Chapter 754 - 592: Arrival at Wulan Mountain

Ji An paused for a moment, a look of surprise and joy appeared on his face.

Ever since he advanced to the Golden Core Stage, even if he didn’t deliberately activate the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture, the cultivation technique operated at a slow pace, becoming instinctive.

He had asked his fellow sect members, and none of them had this sensation. It could be said Ji An had embarked on a little-known broad road, cultivating at all times, even while sleeping.

However, although the cultivation technique was constantly in operation, its speed was extremely slow at first, requiring two double hours of cultivation to equate several months of slow operation.

Now the situation had changed again; the technique, when not actively driven, operated almost ten times faster, equivalent to cultivating an extra three to four double hours per month compared to other cultivators.

Although it was still far from the improvements brought by actively operating the cultivation technique, it meant there was still room for further advancement.

Currently, the Dao Seed was just a top-grade. What if it reached a higher tier?

With the aid of the Stone Turtle, as long as he could find a stable method to continuously acquire Dao Rhyme, his rate of improvement would surpass everyone, including those Golden Core Middle Stage cultivators who reincarnated and practiced again, breaking the Mystery of the Womb.

Ji An’s breathing unintentionally became heavier as he felt as if a current was surging through his body, filling him with exhilaration.

Moreover, the light produced by the Five Elements Divine Mansion was generated by the ten inverted Dao Seeds, indicating that the Golden Core was constantly subjected to the refinement of the Five Qi in his chest.

Slow and steady work achieves success; at this moment, Ji An felt more confident in breaking through the mid-stage Golden Core bottleneck.

Many things in life yield results with persistence; with constant refinement day and night, there’s no reason the bottleneck won’t loosen.

If Ji An were a disciple of a Nascent Soul Grand Sect, a Daoist Monarch in the sect would be overjoyed to learn of this.

His current state could only be achieved through secret techniques by late-stage Golden Core cultivators; very few incredibly gifted mid-stage Golden Core cultivators could achieve this.

"Pa!"

Ji An suddenly slapped his thigh, "If I knew such a fortunate thing would happen, I would have done it long ago!"

He didn’t expect that all ten Dao Seeds reaching top-grade would result in such a delightful change, regretting not having actively tried sooner.

Silently, he resolved that if there was a chance to break through to Nascent Soul, he must elevate all the Dao Seeds to a higher tier beforehand, which might significantly aid the breakthrough.

At this moment, there were still three double hours left until 5:00 PM. Ji An entered the little world, bringing out the Golden Fur and instructed:

"Guard outside and notify me immediately if anything happens."

The little creature nodded like a chicken pecking at grains, "Chirp chirp."

Ji An re-entered the little world, consumed a Li Fire Immortal Apricot, and began practicing the Bing Fire Divine Thunder.

Once his magical power was half-consumed, he stopped, sat cross-legged under the Gathering Essence Tree, and began cultivating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.

After one double hour, Ji An opened his eyes and vigorously waved his fist, sighing toward the sky:

"I should have upgraded the Dao Seed tier sooner."

While cultivating, the speed of refining spiritual energy increased by more than ten percent. The lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator is considerably long, typically around five hundred years, translating to over fifty extra years of cultivation time.

His mindset at that moment was like someone who dreamt of winning the lottery, persistently buying a set of numbers, only to miss the purchase one day due to circumstances, and that very set winning the jackpot.

Fainting from frustration is a light reaction; it might even bring about a fatal heart attack.

...

At 5:00 PM, the summoned Golden Core cultivators, under the leadership of Pingtian True Monarch, boarded a flying ship about a hundred feet long, accompanied by several hundred Chao Origin Stage cultivators.

Ji An marveled at the power of the Central Continent, realizing that even a partial mobilization from a single Immortal City could easily crush the Western Continent.

One should venture out more to understand the vastness of the world and the complexity of human nature.

The flying ship, dark as ink, emitted a glow from Dharma Prohibitions at its bottom, and from the dispersing spiritual pressure, this flying ship turned out to be a magical treasure!

There’s a saying from his previous life, ’poverty limits imagination,’ and now he exemplified one whose imagination was constrained. The entire Western Continent lacked the capability to refine spirit ships, yet here Ji An encountered a flying ship of magical treasure tier.

Once everyone boarded the spirit ship and lined up on the deck, Pingtian True Monarch briefly encouraged them with a few words.

Finally, he cleared his throat and said:

"Each Golden Core cultivator takes one cabin, and other disciples share five per cabin. We’ll reach Wulan Mountain by dawn, and you can rest in your cabins.

We will enter Wulan Mountain in a rejuvenated state, and I’ll assign your stationed locations before entering."

Having said that, he led the way into the cabin. Actually, if the flying ship traveled at full speed, it could cover a distance of five thousand miles in two double hours, but there was no need to enter the Wulan Mountain region at night.

Ji An chose a cabin adjacent to the one shared by the Wan Brothers and Sisters, considering they’d mentioned being stationed together.

Wan Jinrong said, "Should we discuss how to proceed from here?"

Master Miaohua shook her head, smiling faintly:

"Brother, your main task is to stay behind doing logistics at the station, whereas I need to enter the mist-covered area to carry out tasks without opportunities to act together.

I won’t join your discussion, conserving energy for tomorrow."

Saying thus, she entered her cabin and closed the door.

