Chapter 360 ·Directing and Acting Personally
Chapter 360: Directing and Acting Personally
The Fog Sea of Tongtian.
On a nameless barren island, this day, Lin Chang’an descended here in a streak of Escape Light together with two early Core Formation cultivators from the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.
“Daoist Lin, these people are truly cautious. To think they actually chose a place like this, and even refused to let us bring more people.”
“Enough. Stop complaining. If it were you, wouldn’t you fear being robbed after the deal?”
After the Trading Gathering ended, Lin Chang’an discussed the spirit mine matter with the cultivators of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, and naturally no one wished to miss this opportunity.
Afterward, Lin Chang’an used the excuse that the other side only permitted three people to come, and their cultivation could not be too high.
The Seven Kingdoms Alliance also prioritized long-term interests, so no one entertained thoughts of black-eating-black robbery.
After all, for a team of Core Formation cultivators capable of hunting Sinister Spirit Beast Kings within the Fog Sea of Tongtian—
How powerful were they?
How many people did they have?
Did they possess backing forces?
None of this was known.
If they accidentally offended such a group, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance was not composed of rogue cultivators. Every member had sects and clans behind them.
Moreover, from the other party’s words, it was obvious they knew of far more than just one or two spirit mines. If they committed black-eating-black robbery and severed future leads, the ultimate losers would still be themselves.
Thus, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance unanimously believed that long-term cooperation was the most beneficial option.
They could even have this group of Core Formation cultivators sell demon cores and related resources through them.
No matter how they looked at it, there was no loss.
“Enough. Everyone should remain cautious.”
Lin Chang’an looked at the two men with a solemn expression while vigilantly observing the surroundings.
The spirit mine matter was too significant.
If he alone could conduct the trade, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
After all, how many treasures could he personally possess to exchange for such information?
Earning Spirit Stones from the Seven Kingdoms Alliance was the true major profit.
“Daoist Lin speaks correctly. We should remain careful to avoid falling into traps.”
The two men were only early Core Formation cultivators, and they treated Lin Chang’an with extreme politeness, without the slightest dissatisfaction in their hearts.
This time, Fellow Daoist Lin was bringing them here to earn Spirit Stones.
The kind capable of helping their sects and clans rise to prominence.
While the three secretly remained vigilant upon the barren island, Lin Chang’an secretly controlled his external incarnation, preparing for its entrance.
Moments later, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed within the gloomy clouds and mist, instantly attracting the attention of Lin Chang’an’s group.
“Haha, apologies for keeping Daoist Lin and the two fellow Daoists waiting.”
A wild laugh echoed out.
A figure descended onto the barren island wielding a thunder-attributed great halberd magical artifact.
The moment they saw the great halberd, the two early Core Formation cultivators behind Lin Chang’an both contracted their pupils in shock.
The aura of the magical artifact carried a dense demon beast presence.
Clearly, it had been refined from some kind of demon beast material, and its grade was not low.
This further confirmed that the other side truly belonged to a long-term demon beast hunting team.
And this thunder power—was it not naturally effective against most demon beasts within the Fog Sea of Tongtian?
“The two of you, be careful. There are still two more people hidden within the clouds.”
At this moment, Lin Chang’an secretly transmitted his voice to the pair as part of his own staged performance, informing them that the other side had not arrived with only one person.
Sure enough, after hearing Lin Chang’an’s warning, both men became visibly solemn.
The most difficult part of any transaction was always the first trade.
Only after successfully completing the first exchange could the most basic trust be established.
“Are the words previously spoken by Daoist truly genuine? This time, our Seven Kingdoms Alliance has already brought the items Daoist requested.”
Lin Chang’an stared solemnly at his own incarnation while raising his hand and producing two Storage Pouches.
The two men behind him also each produced one Storage Pouch.
The burly masked cultivator opposite them immediately laughed wildly and waved his hand.
“Our group naturally trusts Daoist Lin. But this transaction is too significant, and it does not involve Daoist Lin alone, so we must still take precautions.”
Lin Chang’an narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. He lightly nodded without hesitation, immediately sending over the two Storage Pouches containing resources gathered by the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.
