Chapter 695: The Great Change of the Sixty-Year Cycle

Facts proved that this world was not specifically targeting Aaron.

When Aaron was focused on being a coward in the starter village, he basically never encountered any major events.

Under his dedicated cultivation, time passed by in a flash.

Yaowang Mountain.

Inside the Cave Abode.

Aaron sat cross-legged, the light on his body flickering intermittently.

Suddenly...

Good steel must be used on the blade's edge!

Reaching the late stage of Golden Core as soon as possible would mean grasping a huge trump card, possessing infinite benefits!

Most importantly, it would provide a huge sense of security!

Aaron waved his hand.

"It seems you have grasped the sect's power... not bad..."

Aaron curled his lip.

"Reporting to Master, it is this Disciple who is acting as Sect Master!"

Xiaoqing watched from the side with eager eyes, saliva constantly dripping from its mouth: "I also water the Spirit Herbs every day..."

But inexplicably, its whole body radiated an extraordinary spiritual charm!

"The Ancestor's chessboard was overturned by someone?... It seems I cannot stay in seclusion for too long in the future; it is very easy to lose control of the situation!"

This Spirit Herb already had a thousand years of maturity; the patterns on the leaves and petals had not changed in the slightest, nor had an extra eye pattern appeared.

"She was able to reach Golden Core in Great Gan; she must have stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter... Now it seems, could this encounter carry hidden dangers, or have subsequent consequences?"

"Greetings, Supreme Elder!"

"You, you, and you!"

The human-faced mask cackled strangely: "Fang Laoguai is already over four hundred years old, right? You are younger than him; this is your greatest advantage and capital... Outlive him, and the Longevity Turtle and Yaowang Sect will naturally both be yours!"

Because he prepared to use the thousand-year Spirit Herb as the main ingredient for alchemy, and he would feel heartache for a long time if he ruined a batch, Aaron specifically shifted his focus to improving his alchemy.

"It's nothing... I just feel that other Immortal Cultivators go out riding dragons or phoenixes... At worst, they can ride a Qilin. I actually ride a turtle, it's a bit unpleasant..."

In reality, given the cultivation aptitude Fang Laoguai displayed, even trapped in the Far West, he should have been able to advance a small stage over these hundreds of years.

This method of substitution is a Demon Secret Technique, which is quite convenient for communication.

Not long after, the Spirit Medicine Garden came into view.

Arriving at the Yaowang Main Hall, many Foundation Establishment cultivators had already gathered, but Aaron immediately frowned.

"Finally, I can travel while riding a pet; the feeling of not having to move myself is truly great..."

Several Master-Disciple Faction cultivators with gloomy expressions on their faces felt a flash of excitement upon seeing Aaron arrive.

And this infiltrating cultivator was naturally a secret agent of the Black Demon Sect.

"You have all seen today's events; what should be done?"

Hmm, he, this Supreme Elder, had not appeared for decades and needed to show his presence.

"The cultivation speed is as slow as ever!"

Aaron beckoned, and Xiaoqing obediently lay down; it had mysterious patterns on its back, and from afar, it looked like a giant cyan rock.

Shen Le said anxiously: "That old fellow doesn't care about the rise or fall of the sect at all! He easily dismissed me and dismantled my faction..."

Aaron did not move his body and gave an order; the giant rock beneath him immediately began to crawl slowly, with no sense of bumping during the movement.

Hmm, ever since becoming a Third-tier Golden Core great demon, the Longevity Turtle Xiaoqing had refined the transverse bone in its throat and could learn to speak human language.

"Roar!"

Although he did not know what "blessings" represented, he vaguely felt it was a very terrifying thing.

"Very simple, one word... wait!"

"What?"

Aaron looked at Shen Le, whose momentum had already formed, smiled slightly, and released his Concealment Technique.

A wave of Dharma Power far exceeding the early stage of Golden Core pressed down fiercely.

