Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 236 The Secret of Red Stone
"A great opportunity?" Li Ji'an looked at Zhang Tiezhu calmly.

A cultivator whose lifespan doesn't decrease must have lived for countless years; they must have had opportunities. However, targeting such a person is too risky.

"I've discovered that Chishi Sanren doesn't seem to be human!" Zhang Tiezhu said in a low voice, confirming.

"Not human?" Li Ji'an's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

After discovering that Chishi Sanren's lifespan had not diminished, he had previously wondered if he might be a non-human species.

He even went to the Immortal City to consult many ancient books.

He even sought advice from a puppeteer in the Immortal City.

However, none of them correspond to the actual situation.

Ultimately, he suspected that Chishi Sanren might also be some kind of divine favored one.

“Indeed, I’ve noticed that their actions seem to follow some kind of inherent pattern, as if they’re always going according to a predetermined plan,” Zhang Tiezhu said confidently.

"Please explain in detail, Uncle Zhang!" Li Ji'an immediately perked up.

……

After a while, Li Ji'an walked out of the bedroom with a smile on his face, his steps much lighter.

"Greetings, Senior Li." Zhang Tiezhu's descendants and grandsons hurriedly paid their respects.

"No need for formalities." Li Ji'an smiled and nodded, his consciousness inadvertently falling on the infant held in a woman's arms.

The warm jade, which was given to Yan Jue in his previous life and then given to Yan Ruofan by Yan Jue, is now hanging on Yan Ruofan's son, radiating his magical aura.

"Senior Li, the children whose spiritual roots were delayed in the wasteland but were eventually nourished by your divine pills all want to meet you and thank you in person," Yan Jue tentatively asked.

Since Yan Jue took over from Zhang Tiezhu thirty years ago and began experimenting with the Replenishing Essence Pill, he has been working diligently.

After testing on ten batches of children, Li Ji'an had made several adjustments to the drug's efficacy and was confident in its effectiveness. He was originally planning to terminate the experiment.

However, the Yan family saw the value of this move because of the increase in fresh blood within the clan.

Within the Yan family alone, spiritual roots and natural talents are limited, making it difficult to encounter exceptionally gifted descendants. However, by using this method to recruit children from the wilderness, not only can fresh blood be continuously injected into the clan, but the hope of producing geniuses with superior spiritual roots can also be increased.

Of course, the most important reason is that this method of raising children from outside the clan costs less than the traditional method of selecting talented children for the wilderness clan, and these children are more loyal and grateful after entering the clan.

So Yan Qingwan sought advice from Li Ji'an, who told her everything without reservation and personally taught her the pill formula and the details of pill refining.

However, to prevent other factions in the wasteland from interfering, this action was carried out in the name of Li Danshi, a guest elder of the Biyun Sect.

Li Ji'an waved his hand: "No need. I'm just here to see Uncle Zhang off, so there's no need to bother anyone else."

"I will obey your command, senior!" Yan Jue bowed and replied.
-
Upon returning to Yan Qingwan's residence, he found that the two women were much closer and chatting happily.

“Aunt, I have some insights and experiences from my cultivation during the Foundation Establishment stage, which may be helpful for you to break through the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment.” Li Ji’an put aside his emotions about Chi Shi Sanren and took the initiative to speak.

Since Yan Qingwan had no intention of taking things further, he did not push her.

Seeing their efforts this time, we should act accordingly.

Upon hearing this, Yan Qingwan's beautiful eyes lit up. In the wilderness, once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, besides elixirs, you also lack cultivation experience.

"Please enlighten me, Fan'er!"

"Xiao Qiao, listen carefully. After you return, you should also be at the Foundation Establishment stage. You can refer to this during your future cultivation." Li Ji'an nodded, then glanced at Xiao Qiao.

"Yes, thank you, Uncle Li." Xiao Qiao sat up straight.

Li Ji'an then explained his insights into Foundation Establishment cultivation, especially his analysis of bottlenecks, from simple to complex.

A few days later, Zhang Tiezhu died peacefully in his sleep.

Li Ji'an also shared all his insights on the Foundation Establishment stage with Xiao Qiao before leaving.

After leaving the Yan family's territory.

"Uncle Li, where are we going?" Xiao Qiao asked, puzzled but also a little delighted, as the flying boat headed south.

After all, if they went straight back to the Strange Stone Forest, it would mean being separated from Uncle Li again.

Li Ji'an was in a good mood and said with a smile, "We're going to find an old friend. We might need you to help us then, Xiao Qiao."

"Mmm." Without asking what she needed to do, Xiao Qiao nodded happily.

Half a month later, Li Ji'an and Xiao Qiao returned to the vicinity of the stone mound where they had obtained the talisman inheritance.

I could see the familiar figure from afar.

Chishi Sanren is exactly the same person he was when we first met eighty years ago.

Only that shabby Taoist robe became increasingly tattered.

And the lifespan he sensed was still the same as it was thirty years ago, without any trace of time.

