Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 344, Level 4 [Fishpond]; Level 2 [Ant Nest] (Long chapter of 10,000 words)

The book also contains a general description of Liuyuan.

"Liu Yuan, a rogue cultivator, known as the 'Wine Sword Master,' settled in Xijing City three years ago. He once forced back the mid-stage Core Formation True Man, Fu Hai, with nine sword strikes, making him famous throughout Xijing. It is said that Tian Sha Mountain, Yun Ya Temple, and Xuan Qing Sect all invited him to their homes, but he refused them all. He is extremely fond of wine and is skilled in the Wine Sword Technique."

Below is an illustration depicting Liu Yuan.

Ji Yuan took a look.

To put it in high EQ, they are somewhat similar.

If you have low emotional intelligence, then that's abstract.

But he was certain that this Drunken Sword Master Liu Yuan must be his old friend.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan lost all interest in reading further.

He has only one thought right now: to find Liu Yuan first.

Fortunately, this Sword Master was somewhat of a celebrity in the Western Border City, and since he didn't have any enemies, he didn't deliberately hide his cave in the Western Border City.

Ji Yuan simply spent money to find a few cultivators, and soon found Liu Yuan's cave.

Upon approaching, Ji Yuan took out a long-lost golden communication talisman from his storage bag.

Looking at the talisman in his hand, Ji Yuan couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

In this situation, it can be considered as meeting an old friend in a foreign land, especially on the Extreme Abyss Continent... two fellow disciples reunited.

Before he knew it, Ji Yuan's hand holding the communication talisman was trembling.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure, instead channeling spiritual energy into it, and simultaneously using his divine sense to transmit his voice in that familiar, elegant language:

"Ji Yuan, a cultivator from the Water Dragon Sect, has come to pay his respects. I wonder if the Drunken Sword Master has time to meet him?"

"..."

"Um?"

Inside a mountain cave, Liu Yuan, who was leisurely drinking, suddenly felt a slight vibration coming from his storage bag.

He was already slightly tipsy, so he didn't even look up. He simply reached down to his waist, without thinking much or even glancing at it, and directly infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy.

When that familiar voice rang in his mind, he... froze.

He, who was originally lying on the jade bed, subconsciously got up. His magical power surged and the smell of alcohol disappeared instantly.

"Who...who is this?"

As Liu Yuan muttered to himself, he suddenly looked down at the communication talisman in his hand. The moment he saw it clearly, his figure transformed into a streak of light blue light and disappeared from the spot.

Standing outside the cave's array, Ji Yuan was casually surveying his surroundings. He had to admit that this Core Formation Realm cave was much better than his own.

Unfortunately, the Western Border City judges people by their strength.

Oh no, it's not just West City, the entire Abyss Continent is like this.

Such a cave dwelling, which only Core Formation cultivators can rent, is something that Ji Yuan cannot afford no matter how rich he is.

After all, no Core Formation cultivator wants a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator living next to their cave dwelling; they would only feel looked down upon.

Ji Yuan was lost in thought when he suddenly saw a beam of light emerge from the mountain and land directly in front of him, transforming into a very familiar figure.

Seeing his long-lost old friend, Ji Yuan suppressed his excitement and solemnly bowed to him.

"Junior Li Changshou greets Senior Liu."

For a pseudo-core cultivator, addressing a core-forming cultivator as "senior" is perfectly normal.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan suppressed the urge to punch him, and could only calmly nod, "No need for formalities, please follow me."

After saying this, he led Ji Yuan and they transformed into a beam of light, returning to his cave.

They had just passed through the formation and landed.

Liu Yuan excitedly hugged Ji Yuan tightly.

"I...you...do you know what I've been through all these years?!"

"Why are you only arriving now?"

"Is everything alright on the Canglu Continent?"

"Shouldn't you have come much sooner?"

Upon meeting, Liu Yuan bombarded Liu Yuan with a barrage of questions.

Ji Yuan patted him on the back and couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, Brother Liu, where's your composure? If outsiders saw this, who knows what they would think of us."

"I have no homosexual tendencies!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan immediately released his grip, took a few steps back, and straightened his clothes.

