Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 191: The Arrival of the Demon Clan (Long Chapter)

After half an hour, Li An finally obtained what he wanted!

The inheritance of the fourth-level talisman!

After years of planning, it was not in vain.

He collected all the storage bags and storage rings from Guo Jisheng and Lu Tong, discarded the marked items, and then burned their bodies clean. Only then did he collect the surrounding formations and leave immediately.

On his way to the other two locations, he also took away the formations, leaving no trace behind.

After changing his appearance, Li An headed towards the territory of the White Mountain Lord.

In the Tian Sha Mountain Range, killings and treasure snatching happened frequently, but Li An concealed his identity very well, so he didn't have to worry about exposure.

...

Not long after, he returned to the Ling Sha Peak Cave Mansion.

He counted the spoils of this battle:

In addition to the fourth-level talisman inheritance, Guo Jisheng also had a used fourth-level talisman pen and over ten fourth-level talisman papers, all of which were water attribute.

After reaching the fourth level, the requirements for talisman papers became higher, requiring corresponding attributes!

Different talismans require different talisman papers to be made. For example, talisman papers made from water attribute materials can draw out rushing talismans, ice talismans, and rain talismans, while talisman papers made from fire attribute materials can make spirit fire talismans and exorcism talismans.

The five elements are the foundation, and besides that, there are some special attributes, such as materials with thunder and wind attributes, which are difficult to come by.

Inheritances, talisman pens, and talisman papers are all precious things.

In addition, there were also three or four third-level magical treasures and some third-grade elixirs.

Over seventy high-grade spirit stones, over fifty thousand medium-grade spirit stones, and over thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones. The harvest from the spirit stones was not much.

Mainly because Guo Jisheng had very few spirit stones on him, obviously, he had been poor for a long time due to being affected by the Soul Devouring.

"Next, I should prepare talisman papers and try to refine fourth-level talismans..."

With fourth-level talismans and his Gold Core cultivation with the divine bird, when he reached the later stage of cultivation, he might be able to challenge those in the early stage of Nascent Soul.

In fact, his own strength was already very stable in the Foundation Establishment realm...

Even if it was True Dan Great Perfection, it might not be able to deal with him and the divine bird.

However, Li An was not in a hurry. The materials for making fourth-level talisman papers were not easy to find, and he couldn't rush it. He also didn't plan to use the remaining ten or so talisman papers in his hand right now. After all, it would be very difficult to make fourth-level talismans, and he would most likely waste them if he tried now.

First, he would spend a few years familiarizing himself with and comprehending the fourth-level talisman inheritance while collecting materials for making talismans. That was the main task.

"I can cultivate the next part of the Golden Treasury Technique... the spleen!"

Currently, his lungs, liver, and kidneys had already been cultivated, leaving only the heart and spleen.

The spleen belongs to the earth element, so most of the materials for tempering the spleen are related to it, such as third-grade earth milk and heavenly gold stone.

It was not easy to collect them.

"Fourth-level talisman papers, formation materials, third-grade Body Refining materials, and the main ingredients for Infant Transformation Pills..."

He thought for a moment. In addition to cultivation, he also needed to speed up his earning of spirit stones.

Both he and the divine bird were in the mid-stage of the Gold Core realm, and they consumed a lot of spirit stones. Just in daily cultivation, they would consume about twenty high-grade spirit stones per month, which was two hundred and forty in a year!

The materials for the fourth-level formations were expensive. A set could cost as much as five to six thousand high-grade spirit stones, or as little as two to three thousand.

The raw materials for fourth-level talisman papers were also valuable. On average, a fourth-level talisman paper could be worth two high-grade spirit stones. Moreover, he had not truly mastered the fourth-level talisman art yet, so the early consumption would be difficult to see returns. He would consume at least a thousand talisman papers in a year, which would be a cost of two to three thousand high-grade spirit stones at a glance!

