Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

After an unknown amount of time, Li Dongzhu slowly opened her eyes, exhausted and panting heavily.

"hateful!"

Li Dongzhu cursed under her breath, her eyes filled with resentment; her wish could never be fulfilled.

"well……"

"Why don't you make a choice, fellow Daoist?"

A soft sigh came from beside her. Li Dongzhu suddenly stood up and saw that it was Shen Shanshui, which made her lower her guard.

"I forgot you came out of quarantine."

"Hmm? Why can't you look me in the eye? I don't blame you for spying on my cultivation."

"Uh...this!"

Shen Shanshui turned away, momentarily at a loss for words. Those two sharp sounds had nearly shaken his Dao heart.

Li Dongzhu is a strong woman!

The atmosphere froze for a moment, perhaps until Li Dongzhu came to her senses.

A powerful fist descended from the sky, forcefully slamming Shen Shanshui into the water.

After a while, Li Dongzhu, who had dried up, glared at Shen Shanshui, who was looking embarrassed. A rare blush rose on her cheeks, which was not obvious under the cover of night.

Shen Shanshui swore he did not do it on purpose; his original intention was to discuss the Three Calamities of Foundation Establishment with Li Dongzhu.

After all, the wind almost wouldn't stop, which was a very serious matter. If the subsequent Yin Fire and Thunder Calamities were to follow in the same manner, he would have to be prepared to deal with them.

The other party is a cultivator who has survived the Three Calamities, so they must be experienced.

"Uh...sorry!"

"Phew~"

Li Dongzhu took a deep breath.

"Forget it, we cultivators don't concern ourselves with such trivialities!"

Now that we've seen it all, how could Li Dongzhu really kill Shen Shanshui? We can only quickly change the subject and shift our attention away from this.

"You should be able to see that I have two intentions!"

Shen Shanshui coughed lightly, his expression immediately becoming serious.

"Indeed, one appears peaceful but is actually domineering, while the other is sharp and aggressive! When two strong forces clash, one will inevitably be injured. Why seek trouble for yourself, fellow Daoist? Why not choose one?"

"It's easier said than done."

Li Dongzhu stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at the sky, her figure outlined in soft lines under the moonlight.

"After I overcame the three calamities, I could have formed a flesh and blood golden core at the fastest speed. Unfortunately, some unexpected events occurred, and I could only take the path of cultivating my mind."

"Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan hate me because my intentions clash with theirs."

We were friends in the same industry back then. While there was competition, I have to admit I wasn't as good as them. Yes…”

After a moment of hesitation, Li Dongzhu said frankly, "It was an elder in my family who did it."

"When I learned about the situation, I was furious and wanted to explain, but I was met with a cold shoulder."

For cultivators, hatred such as the abduction of wives and children may not compare to the severing of someone's cultivation.

Liu and Wu probably had the intention to kill Li Dongzhu back then, so why would they listen to her explanation?

However, what surprised Shen Shanshui was the elder that Li Dongzhu mentioned.

He had witnessed Wu Lianshan's strength firsthand; he was undoubtedly a leading figure among those who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Back then, he was at the peak of his power and might not have been weaker than he is now.

To defeat those two without blocking Li Dongzhu's path... that must be a Golden Core cultivator.

Wow, this woman really has a powerful background.

"Over the years, I have been trying to use one of the artistic conceptions to erase the other. Without exception, I have failed."

Shen Shanshui listened quietly to the other person's story. He had never experienced such a thing, and he could not truly empathize with the other person.

"You must be wondering why I cultivated two kinds of intentions at the same time?"

Li Dongzhu suddenly looked at Shen Shanshui, her eyes flashing with a cold light.

"That's right, Magistrate Liu once told me that the essence of the Dao-Merging Golden Elixir is purity, whether it's a flesh and blood Golden Elixir or a spirit Golden Elixir."

"If I told you that even I can't remember how I managed to cultivate two kinds of intentions at the same time, would you believe me?"

throat!

In that instant, Shen Shanshui felt as if the entire world had suddenly turned cold.

Seeing Shen Shanshui's expression, as if to say, "Why did you tell me something so important?", Li Dongzhu couldn't help but laugh.

"Liu Jiujiang used to laugh at me for being slow-witted, and it's true. It was only later that I realized I was missing a piece of my memory."

I inquired with the elders of my clan, but received no answer. They told me to leave Jiangnan Prefecture as soon as possible. I stayed here because I was unwilling to give up and wanted to get an answer.

Li Dongzhu clenched her fists. Although she was a woman, she possessed a deep-seated pride. If she couldn't resolve the inner conflict caused by being unjustly schemed against, she would find it difficult to achieve anything in the future.

Turning to look at Shen Shanshui, the other person was hesitating whether to continue listening.

"Your talent is exceptional, so I'll kindly remind you: if you wish to achieve the Golden Core stage, you should leave Jiangnan Prefecture as soon as possible."

A cultivator needs to expend a great deal of the fortune of an entire prefecture to break through to the Golden Core stage.

The fortune here has most likely been locked away by a powerful cultivator. Those at the Foundation Establishment stage, like Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan, must have noticed this as well.

"It's still a fight! The cultivators in his mansion might not be able to tolerate me."

Shen Shanshui shook his head, a sudden heaviness settling in his heart. His master had always said that cultivation was about contending with heaven, earth, and man, and now he finally understood that.

"That's true. Where isn't it all competition? But does it still have any meaning?"

Even I could sense it, yet the person who should have noticed it first showed no reaction whatsoever.

Li Dongzhu's voice was tinged with melancholy. The person she was referring to was naturally the only Golden Core True Monarch in Jiangnan Prefecture at present.

Shen Shanshui really didn't want to continue the conversation. Its original intention was just to ask about the experience of passing the Three Calamities, but who would have thought that it would lead to the Golden Core Dao Lord.

"Fellow Daoist, let's change the subject. Do you think the moon is beautiful tonight?"

"Hmph! We cultivators are fearless and unyielding, how can we be so cowardly?" Li Dongzhu crossed his arms over his chest, his chest puffed out, looking very confident.

You have an extraordinary background, I started from scratch! How can we be the same?

Shen Shanshui discovered that the cultivators in Jiangnan Prefecture were all relatively hot-tempered and warlike, which deviated from the original intention of cultivators seeking longevity.

He stopped dwelling on the topic and instead asked, "Actually, I originally wanted to ask about the Three Calamities."

When I survived the calamity of the Bifeng wind, I rebuilt my physical body, but the Bifeng wind almost couldn't be stopped.

Fellow Daoist, do you know the reason?

"Normal. The Three Calamities are essentially similar to the Heavenly Tribulation; they are Heaven's punishment for cultivators who defy fate."

The so-called reshaping of the physical body is a path explored by later generations in order to break through to the Golden Core stage. It does not mean that once you reshape your physical body, this calamity will be over.

Generally speaking, each calamity doesn't last too long. Of course, there are a very few unlucky Foundation Establishment cultivators who will remain in the midst of all three calamities indefinitely.

"You don't even know this?"

"Uh... thank you for clearing up my doubts, fellow Daoist."

Shen Shanshui completely ignored the other party's taunts.

What Li Dongzhu considered common sense, he genuinely didn't know.

This once again demonstrates the importance of a solid foundation in cultivation.

It's no wonder that independent cultivators struggle to rise to prominence. Cultivators from powerful factions follow a well-established and accessible path.

Shen Shanshui's current situation is not much different from that of a rogue cultivator; he can only learn as he goes.

……