Jorge took a sharp breath, then said in a voice filled with awe, "I assume you’re an apprentice of Venerable Sage Ansaldo. I've heard a lot about you! Our ancestor and Venerable Sage Ansaldo were close friends, and he sent me here to get to know you better. May I ask for your guidance? Thank you." He stood up briskly and gave a slight bow.Adrian was confused. He had never heard of Venerable Sage Ansaldo, but bluffing and exaggerating were basic skills in this world. With a flash of inspiration, he responded, "There isn't a Venerable Sage Ansaldo, but there is a Veritable Master."In the immortal region, even ordinary people knew about the different levels of immortality, especially a declining immortal family like the Riggs. The levels were the Body Training Stage, followed by the nine levels, nine ranks, and finally the Nascent Stage. The stages beyond that were unknown.Venerable Sages corresponded to the nine levels, while Veritable Masters corresponded to the nine ranks. In Cle
One blood-red beam of light fell over Forgotten Shore, but it burst like a bubble before ascending into the sky, and Forgotten Shore returned to calm.Adrian didn't think the abnormal celestial phenomenon was just a coincidence. He stared at Kara, hesitated for a moment, and sighed. "This phenomenon is very suspicious. Ms. Kara, please follow me to take shelter." Without looking back, he headed straight for the cave.Kara, having never seen such an astonishing scene, dared not think too much and followed closely behind. This made Adrian think slightly more highly of Kara—she was decisive in times of crisis. But as she thought of the celestial phenomenon, her legs trembled.Unexpectedly, the first-grade eighth-level expert, Gordon, followed as well. Adrian had kept him alive, seeing him as more useful than Jorge. Gordon was qualified to act as a lackey."Old man, do you know what's going on here?" Adrian asked.Gordon shrank back and said timidly, "Venerable Sage, I don't understan
Adrian grabbed the emerald slip tightly, his expression unusually grim. Sure enough, as Gordon had said, the current celestial phenomena were no different from those during the ancient invasion of the daemons into the immortal world. It seemed that the speculation of the mainland immortals was correct, explaining why the mainland factions warned against venturing out to sea.The maritime immortals, those who lived near sea borders, were very mysterious. These beast familiars attacking the islands were different from other daemons—they were primitive in intelligence and lacked spirituality. But they shared a common feature: no high-level daemons participated in the attack.As the elders of the mainland immortals had speculated, this was likely a form of sacrifice or even a summoning. The counterattack of the daemons had truly begun.Adrian was deeply troubled; just as he had escaped one dangerous situation, he found himself in another. Suddenly, he remembered the hexagram in the Prim
Gordon was somewhat stunned. Despite his extraordinary knowledge, his perspective paled in comparison to Adrian's, who had experienced rebirth. Feeling a sense of frustration, he said, "Doesn't that mean we're heading toward a dead end?""No. This time, humanity will have a long buffering period. Whether we can get through this difficult period depends on the next fifty years.""Fifty years?"Adrian nodded slightly. "I'm afraid maybe not even fifty years. The daemons will stabilize their foothold and counterattack the immortal world before that.""How do you know?" Gordon's fear of Adrian diminished, and even Kara beside him looked shocked."Because the factions value their reputations and opt to retreat rather than engage in battle."After the devastating sounds outside subsided, Adrian conversed with Gordon for a long time, gaining a rough understanding of the daemons.Adrian walked out of the cave, followed closely by Gordon and Kara. They saw blood mist spreading over the se
"What?""Those creatures aren't from Daemonia?""The daemons are causing trouble. What are we going to do?""Are we all going to die?"Wilson looked at the chaotic crowd below, unsure how to calm them down without angering Adrian. He swiftly stood up and harshly scolded the younger members of his family.Adrian nodded, seeing Wilson's attempt to maintain order."I called you all here today for a reason, and I'm sure your leaders have already explained," Adrian said.The Sampsons stopped panicking and answered in unison, "Yes, sir.""Without rules, there can be no order. If what is said about Forgotten Shore is correct, it will become quite desirable. You, the Sampson family, are fortunate. You're the first guests to arrive here and even have the opportunity to become its owners."As soon as Adrian finished speaking, the faces of the Sampsons shifted from worry to anticipation for the future. They had initially feared scraping by under the command of a level-nine Venerable Sage
"Certainly, sir!" Everyone chorused."Firstly, all the Sampsons will be involved in building up Forgotten Shore. It will be divided into four regions—east, south, west, and north—each serving different functions and future plans. The central area, around this cave house, will start with constructing a market district on the mountainside. We'll have an auction house, a treasury, a street market, and cave houses available for temporary rental to immortals, among other amenities. In the east, south, west, and north regions, the focus will be on defensive fortifications. Your family's ability to withstand external enemies will depend on your efforts. I will intervene only in matters of life and death for your family.""What external enemies? Didn't you say the first line of defense could hold off the daemons for thirty years?" Wilson asked."Mr. Adrian meant they could withstand the stronger enemy forces for thirty years," Gordon clarified for Adrian."What?""There are countless weak
With that, the Sampsons grasped Adrian's intentions.Surprisingly, Gordon and Kara were taken aback, especially Kara, who harbored suspicions about Adrian's ulterior motives."So, what exactly do you mean by 'defensive fortification?’" Wilson asked, a bit perplexed.Adrian handed Wilson an intricately inscribed emerald disc, about the size of a palm, to the elder, saying, "We'll use formation discs like these. They can safeguard your family.""But this seems inadequate." Wilson's expression darkened."Indeed, one alone won't suffice, but I also have these." Adrian produced several more emerald discs, accompanied by flags, noticeably more elaborate than the first."What are these?" Kara asked."These are island formation discs. They were designed to protect islands." Adrian grinned.These discs had been among Leroy’s possessions from their time on Oxridge. Adrian and Rozi had decided against selling them when handling Leroy's estate.Back then, they had purchased numerous forma
Aside from Wilson and Gordon, the person Adrian had interacted with the most over the past two months was Kara, a junior alchemist. The two often worked together to inspect and set up formations, gradually becoming close friends who shared everything.It turned out that Kara also came from an immortal family, though not a particularly large one. Her father, despite his diligent pursuit of the immortality arts, had struggled to make significant progress. Kara was deeply concerned about her father, and Adrian could only offer limited comfort.During this period, Kara barely reached level eight and showed considerable talent in alchemy. Naturally, Adrian tirelessly provided her with various teachings and alchemical formulas.With Adrian’s guidance and the formulas he provided, Kara became highly popular among the young apprentices of the Sampson family. After all, who wouldn't want to marry an alchemist? It was a guarantee of future wealth.Interestingly, Gordon also became a blacksmi