Two months later.
Lan Chang'an left the cave dwelling at the foot of Huanglong Mountain.
No one knew that there was now a fierce second-rank spirit pet in his spirit pet pouch.
Returning to Water Moon Residence, everything returned to normal.
For secrecy, Lan Chang'an didn't let the Earth Burrowing Rat appear in front of outsiders, including Guan Qiaozhi.
He bought a larger spirit pet pouch for the Earth Burrowing Rat.
The rat would either stay in the spirit pet pouch or move underground, not leaving the confines of the courtyard.
Fortunately, Lan Chang'an had a second-rank formation to conceal its aura, preventing passing Foundation Establishment cultivators from sensing it.
...
Time flew by.
Two years after the large auction ended.
Because Lan Chang'an bought second-rank middle-grade beast skins during the auction, he now had better materials for drawing talismans.
In these two years, he produced five second-rank middle-grade talismans. Combined with the three he made in previous years, the number reached eight.
Among them were two second-rank middle-grade top-quality talismans, with power equivalent to a full strike from a mid-Foundation Establishment stage, which could be very lethal to early Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As for second-rank low-grade talismans, he had even more, totaling dozens.
This was the foundation he accumulated over his years in Huanglong Immortal City.
Because it bordered the Black Fog Mountain Range, Lan Chang'an was occasionally able to obtain second-rank beast skins, including second-rank talisman paper and spirit ink.
If he were in the Mu Family at Feiyue Lake or the market in Bamboo Mountain, it would be hard to get so many second-rank raw materials.
"Could my Foundation Establishment opportunity also lie in the Black Fog Mountain Range?" One day, at sixty-seven years old, Lan Chang'an opened his eyes from meditation.
Now, his cultivation was approaching the peak of the ninth layer of Qi-Refining.
The conditions for attempting the Foundation Establishment Realm were complete, only lacking a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill.
These years, in the circles of Alchemist Hua and his apprentice, no one provided the Xuanling Fruit.
Even if there was, if the alchemy performance was poor, there was no guarantee of getting a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill.
In short, it was not under his control.
Lan Chang'an considered a backup plan: going to the Black Fog Mountain Range to obtain a special demon core to replace the three-hundred-year Xuanling Fruit.
Although hunting demonic beasts had its risks, many factors could be controlled, it wasn't as complicated and dangerous as the human world.
Lan Chang'an was only long-lived, not immortal.
Expecting to take no risks at all was unrealistic.
With two hundred years of lifespan, if he dragged it past a hundred, his physical condition would also decline.
Besides this backup plan.
He could wait for some middle-sized market to auction a Foundation Establishment Pill. If no late Foundation Establishment cultivator was present, he could go and bid for one in a high-profile manner.
Considering the risks as seen in the Bamboo Leaf Mountain market years ago, the risks were hard to control.
This kind of opportunity can be encountered but not sought.
Those middle-sized markets with stable security rarely auction Foundation Establishment Pills to avoid causing trouble.
...
Until two months later.
Lan Chang'an received a letter from Jin Yun Valley and finally made a decision.
Zhao Siyao was going to the Black Fog Mountain Range again for training.
After twenty years in the Foundation Establishment Realm, Zhao Siyao hit a bottleneck, her cultivation stagnating at the third level of Foundation Establishment, unable to advance to mid-Foundation Establishment.
When she was at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, she had some gains in the Black Fog Mountain Range, pushing her progress in Foundation Establishment.
She wanted to rekindle the spirit of those days.
Going a bit deeper into the Black Fog Mountain Range to hunt second-rank demonic beasts and obtain precious resources.
Zhao Siyao's destination matched Lan Chang'an's goals.
"With a trusted Foundation Establishment cultivator as the main force, a second-rank spirit pet clearing the way, and me providing some support and talismans, targeting early second-rank demonic beasts should be relatively safe."
Lan Chang'an thought.
Considering his true strength, it was equivalent to three Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Lan Chang'an's body was comparable to a second-rank demonic beast, possessing many second-rank talismans, including second-rank escape talismans, his survival ability far surpassed ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
This did not even include the Nine Seal Stele and the trump cards from his past and present lives.
As long as he did not enter the core area of the Black Fog Mountain Range, he would mostly encounter only second-rank demonic beasts.
Higher-level third-rank great demons had a mutual understanding with human Core Formation cultivators, sensing each other from afar. They generally wouldn't approach Huanglong Immortal City, otherwise, it would be considered a provocation.
Once they appeared, it meant a beast tide was coming, often showing signs in advance.
...
Before Zhao Siyao arrived, Lan Chang'an organized his magical weapons.
