Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 265 Searching for a Snake in the Swamp
Holding the Blackwater Sword, Li Ji'an felt a sense of familiarity.

Although it has different attributes and appearance from the Green Wood Magic Sword that Xiao Changfeng threw into the Fire Domain back then, the aura of a superior magic weapon is almost identical.

Similarly, with his current cultivation level, he is not yet capable of activating it.

“Green Wood, Black Water… Could it be a set of Five Elements Swords?” Li Ji’an had reason to suspect that it was a Five Elements Sword Formation.

In particular, when Li Ji'an picked up the Green Wood Magic Sword at the same time, he clearly felt that the aura of the Green Wood Magic Sword seemed to have increased.

“Water nourishes wood… The five elements generate and restrain each other. If all five elements were truly gathered… tsk.” Li Ji’an’s heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously felt a surge of emotion.

However, he quickly suppressed this ambition. He was only a fake elixir in this life, and even if he had one, he wouldn't be able to use it. He would not dare to hope for it for the time being.

Suppressing his excitement, he solemnly placed the two magic swords into the innermost layer of the Guagua's mouth.

Then they arrived at the source of that cluster of primordial mother energy.

Held in my hand again, it felt incredibly heavy.

Moreover, it is constantly emitting innate primordial energy, but the amount is very small and most of it dissipates. Only one or two out of ten can eventually condense into a strand. It would take hundreds of years to condense a single strand, provided that no other spiritual treasures absorb it.

Within the universe contained in the Guagua's mouth, most of the maternal energy emanating from the source of maternal energy is absorbed by the items within it.

The one that absorbed the most was the invisible puppet that was crafted with innate primordial energy as its core.

At this moment, Li Ji'an had taken out the puppet's energy source. It was a fist-sized spiritual marrow, but now only the core grain-sized spiritual marrow remained, emitting a faint green light. This spiritual marrow was extremely precious, containing rich and pure spiritual energy. It was a top-quality item for Nascent Soul True Monarchs to assist in their cultivation. It was said that its market price in the Wanshang Domain was around 100,000 spirit stones.

"It would take at least ten strands of innate primordial energy plus rare and precious materials to create such a puppet." After careful study, Li Ji'an was amazed by this ancient puppet.

Not only could he not find any trace of the refining methods and techniques involved, but he could only recognize a few of the divine materials in the body.

Unfortunately, his attempt to contract the puppet with his divine sense failed. This was not only because puppets of this level required a high level of divine sense, but also because the imprint of the previous master was still inside.

That ancient mark could not be erased even by the power of the little fire spirit.

"I wonder if Sister Jin's primordial spirit, which is comparable to that of a True Monarch, will be effective?" Thinking of this, he shook his head. Even if Ning Sujin could erase the mark inside and even successfully form a contract, they still wouldn't be able to control this puppet.

Such a precious item as spiritual marrow is something they cannot obtain within the Heavenly Azure Domain.

Li Ji'an then carefully examined the handful of yellow and white soil. Apart from the strong spiritual energy of the earth, he found no other effects for the time being.

However, when leaving the tomb, Xiao Qiao telepathically told him that this item would be very beneficial to his cultivation of the Earth Spirit Scripture.

After tidying up all the external items, Li Ji'an then looked at Fu Xiaochen's storage bag.

As expected of a True Core Elder of the Blazing Sun Sect, he is quite wealthy.

Half a bottle of third-tier cultivation pills, and half a bottle of healing pills and mana-replenishing pills.

There were over 30,000 low-grade spirit stones and over 100 mid-grade spirit stones.

A piece of crimson blood essence gold the size of a washbasin is an invaluable material for both weapon crafting and puppet making, and it can enhance the power of fire-type magic.

What delighted Li Ji'an the most was that he actually had five third-tier spiritual herbs, two of which were materials for Condensing Crystal Pills.

"The risks and rewards are fairly balanced... However, it's still not quite right for me." Li Ji'an completely extinguished the smug feeling that came from killing and robbing.

