Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

"I haven't seen my old friend for many years. I hope he is well."

The Nascent Soul-level old man gazed quietly at the 'Fourth-Order Demon Crocodile' not far away, his expression complex and filled with emotion.

This scene greatly surprised Lin Changsheng and Su Qin, who were originally preparing to escape.

It seems that the Nascent Soul cultivator and this 'fourth-order demon crocodile' are old acquaintances!

Su Qin looked surprised, his curious gaze shifting back and forth between his master and the 'fourth-tier demon crocodile'.

On the other side, Lin Changsheng appeared relaxed, but he had already affixed a third-tier high-quality magic talisman to his body, ready to activate it at any time and prepare to escape.

In addition, he secretly held a 'small teleportation talisman' in his other hand.

The instantaneous teleportation ability of the 'Small Teleportation Talisman' is almost equivalent to a portable mini teleportation array, which is Lin Changsheng's confidence in facing a fourth-tier demon king.

Some time ago, Lin Changsheng used materials provided by the Qinglan Sect and high-level materials collected by the Fengling Chamber of Commerce to successfully create several 'Minor Teleportation Talismans'.

This greatly enhanced his means of survival.

"I didn't expect you to be the first one to arrive. It seems my old buddy was seriously injured back then."

The 'Fourth-Order Demon Crocodile' communicated fluently in human language without any obstacles or awkwardness, and even its words carried a hint of sadness.

"This place has a mild climate and abundant spiritual energy, making it a natural treasure that is very suitable for you and conducive to the recovery of your injuries."

The old man with the Nascent Soul stage stared at the 'fourth-order demonic crocodile', and after a brief moment of sensing it, he seemed somewhat gratified.

As Lin Changsheng listened to the pleasantries between the man and the crocodile, he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

The old man with the Nascent Soul stage had been to this place before, and even the damage to his physical body at the end was related to the Mourning Mountains.

Next, the two began to communicate with each other using their spiritual senses. Lin Changsheng could roughly sense the two powerful spiritual fluctuations, but he could not perceive them in detail.

All we could do was stand still and wait cautiously.

About half an hour later.

The 'fourth-tier demonic crocodile' suddenly fixed its gaze on Lin Changsheng, seemingly with a hint of greed in its eyes.

"This human golden core contains a large amount of life force, which will help me recover from my injuries."

Upon hearing this, Lin Changsheng didn't react much, but Su Qin, who was standing to the side, became somewhat anxious.

He looked eagerly at his master.

But soon, the 'fourth-tier demonic crocodile' began talking to itself again:

"Unfortunately, I am stationed here by order of the Holy King and cannot go out to help you. Since he is an assistant you brought, let him go."

The fourth-order demon crocodile's tone clearly carried a hint of resentment.

Lin Changsheng frowned slightly, not letting his guard down because of the other party's words, constantly accumulating magical power and remaining on guard.

Thank you very much…

The Nascent Soul cultivator thanked him.

At the same time, Lin Changsheng and Su Qin simultaneously heard the former's telepathic message.

"Leave this forbidden swamp area immediately before this 'fourth-tier demon crocodile' goes back on its word!"

"It's been centuries since we last met; perhaps my meager connections won't be enough to cover this..."

……

half a month later.

Having already escaped the forbidden swamp, Lin Changsheng and Su Qin continued their journey through the Aiwang Mountains.

Having been here for more than half a month, they had almost gotten used to the perilous nature of the place.

Sometimes, if you're not careful, you might accidentally wander into a forbidden area belonging to a third-tier demon or a demon king.

In response, the two took turns using their divine senses to constantly probe the surrounding situation.

During this time, Su Qin, under his master's instruction, revealed the purpose of his visit to Lin Changsheng.

It turned out that they were searching for the treasures left behind by the old man in his Nascent Soul stage before his physical body perished.

"This mountain range is rather strange. It is filled with demonic energy, making it suitable for the growth of almost any demonic beast. It is truly a blessed land for demonic beasts. On the contrary, you humans appear here as if you are aliens, and your aura is very obvious."

