Chapter 296 ·The Second Building Taken Into the Life-Bound Magic Treasure

‘A ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Flying Sword Message for me?’

This ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍immediately caught Ji Yuan’s attention.

Ever ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍since they had abandoned Shang Mountain and begun defending the Pill Refining Room, he had seemingly lost all contact with the Water Dragon Sect, his nominal sect.

He ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍had considered returning to the sect several times.

However, ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍he had never found a suitable opportunity.

For ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍one thing, he had too many responsibilities to leave. For another, he had no suitable group to travel with.

Given the current situation, returning to the Water Dragon Sect all by himself… Ji Yuan felt that would be rather dangerous.

Besides, life at the Pill Refining Room was quite comfortable. Especially after Ice-Fire Elder arrived, nobody oppressed him, he suffered no grievances, and he even received a little special consideration.

During this period, he had also sent Hua Yaoyue a Flying Sword Message, but he had never received a reply.

Now, it seemed that one of these two Flying Sword Messages might be from Hua Yaoyue.

With that thought, Ji Yuan immediately sent a reply to Island Lord Red Flower.

“Junior Sister, please wait a moment. I’ll be right over.”

As for the matter Li Changhe and Liu Qingshan had mentioned, Ji Yuan did not particularly care.

A few people had died. That was all.

It was perfectly normal.

Ji Yuan would not find someone’s death unusual merely because that person had once had a minor disagreement with him.

Given the current state of the world, anyone could die at any moment.

That was especially true for members of the Demon-Hunting Squad, who constantly walked the line between life and death.

Dying and having one’s Dao extinguished was an entirely ordinary outcome. Ji Yuan had considered precisely this possibility when he unhesitatingly rejected Ice-Fire Elder’s offer.

No matter how valuable the Six Sects’ treasures for assisting Core Formation might be, one had to remain alive to enjoy them.

Thus, while leaving his residence and heading toward Island Lord Red Flower’s dwelling, Ji Yuan sent messages to Li Changhe and Liu Qingshan.

“What a pity. I suppose I’ll mourn him for a little while.”

Li Changhe replied quickly.

His message even began with an emotional sigh.

“Tsk, tsk. Old Ji, that saying of yours really makes sense. In this world, strength is certainly important, but what truly matters is who lives the longest.”

“As long as you live long enough, even if you can’t kill your enemies, you can outlive them.”

Liu Qingshan’s reply came a little later, but his message was far more straightforward.

He laughed heartily as he said:

“Big Brother Ji, hearing this news made me feel absolutely wonderful! What a satisfying turn of events! Truly satisfying!”

Hearing their messages, Ji Yuan merely smiled and paid them little attention. Instead, his thoughts turned to another matter.

Previously, he had excavated a tunnel underground and tried placing eleven jin of Voidstone inside it to see whether he could establish a building called a “Voidstone Mineral Vein.”

Unfortunately, the attempt had failed.

Since the Voidstone could not be used to establish a building, he could only use it to incorporate existing buildings into his Life-Bound Magic Treasure.

Although eleven jin would not be enough to accommodate large buildings such as the 【Heavenly Craft Workshop】 or 【Dao Comprehension Room】.

Perhaps it would be enough for smaller buildings like the 【Chicken Coop】 or 【Wine Cellar】.

Should he save these eleven jin of Voidstone for incorporating larger buildings later, or should he first incorporate the smaller buildings into his Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain?

After some consideration.

Ji Yuan decided to see which buildings he could incorporate into his Life-Bound Magic Treasure first.

After all, according to the panel, every building incorporated into the treasure would increase its power.

Since he currently possessed the necessary resources, he naturally ought to convert those resources into strength as quickly as possible.

Saving resources… saving them was not particularly reliable.

It was the same principle as the saying, “While the enemy stockpiles grain, I stockpile guns. The enemy’s granary will become mine.”

Voidstone was something other people could save. As for himself, Ji Yuan felt that accumulating strength was much better.

While pondering this, he soon arrived at Island Lord Red Flower’s residence within the Pill Refining Room.

Island Lord Red Flower could be considered Ji Yuan’s Junior Sister, since she had only reached Foundation Establishment after he did. Even now, she was merely a Middle Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Her strength was still relatively limited, so Real Person Hunter Owl had not assigned her dangerous duties such as defending the city walls. Instead, he had entrusted her with handling incoming and outgoing Flying Sword Messages, along with various miscellaneous affairs.

As for Liu Qingshan, whose cultivation was even weaker, there was even less need to mention him. His proper place was overseeing pill refinement within the city.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Wuyou.”

Island Lord Red Flower appeared to be a delicate, gentle female cultivator. However, Ji Yuan remembered Li Changhe once mentioning that she was skilled in using poison…

“Junior Sister Red Flower, there’s no need for such courtesy.”