After sorting out his gains from the trip, Li Ji'an calmed his mind and used his wood-elemental magic to repair himself.

Although his mid-stage second-tier physique withstood the fatal blow from Fu Xiaochen's strike, the power of the magic weapon still caused considerable damage to his internal organs.

Time passed quickly, half a month later.

Its internal organs, having been repeatedly nourished by wood-based magic, have now largely recovered.

On that very day, several cultivators approached from afar, and Li Ji'an immediately focused his attention on them.

A moment later, the group landed in this land of holy light.

"Hmph! The Blazing Sun Sect is far too arrogant. When did this Blackwater Swamp become their territory?"

"Even the Qingjiang Sect has more say than them, right?"

"Bah! Why weren't these sect bandits wiped out by the demonic cultivators of the Boundless Domain? Although demonic cultivators dominate the Boundless Domain, they aren't as greedy and shameless as these!"

"The Blazing Sun Sect hasn't entered the swamp for many years. This time... their claim that a True Core Elder perished here, could it be true?"

"The words of these sects are nothing but farts. Believing them is like believing that magical treasures can fall from the sky!"

"It's just an excuse to claim land and search for treasures. They must have discovered some ancient ruins or tombs in that area."

"Wu Weixiong conspired with others to assassinate Elder Zhendan? Ha~ He dares to say it, but we dare not believe it."

"Wu Weixiong is indeed a figure among us rogue cultivators, but how could he possibly kill a True Core cultivator? Moreover, that True Core cultivator is said to have been at the Core Formation stage for nearly a hundred years, almost at the mid-stage. How could Wu Weixiong possibly kill him?"

……

After resting and recuperating for half a day, the group headed north to explore the surrounding area.

In the following month, five or six groups of such cultivators arrived.

Most of them were complaints about the Lieyang Sect's land grabbing and expulsion of other cultivators.

Based on the conversations of several groups of people, Li Ji'an already had a clear understanding of the situation.

The Lieyang Sect only found this place nearly a month after they left the tomb.

Moreover, the initial area was very large, and it was not until half a month ago that the area was finally narrowed down.

This falls within the range of the sect's soul lamp's location.

Moreover, the Lieyang Sect claimed that Wu Weixiong, together with Gao Yang and other thieving cultivators, plotted to harm Fu Xiaochen and a group of sect disciples.

The Flaming Fan, a ninth-grade magic weapon of the Blazing Sun Sect, was stolen by thieves.

Apart from Wu Weixiong and Gao Yang, no other people were mentioned. Moreover, a nationwide arrest warrant has been issued, and a large reward has been offered for clues about people very close to the two.

This grand display greatly increased the credibility of the matter and surprised all the cultivators.

Apart from the one who perished in the war against the demonic cultivators of the Boundless Domain, no True Core cultivators in the domain have died for many years.

In particular, this was a senior True Core Elder from the Upper Sect, while the other party was just an ordinary rogue cultivator who was not taken seriously by the Upper Sect.

Through conversations among the subsequent groups of treasure-hunting rogue cultivators, Li Ji'an could see that this matter had greatly boosted the morale of the rogue cultivators in the region, and some had already named Wu Weixiong as the leader of the rogue cultivators in the Tiancang Region!
"Fu Yuanjiang really failed to send the message!" After another month, Li Ji'an's internal injuries had healed, and he had also made an accurate judgment in his mind.

With the news of the death of a True Core Elder within the sect confirmed, the Blazing Sun Sect instantly became the focus of attention for cultivators throughout the region.

Then, with the help of certain people, many rumors spread about the Lieyang Sect in the area sealed off by the Blackwater Swamp.

"How could Wu Weixiong possibly be a match for Master Fu? He must have met with disaster in some high-level ruins or tomb."

"There must be an immense opportunity within the area sealed off by the Blazing Sun Sect!"

"Could it be the tomb of an ancient True Monarch that could cause Elder Zhendan to perish here?"

