CHAPTER 464: XUANMU SAPLING, IDENTITY EXPOSED

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"Congratulations Master, your body refinement has come to fruition!"

Lord Earthrock, acting as protector at the side, looked at its master whose body’s blood and energy now rivaled that of a fourth-rank demon king. Its throat moved slightly, and a strange expression flashed across its face.

Splash!

In the pool on the other side, Profound Water Monarch's eyes appeared swollen, and multiple sores had formed around its slightly parted lips.

The Profound Water Turtle stared blankly at Lan Chang'an. From the vast aura of blood and energy, it sensed a faint but real sense of kinship.

“Hm? The skin's defense is stronger than expected, beyond what is described in the Golden Luo Overlord Body.”

Lan Chang'an drew a superior-grade flying sword and slashed it across his arm. Dark golden circular scales emerged on the surface of his skin, as though the blade struck a hardened shell.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the flying sword bounced off. Lan Chang'an was unharmed.

Although that strike wasn’t delivered at full power, the result still exceeded expectations.

One must know, in actual combat, Lan Chang'an would also have the body-protecting barrier and defensive magical treasures.

Lan Chang'an thought to himself as he looked at the Profound Water Turtle. It seemed he had inherited certain traits from the turtle.

The powerful defense of a giant turtle, combined with the Golden Luo Overlord Body’s resistance to various negative effect spells, his survivability had greatly improved.

He was confident he could face Emperor Yu’s Azure Dragon Sword without needing to fear it like other mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.

Sensing his master's intense gaze, the Profound Water Turtle shrank its head and shivered.

Whoosh—

With a wild kick from its four short legs, the Profound Water Turtle darted into the pool at an incredible speed and did not dare show itself again.

Lan Chang'an withdrew his gaze, thinking: The turtle’s defense likely surpasses both himself and Lord Earthrock, enough to withstand attacks from mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.

Unfortunately, the method used previously to extract its essence blood couldn’t be repeated often.

Spirit beast essence blood is the core of its life force. Extracting too much would affect its cultivation and bloodline potential.

Lan Chang'an estimated that, given the Profound Water Turtle’s consumption of large amounts of blood-replenishing spiritual items, extracting a few drops every ten years would be appropriate.

In this way, a slow and steady stream would promote his body refinement without hindering the Profound Water Monarch’s cultivation.

“Lord Earthrock, do we still have enough of the great nourishing items we prepared earlier?”

Lan Chang'an’s concerned gaze turned toward the rippling deep pool.

“Enough for decades at least.”

Lord Earthrock scratched the back of its head with a claw and showed a bashful smile:

“It’s just… eating too much builds up yang fire, and the big turtle has nowhere to vent it.”

Only then did Lan Chang'an realize the Profound Water Turtle was male, and having grown to fourth rank, its body had become increasingly massive.

Finding another giant turtle to pair with it would be no easy task.

“As a spirit turtle of the water attribute, if he can’t even suppress a bit of fire, wouldn’t that be laughable?”

Lan Chang'an didn’t care much.

Lord Earthrock suggested, “Shall I prepare some Yin Nether Stones, Thousand-Year Cold Essence and other treasures to help Profound Water Monarch cool down?”

“Good idea! And urge it to cultivate the Heavy Water Divine Art while you’re at it...”

After giving his instructions, Lan Chang'an closed his eyes to stabilize his cultivation and absorb the remaining body-refinement liquid in the medicinal pool.

…

Half a month later.

Lan Chang'an’s body refinement realm had stabilized, and he returned to the cave residence on Yunlan Peak above the underground palace.

During this time, True Monarch Purple Mist had been closely watching the activity on Yunlan Peak.

“That day’s lightning tribulation anomaly was truly strange…”

Jiang Ziyan suspected that Xiang Dalong was attempting a breakthrough to fourth-rank body refinement, but since the tribulation didn’t descend, she couldn’t confirm his success.

True body cultivators face heavenly tribulation when ascending to the fourth rank, and the difficulty is greater than that of Nascent Soul tribulations.

Dual cultivation of body refinement primarily strengthens the flesh, lacking the divine abilities of dedicated body cultivators, and generally does not trigger the heavenly tribulation.

Fourth-rank body refiners were as rare as Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, exceedingly obscure. True Monarch Purple Mist knew little about them and couldn’t judge accurately.

Since she couldn’t determine the truth, she decided to pay a visit and probe him in person.

Jiang Ziyan carefully dressed and groomed herself. Her hair was like clouds, her beauty unmatched. She wore a celestial palace gown, radiating dazzling light.

“Has Dalong emerged from seclusion yet?”

The Purple Mist Fairy gracefully flew to Yunlan Peak, dignified, elegant, and smiling reservedly.

She thought to herself: Once we meet in private and discuss the Dao, I’ll surely uncover the truth behind Xiang Dalong’s identity.

“Sister Jiang, what a pity.”

With a flash of earthy yellow light, Lord Earthrock cupped its fists:

“My master is currently secluded, forging puppets. It’s a crucial moment, he has no time for visitors in the near future…”

“Forging puppets? A critical stage?”

Jiang Ziyan’s brows gently furrowed.

She never expected Xiang Dalong to decline her proactive visit.

Since advancing to mid-Nascent Soul, various powers had come to her, eagerly offering goodwill and seeking even a glimpse of her.

Today’s cold reception was the first she’d encountered.

She didn’t quite believe Lord Earthrock’s excuse.

Whether Xiang Dalong had achieved fourth-rank body refinement was unknown, was he now attempting fourth-rank puppet forging too?

Otherwise, this “critical moment” was hard to swallow.

“No matter. It’s been a long time since we gathered anyway. I have rare seafood delicacies and fine wine from other sects, come have a taste.”

Purple Mist Fairy smiled gracefully as she invited Lord Earthrock.

She had a good relationship with Lord Earthrock and had fought side by side for decades during the Great Yu War.

If not for its help, she wouldn’t have been able to slay the Nascent Soul cultivator from Yaqi Mountain and obtain the breakthrough pill.

…

Inside the secret chamber of the cave residence.

“Forging the fourth-rank puppet formation poses no problem. But for me Wei as the core commander of the formation, there are still many difficulties in making the formation operate smoothly and cohesively.”

Lan Chang'an and Puppet Master Wei were discussing the follow-up construction and structural refinement of the puppet formation.

The two working together were practically equivalent to two fourth-rank puppet masters, greatly improving efficiency.

After advancing in body refinement, Lan Chang'an focused primarily on the puppet formation.

He naturally sensed Purple Mist True Monarch’s visit but had no interest.

His magical cultivation could no longer advance. No matter how much he dual cultivated the Dragon Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique, it would only benefit Jiang Ziyan.

Since their relationship had shown cracks, it was a good time to let things cool off.

Lan Chang'an concentrated wholeheartedly, working with Puppet Master Wei on theory and experimentation.

Fortunately, the memories of the many Nascent Soul old monsters he had devoured were vast and deep, providing a massive reservoir of knowledge.

A year later.

With the final fourth-rank puppet completed, the fourth-rank puppet formation that Lan Chang'an and Puppet Master Wei had planned for years finally took shape.

The four puppets all had humanoid male appearances, white robes, blue robes, green robes, black robes.

The humanlike designs would allow Lan Chang'an to later assume alternate identities with them.

The puppets’ appearance was just a surface layer and could be adjusted as needed.

In truth, the skeletons of the four puppets were as strong as demon kings, and their outer shells were made from scale armor forged with fourth-rank crafting materials.

They also had matching weapons and armor equivalent to Nascent Soul magical treasures, it was an extravagance even among fourth-rank puppets.

Having eliminated several Nascent Soul monsters, Lan Chang'an had more spare magical treasures than he could use. He melted down and repurposed the less useful ones for the puppet army.

Each puppet’s cost was close to the full wealth of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

After all, the crafting process involved many errors and failures, leading to material losses.

…

“Fellow Daoist Lan, why not give it a try?”

The green-armored puppet housing Puppet Master Wei had also undergone modification. It now wore a war robe, its appearance adjusted to resemble a middle-aged man with greenish skin, like a battle-hardened commander.

Buzz! Zzz!

Centered on Puppet Master Wei, four humanoid puppets emitted arcs of eerie red puppet energy. These arcs converged above the five figures into a twisted, deep-red orb of destructive power.

During this process, Lan Chang'an supported the formation with his puppet-controlling technique, consuming both mana and focus. Yet compared to operating them all on his own, the expenditure was cut by more than half.

“Stop!”

Lan Chang'an’s expression shifted slightly. He sensed the immense spiritual pressure accumulating in the formation, faintly exceeding the threshold of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Even with fourth-rank formations and layered restrictions, this secluded chamber couldn’t withstand the puppet battle formation’s test.

“The materials in my body may still need reinforcing,” Puppet Master Wei commented as he halted the formation’s operation, astonished by its power. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to serve as the core for long or unleash the formation’s full might.”

Great power came at a high cost, the consumption of puppet crystals was staggering.

A single skirmish could bankrupt some families or merchant guilds.

Due to spatial limitations, Lan Chang'an couldn’t fully unleash the power of a fourth-rank puppet formation for now.

Still, he made a rough estimate: in a positional battle with this formation, Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators like True Monarch Netherwater or Purple Mist Fairy would be unable to withstand it and might even perish.

Even demonic sect leaders would have to maneuver strategically, direct confrontation was not an option.

“Invincible in positional warfare... if I add my ‘Azure Profound Sword Formation’ on top…”

From a strategic standpoint, Lan Chang'an realized he might be able to contend with Nascent Soul Great Cultivators or at the very least, hold his own.

Unfortunately, his current cultivation was insufficient to bring out the full offensive power of the Azure Profound Sword Formation.

In other words:

He could withstand a Great Cultivator, but posed little threat to one.

Whether a battle broke out or not, the choice was entirely in the other party’s hands.

“Too passive.”

After some quick calculations, Lan Chang'an shook his head. As expected, cultivation was the foundation of all.

If he could just bridge this gap and reach mid-Nascent Soul, his divine abilities would surge in power.

He was already preparing for a trip to Great Kun.

He had knowledge of Great Kun from his previous life, along with ties to his former family clan.

In his memories, there was another clue pointing to another volume of the Evergreen Technique.

In his past life, while fighting a Core Formation cultivator from a major sect inside Yan Donglai’s cave dwelling, half of the technique had been taken.

According to his divination, the trip to Great Kun offered the best chance of success and feasibility.

…

Half a month later.

Inside the talisman room, Lan Chang'an wielded his brush, sketching a beast-hide map about one zhang in length.

Centered around Great Yuan, the map charted terrain routes for more than a dozen surrounding provinces, including some offshore islands.

It was compiled from all the known information Lan Chang'an had gathered.

Notably, Great Kun of his previous life was situated near Great Yuan, and these two areas were drawn in the most detail.

After all, they were the places he had lived through in two lifetimes.

Great Yuan deserved its reputation, it was several times the size of Great Kun.

Though the two regions appeared adjacent, they were in fact not directly connected. A vast stretch of desolate, perilous land unsuitable for human cultivation lay in between.

This wasteland was thin in spiritual energy, forcing even high-level cultivators to pause mid-flight for rest and replenishment, while also braving various unknown dangers.

At the Nascent Soul stage, one could traverse across provincial borders. If the gap wasn’t too great, a Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator could manage. If the distance was too far and several provinces apart, the mid Nascent Soul stage would be more secure.

“Through intelligence gathering and absorbing the memories of many Nascent Souls, I’ve charted the safest and shortest route.”

Lan Chang'an had spent decades quietly working on this since his return to Great Yuan.

For a typical Nascent Soul cultivator, the journey to Great Kun might take six or seven years. Lan Chang'an estimated he could do it in two or three.

At his level, the dangers of crossing provinces were almost negligible.

He had also heard that the Sea-Suppressing Sect possessed ultra-long-range teleportation arrays.

However, these only connected to central provinces on the Heaven Honoured Continent. A small place like Great Kun didn’t qualify.

From current intelligence, Great Kun hadn’t produced a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator in thousands of years.

“I wonder how the Xu Clan from my past life is doing. How many of those bloodline descendants still live?”

Lan Chang'an recalled his past life’s scene of many wives and concubines, feeling an odd sense of absurdity.

All of it was for the family’s legacy and continuation.

Those memories felt distant, like a dream during a cycle of reincarnation. Yet they were his real experiences.

His past reincarnations were passive, shaped by the Nine Seal Stele, anchoring the present life as the foundation, while past lives dissolved like illusions and fleeting mirages.

Now, however, with control over his own reincarnation, things were different. The third life would become the core from which his next reincarnations would continue.

…

After finalizing the route across provinces, Lan Chang'an descended into the underground palace beneath Yunlan Peak.

There, the Xuanmu Vine Gourd had taken root beside the pond where the Profound Water Monarch resided.

Even during the period when his blood essence was drained and he was in low spirits, the Profound Water Monarch had not stopped nourishing the vine.

“With regular watering using the secret spiritual liquid from the Myriad Spirits and Medicine Compendium, its growth has sped up significantly.”

Lan Chang'an examined the vine’s growth with visible satisfaction.

The Medicine Compendium contained top-tier formulas for cultivating spiritual plants, and with Lan Chang'an’s vast resources, he could afford year-round irrigation.

Meanwhile, his Evergreen Technique and the spiritual nourishment from the Profound Water Turtle’s mana had never ceased.

At this moment, on the vine, what had once been a mere gourd sprout had thickened to the size of a finger, now forming a proper young stalk.

It had officially entered its second stage:

The Sapling Phase!

From sprouting to the initial sapling phase had taken two or three centuries.

Lan Chang'an remembered: ever since the vine sprouted, it had been slowly drawing in the fortune of an entire realm.

Wherever it took root, the sect’s fortune rose with it.

Thus, he prided himself as a “lucky star of the sect,” having boosted the fortunes of both Yunxia Sect and Jin Yun Valley.

Jin Yun Valley had risen from a Core Formation sect to a Nascent Soul powerhouse.

Yunxia Sect had birthed a mid-grade fourth-rank spiritual vein and produced a Nascent Soul mid-stage giant.

Lan Chang'an speculated that Purple Mist Fairy’s smooth ascension to mid-Nascent Soul wasn’t just due to the breakthrough pill and the Dragon-Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique, but also benefited from the fortune of the Xuanmu Vine Gourd.

As the saying goes: man proposes, heaven disposes.

With fortune on one’s side, one's actions flow in harmony with heaven and earth, and success comes easier.

…

“Sigh! I wonder who the next lucky force will be.”

Letting out a sigh, Lan Chang'an personally uprooted the Xuanmu Vine Gourd along with the surrounding area of Five Element Earth.

If Lan Chang'an only left for a short while, it would have minimal effect on Yunxia Sect’s fortune.

But if he were gone for many years, the sect’s luck would no longer benefit from his presence. It might not necessarily decline, but the momentum of its rise would surely slow.

Uncertain how long he’d be away this time, Lan Chang'an decided it was safer to bring the Xuanmu Vine Gourd with him.

There were advantages to carrying a Xuantian Relic.

Divine items conceal themselves naturally, blocking related threads of fate and becoming immune to divination in the human realm.

Though Lan Chang'an couldn’t directly benefit from this, if a powerful cultivator tried to probe into the secrets of his foundation and encountered the Xuantian Relic, they would be partially affected by its shielding effect.

This was a detail Lan Chang'an had only truly confirmed after reaching fourth-rank mastery in divination.

He had no doubt that Yan Donglai who had lived for countless years must have attained an unfathomable level in the art of divination.

If Yan happened to track him down prematurely, Lan Chang'an’s entire arsenal of techniques, spirit pets, puppets might become worthless.

He only had to imagine himself living for ten thousand years as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator to grasp just how terrifying such a person could be.

After the fall of Cyanwood, Yan Donglai would certainly become aware of his existence.

He could only hope that this legendary great cultivator wouldn’t see him as a priority target. After all, there were still other disciples of the Evergreen Technique scattered across the human realm.

Lan Chang'an had a strong feeling: to survive the upcoming Thousand-Year Tribulation, only a treasure of the Xuanmu Vine Gourd’s level might offer him a chance to turn things around.

...

A few days later.

Lan Chang'an departed Yunxia Sect under the pretext of gathering materials and blood essence along the eastern coastal region.

Lord Earthrock followed its master on this journey.

True Monarch Purple Mist didn’t think much of it, assuming Xiang Dalong needed materials for body refining and puppet crafting.

Indeed, the eastern coast was richer in resources, making it easier to find such items.

Moreover, Lan Chang'an truly did set out toward the eastern coast to obtain demon king blood essence, body refining herbs, and spiritual items for Lord Earthrock.

Since he planned to travel to other provinces, Lan Chang'an also intended to make a profit by buying low and selling high.

Many marine resources from the Great Yuan coast could fetch high prices inland. In his previous life, he had cultivated in Great Kun and was familiar with the market there.

At Zixia Peak, Jiang Ziyan didn’t come to see him off.

“Last time, Dalong said goodbye in person…”

Recalling their last farewell, the wild, passionate three days and nights, Jiang Ziyan felt her heart flush with warmth, a faint blush rising on her stunning face.

Since she had advanced to mid-Nascent Soul, cracks had formed in their relationship. Xiang Dalong had become more distant, often retreating into seclusion.

Without the help of the “Dragon-Phoenix Dual Cauldron Technique,” her cultivation progress had slowed dramatically. Each small step forward in the mid-Nascent Soul stage had become grueling.

True Monarch Purple Mist resolved that she would find a chance to talk with him deeply and mend their relationship.

...

Soon after Lan Chang'an left Yunxia Sect.

The Northern-seated Emperor Yu, having preliminarily subdued the entire Great Luo Kingdom, at last returned to the Great Yu Kingdom.

In the imperial capital of Great Yu.

At the first court assembly following his return, Emperor Yu received grave news:

True Monarch Iron Calculation had fallen ill!

The fourth-rank divination grandmaster was now too weak to provide strategic counsel to the Great Yu Kingdom.

Emperor Yu was greatly disturbed.

Since their conquest victory, the imperial family had faced setback after setback, as if the war had drained their entire national fortune.

Core members of the Luo imperial line, the Ninth Prince and Princess Luo Qianshui had slipped through the kingdom-wide dragnet, becoming hidden threats.

Yunxia Sect now had two giants in one sect, forming a rising superpower that posed a potential threat to the throne.

Although Yunxia hadn’t expanded aggressively, Purple Mist Fairy had been engaging in discreet dealings with powerful factions and alliance leaders in the Central Region, subtly revealing her ambition.

Xiang Dalong had seized vast resources during the war, and his power had grown to immeasurable levels.

That night.

Emperor Yu entered the imperial ancestral grounds and met with the increasingly frail and aged clan patriarch.

“Iron Calculation fell ill… was it because of Xiang Dalong?”

From the patriarch, Emperor Yu learned an astonishing truth:

It turned out that during their investigation into traitors within the imperial family, many issues were uncovered, leading Emperor Yu to purge a number of officials, which sowed fear and distrust in the palace.

Yet in the end, they still couldn’t identify the key informant who had colluded with Xiang Dalong.

In desperation, they asked True Monarch Iron Calculation to perform a powerful divination.

At that time, rumors had already begun to circulate from the Yunxia Sect that a brief but unusual tribulation phenomenon had appeared above Yunlan Peak.

The court had also traded numerous body-refining resources and secret techniques with Xiang Dalong, leading them to suspect he might have attempted to break into fourth-rank body refinement.

Whether he succeeded or not remained unknown.

Since both matters were tied to Xiang Dalong, and concerned the future landscape of the Great Yu Kingdom, True Monarch Iron Calculation could only ignore the costs and use his lifespan to forcefully pierce through the mists of fate.

The imperial family finally got their answer.

But it cost Iron Calculation dearly, he suffered backlash from Heavenly secrets, fell gravely ill, and had his lifespan shortened.

“Evergreen Technique old monster… Fourth-Rank Body Refinement… Fourth-Rank Puppet Master… Fourth-Rank Divination Master…”

“Suspected of possessing multiple fourth-rank puppets! Power unfathomable! Origins mysterious…”

Learning the result of the divination, Emperor Yu’s expression shifted rapidly, his gaze turning blank as he fell into long silence.

There was no traitor.

Xiang Dalong was a rare anomaly in the cultivation world.

An old monster of the Evergreen Technique!

A decrepit immortal of unknown age!

As an emperor who ruled supreme over the Central Region, Emperor Yu now realized he had been played like a puppet by this ancient monster.

The imperial family’s prized body-refining materials and secret techniques had been handed over to help this monster achieve a nearly unheard-of level of Fourth-Rank Body Refinement.

At this thought, Emperor Yu’s face turned ashen. His blood surged and his head buzzed with anger.

“Do not act out of rage!”

“The divination only reveals part of the truth. What’s known may be just the tip of the iceberg.”

“With what we know already, even at your peak and with me aiding you, we may still not be able to defeat him.”

The old patriarch’s voice was bitter.

Emperor Yu took a deep breath. As he calmed down, a deep sense of powerlessness rose in his chest.

This was merely part of Xiang Dalong’s background, one of the “Twin Dragons of Central Region.”

After much discussion, Emperor Yu and the patriarch reached the same conclusion:

This old monster of Evergreen Technique was not to be provoked.

Fortunately, Xiang Dalong didn’t seem to bear any malice toward the imperial family, nor did he show signs of ambition.

From his act of saving hundreds of thousands of cultivators during the war, he didn’t seem like a wicked person, perhaps more neutral or walking the line between good and evil.

Even so, both men remained deeply wary of him and anxious about the future.

If someone so powerful and inscrutable was secretly supporting True Monarch Purple Mist’s ambitions behind the scenes…

How could the imperial family possibly resist?

...

However, not long after.

The imperial family received news that Xiang Dalong had left Yunxia Sect and gone to the eastern coastal region.

One year later, Xiang Dalong vanished from Great Yuan.