Daily Divination From Market Rogue Cultivator To Immortal Venerable - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Fake Dan is powerful! (Please subscribe)

Cultivators are human, too.

Perfect impartiality is impossible.

This incident all started with Li Changan, but Cao Shaolong ultimately bore the brunt of the consequences.

“Brother Li, be careful. Cao Shaolong will definitely not let this go after suffering such a heavy loss.”

“I understand,”

Li Changan nodded.

Just now, as Cao Shaolong left, the murderous intent and rage within him practically solidified.

If it weren’t for Pei Yingyao’s restraint, Cao Shaolong would likely have exploded on the spot.

Both men suspected

Cao Shaolong’s revenge would be imminent.

However,

to their surprise

, for over a year since then, Cao Shaolong has remained obedient, fulfilling his duties as an elder and leading Qingyun Sect disciples in and out of the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm, gaining considerable rewards.

He seemed to have given up,

but Li Changan remained vigilant.

“I’m afraid this guy is plotting something,”

Li Changan frowned in thought.

As long as Cao Shaolong couldn’t summon a Jindan-level expert, there was nothing to fear,

even if a Jindan-level expert took action.

The hexagrams would also give a warning, allowing Li Changan to flee in advance.

“No need to worry too much for now.”

Li Changan shook his head slightly.

He continued his cultivation as usual.

…

A few months later.

Inside the house,

Li Changan was surrounded by a pile of puppet materials.

Before him stood a brand new humanoid puppet.

This puppet’s strength had already surpassed the limits of a first-level puppet, but due to material limitations, it hadn’t yet reached the level of a second-level puppet, only being considered quasi-second-level.

“My puppetry skills have reached a breakthrough,”

Li Changan exhaled slowly.

He was confident

that with enough materials, he could create a true second-level puppet.

Thus,

in addition to talisman drawing, he had acquired another second-level skill.

Li Changan had almost collected all the key materials for the core of a second-level puppet, lacking only the last precious material, known as “Heavenly Dead Wood.”

He had already entrusted the shopkeeper Jin of Wanbao Tower and Luo Baitong from the black market to inquire for him.

Given their abilities,

they should be able to obtain some information soon.

“Can my current physique withstand the attacks of a quasi-second-level puppet?”

Li Chang’an suddenly felt curious.

He gathered all his materials, stood before the quasi-second-level puppet, and commanded it to launch its attack.

The next moment, a torrential, violent attack rained down upon Li Chang’an.

Boom!

The continuous sound was like thunder.

Li Chang’an was blasted back several steps, his blood and energy surging, but he was not seriously injured.

Not even a scratch on his skin, let alone a broken bone.

“It seems my physique is not far from a breakthrough.”

He smiled and put on a new set of clothes.

Only after breaking through the second level of body refinement would he be fully confident in his pursuit of foundation building.

Now,

that step was not far away.

“Achieving foundation building will give me more confidence to face all enemies.”

Li Chang’an thought again of Cao Shaolong.

Some time ago,

Cao Shaolong had been injured in the secret realm while competing for a treasure. He temporarily stopped exploring the secret realm and has been recuperating in Huanghe Immortal City.

“Is that guy really injured?”

Li Changan was skeptical.

He had already sent Da Huang to monitor Cao Shaolong’s residence.

But Cao Shaolong never left, seemingly genuinely injured.

A few days later,

Da Huang returned to the house with new information.

“Did Cao Shaolong go to Huanghe Mountain?”

Li Changan frowned, looking towards Huanghe Mountain.

Due to the numerous formations within Huanghe Mountain and the numerous Huanghe Mountain disciples patrolling the area, Da Huang didn’t dare to follow, and therefore had no way of knowing Cao Shaolong’s intentions.

Li Changan had a bad feeling.

That night,

the hexagram appeared as usual.

[Refreshed Hexagram]

[Today’s Hexagram: Peaceful]

[Cao Shaolong, offering a secret treasure, persuades Sima Rui, the sixth disciple of the Yellow Crane Immortal, to stop Pei Yingyao, and Murong Kang, the thirteenth disciple of the Yellow Crane Immortal, to stop Su Yuyan.]

[He attacks you again, but is stopped by your formation.]

“Cao Shaolong, Murong Kang? These two are together!”

Li Changan raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence.

Of course, perhaps it wasn’t just a coincidence, but Cao Shaolong had conducted thorough research and knew that Murong Kang’s disciple had a conflict with Li Changan.

What surprised Li Changan was Sima Rui’s appearance on the hexagram.

