Chapter 82

After consuming two servings of meat, their relationship rapidly warmed up.

Few cultivators of the Qi Refinement stage ate these common foods, especially those from Wu Dao Peak, who tended to be ascetic and pure-hearted, focusing on cultivating their minds while absorbing spiritual energy from nature. Even when they needed to replenish their strength, they often took Fasting Pills instead of eating meat. Only the hopeless, those preparing to abandon their path and descend the mountain, were willing to give up so completely.

To this disciple guarding the tomb, Chen Luo’s willingness to wolf down meat indicated that he too was one such fallen soul, and naturally, they found themselves drawn closer together. After all, if not for their shared despair, what would normal people come here to do the tomb-guarding duty?

“Senior Brother, how long have you been stationed at this cemetery?”

Chen Luo picked up his cup and filled it with wine for this Martial Brother Tombkeeper.

The Tombkeeper had prepared the alcohol, but that didn’t mean Chen Luo couldn’t borrow some flowers from him.

“More than five years,” the Tombkeeper burped.

“Five years? Didn’t the Divine Lake Immortal Sect’s rules say…”

Chen Luo was taken aback; according to his understanding, any disciple who failed to reach late-stage Qi Refinement within three years would be expelled from the sect, forbidden from ever returning as an immortal disciple. This Tombkeeper’s cultivation base was only at the sixth level of Qi Refinement—how could he possibly meet the requirements set by Divine Lake Immortal Sect?

“In Divine Lake, there’s no problem that can’t be solved with spirit stones,” the Martial Brother Tombkeeper said, his face red from alcohol. “If there is, it’s because you don’t have enough!”

So he was just some rich playboy! Chen Luo understood at once.

The rules of an immortal sect were set by its people, and as long as those people could be bought off, they could bend or break any rule. Upon hearing that his senior brother had stayed on the mountain for five years, Chen Luo’s spirits instantly lifted.

“I never imagined Senior Brother to be such an old hand at our Divine Lake Immortal Sect—my apologies.” As Chen Luo spoke, he poured himself a cup of tea and offered it to his senior brother in apology.

“Old hand my ass.”

Martial Brother Tombkeeper scoffed disdainfully.

“The amount of spirit stones I possess only allows me to afford the status of a tombkeeper disciple. The truly wealthy buy their way directly onto the main peak and become apprentice sect leaders.”

As he spoke, Martial Brother Tombkeeper spat out his discontentment with audible disgust.

His dissatisfaction with Divine Lake Immortal Sect practically dripped from his face. Sensing this, Chen Luo tactfully ignored his complaints, instead shifting the conversation toward something more pressing.

“Senior Brother, do you ever clean all those graves outside?”

“Of course,” Martial Brother Tombkeeper replied, eyebrow raised. “When I first arrived here, I thought I’d give it my all, but alas, Wu Dao Peak is nothing but bullshit.”

Another pile of complaints followed. Chen Luo endured it all with great fortitude before continuing his inquiry.

“Are these graves filled with disciples from our immortal sect? Are there any elders buried here?” When Chen Luo asked this question, even his voice softened considerably. If only he could replace those useless travelers’ brains with those of Foundation Establishment cultivators, then his own cultivation would be entirely stable going forward.

“Elders? You mean Foundation Establishment cultivators?”

The Martial Brother Tombkeeper was no fool and naturally picked up on the unspoken meaning behind Chen Luo’s words.

“I’m just curious; aside from Shizun, I’ve never met any other Foundation Establishment cultivators,” Chen Luo said bashfully.

“Heh! No one else would be able to answer your question, but not me.” The Martial Brother Tombkeeper looked quite pleased with himself. “My five years working at the cemetery weren’t for nothing.”

As he spoke, he lifted a hand and pointed toward the southwest corner of the cemetery.

“That side, third row, ninth grave—there lies a Foundation Establishment elder who died during a qi deviation while attempting to reach the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, leaving nothing but a skeleton.” At the mention of location, the Martial Brother Tombkeeper’s face lit with pride.

When Chen Luo first started working as Tombkeeper, he had even helped one of the elders “breathe through” his final moments. He’d also assisted with clearing out the burial goods left behind, but unfortunately, that elder was so poor there wasn’t much to be had.

