Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 275 Returning to the Sect
"The Blazing Sun Sect colluded with the Demon Realm, attempting to wreak havoc on the Heavenly Azure Realm. The Myriad Laws Palace, acting on behalf of Heaven, shall exterminate them all..."

Upon seeing the latest announcement proclaimed throughout the entire region, all the cultivators in the Chaotic Stone Square were dumbfounded.

The mighty Lieyang Sect, with a late-stage Core Formation cultivator guarding the sect, was actually destroyed just like that?

"It is said that even the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws has not made a move!"

"Colluding with the Demon Realm, they deserve to die!"

"Didn't they say before that Master Fu schemed against the Pill King? How come it's now said that he colluded with the Demon Realm?"

……

“Master?” Zou Qi suddenly felt someone pulling him from behind. He turned around and saw Li Ji’an.

"Let's go, it's time for us to leave too," Li Ji'an said with a smile.

After another six months, Li Ji'an's injuries were fully healed, and his magical power returned to its peak.

The matter between Wanfa Palace and Lieyang Sect has also come to a final conclusion.

Not only had Chun Yuan Zhenren's anger been drawn to Fu Xiaochen of the Lieyang Sect, but the unfavorable situation he had previously faced due to the Lieyang Sect's occupation of the Blackwater Swamp Ancient Tomb had also vanished with the destruction of the Lieyang Sect.

Three months ago, the Blazing Sun Sect retreated from the Blackwater Swamp Ancient Tomb back to its sect, while the other six sects began to jointly develop the ancient tomb.

On that day, Li Ji'an set sail in a small boat, taking Zou Qi southwards.

On the flying boat, Li Ji'an reverted to his original form.

"Master!" Zou Qi's clear eyes widened in shock.

Li Ji'an patted his head: "I am an elder of the Biyun Sect and also an alchemist. I can take you into the sect. However, the sect has its own rules. If you join the sect, you must dedicate yourself to the sect. Only then will you be my master. This is different from the master-disciple relationship among independent cultivators."

If you don't want to be bound by the sect, I can place you in the Strange Stone Forest Dojo, where there is a third-tier spiritual vein, and the sect leader is also an old acquaintance of mine.

In the cultivation world, some masters and disciples are genuinely there to pass on their mantle, some are there to find someone to assist them, and some even harbor ulterior motives; this is true even among masters and disciples within a sect.

However, sects have many rules. First and foremost, one must be responsible to the sect and be a disciple of the sect. Only secondly can one be considered a disciple of one's master.

Individual cultivators are relatively more likely to form closer relationships.

Given Li Ji'an's current status and position within the sect, arranging for Zou Qi to join the sect is not a problem. However, in that case, he would first need to abide by the sect's rules.

As for cultivation resources, one must compete with other disciples of the sect. Li Ji'an, as a master, is relatively useless; at most, he can serve as a backer and support him.

When Zou Yan had previously instructed Zou Qi to become Li Ji'an's disciple, he made it clear that only by following Li Ji'an could he hope to achieve the Core Formation stage.

Li Ji'an gave the choice to Zou Qi.

Upon hearing this, Zou Qi's clear eyes remained unmoved, and he immediately knelt down, saying, "A teacher for a day is a father for life. Your disciple will follow your master's arrangements."

Li Ji'an nodded. Compared to disciples like Xu Xiaochun, who were assigned by the sect, disciples like Zou Qi were indeed closer to him.

"it is good!"

He has finally made his decision.

During this period, he also tried to understand Zou Qi better. Apart from cultivation, Zou Qi really had no interest in or talent for any other cultivation arts.

After instructing Zou Qi to control the flying boat, Li Ji'an turned and entered the inner cabin.

He once again brought out the Zou family's divination tradition.

In the past six months, he has conducted a lot of research while recovering from his injuries.

Unfortunately, the divination tradition was like a foreign language to him, an outsider. He could recognize the individual characters, but when strung together, he could not understand them at all.

