Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 234 One Body, Two Souls

The Fire Domain already has strong restrictions on the cultivator's soul, and the two had previously exhausted their mental energy in their battle. Now, as they were enveloped by the quasi-third-order illusionary talisman, their sea of ​​consciousness began to ripple.

The two, who had already turned and fled, slowed down and their expressions changed drastically.

"Black Feather, you old thief, you're asking for death!"

"Whoosh~" Yang Ding Zhenren, whose divine sense was relatively weak, was the first to be swallowed by the illusion. He suddenly looked at Hei Yu Zhenren and his hair stood on end in anger.

"Hmph, I knew long ago that you old thief wanted to keep the treasure for yourself..."

As he spoke, the iridescent umbrella in his hand was already striking towards Black Feather Master.

"Kill you, and all the treasures will be mine!" Black Feather True Man, his eyes still dazed, was startled awake by Yang Ding True Man. He immediately came to his senses and, seeing Yang Ding True Man who wanted to kill him and seize the treasures, understood what was going on.

The war is about to start.

……

Watching the two face off in a life-or-death struggle, each move aimed at killing the other, until they were both severely injured, Xiao Changfeng was shocked when he forced out the insidious poison of the White Bone Nail.

"Brother Li, this..."

Li Ji'an looked like he was exhausted: "To be honest, Changfeng, I have accumulated a lot of spiritual resources over the years with my alchemy skills. Just in case, I purchased some spiritual talismans from a high-level talisman master in Tianyuan Prefecture."

Within the Heavenly Azure Domain, it is almost impossible for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators to purchase a True Third-Order Spirit Talisman.

However, a second-tier spirit talisman is possible.

Xiao Changfeng nodded secretly.

At this moment, he could clearly sense the magical aura emanating from Li Ji'an. Although Li Ji'an was already in the late Foundation Establishment stage, his magical aura was very weak.

In an instant, the gratitude in his eyes deepened as he looked at Li Ji'an.

When he first saw Li Ji'an, he thought he had encountered some extraordinary opportunity, which led to his rapid advancement in cultivation over the past ten years.

However, he realized at this moment that Brother Li had not made any major breakthrough in his cultivation, but rather relied on the talisman.

Upon further reflection, it takes immense courage and affection for him to venture deep into the fire to rescue him based solely on his distress message.

Even traveling this far in the Fire Domain requires no less courage than facing two fake Core Formation cultivators head-on.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Li Ji'an's ice and fire robe: "Could it be that this robe possesses extremely powerful fire-repelling properties?"

"Perhaps there are other treasures as well!"

After a moment, he shook his head to himself, no longer speculating about Li Ji'an's trump card.

Regardless, Li Ji'an risked his life to venture deep into the Fire Domain to save him, and even used a precious second-tier spirit talisman. This was an immeasurable debt of gratitude that he would have to repay for eternity.

"Hahaha, you old beast, all the treasures are mine!" Just then, the two who were locked in a life-or-death struggle decided the winner.

Master Yangding used his hidden trump card to pierce Master Heiyu's dantian, causing the latter to collapse to the ground, his face filled with resentment.

Yang Ding Zhenren was also covered in black feather blades, and one of his arms had been severed. He was gushing black blood, but he still managed to win by a narrow margin.

For a quasi-third-order illusionary talisman, it is still impossible to construct an illusionary realm out of thin air for a fake Core Formation cultivator; at most, it can only arouse their inner obsessions and inner demons.

The two were now bewitched by Xiao Changfeng's treasure, which they had coveted for the past two years, and ultimately faced each other to the death in order to seize it.

In other words, this was the end result after they actually killed Xiao Changfeng and seized the treasure.

Seeing this, Xiao Changfeng glanced at Li Ji'an, who nodded to him. He then casually made a move, and Jiang Yunzhou's black sword magic weapon prototype suddenly slashed towards the two of them.

With a clang, the heads of Yangding Zhenren and Heiyu Zhenren flew off, their blood splattering across the sky.

The next moment, the corpse, deprived of its magical power, was engulfed by bluish-purple flames and turned to ashes.

"Whoo~"

Xiao Changfeng let out a long breath and turned to bow deeply to Li Ji'an: "Brother Li, your life-saving grace is like being given a second life. I will never forget it!"

“We’re brothers, don’t stand on ceremony. Come on, let’s go outside and talk.” Li Ji’an used his magic to help him up, then collected the storage bags and magical artifacts left behind by Hei Yu and the other man.

"Wait!" Xiao Changfeng suddenly looked into the depths of the third layer of the fire domain.

"Brother Li, to tell you the truth, the reason I was being hunted down this time is because I accidentally obtained a magic weapon in the Boundless Domain Ruins. Its grade is estimated to be no less than the third rank. In order to launch a sneak attack, I threw the magic weapon into the third layer of the fire domain. If you are able to retrieve it, I will give it to you!"

Thinking that Li Ji'an was able to venture so far alone, Xiao Changfeng was unsure whether he had any trump cards to withstand the three layers of fire domain.

"A magic weapon of grade three or higher?" Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow, looking at the three layers of fire domain with considerable shock.