Ji Yuan spoke with a polite smile on his face.

Island Lord Red Flower returned his greeting, then retrieved two miniature Flying Swords from inside her residence. Both bore tiny formation patterns and emitted faint white light.

“These two Flying Sword Messages are both addressed to Senior Brother.”

Ji Yuan first handed over one hundred Middle-Grade Spirit Stones before accepting the two Flying Swords.

He could only say that the “delivery fees,” or perhaps “communication fees,” in the Immortal Cultivation World were outrageously expensive.

Fortunately, only long-distance Flying Sword Messages sent across different regions were this costly. Short-distance communication through Communication Talismans was practically free.

After receiving the two Flying Swords, Ji Yuan hurried back to his Cave Dwelling.

Only then did he take the message-bearing Flying Swords out of his Storage Pouch. He had already examined them carefully with his Divine Sense on the way back.

One was a reply from Hua Yaoyue.

The other… was unexpectedly a message from his old friend, Liu Yuan.

It was rare for Liu Yuan to contact him. Could something important have happened?

Ji Yuan first sent his Divine Sense into that Flying Sword, wanting to know why Liu Yuan had contacted him.

Soon, the voice of the “Little Sword Immortal” sounded in his mind.

“Brother Ji, have you been well lately? It’s me, Old Liu. I heard about the sect’s arrangements today. Apparently, I’m being sent to defend the Wangcheng Mountain Pill Refining Room. I made some inquiries beforehand and heard that you’re there. That’s wonderful! I was worried I’d be lonely after arriving.”

“No need to reply. I heard we’ll be departing very soon. By the time you receive this Flying Sword Message, I should already be on the road. Let’s meet at Wangcheng Mountain.”

The message was not particularly long, but it delighted Ji Yuan.

He did not have many friends, but Liu Yuan was undoubtedly one of them.

Whether it was their initial assignment defending Linshui City or the later incident involving the Spiritual Vein at Liancheng Mountain.

Ji Yuan had experienced quite a few life-and-death situations alongside him.

For the two of them to meet again at this Pill Refining Room could certainly be considered fate.

Flying Sword Messages were disposable by nature, which was precisely why they were so expensive.

Thus, once Ji Yuan finished listening, the Flying Sword immediately shattered.

He then sent his Divine Sense into the second Flying Sword, and the long-absent voice of his master sounded in his mind.

“I’m doing well. Don’t worry.”

The moment Ji Yuan heard those words, he knew she had received his Flying Sword Message.

After all, when he had contacted her, his primary concern had been her well-being.

“Everything in the sect is fine. I’ve moved your Wuyou Island near my Wangyou Island. You needn’t worry while you’re away.”

This second sentence finally resolved the problem that had been weighing on Ji Yuan’s mind.

His Wuyou Island had originally been situated at the very outskirts of the Water Dragon Sect.

If the Water Dragon Sect reduced the coverage of its Guardian Sect Formation even slightly, Wuyou Island would be left outside the formation.

And even if that did not happen, should Demonic Cultivators attack, Wuyou Island would still be among the most dangerous locations.

Now, however, everything was fine. With Hua Yaoyue personally intervening, he had nothing to worry about.

Ji Yuan trusted that she would not investigate the secrets hidden on his island. And even if she really did investigate…

Just as a master trusted her personal disciple, that disciple would likewise trust his master.

“Your Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister both suffered fairly serious injuries on Shang Mountain. Be careful while you’re away, and don’t recklessly compete or fight with others. If you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, simply return to Wangyou Island.”

What?

Ran Kui and Feng Zhitao had been injured on Shang Mountain again?!

Ji Yuan’s first reaction was surprise, but after thinking about it, he found the situation understandable.

They had probably been injured when Shang Mountain was abandoned and the numerous disciples began fleeing for their lives.

Otherwise, if they had merely been defending Shang Mountain, given Ran Kui’s experience… even if he had been injured, it should not have been this serious.

But since they had returned to the Water Dragon Sect, Hua Yaoyue was there, and Ji Yuan had already given them Blood Aura Pills beforehand.

There should not be any major problems.

As for Hua Yaoyue’s final words, they brought Ji Yuan a measure of reassurance.

No matter how dangerous the outside world became, as long as Hua Yaoyue was present somewhere, he could feel at ease.

Once he returned to Hua Yaoyue’s side, Ji Yuan could finally relax completely.

The sense of security she gave him was even greater than what his panel provided.

Hua Yaoyue had never been particularly talkative, so her message ended there.

The Flying Sword disintegrated.

Ji Yuan casually swept away the powder and began attending to other matters.

Using the Spiritual Wine he carried in his Storage Pouch, he activated the 【Wine Cellar】 building.

Through this, he learned that incorporating the 【Wine Cellar】 would cost ten jin of Voidstone.

