First Battle, Victory
There are still two weeks left.
Lan Chang'an checked for any omissions and made sure all kinds of supplies and life-saving measures were in place.
A few days later.
The Puppet Master neighbor across the street returned, carrying a bamboo basket, looking travel-worn.
"The Puppeteer Sang has also reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer."
"Huh! His Divine Sense is much stronger than that of an average Qi Refining Late-Stage. Could it be that he has encountered some kind of fortuitous opportunity?"
Lan Chang'an narrowed his eyes, looked at the muscular middle-aged man, and entered the courtyard.
Puppeteer Sang was usually taciturn and rarely interacted with others.
However, after being neighbors for twenty years, some interaction is inevitable.
Years ago, Puppeteer Sang bought High-Grade Talisman from Lan Chang'an, Talisman was received by Guan Qiaozhi at the time.
Puppet Master's strength and skills mainly rely on Puppet. However, Talisman are more convenient and practical in certain unexpected situations.
The next day, Lan Chang'an took a small gift and went to the villa across the street.
He knew that Puppeteer Sang was aloof and would not beat around the bush, stating his purpose directly.
"What grade of Puppet does Talismans Master Lu want to buy?"
The Puppeteer Sang's expression was somewhat wooden.
The two stood in the courtyard talking, not even inviting Lan Chang'an inside for a cup of tea.
Lan Chang'an didn't take it seriously and said:
Do you sell second-tier Puppet?
Puppeteer Sang's eyelids twitched, and he looked at Lan Chang'an in astonishment, shaking his head and saying:
"At most, Sang can only create First-Order Late-Stage Puppet."
Lan Chang'an had some doubts about this.
Guan Qiaozhi's Puppet Dog and the Divine Sense of the Puppeteer Sang, it should not be limited to this.
"Puppeteer Sang, don't be modest. I've heard someone speak of your true skills."
Who said that?
Puppeteer Sang's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously said...
"Who said that doesn't matter. I don't need second-tier Puppet, just sell me two top-tier first-tier Avian Puppet."
Lan Chang'an suggested.
Evergreen Mana, but a top-tier first-order Puppet can serve as a supplement to his fighting strength.
At worst, they can serve as cannon fodder to increase the margin for error.
The Earth Rock Rat has advanced to the second tier and is no longer suited for this kind of dirty and tiring work.
The Puppet has one advantage: it is fearless of death and impervious to most toxins.
After a moment's hesitation, the Puppeteer Sang reluctantly said, "I only have one top-tier first-order Avian Puppet. You'll have to trade it for a second-order Talisman."
"Second-tier Talisman are incredibly precious, far exceeding the value of First-Order Talisman by several times..."
After a brief negotiation, the two reached a deal.
The Puppeteer Sang sold two top-tier first-order Puppet to Lan Chang'an.
One Avian Puppet, and one Heavy Armor Humanoid Puppet.
Lan Chang'an paid with several inferior second-tier Talisman.
These inferior second-tier Talisman were made by Lu Chang'an when he first arrived Lan Chang'an Yellow Dragon Immortal City, due to limited materials. He simply gave them to Puppeteer Sang as a replacement.
This is also consistent with his current level of skill in using talismans.
The cost of Puppet is often twice that of Law Artifact of the same rank, and it can be used for many years without major damage.
Talisman are consumables, and their value skyrockets starting from the second tier.
"Talismans Master Lu, please note that these two top-tier Puppet can only exert the strength of ordinary Qi Refining Late-Stage in the hands of most Qi Refining cultivators."
Besides the two Puppet, the Puppeteer Sang gave Lan Chang'an a Jade Cylinder containing a Puppet Control Art.
"To unleash the full power of a first-tier peak requires a high level of Divine Sense and proficiency in Puppet Control Art from the user."
"Thank you for the reminder, Puppeteer Sang."
Lan Chang'an was fully aware of this.
In this life, his Divine Sense is powerful, and he has plenty of free time, making him well-suited to study the art of Puppet.
Controlling Puppet can also unleash considerable power.
In his Previous Life, he had some knowledge of or interest in the more mainstream cultivation arts, such as alchemy, formations, Spirit Plant, and animal husbandry.
Among them, some progress has been made in formations.
Less common skills, such as Puppet, are not included in this category.
Each monk has a limited amount of energy in his lifetime.
In his Previous Life, he was able to cultivate to the Golden Core Realm, while also advancing his talisman skills to the third rank. He also had to take care of his large Lineage and compete for the Nascent Soul fortuitous opportunity, which was exhausting.
Unlike this life, where time limits us and we have plenty of free time every day.
In his Second Life, unsure if he could continue reincarnating, he prioritized cultivation.
Even in this life, he cannot be sure if there will be an afterlife.
Only by advancing to the Nascent Soul and undergoing a qualitative change in one's soul can one uncover the true secrets of the Nine Imprint Tablet.
Ten days later.
Ye Flying Boat carrying a man and a woman flew out of the north gate of Yellow Dragon Immortal City and headed towards the vast and endless gray mountains.
Zhao Siyao, dressed in a white dress, exuded elegance and aloofness, as she piloted the Flying Boat at the front.
A cool breeze ruffled her long, flowing hair, and her flowing dress accentuated her graceful figure.
Lan Chang'an, dressed in white robes, was serene and peaceful, like an ancient tree rooted in the Flying Boat.
Gazing at the distant mountains shrouded in a light mist.
Information about the Black Mist Mountain Range surfaced in Lan Chang'an's mind:
"The Black Mist Mountain Range stretch across a significant portion of the Great Qing Cultivation World, and are home to a large number of Demon Beast beasts, making them a formidable force that cannot be ignored in this cultivation realm."
