I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chapter 2138 The Dark Year

Obtaining a piece of iridescent crystal greatly eased Chen Lin's mood.
Although the second identity is more powerful, it is more extreme and not as easy to use as the original identity.

It's safer to switch between them if possible.

In the days that followed, Chen Lin recruited a group of people as planned, used contract talismans to form contracts, and assigned them different tasks, while he cultivated in the shop.

The main focus is on comprehending the inheritance of the Soul Master.

This inheritance cannot be practiced now, but it can deepen one's understanding. When the conditions are met, it will be twice as effective with half the effort, so as not to waste time later.

In addition, he also studied a secret technique from the Heavenly God Palace for controlling flying swords.

However, he did not delve into it deeply, only reaching the basics before stopping. His divinity was due to external forces and could disappear at any time, so there was no need to waste energy on it.

The reason I learned this secret technique was so that I could impersonate a deity from the Heavenly God Palace when needed.

Time passed little by little.

This day.

Chen Lin held the invitation in his hand, deep in thought.

Judging by the timing, the Grand Duke of White Moonlight's lantern festival is about to begin, and he has made a promise with Hitina to attend. However, the power of this invitation is probably not enough to penetrate the barrier of the boundary river.

If you want to participate, you have to return to the border river.

"Let's forget about it. We'll meet again someday."

Chen Lin shook his head and shattered the invitation.

He couldn't waste the opportunity to switch identities; even if he returned to the Boundary River, he would still have to participate in this Crimson Ape form.

It doesn't make any sense.

He was amazed by the things at the lantern festival back then, but now he thinks they're nothing special. They're not very useful to this body, let alone to the original one.

I stopped thinking about it.

Chen Lin continued to study the Soul Master's inheritance while keeping an eye on Yue Yingxian's movements.

"My lord, Silver Rat requests an audience."

Just as they were getting into the swing of things, Gru knocked on the door to report.

"Let him in."

Chen Lin called out.

Silver Rat was a key subordinate he had cultivated, and he decided to use him long-term. Currently, Silver Rat was managing a portion of his subordinates in this realm, while the other portion was controlled by Lin Xinyi.

Lin Xinyi has some secrets.

The other party has excellent aptitude for cultivating the path of the soul and should possess some kind of innate ability. Chen Lin suspects that the other party is a space smuggler.

Even those who, like him, come from outside the realm.

In other words, time travelers.

After discovering this, Chen Lin originally wanted to drive the other party away or eliminate them directly.

Because the transmigrators of the Seven Star Realm are basically Gu worms raised by the Fisherman of Heavenly Lake, keeping them around makes it easy to get involved and increases the chances of one's identity being discovered.

But in the end, no action was taken.

He had always suppressed the act of killing without cause.

Moreover, if the other party is indeed a time traveler, keeping him by his side and observing him slowly might allow him to discover the 'fishing' method of the Heavenly Lake Fisherman, which would be beneficial for him to avoid the other party.

"See my lord!"

Silver Rat, dressed in brocade robes, bowed respectfully to Chen Lin.

"sit down."

Chen Lin gestured for the other person to sit down and asked, "Did you obtain any important information?"

"Reporting to my lord, my men have won the favor of a maid at the Tiandu Gem Shop and learned that Manager Yue meets with a mysterious man every three years. The man brings new goods and takes some things away."

"Is the maid's information reliable?"

Chen Lin frowned slightly.

He didn't object to this kind of double agent approach, but Manager Yue was no ordinary person. He shouldn't be unable to control even a maid. Cultivators are not ordinary people. They can bind the thoughts of their targets with just a contract.

He didn't want to alert the enemy.

"Whether it is reliable or not cannot be determined."

The silver mouse answered truthfully.

He then added, "This information wasn't obtained by my people. I told them not to ask for any information. It was the maid who told them. It doesn't seem to be a big secret; everyone in the shop knows about it."

Chen Lin nodded.

That doesn't pose a problem.

"Let's keep an eye on this and find out exactly when that mysterious man arrived, and why they opened a shop that simply buys and sells gemstones."

This is very puzzling.

Having traveled to so many places, he had never seen such a peculiar merchant, because gemstones, unlike elixirs and talismans, were not considered a systematic category and were usually bought and sold as an add-on.

"I've also found out some things about that."

The silver mouse answered immediately.

"According to the person I arranged, the maid revealed during the conversation that Yue Yue'er has a powerful treasure called the Myriad Crystal Banner. She opened this shop to collect various rare crystals to refine the Myriad Crystal Banner."

"well done."

Chen Lin was generous with his praise.

