A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 90

Chapter 89 A Triumphant Return: Three Years of Careful Planning

deliberation, he decided to handle the matter himself.

Firstly, in his view, now was not the time to expose the person from the Spirit Control Sect. It was too early and would ruin some of his plans.

Compared to the interests of a group of strangers, he valued his own gains more.

Secondly, he knew very well that any demonic beast that had recognized a master and been tamed and driven by a cultivator for a long time, especially those below level six or seven that hadn’t yet developed intelligence, was unlikely to be taken by another.

This level four golden-backed demonic mantis had followed the Core Formation stage cultivator from the Spirit Control Sect for one or two hundred years, establishing a deep master-servant relationship. Furthermore, it wasn’t a high-level spirit beast that had developed intelligence; its mind was still single-minded, and its unwavering loyalty far surpassed that of humans.

Under these circumstances, he couldn’t possibly subdue it.

A level six or seven high-level demonic beast might be more suitable.

Those with intelligence were easily swayed.

This one, however, lacked intelligence and was stubbornly inflexible.

The six black dragons were willing to listen to him for two reasons: the torment of the restrictions and the fact that he had been fed a Foundation Establishment Pill. It was a perfect balance of hard punishment followed by a sweet treat. If either of these were missing, the six dragons might not have both respected and feared him, and wouldn’t have been so cooperative.

In other words, this golden-backed mantis was definitely not tamable.

So…

“Try to capture it alive. If you can, take it back to Master Hongfu to tame it, and it will only serve as a breeding ground for eggs. If it resists strongly and you can’t capture it alive, then you’ll have to… kill it.”

“The materials would be quite good for refining top-tier flying magic weapons.”

…

On a clearing on a grassy area behind the cave,

Han Li began setting up an array.

He was setting up the second upgraded and improved Inverted Five Elements Array.

This time, setting up the array took him a whole day.

The array was now more complete, more thoroughly arranged, and much more powerful. Compared to the one outside his Spirit Spring Cave, it was significantly stronger.

Then, he retrieved the primordial spirit of the Spirit Control Sect cultivator and inquired about the method of using the Golden Core’s spiritual energy to activate the magic weapon, the Green Radiance Sword.

Perhaps out of a glimmer of hope for the demonic invasion, or perhaps out of fear of the Soul Refining threat, and besides, even if he didn’t speak, there were other Core Formation cultivators to teach him. Therefore, this Core Formation cultivator didn’t hold back and told him everything.

With the secret method in hand, Han Li naturally wanted to try it out.

Then, he began to lure the Golden-backed Demon Mantis in the cave, using a wild beast he had captured from afar as bait to try to lure it out of the cave.

“Squeak squeak…”

A strange cry came from inside the cave.

The next moment, a black shadow about ten feet long darted out of the cave entrance with incredible speed. Looking closely, a huge mantis with a grayish-black body had appeared in mid-air. It was the Golden-backed Demon Mantis. This guy wasn’t particularly large among various demonic beasts, only about ten feet tall, with a thin neck and a small triangular head. Its eyes, the size of fists, were emerald green, radiating a chilling aura.

What was noteworthy was the eerie gray aura swirling around its body, something resembling the protective black clouds of a black dragon.

Judging from its aura, even top-tier magic weapons would likely be unable to inflict real damage after breaking through that layer of gray aura.

“This way,”

Han Li launched a ranged attack, intending to provoke it.

The enraged golden-backed mantis quickly locked onto him, immediately flapping its two pairs of thin, cicada-wing-like wings and shooting forward at a speed far exceeding that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s flying sword. Two hundred feet was covered in the blink of an eye.

But just as the giant mantis, wielding its massive, blade-like legs, thought it was about to slay its prey, it crashed headlong into a transparent light barrier. Immediately, its vision blurred, and it fell into an illusion constructed by a magic array.

With the limited intelligence of a demonic beast, it couldn’t distinguish reality from illusion and was quickly manipulated by the illusion.

Outside the formation, Han Li watched this scene thoughtfully.

He clearly remembered that after the original owner killed this demonic beast, he obtained more than a dozen eggs, but all of them were dead eggs with depleted spiritual energy.

This was because: firstly, demonic beasts indeed have a difficult time reproducing, and it’s common for more than a dozen eggs to be dead. Secondly, demonic beasts without intelligence don’t deliberately reserve spiritual energy to protect their offspring in the face of death. Once a demonic beast has consumed too much spiritual energy in battle, it will even instinctively draw life force from its eggs to replenish its own losses and ensure its survival.

