The saying that the Demonic Fire Kirin was a treasure trove wasn't false; aside from its blood, its scales were naturally the most valuable. The scales of the Demonic Fire Kirin were incredibly hard, making them quite practical for crafting armor. Cultivators also utilized battle armor that usually remained concealed within the body, automatically emerging upon attack. Even if not used for armor, they were excellent for forging swords; in ancient times, someone crafted a "Fire Scale Spirit Sword" from a Demonic Fire Kirin scale. That sword was rumored to be extremely malevolent, capable of controlling a person's mind, while subtly enhancing their combat prowess at the same time.

However, cutting the scales of the Demonic Fire Kirin was no easy feat. After considerable effort, Lu Yuan finally managed to slice the scales free. The flesh of the Demonic Fire Kirin held little value, but its bones were immensely hard and served as usable material.

After tidying up each item, no other good things were found.

Yet, one shouldn't be too greedy; obtaining a Great Divine Soul Stone here was quite substantial, and coupled with the eighteen Small Divine Soul Stones acquired earlier, it was no small gain.

Right, he almost forgot the main task.

Lu Yuan leaped onto the crown of the Great Buddha. There was a breach on the Buddha's summit. Lu Yuan retrieved the Earth of Xi Yan from his Minor Sumeru Pouch and used it to repair the gaping hole. In a moment, the breach began to mend, and that faint sense of potential breakage vanished without a trace.

This breach was successfully repaired.

This place was indeed a fine spot for cultivation. Lu Yuan shifted his form and landed on the Buddha's palm, sitting cross-legged to commence his practice.

After reaching the Fourth Level of Longevity, the difficulty of advancing to any subsequent minor realm became extremely steep. If the progression after the Longevity stage were as fast as the Qi Refining stage, it would be disastrous.

Currently, the gap in magical power wasn't immense; the disparity lay primarily in the Divine Soul.

He spread the eighteen Small Divine Soul Stones in his hands. These stones were only about half the size of a little finger. Using Qi to manipulate objects, he positioned them between his eyebrows, simultaneously releasing his spiritual sense to absorb the stones. He felt a slight increase in his own Divine Soul, while the radiance of the Small Divine Soul Stones grew dimmer.

The fainter the light, the less Divine Soul power remained within the stone.

Once completely dull, the Small Divine Soul Stone became no different from an ordinary rock, devoid of any divine power.

A moment later, that Small Divine Soul Stone was spent. Lu Yuan then placed another one forward. These stones were effective, but their impact was minor. After consecutively using all eighteen to enhance his Divine Soul, he felt that reaching the Divine Soul strength required for the Fifth Level of Longevity was still a distant goal.

Only the last Great Divine Soul Stone remained. Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

He used Qi manipulation to move the Great Divine Soul Stone to the space between his brows and activated his magical power to absorb its essence. Right at the start, he felt an immensely powerful surge of Divine Soul flooding into his own, with the initial increase far surpassing anything from the Small Divine Soul Stones.

The Divine Soul began to expand.

Lu Yuan felt an extraordinary pleasure, completely immersed in the dream of his Divine Soul ascending.

After an unknown period, that sensation abruptly ceased.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes. The Great Divine Soul Stone was entirely devoid of light, its power completely exhausted. Lu Yuan realized that if he could obtain a Soul Crystal with greater Divine Soul power than the Great Divine Soul Stone, he should be able to reach the Fifth Heaven of Longevity.

However, Soul Crystals were not things easily acquired.

Lu Yuan sat still on the Buddha's palm. The statue stood over four hundred zhang tall, and a single palm was as vast as a great plain.

Seated upon the statue, he observed the vast river waters surging eastward.

Perhaps he should visit the Lingyun Cave. Lu Yuan looked toward that dark cavern. Before the Demonic Fire Kirin died, he had intended to check out Lingyun Cave, and he still wished to explore if there was some hidden vista within. Though, under normal circumstances, most caves held no spiritual treasures—and the one where the Demonic Fire Kirin resided was no exception. While not entirely empty, Lu Yuan had found nothing he truly sought, returning empty-handed.

So, the next step should be the next breach location.

In the Divine Soul River, there were a total of nine breaches.

Among these, one, the breach at the Dadu River, was super simple.

The most difficult one was the breach in the upper reaches of the Min River, in the Black Water River, where the Half-Jiao dwelled.

Of the remaining nine breaches, four were of relatively low difficulty, and three were of medium difficulty.

The Leshan Giant Buddha location was one of the four places classified as low difficulty.

A Great Divine Soul Stone appeared at the Leshan Giant Buddha. According to the normal progression, if he visited the three medium-difficulty locations, a Soul Crystal should highly likely appear. Lu Yuan pondered this internally: which of the three medium-difficulty places should he visit first?

I'll go to the Qin River Weir, Lu Yuan decided after some thought. The Qin River Weir held one of the three medium-difficulty breaches.

As Lu Yuan made his decision, the remaining seventeen people gathered to meet him. These seventeen were now quite shaken. They hadn't anticipated the Divine Soul River to be so terrifying. He recalled entering the Divine Soul River initially with five or six hundred people, casually slaying water monsters on contact, thinking it would be an easy venture.