The two men behind him exchanged glances before similarly tossing over their own Storage Pouches without hesitation.
Four Storage Pouches in total.
The other party carefully inspected them with a solemn expression before finally revealing a smile.
“Good. Daoist Lin is indeed straightforward, and the fellow Daoists of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance are no less admirable. We accept today’s trust.”
Afterward, the man slapped his Storage Pouch, causing a sea map to appear in his palm before casually tossing it over.
“Fellow Daoists of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, the marked location on this sea map is precisely a Purple Copper Mine. After you confirm it, we can continue with the next transaction.”
Purple Copper Mines were not especially precious, but the key was that this particular spirit mine possessed massive reserves and was easy to mine.
Purple Copper itself was an excellent material for refining magical artifacts and spirit artifacts.
If the Seven Kingdoms Alliance could obtain large quantities of Purple Copper, their overall strength would absolutely rise dramatically within a short period of time.
Moreover, with the cultivation world currently in turmoil, this was likewise a strategic resource capable of being exchanged for many valuable items.
As Lin Chang’an opened the sea map and saw the marked red point, the two men behind him secretly nodded.
Whether it was genuine or false would become clear once this trade was verified.
The transaction concluded without conflict.
What the Seven Kingdoms Alliance desired was long-term cooperation.
As for the other side, it was entirely Lin Chang’an’s external incarnation.
The incarnation laughed wildly before cupping its hands, then transformed into a streak of Escape Light and vanished into the sea of mist.
However, as the figure departed, two additional auras simultaneously flashed within the distant sea of mist, causing the two Core Formation cultivators behind Lin Chang’an to become startled.
“There truly are two more Core Formation cultivators!”
“This group is not simple!”
At this moment, the pair finally confirmed the formidable strength of the other side.
The moment they acted, three Core Formation cultivators appeared.
As a Mid Core Formation cultivator, Lin Chang’an naturally possessed stronger Divine Sense than theirs. It was only reasonable that he could detect them first, so neither of them suspected anything.
Meanwhile, Lin Chang’an intended to complete the act fully and thus nodded solemnly.
“Over these past ten thousand years, no one knows how many cultivators have hidden within the Fog Sea of Tongtian. There have even been sects and great clans forced to flee deep into the Fog Sea after provoking powerful enemies.
The descendants of these people, or perhaps certain powerful cultivator teams, have survived here for generations. Their understanding and exploration of the Fog Sea of Tongtian far surpass ours.”
“Indeed, Daoist Lin speaks reasonably.”
The two men held absolutely no suspicion toward Lin Chang’an’s words.
The Fog Sea of Tongtian was boundless and endless. No one knew how large it truly was.
People only knew that one corner of the Fog Sea connected to several Outer Sea regions, while the other end was rumored to connect to the depths of the Sea Abyss.
Rumor even claimed that within the depths of the Fog Sea of Tongtian lurked legendary Shape-shifted Sinister Spirit Beast Kings alongside shape-shifted demon kings beneath the sea.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Chang’an brought the two men away as they transformed into Escape Light and vanished.
Around the deserted island, only the cold sound of ocean waves crashing remained.
……
Several months later.
The cultivators of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance gathered on Bibo Island, every one of them looking extremely excited.
“Fellow Daoists, we personally investigated it ourselves. Sure enough, the island truly possesses a Purple Copper Mine, enough for our Seven Kingdoms Alliance to mine for a hundred years.”
“Haha, we truly profited from this deal.”
“Exactly. If the other side had large sects or clans behind them, how could it possibly be our turn to mine it?”
“When we investigated the island, the outer regions—filled with dense Sinister Qi—had large numbers of Sinister Spirits gathered there. Inside, there was even a simple concealment formation.
It seems the other side was reluctant to abandon it but equally unwilling to waste it, which is why they left it behind. More importantly, the island only contained several Quasi-third-rank Sinister Spirits.”
After confirming the spirit mine posed no issues, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance members all sighed in relief.
They were not afraid of being deceived.
Although the traded spirit items were valuable, after distributing the losses among everyone, they could still afford it.
What they truly feared was losing this opportunity for growth.
