Chapter 258: The Angler?

Yao Shou Shijie, Huanhu Dao.

This old turtle still calls itself "Lu Shan Jun", it's a real turtle!

Yunhe lay on the sunbathing platform, his face utterly speechless.

He had slain those three third-level demonic beasts of the Ground Steel Barbarian Ox, and it had already been decades.

From the very start, worried that Lu Shan Gui would come knocking, he had been guarding Huanhu Dao, yet even now he still hasn't seen Lu Shan Gui appear.

This left Yunhe feeling utterly helpless.

He didn't know whether Lu Shan Gui's injuries from surviving the metamorphosis thunder tribulation were too severe to have healed, or if it simply dared not come knocking.

"Good thing I prepared all those means for it; if it doesn't come, even better—saves a lot of trouble."

Yunhe flipped his paw, and a motionless octopus tentacle segment appeared in his claw.

"Should I eat this thing or not?"

He hesitated a bit.

Because he wasn't entirely sure what the octopus he had encountered in the void actually was, and that enormous fish, akin to a kun, also left him uneasy.

Are they demonic beasts?

Or some other kind of creature?

If he ate it, he didn't know whether it would bring a good change or a bad one.

"Perhaps I can try this."

Yunhe opened his mouth, and a book slowly drifted out from it, its cover bearing the image of his profound turtle.

Whoosh—

As his thoughts flickered, the book unfolded page by page.

One could see.

On the originally blank first page of the book was carved a vivid thunder beast bear, arms and claws outstretched, in a posture of roaring to the heavens, with streaks of lightning arcing across its body.

"I just don't know whether this mere segment of tentacle can be refined into essence blood; if it can't, it would truly be a waste."

He felt some hesitation.

After all, this thing is extraordinarily special; it seems to hide some unknown secret, and it leaves him no room for trial and error.

After pondering for a long while, Yunhe let out a soft sigh.

"Never mind, success or failure aside, this thing of unknown origin really shouldn't be swallowed lightly; who knows what unexpected situation might arise."

He ultimately made a decision.

If he could refine essence blood and meet the requirements of the "Profound Beast Sever Immortal Strategy", that would naturally be best; but if he couldn't refine it or meet the conditions, there was nothing to be done.

His thoughts reached this point.

Yunhe lightly tapped his paw, and a cluster of black fire instantly ignited.

Profound Beast Purifying Fire!

Using demonic power as support, he placed that small segment of tentacle into the black flames.

To Yunhe's surprise, under the scorching of his flames, that seemingly ordinary tentacle segment emerged unscathed!

He even waited a full hour, yet the tentacle segment showed no change at all.

This genuinely surprised Yunhe.

You see, this cluster of "Profound Beast Purifying Fire" is a flame far stronger than ordinary demonic fire, born from the top-tier demonic art "Profound Beast Sever Immortal Strategy".

Theoretically speaking, even the flesh of a fourth-level demonic beast can be kneaded at will, and even the bodily material of a fifth-level demonic beast would show some change after an hour.

And a fifth-level demonic beast is an existence capable of rivaling a Nascent Soul cultivator!

This tentacle segment actually surpasses the bodily level of a fifth-level demonic beast?

But upon further thought,

The owner of this tentacle segment is an octopus that can move freely amid the chaotic void's power; even a Nascent Soul cultivator probably couldn't act so freely in the void, right?

"I just don't believe it."

Yunhe maintained the Profound Beast Purifying Fire, keeping the scorching going, wanting to see if this tentacle segment truly could be completely immune to its flames.

And this period lasted a full three days!

After three days and nights of uninterrupted refinement, the motionless octopus tentacle segment finally showed a subtle change.

This left Yunhe shocked deep down, yet he also let out a long sigh.

Good thing he didn't eat it; he felt he couldn't digest this thing, and if he did, he might end up as "see you tomorrow"—that would be embarrassing.

At the same time, it proved that this object is not completely immune to the Profound Beast Purifying Fire's scorching; rather, its level is too high, so the time required to refine it would likely be far more troublesome than Yunhe had anticipated.

But no matter what, it is now merely a dead segment; even if ground slowly, there will surely come a day when it is fully refined.

