Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 283 Reliving Childhood
After leaving the Biyun Sect, Li Ji'an first went to the Strange Stone Forest.

The news that the elders of the Upper Sect fought bravely against the demonic cultivators to protect the cultivators in the state, and were ultimately killed by the demonic sect through despicable means, had long been considered a merit of the Upper Sect and spread throughout the state.

Three years ago, Xiao Qiao and Yan Qingwan went to the outer peak of Biyun Sect to request an audience, but Li Ji'an had just announced that he was in seclusion and did not meet with them.

Besides the two of them, Qin Henian from Zizhulin also visited them with Qin Chuan.

"Uncle Li (Brother Li), is there really no other way?" Inside the Qishilin Dojo, Xiao Qiao and Ning Yutan had red eyes and each held one of Li Ji'an's hands, their voices trembling.

Li Ji'an laughed heartily: "Since ancient times, who has ever escaped death? Not to mention the top leader of the realm, the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws, even the Heavenly Venerable of ancient legends, which one can truly live forever?"

My path in this life has ended; whether it's sooner or later doesn't matter. You should strive forward and not waste your youth.

For the next two weeks, Xiao Qiao stayed by Li Ji'an's side almost every step of the way. In her garden cottage, Guagua, Xiao Huo, and she and Li Ji'an were just like they were back in Jinhuang Immortal City.

This was also the most carefree and happy time of Xiao Qiao's life that she could never forget.

For the next two weeks, Ning Yutan stayed by his side constantly, even keeping her mind and soul occupied, leaving Ning Sujin no opportunity to take advantage of her.

“Brother Li, Yu Tan’s physical body is flawed and she cannot bear you a child. This time, you… why don’t you find a fairy to leave behind an heir? It would be a continuation of your life.” Exhausted, Ning Yu Tan nestled in Li Ji’an’s arms and suggested with some guilt.

Li Ji'an chuckled and shook his head: "If a Core Formation cultivator wants to have offspring, they must also be a Core Formation female cultivator. Besides, the cultivation world has seen too many cases of blood relatives killing each other, so there is no such obsession."

Ning Yutan was speechless, but she forced herself to stay upright, her body limp, just to leave behind as many beautiful memories as possible.

Half a month later, Li Ji'an decisively took his leave, only speaking privately with Zou Qi before departing.

Li Ji'an had only known Zou Qi for seven years, and in those seven years, he only came here occasionally for two years to guide and teach her the way of cultivation. In addition, Zou Qi was not good at any kind of skill, so Li Ji'an could not teach her much. He only imparted his own cultivation experience from Qi Refining to Core Formation.

However, Zou Qi's temperament once made Li Ji'an suspect whether she had been reincarnated and was cultivating again, because she was too stable.

Li Ji'an specifically consulted some ancient books of the sect and felt that it had some similarities with the legendary pure heart, being single-minded and simple. However, after many tests, he ruled out this possibility.

Because of the childlike heart recorded in ancient texts, they learn everything exceptionally quickly and have extraordinary comprehension.

But Zou Qi's case clearly doesn't fall into this category.

He had been diligently cultivating himself, and only now did he learn that Li Ji'an's lifespan was nearing its end.

A hint of sadness, but even more so, confusion, welled up in her clear, innocent eyes.

After all, his grandfather had divined that his chance to form his core lay with Li Ji'an, at the cost of his own lifespan.

“Master, good people are always blessed. My grandfather’s calculations are correct. Your disciple will wait patiently for your return!” Zou Qi smiled clearly.

"Alright, I appreciate your kind words." Li Ji'an smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then handed him a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Previously, in order to refine the top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for the next life, the first batch of pills produced one medium-grade and one fine-grade pill.

The mid-grade item was bestowed upon Xu Xiaochun, and with his spiritual root and the convenience of his sect, he had no problem successfully establishing his foundation.

Zou Qi's spiritual root talent is insufficient, and only high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills can guarantee his success in establishing his foundation.

This is quite similar to the divination tradition within their clan.

"Disciple thanks Master for bestowing the pill." Zou Qi bowed sincerely in gratitude, showing neither great joy nor surprise at the sight of the high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill.

After explaining the foundation-building joints to him, Li Ji'an left the Strange Stone Forest completely.

