"Daoist Mu, there’s no bringing back the dead. You must try to move on."

"You are right, Daoist Li."

Mu Caiwei sighed, her heart heavy with sorrow.

She knew she shouldn’t be sad. Mu Hua was no longer the brother she remembered; he had become a heartless, monstrous creature.

But they were brother and sister, after all. The bonds of blood were difficult to sever.

"Ah Hua was weak and sickly from a young age, and he only had an Inferior Spirit Root. He was desperate to become powerful. He always used to tell me that once he was strong enough, he would protect me..."

Mu Caiwei’s gaze fell upon the pile of mangled flesh as she spoke wistfully of the past.

After a moment, she walked over to the pile of flesh, trying to find any trace of the Bloodline.

But after the Bloodline self-destructed, every trace of it had vanished, as if it had never existed.

’The Demon Planting Technique... It’s truly bizarre. I can’t see anything unusual at all.’

This pile of flesh alone would never be enough to get the attention of the higher-ups in the major Sects and Noble Families.

They would just assume Li Chang’an and Mu Caiwei had made a mistake, then go back to their infighting and external campaigns.

In the end, Mu Caiwei had no choice but to use a few Talismans to incinerate Mu Hua’s remains.

She sighed softly. "Daoist Li, if it weren’t for you, I fear I would not have survived this ordeal. Thank you for saving me."

"If you truly wish to thank me, Daoist Mu, then sell me the Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid."

Li Chang’an stated his request without hesitation.

He had saved her life—a debt of that magnitude should be enough to bend the Mu Family’s rules.

Sure enough, this time, Mu Caiwei did not refuse.

With a flash of Spiritual Light from her hand, a Small Jade Bottle appeared.

Inside the Jade Bottle was the very same Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid, shimmering like emerald.

Li Chang’an was a little confused. "Daoist Mu, you only have this one drop?"

"You may not be aware, Daoist Li, but this Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid is incredibly precious even within my Mu Family. To have even one drop is quite fortunate."

"Daoist Mu, if I were to give you enough Spirit Stones, could you acquire a few more drops for me?"

"Well..."

After a moment’s hesitation, Mu Caiwei nodded in agreement.

But she made it clear that she couldn’t get too many.

If she acquired too many, it would inevitably draw unwanted attention from within the clan.

The Fake Pill Ancestor might even summon her to inquire why she needed the Spirit Liquid.

"Up to three drops should be fine, Daoist Li."

"Excellent!"

Li Chang’an wasn’t greedy. Something was better than nothing.

’At least Mu Caiwei is an opening. I might be able to get more through her in the future.’

He took the Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid from Mu Caiwei and stored it away carefully.

...

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Li Chang’an left Mu Caiwei’s residence.

He didn’t return to Changqing Mountain immediately. Instead, he went to Zheng Qingqing’s residence to discuss the Dao with her.

「The next day.」

Li Chang’an left Yellow Crane Immortal City and returned to Changqing Mountain.

He stood before the Evergreen Vine, took the Small Jade Bottle from his Storage Pouch, and broke the seal on its mouth.

In an instant, the fresh fragrance of verdant Spirit Plants wafted from the bottle’s opening.

Just a single whiff was enough to clear the mind and lift the spirits, leaving one feeling refreshed and serene.

The Evergreen Vine immediately communicated a sense of longing. It extended a few vines toward Li Chang’an, like a child begging for a delicious treat.

"Here you go. Eat up!"

Li Chang’an smiled and dripped the Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid onto one of the vines.

The Spirit Liquid was instantly absorbed into the vine, vanishing without a trace.

A moment later, the Evergreen Vine’s aura surged, and it sprouted a new Spirit Vine.

Under Li Chang’an’s watchful eye, it took only a few breaths for the new Spirit Vine to grow to a length of five zhang—already half the size of a fully grown one!

’Just one drop of Spirit Liquid can grow half a Spirit Vine!’

Li Chang’an was inwardly astonished. ’No wonder the Evergreen Vine was so desperate for it.’

After all, the Evergreen Vine now had a full sixty vines!

The more it grew, the more Treasures were required to cultivate new Spirit Vines.

Each new Spirit Vine now consumed an enormous amount of Spirit Stones, far more than the first few had required.

’I need more Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid.’

Li Chang’an mused.

His Spirit Charm had already reached seventy-one strands.

With just ten more strands, he could break through past the Top Grade Spirit Root and officially attain an Earth Spirit Root!

Over the past few years, the Spirit Vine’s growth rate had slowed considerably.

At its previous rate, it would still take many more years to achieve his goal.

But now, the appearance of the Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid showed Li Chang’an new possibilities.

’I can get three more drops of Cyan Profound Spirit Liquid from Mu Caiwei, but a mere three drops won’t be enough. If I get the chance, I should make contact with other Mu Clan Members and try to acquire it from them.’

Li Chang’an mulled it over for a long time.

He even considered the idea of using a disguise to infiltrate Red Leaf Valley.

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

Red Leaf Valley was, after all, presided over by a Fake Pill cultivator.

Until he possessed Tier Three Combat Power, it was not wise to take such a great risk.

’I’ll have to take things slow.’

Li Chang’an returned to his cave dwelling, took out Mu Hua’s Storage Pouch, removed the restriction on it, and began to sift through its contents.

As expected, it was almost entirely filled with Poison Dao Treasures.

There were large quantities of venoms, Poison Pills, Poisonous Insect Remains, and so on...

They were useless to Li Chang’an himself, but he could feed them to his Ten Thousand Poison Gu.

A moment later, his gaze narrowed as he discovered a rather peculiar Treasure.

"What is this..." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With a thought, Li Chang’an took it out.

A strange eye immediately appeared in his hand.

The eye seemed to belong to a Human Race Cultivator. Its surface was covered in bloodshot veins and it had petrified, faintly exuding a powerful pressure.

Li Chang’an infused it with Magical Power, attempting to refine it.

But the Treasure’s Tier was quite high.

He had to borrow the Magical Power of his Profound Water Turtle and spent three whole days before he finally succeeded in refining it and learned of its purpose.

"A Tier Three Middle Grade, illusion-piercing Treasure!"

A look of delight spread across Li Chang’an’s face.

The function of this Stone Eye was similar to his Pupil of Truth, but it was far more powerful!

His Pupil of Truth was only Tier Two Middle Grade and had long since become inadequate for his needs.

Back when the Black Talisman Old Demon had appeared at his door in disguise, the Pupil of Truth had been unable to see through to his true appearance.