The paternal love and filial piety of demonic beasts are completely different from human morality.

“It seems I need to act quickly and end this golden-backed mantis’s life as soon as possible, to see if I can preserve a couple of live eggs inside it.”

If I could preserve one or two live eggs, I could sell them for a good price later.

This spirit insect, ranked in the top 100 of the rare insect list, is far superior to the Jade Mantis, which is ranked outside the top 1000. Its live eggs, once on the market, would fetch at least a thousand spirit stones each.

Of course, they could also be hatched using the Spirit Eye Spring and then sold.

The price should be even higher.

So, for the next two days, Han Li used the illusionary effect of the Reversed Five Elements Array to wear down the Golden-Backed Demon Mantis’s stamina, forcing it to attack haphazardly to deplete its strength. The demon beast’s spiritual power was well preserved; the protective gray aura on its body did not diminish in the slightest.

After two days, the Golden-Backed Demon Mantis stopped its frenzied attacks and gradually calmed down. Han Li knew that his time to act had come.

He darted in.

The Azure Dragon Chains pierced through the colorful light curtain, suddenly attacking the giant mantis from the left and right. Just as the Golden-Backed Demon Mantis instinctively swung its incredibly sharp blade-like legs, the Chains withstood the attack with their hardest parts, then tightly wrapped around the two blade-like legs.

Not only that, Han Li also unleashed the mid-level Golden Thread Talisman, which he had already activated beforehand.

Immediately, countless golden threads shot from the talisman towards the giant mantis, quickly binding its entire body.

This binding force normally had little effect on a peak level four Golden-backed Mantis; the resilient threads couldn’t even withstand a casual slash from its two sharp bladed legs. But now it was different. Its bladed legs were bound by the Azure Dragon Chains, infused with many magical artifacts, and its strength was largely depleted, making its reactions somewhat sluggish. It simply couldn’t shake off the binding golden threads.

Entangled in the threads, it couldn’t even spread its wings to fly.

Its short legs stumbled, causing it to fall to the ground.

“Now!”

Han Li held a green golden core in his left hand, absorbing its energy. After absorbing the unique energy of the core, he immediately used it all on the Green Radiance Sword in his left hand:

“Go!”

Driven by the same Golden Core energy, the Green Radiance Sword transformed into a streak of green light, piercing through the golden-backed mantis’s protective gray aura from above, and then striking its slender, blade-like arm squarely.

One section of the arm was severed in a flash, and the other was cut off in the blink of an eye.

If the mantis were in good condition and able to move freely, even a magical weapon would struggle to exploit its weakness. Unfortunately, the golden-backed mantis was now a lamb to the slaughter.

“Without your blade, let’s see how fierce you are now.”

The steel bracelet was summoned, spinning rapidly as it flew towards the mantis, striking its triangular head with a thud, leaving the massive creature dazed and disoriented.

After several more blows, seeing that the mantis had little will to resist, Han Li, taking advantage of the still-effective control provided by the Golden Thread Talisman and Azure Dragon Chains, quickly stepped forward and placed a mid-level Soul-Suppressing Talisman on its head. He also fed it a generous amount of healing pills.

Mixed within were also pills to quiet the demonic beasts into hibernation.

Once this was done, the Golden-backed Mantis, having lost its pair of bladed legs and thus its formidable power, quickly fell into a deep sleep.

“Collect.”

He silently recited an incantation, and numerous golden threads began to converge into the golden thread talisman. However, before the golden threads could fully penetrate, the talisman began to burn, turning into a ball of golden ash.

“What a pity.”

Last time in the Crimson Forbidden Land, he had used this golden thread talisman to forcibly control the Ink Dragon, which was about to enter the level 2 demonic beast sequence but was comparable to a level 3 demonic beast. It had consumed half of its energy, and now, activating it again, it was completely exhausted, a natural death.

After dismantling the magic array and taking his spoils, Han Li returned directly to Yellow Maple Valley.

…

“Greetings, Master.”

Inside the Red Tassel Mountain cave, Han Li met with Fairy Hong Fu.

“Did you encounter anything on this trip?”

She was extremely pleased that her disciple had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage so quickly.

