Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World

"The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre has vanished, reducing one potential threat," Jia Ren said to himself.

The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre bore considerable malice towards Jia Ren. Upon escaping its confines, its power recovery rate was astonishing, far beyond Jia Ren's own capabilities. Jia Ren had found refuge in the deep mountains and forests not only to defend against the Bizarre Alliance but also to be cautious of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre.

The disappearance of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre was good news. At the very least, he no longer had to worry about it sending large numbers of Heart Guile Puppets to find him.

My only concern is whether the disappearance of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre is related to the Bizarre Alliance. Could a human really turn into a Bizarre? No matter, it has nothing to do with me.

Jia Ren gained quite a bit of information from Yang Shengwu, most of which concerned the Five Elements Sect. Ever since Yang Shengwu joined the Blood Demon Sect, he had paid special attention to intelligence on the Five Elements Sect, deliberately collecting a lot of it.

After the demise of the Five Elements Sect at the Great Wilderness Market, the sect consolidated its power, relinquishing territories snatched up by other sects to defend its home base. All of this was for one purpose: to concentrate resources in hopes of cultivating a Golden Core Cultivator within the sect. Such resources were exceedingly rare. The Five Elements Sect couldn't afford much, and the various factions fought tooth and nail for the chance to advance.

A year ago, one candidate finally emerged to attempt the breakthrough.

Advancing to Golden Core failed! It's not that easy to reach the Golden Core Stage.

Advancement to Golden Core required more than ordinary resources. While the Five Elements Sect held significant influence in the Barren Extreme Land, it was nothing in the Western Wasteland Domain. Producing a Golden Core Cultivator was no easy task; otherwise, the Five Elements Sect wouldn't have gone hundreds of years without one.

The Five Elements Sect, without a Golden Core Cultivator, is beset with internal and external troubles and won't last much longer.

Yang Shengwu wore a schadenfreude smile. The Five Elements Sect without a Golden Core Cultivator was much easier to deal with; revenge seemed possible.

"Keep an eye on intelligence about other sects for me, and help me collect Spiritual Medicines over a hundred years old," Jia Ren instructed Yang Shengwu. "In return, I'll prepare Demonic Blood and refine Magic Artifacts for you."

There were many Spiritual Medicines in the Poisonous Miasma Lake, but those over a hundred years old were few. Compounded by the fact that some were poisonous, even fewer were usable. They were used to refine Worm Saint Pills, Fish Saint Pills, and Consolidating Yuan Pills (Modified), with some used to make medicinal cuisines.

Jia Ren had enough supplies to last a year without issue. However, as someone who preferred to plan, he didn't want to wait until he ran out of elixirs and Spiritual Medicines to find new sources. Encountering Yang Shengwu was fortunate. Through the Blood Demon Sect, he could obtain a large number of Spiritual Medicines, adding a new channel. Another person meant additional strength, which was certainly faster than the Insect External Incarnation collecting Spiritual Medicines all alone.

"Spiritual Medicines? Artifact Refining?" Yang Shengwu inquired. "Brother Jia, you're also skilled in Alchemy and Artifact Refining?" he asked, looking at Jia Ren in amazement, doubting his own ears.

To have advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage in just a few years is one thing, but to be proficient with Demon-Spotting Talismans and also skilled in Alchemy and Artifact Refining? One should indeed hold a person in new esteem after an absence of merely three days. But hasn't the change been too great? So great that it overturned my understanding! He must be a peerless genius hidden among Loose Cultivators!

"Getting the Spiritual Medicines won't be a problem," Yang Shengwu explained. "The Blood Demon Sect doesn't have a high demand for them. Just over three months ago, they raided a sub-sect of the Heavenly Sword Sect in one region and stole a lot of Spiritual Medicines. I'll figure out a way to get them for you."

The two spoke for an hour, during which Jia Ren asked about Yang Shengwu's needs for Magic Artifacts. They then parted ways, agreeing to meet again in a month.

The Insect External Incarnation gave orders to the Fathead Fish Demon and rapidly departed. The journey was uneventful.

In the Water Curtain Cave, Jia Ren opened his eyes, which gleamed with a strange light. He strode towards the storage room, where a large amount of Monster Beast Meat was stored, sealed in ice by Ice Talismans. The Spiritual Beast Meat had been stored for a while, with a slight loss of Spiritual Power. Further away, a vast amount of Demon Beast Blood was mixed, accumulated in large quantities. This was provision for the Sonic-Thief Mosquito King.