"Ahem, the main thing is that it's been a bit tough for me to be here on the Abyss Continent all by myself. I'm so excited to finally see Brother Ji."

Please forgive me.

After saying that, he also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Ji Yuan.

"alright."

Ji Yuan glanced to the side and saw the wine that Liu Yuan had just been drinking. He then took out a flask of wine from his storage bag and tossed it over.

"Same as always, drink mine."

"Hey, I've been waiting for this."

Liu Yuan took the bottle, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp.

The "Wishful Thinking Wine" itself has the effect of amplifying one's mood, so Liu Yuan, who was already happy and joyful, could hardly hide his delight.

"Again."

He casually extended his right hand to Ji Yuan, looking like he was asking for a freebie.

Ji Yuan was already used to this. He took out more than ten pots and placed them on the table. The two then sat down separately, and Ji Yuan asked, "When did you achieve the Core Formation?"

"Alright, never mind my business, let's talk about yours first."

Liu Yuan seemed to realize something, his heart sinking, before he slowly said, "Have you heard about Old Devil Ji's matter?"

"Yes, I understand the situation."

Ji Yuan, with a sullen face, also picked up the wine pot, took a sip, and said, "When I first came here, I didn't know the situation and was even mistaken for that old devil Ji and chased after. That's why I changed my name to Li Changshou."

He clenched his fist as he spoke.

"Who the hell is it that made me take the blame?"

In front of his old friends, Ji Yuan had no inhibitions and said whatever he wanted.

"You go first. Have you found out anything about the situation?"

"I can say with certainty that it is absolutely not a coincidence."

Liu Yuan stroked the wine jug in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Look at these, these are the portraits of that 'Old Devil Ji' that I've collected over the years."

After Liu Yuan finished speaking, he flicked his right hand, and dozens of open sheets of white paper immediately appeared on the table.

Ji Yuan released his divine sense and looked through a few more pages, only to discover...

"You'll see that every time this old devil appears, his appearance changes slightly, but overall, he looks extremely similar to your original appearance, plus you share the same name..."

Liu Yuan spread his hands and said, "Okay, I admit, when I first heard about this, I thought that this Old Devil Ji was you."

"I even wondered if you were the clone of some important person, or if your soul had split in two, one in the east and one in the west."

Liu Yuan's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, and by the end, he was looking very intently at Ji Yuan in front of him.

"Actually, I still have this feeling that you...could you really have some big secret?"

"Don't worry, if you can't tell me, I definitely won't ask again."

As Liu Yuan spoke, he leaned back and returned to his original position.

However, his gaze never left Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan held the wine jug in his hand, refraining from drinking. After pondering for a while, he finally said, "Regarding my identity... I can guarantee there are absolutely no problems. Do you believe me if I say that?"

"letter."

Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Yuan blurted out, "If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?"

"Then there's no problem."

Ji Yuan shook his head. "I've been here for a while now and have done a lot of research. This person impersonating me... definitely knows me."

"You mean... this person also came from Canglu?"

"It's pretty close to the truth, otherwise why would they keep using elegant language?"

Ji Yuan countered with a question.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan's lips twitched slightly. He then spoke to Ji Yuan in the local dialect of the Abyss Continent, saying, "Speaking of this, it took me quite a bit of effort to learn the elegant language of the Abyss Continent."

"Damn it."

Liu Yuan rarely swore, "In the end, I had to capture a rogue cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, imprison him for a few months, and force him to learn the local dialect."

"Otherwise, you'll be laughed at as soon as you go out."

"I don't know what's going on here. It's a continent that's much bigger than our Canglu Continent, yet they don't speak the elegant language."

Ji Yuan nodded, thinking that if he hadn't just arrived and coincidentally met Mu Xueyao...

He'll probably have to go through a lot of trouble to learn the local dialect.

"But I heard before that Old Demon Ji went to our Canglu, but not long ago I heard that he is still here in the Abyss Continent. It's hard to tell what's going on," Liu Yuan said.

Ji Yuan took a sip of his "Follow Your Heart" wine before replying:

"As far as I know, he should have gone to Canglu. Not long ago, I heard that he was still in the Abyss Continent... It was a few Core Formation cultivators from Tian Sha Mountain who encountered me. They mistook me for Old Demon Ji and got into a fight."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan immediately stood up and looked Ji Yuan up and down.

