Chapter 308 - 215: Inventory of Means, First Entry into the Wilderness
Chapter 308: Chapter 215: Inventory of Means, First Entry into the Wilderness
...
Next, Lin Changheng began to inspect his artifacts.
First was a cyan-gold Lower Grade Spiritual Flying Sword. Lin Changheng called it the Streamlight Sword, a name that perfectly suited its speed; when urged at full power, only a streak of cyan light could be seen flashing through the air.
Next was a Small Cyan Ruler, also a Lower Grade Attacking Spiritual Artifact and not far from Masterpiece quality. It had been obtained from a Tribulation Cultivator unaffiliated with the Huang Clan. Lin Changheng called it the Cyan Light Ruler.
He had also kept a set of Upper Grade Masterpiece Magical Artifacts, the Profound Charm Mother-Child Blade—one mother blade and five child blades—which could serve as a backup.
With Lin Changheng’s current Divine Sense and Magical Power, its might was slightly inferior to a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact, but the consumption was much lower.
For defense, he had a gray, cloth-like Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.
It also came from that Tribulation Cultivator.
A small, finger-sized hole had previously been pierced through it by Lin Changheng’s Red Sky Profound Flame, damaging its Spiritual nature. Later, Lin Changheng had asked Artifact Master Guo, who lived nearby, to repair it.
It was now fully intact, its power restored. There were no significant changes, and it could be used normally.
Two Attacking Spiritual Artifacts, one set of attacking Mother and Child Magical Artifacts, and one Defensive Spiritual Artifact.
This was basically enough to meet his needs.
With the Divine Sense and Magical Power of an Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, one could simultaneously control two Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
However, Lin Changheng’s Divine Sense was special; he could control one extra. But he couldn’t push them all to their full power, or his Magical Power would risk running out.
This was a point he just had to be careful about, but it was fairly easy to manage.
...
As for his other Hundred Arts Products...
Lin Changheng had a large pile of Tier Two Lower Grade Talismans.
There were more than thirty of them.
He also had nearly a hundred Tier One Talismans.
Most of them had been pressed on him by Tantai Feiyue for self-defense, while a smaller portion was a "generous donation" from the Tribulation Cultivator.
Beyond these, he also had three Talisman Plates comparable to Tier Two Middle Grade Masterpiece Talismans.
You could say that every time Lin Changheng returned to the Xu Family, it was like he was restocking inventory. It was just that he was extremely cautious and disliked Magical Combat, so he never used up his supplies.
He had a Talisman Treasure with only one use left, and a semi-finished Treasure Talisman that was still being nurtured; its power was insufficient, so it wasn’t wise to use.
Additionally, he had a Tier Two Lower Grade Heavy Armor Human-shaped Puppet.
He also had an Injured Tiger-shaped Puppet Beast that could only be used once and a brand-new Giant Eagle-shaped Puppet, both of which were Masterpieces among Tier One Upper Grade Puppets.
...
Having finished his inspection, Lin Changheng had a clear picture. His personal assets were indeed substantial.
Looking at them piecemeal before, he hadn’t realized their true weight.
But now he felt—
"Even against a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, I could probably hold my own."
Lin Changheng mused, resting his chin on his hand.
’It feels great to have real power backing me up!’
Then he thought, ’After I get back this time, I’ll buy a few escape-type Magic spells for protection. It would be best to find a Five Elements Escape Technique; they’re much more versatile.’
’It would also be good if I could find an Earth Escape Technique. I could compare it with my Earth Escape Demon Technique and see the similarities and differences...’
This was something Lin Changheng had been curious about for a long time.
It was just that Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivators had no way of obtaining such Escape Techniques. Now that he had status, strength, Spirit Stones, and a reputation, he could try to find and acquire one.
...
「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」
Lin Changheng put on a light disguise, changing his appearance, and boarded Mo Zhaoli’s Dharma Ship. Together, they flew away from the Outer Lake, left the city, and headed north.
"Brother Lin, your Illusion Skill is truly exquisite. I can’t see through it at all."
Mo Zhaoli couldn’t help but say this, looking curiously at Lin Changheng’s face as she piloted the Dharma Ship.
"Hahaha, Li’Er, try looking with your Divine Sense," Lin Changheng added with a smile, intending to test her.
Mo Zhaoli did as he said, then expressed her surprise. "I still can’t see through it! There’s only flesh and blood underneath."
"It’s as if this face of yours, Brother Lin, is the one you were born with. There’s nothing out of the ordinary."
Lin Changheng nodded slightly, pleased.
Moreover, this wasn’t the limit of this Demon Technique. As long as a Core Formation expert didn’t show up, even a Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t be able to see through it.
