Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 258 Blackwater Swamp
During Gao Yang's telepathic communication, Li Ji'an constantly enveloped him with his divine sense, and could feel the urgency and sincerity in his heart.

Upon hearing that the place they were exploring was in the Blackwater Swamp, I was already intrigued.

Whether it's to help Guagua refine the Sacred Beast Pill, which requires capturing a Phantom Moon Glazed Serpent in the Blackwater Swamp, or to refine the Crystal Condensation Pill for the next life, which also requires a trip to the Blackwater Swamp to find the Immaculate Lotus Pod, then...

Moreover, the Blackwater Swamp is a well-known place of opportunity in the Tiancang Domain. Countless rogue cultivators from Tianyuan Prefecture and Daoyuan Prefecture have risen against the odds by taking advantage of the opportunities in the Blackwater Swamp. The risks of exploration have been explored in a clear manner, and there are also clear warning signs for dangerous areas.

In addition, the auction in Jiuyang Immortal City will not be held for several months, so there is still enough time.

Thinking of this, Li Ji'an transmitted his voice to indicate that they could discuss it further.

Gao Yang was overjoyed: "Senior, please."

Li Ji'an followed his directions and headed towards Lingzhai Mansion.

Zhu Qi was the only one who was completely bewildered: "Senior..."

"Young friend, please wait a moment. We'll talk after I come out," Li Ji'an said, not forgetting his promise.

"Yes, yes, please go ahead with your work, senior." Zhu Qi felt somewhat relieved.

Before long, Li Ji'an followed Gao Yang to Lingzhai Mansion.

However, instead of entering the main hall of Lingzhai Mansion, they were turned to the side courtyard's Dharma Protector Hall.

The Dharma Protectorate was Wu Weixiong's domain, and the guards along the way were very polite to Gao Yang's arrival, which must have been at Wu Weixiong's behest.

"Brother Wu!" Gao Yang greeted Wu Weixiong with joy as soon as he entered the main hall.

Wu Weixiong immediately focused his divine sense on Li Ji'an, a hint of suspicion appearing on his face. After all, even with his late-stage Foundation Establishment level divine sense, he couldn't sense the aura of Li Ji'an's disguise technique.

“Senior, this is the guardian of Lingzhai, Wu Weixiong!” Gao Yang noticed Wu Weixiong’s confusion and immediately introduced him.

Upon hearing this, Wu Weixiong was overjoyed. To be addressed as a senior by Gao Yang, one must at least be a pseudo-Dan Master. No wonder he couldn't sense that the other party was disguised.

"I, Wu, have met the True Person. May I ask how you are addressed?" Wu Weixiong, having experienced many trials and tribulations and having dealt with the Wanfa Palace, did not show the same level of awe towards a Core Formation True Person as ordinary rogue cultivators.

"No need for formalities. Let's talk about this opportunity first. What do you need me to do? What are the risks involved? If the risks are uncontrollable, just pretend you've never met me," Li Ji'an waved his hand and said directly.

"Haha, you're so straightforward, please." Wu Weixiong laughed heartily and welcomed Li Ji'an into the inner room.

Gao Yang watched with increasing satisfaction.

After entering the inner room, Wu Weixiong first instructed the servants to serve tea to each of them.

Then he calmly said, "This opportunity was discovered by Brother Gao and his five companions. However, I was honored by Brother Gao to lead this expedition. I can tell you clearly that this place is not within the restricted area. That is why cultivators often pass through there. No one knows when it will be discovered by others, which is why we are in a hurry to gather manpower."

"Hmm." Li Ji'an nodded in satisfaction.

The forbidden zone within the Blackwater Swamp is the area near the Phantom Forest's perilous depths. Not only is it filled with poisonous gas, which could poison even a True Immortal, but it is also affected by unpredictable illusions, making it a place where True Core cultivators face a near-certain death.

"As for the duties of the True Person... the main task is to break the ancient restrictions. If the True Person trusts me, I can stand guard outside the door after breaking the restrictions. However, in terms of the allocation of opportunities, I will need to reduce it by 10%," Wu Weixiong said frankly.

