In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed.

Over these ten years, Li An could be said to have enjoyed smooth sailing.

White Tiger Mountain sent over many Celestial Slayer Stones and Fetal Soul Herbs, mostly Tier Two and Rank Three.

Li An siphoned some off and then sent them to the Prince Mansion through the Treasure Pavilion.

Moreover, within his authority, he secretly collected Soul-Devouring Roots, Breaking Evil Springs, and other items for White Tiger Mountain.

...

"The kidneys have finally fully developed, merely considering strength and endurance, I'm three times as strong as a cultivator of the same level!"

The initial success of the Golden Treasure Skill had reached the level of his past life.

Now, in physical combat, Li An was definitely a nightmare for cultivators of the same rank, in a sense, he was also taking the path of a Body Cultivator.

"Tri-Element Slash, slashing the primordial body, initially mastered..."

Li An nodded in satisfaction.

Currently, he was fully confident in facing cultivators below Core Formation!

Additionally, he took out a box, opened it, and his eyes were quite excited.

"A Rank Three talisman brush, finally got it..."

This was the item he had wanted most over the past ten years!

A talisman brush!

With the talisman brush, he could make Rank Three talismans.

Besides external items, Li An's greatest reliance was on talismans and arrays.

In terms of arrays, he had been advancing persistently over the past ten years, repeatedly refining the two sets of Rank Three array materials obtained from White Tiger Mountain.

He expected he could start refining in another four to five years!

In reality, though Rank Three arrays are difficult, generally, a qualified Array Master can refine them in one to three years.

But Li An planned to take fifteen years!

No other reason than he wanted a one hundred percent success rate.

Even though he had experience from his past life, his cultivation and Divine Sense in this life couldn't compare to before, so he needed more time to familiarize himself with the materials, ensuring every step was well-prepared to succeed.

As for talismans, he had stopped, because the old talisman brush he had collected was worn out and unusable.

He collected one hundred and twenty-three sheets of Rank Three talisman paper, but always lacked a brush.

Until today, after sending a batch of Soul-Devouring Roots to White Tiger Mountain, they gave him a talisman brush according to his request from a few years ago.

It could be said that Li An's successful development over the years relied entirely on taking advantage of two major parties!

At the Treasure Pavilion, items that originally cost one hundred Spirit Stones, he dared to buy for one hundred and fifty through his authority, embezzling thirty to forty of them.

At White Tiger Mountain, he couldn't help but skim off the materials sent to the Prince Mansion; the items sent to White Tiger Mountain were sold at high prices, and he occasionally asked White Tiger Mountain for some rare materials.

Profiting from both sides, he became immensely wealthy.

If not for this, how could his Golden Treasure Skill, etc., have been cultivated so smoothly?

...

"Let's start making Rank Three Spirit Dispersing Talismans."

He had refined them before in White Tiger City and had richer experience.

The success rate would be higher.

Holding the crystal-clear Rank Three talisman brush, it seemed as if mysterious power circulated within the crystal-like brush, finally infusing the tip, activating the Rank Three spiritual ink.

The tip landed on the snow-white talisman paper.

...

Ten days later.

Li An successfully crafted one Rank Three Spirit Dispersing Talisman!

It consumed eleven sheets of talisman paper!

"As a defensive talisman, keeping around five Spirit Dispersing Talismans is enough; the focus is the Rank Three Flying Talisman—"

That was his goal.

In fact, he already had many Tier Two Flying Talismans on hand.

But Flying Talismans only allowed him to ascend briefly, and the distance covered was leisurely; the speed couldn't compare to a true Core Formation expert.

But a Flying Talisman was truly a perfect escape tool.

As long as his Spiritual Power was sufficient, one talisman could carry him about ten miles, and the speed was similar to cultivators at the Early-Stage Core Formation.

Yet, the difficulty in crafting it was very high.

From the beginning, Li An never intended to face the Third Princess or White Tiger Mountain head-on.

Even if he had the Life Nourishing Immortal Skill, the power of Life Seed, had gathered the Demon Sect's three major Demon Skills, and even had past life experience... to oppose Core Formation while in Foundation Establishment was still a dead end.

There was a chasm between the two!

Fighting across realms? Within the same major realm, it was possible to consider transcending small steps.

Crossing a major realm, that's a scenario only fantasy novels would dare to write.

In short, everything was prepared for escape!

"The Spirit Dispersing Talisman can block attacks from Core Formation cultivators, allowing me to withstand a hit or two without getting severely injured or dying, and the Flying Talisman allows me to flee ... Besides, I'll refine two binding arrays, specifically to obstruct Core Formation cultivators."

"With this, I can be much more composed when escaping."

His thought process was clear: to escape is to win!

"In another five years, the Demonic Qi within me will be completely refined..."

He was full of anticipation, ready to flee as soon as the five years were up!

The only worry now was the looming war between White Tiger Mountain and the Prince Mansion.

In the past year or two, White Tiger Mountain had reduced the materials sent to the Prince Mansion and no longer urged Li An to gather resources like before.

This likely indicated that both sides were relatively ready.

A great war could erupt at any moment.

Even as a chief, Li An had very limited information about this.

"I hope to escape Celestial Yang City before the war breaks out..."

