A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 98

Chapter 97 Heartbreaking, Sense of Belonging Vanished in an Instant, Adjusting Plans

“Alright, the cultivation worlds of Jiang and Cheqi have been destroyed, and the six demonic sects are about to invade. You should all quickly return to your sects and prepare for the upcoming great battle.”

Ancestor Linghu instructed the six sects, including the Hidden Moon Sect.

This news was like a thunderbolt, making the heads of the cultivators from the six sects buzz.

“Senior Linghu, is this true?”

a Core Formation cultivator asked in surprise.

Ancestor Linghu snorted coldly:

“Would I lie to you? It was only because I happened to pass by the border between Jiang and Yue two days ago that I witnessed these scenes firsthand. Otherwise, if the army of the six demonic sects had blocked the news and launched a full-scale attack, our seven sects might not have realized that danger had arrived.”

It was truly a coincidence.

Huangfeng Valley, which was relatively far from the eastern border of Yue, was the first to know the news that Jiang and Cheqi had been destroyed and that the demonic sects of Tianluo were about to invade, thanks to Ancestor Linghu.

Therefore, the first to arrive to offer amnesty to the Yan family was Patriarch Linghu, not the Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the other six major sects.

“This…”

The Core Formation stage cultivators from the six sects were all flustered.

They had never expected that a war of annihilation was about to begin. Accustomed to comfort, they were completely unprepared.

“If you have any doubts, consult your elders. Quickly return to your sects to organize your forces; don’t delay important matters.”

Patriarch Linghu, dressed in brocade robes, waved his hand, not wanting to say anything more.

The people from the six sects bowed and left.

Before leaving, Old Monster Qiong tossed over a bottle of pills: for aphrodisiacs and to enhance sexual pleasure.

This greatly displeased Master Hongfu.

Only after the Yellow Maple Valley and a few members of the Yan family remained on the mountaintop did Patriarch Linghu summon the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the other countries and sects who were attending the meeting. He then informed them of the annihilation of the Jiang and Cheqi kingdoms and the impending large-scale attack by the six demonic sects.

The Nascent Soul Ancestor naturally wouldn’t joke about such a matter with a group of Foundation Establishment juniors.

“Your sects should be receiving the message talismans I sent soon. With important matters at hand, this treasure-hunting tournament certainly can’t proceed normally. Return to your respective sects immediately.” “

…”

The more than two hundred cultivators from the surrounding countries who had come to participate were about to take their leave.

However, before they departed, the elder of the Yan family stopped them, giving each of them two mid-grade spirit stones as travel expenses.

It was a small token of his appreciation.

This inexplicably improved the mood of many who had initially felt quite unlucky.

Two hundred spirit stones—not too much, not too little.

Just right.

As for why the Yan family was so generous?

The reason was simple.

In the upcoming great battle, the Yue Kingdom alone certainly couldn’t defeat the six demonic sects. Except for the weakest, the Ghost Spirit Sect, which was only three points stronger than the Yue Kingdom’s Hidden Moon Sect, each of the other five sects possessed the strength to single-handedly defeat the entire Yue Kingdom’s cultivation world.

In other words, the Yue Kingdom would definitely seek help from the Yuanwu Kingdom, the Zijin Kingdom, and other cultivation worlds. At that time, the Yan family might encounter this group again.

Leaving a good impression is always better for the Yan family than leaving a bad one.

“Thank you, Senior Yan.” The

Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from various countries all left.

The treasure hunt organized by the Yan family also came to a hasty end. It was a case of starting strong but ending weakly.

As for the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from Jiang Kingdom and Cheqi Kingdom, the Yan family did not provide any further compensation.

These people were too grateful to the Yan family for organizing this treasure hunt. Otherwise, they would probably have been slaughtered and sacrificed by the six demonic sects by now.

“How much of your Yan family’s savings did you use to appease all parties this time?”

Ancestor Linghu suddenly looked at the elder of the Yan family and asked with a smile.

“Reporting to Senior, the Yan family used most of its savings this time.”

In reality, it was only a small portion.

Apart from the magic weapon, the Red Dust Qiankun Tower, which made his heart bleed, the other supplies worth hundreds of thousands of spirit stones were actually just so-so. After all, a top-tier heavy-grade magic weapon at the level of the Qiankun Tower couldn’t be bought for hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

“Alright then.”

The Linghu Ancestor, seated high above, nodded, no longer making things difficult for the Yan family.

“Ancestor, what should we do with the dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators from Jiang Kingdom and Cheqi Kingdom?” Lei Wanhe asked.

Upon hearing this, Linghu pondered for a moment, then sighed softly:

“The sect’s spirit stones are about to be used as reserves for the great war, so we can’t use them lightly…”

As he spoke, he glanced around at everyone, finally settling his gaze on Han Li, whose spiritual root aptitude was the worst but whose gains were extremely abundant

. More accurately, he focused his gaze on the two storage bags of Wang Chan and Tian Buque. He knew roughly what kind of wealth was in Wang Chan’s storage bag

. Because he arrived shortly after Hong Fu made her move,

before the other six sects’ Core Formation stage cultivators arrived.

