ALL NOVEL
Chapter 65: A Bountiful Harvest
Black fog burst and spread, obscuring vision and billowing in all directions.
In the chaos, a strand of black fog reached the wall of the back courtyard.
Sst!
A golden blade slashed down, instantly dispersing the black fog.
"No! How did you find this old man?"
A raspy shout rang out as Nie Xiang's figure appeared, activating a second-rank defensive talisman.
Clang!
The golden blade was blocked by a layer of crystal yellow earth shield, a crack appearing on the latter upon impact.
"Lan Chang'an, show mercy! This old man has a Foundation Establishment Pill and a great secret on my body! It can be shared with you." Inside the earth shield, a withered old face, pale and sickly, spoke urgently.
Employing the escape technique had severely injured the Evil-faced Flying Eagle and the disguise technique broke down in the previous battle.
The Evil-faced Flying Eagle had reached the ninth layer of Qi-Refining at least twenty years ago, and was even older than Lan Chang'an.
Half of his fame came from the formidable bloodline of his peak first-rank Black Eagle, whose flight speed even early Foundation Establishment cultivators could not match.
Lan Chang'an paid him no heed.
His peak first-rank Earth Burrowing Rat directly attacked the second-rank earth shield with a series of "thump-thump-thump" sounds.
He summoned the Black Net magical weapon, enveloping Nie Xiang.
Crack!
Under the dual assault, the second-rank earth shield protecting the Evil-faced Flying Eagle continued to dim, the cracks widened, and soon it shattered!
Hum!
Nie Xiang took out another white pearl, emanating a misty light to protect his body, comparable to a top superior-grade defensive treasure.
But it was no use, unable to withstand the attack.
Nie Xiang was utterly despairing.
The enemy before him was only at the eighth layer of Qi-Refining, yet far exceeded reason.
He had hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in his life, so why did he provoke such a person?
"Break!"
Lan Chang'an activated his Body Refining Technique, his body emitting a crystal-like glint, exuding the aura of a mighty beast. With one punch, he shattered the misty light protecting Nie Xiang.
Crack!
The remaining force was still ferocious, shattering Nie Xiang's chest and rupturing his organs.
Instantly, blood poured from the seven orifices as he collapsed, barely clinging to life.
"Foundation Establishment Body Refinement??"
"You, you did this deliberately..."
On the verge of death, Nie Xiang seemed to understand something, glaring resentfully at Lan Chang'an.
Pooh!
The flying shuttle flashed by, severing Nie Xiang's head.
The fierce and mighty evil cultivator Evil-faced Flying Eagle was finally slain.
......
"It's too late to understand now!"
Lan Chang'an's expression was calm as water.
It turned out that he had allowed himself to be ambushed by the Evil-faced Flying Eagle couple. In other words, he was fishing for a catch.
After the visit from Zhang Tieshanand the pill refining operation, Lan Chang'an had suspected that Nie Xiang might be the Evil-faced Flying Eagle.
But he was not completely certain.
After all, there were many cultivators in the Huanglong Immortal City, and those at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining seeking Foundation Establishment were not few.
Lan Chang'an's pursuit of Foundation Establishment Pills and collection of materials could not be hidden from those with ill intent.
Especially his neighbor Su Xuetong, the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's woman.
The Evil-faced Flying Eagle had failed to obtain a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill in his last attempt and needed to re-collect the materials.
However, the aging Evil-faced Flying Eagle could not afford to wait any longer.
There was every incentive to go after Lan Chang'an, who was also collecting materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
The Evil-faced Flying Eagle targeted the Foundation Establishment Pill materials Lan Chang'an had gathered.
How could Lan Chang'an not do the same?
He could have declined Su Xuetong's invitation this time.
But the hidden danger existed in his vicinity.
Rather than being secretly spied upon by the enemy, it was better to take the offensive and eliminate the hidden threat.