Aaron stood up with a dazed expression, stretched his body, and cast a "Dust Removal Spell," making the Dharma robe on his body look brand new.

This was a special feeling that even a nine-hundred-year-old Spirit Herb did not have, letting one know at a glance that it was extraordinary!

"A thousand-year Nine-Eyed Begonia can serve as the main material for the 'Nine-Star Pill'!"

"Those two disciples of mine have been coveting my meager possessions for a long time, haven't they?"

Even without the Fourth Order Alchemy Inheritance, he was prepared to grind his alchemy to the max level first.

This person should be a backbone of the Master-Disciple Faction, and being able to persist until now, though a bit gloomy, clearly had strong stress resistance: "Just you, act as Sect Master!"

"Cut the crap, who is the master?" Aaron chose to use the "sophistry" skill.

Fortunately, he raised a turtle; otherwise, he felt he would be depressed to death.

Xiaoqing held its head with its claws: "Bai did indeed come... but Master, you entered deep seclusion before... and after coming out, you told me not to speak... I hadn't had the chance to say it yet..."

After picking the thousand-year Spirit Herb, Aaron leisurely rode the turtle to inspect the Yaowang Sect.

From the Spirit Pool, a stream of light flew out, transforming into a massive Longevity Turtle; it was none other than Xiaoqing!

Its head, resembling that of a dragon, tilted as if it were thinking; its small head worked hard to process, and it emitted a human voice: "Master... you have been in seclusion for more than a sixty-year cycle..."

At this moment, the reason for the great change in the sect was known.

Bai Caiwei left, and he went into seclusion; wasn't that why Shen Le became the sole power?

If it weren't for Xiaoqing still being here, this rebellious disciple might have even tried to get a hand in the Spirit Medicine Garden!

"Bai Caiwei is not the type to be so unwise... I can only say, is the matter of Great Gan more important than the sect?"

Looking at the Spirit Medicine Garden where thousand-year Spirit Herbs were not rare, Aaron smiled triumphantly.

【Cultivation Method: Mingyu Art 15th Layer (8721/20000)】

"Damn it!"

"This... what happened?"

"I... this..."

"That person must be our sect's Supreme Elder—Fang Laozu!"

"The Four Arts of Cultivation also become harder the higher one goes; even for my alchemy, which I have poured great effort into, improvement is extremely difficult..."

Once Shen Le started his momentum, he could only endure bitterly.

Because most of these Foundation Establishment cultivators were Family Cultivators, and a few even had faint traces of Demon Qi on them!

Aaron's words were like a nail, driven directly into Shen Le's heart: "You contributed much during the previous conquest of the Wu Country, but we cultivators must prioritize our cultivation; we cannot delay it... How about this, you stop being the acting Sect Master and Law Enforcement Elder, that... who is it?!"

"Hehehe... This thunderous, decisive method, cutting through the Gordian knot... truly ruthless and vicious! The former Rudder Master's evaluation was not false; Fang Laoguai... is a good opponent."

"Master... why did you hit me?"

The result of this was that today, there was a garden full of thousand-year Spirit Herbs!

Aaron arrived before the Nine-Eyed Begonia.

At this moment, Aaron asked indifferently: "Since Caiwei has left, who is in charge of the sect?"

"Go to the Spirit Medicine Garden!"

Xiaoqing cooperated by letting out a roar, the aura of a Third-rank Demonic Beast erupting, actually suppressing Shen Le faintly.

Aaron did not stop his dark hands, pointing out several Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators from the Family Faction, as well as those cultivators with faint traces of Demon Qi on them: "The Ancestor has a Secret mission for you all. Regardless of your current duties, set them aside first and follow the Ancestor to Hou Shan to take orders!"

Aaron looked at Shen Le with disdain and asked: "Where is my disciple Caiwei?"

There was also the original precious Spirit Medicine Garden of the Qingding Sect; Aaron had always saved the aged Spirit Medicine and even refrained from using it, for which Shen Le secretly cursed him as a miser...