"Who knows, it might actually be possible to refine a strand of essence blood."

This somewhat lifted Yunhe's spirits and sparked his interest.

East Border Immortal Cultivation World.

Inside the Ice Heart Cave of the Ice Immortal Pavilion.

After carrying out a certain degree of renovation and improvement on the cave dwelling, rearranging it according to his habits, and setting up numerous formations, Yunhe entered the cultivation chamber.

He took out the "Congealed Fat Ice Clear Lotus", sat cross-legged upon it.

"Is this 'Ice Heart Pill' a fourth-level elixir?" He slowly set down the jade slip, unable to help smacking his lips.

Nevertheless, it does match the Ice Heart Pill's efficacy in aiding the passage of the heart demon tribulation.

Given Yunhe's current alchemy level, refining a third-tier top-grade elixir would pose no problem, but attempting a fourth-tier elixir would stretch his abilities.

"On the other hand, the materials are relatively simple; as long as one has the 'Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Heart', the other auxiliary ingredients can be substituted slightly without major issue."

Yunhe rubbed his brow.

Actually, this is not his biggest problem at the moment.

His biggest trouble is.

His body has developed resistance to the Spirit Grain Pill!

From early Golden Core stage to now mid‑Golden Core stage, the existence of the Spirit Grain Pill can be said to have saved him a great deal of time and effort; relying on its domineering medicinal potency, his cultivation base has surged forward like a bamboo shoot breaking through soil, progressing so smoothly that even he himself finds it somewhat surprising.

But just a few days ago.

After finally settling down at the Ice Immortal Pavilion and his injuries having largely healed, Yunhe, as usual, took out a Spirit Grain Pill to prepare for cultivation.

Who would have thought.

Back when he was still at mid‑Golden Core stage, taking one Spirit Grain Pill would give him a considerable boost in cultivation base, but now the cultivation gain he obtains has been greatly reduced.

No need to think; the experienced Yunhe clearly knows that long‑term consumption of the Spirit Grain Pill inevitably causes him to develop a certain degree of resistance.

Although it hasn't completely lost its effect, if the cultivation increase obtained from such medicinal potency is considered, the speed will undoubtedly be much slower.

Looking at the round, golden‑yellow elixir in his hand, Yunhe revealed a contemplative expression.

"If I recall correctly, these Spirit Grain Pills are actually refined mainly from the inner cores of mid‑third‑rank demon beasts, right?"

Spirit Grain Pills refined chiefly from the inner cores of mid‑third‑rank demon beasts naturally have reduced efficacy for Late Jie Dan Stage cultivators.

"So perhaps the resistance my body has developed isn't as severe as I imagined, provided I replace the main ingredient of the Spirit Grain Pill with the inner core of a late‑third‑rank demon beast."

This made Yunhe feel somewhat troubled.

Even in the Demon Beast World, late‑third‑rank demon beasts are not that easy to come by.

Even if he goes out to search, the time required is far greater than simply looking for third‑rank demon beasts.

He currently has on hand only the inner cores of two late‑third‑rank demon beasts: an Earth‑Steel Savage Ox and a Three‑eyed Earth Toad.

"If even the Spirit Grain Pill made from late‑third‑rank demon beast inner cores loses much of its potency, then I must consider other elixirs for advancing my cultivation base. No, actually, even if it remains effective, I should still try preparing other elixirs; alternating their use can to some extent slow the speed at which my body develops resistance."

"There's no need to rush, though."

Anyway, what he needs to do now is simply raise his cultivation base to the perfected Golden Core stage.

In this process, there are no longer any bottlenecks.

Even if he simply accumulates time gradually, with the aid of the Condensed Fat Ice Pure Lotus, the time required will be considerably less than that of other late‑Golden Core cultivators.

Besides, he has a vast lifespan; spending two or three hundred years is easily affordable.

This is the perfect time to thoroughly prepare everything he needs for Nascent Soul formation.

To increase the success rate as much as possible.

"As long as a Yuan Ying cultivator doesn't make a move, with my current strength I should be perfectly safe."

"Even if a Yuan Ying cultivator does act, relying on my Yuan Ying‑refined corpse, I should have a decent chance to escape."