As expected of the person he carefully selected, he is very reliable. It's a pity he's going to Star Ruins, otherwise he should have taken him with him when he leaves here.

"I have another matter to report to you today."

Silver Rat glanced at Chen Lin.

He continued, "Among the items that the master asked me to find, there is one called Yingfei, which has appeared in this world before. Many visitors from the outside world are looking for it, including Manager Yue and that Adaya."

Done.

He handed over a bead that carried information as a legacy.

Chen Lin took the bead and probed it with his mind.

I finished reading it quickly.

"Mount Huangshan?"

"Yes, it's Huangshan."

The silver rat responded respectfully.

“There are ancient records that during the dark year that occurs once every ten thousand years, many strange fireflies will appear in the Great Yellow Mountain. I have not been cultivating for long enough to experience this, nor have I paid much attention to it. It was only when the master asked me to investigate this time that I learned that those fireflies are likely related to the Firefly Jade.”

"That's it."

Chen Lin didn't pay attention to these things either.

He knew about Mount Huang; it was the highest peak on Mount Huang, and legend had it that the spirit dog of the strongest being in this star region died there before the Supreme Dragon became the master of the slave seal.

This is how the planet got its name.

But so much time has passed that there is nothing special about it anymore. Even the spiritual energy there is not as strong as in other places. It is just a landmark building.

Is the Dark Year fast approaching?

Chen Lin pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Yes."

The silver mouse nodded.

"Based on the previous timeline, the Dark Year will occur in about a hundred years."

"However, according to ancient records, the Dark Year was just a celestial phenomenon and did not pose any danger. In addition, it happened ten thousand years ago, so most cultivators do not believe it."

"So it didn't cause much of a stir; it was just some long-established forces that were paying attention."

Chen Lin tapped on the table.

He gave the order in a deep voice.

"Please keep a close eye on this matter, and if possible, confirm the specific timeframe and report back to me promptly."

For celestial phenomena like this that occur only once every ten thousand years, it's normal for the error to be a few hundred years due to some unusual factors. If it's only a hundred or two hundred years, he can wait here, but if it's too long, it won't work.

The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes for him.

His most important task right now is to find a passage as soon as possible so that he can leave the Seven Star Realm.

Not only is there the concern of the old fisherman of Tianhu Lake, but also the appointment with Nana at Tiger Hill and the trip to the Wizard Council, all of which are subject to time constraints.

Silver Rat took his leave.

Chen Lin pondered for a while, then shook his head to clear his mind of distractions.

He lost interest in cultivation and instead took out the whistle that Lou Dengjie had given him and tried to blow it.

I tried to summon the Dream Horse, but it was all in vain.

This thing must require some kind of method to activate; brute force alone won't work.

"Waiting around won't solve anything. We'll have to use some extraordinary measures to gather all the materials needed for the Soul Removal."

Chen Lin muttered softly.

His ideal situation is to perform a soul-cleansing ritual before leaving the Seven Star Realm. He cannot give up this secret technique, which is of great significance to him, just because he is afraid.

The escape of a soul is not always a certainty; otherwise, the Soulless Ancestor would never have done it back then.

After his soul was baptized by the Primordial Monument, it should no longer be able to separate from himself. Chen Lin had a feeling that after being absorbed by the Primordial Monument, his soul had become an independent individual.

That step is already done.

However, we cannot be careless.

We must gather all the auxiliary items that Xiaohua mentioned before trying again.

If possible, it would be best to obtain the secret technique of the Soulless Ancestor, which allows the physical body to survive independently, but that would probably be very difficult.

pity.

Chen Lin sighed softly.

Little Flower cannot absorb energy from the Treasure Chest of Life, otherwise she should have recovered by now.

Carrying a living being consumes a lot of energy, so before obtaining a second Variegated Crystal, we dared not let Tiezhu bring the Cave Heaven Jade Pendant out.

"If all else fails, I'll have to take the ferry of life."

After much thought, Chen Lin came up with the idea of ​​a ferryboat in life.

Whether you want to quickly improve your strength or find a passage to the Star Ruins, the Ferry of Life is the best choice.

He also has one free chance to board the ship.

But let's not rush it.

He had made an agreement with the carrier pigeon maid Mingzhu that when the time for the passengers' gathering arrived, she would notify him through special means, and he could board the ship directly without responding.

Let's attend the party first.

Those who can obtain the status of a star-level passenger are not ordinary beings. They may be able to learn more about the Soul-Slaying Technique. Anyway, no one knows anyone on the ship, and they can also block out the Old Fisherman of Tianhu Lake, so they don't need to worry too much.

