Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 180: Desperate Situation (Long Chapter)

"Zhou Dangfu and the others have all left, why aren't you leaving?" Li An asked Xiang Yuntian.

Xiang Yuntian replied, "I don't have enough contribution spirit stones, where can I exchange them?"

Xiang Yuntian nodded, "I understand, you're also a poor guy."

"Brother Xiang and Fellow Daoist Zhou seem to be at odds?" Li An asked.

Calling her Zhou Dangfu all day long...

"Zhou Libai has been cultivating here for eleven years and has had two partners. After her previous partner died, she coveted my body and tried to seduce me," Xiang Yuntian calmly recounted.

"What happened afterwards?"

"I chased her around the mountain three times with my sword. If it weren't for Madam She's intervention, I wouldn't have been able to kill her!"

Li An: "..."

"Look at her current second partner, she's not far from death."

Xiang Yuntian said, glancing at Li An, "So it's better for you to stay away from this demoness Zhou Dangfu, otherwise you'll die at her hands sooner or later."

Li An suddenly understood why Xiang Yuntian had warned him to stay away from Zhou Libai when he first visited him.

At that time, Li An thought Xiang Yuntian and Zhou Libai were having an affair.

So it turns out it was like this...

It seems that Xiang Yuntian was actually well-intentioned at that time.

However, this person has always had low emotional intelligence and a straightforward personality, and he has been invaded by evil spirits, making him even more eccentric.

Li An could understand Xiang Yuntian's character, as most sword cultivators in the world were like this.

There were not many sword cultivators.

In order to achieve something in the Sword Dao, the state of mind was particularly important. Once the mind was tainted, the realm would stagnate and it would be difficult to make progress, or even fall into demonic cultivation.

But sword cultivators also had a problem. Because they focused solely on cultivating the sword, they often didn't care about other cultivation practices.

Most sword cultivation sects were superpowers, and once they left their original sect, it would be difficult for sword cultivators to survive, after all, they couldn't earn spirit stones.

No wonder Xiang Yuntian was so poor that he couldn't even afford a Clear Evil Pill.

When ordinary people were forced to this point, it was easy for them to become bandits. If a sword cultivator became a bandit, it would be extremely easy for them to fall into demonic cultivation and cause trouble.

Xiang Yuntian, on the other hand... was not easy.

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Xiang!" Li An thanked him.

"No need to thank me."

Xiang Yuntian pondered for a moment, seeming hesitant, but finally spoke up, "Lin An, can you lend me some spirit stones?"

Li An: "..."

"I'm not well off either, and I can't afford to help you, so here are two thousand low-grade spirit stones. Please accept them, there's no need to mention borrowing."

Two thousand low-grade spirit stones were only equivalent to twenty middle-grade spirit stones.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator, this was very little!

Li An's thoughts were simple. Why should I lend you spirit stones when we have no personal relationship? Besides, you're a dying sword cultivator, who knows how long you'll live? Are you going to ask for the money from the King of Hell when the time comes?

But he didn't want to make it too ugly, so as not to make Xiang Yuntian hate him. Leaving a way out for oneself was important.

"Give me more, give me a thousand middle-grade spirit stones!"

Xiang Yuntian looked at Li An.

Li An frowned slightly. A thousand spirit stones was a small matter, but Xiang Yuntian was taking advantage of the situation. If he gave in, wouldn't it make him look weak and easy to bully?

"I don't have that many."

Li An said calmly, "How about five hundred, do you want them?"

When Xiang Yuntian died, Li An would naturally find a way to get back the five hundred spirit stones with interest.

"Alright, thank you."

Xiang Yuntian took the spirit stones from Li An and said, "I've never owed anyone in my life, but this month, I owe Zhou Libai a Clear Evil Pill, and now I owe you a favor."

"As for Zhou Libai, I've wanted to kill her for a long time, but considering this pill, I spared her life and put an end to this murderous intent."

