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

Wang Li had no intention of destroying the wind-attribute grand formation; it was his protective shield, and there was no reason for him to do so, nor did he have the ability to do so. But the smaller formations here were a different story.

Firstly, compared to the forbidden array in Li Huayuan's library, the power of this array is only slightly stronger. In other words, it's not that strong, only at the level of the Core Formation stage, neither high nor low, which is just right for him now.

Otherwise, given the power of the Vermilion Bird Ring... if the formation is too strong, it won't create any ripples; if the formation is too weak, it won't be able to stop him.

Secondly, whether it's an array plate or a small spirit stone mine buried underground, once it's dug up, it's all his. If it's an array plate, he'll make a fortune; as for the spirit stone mine, he can still make a small profit by taking most of it with some effort.

Thirdly, in terms of time, there is absolutely enough time.

Since the area is so small, the most likely location is where the bronze pillar is.

"If you do not take what Heaven has given you, you will surely suffer the consequences."

I'm digging.

After most of the day, Wang Li, whose magical power and physical strength had been fully restored to their peak, walked out of the stone hall, which was no longer protected by special restrictions and could no longer be blocked by divine sense.

He played with the exquisite ancient array plate in his hand for a moment, then with a flash of light, he put it into his storage bag.

He glanced back at the frozen swamp one last time, put on his glasses and mask, and hurried away.

"Wait, I will be back."

Chapter 73 Magma and Furnace

In the vast fog, after looting several stone palaces and a dangerous place, Wang Li, who was riding the Wind Chaser Sword close to the ground, suddenly stopped.

The eyes under the microscope suddenly turned to the northeast, and then a look of surprise appeared on their faces.

"Is it the third day yet?"

There, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted; it was the Moon Sun Pearl unleashing its power.

He needs to speed things up a bit.

The Wind Chaser Sword moved at breakneck speed, arriving at a stone palace approximately twelve degrees west of north, corresponding to the location of the Ink Dragon thirty degrees south of west, after only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. This place was marked as extremely dangerous on the forbidden area map presented by several sects, seemingly even more dangerous than the stone palace where the Ink Dragon resided.

However, this information is certainly inaccurate.

"It's so hot!"

Standing at the entrance of the passage, the sweltering heat immediately made Wang Li feel uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but frown. The next moment, a flash of fiery red light appeared, and the Fire Wolf Fur was draped over his body, perfectly protecting him from the high temperature.

He hesitated for a moment, then thought that he had even killed a level four demon beast, so what could the demon beasts living here do to him, no matter how powerful they were?

So the puppets charged ahead, while he, Wang, sat in the center as the grand procession entered.

This underground world was no longer the swamps, pools, and underground rivers of the south and southeast. After he traversed thousands of steps and ventured deeper into it, he was immediately stunned by what he saw.

Flames, no, I should say magma...

Inside the hemispherical space, there was a torrent of red lava bursting with bubbles.

"Huh? That's... a Fire Lotus?"

With the aid of the microscope, he spotted something good at a glance.

This is a superior spiritual herb that only grows in places with abundant spiritual energy, such as magma. It is said to be interdependent with the top-grade Crimson Essence Ganoderma. Where this herb grows, Crimson Essence Ganoderma must also exist.

Red Ganoderma lucidum, once it reaches two thousand years of age, has a certain effect on those in the early stages of Nascent Soul cultivation.

At the center of the underground magma lake, more than thirty fire lotuses are blooming quietly!

"The south has an ancient array plate and a small water-attribute mineral vein. Could there be a similar arrangement here?"

His eyes flickered, and he noticed creatures moving within the magma, several of them concealed beneath it, slowly converging towards the cave entrance where he was. A quick scan with his divine sense sent a chill down his spine:

"A top-tier level one demonic beast, the Lava Fire Lizard? And there were more than ten of them right away?"

This godforsaken place, if used for Qi Refining stage trials, would probably kill as many as come.

Of course, if they run into him, the lava fire lizards are doomed.

After all, these beasts are precious raw materials for refining fire-type talismans. Their hides can be used to make talisman paper, which is superior to talisman paper made from special fire-type spiritual herbs. Their blood can be used to refine fire-attribute cinnabar, which is far more miraculous than cinnabar made from the blood of other low-level fire-type demon beasts.

Combining the two not only increases the success rate of creating fire-type talismans, but also enhances the fire-attribute spells sealed within them to a certain extent.

Therefore, when Wang Li looked at these lizards, his first thought was no longer about selling materials, crafting equipment, or exchanging spirit stones, but rather about refining large quantities of intermediate-level fire-type talismans!

His skill in fire magic is quite high; he can already cast four types of fire magic, from beginner to advanced levels.

I simply haven't had time to practice talisman-making techniques, nor have I been able to spare the time and energy to delve into them.

Han Laomo spent four years in seclusion, diligently honing his talisman-making skills, yet he could barely refine even the basic and advanced talismans. With such "failures" before him, he figured he might as well focus on mastering other options, such as puppetry, inscription techniques, and sealing techniques.

As for talisman making, you can find a reliable person to train first. As long as their talisman making skills are up to par, you can mass-produce intermediate fire-type talismans for them.

He can continue his cultivation after he reaches the Core Formation stage.

