A deal? That's extortion!

To advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he had to rely on his own strength to break through the Bottleneck.

"Since I cannot add points to Foundation Establishment, it seems I must go to the Demon Falling Valley."

The Demon Falling Valley, a dangerous place among dangerous places, was riddled with spatial rifts, and the poisonous miasma formed by the Devilish Qi could corrode one's internal organs.

To survive inside, one must take a Medicinal Pill called the Miasma-Avoiding Pill throughout the entire journey.

The Materials for this pill are scarce, and refining it is extremely difficult. Most of those circulating on the market are Low Grade; not only is the detoxification effect poor, but the pill toxins will also stain one's cultivation Foundation.

"I must make a trip to the Pill Treasure Pavilion and discuss a deeper cooperation with Qing Tan."

"While I am at it, I will sell the Medicinal Pills in my possession for Spirit Stones and acquire some life-saving treasures."

Lin Yuan took stock of his inventory.

Forty-two supreme grade condensing yuan pills, ninety High Grade ones, and one hundred and twenty Medium Grade ones.

The corners of his mouth curled up, and after putting away the Medicinal Pills, he flew straight towards the Pill Treasure Pavilion.

...

Inside the Pill Treasure Pavilion, a faint trace of sandalwood incense was curling up from a small copper furnace, calming the mind and spirit.

Today, Qing Tan had changed into a blue and green dress, looking like a ripple of spring water, which made her skin appear as white as snow.

She sat quietly behind the tea table, holding a pot with her slender hands, brewing a pot of spirit tea; her posture was elegant, like a fairy in a painting.

That aloofness that kept people at a distance had faded significantly, replaced by a more ethereal and unfathomable charm.

Hearing footsteps, she lifted her eyelids, her gaze falling upon Lin Yuan.

A faint smile bloomed at the corners of her mouth.

"Have you made your decision?"

Lin Yuan walked straight to the opposite side of her and sat down, meeting her gaze with sharp eyes.

"You want me to go to the Demon Falling Valley; what do you want me to retrieve for you?"

Qing Tan's smile deepened slightly as she poured a cup of tea for Lin Yuan; the tea was emerald green, brimming with Spiritual Qi.

"With a smart person, one should have a smart deal."

As she spoke, she took a snow-white Jade Slip from her Storage Pouch and pushed it in front of Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan picked up the Jade Slip and submerged his Divine Sense into it.

An incredibly detailed three-dimensional map instantly unfolded in his Sea of Consciousness.

On it, a very clear path was prominently marked, ingeniously avoiding the red dots that represented lethal dangers.

Along the path, the locations of three types of Spirit Medicine were clearly marked.

dragon blood vine!

netherworld grass!

Purple Heaven Ape Heart!

These were the three main ingredients for refining the foundation establishment pill!

Lin Yuan's heart shook violently, and his Divine Sense extended along the route, finally reaching the destination.

A pitch-black cave.

In the deepest part of the cave, a strange spirit plant, bathed in brilliant Spiritual Qi and shaped like a nine-petaled jade throne, was growing quietly.

"What is this?" Lin Yuan withdrew his Divine Sense, his eyes becoming incomparably solemn.

"yang returning lotus." Qing Tan softly spat out the three words.

"This route was explored by me when I last ventured deep into the Demon Falling Valley; almost no one knows about it."

"If you follow the map, you can avoid over ninety percent of the spatial rifts and dead zones."

"What I want is not the entire yang returning lotus."

"One lotus pod, nine lotus seeds. I only want one of them."

"After the matter is accomplished, I will present the Pill Formula for the foundation establishment pill, along with all the auxiliary ingredients."

Lin Yuan was silent for a moment.

"Are you treating me, Lin, as a three-year-old child, or do you think this old bone of mine is tired of living and looking for death?"

"Where in the world is there such a thing as a free benefit?"

"Speak, what kind of pit is in that place waiting for me to jump into?"

The smile on Qing Tan's face stiffened, then she sighed.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

"There is a guarding Yao Beast where the yang returning lotus grows."

She said it nonchalantly.

"What kind of Yao Beast?" Lin Yuan pressed.

"A... small snake that sleeps all year round, just a Level 2 Yao Beast. As long as you don't disturb it, take the lotus seed and leave, there will be no major issues."