……

After a month of fermentation, many independent cultivators have come seeking a share of the spoils.

The Qingjiang Sect, which is closest to this location, is engaged in a fierce confrontation with the Lieyang Sect, and there are signs that the conflict is escalating.

Only then did Li Ji'an breathe a sigh of relief. This ancient tomb was enough to consume all of the Lieyang Sect's resources.

He then stopped worrying about the matter and instructed Guagua to search for the Illusion Moon Glass Serpent and the Immaculate Lotus in the Blackwater Swamp.

Guagua thrived in the swamp, feeling even more at ease and powerful than he had been in the Fallen Dragon Ridge Mountains.

Moreover, there are many kinds of insects in the swamp that are considered delicacies for it.

Li Ji'an was in the universe within Wu Weixiong's mouth, with enough pills and spirit stones to replenish his energy, so he was not affected at all, and even had time to study Wu Weixiong's ancient body-forging technique.

The Divine Body Forging Technique is a body forging method that has not been simplified by the post-ancient era, and can be practiced up to the fourth level in one go.

Its body-forging method is also different from the mainstream method of relying on the spiritual objects of heaven and earth to transform one's physique. It takes the five spiritual treasures of the human body as the foundation of the physical body, tempers the spiritual treasures, and then nourishes the physical body, taking the path from the inside out.

Liu Jiuchan was not lying back then.

When Li Ji'an coveted Wu Weixiong's body-refining technique, he subtly inquired about it with Liu Jiuchan, because when Wu Weixiong was initially a slave in their Liu family, the body-refining technique was given to him casually by the Liu family.

However, it was just a simplified version of an ordinary ancient cultivation technique, at most reaching the first stage of perfection.

Wu Weixiong's later breakthrough to the second level of body cultivation was clearly not due to the cultivation technique given to him by the Liu family.

"Another chosen one?" Li Ji'an smiled slightly.

This body-refining technique, capable of reaching the fourth level, is in no way inferior to the Heavenly-level techniques of the Myriad Laws Palace. The fact that Wu Weixiong obtained it is truly enviable.

It remains to be seen whether they can escape this calamity.

The journey across the Tiancang Domain is arduous, involving hundreds of thousands of miles of barren lands, desolate and inhabited by unknown ferocious beasts. Even a pseudo-core cultivator attempting to fly across on their own would find it difficult to guarantee their safety.

Cross-domain activities within the Tiancang Domain are basically out of the reach of ordinary cultivators, let alone independent cultivators.

They either had to travel on a cross-domain spirit ship belonging to the Wanshang Domain Chamber of Commerce, which had connections with the Wanfa Palace, or they had to gamble with their lives.

In comparison, the success rate of traveling from the Heavenly Azure Domain to the Boundless Domain is slightly higher.

For the next two years, Li Ji'an spent most of his time studying the "Ancient Demon-Suppressing Fist" in his inner universe, except for the occasional trip outside.

This is a type of boxing, with moves somewhat similar to the martial arts of the Immortal Dynasty. The difference is that the martial arts boxing focuses on stimulating the power of qi and blood to fight the enemy.

This fist technique, however, uses the power of the body to influence the great Dao of Heaven and Earth. When practiced to perfection, it can unleash the Dao's essence, borrowing the great power of Heaven and Earth!
Based on Li Ji'an's cultivation over the past two years, he judged that Wu Weixiong had only just reached the second level.

With his peak second-tier body refinement and this set of fist techniques, he was actually able to contend with a True Core cultivator, which shows the power of this fist technique.

This boxing style is extremely energy-consuming; Li Ji'an was almost completely drained after practicing it three times a day.

It takes about two years to master the first level of the skill; to reach the level of Wu Weixiong, it would probably take ten years.

This is also related to the fact that the body-refining techniques he practiced were of inferior quality, and his qi and blood could not compare with those refined by superior techniques.

"Croak~" That day, Li Ji'an was sitting cross-legged to recover his energy and blood when the croaking bird noticed something unusual again.

