At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Chapter 197: Plans

While fleeing, Li Lan searched the Storage Pouches of the three Cultivators.

Unfortunately,

apart from the Judge Cui's Pen,

there were no other decent Magical Artifacts in their Storage Pouches.

In contrast,

there were quite a few useful Medicinal Pills and spiritual plants.

After a period of diligent Cultivation,

Li Lan didn't have many Gathering Qi Pills left,

and some of the spiritual plants on the three Cultivators happened to fill this void.

Additionally,

Li Lan's biggest gain was probably the blood-red token called the Demon Hunting Token.

It seemed that

Human Emperor Hall Executors holding this item could freely enter and inspect any Immortal Cave with Restrictions,

regardless of the owner's identity or status, who had to honestly comply.

Li Lan had plenty of Human Emperor Hall Executor tokens and clothing,

so disguising himself wouldn't be difficult.

This blood-red token might prove very useful in the future.

After putting it away,

Li Lan's thoughts returned to the previous battle.

Since advancing to the Early-stage Foundation Establishment,

he had been diligently Cultivating and had only fought twice with others.

Perhaps because his first battle was against a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, which raised his expectations,

Li Lan had initially thought this would be a tough fight,

so he immediately displayed all his trump cards upon their first encounter.

But even he hadn't expected

to win so easily this time.

Reflecting on it afterward,

this result, while unexpected, was also reasonable.

This Executor Cui was far less wealthy than Guan Ming, the Human Emperor Hall Executor he had encountered before.

The latter at least had a half-moon ring-blade Talisman Treasure in hand,

while the former, apart from the Judge Cui's Pen, could be described as utterly destitute.

These Human Emperor Hall Executors appeared glorious on the surface,

but their true foundation was even inferior to some Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators.

Li Lan frowned slightly, thinking it strange.

In truth, it wasn't Executor Cui's fault, or the others'.

It was simply that the Qi Refining Cultivators he had encountered earlier were too strong, which unknowingly influenced Li Lan's judgment.

Most of those Qi Refining Cultivators were Reincarnations of Devil Heads, carrying the accumulated foundation of their previous lives,

so it was normal for them to carry several Eagle Treasures and Talisman Treasures.

As for Executor Cui and his like, although they were Early-stage Foundation Establishment,

they lacked the deep accumulation of a past life and had no Family background,

so it was not surprising that they lacked powerful Divine Ability treasures.

A Cultivator like Li Lan,

who possessed both Magic Treasures and Talisman Treasures, and even a complete Magic Treasure,

was an extremely rare anomaly even among Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

In summary,

this combat experience gave Li Lan a general understanding of the strength of Early-stage Foundation Establishment and Human Emperor Hall Executors.

It also gave him a clear understanding of the power of a complete Magic Treasure.

Among Cultivators of the same Realm,

the difference between having a Magic Treasure and not having one was simply immense.

This was merely the dominance shown by the Qinghong Duan Shui Sword when its tempering time was too short,

and when a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator couldn't fully unleash its true power.

Once the tempering time was longer,

and he officially stepped into the Golden Core Stage,

it was unimaginable how powerful the Qinghong Duan Shui Sword Magic Treasure would become.

Li Lan pondered that with his current trump cards,

he might not stand a chance against a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator.

But if he were to face a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator, without them possessing a Magic Treasure or pseudo-Magic Treasure,

he couldn't guarantee a victory, but at least he should have no problem escaping from them.

While secretly calculating in his mind,

Li Lan quickly fled towards the Mortal World north of Jiuhua County.

Under this Demon Hunting Token, all Executors were granted immense power by the Human Emperor Hall,

and quiet Cultivation had become a luxury. The current Cultivation World was clearly no place to stay.

Li Lan planned to emulate his previous actions and once again seek refuge in the Mortal World, where Spiritual Qi was scarce.

Anyway, with the Eternal Life Coffin in hand,

even the harshest environment could be instantly transformed into a treasure land comparable to a Medium-Grade Spirit Vein,

so he didn't need to worry too much about his Cultivation speed.

Controlling his flying boat, Li Lan traveled at a leisurely pace.

Along the way,

he encountered no less than a dozen inspections, including Human Emperor Hall Executors and Loose Cultivators hoping to try their luck.

Most of these Cultivators were at the Qi Refining Great Perfection level, with a very small number of strong individuals at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment and Middle Stage.

If Li Lan hadn't used the Bone Shrinking Art and the Chaotic Origin Rotation Art to change his appearance and aura,

he would have inevitably endured several bitter battles.

Currently,

Li Lan encountered no obstacles along the way,

and smoothly arrived at the final checkpoint.

Beyond that was the territory where ordinary Mortals lived.

The Spiritual Qi there was exceptionally thin,

and even ordinary Qi Refining Stage Disciples rarely ventured into it.

In the past, there were no checkpoints in such places.

But times had changed,

in order to quickly capture Li Jiangchuan,

almost every part of Jiuhua County was now covered by a vast net,

and even this Mortal World was no exception.

In front of a dense forest,

Human Emperor Hall Executors in black robes with golden patterns were sharply scanning all comers.

"What is your identity? Why are you going to the Mortal World?"

"To Executor, I am from Moonlight Dock. I have sought Immortality for several years, but my Spiritual Root Aptitude is too poor.

