Longevity through Upgrading Buildings Chapter 795 - 331: Merfolk Secrets

With Ji Yuan's action, the remaining three guards also moved, their long spears pointed at Ji Yuan, with blood qi manifesting behind them.

Yu Yuan quickly moved in front of Ji Yuan, shouting at the Merfolk.

Only then did they back down.

In less than a heartbeat, the tiger that had been struck away swam back.

Furthermore, it approached Ji Yuan enthusiastically, chattering. Its eyes showed no trace of anger from the blow, only pure admiration, brimming with it.

This spectacle left not only the three Merfolk guards in a state of bewilderment but even Yu Yuan took a moment to process before looking at Ji Yuan with disbelief. He then hastily explained:

"Fellow Daoist, this tiger expresses its desire to become your disciple and earnestly implores you to accept it."

"It states its willingness to offer all its possessions, including its mate."

Ji Yuan’s lips twitched subtly at the declaration.

He understood the reason implicitly. His single punch had evidently cleared a substantial blood clot within this Merfolk, one that had likely built up over countless years, allowing his strength to advance once more.

As for taking a disciple... Ji Yuan harbored no such inclination.

"Never mind, I shall remain here for a period. Perhaps I can offer some guidance then."

Ji Yuan gestured dismissively, declaring his intentions.

Yu Yuan’s spirits soared upon hearing this.

Whether this delight was entirely genuine or tinged with resignation, Ji Yuan could not ascertain. At the very least, Yu Yuan appeared genuinely pleased, even arranging for Ji Yuan's accommodation in the most opulent dwelling of the Merfolk Race.

Regrettably, Ji Yuan declined the offer.

Instead, he requested a dwelling that was both secluded and considerably spacious, a Cave Mansion.

The rationale, naturally, was Ji Yuan's extensive collection of items; if the Cave Mansion lacked sufficient capacity, it would be unable to contain them all.

The individual referred to as the tiger seemed genuinely fervent about becoming Ji Yuan’s disciple. The moment Ji Yuan had settled in, the tiger immediately summoned a contingent of male Merfolk to attend to the Cave Mansion's cleanliness for its prospective master.

This, too, was naturally refused by Ji Yuan.

His Divine Sense surveyed the expansive Cave Mansion, which was bifurcated into two stone chambers, a fore and aft section, presenting a form reminiscent of a gourd.

The anterior stone chamber was comparatively modest, while the posterior portion of the Cave Mansion was notably vast and lofty.

Upon arrival, he first deployed the Array Flags for the Reversing Rivers Array. Once the formation was established, he directly invoked its secondary function, Reversing Rivers, to purge all the seawater from within the Cave Mansion.

Immediately thereafter, he employed a Fire Technique to incinerate the entire Cave Mansion.

Finally, he activated the architectural enhancement of the Cave Mansion.

Calming his mind and expelling all impurities and odors.

Gazing upon the immaculately clean Cave Mansion and sensing the abundant mana within his Dantian.

Ji Yuan raised his hand, shedding the Spirit Devouring Armor to reveal his true countenance, and then stretched luxuriously.

The azure robe, previously rent by Jiang Hong, had been substituted. Yet, despite the replacement, it remained an azure robe.

At this realization, Ji Yuan paused, lost in thought.

When did I begin to exclusively adorn myself in cyan robes... It appears this all started when Du Wanyi presented me with the Magic Robe, remarking on how well cyan suited me. Since that moment, Ji Yuan has transitioned all his Spirit Robes to this color.

"However, having been detained for such an extended duration here in the Fallen Immortal Gully, I wonder about Second Sister's current situation."

"This sojourn necessitates a three-year stay within the Fallen Immortal Gully. Coupled with the travel time, the cumulative delay in my meeting with Second Sister now exceeds four years."

"I can only hope no unforeseen complications arise."

Ji Yuan harbored a specific concern: he feared that Du Wanyi, upon not seeing him for a prolonged period, might attempt to retrace her path back through the passage.

But now, that passage lay in ruins; should she attempt to traverse it, it would prove a perilous undertaking.

"Given her inherent caution, she would likely scout the route first. Should anything appear amiss, she would undoubtedly refrain from proceeding."

Despite his anxieties, there was little he could do at present.

His immediate plan was to establish himself for a while, then request a map from Yu Yuan. His objective was to investigate the Immortal Sect first.

If an opportunity to depart arose, he would seize it; otherwise, he would defer his departure to a later time.

For the interim, he resolved to erect his buildings and release his spirit pets, who had been confined for too long, to prevent any potential harm.

After careful consideration, Ji Yuan opted to situate the buildings within the expansive rear stone chamber.

The outer stone chamber would serve to house the Scripture Pavilion and the Enlightenment Room, which should prove adequate.

Upon entering the Cave Mansion, he first released the two Frost Serpents.

Witnessing their immediate uninhibited rolling upon liberation, Ji Yuan felt a distinct sense of familiarity.

Naturally, he experienced a similar sentiment when observing Tu Yue.

Next were the Beehive and the Ant Nest; these structures required deployment to resume their productive functions.

Within the Spirit Beast Bag, they would only escape death, not truly survive.

Following these were the Fish Pond and Pigsty, among other structures.

The Chicken Cage, thankfully, could be situated within the Mountain of Mind and Heart, which proved to be quite advantageous.

"It appears that upon arriving at the Jiyuan Continent, my primary mission will be to gather Void Nether Stones. This will allow for the continued expansion of my buildings and a significant boost to my overall power."

With all preparations complete, Ji Yuan’s attention shifted to another structure.

This particular building was the Chaotic Burial Mound.

Previously, he had not accumulated sufficient Foundation Establishment Stage corpses required to advance the Chaotic Burial Mound. However, after vanquishing the Venomous Jiao Sovereign and Granny Xuan Sha at the former Water Dragon Sect ruins, he discovered a considerable number of Foundation Establishment Cultivator corpses within their Storage Bags.

Both of them were Core Formation Cultivators hailing from Blood Luo Mountain.

It was only natural for such valuable items to be present in their Storage Bags.

Therefore, with a hundred Foundation Establishment corpses now secured, the next logical step was to upgrade the Chaotic Burial Mound, in hopes of obtaining the fabled "Yin Corpse Demon Fire."

The prospect of possessing this item sent a wave of eagerness through Ji Yuan.

Acquiring such a treasure would undoubtedly serve as another potent weapon in his arsenal, further enhancing his cultivation.

However, as his thoughts turned to the Storage Bag, Ji Yuan’s gaze landed upon Ren Kui’s lifeless form.

A flicker of his previous excitement began to wane.

"Sigh."

With a subtle gesture of his right hand, Ji Yuan summoned his eldest senior brother, who materialized upon the ground.