"What about you? I plan to leave the Tianya Mountain Range next month, and before I leave, I'll repay your favor."

He looked at Li An, "I don't have any other skills, but I can kill people. You can think carefully about who you want me to kill - anyone below Nascent Soul, you can choose freely."

"That's it."

Xiang Yuntian turned and left, returning to the Lingyuan Peak.

After he left...

Li An pondered for a moment. This Xiang Yuntian... truly lived up to being a sword cultivator, so foolish.

He did things entirely according to his own will.

"This formation seems to be a formation eye..."

Li An went down the mountain and inspected the place where the two Nascent Soul cultivators had set up the formation.

In his previous life, he was a third-tier formation master, and now he had also learned the demonic sect's formation inheritance. In terms of formations, he was already outstanding.

After careful inspection...

"Sure enough, the formation set up here should be a formation eye, and also a flaw..."

Li An pondered.

After thinking for a while, he decided to visit Little Ying.

With such a large formation, it was likely that something big was happening on the Bai Mountain side, and this couldn't be hidden from Little Ying.

"Xiao Ying, Xiao Hong has been chirping and making a fuss these past few days, I was wondering what was wrong, turns out she missed you."

Watching Xiao Ying play with Xiao Hong, Li An couldn't help but smile and say, "Now that I've seen you, you've become so well-behaved."

Xiao Ying said, "But you're so weak, you haven't made any contributions so far... When will Xiao Hong be able to transform and play with me?"

She was very direct.

Li An didn't feel embarrassed at all and said, "Actually, I also want to find an opportunity to earn some contributions, but my strength is too weak. If I were to die, Xiao Hong would be left all alone..."

"Xiao Ying, is there something big happening in the mountains recently? It seems like everyone is busy and there are formations everywhere."

Xiao Ying said, "You don't know?"

"That ugly lizard is about to transform. Its innate bloodline is too good. The mountain master received the news and Jie Qianyuan is coming to snatch it, so they had to set up defensive formations in advance..."

Upon hearing this, Li An suddenly realized.

So that's how it is!

"What a clever move!"

Li An understood everything.

No wonder the formations were set up around Lingyun Mountain.

In this way, Lingyun Mountain became the most dangerous place.

If Jie Shan master had someone guiding him, they would definitely attack from Lingyun Mountain.

And there is also a possibility that Bai Shan master would voluntarily reveal the weaknesses of the formations, luring them into Lingyun Mountain and then ambushing them.

In any case, Li An and Xiang Yuntian were both in danger now.

Zhou Libai obviously knew all of this, which is why she moved away.

"Xiao Ying, I want to move to a different place with Xiao Hong, is that okay? We don't need to move to the third-class area, just somewhere between the fourth-class areas... Because there's a lunatic over there, Xiang Yuntian, and he's about to lose control. I'm worried that Xiao Hong will get hurt."

Li An suddenly asked.

Damn it, he's also moving!

But he never went to the ruins or anything, and his alchemy level is not even at the second rank, so he hasn't earned any contributions...

Without contributions, it means he can't do anything.

He could only try and see if Xiao Ying would do him a favor.

"I can't."

Xiao Ying refused, "I can't agree to that, otherwise, the mountain master will say I'm not obedient, breaking the rules, and will kill me."

She shook her head like a rattle drum.

This girl's mind is quite simple... With her identity and status, there are actually many ways she could manipulate the situation.

But she obviously doesn't know how to do it, or doesn't want to do it.

After all, she is just a parrot in human form, her thoughts are too simple.

Starting with her is useless. If Li An says too much, she might accidentally reveal something in front of the Mountain Lord, and Li An would definitely be doomed.

"Well, I'll think of another way..." Li An sighed helplessly.

After playing with Xiaohong and Xiaoying for a while, Li An gave them a precious spiritual food before leaving with the little bird.

...

Back at Lingjing Peak, Li An stared at the formation not far away, lost in thought.

