Chapter 144: Healing Karma

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Ordinary demonic beasts, when faced with the challenge of a major breakthrough, often needed to polish their foundations for many years. If their bloodline wasn't particularly high grade, much like human cultivators, they could increase their chances of a breakthrough through the use of heavenly treasures and other fortuitous opportunities.

As a beast with a low earth-grade bloodline, the Profound Water Turtle, which was a long-lived species, should find breaking through to the second rank somewhat easier.

But at this moment, the information conveyed by the Profound Water Turtle at this moment suggested that it was on the verge of a breakthrough at any moment. This progress was slightly beyond Lan Chang'an's expectations.

"Could it be that absorbing the aura of the Evergreen Technique for so long made it easier to overcome its bottleneck and advance to a higher realm?"

Lan Chang'an pondered. If he had an earth spiritual root and was practicing the Evergreen Technique, he could confidently reach the Foundation Establishment Realm without any external aids, and forming a Core would also be much easier.

"As a turtle, you need to have patience."

Lan Chang'an spoke earnestly, patting the rather large head of the Profound Water Turtle, comforting and communicating with it for a while.

The Profound Water Turtle calmed down, retracted its aura, and returned to its usual docile and peaceful self.

"A normal Profound Water Turtle would take two hundred years to advance to the second rank. This turtle is barely eighty years old."

Lan Chang'an didn't want the Profound Water Turtle to break through so quickly, especially on Little Turtle Peak.

A significant portion of a demonic beast's strength came from its bloodline and physical body. Advancing to the second rank requires less worldly spiritual energy than humans, and the resulting disturbance is much smaller. However, in the quiet and sparsely populated Wuqi Mountain, such a disturbance would still stand out.

Lan Chang'an planned to find another location for the Profound Water Turtle to complete its advancement. Afterward, the turtle could use its innate talent for hiding its cultivation before returning.

Aside from the Profound Water Turtle, there was also the Earth Burrowing Rat, which had cultivated to the peak of the mid-second rank, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment sixth-level cultivator. It was now facing the critical juncture of advancing to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment.

The Earth Burrowing Rat's bloodline quality, if converted to human qualifications, would be similar to a high-grade spiritual root, not too different from Lan Chang'an's previous life's qualifications. With some accumulation and sufficient resources, advancing to the late stage of the second rank wouldn't be too difficult.

However, advancing to the third rank would see a sharp increase in difficulty. It would require not only seizing opportunities but also relying on luck.

Lan Chang'an was financially well-off. In the future, he could assist the Earth Burrowing Rat in condensing an Inferior-Dan inner core, helping it become a quasi-third-rank creature, which was slightly more realistic to hope for.

...

Half a month later, the spiritual energy above Little Pill Peak became somewhat restless.

A surge of Foundation Establishment power was rapidly rising.

"Huh! Breaking through a minor bottleneck."

Lan Chang'an sensed it and looked toward Little Pill Peak, where Ye Fei resided. However, he had no interest in releasing his spiritual sense to investigate further.

The cultivation of an immortal practitioner involves constant communication with the aura of heaven and earth and alignment with the Dao. Especially during a breakthrough, conventional methods can't easily conceal it.

Before long, the intangible spiritual pressure above Little Pill Peak stabilized at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

"Ye Fei also gained quite a bit from the beast tide. Killing those two bandit cultivators earned him a windfall."

Lan Chang'an mused.

Ye Fei's qualifications weren't that bad, reaching the mid-stage Foundation Establishment at around eighty years old.

Seven days later, Ye Fei exited seclusion and sent a transmission talisman each to Little Turtle Peak and Xiao Pan Peak, announcing his successful advancement to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

In a good mood, Ye Fei invited the two peak masters for a small celebration.

At the cave-dwelling on Little Pill Peak, the three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain gathered.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong each brought a small congratulatory gift.

