Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 164: Obtaining the Supreme Spirit Pill

One month later.

Under the arrangements of the Jiang family's high-level members, Li An and Jiang Ruoshi left together to go to Dali.

Jiang Ruoshi didn't bring many people with him. With Li An as their "guide," there were only a total of eight people, including two False Foundation Stage experts, two Late Foundation Building cultivators, and two Mid Foundation Building cultivators.

Their lineup was very strong!

They moved very quickly, and in just a few days, they had crossed the mountains and entered the territory of Dali.

On the way, Jiang Ruoshi consulted Li An about many locations, the original power distribution in the northern part of Dali, and even took out many maps to verify them one by one.

Li An speculated that this was the final preparation before the war!

Over the years, the Jiang family must have sent many people to infiltrate the northern part of Dali, draw maps, and gather information.

But before the big battle, there was something important that required Jiang Ruoshi, the core member of the family, to personally come out.

Li An followed along, silently pondering the Jiang family's intentions.

Afterwards, Jiang Ruoshi had Li An lead the way and personally went to Wan Zhang Abyss, but he didn't go in. He only confirmed the location, the surrounding mountains, roads, etc., and made detailed markings on the map.

"Do you know anything about the people from the Sword God Sect?" Jiang Ruoshi asked while taking a break inside the former Qingfeng Bandit Camp, studying the marked map for a long time.

"The Sword God Sect is one of the Foundation Building forces in the northern part of Dali. They have a deep foundation, but I haven't had much contact with them..." Li An honestly replied.

Jiang Ruoshi nodded and said, "Hmm, you wait here for us. I have some other matters to attend to."

Obviously, Li An's role was to bring them to Wan Zhang Abyss. After the path was familiarized, Li An didn't have the qualifications to participate in the subsequent matters.

"Master," Li An respectfully said, "I wonder how long I need to wait?"

"At least two months, at most half a year," Jiang Ruoshi calmly replied. Before leaving, he set up a second-level formation around the mountain stronghold!

Obviously, they were afraid that Li An would run away and reveal their secrets.

So, to some extent, they "softly imprisoned" Li An first.

After they left...

"Two months should be enough..." Li An's eyes gleamed.

He carefully searched for the flaw in the second-level formation, studied it for a long time, and with the help of Shangguan Xiaoxiao, he crossed this formidable formation and quickly left. He captured a bandit in a nearby small mountain stronghold, refined it into a flesh puppet, and sent it back to Qingfeng Bandit Camp, disguising it as himself.

This was to prevent Jiang Ruoshi and the others from suddenly returning.

Only then did he go to a nearby forest near Wan Zhang Abyss and dug out the storage bag he had buried here.

Inside the bag were two small swords, Black Poison and Cold Ice, as well as two Transcending Tribulation jades.

With two third-level flying swords in his hands, Li An felt a sense of security and headed straight for Baihu City.

Ten days later, he arrived at Baihu City.

First, he found Zhao Yi in a town outside Baihu City.

Zhao Yi had been arranged by him to observe Baihu City all this time.

After reading Zhao Yi's memories, he obtained a lot of information!

The Dali Dynasty had undergone further changes!

In the several decades since Li An left Dali, two Nascent Soul experts had emerged among the two imperial uncles of the Dali Dynasty, increasing the number of Nascent Soul cultivators to five!

Their strength had greatly increased.

They also sent experts to reclaim the northern border and rebuild Tianyang City.

Baihu City, Hundred Beasts Sect, and Sword God Sect in the northern border were directly annexed by the Dali royal family, and it was said that only some remnants managed to escape.

Now, Baihu City was under the control of the Dali royal family.

Moreover, the Dali royal family had sent troops to attack another neighboring country, Chen Kingdom, and it was said that they had achieved numerous victories.

"Shangguan Shengxian..."

Li An couldn't help but shudder.

All of this must be related to that witch!

At the same time, he also guessed the Jiang family's plan.

Taking advantage of the Da Li Empire's conquest of the Chen Kingdom, with no time to look north, they suddenly made a move and took control of the northern territory, at least the land where the Ten Thousand Zhang Abyss is located.

Jiang Ruoshi should be going to find the remnants of the Divine Sword Sect now.

Combining internal and external forces!

The plan was well thought out and the strategy was excellent.

But the outcome...

Li An didn't think too much about these things, and directly changed his identity to enter Baihu City.

He was extremely cautious, finding a place to stay in Baihu City and observing the ancient well where he buried the Dan medicine for half a month.

Nothing unusual.

One night, he quietly sneaked in and dug out the Soul-Locking Black Box he buried there years ago.

The next morning, he quickly left Baihu City.

The whole process went smoothly.

Mainly because his aura could change at any time, and the city couldn't detect the demonic aura on him at all.

In the vast sea of people, as long as he wasn't locked onto by a special aura, it would be difficult to defend against him.

Moreover, who would have thought that in such a broken ancient well, there would be a top-grade Yuan Ling Dan buried by someone a hundred years ago?

