Chapter 303: Ten Years Pass in the Blink of an Eye
Lihuo Island.
Half a month later, the group from the Palace of Blazing Fire finally returned. Four Core Formation Cultivators and over a hundred elite Foundation Establishment Cultivators looked upon a silent, desolate island.
A gust of wind blew past, scattering only a few carrion-eating birds and beasts.
“Gone!”
“The Island-protecting Grand Formation has been dismantled, and there are no traces of a forced assault. The formation was broken from the inside.”
“There are no survivors on the entire island.”
Among the four Core Formation Cultivators, the youngest and most dazzling, Huang Tianxiao, wore a gloomy expression as he let out a savage laugh.
“Good! Good! Very good! Someone actually dared to provoke the might of our Palace of Blazing Fire. Truly excellent!”
Meanwhile, the eldest among them—and also the most powerful late Core Formation elder of the Palace of Blazing Fire—shouted angrily:
“Investigate! The other side looted so many materials from the island. There’s no way they left no clues. Investigate thoroughly for this old man!”
This time, they had suffered a massive loss.
……
Compared to the furious investigation carried out by the returning cultivators of the Palace of Blazing Fire, the true culprits behind everything—Lin Changan, Yun Yao, and the Sword Attendant—had long since returned to Five Dragon Island.
Yun Yao’s plan to defect was temporarily put on hold. Instead, she planned to continue competing for the position of Saintess within the demonic sect, using the sect’s resources to strengthen her cultivation.
As for Lin Changan, he continued to stay at Celestial Spring Peak, maintaining his identity as a third-rank Formation Master. From time to time, people came to visit him and ask him to repair formations.
The two secretly maintained contact and exchanged intelligence.
Everything appeared as if nothing had ever happened.
After all, no one would ever imagine that a third-rank Formation Master at the early Golden Core Realm—someone not skilled in slaughter and who did not even bother to send people to investigate the Secret Realm he was guarding—would commit such a shocking crime in the Fog Sea of Tongtian.
On this day, inside the pavilion of Celestial Spring Peak.
“Master, recently the Secret Realm has been experiencing disturbances. According to the observations of many Formation Masters, the restrictions are weakest in the third, sixth, and ninth months each year. Many factions have already sent Foundation Establishment teams inside to explore…”
Listening to the Sword Attendant’s report, Lin Changan nodded lightly.
However, the next words made his expression turn somewhat strange.
“However, half a year ago, the four Core Formation Cultivators of the Palace of Blazing Fire from the Fog Sea of Tongtian fought several battles with the Male and Female Fiends of the Demonic Path. Later, for unknown reasons, the conflict was resolved.
“Now it seems the two sides have joined forces and are secretly searching for remnants of the Divine Sword Sect…”
Even though she knew the incident had been their doing, the Sword Attendant’s expression remained calm and indifferent, without the slightest ripple—as if it truly had nothing to do with her.
Seeing this expression, Lin Changan could not help but nod inwardly.
This girl remained calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before her. Her mental state was truly excellent.
Perhaps the Three Great Sword Cultivation Physiques naturally possessed advantages in mental state.
“Search? Then let them search.”
Lin Changan smiled calmly after hearing this.
He and Yun Yao had not left even the slightest trace back then.
Even if they investigated, there was no way the trail would lead to him.
The clues had already ended at Azure Wave Island.
Of course, that was only if the spoils they obtained were not exposed—for example, the magical treasure Fire Dragon Bead he had received.
“Once my Artifact Refinement Skill reaches the third rank, I’ll reforge the two magical treasures from the Divine Sword Sect and this Fire Dragon Bead.”
Lin Changan’s gaze flickered.
For the foreseeable future, he had decided to remain on Five Dragon Island and cultivate steadily.
He was not lacking resources for now, nor had he encountered a cultivation bottleneck. His plans for the Nascent Soul Realm were still far away.
What mattered most now was increasing his strength.
“The early Golden Core Realm is still too weak in this turbulent situation.”
【Lifespan: 175 / 606】
【Realm: Early Golden Core (43 / 100)】
“One hundred seventy-five years old already. I must reach mid Core Formation before two hundred.”
The higher his cultivation became, the more Lin Changan understood the gap between realms.
For example, compared to when he had just formed his Golden Core, his mana was now far stronger.
Although the situation around Five Dragon Island seemed turbulent, the turmoil mostly affected low-rank cultivators. For Golden Core Cultivators like them, the impact was minimal.
However, once the restrictions of the Sinister Soul Sect weakened enough to allow Core Formation Cultivators to enter, that would be the moment of true upheaval.
“The temptation of a Nascent Soul sect… even Nascent Soul old monsters would feel greed. When that time comes, I must at least have mid Core Formation cultivation to protect myself.”
Lin Changan sighed softly.
At this moment, he increasingly felt how brilliant the methods of Bihai Palace were.
He had arrived at Celestial Spring Peak of Five Dragon Island less than fifty years ago after forming his Golden Core, yet he already had too many connections here—trade with the Lu Clan’s merchant guild, shops in the marketplace, and various ties with Xuanyin Pavilion.