Ye Fei warmly hosted the gathering, offering an array of exquisite spiritual dishes and bringing out some treasured second-rank spiritual wine.

"With Fellow Daoist Ye's cultivation advancing, your medical skills and alchemy will undoubtedly improve as well. This is a fortunate event for our Wuqi Mountain."

Lan Chang'an was pleased to see this and offered his congratulations.

"Fellow Daoist Ye's medical skills are already well-known in the surrounding area. Many fellow Daoists have benefited from your help over the years."

Shi Manrong, sitting elegantly, smiled lightly.

"Not at all! My skills are crude, extensive but not refined, far inferior to the two of you."

Ye Fei, feeling flattered, modestly replied.

"I heard that Fairy Shi's attainments in formations have reached the quasi-third-rank, which is truly impressive. As for Fellow Daoist Lan, with your low-key nature, I suspect your talisman skills must have also reached the superior second rank."

Ye Fei's words carried a hint of probing and confirmation.

Shi Manrong and Lan Chang'an smiled without responding, neither denying nor confirming.

Lan Chang'an planned to slowly reveal his skills as a superior second-rank talisman master in the coming years. He had always maintained the persona of someone with mediocre qualifications but good talent in talisman-making.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, his cultivation had steadily improved, fitting the image of someone who matured late.

After several rounds of drinks, it was nearing evening.

Cultivators at Foundation Establishment Realm or above had longer lifespans. Occasional entertainment and relaxation, including drinking for days on end, was not uncommon.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong, being more disciplined, stood up to take their leave.

Ye Fei saw them off at the entrance of his cave dwelling.

Whoosh!

A hurried sound of something tearing through the air came from outside Wuqi Mountain.

"A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

The three peak masters couldn't help but notice the streak of light, swift as a shooting star.

"Is Herbalist Ye here?"

A soft and handsome man in purple robes, holding a pale and unconscious woman in white, flew straight toward Little Pill Peak.

"Jiang Yechen?"

Ye Fei and Lan Chang'an exchanged glances, recognizing the man's identity.

Years ago, Jiang Yechen had participated in the competition to become a peak master of Wuqi Mountain. Despite having the best overall qualifications at the time—a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, a second-rank mid-grade alchemist, and a high-grade spiritual root—he hadn't been chosen by Lan Chang'an.

Lan Chang'an had considered that Jiang Yechen was entangled with one of the seven great families, the Jiang Family, and was also somewhat arrogant. In contrast, Ye Fei had a simpler background and was easier to get along with.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, what's the condition of the injured?" Ye Fei calmly asked, accustomed to such situations.

"Ahem! This is a normal reaction of the patient being saved, like a drowning person grabbing at straws."

Ye Fei coughed lightly, trying to cover for Lan Chang'an.

Lan Chang'an used a bit of skill to gently free his hand from Miss Shen's grasp.

At this close distance, he took a moment to observe her. This young lady, now showing a touch of color, had a delicate and elegant appearance, her skin like warm jade, and her face was as beautiful as the moon.

Having saved his beloved, Jiang Yechen's heart was broad, and he didn't dwell on such minor details.

He then paid a generous consultation fee. Ye Fei had asked for 1,500 spirit stones, but Jiang Yechen gave 2,500.

As an assistant, Lan Chang'an received 1,000 spirit stones as his reward.

Additionally, Jiang Yechen promised to owe each of them a favor.

"The path of a herbalist is indeed lucrative."

Lan Chang'an mused inwardly.

The cost of the medicines used in this treatment wasn't particularly high.

"Fellow Daoist Lan's wood-based life-nurturing technique has shown good results. It's a pity you didn't pursue the path of a herbalist."

Ye Fei joked as he collected his payment.

His words were actually understated. He had noticed that Lan Chang'an's technique was at least as effective as his own, though lacking in pharmacological knowledge and medical skills.

"Just some small tricks, not worth mentioning."