With his strength comparable to Foundation Establishment, he could easily crush the two.
While obtaining Foundation Establishment materials, he could also avenge Mu Xiuyun.
......
"Foundation Establishment Pill... top superior-grade divine bow and arrows...
Exotic White Pearl... first-rank Life Extension Pill..."
Lan Chang'an went through the storage pouches of the two, and couldn't help but be happy.
The Evil-faced Flying Eagle had not sold the inferior Foundation Establishment Pill he had previously concocted.
Lan Chang'an had no difficulty understanding why.
He kept that pill as a backup.
Even if he obtained a standard Foundation Establishment Pill, success was not guaranteed.
If he did succeed in advancing, this inferior pill could be given to his woman.
"So many of these are Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients?" Lan Chang'an opened another storage pouch, overjoyed.
He suspected that when the Evil-faced Flying Eagle claimed he would sell the inferior pill to Madam Liu, it might have been a trap.
The evil-faced flying eagle’s plan to kill Lu Chang’an was so well thought out that even the most elite ninth layer Qi-Refining disciple from a sect would find it difficult to escape such a calamity.
......
The side courtyard had an array concealing it, so the outside world could not detect any abnormalities.
Lan Chang'an calmly took stock of the spoils.
The most valuable was the Foundation Establishment Pill, followed by the Exotic White Pearl and the top superior-grade magical weapon, White Bone Bow and Arrows.
The top superior-grade White Bone Bow and Arrows, if charged with enough power, had terrifying destructive power, and counted as a top quality item for the same realm.
Even in the early Foundation Establishment stage, this bow would not be considered outdated.
The white pearl was a first-rank natural spirit pearl that did not require refinement. Infusing it with spiritual power could generate a protective mist comparable to a top superior-grade defensive treasure but with lower energy consumption.
The "Four Illusory Sky Curtain Formation" set up in the courtyard was a second-rank minor array mainly used for concealment and trapping enemies in illusions.
This small-scale array lacked offensive power and had relatively low value among second-grade arrays, but it was still equivalent to a top superior-grade magical weapon.
The purple soft sword used by Su Xuetong was considered a top mid-grade magical weapon, easy to conceal and change form.
Additionally, the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's storage pouch contained two or three mid-grade magical weapons, a flying boat, and various other treasures and pills.
The two also had a total of one to two thousand spirit stones, a considerable sum even for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Spirit stones were just a small part.
The Evil-faced Flying Eagle's true wealth was converted into the Foundation Establishment Pill and its ingredients.
The accumulation of decades was turned into a dowry, allowing Lan Chang'an a bountiful harvest.
"Adding the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's contribution of Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, I now only lack one main ingredient and two rare auxiliary materials."
Lan Chang'an organized all these materials together.
He found that many ingredients were duplicated.
If the rare main ingredient and two auxiliary materials were not considered, with another ten years of gathering, Lan Chang'an might be able to obtain enough materials for two Foundation Establishment Pills.
The main ingredient Lan Chang'an lacked was the second-grade spirit fruit Xuanling Fruit, requiring a three-hundred-year specimen.
The two auxiliary materials were Illusory Heart Grass and February Tears.
The Xuanling Fruit was a strategic resource controlled by major powers. The latter two auxiliary materials were scarce resources, and hard to find.
"I'll keep this inferior Foundation Establishment Pill as a backup."
After a while, Lan Chang'an finished counting the loot, and carefully stored the important Foundation Establishment Pill.
Next was the aftermath.
......
Lan Chang'an had considered this before taking action.
The Evil-faced Flying Eagle was a wanted demonic cultivator hunted by various markets, cultivator families, and the Jin Yun Valley.
Whoever killed him could present his head to claim the bounty from a faction.
Especially for sect disciples, they could exchange it for contribution merits and gain renown within their sect.
Lan Chang'an's plan was to let Zhao Siyao have this favor in exchange for resources.