"Fellow Daoist, you have been waiting for a long time." Li Ji'an smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.

Chishi Sanren remained enthusiastic: "It's alright, it's alright, I've only been here a short time."

“Only after hearing Uncle Zhang mention it did I learn of your wish, fellow Daoist. Now that Uncle Zhang has passed away, I will fulfill your wish on his behalf!” Li Ji’an said sincerely.

Chishi Sanren showed no emotion upon hearing of Zhang Tiezhu's death, and he remained silent even when Li Ji'an summoned him before his arrival.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist!" He only cared about helping him fulfill his wish.

“No problem.” Li Ji’an nodded, then said to Xiao Qiao, “Xiao Qiao, help this fellow Daoist find a tomb. It should be in the middle or outer area of ​​Fallen Dragon Ridge.”

"Hmm." After more than ten years of guidance from Liu Jingchun, Xiao Qiao's ability as a geomancer has progressed rapidly. Now she has almost reached the third level, and can see the direction of the earth veins within a hundred miles, connect with the earth's spiritual energy, and accurately judge whether there are natural burial sites within the range.

In the days that followed, Li Ji'an and Chi Shi Sanren followed Xiao Qiao, using her guidance to burrow underground or dig tunnels.

“There is a faint metallic scent underground there.”

That day, Xiao Qiao pointed to the ground ahead and said something.

“Such sensations can be ignored in the future,” Li Ji’an replied.

For a year, they have conducted a thorough search of nearly 30% of the area west of Duolong Ridge.

The tomb that Chishi Sanren was looking for was still not found.

However, quite a few spiritual plants, spirit iron ore, and even fragments of magical artifacts and treasures buried deep underground were found.

Unfortunately, the Fallen Dragon Ridge Wasteland had already been cultivated and developed five hundred years ago, and before that, there must have been cultivators at the Core Formation stage or Nascent Soul stage who explored it. The spiritual items that Xiao Qiao discovered are of little value to Li Ji'an now.

The majority of them are first-tier spiritual plants and spiritual iron ore, second-tier ones are almost rare, and third-tier ones have never been found.

This was also within Li Ji'an's expectations. Unless it was a dangerous place deep in the Fallen Dragon Ridge, these outer areas had long been explored by countless cultivators. And cultivators all over the world have shown their unique abilities, with countless treasure-hunting spirit rats, treasure basins, or treasure-hunting secret techniques. It would be difficult to leave them with anything.

As for the deeper parts of Fallen Dragon Ridge, there were suspected traces of a third-tier great demon, but Li Ji'an was unwilling to approach.

“Here, fellow Daoist, please take a look. This place is where three dragons converge, and there is a clear breeze at the entrance. It can be considered a feng shui treasure site, or an excellent burial ground,” said Chishi Sanren, staring at the compass in his hand.

Xiao Qiao and Li Ji'an exchanged a glance, a hint of helplessness in their eyes.

Li Ji'an smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist, this place has already been explored and is indeed a tomb, but you have already checked it and it is not the place you are looking for."

As Zhang Tiezhu said, the longer you spend with Chishi Sanren, the more you'll discover his differences.

Especially regarding the tombs in this area, they seem to have no memory of them, repeatedly exploring them over and over again. Most people interpret this behavior as a sign of mental impairment due to damage to their consciousness, like Chen Qingling back then.

However, those with a keen eye can indeed spot some clues.

Zhang Tiezhu's life experiences were far more colorful than those of ordinary people, and as a prodigy of the Celestial Dynasty, it was only natural that he would be able to discover the anomaly.

Chishi Sanren ignored Li Ji'an's words and plunged back into the room.

A moment later, disappointment emerged.

This place is indeed an ancient tomb, but it was dug out many years ago.

It was precisely because of Chishi Sanren's actions that the exploration of Fallen Dragon Ridge was progressing very slowly.

Until another year and a half passed.

The outer area has been fully explored, and nearly half of the middle area has been searched.

Based on Chishi Sanren's mutterings, Li Ji'an estimated that they shouldn't be too far from their goal.

The only thing that worries Li Ji'an is that recently, Chi Shi Sanren's mind has become increasingly unclear and his reactions have become increasingly sluggish. It seems that he will fall into a deep sleep again, just as Chen Qingling said back then.

“Fellow Daoist, we need to speed things up. Why don’t you rest quietly on the flying boat for now? We’ll call you if we find a tomb,” Li Ji’an couldn’t help but say.

It's not that I'm worried about it sleeping for a year, but I'm afraid that it will have to go through all of this again after it wakes up.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist." Chishi Sanren nodded blankly.

Seeing that Chishi Sanren was meditating on the flying boat, Li Ji'an breathed a sigh of relief and transmitted his voice to Xiao Qiao: "Speed ​​up!"

He also instructed Guagua, who was training deep on the edge of Fallen Dragon Ridge, to prepare to return.

Over the past two years, Guagua has indeed been tempered in the Fallen Dragon Ridge.