I fear I will never reach the Qi Refining Fourth Level in this life, so I have no choice but to return home and diligently Cultivate the next generation of my Family's Cultivators. I hope Executor will grant my request."

"Sir, I failed to pass the Dust Washing Ceremony, and no Sect is willing to take me in.

The Elders said I have no Immortal fate, so I can only return to my hometown to find another way to make a living."

"I have a slight grudge with the Zhou Family of Wuyi Palace, and I am going to the Mortal World simply to avoid trouble."

Li Lan unhurriedly followed behind the crowd,

listening to the various reasons given by these Loose Cultivators, and had already prepared a suitable excuse in his mind.

"Hey, have you heard?

Even the Mortal World isn't peaceful now; Human Emperor Hall Executors are conducting large-scale investigations."

"Ah? Why is that?

What's there to investigate in the Mortal World?

The Spiritual Qi is so thin that Cultivating for two or three days doesn't even replenish as much magical power as absorbing a Low-Grade Spirit Stone."

"It's said that the Devil Head Li Jiangchuan's heinous acts have been discovered.

This person is ruthless and targets pregnant women in their tenth month, not even sparing Mortals without Spiritual Roots. He must have some unknown scheme, which is why the Human Emperor Hall is thoroughly investigating this matter."

"Is that true? Li Jiangchuan's methods are truly too vicious!

Has this matter been cleared up now? Why is that Devil Head so deranged?"

"Indeed, many abducted pregnant women have been found in those hidden Immortal Caves,

but the mastermind Li Jiangchuan has never been caught.

Why this Devil Head abducted these pregnant women, perhaps only after he is caught will we know."

"Alas, where is this Devil Head hiding? Hasn't it been four months already?

There's still no news of this guy at all. When will this demon hunting operation end?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's not peaceful in the Mortal World either; every now and then, an Executor will visit with a Demon Hunting Token."

The conversations of the surrounding Loose Cultivators made Li Lan's heart sink.

It was one thing for the Human Emperor Hall to label him as a Devil Head Cultivating the 《Rebirth Technique》;

Li Lan never cared about such external reputations.

What truly concerned him was the latter part:

the Mortal World was also not peaceful, and like the Cultivation World, there would be many Human Emperor Hall Executors patrolling?

Li Lan's main purpose in going to the Mortal World was to Cultivate in peace without disturbance.

If it was truly as the other party said,

and the Mortal World was no different from the Cultivation World now,

then his trip seemed to have lost its meaning.

Of course,

this was just one side of the story,

and Li Lan naturally wouldn't believe it entirely.

He still followed his original plan, successfully passed the inspection,

and entered the Mortal World through the dense forest.

Over the next three months,

Li Lan changed identities and opened Immortal Caves to Cultivate in many remote places like deep mountains, old forests, and bottomless abysses.

But it was indeed as the Loose Cultivators had chatted about:

every now and then, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Human Emperor Hall Executor would come knocking.

To avoid exposure, each time he had to re-arrange his Immortal Cave and come up with numerous explanations, which was quite troublesome.

This greatly affected his Cultivation progress.

In utter helplessness,

Li Lan had no choice but to leave the Mortal World and return to the Cultivation World.

He went to a Loose Cultivator market and bought a map.

After much deliberation,

he finally re-determined his goal.

Since the territory ruled by the Human Emperor Hall was no longer suitable, he could only go to a place beyond their reach.

Yu Prefecture had seventy-two counties,

among which Jiuhua County was the most remote and least important small place.

Its status in the entire Yu Prefecture, compared to other counties,

was almost like the difference between the Mortal World and the Cultivation World.

South of Jiuhua County was the Million-Mile Great Wilderness.

Various Yao Beasts roamed there, the Spiritual Qi was mixed, Spiritual Veins were extremely scarce, and the human living environment was quite harsh,

thus it was not within the jurisdiction of the Human Emperor Hall.

This place was indeed most suitable as a hiding place for him, a Human Emperor Hall fugitive.

With the Eternal Life Coffin in hand,

the environment was secondary,

what he most wanted now was to find a quiet place to diligently Cultivate,

and strive to advance further in his Realm.

After all,

Li Lan was also unsure how much Spiritual Qi remained in the Eternal Life Coffin,

if the Spiritual Qi comparable to a Medium-Grade Spirit Stone ran out,

lacking Cultivation resources, he would probably have to worry about how to enter a Medium-Grade Spirit Vein to Cultivate again.

Because of this,

he knew that the opportunity was rare, which was why he was so eager to enter secluded Cultivation without disturbance.

Having made up his mind,

Li Lan purchased some spiritual materials needed for refining Gathering Qi Pills and drawing Gathering Spirit Formations in the market, then prepared to leave.

Just then,

a figure blocked his path.

"May the Venerable Lifeless Mother bless you, and may your Immortal path be smooth in the future.

Undergoing Tribulation in the Mortal World, all Karma cleared,

nine tribulations transforming into feathers, finally achieving Ascension."

This person was dressed in white robes, with a pious expression,

and as soon as they met, they began speaking incomprehensible words to an ordinary person.

Li Lan had no intention of responding to the other party; he calmly dodged and continued walking out of the Loose Cultivator market.

However, the white-robed person's next sentence

made him stop in his tracks.

"Esteemed believer, do you need a quiet place for Cultivation?"