Chapter 132: No Longer What It Used to Be

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: No Longer What It Used to Be

After stowing the small black sword, a Magical Treasure, in his Storage Bag.

Li Ping’s gaze returned to the soybean-sized, gleaming golden orb.

The Lifebound Magical Treasure and the vast quantity of Spirit Stones were enough to prove that the person who had attempted Possession was, in fact, a Core Formation Cultivator.

In that case, there was no doubt about what the gleaming golden orb found inside the man’s body was.

This was the Golden Core, condensed from the essence, qi, and spirit of that Core Formation Cultivator!

Theoretically, after reaching Core Formation, a Cultivator’s Divine Soul resides within the Golden Core, nourished by their Magical Power.

But in order to carry out the Possession, that Core Formation Cultivator had to send his Divine Soul out of his Golden Core.

And since he had been taken away by Gumu Sheng in such a rush, the Golden Core was left behind in the corpse.

’What’s this thing for?’

Li Ping knew that things rich in Spiritual Qi, like Golden Cores and Cultivators’ Dharma Bodies, were favorites of Demon Beasts and ghastly creatures, but they were of little use to humans.

In the many ancient texts he had read, there were no records of any use for a Golden Core.

He didn’t dare to dispose of it carelessly, but at the same time, Li Ping couldn’t bear to throw away such a precious Treasure.

After a moment of thought, he finally took out a Jade Box, placed the soybean-sized, gleaming golden orb inside, carefully applied a Sealing Spirit Talisman, and then put it all into his Storage Bag.

After dealing with the Golden Core and the Lifebound Magical Treasure, Li Ping began to inspect the other items one by one.

There were several thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines, which he planned to save for Pill refinement after he reached Core Formation. After checking and finding no tracking marks on them, he put them all into his Storage Bag.

There were seven or eight items—a mix of Tier Two Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts and Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts. Aside from three Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, he planned to sell the other Dharma Artifacts after some time.

The three Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts were a Tier Two Top-Grade Blood Transformation Shield, a Tier Two Top-Grade Purple Gold Fork, and a Tier Two Top-Grade spiritual tool, the Soul-Annihilating Sword.

There wasn’t much to say about the Blood Transformation Shield and the Purple Gold Fork; they were ordinary offensive and defensive Dharma Artifacts.

The Soul-Annihilating Sword, however, was special. It wasn’t a Dharma Artifact, but a spiritual tool.

Dharma Artifacts and spiritual tools are completely different.

A Cultivator can control a Dharma Artifact remotely, while a spiritual tool can only be wielded in the hand for close-quarters combat, like a mortal Martial Artist!

In fact, those who use spiritual tools are all Cultivators who have achieved success in Body Refining.

They are accustomed to close-quarters combat, and once they get close, even a Cultivator of the same tier would find it difficult to escape death.

’Could it be that the Core Formation Cultivator who attempted Possession was also a Body Cultivator?’ Li Ping wondered silently as he checked the Dharma Artifacts for any remaining marks.

He did not know that this spiritual tool had actually been prepared by Yan Liming for his nephew, Yan Kun, and Yan Kun had died at his hands long ago.

Finding no tracking marks on the Dharma Artifacts, Li Ping casually put them all into his Storage Bag as well.

The last things left before him were the blood-red Jade Scroll and a Pill stored separately in a Jade Bottle.

In no rush to examine the contents of the blood-red Jade Scroll, Li Ping first picked up the Jade Bottle to inspect the Pill inside.

After a moment of inspection, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Pill preserved in the Jade Bottle was none other than a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Moreover, after inspecting it with his skill as a Tier Three Pill Master, he could confirm that this Foundation Establishment Pill was perfectly intact, with no issues whatsoever.

Although a Foundation Establishment Pill was no longer useful to Li Ping, as a strategic resource in the Cultivation Realm, its value was undeniable.