Beside them, Dong Xuan’er, Xiu Ting, and Xiu Lan, among other girls, felt a pang of jealousy upon noticing Han Li’s cultivation level. The

reason was simple: while Xiu Ting and Xiu Lan’s cultivation had improved, the progress was very limited.

Dong Xuan’er, though reaching the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, still had a long way to go to reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. In other words, she had truly been surpassed by her junior brother with his pseudo-spiritual root. This echoed a certain saying from her Qi Refining stage days. The more

Dong Xuan’er thought about it, the more bitter she felt.

Over the years, she had harvested half of the medicinal herbs suitable for Foundation Establishment from the several medicinal fields on Red Tassel Mountain. Her master had also refined the medicinal herbs harvested during the two forbidden area trials, those suitable for Foundation Establishment, into pills for her. She had already consumed six bottles of cultivation-enhancing pills, so her cultivation resources were “definitely” more than her junior brother’s.

Coupled with nearly ten years of arduous cultivation, her attitude towards cultivation was no worse than others.

Furthermore, her spiritual root aptitude was superior to her junior brother Han Li’s.

Yet, she had still been overtaken.

This completely shattered her initial pride, burying it under the title of “the lowest-ranking cultivator on Red Tassel Mountain.”

Reaching the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage in less than ten years—that would be considered genius among geniuses outside. Even a genius who was always sickly would still be a genius. But compared to her junior brother…

well, never mind, she wouldn’t dwell on it.

Han Li could understand that feeling of utter dejection. But now, in the main hall, this wasn’t the place or the time for him to comfort his senior sister. Besides, he had more important matters to attend to.

“Master, this disciple encountered a level four demonic beast on my recent journey, this Golden-backed Demon Mantis…”

he said, taking out the Golden-backed Demon Mantis, which had lost its claws and was still dormant, from his spirit beast pouch.

After examining it, Master Hongfu’s eyes widened in surprise:

“It is indeed a level four demonic beast, and a peak level four golden-backed mantis at that. These strange insect-like demonic beasts are extremely ferocious, with two indestructible blade-like legs, and their flight speed can rival that of us Core Formation cultivators. Han Li, how did you defeat it?”

A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, comparable to a level three demonic beast, facing a peak level four demonic beast—it seemed the cultivators had no chance of winning.

“A level four demonic beast? Junior Brother actually captured a peak level four demonic beast alive?”

The two senior sisters looked at the golden-backed mantis with astonishment and suspicion.

Even if the two of them attacked together, they might not fare well, and would more likely be hunted down by this peak level four golden-backed mantis.

How did Junior Brother do that?

Are his methods so powerful?

“This disciple used the power of an array.”

“An array?”

“Master, do you remember the great array outside my cave? That’s what I bought at a high price. I also have a simplified version with me. It only takes some time to set it up, and then I can lure the demon beast into the array to trap and exhaust it.” Han Li said truthfully.

“I see.”

Hong Fu nodded, understanding the method.

The other three women had different expressions.

“Master, can you tame this golden-backed mantis?”

“Difficult. I see a lot of blood pact restrictions inside it, so it must have recognized a master before. It’s impossible to tame such a demon beast in less than a hundred years. I don’t have that much time and energy. Besides, you’ve already crippled this golden-backed mantis’s pair of bladed legs, so it’s useless. Why waste energy taming it?”

“Master, it can lay eggs.”

Saying that, she pointed to the mantis’s abdomen.

Fairy Hong Fu thought for a moment and immediately understood. She nodded and examined the condition of the golden-backed mantis’s abdomen, then took out seventeen eggs.

After sensing the eggs with their spiritual senses, they found that eleven were dead, devoid of any life force. However, the other six were alive, viable eggs that could be hatched.

It was clear they needed to subdue the giant mantis before its spiritual energy was depleted. This way, the golden-backed mantis wouldn’t drain the life force of the eggs to replenish itself. And the eggs that weren’t drained of their life force naturally had a higher chance of survival.

“So many viable eggs? You’re very lucky.”

“Master, what do you mean?”

“The golden-backed mantis’s first egg-laying requires a hundred years of gestation, and the next one will be hundreds of years later. The number of eggs laid will be small, decreasing over time, and there might only be a few viable eggs. Yet you happened to arrive during this beast’s first egg-laying period, and with so many viable eggs…”

The timing was perfect.

A year or two earlier, it probably wouldn’t have even started laying eggs.

Two years later, the number of viable eggs might not have been this many.

