Cultivation! My Augmented Statuses Have Unlimited Duration

by Stayrr

Jiang Li takes a meal and gains the status [Satiety]. [Satiety: Restores 1 Stamina per minute. Duration: ] He no longer has to eat. He sticks a talisman on himself and gains the status [Armored Horse Divine Travel]. [Armored Horse Divine Travel: Increase movement speed by 1000%. Duration: ] Taking pills, gaining spiritual qi, refining the body, nurturing the soul, and increasing

2. 31 - 70

Read Cultivation! My Augmented Statuses Have Unlimited Duration Chapter 31 online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 31: Immortal Opportunity Stone

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu Banxia's breakthrough was within his expectations, but it also gave Jiang Li a sense of urgency.

Yu Banxia's spiritual root potential should be very close to a top-grade spiritual root, but he was not one after all.

If even he had such a cultivation speed, what about Qi Tianya with the top-grade spiritual root? What about other geniuses with better talent and more resources than Qi Tianya?

What level were they at now?

Jiang Li could not guess, but he expected them to be very powerful.

He had a golden finger cheat, so he could definitely become stronger and stronger in the future.

However, he was still very weak right now. He was still at the early stages of the accumulation of foundation. At this time, he could not afford to relax or be careless.

At this time, Yan Hong pretended to be careless and handed over a cloth bag.

"Jiang Li, according to what you said, I've brought my men to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion."

"The things you want are harder to find, but I've basically bought everything."

"The total cost is 143 spirit stones. I've put the remaining seven spirit stones into your bag."

Jiang Li received the bag and opened it to take a look. A trace of joy immediately flashed across his face.

"It's been hard on you. Just keep the extra spirit stones. Why are you returning them to me?"

He rummaged through the bag and found seven spirit stones in the corner.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony with me. I've already deducted the travel fees and the spirit stones needed to purchase the mission items."

"Furthermore, I have wanted to go to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion for a long time. Their goods are much richer than those in the sect. I can earn quite a bit from this trip."

"However, Jiang Li, the alchemist who accepted the mission from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion said that this is a useless formula. If we make the same request again, we will have to pay more."

Yan Hong deliberately lowered his voice to prevent others from hearing the last sentence.

"Hmph, these alchemists are really used to taking advantage of others. They don't even care about the rules after suffering a little loss."

"Let's find another alchemist next time."

In the cultivation world, alchemy and blacksmithing were both very popular.

Other than regular pill refinement sales, they would occasionally take personal customized pill refinement orders.

At this time, the price of substitute refinement would usually be negotiated by both sides.

However, in the alchemy field, there was an unwritten rule or convention.

That was, if the client provided the ingredients and pill formulas on his own, and the pill formulas were extremely rare, or if it was just a new pill formula, then the alchemist would not charge a fee or charge a very small amount to refine those pills for them.

After refining it, he would naturally obtain the pill formula. That was already a huge reward.

Although Jiang Li said that, the truth was that he had indeed tricked the other party.

Because the value of a useless pill formula was really too low…

After the two of them parted, Jiang Li carried the cloth bag and hurried back to his room.

The cloth bag contained two bottles of pills, a few stacks of talismans and a crystal.

It was Jiang Li's preparation for the upcoming mission.

That useless pill formula was naturally the pill formula he copied from the Pill Chamber.

Learning pill refinement was not easy. By the time he could practice it on his own, even if he was not an amateur, it would be too late.

Thus, he passed the pill formula and spirit stones to Yan Hong and entrusted him to make a trip to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion to purchase the ingredients there and get the alchemists there to refine them.

Initially, he only had this thought and wanted to give it a try. He did not expect it to really succeed.

As for why he did not look for the alchemists in the sect to refine them… they were not fools. If he met someone who was more curious, that would be fatal.

He had carefully selected this pill formula, and its effects were extremely powerful.

This time, he was even more confident about going out now.

Jiang Li had never seen this crystal with his own eyes before, but he had seen it in the memories of the original owner of this body.

When he held it in his hand, it felt cold to the touch. After placing it in his palm for a moment, it emitted a gentle glow.

This was an Immortal Opportunity Stone!

As the name implied, it was a stone used to test whether a person had the opportunity to become an immortal.

In other words, it was used to test whether one had spiritual root aptitude.

In the past, the Immortal Ascension Pavilion's fleet had brought this type of stone with them. The mortal kingdoms would test out each and every youth of suitable age before bringing them back.