It is a completely different path from cultivation, alchemy, and talismanic practices.

They tend to be more inclined to understand the will of Heaven and the ways of man, and to discern the principles of Heaven.

Upon inquiry, Zou Qi was also completely baffled. His grandfather had tried to teach him carefully back then, but he had never been able to grasp the essentials.

Finally, Li Ji'an asked him to relay Zou Yan's teachings from years ago, and he finally began to understand something, but he was still far from mastering the basics.

Li Ji'an did not give up. He was determined to study the art of divination thoroughly, even if it took ten, a hundred, or a thousand lifetimes. Unless this art could not be mastered by time, he was determined to master it.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Li Ji'an walked with the aura of a fake Core Formation cultivator and encountered no further obstacles.

That day, while passing by the vicinity of Shibaling Village, he unexpectedly received a reply from Xiao Changfeng.

A year and a half has passed since the chance encounter with Fairy Yunyao.

"Brother, ignore that crazy woman! I just came out of the Black Pool Cave."

Li Ji'an didn't gossip about their relationship; he simply congratulated him on surviving the underground cave.

The Black Pool Cave is a secret treasure discovered by cultivators of this realm more than 5,000 years ago, and it is the largest ancient secret treasure in the Tiancang Domain to date.

The entire underground cavern is interconnected, seemingly an ancient refuge with numerous countermeasures, dangers lurking everywhere, but also many opportunities.

After thousands of years of excavation, Wanfa Palace and its sect have already explored the outer and central areas. As for the deeper and more hidden caves, the danger is too great. It is said that the third generation Wanfa True Monarch was injured in the cave and eventually passed away at the age of only seven hundred.

It has been completely open for nearly two thousand years now.

It is considered the largest completely open ancient ruin in the region. Countless explorers die there every year, but it remains a sacred place of opportunity for all cultivators who dream of great fortune.

No fewer than a hundred rare and precious items have been produced, including those that have reached the Core Formation stage.

A month and a half later, the flying boat arrived at the Qishilin Taoist Temple.

Since Li Ji'an was assassinated by various sects a year and a half ago, Ning Sujin and Xiao Qiao in Qishilin have been worried every day.

During this period, Li Ji'an was summoned by several people, but at that time, in order to ensure his own safety, Li Ji'an did not read any of the messages.

He did not reply to everyone until he was preparing to return from Luanshi Market.

He first went to Xiao Qiao's garden dojo.

As soon as he entered, a thought struck him.

The protective array here has been further strengthened, and it contains at least five interconnected sets, combining defense, prohibition, killing, trapping, and illusion. Ordinary mid-stage Core Formation cultivators would probably be helpless against it.

"Uncle Li!" Xiao Qiao had received a message from Li Ji'an in advance, so she activated all the magic arrays without disturbing anyone and waited quietly.

Upon seeing Li Ji'an, she quickly approached him, her concern evident in her words.

Compared to others, Xiao Qiao had experienced the ancient tomb incident with Li Ji'an, and over the years she had been genuinely worried that the Lieyang Sect might find some clues.

They were even more worried that Li Ji'an, the culprit who personally killed Fu Zhenren, would be retaliated against by the Lieyang Sect.

Fortunately, all of that has now vanished.

"Xiao Qiao, this is my new apprentice, Zou Qi. I'll be relying on you in the future." Li Ji'an introduced Zou Qi to Xiao Qiao first.

Xiao Qiao's eyes lit up the moment she saw Zou Qi. If she hadn't been a third-level Earth Spirit Master who had already sensed Zou Qi's situation, she would have almost thought that Uncle Li had found her a junior sister.

This young man is too delicate. "Uncle Li, you're too kind. Junior Brother Zou, you can just follow me from now on." Xiao Qiao addressed herself as her senior sister.

Zou Qi was very intelligent and polite, and immediately greeted Xiao Qiao respectfully: "Zou Qi greets Senior Sister Qiao."

