Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

[Achievement Acquired: Helping The Young Shoot Grow!]

[ Helping The Young Shoot Grow: You can gain 10 Luck Value points every day! ]

[Luck Value: Can be used to enhance skill proficiency but cannot directly enhance cultivation!]

“How come I gained such an achievement?”

Xu Mu found it strange and asked Zhang Tianluo, who was grumbling and muttering beneath his breath on the side.

“Sixty-seven! Why are you asking this?”

“Nothing!”

How could a sixty-seven-year-old be regarded as a young shoot who needs help to grow?

Right, Zhang Tianluo didn’t seem to be a pure member of the Human Clan.

The Sea Race’s lifespan is generally much longer than the Human Clan’s. Plus, considering Zhang Tianluo is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, if we average it out–

Ahem ahem!

No wonder Zhang Tianluo looked so weird, like a little radish head. Originally, Xu Mu thought her bloodline had a problem, but it turns out she just hasn’t fully grown yet.

My bad! My bad!

“Bastard! Swindler! Idiot… Oh oh!”

“If you keep this up, I’m not coming next time!”

“No way!”

Xu Mu had no choice but to stand up.

He wasn’t a masochist; he didn’t want to be cursed daily.

“How’s your martial method coming along?”

After he had rested, put on his robe, and used a few Purification Charms to clear out the heavy smell in the room, Xu Mu asked about the Twelve Startle Cicada Skill.

“How could it be? No significant changes, you swindler!”

Zhang Tianluo stood up. Compared to before, her figure had grown significantly. From her original strangely shaped radish head, she had transformed into a tall beauty with fair skin.

The blue scales on her forehead added an exotic charm to her appearance; she looked like a different person!

A different person!

No wonder the system gave him an achievement for helping her grow.

If Zhang Tianluo didn’t also possess the Human Clan’s bloodline, he might have been given an achievement for ruining a young shoot instead.

Of course, if it were like that, he wouldn’t have the heart to harm her.

He was a human, not a teddy bear!

He wasn’t sure if this drastic change was good or bad; he didn’t want her to end up as a spoiled young shoot!

“No significant changes implies there have been changes, which is a great step forward!” Xu Mu said.

At least, it meant Zhang Tianluo had succeeded in her cultivation. It’s just that the progress was a bit slow. It could take a few years, or even decades, to reach the proficiency level where she could merge her bloodline.

“No way! You must come up with a solution quickly! Otherwise, what’s the use if I master it when I’m already old and dying!”

Zhang Tianluo stubbornly argued.

“What can 1 do about your natural talent! Not everyone is a once-in-a-millennium genius like me. You better stick to your cultivation earnestly.”

Ignoring Zhang Tianluo’s murderous gaze, Xu Mu left her residence and headed to the Black Tide Market to inquire about medicinal herbs.

Xu Yiren was still dressed in her purple robe, looking lazy and seductive, which awakened Xu Mu’s desire.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

They flirted in the courtyard for a while until they were both barely able to stand. Only then did they discuss important matters.

“I’ve collected almost everything, except a spiritual medicine called Purple Hua Grass, which I couldn’t find,” Xu Yiren apologized.

“No problem, just give me the herbs you’ve already collected!”

Xu Mu didn’t mind at all.

After all, he had already collected many of the herbs from the Blue scale clan. Xu Yiren’s collection was just meant to supplement his.

With the Blue scale clan as his source, his shopping was quite convenient now.

“Alright!”

After receiving the herbs, Xu Mu was about to leave, but Xu Yiren stopped him.

“Xu Lang, the Iron Corpse Gang has been acting strangely lately, do you want to check it out?”

Others might not know that Xu Mu was behind the attack on the Iron Corpse Gang, but Xu Yiren was well aware.

So she always kept an eye on the Iron Corpse Gang, fearing that they might send men to investigate their side.

“Oh? Strange actions? What kind of strange actions?”

Xu Mu paused.

Given his current strength, he could wipe out the Iron Corpse Gang. However, he was concerned that there might be a power vacuum in the neighborhood after their end. Since he didn’t want to deal with the aftermath, he would probably end up with chaos and turmoil.

If that were the case, it was better to keep the Iron Corpse Gang as a means to maintain balance.

But if the opposition gets restless and starts stirring up trouble, then he’d have no choice but to play hardball.

“From the information gathered by my informants, Iron Corpse Gang is secretly kidnapping a large number of low-tier cultivators. I suspect Iron Corpse Superior is attempting to break through to the Golden Core Stage using the essence blood of these cultivators!” Xu Yiren informed.

Xu Mu, rubbing his chin contemplatively, felt that this was indeed a probability.

Iron Corpse Superior, quite well-known in the late stages of Foundation Establishment, was indeed due for an attempt at entering the Golden Core Stage.

If the attempt failed, so be it. However, he would undoubtedly stir things up if he succeeded.

