bookpower Chapter 284: Mid Third Rank
Chapter 284: Mid Third Rank
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The scene of reincarnation in front of him seemed to belong to another mysterious dimension.
It appeared to overlap with the cultivation world, yet the beings within—the mortals and cultivators—remained completely unaware of its existence and operation.
Under the subtle influence of the invisible bond and the Nine Seal Stele, Lan Chang'an sensed this indescribable dimension for the first time.
Acting instinctively, Lan Chang'an entered the Nine Seal Stele to investigate further. Shortly after, he received a vague, abstract response.
As it turned out, Lan Chang'an’s karmic connection with Li Erqing in this life had amplified under the power of the Nine Seal Stele, enhancing his perception.
Following Li Erqing’s death, his soul was destined to enter reincarnation. The power of reincarnation flowing through the heavens and earth had activated the Nine Seal Stele, allowing Lan Chang'an to perceive this bond clearly.
If fate allows them to meet again in the next life...
Using the Nine Seal Stele as a medium, Lan Chang'an could trace this karmic thread and potentially confirm Li Erqing’s reincarnated identity.
If there was sufficient reincarnation energy, he might even be able to help Li Erqing unlock the mysteries of his new life within the womb.
However, the vastness of heaven and earth made it nearly impossible for two individuals, even with karmic ties, to meet again in the next life.
As his consciousness returned to reality, Lan Chang'an noticed that Li Erqing’s spiritual light was on the verge of being completely devoured by a gray-white vortex.
“Go!”
Lan Chang'an quickly formed a hand seal and pointed forward.
Buzz!
The first life recorded in the Nine Seal Stele dimmed instantly, and the second life lost a tenth of its brilliance.
A crystalline white rhomboid imprint, smaller than a tadpole, flickered in the void and settled onto the spiritual light of Li Erqing.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, Li Erqing’s soul and spiritual light were wholly consumed by the gray-white vortex.
“A reincarnation mark... left behind as a keepsake.”
Since the fourth life of the Nine Seal Stele had been illuminated, its secrets and mysterious abilities were gradually unraveling before Lan Chang'an.
When he sought answers or explored unknowns, the Nine Seal Stele would often respond with abstract concepts.
Starting from the fourth life, the Nine Seal Stele had begun to exhibit genuine reincarnation power through the consumption of powerful souls, such as those at the Nascent Soul level, and special entities like the Hundred Abodes Soul Gu. ṚἈɴỐ????ÈS
This reincarnation power granted Lan Chang'an the ability to initiate a new cycle of reincarnation in three distinct ways.
In contrast, the first three lives of the stele primarily involved special soul force forms, containing only a trace amount of reincarnation energy.
The “reincarnation mark” he just used was a basic application of reincarnation energy, deployed by consuming the power stored in the first two illuminated lives of the stele.
Normally, Lan Chang'an would need to physically encounter Li Erqing’s reincarnation to confirm his identity via karmic ties.
But with the reincarnation mark in place, Lan Chang'an would now be able to sense Li Erqing’s approximate location if they were within the same general area in the future.
Lan Chang'an recalled from the fourth life’s True Monarch memories that he had once studied ancient texts regarding reincarnation and rebirth.
It was said that powerful figures in ancient times could ensure the smooth reincarnation of their Dao companions or disciples, seeking a good family for their rebirth.
If the individual’s talent in their next life was promising, they could help them rekindle their immortal destiny.
The Nine Seal Stele possessed a similar capability, but the energy required was significantly greater.
Master Lihuo of the fourth life had regrets concerning his Dao companions and descendants. While he had attempted to delve into the mysteries of reincarnation, his findings were limited, and he failed to fulfill his wishes.
From this, Lan Chang'an speculated that by the time he reached the Deity Transformation stage, he might begin to uncover the true secrets of reincarnation.
Top-tier cultivation techniques related to reincarnation might include crude methods, but the Nine Seal Stele resembled a Xuantian Treasure embodying the laws of reincarnation.