"Haha, unfortunately, this skill cannot be taught to outsiders, or I would have taught it to you, Li’Er."
Lin Changheng spoke up first to avoid the awkwardness of having to explain himself if Mo Zhaoli asked.
"It’s alright."
Mo Zhaoli gave a gentle smile.
With a thought, Lin Changheng’s face and form changed again, returning to his original appearance. He was more used to his own face.
They were already far from the Immortal City, and the surroundings were empty. Though they might occasionally see other Cultivators fly by, Lin Changheng wasn’t worried.
As for Yan Mingyi, who was looking after his residence, Lin Changheng had left her some Talismans and instructed her not to open the Array.
He had taken both Tier Two Spiritual Beasts with him, and she was only at the Eighth Layer Qi Cultivation, no match for any cultivator with malicious intent.
At the same time, he had also left a sign on the door that read, "Master in seclusion, do not disturb."
This way, she would be safe.
Unless someone tried to break the Array—in which case, not only would the Law Enforcement Team arrive swiftly, but even a passing Foundation Establishment Cultivator might step in to help, just to earn a favor from Lin Changheng.
...
「About twenty-odd days later.」
The Dharma Ship, which had been flying north all this time, suddenly turned and shot straight west.
To the west was none other than the Endless Wilderness.
They had previously been flying within the Song Territory, not entering the Wilderness prematurely. But now they plunged directly into it in order to shorten the distance they had to travel within the Wilderness as much as possible.
By now, Mo Zhaoli had changed into a black dress, her dark hair tied up, as she continued to pilot the ship from the front.
Like a black swan, her delicate features held a look of competence, and the dress outlined her slender yet straight back.
Lin Changheng, for his part, had changed into a set of cyan robes. His expression was calm, and the color would allow him to blend into the mountain forests if necessary, making him inconspicuous.
The journey for the next hour would be through territory newly reclaimed from the Wilderness by the Purple Extreme Sect.
After an hour, they flew high over a man-made border wall, and only then did they truly enter the Wilderness.
According to Mo Zhaoli, the Purple Extreme Sect had compelled cultivators to build this after the incident in the Cyan Mist Temple’s territory.
It was reinforced with Arrays. While it couldn’t be expected to repel a sudden Beast Tide, it could at least serve as an early warning system.
If a Beast Tide were to suddenly strike, the cultivators training in the Marketplaces, mines, and Spiritual Lands wouldn’t just open their eyes to find themselves surrounded by a horde of demon beasts, their roars echoing without end, with no choice but to face death.
It could reduce losses significantly and save many cultivators.
At this, Lin Changheng nodded thoughtfully. The Purple Extreme Sect’s methods were indeed quite good.
At the very least, it showed they cared about the cultivators of this region.
...
The moment they entered the Wilderness Territory, after the Dharma Ship had traveled for over ten li, the air suddenly became stagnant and viscous.
Below was no longer the orderly ridges of Spirit Fields and cultivator residences of the Song Territory; in their place was the boundless Wilderness.
As far as the eye could see, there was an overwhelming expanse of green and brown.
The dark green sea of trees was not vibrant with life, but instead displayed a stagnant, almost black, and aggressive gloom.
Gnarled, colossal trees dominated the landscape, their crowns blotting out the sun—not to catch its light, but rather like countless twisted, giant hands trying to seize and smother the sky.
And in the distance, a reddish-brown mountain range, jagged with grotesque rocks, lay horizontally, bisecting the sea of dark green.
The contrast was stark.
A primitive, savage aura washed over them, carrying a mixed scent of rotting leaves, damp earth, and some unknown, acrid smell that weighed heavily on the chest of every cultivator who entered.
Here, the Spiritual Qi and Demon Qi had mixed over countless years, making it unsuitable for Human Race Cultivators to meditate and practice cultivation.
If the outer edges were still manageable, it only got worse the deeper one went.
When this Demon Qi reached a certain density, it would even affect a cultivator’s ability to extend their Divine Sense.
At this moment, aboard the Dharma Ship, Lin Changheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he noticed this very thing.
His Divine Sense was directly suppressed.
It could only extend one hundred and fifty zhang.
Mo Zhaoli’s Divine Sense was likely suppressed even more, probably to only seventy or eighty zhang.
"The deeper we go, the stronger the suppression becomes," Mo Zhaoli sent a voice transmission to Lin Changheng. "We’ll have to get off the Dharma Ship after another twenty-some li. Otherwise, we’ll be too big a target and risk alarming the Demon Beasts of the Wilderness. We could face a large-scale attack or be besieged by a flock of aerial Demon Beasts, which are extremely difficult to deal with."