Li Ping was quite satisfied with his assessment and planned to bestow this Foundation Establishment Pill on Gumu Sheng later.

After all, if Gumu Sheng hadn’t informed him of the relevant news and promptly deduced the location of the Demon Cultivator’s corpse, the Core Formation Demon Cultivator’s Storage Bag might have been taken by Liu Wusheng and Miaorou.

Gumu Sheng had rendered a great service, and what’s more, he could make good use of this Foundation Establishment Pill.

After dealing with all the items, while passing over a Great River, Li Ping unhesitatingly threw the possession-attempting Demon Cultivator’s Storage Bag, which was filled with miscellaneous junk, straight down.

This junk consisted of things he couldn’t use, like the Celestial Secret Mirror, or worthless and troublesome items specific to Demon Cultivators. He couldn’t be bothered to deal with them and simply threw them away like trash.

After tossing the Demon Cultivator’s Storage Bag, Li Ping held the blood-red Jade Scroll and immersed his Divine Sense in it, beginning to read carefully.

A long time later, he opened his eyes, greatly disappointed.

It turned out that the blood-red Jade Scroll recorded the main Cultivation Technique of that Demon Dao Core Formation Cultivator: the *Blood Spirit Hundred Transformations Scripture*.

This was a top-tier Demon Cultivator technique, one that could be practiced all the way from the Qi Refining Stage to the Late-stage Nascent Soul.

It also recorded several extremely bloody Secret Techniques, which left Li Ping secretly aghast.

For example, one Secret Technique was called the Blood Puppet Art. It involved injecting one’s Magical Power-infused blood into another Cultivator, who would then cultivate on their own. Their progress would seem rapid, but in reality, they would be actively refining themselves into another’s puppet!

The other Secret Techniques were similar, such as the Blood Corpse Technique and the Blood Boiling Skill!

For a Demon Dao Cultivator, obtaining the *Blood Spirit Hundred Transformations Scripture* might be like finding a priceless treasure, but Li Ping had already chosen his main Cultivation Technique and had no intention of switching to the Demon Dao.

This Cultivation Technique was naturally useless to him, which was why he was so disappointed.

Placing the Jade Scroll containing the *Blood Spirit Hundred Transformations Scripture* into his Storage Bag, Li Ping sat down cross-legged, held two Middle-tier Spirit Stones, and began to meditate quietly.

...

Gumu Sheng and Ji Shu Xuan followed Li Ping’s instructions and stayed in his cave residence, worried sick.

It wasn’t until several days later, when they saw Li Ping return safely, that they were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, when they saw that only Li Ping had returned, with no sign of Yan Hengchuan, Ji Shu Xuan’s face fell in disappointment. He asked dejectedly, "Senior, you weren’t able to save Hengchuan?"

Hearing Ji Shu Xuan’s question, Li Ping sighed inwardly but shook his head and said, "I didn’t find any trace of Hengchuan or the one who possessed him. They never returned to the village."

After killing Liu Wusheng and Miaorou, Li Ping hadn’t left in a hurry. Instead, he had put on his cloak and staked out the area near the village for several days, but the Demon Cultivator who attempted the Possession never arrived.

He guessed that the man had probably realized his body-hiding spot was no longer safe, which was why he didn’t come back to retrieve the Storage Bag.

With the stakeout yielding no results, Li Ping could only return to the Immortal City and make a long-term plan.

Thinking of this, he comforted Ji Shu Xuan, "Don’t worry. Since that person didn’t kill Hengchuan on the spot, it means Hengchuan is safe for the short term. We still have a chance to rescue him."

He said that, but Li Ping knew in his heart that after so much time, the hope of Yan Hengchuan still being alive was very slim.

Hearing Li Ping’s words, a glimmer of hope appeared in Ji Shu Xuan’s eyes. He nodded firmly and said, "I believe Hengchuan is blessed. He must still be alive."

Li Ping nodded. "Go back and rest for now. If anyone from the Immortal City comes to ask questions, just tell them everything you know."

