I'm determined to become an immortal!

At the bottom of Wanshou Pool

Ye Shao Chen, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them, his magical power now fully restored.

With his divine sense fully activated, he sensed the old tortoise lying outside the Water Mansion Formation.

Ye Shao Chen was somewhat surprised that the demon beast had come out of the water mansion on its own initiative, but he did not rush forward. Instead, he turned his head to look at the corpse of the centipede that had sunk to the bottom of the pool not far away, and a look of disgust appeared in his eyes.

"A foolish and wicked creature, even in death he wants to pollute the filthy pond; truly vile!"

Ye Shao Chen loathed the centipede and ignored its corpse, heading straight for the old tortoise.

When the star-backed black tortoise saw the young man approaching, its heart skipped a beat, and it felt quite uneasy.

Unaware of the other's temperament, it quickly lowered its massive body even further, almost touching the mud and sand at the bottom of the pool, making a gesture of complete submission.

"You black tortoise are quite sensible."

When Ye Shao Chen got closer, he found the old tortoise's posture quite pleasing to the eye.

Upon hearing this, the old tortoise quickly seized the opportunity to back down, his voice carrying just the right amount of subservience and fear:

"I am deeply honored that Your Excellency has graced my Water Palace with your presence. I hereby present you with the thousand-year-old Jiao Tu Spirit Pearl, a treasure treasured within my Water Palace. I humbly request Your Excellency to accept it."

Ye Shao Chen casually took the jade box, not caring much about the so-called thousand-year-old Jiao Tu spirit pearl, which was just an ordinary spiritual material to him.

Upon hearing what the old tortoise said, he frowned slightly and said with some disappointment:

"This underwater palace isn't some ancient treasure trove? It's just your black tortoise's lair?"

He had previously thought that the Starlight Water Wall Formation was exquisite and that it was hidden and not activated, so he assumed it was a cave left behind by a previous generation of cultivators. He had hoped to find some good treasures to present to his master as a birthday gift, but he never expected it to be a monster's lair.

The Star-Backed Black Tortoise was incredibly shrewd. Seeing his expression, it immediately realized that its life was temporarily spared.

"May Your Excellency serve as a wise judge!"

The old tortoise quickly said:

"This water palace is indeed a place of cultivation that I, the old turtle, built bit by bit. It is very crude and cannot meet the standards of a superior cultivator."

However... if we're talking about hidden treasure troves, there truly is such a place within our Tiandu Mountain!

Upon hearing this, Ye Shao Chen's disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by interest as he said:

"Oh? Tell me more."

Seeing that Ye Shao Chen was indeed interested, the old tortoise felt that his life was probably saved, and continued:

"This is a long story."

Just a few years ago, a precious light suddenly appeared on Black Vine Ridge to the north, alarming a group of second-tier demonic beasts in Tiandu Mountain.

The old tortoise was fortunate enough to get involved and discovered that the place where the treasure light appeared was a small secret realm.

..."

The Star-Backed Black Tortoise explained in detail, and Ye Shao Chen listened attentively.

In the end, the man and the turtle traveled together, leaving Wanshou Pool and heading towards Heiteng Ridge.

......

A few days later,

Changyang Mountain

The area is shrouded in mist and clouds, brimming with vitality.

This former ancestral home of the Xu family has now been managed by the He family as if it were an impregnable fortress.

On the main peak, array patterns flowed, forming a protective array set up by the He family.

A beam of azure light came from outside the mountain, passing through the mountain mist and the protective light shield of the great formation, and landed steadily on the mountainside of the main peak.

The light faded, revealing a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe.

This man had a fair complexion, yet he exuded a shrewdness and worldliness that came from years of navigating the streets. He was none other than He Yiyang, who held the power to manage the He family's external procurement.

He Yiyang is the elder brother of the clan leader He Sheng. Therefore, even though he only has the inferior aptitude of a mixed spiritual root of four elements, he still managed to push his cultivation to the late stage of Qi Refining by relying on a massive amount of resources.

Furthermore, thanks to this blood relationship, He Sheng granted him a lucrative position as an outsider, and his status within the clan was extremely high.

In the past, He Yiyang spent most of his time holed up in Xiajiangfang, indulging in brothels, wine, and meat.

But today, he rushed back to Changyang Mountain in a hurry.

His face was frighteningly pale, like a dark cloud gathering, as if a storm was about to break.

As soon as I stepped into my own courtyard, I was greeted by the sounds of string and wind instruments.

The courtyard was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and seven or eight concubines, dressed in gorgeous clothes and with exquisite makeup, were sitting together, laughing and playing.

Upon seeing He Yiyang return, they swarmed around him like butterflies seeing their master.

"Master, you're finally back!"

"My lord, why are you up so early today? I've just learned a new dance and I was just about to perform it for you."

"Master, please try this freshly chilled spiritual fruit."

