Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

A stronger Flying Dragon No.1 would be of much greater help to Zhang Chi, no longer a dispensable asset.

In addition, Zhang Chi still had many Demon Pills and Golden Cores accumulated from the great battle at the Cangwu Sect. He could feed them to Corpse Puppet No.1 and Flying Dragon No.1 to accelerate their growth.

In the future, whichever of the two reached Tier Four first would bring an earth-shattering improvement to Zhang Chi’s situation.

After that, Zhang Chi began his Cultivation in Seclusion.

During this time, he also took the opportunity to fulfill his promise and treat Cen Huayun and the others to drinks.

Furthermore, after disguising himself, he sought out the Cultivators from the previous trade fair to acquire various Cultivation Materials that he had his eye on but hadn’t been in a position to trade for at the time.

Although those Cultivators were wary of him, they did not refuse the trades.

At the same time, no Cultivator tried anything malicious. Because he revealed a powerful Divine Thought, and they couldn’t discern his specific Cultivation, they all assumed he was a Nascent Soul Powerhouse.

After several successful trades, Zhang Chi had the idea of trading with actual Nascent Soul Powerhouses, but he ultimately dismissed the thought.

’After all, that would be too risky. I should wait until I’m stronger before considering it.’

Besides, at the moment, he didn’t absolutely need a Tier Four Array or Star Divine Iron.

Even things like Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects could wait.

「Three years passed in the blink of an eye.」 Flying Dragon No.1 finally awoke, and as expected, it was vastly different. It had not only reached the Tier Three Late Stage, but its bloodline had also grown stronger, and its Combat Power had increased significantly.

Zhang Chi had it fight against the Corpse Puppet. Even though it was at a slight disadvantage, the Corpse Puppet couldn’t do anything to it.

In particular, it had the advantages of a Flying Demon Beast: it was faster, its vision was sharper, and even its poison had become more potent.

Zhang Chi tested it himself and found that if he didn’t use the Jade Pendant, even he would be in grave danger if poisoned.

Even ordinary Antitoxic Elixirs had no effect on its potent venom.

That same year, Shang Deyi finally reached the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, and the Shang Family had long since moved to the Qin Mountain Oasis.

Although Shang Deyi and the Shang Family’s upper echelons didn’t have high Cultivation, they managed the Qin Mountain Oasis quite well, sparing Zhang Chi from having to worry about it.

As a result, Zhang Chi gained a steady stream of additional income.

Of course, the Shang Family was only able to establish a firm foothold because they had Zhang Chi as their backer, which was why even some Golden Core Cultivators had to show them respect.

Otherwise, relying on just a group of Qi Cultivation Cultivators, they wouldn’t have been able to hold on to the Half Moon Oasis, let alone the Qin Mountain Oasis.

「Time continued to pass.」 Soon, the year Zhang Chi turned one hundred and twenty arrived. Shang Deyi finally reached the limit of Qi Cultivation and successfully achieved Foundation Establishment.

However, Shang Deyi was not the only one in the Shang Family to reach Foundation Establishment.

Before him, other Shang Family members at Qi Cultivation Peak had attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment. Most had failed, but two had still succeeded.

Among them was Shang Deyi’s second uncle.

But with Zhang Chi’s backing, even though Shang Deyi’s second uncle had reached Foundation Establishment, he didn’t dare to act presumptuously.

After Shang Deyi also reached Foundation Establishment, he finally secured his position as the Patriarch of the Shang Family.

The Shang Family thus became a formidable Foundation Establishment Clan, one that the Feng Family couldn’t hope to compare to.

The Feng Family had more Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but they had neither a small oasis nor the backing of a Golden Core Powerhouse.

In fact, soon after the Shang Family occupied the Qin Mountain Oasis, the Feng and Kou families had come to their door to offer a formal apology.

The Kou Family’s sixth miss had long since separated from the Feng Family’s Young Master.

Both the couple and their respective families felt it was a necessary step.

This was because the competition for Tier Three Spiritual Lands was held only once every hundred years.

In other words, the Shang Family had at least a century to develop—more than enough time to surpass both of their families.

After Shang Deyi’s successful breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, the Kou and Feng families came to offer congratulations. The Kou Family’s leadership even proposed that their sixth miss become Shang Deyi’s cultivation partner, but Shang Deyi ruthlessly rejected the offer in public.

