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

Even if Nangong Wan, whose cultivation level had fallen, were to encounter him, she would probably have to temporarily avoid his sharp edge.

"Ten years, no, perhaps I won't even need ten years..."

There's a place where a great opportunity awaits. If he can quickly establish his foundation and then find a way to obtain it, his cultivation speed, solely due to his talent, will skyrocket! It will be comparable to having dual spiritual roots! It's not impossible for him to catch up with those of unique spiritual roots or special physiques!

With his dual spiritual roots and the assistance of the small bottle, Wang Li dared not even imagine how fast he could cultivate.

Therefore, it is even more impossible to kill the Ink Dragon now.

It's decided, I'll keep it.

Wait until it reaches level two before harvesting.

So, how can we take the treasure chest silently without harming the Ink Dragon?

You're the one, Intermediate Stealth Talisman!

This talisman can conceal the user's form and aura. Once activated, even a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it difficult to see through its concealment; even a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily miss it if they weren't careful. Although this talisman isn't as sought-after as other escape talismans like Earth Escape, Wood Escape, Wind Escape, or Lightning Escape, it is still a rare and precious type.

A conventional concealment talisman can only make a person invisible while they remain stationary; a stealth talisman is different. Not only is the concealment effect greatly enhanced, but it also allows the cultivator who uses it to move without revealing any trace of their aura.

The fact that Wang Li was able to get his hands on it only shows that the Tianxing Sect Market in Yuanwu Kingdom is a good place.

What a place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery!

Without further ado, he took it out and activated it decisively. Then, he stuck it to his body, and Wang Li disappeared at the entrance of the passage's stone steps.

Upon entering the underground swamp world again, Wang Li did not rush to take action, but first observed his surroundings.

When he noticed that the terrain in one area had been slightly altered, he felt a chill run down his spine.

They then decisively bypassed that area and chose to slowly move along the mounds of earth at the edge of the swamp, trying not to make any noise.

Whether it was the stealth talisman that worked or Wang Li's choice of the right route, he arrived at the white jade pavilion in the center without disturbing the black dragon until half an hour later.

After that, Wang Li became even more cautious:

His right hand was placed on the golden treasure chest, while the back of his hand was covered with the fragment of the magical artifact, a silk handkerchief, to conceal the magical fluctuations generated when breaking the restriction.

A quarter of an hour, half an hour, a full hour...

This restriction is far more troublesome than the previous ones, and with his cultivation level, breaking it will be extremely difficult.

With nearly half of the stealth talisman's effect time gone and only about 40% of the restrictions on the golden treasure chest broken, a sense of frustration and impatience arose within Wang Li. However, he forcibly suppressed this negative emotion that would only affect his mindset and continued to use his own magic power to slowly, patiently, and steadily wear down the restrictions on the treasure chest.

Two hours later.

"Crack..."

The golden light on the treasure chest gradually subsided, and the golden chest, which was originally unlocked but could not be opened, spontaneously opened a crack.

Before Wang Li could even cheer excitedly in his heart, the box, which was twelve feet long and half a foot wide with its lid tightly closed, suddenly lost its gravity and fell to the ground.

Startled, he thought to himself, "Oh no!" and quickly reached out to catch it.

Unexpectedly, the treasure chest and its contents were extremely heavy. Even with his ordinary martial arts skills, which could lift five or six hundred pounds with one arm, he was unable to support it and had no choice but to use his magic power.

However, this would be tantamount to deliberately revealing the secret, rendering the stealth talisman useless.

Admittedly, the talisman still has some effect, allowing Wang Li to continue hiding, but the instantaneous fluctuation of magical power has most likely already alerted the Ink Dragon. This demon will certainly not let the matter rest after discovering the treasure chest has been stolen. Once the exit is blocked, forcing him to reveal himself, he will still have to face the Ink Dragon once the stealth talisman's time limit expires.

Rather than passively responding to attacks, it's better to run away.

He tossed the golden treasure chest into the storage bag with the largest remaining space, and carefully put away the stealth talisman; then he summoned the Wind Chaser Sword and activated the Wind Force that he had never used before; then he sped up at full power in mid-air along the edge of the stone wall!

Just as he was less than a hundred meters from the cave entrance, a dark shadow shot out from the swamp below, and a stream of foul-smelling black water shot straight toward Wang Li.

"Ink Dragon!"

It turned out that the big loach and he had the same idea and were both planning to compete for the initiative at the cave entrance.

That beast is cunning.

However, this big loach doesn't look very strong.

It seems there's still a lot of accumulation needed before advancing to the next level!

Chapter 41 Treasures

You can't directly catch the liquid sprayed by the black dragon.

It is not only highly toxic, but also highly corrosive.

The defensive light barrier erected by the high-grade magic artifact couldn't withstand it for even half a breath, and the artifact itself couldn't withstand such strong corrosion either; it's hard to say about the top-grade defensive magic artifact, but even if it could resist for a while, Wang Li didn't plan to take it head-on.

The Wind Chaser Sword changed direction and decisively retreated into the depths of the swamp.

At the same time, he quickly recited two incantations and then slapped two low-level high-level talismans to fully activate them.

It consists of offensive Fire Rain and Ice Rain spells.

The two high-level spells certainly wouldn't harm the black dragon, but they could certainly slow it down. As ice and fire mingled, a large amount of mist was immediately generated. Taking advantage of this time, he didn't hesitate to harvest several kinds of rare and precious herbs that he hadn't had time to collect.

The black dragon bursting out of the mist was furious to see this scene in the herb bushes a short distance away. Without thinking, it abandoned the cave entrance and rushed straight at the somewhat illusory figure.