"Good heavens... Tian Sha Mountain... a few Core Formation cultivators... got into a fight..."

As Liu Yuan spoke, he suddenly pointed at him and continued in his dialect:

"Hey, you still say you're not that old devil Ji!"

Ji Yuan could only smile bitterly upon hearing this.

Even Liu Yuan thought so, let alone others. Sometimes even Ji Yuan himself wondered if he really was that old devil Ji.

Without him.

so similar.

"But since that person came from our Cangluo Continent, do you think it's possible that he's a fellow disciple of our Water Dragon Sect?"

Liu Yuan, seemingly lost in thought, asked curiously.

"I don't know."

"By the way, we can check when this Old Demon Ji actually appeared on the Abyss Continent. Then, based on that timeline, you can deduce who you saw before your age... and we'll know who it is, right?"

As Liu Yuan spoke, he clasped his hands together, extremely excited, as if he had come up with a brilliant idea.

"I've already tried."

Ji Yuan shook his head. "We can't find the time when this old devil Ji first appeared, or even the location. There are reports of this old devil Ji appearing in all four directions, and they are all very detailed."

"That……"

Liu Yuan paced back and forth in front of Ji Yuan a few times, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands together, saying, "That's right! Do you think it's possible that this old devil Ji... is actually your father!"

"I remember you said before that your father died young. Is it possible that he didn't die at all, but came to this Abyss Continent? Also, think about it, you come from Yunyuze, have a pseudo-spiritual root, and have achieved what you have today. How bad could your father be?"

...No, I'm strong because I opened it.

Ji Yuan mentally made a comment, but then thought about it again.

What Liu Yuan said makes some sense!

Otherwise, why would this person be using my name, and look exactly like me?

But Ji Yuan couldn't accept this answer and felt it was unlikely.

"Alright, I'll investigate this matter of impersonating me myself." Ji Yuan ended the topic, though he couldn't really explain why he wanted to continue.

Neither of them knew who that old devil Ji was.

I don't know where to look.

All we know is that Ji Yuan has some connection with this old devil Ji. There's not much point in talking about it anymore; at most, we can just exchange some information we've gathered.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it and let you know as soon as I have any news."

Liu Yuan immediately expressed his opinion.

"Well, so what are your plans next...? Going back to Canglu?"

Ji Yuan inquired.

"No, it's not easy to get to the Abyss Continent. There's a wider world here, and even stronger opponents. Why would I go back to Canglu?"

Liu Yuan grinned and said, "If it weren't for staying here to wait for you, I would have already traveled all over the continent."

Ji Yuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, because it was indeed Liu Yuan's personality.

"Now that I'm here and we've met, you can go and explore the Abyss Continent in a little while."

"No."

Liu Yuan shook his head seriously as he spoke. He glanced at Ji Yuan and then said, "You should be close to forming your core by now. I'll leave after you successfully form your core."

What does that mean?

It means that Liu Yuan wants to stay and protect the Dharma in place of Ji Yuan.

Especially in this unfamiliar place, although there is the protection of the Western Border City, there are trustworthy people around... that sense of security is something that inanimate objects like formations cannot compare to.

Ji Yuan remained silent.

He knew that if he went into seclusion, Mu Xueyao would definitely stay behind to protect him.

But Ji Yuan never truly trusted her words.

"Alright, but I'm afraid I'll need to prepare for some time before I can form my core, maybe even ten years."

Ji Yuan spent the last ten years mainly waiting for this third Dan Yuan Fruit.

"Okay, ten years is nothing, no problem."

Liu Yuan agreed without even thinking about it.

Moreover, he also knew that his "Brother Ji the Old Demon" was a pseudo-spiritual root... It was already extremely difficult for a pseudo-spiritual root to reach the current pseudo-core realm.

Not to mention the possibility of forming a core in the future.

The hardships and efforts involved far surpassed any concept of a "heavenly spirit root" or a "true spirit root."

"Is there anything I can help you with? If so, just let me know. I have a few friends and connections in this Western City, so I can help you find something you need."

Liu Yuan patted his chest and said.

The magical wines that Ji Yuan gave him helped him a lot in gaining his current strength.