Even when the sixth miss knelt and apologized on the spot, offering to settle for being a mere concubine, Shang Deyi did not agree.

Shang Deyi declared that he wanted to become a Golden Core Powerhouse like Zhang Chi and would not get entangled in romantic affairs before then.

The Kou Family was filled with regret but could only give up.

「Another twenty-five years passed in a flash.」 Early one morning, a massive, fiery red Spiritual Light suddenly shot up into the sky above Qin Mountain, piercing directly through the clouds and the Mountain Protection Array.

Subsequently, countless streams of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged forth, forming a colossal storm of energy.

At the center of the storm was none other than Zhang Chi.

He was furiously absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and the Golden Core inside him spun wildly, becoming more solid at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A powerful pressure simultaneously descended, blanketing all of Qin Mountain.

Three days later, everything finally returned to calm. Zhang Chi’s Cultivation had risen to the Golden Core Peak.

"Forty whole years. I’ve finally broken through again!"

Inside the Cultivation Quiet Chamber, Zhang Chi inspected his Cultivation and couldn’t help but feel quite satisfied, though also a little wistful.

’In Immortal Cultivation, time truly has no meaning.’

He was now 145 years old. A mortal would have long since turned to dust.

Even a Qi Cultivation Cultivator only has a Lifespan of 120 years, and couldn’t live past 145 even with a Tier One Life Extension Pill.

For example, people like Zhao Zijian, Zhao Yi, and Guanhai Mountain from the Great Abyss must all be dead by now.

Fu Hongchang must be close to his end as well.

But as a Golden Core Cultivator, Zhang Chi was still considered young, with an incredibly long Lifespan ahead of him.

This breakthrough brought clear improvements to all aspects of Zhang Chi’s power.

For instance, his Divine Soul had already reached the level of the Nascent Soul Peak. A single sweep of his powerful Divine Thought could now cover a distance of forty thousand zhang.

In terms of Body Refining, thanks to materials like the Demon Flood Dragon Essence Blood, he had already reached the Tier Three Peak Realm.

At the same time, those of his Hundred Skills of Immortal Cultivation that hadn’t previously reached Tier Three Peak had now all done so.

In terms of Artifact Refining, he had long been able to create Middle Grade Magical Treasures, and refining a Tier Three Peak Puppet was no longer an issue.

Therefore, his Magical Treasures, such as the Star Sword, had all been upgraded, as had his puppets.

Now, Zhang Chi possessed five Tier Three Peak puppets.

Two were from the Teleportation Array Palace, and another two he had refined from Moyu Spiritual Bamboo after his skills improved.

Even the one he had previously refined using Divine Iron Wood had long since been upgraded to Tier Three Peak.

Zhang Chi had also modified the two from the palace so that they no longer needed to consume Top Grade Spirit Stones.

Meanwhile, Corpse Puppet No.1 was still at Tier Three Peak but was now even closer to its next breakthrough.

As for Flying Dragon No.1, thanks to the Fish Dragon Pill, it had been catching up at a ferocious pace. It had already reached Tier Three Peak three years ago, its rate of improvement even faster than its master, Zhang Chi.

Because of all this, if Zhang Chi were to fight the Lang Shiyuan from back then with his current comprehensive strength, he could defeat him with ease, without needing any schemes or trump cards.

In addition, the Shang Family had also developed well over the years. Shang Deyi was no longer the youth he once was. Now in his fifties, he had a family and children and carried an impressive air of authority.

Furthermore, Shang Deyi’s Cultivation had just entered the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Only in front of Zhang Chi would Shang Deyi be utterly respectful, seemingly reverting to the youth he had been more than thirty years ago.

The Shang Family now had as many as nine Foundation Establishment Cultivators, making them a formidable power even among Foundation Establishment Clans.

As for the Feng and Kou families, they had been wiped out by the Shang Family’s machinations long ago.

Apparently, Shang Deyi had never forgotten his old grudges. It was just that his preparations had been insufficient in previous years, and he hadn’t dared to trouble Zhang Chi with it.

Later, when his and the Shang Family’s strength far surpassed that of the Feng and Kou families, he naturally showed them no mercy.

Even those high-ranking members who had opposed him back then had long since been stripped of all their real power.

His second uncle, for example, had reached Foundation Establishment, but his Cultivation remained at the Early Stage, and he held the empty title of an Elder with no real duties.