Previously, the Nightmare Moth in the Spirit Beast Bag had sent a telepathic warning to Lin Changsheng.

Lin Changsheng thanked him telepathically.

They also inquired whether the Nightmare Moth, if it were to reside and cultivate here for an extended period, would be confident in returning to the fourth-tier Demon King realm.

To everyone's surprise, the Nightmare Moth remained silent for a moment, seemingly tempted but also hesitant.

"This place always gives me a sense of oppression; it's probably not a good place."

"Young Lin, don't blame me for not warning you, this place is not safe to stay for long, it would be best to leave as soon as possible."

Lin Changsheng did not ignore Nightmare Moth's advice.

In the cultivation world, it is rumored that encountering a Nightmare Moth is an ominous sign.

This is not only due to the Nightmare Moth's bizarre appearance, but also related to an innate ability it possesses.

Both the Nightmare Moth and the Green Wood Butterfly excel in mental attributes and possess naturally strong spiritual awareness. Apart from this, they do not have many strong offensive methods.

Perhaps to compensate for racial deficiencies, the Aoki Demon Butterfly clan is vigorous, enjoys living in groups, and is adept at reproducing.

In contrast, the Nightmare Moth is solitary and sometimes never encounters its own kind in its entire life, making it extremely rare.

To avoid extinction, the Nightmare Moth possesses an innate ability to ward off evil and attract good fortune.

Or rather, it allows one to have a certain degree of premonition of impending danger.

Just like snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the secular world, each of them has the ability to predict wind, rain, and weather changes.

The difference is that the Nightmare Moth, as a demonic beast, amplifies this predictive perception infinitely.

For ordinary Nightmare Moths, this ability might just be a vague, unseen premonition.

However, after being possessed by the Aoki King Butterfly Demon Infant, their mental memories partially merged, and the Aoki King Butterfly gradually mastered this special talent.

It was even clearer than the subtle perception of the Nightmare Moth from before.

In the days that followed, Lin Changsheng and Su Qin explored along the route of the old man's memories.

Despite being extremely careful during this period, we still encountered some troubles.

On one occasion, they were chased for hundreds of miles by a giant python of the late stage of the third rank, which was sixteen or seventeen zhang long, based on its scent.

Lin Changsheng and Su Qin used numerous third-tier escape talismans to finally shake him off.

Although Lin Changsheng might not be afraid of this late-stage third-tier giant python if he went all out.

However, this place is teeming with monsters, and Lin Changsheng really didn't want to provoke these late-stage third-tier monsters unless absolutely necessary.

In addition, they also encountered a group of three to five Golden Core cultivators.

After sensing each other's presence, neither side disturbed the other, but instead cautiously passed by without exchanging words or engaging in any conflict.

Another half month passed.

Guided by the Nascent Soul stage old man, Lin Changsheng and his companion almost crossed the outer perimeter of the Mourning Mountain Range and approached the central region.

Upon entering this place, Lin Changsheng keenly sensed a layer of violent lightning-attribute aura permeating the air.

Before them lay another massive, forbidden abyss, hundreds of feet wide, blocking their way.

"This is the place where the True Monarch's physical body perished!"

From Su Qin came the slightly excited voice of the Nascent Soul old man.

"Such a strong aura of lightning."

Even though they were far from the forbidden abyss, Lin Changsheng could still feel the chilling aura of lightning, and he was amazed.

Thick, dark clouds gathered within the abyss, crackling with lightning that seemed to be brewing at any moment.

Even a single, inconspicuous arc of lightning is almost equivalent to a second-tier lightning talisman attack.

But having already reached our destination, there was no reason to turn back.

Lin Changsheng and Su Qin used their magic to withstand the lightning arcs as they passed through the thick clouds.

After a moment of spatial distortion, they successfully descended into the forbidden abyss.

The two looked at each other and saw that they were both covered in soot and charred black hair. Their hair had even become curly and yellowish-brown from being struck by lightning, and was slightly smoking, making them look quite comical.