He had also seen with his divine sense the scene of this boy refusing the little guy from the Ghost Spirit Sect, and was therefore gratified.

But so what?

This kid’s spiritual root aptitude was too poor. “

Not worth cultivating.

Besides, if he had intervened back then, how could this kid have had the chance to profit?

It’s not unreasonable to make him contribute something to help the sect, is it? ”   The patriarch asked with a gentle smile,

“Have you all distributed the profits? What benefits did you all receive?”   Hong Fu seemed to sense what Patriarch Linghu wanted to do and immediately stepped forward, standing in front of Han Li:   ”Uncle-Master, we have already distributed the profits according to our contributions, and we all feel it’s quite appropriate.”   ”Is that so…”   The old man in brocade looked at Nie Ying, Zhong Weiniang, and the others.   The seven nodded repeatedly, indeed very satisfied with their respective gains.   At this moment, Hong Fu spoke again:   ”Uncle-Master, my Hongying Mountain lineage has gained a lot. Since the sect is experiencing financial difficulties, let my lineage contribute some spirit stones to settle the cultivators from both countries.”   Hong Fu, who could have easily distanced herself, actually took on the most strenuous and potentially unpopular task.   This made Lei Wanhe sigh inwardly.   It left Li Huayuan momentarily stunned.   Even Linghu Laoguai raised an eyebrow unintentionally:   ”Have you thought it through?”

That kid only has a pseudo-spiritual root; I’ve never heard of a pseudo-spiritual root that can form a core.

Is it appropriate, Dong family girl, to waste so many resources on a pseudo-spiritual root that will turn into a skeleton in a grave in a hundred or two years? Is it worth it? Is it reliable?

“Please grant my request, Martial Uncle.” Hong Fu

clasped her hands in a respectful bow.

She was determined to protect Han Li. So what if he has a pseudo-spiritual root? He deserved it through his own abilities.

Linghu frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then relaxed:

“Is it alright to leave these little fellows from the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Joyous Union Sect to me?”

“Of course.”

Hong Fu and the other two had no objections.

Only Lei Wanhe and Li Huayuan felt a pang of heartache.

Two major bargaining chips, two major opportunities… gone.

Linghu immediately nodded and smiled amicably:

“Alright, you are in full charge of the Foundation Establishment cultivators of both countries. I’m relieved.”

From then on, he no longer worried about this matter.

As for Han Li, his face remained expressionless, but a fleeting sadness flashed through his heart.

This old ancestor almost snatched his prize. Was it because Linghu was completely unaware of his efforts and sacrifices?

No.

It was probably because he took too much.

His total gains exceeded 800,000 spirit stones; even a Nascent Soul stage expert would be tempted, right?

Thinking about it again, if the interests represented by Wang Chan and Tian Buque could be taken away, and the interests of a dignified Core Formation cultivator could be openly stolen, what was his little grievance as a Foundation Establishment stage nobody compared to that?

This shows that Huangfeng Valley wasn’t as friendly as imagined.

The law of the jungle, where the big fish eat the small fish, had always existed.

It was just that he had latched onto Master Hongfu, which prevented him from being bullied, and incidentally gained connections with Sect Leader Zhong, the Chen family, Uncle Lei, and Uncle Li Huayuan.

Therefore, he had even greater respect for Master Hongfu, who had stood up for him.

“Master, let me pay for the spirit stones used to recruit cultivators from both countries. I’ve gained quite a lot this time,”

Han Li said with a smile.

Master Hongfu waved her hand,

“No need for further words, you’ve done very well.”

What kind of behavior is it to have a disciple use their earnings to appease outsiders?

It was she, on the other hand.

She had acquired a Qiankun Tower magic treasure, making her the highest earner among everyone. Moreover, she had also obtained the storage bags of the Li brothers, both Core Formation stage cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect. The lion’s share was in her hands.

She could use tens of thousands of spirit stones to win over the hearts of dozens of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from both countries—a small cost, harmless.

Han Li clasped his hands in a salute and said no more.

Ancestor Linghu had underestimated the four pseudo-spiritual roots, feeling that wasting too many resources on a pseudo-spiritual root that was unlikely to succeed was a waste. He was thinking of a more rational use of the acquired resources. For example, first, to buy them off with benefits, then to form a marriage alliance—a combination of tactics to win over the promising talents of both countries with excellent spiritual root aptitudes.

Little did he know, Hongfu didn’t even consider those handsome men with high cultivation talent. Because her Dong Xuan’er wasn’t exceptionally talented, nor did she need a handsome young man to accompany her. Her Xuan’er only needed to be down-to-earth and honest; ordinariness was a blessing.

Linghu Patriarch never imagined that his actions would cause someone’s sense of belonging to Huangfeng Valley to vanish overnight.

“I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the gutter…”

From

then on, Han Li remained silent.

He had no intention of sharing the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Blood Spirit Technique with the Huangfeng Valley.

He also had no desire to present the soul of the Yuling Sect cultivator for reward.

He felt that even the greatest merit might not be worth much in front of Linghu Patriarch.

At most, a few words of praise.

And then, nothing more.