Having grasped the crux of the matter, Han Li chuckled and then looked at the three women beside him: “Senior sisters, are you interested? The little mantis will be a formidable fighting force if raised properly. I can handle the hatching issue for you.”

He possessed the Spirit Eye Spring, perfectly suited for hatching demonic beasts and spirit insects.

He then took out four jade boxes.

He put two of them into two boxes and handed them to Master Hongfu and Dong Xuan’er respectively.

He put one of each into the other two jade boxes and handed them to his two senior sisters, Xiuting and Xiulan.

“You’re very kind, but I don’t need it,”

Master Hongfu said with a smile, waving her hand. Then she nodded,

“Your three senior sisters are more suitable…”

“The Golden-backed Demon Mantis is quite famous among demonic beasts and spirit insects. Given enough time and some spiritual herbs, it can smoothly grow to level four. After level four, it can start laying eggs and reproducing. If it can reach level five, it will be comparable to the combat power of us Core Formation cultivators. If your three senior sisters can also form Core Formation in the future, having a level five spirit beast by their side will be very different from ordinary Core Formation cultivators.”

“Moreover, such a demonic beast egg is worth at least one or two thousand spirit stones.”

Dong Xuan’er and the other two women’s eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

Dong Xuan’er generously accepted the box and took two demonic insect eggs.

Xiuting and Xiulan hesitated for a while, wanting them but too embarrassed to ask. Only after Master Hongfu waved her hand and placed the items in front of them did the two women thank their master and Han Li.

Seeing Master Hongfu’s joy, Han Li quickly seized the opportunity and took out the pair of golden-backed mantis blades:

“Master, my weapon-refining skills are truly not high, and I’m afraid I’ll waste these good materials. Master, could you help me, um, um…”

His hesitation made the women suppress their laughter, but they couldn’t let their master actually laugh out loud.

“Alright, leave the items here. I’ll refine a few suitable top-tier magic weapons for you. However, if you want even higher quality, it’s best to add some gold essence from the five metals of magic weapons. Not too much, just two pigeon egg-sized pieces will be enough. Do you have any of these prepared?”

“Yes, yes.”

Han Li quickly took out his preparations.

There were three things of different colors.

One, a bright yellow, was gold essence, about the size of a fist.

One, a greenish-blue, was copper essence, about the size of two eggs.

There was also a white piece, a tiny scrap of tin essence, only the size of a fingernail.

With the demonic invasion looming in the coming months, he needed as many high-quality, top-tier magic artifacts as possible. Providing these three types of metal, with a surface value of about four or five thousand spirit stones, was a carefully considered decision.

“Gold essence, copper essence, tin essence—you actually got three kinds of magic artifact metal?”

Not only were Dong Xuan’er, Xiu Ting, and Xiu Lan astonished, but even Master Hong Fu was greatly surprised.

Even a single scrap was rare for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet his little disciple had three!

“Huh? This quality is even better than the metal refined by Junior Brother Li’s Three Yang True Fire?”

Although the quantity of the three pieces was small, each one was of exceptionally high quality. It was something a Core Formation cultivator couldn’t refine.

This…

could it be a rare treasure refined by a Nascent Soul cultivator using Infant Fire? ”   Your luck is incredible!

You even managed to get your hands on scraps of this quality?!”

Tsk tsk… another level four peak Golden-backed Demon Mantis bound by a blood pact, another magic weapon of five metals… this little disciple of mine must have had another extraordinary encounter on this trip.   Did he discover an ancient cultivator’s cave? Or some seriously injured Core Formation cultivator from outside our seven sects?   Wait, could this child have used Old Monster Qiong’s Invisible Needle Talisman to kill a seriously injured one…?   That can’t be, right?!   Cough cough, I’m overthinking it.   ”Han Li, if my natal magic weapon hadn’t already been enhanced with enough metals, I wouldn’t need to add more to reinforce it and make it look bulky. Otherwise, I would definitely buy some from you.”   Fairy Hong Fu didn’t shy away from expressing her thoughts.   In fact, if she had more, she really would have spent some money to barter and ask for some. After all, even if she didn’t need it, Xuan’er could. The small, fist-sized piece of iron essence they obtained from the Thousand Bamboo Sect and the larger piece from Junior Brother Li were still… too little.   Hong Fu would never have imagined that these three magical artifacts weren’t refined by a Nascent Soul ancestor, but rather by a legendary Deity Transformation cultivator who specially refined them for future generations with the right destiny. And in enormous quantities. If a suitable amount could be added to any magical artifact, its power would be greatly enhanced.   Han Li only used a tiny fraction of the forbidden area’s profits, less than one-thousandth, demonstrating his extreme caution.