In over a year, the Insect External Incarnation and the Fathead Fish Demon had slowed their killing spree, but the stored Monster Beast Meat still neared 100,000 catties. Jia Ren and Zhang Pengpeng processed it too slowly, and maintaining the ice seal each month with Ice Talismans wasn't a small expense. Now, at last, there was a solution.

The Demonic Blood was quite chaotic, mixed into jars according to grade, with numerous types and amounts. The most precious jars were those containing the blood of Second Order Black Dragon Fish and Boneless Silverfish.

Jia Ren took out a few jars of Second Order Fish Demon blood and several dozen jars of First Order Superior Grade Demon Beast Blood, and he also took several thousand catties of Monster Beast Meat.

He walked over to the Fish Pond. He could see that there was now only one pond, but it had been enlarged. There were a total of twenty-five Spirit Fish, each radiating Second Order energy fluctuations. After being fed Fish Saint Pills for over a year, many of them had reverted to become Second Order Fish Demons, the majority of which ended up in his stomach.

Thanks to the substantial amount of Second Order Spirit Fish Meat and medicinal cuisines, his Mixed Refinement Black Dragon Body had reached the fifth level of completion. When fully utilized, the Mixed Refinement Black Dragon Body was no less effective than a Top-grade Magic Artifact, and the defense of the Black Dragon Scales was more than double that of a Top-grade Magic Artifact. The Skill Breaking Points for its second and third breakthroughs still seemed far away, with no hope of a breakthrough in the short term.

There were five Second Order Black Dragon Fish and five Second Order Boneless Silverfish, which would come in handy once the Mixed Refinement Black Dragon Body achieved its third breakthrough. The remaining fifteen Spirit Fish in the Fish Pond were Second Order Phoenix Flame Tail Fish. Jia Ren planned to raise these long-term to obtain the highest quality Phoenix Flame Tails. This was the easiest way to obtain materials for Warding Off Evil. Most importantly, the quality of the Phoenix Flame Tails would improve along with the Phoenix Flame Tail Fish. If he kept raising them, he might even manage to raise… Third Rank Phoenix Flame Tail Fish. By then, how excellent would their quality be? Perhaps they could be used to refine a Life-bound Magic Treasure. A Life-bound Magic Treasure that wards off evil! Just thinking about it is exhilarating.

Fifteen Second Order Phoenix Flame Tail Fish, five Black Dragon Fish, and five Boneless Silverfish, as well as the gluttonous Fathead Fish Demon—they were major consumers of Fish Saint Pills. This was with Jia Ren feeding them the minimum amount; if he increased the quantity, the Fish Saint Pills would only last for less than half a year.

The second stop was the Insect Breeding Room. Countless Spirit Insects fluttered around, emitting Spiritual Power Fluctuations close to Second Order. What deserved the most attention was the swarm of Exotic Black Mosquitoes in the distance. They had laid a vast number of eggs, exceeding one hundred thousand. This signified that over one hundred Second Order Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings could be born. Increasing the number of Second Order Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings for the Insect External Incarnation would substantially enhance its strength. However, this would place a severe strain on the Worm Saint Pill supply.

Besides these, many Spirit Insects also had the potential to advance to Second Order. Due to the limited stock of Worm Saint Pills, he had not fed them in large quantities. This was also why Jia Ren, upon meeting Yang Shengwu, wanted to trade for Spiritual Medicines. Living frugally for a year and a half, then making large investments, could lead to bankruptcy in minutes.

After inspecting his domain, he returned to the Refining Workshop. The Refining Workshop was cluttered with various scale armors and silk armors, along with numerous Superior Defense Artifacts. In the past year, his skill in Artifact Refining had improved by leaps and bounds, and he was most proficient in scale armor-type Defense Artifacts. Eating fish had left him with a large amount of scale materials, suitable for refining into Defense Artifacts. Jia Ren seized this opportunity to practice, addressing his lack of practical refining experience.

His Storage Bag contained hundreds of scale armors. The lowest quality were Middle-Grade Defense Artifacts, and the highest were Top-grade Defense Artifacts. Using Top-grade Defense Artifacts during the Qi Refinement Realm was too conspicuous. He took out a few Superior scale armors, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a large number of Middle-Grade defensive scale armors.