Jiang Ribai played his hand perfectly, seeking personal revenge and using others as pawns.

If it weren't for Li An's proficiency in formations and extraordinary insight, he would definitely not have noticed the problem. It was like being in a dream, waiting for the people sent by the Mountain Lord to arrive, with him and Xiang Yuntian being the first to face them.

In such a major event, the Mountain Lord would definitely send out a considerable number of people. With just the two of them, how could they resist? In the end, it would most likely be a dead end.

Now Li An's best choice was to quietly leave!

Find a ruin or something to stay for a few days, wait for things to settle down here, and then say that he happened to go out to explore the ruins, which would be quite normal.

Of course, he couldn't let Xiang Yuntian find out. Sneaking away on his own shouldn't be a problem, after all, Jiang Ribai's main target was Xiang Yuntian.

"Is Fellow Daoist Lin here?"

At this moment, a voice came from outside.

Li An went out and saw Madam She.

"Fellow Daoist She, please come in quickly," Li An smiled and invited Madam She into the mountain.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I hope everything is well," Madam She entered Lingjing Peak, and Li An offered her spiritual tea with a smile.

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist She. Everything is fine," Li An said, "Fellow Daoist She came at the right time. I have something I want to ask."

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please go ahead," Madam She said.

"I'm planning to explore some ruins in the near future and earn some contributions. Currently, I have a few preparations, Blue Devil River and Wind Devil Forest. I wonder if Fellow Daoist She is familiar with them?" Li An asked.

Madam She replied, "Both are fine. These two places are not particularly dangerous. However, Fellow Daoist Lin can't leave now."

She spoke with great emphasis, "Recently, Prince Tailizard is about to transform into a demon. Fellow Daoist Baijiang just offered his services in front of the palace today. In order to prevent chaos, for the next three months, no cultivator is allowed to leave their cultivation site."

"The Mountain Lord's order should be issued in the evening. At that time, the spiritual beasts in the mountains will patrol everywhere. Once they discover anyone leaving, even if they hold the Mountain Lord's command token, they will be executed on the spot."

Li An was suddenly stunned.

That old dog Jiang Ribai...

He went to such extremes?!

But he immediately realized that this might not be specifically targeting Xiang Yuntian, but rather a necessity dictated by the overall situation.

However, it also cut off Li An's retreat!

Actually, he could still leave. After hiding his presence, he could find a place to hide for a while without any problems. The spiritual beasts in the mountains might not be able to find him.

But what about afterwards?

He would still be exposed.

Disobeying the mountain lord's orders would be a dead end.

Unless he left the territory of the White Mountain Lord.

He had a headache.

But he pretended not to know and only showed a hint of regret, saying, "Alright... since that's the case, I'll have to stay on the peak for now."

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist She has any business?"

Madam She said, "Well, recently I found a spiritual bird and was planning to raise it. But that bird is unruly and hard to tame, so I thought of your well-behaved spiritual bird and came to borrow it."

"Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Lin. I will return it to you within a month."

"This is just a small token of my appreciation."

She handed him a Clear Evil Pill.

But Li An didn't accept it. He had a guess in his mind...

Did Madam She know that he and Xiang Yuntian were going to die this time, so she took his spiritual bird in advance?

After Li An died, the bird would naturally belong to her.

But why would she be interested in this ordinary bird?

Unless she also wanted to get close to Miss Xiaoying?

Various thoughts flashed through Li An's mind.

"I'm sorry, Madam She, but this spiritual bird and I are inseparable. We have been through many life and death situations together. It is extremely loyal and never leaves my side... so I cannot lend it to you. Please forgive me--"

Refusal!

The Crimson Flame Divine Sparrow could not be lent out.

Madam She's eyebrows slightly furrowed, she didn't expect Li An to refuse.

After all, she had some personal feelings towards Li An, and she even gave him a valuable Clear Evil Pill as a gift.