Lan Chang'an shook his head, quickly changing the topic.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Jiang, do you know anything about the rogue cultivators who attacked Miss Shen?"

Jiang Yechen's complexion wasn't great, indicating he was injured as well, though not as severely.

It could be inferred that when Miss Shen was attacked, Jiang Yechen arrived and must have gone through a fierce battle.

"There were three rogue cultivators. One was at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, whose strength exceeded that of his class, and the other two were at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment."

Jiang Yechen recalled.

"The combat style of the late Foundation Establishment bandit was somewhat reminiscent of the rumored 'Xiang Jinglong.' However, I don't know this person personally, so I can't be sure."

"Xiang Jinglong?"

Lan Chang'an knew of him.

About seventeen or eighteen years ago, after the Green Underworld Mysterious Realm, when Lan Chang'an was purchasing materials, he had dealings with Xiang Jinglong.

Not long after, Xiang Jinglong set his sights on Alchemist Hua, a fat sheep ripe for the taking, and eventually became a prime suspect in the incident.

Lan Chang'an didn't question why Xiang Jinglong would target Jiang Yechen's beloved. He had heard that Xiang Jinglong had been seeking opportunities to form a core in recent years.

Targets that could make him set his eyes on them, it was either related to opportunities for Core formation or involved treasures of extremely high value.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, did those three rogue cultivators chase after you?"

Shi Manrong's eyes sparkled, thinking of something.

"They pursued us for a while, then gave up. I fought desperately to rescue Miss Shen."

Jiang Yechen knew what Fairy Shi was concerned about.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong exchanged a glance, understanding each other without words.

Jiang Yechen's cultivation had just reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, likely around the seventh level.

A late Foundation Establishment peak cultivator skilled in tracking could very well pursue Jiang Yechen, who was fleeing with an injured companion, without him noticing.

"Sorry to have caused trouble for the three of you." Jiang Yechen apologized.

"No matter. Fellow Daoist Jiang and Miss Shen can rest and recover at the foot of the mountain. We will enhance the defenses of Wuqi Mountain." Lan Chang'an replied warmly.

This was a decision made after a discussion among the three peak masters.

Wuqi Mountain wasn't just a simple spiritual vein cultivation site but also served as a small transfer and trading hub.

Jiang Yechen seeking normal trade services here did not violate any principles.

Even if the leader of the rogue cultivators was Xiang Jinglong, he wouldn't dare to attack Wuqi Mountain at this time.

In addition to the home-field advantage, Wuqi Mountain currently had two late-Foundation establishment cultivators and two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.

...

Late at night.

In the mountains several li away from Wuqi Mountain.

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators stood in the shadows, gazing at the splendid peaks concealed by the Cloud Mist Illusion Formation.

The one in the center was a sturdy middle-aged man in black armor, his well-toned muscles exposed, his eyes bright and spirited.

This man's cultivation had clearly reached the apex of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Boss Xiang, Wuqi Mountain has three Foundation Establishment cultivators, none of them are pushovers. It's not a place to be trifled with."

A skinny old man in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage remarked.

Xiang Jinglong pondered, "I've heard of Wuqi Mountain's reputation."

"Currently, there's a late Foundation Establishment formation genius, Fairy Shi, and the renowned 'Turtle Talisman Master' Lan Chang'an. The group of hidden rogue cultivators who were responsible for the Fox Valley massacre met their downfall here."

"Huh? Boss Xiang knows so much about Wuqi Mountain? Have you been planning to target this place for a while?"

The other person remarked in amazement.

"I'm not reckless enough to take such a risk just for a possibly rare Core formation auxiliary herb." Xiang Jinglong replied indifferently.

"However, back then, when I was framed, my heart was brimming with resentment, so I privately conducted an investigation into Alchemist Hua's death."

"Later, by chance, I captured Lin Ye, the previous peak master of Little Pill Peak in Wuqi Mountain, and after torturing him, I extracted a few clues..."

(End of chapter)