Chapter 259: Chapter 256: Seclusion for Core Formation

Lu Chang’an’s arrival left Li Ping feeling rather uneasy.

Fortunately, not long after, there was still no sign of Xiao Yunzhi returning.

Lu Chang’an did not linger in Flying Snow City, instead traveling to other main cities to investigate.

Flying Snow City returned to its usual peace, and Li Ping couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief.

After Lu Chang’an left, Shi Yutong came to his door with lavish gifts, explaining that she was only trying to help Senior Lu uncover the truth and restore peace to the Land of the Far North.

She insisted she hadn’t intentionally exposed information about Senior Xiao.

Li Ping accepted the gifts with a smile, saying he didn’t mind, but inwardly he had already made a decision.

Once he reached Core Formation, he would leave Flying Snow City and sever all ties with the Flying Snow Sect and Shi Yutong.

「Two years later.」

Li Ping learned from Shi Yutong that Lu Chang’an had already left the Land of the Far North and returned to Great Zhou.

His investigation had found no trace of a Nascent Soul Cultivator attacking directly near Silver Moon City. Perhaps that cultivator had indirectly caused Silver Moon City’s destruction by driving the Barbarian Bone Tribe to attack.

Moreover, right before the fall of Silver Moon City, the Ice Flood Dragon from the Ice Sea had happened to unleash a beast tide, throwing the Land of the Far North into chaos. Thus, the Ice Sea Beast Tide was seen as directly connected to the city’s destruction.

Therefore, Lu Chang’an believed that the mysterious Nascent Soul Cultivator was the Tier Four Ice Flood Dragon.

As for why it started a beast tide and destroyed Silver Moon City, that remained a mystery.

Perhaps the full truth would only be revealed once it was slain.

...

Watching Shi Yutong leave, Li Ping took the mustard-seed artifact where Gao Ji Taoist was hidden from his Storage Bag.

He asked with a smile, "Senior Gao Ji, you were there that day. Even your Tier Three Puppet was destroyed. You must have gotten a clear look at the attacker, didn’t you?"

A Tier Four Great Demon’s intelligence surpasses that of most humans.

Over a thousand years ago, it had a moment of bravado and was beaten half to death by a Great Cultivator from Great Zhou. Even now, it was unknown if its injuries had fully healed.

Li Ping didn’t believe it would be foolish enough to leave the Ice Sea again just to destroy a human main city. ’What would be the motive?’

’It couldn’t possibly have been out of boredom, could it?’

Although there was no concrete evidence, Li Ping suspected that the beast tide and the destruction of Silver Moon City might be related to Gao Ji Taoist.

In any incident, the one who benefits the most is always the prime suspect.

On the surface, the biggest beneficiaries of Silver Moon City’s destruction seemed to be the other seven main cities, especially the Cloud Sect.

But what was the reality?

The destruction of Silver Moon City would very likely cause the Nascent Soul masters of Great Zhou to turn their attention back to the Land of the Far North. A Great Cultivator might even personally act against the Ice Flood Dragon!

This was the most significant consequence of the incident.

Who hated the Ice Flood Dragon the most? Who most wanted it dead?

The answer was none other than the cultivator from the Celestial Skill Sect who had lived for a thousand years as a remnant soul—Gao Ji Taoist!

While making these speculations, Li Ping still had some doubts.

After all, two Core Formation Cultivators had died in Silver Moon City. Even with a Late-stage Core Formation puppet, it would have been impossible for Gao Ji Taoist to kill two Core Formation Cultivators so silently.

Furthermore, after the event, Gao Ji Taoist didn’t flee the scene but instead hid in place to avoid the so-called Nascent Soul Cultivator he had mentioned.

But the claim of a Nascent Soul Cultivator acting in secret had also come from Gao Ji Taoist, so its veracity was also in doubt.

Faced with Li Ping’s questioning, Gao Ji Taoist fell silent.

He knew Li Ping wasn’t as easily fooled as Xiao Yunzhi. If Li Ping found out he was lying, it would undoubtedly jeopardize their future cooperation.