"But I do know quite a bit about spiritual birds. This is a spiritual food specially prepared for bird-type spiritual beasts. Please accept it, Madam--"

Li An presented a precious spiritual food.

He usually only used it to feed the Crimson Flame Divine Sparrow and bribe Xiaoying.

Now he took it out and gave it to Madam She, which showed his sincerity.

After all, no matter what Madam She thought, it was still better not to offend her for now.

Madam She pondered for a moment, "Fellow Daoist Lin, I do need a spiritual bird. Can I borrow it for half a month? I can add two more Clear Evil Pills."

She took a step back, and it could be said that she was going all out.

Li An had no choice but to summon the Little Red Bird and said, "Madam She, it's not that I'm heartless, but as you know, I have no master-servant relationship with this spiritual bird, so I cannot command it. If it is willing to go with you, it will go. If it is unwilling, then I can't do anything about it."

After speaking, Li An turned to the Little Red Bird and said, "Fellow Daoist She wants to borrow you for half a month. Are you willing to go?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Little Red Bird flew directly behind Li An, not even looking at Madam She.

Madam She tried to tempt it with the precious spiritual food, but the Little Red Bird completely ignored it.

"I'm sorry, Madam She."

Li An spoke up.

Madam She was also helpless. She couldn't just snatch it away, so she could only say, "Then thank you, Fellow Daoist Lin. Sorry for the trouble--"

She bid farewell and left.

"She must be aware."

Li An became more certain.

She came to take away Li An's spiritual bird for free, taking advantage of the fact that Li An would die in a few days.

When Li An left Xuan Yang Sect, he also knew that Xuan Yang Sect was going to be destroyed, so he borrowed a lot of things in advance and didn't return them.

If it weren't for the fact that he had already guessed Jiang Ribai's intentions, he would have really retaliated.

In the evening, the mountain lord's order was issued, prohibiting anyone from leaving their cultivation grounds.

"I can't leave..."

Li An pondered. He now had to consider how to protect himself.

The area around Lingyun Mountain was a must-pass for the people under the mountain lord. The two sides would inevitably encounter each other.

Even if the enemy really came, Li An and Xiang Yuntian would have to take the initiative to stop them.

Because as a tenant of the White Mountain Lord, it was also their duty to defend against enemies. If they saw the enemy infiltrating their cultivation grounds and didn't stop them, they would be in big trouble when the White Mountain Lord investigated.

It was a headache!

"Have you made up your mind? It's just killing someone. Is it worth your headache and hesitation for so long?"

Xiang Yuntian came over and asked.

Li An really wanted to say, "Just go and kill Jiang Ribai..."

But it was just a thought.

He couldn't really trust Xiang Yuntian. As he had said, if Xiang Yuntian turned around and sold him out, or if he didn't keep things secret and leaked information, Li An would be finished.

"You want to hurry up. I'm leaving next month. After I leave, it will be farewell forever. Those hundreds of spiritual stones you owe me will be like meat buns thrown to a dog, impossible to get back!"

After urging him, Xiang Yuntian left.

...

"It should be within these fifteen days."

After carefully analyzing his conversation with Madam She, Li An felt that it should be the case.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to shorten the borrowing time to fifteen days.

Faced with the crisis:

Cannot run.

Must fight.

No matter how you look at it, there's a taste of a desperate situation...

This is the world of cultivation, where there may be pitfalls everywhere. Even though I am already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I still can't escape the calculations of ghosts and demons.

After careful consideration, the only option is to ensure my survival in battle and ultimately achieve the outcome of "surviving a great calamity."

Li An carefully pondered this direction and gave himself three days to come up with a strategy. If there is still no foolproof plan in the end...

Then I will run.

Li An would never stay and wait for death.

Spirit veins are rare, but one must also consider their own life.

In this situation, as long as Li An is willing to escape and give up everything now, there shouldn't be a problem.