Rather than that, it was better to be “honest” and let the overall situation remain unchanged. After all, what remained unchanged was most beneficial to him.

“How could I possibly feel such a sense of belonging to Huangfeng Valley? How could I actually think about strengthening Huangfeng Valley? How could I actually think about preserving more of Huangfeng Valley’s foundation?”

Inside his sleeve, Han Li’s right hand clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Heartache, grievance, anger…

a complex mix of emotions swirled within him.

“Ha, I’m just a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet I’m thinking about how Huangfeng Valley can be better? Truly laughable.”

Old Ancestor Linghu mistakenly believed that Han Li had taken advantage of Master Hongfu and Uncle Lei, thinking that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him had gained far too much.

Little did he know, it was a mutual benefit! It was certain others, including Old Ancestor Linghu, who benefited more from Han Li’s influence!

Without his mediation, what would have happened—the capture of Wang Chan and Young Master Tian, the hidden lineage of the Yan family, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from two countries—what would Huangfeng Valley have to do with it?

Huangfeng Valley would have gained nothing.

The most realistic scenario was: Huangfeng Valley would have lost seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators in this operation.

The seven sects of Yue Kingdom will lose many Core Formation seeds, including Ma Yunlong. They will also lose dozens of Core Formation disciples with excellent aptitude and considerable cultivation.

Without him, Yue Kingdom has already lost its first battle.

For the next few decades, there may not be a single new Core Formation cultivator.

As for him?

Even without anyone from Huangfeng Valley cooperating with him, he could still lure Wang Chan out along the original path, kill him, and obtain his storage bag. It’s just that he would miss out on the Qiankun Tower talisman, the storage bags of Tian Ershao and a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, and incidentally create a major enemy for Huangfeng Valley: the Ghost Spirit Sect.

That’s all.

He was trying his best to maximize the gains for both himself and Huangfeng Valley, mutually benefiting each other and avoiding risks. But the result…

“Well, the resources for the third stage might still be a bit lacking. However, perhaps I don’t need to gather the resources for the third stage.”

Huangfeng Valley, however, ultimately rejects outsiders.

For a rogue cultivator like him, not born into a family, aside from Master Hongfu, probably no one would truly respect him.

He understood the reason, and it was simple:

a pseudo-spiritual root.

It limited his potential.

For ten thousand years, there had never been a pseudo-spiritual root capable of forming a Nascent Soul in the Southern Lands—well, actually, not even a pseudo-spiritual root capable of forming a Core had ever appeared. He was fundamentally looked down upon by everyone, including Master Hongfu.

“Although Master Hongfu is a good person, she is deeply mired in the quagmire of her family and sect, and it’s impossible for her to fully invest in me. Providing me with protection and occasional cultivation resources is already extremely kind.”

Therefore, he shouldn’t expect anything from anyone else. He

could only rely on himself.

Of course, he didn’t blame the others; it was only human nature.

He only blamed the increasingly harsh cultivation environment of this era.

If it were ancient times, with abundant spiritual energy and a superior cultivation environment, even pseudo-spiritual roots could achieve Foundation Establishment and even Core Formation. Back then, pseudo-spiritual roots weren’t as lowly as they are now.

From then on, Han Li became even more cautious.

“Speaking of which, neither Master Hongfu, nor Old Monster Qiong, nor Old Monster Linghu could discover the storage bag hidden in the remnant of the silk handkerchief magic treasure…”

This was undoubtedly another test he had prepared beforehand.

Originally intended to test Old Monster Qiong and the others.

Unexpectedly, this accidental discovery revealed something about Old Monster Linghu.

Well, well.

…

Back at his old cave dwelling on Red Tassel Mountain, Han Li met with Dong Xuan’er, asked her for a favor, and then took out a talisman, three pill bottles, and all the magical treasures and metals he had acquired.

The talisman, obtained from Wang Chan, was the most powerful one in Wang Chan’s possession. It was far inferior to Qiong Laoguai’s Invisible Needle Talisman, but it was still passable.

The three pill bottles each contained three pills,

all of different kinds of rare and precious pills .

“Senior Sister, I’ll leave those matters to you. And these pills, keep them for when you break through your bottleneck; they’re quite effective.”

“Don’t you want some for yourself?”

“I still have quite a few left.”

Han Li smiled and took out more than ten pill bottles.

Seeing this, Dong Xuan’er nodded in satisfaction:

“Alright, leave it to me, no problem. I’ll help you exchange those two magical treasures as soon as possible.”

Han Li breathed a sigh of relief and then went straight back to his Spirit Spring Cave.

“Junior Brother, I can’t keep taking yours; here, take these.” Dong Xuan’er took out a storage bag and handed it to him.

“What’s this?”

Han Li didn’t take it at first, but asked curiously.

“Some puppets.”

Puppets?

“Thanks, Senior Sister.”

Han Li took it.

Inside were the more than three hundred Level 2 puppets that Huang Long and others had obtained back then, as well as the twenty-five Level 3 puppets that the Dong family had refined in the past year.

With this batch of puppets, his explosive power and endurance would undoubtedly reach a new high.

