Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 307 Fertilizer for the Strange Insects, Two Hundred Thousand Spirit Stones
This time, before Xu and Cheng's spiritual weapons could even draw blood, Lin Changheng killed many of the Tribulation Cultivators. The remaining Tribulation Cultivators fled in terror, like desperate wild dogs, thus ending the battle.

That's incredibly powerful!
He could probably harvest the lives of Foundation Establishment cultivators faster than ordinary mortals harvesting rice.

The two of them also noticed Lin Changheng's dark blue sword embryo, its sharpness gleaming, and the vague idea of ​​a "magical treasure embryo" flashed through their minds.

I just don't dare to confirm it.

Then an astonishing thought involuntarily surfaced in their minds: Could it be that Lin Changheng had already broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment and was a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Even a fake Core Formation cultivator?
Because killing someone of a lower level, even a minor level, is astonishing, especially for someone at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Moreover, they killed two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and seven or eight early- to mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although half of them were left only to flee in terror without offering any resistance, it was still unbelievable.

In terms of combat strength, they have the paper strength of at least four late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Don't think too much about it, otherwise... the more you think about it, the more it seems to be true!
……

And the other side.

The flying boat was put away, and five storage bags were obtained.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Changheng also collected the five wet corpses of the Jie cultivators that were soaking in the lake water and put them into his storage bag.

It should not be wasted; it can be used to cultivate exotic insects.

After all, it's a Foundation Establishment corpse. As fertilizer, it's definitely more effective than the corpses of first-tier demonic beasts and the original formations set up by the bronze-masked cultivator using the corpses of Qi Refining cultivators.

"pity……"

Lin Changheng couldn't help but sigh. If the leader of the tribulation cultivators, Dong Xiang, had simply died and nothing had changed, the number of storage bags he possessed would have doubled.

But what's done is done, and dwelling on it is pointless.

Lin Changheng flashed back to the formation, gave a brief instruction to the neighbors on both islands, and expressed his wish that his strength and performance not be revealed. After receiving their repeated promises, he returned to Qiyue Island with Yan Mingyi.

This experience was very rewarding. Not only did I test the power of the [Sword Embryo] in actual combat, giving me confidence, but I was also "gifted" a bunch of storage bags.

He was called a calamity cultivator, but in reality, he was a great philanthropist.

Lin Changheng even hoped that more cultivators of this caliber could come.

……

Back in his secluded retreat on Qiyue Island, Lin Changheng put down the Dragon-Slaying Stone, took out the five storage bags, wiped away the original owner's remaining divine consciousness imprints, and began to tally the generous gifts presented by these "benevolent people."

First, there are spirit stones.

The five storage bags contained nearly 30,000 low-grade spirit stones in total, with the scarred cultivator's storage bag containing nearly a hundred mid-grade spirit stones with even purer spiritual energy!
This is definitely a windfall.

Including the spirit stones in his storage bag, the total value is 200,000, which is equivalent to 2,000 mid-grade spirit stones.

For cultivators in the late or peak stages of Foundation Establishment, this is a huge sum of money!
He could even try to go to the first immortal city in Song, the [Extreme Mountain Immortal City], which is said to be "under the emperor's feet," directly under the jurisdiction of the [Southern Palace], and a place where resources converge!

All kinds of treasures, spiritual materials, and divine medicines in the world will flow there.

You can even buy "complete" magical artifacts there!

Rather than a "magic embryo".

Treasures used to break through to the Core Formation stage, such as [Core Formation Spiritual Objects], occasionally appear at auctions in [Extreme Mountain Immortal City].

Both the main and auxiliary medicinal materials for 【Guizhen Dan】 and 【Jiangchen Dan】 may appear.

It is clearly of a higher rank than [Floating Immortal City].

However, the two types of finished pills only appeared once in hundreds of years due to drastic changes in the internal and external environment and a series of coincidences, and have never appeared since.

After all, the importance of such resources is so great that they can change or even reshape the landscape of a region, and they cannot be transferred indiscriminately, especially not openly!

Even so, the appearance of the main and auxiliary medicines for Core Formation is still quite astonishing.

Lin Changheng's storage bag is now bulging, and he is tempted to take the initiative to acquire one or two types of materials.