As for how he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, managed to extract scraps from such large and complete pieces,

it was naturally thanks to the Golden Core power of that unfortunate fellow from the Spirit Control Sect.

The five metals of a magic weapon require Core Formation cultivation to refine.

In other words, as long as one possesses Core Formation level power, it can be extracted. He tried it and succeeded, though it consumed a considerable amount of that Golden Core’s energy.

Fortunately, it was all worthwhile.

Gold essence primarily enhances sharpness, and significantly so, greatly improving the sharpness of sword energy. Copper essence greatly increases strength, increasing hardness and resistance to wear and corrosion. Tin essence primarily grants magic weapons and artifacts restorative power, allowing damaged artifacts to gradually return to their original state. The more tin essence, the stronger the restorative power of the magic weapon or artifact.

Silver and iron essence also have their own main effects, but Han Li dared not take out even a trace of them.

Taking out these three, and even just scraps of them, was already a huge test of his heart and his master Hong Fu’s character.

Thankfully, this wasn’t Li Huayuan, his senior uncle; otherwise, he would likely have pressed him for answers.

“Disciple thanks Master,”

Han Li said, relieved that Master Hongfu meant no harm.

Originally, he had considered collaborating with Qi Yunxiao to refine a top-tier magic weapon using Foundation Establishment True Fire or Earth Fire. However, while Qi Yunxiao’s weapon-refining skills were impressive, his cultivation level was too low. He would likely only be able to refine rare or even top-grade magic weapons after reaching Foundation Establishment.

For someone only at the Qi Refining stage, it was too much of a stretch.

He couldn’t bear to use such precious and rare materials for Qi Yunxiao to practice with.

…

After discussing the weapon-refining, the disciples took their leave, and Han Li approached Dong Xuan’er to inquire about the events that had occurred during his three years of seclusion.

The most interesting thing was undoubtedly the saying, “The younger generation surpasses the older.”

The Murong brothers, with their thunder spirit roots, had successfully reached Foundation Establishment more than two years ago, thanks to the two Foundation Establishment Pills he had sold at a bargain price of eight thousand spirit stones. Although he sold it at a fair price three years ago, the two brothers still owed him a small favor.

Furthermore, Li Jin, the young genius of the Li family, and the Murong brothers achieved Foundation Establishment almost simultaneously, or rather, a month earlier. The Foundation Establishment Pill they used was also provided by him.

The three who received angel investment were essentially achieving Foundation Establishment more than a year earlier than other young geniuses of the same period.

This is because the young geniuses of the same period had to wait until after the final Blood Trial, wait for the relevant spiritual herbs to be refined into new Foundation Establishment Pills, and then wait for the distributed Foundation Establishment Pills. The whole process was incredibly frustrating.

In contrast, the young man from the Wang family with the innate divine eyes achieved Foundation Establishment more than a year later.

It wasn’t that he lacked talent; in fact, this young man’s cultivation speed was no different from Li Jin’s, who had a special spiritual root and physique. Rather, he lacked the necessary channels, indirectly losing time.

This one step behind led to a series of setbacks.

The Murong brothers and Li Jin seized the advantage of achieving Foundation Establishment a year earlier, gaining a significant advantage.

The most direct benefit was that the three of them, as Foundation Establishment supervisors, accompanied the Core Formation stage participants to the final Blood Trial!

These three, as disciples of a Core Formation stage elder, benefited from their master’s influence and were successively bestowed with Foundation Establishment stage pills.

“Senior Sister, I heard that two years ago, during the Crimson Trial, Master Hongfu, together with Uncle Lei and Uncle Li Huayuan, launched a major attack?” Han Li asked.

“That’s true.”

Dong Xuan’er nodded, confirming the authenticity of the information:

“Junior Brother, as you know, according to the regulations of the Seven Sects a few years ago, the last Crimson Trial was the last one to be opened in 60 years. After that, the Seven Sects will close the forbidden area for 60 years to allow the various spiritual herbs inside to reproduce and slow down the cycle…”

After all, they have been mining for too many years. If they don’t restrain themselves and slow down, the outer and central areas of the Crimson Forbidden Area will be completely depleted.