In the following time, Jia Ren returned to his previous cultivation routine, consuming one Consolidating Yuan Pill (Modified) daily and converting it to Spiritual Power. After digesting the pill, he left the Water Mansion to go upstream and condense Xuan Yuan Heavy Water and practice the Xuan Shui Escape technique.

After swallowing the Profound Water Pill, droplets of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water converged towards his palm at an astonishing speed, getting faster and faster. The condensing speed was too fast! Jia Ren transformed into a super siphon pump, rapidly drawing water. The waterfall's flow was interrupted, causing it to temporarily cease.

Ten, a hundred, a thousand! Droplet by droplet, Xuan Yuan Heavy Water took form.

Double Profound Primal Heavy Water!

Triple Profound Primal Heavy Water!

Four Mysteries Primordial Heavy Water!

Nine additional droplets of Four Mysteries Primordial Heavy Water appeared in his palm, which then condensed into Five Xuan Yuan Heavy Water at once. He gathered three droplets of Five Xuan Yuan Heavy Water, drawing ever closer to Six Xuan Yuan Heavy Water. Five Xuan Yuan Heavy Water possessed terrifying lethality; how powerful would Six Xuan Yuan Heavy Water be?

He ceased condensing Xuan Yuan Heavy Water, and the waterfall's disrupted flow was restored.

A month passed silently, and it was time for Jia Ren's arranged meeting with Yang Shengwu. As usual, his Insect External Incarnation went ahead. It divided into Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings, hiding in the dark to gather information. He had to be extremely cautious, as they were not far from the Blood Demon Sect's encampment.

In one month, the Insect External Incarnation had undergone considerable changes. The number of Second Order Sonic-Thief Mosquito Kings had surged to one hundred. The combined strength of the Insect External Incarnation had advanced further, comparable to a Cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

The wait wasn't long before Yang Shengwu arrived at the agreed spot. He was extremely cautious, repeatedly making sure no one was following before daring to show himself.

"Brother Jia."

Jia Ren's figure emerged from the shadows, having confirmed that there were no followers behind Yang Shengwu. "Here are the things for you."

He took out the prepared Monster Beast Meat, Demonic Blood, and dozens of Defense Artifacts. Yang Shengwu unceremoniously accepted them all. With Jia Ren having reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, even a casual gift was more than enough for Yang Shengwu to benefit immensely. Thousands of catties of Monster Beast Meat, a large amount of Demon Beast Blood, and dozens of Defense Artifacts—Yang Shengwu was somewhat flabbergasted.

Why does it feel like I'm stocking up on supplies? It's as if I'm back at the Great Wilderness Market. The difference is that I used to sell Demon-Spotting Talismans back then.

"If you want to establish connections within the Sect, you'll inevitably need to spend Spirit Stones," Jia Ren said. "Exchange these items for Spirit Stones if you can."

Trading these items, which might be considered useless by some, for Spiritual Medicines from the Blood Demon Sect Cultivators was what he truly desired.

"These bottles contain the true treasures I've prepared for you: three large jars of Second Order Demon Beast Blood, one piece of scale armor nearing top grade, Grandmaster-Level Light Body Talismans, and Grandmaster-Level Golden Bell Shield Talismans… Keep these for your own use."

The items Yang Shengwu had previously received were already astonishing, yet the treasures Jia Ren brought out next were of even higher quality. The quantity of each type of Talisman was in the hundreds.

"That's quite generous," Yang Shengwu remarked. "The Blood Demon Sect has many outposts, far apart and non-interfering. This place only has one mediocre Alchemist, likely poached from somewhere, who only knows how to refine useless pills. Spiritual Medicines aren't highly valued here."

Yang Shengwu handed over a Storage Bag. The Ten Directions Storage Bag was brimming with items, with no small number of hundred-year-old Spiritual Medicines. Jia Ren was utterly incredulous to also discover several kinds of Spiritual Medicines for refining Foundation Establishment Pills inside the Storage Bag.

The Blood Demon Sect is so lavish? They can casually part with Spiritual Medicines for Foundation Establishment Pills?

"I have the method for refining Foundation Establishment Pills," Jia Ren said. "Would you be interested?"