With his current cultivation and spiritual sense, superior magical weapons became his main force, with top middle-grade magical weapons as support.
Top superior-grade offensive magical weapon, White Bone Bow and Arrow. A trophy from the Evil-faced Flying Eagle, with enough power stored up, its power could be comparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
With the Evil-faced Flying Eagle being killed, this item was no longer considered stolen goods.
Currently, Lan Chang'an didn't plan to use it in the human world. At most, he would use it in secret, not openly.
Top superior-grade defensive magical weapon, White Scale Shield. Made from second-rank beast scales and second-rank ores, purchased from a regular store in Huanglong Immortal City.
Exotic White Pearl, when infused with mana, activates a protective glow, blocking poison gas, with a defense comparable to a top superior-grade magical weapon.
However, this pearl's protective glow is less effective against heavy and sharp magical weapons. Its defense best works against spells. In terms of spell defense, it even exceeds the scope of superior-grade magical weapons.
For middle-grade magical weapons, Lan Chang'an always kept three on hand: Black Net Magical Weapon, Purple Soft Sword, and Frost Iron Thorns.
All are middle-grade top-quality magical weapons.
The Black Net Artifact can attack and defend, also trapping enemies.
The Purple Soft Sword was good at concealed surprise attacks, transforming between sword and whip forms.
Frost Iron Thorns, a set of six, purchased by Lan Chang'an, thicker and longer than the Seven Ingenious Needles, with strong penetration power.
This set of magical weapons demands a spiritual sense akin to superior-grade magical weapons.
If one had the spiritual sense of the Foundation Establishment Realm to harness it, the Frost Iron Thorns could be utilized to its limit, and its power would not be inferior to that of a top superior-grade magic weapon.
This was because each Frost Iron Thorn was a top middle-grade item.
To enhance the Frost Iron Thorns' lethality, Lan Chang'an used his experience from his previous life to purchase materials in the Huanglong Immortal City and concocted several second-rank poisons.
As for even higher-rank magical weapons, Lan Chang'an never considered them; his mana level wasn't enough to drive them.
Even if his spiritual sense was enough to forcefully harness it, it would probably drain most of his mana in a single strike, simply not worth it.
Rather than that, it would be better to fling a few second-rank talismans, without having to consume mana.
...
Lan Chang'an was fully prepared, waiting for Zhao Siyao's arrival.
"Huh! Li Erqing hasn't replied in two years?"
One day, while organizing letters from over the years, he noticed something unusual.
In the past, Li Erqing wrote every year, even if there was no major event, he'd chat about family matters. But in the past two years, not a single reply came from him.
Lan Chang'an had a hunch, that something had happened to Li Erqing!
Or rather, something happened to the Mu Family at Feiyue Lake, and the letters might have been intercepted midway.
Lan Chang'an disguised himself to inquire about news in Huanglong Immortal City.
In the inner city, there were organizations specializing in selling intelligence.
However, Feiyue Lake was far from Huanglong, and the Mu Family wasn't a major force in the Liang Kingdom, so there wasn't much information.
"Conflict between the Maple Leaf Huang Family and the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake escalated, with over a dozen casualties among Qi-Refining cultivators."
"The Maple Leaf Huang Family drove the Mu Family cultivators off of Bamboo Leaf Mountain, with all their shops sold off cheaply..."
"The Maple Leaf Huang Family listed ten charges against the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake and declared war."
The Lan Chang'an bought an intelligence report for dozens of spirit stones, but the latest piece of news was from three months ago.
...
Half a month later.
A leaf-shaped sect flying boat landed in front of Water Moon Residence.
The flying boat was swiftly put away.
A cold and fairy-like female cultivator in a white dress came to the courtyard gate.
"This fairy, senior, you are..."
Seeing the extraordinary demeanor and the fluttering dress of the female cultivator, Guan Qiaozhi's eyes widened, her tone slightly flustered.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you're finally here!" Lan Chang'an came out to greet her.
"She is Zhao Siyao?"
Guan Qiaozhi stood aside, watching the two dressed in white, like a celestial couple, entering the house.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, do you know about the Mu Family at Feiyue Lake?" Just seated, Lan Chang'an skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"I deliberately passed by there, and the result..." Zhao Siyao sighed lightly.
"Feiyue Lake was besieged by the Maple Leaf Huang Family, the battle was fierce. The Mu Family's old ancestor Mu Renlong was seriously injured, and the former family head Mu Maode was killed..."
"Fellow Daoist Li Erqing...also suffered some injuries."
(End of chapter)
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