Ji Shu Xuan nodded firmly to show he understood, then took his leave.

After Ji Shu Xuan left, Li Ping’s gaze fell on Gumu Sheng, who was standing to the side. The Jade Bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill had already appeared in his hand.

He tossed the Jade Bottle to Gumu Sheng and explained, "Although I failed to find the possessing Cultivator’s trail and rescue Hengchuan this time, I did find his corpse and Storage Bag, and I obtained the Treasures he left behind. You made a great contribution in this matter, so I’m giving this Foundation Establishment Pill to you!"

"A Foundation Establishment Pill!" Gumu Sheng’s face lit up with ecstasy upon hearing this. He quickly shouted, "Thank you, Big Brother, for bestowing this Foundation Establishment Pill upon me!"

He had originally thought that even if Big Brother had gained something, he would at most get a few hundred Spirit Stones.

But he never expected Big Brother to give him a Foundation Establishment Pill directly. This was a Foundation Establishment Pill!

’Big Brother truly is a man of honor!’

Because of Yan Hengchuan’s disappearance, Li Ping was not in high spirits. He shook his head and said, "No need to thank me. You’ve earned it."

Gumu Sheng took the Jade Bottle and said with a grin, "If Big Brother hadn’t taken action, I’d never have had the chance to get a Foundation Establishment Pill. Of course I have to thank you, Big Brother!"

Li Ping nodded without saying much more.

Gumu Sheng accepted the Jade Bottle, but after a moment’s hesitation, he handed it back to Li Ping. "Please hold on to the Foundation Establishment Pill for me, Big Brother. I’ll come get it from you when I’m ready to attempt my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment."

A Foundation Establishment Pill was incredibly precious.

Gumu Sheng was worried something might happen if he kept it on him. Since he couldn’t use it right now anyway, he figured it was better to ask Big Brother to keep it safe for him.

Hearing this, Li Ping gave him a surprised look but ultimately said nothing, simply taking the Jade Bottle and nodding in agreement.

"By the way, if anyone from the Immortal City questions you, tell them everything you know about He Yunyi. As for me getting the Storage Bag, don’t mention it..." Li Ping thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Actually, never mind. Just stay here with me for now. We’ll talk again after this whole thing blows over."

Many people knew about the relationship between Gumu Sheng and He Yunyi.

If the Immortal City investigated, they would definitely trace things back to him.

He had intended to tell Gumu Sheng to keep it a secret, but then he considered that with his strength at the Late-stage Qi Refining, he wouldn’t be able to resist the mind-confusing techniques of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Secrecy would be impossible.

So he decided to just let Gumu Sheng stay in his cave residence for a while.

Gumu Sheng didn’t hesitate and agreed at once. "Okay, I’ll listen to you, Big Brother."

...

Li Ping’s worries were not unfounded.

A few days later, Cultivators from the Immortal City did indeed come knocking.

The one leading them was an acquaintance of Li Ping’s: the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator Xiong Pohai, a man with the distinct air of the martial world.

Accompanied by the Meng family’s Old Ancestor, he walked directly into Li Ping’s cave residence.

His gaze immediately fell on Gumu Sheng, who was standing beside Li Ping. He bellowed to his subordinates, "Seize this criminal!"

The several Immortal City Law Enforcement Cultivators behind him immediately moved forward, preparing to apprehend Gumu Sheng.

"Hmph!"

Li Ping snorted coldly and took a step forward. A surging Spiritual Pressure erupted from him, instantly causing the faces of the several Immortal City Law Enforcement Cultivators to turn pale.

"Fellow Daoist Xiong, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t speak so carelessly." He looked coldly at Xiong Pohai. "This is my third brother, not some criminal!"

’Things are different now from when I first broke through to Foundation Establishment.’

’I’ve even killed a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. A mere Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Xiong Pohai is hardly worth my notice.’