Jiang Li felt his luck had finally turned for the better this time. The random grave of a Spirit Transformation cultivator that he had picked to explore turned out to be exactly the place mentioned in the System quest, saving him quite a bit of effort.
“Kong Hu, no need to look for a Spirit Transformation cultivator’s tomb anymore. Go tell the others about it.”
When Jiang Li returned to the inn, he found Zhang Konghu just waking up, still in that dazed state between dream and waking, as if asking himself who he was and whether he was really awake. Hearing that he didn’t need to do any more work, Zhang Konghu’s body swayed and dropped back onto the bed.
The moment he hit the pillow, he was snoring again, not even hearing the rest of Jiang Li’s sentence. Sometimes Jiang Li wondered if Zhang Konghu really carried the bloodline of the Shaman Clan, or that of the Boar Tribe instead. He could eat, sleep, and fight whenever needed.
Since Zhang Konghu could never be relied upon, Jiang Li decided to contact the other commanders himself, one by one.
“Old Ma, you and your wife don’t need to look for—wait, what the hell are you two doing?”
Even Jiang Li couldn’t hold back a curse. Through the Remote Communication Talisman, he saw Ma Zhuo and his wife in some lightless, sealed underground pit, battling ferociously against a huge white serpent. The husband and wife both had eyes bloodshot with madness, looking more like bandits hungry for gold than righteous commanders of the Human Emperor Palace.
It was as if they believed that killing the white serpent would grant them some kind of immense fortune. The Ma couple were both commanders in the Human Emperor Palace. They had grown up together since childhood—deeply bonded, training hand in hand, their cooperation in battle seamless and natural.
Yet there was one regret in their life together: they had never been able to have any children. The higher one’s realm in cultivation, the lower the chance of bearing offspring with extraordinary talent.
For example, Li Nian’er—her position as an Envoy of the Dharma Body Sect wasn’t simply because her father, the Sect Master, poured all resources onto her; it was because she was truly gifted. A cultivator who relies purely on resources to climb realms is completely different from one who uses resources only as an aid in cultivation.
The former might reach the same stage in level, but in terms of combat strength, familiarity with their power, foundation, and state of mind, they were far inferior. Such cultivators could never hope to become Walkers of any of the Six Great Sects.
Perhaps this was Heaven’s way of setting a limit—because the stronger the cultivator, the harder it was for them to produce descendants. As for two peak Union Stage cultivators like the Ma couple, having a child was close to impossible. That was why they had taken an unusual interest in every method of conceiving offspring.
From what Jiang Li knew, the two of them had once practiced the Joyful Union Technique, drunk tiger bone wine, studied various "positions" rumored to have the highest fertility rate, and even co-authored a series of physiological health manuals—under a pen name, of course.
“Brother Jiang, I heard eating serpent gall can boost a man’s vitality. And look, we happened to find one!”
Commander Ma laughed loudly, excitement in his eyes like he’d taken a stimulant. He chatted cheerfully with Jiang Li while fiercely fighting the white serpent.
“When searching for the Spirit Transformation cultivator’s tomb, we found the corpse of this white serpent buried under a cliff. Judging by the age of its body, it might be from the founding years of the Great Han Dynasty—the white serpent that was slain when the nation was established! Though dead, it held a lingering obsession. We plan to destroy that obsession and take the serpent gall!”
“Brother Jiang, don’t worry about us. Once we get the gall, we’ll return to searching the tombs,” Commander Zhuo, the wife, spoke up.
She was a beautiful woman, though at the moment, she looked more like a tigress than a lady. No, I’m not worried about you two in the slightest, Jiang Li thought to himself helplessly.
“I’m saying that you don’t need to search for Spirit Transformation tombs anymore.”
“Oh? That’s great! I was just worried we might accidentally damage one while fighting here, ruining your plans.”
Without concern anymore, the Ma couple attacked even more ruthlessly. Jiang Li shut off the communication and decided not to bother watching how that ended.
