A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Rogue Cultivator

Since it concerned the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills among their respective sects, and also more or less affected their own gains, they couldn't help but have some thoughts about it.

Inside the forbidden area, the sky brightened slightly, and Wang Li suddenly opened his eyes and stood up.

A tremendous surge of spiritual energy suddenly emanated from the southeast of the ring mountain range, followed by a milky-white pillar of light that shot into the sky, piercing the clouds in the far distance and condensing into a giant sphere of light on the vast sea of ​​mist.

As the beam of light continuously provided energy to the sphere, it rapidly took shape, soon transforming into a newly born, dazzling miniature sun. Its brilliance was so intense that even with the thick fog obscuring it, it remained impossible to look directly at it.

After the beam of light retracted its tail and dissipated, the sphere of light expanded and exploded, transforming into countless fist-sized crystalline light spots that scattered in all directions.

When the light spot came into contact with the fog, a violent, unknown chemical reaction occurred.

It's like the neutralization of acids and bases.

As the light generated by the Moon Pearl grew increasingly scarce and dim, the fog surrounding the ring-shaped mountain range also thinned. The fog receded most rapidly in the southeast, revealing first the towering, treacherous outline of the ring-shaped mountain range previously hidden beneath the fog:

The mountain range is thousands of feet high, towering into the clouds;

Strange rocks and cliffs are everywhere, and towering trees crowd the mountains;

The rugged and steep mountain ranges on both sides of the mountain stretch straight into the distance, with only the ridge facing the crowd showing a little kindness, extending a relatively gentle mountain path as if crafted by a master craftsman.

In the mountains and forests, countless demonic beasts roared fiercely, while outside the mountains and forests, cultivators from various sects murmured in their hearts.

The sound of rushing sounds filled the air, the accompaniment of cultivators from various sects rushing towards the entrance.

From this point on, the Blood Forbidden Trial entered its most brutal phase.

If the casualties were only around 20-30% before, from this moment on, the situation will change to only 20-30% surviving.

The entrance wasn't small, and normally, disciples from different sects could choose different routes to explore the ring mountain range; however, the entrance where Wang Li was located, as well as another entrance to the east where he had set up a small maze array, was now filled with deafening curses!

Because some unlucky souls rushed in too fast and lost their footing, falling into the formation.

Of course, Wang Li wasn't that heartless, and the small-scale maze formation wasn't large enough to block the entire entrance to the mountain range. Therefore, the number of people trapped was relatively limited, with no more than five people in each location.

Sure enough, at the entrance in front of him, only three solo cultivators had entered the pit.

In fact, if those outside who were not affected helped break the formation, with the help of those inside and outside, they might be able to break the formation and rescue people in a quarter of an hour; but were there such kind-hearted people on the scene?

"You brat from Qingxu Sect, you'd better dismantle the formation immediately, or else..."

The disciple from Huadaowu who spoke up was so anxious he was almost in tears.

"Young man from Qingxu Sect, could you please spare my sister this time? I have an important mission to fulfill and cannot afford to delay. Please be kind enough to do me a favor. After we get out, I can arrange a time to meet with you alone."

That old lecher from the Hidden Moon Sect, keep flirting with the air.

She's in her thirties or forties and still calls me "sister"? I (tui).

"Senior brother, I am also a disciple of Qingxu Sect. I hope you can do me a favor."

We've arrested members of your Qingxu Sect.

If it were the younger brother from Yellow Maple Valley, it would be more difficult to handle.

Chapter 33 The Transaction Map, Following the Mountain Climb

"Please rest assured, everyone. I stopped the three of you simply to make a deal! I have no ill intentions!"

Within the maze, the fog is so thick that one cannot see their own hand in front of their face. Divine senses and the five senses are completely suppressed and become disordered. The creatures trapped in the maze often spin in circles without realizing it. The magical artifacts and spells used will also be deflected and dispersed due to the power of the maze, thus reducing their effectiveness and making it difficult to break the maze.

Although it is far less powerful than the forbidden formations of various sects, it still has a strong restraining effect on Qi Refining stage disciples who are not good at formations.

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

The three of them were on edge, and at the same time, they were filled with a little more anticipation.

There was nothing they could do. They had tried to break the formation, but the results were not significant, and they even accidentally injured other trapped people, which showed how difficult the formation was to deal with. If breaking the formation took too long, what would be the point of this trip to the forbidden area?