Later, it was transplanted to the Yaowang Sect and, after being nurtured by the Spirit Vein for over four hundred years...

Aaron arrived at the Yaowang Main Hall and, ignoring everything else, sat directly on the main seat.

Aaron didn't even have the heart to pay attention; Qi Refining cultivators with lifespans like mortals were just leeks—the Immortal Cultivation World would harvest one crop and another would grow back soon.

Only those who succeeded in Foundation Establishment could make him take a second look.

"Greetings, Supreme Elder!"

In the Cave Abode.

Shen Le could no longer endure it and stood out, saying loudly.

"Reporting to Master, Senior Sister received a letter from an old friend decades ago and has already rushed to Great Gan..."

【Spells:...】

Aaron glared at Xiaoqing, planning to settle the score with it another day.

"Master... these few are the backbone of the sect. If they are away for a long time, I fear not only will the Wu Country be in turmoil, but even the Lin Kingdom will be unstable!"

【Talent: Immortality】

Shen Le was initially somewhat fearful, but thinking of his quiet cultivation over these decades, his suppression of dissenters, and his extensive network of cronies... he felt a bit of confidence in his heart.

Anyway, even if Aaron was still at the Golden Core Early Stage, he likely couldn't beat him... His previous attempt to force the palace was only because he relied on outside help and calculated that Aaron would not kill his own disciple, which would lead to chaos in the sect...

"It shouldn't be like this..."

Only after walking out of the Cave Abode and looking at the bright sunlight outside did he feel it was somewhat blinding, as if a thousand-year-old zombie seeing sunlight for the first time.

Foundation Establishment-level Spirit Pills were one thing, but he didn't even have enough pills to increase his own Golden Core Dharma Power! Where would he have the surplus to feed a pet?

"So scary, so scary..."

Shen Le asked in surprise: "Before Senior Sister left, she specifically went to pay respects to Master. How could Master not know?"

He didn't expect that after enduring for decades, he would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Shen Le's expression changed; he actually retreated several steps and bowed again, his posture even lower: "Congratulations to Master for breaking through to the Golden Core Middle Stage after your closed-door cultivation!"

Xiaoqing transformed into a palm-sized green-gold turtle, lying at his feet.

For this, even if it meant harvesting the thousand-year accumulation of the past all at once, Aaron felt no heartache!

"Master..."

【Age: 1207】

Shen Le paced back and forth; Aaron's act of overturning the chessboard today made him feel that all his painstaking layouts and management over the years had become a joke!

Aaron rolled his eyes.

The white-haired old Foundation Establishment cultivator was stunned at first, then became incomparably overjoyed.

As long as the old man didn't want the sect to be in turmoil or even split, he had to acknowledge his position, or even promote him!

Little did he know, in Aaron's heart... as long as the back peak of Yaowang Mountain was fine, what was a sect?

Yaowang Sect, "Gonna-Finish" Sect!

From the day he founded it, he knew the principle that there is no sect in the world that lasts forever!

Sooner or later, it would be finished!

Chaos and division were not even the same thing!

"Disciple, you have worked hard as acting Sect Master. This cultivation of yours hasn't progressed in a hundred years..."

He looked at Aaron on the main seat, a trace of wariness appearing in his eyes, but he still bowed: "Greetings, Master!"

In reality, Aaron knew how long he had been in closed-door cultivation just by glancing at the Attribute Panel; speaking at this moment was purely because he was feeling stifled.

He pointed casually at a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator from the Master-Disciple Faction.

Along the way, those Qi Refining cultivators were all unfamiliar faces, each staring at the mountain-like Longevity Turtle with expressions of utter shock, then as if remembering something, cries of surprise rose one after another: "It's a Third-tier Longevity Turtle!"

【Realm: Golden Core Mid Stage】

"What does the chaos in Wu Country matter? Even if Lin Kingdom is in great turmoil, as long as the mountain gate hasn't been breached, it's no big deal!"