’But should I tell the truth?’

After learning that the Great Zhou Immortal Alliance had sent Lu Chang’an to investigate, Gao Ji Taoist knew the Dwarf Demon Cultivator hadn’t lied; he had genuinely pushed the Immortal Alliance to take action against the Ice Flood Dragon.

’The Immortal Alliance might actually be able to kill the Ice Flood Dragon!’

’If I tell the truth, will the Immortal Alliance still put all its effort into dealing with the Ice Flood Dragon?’

After a moment of thought, Gao Ji Taoist decided that Li Ping’s trust was more important.

Of course, the main reason was his belief that the Immortal Alliance would have a very hard time killing the Ice Flood Dragon.

He slowly began, "To tell you the truth, Fellow Daoist Li, I did get a clear look at the attacker’s appearance that day. In fact, the reason my Tier Three Upper Grade puppet was destroyed was that I used it as bait to draw out the person behind the scenes."

Li Ping nodded, waiting for Gao Ji Taoist to continue.

"If I’m not mistaken, the attacker was a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator from Great Zhou. The reason he destroyed Silver Moon City was to claim the Life Souls of the nearly ten million mortals and numerous cultivators there." Gao Ji Taoist’s voice grew heavy as he spoke. "He wanted to use those human Life Souls to repair a Magical Treasure!"

Li Ping fell silent. He could tell Gao Ji Taoist wasn’t lying.

What silenced him was the truth. The reality of a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator harvesting tens of millions of Life Souls to refine a Magical Treasure was far more horrifying than an Ice Flood Dragon rampaging through a city.

Li Ping couldn’t help but draw a deep breath.

Gao Ji Taoist revealed the details of their deal: "Afterward, I made a deal with him. I would hide this matter for him, and in return, he would pin the blame on the Ice Flood Dragon within the Immortal Alliance and push the Alliance to kill it."

"Fellow Daoist Li, that is everything I know. As for the specific identity of that Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator, that is beyond my knowledge."

Li Ping slowly said, "What you have said, Senior, will go no further than my ears."

Although the Demon Cultivator’s inhuman cruelty shocked Li Ping to his core, he still chose to temporarily conceal this matter.

The Human Race in the Land of the Far North had always been threatened by the Ice Flood Dragon in the Ice Sea.

If the Immortal Alliance could find a way to kill the Ice Flood Dragon this time, it would be ridding humanity of a great scourge.

Making the Ice Flood Dragon the scapegoat for this incident was, one could say, all benefit and no cost.

As for avenging the nearly ten million wronged souls, Li Ping had no good ideas for the time being.

He was a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator; how could he possibly dare to report a Nascent Soul powerhouse?

He would have to be insane. A Nascent Soul expert could crush him with a single finger.

Perhaps in the future, when he too became a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he would reveal the matter to the Immortal Alliance. He would let them clean their own house and see justice done for the nearly ten million souls.

Hearing Li Ping’s words, Gao Ji Taoist slowly said, "Your course of action is very wise, Fellow Daoist Li."

...

Before he knew it, another three years had passed.

Li Ping stood in the courtyard feeding his two Spirit Beasts, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Xiao Yunzhi had been gone for over ten years without returning. Li Ping guessed she had probably gone back to the Western Wilderness.

"Perhaps it won’t be long before I must return to the Western Wilderness as well." A faint smile touched Li Ping’s lips as he felt the liquid Magical Power almost overflowing within his Dantian.

After all these years, with the help of the Jade of the Spiritual Eye, his cultivation had been progressing steadily.

Li Ping estimated that in just a few years, he could cultivate to the Fake Pill Realm at the Peak of Foundation Establishment and enter seclusion to attempt his breakthrough to Core Formation.

’But I’ve only cultivated the Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Communication Skill to the 3rd Floor.’ At this thought, a hint of frustration appeared on Li Ping’s face.