"One of its major branches runs through the northern part of the Liang Kingdom, which is also the Black Mist Mountain Range that the cultivators of Yellow Dragon Immortal City refer to in a narrower sense."
"Most of this mountain range is shrouded in mist year-round, which isolates cultivators' Divine Sense. The darker the mist becomes from the outside in, the more dangerous the area is."
Half an hour later.
The Flying Boat entered the outer perimeter of the Black Mist Mountain Range.
Lan Chang'an's Divine Sense senses were restricted by at least half.
The Spiritual Qi and mist of this land possess a quality that makes it even more suitable for the cultivation of Demon Beast.
Here, human cultivators experience a sense of difficulty in both cultivation and the recovery of their Law Power.
"Let's get going and continue our journey."
Zhao Siyao retracted the Flying Boat, and the two landed on the ground.
"Flying through the skies above the Black Mist Mountain Range, the fluctuations of a human cultivator's Law Power like a beacon in the darkness, easily attracting the attention of a wide range of Demon Beast, especially flocks of birds!"
Lan Chang'an had read the records: Some flocks of birds, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, even if the vast majority were first-order demonic birds, would leave Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator severely injured, if not dead.
The two traveled several dozen miles into the outer perimeter of the mountain range.
Occasionally, one can see Demon Beast at the early or mid-stage of the first tier.
Traces of human cultivators occasionally appear, mostly Rogue Cultivator.
Some were hunting teams in groups of three to five.
As Foundation Establishment cultivator, Zhao Siyao was so reverent that nearby cultivators would immediately give way if they got too close.
After venturing two hundred miles into the mountains, Zhao Siyao slowed down.
At this moment, the mist in the sky was light gray, and the Demon Beast encountered were significantly stronger and more intelligent, basically at the mid-to-late stage of the first tier.
Some of the more intelligent Demon Beast not only did not attack the two, but instead kept their distance.
Hunting Demon Beast in the world of cultivation is not as simple as pulling monsters in an online game.
A few or a dozen Demon Beast posed no threat to the two.
However, one must be wary of hordes of Demon Beast; a number exceeding a hundred can also pose a threat to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The two of them just need to avoid being surrounded by the Demon Beast in time.
At this point, they had not yet reached the territory of the Second-Order Monster Beast.
The reason for slowing down is...
First, identify the location to avoid some risks.
Secondly, they searched for precious medicinal herbs and Spiritual Ore.
The "Illusion Heart Grass" supplementary medicine that Lan Chang'an obtained was picked by Zhang Tieshan from the Black Mist Mountain Range.
If one is extremely lucky, it is not impossible to find the "Mystic Spirit Fruit" deep within the Black Mist Mountain Range.
Several days later.
Whoosh!
A robust Earth Rock Rat, as strong as a leopard, darted out from a nearby ravine.
A blood-red flower was dangling from its mouth.
"Second-tier spirit flower, Blood Ink Flower."
Lan Chang'an accepted the flower branch, slightly surprised.
Blood Ink Flower is the main ingredient in several second-tier elixirs and is highly beneficial to Blood Path Cultivation Method.
It can also be added to the Spirit Ink used for drawing talismans to improve the quality of second-tier Spirit Ink!
"Daoist Lu, this Blood Demon Flower is at least four hundred years old. Your spirit rat truly has a keen sense of smell."
Zhao Siyao exclaimed in amazement, praising it.
In the past few days, ever since Lan Chang'an released the Earth Rock Rat to explore, they have made some discoveries every now and then.
Most of them are first-tier spirit items from previous years.
A second-tier Blood Ink Flower that is four hundred years old—such a precious spiritual object is appearing for the first time.
"It was mainly good luck! Also, we entered Second-Order Monster Beast area, where the resources were even richer."
Lan Chang'an appeared humble, but he had already made his judgment.
Ordinary rodent-like Demon Beast have an exceptionally keen sense of smell.
After their bloodline mutations enhanced, the Earth Rock Rat' senses became even more acute.
In the Black Mist Mountain Range, human cultivators' Divine Sense senses are restricted, but the Earth Rock Rat thrive in their environment.
Moon Empress.
A terrifying roar echoed through the mountains.
A two-tier bear demon, three zhang tall and covered in wounds, was being attacked by a male and a female cultivator.
The main fighter was the female cultivator in the white dress, who wielded an Iron Umbrella Law Artifact.
The Iron Umbrella Law Artifact sometimes transformed into a sword and spear, sometimes into an umbrella shield, and sometimes fired out several steel needles.
The ground around the second-tier bear demon was sunken, dotted with earth Earth Spike and earthen walls.
There are also many deep caves.
It's impossible to predict which rat will suddenly dart out of its hole.
The bear demon roared incessantly, leaving more than a dozen bloody claw marks on its back.
Further away, a man in white robes held White Bone Bow, his Law Power fully charged, and he would occasionally fire a stray arrow.
To be precise.
The man in white used a tall, Heavy Armor Puppet as cover to prevent the bear demon from launching stones from a distance.
Behind it, a Avian Puppet hovered in the sky, keeping watch.
With a loud "boom".
The enormous second-tier bear demon lay in the mound of earth, with a White Bone Arrow emitting black smoke protruding from its ribs and buttocks.
"Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Lu helped me. If I were alone, even with my Law Power exhausted, I wouldn't have been able to kill this bear demon."
Zhao Siyao's eyes sparkled, and she readily agreed.
"I'll just lend a hand; the main responsibility will be for Daoist Zhao to suppress them head-on."
Lan Chang'an looked at the enormous bear demon corpse and estimated the area of its hide. He wondered how many Second-Order Talisman Paper could be made from it.