However, the eerie blue flames there obscured both divine sense and sight, making it impossible to see anything.

"Indeed, it is comparable to the third-grade magic treasure that Elder Fang obtained, which I saw from afar back then," Xiao Changfeng affirmed.

Li Ji'an took a deep breath and then slowly shook his head: "Unfortunately, in order to save you, I actually used up a lot of second-tier spirit talismans to barely resist this cyan-purple flame. I was powerless against that dark blue flame."

He was telling the truth.

"Brother, all the expenses this time are on my shoulders. As for that magic weapon... I've forgotten about it from this moment on. Whether you can get it or not, or whether you come to get it in the future, it has nothing to do with me anymore." Xiao Changfeng said with a hint of disappointment.

He truly wanted to repay this life-saving grace, and at this moment, only that magical artifact could represent his gratitude. Unfortunately…

Ultimately, this promise was the only way to express his feelings.

"I appreciate your kind intentions, brother!" Li Ji'an felt Xiao Changfeng's sincerity.

Xiao Changfeng laughed heartily, then took out the stone jar again.

“Brother, this is a top-grade Core Formation treasure. Let’s share it equally.”

"A Core Formation Spiritual Treasure? This... I would be impolite to refuse it." Faced with a Core Formation Spiritual Treasure, no Foundation Establishment cultivator would be unmoved. Li Ji'an did not refuse, nor did he offer a single word of modesty.

Seeing Li Ji'an accept half of the Earth Source Essence with great delight, Xiao Changfeng felt even more pleased.

He then retrieved the gilded fire gourd that had fallen earlier and activated a ring of blazing flames: "Big brother, you just activated the spirit talismans one after another, now use this nascent magic weapon of mine to protect you."

This was exactly what Li Ji'an wanted to say. Now that the crisis had been resolved, there was no need to waste valuable talismans for protection.

Then, the two headed towards Cangyun Prefecture.

Fortunately, the divine imprint left by Li Ji'an before entering the Fire Domain guided their way, preventing them from getting lost in the Fire Domain.

Just as they disappeared into the billowing flames, the little fire spirit emerged from a cluster of bluish-purple flames and whooshed towards the dark blue flames on the third floor.

Three months later, Xiao Changfeng, who had been trapped in the Fire Domain for nearly a year, finally breathed in the outside air again, and his tense nerves finally relaxed.

However, he quickly frowned slightly.

"Brother, that old scoundrel Tian harbors malicious intentions. My safe return to the sect this time may enrage him. I have the status of a true disciple and Elder Fang as my backer, so he cannot use his grievances against me."

But brother, although you are a guest elder, you are not a disciple of the sect. Moreover, that old scoundrel Tian is of high rank and great power, and even Master Yudan can hardly speak up for you. My current status is only enough to protect myself, not you.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, I suggest that you not let him know about saving me for the time being. What do you think, elder brother?

After Xiao Changfeng finished speaking, he looked at Li Ji'an. Li Ji'an smiled and said, "Brother, you've thought this through. That's what I meant too."

“However, once Elder Fang returns to the sect and learns of the grace that my elder brother saved my life, he will surely be rewarded by the sect. I will also do my best to help my elder brother truly join the sect,” Xiao Changfeng added.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji'an immediately waved his hand: "Brother, you know me. I haven't been good at cultivating techniques in this life, and I've spent all these years refining pills without having the opportunity to hone my magical power. Now, I'm living a leisurely life on the outer peaks thanks to my pill refining skills. Even if I were to enter a sect, it might not be helpful for forming my core. It's better to keep it to yourself."

“This…” Xiao Changfeng was slightly taken aback, then thought about Li Ji’an’s situation.

He had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and his magical power was unlikely to improve any further. He was now facing the hurdle of Core Formation.

Even if I were to join a sect now, I'm afraid it would be difficult to find resources to support my Core Formation.

Moreover, given his magical power, even a single portion of earth essence might not be enough to guarantee the successful formation of the core.

"In that case, I'll listen to my elder brother and wait until I reach the Core Formation stage before we talk about it!" Xiao Changfeng finally nodded.

On the way out of the Fire Domain, Li Ji'an did not hide anything from him regarding his questions, and even directly showed him the messages he had exchanged with True Person Yu Dan.

He already knew Elder Tian's thoughts.

However, he is now determined to obtain the Core Formation resources that the sect has prepared for Zhao Qi!

With a portion of the Earth Source Essence already available, plus the sect's resources for Core Formation, he was confident in achieving True Core.

"Very well! I will wait patiently for the day when you achieve the true elixir!" Li Ji'an smiled sincerely.

Following Li Ji'an's advice, Xiao Changfeng returned to his sect alone.

To avoid any entanglement with the sect's True Dantian Elder, Li Ji'an decided to temporarily stay away from the sect.

With his current wealth and connections, he certainly doesn't lack places for spiritual practice.

Watching Xiao Changfeng pilot the flying boat away into the distance, Li Ji'an calmed his breathing and sat down to rest.