Otherwise, he would never have been able to comprehend the "Drunken Sword Technique" so quickly.

"Nothing much for now. If anything were to happen, I wouldn't stand on ceremony with you."

Ji Yuan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It's like this, the passage we came through... can you still find it?"

"I had just come out of the passage when I was chased by those Core Formation cultivators from Tian Sha Mountain. There was nowhere to go, no way to escape. Later, I tried to look for them again... but I couldn't find them."

"I think so."

Liu Yuan recalled and said, "What, you're trying to find your way back?"

"No, that's not it. I asked one of my senior sisters to come over first and wait for me here, but I can't find her now."

There was nothing left to hide from Liu Yuan.

And it's not a private matter.

After a moment's thought, Liu Yuan asked, "Could it be the Lord of Tai'an Island?"

"What, you've seen her before?"

Ji Yuan's eyes lit up instantly. If that were the case, that would be wonderful.

"No, I just guessed it was her."

Liu Yuan's shaking of his head extinguished Ji Yuan's excitement.

"This matter is quite important. If Brother Liu has nothing else to do, why don't you take me to find the exit of that passage first?" Ji Yuan suggested.

"Okay, what could I possibly need? I'll just wait for you here."

"Okay, I'll go back and pack. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Before embarking on his long journey, Ji Yuan needed to go back and retrieve some items, such as the Hundred Insect Immortal currently lying in the [Mass Burial Mound].

"it is good."

"..."

Ji Yuan first went back to pack his things, and then told Mu Xueyao that he was going out.

The female cultivator naturally wanted to follow, calling him "Brother Ji" repeatedly, which softened Ji Yuan's heart, but fortunately he was not a soft-hearted person.

After listening, he still firmly refused.

The only reason was to have her keep an eye on things in the Western Border City, in case anything serious happened.

"So, Brother Ji, you're not going to find another sister, are you?"

Mu Xueyao blinked her watery blue eyes, making Ji Yuan unable to look directly at her.

"No, we went to kill people."

Ji Yuan gave a casual reply and then rode away on the Sky-Splitting Boat. After arriving at the west gate of Xijing City and meeting up with Liu Yuan, he put away the boat and instead "boarded" the escape light of the Drunken Sword Master, and they left together.

Previously, the route was heading east; now it's heading west.

In less than half an hour, Ji Yuan realized why he had been unable to find the exit of the passage.

Because Liu Yuan is now leading him straight to the northwest, while the direction he came from earlier was the southwest of this Western Border City.

...So it seems that after I was blown out of that passage, I traveled a very long distance south in this Fallen Immortal Gully, so why didn't I feel anything at the time?

It seems that there are indeed many secrets about the Fallen Immortal Valley.

This will take several more months.

Ji Yuan finally arrived near the exit of the passage from this Western City, but as soon as he arrived, Liu Yuan noticed something was wrong.

"The exit... is gone?!"

He suddenly turned his head to look at Ji Yuan.

"Yeah, next time we go back, we'll have to go through the teleportation array. This Fallen Immortal Valley passage... it's like smuggling, it's fucking dangerous."

Ji Yuan recalled those years in the Fallen Immortal Valley, which were simply a time of utter darkness.

"it is good."

Liu Yuan's intuition told him that the disappearance of this passage must be related to Ji Yuan.

But since Old Devil Ji wouldn't say, he didn't ask.

So Ji Yuan started searching eastward from this place, using his divine sense to search while also making hand seals.

After all, he and Du Wanyi had agreed on more than one way to contact each other.

They continued eastward until they encountered the first island. Ji Yuan suddenly disappeared into it, with Liu Yuan following closely behind. Finally, the two found a tortoise shell covered with symbols under a boulder on the shore.

Ji Yuan quickly deciphered it.

Finally, I received the first message left by Du Wanyi.

"Fourth brother, I've found a place to stay in Yun Kong City, so I'll stay here for now."

"Remember this, never, ever tell anyone that your name is Ji Yuan, or a great disaster will befall you!"

Also, the people on the Abyss Continent speak a dialect. You should find someone to learn the dialect first. Do not speak to anyone in the language of our Canglu Continent, as it will easily cause trouble.