Reality, as always, proved cruel.

"I'm heading to the Qin River Weir. What do you all plan to do?" Lu Yuan asked from the Buddha's palm.

"Let's go to the Qin River Weir too."

"No, forget it. The Qin River Weir is one of the three medium-difficulty spots; going there is courting death."

"Exactly, the Leshan Giant Buddha was already this difficult; let alone the Qin River Weir." "Precisely, precisely."

The seventeen immediately split into two factions: one group intended to follow Lu Yuan to the Qin River Weir, and the other felt it was too difficult and preferred not to go. Lu Yuan let them decide their own paths. In the end, nine people followed Lu Yuan to the Qin River Weir, while the remaining eight dispersed elsewhere.

Across the thousand li of the Divine Soul River, finding a relatively safer place was not too difficult.

Thus, the original eighteen people, including Lu Yuan, split into two teams. Lu Yuan's group of ten flew directly toward the Qin River Weir; the other eight went wherever they pleased. Faced with danger, some chose to face the challenge head-on, while others retreated to safety—it was a matter of personal choice.

After all, this world contained all sorts of people.

The Qin River Weir was constructed in the pre-ancient era, back when the nation presiding over this area was known as Ancient Qin.

During the pre-ancient dynasty, the entire Southern Territory was destined to be ruled by Ancient Qin.

The Ancient Qin Kingdom differed somewhat from the current system. The strongest cultivator in Ancient Qin was the Emperor, while most formidable cultivation masters held official posts within the kingdom. At that time, there was a cultivator known as Li Bing, the Peerless Ice Extreme, rumored to possess infinite divine abilities, whose power astounded Ancient Qin.

Peerless Ice Extreme Li Bing, his strength was world-shaking.

To refine his Divine Soul, this Peerless Ice Extreme Li Bing created a Qin River Weir on the Min River, this Divine Soul River. He stood upon the Weir, absorbing the Divine Soul power of the entire Min River—it was utterly terrifying. On that occasion, his Divine Soul attained perfection, and he traveled the Void freely, his divine sense capable of encompassing ten provinces.

A divine sense covering ten provinces; this Peerless Ice Extreme was truly a cultivator of profound, mystical methods.

However, that event caused all the spirit beings of the Divine Soul River to be utterly annihilated. It took many years before life gradually returned, and spiritual entities began to reappear. By then, it was the succeeding dynasty. After a period of chaos, the founder of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, using great means, refined the void and drew the entire Divine Soul River into it, making it accessible only through Qingcheng Mountain.

Following that, came the present era, when the Qingcheng traitor Zhang Xuxuan attacked, clashing with the Upper Realm figures of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect. He then used formations to try and pull the Divine Soul River underground, which is why so many people were now coming to the Divine Soul River to repair the breaches.

Lu Yuan and his group flew directly toward the Qin River Weir.

Returning to the Qin River Weir this time, Lu Yuan naturally hoped it hadn't already been dealt with; otherwise, he wouldn't have the chance to obtain a Soul Crystal.

With a Soul Crystal, he had a high probability of reaching the Fifth Level of Longevity.

Along the way, beneath their sword light, the river water churned mightily, flowing with grandeur. Occasional water monsters surfaced and were shot down. During this journey, they acquired five Small Divine Soul Stones, but they served little major purpose. One Great Divine Soul Stone was worth dozens, nearly a hundred, Small Divine Soul Stones, and a Soul Crystal, perhaps, was worth the equivalent of a thousand Small Divine Soul Stones.

The Qin River Weir was now appearing ahead.

The closer they got, the more Lu Yuan sensed the perilous terrain; the surroundings resembled a precious bottle, and the water flow became intensely turbulent, with waves capable of reaching thirty to forty zhang high, forcing them to fly their swords even higher.

"Hey, are those cultivators?" asked Daoist Nun Huayue.

Lu Yuan looked over and saw a group of people standing on a nearby mountain cliff. The group of ten immediately flew over there, only to find sixty or seventy people already standing on the stone face, all possessing considerable cultivation—people at the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Levels of Longevity.

"This Qin River Weir is truly hard to breach."

"We have at least four teams here, but we’ve suffered heavy losses and still can't get in."

"It can't be helped; the Water Ape King, the leader of the Three Min River Demons, is entrenched here." "In the Min River, aside from that Half-Jiao, the most powerful are the Three Great Demon Beasts of the Min River."

"But even so, shouldn't it be this ridiculously difficult?" "Right, so many of our teams have been decimated here." "Besides the Black Water River Half-Jiao, this is the hardest place to assault." "But if we manage to break through here, there must be a Soul Crystal." "More than just a Soul Crystal; judging by the current situation, the Water Ape King has likely discovered the treasury of the Peerless Ice Extreme from back then. If we capture this place, we might also have a chance at the Peerless Ice Extreme's treasure." The prospect of the treasury belonging to the Peerless Ice Extreme, whose divine sense once spanned ten provinces, was obviously highly alluring.