Several days later, the sound of Little Fire Spirit panting could be heard from underground.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Li Ji'an smiled slightly. In his mind's eye, the little fire spirit was exhausted from dragging the green wood longsword, which was several times larger than itself.

Without any hesitation, Guagua jumped out of the spirit pet pouch and swallowed the little fire spirit and the green wood magic sword into its mouth. Then Li Ji'an also went inside.

The aura of the top-grade magic weapon was so strong that he was worried about being detected.

After entering the world inside the croaking frog's mouth, Li Ji'an examined the green wooden magic sword up close and felt a chill run down his spine.

The aura emanating from it was countless times stronger than any of the magical artifacts Li Ji'an had ever seen.

Unfortunately, even with his magical power, it had no effect whatsoever.

Fortunately, this magic weapon had been buried in the ruins for a long time and was already ownerless. Otherwise, if it had been bound to someone's natal magic weapon, his forced activation might have even caused his soul to perish instantly.

"This is a top-grade magic weapon!" Holding the magic sword, Li Ji'an gently stroked the blade, feeling the rich wood spirit energy within.

However, compared to all his items that possess wood-elemental spiritual energy, the wood-elemental spiritual energy carried by this sword carries a murderous intent.

Logically, the five elements should generate each other, with wood generating fire, but the little fire spirit avoids this sword at all costs.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts at research, Li Ji'an left it in the mouth of the baby Guagua.

They then launched a flying boat and headed west.

Three months later, Li Ji'an returned to the Qishilin Taoist temple.

"Uncle Li!" After thirteen years apart, when Xiao Qiao saw Li Ji'an again, there was no trace of unfamiliarity; in fact, she seemed even more affectionate.

Three years ago, Liu Jingchun passed away. Because of her status, only a few close relatives saw her off.

A year ago, Guo Zhilan followed Liu Jingchun away. Since then, Xiao Qiao has no relatives left at the Qishilin Taoist Temple.

As for Qin Henian's godfather, there wasn't much affection between them. Moreover, Qin Henian had been contributing to the family's business in recent years and rarely came to the Qishilin Taoist temple.

"Silly girl, you are now the master of the Strange Stone Forest. Don't let anyone see your vulnerability so easily." Seeing Xiao Qiao's eyes filled with tears, Li Ji'an smiled and patted her shoulder.

With Qin Henian's support, all the cultivators who now reside in the Qishilin Dojo are personally selected and accepted by Xiao Qiao, who has long regarded them as the masters of this place.

Even the name of the Strange Stone Forest is no longer just the name of this spiritual vein; it also represents a powerful force.

"Uncle Li, Xiao Qiao doesn't want to be any kind of master. I just want to stay by your side and grow flowers and plants." Xiao Qiao lost control of her emotions and threw herself into Li Ji'an's arms.

Li Ji'an understood her suffering. She had finally found her family, but they had both passed away before she could spend more than a few years with them. This was a huge blow to her.

"Don't cry, Xiao Qiao. Uncle Li will come and spend more time with you whenever he has time." Li Ji'an gently patted her back, comforting her in a warm voice.

In the end, they entered the bamboo grove where Liu Jingchun used to live. It was only after Guagua and Xiaohuoling stepped in that they were able to calm Xiao Qiao down.

"Uncle Li, I'm so grateful for Sister Tan's company these past few years, but... I've noticed that she seems a bit unusual..." After she and Guagua had their fun, Xiao Qiao told Li Ji'an something else.

"Oh?" Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow slightly.

He knew, of course, that Ning Yutan was extraordinary, after all, she was a person who came from the Immortal Dynasty 153 years ago.

What's unusual about it?

Xiao Qiao bit her lower lip lightly, but still truthfully said, "Sister Tan doesn't seem to be alone."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

“Uncle Li, thanks to my grandfather’s instruction, my Earth Spirit Scripture is now at the near-third level. In addition to being able to sense underground spiritual energy over a wider range, I can also sense some things on the ground, and even the situation of people,” Xiao Qiao explained.

"Several years ago, I had a chance encounter where I vaguely sensed that Sister Tan seemed to be able to talk to herself and transmit her voice, and that she could also change her voice. At the time, I was just curious."

However, after his grandparents passed away one after another, he had more close contact with Sister Tan and finally discovered the abnormality in her spirit.

To be precise, there should be two souls within his sea of ​​consciousness!

"..."

"One body, two souls?" Li Ji'an's pupils suddenly dilated.

Almost instantly, a possibility came to mind.

"Could it be that Ning Sujin's soul has taken up residence in Ning Yutan's body?"

Fourteen years ago, he unexpectedly saw Ning Yutan and learned that Ning Sujin seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep and had been taken away by the Wanfa Palace. At that time, he had many doubts.

However, due to limited knowledge and information, I never thought about it in this way.

Based on his understanding of the cultivation world, it is almost impossible for a non-Nascent Soul True Monarch's primordial spirit to leave the body.

Even though there were a few instances in ancient history where the souls of Core Formation cultivators underwent abnormal changes and there were miracles of the soul leaving the body, he never thought that Ning Sujin could form a Core.

"what is going on?"

(End of this chapter)