After Ji Yuan finished reading the contents of the letter, Liu Yuan immediately said:

"It seems she also heard about Old Devil Ji's affair, which is why she rushed to leave you a letter."

"Um."

Ji Yuan put away the tortoise shell in his hand and continued to search the island with his divine sense.

Liu Yuan continued, "Yun Kong City is right by the Qingliu River. Shall we go there now?"

"If we keep searching back, we'll surely find other letters."

"it is good."

The two continued eastward, and half a month later, Ji Yuan found a second message on an island reef.

The message was extremely short, simply stating that they were still in Cloud City and safe.

Ji Yuan continued eastward.

This time it took much longer, a full month, before he finally found the tortoise shell left by Du Wanyi on an unnamed island.

There's a lot of content.

Ji Yuan, who was already somewhat worried, became even more concerned after seeing the tortoise shell.

"Fourth brother, why haven't you come yet? Didn't we agree that it would be at most a year? It's been more than two years now. Are you alright?"

I've recently discovered a strange person who keeps following me. No matter where I hide, he always appears around me. He can even easily pass through the formations I set up. I don't know his cultivation level, and I'm very worried... Why aren't you coming over yet?

The strange person was an old woman, dressed in rags like a beggar, with disheveled hair that looked unwashed and covered in mud. Her fingernails were long and slightly curled inwards. The whole person gave me the feeling of a... ghost.

Ji Yuan's hands trembled as he looked at the deciphered letter.

Liu Yuan comforted him, saying, "It's alright, good people are always protected by heaven. Let's go back and check on things quickly."

"Um."

Ji Yuan carefully put away the tortoise shell, and the two continued eastward. This time, they arrived at the west coast of the Extreme Abyss Continent, where they found Du Wanyi's letter again.

"Fourth brother, that strange man is still following me, and he's appearing more and more frequently. I don't dare go out to sea anymore, so I can only leave this message for you here."

I dare not stay in Cloud City any longer. I plan to move to Western Border City; I heard it's safer there… She… she's here, right in front of me.”

The text disappears here.

Ji Yuan seemed to sense Du Wanyi's fear at that moment, because he also subconsciously raised his head.

All that could be seen... was Liuyuan.

"This...this does look a bit strange."

Liu Yuan also had a furrowed brow at this moment.

Why did this elusive person target Du Wanyi instead of others? What is so special about her?

After carefully putting away the last piece of tortoise shell, Ji Yuan took a deep breath.

"Judging from the lingering aura on the tortoise shell, this piece of tortoise shell should have been left a year ago. Let's go to Cloud Sky City again to investigate and see if we can find any clues. If not, let's go back to West Border City. Maybe Second Sister is already there."

"it is good."

Liu Yuan nodded quickly, "Perfect, I know a friend in Xijing City who specializes in tracking clues. I can ask him for information when the time comes."

"Um."

After saying that, the two transformed into streaks of light and arrived straight at Cloud City by the Clear Stream River.

With a Core Formation cultivator like Liu Yuan leading the way, it's quite convenient to inquire about information.

No matter how Ji Yuan inquired or asked, no one had ever heard of any strange old woman following people.

Ji Yuan used Du Wanyi's communication talisman to search the entire Yun Kong City several times, but he still did not receive a reply from Du Wanyi.

In the end, he even released his mid-stage Core Formation divine sense, but still couldn't find it.

Not only did they fail to find Du Wanyi, they couldn't even detect any trace of her.

She was as if... she didn't exist at all.

This feeling made Ji Yuan very worried.

Even if Du Wanyi said he encountered some powerful forces making things difficult for him, that's still okay, at least there are clues to follow.

But now she says that a strange person suddenly appeared and even kidnapped her, which is... too outrageous.

"That's basically it for Yun Kong City. There's no news. Why don't we go to Xi Jing City to inquire? Maybe she's still there."

Liu Yuan comforted her.

"it is good."

Although Ji Yuan was feeling down, he wasn't completely out of his mind.

Moreover, even if Du Wanyi were really captured by that strange man, Ji Yuan felt that the possibility of her being in mortal danger was not high.

If that strange man really had such thoughts, why would he have waited so long?

They made their move the very first time they met.