He now possessed too many interests in this place.
Even he found it somewhat difficult to abandon, let alone ordinary Core Formation Cultivators.
“But none of that matters. Cultivation is the foundation.”
Thinking of this, Lin Changan raised his head and instructed the Sword Attendant beside him:
“The outside situation is becoming increasingly turbulent. Do not neglect your cultivation.”
“Yes, Master!”
Seeing her master concerned about her cultivation, a slight emotional ripple appeared on the Sword Attendant’s usually cold face. Her hands quietly clenched into fists.
She would definitely cultivate diligently.
Only by becoming a Core Formation Cultivator like her master could she truly help him.
However, Lin Changan did not know what she was thinking.
He had already turned and walked toward his cave abode.
……
Half a year later, the Beauty-preserving Pill Materials were finally fully gathered.
The ingredients themselves were not especially precious, but several of the main materials were relatively rare and usually grew in dangerous areas of the outer seas.
Earthfire Chamber of Xuanyin Pavilion.
“Even refining pills requires passing things from the left hand to the right. My strength is still insufficient.”
Lin Changan shook his head and formed a hand seal, recalling his avatar back into his body.
Inside his body, three Mysterious Sky Immortal Leaves bloomed.
The second leaf had already turned almost completely green, with only a small portion still withered, while the third had begun turning green as well.
Although he had obtained the third Mysterious Sky Immortal Leaf, it was still insufficient for him to perform the divine ability of Avatar Technique.
In other words, he still only possessed two avatars.
“But it won’t be long now.”
A smile appeared on Lin Changan’s face.
Once he had three avatars, they would not only serve as a trump card in battle.
They could also assist him in cultivating various skills. With an additional avatar, he would have far more time for cultivation.
“Beauty-preserving Pill, huh? The age of the materials this time is quite sufficient—though the price was also much higher.”
As one medicinal ingredient after another fell into Xuanyin Pavilion’s third-rank mid-grade pill furnace, Lin Changan took a deep breath, his expression turning serious.
He had not purchased a third-rank pill furnace over the years.
After all, Xuanyin Pavilion already had one, so he saw no need to waste Spirit Stones.
If he were to buy one, he would naturally purchase a third-rank high-grade pill furnace.
However, for such high-grade items, he would likely go to Sea Abyss City.
Although Five Dragon Island had become resource-rich due to the Secret Realm, most resources here were focused on cultivation.
Half a month later, the Beauty-preserving Pills were successfully refined.
With his third-rank mid-grade alchemical skill, the process went extremely smoothly.
“Five premium Beauty-preserving Pills!”
Because the key materials this time were of higher age, two additional pills were produced.
Afterward, Lin Changan and his avatar, Alchemist Wen, walked out of the alchemy chamber of Xuanyin Pavilion together.
Many disciples saw the two elders.
To outsiders, they simply seemed like two elders who were quite familiar with each other. No one could possibly associate them as the same person.
Later, Lin Changan and the Sword Attendant each consumed one of the Beauty-preserving Pills to disguise abnormalities in their appearances.
Moreover, Lin Changan had openly collected the materials for the Beauty-preserving Pills and asked his friend Alchemist Wen to refine them without concealment.
Thus, even if someone investigated, they would not suspect anything unusual.
Furthermore, powerful cultivators or keen-sensed spirit beasts could detect the special scent left by consuming a Beauty-preserving Pill.
As for the remaining three pills, Lin Changan secretly gave one to Yun Yao during a covert meeting.
After all, Yun Yao had helped him greatly over the years.
The last two were sold to Xuanyin Pavilion in exchange for cultivation resources.
……
Time passed like a shuttle.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
The green mountains and clear waters remained unchanged.
But for mortals, ten years was enough for a child to grow into a youth.
【Lifespan: 185 / 609】
【Realm: Early Golden Core (60 / 100)】
Inside the Earthfire Cavern, blazing heat filled the air as golden light shimmered.
Lin Changan sat cross-legged before the Fusang Divine Tree. Wisps of black qi flowed around him as refined demonic energy continuously cleansed his body.
“My body refinement has reached the late second rank. Even my cultivation speed has increased!”
After slowly opening his eyes, Lin Changan felt the surging vitality and power within his body and smiled in satisfaction.
The reason his body refinement progressed so quickly was not only due to the assistance of refined demonic energy.
More importantly, it was because of his Regenerative Body.
One could say that the Regenerative Body was perfectly suited for body refinement.
“And my cultivation speed as well.”
As if recalling something, Lin Changan raised his hand.
From the corner of the cave abode, a Spiritual Root testing disk flew into his palm.
As he injected mana, the spiritual light slowly rose.
Low-grade Spiritual Root… mid-grade… high-grade…
Finally, it slowly reached Earth-grade.
“Just as expected!”
A smile appeared on Lin Changan’s face.
No wonder his cultivation speed had increased.