After all, after mastering the first level of the Great Evolution Technique, the number of puppets he could control at his limit was not just fifteen, but more than thirty.

He had been hiding his true strength all along.

“By the way, Senior Sister, before the news of the impending invasion of the Demonic Path spreads, quickly have the Dong family stockpile a batch of cultivation supplies in the nearby Yuanwu Kingdom and Shayun Kingdom. Such as healing medicine and top-tier magic weapons, etc. In wartime, these things can definitely be sold at a premium.” Han Li reminded her.

“The Linghu family and the Chen family are probably already eyeing this piece of the pie, so the Dong family needs to act quickly. If possible, it would be best to get the Lei family (Master Lei’s family) and Master Li involved, and have them stockpile some too…”

“Okay, I’ll go right away.”

After Han Li left,

Dong Xuan’er met Hong Fu.

“What did your junior brother say, and what did he give you?”

“He asked me to help him resell various supplies for mid-grade spirit stones, and he also gave me these…”

The girl made no attempt to hide anything, taking out all the items at once.

Hong Fu saw the pills and precious magical artifacts floating beside her grandniece, smiled with satisfaction, and then sighed softly.

It wasn’t hard to guess that her disciple probably understood the meaning behind Elder Linghu’s words when he was at the Yan family.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so quiet the whole way.

But she had done what she could, and couldn’t possibly blame Master Linghu.

“Xuan’er, your junior brother… he gave you all the good things.”

“I know.”

“What do you think of him? Is he reliable?”

“Why does Master ask this?”

The girl blinked in confusion.

Hong Fu then revealed some things unknown to outsiders:

“Do you know that the fellow Daoist from the Yan family wants to marry your junior brother to Yan Ruyan, who has a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and wants to make them Daoist partners?”

“Ah?”

Upon hearing this, Dong Xuan’er felt a sudden panic:

“How is that possible? How could the Yan family member possibly look down on a junior brother with a pseudo-spiritual root?”

A Heavenly Spiritual Root paired with a pseudo-spiritual root?

Has the Yan family patriarch gone mad?

“I don’t understand either, and I’m very unwilling…”

“And then?”

the girl asked nervously.

Hong Fu smiled and shook her head:

“I refused him and told him never to mention it again.”

“Hmph, the Yan family definitely has a conspiracy.”

Dong Xuan’er said confidently.

Hong Fu smiled without saying a word.

If Han Li knew that his master Hong Fu had helped him get rid of a huge trouble, how happy would he be?

…

After returning to the Spirit Spring Cave, Han Li immediately went into seclusion.

With Master Hongfu’s arrangement, he wasn’t among the first batch of cultivators from the seven sects to be assigned to guard various mines and spirit herb gardens, nor was he among the first to go to Jin Gu Plain to build a defensive line.

He still had plenty of time to prepare.

Just as he was feeling troubled, two small white dots shot out from the Spirit Eye Spring.

Han Li neither dodged nor avoided them.

The next instant, two pure white spiders appeared in his palm.

“Finally hatched?”

This was an unexpected delight.

The two little creatures looked at the human who gave them a sense of intimacy, blinking their little eyes repeatedly. Then they flew around Han Li, circling him, very lively.

The blood pact was extremely effective.

As long as this bond is nurtured, even the arrival of one’s biological mother won’t make a difference.

“The Blood Jade Spider has already hatched, so the trip to the Chaotic Star Sea must be put on the agenda,”

Han Li thought to himself.

His mood improved considerably.

He then glanced at the hatching progress of the several Golden-backed Demon Mantis eggs.

Within the Spirit Eye Spring, these eggs were brimming with life, but still showed no signs of hatching:

“It seems we’ll need some more time.”

” Alright.

Let’s take stock of the spoils first.”

First…

[Magic Treasures], one: The Li brothers’ large gourd.

A water-fire gourd.

Originally, he obtained two magic treasures: a purple flying knife and a jet-black long staff, both from Wang Chan’s storage bag. However, Master Hong Fu had Dong Xuan’er make another trip, exchanging one of the Li brothers’ golden cores and the gourd magic treasure for the two magic treasures mentioned above.

She also taught him how to use the power of a golden core to slightly activate the opponent’s natal magic treasure. It

was extremely similar to the method taught by the Core Formation cultivators of the Yu Ling Sect.

Only some details were different.

According to Dong Xuan’er, her master gave her the other Li brother’s complete set of golden cores and natal magic treasures.

[Talismans], three: one Qiankun Tower talisman, one Moon Gold Wheel talisman, and one skull talisman.

[Cultivation Techniques], two: one copy of the Hehuan Sect’s “Yin Yang Revolving Technique,” a top-tier dual cultivation technique. A copy of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s *Blood Spirit Great Technique*, considered a top-tier combat technique in the demonic path.

[Pills]: Four categories. One type is suitable for early-stage Core Formation, another aids in Foundation Establishment stage Golden Core condensation, two types in total, obtained from Wang Chan and Tian Ershao respectively. Also included are two bottles of rare pills and eight bottles of fine pills.

[Talismans]: 15 mid-to-high grade talismans, dozens of mid-to-low grade talismans, and over a dozen low-to-high grade talismans.

