Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Chapter 193: Chapter 170: Black Market Shock, Old Friend’s Foundation Establishment

The oppressive, gloomy feeling vanished in an instant, and the surroundings returned to their original appearance.

Between heaven and earth, only he remained.

The Cultivators of Blood Beast Valley had vanished, as if they had been cast into the Hell Abyss.

Countless people in the Black Market stared, dumbfounded at the sight.

“He… He won?”

Luo Baitong was in a daze.

He rubbed his eyes. He knew it wasn’t an illusion, but he simply couldn’t believe it.

’Was the Venerable Soul Banner really that powerful? Could it truly kill over thirty Cultivators from Blood Beast Valley?’

Not far away, Mo Wanwan’s face had gone pale.

Her gaze was vacant as she stared at the scene in utter disbelief.

’How could this be…’

’Yan Yu was stronger than her, yet he had still died at Li Chang’an’s hand.’

In other words, if Mo Feng hadn’t stopped her that day…

…she would have died at Li Chang’an’s hand long ago, becoming just another of the countless souls inside the Venerable Soul Banner!

At the thought, an unprecedented fear consumed her, sending a chill down her spine.

Beside her, Mo Feng sighed softly.

“Do you see now? I’ve warned you before: never underestimate anyone.”

“Brother, I… I was wrong. I was so wrong…”

Mo Wanwan’s voice trembled, and she didn’t dare look in Li Chang’an’s direction any longer.

Li Chang’an had already become a dark shadow haunting her mind.

Now, her only hope was that the Valley Lord of Blood Beast Valley would make his move soon and kill Li Chang’an for good.

At the same time, Luo Baitong also thought of the Blood Beast Valley’s Lord.

His expression changed, and he quickly sent a Sound Transmission to Li Chang’an.

“Daoist Li, you have to go! The Valley Lord of Blood Beast Valley is training in a Secret Realm. You must leave before he gets back! And when you come to the Black Market in the future, make sure you conceal your aura!”

“Alright.”

Li Chang’an’s expression remained unchanged as he transformed into a streak of light and departed.

’In truth, I’m not afraid of the Blood Beast Valley’s Lord. A part of me is even looking forward to the confrontation.’

’If I can kill that Tier Two Demon Beast, I’ll get a Tier Two Demon Core.’

’But…’

’I don’t know the exact strength of Blood Beast Valley’s Demon Beast.’

’Is it Tier Two Early, Middle, or Late Stage?’

’Is it skilled at escaping?’

’If I fail to kill it, things will get complicated!’

’Then, the news that a mere Qi Refining Cultivator like me possesses multiple Foundation Establishment Techniques will surely be spread by Blood Beast Valley.’

’The greedy gazes of countless Cultivators will be waiting for me.’

’Even Golden Core Masters might personally try to capture me, attempting to seize the treasures and secrets I possess!’

’This must not happen!’

Li Chang’an recalled the earlier Evil Trigram and silently warned himself.

’Unless I’m absolutely certain…’

’…I can’t make a move against the Blood Beast Valley’s Demon Beast.’

…

「That night.」

Inside his residence, Li Chang’an sat cross-legged and began taking stock of his spoils.

There were over thirty Storage Pouches, and while the sheer number of Treasures inside was considerable, most were Low Tier and not particularly valuable.

Only the Storage Pouches from the Late Stage Qi Refining Tribulation Cultivators contained a few reasonably valuable Treasures.

As the Young Master of Blood Beast Valley, Yan Yu’s Storage Pouch naturally held the most valuable Treasures.

Soon, Li Chang’an found what he was looking for.

’A Soul Transformation Stone!’

He retrieved it with a single thought.

With this, all the Treasures needed for the Venerable Soul Banner to advance to Tier Two Middle Grade were gathered.

Li Chang’an took out the other Treasures as well, placing them along with the Soul Transformation Stone in front of the Venerable Soul Banner.

“Eat!”

As soon as the word left his mouth, a cloud of black mist surged from the Venerable Soul Banner and devoured all the Treasures.

Immediately after, its aura grew increasingly tyrannical, rapidly ascending to a new level.

Tier Two Middle Grade!

The Artifact Spirit’s voice soon rang out.

“Thank you… Master, I… I can suppress that Evil Soul now.”

“Good!”

Li Chang’an immediately took out the Nether Soul Crystal that was sealing the Evil Soul.

The moment the Evil Soul saw the Venerable Soul Banner, it began to shriek.