...

Amidst the sweet whispers and tender words, He Yiyang would normally be beaming with delight, his eyes crinkling with laughter, embracing two women and lost in this blissful embrace.

After all, he had embezzled countless spirit stones from the clan's public accounts to support this household of concubines.

But today, He Yiyang acted like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly shoving aside his recently acquired concubine and shouting angrily:

"Get out! All of you, get the hell out!"

This loud shout, full of energy and carrying the pressure of a late-stage Qi Refining expert, shocked the women, causing them to lose their composure.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

The beautiful concubine staggered a few steps, her eyes instantly reddening as she looked at him with a wronged expression.

Didn't you hear me?

Get out, all of you!

"Anyone who dares to step into this house again, I'll break their legs!"

He Yiyang's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a madman. He grabbed the jade teacup on the table and smashed it to the ground.

The concubines had never seen such a scene before, and they were immediately terrified into silence. They lowered their heads and hurriedly retreated from the courtyard, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The once bustling and luxurious villa instantly became deathly silent, leaving only a mess on the ground.

After everyone had left, He Yiyang seemed to deflate his spirits.

He walked into the study with his head down, then slumped into the armchair, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

His hands trembled as he pulled a communication talisman from his robes. Spiritual energy surged at his fingertips as he whispered:

"Yunlai, come to my study immediately. I have something important to discuss with you. Remember, you must not let a third party know!"

A moment later, a thin, pale-faced man, who looked as if he had been drained of his health by wine and women, walked in silently.

This man was Ji Yunlai, the younger brother of He Yiyang's deceased wife and his confidant. He helped He Yiyang falsify accounts and amass wealth, and was the man He Yiyang trusted most.

"Brother-in-law, what happened?"

Why are you so panicked?

Ji Yunlai closed the doors and windows and asked in a low voice.

He Yiyang took a deep breath, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed:

"Yunlai, outside... everyone outside is saying that Asheng... he's dead!"

"What?!"

Ji Yunlai's pupils constricted sharply, and he almost jumped up.

"The clan chief is dead?"

How is that possible!

"The clan leader is at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, the number one cultivator in our Silver Sand River region. Who could possibly kill him?"

"I hope it's fake too!"

He Yiyang suddenly grabbed Ji Yunlai's wrist, his nails almost digging into her flesh.

"But the news came back from Wanchen Mountain, saying that Asheng offended the fake Dan Supreme Elder of Jinyun Sect at Wanchaonian's Foundation Establishment Ceremony!"

The opponent's attack was extremely ruthless, instantly killing Ah Sheng outside Wanchen Mountain!

"Fake pills?!"

Ji Yunlai gasped, then lowered his head, a strange glint in his eyes, but said:

"Then wouldn't our He family be..."

"That's not all!"

A flicker of fear crossed He Yiyang's eyes.

"In the past two days in Xiajiangfang, I've noticed that disciples from several other Foundation Establishment families who usually dared not speak out against our He family have suddenly started baring their teeth at us!"

"This... they probably know the clan leader is dead and are preparing to attack our He family!"

Upon hearing this, He Yiyang turned pale, naturally understanding the crux of the matter.

"Once the news of the clan leader's death is confirmed, those families that the He family has offended, along with the rogue cultivators who are envious of the clan's wealth, will probably join forces to attack the mountain immediately!"

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, and we'll all probably die!

He Yiyang was terrified of this situation, and immediately panicked, saying:

"No...no way, at least our He family, apart from Ah Sheng, still has the protection of the Star-Backed Black Tortoise..."

"Brother-in-law, in this situation where the building is about to collapse, how can we place our hopes on others?"

Moreover, the clan leader had a serious falling out with the Star-Backed Black Tortoise, and the tortoise might not continue to protect the He family.

He Yiyang's heart sank lower and lower, and he said somewhat helplessly:

"Yunlai, what do you suggest we do?"

"Brother-in-law, we can't stay here and wait to die!"

"you mean..."

He Yiyang swallowed hard, vaguely guessing what was going on.

"Let's leave now, before the news spreads completely and the other companies decide to make a formal move!"

Ji Yunlai lowered his voice and spoke very quickly:

"And you can't leave empty-handed!"

The clan chief is dead, but the clan left behind a considerable amount of cultivation resources. My brother-in-law is the clan chief's elder brother, so he should inherit these resources!

I just checked the accounts a couple of days ago. There are still more than three thousand mid-grade spirit stones, dozens of fine magic artifacts, and a considerable number of pills in the clan's secret treasury.

"As long as my brother-in-law takes these assets and then travels far away to start anew, once he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he'll have over a hundred years of carefree life ahead of him."

He Yiyang stood up abruptly and paced back and forth.

After a long while,

A resolute glint appeared in He Yiyang's eyes as he said:

"good!

That's settled!