[Ironwood] and other spiritual woods: twelve portions of thousand-year-old ironwood suitable for crafting level 4 puppets, and over seventy portions of six-to-seven-hundred-year-old ironwood suitable for crafting level 3 puppets.

[Dan Recipes]: Over ten types.

[Spirit Stones]: Over 300,000.

[Spirit Herbs]: Over one hundred plants over three hundred years old, all relatively rare on the market.

As for the remaining items, which he estimated to be worth 500,000 spirit stones? He handed them all over to Dong Xuan’er, hoping to use the Dong family’s channels to dispose of them and exchange them for mid-grade spirit stones as quickly and as much as possible. The Dong family, while struggling to operate in the war-prepared Yue Kingdom, still maintained substantial trade channels in the Yuanwu and Zijin Kingdoms, where war had not yet broken out.

One-tenth of the profits went to the Dong family, one-tenth to Dong Xuan’er, and eight-tenths to him.

Essentially, he bought a relatively safe channel with two-tenths of the profits.

Furthermore, some spiritual materials like ironwood and fir were given to the Dong family’s weapon refiners, hoping they would quickly forge new level 3 finished puppets.

He didn’t offer the thousand-year-old ironwood.

He didn’t entirely trust some members of the Dong family.

He’d keep it until he could make puppets himself and forge level 4 puppets later. Offering it to the Dong family now would likely put the Dong family’s higher-ups, Master Hong Fu, and Dong Xuan’er in a difficult position.

A level 4 puppet was comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. For those below the Core Formation stage, having several level 4 puppets would undoubtedly provide significant self-protection in the increasingly brutal battlefield.

Who in the Dong family wouldn’t want one?

He dared to offer a large quantity of millennium ironwood, so the Dong family wouldn’t mind taking these level 4 puppets for themselves.

Level 3 puppets were only comparable to the early stages of Foundation Establishment. Without the Great Evolution Technique as a backup, they weren’t very attractive to the Dong family. A top-tier rare magic weapon would be more practical and useful.

Time flew by, and four months passed in the blink of an eye.

Only after a series of battlefield news overshadowed his prominence in Yanling Fortress did he begin to make a move.

During this period, the Yue Kingdom suffered hundreds of small-scale attacks.

The attacked locations were mostly mining sites and spirit herb gardens within the Yue Kingdom.

Some attacks were successful, and the attackers reaped considerable rewards.

Others failed, and the attackers suffered heavy losses.

However, most of the time, the Yue Kingdom’s cultivation world was relying on various means of defense, while the vanguard of the demonic path was attacking.

“It seems that the overall situation hasn’t changed because of my butterfly effect. What has changed are just some minor details.”

Having understood the situation, Han Li crushed several communication jade slips that Chen Qiaoshan of the Chen family had sent to him multiple times.

Then he looked at another jade slip.

This was sent by Dong Xuan’er.

It contained information about Wang Chan and Tian Ershao.

Wang Chan’s third leg had been crippled by Yan Ruyan, and the restrictions on both of them had been lifted. And as expected, the young sect leader of the Ghost Spirit Sect and Tian Buque were redeemed by the old monsters of the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Joyful Union Sect, respectively. This

allowed Patriarch Linghu to gain a free opportunity .

Of course, Patriarch Linghu’s behavior wasn’t exactly ugly, but it was rather complicated.

Even Master Hongfu only received a reward of spirit stones.

It wasn’t that the amount of spirit stones was small, but what use were they? At Master Hongfu’s level, what mattered most wasn’t a few thousand or tens of thousands of spirit stones. The two young masters could have been exchanged for cultivation items that would greatly benefit them.

Uncle Li from the Azure Wave Cave was eagerly hoping to gain a great benefit by redeeming them, and thus quickly advance to the mid-stage of Core Formation.

In the end, the Patriarch only cared about himself and didn’t consider those of them who were in the Core Formation stage.

He could have casually mentioned asking for some spiritual herbs suitable for enhancing cultivation during his trades with the old monsters of the Hehuan Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect. But

the Ancestor didn’t.

Because of this, Li Huayuan was sullen for a long time.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he felt cheated.

He felt wronged

and frustrated.

If it weren’t for his master, Hong Fu, giving all the tens of thousands of spirit stones bestowed by Ancestor Linghu to his uncle-master and offering words of comfort, Li Huayuan would probably have given up.

In the past, when he was still poor, he would have been overjoyed to receive tens of thousands of spirit stones without much effort.

But times have changed.

Having earned two Invisible Needle Talismans, a Blood Thread Dragon Inner Core, and a large quantity of forbidden area spiritual herbs in two blood-red forbidden area gambling battles, how could his uncle-master possibly care about the few spirit stones the Ancestor gave him?

After all, his three disciples, Liu Jing and Zhong Wei Niang, each received eighty or ninety thousand spirit stones worth of supplies. He, as their master, ended up receiving less than his disciples!

There’s no way he could feel comfortable about it.

One saying goes: “It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.”

Another saying goes: “Without comparison, there’s no harm.” Perhaps even Elder Linghu didn’t expect Han Li to be so generous with the spoils?