“Stop!”

“Brat, don’t you want the method for Spirit Root Ascension?”

“And the secret to eternal life! Celestial Grade Techniques, Celestial Grade Magic, the location of an Ancient Sect’s Treasure Vault…”

It shrieked hysterically, its voice shifting between male and female as if it had gone mad.

Li Chang’an waited for a moment.

’I’ll see if this thing can offer anything useful.’

However, the Evil Soul just continued its frenzied shrieking, its mind clearly deranged and unable to offer anything of substance.

’It seems it really is just a cluster of soul fragments, with shattered memories to match.’

Li Chang’an shook his head slightly.

He continued to wait until Midnight.

The divination result was ’Neutral,’ indicating no unexpected events would occur.

Seeing this, Li Chang’an no longer hesitated and tossed the Evil Soul directly into the Venerable Soul Banner.

Immediately, even more mournful shrieks echoed from within the Soul Banner.

The Artifact Spirit’s voice followed.

“Ma… Master, this Evil Soul is quite formidable. I… I’ll need some time to gain control.”

“Alright. Don’t rush. Take your time.”

Li Chang’an placed the banner in his Storage Pouch to let the Artifact Spirit slowly handle the refinement process.

Afterward, he continued to take stock of his spoils.

After a moment, his eyes lit up as he pulled out a large, ochre-colored broadsword.

’A Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Earth-Splitting Blade!’

A smile spread across Li Chang’an’s face.

’Who would have thought Yan Yu’s Storage Pouch would contain such a Treasure.’

This Earth-Splitting Blade is an Earth Element Treasure, very suitable for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with an Earth Spirit Root or a Tier Two Earth Element Demon Beast.

’Perfect. Dahuang doesn’t have a weapon yet.’

Li Chang’an immediately summoned Dahuang and tossed the weapon to him.

“Dahuang, this is for you!”

“WOOF!”

Dahuang was overjoyed and repeatedly conveyed his gratitude.

A moment later, he completed the Refinement of the weapon and swallowed it whole, a look of pure joy and satisfaction on his face.

Li Chang’an, meanwhile, went back to sorting through the Treasures.

There was so much to go through that he was still sorting well into the next afternoon.

Finally, he let out a long sigh.

’Finally done sorting. Even though most of it isn’t very valuable, the sheer quantity is impressive!’

A smile spread across Li Chang’an’s face. His Storage Pouch was about to get much heavier.

He put all the Treasures away.

He was about to resume his cultivation.

But just as he was about to, a visitor arrived.

“Daoist Li, are you home?”

“Daoist Jiang?”

Li Chang’an immediately went to open the courtyard gate.

Standing outside was none other than Su Yuyan’s junior sister, Jiang Yuerong!

Li Chang’an glanced around and saw that Jiang Yuerong was alone, which he found a bit strange.

“Daoist Jiang, didn’t Yuyan come with you?”

“Daoist Li, Senior Sister is about to attempt Foundation Establishment. Our master is worried she’ll get distracted and has forbidden her from leaving the mountain to see anyone.”

“She’s attempting Foundation Establishment so soon?”

Li Chang’an was surprised. He invited Jiang Yuerong into the courtyard and poured her a cup of Spirit Tea.

“Daoist Jiang, is Yuyan confident?”

Li Chang’an sat down across from her and asked with a serious expression.

He naturally hoped Su Yuyan would have a successful Foundation Establishment; that would mean he’d have another friend at the Foundation Establishment realm.

Jiang Yuerong looked worried.

She sighed lightly.

“Senior Sister is a little nervous, worried about failure.”

’Worried about failure?’

Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed.

’This is a problem!’

’When it comes to the ordeal of Foundation Establishment, the more you worry, the more likely it is for things to go wrong.’

“When we last met, Yuyan’s mindset seemed fine. Why the sudden change?”

Li Chang’an asked quickly, not understanding.

Jiang Yuerong explained, “It’s because of Senior Sister Yuan Ying. She had a Foundation Establishment Failure, which shattered her spirit. She said a lot of discouraging things, and Senior Sister Su happened to overhear her.”

’Yuan Ying? An accident?’

Li Chang’an understood at once.

’Su Yuyan’s current situation was just like Zheng Qingqing’s had been.’

’Before Zheng Qingqing’s Foundation Establishment, the Zheng Family had suffered several consecutive failures, which had made her nervous the night before her own attempt.’