With this thought, he felt much better.

At least there is a way out...

...

Three days later.

Taking advantage of Xiang Yuntian's inattention, Li An walked out of Lingjing Peak.

During these three days, although he didn't come out in person, he repeatedly used his divine sense to explore the surrounding terrain, and he already had a good understanding in his mind.

"The enemy will most likely come from the direction of the Black Night Forest."

"When they arrive near Lingyun Mountain, Xiang Yuntian and I will sense it and engage in battle."

"If I were the enemy, after being discovered, there are only two possibilities. One is to kill Xiang Yuntian and me with thunderous force to prevent our whereabouts from being exposed. The other is to send someone to stop the two of us and continue forward with the main force."

"The former is difficult to guard against. Who knows what the other party has in their hands? Are there any Nascent Soul stage experts among them?"

"If it's the latter, then there is still a chance of survival!"

Li An's eyes gleamed.

"So, I need to find a way to force the other side to make the second choice."

"The enemy wants to kill us with thunderous force, mainly to silence us and provide more secrecy for their actions. But if they have already revealed their whereabouts when they see us, then it's unnecessary to go through so much trouble to kill us. They can just send someone to stop us or even ignore us, after all, the Tai Lizard is the top priority."

Li An carefully deduced.

This can be easily done!

If Li An and Xiang Yuntian are completely unaware like in a dream, then there is a real chance of being ambushed and killed by the enemy.

But now that Li An knows the enemy will come, he has the initiative!

As a Gold Core cultivator, Li An only needs to release his cultivation when the enemy has just arrived and hasn't had a chance to make a move yet, and send a signal towards the mountain. That's enough!

He shouted with all his might, and the entire territory of the mountain lord could sense it.

But at that time, Li An would also become the target of the enemy.

A battle would break out, and Xiang Yuntian would definitely join the fight... After thinking for a moment, Li An thought it was worth a try.

He quietly set up a third-grade formation in the place where he just left the Black Night Forest and approached the foot of Lingyun Mountain.

This is the first line of defense.

He also set up a second-grade mountain protection formation for the entire Lingyun Mountain. This is the second line of defense.

In his cave on Lingjing Peak, he already had a third-grade formation. This is the third line of defense.

Then, he chose two escape routes and set up a third-grade formation on each of them!

This is the fourth line of defense.

Li An's idea is as follows:

When the enemy appears, he will immediately send a message to disturb the enemy.

The enemy will come to kill, but they will also realize that they have been discovered.

At this time, Li An will first activate the second line of defense and use the Lingyun Mountain protection formation to block the enemy.

If the enemy finds it difficult to attack, they will most likely only send a few people to stop Li An and the others.

If the enemy's strength is average and they can hold on, Li An will join forces with Xiang Yuntian to resist. If there is a chance to counterattack, they can kill the enemy, and the first line of defense can block the enemy when they try to escape.

If the enemy is too strong, then Li An can use the third and fourth lines of defense to escape.

All of these are third-grade formations from the demonic sect. These formations can be considered "pseudo fourth-grade."

With this configuration, even if a Nascent Soul expert comes, Li An will most likely be able to escape calmly.

After completing all of this, Li An finally felt a little relieved, but also very distressed.

A set of third-grade formations requires five to six thousand high-grade spirit stones in cost.

The cost of this battle is as high as twenty thousand high-grade spirit stones!

...

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye, five days have passed.

During these five days, Li An couldn't sleep at night, maintaining a high level of tension and keeping his divine sense monitoring the area within a few hundred miles.

Especially the direction of the Black Night Forest.

In fact, keeping divine sense open all the time is also a great burden on spiritual power.

Thanks to Li An's life seed being connected to his spiritual platform, it greatly enhances the quality and endurance of his spiritual power, allowing him to do this.

The seventh day.

"They're here—"

Late at night, Li An suddenly opened his eyes—

...

(End of this chapter)