Of course, the elders in the sect understood their sect’s patriarch’s little scheme.

Elder Linghu had been stuck at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage for over a hundred years.

He desperately wanted to improve!

And coincidentally, he knew that two Nascent Soul elders from the two major sects of Jiang Kingdom and Cheqi Kingdom possessed the spiritual herbs he needed.

Previously, trades always failed. They could

n’t win in battle and

could only watch helplessly.

Now, however, things had changed hands, creating room for maneuver.

So, they decided to use two young sect leaders to try and exchange with the two major demonic sects, requesting a precious spiritual fruit over three thousand years old and a rare spiritual herb over three thousand years old, respectively.

The Wang family of the Ghost Spirit Sect, for the sake of their inheritance, gritted their teeth and agreed.

The Tian family of the Joyful Union Sect, for the sake of their precious youngest son, also agreed. With

the two spiritual herbs in hand, the anxiety caused by the demonic invasion of the Linghu Ancestor was greatly relieved, and the smile on his old face became much more frequent. Combining this with the other main ingredients, especially those left by the sect’s ancestors in their early years, and some thousand-year-old spiritual herbs that he had collected, planted, and cultivated since the Core Formation stage, refining a batch of pills that would help enhance the magical power of early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators was no problem.

After the pills were finished, the Linghu Ancestor immediately announced his seclusion.

He entrusted all matters of the sect to his Uncle-Master Huiming, Master Hongfu, and Uncle-Master Lei.

They were absolutely not to be disturbed unless the sect was destroyed.

Originally, Uncle Huiming wanted Master Hongfu to go to the front lines to oversee the overall situation in Huangfeng Valley, but Master Hongfu stated that she needed to refine her newly acquired magic weapon and did not allow outsiders to disturb her. She completely ignored this uncle from the Linghu family.

Lei Wanhe was genuinely in seclusion, breaking through a bottleneck and using medicinal power to rapidly advance towards the late Core Formation stage, so he couldn’t be disturbed either. He also ignored the uncle from the Linghu family.

Helpless, Uncle Huiming from the Linghu family had to step in himself.

Fortunately, the border battlefield provided a stage for Nascent Soul cultivators, so there was no need for Core Formation cultivators to draw fire. Core Formation cultivators also had their own stages, and the initial battles weren’t too intense. Uncle Huiming himself was a titled Core Formation cultivator, not a weakling.

For a time, he managed to hold his own.

Then, there was a major battle every month and smaller battles every three to five days.

After enduring three months, he still returned to his sect, battered and bruised, to recuperate.

Then, the Feng family’s mid-stage Core Formation Grandmaster, along with Old Ancestor Chen and Old Ancestor Yan, led two to three hundred high-level Foundation Establishment disciples and over two thousand low-level Qi Refining disciples at the twelfth or thirteenth level, joining forces with the other six sects to hold the fort at Jin Gu Plain.

After reading the contents of the transmission talisman, Han Li smiled wryly:

“This guy is really as stingy as Grandmaster Li Huayuan.”

It’s undeniable that Linghu Laoguai’s strengthening himself was essentially prolonging the life of Huangfeng Valley, and he truly secured the greatest, even the most suitable, benefits through his two young masters, but he also lost a lot of people’s hearts in the process.

“Hmph.”

Sect ties?

I, Han Li, don’t need them!

Crushing the jade slip, he continued reading the other jade slips.

One was a letter of thanks from the Dong family. Initially, because Hong Fu wasn’t in the Dong family territory at Hongying Mountain, the Dong family learned about the impending invasion of the demonic path late. Therefore, they didn’t stockpile wartime supplies. Later, after being reminded, they stockpiled some and made a small profit.

Of course, compared to what the Chen family earned, it was much less.

The Chen family patriarch, being among the first Core Formation cultivators to learn the intelligence, wouldn’t miss this opportunity for his clansmen to make money.

“Indeed, they’re all clever people.”

Putting away the jade slip, he glanced at the cave one last time before diving into the underground passage. He

then left Jianzhou through the hundred-zhang-deep underground passage, infiltrating Xizhou a hundred li away, before heading to Yuanwu Kingdom and visiting the place where Xin Ruyin and her servant lived in seclusion.

He hadn’t been idle during his early seclusion.

Traveling three to five li a day wasn’t difficult for a dozen or so Iron-Armed Beasts.

At this time, the cultivation world of Yuanwu Kingdom was relatively peaceful, and Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin hadn’t yet provoked the Fu family, so these people were living quite leisurely lives.

“Are you two ladies alright?”

Han Li asked with a smile.

Outside the grand formation of the secluded retreat, Xiao Mei, at the sixth level of Qi Refining, nodded lively, “Senior, Miss and I are doing very well.”

Xin Ruyin gracefully bowed,

“Thank you for your concern, Senior. It’s been over a year since we last met, and your cultivation has become even more unfathomable.”

“My improvement is nothing, but Miss Xin, you’ve actually reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining.”

Han Li carefully examined Xin Ruyin, then clicked his tongue in amazement.

“This junior is just lucky, and it’s all thanks to Brother Qi’s great help.”