Wan Jinrong scratched his head, saying:

"I have no authority before this sister, especially regarding magical combat, where there’s an enormous gap between us.

She has a record of slaying a Golden Core Stage demon beast, fighting alone, and her opponent was a Copper-Horned Rhinoceros, known for its strong defenses."

Many people are deceived by his younger sister’s appearance, thinking she is delicate and pitiful, but that’s not the case at all; she is a true example of being outwardly soft yet inwardly strong.

"Taking down a Golden Core Stage Copper-Horned Rhinoceros alone, impressive!"

Ji An praised. The Copper-Horned Rhinoceros is a type of Gold Element Demon Beast, as if cast from red copper, with a body of copper skin and iron bones that has a strong resistance to magic techniques and sharp weapon damage.

Some Early-stage Golden Core Cultivators might not even break the beast’s defense after exhausting all their magical power.

"Indeed," Wan Jinrong sighed, as cultivators are ranked by their cultivation and battle prowess. In both aspects, he is outmatched by his sister.

Ji An inwardly smirked and changed the topic, asking:

"Fellow Daoist, do you know the current situation of Wulan Mountain?"

"I haven’t paid much attention to it since leaving Wulan Mountain years ago. Tomorrow, the True Monarch will naturally inform us of the real situation."

He lowered his voice and continued:

"Although my main task is logistics, I still have the heart to fight on the frontlines.

If the True Demon Tribulation fully erupts in the future, even Array Masters, Artifact Refiners, and Alchemists might have to risk their lives in battle.

Now is the time to accumulate combat experience, while ensuring safety as the intensity is not too great. What do you think?"

His expression turned serious. No one can remain uninvolved when a catastrophe strikes, and every cultivator must master magical combat abilities.

Years ago, he experienced the tragedy of losing all team members during a mission, making him acutely aware of his own shortcomings. He needed improvement; otherwise, if he, an Artifact Refiner, is required to charge into battle, he’d be at a loss.

Ji An nodded in agreement, "I feel the same way."

"Haha, I’ll bring Jinru along for actions in the future, ensuring safety.

By the way, Jinru is my younger sister, Master Miaohua."

Wan Jinrong was quite happy, truly intent on honing his magical combat skills.

With three Golden Core Daoist Masters venturing out together, as long as they don’t stray too far from the base, it’s unlikely they’ll encounter significant danger.

...

The following day.

Pingtian True Monarch divided the Golden Core Cultivators into nine groups, each group with three people.

Ji An, Wan Jinrong, and Wan Jinru were in a team, assigned to the deepest part of Wulan Mountain, five hundred li from the True Monarch’s base.

Ji An was quite puzzled, wondering how Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion could be so relaxed allowing two direct disciples to undertake such a dangerous task?

In normal terrain, a distance of five hundred li is nothing, but in a region shrouded with demonic qi, it’s a different story altogether.

Should the base be breached, such a distance likely means they wouldn’t wait for the True Monarch’s rescue in time.

Inwardly, he felt uneasy, but the Wan siblings remained unperturbed, appearing unconcerned about their safety.

After assigning tasks to the Golden Core Cultivators, the True Monarch waved his hand and said:

"Now let’s gather on the deck. Each team leader will select Chao Origin Stage disciples as members; each team has thirty people."

The crowd filed out in an orderly fashion. Wan Jinrong was the team leader, with eighty percent of the members skilled in magical combat, while the rest were various craftsmen keeping the base operational.

Wan Jinrong asked, "Shall we accompany you to select your team members?"

Wan Jinru gently shook her head, "No need, I can handle it myself."

Her brother excelled in Artifact Refining, but selecting excellent teammates for combat wasn’t his strong suit.

Wan Jinrong was pleased with his leisure and said no more.

Soon enough, Wan Jinru had chosen enough team members. She brought them back, saying:

"These two are Master Jinrong and Master Xuanqing. After reaching the base, Array Masters, Artifact Refiners, Alchemists, and others will follow them, and they’ll assign tasks. Does everyone understand?"

All the disciples shouted in unison, "We diligently follow the command."

The flying ship picked up speed, and after a while, Ji An saw the edge of Wulan Mountain.

The gray fog obscured the view, but Ji An had eyes capable of piercing through the fog.

At this moment, the sun shone brightly, but the mist showed no sign of dissipating. The plants inside were already showing signs of slight diseased changes; leaves began to curl, and numerous tumors grew on the branches.

The flying ship entered the fog-covered area, and Ji An immediately felt an ominous chill, with faint crying sounds echoing around his ears.

Pingtian Daoist Master’s voice came through:

"These mists seem to have life. Cultivators shouldn’t be exposed outside for long periods; it’s best to consume a Vajra Pill or activate a Purifying Talisman.

If you are on a mission outside, be even more cautious.

Vajra Pills and Purifying Talismans are supplies stored at each base. Once everyone arrives at the base, supplies will naturally be distributed."

The flying ship continued onward, and after roughly half an hour, Ji An saw the first fortress.

The fortress walls, built of giant stones, were a full ten feet thick, radiating a gentle white light from within, resembling the bright moonlight, dispelling the thick mist, allowing the fortress a visibility of about three hundred feet.

This was the brilliance emitted by the Purification Array; this area was impervious to demonic qi, but would also become a thorn in the side of demon lords and True Demons.