Eternal Life from Talisman Painting

Celestial Spring Peak.

"Bibo Island, huh!"

After seeing Fairy Ni Chang off, Lin Chang’an sat upright in the pavilion, sipping spirit tea thoughtfully.

Over the years, his strength had continuously improved, and with so many helpers, working together wasn’t out of the question.

After all, they had True Monarch Lu, a Nascent Soul Cultivator, backing them.

"Moo!"

At this moment, the Cyan-Horned Bull in the pond raised its head, letting out a deep sound.

This made Lin Chang’an turn his head and look at the Cyan-Horned Bull, which had finally broken through to the Tier Three Middle Stage a few years ago. He nodded and said:

"Not bad, you’ve finally caught up. Phoenix Cry Bird and I are already heading towards the Late Stage; you can’t slack off."

Hearing his master’s words, the Cyan-Horned Bull felt aggrieved and speechless. What kind of talk was this? It was too much to bully a bull.

With its cultivation speed, it would make countless bulls envious outside.

"Still glaring!"

Seeing the Cyan-Horned Bull’s aggrieved eyes, Lin Chang’an glared at it irritably.

"Look at the conditions you have for cultivation now; how much resources you consume each year, and even the pure demonic qi to aid you.

There’s only fifty-some years until the Secret Realm opens, try to break through to the Tier Three Late Stage before then, or else..."

Lin Chang’an shook his head, not delivering his usual threatening lines, instead pretending to sigh with a worried expression:

"There are dangers everywhere in the Secret Realm; if things can’t be done, you’ve still been with me for over a hundred years. By then, I’ll refine you into a Yin Sha Corpse Puppet."

Good gracious, upon hearing this, the Cyan-Horned Bull’s eyes widened, and it shook its head repeatedly, letting out strong mooing sounds in protest.

However, Lin Chang’an displayed a worried appearance, set down the tea cup, and walked towards the cave mansion.

This left the Cyan-Horned Bull in the pond pondering deeply while watching its owner walk into the cave mansion.

Tier Three Late Stage, and only given less than sixty years?

It’s really a bit too much to bully the bull.

Upon entering the cave mansion, a faint smile appeared on Lin Chang’an’s face.

Pressure is motivation. In the current situation, even he felt apprehensive. Given the circumstances at the Demon Beast Abyss, a major battle after the Secret Realm is inevitable.

By then, Core Formation Cultivators would merely be high-level cannon fodder.

Moreover, the Secret Realm was also his opportunity; the Nascent Soul’s chance, hopefully, it wouldn’t disappoint him.

...

Inside the cave mansion, invisible barriers rippled, more concealed than before.

[Tier Three Upper Grade Array Master (Grandmaster 3/5000)]

"And these past five years, I’ve finally broken through to Tier Three Upper Grade in the path of arrays, meeting the Sixth Elder’s requirements."

At this moment, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but smile. Over the years, it wasn’t just arrays; his progress in talismans, artifact refining, alchemy, and even puppetry had been commendable.

[Tier Three Middle Grade Talisman Master (Mastery 912/1000)]

[Tier Three Middle Grade Pill Master (Mastery 869/1000)]

[Tier Three Middle Grade Artifact Refiner (Mastery 236/1000)]

[Tier Two Upper Grade Puppet Master (Grandmaster 3/5000)]

Looking at the four mainstream skills he mastered, all reaching Tier Three, and even arrays breaking through to Upper Grade, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but nod silently.

"The reason arrays could surpass others is not only due to the insights gifted by the Sixth Elder back then but the Tier Four array-breaking inheritance obtained from the Yin Soul Sect."

With this inheritance insight, his progress exceeded initial expectations significantly.

"As for talismans, alchemy, artifact refining, and even puppetry, it’s all thanks to the Yin Soul Sect’s inheritance."

Observing these skills, Lin Chang’an nodded in satisfaction and made his way to the volcanic cave.

"Creak, creak!"

As the massive mechanism stone door opened, two door guardian puppets, each ten feet high, appeared, pushing aside the giant stone door, emitting a series of sounds from their mouths.

"Not bad."

Lin Chang’an nodded in satisfaction; these two puppets were the best he had created so far.

They possessed the strength of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, especially in terms of power, rivaling same-tier body cultivators.

"While it’s said that with enough resources, one can have an endless army of puppets, puppets also have obvious weaknesses."

That is their susceptibility to Divine Soul attacks.

Ordinary puppets harness soul-binding techniques on some low-tier spirit beasts’ corpses to extract and reshape souls into the puppet’s body.

The advantage of low-tier spirit beast souls is easy domestication; the downside is a weak divine soul.

But strong demon beasts have powerful divine souls, yet making and taming the puppets is challenging.

"Though cultivators can also rely on their divine sense to control, the difficulty is greater and is a burden on the cultivator."

Looking at these two puppets, Lin Chang’an shook his head. Puppet techniques, while powerful, remain rare in the Immortal Cultivation Realm for a reason.

This doesn’t even consider maintenance and consumption.

Of course, one cannot generalize; the Immortal Cultivation Realm never lacks prodigious individuals.

High-level puppet techniques employ secret soul-refining techniques to refine powerful demon beast essences.

If not for many restrictions, the Hundred Skills of Cultivation wouldn’t be headlined by talismans, artifacts, pills, and arrays.

"Clank, clank, clank!"

Huge changes had occurred over the years in the massive volcanic cave.

Magma slowly flowed from the surrounding rock walls, illuminating the entire cave as if in a vast lava cavern.

The sounds came from a clone wielding a massive hammer, crafting magical treasures.

On the other side, a second clone, utilizing the array platform to harness the power of the underworld fire, concentrated on refining elixirs.

A third clone, unaffected by the fiery heat, focused on the jade platform, painting talismans with fluid ease.