“Lucky?”

Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, sighing inwardly.

Qi Yunxiao thought he was giving her true love, letting this girl cultivate recklessly, even giving her the Foundation Establishment Pill. Little did he know that this was only hastening this stubborn girl’s demise.

Little did he know that the higher her cultivation, the more deadly the backlash from the Dragon Roar Qi would be.

What seemed like favoritism, what seemed like giving her the best, was actually poisoning her.

Once this woman reaches Foundation Establishment, she’ll be close to death.

Unless she joins a major sect and actively exposes her secrets, her current array formation skills won’t be enough to attract the attention of a Nascent Soul cultivator. She’ll never have a Nascent Soul cultivator at her beck and call as a babysitter.

But if she does expose her secrets, she’ll only be subjected to soul-searching, dying even faster.

It’s a complete dead end.

Unless…

“What are you thinking, Senior?”

Xin Ruyin keenly sensed the regret and complexity in Han Li’s eyes.

“Miss Xin, is this life-risking gamble truly worth it?”

“Do your best and leave the rest to fate. It’s just that I’ve dragged Brother Qi down, causing him to lose a precious opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment.”

The girl smiled bitterly.

She understood how risky her actions were.

But she still wanted to take the gamble.

Only by reaching Foundation Establishment first, before the Snow Cloud Pill runs out, would she have more time and hope to showcase her talents, thus catching the eye of some Nascent Soul elder, and having a chance to leap over the dragon gate. Unfortunately, that Foundation Establishment Pill didn’t help her achieve her goal.

In other words, she lost her gamble during her seclusion several months ago.

“What are your plans next, Fellow Daoist?”

Han Li could roughly guess some of the woman’s thoughts and plans, and had benefited greatly from her, hence his question.

Xin Ruyin didn’t rush to answer, but took a deep breath before boldly asking,

“Does Senior have any extra Foundation Establishment Pills?”

If she had one, she wouldn’t mind taking another gamble with that inheritance.

Han Li, outwardly calm, secretly rejoiced.

This was exactly the effect of his plan.

He feared Xin Ruyin would remain aloof and without desire.

Now, things were perfect.

As long as there was a need, and two major needs at that, coupled with his good reputation, she would offer things to him in exchange, even without him asking.

The sweet taste of that Foundation Establishment Pill last time had made her a little smitten.

“If I have other Foundation Establishment Pills, what do you intend to exchange with me? I’m sure you know the value of these Foundation Establishment Pills. They’re practically unavailable in the markets of various countries, monopolized by the major sects. I only offered one because of your trust in me and Fellow Daoist Qi; I’ve already been more than generous. Asking me to offer another one is not so easy…”

Han Li frowned

, looking troubled. Xin Ruyin’s eyes lit up upon hearing

this. Wasn’t the subtext that she still had Foundation Establishment Pills? It’s just that the price he and Qi Yunxiao offered wasn’t enough.

“Senior, if that ancient teleportation array is repaired according to these steps, it can definitely be restored.”

Xin Ruyin handed over a blueprint and a jade slip.

The blueprint recorded the specific steps.

The jade slip was a telepathic jade slip, containing Xin Ruyin’s detailed explanation of the process.

“Also, Senior, please note that activating the ancient teleportation array requires a large amount of spiritual energy for preheating. If the location of the ancient teleportation array lacks spiritual veins and spirit stone ore veins, then Senior must provide a large amount of spiritual energy himself. Otherwise, the teleportation array will forcibly extract the surrounding spiritual energy, creating a huge noise. If Senior doesn’t want others to easily discover the exact location of the ancient teleportation array, this is something you must be very careful about.”

This was a well-intentioned reminder.

Han Li, being an honest man, truly listened:

“Alright, thank you, Miss. Here is a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

He had promised a fair trade, and he would absolutely not take advantage of anyone, ensuring a mutually beneficial exchange where each party got what they needed.

In exchange for the repair technology of an ancient teleportation array, one Foundation Establishment Pill was exchanged.

It was indeed a mutually beneficial exchange.

“Senior, if you could set up a better forbidden array around the teleportation array, such as this Reversed Five Elements Array, which is over 40% restored, theoretically it could greatly conceal the noise during long-distance teleportation.”

Xin Ruyin smiled and took out a large wooden box from her storage bag.

Inside the box was a complete set of array-setting tools.

“Senior, since Brother Qi and I promised to complete the Reversed Five Elements Array as much as possible, we will naturally keep our word. However, a more complete array would require more mental and physical effort. For now, Brother Qi and I can only do this much.”

Taking the box full of array-setting tools, Han Li was deeply moved:

“You and Fellow Daoist Qi are indeed trustworthy people.”

This set of array-setting materials was already the third set of Reversed Five Elements Array-setting equipment he had acquired.

“Senior, this array-setting equipment is just part of the last transaction, it’s nothing. By the way, senior, do you have any aged Iceberg Snow Lotus? If so, I can exchange them for other items.”

Xin Ruyin asked casually again.

Originally, even she herself didn’t have much hope, because she didn’t think the person in front of her could find three Iceberg Snow Lotuses in a row.