Through the croaking sound, Li Ji'an saw a sliding mark as thick as a water bucket in the black swamp mud.

"It's undoubtedly a snake-type demon beast, and a second-tier one at that, but I can't be sure if it's the Illusion Moon Glazed Serpent." Li Ji'an spoke from his mouth, carefully probing its aura.

"Quack~" The quack perked up.

A year ago, Guagua discovered a flawless lotus in a dark pool. Now, their only goal is the Illusion Moon Glazed Serpent, which they use to refine the Sacred Beast Pill for Guagua.

Besides the Immaculate Lotus Seedling, nine second-tier spiritual herbs and three third-tier spiritual herbs were also found in the past two years, but none of them were materials for the Crystal Condensation Pill.

This is considered a great harvest among independent cultivators who frequently venture into the Blackwater Swamp in search of opportunities.

"Split up and don't be reckless!" After following the sliding tracks for several feet, they came to a low-lying pool of water, where the tracks disappeared.

The area is severely restricted by spiritual limitations, limiting the area that one person can explore. Li Ji'an decided to split up and search.

After watching Guagua dive into the black water, Li Ji'an activated his protective magic shield and summoned a glass lamp to clear a path in front of him.

Without Guagua's ability to hide, Li Ji'an could only float in the air, which made him a sitting duck.

For the past two years, he has kept in mind the warnings from the outside world about the Blackwater Swamp: never cross the Deadwood Beach to the west, because beyond the Deadwood Beach lies the dead end—the Phantom Forest.

However, even though they were still at least a thousand miles away from the Deadwood Beach, they still encountered many threatening monsters.

Most of the monsters here are poisonous. The late-stage second-tier poisonous lizard that Guagua encountered half a year ago caused him a great loss.

After traveling for three days, Li Ji'an still had not found any trace of the snake demon.

"Caw caw~" Just as he was about to change direction, a distress signal suddenly came from his mind.

"Hmm?" Sensing the direction, Li Ji'an frowned slightly. Guagua was actually hundreds of miles to the west.

When they parted three days ago, he clearly told Guagua to go north, while he went south.

Then, by connecting through the spirit pet contract, all that could be seen was pitch black.

As the cries for help grew more urgent, Li Ji'an had no time to think and immediately flew away at top speed.

Two hours later, Li Ji'an approached the place where the baby had cried for help.

At this moment, the croaking creature they sensed was extremely weak.

Suppressing the urgency in his mind, Li Ji'an forced himself to slow down, control his breathing, and carefully sense the situation ahead.

"That is..." Suddenly, a golden light flashed in front of them, and Li Ji'an's expression changed instantly.

In the dark swamp, a humanoid figure radiating a golden aura stood, and at its feet, Guagua looked at him, barely clinging to life...

"Golden Corpse Puppet!"

"The Golden Puppet Saint Lord has come looking for us?" Li Ji'an's first reaction was to turn around and run away, but his legs felt as if they were entangled by thousands of branches, making it difficult to move even an inch, and even making him unsteady.

He fell into the dark, muddy swamp.

Without any protective barrier to shield him from the black water, his magical power was being constantly eroded by it...

"No! That's not right! Impossible!" His mind went blank for a moment.

"Ah!" Suddenly, a burning sensation came from my sea of ​​consciousness.

The familiar burning sensation stirred his heart, and at the same time, his chaotic sea of ​​consciousness instantly calmed down.

When I opened my eyes again, the golden corpse puppet was nowhere to be seen.

There was no trace of the croaking creature.

Only the little fire spirit was anxiously jumping around in front of him...

The place where they were standing was still the same place where they had just been searching for and tracking the Illusion Moon Glass Serpent.

He was indeed completely immersed in the black water, which was constantly draining his magical power.

"Snake demon!" Li Ji'an instantly leaped to a standstill, shaking off the black water covering his body, his eyes becoming extremely sharp.

(End of this chapter)