Demonic Cultivators Attack Spirit Isle Lake

Though this could not compare to Chen Nianzhi's heaven-sent talent of beginning cultivation at the age of three, it was already far superior to most cultivators who could only begin cultivating after the age of eleven or twelve.

He cultivated peacefully like this, and in the blink of an eye, another four months passed.

"Phew."

After finishing his cultivation that day, Chen Nianzhi slowly exhaled a breath of mist.

Feeling his True Qi grow a little stronger once more, he immediately revealed a hint of delight.

After a cultivator broke through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, it did not mean they could immediately attempt Foundation Establishment. On the contrary, they still needed to temper their True Qi further.

So-called Foundation Establishment meant continuously compressing True Qi until it was ultimately transformed into liquid True Essence, producing a qualitative change and completing a leap in one's level of life.

And throughout this process, the amount of True Qi required was immense.

Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would cultivate their True Qi until their meridians were filled to the brim, then temper it continuously, condensing the True Qi to the absolute limit their meridians could withstand.

Beyond that, they also had to use True Qi to temper their meridians. Only after raising their meridians' strength to the limit could they begin Foundation Establishment, and this process often required nearly a decade of tempering.

Even so, without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, the chances of success were merely ten percent. Once the condensation of True Essence failed, True Qi would burst apart every meridian in the body, leaving one's meridians shattered and bringing death.

The reason Sixth Elder Chen Qingmeng had fallen after failing Foundation Establishment was that he had perished at this critical step.

The effect of a Foundation Establishment Pill was to make True Qi gentler while doubling the strength of one's meridians for a short time.

For this reason, cultivators who used a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through would at worst suffer a severe loss of vital energy if they failed; they would not face the danger of death.

Chen Nianzhi's physical body had its natural foundation enhanced by Hongmeng Purple Qi, and since childhood, he had tempered his meridians with True Qi and Hongmeng Purple Qi. Thus, his meridians were far broader than those of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, while their resilience and strength far surpassed even ordinary Peak of Qi Refining cultivators.

By his estimate, so long as he nourished them with Hongmeng Purple Qi for several more years, his meridians would become more than twice as strong as those of ordinary people. When the time came, his confidence in achieving Foundation Establishment would rise by several tenths out of nowhere, nearly equivalent to taking a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"My meridians are broad, and they can hold more than thirty to forty percent more True Qi than cultivators of the same rank. That can also raise my chances of Foundation Establishment by another ten to twenty percent."

"So long as I proceed steadily from here, accumulate True Qi with Spirit Peaches, and temper myself for several more years, I will likely have a fifty to sixty percent chance of Foundation Establishment."

Chen Nianzhi thought happily. With such a foundation, if he could obtain another Foundation Establishment Pill, breaking through to Foundation Establishment would surely be as certain as ten held in hand.

In high spirits, he finished his cultivation routine and left the wooden hut, intending as usual to check on the Spirit Fish and Purple-Patterned Geese. But after taking only a few steps, he discovered that the Spirit Peaches on the Spirit Peach Tree were nearly ripe.

The joy of an impending harvest surged into his heart, putting him in an excellent mood.

"This year's Spirit Peaches seem to be slightly more numerous than in previous years."

Chen Nianzhi looked at the Spirit Peach Tree, his brow lifting slightly.

It seemed that due to Hongmeng Purple Qi, the Spirit Peach Tree's natural foundation had changed, and it bore more Spirit Peaches with every passing year.

There had been fifty-six Spirit Peaches in the first year and sixty in the second. This year, it had actually borne more than seventy unripe fruits.

This had nearly reached the limit of a Tier 1 Low-grade Spirit Peach Tree. Taking one further step would mean breaking through to Tier 1 Mid-grade.

"Could it be that this Spirit Peach Tree has broken through the limitations of its natural foundation and can advance as it ages?"

"If that is truly the case, then judging from the trend, it should reach Tier 1 Mid-grade in another year or two."