Li An buried it deep, at a depth of several dozen meters at the bottom of the well. Even if the well was repaired, they wouldn't be able to dig up the Soul-Locking Black Box.

"Could this top-grade Yuan Ling Dan be the one you and Xu Qiuhui and others planned to bury here more than a hundred years ago??"

Shangguan Xiaoxiao couldn't help but speak up, recalling the events of a hundred years ago.

At that time, Xu Qiuhui and Zhang Deyi sought cooperation with Li An to refine the Yuan Ling Dan.

The result was that Zhang Deyi was killed, but they only managed to refine one true pill and one inferior pill. At that time, after careful investigation by the Baihu Mountain side, they all thought that Zhang Deyi had indeed failed to refine the top-grade Yuan Ling Dan.

But now, Li An actually dug one up from several dozen meters deep? How could she not be convinced...

"Li Gou, oh Li Gou, you really... belong to the dog!"

She was speechless.

Who is this person? He hid the top-grade Yuan Ling Dan and buried it for over a hundred years before digging it up!!

If it were an enemy with a shorter lifespan, they would have been killed by him over these hundred years.

However, thinking of how Li An was able to stay in the stinking sewer mud for twenty-two years just to be cautious, she suddenly felt that she could understand...

...

After leaving Baihu City, Li An didn't hesitate to burn three flying talismans to get away.

He hurried back to the Four Scenic Mountains, Qingfeng Mountain Stronghold.

After observing for a long time outside, confirming that Jiang Ruoshi and the others hadn't returned yet, Li An felt relieved.

He pondered for a long time and repeatedly investigated and deduced the surroundings.

"The Jiang family is destined to fail!"

This was the conclusion he came to.

Even if they succeed for a while, the Jiang family is definitely no match for the Da Li Empire in the end.

There is no other reason, it's because of Li An's confidence in Shangguan Shengxian!

"There will definitely be a fierce battle in the Ten Thousand Zhang Abyss..."

The Jiang family values the Ten Thousand Zhang Abyss too much. The critical area where the battle is intense is definitely the core area that the Jiang family is unwilling to let go of, which is the Ten Thousand Zhang Abyss.

After repeated deductions, he set up multiple second-order formations in several secret locations leading to the Ten Thousand Zhang Abyss.

Currently, he doesn't have any third-order formations available!

"Why are you doing all this?"

In his mind, Shangguan Xiaoxiao couldn't help but ask.

Li An's actions seemed somewhat crazy.

"What if the Jiang family also sends me to fight?" Li An didn't hide it and said, "In the chaos of war, these formations might come in handy."

He had to leave some room for maneuver!

Although the probability of him going to the front lines was low, it wouldn't hurt to make the next move in the idle game.

"Really... Guo!" Shangguan Xiaoxiao sighed again!

There must be a reason why Li An could survive in the midst of storms and waves until now.

He was truly resilient!

Only then did Li An turn around and sneak back into the mountain stronghold, destroying all evidence of the puppet that had replaced him.

Until two months later.

Jiang Ruoshi and the others finally returned, bringing Li An back to the Jiang family.

Li An noticed that Jiang Ruoshi was full of satisfaction and confidence.

It seemed that Jiang Ruoshi had gained something on this trip, and this battle could not be avoided...

...

Ten days later, they returned to the Jiang residence.

With Jiang Ruoshi's return, Qingzhou immediately mobilized its forces. Led by the Jiang family, Mingdao Sect, Xuning Temple, and others were also preparing. The clouds of war were gathering in secret!

The great battle was about to begin.

And the workload at each hall was increasing.

Li An remained calm and completed the tasks according to the numbers. After all, the tasks he received were only second-tier runes, which were not difficult, just time-consuming.

In fact, not all of the Jiang family's resources relied on Zhike Peak. They also made large purchases from other forces. The supply from Zhike Peak was only a part of it.

But Li An remained calm. At this time, Feng Yuancheng and Zhang Meng, who had finally come out of seclusion, couldn't sit still!

Because after a year of seclusion, they found that Xuanwu Hall hadn't collapsed!

Li An was still an Upper Court...

Their mentality was a bit shaken!

They originally thought that without them, Li An would definitely not be able to complete the talisman plan. But now, everything was running smoothly?

Didn't that mean that with or without them, Xuanwu Hall would be the same?

Moreover, after the end of their seclusion, the amount of tasks they completed each month would be included in the assessment.

However, Li An didn't assign them any tasks now!

He made their workload zero!

After half a year, Li An could propose to expel the two of them...

"Wu Shangqing, we have come out of seclusion, why aren't you giving us any tasks?" Feng Yuancheng and Zhang Meng found Li An and spoke discontentedly.

"You two have just come out of seclusion, your cultivation still needs to stabilize. Just wait a few more days, otherwise Wu Qinyu will feel sorry for you—" Li An smiled and saw them off.

The two of them were furious and secretly went to the family to complain. But Li An had already communicated with Jiang Xinda and Ba Ye. Li An wanted to deal with the two guest officials, and they didn't care at all.