However, the chaos in the Song Dynasty was not limited to the Ziji Sect; it was also prevalent in other sects and Taoist factions.

Because the transfer of power was not a matter for one sect or faction, but rather occurred throughout the entire Song territory.

The saying "In an unstable situation, even a humble scholar is as worthless as grass" may be an exaggeration, but the level of danger is not to be underestimated.

Lin Changheng was always too cautious, believing that the power of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage was still too weak, and that crossing half of Song territory was too dangerous, so he simply postponed it.

One needs to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, possess "basic" self-protection capabilities, and be able to cope with most possible risks before venturing out on this long journey.

……

Secondly, there are various materials.

The demon beast materials, ores, and spiritual herbs were abundant. Although most of them were of the lower-middle grade of the second tier, they were quite common and versatile. However, the quantity was considerable. They could be used as auxiliary medicinal materials and basic materials for alchemy and array learning, and could also be used by Yan Mingyi to refine puppets.

It's basically usable, won't gather dust, and saves the hassle of purchasing.

In terms of artifacts, the gains were not significant.

Apart from the giant sword that Scarface Jiexiu wielded, which was about the size of a door and was of decent quality, reaching the second-tier high-grade level, most of the other spiritual weapons were ordinary second-tier low-grade items. Moreover, most of them had been used excessively, had various damages, and were contaminated with evil energy, requiring repair and tempering before they could be used again.

Lin Changheng planned to select a mid-grade spiritual weapon of decent quality to give to Yan Mingyi for self-defense, and then sell the rest of them when he went out.

A considerable number of elixirs were seized, but their quality varied greatly.

Some of them looked like genuine pills, but they were just barely passing the mark, close to being inferior pills, and contained a lot of toxicity. Lin Changheng, who was used to using his own refined high-quality pills and near-high-quality pills, naturally looked down on them and would not use them on himself.

But it can be used to feed spirit beasts to avoid waste!

However, since Xiao Qing, the Green-haired Tiger, has not yet reached the second rank and cannot take second-rank pills, he is naturally excluded.

As for the [Deep Lake Spirit Clam] Xiaobai, its demonic power is sufficient to withstand the medicinal effects and it can be consumed directly. However, since it is responsible for nurturing the treasure talisman arranged by Lin Changheng, it is best not to consume it in order to avoid impurities and poisons entering its body and affecting the quality and progress of the nurturing.

Now, the only option is the tough-skinned, thick-skinned, and incredibly greedy Black Tortoise, which is not suited for delicate tasks.

"That's it!"

Monsters are inherently tough and thick-skinned, especially earth-attribute monsters, which are all-encompassing and have a much higher tolerance for impurities in pills than human cultivators.

Moreover, Little Black, the Black-Armored Earth Turtle, has just broken through to the mid-stage of the second tier. With a solid foundation and vigorous blood and energy, it is precisely the time when it needs a large amount of energy to consolidate its cultivation.

These pills containing erysipelas are troublesome for it, but for Xiao Hei, they might just be a slightly less palatable "snack".

With a thought, Lin Changheng took out the dozen or so bottles of second-tier pills that were not suitable for human consumption and went to the mud pit where Xiao Hei usually lived.

The big guy was lying there lazily, its thick carapace gleaming in the moonlight.

"Chirp—Lulu!"

Sensing Lin Changheng's presence, it immediately raised its head, its nostrils flaring, its tortoise eyes fixed on the jade bottle in his hand, and its short tail swaying gently involuntarily, revealing a kind of honest expectation.

"You glutton, you're quite clever."

Lin Changheng chuckled and cursed, then uncorked a bottle and poured a dark-colored "Blood-Burning Pill" with a faint odor into his palm.

Xiao Hei immediately stretched its neck, curled its tongue, and swallowed a pill whole. Then it squinted its eyes in satisfaction, making a comfortable "gurgling" sound in its throat.

Its body surface flashed with a faint yellowish-brown spiritual light, and then it continued to lie down as if nothing had happened, slowly refining the medicinal power. It seemed that it was indeed unaffected by the poison.

"It seems these 'useless pills' will finally have a place to go." Lin Changheng nodded in satisfaction, planning to feed the other bottles of pills to Xiao Hei one by one. Seeing that it accepted everything and ate with relish, Lin Changheng was completely relieved.