Furthermore, there is no news about that strange person in Yun Kong City, which means that the person is not some kind of demonic cultivator who kidnaps people to practice demonic arts.

There must be another reason why she arrested Du Wanyi.

If that's the case, then the chances of survival are even greater.

Clinging to the last sliver of hope, Ji Yuan, who had been wandering around for more than half a year, finally returned to Xijing City.

He was not familiar with this Western Border City, and it was so large.

When someone goes looking for another person, there's nowhere to begin.

It would be better to have Liu Yuan ask someone to look for it.

To be on the safe side, Ji Yuan also gave Liu Yuan 10000 mid-grade spirit stones in one go.

Spirit stones can be earned back, but if his second sister is gone... Ji Yuan felt he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.

Regardless of the circumstances, Du Wanyi was someone he had summoned, so Ji Yuan felt it was his duty to take responsibility for her.

Just like now, she has disappeared, and Ji Yuan will feel that it is his responsibility.

Liu Yuan is gone.

Ji Yuan returned to his own cave dwelling and saw Mu Xueyao again.

"Brother Ji, are you... are you alright?"

This was the first time Mu Xueyao had seen Ji Yuan so downcast, and she was a little worried.

Based on her previous understanding, no matter what happened, "Old Devil Ji" would always be arrogant and domineering.

Why am I so down?

"It's alright, I'll just come back and recuperate for a while. There are some things I might need to trouble you with next."

"Okay, Brother Ji, you should focus on recovering. I won't go anywhere. Just send me a message if you need anything."

Mu Xueyao's worried expression was not feigned at all; she was genuinely worried.

This feeling also put some pressure on Ji Yuan.

No matter what, she wasn't the "Old Devil Ji" who had saved her.

But now is clearly not the time to think about these things.

After returning to his cave, Ji Yuan spent a few days in the meditation room to calm his mind before he was able to reflect on his current situation.

Du Wanyi already has Liu Yuan's help, so there's no use in worrying on her own.

So, returning to my current situation, I need to collect various materials for building upgrades.

The most important things are the Void Stones and various third-tier demon cores, which are always a good thing for Ji Yuan.

The Translucent Fruit Tree in the Enlightenment Chamber... Ji Yuan felt that this was something that couldn't be bought at all, and even if it could be bought, it was beyond the reach of a mere pseudo-core cultivator like himself.

The [Heavenly Craft Workshop] requires the Mystic Ice Fire Lotus, Nine Luminaries Stone, and the Gold-Eating Rat King's Whiskers.

The third-tier ice-attribute demon core from the [Fish Pond].

The Soul-Eating Ghost Willow of [Chicken Coop].

The pigpen needs to be upgraded to level 5, which I don't even dare to consider.

The cave still requires the Void Stone.

The Stone-Splitting Golden Ants needed to upgrade the [Ant Nest] to level 2 are not difficult to obtain; I believe you can get them quickly.

The matter of upgrading the [Spirit Energy Cannon] to the [Meteor Cannon] requires me to first upgrade to a third-tier array master and a third-tier weapon refiner, so there's not much to consider for now.

[Jianlu] continued forging iron.

After Ji Yuan finished compiling the upgrade list, he had Mu Xueyao lead him out to tour several large trading venues in Xijing City.

As for purchasing these items, only Ji Yuan, who possesses the Transformation Talisman, could personally handle the task.

The first upgrade material he collected was naturally the lowest-level building, the [Ant Nest].

The corpse of the Rock-Splitting Golden Ant was bought from a shop run by a rogue cultivator. In addition, Ji Yuan also bought "Spirit Beast Pills" suitable for first-order demon beasts to break through from the shop in "Xuan Snake Mansion".

He swallowed a pill.

The first-order ant king became a second-order ant king.

In addition, Ji Yuan had spent three years in the territory of the Merfolk at the bottom of the Fallen Immortal Valley, so the number of ants was already sufficient.

Therefore, the Ant Nest naturally became the first building that Ji Yuan upgraded after arriving in the Abyss Continent!

is the day.

Inside the cave, Ji Yuan looked at the densely packed, fiery army ants in the ant nest before him.

Unlike the honeycomb, which is so noisy that it can make your eardrums explode, the ant nest in front of me is very quiet, with only the rustling sound of the fiery army ants eating food and gravel.

