Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 236 - 170: Leaving After the Deed Is Done (Part 2)

Upon hearing this, the influential figures from the various families looked rather unimpressed. Mu Yunzhong said,

"Fellow Daoist Liu Ying, your family has far too many female cultivators. This is hardly fair to the other nine of us."

The Yu Family’s old ancestor chuckled. "Putting aside the authenticity of that marriage contract, Ling Changqing personally promised to marry the two girls of our family, Yu Yalan and Yu Youqin. And we have the tokens to prove it!"

Standing beside him, Yu Yalan and Yu Youqin’s lovely faces flushed slightly, but deep down, they were overcome with relief.

’They had insisted on exchanging tokens with Ling Changqing back then, and now the old ancestor himself had spoken up. This should be a sure thing, right?’

The Tang Family’s old ancestor couldn’t help but shoot a sideways glance at Tang Qingwan, who stood at his side. ’This girl’s looks and aptitude are hardly lacking, so why didn’t she manage to get a token from Ling Changqing?’

Tang Qingwan wore a helpless expression. ’She’d wanted to, of course, but the Yu sisters had been guarding him so closely at the time. She never had a chance to make a move. What else could she have done?’

Beside Mu Yunzhong, the lavishly dressed and demure Mu Yunxiu also wore a look of regret.

’She had even traded a fair amount of Spirit Gold Materials with Ling Changqing. If the Yu sisters hadn’t deliberately gotten in her way, she would have had a chance to grow closer to him, wouldn’t she?’

’Of course, now, as long as the leaders of the ten major powers could reach an agreement, she too could become one of Ling Changqing’s Dao Companions.’

Yuqing Lake sighed, their gaze sweeping over the pair of dazzling twin sisters beside them. ’I gave you a chance, but you two were useless!’

The twin sisters exchanged a look, secretly making a resolution. When the time came, they would use every trick in the book to capture Ling Changqing’s heart and would absolutely not let those other fox spirits monopolize him.

Standing behind Bai Qingyi, Luo Qingxuan’s face was a mask of fury. Her gaze, so intense it was almost tangible, was fixed fiercely on the noble young women who had arrived.

’He was supposed to be *her* Dao Companion, and hers alone! But now all these shameless hussies and fox spirits were crawling out of the woodwork to fight over him. It was just...’

’This is intolerable!’

The Eldest Princess, Luo Qingyi, shot her younger sister a sideways glance. ’If this girl hadn’t been so possessive, wouldn’t we sisters have already gotten our wish? How did things get to the point where all these strange women are flocking in...’

...

Atop a perilous peak that soared tens of thousands of feet, piercing the very heavens.

Ling Changqing stood on a massive boulder at the summit, gazing into the distance. The vast expanse of plains and rivers below stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Across the vast, lush plains, several magnificent rivers surged, branching out into countless tributaries of all sizes that nourished and irrigated the immense, fertile lands.

’If this land could be settled and cultivated on a massive scale, the annual yield would be more than enough to support tens of billions of ordinary people.’

On the horizon, he could occasionally spot Cultivators streaking by in flashes of Escape Light, or locked in combat, the brilliant flares of their Spiritual Artifacts and Divine Techniques clearly visible even from this distance.

’This Dragon Soul Valley... is actually quite a good place. Third Grade and Quasi Rank Four Spirit Vein Blessed Lands are everywhere, resources are abundant, and the area is massive.’

’Unfortunately, it isn’t the private territory of any one family. It’s jointly owned by ten major powers, including the Dragon Race. The benefits inside are naturally shared, and no single power can claim them all.’

After a moment, Ling Changqing retracted his gaze. He tossed out twelve Array Banners, setting up a dual-layered inner and outer Restriction to shield himself from the harsh winds and cold.

He emptied the contents of his Storage Pouch, spreading his many gains across the ground, and began to sort and catalog them one by one.

The Insect Queen’s lair had indeed held many treasures. Just in Yan Hua Blood Night Grass alone—an ingredient for refining Third Grade Lifespan Extension Pills—he had found six stalks.

As long as he could gather the necessary secondary ingredients and have Ling Qiyue, who was already a Third Rank Alchemist, refine them, he estimated they could produce three full batches of the finished elixirs.

Ling Changqing himself was still only a Second Rank Alchemist. After this trip, he figured he would be able to refine Foundation Establishment Pills and even attempt some Quasi rank Three elixirs. However, true Third Grade Elixirs were still beyond his reach.

Then there were the rare Second and Third Rank, as well as Quasi Rank Four, Spirit Gold Materials. Whether he kept them for personal use or sold them in the Marketplace, both were excellent options.

As for the Second Rank Demon Beasts he had killed along the way, he had already sacrificed most of their Inner Cores to Gong Ling.

As a result, not only had his lifespan not decreased, but it had actually increased to an impressive 375 years, a figure that even a so-called Pseudo Core master couldn’t match.

However, according to Gong Ling, this was approaching his physical limit. From now on, it would be difficult to increase his lifespan any further unless he broke through to a new Cultivation Realm.

Ling Changqing silently calculated. ’Even without any future support from the Dragon Race or other powers, I already have enough resources to ensure my own Cultivation reaches the Golden Core Level.’

Compared to the struggling Loose Cultivators at the bottom rungs of society, he had already made a leap in status and achieved a preliminary level of resource independence.

’It wasn’t just about my own Cultivation resources. He could even find ways to prepare the resources that Tang Qiu Yao and her mother, Qin Yun, would need to break through to the Golden Core Master Realm in the future.’

’Hmm, there’s still some time before the Dragon Soul Valley closes. I might as well go search for more opportunities.’

Ling Changqing took out the Jade Scroll Map and examined it, quickly identifying his next target.

「More than two hours later, by a quiet Cold Pool in a mountain ravine.」

Amidst crisscrossing torrents of sharp Sword Qi, a Fierce Beast, roughly ten feet long and resembling a giant tadpole, was covered in wounds. Having exhausted its last bit of strength, it let out one final roar and collapsed, dead.

Ling Changqing directed his Flying Sword to slice the beast open and dig out its Inner Core. He then carved off the most tender and succulent portions of its meat, froze them with an Ice Seal Technique, and stored them in his Storage pouch.