Longevity through Upgrading Buildings Chapter 670 - 293: Ice and Fire in Agreement, Ji Yuan Refuses

During Ji Yuan's earlier flight from the Demon Cave, he had caught the exchange between the Ice and Fire Elder and the Demon Dao's Dark Venerable.

This Dark Venerable counts as one of the top three Golden Core powerhouses in the Shangxi Demon Dao!

He was once hailed as the mightiest cultivator beneath Nascent Soul.

His prowess is truly overwhelming.

Yet now?

From the Ice and Fire Elder's zealous declaration, it appeared he had triumphed.

'Could this old villain really possess such terrifying might?'

Doubts had barely flickered in Ji Yuan's thoughts when an answer arrived—a colossal fireball streaked from the north, distorting the void in its path.

Inside that fireball no longer floated a stooped old man's projection, but an elder clad in a Red Dragon Robe, white-haired and bearded, exuding boundless might, his eyes and poise scorning the world above.

Just before, the Ice and Fire Elder's ice manifestation had clashed in combat, yet after the clash, his fire form now loomed present.

Moments ago he had appeared remote, but in just a few breaths, he already dominated the skies over the Alchemy Square.

His majestic form overlooked the entire Alchemy Square with utter dominance.

Even separated by protective arrays, Ji Yuan felt searing heat prickling his skin.

"Looks like this Ice and Fire Elder... Elder has achieved a breakthrough."

Li Changhe sent a transmission to Ji Yuan: "Right in the heat of that brutal fight, he broke through amid the battle."

"I reckon... yeah, it does seem that way!"

Ji Yuan sensed it himself; the Ice and Fire Elder's aura had surged far beyond its prior level.

...Geniuses abound in this world; even locked in a deathmatch at Golden Core peak, he shattered through in the fray.

Ji Yuan could only marvel with a sigh at such phenomenal aptitude.

Thus far on his cultivation path, every step forward had demanded excruciating effort.

Be it for spectacle or some other motive, Ice and Fire Zhenren paused mid-air briefly, then reined in his aura, dropped onto the Alchemy Square, and strode into the grand hall.

Whether hallucination or reality, Ji Yuan swore he received one lingering extra look from him.

"Let's go check it out."

Li Changhe burned with eagerness to dive into the excitement.

Yet before he stirred, the Ice and Fire Elder's voice thundered across the Alchemy Square.

"Foundation Establishment guards, Golden Core cultivators assemble."

His command froze every Foundation Establishment cultivator itching for the main hall; the Ice and Fire Elder's triumphant return weighed crushingly on all.

Soon, rays of escape light in assorted hues lifted from spots around the Alchemy Square, converging at its heart.

"Never mind, let's just stay here and guard dutifully."

Li Changhe slumped back into place.

Ji Yuan shot him a look, then transmitted: "I picked up some intel in the Demon Cave earlier... I'll share it, but keep it under wraps."

"What is it? I swear, Junior Brother Ji, speak freely—I'm the soul of discretion."

Li Changhe responded in haste.

"Hmm... any Void Nether Stone on hand?"

Ji Yuan hadn't overlooked Li Changhe's real motive for returning to the sect: fetching the Fountain of Eternal Youth first, then checking for Void Nether Stone from the Li Family.

"Yeah, not much though—this stuff's rare as hen's teeth, just 11 pounds total. I hauled it all; wanna swap?"

Li Changhe messaged back.

"How... how would we trade?"

Ji Yuan probed cautiously.

Li Changhe mulled it over: "Auction rates peg one mouthful of Fountain of Eternal Youth at about 10 pounds of Void Nether Stone."

"The Li Family elders hoped to haggle with you for 9 pounds of Void Nether Stone per mouthful of Fountain of Eternal Youth."

Ji Yuan pondered briefly, "In that case, I'd need to toss in extras for the deal—I won't cheat you, 10 pounds of Void Nether Stone is my minimum."

"Quit yapping nonsense!"

Li Changhe rolled his eyes, "I'll hand over the full 11 pounds and call it traded; those geezers back home won't dare lay a finger on me!"

"You're certain it's okay?"

Void Nether Stone was exactly what Ji Yuan craved—not a pound or two, but every scrap available.

"Totally fine, no worries."

Li Changhe waved it off casually.

"Alright then."

Ji Yuan agreed, promptly flinging a Storage Bag Li Changhe's way.

Inside the Storage Bag sat solely a jug brimming with Fountain of Eternal Youth.

Li Changhe caught it calmly, no fuss, shifting the jug to his own Storage Bag before loading the emptied one with all 11 pounds of Void Nether Stone and hurling it back.

Ji Yuan snatched it up, his divine sense sweeping in to reveal the 11 stones of assorted shapes but uniform nature.

This Void Nether Stone gleamed gray-black, speckled with mica flecks that shimmered gold, utterly mesmerizing.

But as Ji Yuan's divine sense touched the Void Nether Stone, it felt like the material hungered for it.

Or maybe the Void Nether Stone concealed infinite voids within; Ji Yuan's divine sense delved relentlessly, only for the stone to swallow it endlessly.

After probing briefly, Ji Yuan stowed the Storage Bag away.