Li Ji'an then instructed Xiao Qiao to find someone to settle Zou Qi first, and then he and Xiao Qiao went to the secret room.

"This essence of the earth should be beneficial to your Earth Spirit Scripture." As he spoke, Li Ji'an handed Xiao Qiao the Taiji Diagram he had obtained from the ancient tomb years ago.

He noticed Xiao Qiao's enthusiasm for this item back then, but the timing wasn't right, so he kept it until now.

"Thank you, Uncle Li!" Xiao Qiao accepted the Earth Essence with both hands, overjoyed.

If she can refine this item, her Earth Spirit Scripture will surely achieve another breakthrough.

However, before her smile could fade, Li Ji'an led her to the medicinal herb field in the courtyard.

"Quack."

As soon as the frog emerged, it opened its mouth towards the medicinal field, and a piece of spiritual field flew out.

A full twenty cubic meters!
It was the third-grade spiritual field obtained from the tomb back then.

Looking at her medicinal herb field, Xiao Qiao's eyes widened in surprise; she had only harvested one plot of spiritual soil previously.

Now, the most crucial treasure field is located at the very center of the entire medicinal herb field.

Moreover, only the withered branch that Li Ji'an obtained from the abyss was planted on it.

But at this moment, his entire medicinal field has reached the level of a third-grade spiritual field.

A Grade 3 spirit field can theoretically grow Grade 3 superior spirit plants.

Moreover, the earth's spiritual energy contained in the third-grade spiritual field is also beneficial to her Earth Spirit Scripture.

"Let's see if we can cultivate these seeds to life." Li Ji'an took out another small bag of spiritual plant seeds. These were mostly withered seeds peeled off from the medicinal materials of the Crystal Condensation Pill, and many of them had already lost their vitality.

"Yes, Uncle Li, don't worry, I will do my best." Xiao Qiao carefully took the spirit seed.

After finishing his business, Li Ji'an inquired about Xiao Qiao's experiences back then. Qin He'nian was first invited by Wu Weixiong, and then learned that a formation master was needed, so he had no choice but to bring Xiao Qiao along.

According to Xiao Qiao, after she and Qin Henian returned to Cangyun Prefecture, Qin Henian gave her a considerable sum of spiritual funds.

After all, Qin Henian got his wish and obtained a wisp of innate mother energy, giving Qin Chuan hope of breaking through to the True Core stage. On the surface, Xiao Qiao accepted his invitation, but ended up getting nothing in return.

After a long talk with Xiao Qiao, Li Ji'an left Guagua and the still somewhat confused Little Fire Spirit behind and returned to his dojo.

This place is publicly known as the secluded retreat of Chief Qiao, but it has actually been reserved for Li Ji'an.

Just as he reached the door, Ning Yutan was already waiting beside him.

With Ning Sujin's primordial spirit covering the area, the entire Qishilin Daoist Temple was basically no exception to her perception, something Li Ji'an had anticipated.

"Brother Li! You're finally back. Yu Tan was so worried about you." Ning Yu Tan's eyes were slightly red as she rushed forward to hug him.

Li Ji'an patted her back lightly, unsure whether it was genuine or an act, after all, Ning Yutan had been a bit of a bitch back in the Immortal Dynasty.

But he didn't care. Even if it was just acting, he believed that if she could act for a lifetime, it would be a testament to her true feelings.

After lingering for a while, he finally sent her away, but this time he did not allow her to drain his essence, since his own blood and essence were already insufficient.

Until evening, Ning Sujin arrived, and Li Ji'an could finally try out all his expectations.

Ning Sujin's concern for him was genuine and heartfelt. After spending half the night together, the two finally got down to business.

Li Ji'an first took out the ancient puppet he had obtained from the ancient tomb.

"This is..." Ning Sujin exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the puppet, and immediately got up from Li Ji'an's arms.

After carefully sensing it for a moment, her expression turned solemn: "Li Lang, this is a fifth-order puppet! However... its spiritual power is greatly damaged. At its peak, it should be similar to a fourth-order peak puppet."