In this way, these hot potatoes are dealt with, waste is avoided, and Xiao Hei's growth is accelerated, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

He patted Xiao Hei's increasingly hardened carapace: "Digest it well, and take another step forward soon."

My master still spoils me the most!
Xiao Hei was flattered and somewhat smugly glanced at the deep lake clam and the green-haired tiger that were resting in the distance. They had also noticed the commotion and were looking in this direction.

You are not entitled to this treatment, are you?
Don't be envious! You can't have it by envying!

With a touch of arrogance, Xiao Hei withdrew its gaze, finished conveying its boastful message to the other two beasts, and then rubbed its head against Lin Changheng's palm, expressing affection and satisfaction.

After receiving Lin Changheng's smiling feedback, he then sank to the bottom of the mud pit to focus on absorbing the earth's spiritual energy and refining the "feast" he had just swallowed.

Lin Changheng shook his head, gave a strange laugh, and left.

……

Among the storage bags, besides the resources, what interested Lin Changheng the most were some scattered jade slips and a pitch-black token.

It was obtained from Scarface Jiexiu's storage bag.

Besides recording some second-tier cultivation techniques and spells, the jade slip also contained some letters!
They were letters exchanged between specific individuals.

There is no other source.

"It's as if they were collected on purpose."

Lin Changheng noticed this and a playful look immediately appeared on his face.

Something came to mind.

In my past life, things like letters had no special value in themselves, unless... they could serve as some kind of evidence, or as leverage to blackmail someone, or as a talisman to protect oneself.

These letters were kept...could they serve a similar purpose?!

Lin Changheng immediately scanned them one by one with his divine sense.

The playful look on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by a coldness.

A bold guess emerged in his mind:

There seems to be a hidden story behind this so-called "robber cultivator" group!
While their plundering was certainly for resources, they must have also received some unknown instructions, including robbing specific families and handling certain shady matters!

More importantly, the letter contained detailed intelligence about the mine and workshop where the accident had occurred earlier!
They must be dirty gloves worn while working for someone.

Just like before, the Qiu family secretly supported several groups of bandits, helping them seize resources that could not be obtained through normal channels.

Furthermore, considering that the [Purple Extreme Sect]'s inspection and enforcement team has been here for more than two months and has not accomplished anything, how is that possible?
How dare they come to Jade Belt Lake at night to raid and kill them while they are still alive?!
Lin Changheng would never believe that there was no connection between them.

They should at least wait until the inspection and enforcement team leaves, otherwise it's just too arrogant!

In today's chaotic world, the Purple Extreme Sect has taken the initiative to shrink its power, but it is not to the point that it will be truly overpowered by a few tribulation cultivators.

Being too flamboyant will inevitably bring disaster!
The same was true of Lin Changheng and his two companions when they confronted the [Purple Extreme Sect]'s surveillance and enforcement team. They planned to pack up their belongings and scatter like birds and beasts after a hard confrontation.

……

Speculations are just speculations.

Lin Changheng's consciousness once again immersed itself in those letters and jade slips. This time, he looked at them more carefully, no longer focusing on the content of the letters themselves, but trying to find possible clues from the lines, from the salutations and signatures, and other details.

"Very careful..."

After a long while, Lin Changheng withdrew his consciousness from the jade slip, shook his head, and found no special clues on the surface. He had no choice but to give up.

However, the possibility that some cultivators of the Purple Extreme Sect might collude with treacherous cultivators was immediately etched in their minds.

He wasn't solving a case, nor was he looking for the truth; he was looking for the most probable possibility.

Only by avoiding these possibilities can one truly have peace of mind.

……

The token was neither gold nor wood, and it was cold to the touch. The front was engraved with a ferocious dragon head pattern, which matched the dragon head on the spirit boat. It was probably just a token representing the identity of a group.

After confirming that it had nothing special about it and no connection or location with the outside world, Lin Changheng casually tossed it into the secondary storage bag hanging on his waist.

It contains mostly spare or rarely used items.

These cultivators are enemies, and if Lin Changheng needs to cause trouble in the future, it will be a good opportunity for him to cleverly use their "pretext".

