Chapter 82: Pill Refinement Plan

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Howl~

The Heavenly Moon Wolf soared into the sky, displaying a scar about a foot long on its flank.

"The Heavenly Moon Wolf is also injured; it seems it doesn’t want to fight us to the death?" Zhao Siyao relaxed slightly and transmitted her thoughts.

"Perhaps," Lan Chang'an suspected the Heavenly Moon Wolf sensed the talisman formation buried underground or even detected his potential threat.

Lan Chang'an's strength was not limited to his physical body and spiritual sense but also included the Nine Seal Stele and his trump cards from his past and present lives.

These were things he preferred never to use.

Once a trump card is revealed, it can no longer be considered a trump card.

"That Heavenly Moon Wolf is quite strange..." Lan Chang'an pondered for a long time.

In the vast world of cultivation, there are countless oddities. For high-level cultivators, possession and reincarnation were not uncommon.

...

Late at night, Lan Chang'an and Zhao Siyao sat on a flying boat, leaning against the stone wall.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, my leg injury is not yet stable. If we set off at dawn and the Heavenly Moon Wolf attacks secretly or we encounter other mid-second-rank demonic beasts, I might become a burden." Zhao Siyao said worriedly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you suggest?" Lan Chang'an understood her reasoning.

Naturally, he wanted to return to Huanglong Immortal City as soon as possible to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

If they did not leave tomorrow, they might encounter further trouble in the Black Fog Mountain Range.

"Fellow Daoist Lan's technique has good healing effects," Zhao Siyao's voice was soft.

"Could you help speed up the healing process of my broken bones tonight? That way, I can regain some strength before we set off tomorrow."

"It's not troublesome, but it might be uncomfortable for Fellow Daoist Zhao." Lan Chang'an glanced at her. Her eyes were clear, her expression serious.

"Since it's about our safety, Fellow Daoist Lan doesn't have to stick to small details. After so many years of friendship, Siyao believes in Fellow Daoist Lan's character." Zhao Siyao said frankly, lifting the hem of her white dress.

She had recently cleaned it with a spell.

At this moment, the white dress was spotless. Under the lifted skirt, a pair of long, jade-like legs were revealed, but near the knee, there was a circle of scars.

Even having lived through two lifetimes, Lan Chang'an rarely saw such perfect legs.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, my apologies." Lan Chang'an focused his thoughts, placed his hand on her cool, smooth calf near the knee, and injected Evergreen mana, massaging evenly around her leg.

During this process, Zhao Siyao endured the intense pain and barely managed to show a slight smile, signaling Lan Chang'an to proceed without worry.

Lan Chang'an secretly admired her straightforward nature.

Zhao Siyao's concession was for their safety, not wanting to become a burden.

Throughout the night, Lan Chang'an used Evergreen mana to massage Zhao Siyao's legs ten times.

The effect was good; Zhao Siyao's leg injuries stabilized, and she could exert seventy percent of her power.

However, for the broken bones to fully heal, she would need half a year of recuperation after returning.

During this period, fighting was not advisable.

Lan Chang'an didn’t mind revealing the healing effects of Evergreen mana.

Many wood-based techniques were good at healing.

As long as one did not expend their longevity, it was not unheard of for such techniques to possess great regenerative capabilities, even bringing the dead back to life. Such feats would not surprise a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhao Siyao.

Zhao Siyao noticed that Lan Chang'an's technique wasn’t the common Ancient Wood Art, which was good at healing wounds but not outstanding in terms of mana.

...

The next morning.

Zhao Siyao piloted the flying boat, carrying Lan Chang'an out of the ravine.

Earlier, flying puppets and the Earth Burrowing Rat had scouted near the ravine's entrance.

The flying boat gradually ascended, leaving the ravine behind.

Lan Chang'an had no intention of returning to investigate the battle site from last night, to avoid unnecessary complications.

They returned to the ground, avoiding high-altitude flight, and set off on their journey back.

On a hill several li away.

Compared to the wickedness of the human world and openly bidding for Foundation Establishment Pills in public auctions, these risks were more controllable.

