Longevity through Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 996: Chapter 374: Meeting a Fellow Townsman in a Foreign Land

Nascent Soul cultivation!

This Ba Xia Divine Turtle revealed a Nascent Soul aura. Though the two sides seemed far apart, for a Nascent Soul Cultivator, it was only a distance of a few breaths.

At such close range, openly revealing one’s cultivation was no different from provocation.

Not to mention that this was a Demon Beast coming into Human Race territory to wreak havoc in the first place.

It could be said that as long as the Lady of Joy was on Luoyun Island, she would come out to take a look no matter what.

Even if she did not make a move, she would at least drive this Tier Four Demon Beast away.

Yet Ji Yuan and the other waited for a moment like this. Even after all the Joy Palace cultivators outside Luoyun Island had hurried into the island, the Lady of Joy still did not appear.

“So cautious?”

Long Ba slightly furrowed his brows. “This split body of mine only has Tier Four Early Stage strength, and even so the Lady of Joy doesn’t dare come out?”

“Is it possible the Lady of Joy isn’t on the island?” Ji Yuan probed.

“Highly likely. If she were here, she would definitely have come out.”

After Long Ba finished speaking, he turned to look at Ji Yuan, a hint of inquiry in his gaze.

Just as he had said from the beginning, he was only responsible for taking action and preserving their lives; the rest of the concrete operations still depended on Ji Yuan.

So after a brief silence, Ji Yuan finally made up his mind.

Though putting Long Ba into the Mountain of Mind and Heart to carry with him was the safest method,

Ji Yuan did not dare gamble… Money and treasures stir the human heart.

All the more so for a Grotto Heaven Treasure.

Ji Yuan trusted Hua Yaoyue, but he trusted human nature even more. Though he did not know why Long Ba took such care of him… Hua Yaoyue was, after all, no longer by his side.

If, upon seeing his Lifebound Magical Treasure, the other gave rise to evil thoughts, what then?

With Long Ba at his side at all times, Ji Yuan had no way to guard against him every single moment.

So the best method was…

“In a bit I’ll go onto the island first to probe things. Martial Uncle, you can wait outside the island to receive me. If I can get it, all will be easy to discuss. If I can’t… we’ll think of another way.”

“Alright, better to err on the side of caution.”

Long Ba gave a reminder, then let Ji Yuan depart.

At the very instant Ji Yuan moved, he once again changed the Transformation Talisman on his body.

From an early-stage Core Formation man in green, he became a handsome youth in white robes.

He even carried a face with a matching name.

Chang Kun.

Sword Ruins—Changkun Zhenren.

Years ago, during the righteous-devil war on the Cangluo Continent, Changkun had already fallen. Ji Yuan now borrowed his identity, hoping he might find some “acquaintances.”

Perhaps this Tier Four Demon Beast had come too swiftly, so that many nearby cultivators had yet to make it onto the island, and the Island Protection Array had not been fully closed either.

With Core Formation Stage cultivation, Ji Yuan turned his body into Escape Light and vanished in a flash, passing over the heads of the many cultivators and entering the island.

Once he reached the inside of Luoyun Island and revealed his figure, he took several deep breaths in succession before pressing down the panic in his heart.

Beside him, a middle-aged man carrying twin blades who had entered slightly earlier drew near, sending Telepathy:

“Daoist friend, you look unfamiliar. Could it be you are not of my Cloud Cliff Monastery?”

“I’m not. I am Chang Kun, an Overseas Loose Cultivator,” Ji Yuan cupped his fists to him. “To suddenly encounter such calamity, and to be saved by your Treasure Land—this grace leaves me endlessly grateful.”

Hearing that Ji Yuan was an early-stage Core Formation Loose Cultivator, the middle-aged man’s attitude immediately grew more cordial.

“Daoist Changkun is too polite. Who would have thought a Tier Four Demon Beast would appear near Luoyun Island… Ever since the Sea Ruins unified, they truly have become lawless.”

“Indeed.”

As Ji Yuan spoke, he turned to look toward the depths of the island, continuing via Telepathy: “I’ve long heard that a Nascent Soul senior sits in town on this island. I imagine this Tier Four Sea Beast won’t dare be too insolent.”

“Probably.”

The middle-aged man did not say much regarding this question, his attitude somewhat ambiguous.

It seemed that very few knew about Joy Palace being merged into Cloud Cliff Monastery.

Ji Yuan had wanted to fish for some information, but failed to do so.

Yet in just this brief moment, two streams of pink light flew out from within the island.

“Clean up inside and out, close the array!”

The voice arrived before the people did.

Ji Yuan inwardly felt fortunate that he had come quickly. He promptly stepped aside a bit, leaving the central position for these two Core Formation Cultivators from Joy Palace.

But just as the two revealed their figures, Ji Yuan noticed one of them fix her gaze on him, then subconsciously call out, “Chang… Daoist Changkun…”

Next, the other woman’s gaze also immediately fell upon him. When she saw him clearly, she too was slightly dazed.

“Daoist Changkun, you…”

Ji Yuan’s eyes swept over their faces and he recognized one of them.

Joy Palace—Lady Mei Ru.

Back when Ji Yuan was guarding the Spirit Vein at Liancheng Mountain, he had worked with her.

As for the other woman, he had never seen her before.

This could be considered an old acquaintance met in a foreign land.

So Ji Yuan also spaced out slightly, but quickly raised a hand to his mouth, furrowing his brows and making a gesture for silence.

Lady Mei Ru immediately understood and did not speak further here, flying ahead at once to calm the cultivators.

The other woman, without another word, began to close the Island Protection Array.

Those who made it in—fortune. Those who did not—simply lacked the luck.

However, Ji Yuan also knew this was all but a false alarm; nothing major would happen.

Instead, the middle-aged man beside him glanced around, then once more sent Ji Yuan Telepathy and asked:

“One of your own?”

Ji Yuan smiled and answered directly, “One of my own.”

The middle-aged man smiled as well, though his gaze now carried a few more traces of undisguised caution.