Finding someone to take the blame is just right!
Lin Changheng carefully sorted and put away all the items, feeling quite satisfied, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Indeed, a man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without night grazing!"

"Such 'good people' are rare. I'm also kind-hearted, so I'll help them bury their dead later." He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, with a hint of teasing, and turned his gaze to the five corpses of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Not long.

At the insect-breeding area in the back mountain, the corpses of five first-tier demonic beasts were taken out. Their flesh and blood were corroding quite quickly, and they had already lost a small portion of their bodies.

It is precisely because it is weak that it can "eat" quickly.

These five corpses of Foundation Establishment cultivators were stronger and had higher life levels when they were alive, so their fertility was naturally greater.

At that time, the "eating" will naturally be much slower.

“You committed many evil deeds in your lives, such as murder, arson, and bloodshed. Your bodies are filled with malevolent energy and resentment, which is just right for you. So, use your last bit of energy here to help me cultivate spirit insects, which can be considered as a small atonement.”

Lin Changheng spoke calmly, and with a series of hand gestures, he placed the corpses of five Foundation Establishment cultivators into five specific array positions.

As soon as the corpse fell in, a dense rustling sound came from inside the insect nest.

Clearly, these Soul-Eating Miasma Worms sensed something, which is why they behaved this way.

"Are you excited?"

Lin Changheng immediately made a guess.

With a "hum", the formation was set up and closed again, and started operating.

This immediately triggered a certain change.

The Soul-Eating Miasma Insects immediately froze, stopping completely. They merely flapped their wings slightly, making no extra movements, appearing extremely focused.

Lin Changheng's eyes shone with divine light as he saw the flesh, blood, malevolent energy, and resentment entwined around the corpse being extracted by the formation and transformed into resources for the growth of the Soul-Eating Miasma Worms.

As the process continued, the abdomens of the Soul-Eating Miasma Worms gradually swelled, and their auras became slightly more solid.

This is growth!
"The effect is good." Lin Changheng nodded in satisfaction.

Using the corpses of these sinful cultivators to feed these special spirit insects is a perfect way to make the best use of resources, with each finding its place, and without any psychological burden.

"I don't know when we'll be able to reproduce."

Lin Changheng was particularly concerned about this point, and after taking one last look, he turned and left.

……

Another month has passed.

Jade Belt Lake was unusually calm, and there were no rumors from the outside world about a group of cultivators attacking, resulting in many deaths and the cultivators fleeing in disarray.

They seemed to have tacitly agreed not to mention it again.

It was hidden beneath the vast expanse of the lake.

Lin Changheng was happy with this arrangement. He did not want to become famous in combat, as it was of little benefit. In fact, his lack of fame could mislead his enemies and give him the initiative to kill.

But in alchemy, the more famous one becomes, the better.

Ideally, one should attract cultivators at the Pseudo-Core Formation and Core Formation stages to make connections; one can never lack connections.

Perhaps, at some point, an unknown cultivator who comes seeking elixirs will be able to solve his critical need.

Lin Changheng always maintained this expectation, which allowed him to be approachable and down-to-earth towards any cultivator.

Therefore, he was famous and had an excellent reputation. Compared with other cultivators who possessed second-tier superior skills, he was praised by everyone.

Lin Changheng is neither interested in nor resistant to this, and will not be bound by this reputation. When it is time to do things his own way, he will still do things his own way.

……

It is worth mentioning that during this period, the previous situation of harassing guests at Yudai Lake has also ceased.

Hearing Xu and Cheng talk about this with such joy, Lin Changheng deeply understood the principle of "a good start prevents a hundred bad ones".

At the very least, the various tribulation cultivators were spared this punch.

After all, one is always most perceptive of the situation of their peers.

The usually arrogant and reckless "Black Dragon Mountain" has become much more obedient. After making inquiries from various sources, they have also vaguely figured out the location of the incident.

Naturally avoid it.

……

During this period, the Immortal Post Station system of the [Southern Palace] has also been significantly affected.

The already slow transmission efficiency has become even slower.

If we consider the correspondence between Lin Changheng and the Xu family of Feiyun Valley, it would take about half a year for the letters to arrive.