“Old Huang, you don’t need to look for any tombs either… wait, why are you crying?”
Through the Remote Communication Talisman, Jiang Li saw Commander Huang sitting alone on the edge of a cliff, drinking heavily while staring up at the night sky. A tear slid down his handsome face and dripped into the abyss below.
“Oh, Brother Jiang.”
Commander Huang gave a weak smile and sighed.
“After seeing so many tombs, I started thinking—man lives but to die eventually. Even immortals must one day face the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. So why do we cultivate so hard? In the end, no matter how loudly we lived, death finds us all the same. Isn’t it laughable?”
“For cultivators who’ve reached Spirit Transformation Stage, they’re already considered mighty beings in the Nine Provinces. Maybe each of them had their own legends and fame, perhaps once renowned throughout Great Wei. But look at how they all end: dying alone where no one remembers them. No family, no friends to worship them—no eternal glory, only eternal death…”
Jiang Li simply shut off the Remote Communication Talisman. Commander Huang didn’t really have any other flaws, but he had the bad habit of turning philosophical and gloomy at random times. Unfortunately, his cultivation method was linked to emotional influence—whenever he became melancholic, everyone within a certain range would also sink into low spirits.
Because people avoided him, he had grown lonely and withdrawn—which only made his melancholy deeper. An endless cycle.
“Old Mu, you don’t need to search tombs—wait, what are you sneaking around for?”
Jiang Li saw Commander Mu crouched in some corner, whispering through the talisman like he was hiding in a tunnel.
“Mu! Hurry up and catch up!” a young, voice called from the distance, clearly belonging to a newly ventured, inexperienced youth on the cultivation path.
“Got it! Coming!”
Commander Mu shouted back, then turned, grinning with pride.
“Brother Jiang, I’m pretending to be a Qi Refinement cultivator right now, teaming up with a bunch of young folks exploring a Spirit Transformation tomb. When they run into danger later, I’ll reveal myself as a mighty Union Stage expert—man, it’s going to be fun.”
“Ah! What’s that?!” cries of alarm came from afar.
“Something’s wrong, they’re in danger!”
Mu’s expression changed instantly as he dashed toward the sound.
“Don’t be afraid! I’ll save you!”
“Mu, run! These vines have Foundation Establishment-level strength, you can’t beat them!” the youth yelled when he saw Mu’s arrival.
“No! I won’t run! We all swore to live and die together! How can I stand by and watch my brothers get killed while escaping alone? I refuse to be a coward who runs from danger!”
Commander Mu roared emotionally, charging ahead as if ready to fight to the death against the Foundation-level vine demons.
“Mu!”
“Monster, stay away from my brothers!”
Commander Mu’s eyes glistened with dramatic tears. He’d already calculated that the situation wasn’t truly dangerous yet—it wasn’t the right time to reveal his identity. Once they encountered a Golden Core-level enemy, that would be his cue to make a grand entrance.
“…As long as you’re having fun,” Jiang Li said quietly, turning off the communication once more.
After contacting all five commanders, Jiang Li felt completely worn out. Five peak Union Stage commanders—yet not a single one could ease his mind. Since the System could guarantee the freshness of the White Marsh Blood, Jiang Li decided to stay a few more days, spending that time in the company of the Red Dust Fairy.
After finishing her reading of the Atlas of Immortal Beasts, the Red Dust Fairy passed it on to Li Nian’er. The latter, having seldom met a Human Emperor in person, also lingered by Jiang Li’s side for a few days out of curiosity. A few days later, Li Nian’er bid Jiang Li farewell and left to continue her travels elsewhere.
Jiang Li escorted the Red Dust Fairy back to the Red Dust Pure Land.
“If you ever want to go out and play, just tell me.”
The Red Dust Fairy nodded obediently.
“I’ve found the White Marsh Blood. Time to start alchemy.”
(End of Chapter)