That would give him a commanding perspective, indirectly saving him a significant amount of cultivation time.

They were very careful with their money.

And to be honest, he actually thought of someone: Wu, a Qi Refining cultivator from Huangfeng Valley (or Wu, a senior brother).

If we can help this person establish their foundation, there will be many benefits.

This junior disciple Wu is outstanding among those in the Qi Refining stage, whether in terms of interpersonal relationships, character, or cultivation and magical abilities. His only shortcoming is the lack of mentorship and the absence of a benefactor.

Perfect timing! We can just sell those two Foundation Establishment Pills we obtained from this trial to them at a low price.

A favor is priceless.

Moreover, this is an immense favor to help someone achieve Foundation Establishment when Foundation Establishment seems a distant prospect!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

One after another, magma rockets shot straight toward Wang Li.

But when it comes to sheer firepower, he's never backed down.

Dozens of energy beams and light projectiles were fired, cutting off all the lava fire rain and suppressing the attacking lava fire lizards, causing the lava lake to boil.

When Wang Li unleashed the Vermilion Bird Ring and the Soul-Shattering Scissors, the scales of victory quietly tipped.

Fire lizards are sheltered by lava and enjoy a geographical advantage, making them untouchable by most magical artifacts. However, the Vermilion Bird Ring is a perfect counter to this, as it is crafted from earth fire rock crystals, whose fire resistance is no less than that of fire lizards.

In addition, the fire lizard's leather armor, which is resistant to high temperatures but not to strangulation, is no match for the Soul Shattering Scissors, which are imbued with the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and radiate spiritual light.

Sure enough, after being thrown out of the lava pool with the Vermilion Bird Ring around his neck, the Soul-Shattering Scissors slicing his head apart in a few snips.

"Thump thump..."

One by one, they were pulled out, and then snapped. Half an hour later, the game of cat and mouse with the last fire lizard was over. There were exactly thirteen lava fire lizards piled up around him, and the lava fire field fell silent. Apart from the occasional popping sound of lava bubbles, there were no other unusual noises.

With a wave of his hand, these monsters, which were considered catastrophic for those in the Qi Refining stage, all became Wang Li's spoils of war.

The combat losses of the higher-level puppets were negligible.

Afterwards, he left behind a few puppets as sentries, cast a fire-repelling spell on himself, and leaped into the rolling lava.

With the Fire-Repelling Technique, the Azure Sword and Shield, and the Fire Wolf Fur, this bit of earth fire and lava is no problem for him.

To Wang Li's disappointment, he couldn't find the Crimson Essence Ganoderma here. What surprised him even more was that there were no light barriers or restrictions within the magma, and it seemed that apart from spiritual herbs, there were no other opportunities.

"That shouldn't be the case. Even without special rewards, there should be treasure chests in every stone hall, right?"

That's really strange.

"No, although there are traces of ley lines here, there is no volcano below. Instead, there is a large pit that is vaguely symmetrical to the hemisphere above. In such a closed environment, without a continuous influx of fire energy, this lava lake would probably have cooled and solidified long ago. It is impossible for it to have been preserved for thousands or tens of thousands of years."

Furthermore, this underground world is far too deep.

The thousands of steps and the unusual depth of a kilometer are truly bizarre.

Close your eyes and analyze each point one by one.

For a fleeting moment, a brilliant idea flashed into my mind.

He immediately opened his eyes in surprise and looked at the surrounding walls. Then he poured his magic power into the Vermilion Bird Ring, enlarging it to more than three zhang in size, and then tried to smash it out.

"Bang buzz."

Apart from a few pieces of rubble falling down, the wall was otherwise undamaged. On the contrary, the force returned to Wang Li made his eyes suddenly narrow.

"This feeling..."

He took a deep breath and then began digging horizontally into the stone wall.

Before long, it became impossible to dig even half an inch more.

Ahead, a blue metal wall blocked the way. On the metal wall, exquisite engraved patterns were clearly visible.

Okay, this isn't actually a wall carving, but rather the texture on the inner wall of a magical bronze incense burner.

In other words, the depths of this stone palace were actually a giant furnace.

A magical furnace!

No, it should be called an ancient treasure furnace!

"Whether it's alchemy or the crafting of magical artifacts, what will become of the finished product in the end..."

Suddenly, I looked up and saw the curved stone wall directly above the magma world.

In the center, there is a small hole that is being blocked by something.

If he wasn't careful, he almost missed it.

Chapter 74 The Vine Demon and the Puppet Bomb

The hole was blocked by the roots of a vine.

Manipulating the puppet to push aside the vines and enter the space dozens of feet above, what comes into view is a small space only a hundred feet wide, with a white jade pavilion in the center, inside which a small jade box several feet in size floats on the surface.

Upon seeing this, Wang Li was overjoyed and was about to head into the cave.

Suddenly, from the puppet's perspective, he noticed something was amiss.

In a corner of the shadows behind the white jade pavilion, dozens of monster corpses were buried halfway in the ground, with only their empty heads sticking out, looking particularly eerie and eye-catching.

"What happened? How could so many top-tier level 1 lava fire lizards have perished here? And who transported them up from the boiling lava flow?"

And it feels like...like it's been used as fertilizer?