He had a lifespan of two hundred years, and at sixty or seventy, he was in his prime, at the age when his body was at its best condition.

If delayed until over a hundred years old to build his foundation, his physical functions would decline.

"At sixty-two, I achieved the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, by about seventy, my magical power, blood, and body will reach their peak." Lan Chang'an mused, having a keen sense of his longevity and physical condition.

"The year of my ancient age[2] is when I will build my foundation!" He made a resolute decision.

So what if he was older?

In this life, he would earn respect through age!

The longer one lives, the greater one's accumulations become.

He would grow stronger with age, becoming a venerable senior, akin to a living fossil or an everlasting tree in the world of immortal cultivation.

...

After the bath, Lan Chang'an felt clear-minded and enjoyed a meal of spiritual delicacies.

He interacted with the Profound Water Turtle, which he hadn’t seen for a while.

In the following days.

He resumed his normal cultivation, replenishing the Profound Water Turtle’s lost Evergreen mana, while tempering his body and honing his techniques at a slower pace.

Lan Chang'an sought an optimal state of body and mind, neither too tired nor too idle.

Sometimes he visited the Pill Heart Residence next door, drinking and chatting with Du Wei, inquiring about the situation of gathering for pill refinement.

Du Wei spilled the beans after drinking: every few years in Huanglong Immortal City, there would be Xuanling Fruits or special demon cores, but these were monopolized by the upper echelons.

Those in the Qi-Refining stage at the bottom of the pyramid had no access to these resources.

Lan Chang'an had a special demon core and had gathered all the materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill, but he hadn’t revealed this to Du Wei as the time wasn’t right.

"I'll wait two years for Chen Fuhai. If he doesn’t return to Huanglong Immortal City, I'll have to partner with someone else." Lan Chang'an planned.

He even considered cooperating with the Mu Family to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, the Huang Family and the Mu Family were still in a standoff, with constant minor conflicts arising every now and then.

If he cooperated with the Mu Family for the pill refinement, it would inevitably draw the hostility of the Maple Leaf Huang Family, directly involving him in the conflict between the two families.

Before advancing to Foundation Establishment, Lan Chang'an felt he didn’t qualify to get involved in such affairs.

...

After returning to Huanglong City, Lan Chang'an received a letter from Li Erqing.

The letter explained the reasons for his Foundation Establishment and the current situation of the Mu Family at Feiyue Lake.

Perhaps worried about the letter being intercepted, some details were vague.

Lan Chang'an deduced that the second-rank spirit beast the Mu Family secretly bought years ago was nearing the end of its lifespan.

Without the aged second-rank spirit beast, the only Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Mu Family were Mu Renlong and Li Erqing.

In addition, Mu Xiuyun, a second-rank talisman master, could provide some auxiliary battle support.

In recent years, the Maple Leaf Huang Family hadn’t launched a major offensive, partly to recover their strength and partly to wait out the old second-rank spirit beast of the Mu Family.

...

Two years later, approaching seventy, Lan Chang'an decisively gave up on Chen Fuhai and sought new partners for alchemy.

This time, he planned to implement a different strategy.

He would have Zhao Siyao act as a partner cultivator in refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

On the surface, they would cooperate in the pill refinement, but in reality, all the Foundation Establishment Pills would belong to Lan Chang'an.

This plan maximized his benefits. Even if there were some minor flaws, he could still expect to acquire two or more Foundation Establishment Pills.

(End of chapter)

Footnotes:

[1] The phrase '雪中送炭'(xuě zhōng sòng tàn) is a Chinese idiom that literally translates to 'sending charcoal in snowy weather.' It figuratively means providing timely help or assistance in someone's hour of need.

[2-IMPORTANT] The phrase '古稀之年'(gǔ xī zhī nián) is a Chinese expression that refers to a person's seventieth year of age. It carries the connotation of reaching an advanced stage of life, often with the implication of wisdom and experience accumulated over the years. Keep this in mind, as it will start being used frequently in a few chapters.