Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation

After paying respects at Chen Zhaohu's grave, Li Ji'an quietly waited for the return of the Red Stone Hermit.

During this time, he strolled around the settlement and noticed that many houses were empty, and there were no more old men lazily sunbathing by the streets, nor were there any children playing.

Apart from a few young and middle-aged hunters who couldn't bear to part with the abundant demon beast resources of Fallen Dragon Ridge, most had already left.

Even Chen Zhaohu's once-proud mansion, having been uninhabited and unmaintained for many years, had long fallen into disrepair.

"Senior, this junior sincerely wishes to join the family. I wonder if Senior has any guidance?"

"Second Uncle Chen, Father said that you were the ones who led him to immortality. When he first arrived here, without your guidance, it would have been difficult for him to embark on the path of cultivation. Therefore, please don't act like this anymore." Despite having said it many times, Chen Qingling still didn't change.

In the cultivation world, the concept of respecting those with higher cultivation levels and those who achieve first is difficult to change, especially for a bottom-level cultivator like Chen Qingling who struggled to survive in the settlement.

"Brother Li is grateful and has noble character. My brother and I are extremely grateful, but the rules cannot be broken," Chen Qingling said respectfully.

Li Ji'an smiled and shook his head, no longer dwelling on the matter, but he was somewhat puzzled by what he said: "What does Fellow Daoist Red Stone mean?"

Although some rogue cultivators in Cangyun Prefecture accept disciples with the intention of finding a handyman servant, most still treat them as a means of passing on their legacy, and they would not easily sever this relationship without major conflicts.

"My master has no objections to this and supports me."

"Hmm? Then why are you acting like this?" He had thought that there was a rift between Chen Qingling and the Red Stone Hermit, or that he had been expelled from the sect, but he didn't expect that they seemed to be quite harmonious.

A trace of helplessness appeared on Chen Qingling's face: "Senior, you may not know, my master is a man of integrity and a good elder. He promised my brother to take care of me, and he has always done so, saving me from danger countless times, but… I really can't see any hope in his character and behavior…"

Hearing this, Li Ji'an couldn't help but smile wryly.

Before leaving the Yan family in his previous life, he had heard Chen Zhaohu complain.

He regretted entrusting Chen Qingling to the Red Stone Hermit.

He spends his days either drilling into deep mountains or exploring wild caves.

"Master loves exploring ruins and searching for ancient tombs. I was initially very eager, after all, there are many opportunities… But, to this day, I finally understand that my master is different from ordinary cultivators. He is not doing it for cultivation opportunities.

And I am now old and have little lifespan left, and I have lost hope of making further progress. If I continue like this, my Chen family's lineage will be completely cut off from the path of immortality.

Before seeing Senior's achievements today, I was still somewhat hesitant, but at this moment, my mind is made up," Chen Qingling said firmly.

Li Ji'an could understand his decision, as he saw the hope for the next generation in himself.

However, he caught other information in his words: The Red Stone Hermit explores ancient tombs and ruins, not for cultivation opportunities?

"If not for cultivation resources, then what for?" Li Ji'an asked in surprise.

Having been in this world for more than seventy years, he already understood the situation in the wilderness.

The main reason why this place has not been occupied by upper sects is because of the results of the reclamation five hundred years ago.

Most of them are scattered cultivator tombs, with a small number of family ruins, and the spiritual veins are also average.

He guessed that this place was not a good place in ancient times, and there would be little to gain except for sporadic scattered cultivator tombs. Compared to the second-order demon beasts within, the risks and rewards are disproportionate.

"This junior doesn't know what master is looking for, and master is obviously different from normal cultivators. Perhaps it's true that, as the rumors say, master has been delving into ancient tombs for many years and his consciousness has been eroded by Yin energy, causing problems with his sanity," Chen Qingling said without any scruples.

This also reflects Li Ji'an's information gathering on the Red Stone Hermit. In the hundred years that he has appeared in the public eye in the wilderness, he has never attacked anyone. Even during those years when he was hunted down by the Zheng family, he almost always ran away.

Apart from occasionally entering the United Bazaar to purchase wilderness survival supplies, he spends most of his time in the depths of Fallen Dragon Ridge.

He is very kind to everyone, even to the mortals in the gathering area, he is always amiable.

Li Ji'an had gradually collected this information during his years in the Yan family in this life.

It was precisely based on this that he made the decision to personally befriend the Red Stone Hermit this time.

After a moment of silence, Li Ji'an skipped this topic and suggested to Chen Qingling: "If you want to enter the family and pass on your descendants, the current chaotic situation in the wilderness is not a good place."

Chen Qingling is now stuck in the middle stage of Qi training, which can be regarded as a backbone force in a wilderness family, and since he is entering the family as a non-native, he will definitely not escape the fate of fighting on the front line in this kind of situation.

And with his age and the experience of following the Red Stone Hermit for these years, it will be difficult for him to survive.

However, Li Ji'an understood his intention in asking him this question, which was to ask him to give the Yan family a heads-up to avoid going to the front line.