As for the third-grade Body Refining materials like earth milk, they were relatively easier to find, but even one plant would cost dozens of high-grade spirit stones. Even if he only used two to three plants per month, it would still be nearly a thousand high-grade spirit stones in a year.

In addition to miscellaneous expenses such as rent for the White Mountain Lord.

Now, if he wanted to develop quickly and improve himself, he needed to have at least six to seven thousand high-grade spirit stones in his hands.

This made Li An quite a headache.

In recent years, he had been involved in several "robberies" in a row, and combined with his previous accumulation in the Jiang family, he currently had nearly three hundred high-grade spirit stones, about three hundred and thirty thousand medium-grade spirit stones, and about two hundred and twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones, totaling about three thousand six hundred high-grade spirit stones.

In addition to other miscellaneous seized materials, when converted into high-quality spirit stones, it amounts to just over 4,800 high-quality spirit stones.

If it's just for daily cultivation, Li An can last a very long time, even up to twenty or thirty years without worry.

But the things he wants are too expensive. He focuses on fourth-grade talismans and formations, so there is still a shortage of spirit stones.

Who among the ordinary true pill cultivators can afford it!

Li An is also in a bind. It's difficult to obtain around 2,000 high-quality spirit stones in a short period of time.

He can only balance his cultivation and the Golden Treasury Technique.

"The third-grade runes, formations, and third-grade elixirs can be sold..."

Li An's pressure increases, but fortunately, he is now a third-grade talisman master, a third-grade alchemist, and a third-grade formation master. It will be much easier for him to earn spirit stones compared to others.

A set of third-grade formations can be sold for around fifty high-quality spirit stones. If he sells two sets per month, that's one hundred high-quality spirit stones!

A third-grade rune is worth between one to three high-quality spirit stones. If he sells one hundred runes per month, that's two to three hundred spirit stones.

And there are elixirs too. A single third-grade Cleansing Death Elixir is worth around ten high-quality spirit stones. If he sells ten per month, that's another one hundred high-quality spirit stones!

With a monthly income of four to five hundred spirit stones, excluding material costs, he can earn two to three hundred.

This is still an ideal situation. After all, his energy is limited, and acquiring raw materials, production, and sales all take time. He also needs to be cautious and not attract attention. In reality, earning one hundred high-quality spirit stones per month is already good.

However, he is not in a hurry. He will take it slow.

...

Two months later.

Something big happened in the Tian Sha Mountain Range.

The demon army finally arrived, and all the major mountain lords in the Tian Sha Mountain Range, including the human cultivators under their command, became "servant soldiers" of the demon race.

For a while, the territories of the major mountain lords were filled with demon armies, and many cultivation areas for human cultivators were taken away. Almost all the C-grade spiritual veins were occupied by the demon race, and human cultivators could only cultivate in D-grade spiritual veins.

Ling Yun Mountain became a hot spot because it had the least demonic energy among the D-grade spiritual veins. Zhou Libai and Madam She both returned, and the three peaks of Ling Yuan Peak were crowded with eight or nine cultivators.

Li An's Ling Sha Peak, on the other hand, was not affected because it already had heavy demonic energy, and no one wanted to squeeze in with him.

In this situation, many human cultivators might choose to flee the Tian Sha Mountain Range. But on the contrary, there was an influx of human cultivators from the outside world into the Tian Sha Mountain Range, joining the demon race!

Because the demon race had a large number of spiritual medicines!

Third-grade spiritual medicines were common, and even fourth-grade and extremely rare fifth-grade spiritual medicines could be exchanged through contributions!

This made all the cultivators in the Tian Sha Mountain Range excited! After all, for true pill cultivators, third-grade spiritual medicines could be used to achieve the Purple Mansion, and fourth-grade spiritual medicines were the hope of breaking through to Nascent Soul.

Normally, even if you had spirit stones, it would be extremely difficult to obtain a fourth-grade spiritual medicine. But now, as long as you followed the demon race and had enough contributions, you could get one. Who wouldn't be tempted?

