Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

He sorted through the arrays, puppets, instruments, talismans, and elixirs. The elixirs were primarily healing elixirs for setting bones, stopping bleeding, detoxifying, and restoring vitality. They were all made from herbs he'd saved from completing alchemy missions for the Tongda Chamber of Commerce. He considered what he still needed. While he had enough top-grade instruments, he only had the Mountain-Shaking Blade for powerful talismans, which was a bit lacking. So he spent another half month traipsing through Seaside City until he purchased a "Linglong Pagoda" talisman, finally feeling relieved. He'd already prepared maps and compasses, and now that everything was ready, he planned to set out on a chosen day. The journey was extremely risky, but he had to take the risk.

He sent a sound transmission note to Nie Xiaoqian, asking if she had any new information. They hadn't seen each other for over a year, and everyone was the same. But Xiaoqian seemed to have changed a little. The way she looked at Liu Xing had changed. She was evasive, blushing from time to time, and her heart was beating faster. Liu Xing pretended not to notice, listening intently to the news she had gathered.

A total of nine reports of level four monsters were collected, all of which were the latest news in the past ten years. The closest one was ten thousand miles away from Haibin City, and the farthest one was even one hundred thousand miles away. Nie Xiaoqian was very careful and recorded the sources of these reports, the types of monsters, and precautions in detail in a jade slip and handed it to Liu Xing. Liu Xing read it carefully, asked some doubtful questions, and put it away. In order not to worry Nie Xiaoqian, he announced that he would be in seclusion for a while, and would contact her after he came out, and then said goodbye and left. Nie Xiaoqian did not suspect anything. It was normal for Liu Xing to be in seclusion often. Every time she saw Liu Xing, she was in a good mood, and that was enough.

The next day, Liu Xing packed up his cave, leaving the gate untouched, masquerading as a retreat. These precautions were to prevent anyone from following him, learning his whereabouts and attempting to ambush him. Anyone who hadn't witnessed his departure wouldn't immediately know he was gone. He quietly left the cave, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. Finding no one paying attention, he took a detour toward the west gate. His spiritual sense was powerful, and he would have detected anyone who wasn't a Jindan-level cultivator watching him.

In a deserted alley on the way out of the city, he suddenly transformed himself, changing his appearance and attire to a middle-aged man in his forties. He wore a black hat to obscure his features, and there were restrictions to prevent spiritual detection. He then swaggered out of the city without alerting anyone.

After leaving the city, he launched his assault boat, accelerating from slow to fast, hurtling westward. Entering the sea, the waves surged, the blue sea and sky shone, and a slightly salty sea breeze blew against his face. Liu Xing decided to take a shorter route, then a longer one. The assault boat was powered by spirit stones, so he released Jiao Jiao to steer it, saving his mana.

Deep in the ocean, he became cautious. He didn't dare fly too high, staying about ten feet close to the surface. His spiritual sense, like radar, constantly scanned the sky and seabed within a ten-kilometer radius. He could sense any Foundation Establishment cultivator or fourth-level demonic beast in advance.

Twenty days' journey from the first destination, three years ago, a merchant ship was attacked by a sea monster. The monster's eight long tentacles entangled the ship, instantly splitting it into three pieces. Three Foundation Establishment Stage guardians were on board, but only the most advanced late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator saw the opportunity and escaped. From afar, he spotted the monster as a common Xi Moyu, a Level 4 demon beast. He took advantage of the opportunity to devour the humans on board and quickly escaped. Later, the cultivator organized six late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to search for the monster and seek revenge, but after over six months, they were unable to find it. They dared not split up, fearing the monster would individually attack them. Acting together provided safety, but the sheer force of the attack made it impossible for the monster to hide.

Liu Xing recalled the target's situation in his mind while thinking about how to find this sea monster. There was really no good method at the moment, so he could only decide based on the specific situation after arriving at the location.

Suddenly, a water arrow from the seabed struck the flying boat. It was easily blocked by the boat's restrictions. It turned out to be a Level 1 demon beast attacking. This happened almost every day during the trip. Without Liu Xing's warning, Jiao Jiao slew it with a single spell, and Liu Xing collected the demon beast's corpse.

Occasionally, Jiao Jiao would encounter a Level 2 monster attack, and she would leap into the sea, engaging in a fierce battle with the beasts. This was the most enjoyable fight Jiao Jiao had ever experienced since her advancement. If Liu Xing hadn't urged her to kill her opponent early, she would have wanted to play a little longer. Liu Xing had always managed Jiao Jiao with a laissez-faire approach, but out in the ocean, dangers abounded, and she had to be constantly on guard against powerful enemies. Therefore, she didn't dare to stay in one place for too long, and she had to maintain a constant supply of mana to deal with any unexpected situation. Therefore, he didn't allow Jiao Jiao to completely unleash her wild nature, and she kept it under control.

Over twenty days passed before the master and servant finally reached their destination. Liu Xing pulled out a map and carefully examined the area, confirming that the merchant ship had been attacked in this very same waters. He signaled Jiao Jiao to be extremely vigilant, as they might face a Level 4 beast surpassing their own strength. Liu Xing's heartbeat quickened, his nerves undeniably high. This was a life-or-death struggle, a test of his own limits.

Liu Xing stopped his flying boat and released his spiritual sense to survey the sea area within a ten-kilometer radius. Today was a clear, calm day, and the surroundings were remarkably quiet. Ever since the merchant ship was attacked by the monster, this area had been designated a restricted area. No merchant ships dared to enter, not even a single Foundation Establishment cultivator dared. Only a group of cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage dared to cross this sea area.

Liu Xing carefully surveyed the area, confirming it was clear of any unusual activity. He then chose a direction to fly to, a spot he had discovered suitable for setting up a formation. Three coral reefs formed a triangle, providing mutual support. Liu Xing had Jiao Jiao stand guard on the reef while he descended to the seabed and conducted a thorough inspection, ensuring nothing had been missed. He then led Jiao Jiao to set up three formations in succession: the innermost, the "Rising Azure Tide" trapping formation; the middle, the "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Their Origin" killing formation; and the outermost, the "Hidden Traces and Hidden Forms" camouflage formation. Once set up, no spiritual energy fluctuations could be sensed without entering the formation. Next, he installed the spirit stone and taught Jiao Jiao the formula for activating the restriction. Without activation, the restriction would be ineffective, and any animals that stumbled into the area would not cause any problems. Finally, the master and servant explored and studied the formation from all sides, exploring techniques and methods to lure the enemy deeper, and then join forces to defeat them.