"Sister Jin, can you erase the divine soul imprint within it?" Li Ji'an asked expectantly.

Ning Sujin's face lit up with surprise and joy, and she instantly understood what Li Ji'an meant.

If she could truly have a peak fourth-tier puppet to protect her, she might be able to reclaim her physical body from the Myriad Laws Palace.

However, after examining it carefully for a while, Ning Sujin slowly shook her head: "Even after the erosion of time, the divine soul imprint inside is still very strong. With my current primordial spirit, it would probably take a long time to erase it, unless my primordial spirit can advance further."

"Good, as long as there is hope!" Li Ji'an was overjoyed.

Without hesitation, he handed the spiritual marrow to Ning Sujin: "As long as Sister Jin can erase its soul imprint, then form a contract with it. When I am not around, I will be able to protect you."

"Li Lang!" Ning Sujin's eyes were misty with emotion.

A fifth-tier puppet is practically the pinnacle of the cultivation world, its value immeasurable. Yet Li Ji'an was willing to give it to her for protection, which shows his deep affection.

Li Ji'an gently stroked her cheek: "Jin-jie, in this world, only you and I know and accompany each other. If I were alone, even if I lived for ten thousand lifetimes, how lonely would I be?"

Ning Sujin smiled instantly, her determination to live forever stronger than ever before!

After another round of maneuvering, Li Ji'an brought out the Zou family's divination tradition.

To Li Ji'an's surprise, he had studied it for half a year, and only after Zou Qi dictated Zou Yan's explanation did he begin to understand it. Ning Sujin, on the other hand, was able to grasp it very quickly.

"Could it be that your extraordinary ability to avoid misfortune and attract good fortune is a talent for some kind of divination?" Li Ji'an looked at Ning Sujin in disbelief.

Ning Sujin looked bewildered: "Talent? But... it's already explained very clearly that you need to comprehend the secrets of the Great Dao. Every person and every object is accompanied by the Qi of the Heavenly Dao. I can only understand it, but I don't yet have the ability to sense the secrets of the Great Dao as mentioned here."

Li Ji'an felt ashamed. He hadn't understood the things Ning Sujin said were obvious at a glance, even after half a year.

"Sister Jin, I'll need you to study this divination tradition carefully in the future. If I have any questions, I'll ask you for guidance."

"Hmm." Ning Sujin instantly developed a great interest and motivation in this divination tradition.

For the next year, Li Ji'an spent most of his time in the Strange Stone Forest.

He continued to refine puppets daily, practice the "Ancient Demon-Suppressing Fist," and cultivate the "Divine Grinding and Forging Technique" to temper his soul. In addition, he also had the opportunity to comprehend the divination inheritance.

With Ning Sujin by his side every night, he lived a very comfortable life.

It wasn't until a year later, when Master Yudan sent word that he had returned to the sect, that Li Ji'an bid farewell to his old friends in the Strange Stone Forest and returned to the Biyun Sect, which he had left several years ago.

Master Yudan had previously been summoned to the ancient tomb in the Blackwater Swamp.

It is said that a large alchemy room was discovered in the fourth tomb chamber. The room contained many ancient elixirs, but most of them had decayed. Once the jade bottle was opened, the elixirs would quickly turn to ashes.

Therefore, each sect called upon its alchemists to study those ancient elixirs.

Upon returning to the sect, Li Ji'an first met with True Person Yu Dan and immediately exchanged the two Tier 3 Spirit Herbs of Crystal Condensation Pills from him.

With this, all the materials for the Crystallization Pill in the next life were prepared, and all that remained was to start refining the pill.

At the same time, Master Yudan told him that the more the ancient tombs in the Blackwater Swamp were excavated, the more extraordinary they became. The sect's higher-ups would probably spend their energy on them for many years to come. As for the sect itself, the sect leader hoped that Li Ji'an could be bolder.

(End of this chapter)