Eternal Life by Daily Divination

"Brother, the Xu Family has a Foundation Establishment Cultivator now. You can rest easy."

This estate at the foot of Changqing Mountain was quite impressive.

As long as the Xu Family’s descendants weren’t complete wastes, they were basically guaranteed to produce a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in every generation.

The Xu Family and the other three families had all moved their ancestral graves here; they clearly planned to develop here for the long term.

Li Chang’an left Xu Yang’s grave and was about to return to Changqing Mountain.

Suddenly, he noticed a new, familiar name in the Chen Family’s ancestral cemetery in another direction.

With a single step, he appeared before the grave, his gaze falling upon the headstone.

The name Chen Qianya was carved upon it.

Li Chang’an summoned Chen Da’an and asked him, "When did Qianya pass away? Why wasn’t I told?"

"Ancestor, Great-Aunt Qianya passed away just a few days after you achieved Core Formation."

Chen Da’an answered honestly, his expression deferential.

"Before she died, she instructed me that your Core Formation was a joyous occasion and that you shouldn’t be disturbed by her death. She said not to hold a funeral, but to just bury her quietly."

"Alright, I understand."

Li Chang’an stood silently before the grave for a moment.

He looked at the headstone, wishing his old friend a smooth journey on the Reincarnation Path.

After a while, he took a step and returned to Changqing Mountain.

Before leaving, he said to Chen Da’an, "Changqing Mountain has ample Spiritual Power. You can open a Tier Three Cave Mansion on the mountainside. Don’t neglect your cultivation for the sake of the family."

"Yes, thank you, Ancestor!"

A look of joy spread across Chen Da’an’s face as he thanked him profusely.

...

「In the days that followed.」

The area at the foot of Changqing Mountain flourished, gradually taking on the early form of an Immortal City.

Li Chang’an did not interfere with its management, leaving it in the hands of the four families while he remained on the mountain to cultivate in peace.

As for the Mu Family.

He used a Tier Three Puppet, clad in a false skin of Mu Yuanchen, to continue the impersonation.

Before he knew it, more than two months had passed.

「On this day.」

Li Chang’an was in the middle of his cultivation.

Luo Yunshu suddenly came to him with a piece of news.

"Ancestor, something has happened to Huang He Master."

"Oh? What is it?"

"While searching for opportunities in some ancient ruins deep within the Black Dragon Mountain Range, Huang He Master and his Tier Three Yellow Crane were plotted against by Senior Ye Hao of the Huanghe Alliance and Black Crow Master. They fell into an ancient trap and are now stuck inside, unable to escape..."

Luo Yunshu handed the message she was holding to Li Chang’an.

Li Chang’an took the message and glanced at it casually.

At the same time, he dispatched several of his Golden Core Puppets to investigate the specifics of the situation.

Before long, he learned the full details.

It was more or less as Luo Yunshu had described.

Ye Hao and Black Crow Master had been plotting this for a long time. They had originally intended to kill Huang He Master and his Tier Three Yellow Crane outright.

However, Huang He Master’s skills were not to be underestimated, and his crane had also quietly advanced to the Tier Three Late Stage. The man and his crane worked in perfect sync, so they weren’t killed by the trap, merely trapped for the time being.

’Huang He Master managed to reach Core Formation as a Loose Cultivator, and he has that crane—which is comparable to a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator—to help him,’ Li Chang’an mused. ’He certainly won’t be so easy to kill.’

Huang He Master was likely even more difficult to deal with than an ordinary Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

The man hadn’t participated in the war between the three sects, so Li Chang’an had never seen him fight with his full strength.

Luo Yunshu asked, "Ancestor, will you go and help Senior Ye Hao finish off Huang He Master for good?"

"No rush. The man is only temporarily trapped; he hasn’t been pushed to his absolute limit yet. He might still have some tricks up his sleeve. Let Ye Hao deal with him for now."

Li Chang’an shook his head slightly and put the message down.

’In truth, I’ve already prepared my own methods for dealing with Huang He Master.’

’But since Ye Hao and Black Crow Master made the first move, I’ll let them have a go at it.’

"In the Southern Domain Cultivation Immortality Realm, Huang He is the only person in the last thousand years to reach the Late Stage of Golden Core as a Loose Cultivator. I imagine he must have some extraordinary abilities."

"You’re right, Ancestor. I was too hasty. I’m not as level-headed as you!"

Luo Yunshu giggled, smart enough not to overdo the compliments.

She exited the cave mansion, leaving Li Chang’an undisturbed.

Li Chang’an, for his part, resumed his cultivation.

「A few days later.」

He once again visited the Black Market and purchased a Tier Three Array Treasure.

With this, he had finally gathered all the treasures needed to upgrade the Five Elements Life-generating Array.

That night, Li Chang’an’s figure flickered, turning into a series of afterimages as he appeared all over Changqing Mountain, continuously adding treasures to the array and carving new Array Patterns.

About an hour later, all five of the Grand Arrays within the Five Elements Life-generating Array had been upgraded to Tier Three Top Grade.

Li Chang’an returned to his courtyard. With a single thought, he issued the command:

"Array Activation!"

In an instant, the very air around Changqing Mountain seemed to shift.

The five Grand Arrays activated in unison, linking together to form a Ring Array that enveloped all of Changqing Mountain.

An unimaginably terrifying power lay dormant within the array.

Even a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator wouldn’t last long if they entered it.

’This should make Changqing Mountain a little more secure,’ Li Chang’an thought with a long sigh of relief.

’As long as I don’t run into a Nascent Soul True Monarch or a Tier Four Array Master, Changqing Mountain should be perfectly safe.’

The next moment, he activated the Illusion Array to conceal the entire array.

Changqing Mountain fell silent. All the Array Patterns vanished, leaving no trace of the deadly power they held.

Li Chang’an returned to his cave mansion and resumed his cultivation.

...

「A few days later.」

The day of Xiahou Qian’s Core Formation Ceremony had arrived.

Although he had only formed a Fake Pill, not a True Pill or an Immortal Golden Core, he still deserved the title of Golden Core Master.

A Core Formation Ceremony was always a grand event in the entire Southern Domain.

All of Yellow Crane Mountain was filled with a festive atmosphere, decorated long in advance to welcome guests from all over.

"Daoist Xiahou, congratulations!"

Wang Xuanjian of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect arrived, presented a gift, and offered his congratulations.

He was congratulating not only Xiahou Qian, but Xiahou Hong as well.

Two Golden Core Masters from the same family was a rare sight indeed.

If this father and son were willing to leave Yellow Crane Immortal City, they would have enough power to establish their own Golden Core Clan!

After chatting with the two for a moment, Wang Xuanjian added a word of caution, "That Li Chang’an from Changqing Mountain is quite strong. I worry he might come to Yellow Crane Mountain and disrupt this ceremony."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Wang. Yellow Crane Mountain is protected by a Tier Three Top Grade Array. That cowardly Turtle won’t dare to show his face!"

Xiahou Qian replied in his father’s stead, his tone steady.

Little did he know.

At that very moment, Li Chang’an had already arrived on Yellow Crane Mountain.

He entered the Grand Array with ease, completely unhindered, for the one in control of the array was none other than his puppet, He Qianshan.