"Level 2 Yao Beast?!" Lin Yuan stood up abruptly, a burst of Evil Qi spewing out: "A Level 2 Yao Beast equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator! You want me, an old man at the Qi Refining stage, to pull teeth from a tiger's mouth, and you speak so lightly?"

"Is this a deal, or are you using a borrowed knife to kill someone?!"

He lifted his eyes, his gaze cold.

"If you want me to risk my life, you must at least give me some decent protection."

Qing Tan's smile completely disappeared.

She flipped her slender hand.

A palm-sized, entirely emerald green and translucent Flying Boat hovered quietly in the air between the two.

On the body of the boat, flowing light and vibrant colors radiated, and the pressure it emitted made Lin Yuan's breath catch.

"Green Feather Boat, a supreme grade flying Magical Artifact."

"Once fully activated, its speed is so fast that even a Cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage can only eat dust behind it."

She looked deeply at Lin Yuan, her tone carrying obvious heartache.

"This item is my trump card for self-preservation; now, I am lending it to you! After the matter is accomplished, it must be returned!"

Lin Yuan didn't even look at her, grabbed the Green Feather Boat, branded it with his Divine Sense, and put it away without any politeness.

"Lending?"

He sat back in his original position and said slowly: "This trip is nine deaths and one life; if I don't come back, this Magical Artifact of yours can count as being buried with this old man; not a loss."

"You!" Qing Tan was choked with anger.

"Besides." Lin Yuan held up two fingers, "The Demon Falling Valley is full of poisonous miasma, and I need to refine Miasma-Avoiding Pills. You provide the Materials for Alchemy. I won't ask for much, ten portions first, as a deposit."

Qing Tan looked at his matter-of-fact, raspy appearance, and her beautiful eyes almost breathed fire, but in the end, she took the Materials out of her Storage Pouch and threw them over.

"Happy cooperation."

Lin Yuan put away the things and stood up to leave, without any hesitation, leaving Qing Tan with only a dashing back view.

...

Meanwhile.

At the Misty Immortal Sect, tens of thousands of miles away from the Yin Corpse Sect.

Peaks soared into the sky, the Spiritual Qi in the mountains condensed into tangible white mist, cranes danced gracefully, and the sound of Dao echoed faintly.

In a stunningly beautiful valley with a waterfall like silk, green bamboo formed a sea, and the sound of water gurgled.

Deep in the bamboo forest, a beautiful girl in white with a cold temperament stood respectfully before a little girl who was sculpted from powder and jade, about six or seven years old.

The little girl wore her hair in double buns, but her eyes were deep as an abyss, carrying a vicissitude and majesty completely inconsistent with her age.

"Qinghan, the period of weakened poisonous miasma in the Demon Falling Valley is approaching; has everything been prepared?" The little girl spoke, her voice childish, but her tone was mature.

"Mother, everything has been prepared."

"Daughter has consulted the Sect's secret records and confirmed that the secret place indeed grows the yang returning lotus. As long as we harvest this item and refine the nirvana pill for you, your injuries can be fully recovered, and you can even use this to break through the Bottleneck in one fell swoop and aim for the Nascent Soul Dao!"

"What about the Alchemist?" Yue Qingyao asked again.

"Refining the nirvana pill requires at least a Seventh-Grade Alchemist, but I have invited a Sixth-Grade Alchemist from within the Sect to accompany us."

"Not bad. The petals of the yang returning lotus must be used in medicine within one day of being harvested, otherwise the medicinal properties will be greatly damaged; do not be negligent."

A trace of satisfaction appeared on Yue Qingyao's childish face, and then she seemed to remember something.

"Has that child, Wan'er, returned to the Sect?"

"Senior Sister Zhou returned yesterday, but... the heavenly heart jade marrow was not recovered, and she is severely injured."

"I am afraid she will not be able to go with us on this trip to the Demon Falling Valley."

"Sigh..." Yue Qingyao sighed faintly, a complex look appearing in her eyes.

"This child, Wan'er, has top-tier talent and Heart-Nature, it's just that... she is too reckless."

Her tone changed, and her voice turned three degrees colder: "Has it been investigated who injured Wan'er and took away the heavenly heart jade marrow?"

"Reporting to Mother, Senior Sister Zhou left a Divine Thought before falling into a coma, saying that the person was an old man from the Yin Corpse Sect with strange methods."

"Hmph! This trip to the Demon Falling Valley, we can kill a few more devil spawn..."