Looking around, this forbidden abyss was almost entirely scorched earth, perpetually shrouded in heavenly lightning.

Lin Changsheng was surprised to find that the concentration of lightning attribute in this place was almost unprecedented in his life.

Therefore, he did not rush to search with Su Qin. Instead, he patted his storage bag, from which more than twenty purple thunder talismans flew out one after another.

These are all imitations of talismans made by Lin Changsheng in his early years, drawn with special techniques. After years of nurturing, their quality has slowly improved, and their power has subtly exceeded that of ordinary third-tier thunder talismans.

Rarely encountering such exceptional conditions, Lin Changsheng activated over twenty purple thunder talismans that swirled around his body, found a barren hilltop, and quietly sat down.

As magical power surged, more than twenty thunder talismans emitted a dazzling purple light, continuously absorbing the surrounding thunder attribute energy and filling themselves with it.

For more than ten days in a row, Lin Changsheng remained motionless, maintaining this state of absorbing lightning attributes.

It only stopped when the lightning runes were saturated and the lightning attribute energy they contained reached the material's load limit.

At this moment, the more than twenty thunder talismans around Lin Changsheng emitted a dazzling purple light, sending out tiny purple arcs of lightning and making a soft 'hissing' sound.

In terms of sheer power, even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator would have to take it seriously.

This effect was beyond Lin Changsheng's expectations.

After carefully storing the thunder talismans, Lin Changsheng began searching with Su Qin.

Compared to the Forbidden Land of the Crocodile Abyss, this place is rather barren.

A type of lightning-attribute demon rat lives in the forbidden area, which devours almost all living things, leaving messy bite marks even on some minerals containing spiritual energy.

This made Lin Changsheng worry. With so many thunder rats, sharp teeth and mouths, anything with spiritual energy would probably be devoured by them.

"Uncle Lin, there's no need to worry. Master left behind a cover-up method. As long as it's not a Nascent Soul True Monarch personally taking action, or encountering a fourth-order demon king, you'll most likely be safe and sound."

Seemingly sensing Lin Changsheng's worries, Su Qin offered an explanation.

Several days passed, and the two killed many Thunder Rats. Finally, they arrived at the foot of a barren mountain range that looked unremarkable.

At the foot of the mountain is a dark cave entrance, about two or three zhang in diameter, from which a fierce demonic aura emanates.

Within a radius of at least several miles around this location, there were no other traces of thunder rats.

"I never imagined that the place where I once placed my treasures would become the lair of a third-tier great demon."

The Nascent Soul stage old man appeared, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the powerful demonic aura before him.

He is now in the nascent soul stage and is naturally restrained by lightning attributes. It took him a great deal of effort just to escape from this place.

A late-stage Tier 3 Thunder Rat is enough to give him a headache.

"Young friend Lin, whether I can retrieve the item from back then depends entirely on you and the Green Wood Demon King behind you."

The Nascent Soul elder looked at Lin Changsheng, completely abandoning his airs as a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and spoke sincerely with a kind expression.

Lin Changsheng was utterly speechless.

"He is skilled in lightning-attribute attacks and is a late-stage third-tier demon. I am just a junior talisman master and I am afraid I am no match for him."

Lin Changsheng said expressionlessly.

"There's no need for young friend Lin to completely suppress this beast. Just find a way to lure it out and delay it for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn... half an incense stick to burn will be enough for this old man to retrieve the treasure."

"If young friend Lin agrees, the previously agreed-upon inheritance can be provided immediately."

Perhaps fearing Lin Changsheng's refusal, the Nascent Soul old man quickly said.

He even used his divine sense to replicate the puppet's legacy in a brand-new jade slip on the spot.

"Since I have already made a promise, I have no choice but to give it my best. I urge you to act quickly, senior, as I have no confidence in facing a late-stage third-tier demon."

Lin Changsheng hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't resist the temptation of the subsequent inheritance method.

