Chapter 44: The Will of Inheritance

This year is not only Zhao Shuyao's one hundredth birthday, but also Li Ji'an's, had he not reversed his age.

Unawares, he had come to this realm of cultivation for seventy-three years.

Zhao Shuyao did not host a banquet for celebration; she merely chatted with Li Ji'an.

After all, the so-called "living to a ripe old age of one hundred" in the cultivation world is hardly worth celebrating, and is even regarded as a malicious curse.

This time, Li Ji'an could clearly sense that his old friend was nearing the end of her oil and lamp. Although she still had a decade or so of lifespan remaining, a tier-one body cultivator's vital blood rapidly declines past the age of ninety, and becomes nearly exhausted past one hundred. From then on, her days would truly resemble the final moments of a mortal.

Li Ji'an had never experienced "aging" and could not fathom what the state of mind truly is during those final moments. Yet, among those he had witnessed, eighty percent of people facing imminent death felt fear, reluctance, and a desperate urge to survive. No matter how grandiose their boasts had been in their youth, or how casually they spoke of matters after death, when that moment arrived, their will to survive was overwhelmingly strong.

Ten percent faced death with a sense of relief and regret.

Only a tiny fraction of people, like Master Shangshan Zhenren and Senior Brother Houde Zhenren, could truly remain calm and enjoy their final days in peace.

"I'm afraid the three of them will ultimately harbor regrets and resentment." Sighing inwardly, Li Ji'an also felt a slight sense of regret.

When he stepped into this realm seventy-three years ago and understood what an "immortal" truly was, the five of them had sworn an oath along the way that they would make the family that farmed human blood slaves pay in blood.

They were also determined to return to the Immortal-Blessed Dynasty and expose the truth to the world.

However, many things do not bend to human will. Setting aside the other four, even Li Ji'an, who possessed a cheat-like advantage, lacked the strength to fulfill that oath today.

In his first life, knowing nothing, he cautiously fumbled and accumulated experience, ultimately stopping at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Fortunately, that laid a foundation of childhood guardians for his current life, granting him an auspicious start.

This life was much better than the previous one, yet the deeper he understood, the more he felt the hardships of the cultivation world.

Thanks to his accumulated alchemy knowledge from his past life, and especially the vigorous support of the old friend before him, he had successfully advanced to Foundation Establishment.

Yet it was foreseeable that even so, it would be impossible for the other three to witness the day of revenge.

That night, Li Ji'an attempted for the first time to nurture his natal talisman.

As the tier-two beast-skin Golden Bell Talisman was drawn into his dantian, he immediately circulated his vital energy to wrap around it, linking it simultaneously with his vital blood.

After continuously observing for several hours, he grasped the underlying principle.

It was identical in principle to the method of nurturing a natal magical artifact he had previously learned from Hua Hongling.

Both used vital blood as a medium to assimilate the object, making it resonate in perfect harmony with one's mind and heart.

Over the next few months, in order to gather the materials for three natal talismans, Li Ji'an used tier-two talisman materials as payment to refine a few extra batches of pills for others, claiming he wished to exchange them for rare medicinal herbs.

This sort of situation was very common among rogue cultivators in the Cangyun Prefecture. Especially for materials above tier-two, the rarer they were, the less likely people were to sell them for low-grade spiritual stones; instead, they would directly demand an exchange for their most urgently needed items.

In the end, after consuming five precious tier-two talisman materials, he finally gathered everything he needed.

One top-quality early tier-two Fierce Halberd Talisman, one top-quality Wind Escape Talisman, and the previous Golden Bell Talisman—these three natal talismans vastly increased his safety.

In addition, there were five ordinary tier-two lower-grade talismans, as well as a late tier-one Minor Teleportation Talisman.

Regrettably, the Minor Teleportation Talisman only scratched the surface of the laws of space; even at the late tier-one level, its range was merely a hundred miles, which was insufficient to escape the locking range of divine sense and escaping lights of mid-to-late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

To obtain a teleportation talisman of a greater distance, one needed to truly channel the spiritual essence of the spatial laws, something difficult to achieve for anyone below the late tier-three level.

Fortunately, if one used the Minor Teleportation Talisman to instantly widen the distance and then fled with the Wind Escape Talisman, even mid-to-late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who did not specialize in escaping techniques would be left eating dust.

On this day, Li Ji'an checked once more on the bounty he had posted at the Wantong Tower for a tier-two Golden Armored Beast core; still, no one had taken it up.