The 3rd Floor of the Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Communication Skill could increase a cultivator’s Divine Sense by an additional sixty percent.

Li Ping’s Divine Sense was already about fifty percent stronger than that of cultivators of the same rank. With another sixty percent increase, it was not much weaker than a Core Formation Cultivator’s.

But Li Ping was a perfectionist. He hoped to cultivate the Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Communication Skill to the 5th Floor before attempting Core Formation.

That way, when he attempted his breakthrough, his terrifying Divine Sense would be enough to increase his success rate by a significant margin, allowing him to achieve a perfect Golden Core in one attempt.

But soon, Li Ping shook his head with a light laugh. "This kind of compulsion is unnecessary."

As far as Li Ping knew, when a cultivator formed a Golden Core, there were only two outcomes: success or failure.

There was no so-called distinction between a Void Pill and a True Pill, nor were there different grades for the resulting Golden Core.

So for him, a practitioner of the Wetland Water Nourishing Skill, if he didn’t succeed in his first attempt at Core Formation, he could simply try a few more times. As long as he eventually succeeded, the power of the Golden Core would be identical regardless.

’I’ll do my best.’ Li Ping made his decision. ’If I can cultivate the Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Communication Skill to the 5th Floor before my Magical Power reaches Perfection, then I’ll attempt the breakthrough to Core Formation in my strongest state. If I run out of time, there’s no need to force it.’

After feeding the two Spirit Beasts, Li Ping walked to the pavilion, released Gao Ji Taoist from his confinement, and began to chat with him idly.

Gao Ji Taoist had lived for a thousand years, and his breadth of knowledge rivaled that of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Li Ping found he benefited greatly from their casual conversations.

In his years of cultivation, he had killed many powerful enemies and accumulated a lot of loot of unknown origin in his Storage Bag.

Few of these spoils could hide their origins under Gao Ji Taoist’s scrutiny.

To Li Ping’s disappointment, however, most of the unidentifiable loot turned out to be just ordinary Spiritual Objects without much value.

There was only one Spiritual Object that even Gao Ji Taoist was unsure about.

"Even you can’t recognize this, Senior?" Li Ping asked, a little disappointed.

In his hand rested a palm-length, cyan purification vase. The vase was less than half full with a pale golden liquid that emanated a vibrant Spiritual Qi.

From the concentration of the Spiritual Qi it emitted, Li Ping could tell that this pale golden liquid was likely a Tier Three Spirit Liquid.

Li Ping had found the cyan purification vase in a secret realm’s cave-dwelling in the Western Wilderness, along with a Purple Qi Fruit.

Now, however, the Purple Qi Fruit had been turned into three Yuan Condensing Pills in his Storage Bag.

As for the pale golden Spirit Liquid, he had scoured countless records but couldn’t figure out what it was. Even an old relic like Gao Ji Taoist couldn’t identify its origin.

"I have been trapped in the Land of the Far North for all these years; my knowledge is ultimately limited," Gao Ji Taoist said slowly. "When you go to Great Zhou in the future, I’m sure you’ll be able to find out what this Spirit Liquid is, Fellow Daoist Li."

Li Ping nodded and put the Spirit Liquid, along with the purification vase, into his Storage Bag.

Great Zhou was the true holy land of cultivation in this world, teeming with experts and countless Celestial and Earthly Treasures.

For the cultivators of Great Zhou, identifying a mere Tier Three Spirit Liquid would be child’s play.

After shutting Gao Ji Taoist back in his "little black room," Li Ping stood up and returned to his training room to continue cultivating.

Amidst his diligent cultivation, five years flew by in a flash.

Inside the training room, Li Ping opened his eyes, a smile unconsciously touching their depths.

After five years of hard cultivation, the Magical Power in his Dantian was completely full. The invisible Spiritual Pressure emanating from him had almost reached the limit for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Li Ping’s gaze was electric. "One hundred and thirty years... I’ve finally reached the realm of Perfect Foundation Establishment. It’s time to prepare for the breakthrough to Core Formation!"

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