A Fellow Daoist

"This Violet Dragon Vein won't hold out much longer!"

Somewhere on Mount Lu in Jiangxi, Yan Kuan stopped, carefully guiding wisps of violet essence into the Trigram Treasure Box. This was the overflowing essence of the Violet Dragon Vein, a dragon vein nearly spent. Without change, it would become a dead dragon in a few decades or a century.

In the End of Dharma era on Blue Star, many spiritual lands rich in essence were withering away. Especially in the last few decades, the cultivation environment had grown increasingly harsh.

If heaven and earth continued like this, sooner or later Blue Star would become a land where no one could cultivate, a place of lawlessness.

Atop the peak of Mount Lu, Yan Kuan stood by the thundering Silver Waterfall. Plunging three thousand feet straight down, it seemed like the Milky Way falling from the nine heavens. The cascade of the Silver Waterfall of Mount Lu was truly magnificent. Many knew Mount Lu from Li Bai's timeless poem that began this way.

After some effort, Yan Kuan found the entrance to Mount Lu's unique terrain. Here, he sensed a desolate stillness. This spot should have been a node with the richest Violet Dragon essence, yet in truth, the spiritual energy was nearly exhausted, barely sustainable.

Carefully examining the place, he could detect traces of ancient formations. He sank into the ground and saw an ancient cave. The old, winding cavern led downward, its destination unknown, with bursts of chilling killing intent spilling out. An ordinary cultivator would surely be unable to withstand it.

Yan Kuan's strength in the Wheel Sea Secret Realm wasn't weak; on Blue Star, he counted as a minor superhuman. Yet coming here, he grew uneasy. A chill ran down his spine, his whole body cold, every hair standing on end. An involuntary anxiety gnawed at him.

Yan Kuan didn't risk entering the cave. Instead, he carefully approached its entrance. The cave was deep, with a faint outline of a complex Underground Palace visible below. Many branching paths and ancient chambers lay within; an ordinary person would get lost not far in.

Standing at the entrance of the Underground Palace, Yan Kuan's eyes flickered with flame. With his Fiery Golden Eyes, he saw deeper into the palace's depths.

Under his perception, deeper in the Underground Palace lay the Heart of Mount Lu. There, flames blazed, deathly still, holding an indescribable terror. Vaguely, a silhouette of a figure appeared in his mind. Just a distant 'look' made his body tremble.

What a powerful being this was, trapped here. Even the killing intent left after death kept ordinary Immortal Platform experts at bay.

Back then, his enemies seemed to fear his revival. They first severed his torso and head, then locked him here, subjecting him to thousands of years of torment, chained to an altar where fire essence wore away his spirit.

Even under such torture, this Sage Realm powerhouse still lingered on for many years, only fully dying in the last century.

"Whoosh!"

Just as Yan Kuan was about to withdraw his gaze, he suddenly noticed a ball of fire in a certain spot within the Heart of Mount Lu. Instinctively, he shifted his gaze toward that direction. The next moment, a ball of fire shot out of the Underground Palace entrance and was directly absorbed into the space of the Trigram Treasure Box he used for protection.

Yan Kuan carefully opened the box. A small, strange liquid was bouncing within, wrapped in scorching fire essence, appearing before him.

The fire essence in this Underground Palace had been used by a powerful being to burn away the spirit of a Sage Realm expert. Its power was terrifying—even an Immortal Platform grandmaster would be reduced to ash on contact. Yet this particular clump was mixed with something else, greatly weakening its might. Even a minor Wheel Sea Realm nobody like Yan Kuan could approach and examine it closely.

Within the scorching fire essence, a fist-sized lump of fragrant, crystalline liquid flowed with a faint violet divine light, exuding a special aroma. It faintly connected to Mount Lu's dying Violet Dragon Vein.

Dragon Marrow exists within dragon veins, born from the essence of ten thousand veins. Extremely rare and precious, it's hard to find. In the eyes of Immortal Platform grandmasters nearing the end of their lifespans, it's a priceless immortal treasure that can extend life.

But this treasure's greatest use isn't prolonging the lives of old fossils. It's for cultivating the Dragon Transformation Realm. The Wheel Sea, Dao Palace, and Four Extremes realms correspond to the dantian, five organs, and four limbs of the human body. Dragon Transformation is no exception—nine transformations of the human body, a single leap to become a dragon.

So-called Dragon Transformation is the cultivation of the spine, a hidden great dragon within the body. The Dragon Transformation Realm awakens it through nine transformations, merging it with the Dao.

This realm is said to be incredibly mysterious. Ancient texts record that when the dragon leaps, nine transformations gaze toward immortality, revealing strange sights like the Immortal Gate. Many mysterious, unfathomable events occur, sometimes even allowing one to ride the dragon beyond the void.

Most crucially, cultivation in the Dragon Transformation Realm can take shortcuts without harming the foundation. As long as one breaks through to this realm and obtains the Dragon Transformation volume of an ancient scripture, along with a large amount of immortal Dragon Marrow, one can quickly complete the nine transformations and glimpse the Immortal Platform.

"The Heart of Mount Lu is the most essential node of the entire mountain's earth vein. It's no surprise Earth Vein Dragon Marrow appears here. No wonder that Sage Realm expert could linger on for so many years. Pity he died too early, never waiting for someone to find and rescue him."

Standing before the cave entrance, Yan Kuan sighed regretfully, then carefully put away that small clump of Earth Vein Dragon Marrow. This should be the last Dragon Marrow of Mount Lu's Violet Dragon Vein.

He had to be grateful he arrived decades before Ye Fan's return to Blue Star. Otherwise, he wouldn't have obtained such a treasure. The Violet Dragon Vein of Mount Lu was nearly dry; in a few decades, it would likely die completely. This bit of Dragon Marrow would naturally dissipate into heaven and earth.

"Oh? I didn't expect to actually find some fellow cultivators."

At the entrance of Mount Lu's cave, Yan Kuan followed the earth vein outward, gathering Violet Dragon essence. Suddenly, he paused, fixing his gaze on a distant spot, also at an earth vein node. He heard a whispered conversation. If not for a cultivator's spiritual sense, he wouldn't have caught it at all.

Yan Kuan's mind stirred, and he stealthily approached. He saw a few barely initiated cultivators, all fairly old, likely rogue cultivators. The strongest was barely near the Life Spring realm, naturally unable to detect Yan Kuan's movements.

"Fellow Daoists, struggling through this End of Dharma era, we can only rely on scraps of earth vein spiritual energy to begin cultivation. Is this fortune or misfortune?"

"Daoist Qingfeng, don't be disheartened. At least we've achieved some cultivation. Compared to mortals, we're still different."

"Sigh! Most of Mount Lu's earth vein essence is plundered by the Dragon Finch clan. We can only pay tribute to them and carefully take a little. Cultivation grows ever harder. If only this clan weren't so over—"

"Daoist Lingxu, speak carefully. The Jiujiang Dragon Finch Clan is, after all, the local... landlord."

"Indeed, indeed. Speak carefully. By the way, fellow Daoists, three months from now, the Mount Sanqing Cultivator Gathering is said to be held. We can go to exchange with cultivators from other regions and trade resources. Are any of you interested in traveling together?"

"The Mount Sanqing Cultivator Gathering? I've been meaning to go. Traveling together sounds good."

"Same here!"