He was the most frequently seen of all of Huang He Zhenren’s disciples.

He handled the affairs of the Immortal City, both large and small, and presided over the annual auction.

“It’s said he’s very fair, never partial in his dealings. How could Cao Shaolong have managed to persuade him?”

Li Changan couldn’t help but wonder.

What was the secret treasure Cao Shaolong had obtained?

Sima Rui was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator; anything that could persuade him must be at least a precious, mid-grade, second-tier treasure.

“People die for money, so I imagine that treasure is quite something.”

Li Changan took another look at the hexagram and added Sima Rui’s name to his mental list.

Later, he would settle accounts with each of them one by one.

…

The next day, at night.

On the slopes of Huang He Mountain, in Pei Yingyao’s cave,

Sima Rui suddenly visited.

Smiling broadly, he took out a chessboard.

“Junior sister, it’s been a while since we played chess. I wonder if your skills have improved?”

“Brother, if you have something to say, just tell me. Don’t interrupt my practice!”

Pei Yingyao’s expression was cold and indifferent.

Sima Rui smiled, “It’s just for a game of chess, nothing else.”

“Really?”

Pei Yingyao remained indifferent, intending to send him away.

Suddenly,

her expression changed slightly, noticing that the jade token she had given Li Changan had shattered.

With her intelligence, she naturally guessed what had happened. “Brother, do you think you can stop me?”   ”How do you know if you don’t try?”

Sima   Rui smiled, and the aura of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly erupted.   Although he had established his foundation earlier, his strength was slightly weaker than Pei Yingyao’s.   However, he didn’t need to hold Pei Yingyao off continuously; he only needed to hold on until Cao Shaolong killed Li Changan.   Meanwhile,   down the mountain, in the inner city of Huanghe,   at Li Changan’s residence,   Cao Shaolong strode in, filled with murderous intent.   ”Li Chang’an, who can you hide behind this time?”   ”Fellow Daoist Cao, long time no see.”   Li Chang’an smiled, his face devoid of any nervousness.   He glanced at the house across the street.   A   fierce battle had already broken out there.   Just as the divination had predicted, Murong Kang had subdued Su Yuyan.   Zheng Qingqing had recently returned to the Zheng family estate, and it was unknown when she would return.   Cao   Shaolong’s timing was ingenious.   He had created an opportunity to confront Li Chang’an alone.   Now,   if he could kill Li Chang’an, all this would be over.   Sensing his terrifying murderous intent, Li Chang’an remained unfazed, his smile remaining.   ”Fellow Daoist Cao, I see your eyes are red. This is a sign of excessive liver fire. Why don’t you sit down and drink some spiritual tea to soothe it?”   ”Li Chang’an, prepare to die!”   Cao Shaolong acted without delay.   The longer he delayed, the more likely something unexpected would happen.   With a flash of his body, he was in front of Li Chang’an, slashing down with his blade.   ”Whoosh…”   A gentle breeze blew by, and Li Changan’s figure vanished with the wind.   Cao Shaolong’s powerful strike only struck the air.   The next moment,   the surrounding scene suddenly changed.   Dark clouds rolled in, lightning flashed, and a fierce wind blew, destroying the previous tranquility and peace.   ”Sure enough, there’s a second-level formation, but you think I’m not prepared?”   Cao Shaolong snorted.   He had spoken with Murong Kang before,   so he knew that Li Changan’s house was protected by a second-level, low-grade formation.   He slapped his storage bag, and immediately a spiritual light flew out, landing in his hand and transforming into a long, shimmering golden staff.   This was the treasure he had recently looted in the secret realm.   A second-level, mid-grade spiritual weapon, the Wind-Fixing Staff!   It was called the Wind-Fixing Staff, but it could not only stabilize the wind, but also the flow of mana within the formation.   ”Fixing!”   Cao Shaolong summoned the treasure and slammed it down to the ground.   There was a loud bang,   and the entire house shook.   A mysterious wave emanated from the Wind-Fixing Stick, dispersing throughout the formation.   Instantly,   the Thundercloud Illusionary Formation ceased functioning, completely losing its effectiveness.   ”Li Chang’an, what else can you do now?”   Cao Shaolong snorted, his blood-red eyes staring into the depths of the room, as if he had already discerned Li Chang’an’s true form.   Next.

He waved his hand and released a powerful foundation-building magic power, intending to directly destroy Li Changan’s house.

However, to his disbelief,

this magical force, upon reaching the house, didn’t destroy it; instead, it vanished into thin air.