This allowed Lan Chang'an to break through the mysteries of the womb in his first three lives and control his new reincarnations as long as sufficient reincarnation energy was available.
...
The sound of wailing and crying grew closer.
Lan Chang'an and Zhao master-disciple pair arrived at Li Erqing’s residence.
Li Erqing had just passed away, and his body was still warm, not yet stiff.
Typically, the deceased’s expressions were distorted and grim.
However, Li Erqing’s face appeared relatively peaceful, with his lips slightly parted.
After inspecting the body and confirming no abnormalities, Lan Chang'an left the scene with the Zhao master-disciple pair, allowing the deceased to rest in peace.
In the following days, Feiyue Lake hosted a grand funeral for Ancestor Li Erqing, marked by a celebratory tone.
Apart from a few direct descendants mourning deeply, the overall atmosphere at Feiyue Lake was not particularly sorrowful.
In accordance with Li Erqing’s final wishes, his remains were to be buried in the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake.
Mu Jiuan, who respected his father’s wishes, made the arrangements.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Mu Jiuan had grown up in Feiyue Lake during his youth, receiving education from the Mu Family. Even his surname had been changed to “Mu,” and his mother had also been laid to rest in the Mu Family’s ancestral grounds.
Thus, burying his parents together seemed only natural.
However, Li Congren, Li Erqing’s favored grandson, wished to move his grandfather’s remains to the ancestral shrine of the Li Family on Snow Plum Mountain.
Li Congren was Li Erqing’s most accomplished descendant. He had established a new cultivation family in his own name, aiming to pass down the Li Family’s bloodline as a lineage of immortal cultivators.
“Grandpa Lan, regarding my grandfather’s burial, I humbly ask for your decision,” Li Congren pleaded with Lan Chang'an.
Mu Jiuan rejected this request, citing Li Erqing’s final wishes as his reasoning.
Lan Chang'an pondered for a moment.
Li Erqing joined Feiyue Lake as a son-in-law and remained steadfast to the end of his life, fulfilling his duties to the utmost.
When I celebrated my hundredth birthday, he made a solemn promise to me in public and upheld it until the very end.
In truth, I only asked him a simple question at the time and did not expect or demand such a vow.
Li Erqing likely feared being looked down upon by his Big Brother and made that promise, even if he later regretted it. Still, he endured it to the very end.
If he is buried in Feiyue Lake, he will forever carry the label of a son-in-law under the Mu Family’s name, a title not particularly favorable.
Would he rather be moved to Snow Plum Mountain, to rest beside his beloved grandson and become the founding ancestor of the Li Family’s immortal cultivation lineage?
The answer was obvious.
Lan Chang'an’s tone was calm as he made his decision.
“Cremate your grandfather’s remains and divide his ashes into two portions. Bury one portion in Feiyue Lake and the other in Snow Plum Mountain.”
This decision ensured the prevention of corpse transformation, a precaution often taken in the cultivation world.
Although Lan Chang'an generally avoided interfering in family matters, he made an exception this time, believing this resolution would satisfy Li Erqing’s spirit in the afterlife.
“Thank you for your wisdom, Grandpa Lan.”
Li Congren’s eyes reddened as he knelt and kowtowed several times before leaving in a hurry.
Not long after, the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake complied with Lan Chang'an’s decision, handing over half of the ashes to Li Congren.
Li Congren was slightly surprised. Mu Jiuan and his wife were both cultivators who had formed their Core and even affiliated with the Golden Sun Sect as high-ranking cultivators. Previously, their attitude had been very firm.
But as soon as they heard Lan Chang'an’s opinion, they agreed without any resistance.
Knowing the identity of the one who sought to recruit her, Zhou Qingxuan now had a clearer idea of how to respond.
“Thank you for your guidance, Big Brother Lan. How can I ever repay you?” Zhou Qingxuan asked softly, her eyes gleaming with charm.
“No need for repayment. Let me examine the Gu worm restriction in your sea of consciousness once more,” Lan Chang'an replied, placing his palm gently atop her head.