If all else fails, then consider taking on a life mission.

Make a decision.

Chen Lin began to think about other things.

dong dong dong.

There was another knock on the door.

"come in."

Chen Lin didn't need to ask or sense anything; the way she knocked on the door meant it was undoubtedly Lin Xinyi.

Although the girl no longer had any intention of dying, she still hadn't developed a sense of hierarchy. Her feelings towards him were gratitude, but she didn't feel any fear.

It's unclear whether it was due to their noble birth or being born into an environment where everyone is equal.

He didn't ask either.

Since they are both Gu (a type of poisonous insect) raised by the old fisherman of Tianhu Lake, it's best not to reveal the truth and just pretend we know nothing.

"See my lord."

Lin Xinyi did not salute after entering the room, but only bowed slightly.

Chen Lin didn't care.

Although he has been in this world for thousands of years, his previous life's ideas still dominate. He doesn't care much about etiquette and only cares about gratitude.

"Is there something you need? Sit down and let's talk."

Lin Xinyi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly opposite Chen Lin.

He said, "My lord instructed me to keep an eye on the city's movements. My men reported that experts have been frequently appearing in the city recently, and the six major powers are also mobilizing their forces, as if something big is about to happen."

"Any inferences?"

Chen Lin continued to ask questions.

The other party's cultivation level is very low, and they are not good at scheming. Doing these things is asking too much of them, considering their young age. But since the decision has been made to train them, high standards must be set.

"I think it's related to the arrival of the Dark Year."

Lin Xinyi was neither humble nor arrogant.

He continued, "I received a message that the six major powers in the city are guarding a secret: when the Dark Year arrives, the divine stones in the city that produce Black Silver Dew will change and produce extremely high-grade spiritual dew with miraculous effects."

"Oh?"

Chen Lin looked at the other person with slight surprise.

Where did you get this information from?

Even Silver Rat hadn't grasped this matter, yet the other party had managed to find out; this was truly beyond his expectations.

The silver rat was handpicked by him; it was strong in every aspect and its cultivation had reached the peak of the Void Realm. He had put a lot of effort into subduing this person.

"I have a talent for getting people to tell the truth."

Lin Xinyi did not hide anything.

He further explained, "But it only works on beings one realm higher than me; it won't work on beings higher than me. I got this information from the young master of the Tianfeng Sect. He came to buy something and I guided him there."

"It can suppress beings of a higher realm?"

Chen Lin was secretly surprised.

This is quite an extraordinary thing.

Under normal circumstances, if it can be effective across a small realm, it is considered a high-level secret technique. Being invincible within the same realm is the top level, and it is extremely rare to be able to suppress someone who is a whole realm higher than oneself.

Even his innate talent for destiny can only exert a little power when facing beings of higher realms.

The only technique that can absolutely suppress those at a higher level is the Soul-Destroying Finger, but it only works on strange creatures.

"Ah."

Lin Xinyi nodded.

"But my ability is not very useful; it can only guide the target to tell the truth, and it cannot be used in combat."

"There are no useless abilities; it's all about whether you know how to use them."

Chen Lin gave a suggestion.

Then he took out some cultivation materials and handed them to the other party, saying, "Don't try to gather information during this time. Focus on your cultivation. Your cultivation level is too low. You need to improve it as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir."

Lin Xinyi packed her belongings, got up, and left the room.

"A talent related to the mind?"

Chen Lin muttered to himself.

They didn't investigate further immediately.

After thinking for a while, he also went out of the room to find out the situation himself.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you are fine!"

As soon as I stepped onto the street, a familiar voice blocked my way.

"So it's Miss Daiya. It's been so long since we last met. I heard you had left Black Silver City. Why are you back?"

Chen Lin's eyes flashed.

The other party's sudden disappearance left him quite disappointed for a while. He sent people to inquire but couldn't find their whereabouts. Unexpectedly, they came knocking on his door again.

"It's nothing much, I just wanted to make another deal with you, fellow Daoist."

Adaya replied.

I looked around.

He transmitted his voice, saying, "This is not the place to talk. If Fellow Daoist Lin doesn't mind, could we go to my place to discuss this in detail?"

Then he added another explanation.

"This deal will also be of great benefit to you, fellow Daoist. Believe me, if you can do it, your life will be changed because of it."

"That's so exaggerated?"

Chen Lin gave the other person a deep look.

He replied, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Daiya."

He wasn't afraid of the other party's motives. As long as they weren't a Dominator-level expert, it wouldn't be easy for them to keep him here, especially since there was also the well-fed Tie Zhu.

They are still very confident.