“For the next 60 years, ordinary older disciples couldn’t obtain Foundation Establishment Pills through the sect’s main channels. For example, those who ranked in the top twenty in the last ten-year competition, or even the competitions twenty or thirty years ago, who had previously obtained Foundation Establishment Pills through the competition, couldn’t win a second one.”

“Many of them still haven’t achieved Foundation Establishment.”

“With the Crimson Forbidden Land closing for sixty years, and given their desire to achieve Foundation Establishment, they’re scrambling to sign up.”

Han Li, upon hearing this, deliberately paused:

“Are they all so eager?”

Dong Xuan’er suppressed a smile.

Han Li, seeing this, was puzzled:

“What’s wrong, Senior Sister?”

“Someone brought out dozens of spiritual herbs last time, reaping a huge harvest. Several others also obtained Foundation Establishment Pills, and four people even successfully achieved Foundation Establishment thanks to the benefits of the Forbidden Land. Junior Brother, do you understand?” Dong Xuan’er said with a smile. She

still maintained her bossy demeanor,

as if she had regained her confidence.

Han Li immediately feigned understanding:

“Oh~”

“I see.”

It turned out that his gains that time had stimulated those Qi Refining stage elites. After all, he and several others had done very well, so how could those more outstanding and confident elite disciples, who didn’t feel inferior to others, not have some thoughts?

Then, Dong Xuan’er recounted other inside stories:

Because the forbidden area was to be closed by the seven sects for 60 years, each sect had arranged a very elite lineup.

However, on the Huangfeng Valley side, several elders from the sects who had tasted success last time, or indirectly benefited, or saw the potential for profit, joined forces.

Five Core Formation cultivators—Master Hong Fu, Li Huayuan, Huang Nie, Lei Wanhe, and Old Ancestor Chen—paid out of their own pockets to strengthen the elites they valued who were about to participate in the trial.

The five people selected by Master Hong Fu were each equipped with top-grade magic weapons, mostly of the finest or even rarest quality, typically used by Foundation Establishment cultivators, one for offense and one for defense.

In addition: each person receives three intermediate-level talismans, and ten beginner and advanced-level talismans!

Each person receives two top-tier level 1 spirit beasts!

The Spirit Fusion Talismans are also paired up, with the lone individual teaming up with another Core Formation elder.

Furthermore, the two most favored individuals are equipped with talisman treasures—the kind that can be activated at least three more times. This

largely replicates Han Li’s successful process,

demonstrating the importance Master Hong Fu places on this final Blood Trial.

Those chosen individuals were already among the top ten in the sect’s grand competition back then, showcasing their individual strength and making them the seeded generation of all time. Moreover, most of them have accumulated considerable wealth over the years, and have received strong support from Master Hong Fu and several other Core Formation elders of the sect. It’s no exaggeration to say that their individual strength and foundation are no less than Han Li’s.

The five Core Formation elders of the sect also have a clear objective.

These were the aged, high-quality spiritual herbs and rare medicinal plants within the forbidden area.

In other words, it was his butterfly effect

that made those who had tasted the benefits restless.

Since it concerned their cultivation paths, they were incredibly generous.

As the saying goes, you have to give to receive, and the five elders, having jointly shared the burden of training the trial participants, were naturally full of confidence.

According to Dong Xuan’er, the plan had begun about a year before the forbidden area opened, roughly shortly after the incident involving the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s young master Lin and Huang Long, less than half a month after his return from his trip to the Azure Wave Cave.

At that time, the five Core Formation stage elders preemptively selected twenty-five trial participants!

Subsequently, these twenty-five participants underwent training, not only receiving upgraded equipment but also enjoying monthly guidance from the elders. It could be said that those cultivators were only missing the title of nominal disciple.

As for the other sects?

Although they also valued the final gains from the forbidden area…

Elites of the elite were also selected to participate.

However, the number of top-tier elites was truly limited.

Preparations in other areas were also insufficient, nowhere near as favorable as those of Huangfeng Valley. The outcome was predictable when the six sects’ trial participants encountered Huangfeng Valley’s teams of two.

Ultimately, Huangfeng Valley achieved excellent results once again,

bringing back a total of 291 spiritual herbs, even more impressive than their previous 133.

Among them were many high-quality herbs,

including six rare herbs, fifty

or sixty high-quality herbs,

and dozens suitable for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

Of the six rare herbs, two were obtained by Master Hongfu, and the other two by Ancestor Chen.

