Eternal Life by Daily Divination

’Do I really seem that weak?’

Li Chang’an mulled it over. ’No, it’s probably because Ye Mengxian is just too strong.’

An ordinary Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator, even one at the Late Stage, wouldn’t have been able to withstand more than a few of her sword strikes.

Each of these Golden Core Seeds possessed the means to crush ordinary Cultivators of the same rank.

“Rest assured, Daoist Nie. I am unharmed. However, that Li Fan has some skill, and he managed to escape.”

Li Chang’an used the Wood Seed to have Ye Mengxian reply.

Afterward, he had Ye Mengxian change into her usual robes, restoring her ethereal, fairy-like appearance.

Ye Mengxian went to the courtyard, opened the gate, and invited Nie Wushuang inside to talk.

Nie Wushuang was a little surprised.

“Daoist Ye, that Li Fan actually managed to escape from you?”

“Yes. He is no ordinary Tribulation Cultivator; he’s quite capable.”

After they talked for a while, a flash of Spiritual Light appeared in Nie Wushuang’s hand, revealing a translucent Jade Box.

Through the box, a sword-shaped Spirit Fruit was faintly visible.

“Daoist Ye, this is a Tier Three Spirit Fruit, the Sword Soul Fruit. Consuming it can enhance one’s comprehension of the Sword Dao. Each Cultivator can only take one in their lifetime, and I have already had mine.”

Clearly, he intended to offer this Sword Soul Fruit as a gift.

The Ye Mengxian of the past would naturally have refused.

But Li Chang’an had no such reservations.

’This guy is really generous, willing to part with a Tier Three Spirit Fruit!’

He immediately had Ye Mengxian accept the gift.

Ye Mengxian’s voice was still cold, but it no longer held the same distant feeling that kept everyone at arm’s length.

“Thank you, Daoist Nie!”

“It’s merely a piece of fruit!”

Nie Wushuang waved his hand dismissively, but inwardly, he was delighted.

’No matter what, she’s finally willing to accept a gift.’

’This is my breakthrough.’

’As long as nothing goes wrong, our relationship will only get better from here.’

The ancient texts of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect recorded that if one could form a Dao partnership with a Cultivator possessing an Innate Sword Bone and cultivate together, their own Sword Dao would be nourished by the Sword Bone. Their comprehension of the Sword Dao would advance by leaps and bounds, far surpassing their previous pace.

As long as he and Ye Mengxian could ultimately be united, any Treasure he had to offer would be worth it.

After a short while, Nie Wushuang departed.

Ye Mengxian walked back into her bedchamber and handed the Sword Soul Fruit to Li Chang’an.

“Thank you, Daoist Ye!”

Li Chang’an smiled, taking the Jade Box containing the Sword Soul Fruit from her hand.

He immediately opened the Jade Box.

In an instant, a potent Sword Intent, accompanied by a rich, clear fragrance, surged out from within.

Without hesitation, Li Chang’an swallowed the Sword Soul Fruit in one gulp and began the Refinement of its medicinal power.

A moment later, he sensed a faint improvement in his Sword Dao.

He had only refined a small portion of its medicinal power for now.

The vast majority settled throughout his Meridians, waiting to be slowly absorbed over time.

’Using Ye Mengxian to deal with Nie Wushuang might be feasible, but the risk is a bit high. I can’t pin all my hopes on it.’

Li Chang’an mused to himself that this was merely a backup plan, and not a very reliable one at that.

His only truly reliable option was the Tier Three Evil Soul.

…

「Half a month later.」

Using a new identity, Li Chang’an went to the Black Market.

He found Luo Baitong and inquired about the situation with the Soul trade.

“Daoist Luo, how many Demonic Cultivators can you contact right now?”

Luo Baitong immediately produced a list.

“Daoist Li, I’ve contacted more than ten people. They are all willing to sell Souls, but they don’t have large quantities. The most anyone has is just over a thousand, while the least has only a few dozen. The prices and quality vary.”

“As long as there are some!”

A smile spread across Li Chang’an’s face.

Finding more than ten Demon Cultivators willing to sell Souls in such a short time…

This proved that Souls were more common within the Demon Sects than Zhao Ming had previously made it seem.

Next, through Luo Baitong’s introductions, Li Chang’an met with the dozen or so Demon Cultivators.

After some discussion, they quickly reached a deal.

In total, these ten-plus individuals sold him over four thousand Souls at prices even lower than what Zhao Ming had offered.

One of them said, “Daoist, we’ve recently been looking for a Cultivator named Li Fan. If you happen to know his whereabouts, please let us know.”

“That’s right. The Fourth Saint Child is offering a reward for that Li Fan.”

“But that Li Fan is no pushover. I heard he managed to escape from that Innate Sword Bone of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. You’d best be careful, Daoist…”

Soon, a bounty notice for Li Fan appeared in the Black Market.

Li Chang’an walked over to take a look and was taken aback.

The reward was three thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

Converted to Low Grade Spirit Stones, that was a full 300,000!

The Fourth Saint Child was truly extravagant, willing to spend so many Spirit Stones just for his head.

’This guy must be loaded. I wonder how many Souls he has on him?’

Li Chang’an stood before the bounty notice, pondering for a moment.

As one of the four Saint Children of the Yin Soul Sect, the Fourth Saint Child was bound to have a considerable number of Souls.

If Li Chang’an could obtain them, it would accelerate the rate at which his Evil Soul could match a True Pill.

’I should wait. The Yin Soul Sect was only recently established, and I still don’t know their full details. I also don’t know how many old monsters from the Demon Sects have arrived. There’s likely more than just the one Golden Core Cultivator they’ve shown publicly.’

Li Chang’an temporarily suppressed this thought and turned to leave.

…

In the days that followed, he remained on Changqing Mountain, cultivating in seclusion.

Although he rarely left, he was still able to keep up with all the news from the Southern Domain Cultivation Immortality Realm.

This was because those he controlled, such as Xie Jiang and Ye Mengxian, were all core figures in their respective Sects.

Through them, Li Chang’an could learn of major world events without ever stepping foot outside.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

During these five years, Ye Hao’s Huanghe Alliance remained locked in Magical Combat with the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage.

As expected, Huang He Master never made a move himself, merely ordering his subordinates to suppress the Huanghe Alliance.