turmoil that was, senior, are you aware of it?"

Yu Yuan shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

Ji Yuan then asked, "Does Senior know how to return to the Abyss Continent? I accidentally fell into the Fallen Immortal Ravine and fled for my life before finally arriving at your place."

"If you want to return to the Abyss Continent..." Yu Yuan sighed, "Going back won't be that easy."

"How so?"

Ji Yuan wasn't discouraged. He didn't care about the simplicity of the situation; as long as he could get through, that was enough. He couldn't possibly live in this Fallen Immortal Valley forever.

"Although I don't know how you ended up here, if you want to return to the Abyss Continent from here, you must first pass through the territory of a fourth-tier sea beast, and then cross the Ascension Gate. The Ascension Gate opens once every three years, and it was only recently that it opened. If you want to go back, you will have to wait at least three years."

Yu Yuan patiently explained, "The Ascension Gate is the dividing line between our Fallen Immortal Valley and the Abyss Continent. Once you pass through the Ascension Gate, you will be back on the Abyss Continent, and there will be no more water blades or gales."

"Is that so...?"

Ji Yuan can afford to wait a mere three years.

"Exactly."

Yu Yuan nodded slightly.

"I wonder how difficult it will be to pass through the territory of those fourth-tier sea beasts and cross the Gate of Ascension?" Ji Yuan asked cautiously.

Yu Yuan did not respond immediately.

Because he knew that his next answer would most likely involve the safety of the entire clan.

If it were just him alone, that would be fine, but the lives of the entire clan rest on his shoulders... He does have a way, but the prerequisite is to judge whether the person in front of him is good or bad.

It can't be too bad, according to Zhong Gou. This person saved their lives as soon as he appeared, then helped deal with the sea monster, and even offered to help bring the sea monster's carcass back.

A person who can do this can't be a bad person at heart.

Otherwise, if someone were truly malicious and evil, they would most likely arrest them immediately and then threaten and interrogate them.

Of course, the main point is that he has already come here. If we refuse him now... what if he suddenly retaliates?

Even Rinko doesn't have the power to kill a Sea Crocodile Beast with a single punch.

After pondering for a long time, Yu Yuan finally had no choice but to say, "It's not difficult. We have a way to safely pass through the territory of these fourth-tier sea beasts and directly reach the Ascension Gate."

"The Ascension Gate is not difficult. Although it was a barrier a long time ago, it is now riddled with holes. After three years, many gaps will appear, and you can easily pass through."

"That's good, that's good."

Ji Yuan spoke very slowly, as if he was thinking, but also as if he was giving Yu Yuan time.

Fortunately, Yu Yuan, being the patriarch of this mermaid clan, was no fool. Seeing Ji Yuan's expression, he immediately smiled and said, "In that case, why don't you stay with us mermaids for now, and wait three years? Then I'll send someone to escort you to the Ascension Gate, what do you say?"

"this……"

Ji Yuan was very tempted, but maintained just the right amount of hesitation.

Just then, he sensed a presence rushing towards him.

He turned his head and saw an extremely large mermaid burst in from outside the door. With a flick of its tail, it was in front of Yu Yuan and was saying something very excitedly.

Yu Yuan frowned as she explained to him.

Ji Yuan sat comfortably.

Before long, the mermaid seemed to notice Ji Yuan's presence. At first, she looked at him with great curiosity, and then spoke in an extremely unfriendly tone.

Ji Yuan didn't understand, but he frowned.

Yu Yuan scolded him a few times, then hurriedly explained to Ji Yuan.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't be offended. This Fierce Tiger has no ill intentions. He just thinks no one can kill the Sea Crocodile Beast with one punch. That's just his nature... He's quite competitive."

"Oh?"

Ji Yuan smiled, then stood up and rubbed his wrist.

Yu Yuan saw through his plan and was about to speak, but it was too late.

Because Ji Yuan had already made his move, he first pressed down on the head of the Fiery Tiger with one hand. The force of the blow instantly calmed the mermaid down. Then he punched the Fiery Tiger in the abdomen.

The latter let out a muffled groan.

He was sent flying like a cannonball, passing right through the door frame and leaving only a long trail of bubbles in his wake.

As soon as Ji Yuan made his move, the remaining three guards also made their move, pointing their spears at Ji Yuan, with a bloody aura emanating from behind them.

Yu Yuan quickly stepped in front of Ji Yuan and shouted at the merfolk.

Only then did the latter stop.

Before they could even wait a breath, the tiger that had been shot by Ji Yuan swam back.

Moreover, as soon as he arrived, he stood in front of Ji Yuan, chattering excitedly. His eyes showed no anger at being knocked away, but only admiration, eyes full of worship.

This scene left not only the three merman guards stunned, but even Yu Yuan took a while to react before looking at Ji Yuan in astonishment and hurriedly explaining:

"Fellow Daoist, Lin Hu says he wants to become your disciple and begs you to accept him."

He said he was willing to give you everything he had, including his wife.

Ji Yuan's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this.