Chen Nianzhi thought with some delight. A Tier 1 Mid-grade Spirit Peach Tree produced twice as many Spirit Peaches each year as a low-grade one, generally around a hundred fruits.

"..."

It was also on this day that, at the edge of Spirit Isle Lake, three cultivators—one woman and two men—gazed toward distant Lakeheart Island.

One of them, a middle-aged beauty whose charm still lingered, looked upon the scenery and could not help exclaiming in admiration.

"Who would have thought that the Chen Clan still controlled such a picturesque spirit lake?"

"If we could occupy this cultivation ground and cultivate here for the rest of our lives, what a wonderful thing that would be."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, another old cultivator, gaunt and withered, shook his head. "Spirit Isle Lake is Chen Clan territory. With your and my cultivation, dreaming of taking it is nothing but a fool's dream."

"The Chen Clan's unique Azure Spirit Fish specialty is most likely raised here, isn't it?"

"If we could sweep them all up in a single net, we would not lack cultivation resources for the next decade or more."

"Enough, enough. Stop obsessing over cultivation grounds and Spirit Fish. The real matter is more urgent."

The third person suddenly spoke. He was a burly cultivator in gray robes.

He stared solemnly at Lakeheart Island, then after a long while, said in contemplation.

"According to the information we uncovered, the person who killed our junior brother is within Spirit Isle Lake."

"Our master ordered us here to avenge him, so we cannot be careless."

It turned out that these people were all disciples of Zhang Old Devil. They had come this time to find Chen Nianzhi and avenge Zhang Old Devil's descendant, who had blood-sacrificed Peaceful Reach Town.

At the thought of their target, the middle-aged beauty's expression changed, and she cursed resentfully.

"That old devil fears Chen Changxuan. He does not dare come himself, yet he wants us to risk our lives instead."

"Chen Nianzhi is a Ninth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator, and he has an array protecting him. Aren't we simply walking into death by coming here?"

Demonic Cultivators had never cared for kinship. For profit, they would stop at nothing; examples of fathers and sons slaughtering one another, masters and disciples turning against each other, were everywhere.

The gaunt old man did not mind the woman cursing Zhang Old Devil to his face. Instead, he shook his head and said with a cold expression,

"We all bear the Evil Ghost Heart-Devouring Curse left by Zhang Old Devil. Obeying his orders leaves us a sliver of life, but disobedience means being devoured by evil ghosts. Do you still intend to resist?"

The burly Demonic Cultivator was the only one among the three at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, and his strength ranked first among them. His expression was not pleasant either, but he still said with confidence,

"Before this journey, Master gave me a Six-Ghost Talisman. It should be enough to deal with the array here."

"With the three of us in the Late Stage of Qi Refining, I refuse to believe we cannot take down one mere man."

"To avoid growing long nights and many dreams, let's act now."

Having made their decision, the Demonic Cultivators immediately boarded a lone boat and rode the waves toward Lakeheart Island.

Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. They had only gone halfway when Chen Nianzhi, who was counting the Spirit Fish, spotted them.

"Not good, Demonic Cultivators."

Chen Nianzhi's pupils contracted. The Demon Baleful Intent around Demonic Cultivators was far too conspicuous. He recognized them at a glance, immediately returned to Lakeheart Island, and activated the protective array.

The Cloud-Mist Hood released a dense layer of mist, shrouding the entire Lakeheart Island.

"Damn it."

The three Demonic Cultivators' expressions immediately changed. The burly Demonic Cultivator gritted his teeth and made a swift decision.

"We cannot worry about that now. Kill our way in."

The demons entered the mist, only for the clouds to obscure their sight; they could see no farther than ten feet.

The moment the gaunt old demon saw this, he sensed that things were amiss and hurriedly called out, "This mist blocks both divine sense and vision. Even we cannot see through it. To avoid being picked off one by one, we must not separate by more than ten feet."