The small venture capital from back then has now yielded a return of a thousand or ten thousand times over!

Xiaoqing indignantly revealed a fact: "How many years has it been since the Immortal Cultivation World heard of a True Dragon or True Phoenix appearing..."

Breaking through again at this time is actually considered slow!

Shen Le was already mentally prepared for this.

Aaron couldn't help but look at Xiaoqing at his feet.

As Shen Le bowed, the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall bowed in unison, actually appearing quite coordinated!

'The cultivation base is still so pathetic, a piece of trash that can't even beat Xiaoqing!'

"Master... in this Far West, there are only a handful of Golden Core Cultivators who can have a Third-tier Demon King as a mount when they go out!"

A sinister voice came from the blurred face: "I warned you long ago, even if Bai Caiwei is gone, you won't gain any advantage facing that man and turtle... When your cultivation is inferior to others, no matter how many schemes you have, it will ultimately be twice the effort for half the result!"

Xiaoqing said with an innocent face; its voice was that kind of cute child's voice, as if it hadn't grown up yet...

Aaron narrowed his eyes comfortably, suddenly feeling something strange, and gave Xiaoqing's head a hard pat.

"It's been over two hundred years since the breakthrough to the Golden Core Mid Stage..."

Aaron began to harvest with great excitement: "Adding in the other thousand-year Spirit Herbs, I can refine a batch of Spirit Pills that are highly beneficial even to Golden Core Cultivators... My subsequent cultivation can finally speed up!"

Aaron started silently planting Spirit Herbs when he was over a hundred years old, and now he is over twelve hundred years old!

Xiaoqing immediately shrank into its Turtle Shell, sulking and saying nothing...

Aaron climbed up and sat down, lazily basking in the sun while distractedly glancing at the Attribute Panel:

【Name: Fang Yu (Aaron)】

Xiaoqing retreated in defeat, walking with its head down.

"Alright... let's do it this way!"

Not long after, a dim streak of escape Light flew over, revealing a high-spirited Shen Le.

"Get lost! A young working turtle not doing 996, still thinking about these random things, do you want me to have a chat with you about the issue of blessings?"

……

Recently, the Family Faction in the sect has been powerful; he actually hadn't failed to consider defecting, but he was too old, and even if he wanted to be a live-in son-in-law, nobody wanted him.

He opened his eyes, and a white jade-like Light erupted from them, protruding several feet... then slowly dissipated.

"A cycle of sixty years... the seclusion of high-level cultivators is indeed too long..."

Although the first batch of those originally ordinary Black Marrow Ganoderma and other Spirit Herbs had been picked many times, Aaron had kept the oldest one or two.

In fact, only Foundation Establishment cultivators might have seen him before and would not mistake his identity.

At this moment, a look of pain appeared on his face, and a layer of mist shrouded his features, vaguely turning into another person.

Moreover, he had once followed Bai Caiwei and committed several acts that offended the Family Faction as a token of allegiance, making him hated to the bone by the Shen and Li families.

"Then tell me, what should I do?" Shen Le gritted his teeth and sneered.

His plan for a mortal-managed Spirit Medicine Garden was a great success.

And inside the Cave Abode, there was another cultivator.

Aaron domineeringly announced his decision, seeing those Family Faction cultivators reveal expressions of despair...

【Skills: ……Third-tier Jade Bone (4000/10000), Third-tier Talisman Making (7760/10000), Third-tier Artifact Refining (8517/10000), Third-tier Alchemy (9500/10000), Third-tier Array Formation (7799/10000)】

Aaron cleared his throat, which seemed a bit dry from not speaking for too long, and gradually regained his fluency: "How long have I... been in seclusion?"

"No, there's still Bai Caiwei!" Shen Le was quite tempted for a moment, but then said with some worry.

"Great Gan is the territory of our headquarters; how simple is it to make a Golden Core Cultivator unable to return?" The voice of the Black Demon Sect cultivator grew lower and lower, finally disappearing...

(End of this chapter)