Just as the black dragon was about to bite the figure who was stunned and motionless, Wang Li appeared out of thin air from behind a mound of earth on the side of the swamp not too far away. Immediately afterwards, the Wind Chasing Sword erupted again, transforming into a streak of light and heading straight for the exit. Before leaving, he didn't forget to wave goodbye to the black dragon that had bitten a ball of air and was full of questions.

The black dragon let out a strange roar, turned its head, and charged back towards Wang Li.

Unfortunately, due to the two-breath delay, it had already fallen quite a distance behind someone. Furthermore, Wang Li had already reached his maximum speed, so it needed to accelerate, accelerate, and accelerate again to reach its own limit. Moreover, Wang Li was currently fully utilizing the wind-force within the Wind-Chasing Sword, and his maximum speed was clearly faster than its own.

Thus, even if it wanted to chase, it was willing but unable to.

It angrily spat out another mouthful of black water, but its attack was once again blocked by the other two high-level talismans, and its remaining strength was no match for the elusive figure. In the end, it could only watch helplessly as the despicable human insect took the important item and disappeared into the stairwell in the blink of an eye.

"Hooho..."

Looking at the narrow passage in front of him, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and then at his own robust demonic body, which was several times thicker than a large water vat, the Ink Dragon looked utterly helpless.

When did I start to get trapped here and die?

That seems like a long time ago.

As soon as Wang Li rushed out of the passage, he erected a defensive light barrier to guard against any possible attacks from the lark. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. However, he only breathed a sigh of relief after the lark flew back and confirmed that there was no serious danger around the stone hall.

There are no outsiders, and no hidden worries within.

It was only at this moment that he had the mind to check what was inside the legendary golden treasure chest.

Wang Li didn't believe that the large box, which was twelve feet long and half a foot wide, contained nothing of substance.

As usual, the puppets will clear the mines first...

The treasure chest, its golden radiance restrained yet still occasionally revealing wisps of pale gold, was opened only a crack. The stone hall directly opposite this crack was then bathed in a rich golden glow. Simultaneously, a powerful spiritual energy seeped out from the crack, instantly making Wang Li, who was nearby, feel completely comfortable, his previous fatigue vanishing.

After the golden glow faded, the contents of the treasure chest came into view, making Wang Li's heart pound.

One token, four jade slips, one animal hide, one scroll, one black stone, three gold talismans, and four bottles and jars left behind by a powerful restriction.

1. Token.

As expected, it's the restriction token for entering the tall pagoda in the core area of ​​the forbidden zone.

2. Jade slips:

The first one contained a cultivation technique that led directly to the late Nascent Soul stage, along with its accompanying supernatural abilities and spells. It also included a wealth of cultivation insights and taboos. Wang Li only glanced at it briefly before feeling a bit overwhelmed, demonstrating the sheer volume of information contained within and the enormous consumption of his own spiritual energy.

The second one records more than twenty ancient elixir formulas that can enhance cultivation and magical power, and help break through bottlenecks, ranging from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the mid-Nascent Soul stage. The spiritual herbs on the outer perimeter of the forbidden area were prepared for this purpose, and behind the special restrictions between the second and third layers of the central area, a large number of spiritual herbs and medicines suitable for the mid-to-late Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages are cultivated.

It also records in detail the properties of various spiritual herbs and immortal plants within the forbidden area, making it a unique herbal classic.

The third item contains a detailed description of this forbidden area, including information about the powerful restrictions surrounding it and the legacy within the core tower.

The last one is a secret immortal technique for body refinement.

It is far superior to the mortal body-forging technique passed down in his family.

"Body-refining techniques that are effective up to the Nascent Soul stage?"

That's quite rare!

"Moreover, the spiritual herbs that can enhance the cultivation effect of this technique are also grown in several stone halls within the forbidden area?"

Therefore, this body-refining technique will be one of the essential techniques he must learn.

Wang Li was all too aware of the benefits of cultivating both body and Dharma.

3. Animal hides.

Nothing was written on it, but it was clear that its existence was justified. Once Wang Li's divine sense probed it, it was as if he had fallen into a deep sea, or as if he were looking up at an endless void. He was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his divine sense to avoid a tragic accident.

To be studied later.

4. Scroll painting.

It depicted the entire layout of the forbidden area, excluding the tower, and recorded the location of each kind of spiritual herb and plant, with special markings indicating the stone palaces and underground chambers built specifically for these plants. Wang Li channeled his divine sense into it and easily determined his current location.

Moreover, this scroll is also a rare treasure, capable not only of locating itself, but also seemingly of locating all other cultivators who have entered the forbidden area.

Because apart from the small golden dot representing Wang Li himself, the other sixty-odd red dots were constantly moving. There were thirteen on the outer perimeter of the central area and forty-eight deep within the second level of the central area; at the edge of the second level of the central area, two red dots remained motionless, seemingly trapped in place.

"This place looks familiar."

Isn't that the place where he set up the first small-scale maze?

So, two unlucky guys fell into the trap? And they still haven't been able to destroy the formation and get out?

I don't know whether to call them lucky or unlucky!

"Huh, another one went out..."

Does this mean that the other party has just died?

5. Black stone.

It was pitch black and extremely hard. Wang Li didn't recognize it, but he sensed it was no ordinary item.

6. All three golden talismans are precious talismans.

The first one is a guqin talisman, made from a seven-stringed guqin, a magical artifact for cultivators in the early stages of Core Formation.

The second one is a longbow talisman, which was made for the Nine Yang Bow, a magic weapon of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

The third one is the Golden Bell Talisman, which was crafted for the Haoran Bell, a magic weapon for cultivators in the late stage of Core Formation.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like they're paving the way for the successor.