"In that case, it's acceptable." Li Ji'an was completely relieved of his worries.

Having lived through two lifetimes and visited several ancient cave dwellings and tombs, Li Ji'an had a good impression of the ancient cave dwelling ruins in this world and had not encountered any countermeasures.

However, since the cave dwellings they had entered were either part of sect ruins, there was no reason for them to set up any killing techniques.

As for the burial site, it is located in the wasteland of Fallen Dragon Ridge.

In ancient times, that place was probably a place with ordinary spiritual energy, mostly where independent cultivators gathered. The tombs there afterward were not particularly malicious, and some even left behind a legacy.

However, based on the information he has gathered in recent years, the Blackwater Swamp should have been a place with abundant spiritual energy in ancient times, and it also contains many relics of immortal sects.

Some family cemeteries are not so safe.

With his current pseudo-core strength and the trump card of the spirit talisman, he figured he could protect himself more than in any forbidden zone, but mainly there was no need to.

If the other party can obtain third-tier spiritual materials, even if it's not enough to share, he can trade with spirit stones.

Seeing Li Ji'an nod, Wu Weixiong and Gao Yang were both delighted.

They really didn't want to delay any longer.

“Since you are interested, please allow me to witness your strength. After all, it is a mutual selection process,” Wu Weixiong said frankly.

"That's only right!" Li Ji'an dispelled his concealment technique, and his pseudo-core magic power erupted.

"Great! That should be enough for us to break the barrier!" Gao Yang was overjoyed.

"Furthermore, we need to inform the Master in advance that if we sincerely want to explore opportunities together, we must work together and unite as one. At the very least, we must not be greedy or stab each other in the back. Therefore, we still need to sign a blood pact to swear an oath. In addition to the confidentiality agreement, it also stipulates that we must not harbor any evil intentions. I wonder if the Master can accept this?" Wu Weixiong said again.

When Li Ji'an's gaze met Wu Weixiong's fearless eyes, and compared them with Gao Yang's slightly uneasy expression, he understood why Wu Weixiong was entrusted with this matter.

Such spirit is indeed not something that ordinary people possess.

“Okay!” Li Ji’an nodded in agreement.

"Haha, welcome to the real person! Please wait here for a moment. I will immediately contact the others to gather here. Once everything is settled, we will set off immediately. This matter should be done sooner rather than later, or things may change." Wu Weixiong laughed gruffly.

Li Ji'an nodded in agreement.

Immediately, Wu Weixiong left the inner room, while Gao Yang took out a communication talisman to summon people.

Half an hour later, as footsteps sounded outside the door, Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, after seeing the person who came through his divine sense.

"Haha, Master Niu, please come quickly. With the two masters joining forces this time, along with this formation genius, my spirit pet can also contribute. With these barrier-breaking talismans, there shouldn't be any problem."

Wu Weixiong led his group through the door.

Four of them were members of Gao Yang's team: one was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and the other three were in the early-Foundation Establishment stage.

Besides Qin Henian, there was also Xiao Qiao behind him!
Of course, they were all disguised.

Li Ji'an had anticipated that Qin He'nian would appear.

A year ago, when he attended his own Core Formation celebration, he revealed his true feelings. Over the years, he had been racking his brains to raise the spiritual treasures for Qin Chuan's Core Formation, but the sect was very strict in this regard, making it very difficult to get what he wanted in the domain.

Aside from placing their hopes on the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce, they could only explore and seek opportunities on their own.

As for Xiao Qiao... it's reasonable to call her a genius of formations on the surface.

"If I had known Xiao Qiao was here, I should have taken her to the Blind Tower!" Li Ji'an secretly thought.

"Greetings, senior." The four members of Gao Yang's team hurriedly greeted Li Ji'an.

Qin Henian's scrutinizing gaze fell on Li Ji'an, his face expressionless: "How shall I address you, fellow Daoist?"