Over the years, the cleansing of his body by refined demonic energy had raised his spiritual root aptitude to Earth-grade.
For a Golden Core Cultivator, methods or spirit treasures capable of improving spiritual roots were no longer impossible to obtain.
However, the price and time required were often unacceptable to many cultivators—and many methods came with side effects.
“If others discovered that in less than a hundred years my spiritual root improved from low-grade to Earth-grade without side effects… who knows how many people would become greedy.”
The cultivation speed of an Earth-grade Spiritual Root was not much inferior to that of a Heavenly Spirit Root.
The main difference was that Heavenly Spirit Roots had no bottlenecks before the Golden Core Realm and could cultivate directly up to that stage.
But now he had already formed his Golden Core.
“Master!”
Just as Lin Changan stood up, the Wind-Chirp Bird on the Fusang Divine Tree behind him turned into a streak of golden light and landed on his shoulder.
The familiar flattering behavior followed.
Lin Changan rolled his eyes at the bird.
This bird’s personality was nothing like the honest and simple Azure-Horned Ox.
Behind him stood the enormous Fusang Divine Tree.
About one-tenth of the trunk had turned pale gold, emitting a fiery red heat.
Strands of demonic energy were forced out from the trunk, bound by formations, and gradually sealed into jade bottles placed at the surrounding Formation Cores.
Over the past ten years, three of his thirty-six Sun-Piercing Divine Swords had been completely purified.
As the Fusang Divine Tree’s spiritual nature recovered, its powerful demonic energy-suppressing trait accelerated this process.
“With mid Core Formation-level spiritual sense, late second-rank body refinement, and early Golden Core cultivation, my current strength is no weaker than ordinary mid Core Formation Cultivators.”
Lin Changan raised his hand calmly.
Instantly, three golden Sun-Piercing Divine Swords appeared before him.
The Wind-Chirp Bird stared with wide eyes in anxiety.
Its nest—the Fusang Divine Tree—had once again turned mostly dark, with only faint golden light remaining.
The bird coveted the Fusang Divine Tree not only because it loved shiny things.
More importantly, the tree accelerated its cultivation speed.
Over the years, nesting on the Fusang Divine Tree daily within its extremely Yang aura had greatly strengthened its Golden Flame Divine Fire.
“As expected of the Golden Flame Divine Bird. Its aura has already reached the peak of the early third rank. It will likely break through soon.”
Lin Changan could not deny his envy of such innate bloodlines.
If he had possessed a high-grade Spiritual Root back then, he would not have struggled so much.
The three golden Sun-Piercing Divine Swords rotated around him, forming a sword shield.
With his mid Core Formation-level spiritual sense, he could now control up to six life-bound magical treasures simultaneously.
“Master… these swords…”
Seeing the Wind-Chirp Bird’s flattering expression, Lin Changan rolled his eyes again.
“I would like to, but there are no suitable containers left to store the demonic energy.”
Lin Changan sighed helplessly.
The jade bottles sealing the demonic energy at the Formation Cores around the Fusang Divine Tree were already nearly full.
This was despite him, the Azure-Horned Ox, and the Sword Attendant continuously absorbing and consuming the energy during cultivation.
The amount of demonic energy was simply too vast and pure.
Moreover, storing it required jade bottles made from third-rank Yin-attribute spiritual jade.
Even then, the corrosive nature of demonic energy caused constant losses.
“If the demonic energy leaks, the trouble will be enormous.”
Lin Changan had once conducted an experiment.
A second-rank demon beast inhaled a strand of demonic energy and instantly turned red-eyed, losing all sanity and entering a berserk state.
Moments later it exploded into a rain of blood.
Furthermore, the purified demonic energy could cleanse spiritual roots and strengthen the body.
If it were sold, its value would be unimaginable.
Naturally, Lin Changan was unwilling to waste it and could only store it at great cost.
“Once my body refinement reaches the third rank, my absorption speed will increase significantly.”
Lin Changan nodded inwardly.
With a wave of his hand, the three Sun-Piercing Divine Swords returned to his body under the reluctant gaze of the Wind-Chirp Bird.
If the Fusang Divine Tree continued purifying demonic energy at this speed, the Earthfire Cavern would eventually become a demonic energy cavern.
“Alright. This time Bihai Palace invited me to study a formation. The reward is a piece of third-rank high-grade Yin Spirit Jade.”
Lin Changan comforted the Wind-Chirp Bird.
After all, the bird would soon break through to the mid third rank, giving him another powerful trump card.
In the increasingly chaotic situation ahead, he needed as many means of self-preservation as possible.
“Over the past ten years, the restrictions of the Sinister Soul Sect Secret Realm have weakened more and more. The biggest reason is that there are simply too many foreign cultivators damaging them continuously.”
Lin Changan sighed.
It was said that several quasi-third-rank and third-rank Formation Masters from outside had already appeared.
With so many peers now present, even his business had become worse.
Perhaps it was time to reveal his identity as a third-rank mid-grade Formation Master.
Otherwise, he would be lumped together with those foreign Formation Masters.