But he couldn't.

The Yan family is not Yan Qingwan's alone. If he really opened his mouth, it would embarrass Yan Qingwan.

Moreover, two years ago, Yan Qingwan sent a message that the Foundation Establishment Pill had already been used.

And she also followed his advice and gave Yan Qing the opportunity to compete, otherwise Yan Qing, as a collateral branch and son-in-law, would not have been eligible to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill in this generation.

But unfortunately, Yan Qing did not pass the family's character test. He was not firm in his determination to defend the family's honor to the death and strive for the family's glory for the rest of his life.

In the end, a late-stage Qi training junior from Yan Kongyi's lineage obtained this opportunity.

And he successfully established his foundation two years ago after many difficulties.

During the critical period of foundation establishment, three foundation establishment cultivators from the Zheng family attacked, but the Yan family had a protective formation, and they did not think that they could forcibly interrupt the foundation establishment, they just wanted to disrupt and destroy the foundation establishment cultivator's state of mind.

The two old ancestors of the Yan family stopped them and sent messages to the other four families of the alliance for help.

As a result, the other four families arrived late, only arriving when Yan Xiao was almost successful.

If Yan Xiao hadn't had a calm mind, and the Foundation Establishment Pill and the opportunity to establish the foundation hadn't come too suddenly and easily, causing him to have little psychological pressure, he might have really been destroyed by the Zheng family.

From then on, the Yan family in the wilderness, with three foundation establishments in one family, became the foundation establishment family second only to the Zheng family in the entire wilderness.

In addition, the Zheng family's old ancestor was seriously injured by bandits that year and has been lingering on, the Yan family is almost on par with the Zheng family in terms of top combat power.

However, the Yan family has one more foundation establishment, and the pressure is even greater. The other four families in the previous alliance immediately formed a new four-family alliance after the Yan family had a third foundation establishment cultivator, to prevent the Yan family from becoming the second Zheng family.

After all, the Yan family's spiritual vein ancestral land is not as big as the Zheng family's. One family with three foundation establishments cannot afford to support it, and they will definitely seize other second-order spiritual vein lands.

So far, the wilderness has changed from the previous tripartite confrontation to the current "four-party coexistence", and the Yan family's three foundation establishments have just taken shape, and their foundation is somewhat insufficient, and the overall family strength is almost at the bottom compared to the other three parties.

"But…" Chen Qingling was a little disappointed.

However, Li Ji'an then added: "Wait until I ask the Red Stone Hermit first, if possible, maybe I can take you north. Tens of thousands of miles north of the wilderness, the Liu family, one of the five major families, is stationed, and there are many families nearby, which is relatively stable."

"Okay, thank you, Senior," Chen Qingling said happily.

When he had the idea of leaving, most of the scattered cultivators here had already left, and now that bandits are active in the wilderness, he dared not travel alone, for fear of being caught as a conscript.

The Red Stone Hermit would never leave the wilderness, let alone escort him far away.

Now that Li Ji'an has spoken, he is already very satisfied.

Half a month later, the Red Stone Hermit returned from purchasing supplies.

Li Ji'an finally met this legendary rogue cultivator of the wilderness.

"I have long admired Fellow Daoist Red Stone's name. Today, my wish has been fulfilled. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Chen Qingling stepped forward in time to introduce the two of them.

Just as the rumors said, the Red Stone Hermit was very kind.

"Fellow Daoist Li is too kind, this poor Daoist dare not accept it." However, he really didn't talk much, and seemed to be not good at socializing.

Li Ji'an met him in the name of paying tribute to his deceased elders, and thanked him on behalf of Chen Zhaohu for his care for Chen Qingling over the years. He successfully got acquainted with him without appearing abrupt at all.

Then, he used three second-order forbidden-breaking talismans to cater to his preferences, hoping that he could help him find and hunt the Golden Armor Beast.

For those who have been exploring ruins for many years, nothing is more attractive than forbidden-breaking talismans.

Whether it is ruins or ancient tombs, most of them have forbidden formations, and the most difficult step is to break the forbidden formations, so Li Ji'an had already prepared when he decided to personally befriend the Red Stone Hermit.

The Red Stone Hermit's eyes lit up when he saw the forbidden-breaking talismans, and he was very eager.

He has been in the wilderness for many years, and because the resources in the wilderness are limited, even in the most prosperous years of the United Bazaar, it is difficult to buy second-order forbidden talismans.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this poor Daoist has seen the second-order Golden Armor Beast several times in the mountain stream twenty miles ahead. This area should be its territory."

"Oh? As long as Fellow Daoist helps Li obtain the demon core of the Golden Armor Beast, in addition to these three forbidden-breaking talismans, Li will add a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills," Li Ji'an said with a slight surprise.

He had originally said the Golden Armor Beast just to maintain contact with him, but he didn't expect that he actually knew the whereabouts of the Golden Armor Beast, which was a pleasant surprise.

In the Daze Mountains, he didn't dare to risk his life, and would rather offer a reward, after all, there are countless second-order demon beasts inside, and there are also third-order demon kings.