"That way, even if my actions in gathering Nascent Soul materials are a bit bolder, there shouldn't be any major problems."

After all, in the current Eastern Border cultivation world, the great war between the demonic and orthodox paths has begun to subside; demonic cultivators now seek to digest all their gains, and if their Yuan Ying cultivators were to act recklessly again, they would likely provoke a strong backlash from the orthodox side, which would probably be relatively restrained.

"By the way, while taking advantage of this opportune moment to return and collect materials, I also need to put searching for subsequent cultivation methods on the agenda."

"The 'Thousand Poisons Myriad Insects Art' is still manageable."

"He knows very well where the ruins of the Heavenly Insect Sect are located."

"Although the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range is extremely dangerous, as long as he is a bit careful, there should be no major issues; the only possible trouble might be the Heavenly Corpse Insect inside the Heavenly Insect Sect ruins—the very culprit that caused the sect's annihilation—and without Yuan Ying cultivation, it's still best not to enter those ruins."

"However, the subsequent techniques of the 'Great Longevity Grand Five Arts True Scripture' pose a major problem."

"Especially the methods for condensing a 'Five‑Element Spiritual Body' and even a 'Great Five‑Element Spiritual Body'."

"If, before I attempt Nascent Soul formation, I can successfully condense a Five‑Element Spiritual Body, it should provide considerable assistance to my Nascent Soul progress, right?"

"Merely possessing a 'Lesser Five‑Element Spiritual Body' already gives him an aptitude nearly comparable to that of a top‑tier spiritual root."

"If he succeeds in condensing a higher‑level Five‑Element Spiritual Body, could it allow him to rival a heavenly‑grade spiritual root?"

"Then, during Nascent Soul formation, his spiritual root aptitude will at least not become a hindrance."

"However."

"Wanting to find the subsequent techniques of the 'Great Longevity Grand Five Arts True Scripture,' he currently has hardly any clue, with the only entry point still being the Qingzong Sect."

"Ah, there are so many things to do."

"One month later."

"Ice Plains Bazaar."

"This is a market built upon a thick ice plain, most of whose structures are piled from ice blocks; under sunlight they reflect rippling light, and from a distance they look like a crystal palace."

"This market is the largest trading place for cultivators in the entire Wu Kingdom, established by the Wu Kingdom's greatest sect, the Snow Sword Sect."

"With the Snow Sword Sect guarding it, both the goods traded and the safety within the market are assured, making it a favored trading spot for many Wu Kingdom cultivators; even many outsider cultivators take it as their first destination."

"On this day."

"It is the grand trading auction held once every ten years by the Snow Sword Sect, which many cultivators come to attend by reputation."

"Yunhe naturally would not miss this auction."

"Because, to be frank, he is actually one of the important sellers in this auction."

"The 'specialty' he obtained after spending considerable time in the Cloud‑Upper Realm will be partially put up for sale today at the auction."

"Of course."

"He is auctioning it under the name of the Ice Immortal Pavilion."

"Meanwhile, the him who came to participate in the auction is using another identity, displaying the cultivation base of early Golden Core stage."

"Although it is only early Golden Core stage, after all he is still a Golden Core cultivator, receiving an enthusiastic reception from the auction house's manager and also being granted a modestly sized elegant private room."

"According to Yunhe's estimate, the proceeds from just the portion of items he is selling this time should amount to at least two million low‑grade spirit stones."

"To speak without exaggeration, the total value of the massive quantities of materials and items he currently carries, when all added together, is at least five million."

"This is absolutely comparable to the net worth of an early Yuan Ying cultivator."

Even, some Yuan Ying Cultivators might not necessarily have such a fortune as his.

With such a fortune, and adding the fearless strength of a Yuan Ying that makes him unafraid even if they do not appear, he also began to openly sweep up items at auctions that he could use or liked.

This attracted the sideways glances of many forces and rogue cultivators.

As for this, Yunhe naturally was not worried.

Even he secretly hoped a bit, wondering if some clueless cultivators would come to play the role of bandit cultivators.

After all, the storage bag of Lu Tianbing, this Supreme Elder of the Lu family, had previously added quite a bit to his fortune.

The person who was once the 'fish' has now finally become the 'angler' who casts the line.

(End of chapter)