Fortunately, after exchanging glances, everyone revealed smiles.
Finally, all eyes turned toward Lin Chang’an.
Faced with everyone’s gaze, Lin Chang’an naturally understood their meaning and solemnly said:
“I have also surveyed the spirit mine region. A defensive formation can be arranged there, but if cultivators mine within this Yin Vein land for extended periods, it will still negatively affect their cultivation.
Alternatively, we can additionally arrange a Heavenly Sun Spirit Gathering Formation to neutralize the Yin-attribute Spiritual Qi. This way, whether the cultivators mining there or the cultivators stationed there, all can cultivate within the Spirit Gathering Formation…”
Lin Chang’an carefully explained his proposal, and everyone secretly nodded after hearing it.
If they intended to mine spirit mines, then whether for secrecy or other reasons, it was best to use disciples from their own sects.
Likewise, no one wished for their disciples’ cultivation to suffer because of spirit mine mining, nor did the stationed cultivators wish for that either.
Thus, although Lin Chang’an’s proposal required additional expenditure, for long-term development, almost no one hesitated.
“Daoist Lin, news of the spirit mine mining operation will eventually leak. I suggest that the island-protecting grand formation should at minimum be Third-rank.”
Although part of the profits from mining the spirit mine would still need to be handed over to the True Lord Lu behind them—
This was the Fog Sea of Tongtian, a chaotic lawless region.
Robber cultivators and demonic cultivators carrying out raids for personal gain before fleeing afterward was perfectly normal.
Thus, having a Nascent Soul cultivator as backing only intimidated cultivators with sects and clans to worry about. For desperate outlaws, as long as the利益 were sufficient, there was nothing they would not dare do.
Therefore, without Lin Chang’an even needing to speak, everyone unanimously suggested that the formation absolutely must reach Third-rank to ensure safety.
This pleased Lin Chang’an immensely.
Why had he done all this?
Was it not simply to earn Spirit Stones?
Selling spirit mine information earned him one fortune.
Then mining the spirit mines earned him another.
And now, the formations required for the mines would earn him yet another fortune.
“Good. Since that is the case, let us first prepare the arrangements for spirit mine mining and stationed personnel.”
No one present was foolish.
Although they first needed to consume resources to refine a complete formation, ultimately the formation belonged to everyone rather than being directly consumed.
After the spirit mine was exhausted, the formation could simply be removed and reused elsewhere.
No matter how one calculated it, there was no loss.
“Our lives these past years have not been especially good. Although we accepted some local cultivators as disciples, local cultivators carry too many entanglements, especially during these turbulent times.
I suggest bringing some cultivators from the Seven Kingdoms mainland to participate in the mining.”
“Not necessarily a bad thing. Having entanglements means they won’t easily act recklessly.”
Everyone discussed the personnel arrangements for mining operations.
After all, over these years, not every faction within the Seven Kingdoms Alliance had risen as rapidly as Xuanyin Pavilion.
Many factions had not only failed to grow stronger but had actually weakened compared to when they first arrived.
Some were clan factions, naturally lacking sufficient disciples. Such factions decided to bring cultivators from the mainland to facilitate control.
However, none of this concerned Lin Chang’an anymore.
At this moment, he was overjoyed to have secured a massive order.
And a long-term one at that.
……
Celestial Spring Peak.
Ever since the Seven Kingdoms Alliance established itself on Bibo Island, the situation on Five Dragon Island had also changed somewhat.
The Four Seas Merchant Guild secretly negotiated cooperation with the Long Clan, while Xuanyin Pavilion—whose influence had expanded once more—did not provoke conflict and instead shifted part of its focus toward the Outer Sea.
As a result, the Five Dragon Island marketplace instead entered a state of relative calm.
At this moment, within the Earthfire Cave, three external incarnations busily refined formations day after day.
【Lifespan: 228/790】
【Cultivation: Mid Core Formation (60/100)】
“As expected, mining is what truly earns Spirit Stones.”
Lin Chang’an looked at the astonishing profits and his own cultivation progress, nodding in satisfaction.