Once war starts, variables increase.

He hated taking risks.

After crafting the first complete Rank Three Spirit Dispersing Talisman, he stretched his body and suddenly crawled under the bed, lifting a board—

He continued... digging tunnels!

Pulling an old trick!

This time, tunneling was much more difficult; to avoid detection, he dug very deep, right down to about fifty meters underground.

Moreover, the space was smaller.

It's been ten years, and we still haven't reached the city gate...

The main issue is that Celestial Yang City is also covered by a grand array, and Li An spent several years studying it before he confirmed the route to evade its detection, making the distance significantly longer.

However, he is patient. Enduring a bit now, being cautious, means having more paths to survival!

...

White Tiger Mountain.

"Celestial Slayer Stone, Fetal Soul Herbs, Soul-Devouring Root, Breaking Evil Spring... Over the years, we've staked almost everything on these things at White Tiger Mountain."

White Tiger Master spoke with emotion, "Fortunately, everything seems to be going well now..."

In reality, even she, as a Golden Core Great Cultivator, felt a bit worried seeing the treasure trove of White Tiger Mountain being depleted year by year.

After all, Third Grade Fetal Soul Herbs, Celestial Slayer Stone, and others are all invaluable, and acquiring the Breaking Evil Spring and Soul-Devouring Root was very costly.

But she also understood this was a high-stakes gamble!

If they win, White Tiger Mountain will step onto a higher level, possibly establishing a dominant legacy from then on.

If they lose, they would be crushed to dust, and she might not even survive.

But cultivation is just like that, battling against fate!

We must fight!

"It's a bit too smooth..."

The sickly girl muttered, "I always feel like something isn't right..."

White Tiger Master felt a slight chill in her heart, "What feels off?"

The sickly girl shook her head, "It's nothing."

At that moment, she recalled some childhood memories.

When she was little, she loved playing hide and seek with her sister.

Her sister had a trick; even when she hadn't found her yet, she would deliberately shout, "Sister, I found you!" to lure her out.

When she really found her, she would remain silent and sneak up on her, giving her a big scare.

This time, she inexplicably recalled the feeling of playing hide and seek as a child...

"Years ago, you were hunted down with no escape, fleeing to this realm with only a remnant soul, your subordinates annihilated, even your third commander died... You have nothing left, and I have countless ways to kill you."

The sickly girl murmured, as if trying to encourage herself!

...

Inside the Prince Mansion.

"Three Yang and One Yin Skill, I've already refined four Core Formation powerhouses; only the last step remains before I can break through to Nascent Soul..."

In a heavily guarded seclusion area, a stern middle-aged man in a yellow robe's eyes shone brightly!

Behind him, four cultivators sat like wooden statues, bound by divine gold chains, seemingly lifeless now.

Three men and one woman!

One of them was actually the former Sect Leader of the Profound Yang Sect, Profound Yang Master!

"Prepare to activate the Senluo Grand Array!"

The middle-aged man walked out and stated calmly.

Someone immediately left in secret.

...

Soon after.

In a hidden hall.

"Reporting to the master, centered around the Prince Mansion, the 'Senluo Grand Array' has already been set up. It seems my father is about to attempt breaking through to Nascent Soul soon..."

Third Princess Li Weixue stood respectfully before Life-taking Horse-Faced, reporting.

Life-taking Horse-Faced nodded, "Very well done, continue to monitor."

Li Weixue quickly withdrew.

After she left, Life-taking Horse-Faced's chest suddenly split open, blood spraying out, and a bloody shadow appeared in front of him.

"Senior..."

Life-taking Horse-Faced bowed respectfully, "It seems the grand plan is about to succeed..."

"The grand plan is about to succeed, don't you think all this is going a bit too smoothly?"

Yet the female bloody shadow spoke softly.

Life-taking Horse-Faced appeared puzzled.

"Often in calm waters, great waves arise... I need to find Li An once more."

"He is the key figure in my plan. Even if I can't kill my sister, I must get him!"

The female bloody shadow spoke solemnly, "Also, have you prepared the Primordial Spirit Pill I asked for?"

Life-taking Horse-Faced replied, "Rest assured, Senior, I've found it—"

"Bring it out; I will take it to meet Li An tomorrow."

The female bloody shadow's words were filled with depth: "He should also prepare for Core Formation—"

...

The next day, Li An had just arrived at the Treasure Pavilion.

"Chief, an unparalleled treasure has arrived—"

The ordinary Artifact Evaluator Shenlong rushed to him, "Third Grade Primordial Spirit Pill!"

Shenlong is a trusted confidant that Li An personally promoted and is absolutely loyal to him.

When such a valuable item appeared, he immediately thought of Li An.

Li An was also surprised, Third Grade Primordial Spirit Pill...

Who would put something like this up for auction?

Impossible!

That was his first thought.

"I've already invited that guest to wait for you in the appraisal room."

Shenlong said eagerly, "No one else knows about this yet, not even the Pavilion Master..."

"Well done,"

Li An nodded, then dismissed him before heading to the appraisal room.

As he opened the door, the guest inside had already stood up.

It was an elderly person, his eyes cloudy, cultivation at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, very strong.

But what made Li An cautious was...

This person was the owner of the mysterious Demonic Qi!

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