The number of servant soldiers continued to rise!

Even the required contribution points for staying behind instantly skyrocketed, and Li An's contribution from the second-grade Cleansing Death Elixir was no longer enough.

"Zhuque King."

Li An carefully gathered information and understood the situation. The one leading the army to the Tian Sha Mountain Range was one of the four top demon kings within the demon race - Zhuque King.

It was said that the four demon kings were competing for the position of demon lord, which led to the outbreak of war. Zhuque King was defeated and retreated to the Tian Sha Mountain Range.

Zhuque King was resting in the Tian Sha Mountain Range, recruiting human cultivators to serve as servant soldiers on one hand, and on the other hand, he was frantically excavating the hidden treasures in the Tian Sha Mountain Range to replenish his strength and prepare for a counterattack.

Li An observed that the demon army was very powerful. Even the low-level demons and spirit beasts had the strength of the second or third stage. And all the "generals" were Nascent Soul-level powerhouses!

Mountain Lord Bai is currently one of the generals under Zhuque King's command.

The strongest true pill cultivators in the army can only serve as commanders.

Li An is very cautious about this. He keeps a low profile, avoids attracting attention as much as possible, and rarely participates in the demon race's tasks and so on.

He doesn't want to risk his life for Zhuque King.

The four-grade spiritual medicine in Zhuque Wang's hand naturally had a fatal attraction to Li An, but he would not choose to explore the ruins. Instead, he would exchange for the medicine by offering the third-grade Qingsha Pill, albeit at a slower pace.

However, the ruins in the Tiansha Mountains were all extremely dangerous. In just the past month or two, he had heard of many tragic incidents, with many true pill cultivators losing their lives.

Although there were people who successfully exchanged for the four-grade spiritual medicine, causing quite a sensation, Li An remained clear-headed. He would not take risks if he could safely cultivate.

"Lin An can be here--"

On this day, the voice of Gu Xuanting sounded again. Li An walked out and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Gu--"

"General Bai has ordered that all cultivators under his command who have insufficient contributions will be expelled. It has been three months, and your contributions have not reached the newly set amount."

Gu Xuanting said coldly, "According to the order of Lord Bai, either obtain the required contributions within three days, or pack up and leave now--"

Gu Xuanting was definitely with Zhou Libai, so he remembered Lin An, who didn't know how to appreciate kindness, quite well. He had dared to refuse Zhou Libai's friendly invitation... he naturally needed to be dealt with severely.

Li An hesitated for a moment, then took out a box and said, "Please have a look, Fellow Daoist Gu--"

Gu Xuanting took the box and opened it, his eyes widening in surprise.

In the box were thirty third-grade Qingsha Pills!

"When did you become a third-grade alchemist?!"

He was truly surprised. Just a few years ago, Li An was only a second-grade alchemist...

He had actually advanced?

Could it be that this person was a genius in alchemy? Or perhaps, he had been hiding his true abilities all these years?

His respect for Li An instantly increased!

Third-grade alchemists were highly sought after in the Tiansha Mountains now!

After all, with the arrival of the demon army, many true pill cultivators had more sources to obtain spiritual medicine. Once they obtained the medicine, they naturally needed someone to refine it.

But on Zhou Libai's side, due to the lack of high-level alchemists, they had been searching for suitable talents...

No wonder, no wonder Li An had been able to stay stable in the Lingsha Peak all this time. He didn't lack Qingsha Pills...

"Can you meet the required contribution points to stay?" Li An asked calmly.

Gu Xuanting hesitated for a moment and said, "Of course!"

"Master Lin, don't you feel too wasted living here?" he said in a low voice. "If Master Lin is willing to switch sides and join the ranks of Left Lieutenant Taixi, I guarantee that you will be highly valued. Various resources will definitely not be lacking--"

Interests were the most important!