The largest ant queen, under Ji Yuan's control, circled the ant nest, as if patrolling its territory.

After circling around a few times, Ji Yuan stopped it in front of him.

Then he took out 100 mid-grade spirit stones, two mid-stage second-tier demon cores, and finally the corpse of the Rock-Splitting Golden Ant.

As soon as this thing was taken out, the first-tier army ants seemed to be frightened and all scattered.

Only the second-tier ant king seemed eager to try.

Ji Yuan didn't even give it a chance to try; he immediately chose to upgrade.

As soon as he finished thinking about it, the upgrade materials placed on the ground gradually turned into ashes.

This was followed by an increase in the size of the ant nest and a dense aura of flames emanating from its exterior.

In addition, within this [ant nest], there were two army ants that were already at the peak of the first tier, but they were critically hit by the building upgrade.

Thus, it naturally advanced to become a second-tier Blazing Army Ant.

It was just a level 2 building; the upgrade anomaly quickly disappeared.

As Ji Yuan scanned the entire [ant nest] with his divine sense, he also summoned the control panel.

Level 2 [Ant Nest], what he was most curious about was this "Effect 2".

【Effect 2 (Ten Thousand Ants Form a Giant): When the ant swarm attacks, the queen ant can control it to transform the swarm into a giant ant colony, whose strength far surpasses that of other ant swarms of the same level.】

"Ant-giants? Wouldn't that make them ant-men?"

Ji Yuan made a joke in his mind, and then naturally activated the magical effect.

Immediately, the scattered fire army ants on the ground seemed to be summoned, and like a tide, they all flowed towards the direction of the ant king.

In just a short while, a large number of ants gathered around the ant king, and the ants kept climbing and piling up on each other, so that the ant king's position became higher and higher.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yuan felt as if he could hear the ant king's cry echoing in his mind.

"I'll form the head!"

After about three to five breaths, a huge black ant-man appeared in front of Ji Yuan.

Its height is about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

Two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) was not the limit for this ant-man, but rather the limit for this cave.

"The strength is not bad. The Ant King plus three early-stage second-tier army ants should have the strength of the late-stage Foundation Establishment. Given time, when the Ant King reaches the peak of the second tier, the Ant-Man should have the strength of the Golden Core stage."

"If he were to advance to the third tier... then this Ant-Man would be incredibly powerful."

With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan looked again at the spiritual effects of the level 3 [Ant Nest].

[Ant Nest: lv3 (Cannot be upgraded)]

[Effect 1: Ant colony reproduction speed +50%; Ant colony recovery speed +40%; Ant colony advancement probability +15%.]

[Effect 2 (Vulcan Gun): The Blazing Army Ants can transform into Vulcan Guns, unleashing a devastating attack like a dragon!]

[Upgrade Requirements: 900 mid-grade spirit stones; Ant King's cultivation level reaches Tier 3; Ant colony size reaches 80000; Tier 3 demon cores x3; Divine Fire Ant corpse x1. (Not met)]

It came out as expected!

Upon seeing this second miraculous effect, Ji Yuan instantly perked up, even wishing he could upgrade the [Ant Nest] to level 3 right now.

Wearing the Soul-Devouring Armor and wielding the Fire God Spear, my physical cultivation strength will definitely be further enhanced.

When that time comes... hehehe!

I wonder what realm the strongest body cultivator on this Abyss Continent is.

I wonder if they have any body cultivation techniques. If they do... I could try to befriend them and see if I could borrow their body cultivation techniques to read through.

After observing the miraculous effect, Ji Yuan dispersed the enormous ant-man.

His life returned to normal, and he would only go out to buy the materials needed for building upgrades when he received messages from major auction houses.

The rest is Liu Yuan's side.

More than half a year has passed without any news, which makes Ji Yuan increasingly worried.

In the vast abyss, who knows where Du Wanyi was taken?

Actually, Ji Yuan also had a question in his mind when he returned from Yun Kong City.

That was the last piece of tortoise shell that Du Wanyi left behind.

Logically speaking, she left it in front of that strange man. If so, why didn't that strange man destroy the tortoise shell and instead preserved it?

Ji Yuan was unaware.

