Longevity with My Offspring

This is a very practical talisman he found in the Talisman Collection, reaching the upper grade of the law tier, and its creation is highly complex.

Even though he has achieved great success in master-level rune magic, the success rate is still low, and it's very slow, producing one sheet a day at best.

Fortunately, this item is very useful, allowing him to disguise as a chameleon, easily infiltrating and following a group of people to a hillside.

Here stands a steep mountain peak, with a black waterfall cascading from the top into a lake, the water flow is small, relatively quiet.

Shen Wang was still somewhat surprised, given the water source dries up in winter, it's quite unusual for a waterfall to be here.

He examined closely, discovering the terrain here is special, with a natural array, and there's also a man-made array behind the waterfall.

Within the array, the area is heavily guarded, impenetrable.

"There are not only ordinary thieves here but also cultivators forming gangs, truly a bandit's nest."

Shen Wang mocked in his heart, roughly understanding why these people came here.

It's simple, the waterfall ahead is a gathering place for cultivators, looking to recruit, and the local thieves wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.

"With so many patrolling thieves, sneaking in is difficult. If the thieves don't recognize each other, I wonder if I can blend in."

With a glance, Shen Wang approached the waterfall.

Below the waterfall is a lake covering several acres, the whole surface is pitch black, resembling ink, as if one could dip a brush in it to write.

Beside the black lake lies a large flat area, with remnants of straw from harvested crops, and between the field and the lake is a broad road leading straight to the stairs beneath the waterfall.

In front of the stairs is a square paved with blue stones, eight yards long and ten yards wide, and at present, hundreds of people are gathering, with many more arriving from all directions.

Shen Wang cautiously stopped among the straw, his gaze resting on a few people on the steps.

Among them was a middle-aged man in gray clothes who looked like a dwarf, standing with one hand on his hip and a proud expression overlooking the people on the square.

"The number of people coming today is about right; after three consecutive days, not many will be coming. Let's start directly, the usual rule: anyone who can lift a stone lock with one hand, regardless of cultivation, can join my Black Water Stronghold."

The dwarf cultivator pointed to a row of stone locks in front of the platform: "Form three teams, come one by one, and don't think about cutting the line."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wang retreated without hesitation, revealing his form amidst the grass, quickly changing into old clothes, and rushed out with a broken sword used for making toys for his daughter.

The dwarf just gave Shen Wang a glance and urged, "Hurry up."

With dozens of bandit gangs around, others weren't surprised to see Shen Wang alone, assuming he was one who hadn't come in the past two days.

Shen Wang silently lined up at the front, while someone next to him glanced at him and asked with crossed arms, "Kid, which mountain are you from, yet dressed so cleanly?"

"I'm from the Three Evils Gang."

Shen Wang replied casually; he had previously checked the Three Evils of Black Water Stream he had slain. Those three weren't from the Black Water Stronghold but from another small rogue cultivator force, merely three cultivators.

"Oh, from the Three Evils Gang, working for an immortal too. No wonder the conditions seem good. Pity that the Three Evils Gang has dispersed, and you just got the news?"

The speaker had a bushy beard, seven feet tall, robust, looking quite strong.

"Yes."

Shen Wang was concise; his venture was to see if he could blend in.

He had thought about sneaking in but found too many people here, and with recruitment over the past two days, there were likely plenty inside.

If he rashly snuck in and got discovered, he might face hundreds of people, including cultivators, making escape uncertain even if he fled quickly.

The most crucial point was he didn't know how many people were inside and the cultivators' strength.

"Huh!"

In the front row, someone was blushing and trying to lift the hundred-jin stone lock, but even with all his might, the stone lock didn't budge, let alone being lifted with one hand.

"Bastard, don't you know your own weight and strength? Wasting my time by coming here?"

The dwarf cultivator's face darkened seeing this, shouted harshly, and waved his hand, a red palm force striking out, sending the poorly performing guy flying with a bang.

"Ah!"

The latter screamed miserably, spat a few mouthfuls of blood upon hitting the ground, and then went silent, dead on the spot.

The crowd was terrified, showing fear.

"This guy died too miserably."

"He seemed like a refugee, his body weak from long-term hunger, naturally lacking strength."

"Following others to fill his stomach, angering the Immortal Master here, it's a pitiful death too."

The dwarf scanned the whispering crowd sharply, and scolded loudly, "My Black Water Stronghold seeks people to patrol the mountains, not useless people. If you can't even move the stone lock, don't blame me, Chi Yama, for being rude."

Everyone shrank their necks, daring not to make eye contact, with some retreating, afraid to try lifting the stone lock.

A burly man with a bull's head tattoo laughed heartily, pushing through the crowd, "Get out of the way if you're weak; Lord Chi Yama, watch mine."

The bull-headed burly man grabbed the stone lock, shouted fiercely, his muscles bulging, and suddenly lifted the hundred-jin stone lock, even raising it above the head.

Chi Yama nodded with satisfaction: "This is not bad, you pass, wait here on this side."

Seeing someone succeed, others with confidence eagerly prepared, but lifting a hundred-jin stone lock with one hand wasn't easy; at most three out of ten could do it.

Most could only lift, while a few with skill could raise the stone lock single-handedly over their heads.

Shen Wang observed all this and realized that lifting the stone lock single-handedly was not difficult, requiring either natural strength or basic martial arts training.

With such a low threshold and no test for spirit root, it's evident these people were gathered as cannon fodder.

Considering the Paper Kite incident, he guessed Black Water Stronghold temporarily gathered a group of cannon fodders to deal with the Yun Family.

With just brute strength in large numbers, they could still threaten low-level cultivators, and now he needed to find a way to know what was inside.

Shen Wang restrained his power as much as possible, using the Breath Concealment Talisman so that the so-called Chi Yama couldn't detect him, lining up at the end.

These bandit outlaws were mostly refugees turned desperados, and many hadn't trained, lacking the strength to lift the stone lock, leaving disappointed not joining the Black Water Stronghold.

Little did they know, lacking skill means avoiding becoming cannon fodder against the Yun Family, living a few more days.

An hour later, Shen Wang pretended to barely lift the stone lock, becoming one of the nearly hundred who passed, standing by the platform.

Soon after, this last day of recruitment ended, with Chi Yama impatiently saying, "Those who failed to pass, leave immediately, don't plead with me here!"