Chapter 165: More Stakes Added to the Foundation Establishment Path!

Facing the ancient altar before him that exuded an ominous aura, Wang Shan was not anxious.

Wan Tianxiong? Half-Step Golden Core?

Hearing it is quite scary, but before anyone gets close, if you yourself lose composure first, that's truly foolish.

He has lived two lifetimes and knows one truth: before the sky falls, first check how many jin of rice you have in hand, whether it's enough to endure until the sky clears.

"What's the hurry." Wang Shan brushed the dust off himself, sat cross‑legged, looking as if a tall person were holding up the collapsing sky, completely forgetting that he himself was that supporting pillar.

He dumped the storage bag he had scavenged on this Ghost Sorrow Cliff expedition—from the Wan Family Cultivators, the Black-clothed Person, and even the few sightless demonic beasts he happened to slay—into a clatter.

In an instant, the cave dwelling flickered with dim light as Magic Artifacts, Talismans, jade bottles, spirit stones, and a heap of assorted materials piled into a small hill.

"System, tally the goods."

【Recycling inventory start…】

【Second‑tier Magic Artifacts 'Wind‑Chasing Sword', 'Mystic Turtle Shield'… total thirteen items, recovered Spirit Plant Points.】

【Various Talismans… total recovered Spirit Plant Points 4850.】

【Pills, spirit herbs… total recovered Spirit Plant Points 9500.】

【Ghost Sorrow Cliff specialty demonic beast materials… recovered Spirit Plant Points.】

【Spirit stones and miscellaneous… recovered Spirit Plant Points 7200.】

【Comprehensive total, this loot recovered Spirit Plant Points: points.】

"Add the previous amount, how many now?"

【Zhuren current Spirit Plant Points balance: points.】

"Heh." Wang Shan looked at the long string of numbers on the panel, about to break six digits, and felt the urgency in his heart ease considerably.

Money isn't all‑powerful, but having no money is absolutely unacceptable. The saying holds everywhere.

With food in hand, there's no panic. These Spirit Plant Points are his capital for the upcoming arm‑wrestling with the heavens.

"Exchange for the Fourth‑tier Defense Talisman·Mountain Map."

"Exchange for the Fourth‑tier Swift Movement Talisman·Compress Earth to Inches."

"Additionally, the materials for Third‑tier Nourishing Spirit Pill, Third‑tier Clear Heart Pill, and Third‑tier Detox Pill, each twenty portions."

【Exchange successful, total Spirit Plant Points consumed.】

Money spent like flowing water, Wang Shan didn't even blink. If his life's at stake, would he keep these points for breeding?

He waved his hand, a pill furnace materialized out of thin air, various spirit herb materials hovering in the air, sorted. In the Foundation Establishment stage, controlling Spiritual Power is that effortless.

Before long, the cave dwelling was filled with the fragrance of pills.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei kept watch outside; smelling the scent, they exchanged a glance and saw reassurance in each other's eyes. The old master was still the same, always orderly no matter the crisis.

Wang Shan ignored the outside commotion, his mind rapidly processing another "gain."

The activated Black Jade Slip was like an endless treasury; as he advanced into Foundation Establishment, more information unlocked. Among them were knowledge of Earth Vein energy usage, special demonic beast habits, and basic rune arrays, giving him a fresh understanding of the entire Man Yun Mountain Range, especially the Ghost Sorrow Cliff area.

It turned out that beneath Ghost Sorrow Cliff's Earth Vein, it wasn't dead air but a hidden current, echoing the Ten Thousand Beasts Origin.

"No wonder the demonic beasts here are especially ferocious; they're basically living next to a radiation source," Wang Shan muttered.

Two hours later, Wang Shan emerged holding a pile of freshly forged pills and several drawn Talismans.

"Old master."

"Mm." Wang Shan handed several Jade Bottles and two yellowish Talismans to Li Hu and Zhang Mei, "Take the pills on schedule; they'll help you strengthen your foundation. These two talismans—one for life‑preservation, one for escape—keep them close; don't use them unless absolutely necessary."

Li Hu took the two talismans, feeling their heavy weight; the intricate runes drawn on them gave the impression of a massive force flowing within.

"Old master, this… this is too valuable!" Li Hu's voice trembled, "I… I think I've already reached the top of Body Refining Seventh Layer, I don't need such…"

"You know nothing." Wang Shan glared at him, "Take it and keep it. It's for your escape, not for you to fight people. Remember, if something serious happens, run with the kids, the farther the better."

He walked back to the bedside, where Wang Zhize was curiously watching the items in his hand.

"Grandpa, is this sparkling talisman for me? Is it stronger than the last one?"

"Little clever ghost." Wang Shan laughed, slipping a small‑size defense talisman into his chest, "Hold it, it's a life‑preserving trinket, don't flaunt it."

Then, he carefully lifted the still‑sleeping Wang Zhitao, opened a specially refined, milder antidote pill, and fed it to him. As the pill entered his mouth, Wang Zhitao's tightly knit brows relaxed a bit, and the greenish aura on his face visibly faded.

Zhang Mei watched the scene, her eyes slightly reddened, and whispered, "Thank you, old master."

"We're family, why say this." Wang Shan waved his hand, "These past few days, you both have basically walked through the gate of ghosts a few times, how does it feel?"

Zhang Mei sensed her internal qi and blood, and said with some surprise, "Grandpa, I… I think I've reached Body Refining Sixth Layer."

A life‑or‑death battle, plus Wang Shan's cost‑free pill irrigation, advanced both of their strengths by a large margin. That was the only pleasant surprise in this calamity.

The team's overall strength, after all, increased by a point.

Having settled everything, Wang Shan's gaze turned again toward the depths of the cave.

【System Prompt: Through continuous analysis of the altar, partial peripheral area information of the Ten Thousand Beasts Origin has been obtained.】

【Detected special mutated demonic beasts in the area: 'Earth Vein Armadillo', 'Shadow Leopard'…】

【Detected natural Earth Vein traps: 'Gravity Swamp', 'Phantom Sound Stone Forest'…】

The system's hint resembled a crude travel guide, except every marked spot could be deadly.

Wang Shan stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and gazed at the gray‑hazy sky outside.

The wind and rain are about to come.

He knows clearly that the Half‑Step Golden Core called Wan Tianxiong could strike at any moment. Though he now seems to be playing around with the later stages of Foundation Establishment, against a cultivator who has touched another tier of heaven and earth, he has no chance whatsoever.

Brute force against brute force is courting death.

The only way out lies behind that altar.

"Li Hu, Zhang Mei."

"Here, old master."

"Pack things, take everything useful. In one hour, we'll leave this place."

"Leave? Go where?" Li Hu was taken aback for a moment.

Wang Shan turned his head and glanced at the Altar deep within the cave, which radiated a faint glow. There was no fear in his eyes, nor any excitement—only a kind of calm, like someone driven to the edge of a cliff who simply chooses to jump off himself.

"To a place… where we can truly survive."

Successfully reaching Foundation Establishment had given him the qualification to sit at the table. Abundant resources were the first batch of chips in his hand. And the unknown hole card of the "Ten Thousand Beasts Origin" would determine whether he lost everything or… completely turned the tables.

The burden on his shoulders was heavier than ever. But his back was also straighter than it had ever been.