But in Fallen Dragon Ridge, there are not many second-order demon beasts, and with Guagua and the talisman cards, he has the confidence to retreat safely.

"This… this poor Daoist is not good at fighting and has no confidence in killing the second-order Golden Armor Beast…" The Red Stone Hermit looked embarrassed, but his eyes did not leave the forbidden-breaking talismans.

"I don't ask Fellow Daoist to kill it alone, you and I work together, and I can add two more forbidden-breaking talismans!" Li Ji'an said decisively.

The Red Stone Hermit was obviously moved: "However, can you also exchange the pills for… two forbidden-breaking talismans?"

"Hmm?" Li Ji'an was slightly surprised. Qi-Nourishing Pills are essential pills for early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and one pill is worth two hundred spirit stones. This bottle of ten pills is worth a total of two thousand spirit stones.

And the second-order forbidden-breaking talisman is worth five hundred spirit stones at most.

Has he given up on cultivation?

Subconsciously, Li Ji'an's divine sense, comparable to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, swept over him.

It was as he sensed, the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and even the mana aura was similar to his own, without disguise, without hiding his cultivation.

This also made him more at ease to enter Fallen Dragon Ridge with the Red Stone Hermit.

After discussing the reward, the Red Stone Hermit was very satisfied, even a little impatient.

However, Li Ji'an first talked to him about Chen Qingling's matter.

As Chen Qingling said, the Red Stone Hermit supported his idea of leaving.

In the end, they agreed that Chen Qingling would wait here.

After Li Ji'an and the Red Stone Hermit reached a deal, he would come back and take him away.

That day, the Red Stone Hermit couldn't wait to head towards Fallen Dragon Ridge with Li Ji'an.

"Fellow Daoist Red Stone, the spiritual energy here is chaotic, take this pill to maintain your mana." On the way, Li Ji'an handed him a bottle of first-order Spirit Replenishing Pills.

The Red Stone Hermit refused again: "Fellow Daoist Li, you don't have to be so polite, this poor Daoist doesn't like taking pills."

Li Ji'an's expression changed slightly.

All the way, his mana hardly changed at all, which was very unreasonable.

Ordinary cultivators cannot absorb spiritual energy to replenish mana if they stay in a spiritual barren land or this kind of chaotic spiritual energy land for a long time.

If they do not get replenishment for a long time, not only will their strength decline, but there is even a risk of their cultivation base falling.

Based on the information he had learned before, Li Ji'an had always thought that the Red Stone Hermit could stay in Fallen Dragon Ridge all year round by relying on pills to maintain it.

After pondering for a moment, in order to prevent him from disliking it, Li Ji'an didn't ask any further questions.

Which rogue cultivator who can establish a foundation doesn't have some opportunities and secrets?

After that, the Red Stone Hermit was always the same. He only answered when Li Ji'an took the initiative to speak, and never asked any questions.

Until ten days later,

"Fellow Daoist Li, this poor Daoist has seen that second-order Golden Armor Beast in the mountain stream twenty miles ahead several times before. This area should be its territory." The Red Stone Hermit landed on a red boulder and pointed to the front.

Fallen Dragon Ridge is mostly red rubble piles. It is said that the ancient dragon was beheaded here, and the dragon's blood soaked the stones.

The Red Stone Hermit's name also originated from this.

"Can Fellow Daoist be sure whether it is an early-stage second-order demon beast?" Li Ji'an's divine sense was fully open, and his late-stage Foundation Establishment divine sense could cover a range of twenty miles.

However, he had not found the Golden Armor Beast yet.

In addition to its armor that is as hard as iron, the Golden Armor Beast is also good at opening mountains and drilling holes.

"This poor Daoist is sure."

"Okay, in that case, let's act separately, and it's best to surround and kill it as soon as possible," Li Ji'an suggested.

"Okay!" The Red Stone Hermit said concisely, and then flew away in another direction.

After he had gone far away, Li Ji'an released Guagua.

Returning to this place again, Guagua was obviously very excited.

It had hunted in this place for eight years and was very familiar with the atmosphere here.

However, it was only a first-order demon beast back then and had not gone too deep.

Soon, Guagua burrowed into the ground and sneaked forward.

With Guagua's current concealment talent and soul shielding mutation, almost no demon beast of the same level can detect it.

While sharing Guagua's vision, Li Ji'an's divine sense kept watching the Red Stone Hermit. This acquaintance and close contact gave Li Ji'an a very strange feeling.

On the surface, he is very easy-going, very sincere, and very frank, but it just gives Li Ji'an a feeling of unreality.

It seems that everything is just an appearance, without real emotions.

Just as Li Ji'an and the Red Stone Hermit were searching for the Golden Armor Beast, in the northwest direction of the wilderness, on the only way from Golden Radiance Immortal City to the Yan family, Zheng Tianxiang's face was uncertain.

"According to the time, he should have arrived long ago. Could it be that he didn't come to the wilderness?"

"Hmph, could it be that he has a guilty conscience and sneaked in from other directions?"