The first one could be an accident.

The second one could be luck.

The third one would be too unexpected and too lucky.

But to her utter surprise, after hesitating for a moment, Han Li actually took out more than two bottles of Snow Cloud Pills and 20,000 spirit stones:

“Miss Xin, the spirit stones are for the two of you to continue purchasing materials to research the Reversed Five Elements Array. As for these Snow Cloud Pills, they are the last and best quality Yin-cold attribute spiritual medicines I have. Use them sparingly. With these pills to help you with Foundation Establishment, the process shouldn’t be too troublesome.”

The only question was, would the second Foundation Establishment Pill really be enough for Xin Ruyin, who was at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, to enter the Foundation Establishment stage?

“Senior, this…”

“Although we exchange goods and services through trade, we’ve never cheated each other. We can barely be considered trading partners or ordinary friends. I’ve always been very satisfied with Miss Xin and Fellow Daoist Qi. Naturally, I don’t want to lose you, a potential genius in array formations, as a friend. Therefore, within my capabilities, I won’t hesitate to help you in any way I can.”

Snow Cloud Pills are precious, but nothing compares to Xin Ruyin’s sincere help.

“Senior…”

“No need for further words, let’s start with Foundation Establishment. With your Qi Refining 12th level cultivation, with a couple more years of meticulous refinement, you should have a high chance of successfully establishing your foundation.”

“Thank you, Senior.”

…

After obtaining the repair technology for the ancient teleportation array and a new set of array formations, Han Li didn’t rush back to the mountain gate. Instead, he went to the border mining area where the teleportation array was located.

The mine was actually not far from the border between Jiang and Yue, only about three thousand li away.

This distance was well within the effective strike range of the six demonic sects’ raiding squads.

“This place will be attacked within two months; it’s time to set up some methods to hide this mine.”

He immediately took out earthen wall talismans and hardening talismans, and simultaneously cast earthen wall and hardening spells himself. He reinforced the cave where the ancient teleportation array was located without any blind spots, and blocked the exit.

He also spent two days carefully setting up the newly acquired Inverted Five Elements Array.

Then came the repair work on the ancient teleportation array.

The previously prepared Yuan Jade and other materials came in handy,

used to repair a damaged corner of the teleportation array.

Of course, he didn’t completely repair it, leaving a small section unrepaired.

After finishing, he used an earth-遁 talisman to leave through the reserved small corner. After exiting the mine, he blocked the gap again.

He refused to believe that Xuan Le, Lü Tianmeng, and the others could find this place.

Back at the mountain gate,

nearly a month had passed.

At this time, the battle at the front was becoming increasingly intense.

Even Master Hongfu had to leave her seclusion and go to the front lines to take charge of the overall situation.

There was no other way; Patriarch Chen and Uncle Feng had both been injured on the increasingly tense battlefield of Jingu Plain. Although they were not seriously injured, they were no longer suitable to lead the troops.

Uncle Li’s cultivation level is too low, and he’s too young, only at the early stage of Core Formation. Early Core Formation cultivators are fine for assisting, but leading troops would be demoralizing. It would make the demonic cultivators think that Huangfeng Valley is incapable.

Of the seven major sects, only the Hidden Moon Sect, Huangfeng Valley, Spirit Beast Mountain, and Blade Transformation Valley currently have four leaders at the late stage of Core Formation.

The other three sects still only have mid-stage Core Formation leaders.

Therefore, Master Hongfu’s trip to the front lines quickly made a name for herself and boosted Huangfeng Valley’s morale.

“Master, why didn’t you call me to the front lines? With my puppet troops, dealing with two or three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators is more than enough,”

Han Li sighed, taking down a communication talisman floating in front of his cave.

Fine.

Since Master wouldn’t assign him anything, he’d find something to do himself.

He immediately went to the Hundred Machines Hall to check the sect’s recent garrison missions.

His gaze quickly locked onto a mission in the corner of the mission list; the mission location was only a thousand miles from Yuejing, the capital of Yue Kingdom.

Mission Objective: Investigate the cause of the disappearance of Linghu Hao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the sect, half a month ago.

Mission Time Limit: Two months.

Completing the mission within the time limit will reward the Linghu family with three mid-grade spirit stones…

Linghu Hao’s location is a small mine.

However, Linghu Hao has been missing for half a month, neither alive nor dead.

This non-battlefield loss still infuriates the Linghu family.

Is it really true that when the demonic path arrives, any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to secretly attack the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the seven sects? Especially when they attack the Linghu family.

“Whether it’s what I guessed or not, this mission is flexible enough, I can accept it.”

…

Three days later.

In the capital of Yue Kingdom, Han Li arrived uninvited.

His first priority was not to cause trouble for the Yue Emperor, but to search for the whereabouts of Xiao Cuier and her granddaughter.

Years ago, he had issued a mission in the Hundred Machines Hall, asking his disciples to go and check the so-called Xiao family of Fenghejian. However, after the mission was accepted twice, both people said that the so-called Xiao family of Fenghejian did not exist at all.

Therefore, he had no choice but to come to Yuejing himself and try his luck.

(End of Chapter)