"My surname is Huang!" Li Ji'an smiled slightly.

"Mm." Qin Henian nodded, which was considered a greeting.

"Xiao Wu, has this Master Huang signed a blood pact?" He then asked Wu Weixiong.

"Reporting to Master Niu, Master Huang is about to sign the agreement." Wu Weixiong smiled and handed a page of gold foil to Li Ji'an.

"If it's inconvenient for Master Huang, we can go out first, and Xiao Wu can confirm the signing," Qin Henian offered reassurance. Because signing a blood pact requires preserving one's own essence blood, at that moment, any disguise technique will instantly revert to the original appearance.

To avoid being tricked by Master Fu of the Lieyang Sect, Qin Henian had to hide his identity. Only Wu Weixiong in the group knew his true identity, and Wu Weixiong had sworn a great oath to his inner demons not to reveal it.

"It's alright!" Li Ji'an smiled slightly, his divine sense still activating Huang Jie's essence blood within the Formless Mask.

However, he only chose her essence and appearance, not her magical aura and divine soul aura.

With a "whoosh," Li Ji'an's expression became unstable and fluctuated, revealing Huang Jie's appearance in an instant.

After signing the blood pact with Huang Jie's essence and blood, Li Ji'an simply continued to use Huang Jie's appearance and also changed his magical aura to Huang Jie's.

"Fellow Daoist Huang is so open and honest!" Qin Henian was slightly surprised.

Not only did the other party reveal their true face, but he also couldn't sense even the slightest fluctuation of the other party's disguise and concealment techniques.

This is enough to show that the other party's spiritual sense is much higher than his.

But clearly, the opponent's magical energy was only at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage.

"Could it be some kind of divine treasure?" This thought immediately came to him.

“Alright! To avoid any unforeseen complications, I suggest we set off immediately…” Wu Weixiong then took out ten second-tier barrier-breaking talismans, and explained in detail the situation of the opportunity and the division of labor, and openly stated how to allocate the resources.

Li Ji'an had no objection to this, the only thing he did was promise Zhu Qi that he would take her away from this place safely.

He also spoke about it in public.

The others didn't think much of it. Instead, they praised Li Ji'an for keeping his word. Their final opinion was that they could take him with them, as long as they let him leave once they reached Tianyuan Prefecture.

This fulfilled Li Ji'an's promise to him.

That evening, the group of nine left Lingzhai Mansion.

Li Ji'an then summoned Zhu Qi, saying little, and simply took her away.

Zhu Qi readily accepted this, especially with the eccentric Wu Weixiong leading the team, which made him even more reassured.

Half a month later, the group of ten left the Daze Mountains. Zhu Qi thanked them and then left.

Two months later, Qin Henian's top-quality flying boat rapidly arrived at the Blackwater Swamp in the west of Tianyuan Prefecture.

Unlike the Fallen Dragon Ridge Wasteland, the Blackwater Swamp, although also a barren land where cultivators cannot absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, and those with insufficient cultivation may even risk falling in cultivation level due to the lack of spiritual pills for a long time, is still a place that cultivators flock to.

Along the way to the Blackwater Swamp, Li Ji'an and his group had already encountered no fewer than a hundred people.

Most of them also travel in groups, just like them.

Moreover, many of them are from sects.

Qingjiang Sect is only a few thousand miles away, a few days' journey away. It is a local sect and once considered enclosing this place for its own use.

Ultimately, due to interference from Wanfa Palace and the other three sects in the state, they had no choice but to give up.

However, the excavation of this site has never stopped.

Of course, the Blackwater Swamp covers a vast area, and its poisonous fog obstructs divine sense, so even if the Qingjiang Sect really wanted to enclose it, it would be virtually impossible.

“We’ll enter from here. Further north is the Qingjiang Sect’s stronghold; they don’t allow independent cultivators to get close.” Upon arriving at the border of the Blackwater Swamp, Gao Yang took over the responsibility of leading the way.