After leaving the Strange Stone Forest, Li Ji'an went to the starting point of his life—the Yan family in the wilderness.

It has been more than forty years since I last visited the Yan family.

In the more than forty years since, even in the cultivation world, especially in a small family like the Wilderness, things have changed drastically.

Apart from Yan Qingwan, the Yan family had no other acquaintances or friends.

Zhang Tiezhu's sons, Yan Jue and Yan Qing, have both passed away peacefully in their old age.

Those who have only completed the initial stage of Qi cultivation and do not have longevity pills to prolong their lives are not many who can live to be 120 years old.

As for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, that's too far in the future.

Yan Qingwan is now 172 years old. In recent years, the wasteland has been stable with few conflicts, so she has long since retired behind the scenes to be a mascot for the clan and focus on cultivation. Her lifespan is still quite long.

“Xiao Fan, I never thought that after sending your father away, I would have to watch you pass away now… Sigh.” Yan Qingwan had long been accustomed to life and death in the family, but for Li Ji’an, it was still somewhat sad.

Both father and son left an indelible mark on her heart.

After bidding farewell to Yan Qingwan, Li Ji'an made a special trip to the mortal settlement area outside the United Market. With the enhancement of his reputation, the Yan family's control over the wasteland became more and more stable, and both the United Market and the mortal settlement area developed exceptionally well.

In particular, this place, as the starting point of Li Ji'an's life, has attracted many mortals who vainly wish to retrace the immortal path of Master Li.

Of course, the fact that the Yan family had been using his name to help children whose innate spiritual roots had been delayed attracted many orphaned children to come to him.

He even saw his own portrait in the plaza of the gathering area!

After leaving the wilderness, Li Ji'an made one last trip to the Qin family in Zizhu Mountain.

After this trip, everyone believed that Li Ji'an was saying his final goodbye.

After that, Li Ji'an disappeared from everyone's sight completely.
-
Inside a secluded courtyard in Biluofang City, 800 li east of Qishilin.

"What is said here is the glorious way of Heaven and the boundless way of humanity. The interaction between Heaven and humanity is based solely on the Great Dao..." Ning Sujin patiently explained the obscure aspects of the Zou family's divination tradition to Li Ji'an.

"Sister Jin, let's call it a day." Li Ji'an rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted.

Ning Sujin raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery on her face: "Li Lang is a peerless genius, suppressing me in every way, except in the art of divination, where he is truly inferior."

Whether it was the martial arts during the Immortal Dynasty, the soul cultivation after entering the cultivation world, or the mysterious soul technique they practiced together—the Soul-Shocking Thorn—Li Ji'an's efficiency and progress surpassed Ning Sujin's.

"Smack!" Li Ji'an slapped his buttocks: "Don't want me to press you down?"

Ning Sujin gave a coquettish laugh and flipped over to pin Li Ji'an down: "Anyway, it's all about divination, so I'll be on top of you."

……

Ten years ago, after leaving the Qin family in Zizhu Mountain, Li Ji'an concealed his whereabouts by using the Faceless Mask to arrive here.

I rented a secluded courtyard house and now live a peaceful and quiet life.

Ning Sujin often came to keep him company, and he lived a very comfortable and relaxed life.

Ten years have passed, and I still haven't mastered the art of divination.

Ning Sujin, however, had already entered the realm of divination five years ago. Even though she was only at the primordial spirit level, she was already able to make some short-term, minimally impactful divinations.

He speculated that if he could find his physical body and reunite his soul with his spirit, he might be able to advance to the first rank of diviner.

However, Li Ji'an made remarkable progress in the Divine Soul Secret Technique - Soul-Shocking Thrust, surpassing Ning Sujin's Nascent Soul Realm to a higher level. This frustrated Ning Sujin, who couldn't help but admire Li Ji'an's extraordinary comprehension.

Moreover, after ten years of honing his soul through the Soul Forging Method, Li Ji'an's soul foundation became even more solid. His resistance in terms of the soul alone surpassed that of other soul cultivators at the same level. At the same time, his spiritual sense strength steadily entered the mid-stage of Core Formation.

Due to a lack of advanced second-tier materials, the puppeteers were unable to make any practical breakthroughs. The only improvement they made was through mutual discussion and research while teaching Ning Sujin the puppet control technique.

However, without the method of distraction, if one wants precise control, one can only control one body at a time.

