Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Gravesite! Foundation Establishment Pill!

Inside the Wood Armor Spirit Binding Array.

“Tier Two Demon Beasts are truly troublesome!”

The Array Spirit Stones had consumed more than half, and he’d burned through dozens of Fire Bomb Talismans before the Iron-Backed Demon Mantis finally lay in a pool of green blood, barely clinging to life.

Lin Chang’an’s heart pounded with fear, despite not seeming to encounter any danger, knowing the entire battle had been a matter of attrition.

In just two hours, he had consumed over a thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

A single high-grade top-quality talisman was worth seventy to eighty Spirit Stones, and he’d thrown twenty-seven of them, not to mention the cost of maintaining the array.

“Thud!”

With the Iron-Backed Demon Mantis’ feeble collapse, the tendrils of the tree continuously twined around it, squeezing out green liquid as it seemed to lose any capacity to react.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Chang’an carefully surveyed his surroundings to ensure no other cultivators were present, though he still felt uneasy.

[Wood Spirit Spike]

Four flashes of green light pierced into the Iron-Backed Demon Mantis’s body, while Lin Chang’an continued to wield the Cyan Bamboo Sword, rapidly flitting past.

“Slash!”

As green fluid splattered, the terrifying head of the Iron-Backed Demon Mantis fell, allowing Lin Chang’an to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

“This time, it should truly be dead.”

The Cyan-Horned Bull beside him let out a joyful moo, as if relieved not to be used as bait to lure such a terrifying demon beast.

Just as Lin Chang’an smiled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was about to step forward, his expression suddenly froze, and he thought of something.

“Back in the Demon Hunting Squad, Old He used to say that insects and snakes have extremely tenacious lifeforces…”

At this moment, Lin Chang’an’s expression turned serious. He did not approach but instead locked eyes with the Cyan-Horned Bull.

In an instant, the Cyan-Horned Bull widened its eyes, shaking its head and mooing, clearly in refusal.

“You foolish creature.”

Lin Chang’an playfully scolded, bypassed the Cyan-Horned Bull, and picked up the cold half-corpse of a low-tier demon beast, attaching a top-quality Golden Light Talisman and throwing it forward.

Just as the half-corpse was thrown, Lin Chang’an’s pupils caught a glimpse of cold light, as an appendage of the Iron-Backed Demon Mantis stirred.

“Slash!”

Golden light shattered and blood splattered, causing the Cyan-Horned Bull to moo in fright, yet it still shielded Lin Chang’an, pawing the ground with a ready-to-charge posture.

“A centipede dies without stiffening!”

Lin Chang’an inhaled sharply, face reflecting lingering fear and gratitude.

Fortunately, he remembered Old He’s warning.

Even when cut down, the bodies of such creatures continue to pose threats.

“Old He, you saved my life once again.”

Recalling the late Old He, Lin Chang’an was filled with emotion, simultaneously reminding himself not to let years of tranquility dull his vigilance.

He was thankful for the cautious mentality engraved from his time in the Demon Hunting Squad, for it saved him from complacency today.

Raising his hand, he maneuvered the Cyan Bamboo Sword to dismember the Iron-Backed Demon Mantis’s limbs, even incinerating its ghastly head with Fire Bomb Technique after retrieving the Demon Core, before starting to clean the battlefield.

The night gradually fell.

As the array within the valley slowly dissipated, Lin Chang’an’s solemn visage flashed away, leaving only traces of battle.

To prevent theft, Lin Chang’an meticulously removed all evidence and deceptively pretended to deactivate the array several times to test any potential ambushes.

Not until he found no hidden cultivators in the area did he breathe a sigh of relief, unwilling to let someone else take his hard-earned Demon Core.

He packed the array and vanished swiftly within the forest.

He had waited two months in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, but the rewards were worthwhile.

…

Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market.

Less than two years had passed, yet the once bustling market was now desolately quiet.

Most cultivators here were in the early stages of Qi Refining, with few in the middle stages, and late-stage cultivators were almost nonexistent.

Given its proximity to Celestial Profound City, naturally, most cultivators with some level of cultivation would head there.

As Lin Chang’an passed through the Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market on his way from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, he stood looking at this place that held the beginnings of his cultivation dreams, his mind flooded with memories of life here.

