https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-118-Lin-Ping-An-s-Personal-Invitation/13510322/
Chapter 119: Breakthrough to Mid-Stage Foundation Building
Chapter 119: Breakthrough to Mid-Stage Foundation Building
Time flew by, and before long, it was late December.
One noon, several Servant Peak disciples arrived carrying red lanterns, transforming Cuiwei Valley into a festive scene adorned with vibrant crimson decorations.
Xiao Chen, hearing commotion during his cultivation break, stepped outside to investigate.
Three Servant disciples immediately greeted him in unison: "Greetings, Manager Xiao."
"Already the New Year season again? This year passed quickly", Xiao Chen mused. Unfortunately, no one responded.
Among the three, a female disciple wore a red dress. Her presence stirred a memory of Shen Simyue from last year at Azure Water Peak, who had invited him to hang lanterns together.
Would she still personally decorate the mountains with red lanterns this year?
"Give me six lanterns", Xiao Chen suddenly requested. Jumping onto a rooftop, he awkwardly tied them beneath the eaves, hoping for "six sixes of good fortune."
Stepping back to admire his work, he shook his head: "These lanterns aren’t as nice as last year’s."
With a sigh, he pulled out a bottle of nourishing qi pills: "Never mind—I’ll return to cultivation. Please handle the valley decorations. Consider these pills a token of thanks."
The disciples beamed with gratitude, bowing deeply: "Thank you, Manager Xiao!"
After he left, one of them examined the lantern curiously: "Strange—we used the same lantern design as last year, right?"
Another rolled his eyes: "You don’t understand. Things always look best the first time you see them."
"Last year’s lanterns were novel, but seeing the same design again makes them feel inferior."
...
Lihuo Sect was already preparing for the New Year. Meanwhile, deep in the northern mountains, a group worked frantically under harsh conditions.
Their leader, covered in dust from travel, returned and immediately summoned his men: "Has the Blood Plague Forbidden Realm been opened? How much longer?"
A subordinate replied: "We’ve found the method. At most a month, and we can stabilize the exit with talisman formations."
"That’s too slow!" the leader snapped. "Accelerate the schedule—we need time afterward to spread the blood plague."
"The New Year festival is approaching. Lihuo Sect’s defenses are weakest now, making it easiest to capture sacrificial cultivators. After the festival, this opportunity will vanish."
The men nodded: "Understood! We’ll speed up immediately."
Another asked hesitantly: "Boss, we heard Lihuo Sect recently established a new department—Chu Mo Dian. They’re aggressively investigating leads. Should we adjust our plans?"
The leader waved dismissively: "That’s not your concern. I’ve already arranged countermeasures."
He had indeed anticipated this. Days earlier, he’d traveled secretly to bribe two local Foundation Building cultivators to obstruct Chu Mo Dian’s investigations. With enough delays, the threat would evaporate.
After delegating tasks, the leader ascended the mountain alone, contemplating their scheme.
"If we capture enough cultivators and use their Vital Blood to unleash the Blood Plague Fiend, we can secretly spread the plague across Li Zhou."
"If everything goes smoothly, I’ll claim the credit for conquering Li Zhou and exchange it for a third-tier blood pill. With that, I can forge a Golden Core."
He glared toward the distant Lihuo Sect mountains, seething with hatred.
Months earlier, they’d set out to locate the Blood Plague Forbidden Realm, only for Lihuo Sect to launch a full-scale purge of demonic cultivators across their territory. Many of their recruits were eradicated, forcing them to flee.
For two months, Lihuo Sect’s crackdown intensified, driving them to detour through Sihai Sect’s domain and traverse treacherous mountains, evading deadly beasts and even getting lost.
Ironically, Lihuo Sect halted their operations just days after they entered the mountains. Their arduous journey could’ve been avoided by waiting a mere few days to travel safely through Lihuo Sect’s territory.
"Damn Lihuo fools! Once the Blood Plague Fiend emerges, you’ll be the first to die!"
His vengeance wasn’t entirely unrealistic. The Blood Plague Fiend was a unique flesh puppet—by consuming blood and flesh, it could grow from Foundation Building Peak to Golden Core Perfection. Its body could even store excess flesh for healing.
A fully matured Blood Plague Fiend required three Golden Core experts working together to defeat. According to Divine Flame Cult’s intelligence, Lihuo Sect had only three Golden Core Zhenren total—the strongest was absent from Li Zhou. The remaining two were Golden Core Middle Stage (who rarely emerged from retreat) and Golden Core Early Stage (who was active but weaker).
If they couldn’t stop the Blood Plague Fiend immediately, it would grow unstoppable. Lihuo Sect’s cultivators would become walking blood sacrifices.
Of course, Divine Flame Cult didn’t expect one fiend to destroy Li Zhou entirely. But disrupting the balance of power among Li Zhou’s three sects would create chaos, diverting attention from Hezhou. Once Hezhou was conquered, Li Zhou would inevitably fall.
...
On New Year’s Eve, Xiao Chen was invited to the Chen Family banquet. This time, he was warmly welcomed, with endless toasts from guests.
Thankfully, after hearing of his Foundation Building breakthrough, the matchmakers fell silent. A cultivator this young at Foundation Building would surely marry into a prestigious clan—not with their minor branches.
After the New Year’s Eve feast, Xiao Chen returned directly to Cuiwei Valley for cultivation.
The Five-Luster Mysterious Water exceeded expectations. By January 4th (Lunar New Year’s Fourth Day), he sensed an approaching bottleneck.
On January 13th, after nine consecutive days of attempts, a tiny blossom bud finally formed around the seedling in his Dantian.
This marked his successful breakthrough to Mid-Stage Foundation Building.
(End of Chapter)
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