Now that the family head was in seclusion and the power of the family was in Jiang Ribai's hands, the two of them had no one to turn to and were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

Even Zhang Meng took the initiative to find Li An one night, crying and begging for forgiveness, saying that she had been misled by Feng Yuancheng before and begged Li An to forgive her, even preparing to apologize with her body.

Li An politely asked her to leave.

"The Jiang family is destined to lose, but as long as we don't collapse directly, it doesn't matter. After this big battle, the merits I have accumulated should be enough to exchange for a second-grade Yuan Ling Pill. Then I can naturally request to form my core..."

"The breakthrough is within reach!"

Three to five years would be enough. By then, Li An's cultivation would naturally reach the peak of Foundation Building.

Everything was going smoothly.

"The time to send troops has been set, next month!"

There were more and more rumors about the war.

"The three core figures in the family will also lead the troops into battle and gain experience through blood and fire in this war!"

This news caught Li An's attention, and he confirmed its authenticity through hints and inquiries from Jiang Xinda and others.

Moreover, this was personally arranged by Jiang Ribai.

For a while, Li An pondered over the situation in the Jiang family.

Currently, the three core descendants of the Jiang family are competing for dominance. They are Jiang Ruoxu, Jiang Ruoli, the descendants of the family head Jiang Rilan, and Jiang Ruohong, the descendant of Elder Zhen Dan.

Ruoli has the strongest talent, but her cultivation is currently the weakest.

Jiang Ruoshi, the descendant of Jiang Ribai, failed in the competition and was able to enter the power feast relying on Jiang Ruoli, the Pear Blossom.

Anything could happen in this war led by Jiang Ribai...

If Jiang Ruoxu and Jiang Ruohong were killed in battle, or if they were injured...

That would be normal, right?

Then Ruoli would become the only option.

After all, Jiang Ruoli is a woman. Under Jiang Ribai's arrangement, she could be engaged to Jiang Ruoshi...

Then Jiang Ribai would completely control the power of the Jiang family in the future.

And to kill Jiang Ruoxu and Jiang Ruohong in the war, it definitely couldn't be done openly. It would require covert means... Li An inexplicably thought of the talismans he secretly crafted.

All of this came from his deduction based on human nature!

But Li An felt that this was most likely the case!

Jiang Ribai is not a saint, and power is his lifeblood!

"The other members of the Jiang family shouldn't be oblivious to these things..." Li An pondered.

Especially the family head, Jiang Rilan, who has been in seclusion for these years, allowing Jiang Ribai to control the power... Isn't that too abnormal?

People caught in the whirlpool of power in the Jiang family would be blinded and not easily able to see clearly.

But Li An, as an observer, could keenly sense that something was amiss.

Mainly because, after several lifetimes, Li An's sense of smell and intuition were no longer ordinary. His experience told him that when things go too smoothly, to the point of being unbelievable, it often means that a big problem is about to occur...

This made him inexplicably worried.

These matters actually had little to do with Li An. He didn't care about the transfer of power in the Jiang family, and even the life and death of Ruoli didn't concern him much.

But it was his habit to consider things from the perspective of those in power when he was involved in a certain situation. Only by doing so could he make the most advantageous choices for himself, so as not to unknowingly become cannon fodder or a sacrifice.

Most people at the bottom are sacrifices, no different from firewood—only those who possess the ability to think and analyze can have a chance to escape before entering the fire pit.

"Hmm?"

Just when Li An was worried, on this day, he suddenly noticed that another young core figure in the family, Jiang Ruoxu, had come to Zhi Ke Peak.

He went to the Tan Mansion.

At this time, why would Jiang Ruoxu not properly prepare for the expedition and come here to find Tan Qingxue?

Although Li An kept his distance from Tan Qingxue, he roughly knew that she had been doing one thing these years!

Researching how to restore the vitality of the Blue Flame Divine Sparrow's egg.

After Jiang Ruoxu left, Li An hesitated for a long time and decided to go to the Tan Mansion. One reason was to find out the purpose of Jiang Ruoxu's visit, and the other reason was that his other plan should also be set in motion...

Using the divine egg to control the Jiang family!

This opportunity was mainly used to elevate his position in the Jiang family!

Even if Li An formed his Nascent Soul in the future, he would still be highly suspicious. But if he bound himself to the Jiang family's divine egg, and only he could treat the divine egg, then he could naturally obtain the benefits he desired from the Jiang family.

The Jiang family was a Nascent Soul family, and even after Li An formed his Nascent Soul, he would still be of great value to them!

This was a long-term plan!

For this plan, he had been preparing for these years, collecting many spirit medicines for treating injuries of spiritual beasts.

Among them, he had cultivated one plant for a long time, deliberately using the green aura in his dantian to nurture it.

In this way, this plant would possess a trace of divine efficacy, and even Tan Qingxue wouldn't be able to discern its origin.

He sent this plant over to Tan Qingxue. It would have some effect on the divine egg, but the effect wouldn't be significant. It was just a prelude. When Li An showcased his abilities in the next step, everything would fall into place...

Li An immediately brought numerous spirit medicines and knocked on the door of the Tan Mansion.

...

(End of this chapter)