"Can't even three thousand spiritual stones entice anyone?"

After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately decided against increasing the bounty.

He had anticipated this result. Compared to human cultivators, beasts of the same tier possessed far more formidable physical bodies, and once they advanced to tier-two, most of them would awaken bloodline talents.

Without a clear understanding of their bloodline talents, even mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators could stumble and fall.

Though it might not cost them their lives or souls, the price would inevitably be too steep and not worth it.

Furthermore, tier-two beasts almost always resided deep within various mountain ranges and dense forests, leaving few traces and wasting time.

"It's a pity the Biyun Sect is busy excavating ruins." Under normal circumstances, sect cultivators tended to accept such bounties—first, because their strength was sufficient, and second, because they frequently sought out beasts for combat trials anyway, making it a convenient task.

In the end, Li Ji'an decided to await a reply from Xiao Changfeng.

A month later, instead of a reply from Xiao Changfeng, he unexpectedly received a letter from Chen Qingling.

It stated that he had just returned to the wasteland from the depths of the Fallen Dragon Ridge, accompanied by the Crimson Stone Rogue cultivator.

A full four years had passed since their last communication.

"I happen to be returning to the wasteland, wishing to pay respects to Uncle Chen and maintain contact." Fearing that master and disciple would once again go radio silent for years, Li Ji'an decisively anchored the other party this time.

The next day, Li Ji'an bid farewell to Xiao Qiao, who was currently studying array formations, instructing her to guard the home well.

It was worth mentioning that Xiao Qiao had finally advanced to the mid-stage of Qi Refining last year. Her vital energy and divine soul were barely sufficient to deploy elementary arrays, and she had spent this past year studying them intensely. Just as Li Ji'an had anticipated, her talent was exceptional.

It was undoubtedly related to her ability to sense the spiritual breath of the earth.

At noon that day, Li Ji_an left the Golden Brilliant Immortal City, boarded his flying boat, and headed straight for the wasteland.

Pressing for time on this trip, aside from increasing the mana input into the flying boat, he also activated a tier-two upper-grade Wind Speed Talisman.

Meanwhile, within the ancestral courtyard of the Zheng family, a communication talisman vibrated appropriately.

"Humph, this brat really is here to deliver resources to the Yan family again!" Zheng Tianxiang sneered coldly after reading the communication talisman.

"That Foundation Establishment Pill from four years ago gave the Yan family an extra Foundation Establishment cultivator, and now he dares to come again?"

"Then don't blame this old path for being impolite!"

"Do not be careless; make it a quick battle. We will hold the Yan family in check."

After a lapse of four years, Zheng Tianxiang's decision this time received full support.

First, four years ago they had sent people to investigate in the Immortal City and found that Li Ji'an was merely a tier-one rogue alchemist who served as a guest retainer for the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, and he had cut off transactions after reaching Foundation Establishment.

Second, two years ago the Yan family welcomed their third Foundation Establishment member, shocking the wasteland. Calculating the timeline, there was a high probability it was linked to the bounty brought by Li Ji'an four years ago.

Third, with the war currently stalemated, the Zheng family was also in dire need of resources.

"Rest assured, Grand-Uncle. He is merely a rogue alchemist, naturally unsuited for offensive combat, and having just stepped into Foundation Establishment, I will not be careless," Zheng Tianxiang replied steadily.

In less than two months, Li Ji'an had arrived at the edge of the wasteland.

However, this time he was not heading to the Yan family, nor did he enter from the previous direction; instead, he steered from the east-northeast directly toward the settlement near the allied marketplace.

This vicinity had previously been occupied by the Five-Family Alliance, and tribal wars in the wasteland adhered to an unspoken rule: they would not target mortals in the settlements.

Yet, due to years of turmoil, many people had abandoned the place.

Returning here after several decades, it appeared far more desolate and lonely.

Before long, Li Ji_an finally reunited with Chen Qingling and learned that his master, the Crimson Stone Rogue Cultivator, was currently procuring supplies these few days and would soon return to pick him up.

Upon sensing the pressure of Li Ji_an's Foundation Establishment stage, Chen Qingling, who was nearing ninety years of age, froze entirely. Staring blankly at the junior before him who bore such a striking resemblance to the Elder Li of yesteryears, he remained speechless for a long time.

"This can also be considered carrying on Elder Li's aspiration to seek immortality." A mental image flashed through his mind of that stubborn, older cultivator from over seventy years ago, shaken by no one, single-mindedly pursuing immortality.