Gotta Make Some Preparations Before Going Out, Right?

It was too dangerous.

If he happened to run into a blind member of the Dragon or Phoenix clans, one slap would be the end of it.

While the other party would certainly be struck dead by the Great Dao Divine Thunder, Lu Changsheng would have to burn through a massive chunk of the precious Merit Origin he had painstakingly hoarded and was loath to spend.

Stingy Lu Changsheng would never commit such an act of killing a thousand enemies while suffering eighty thousand in losses.

"Forget it, forget it. I'd better go check on my precious orchard. The outside world is too dangerous; it's much more reassuring to just farm at home."

Lu Changsheng consoled himself, strolling down the cave dwelling's corridor toward the back.

He had converted the rear section of his dwelling into a spiritual field of about a hundred square meters.

This was also his most heavily protected area, reinforced with over three hundred layers of defensive formations.

The soil in the field was spiritual earth he had secretly snuck out to dig up after two minor demons had fought to their mutual destruction years ago, which had been tainted with a trace of spiritual energy.

Although the quality was mediocre, it was enough to grow some low-grade trinkets.

Pushing open the stone door, a faint, refreshing fragrance wafted toward him.

Inside the field, a dozen or so plants were scattered sparsely.

On the left were a few Red Sun Fruit trees bearing small red fruits, on the right was a small patch of Starlight Grass with star-shaped leaves, and in the corner lay a half-dead vine of unknown name.

He had carefully scavenged all of these from near the Nameless Low Mountain during the early days of his transmigration.

They were all unranked, low-grade innate spiritual roots; some didn't even qualify as innate, merely being post-celestial mutated spiritual herbs.

If the true powerhouses saw them, they probably wouldn't even bother to look down and pick them up.

But in Lu Changsheng's eyes, this was his entire net worth.

"Tsk tsk, growing quite well, aren't they?"

Lu Changsheng walked with a waddle toward one of the Red Sun Fruit trees.

The tree hung with three red fruits the size of an infant's fist, radiating a faint warmth.

"Hmm, let me calculate the time. After three thousand years, this batch of Red Sun Fruit should be fully ripe."

He carefully extended a wing, plucked one of the fruits, wiped it casually on his feathers, and took a bite.

It was crisp and sweet, the juices overflowing and transforming into a faint, warm current that flowed into his belly.

"Comforting."

Lu Changsheng squinted his eyes, savoring the taste of the spiritual fruit.

Although the spiritual energy provided by this fruit was of no help to his rock-solid cultivation, being able to satisfy his cravings was a rare luxury in these dull, Primordial Land years.

After finishing the fruit, he carefully spat the pit into a small hole nearby and used his claw to rake some spiritual soil over it.

"One pit, and in the future, another tree. Descendants without end—this is what you call sustainable development."

Lu Changsheng nodded with satisfaction.

After inspecting the orchard and personally drawing a bucket of spring water rich in trace spiritual energy to irrigate all the spiritual plants, Lu Changsheng strolled back to the front hall of the cave.

Standing before the heavy stone door covered in countless formation patterns, Lu Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly.

The sense of powerlessness he felt upon waking from his cultivation surged back into his heart.

"Three thousand years without a single step of progress. If I keep on hiding like this, my cultivation will be completely stuck at the Celestial Immortal stage."

He knew very well that the waters of the Primordial Land ran too deep.

In this era, the Celestial Immortal realm didn't even qualify one to be cannon fodder.

When the Dragon-Han First Tribulation truly erupted and the war between the three clans shattered the Primordial Land continent, let alone this Nameless Low Mountain, even the area around Mount Buzhou might not be safe.

What if a Quasi-Saint powerhouse self-destructed nearby, or several Innate Supreme Treasures clashed right here?

Could his eighteen hundred layers of formations really block that?

Even if his Merit Origin could keep him from dying, if his dojo were destroyed, all the assets he had accumulated would be gone.

Moreover, being forced to take a beating and consuming a massive amount of merit was a fate worse than death for him.

"I cannot just sit here and wait for death any longer."

Lu Changsheng's gaze gradually became firm.

Lu Changsheng looked at the heavy stone door covered in countless formation patterns, his gaze firmer than ever before.

He moved his left claw and took a step forward.

Then, he pulled his foot back.

"No, if I just head out like this, what if there's a remnant of a ferocious beast lurking right outside the door?"

Lu Changsheng shook his head; the spark of determination to go out that had just ignited was instantly suppressed by the caution carved into his very bones.

He could go out.

But he had to be fully prepared.

For someone who follows the path of caution, preparing to leave home is an entirely different concept from the "just get up and go" attitude of ordinary Primordial Land creatures.

He turned and followed the corridor, returning once more to the depths of his cave dwelling.

The first order of business: taking inventory of his belongings.

Lu Changsheng arrived at the storage room he had excavated with his own hands.

There were no spatial magic treasures here that could store Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed, as the great powers possessed; there were only simple stone vats he had hollowed out from mountain rock.

He opened the first stone vat, inside which were neatly stacked several hundred Red Sun Fruit. These were the ones he hadn't been able to bear eating after each harvest over the past few thousand years, stubbornly saved up.

Although these Red Sun Fruit aren't top-tier, they at least contain a trace of pure yang energy. Carrying them on me, if I happen to encounter any miasma or toxic fog, I can use them to detoxify or use them as rations to restore my strength.

He carefully selected the hundred in the best condition, packed them into a jade box polished from scraps of Century-Old Profound Jade, and tucked it close to his body.

Next was the second stone vat, filled to the brim with all sorts of scrap metal he had scavenged from across the mountains and plains over the years.

There were flying swords snapped in half, shields with gaping cracks, and fragments of magic treasures that were impossible to identify.

This heart-protecting mirror might be broken, but the material seems to be Deep Sea Profound Iron; it could barely withstand a blow from a Celestial Immortal...

This broken sword still retains a faint trace of Geng metal energy. If I encounter danger, throwing it as a hidden weapon might just scare someone off.

Lu Changsheng picked and chose through the pile of junk like an old man collecting scrap.

It took him a full half-month to hang a few barely usable, broken magic treasures beneath his golden feathers, arming himself into a mobile scrap recycling station.

After finishing all this, Lu Changsheng returned to the White Jade Meditation Cushion in the center of his cave.

The equipment is about ready, but my cultivation level is truly unsightly. Before heading out, let me try one last closed-door meditation.

What if... what if the Great Dao suddenly opens its eyes and grants me an epiphany?

Carrying this unrealistic sense of wishful thinking, Lu Changsheng closed his eyes slightly and slowly gathered his focus.

He emptied his mind, forcibly shielding away the chaotic thoughts, and began to draw in the spiritual energy from the outside world.

The Spirit Gathering Array within the cave was pushed to its limit.

The already thin innate spiritual energy in the surroundings was forcibly gathered by the array, turning into wisps of white mist that surged into his body through his nose and mouth.

However, the moment these spiritual energies touched the meridians within his body, that layer of golden flame representing "Great Dao Merit" automatically protected its master, flickering slightly.

Hiss—

The innate spiritual energy surging into his body was instantly repelled and evaporated by the overbearing Great Dao Merit, leaking directly out into the air through his pores.

The only energy that could truly remain in his dantian was the insignificant trace left after being tempered a thousand times over.

"Again!"