...
Three days later.
Lan Chang'an and his companions departed from the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake atop the massive Profound Water Turtle.
Zhao Tan’er, however, was visibly upset. She pouted and refused to speak to Lan Chang'an, venting her frustrations by rubbing the turtle’s head with both hands as if trying to relieve her stress.
The Profound Water Turtle, simple and docile by nature, did not protest. Instead, it seemed to enjoy her attention, remaining content and carefree.
This trip to Feiyue Lake had been smooth for Lan Chang'an. No unexpected dangers arose, as Feiyue Lake fell within the sphere of influence of Jin Yun Valley.
Moreover, Lan Chang'an wasn’t traveling alone. With three Core Formation cultivators in his company, along with the sturdy and durable third-rank Profound Water Turtle, even most high-ranking Core Formation experts would think twice before provoking them.
Back at Jin Yun Valley.
Upon returning to his cave abode, Lan Chang'an focused on upgrading his puppets using his skills as a superior-grade third-rank artifact refiner.
He reinforced key components of his two current puppets, such as claws, weapons, and armor, refining these parts to reach genuine magical treasure level.
These enhancements significantly strengthened the puppets, making them much more formidable. While upgrading them was costly, fully armed third-rank puppets, when controlled by a skilled puppeteer, could match opponents of the same rank.
Lan Chang'an also continued refining his Barbed Arrow, using his third-rank refining techniques.
He wasn’t in a rush, taking his time to temper the weapon with the flames of his Core Formation true fire. Occasionally, he added small amounts of rare materials whenever they matched the magical treasure’s properties.
A self-refined lifebound magical treasure like the Barbed Arrow consumed less spiritual energy and spiritual sense compared to normal magical treasures.
For a regular top-grade magical treasure suited for an early Nascent Soul cultivator, someone at Lan Chang'an’s current Core Formation level would struggle to wield it. Even if he managed to activate it a few times, it would quickly deplete his magical power and spiritual sense, rendering it ineffective.
Fortunately, the Barbed Arrow was a smaller magical treasure and consumed less spiritual energy than others of its level, though it demanded more precise control over spiritual sense.
Lan Chang'an estimated that once the Barbed Arrow reached superior-grade magical treasure status, its spiritual energy consumption would remain comparable to that of a mid-grade magical treasure.
...
Seven years later.
In the underground stone hall beneath Yunlai Peak, 203-year-old Lan Chang'an completed the crafting of a third-rank archer puppet.
Archer puppets had always been a specialty of Lan Chang'an.
Back in his Foundation Establishment days, he had envisioned using a larger number of high-quality archer puppets to unleash volleys capable of taking down Core Formation cultivators.
While such plans had never come to fruition, the puppets he crafted now, enhanced by his artifact refiner skills, were of superior quality. Among low-grade third-rank puppets, his creations were considered top-notch.
If not for material limitations, Lan Chang'an might have already advanced to a mid-grade third-rank puppet master.
His fourth-life memories contained knowledge of higher-tier puppet techniques, including those for crafting quasi-fourth-rank puppets.
Such puppets approached the strength of Nascent Soul-level cultivators. Puppet-making legacies of this caliber were rare even across the entire Liang Kingdom cultivation world.
Ironically, this scarcity saved Lan Chang'an both effort and spirit stones—resources he could ill afford to waste.
Between his expenditures on refining, puppet crafting, and purchasing Life Extension Pills in secret, Lan Chang'an’s reserves of spirit stones had been dwindling rapidly.
Fortunately, the spoils from killing two Core Formation elders during the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s conflict years ago had replenished his resources.
One of the most valuable spoils had been a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator’s bronze mirror magical treasure. As a special magical treasure, it had been added to Lan Chang'an’s personal arsenal.
Low-quality magical treasures, on the other hand, were either sold or broken down into third-rank material essences.
