Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

Time is like an arrow, the sun and the moon are like a shuttle.

Two more years of peaceful time have passed in the blink of an eye...

At the summit of Yunli Mountain.

After two years of secluded cultivation, Lu Zaian's aura became as profound and restrained as an ancient tree and a deep pool.

He not only mastered the "Azure Dew Extension Technique" to a higher level, but also became more adept at converting and fusing water and wood elemental energies. His cultivation level has steadily advanced towards the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

"By practicing both water and wood techniques, I have achieved a condensation rate of 15 drops per year."

Within three years, the last three Haoqing Yuan Dan with the last Sheng Dan pattern were completely refined, increasing by 90 drops;

After the Fire Poison Crystal Mine beneath Yunli Mountain was exhausted, the previously rampant fire spiritual energy in the southern part of the mountain dissipated, the spiritual veins revived, and the condensation speed increased by 5 drops per year.

In short, during these three years of silence, a total of 150 drops of liquid mana were added…

Lu Zaian silently made plans in his mind.

Currently, he has 450 drops of liquid mana in his dantian, which is comparable to that of an ordinary late-stage or even perfect Foundation Establishment cultivator!

It should be known that an ordinary cultivator can attempt to solidify liquid into a pill and break through to a higher realm by condensing 500 drops of mana...

"Now I can roughly estimate the limit of my 'Boundless Ocean Sutra', around 700 drops, which should be enough to achieve perfection."

Lu Zaian was quite satisfied with this.

In this way, when he forms his core, he will have 200 more drops of mana than ordinary cultivators.

During his secluded cultivation, Lu Zaian also sent his Nine Nether clone out discreetly to secretly investigate the outside world.

The bounty for the "Green-Clad Scholar" is still posted in the northern airspace, but the fervor has gradually subsided—after all, the real person hasn't shown up for a long time, so even the highest bounty is like a mirage.

On the contrary, it was the Huang family.

His ancestor, Huang Tian, ​​had been in seclusion ever since the battle in the Black Miasma Forest...

Rumors circulated that he was seriously injured and that the Heavenly Underworld Palace took the opportunity to suppress his power, forcibly taking away 10% of the profits from the Desolate Swamp City.

Although there were grievances within the Huang family, without the support of a Core Formation Ancestor, they could only swallow their anger and temporarily avoid confrontation.

Lu Zaian was actually quite pleased to see this dog-eat-dog scene.

However, we should be more cautious lately.

As the fire poison crystal mines beneath Yunli Mountain were gradually depleted, the pervasive fire poison aura significantly weakened, allowing the underground spiritual veins to revive.

With the addition of the Seven Treasures Tree, spiritual energy has been continuously gathered, bringing the entire Yunli Mountain to the second-tier lower grade.

Along with this, the spiritual veins of the Changli Mountains, which extend for hundreds of miles around, are also slowly reviving.

This was unexpected by Lu Zaian.

As the Changli Mountains cease to be barren, they will gradually attract the attention of the cultivation world...

This is actually not a good thing for him, because it increases the risk of exposure!

Fortunately, Lu Zaian had his own plans.

"To live a life of hardship is to live a life of ease so that one day one will no longer live a life of hardship."

My strength is still gradually increasing, and I cannot stop developing because of potential risks.

On the contrary, the very existence of this threat necessitates accelerated development... otherwise, it's not cowardice, it's weakness.

At this time.

The communication jade talisman at his waist was slightly warm; it was a message from Xu Yan'er.

"Reporting to the Mountain Lord, the mining of the Fire Poison Crystal Mine on the eastern slope has encountered some problems, and we need to ask you to come out of seclusion to make a decision!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Zaian frowned slightly.

Just as he was thinking about the Fire Poison Crystal Mine, Xu Yan'er presented him with a difficult problem.

Fire Poison Crystal Ore is quite important to him, as it is a continuous source of Yang Yuan Pills.

No room for error!

With a swift movement, he transformed into a streak of light and fled straight towards the location of the mine.

……

Two hundred miles was covered in the blink of an eye.

Deep underground, thousands of feet below the surface, the air becomes scorching and dry, filled with a faint smell of sulfur.

The enormous mine shaft meandered downwards, its surrounding rock walls a dark red from long-term scorching heat. The fire poison crystal ore, which had once been embedded within it and shimmered like stars, had been completely mined out.

Only the mottled chisel marks remain...

The end of the mine.

A burst of intense red light swept over us, accompanied by a cacophony of voices and a heatwave that distorted the air.

The cultivators of the Crimson Forging Immortal Workshop, led by Su Xuanhuo and Su Li, as well as the steward Xu Yan'er, were all present.

The faces of the crowd were solemn and anxious, and many of them had burn marks from the high temperature.

Upon seeing Lu Zaian, they all bowed respectfully:

"Mountain Master!"

"Meet the Mountain Lord!"

Lu Zaian waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, pausing slightly on Su Li.

After several years, this girl's cultivation had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, a rapid advancement. Her spiritual energy was pure, with a faint, flowing luster of glass.

'It seems her Glazed Body's potential is gradually being unleashed. At this rate, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage within twenty years shouldn't be difficult.'

Lu Zaian felt a slight sense of relief, but this was not the time for pleasantries.

"What happened?"

Lu Zaian asked directly, his voice calm yet authoritative.

"Mountain Lord, please look..."

Su Xuanhuo quickly stepped forward and pointed to the huge fault line at the end of the mine.

What lay below was not solid ground, but a vast, churning, boiling, and terrifyingly hot river of crimson lava!

The heatwave is scorching!

Huge bubbles occasionally rise from the lava river, bursting open with a bang and splashing scorching liquid onto the rocks on the bank, making a sizzling, corrosive sound.

"When we arrived here from mining, we encountered a river of lava blocking our way..."

If it were just a river of lava, that would be fine; we cultivators could fly across it using our magical artifacts, just be careful.

Su Xuanhuo's tone was heavy, his face showing lingering fear.

"The problem is that several two-headed demonic flame serpents inhabit this lava river!"

This serpent demon is a monstrous species born from magma, possessing strength at the mid-level of the second tier. Its scales are incredibly tough, and it can spew out streams of magma containing potent poison and corrosiveness, making it extremely formidable!

What's even more troublesome is that they move freely in and out of the magma, like fish in water, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

We tried several times, but not only could we not move forward, we…

Su Xuanhuo paused, a look of shame on his face:

"Moreover, the mountain lord had strictly ordered that all actions must be taken within the coverage area of ​​the Yunli Mountain formation, and that no too much noise be made, so as not to attract unnecessary attention."

We are unable to escape the formation and take a long route, so we are truly helpless and have no choice but to alert the mountain lord.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zaian nodded. He had been busy cultivating recently and hadn't had time to refine the array flags yet...

"You did the right thing; caution is always good. Were there any injuries before?"

Seeing that the mountain lord had no intention of punishing him, Su Xuanhuo immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said:

Fortunately, following the mountain lord's instructions, we used puppets to scout ahead, and no one was injured.

However… we lost two low-grade second-tier puppets bestowed upon us by the mountain lord; both were destroyed by the demonic serpent and dragged into the depths of the magma.

"It's good that everyone is alright. As for the puppet, I'll just make another one."

Lu Zaian spoke calmly, saying that Su Xuanhuo and the others were valuable alchemy talents who had worked hard to mine for themselves, and their safety was far more important than inanimate objects.

"Next, leave it to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward, his divine sense spreading out like mercury, carefully investigating the situation of the lava river ahead.

Beneath the churning, viscous, crimson magma, several powerful and violent demonic forces lurked, slowly meandering...