Perhaps, he should eradicate him! And harvest some more resources in the process.

Lately, his consumption of Spirit Stones had been quite massive due to the purchase of raw materials for the True Element Pill. After all, it was a tier six pill.

“You must have installed some informants on Floating Corpse Island! Give me their communication talismans, I’ll go check it out myself!” stated Xu Mu.

A gang would naturally have a network of informers. Xu Yiren, having operated her gang for so long, surely had some useful sources.

Recently, Xu Mu had even asked her to expand their attention in this direction, which would allow her to get immediate updates of the surroundings while also conveniently gathering resources.

“Alright!”

Xu Yiren passed along a few communication talismans to Xu Mu, and informed him of their aliases.

Some among them were her moles, and some were bought with Spirit Stones. Some were highly trustworthy, others not so much. Some occupied high positions within the Iron Corpse Gang, while some were mere small fry.

Of course, by high-ranking, she only meant a senior steward. As for Foundation Establishment Stage elders, Xu Yiren hadn’t managed to buy any due to the short time frame.

With the communication talismans in hand, Xu Mu departed Black Tide Island, heading towards Floating Corpse Island, where Iron Corpse Gang was located.

Floating Corpse Island, while named as such, wasn’t littered with corpses all over the place. It merely had a small Yin Sha Spirit Vein, that’s all.

The island was bustling with activity and wasn’t much different from a regular marketplace.

While Demonic Dao might be brutal, they weren’t foolish. They knew about sustainable operations but their methods might be a tad bit crueler.

“Top-grade body refinement! Strong limbs, complete without any defects!”

A muscular man on the street was bellowing loudly. By his side was a pile of green-faced, toothy, shriveled up bodies.

“Roar roar!”

A pale, weak youth was sitting listlessly on the ground. Next to him was a white banner with ghostly apparitions continuously sticking their heads out, struggling fiercely.

On the ground before him lay a wooden sign that read-

High-quality ghosts! Buy one, get one free!

“Born on the most Yin date of the most Yin month! Freshly killed, freshly refined!”

A woman with a deathly pale face was being hung and sold off like an animal.

“Fresh Infant Blood Pills just out of the kiln! Quality goods, reasonably priced! The perfect medicine for breakthroughs and cultivation enhancement!” “Essence blood extracted from a hundred people! Available for only five Lower-grade Spirit Stones!”

“Newly arrived cultivation furnaces! Come take a look!”

Xu Mu’s eyes scanned the scene, akin to a depiction of hell, without much change in his feelings.

This was a common sight in a Demonic Dao market. Xu Mu had witnessed many such instances in the memories of demonic cultivators he had once hunted, so he was already used to it.

Even in the Righteous Way markets, these things were sold as well, but they were comparatively more concealed.

In the eyes of cultivators, be it humans or monster beasts, they were all just resources to aid in their cultivation.

The only difference was in their methods of utilization!

After locating a tea house, Xu Mu sent messages to a few people, asking them to meet him in batches.

Xu Mu intended to obtain detailed information about Floating Corpse Island from them.

Although he was confident about dealing with Iron Corpse Superior, he wasn’t foolish enough to confront him directly.

Who knew if the enemy was equipped with a tier seven formation or Yin thunder, Golden Pill Stage talismans and the likes.

Just like he was fortunate enough to have an Immobilize Talisman, others might as well. If they had some sort of trump card, things might take a turn for the worse.

Therefore, before making a move, it was essential to gather detailed intelligence.

Knowing your enemy as well as yourself ensures victory in every battle!

This was precisely the reason why there weren’t overly disastrous cultivator robberies, as everyone was wary of potential countermeasures from the other side.

After a short wait, a man dressed in grey and appearing like a shop-assistant entered, handed Xu Mu a letter, and quickly left.

Upon opening the letter, Xu Mu found an accurately detailed map of Floating Corpse Island, even marking some hidden areas.

“This guy sure is cautious! But he’s quite efficient at getting work done!”

Xu Mu possessed Divine Intent, but he dared not randomly sweep around the island with it. This map could save him a lot of trouble.

Subsequently, a few more people arrived incognito, providing him with an identity tag of an Iron Corpse Gang disciple, which granted him access to the gang’s territory.

After a while, another individual delivered detailed information regarding the high-ranking members of the gang.

Most of them either came in disguise or were cautious about revealing their identities. None of them dared to meet him face-to-face, clearly fearing that the Iron Corpse Gang might catch them if their identities were exposed.

Xu Mu didn’t mind, though. As long as they could pass along the messages, it was fine.

After the final person had been seen, Xu Mu got up and left the tea house. Instead of immediately heading towards the Iron Corpse Gang’s dwellings deep within Floating Corpse Island, he left the island, leisurely flying towards Whale Sea Gang’s adjacent island.

He flew for roughly a hundred miles before suddenly coming to a halt.

“You all have been following me for so long, aren’t you willing to reveal yourselves yet?”