From Lan Chang'an’s perspective, his actions during the Seven Kingdoms Alliance conflict were justifiable. Aligned with the Flame Departing Palace at the time, killing rival Core Formation cultivators carried no personal grievances or moral complications.
In the cultivation world, just like the conflict between the Six Demonic Sects and the Righteous Dao Alliance, encounters often boiled down to survival—kill or be killed—with little room for right or wrong.
Back at his cave abode on Yunlai Peak, Lan Chang'an received a message about the war from the Earth Burrowing Rat.
Over the years, the Demonic Path’s Beast King Valley had steadily and systematically eroded the Righteous Dao Alliance’s territory.
Among the most devastated regions was the cultivation world of Chen Kingdom, now reduced to less than a third of its original land. Even the headquarters of the Heavenly Net Sect had been breached.
Yan Kingdom fared slightly better, retaining about 40% of its territory and holding on to its fourth-rank spiritual veins.
Fortunately, the Righteous Dao Alliance had received reinforcements from the cultivation forces whose sects had been destroyed and spiritual lands seized by the Demonic Path. Among these reinforcements were several high-level cultivators, including two or three Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
Even so, Chen Kingdom, as the western frontline, suffered greatly due to its weaker foundation.
Additionally, the Heavenly Net Sect of Chen Kingdom had a reputation for internal tyranny, which bred resentment and weakened morale against the Demonic Path’s invasion.
Its lackluster resistance resulted in its swift downfall, marking it as the first major defeat among the Nascent Soul-level sects.
Lan Chang'an analyzed the situation:
“If the Chen Kingdom is swallowed, its retreat options will be limited to two directions: eastward to Feng Kingdom or northward to Jing Kingdom.”
“However, the Blood Sword Valley of Feng Kingdom has no love for the Heavenly Net Sect and would be unwilling to cooperate in resisting the Demonic Path. That leaves Jing Kingdom as Chen Kingdom’s only viable retreat route.”
Lan Chang'an himself held no goodwill toward the Heavenly Net Sect.
Their previous bounty on him was a minor issue. What annoyed him more was their swift collapse, which threatened to destabilize the region and drag the Liang Kingdom cultivation world into the war.
The Jing Kingdom, being a weak point, might become the next battlefield if the Chen Kingdom retreated there. Should that happen, the Demonic Path’s war would draw dangerously close to the Liang Kingdom.
“Let’s hope the Righteous Dao Alliance can hold out for another decade or two,” Lan Chang'an mused.
His expectations were modest. He simply needed enough time to ignite the fourth life of his Nine Seal Stele.
At that point, his ability to protect himself would increase dramatically, allowing him to adapt to the shifting tides of the war.
By his calculations, he had been cultivating at the Core Formation Realm for about 26 years.
Reaching the peak of early Core Formation would likely take him a full 60 years, and he was already nearing the halfway mark.
Though most news from the war was grim, there was a small glimmer of hope: the Earth Burrowing Rat had advanced to mid-third rank.
This minor breakthrough had occurred quietly three years ago when Lan Chang'an used the Beast Taming Zhou Family’s secret base in the Black Fog Mountain Range to let the Earth Burrowing Rat advance.
With its Half-Step Golden Dan foundation, the Earth Burrowing Rat’s breakthrough was relatively smooth, encountering only minor obstacles.
Zhou Qingxuan had been shocked to discover the rat’s true cultivation level and swore to keep it a secret.
She couldn't figure out how the mutated rat demon caused by the problematic pill she sold to Lan Chang'an back then had become a terrifying Great Demon of the middle third rank.
For this, Lan Chang'an owed Zhou Qingxuan a favor.
...
The good times didn't last long.
Six months after completing his third-rank archer puppet, Lan Chang'an experienced a sense of foreboding for the first time.
During a routine divination, his calculations revealed an omen of minor misfortune.
Though not as dire as a major misfortune, it still signaled potential danger ahead.
Could there be risks even while staying within the sect?
Uncertain about what had gone awry, Lan Chang'an immediately began investigating and recalculating the source of the threat.