From initially fleeing in terror when facing second-tier monsters, to being able to muster the courage to fight them, and now being no match for ordinary early-stage second-tier monsters, and even holding its own against mid-stage second-tier monsters, and even against late-stage second-tier monsters, it can manage to hold its own with its stealth and earth-遁 talents.

Three months later.

"Uncle Li, this place is where five earth veins converge, making it an excellent feng shui location."

"Moreover, there is a natural array of magical wood, which is difficult for ordinary cultivators to decipher."

On this day, Xiao Qiao suddenly opened her eyes and pointed to a hillside in front of her.

"Oh?" Li Ji'an's expression shifted, and his divine sense immediately probed in the direction Xiao Qiao pointed.

Sure enough, the divine sense found nothing unusual. However, if the divine sense took a single weed that was visible to the naked eye as a reference, it could not see the weed.

This means that one's consciousness was affected after entering this place.

"Let's explore again!" Li Ji'an said with some anticipation.

Xiao Qiao immediately closed her eyes and used the power of the earth's spirit to connect with the spiritual energy of this place.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and said with some shame, "No, Uncle Li, this place is buried very deep, and my earth spirit power cannot reach it."

"So deep?" Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow.

Without further hesitation, he awakened Chishi Sanren.

“Fellow Daoist Chishi, there is an unknown tomb here.”

After three months of quiet meditation, Chishi Sanren's condition improved somewhat. Upon hearing of the tomb, his eyes instantly regained their luster.

"There are tombs here? No wonder the old Taoist priest couldn't find them. It turns out there is such a natural formation protecting them."

"Fellow Daoists, please step back. This old Daoist will use the Digging Technique!"

In an instant, dust filled the air as Chishi Sanren, like a drilling machine, burrowed underground in the direction Xiao Qiao had indicated.

An hour later, Li Ji'an finally received a message instructing Xiao Qiao to stay upstairs for the time being, while he, holding a near-third-tier spirit talisman, went down the tunnel to find the Crimson Stone Hermit.

“Fellow Daoist Li, yes, yes, it is this tomb. This old Daoist has a feeling about it.”

"However, there are still tomb restrictions here, and this old Taoist is powerless to help."

Just as they reached the bottom, Chishi Sanren greeted them, his emotions somewhat excited.

Li Ji'an cautiously examined the stone gate in front of him, sensing a familiar ancient aura, similar to that of the stone tomb where he had obtained the talisman inheritance.

After carefully sensing the restrictions surrounding it, he nodded secretly.

Fortunately, after countless years, the restrictions here have been eroded considerably, and his second-tier restriction-breaking talisman can break them.

After further sensing Chishi Sanren's state, there were no other changes except for excitement and agitation.

"I'll hand this barrier-breaking talisman to you, fellow Daoist." Li Ji'an took out a late-stage second-tier barrier-breaking talisman and handed it to Chishi Sanren.

"Thank you very much, fellow Daoist!" Chi Shi Sanren accepted the barrier-breaking talisman with great joy.

Before he finished speaking, he had already activated the barrier-breaking talisman.

Boom~
The stone gate collapsed in response.

At the same time, the scene inside also came into Li Ji'an's view.

It is not much different from most tombs in the wilderness.

Inside was just a simple stone chamber, without the palaces and buildings found in the ruins of ancient sects.

However, besides the skeleton in the center of the stone house, there were four other corpses covered in dust around it.

Li Ji'an did not rush to step inside. Instead, he generously activated a late-stage second-tier Golden Bell Talisman to protect himself before standing outside the stone gate and looking inside.

Upon seeing the scene inside the stone house, Chishi Sanren felt as if his mind had been violently impacted. His whole body trembled violently, and then his body suddenly became heavy. His expression instantly became blank, and he moved mechanically, step by step, toward the skeleton in the middle of the stone chamber.

"You've found the right one!" Upon seeing this, Li Ji'an's expression sharpened, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

puff~
However, what happened next made Li Ji'an squint his eyes instantly.

Chishi Sanren slowly moved to the withered corpse in the middle of the stone chamber, then knelt down and kowtowed to the corpse for a long time without raising his head.

"My lord, Xiaoying has finally found you!"

After a long pause, Chishi Sanren uttered a voice that Li Ji'an had never heard before.

Moreover, the voice was a woman's voice, warm and nostalgic.

Immediately afterwards, Li Ji'an, who was somewhat prepared, was still stunned by what he saw.

Chishi Sanren slowly stood up, then wiped his face and surprisingly removed an almost transparent mask.

A drop of blood essence flowed across the mask, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

As the mask was removed, Li Ji'an sensed that Chi Shi Sanren's originally disheveled and aged face had been replaced by a delicate and beautiful one.

At the same time, his shabby Taoist robe was transformed into an exquisite blue long robe.

"My lord, Xiaoying will be with you soon." The woman murmured to herself, then suddenly turned around and bowed gracefully to Li Ji'an.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for helping Xiaoying find the Master."

(End of this chapter)