He knew perfectly well why; it was simply because his punch had cleared the long-standing blood clots in the merman's body, allowing his strength to improve once again.

As for taking on disciples... Ji Yuan had no such intention at all.

"Forget it, I'll stay here for a while, and maybe I can give him some pointers then."

Ji Yuan waved his hand and revealed his plan.

Yu Yuan was overjoyed to hear this.

Whether it was genuine joy or helplessness, Ji Yuan didn't know. At least on the surface, they seemed genuinely happy, and even arranged for Ji Yuan to stay in the most luxurious residence of their merfolk tribe.

Unfortunately, Ji Yuan rejected him.

He then requested a very secluded but very large cave dwelling.

The reason for this is that Ji Yuan has too many buildings to accommodate, and if the cave dwelling is not big enough, it simply cannot accommodate them all.

As for the man named Lin Hu, he seemed to really want to become Ji Yuan's disciple. After Ji Yuan's residence was settled, he immediately summoned dozens of male merfolk, saying that he wanted to clean his master's cave.

Ji Yuan naturally refused this offer.

He scanned the huge cave with his divine sense. The cave was divided into two stone halls, front and back, and was shaped like a gourd.

The stone hall in front is relatively small, while the cave at the back is very tall.

After arriving here, he first threw out the array flag of the Reversal of the Martial World Array. After the array was set up, he directly activated the second layer of the array's effect, Reversal of the Martial World, which pumped out all the seawater in the cave.

Immediately afterwards, another fire spell cleared the way, burning the entire cave.

The architectural effects of the [Cave Mansion] are only unlocked at the very end.

It calms the mind and concentrates the breath, while also dispelling all dust and odors.

Looking at the clean and tidy cave, and sensing the abundant magical power within his dantian.

Ji Yuan raised his hand and put away the Soul-Devouring Armor, revealing his true appearance. At the same time, he finally stretched comfortably.

The blue robe that Jiang Hong had previously ripped has been replaced, but even though it has been replaced, it is still a blue robe.

Thinking of this, Ji Yuan was still stunned for a moment.

When did I start wearing blue robes...? It seems like it was when Du Wanyi gave me the robes and said that blue robes looked good. After that, Ji Yuan changed all his spirit robes to blue.

"We've been stuck in this Fallen Immortal Valley for so long, I wonder how Second Sister is doing."

"Not only will we have to wait three more years in this Fallen Immortal Valley, but with the time wasted on the journey before, the total time with my second sister has been delayed by more than four years."

"Hopefully nothing unexpected will happen."

Ji Yuan was worried about one thing: he was afraid that Du Wanyi would try to go back along that passage if she saw that he hadn't come over for a long time.

But now the passage is destroyed, and if she were to step into it, she would likely face a near-death experience.

"But given my second sister's cautious nature, she must know to scout ahead first. If she finds something amiss, she certainly won't go any further."

Ji Yuan was worried, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

He planned to settle down for a while, so he asked Yu Yuan for a route map and decided to go check out the Ascension Gate first.

If we can get out, let's leave now; if we can't, we can come back.

For now, let's release the buildings and spirit pets first. We've been holding back for so long, we can't let them get too frustrated.

After some thought, Ji Yuan decided to put all the buildings inside the large stone chamber at the back.

The outer stone chamber, once you've placed the [Scripture Repository] and [Enlightenment Chamber] there, should be about ready.

After arriving at the cave, he first released the two ice dragons.

Seeing the two of them rolling around everywhere as soon as they came out, Ji Yuan felt a little warm towards them.

Of course, Tu Yue was also seen.

Next are the [Honeycomb] and [Ant Nest], and these two buildings also need to be released for production to continue.

Placing them in the spirit beast pouch can only keep them alive for a short time.

Next are things like the fishpond and the pigsty.

The chicken coop can be placed inside the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, which is extremely convenient.

"It seems that after we go to the Abyss Continent, one of our main objectives will be to collect Void Stones to continue to contain buildings and improve our strength."

After the buildings were mostly in place, Ji Yuan's gaze fell on another building.

That is the [mass grave].

Originally, there weren't enough Foundation Establishment stage corpses needed to upgrade the [Mass Burial Mound], but after killing the Poisonous Flood Dragon Venerable and Granny Xuan Sha at the old site of the Water Dragon Sect, Ji Yuan found a lot of Foundation Establishment cultivator corpses in their storage bags.

They were both Core Formation cultivators from Blood Luo Mountain.

It's only natural that there would be such a good thing in the storage bag.

So, now that we've collected 100 Foundation Establishment stage corpses, the next step is naturally to upgrade this [Mass Grave] and obtain the legendary "Yin Corpse Demon Fire".

Thinking about this, Ji Yuan felt a sense of anticipation.

Once we get our hands on this, it will definitely be another powerful tool to boost our strength.

Just thinking about the storage bag reminded Ji Yuan of Ran Kui's corpse.

His initial excitement quickly faded.

"Ugh."

Ji Yuan gently swept his right hand across the ground, and his senior brother appeared on the ground.

(End of this chapter)