"Just as recorded!" Li Ji'an stood by the swamp, watching the increasingly dense black mist inside, and nodded secretly.

This place is not an endless swamp, but rather seems to be protected by a barrier.

At this moment, the ground beneath Li Ji'an's feet was still solid yellow mud, but just half a foot ahead was the Blackwater Swamp, which had been eroded by the Blackwater.

Moreover, the poisonous fog also had a half-foot boundary; even though there was nothing in front of him, it did not leak out at all.

Li Ji'an slowly probed the poisonous fog with his divine sense, and immediately felt a sense of stagnation. With his divine sense, he could only probe less than a hundred feet.

This is only the toxic fog.

As for the black water underground, once he probed it with his divine sense, it was as if he had sunk into an endless quagmire, unable to go any deeper.

"This black water... really came from the perilous Lost Forest?"

"Legend has it that the Celestial Venerable perished, his essence and blood turning into black water, eternally venting his resentment..."

After the investigation, Li Ji'an withdrew his divine sense and kept a close eye on Xiao Qiao without making a sound.

At this moment, Xiao Qiao was disguised as a handsome young man, holding a compass in her hand and a battle flag hanging at her waist.

Moreover, it was protected by Qin Henian's divine sense, which could not be seen through by those below the False Core stage.

For this reason, Li Ji'an failed several times in his attempts to secretly contact him.

"It seems that even her Earth Spirit Master senses cannot see through the disguise effect of my Formless Mask." Xiao Qiao did not show any special behavior towards him along the way.

Upon entering the Blackwater Swamp, everyone used their magic to fly, avoiding contact with the black water below. However, they could not go more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) above the swamp, as the poisonous fog was even denser at that altitude, and there were also unknown ferocious birds that were not afraid of the poisonous fog.

This place is eroded by black water and poisonous mist that devours souls, but it has also given birth to many special monsters.

After flying for half a month, Gao Yang, who was leading the way, slowed down.

"The tomb is just ahead."

Upon receiving the message, everyone's spirits lifted.

During the past two weeks, Li Ji'an had felt a sense of oppression as he traveled through the poisonous fog.

The place is a place where spiritual sense is restricted, and it is dark and sunless. One must also be constantly on guard against unknown ferocious beasts and attacks from other cultivators, so one's nerves are on edge.

It is worth mentioning that during this period, Li Ji'an witnessed the so-called holy light shining upon him.

Amidst the thick black fog and the black water covering the ground, a beam of light suddenly shoots into the sky, not only dispersing the poisonous fog above but also driving away the black water underground, revealing solid earth.

Moreover, when the holy light shines, wisps of spiritual energy will seep out from the ground, allowing cultivators to absorb the energy and restore their magical power.

However, the appearance of the holy light was without warning or pattern, and its frequency was very low. Li Ji'an had only encountered it once along the way, and it would gradually disappear after only half a day, followed by the black water poison mist covering the area again.

According to Gao Yang, they also discovered the underground tomb by chance during a period of divine light.

Half a day later, the group finally arrived at the place where Gao Yang's team had discovered the underground tomb.

"Young friend, it's your turn to make a move!" Upon arriving at the destination, Wu Weixiong took over as the team leader. He first instructed Xiao Qiao to set up a shielding formation to prevent other cultivators from discovering the group and to guard against attacks from ferocious beasts.

Xiao Qiao nodded, then spread her hands, and several array bases disappeared into the four directions. She then pretended to connect with them with her soul, but Li Ji'an knew that she was actually using earth spirit techniques to draw on the earth's spiritual energy.

hum~
The next moment, the four directions trembled, and a light curtain slowly rose, enveloping the area.

This move earned high praise from Wu Weixiong and the others.

Li Ji'an had been paying close attention to Xiao Qiao's changing expressions. He wondered if her extraordinary abilities as a third-tier Earth Spirit Master would be effective in the Blackwater Swamp. If they were, she should be able to sense the opportunities and risks of the underground tomb in advance.

(End of this chapter)