Immortal sects were indeed cold and ruthless. Ancestorless Foundation Establishment elders who died without heirs received no attention from anyone after their passing. Once all their contemporaries had passed on, they would be forgotten entirely. As for any connections or influence, you needn’t worry about such things either; if the elder had been well-connected, they wouldn’t have ended up buried here.

“If you wish to pay your respects to the elegant demeanor of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you can visit him later and kowtow to the elder.”

‘Third row, ninth grave, southwest direction.’

Chen Luo memorized this location, then asked again just to make sure.

He discovered that there was another Foundation Establishment cultivator buried within the cemetery—aside from the elder who met a tragic end due to qi deviation, there was yet another who died of a poison curse. Rumor had it that while down the mountain on a mission, the cultivator had fallen prey to a demon’s ambush. Though the individual managed to escape back up the mountain, they ultimately failed to save their own life, dying quietly and unnoticed.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators lay buried upon this small hill—it truly was a feng shui treasure trove! Originally, Chen Luo had thought that reaching Foundation Establishment would bring safety, but unexpectedly, even this stage carried its own risks for cultivation. Immortality was difficult to achieve, and every level presented its own trials and tribulations. No person’s journey toward cultivation was ever smooth sailing.

Aside from these two Foundation Establishment cultivators, all the remaining graves were occupied by disciples in the Qi Refinement stage, with over seven layers of them being in the late stages of that phase. The rules of Divine Lake Immortal Sect were clear: anyone who didn’t reach late-stage Qi Refinement was usually driven off the mountain.

“Senior Brother, have you formed your pill?”

Before Chen Luo could finish speaking, his Martial Brother Tombkeeper shot him a scornful look.

“Do you understand what it means to reach Gold Core stage? That’s a patriarch-level accomplishment! Even if there really is one buried here, do you think it would be somewhere so insignificant?”

“I’m just asking.”

Chen Luo looked guileless; he genuinely believed he had no ulterior motive. He merely wanted to help the sect’s patriarchs wipe away the mold that inevitably grows on skulls left underground for millennia.

“No problem!” Chen Luo puffed out his chest and accepted this errand.

And so began his days as the cemetery caretaker. To simplify matters, Chen Luo moved directly into the room adjacent to his Martial Brother Tombkeeper, thus becoming neighbors.

The place was spacious, so they could easily make do with clearing a small thatched hut.

Early next morning, after Chen Luo finished his Qi Refining session, he performed a cursory reconnaissance of the cemetery, noting the location of each grave and finding those two Foundation Establishment cultivators’ graves as well.

After dusting off the tombstones, he paid another visit to the training grounds.

He hadn’t forgotten about the mission he promised Huang Ying yesterday; he’d already spent the prepayment spirit stones.

“You’re Chen Luo?” A voice rang out.

Following the sound, Chen Luo discovered a female cultivator dressed in black waiting for him. She must be the elder sister from the Luxury Nation whom Huang Ying had introduced earlier—the one who issued the talisman quest.

“Hello, Elder Sister Shuang.”

Chen Luo promptly greeted her. Yesterday, when he accepted the mission, Huang Ying had told him some basic information about this person.

“You know how to draw talismans?”

Elder Sister Shuang looked Chen Luo up and down, suspicion written plainly on her face.

Talent in talisman drawing is exceedingly rare, and among disciples at the Qi Refinement stage, it’s even harder to find. This mission of hers had been posted for over two months now, but she still hadn’t found anyone suitable.

“I can.”

Chen Luo took out the practice talismans he had prepared the day before. Though they weren’t finished products, they were more than sufficient to demonstrate his skill.

“Then you’re it.” Elder Sister Shuang’s expression softened considerably after seeing Chen Luo’s practice work.

However, she was obviously not interested in chatting casually with him. After confirming his ability to draw talismans, she produced several that needed assistance and handed them over.

“Trace these outlines with cinnabar ink, then leave the core spiritualization steps to me. Is there any problem?”

“No problem at all!” Chen Luo cheerfully accepted the unfinished talismans.

Drawing talismans required immense concentration, especially during the final step of spiritualization. Foundation Establishment cultivators could perfectly infuse their own spiritual energy into the talisman with a single stroke, amplifying their powers beyond those of their corporeal form. Some elite talisman masters even crafted jade or gold talismans, which possessed extraordinary strength and could be repeatedly used.