The 【Kitchen】 was equally easy to activate, and its incorporation cost was also ten jin of Voidstone.

Afterward, he obtained several Spiritual Fish from Liu Qingshan and attempted to activate the 【Fish Pond】.

Incorporating this building would cost twenty jin of Voidstone.

As for the 【Pigsty】 and 【Chicken Coop】, Ji Yuan constructed the necessary structures and assigned them building designations, activating their effects to determine their incorporation costs.

The 【Chicken Coop】 also required ten jin of Voidstone.

However, the 【Pigsty】 required twenty jin.

The 【Spiritual Field】 was even more expensive. Perhaps because of its large area, incorporating it actually required fifty jin of Voidstone.

But a hundred mu of Spiritual Fields counted as a Spiritual Field, and a Spiritual Field only one meter across was still a Spiritual Field. Why charge so much for it?

He could not determine the costs for the 【Mass Burial Ground】 or 【Beehouse】.

As for the remaining new building, the 【Sword Cottage】, Ji Yuan had originally thought the panel might give him a little consideration because he specialized in sword cultivation and possessed Sword Embryos.

Unexpectedly, it actually required forty jin of Voidstone.

None of them were cheap.

After all, even a Nascent Soul family like the Li Family, which had existed for thousands of years, possessed a stockpile of only eleven jin.

Yet even the cheapest buildings on the panel required ten jin of Voidstone… His Life-Bound Magic Treasure truly was a bottomless pit for resources.

Therefore, his next task was to choose between the 【Wine Cellar】, 【Kitchen】, and 【Chicken Coop】, incorporating one of them to increase the power of his Life-Bound Magic Treasure.

After thinking about it briefly, Ji Yuan realized there was hardly any choice to make.

Neither the 【Wine Cellar】 nor the 【Kitchen】 was particularly essential.

However, the Three-Colored Spirit Eggs produced by the 【Chicken Coop】 were resources Ji Yuan desperately needed.

Especially after his cultivation reached Peak Foundation Establishment, his consumption of them had increased considerably.

Therefore, incorporating the 【Chicken Coop】 into the Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain was the most suitable option.

Having made his decision, he immediately acted.

As soon as Ji Yuan chose to begin incorporating the 【Chicken Coop】, a phantom image of the Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain appeared in his mind.

Its purpose was to allow Ji Yuan to select which floor and location would house the building.

There was little to consider.

The Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain currently had five floors, with the 【Cave Dwelling】 situated on the third.

Ji Yuan certainly could not allow a flock of chickens to defecate and urinate above his head, so he placed the building on the lowest floor.

As soon as he selected the location, ten jin of Voidstone disappeared from his Storage Pouch. Meanwhile, on the first floor of the Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain… a new piece of land appeared within what had originally been a chaotic, indistinct space.

Ji Yuan looked down from above and discovered that the process was practically equivalent to creating land.

Furthermore, a line of white text floated above the building.

【Chicken Coop: lv3】

He could also vaguely sense that as long as the 【Chicken Coop】 was used to raise chickens, its interior space would be almost limitless. He could raise as many chickens as he wanted.

But if he tried storing anything else… it would not work.

A place meant for raising chickens could only be used to raise chickens.

There was another benefit to incorporating the 【Chicken Coop】. Ji Yuan had almost exhausted the Three-Colored Spirit Eggs he had brought with him when he last left home.

Now he could finally replenish his supply.

With the incorporation of the new building, Ji Yuan noticed that the Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain seemed to have become considerably harder. Or perhaps the color of the stone mountain had simply deepened slightly.

He just did not know how much its power had increased.

He would have to find some thick-skulled cultivator with a death wish next time and test it out.

Afterward, Ji Yuan withdrew his consciousness from the Spiritual Platform Square-Inch Mountain and resumed cultivating. Once he had cultivated enough and it was time to consume some eggs, he returned to manually refining Heavenly Thunder Seeds.

Naturally, the more of these things he possessed, the better.

The next time he fought Demonic Cultivators, he could open the battle by throwing Heavenly Thunder Seeds, undoubtedly catching his opponents completely off guard.

A dozen or so days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Ji Yuan’s next guard rotation arrived, he happened to encounter a group of Demonic Cultivators attacking the city. Their leaders were two Middle Core Formation Demonic Cultivators, accompanied by nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This was not Ji Yuan’s first experience defending against an assault by Demonic Cultivators.

Naturally, there was no panic. They only needed to take cover behind the formation and continuously bombard the enemies outside the city with spells.

Alternatively, they could operate the Spiritual Energy Cannons and sweep the battlefield indiscriminately. Any successful hit was a gain.

Leaving aside the fact that the Pill Refining Room already had Ice-Fire Elder, a Peak Golden Core cultivator, who alone was probably capable of killing every Demonic Cultivator outside the city.

Even if he did not intervene, they still had the protection of a Fourth-Tier Formation.