“My Dao of formations has already broken through to High-grade Third-rank, but I should still endure a little longer before revealing it. Otherwise, being too talented may attract unwanted attention.”
Walking into the Earthfire Cave, Lin Chang’an looked at the Mid Third-rank Wind-attribute demon core and slightly frowned.
“If the ancient treasure Four Symbols Dragon Scale Armor uses this lower-quality demon core, the overall defense will suffer. But currently, there truly isn’t anything better.”
Once the power of the Four Symbols merged together, obtaining a higher-grade Wind-attribute demon core later would require replacing everything entirely.
“I’ll wait a little longer. The current defensive armor is already quite good. If no better option appears before the Secret Realm opens, I’ll refine using this demon core.”
Just as Lin Chang’an pondered his treasure armor, the Wind-Chirp Bird within the Earthfire Cave landed upon his shoulder with a flattering expression.
“Master, look, you already refined a magical artifact for that silly ox. Make one for me too.”
Third-rank demon beasts could already use certain magical artifacts.
However, most such beasts were spirit pets raised by human cultivators.
True demon beasts generally relied on their powerful demon physiques for combat. Of course, some demon beasts would use shed armor, horns, or similar body parts as crude magical artifacts.
Though crude, because they shared bloodline connections, their power was not weak.
For human cultivators, these materials were all exceptionally valuable treasures.
The Wind-Chirp Bird’s flattering attitude naturally stemmed from seeing Lin Chang’an recently refining a defensive armor set for the Azure-Horned Ox.
Seeing the Wind-Chirp Bird like this, Lin Chang’an smiled and comforted it.
“Once enough materials are gathered, you won’t be left out.”
Naturally, cultivators capable of preparing magical artifacts for their spirit pets were usually extremely wealthy.
Lin Chang’an’s current wealth was already enormous, so he naturally did not mind spending such resources.
Increasing his spirit pets’ combat strength was equivalent to adding several more layers of insurance for himself.
These resources were absolutely worth it.
Demon beasts differed from human cultivators.
Many intricate magical artifacts could not display their full effects in demon beast hands.
Thus, most magical artifacts prepared for demon beasts were simple auxiliary types.
For example, the Third-rank Bronze Armored Corpse from before had only possessed a simple defensive Water Spirit Pearl magical artifact.
“Demon beasts ultimately differ from human cultivators. They excel more in utilizing their own demon physiques and innate divine abilities. Thus, magical artifacts serve at most as simple support tools.”
After pondering for a moment, Lin Chang’an remembered that he had still preserved the eggshell shed by the Wind-Chirp Bird during its breakthrough.
That was the finest material of all.
“Furthermore, within the inheritance of the Sinister Soul Sect, there are many sinister and bizarre methods for refining magical artifacts specifically targeting souls.”
Lin Chang’an pondered carefully.
Now, his defense consisted of the Four Symbols Dragon Scale Armor while his offense relied on the Sun-Piercing Divine Sword.
One could say his offense and defense were fully integrated.
However, the magical artifacts of his three external incarnations were still somewhat lacking.
Ideally, they needed attack methods completely unrelated to himself.
Completely different attribute-based attacks would be best.
Moreover, with the seamless coordination among the three avatars, they could also become a deadly trump card at critical moments.
“The Yin Nether Stones left behind by that Shape-shifted Sinister Spirit Beast King are perfect materials for refining magical artifacts. Previously, I lacked enough supplementary materials, but now the Seven Kingdoms Alliance is at my disposal.
The next spirit mine clue can simply use those missing materials as conditions, saving me the effort.”
The Seven Kingdoms Alliance possessed nearly twenty Core Formation cultivators, with influence spread across several surrounding sea regions.
If they truly gathered materials together, they would be vastly more effective than Lin Chang’an working alone.
Just as Lin Chang’an prepared to further strengthen himself, the transmission talisman within his robes finally began glowing with spiritual light, causing a smile to appear on his face.
Previously, he had been somewhat worried.
Last time, Yun Yao mentioned she would come over, yet there had been no news for a very long time.
Now, there was finally word.
Today only one update. I need to return to my hometown for some matters. Two updates will resume tomorrow. I hope all fellow Daoists can understand.