After all, the Chen family had sent five of their most outstanding Qi Refining stage elites this time, all with top-tier resources. Crucially, three of them successfully joined forces, and together, after exhausting their talismanic treasures, they barely managed to destroy a level 2 demon beast’s lair, resulting in a massive harvest.

Old Ancestor Chen ultimately acquired two rare spiritual herbs and over ten fine ones, not only recouping his investment but also cultivating elites within his clan—a double win.

Even with the loss of two junior members, the outcome was still a huge profit.

The fifth rare herb was brought out by a member of the Lei family, thus ending up in Lei Wanhe’s possession.

He also incidentally obtained over ten fine spiritual herbs, each five or six hundred years old.

“You have no idea how happy Uncle Lei was. Another batch of Yuan-Boosting Pills was inevitable.”

A complete batch yields a dozen or twenty pills.

If a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator were to refine them all, it would be enough to increase their cultivation by more than ten years.

It’s extremely effective for breaking through bottlenecks.

“The Lei family contributed significantly,” Han Li said. “It seems our Yellow Maple Valley will soon have its second late-stage Core Formation cultivator.”

“Master said so too,” Dong Xuan’er nodded.

The sixth rare herb was acquired by Li Huayuan.

Initially, some people objected because Li Huayuan had intercepted Huang Nie’s uncle, enticing him with two Foundation Establishment Pills to accept the clansman who had brought out the spiritual herb as a nominal disciple, thus obtaining the rare spiritual herb and three fine spiritual herbs.

Huang Nie nearly went to Bibo Cave to confront Li Huayuan, almost causing a major falling out.

He was stopped by Master Hongfu, who stated that Li Huayuan had presided over the Blood Trial for nearly thirty years, and even if he hadn’t achieved great merit, he had still put in considerable effort. Furthermore, he had contributed this time, and his methods were within the sect’s rules. Huang Nie, not wanting to argue with Hongfu, tolerated it. Afterwards, Master Hongfu exchanged a rare spiritual herb she didn’t need for Huang Nie in exchange for many spiritual herbs and pills suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage, appeasing him and completely resolving the matter.

Li Huayuan also sent many Foundation Establishment-suitable spiritual herbs as a token of gratitude.

He then went to Huang Nie to apologize, further easing tensions.

This also shows how fragile the so-called brotherhood among fellow disciples is in the face of one’s own immortal path.

As long as the benefits are sufficient and the rules are used well, what does the shamelessness of a Core Formation stage cultivator matter?

Perhaps, only Master Hongfu’s side is “cleaner.”

“By the way, Senior Sister, how big were our sect’s losses?” Han Li suddenly asked.

“It’s alright, twelve people were lost, and thirteen came out alive.” Dong Xuan’er said regretfully.

Each person brought out more than twenty spiritual herbs.

The most powerful group brought out about forty herbs each.

They almost broke their junior brother’s record.

So, if those twelve unlucky guys had also come out alive, their Yellow Maple Valley’s spiritual herb harvest would definitely have been even more abundant, super abundant.

“That’s not right, how could such a lineup suffer such heavy losses?”

Han Li raised an eyebrow, quite surprised.

You know, if any one of the last trial participants were thrown into the previous forbidden area trial, they would all be high-level “Hunters,” the kind who could fight against the eldest son of the Chen family. How could they have suffered such heavy losses?

Could it be because…?

He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine for Mo Jiao Xiao Liu.

Had that guy been killed by this group?

If the Huangfeng Valley team formed a group of ten, Xiao Liu would also be in danger. A team of ten meant several talismanic treasures, numerous top-tier magic weapons, and mid-level talismans. Xiao Liu’s defense might not be enough to withstand it.

Even if those talismanic treasures were only activated during the Qi Refining stage, they could still threaten level 2 or even level 3 demonic beasts.

Of course, if Huangfeng Valley were to confront Xiao Liu head-on, even if they won, the losses would be extremely heavy. Because Xiao Liu, who had been confined in the forbidden area for five years, was definitely not just a level 3 demonic beast like when he first broke through; he was a dominant force among level 3 demonic beasts.

A dragon bloodline, at level 8, could fight across realms.

Let alone at the early level 2.

“Junior brother, there are many reasons for our heavy losses.”

“For example, the powerful figures among the other six sects.”