From its founding to prosperity, and now its decline.

“Things change but the mountains and rivers remain the same.”

Ultimately, Lin Chang’an sighed with melancholy, turning to gaze at the many headstones behind the mountain, shaking his head unconsciously.

“Fewer companions on the path of immortality, the bustling days of Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market are gone, and who knows how long this tranquility can last.”

After a moment of reflection, Lin Chang’an stood before Old He’s grave, holding a jug of Spirit Wine in his hand.

“Old He, I owe you, for teaching me survival in the Demon Hunting Squad, and thanks to your grandson He Yan, who gave me a Tier One inheritance Fire Bomb Talisman.”

Pouring the wine, he couldn’t help but sigh, seeing He Yan’s grave that he had helped erect. Within hundreds of miles, the two major sects had been relentless in eradicating the Tribulation Cultivators of the Divine Sword Sect and Demon Cult.

Judging by the state of the gravestone, no one had visited since last time, indicating He Yan likely shared a grim fate.

This thought stirred Lin Chang’an’s dismay in front of the grave.

With the chaos that overtook the market back then and to distance himself from He Yan, he hadn’t been here since, not realizing how much time had passed.

How time flies.

Under the setting sun, Lin Chang’an stood dazed, lost in thought.

“Old He, I’m leaving. By the time I return, I may well be a high and mighty Foundation Establishment Cultivator.”

Lin Chang’an felt a rare relaxation.

As he lowered his head to place the cup, his pupils caught a sudden glint of light, and his expression grew astonished.

“What is this!?”

Since acquiring the Demon Core, he had always kept his Spiritual Eye open out of caution. Just as he bent to set down the cup, due to proximity—

The initial piercing mist and stone ability of the Spiritual Eye allowed him to see a corner pressed beneath the tombstone.

It was like seeing a hint of jade light in the darkness.

[Spiritual Eye (Proficient 386/500)]

Slowly stepping back a few paces, just as Lin Chang’an used the Body Shifting Technique to move Old He’s tombstone, revealing what was pressed beneath, his pupils instantly contracted.

“This is! An Elixir!”

“The patterns on the jade bottle are from the Profound Sound Pavilion!”

The clear patterns on the jade bottle made Lin Chang’an widen his eyes with a bang.

“Could it be!”

As the jade bottle was opened slightly, a purple glow and breath were instantly revealed, and with a ’pop,’ Lin Chang’an immediately and nervously closed it.

Without any hesitation, he quickly put it into his storage bag, while gripping the Wood Spirit Spike in his hand, nervously watching his surroundings.

“Gulp!”

Nervously, he couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

The jade bottle actually contained a Foundation Establishment Pill!

Thinking back to the time when He Yan’s whereabouts appeared, Lin Chang’an’s expression couldn’t help but change dramatically.

“At that time, it coincided with the murder of a pair of cultivators from the Zhou Family and the Profound Sound Pavilion who were getting married, causing unrest in the market, during which two Foundation Establishment Pills were stolen.”

For years, this matter has remained the most sensational event at the Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market.

Everyone thought the two Foundation Establishment Pills had been stolen by remnants of the Demon Cult, and coupled with the patterns of the Profound Sound Pavilion on the jade bottle, there’s a nine-in-ten chance that one of the pills is precisely this one.

“This kid He Yan, could it be that he joined the Demon Sect at that time!”

Thinking of this, Lin Chang’an felt a chill down his spine and some lingering fear, lucky that he hadn’t been too involved with He Yan back then.

And now thinking back, the ’Upper Grade Talisman Heritage’ He Yan gave him, finally, at this moment, he understood everything.

This He Yan wasn’t repaying favors; clearly, it was a move to cover his tracks while secretly hiding the Foundation Establishment Pill.

He Yan knew that his sudden appearance, given the situation at that time, such a cautious Loose Cultivator like himself naturally did not want to get involved with an unknown cultivator.

So naturally, he wouldn’t come to visit Old He’s grave.

And He Yan, under the guise of repayment, cleverly concealed his true purpose.

Though hidden under the tombstone, no one would go and lift it, revealing He Yan’s caution on this matter.