There were two benefits to this approach:
First, he would give the credit and fame to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while he reaped the actual benefits without bearing potential threats.
For example, the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's subordinates or unknown descendants seeking vengeance.
This grudge would be borne by the Foundation Establishment cultivator of the sect.
No one would imagine that a mere Turtle Talisman Master like him could slay the infamous Evil-faced Flying Eagle.
Second, he could appropriately display his strength, solidifying his relationship with the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the sect.
Publicly, Lan Chang'an could reveal his peak first-rank spirit beast, and his late Qi-Refining stage body refinement, as well as a second-rank talisman.
There was no need to show his true Foundation Establishment power, even to the trusted Zhao Siyao.
"This guy is old enough, so that's even better!"
Lan Chang'an approached the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's corpse and circulated his Evergreen mana, employing a secret technique to wither life.
This secret technique had been something he had learned in his previous life when he was in the Core Formation Realm, and it was performed best through wood-type mana.
"Such good results?"
Lan Chang'an soon stopped, looking at the even more aged Evil-faced Flying Eagle.
If examined, it would seem the deceased's bodily functions had deteriorated before death, no longer at peak condition.
Lan Chang'an's method ensured that even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not discern the truth.
As for Core Formation Immortals, why would they care about a wanted small-fry in the Qi-Refining realm?
This way, when demonstrating part of his power before Zhao Siyao, killing an aging ninth layer of Qi-Refining, even a renowned figure, would not be jaw-droppingly shocking.
After all, the difference between the eighth and ninth layers of Qi-Refining was only twenty to thirty percent in terms of magical power.
Such an achievement could not be considered killing an opponent of a higher realm.
......
After arranging the scene in the courtyard and ensuring no oversights, Lan Chang'an took out the main array flag to deactivate the second-grade concealment illusion array. The outside world remained oblivious to what transpired within.
Inside the courtyard, there was still a normally functioning defensive array.
Lan Chang'an acted as if nothing had happened and returned to his neighboring Water Moon Residence.
The next day, Lan Chang'an went to the Jin Yun Valley's station in the Huanglong Immortal City.
He contacted the cultivators stationed there, preparing to send an urgent message to Zhao Siyao, presenting her with a meritorious deed.
It's worth mentioning that Lin Lu had duties at the Jin Yun Valley station, doing odd jobs and errands.
"Fellow Daoist Lan? I was just about to look for you these past few days."
In the main hall of the station, a Foundation Establishment aura approached.
The arrival was a young man with slightly darker skin and an austere appearance - Zhang Tieshan.
"Does Fellow Daoist Zhang have any instructions?" Lan Chang'an politely paid his respects.
If not for Zhang Tieshan's mention of it years ago, he might never have guessed the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's identity.
"According to my intelligence analysis, your neighbor Su Xuetong is suspected of being the Evil-faced Flying Eagle's mistress."
"Be extremely careful! You may have dealt with the Evil-faced Flying Eagle before!" Zhang Tieshan spoke sternly.
Lan Chang'an knew he meant well with this warning. 𝖋𝔯𝔢𝔢𝖜𝖊𝖇𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖊𝔩.𝖈𝖔𝖒
As Zhang Tieshan had uncovered this much, if Lan Chang'an urgently contacted Zhao Siyao now, it might be too late.
Even if he managed to pass the credit to Zhao Siyao, Zhang Tieshan could easily guess the truth.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, this time I was going to speak about the matter of the 'Evil-faced Flying Eagle'." Lan Chang'an privately transmitted his voice.
He changed his plan. Although his relationship with Zhang Tieshan was not deep, this man pursued evil relentlessly and was upright. With the nickname "Black Iron Face" in the Law Enforcement Hall, he was considered trustworthy.
Hearing Lan Chang'an's words, Zhang Tieshan showed a hint of surprise, but not shock.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, please lead me there for an inspection."
Lan Chang'an sensed that Zhang Tieshan's words had become a few points more polite.