“Don’t underestimate the other sects. Several, such as the Hidden Moon Sect and the Spirit Beast Mountain, also have similar elites.” Dong Xuan’er sighed, “Although the high-level cultivators of the other sects haven’t invested in specifically training their elites for the trials, there are still many ruthless individuals among them who are self-reliant. Some can even fight two opponents at once without being at a disadvantage.” “

In addition, our small group encountered several level-two demonic beasts. In previous Blood Trials, the participants would have given up long ago. But last time was different. They were given high hopes, and they were too skilled and daring. They actually challenged the lairs of level-two demonic beasts in pairs before the main force. Several people were lost because of this.”

“By the way, a few people encountered a group of demonic beasts in the inner ring of the central area. Our six-person team initially only noticed two level 2 demonic beasts in the group, unaware of the level 3 demonic beast that had molted at the bottom of the lake. They only realized the seriousness of the problem after someone stirred up a hornet’s nest, but it was too late.”

This was similar to his previous encounter with the fire lizard group, yet different.

Whenever he discovered a level 3 demonic beast, he wouldn’t act recklessly.

The Ink Dragon, however, could sense the general threat through aura sensing.

Therefore, he wouldn’t approach any demonic beast nest that could threaten Xiao Liu; he would take a detour.

The six-person team was different. Although they had spirit beasts with them, they couldn’t perceive the exact extent of the threat within the demonic beast group. Relying on their dozen or so top-tier level 1 spirit beasts and various hidden methods, the six recklessly charged in. They only realized they had stirred up a hornet’s nest after making a mistake, and the price they paid was enormous.

“Only two members of that six-person team managed to escape.”

In that single incident, Huang Feng Valley lost four members.

Otherwise, the number of spiritual herbs they brought out would definitely be more than two hundred and ninety.

Even so, it still stunned the other sects.

If Li Huayuan had been the only Core Formation cultivator leading Huang Feng Valley’s team at the time, Huang Feng Valley’s group would likely have been harassed by the experts from the six sects. Fortunately, Lei Wanhe and the Chen family patriarch went along to maintain order, which allowed the other sects to suffer in silence.

That’s the general situation.

Dong Xuan’er didn’t go with them, so she wasn’t entirely clear on the details.

In short, thanks to her master Hong Fu’s effective investment, she indirectly obtained a large number of spiritual herbs suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage. This was equivalent to at least three Core Formation stage cultivators supporting her. Now, she just needed to gather the remaining matching auxiliary materials to start refining pills and produce three batches of decent pills. At that time, with a large number of pills to help her, she could catch up with or even surpass her junior brother.

“Junior brother, although you have the aid of the spiritual spring, don’t slack off. I will catch up with you and surpass you soon.”

“Then do you keep your word, senior sister?”

Han Li said calmly, touching his storage bag.

Inside his storage bag, the number of pills refined according to ancient formulas had not decreased but increased. They were

all refined after he entered the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and mastered the first level of the Great Evolution Technique. There were

about ten bottles in total.

He had prepared them

for the next few years. Since his cultivation advanced further, entering the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and mastering the first level of the Great Evolution Technique, his success rate in refining various Foundation Establishment pills had also increased significantly, from about 50% to more than 70%.

He thought that once he entered the late-Foundation Establishment stage or mastered the second level of the Great Evolution Technique, his control over the details of pill refining would be even better, and the success rate would increase even more.

Moreover, he would only refine all the remaining forbidden spiritual herbs suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators into matching ancient pills after his cultivation and the Great Evolution Technique broke through again.

After all, he could still improve now.

Correspondingly, he should be frugal.

He should be meticulous in his calculations and save wherever possible.

…

“So, the reason why Brother Murong and Junior Brother Li Jin’s cultivation has improved so rapidly is because of the advantages brought by their dual identities as ‘team leader of Foundation Establishment cultivators’ and ‘elder’s disciple,’ right?”

“Of course, those three little ones are quite favored by Uncle Lei and Uncle Chen.”

Dong Xuan’er pouted.

As the saying goes, those near the water get the moon first.

The three of them went with their master to broaden their horizons, and the Core Formation stage experts saw a great harvest and were certainly generous with their rewards.

Everyone gets a share, right?

The three little ones essentially got several bottles of Foundation Establishment pills for free.

Indeed.

Choice is more important than effort.

“By the way, Senior Sister, has the sect adjusted any rules regarding the distribution of Foundation Establishment pills?”

(End of this chapter)