He had no choice but to search for various materials in his spare time to see if he could find any descriptions related to that strange person.

One year after returning from Cloud City.

Liu Yuan finally arrived, but as Ji Yuan had predicted, he gained nothing.

"I searched four different forces, basically turning the entire Western Border City upside down, but I still couldn't find the Lord of Tai'an Island. I suppose... I suppose she probably didn't come to Western Border City."

Ji Yuan remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing.

"Brother Ji, you should focus on your cultivation and strive to form your core as soon as possible. Once you have the strength, we can go and rescue you when we find clues about the Lord of Tai'an Island."

Liu Yuan was worried that this matter would affect Ji Yuan's mood, so he spoke up to comfort him.

"Alright, I understand."

Ji Yuan nodded to show that he had no problem.

Ji Yuan then summoned Mu Xueyao and introduced Liu Yuan to her, since they would inevitably meet in the future, so it was better to know about each other's existence beforehand.

Two years later.

Ji Yuan finally managed to acquire a Tier 3 Ice Attribute Demon Core at an auction hosted by Tingtao Pavilion for a hefty sum.

In this way, the upgrade of the [Fish Pond] is finally settled.

is the day.

The sky was clear and the air was fresh.

Inside Ji Yuan's cave, he first set up the third-order Inverted Jianghu Formation, and then set up several other formations to conceal his aura.

He arrived at the fishpond and, without much hesitation, took out the numerous upgrade materials.

800 mid-grade spirit stones, one still-warm third-tier ice-attribute demon core, the third-tier poisonous dragon that was killed earlier, plus three dragon blood stones brought from the Canglu Continent.

After he took out these things, he summoned back two third-tier Frost Dragons.

In addition, there were many carp spirit fish that he had placed in this [fishpond] beforehand.

I'm hoping that more Ice Dragon cubs will appear when I upgrade.

As soon as he finished thinking, the upgrade materials in front of him turned to ashes.

As the fishpond was filled with golden energy, golden patterns appeared on the surrounding stone walls.

Seeing the strange phenomena brought about by the upgrade, Ji Yuan quickly turned off the building's exterior.

If this continues to manifest, and something like a five-colored storm falls from the sky... attracting the people of the Black and White Temple, then we'll be in trouble.

The anomaly has disappeared, but that doesn't mean the upgrade effect will disappear.

In just that short time, Ji Yuan sensed two new Frost Dragons appearing in the fishpond.

Even though they are cubs, so what?

One of the special effects of this level 4 [Fish Pond] is [Dragon Transformation].

[Spiritual Effect 2 (Dragon Transformation into Chi): There is a very small chance that a dragon-type demon beast will transform into a fourth-tier spirit beast—a Chi dragon.]

As long as it is a dragon, it has the opportunity to transform into a fourth-tier spirit beast, the Chilong!

Ji Yuan waited and waited, but even after the upgrade effect wore off, the two dull-witted third-tier ice dragons in front of him failed to transform into the legendary fourth-tier spirit beasts.

This left Ji Yuan somewhat disappointed.

"Awoooooo!"

On Monday, I sensed the changes coming from the fishpond and was in a great mood, so I shouted loudly at my master.

On Tuesday, he shrank his size and swam to the two newly appeared ice dragons, where he scared the little dragon.

Before Ji Yuan could even see the effects of the level 5 [Fish Pond], something appeared out of thin air above the water.

As soon as this thing appeared, the four ice dragons raised their heads simultaneously.

With Monday fast approaching, some people are even thinking about grabbing something.

It's fast, and the calculation speed is even faster!

He took a step and appeared next to the thing, then slapped Monday across the face, pushing it back into the water.

The other three dragons wisely lowered their heads.

Ji Yuan then took out a jade bottle that he had prepared beforehand and successfully put the item into it.

The first effect of the level 4 [Fish Pond].

That is, it can produce one or two thousand years' worth of Cold Spirit Milk every year!

-

Okay, sorry, I overestimated myself. In order to lay the groundwork for my second sister's storyline, I delayed my Core Formation.

Let's try again then, and I'll definitely form my core tomorrow!

If I still can't form my core, I'll chop it up live on stream... Please vote for me, sob sob sob!

(End of this chapter)