“Another formation?”

Cao Shaolong’s face darkened, a sense of foreboding.

He hurriedly pulled out several other formation-breaking artifacts and activated them simultaneously, attempting to break Li Changan’s massive formation.

However,

none of these artifacts were as powerful as the Wind-Fixing Rod, and their effect was minimal.

Furthermore, in the blink of an eye, the Wind-Fixing Rod, located in the center of the courtyard, vanished!

As if quietly snatched away by an invisible hand,

Li Changan’s laughter echoed.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Cao, for coming all this way to give me this treasure!”

“You…”

Cao Shaolong, enraged, attacked frantically, attempting to break the formation with his force. But   it was

all in vain .   Suddenly, Murong Kang’s anxious voice echoed from outside.   ”Cao Shaolong, why haven’t you killed Li Changan yet? My Sixth Senior Brother is about to be defeated!”   ”Damn it!”   Cao Shaolong’s eyes were bloodshot, his anger and anxiety surging, his aura soaring wildly.   He had actually spared no expense, casting a spell that would burn his life!   However,   even in his state of burning life, he still couldn’t break the formation that trapped him.   Li Changan’s relaxed and comfortable laughter rang out from time to time.   ”Fellow Daoist Cao, why are you doing this? Life is precious. Isn’t the purpose of cultivating immortality to live forever? You are burning your life like this, which is really a step down. You are already showing signs of demonic possession.”   Hearing these words,   Cao Shaolong became more and more frantic, roaring continuously.   In just a moment, a strand of white appeared in his black hair, a sign of a severe loss of life in a short period of time.   At this moment,   a sharp sword light suddenly flew out from the mountainside of Huanghe Mountain and instantly arrived at Li Changan’s courtyard.   The person who came was Pei Yingyao!   Following closely was Sima Rui, his face pale.   They were both in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, but he could only resist for a moment. The gap in strength was so huge that he couldn’t believe it.   ”Alright, Fellow Daoist Cao, we lost this time.”   Sima Rui sighed and gently clapped his hands to Cao Shaolong.   With this strike,   Cao Shaolong, who had been frantic, instantly calmed down.   He glanced at Li Changan, his murderous intent undiminished, but he dared not strike again.   Meanwhile,   in the house across the way, Murong Kang also withdrew his attack.   He gazed at Li Changan’s house with a look of fear.   This time,   Cao Shaolong had been tricked.   He had never imagined that the formation in Li Changan’s house was far more than a low-grade second-tier formation.   Su Yuyan, on the other hand, had no reservations. With a hint of anxiety, she approached Li Changan’s courtyard.   ”Brother Li, are you okay?”   ”I’m fine.”   Li Changan appeared, his expression relaxed and unfazed.   He didn’t look like he’d just been through a battle.   Pei Yingyao’s beautiful eyes flickered, and she examined him carefully, as if trying to discern whether his form was real or an illusion.   ”Li Changan, you’re surprising me more and more.”   Even with her keen eyesight, she couldn’t discern the specific rank of Li Changan’s house-protecting formation.   How could she not be astonished?   Li Changan replied modestly, “They’re just some means of preserving one’s life. They’re all external possessions, ultimately not one’s own strength, and therefore not worth mentioning.”   ”Good, you’ve finally realized this!”   Pei Yingyao was pleased.   She had always emphasized that one’s own strength was everything, and nothing external could be trusted.   Then,   her gaze swept over Sima Rui and Murong Kang, a hint of coldness in her eyes.   ”Sixth Senior Brother, Thirteenth Junior Brother, you two Foundation Establishment cultivators, teaming up to target a Qi Refining junior, do you have   any shame?” Sima Rui’s expression faltered upon hearing this.   A Foundation Establishment cultivator teamed up to target a Qi Refining junior, and despite their deliberate actions, they had failed!   If word of this got out, he would likely be ridiculed by countless people.   Murong Kang’s expression brightened slightly, but he didn’t reply.   This   was indeed a rather embarrassing matter.   Suddenly, a chuckle echoed in everyone’s ears.   ”Haha, Ninth Junior Sister is right. You two guys were wrong in this matter!”   As soon as the words fell,   a middle-aged man in a white robe slowly descended.   Pei Yingyao, Sima Rui, and the others all bowed.   ”Second Senior Brother!”   Hearing this address,   Li Changan’s face changed slightly, and he immediately bowed respectfully.   ”Greetings, Senior Xiahou!”   The visitor was Xiahou Hong, the second disciple of Master Huang He.