Furthermore, what they feared even more was that if three days passed and they still hadn't broken through the enemy's maze, missing the few hours when the Blood Forbidden Land's portal would open, they would definitely be trapped and die within the forbidden land. Waiting for the portal to reopen in five years was out of the question; for thousands of years, no one had ever successfully survived five-year intervals.

"I observe that the three of you are all a few years older than me, so you must know more about the Central District than I, a new disciple of the Qingxu Sect. Perhaps one of you participated in the last trial five years ago; what I seek is the information about the Central District that the three of you possess!"

The information provided by Huangfeng Valley and the Chen family was far too little.

Wang Li didn't want to miss any spiritual herbs that couldn't be found elsewhere.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, this isn't quite right. Are you planning to make us hand over the data from the central area for nothing?"

The Taoist priest from Qingxu Sect remained silent, while the other two looked extremely grim.

The Qingxu Sect, surnamed Lin? Could they be from the Lin family?

Okay, very good, we'll see.

"A transaction must be fair, of course. You two are well aware that the major sects do not have complete maps of the Crimson Forbidden Land; moreover, the locations marked on the maps are different. You two show me the maps provided by the Hidden Moon Sect and the Blade Transformation Dock, and I will show you the map of the Pure Void Sect. No one will lose out. What do you think? I'm sure you won't refuse such a mutually beneficial arrangement, will you?"

Wang Li spoke calmly, but the three listened with trepidation.

What a clever trick to get something for nothing.

Moreover, all three of them realized that the other party was most likely not from Qingxu Sect, but rather someone from one of the four sects—Huadaowu, Lingshoushan, Tianquebao, or Huangfenggu—in disguise. Otherwise, why would they even try to steal their own "family's" core information?

"Yes, as long as Fellow Daoist Lin keeps his promise and lets us leave after the transaction."

Although it is explicitly forbidden by the rules of each sect to exchange materials with other sects without the sect's permission, in reality, there are many disciples in each sect who do this, so a few more won't make a difference.

“You are indeed remarkable individuals! In that case, junior brother, please hand over the documents you have to your senior brother!”

The fog between them and the Qingxu Sect Taoists had dissipated somewhat, and within twenty feet, they could at least look each other in the eye.

Seeing this opportunity, the Taoist priest was about to take a gamble; but after noticing the cultivation aura of the person opposite him, as well as a top-tier magic weapon and a high-tier magic weapon that he was somewhat familiar with, his expression changed, and he immediately abandoned the idea of ​​attacking. He respectfully handed over the information he had here, which was a jade slip.

Immediately, the fog churned, obscuring vision once more, and the chaotic power of the five senses and divine consciousness once again covered the area.

Replicating the jade slip was not difficult, taking only the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, so Wang Li quickly turned to look at the other two people in the formation:

"Gentlemen, may we make a deal now?"

"Fellow Daoist is indeed a master strategist."

A sour taste lingered on their lips, but their hands moved swiftly. Clearly, the two from Huadaowu and Yanyue Sect weren't stupid; after all, it was indeed a win-win situation. Besides, they were now the butcher and the butcher; why would they risk their lives for the sake of their sect's rigid rules if they didn't hand over the information?

The deal was quickly finalized.

Wang Li was a man of his word. After obtaining the information he wanted, he readily let Huadaowu and Yanyuezong leave, leaving only the Taoists from Qingxu Sect to exchange feelings.

"Senior brother, why did you let those two go? With our strength, if we join forces and add this formation, wouldn't it be a piece of cake to kill those two from the Hidden Moon Sect and the Blade Transformation Dwelling?"

You speak with such sincerity, but there are only the two of us left. Why are you so nervous, fully armed?

Furthermore, each faction only has so many people. As a disciple of the Qingxu Sect, you can't possibly not even be able to tell whether Wang is one of our own or from another faction, can you?

"Here, this is the intelligence on the central area provided by those two. Go."

Wang Li's move truly caught the Qingxu Sect Taoists off guard. It also caused the pupils of the Yanyue Sect female cultivator and the Huadaowu cultivator, who hadn't gone far but were hiding in an inconspicuous spot at the foot of the mountain entrance, to shrink simultaneously. They had watched as the two Qingxu Sect members split up and headed up the mountain in two different directions, while the two who stayed behind to see what was going on, couldn't help but understand the trickery involved.