Therefore, this battle was destined to become a futile war of attrition for the attackers.

Once both sides had expended enough energy, and the Demonic Cultivators outside had suffered twenty or thirty casualties, they naturally withdrew, eventually disappearing into the vast mountain ranges.

Although no Foundation Establishment cultivators inside the city had died, several had been injured.

They were promptly escorted away by Qi Refining cultivators to designated treatment facilities within the city.

Meanwhile, several Formation Masters ventured outside to repair the formation, while some Talisman Masters reinforced the runes engraved upon the city walls.

Ji Yuan had originally registered himself as a Pill Refiner, so neither task fell within his responsibilities. He simply sat atop the city wall, recovering his Spiritual Energy while remaining vigilant against a possible counterattack.

Li Changhe appeared to have received some more information. Before he had even landed, he began transmitting his voice.

“I’ve received reports from quite a few market towns. Recently, there have been many small-scale Demonic Cultivator attacks like this one. They haven’t just been attacking market towns, either. They’ve even attacked the Six Immortal Sects.”

“These attacks accomplish practically nothing. What exactly are they trying to achieve?”

As Ji Yuan spoke, his gaze suddenly caught sight of three people descending from the northern side of the Pill Refining Room. When they passed nearby, their eyes met.

There was a trace of awkwardness in their expressions.

They were none other than the three surviving members of the Demon-Hunting Squad.

Chang Kun from Sword Ruins, along with the sisters Ling Yue and Ling Long from Joy Palace.

The other three Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, from Medicine King Valley, Corpse-Driving Mountain, and the Spirit Taming Sect, had all died.

Chang Kun had survived because he was genuinely powerful. As a cultivator from Sword Ruins, his swordsmanship had reached an extraordinary level. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he could contend against a False Core cultivator.

As for Ling Yue and Ling Long, they were twin sisters who shared an extraordinary mental connection and had cultivated a Dual-Killing Technique.

Trying to kill one of them was equivalent to having to kill both simultaneously.

They were extremely difficult to kill, which was why they had survived.

Upon encountering Ji Yuan again, Chang Kun gave him a nod. Ling Yue, meanwhile, stepped forward and cupped her hands toward him with an apologetic smile.

“Fellow Daoist Wuyou, because of the matter involving Zhou Sanbao, we offended you previously. Please forgive us.”

Naturally, Ji Yuan would not blame other people for his dispute with Zhou Sanbao.

Moreover, since the other party had voluntarily offered him a way to put the matter behind them, Ji Yuan was certainly willing to accept.

“I forgot about that matter long ago. Fellow Daoist Ling Yue, there’s no need to apologize.”

Ji Yuan returned her greeting before politely asking, “The battle has only just ended. Are the three of you heading outside the city again?”

“Not for the time being.”

Chang Kun, who wore a long sword at his waist, pondered briefly before answering, “According to Senior Ice-Fire, several Immortal Sects will soon be sending reinforcements. Our Demon-Hunting Squad will need to recruit new members. We’ll wait until the squad is fully assembled before making any further plans.”

“Indeed. It’s still far too dangerous outside.”

Ji Yuan nodded in agreement.

Ling Long, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke softly.

“I heard that Fellow Daoist Wuyou previously infiltrated the Demonic Den alone and managed to escape alive. Since Senior Ice-Fire also took an interest in you, your strength must be exceptional. Why not consider rejoining our Demon-Hunting Squad?”

Ling Yue’s eyes lit up.

“That’s right! If Brother Wuyou is willing to join us, I’d certainly welcome him.”

To her, there was no need for so many complicated considerations.

Compared to the unattractive Zhou Sanbao, the Island Lord Wuyou before her was an exceptionally handsome cultivator, rarely seen in the world. With him around, even her mood during their missions would improve considerably.

“That’s right. Old Ji, since two beautiful fairies are inviting you, why not just give in?”

Li Changhe behaved like a troublesome friend, even nudging Ji Yuan in the back with his elbow as he spoke.

“My cultivation is still rather shallow. I wouldn’t want to become a burden to everyone.”

Ji Yuan smiled and cupped his hands, refusing once again.

Helpless, the three could only bid farewell and leave.

“Really not going?”

After they departed, Li Changhe leaned against the city wall and asked through Divine Sense Voice Transmission.

“I’m afraid of dying.”

Ji Yuan spoke truthfully.

“But this time, our Water Dragon Sect really ought to send someone. We can’t have the Demon-Hunting Squad permanently lacking a representative from our sect.”

Just as Li Changhe was speaking, Ji Yuan turned his head toward the northeast.

There, a large Water Dragon Sect Flying Ship was cutting through the air. It eventually came to a stop above the Pill Refining Room.

Ji Yuan seemed to realize something.

“The Demon-Hunting Squad… should have its candidate now.”

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