His cultivation surpassed all those present, having already surpassed the Foundation Establishment stage, reaching another, unattainable level.

A master of the Fake Pill!

Xiahou Hong approached Li Changan with a smile.

“No need to be polite, young friend. I’m just stopping by.”

He smiled and patted Li Changan’s shoulder, as if a normal elder were treating a younger one, perfectly attentive.

However,

Li Changan sensed

a powerful and overbearing magical force that instantly surged into his meridians, threatening to rip them apart.

But a moment later, the force withdrew.

Xiahou Hong’s smile remained, but a subtle flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

He sighed inwardly, “He’s just hiding a bit of his cultivation. His aptitude is mediocre, and he lacks any kind of opportunity. It seems this trip has been in vain.”

He had appeared today because he felt there was something special about Li Changan, perhaps possessing an opportunity.

If he found one, he would naturally seize it.

But he didn’t notice anything particularly unusual. He simply noticed that Li Chang’an had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, not the eighth level he had publicly displayed.

At Li Chang’an’s age, reaching the ninth level was perfectly normal.

It wasn’t worth delving into.

“How about you all keep today’s incident to yourself? If it gets out, it’ll be a laughing stock.”

Xiahou Hong turned and began to play the role of peacemaker.

Sima Rui was naturally pleased.

He didn’t want to become a laughing stock throughout Yellow Crane Immortal City, or even the Zhao Kingdom’s immortal cultivation world.

Li Chang’an and Cao Shaolong, the two parties involved, agreed.

With that,

the matter was officially over.

“Alright, that’s it. No more trouble in Yellow Crane Immortal City!”

Xiahou Hong nodded slightly, and without lingering, he transformed into a stream of light and returned to the summit of Yellow Crane Mountain.

Sima Rui followed him.

From beginning to end, he never expressed any apology to Li Chang’an.

As his twelfth junior brother Chu Xiong had once said, why should a Foundation Establishment cultivator apologize to a Qi Refining cultivator?

Cao Shaolong and Murong Kang also quickly left.

Both men harbored murderous intent against Li Changan, let alone an apology.

Pei Yingyao said to Li Changan, “Since Second Senior Brother has spoken, from now on, they shouldn’t dare to trouble you in Yellow Crane Immortal City. You can cultivate in peace.”

“I understand. Thank you, Senior Pei, for your help.”

“It’s nothing.”

With that, Pei Yingyao also vanished in a flash of sword light.

Peace returned to the courtyard.

Only Li Changan and Su Yuyan remained.

Only then

did Li Changan let out a long sigh, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

“Huh…”

He glanced at the summit of Yellow Crane Mountain,

a lingering fear. He had never imagined

this would bring up a fake alchemy expert!

Fortunately, Xiahou Hong hadn’t discovered his divination opportunity, otherwise he would have been doomed this time!

Su Yuyan asked with concern, “Brother Li, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Nothing,”

Li Changan said with a relaxed smile, reassuring her not to worry.

He had a vague feeling that

tonight’s events might be his last crisis before he established his foundation.

The road ahead would be smooth sailing.

…

For over a year, just as Li Changan had predicted,

everything was peaceful.

His life as a cultivator was especially tranquil, so stable that it even struck him as unbelievable.

Although Cao Shaolong remained in Yellow Crane Immortal City, he never troubled him again, diligently leading the sect’s disciples in exploring the secret realms.

Murong Kang also never appeared again.

Li Changan had only met Sima Rui once, at an auction; after all, Sima Rui was the host.

“This kind of peaceful life is exactly the kind of cultivation life I long for,”

he smiled, feeling comfortable.

During these peaceful years, his Qi and body training progressed steadily.

Unknowingly

, another half year had passed.

One day,

late at night,

the house was filled with mist, and the smell of blood filled the air.

Li Changan sat in a boiling medicinal bath, his body looking somewhat creepy.

His once-strong frame was now covered in fine, dense cracks, making him look like a broken porcelain doll.

But a closer look revealed…

Those cracks were only on the surface, not penetrating the flesh.

About a quarter of an hour later,

the cracked skin began to peel away, revealing the fair skin beneath.

After all the old skin had fallen away, the boiling liquid in the barrel gradually ceased.

Li Changan slowly rose, his muscles knotted and radiating a terrifying aura, like a powerful demonic beast transformed into a human!

He showed a look of joy and slowly clenched his fists.

“Physical Refining Stage 2, done!”

(End of this chapter)