Well done, Qingxu Sect! That was a brilliant move.

They gritted their teeth in anger, yet were ultimately convinced.

The area around Yamaguchi quickly returned to calm.

As for Wang Li, after obtaining the intelligence on the central area of ​​the three factions, he would definitely need to spend some time organizing it, and it would be best to compare and combine it with the information he already had about Huangfeng Valley.

In addition, we must also eliminate any potential traps.

It's impossible to forge fake information in a short time, but deliberately omitting some key details during copying to set a trap is an unspoken agreement!

最后:

"There are only a few entrances and exits to go up and down the mountain, and I've already tampered with two of them. I believe most survivors won't choose those two routes anymore, so..."

Wang Li returned the way he came, dismantled the maze at the exit, and then took a detour. He then traveled at a low speed, spending nearly two hours to reach the nearest northern mountain pass and the vicinity of the northwest bronze gate, where he set up a small maze at each location.

After all this commotion, and before even exploring the second level of the crater, four hours had passed in the blink of an eye.

But Wang Li personally believes it's worthwhile.

As a backup plan, these two formations will surely bring him unexpected gains and prevent him from focusing too much on collecting seedlings and neglecting to collect mature medicinal herbs.

"All done, let's go up the mountain."

While traveling and setting up the formation, Wang Li had already replanned a new exploration route and repeatedly reviewed it to confirm its feasibility.

His first stop was a stone house that had been mined by disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect five years ago, located at the foot and halfway up the mountain along this route.

The area produces a spiritual herb called March Grass, which can be used to refine the March Pill, suitable for Qi Refining cultivators. According to the information provided by Uncle Chen, this pill has excellent efficacy and mild properties, and its potency is several times higher than that of ordinary holy medicines like the Yellow Dragon Pill and Golden Marrow Pill.

Wang Li took a liking to it because this kind of pill could serve as a transitional substitute between the seventh and tenth levels of Qi Refining.

It took Wang Li nearly a year to go from the sixth to the ninth level of Qi Refining, relying solely on six precious medicines such as the Yellow Dragon Pill and the Golden Marrow Pill; it took another seven or eight months to go from the ninth to the eleventh level of Qi Refining; and later, after using the Qi-Returning Pill, it took him more than a year of taking medicine to reach the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

However, if a second type of pill suitable for the late stage of Qi Refining were available, and used alternately with the Qi Recovery Pill, it would effectively reduce the body's drug resistance, saving him a lot of time in the future when he needed to rebuild his cultivation.

Coincidentally, among the two Qi Refining stage pill formulas that Uncle Chen gave him, besides the Qi Returning Pill, there was also the Three Month Pill, which was made with the Three Month Grass as the main ingredient.

The so-called Three-Month Pill refers to a pill that can be refined daily for those below the eleventh level of Qi Refining. Even someone with poor aptitude can advance a minor realm within three months by refining one pill each day.

It is one of the top-grade pills for the Qi Refining stage.

Unfortunately, the spiritual herbs that meet the required age are only found within the forbidden area, and the yield each time is extremely low; it's considered good if one or two batches can be refined. Even the seven sects themselves don't have enough to go around, so how could ordinary disciples possibly enjoy them?

Therefore, prescriptions were usually just for show.

This is what made Wang Li's current situation so advantageous.

Wang Li chose this location for another reason: the March Grass here had just been harvested during the last forbidden area trial, and it was estimated that new spiritual herbs wouldn't mature and meet the standards for decades. This would allow him to avoid an unnecessary battle and trouble, thus saving him a lot of time.

The reason why he wasn't in a hurry at all, even though he arrived at the mountain two hours later than others, lies in this.

He wanted seedlings, not mature plants.

Two hours later, he would send disciples from each sect to scout ahead and clear out the demonic beasts guarding the spiritual herbs in the various treasure lands, while he harvested the seedlings from behind.

And they specifically choose paths that people have already walked on.

What kind of operation is this?

He didn't want to fight to the death with a group of monsters.

Sure enough, along the way, he encountered six demonic beasts... well, they died.

One of them was an even tougher high-level demonic beast, the Mountain-Slapping Bear.

It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place here, with at least two people working together, before they finally managed to kill the thick-skinned, incredibly strong mountain bear on the ground.