As for the greatest gain in these ten years, it was the "Ancient Demon-Suppressing Fist" recorded on the ancient tortoise shell obtained from Wu Weixiong.

A year ago, Li Ji'an finally stepped into the second level and felt the faint Daoist charm in the whistling wind of the fist.

With this Daoist blessing, even though he only had a mid-stage second-tier physique, he was already able to fight on equal terms with Guagua, who was in the late stage of the second tier, without using his magic power.

Furthermore, Li Ji'an has also thoroughly comprehended Wu Weixiong's "Divine Treasure Body Forging Technique." Although it is a body cultivation method that has not been optimized by the post-ancient era and lacks the spiritual treasures of the post-ancient era to replace it, and still requires cultivation in the way of the ancient times, due to the uniqueness of the Divine Treasure method, it is not like those that often require the transformation of bloodlines by spiritual treasures that have long been extinct. Instead, it is based on the five internal organs and temples of the human body, corresponding to the five elements and essence, so the future is promising.

He is confident that he will practice this method in his next life and make further progress in physical cultivation.

"The day of returning to childhood is getting closer and closer!" On this day, as he watched Ning Sujin return to the Strange Stone Forest, Li Ji'an felt an increasingly strong sense of premonition.

He glanced in the direction of the Azure Cloud Sect. The only change this time was the ancient tomb in the Blackwater Swamp.

Five years ago, the six sects joined forces to finally open the sixth level of the tomb, hoping to meet the tomb's owner and perhaps even obtain the opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

Unexpectedly, the sixth burial chamber was not the main tomb.

This means that the ancient tomb was not only the tomb of a sage king or nobleman from ancient times.

If it is indeed a nine-layered tomb, the identity of the tomb's occupant would far exceed the understanding of the cultivation world of the Great Swamp over the past six thousand years.

In the past six thousand years since the beginning of time, the most advanced tombs discovered in the cultivation world of the Great Swamp were only at the sixth level. These tombs appeared in the ten major cultivation domains in the central region and yielded many opportunities for Nascent Soul cultivators, which allowed the number of Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the central region of the Great Swamp to far exceed that of other regions.

Wanfa Palace had been observing the tomb from the sidelines, waiting for the final opportunity to make its move. However, after the sixth chamber of the tomb was opened, Wanfa Palace could no longer sit idly by. Wanfa Zhenjun personally arrived and took over the subsequent excavation.

Fortunately, Liu Zong had already made considerable profits from the fourth and fifth layers of tombs, and suffered heavy losses, so he was no longer able to excavate them. Furthermore, intimidated by the power of the Myriad Laws True Lord, he finally had to reluctantly abandon them.

Nowadays, almost all the elders of the Biyun Sect have returned to the sect to use the profits from the tombs to cultivate the sect's reserve forces.

"The sixth-level tomb has already reached the edge of the Phantom Forest's perilous zone, so wouldn't the ninth-level tomb be deep inside that perilous zone?"

"Could the owner of those kaleidoscope-like eyes be connected to this tomb?"

Li Ji'an kept his distance from the Phantom Forest, a place of utter desolation.

However, he is quite satisfied with the current situation of the Biyun Sect, as stable development is the most suitable for him.

Xiao Changfeng had frequently sent him messages over the past few years, but he had never replied.

"coming!"

Finally, three months later, on this day, the familiar feeling resurfaced.

"The day you return to your childhood begins!"

Li Ji'an immediately summoned Guagua and Xiaohuoling.

After they advanced to the late stage of the second tier more than ten years ago, Li Ji'an could clearly feel their expectations for advancement, and they worked very hard over the past decade.

However, advancing to the third tier is extremely difficult for both demonic beasts and holy spirits; without a special opportunity, it is very challenging.

Li Ji'an is their only hope.

"Tonight I will unleash the True Dragon Nine Revolutions Divine Art, which will greatly enhance my strength. Before long, I will be able to secure an opportunity for you to advance to the third rank. You must protect me well. If I am lost, you may stop here."

Although he had tested the two little ones' nature a full sixty years in advance and did not deny their emotional dependence on him, Li Ji'an still prioritized using incentives to entice them, since it concerned his ultimate goal of achieving immortality for ten thousand generations.

Then comes the emotional appeal.