So when Li An showed greater value, Gu Xuanting immediately changed his attitude and approach.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou Libai will definitely welcome it. Let bygones be bygones!"

He truly hoped that Li An would join Taixi Yaozi's side.

However, Li An shook his head and said, "Lord Right Lieutenant has been kind to me. Thank you for your offer--"

He still refused!

Gu Xuanting frowned and said, "Master Lin! Do you know that in recent years, the number of followers of Lord Right Lieutenant has been decreasing? You should be able to see the situation..."

"In addition, General Bai has recommended Taixi Yaozi to Zhuque Palace. If everything goes smoothly, within half a year, Taixi Yaozi will be able to enter the palace as an attendant, and may even gain favor from Zhuque Wang... I really don't want to see a talent like Master Lin go down the wrong path."

Li An pondered for a moment.

In fact, he was indeed tempted. If Taixi Yaozi could really rise within the demon clan, it would be beneficial for him. But after thinking about it, he still decided to stay.

Firstly, he had a grudge with Zhou Libai and the others. They currently needed alchemists, so they might treat him well, but what about in the future? Once they found a replacement, there was no reason for them not to seek revenge.

Torn faces could be ignored temporarily for the sake of temporary benefits, but it didn't mean that the underlying resentment could be eliminated.

Secondly, he had confidence in Lady She. She had always hidden her true intentions, and her final plan must be significant. Li An didn't have much faith in Zhou Libai and the others in their struggle against her.

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Gu. Li An understands."

He still refused!

Gu Xuanting sighed and said, "Alright then--"

After speaking, he immediately left.

...

"He actually became a third-grade alchemist?!"

On Lingdong Peak, Zhou Libai heard what Gu Xuanting said and was quite surprised.

Gu Xuanting sighed, "It's a pity that this person couldn't be persuaded. Fellow Daoist Zhou, let's continue recruiting from outside. There are many cultivators coming from the outside seeking refuge now. As long as we spend more time, we will eventually find a suitable third-grade alchemist."

Zhou Libai nodded and coldly said, "Huh, he rejected me again. This is the third time!"

"Lin An!"

She clenched her fists!

...

"A third-grade alchemist..."

On Lingjing Peak, Lady She raised her beautiful eyes and said, "Such fast progress."

"Sister, could this person be a genius in alchemy? A few years ago, he was only a second-grade alchemist..."

She Anqi was puzzled.

"It's also possible that he was hiding his true strength back then."

Lady She calmly spoke, "However, he has been following us for these years without gaining any benefits. Yet, he was able to refuse Gu Xuanting's recruitment. That's quite impressive."

"Yes, right after Gu Xuanting left, Lin An immediately went to report this matter to Lord Xiaoli. It seems that this person is quite loyal... Sister, there have been very few people who have stayed with us over the years."

She Anqi's expression was slightly complicated.

"Anqi, go and investigate him thoroughly this time. Make sure to thoroughly examine that bird of his."

Lady She spoke.

"But sister, we just received a clue about the Heavenly Demon's Secret Realm..."

She Anqi said.

"That's exactly why we need to confirm if this person is useful."

"And besides, the exact location of the Heavenly Demon's Secret Realm has not been confirmed yet... So, go find Lin An and investigate him together in Yunqi Valley."

Lady She arranged.

"Alright!"

She Anqi immediately left.

...

After she left.

Lady She got up and entered the depths of the cave, a deep secret passage that led directly to the end.

"Greetings, Master,"

Lady She respectfully bowed, "We have obtained a clue about the Heavenly Demon's Secret Realm, and I have already sent someone to confirm it..."

In the pitch-black cave at the end of the secret passage, a cold voice softly "Hmm"ed, then said,

"One month, within one month, you must find the Heavenly Demon's Secret Realm."

"Understood, I will do my best! Once we obtain the blood of the Heavenly Demon, you will truly be reborn, and the entire demon race will once again shine under your leadership!"

Lady She spoke excitedly.

...

(End of this chapter)