Now it's directly "harvested every other year".

The Xu family's ancestral land was moved directly to the Qiu family's old site, and its name was quietly changed to "Flying Cloud Valley".

However, once the letter arrived, Lin Changheng gained a basic understanding of the Xu family's current situation.

Firstly, Xu Hanji has broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and has already perfected the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, so he will soon be able to break through to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

His cultivation progress has surpassed that of Tantai Feiyue.

Although Lin Changheng sensed a hint of open-mindedness in Tantai Feiyue, a subtle sense of loss still lingered.

Even if she felt comfortable in the Xu family and had a good relationship with Xu Hanji, she couldn't help but feel a subtle sense of comparison.

Knowing that she and her husband had some kind of ambiguous, yet unspoken relationship, this desire to compare them intensified.

It wasn't her true intention, but it was her instinct.

However, Tantai Feiyue also has something to be proud of. Her mastery of talismans has improved considerably, and she can draw high-quality second-tier mid-grade talismans, which means that she has reached the threshold of second-tier high-grade talisman master.

Promotion is possible at any time!

In this respect, even after he had learned several other skills, none of them were as profound as those of Xu Hanji, who could not compare.

Secondly, Xu Xuzhong had been on the battlefield for many years.

So far, we've been lucky and nothing bad has happened.

The reason they knew this was because the Xu family specially purchased soul lamps for Xu Xujun and their own sons who went to war, and lit them inside the ancestral hall.

Someone keeps you company day and night, chanting scriptures and offering blessings.

If anyone has sacrificed their life, it can be known through the Soul Lamp.

The clan will set up a memorial hall for him, inscribe his merits on a monument, and provide relief to his parents, wife, and children.

To this day, Xu Xujun's soul lamp has been flashing wildly several times, clearly indicating a very dangerous situation, but he has ultimately escaped danger and survived.

However, the Xu family's spiritual lands and properties outside the area are frequently attacked by treacherous cultivators.

It was incredibly annoying, but there was no good solution.

In addition, Tantai Feiyue also pointed out in the letter that Xu Hanji's father, the former head of the Xu family, passed away peacefully several years ago.

The letter also said that when he passed away peacefully on his bed, there was a clear smile on his face and at the corners of his mouth.

Clearly, the achievements of the Xu family under his leadership, especially the advancement from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, were enough to make him smile in his grave.

Upon seeing this, Lin Changheng's memory was momentarily hazy. The immortal path is ruthless; another old friend has passed away.

The path to immortality is one of solitude, and this is already evident.

Lin Changheng responded to each letter, his wording and emotions perfectly balanced. This time, Xu Fugui's letter was not included, perhaps because he wasn't among the new letters, but Lin Changheng still wrote separately, telling his old friend Xu Fugui to take care of his health and explicitly hoping that he could live a few more years.

……

When the agreed time with the Sun family arrived, a cultivator from the Sun family came to their door.

Lin Changheng activated the formation, and a young cultivator dressed in a blue robe stood quietly outside.

This person appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a handsome face and a scholarly air about him. However, he was upright and sturdy, with a refined aura, indicating that he had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

He wore a jade pendant with flowing clouds hanging from his waist, representing the core members of the Sun family. Apart from that, there were no other decorations, making him appear clean and neat.

Upon seeing Lin Changheng appear, the young cultivator immediately bowed and greeted him with a respectful yet humble attitude: "I am Sun Yiming. I have come here on the orders of the Ancestor to await Fellow Daoist Lin's instructions and assist in handling matters related to the replacement of the ancient formula."

His voice was clear and his manners were impeccable; he was clearly a carefully cultivated member of the Sun family.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

They said they were at your service, but in reality they were just there to take away the replacement formula from the ancient one; they just put it more politely.

Lin Changheng, being a shrewd man, naturally understood his meaning and smiled as he led him in.

After the host and guests were seated, a cup of spiritual tea was poured for them. Lin Changheng then took out a jade slip and handed it to them using his magic power.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, please observe."

"This is not just a conclusion about replacing medicinal materials, but also a process of deduction. Display it here and give it to the noble alchemists. They will naturally understand after reading it."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yiming's gentle smile deepened. "Excellent! Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Lin!"

(End of this chapter)