After understanding what Li Ji'an said, the two children were very excited and full of anticipation.

After confirming that the two children were alright, Li Ji'an immediately planted the five array flags that Xiao Qiao had personally crafted ten years ago around the courtyard.

This was made with reference to the Four Symbols Array Flags. It was a quasi-third-order Five Elements Array that was created by using the Earth Spirit Master's ability to connect the spiritual energy of the five elements and inject it into the array flags.

After activating the array flags, place the prepared Marrow Cleansing Pill (for transforming and repairing bones and muscles), Nourishing Source Pill (for enhancing spiritual root growth), and Replenishing Source Pill (for nourishing and repairing delayed spiritual roots) in front of you one by one.

Then all that's left is to wait.

Only when that mysterious feeling grew stronger did he slowly take out the communication talisman.

The first message sent to Xiao Changfeng stated that his lifespan was coming to an end and he was bidding farewell. After saying goodbye, his last wish was to leave behind a child he had met on his journey who was destined to become his disciple. He hoped that if the child had the spiritual potential, he could be taken into the sect and properly cared for.

The second message was sent to Xiao Qiao, a similar farewell, and also mentioned the matter of succession, but without entrusting her with any care.

Then they waited quietly for their youth to return.

When he was rejuvenated in his previous life, he focused all his attention on sensing with his Qi cultivation spiritual sense, but in the end, he still failed to discover any clues.

Now that he has reached the mid-stage of Core Formation, he has once again opened his full divine sense, wanting to understand the subtle wonders of this rejuvenation.

He even wanted to see the golden corpse curse mark deep in his sea of ​​consciousness erased with his own eyes.

hum~
However, just like in his previous life, his divine sense, even at the mid-stage of Core Formation, still failed to detect the slightest clue.

One moment he was perfectly conscious, the next he inexplicably fell into a deep sleep, and when he woke up, an hour had passed.

Relive your childhood!

The immense magical power contained in that magic pill had vanished without a trace, and even the divine sense that had been able to perceive the slightest detail of its surroundings instantly returned to zero.

He had gotten used to the huge difference in strength, but the changes in his sea of ​​consciousness left him feeling uncertain.

Theoretically, once one is rejuvenated, even one's consciousness will return to its original state, and the curse mark in one's sea of ​​consciousness should be able to be eliminated.

However, with his spiritual consciousness reduced to zero, Li Ji'an was unable to examine his own sea of ​​consciousness or confirm it with his own eyes, which still made him feel uneasy.

However, he quickly calmed himself down and took the pills he had prepared in his previous life in an orderly manner.

After the top-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill entered the abdomen, the muscles and bones underwent a complete transformation.

After refining the Open Source Pill, the spiritual root seemed to be revitalized.

As the Replenishing Essence Pill seeped in, a warm current gradually spread from the dantian, eventually flowing to the limbs and bones, repairing the deficiency caused by the lack of spiritual energy nourishment over the past eight years.

“Quack~”

"Huh~"

Guagua and Xiaohuoling also sensed Li Ji'an's "disappearance" immediately, and emerged from underground, staring at Li Ji'an with wide eyes and curiosity.

Guagua is a little better off, after all, he experienced something similar after being rejuvenated in his previous life.

The little fire spirit was somewhat bewildered; both its aura and its soul were completely unfamiliar to it.

"Guagua, Huowa, I have mastered my divine skills, so don't worry! Our good days are coming soon." Li Ji'an looked at them and confirmed his identity.

"Quack~" At this moment, the two little ones no longer had any doubts and danced with joy.

In particular, upon sensing Li Ji'an's current frail state, they immediately became vigilant and protective.

Seeing this, Li Ji'an was completely relieved.

Then, without any distractions, he began to refine his spirit.

Although he no longer needs to rely on spiritual connection to bind with Guagua in this world, this is the fastest way for him to improve himself.

A month later, thanks to the accumulation of six rejuvenations and the soul foundation honed by the "Divine Grinding Soul Technique," Li Ji'an's soul was initially condensed and he already possessed the spiritual consciousness of the late Qi Refining stage.

With Guagua and Huowa cooperating perfectly, the contract was successfully formed.

On the same day, a powerful aura of Core Formation descended upon this place.

Xiao Changfeng found this place by following the location sent by Li Ji'an earlier!

(End of this chapter)