He picked up the jade slip on the spot and quickly browsed through it.

A dozen or so breaths later, Lin Changsheng took the jade slip, a look of surprise in his eyes.

He finally obtained the method of inheriting the puppet's legacy, and its contents did not disappoint him.

……

Before long, a sharp, angry screech suddenly came from within a radius of several miles.

Lin Changsheng pushed the Water Cloud Boat to its limit and activated a third-tier high-quality escape talisman. He almost transformed into a streak of light, instantly streaking across the sky.

Behind him, a purplish-gray afterimage swept past, trailing long arcs of lightning and accompanied by ear-piercing crackling sounds, closely following Lin Changsheng.

Sensing the fierce demonic aura behind him, even though they were hundreds of feet apart, Lin Changsheng could still feel the Thunder Rat's anger.

The late-stage Tier 3 Thunder Rat appears to have mutated, capable of unleashing powerful lightning arcs as an attack method in an instant.

This lightning-attribute attack method is the most troublesome and cannot be completely isolated.

At that moment, it was as if the air was filled with lightning, giving Lin Changsheng a tingling sensation.

If he hadn't broken through to the mid-stage of the third level of body refinement, the residual lightning attribute aura in the air alone would have significantly affected his movements.

"go with!"

The next moment, Lin Changsheng shook the spirit beast pouch.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Two powerful demons, Xunfeng Crow and Snow Demon Wolf, appeared, along with a seemingly inconspicuous puppet spirit child.

In an instant, three distinct third-tier auras enveloped the Thunder Rat Demon.

Perhaps it was because rat-like monsters were timid by nature, but the Thunder Rat Demon was startled by the sudden appearance of the three auras, and purple light rose in its dark little eyes.

The surface of the demon was instantly covered by a layer of lightning, which then spread outwards.

The Wind Crow is extremely fast and skillfully dodges lightning arc attacks.

In contrast, the Snow Demon Wolf looked rather disheveled, its entire body instantly charred black by the bombardment.

The puppet spirit child, after being improved by Lin Changsheng, became much more powerful and fearless of lightning. It was very effective against the Thunder Rat Demon and could skillfully and variedly cast spells to inflict damage on the Thunder Rat's soft abdomen.

Interrupted by the puppet spirit child, the Snow Demon Wolf and Xunfeng Crow seized the opportunity to counterattack, unleashing their respective skills upon the Thunder Rat Demon.

Lin Changsheng approached stealthily with his nine-toothed rake in hand. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed his blood and qi power, slamming the rake hard into the back of the Thunder Rat Demon, instantly injuring it severely.

The Thunder Rat Demon, severely injured, screamed in anger and unleashed another powerful bolt of lightning, forcibly breaking free from the encirclement and attack of Lin Changsheng and his beasts and puppets, and fled in terror.

Lin Changsheng channeled his inner energy, enduring the numbness, and continued his pursuit.

He had already realized that this Thunder Rat Demon was not particularly outstanding in any aspect except for its mastery of thunder-attribute attacks.

If they can kill it, it will be of great benefit to both the Wind Crow and the Snow Wolf.

……

Hundreds of feet away, the Thunder Rat Demon fled in panic, with Lin Changsheng in hot pursuit. The hunter and the prey had now switched places.

Both the human and the mouse were in poor condition, and their speed and timing were roughly equal.

As they flew hundreds of miles, the distance gradually decreased.

Lin Changsheng's Everlasting Spring Technique circulated within his body, and his magical power gradually returned to its full strength.

Meanwhile, the Thunder Rat Demon was injured and fled, its condition steadily declining.

The advantages of this technique are fully demonstrated at this moment.

During the chase, Lin Changsheng suddenly paused, a hint of surprise in his expression.

Within his spiritual sense, several short trees, charred black but still alive, suddenly appeared, stubbornly standing on the edge of a cliff.

(Finally caught up on the missed updates, taking a breather. Also, the popular writer Wang Yu from the "Ordinary People" genre is on Tomato, feel free to follow him if you're interested.)