“This kid!”

Lin Chang’an’s eye twitched, this kid truly changed a lot.

And he wanted the monumental boon of a Tier One Talisman Heritage, so he naturally wouldn’t spill the beans.

Everything made sense now; if he hadn’t accidentally gained the Spiritual Eye, even if he returned here in the future, he’d never find this, which also showed He Yan’s great caution.

But ironically, He Yan never expected him to see beneath the tombstone.

Lin Chang’an, who was now carrying precious treasures, forcibly suppressed his complicated emotions, cleaned up the marks in front of the grave, and hurriedly left the Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market.

Right now, he couldn’t wait to return to Celestial Profound City!

Currently, he has a Foundation Establishment Pill in his storage bag, and it’s a superior quality one.

Plus, having gathered the most difficult materials to make a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, if luck favors him, he has a chance to get three more pills, maybe two at worst, one at the very least.

It seemed his luck wasn’t bad either.

Along the way, he couldn’t help but ponder; He Yan really was a man of great fortune, but sadly, he didn’t live to enjoy it.

“Indeed, opportunities prove that phrase: ’wealth and honor are sought in danger, and also lost in danger.’”

“He Yan, and previously Wang Lin, are living examples; obtaining an opportunity doesn’t necessarily mean it’s yours, it might end up being a wedding dress for others.”

Only turning an opportunity into strength makes it truly yours!

Carrying precious treasures, Lin Chang’an remained tense the whole journey, fearing that the opportunity he got would become someone else’s wedding dress.

However, his fortunes seemed always tied to graveyards, for the first time after returning from one, he got the Fire Bomb Talisman heritage.

Then before, he gained the Wang family’s fortune of the Ancient Cultivation Technique, and this time, he even got a Foundation Establishment Pill.

He couldn’t help but wonder if these graveyards were indeed his place of fortune?

At the same time, he felt secretly alarmed by He Yan’s unfathomable fortune, who managed to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill in such chaotic times.

If he had lived to establish a Foundation, he would undoubtedly have become another legendary tale among Loose Cultivators.

…

At this time, far away within the Divine Sword Sect territory of Yue Kingdom.

“He he, Old Huang really thinks that by using a furnace, he can scheme to reach the late-stage Golden Core without anyone knowing, and still wishes to keep it hidden. I wonder what the Divine Sword Sect will do when they find out…”

Protector Xiang’s raspy and indifferent voice echoed, as eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators stood inside the mysterious room.

“Over the years, by spreading our Divine Sect’s Foundation Stealing Technique, developing Loose Cultivators, and even traitors within sects, having them slay cultivators of the Three Major Sects or commit acts of treason, your deeds will not be forgotten by the Divine Sect.”

With a cold smile, Protector Xiang had laid out a grand scheme, by which the seeds he planted would sow chaos in the Yue Kingdom.

Among the crowd was He Yan, now a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with gray hair and a cold expression. For some reason, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly thought of his hometown.

Thinking back to the Foundation Establishment Pill he once hid, he couldn’t help but sigh at how plans fall short of changes.

Originally, he intended to secretly consume the Foundation Establishment Pill when his cultivation was sufficient, but unexpectedly, he was favored by this Protector Xiang and brought into the Divine Sword Sect.

Separated by tens of thousands of miles, he had been away for years, and later, when his cultivation was enough, was given the Foundation Stealing Secret Technique to establish his Foundation, and there was no chance to refuse, let alone return, and so the Foundation Establishment Pill remained unused.

“When there is an opportunity, I’ll return and exchange this Foundation Establishment Pill for a Protective Magical Artifact.”

He Yan pondered silently; he knew he might never be free of the Divine Sect in his lifetime.

But no one would ever guess that, back then, he took advantage of the chaos to spot the two cultivators’ storage bags from the Profound Sound Pavilion and the Zhou Family, and with decisive action, he threw out two storage bags.

He even threw out another Foundation Establishment Pill paired with the jade bottle, causing chaos and letting others fight to the death, while he stealthily secured another Foundation Establishment Pill and fled.

Back then, because his cultivation wasn’t high enough, and fearing others would find out, he hid it under the hill’s graveyard.

Unexpectedly, it went unused.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep