Chapter 114: It’s About to Begin
"Choose option two."
As Li Changsheng made his choice, a surge of vital energy flooded into his body.
Boom!
The energy surged through him, and he could clearly feel the changes within his body. Although he was still far from the next breakthrough in the Divine Demon Nine Revolutions, his physical cultivation had undoubtedly improved.
"To achieve this level of improvement, I'd need at least forty more simulations!"
Li Changsheng frowned slightly.
Each simulation now cost ten billion spirit stones. Forty simulations would amount to four trillion spirit stones, and including the fees, it would total five trillion.
The value of the top sects in the Cangqing World certainly exceeded four trillion spirit stones, but that was only if you included all their assets and valuable possessions. The cultivators within these sects also consumed a massive amount of spirit stones for their daily cultivation.
No sect could afford to produce such a large sum of spirit stones at once.
"Forget it. For now, I'll continue steady development. According to the simulation, there's no danger before I condense the Immortal Spirit Body."
"By the time I emerge from the blessed land, the Hundred Herbs Pavilion should have enough spirit stones!"
Li Changsheng murmured to himself.
It wasn't that he didn't want to take risks. The reason Lin Yan could open the blessed land was still unknown, and he had no idea where the blessed land was located. The only way to find it was to not alter the course of events.
If he were to suddenly amass such a huge amount of wealth, it could cause chaos in the Cangqing World, which might interfere with the events surrounding Lin Yan. That wouldn't be good.
Li Changsheng glanced at Lin Yan and then walked toward the counter.
"Manager."
The cultivators of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion bowed respectfully when they saw Li Changsheng.
Although they didn't know Li Changsheng's exact identity, the Ten Thousand Beasts City branch of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion was entirely under his control. They suspected that Manager Li was the disciple of a high-ranking figure in the headquarters.
He might even be the descendant of the Human Immortal powerhouse in the headquarters.
Thus, everyone in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion treated Li Changsheng with utmost respect.
"Hmm."
Li Changsheng nodded, briefly surveyed the apprentices, including Lin Yan, and then turned to leave.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the Profound Heaven Sect did not disturb him.
Song Xiu, after being warned by his father, rarely left the sect and only occasionally came out to chat and dine with Li Changsheng. He no longer visited the Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
Li Changsheng, on the other hand, still went there occasionally, but he never saw Song Feiyan again.
Thousands of miles outside the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, at the edge of the Blackwater Swamp, Li Changsheng hid his figure in the void, observing Lin Yan and several outer disciples of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect as they cautiously advanced.
Over the past two years, he had observed Lin Yan and even checked his bone structure and bloodline while he slept. There was nothing extraordinary about him, nor did he detect the presence of a "golden finger" or an old mentor.
He was just a young man with damaged spiritual roots.
"Senior Brother He, are you sure the Solitary Spirit Grass can be found at the edge of the Blackwater Swamp?"
Lin Yan, walking at the back of the group, asked in a low voice.
As an alchemy apprentice in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, Lin Yan had become a first-grade alchemist over the past two years. Although he was still a novice, he knew that the Solitary Spirit Grass, which thrived in dry environments, shouldn't be found in the Blackwater Swamp.
They had originally come to the Blackwater Swamp to complete a sect mission. After finishing the mission and preparing to return, Senior Brother He suddenly suggested they go pick a second-grade Solitary Spirit Grass.
Senior Brother He was the highest cultivator among them, at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Once he spoke, the others naturally followed.
At first, Lin Yan didn't suspect anything, but as they ventured deeper into the Blackwater Swamp, he began to feel uneasy.
Although Foundation Establishment-level beasts occasionally appeared in the outer regions of the Blackwater Swamp, they weren't a significant threat.
But now, they were approaching the limit of where they could safely go. Beyond this point was the territory of Golden Core-level beasts, far beyond the capabilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Ah!"
Senior Brother He, who was leading the group, stopped and let out a long sigh.
"I didn't want to do this, but they offered too much," Senior Brother He turned to look at Lin Yan and said in a low voice.
What?
The other outer disciples of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect tensed up. Was Senior Brother He planning to attack them?
"Are you targeting me?"
Lin Yan asked quietly.
"That's right. Someone doesn't want you alive. They offered me three thousand spirit stones to lead you deep into the Blackwater Swamp and into the territory of a powerful Golden Core beast. That way, when you die, no one will suspect anything," Senior Brother He shook his head and said indifferently.
"But we haven't entered the Golden Core beast's territory yet."
Lin Yan said coldly, "And Senior Brother He, you're only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Do you really think you can take on all five of us alone?"
"That's right. Attempting to harm fellow disciples is a capital offense!" a mid-Foundation Establishment outer disciple of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect said coldly.
There were three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators and two early Foundation Establishment cultivators in their group. How could Senior Brother He, alone, think he could kill all of them? He was underestimating them!
"Junior Brother Sun, the usual me would naturally not be your match."
Senior Brother He shook his head, a cold smile on his face. He tapped his spirit beast bag, and a spider measuring several meters in length, with a human-like face and emitting a terrifying aura, appeared not far from Lin Yan and the others.
"A Foundation Establishment peak Ghost-Face Spider!"
"This…"
Lin Yan and the others were shocked.
Although the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had sword cultivators, body cultivators, and spell cultivators, the most popular path was spirit beast taming—forming contracts with spirit beasts and using them as their primary means of combat.
Originally, the five of them had an absolute advantage over Senior Brother He, but the appearance of a Foundation Establishment peak Ghost-Face Spider completely changed the situation.
"Attack together!"
"Don't hold back, or we're all dead!"
Junior Brother Sun shouted, wielding a mid-grade magical artifact staff. He charged toward the Ghost-Face Spider with a flurry of powerful strikes. He was a body cultivator.
"Kill!"
Seeing this, the others didn't hesitate. Lin Yan and the other three attacked Senior Brother He simultaneously.
Junior Brother Sun wouldn't be able to hold off the Ghost-Face Spider for long. Their only chance of survival was to take down Senior Brother He first.
Li Changsheng hid in the void, watching the battle unfold, and shook his head slightly.
Although Senior Brother He's cultivation level was mediocre, his Ghost-Face Spider was a genuine Foundation Establishment peak beast. Junior Brother Sun wouldn't last more than three minutes. If they had no other means, this fight would likely end quickly.
Moreover, while Lin Yan and the others hadn't noticed, Li Changsheng had already spotted over a dozen black-clad figures surrounding them. About ten miles away, two individuals were observing the battle with a magical artifact. One of them, an elderly servant, had the cultivation level of a Golden Core peak.
"Young Master, why go through all this trouble for a mere Lin Yan? Just let this old servant kill him directly," the elderly servant activated the Heavenly Mirror with his spiritual energy and asked in a low voice.
"Killing the others is one thing," the young man in luxurious robes shook his head, "but Lin Yan grew up with Xun'er and is very close to her."
"If Xun'er finds out that Lin Yan's death was orchestrated, she'll definitely investigate. If she uncovers even the slightest clue, it would be troublesome!"
"It's a shame Lin Yan didn't fall for the trap. It would have been best if he died at the hands of that Golden Core-level tiger."
"Once Lin Yan is dealt with, these people don't need to live either. You'll handle them personally later. Don't leave any loose ends!"