This was how Jiang Li and the others had embarked on the path of cultivation.

"I wonder how this Immortal Opportunity Stone works."

"Without such a magical stone, the scale of the Immortal Cultivation world would have shrunk by more than ten times.

Jiang Li took the Immortal Opportunity Stone and walked to the window of the room. On a small table beside the window, a clay pot filled with moist soil was quietly placed there.

After pushing aside the soil, the seed buried in the soil was still exactly the same as it was a few months ago. Its appearance and size had not changed at all.

"Since you are called the [Spiritual Root Seed, let's see if you are related to the spiritual root."

Jiang Li took out the seeds from the clay pot and placed them on the table next to the Immortal Opportunity Stone.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.

A layer of misty light was emitted from the Immortal Opportunity Stone…

"There's actually a reaction!"

Jiang Li was shocked. Could it be that a seed also had a spiritual root? Or could this thing really grow a spiritual root?

What did the spiritual root look like? Was it edible?

He held the seed in his hands and studied it for a while, but just like before, he still did not discover anything.

He had read through the Encyclopedia of Spiritual Materials and Seeds in the Alchemy Hall several times, but none of them looked exactly the same as this.

"That's strange. What should I do with you?"

Jiang Li thought for a moment before burying two spirit stones and the seed together.

Since it had a spiritual root, it should be able to absorb spiritual qi. If he put two spirit stones in, it might have some effect.

In the training hall two days later, Jiang Li met Yu Banxia and the rest again.

The other party was high-spirited and in a great mood. Clearly, he was very satisfied with the title of number one among the new disciples.

"Yu Banxia, congratulations! I think it won't be long before I call you inner sect senior!"

Everyone knew how to praise people. When a friend was in high spirits, it would not be wrong to praise him.

"Haha, that's not certain. The further you cultivate, the harder it becomes. I'm still far from breaking through to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. I won't be able to make it to the Outer Sect Grand Competition this year."

In other words, it was only a matter of time before he broke through to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm.

Right now, those senior brothers and sisters in the late-stage Qi Refinement realm in the outer sect were only suppressing him by relying on their accumulated cultivation over time.

When he broke through, he would take down the outer sect competition in one go.

His voice was not soft, causing many people to glance at him.

A few senior brothers who had always been very powerful in the outer sect looked over with unhappy expressions.

However, the outer sect had its own rules. The new disciples of the first year could not be touched!

The sect had to ensure that new disciples with potential had the time to develop. Otherwise, all of them would be extorted by the senior disciples. If a gap between generations appeared, the sect would not be able to grow.

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After meeting up, they headed towards the Mission Area.

"Do you have a target for the mission?"

In the circle, Yu Banxia, Qu Qianfan, Wang Liuliang, Lu Qianqian, and the rest were familiar with each other.

Jiang Li and Yan Hong did not hang out with them all the time, so their relationship was naturally slightly worse.

External missions required a comprehensive consideration of distance, position, difficulty, possible enemies, things to prepare, etc. It was impossible to make a decision on the spot.

They must have discussed this before. The only person who did not know about the details was Jiang Li.

"Hmm, although I gained quite a lot from the previous harvesting mission, I have been exploring in the forest. There is a shortage of supplies in the forest and I have to be on guard against any dangers. It is indeed too tiring."

Everyone else agreed with Yu Banxia, especially Lu Qianqian. She was going crazy after not showering for half a month.

"So this time, we plan to accept a mission in a mortal city."

Jiang Li looked at the second mission board in the Mission Area. It was a mission recommended to mid-stage Qi Refinement realm disciples.

Compared to the mission given to the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm, the reward for this mission was obviously a level higher. In contrast, the difficulty of the mission was naturally higher.

Some simple combat missions, such as hunting or cleaning up some of the lowest level demonic beasts, could already be seen on the board.

"So mortal kingdoms also have the ability to issue missions to cultivation sects?"

Jiang Li took a closer look, and to his surprise, he did find quite a number of requests issued by the mortal kingdom.

"In any case, the cultivation world relies on the mortal world. The cultivation seeds that join the sect every year and the food supplies that we use, aren't they all from the mortal countries?"

"As a reward, the Immortal Cultivation Sect has a certain obligation to protect the mortal kingdoms."

"Of course, every time a mission is issued, the price that has to be paid will make a country suffer."

Yu Banxia had an immortal background, so she knew more about this than Jiang Li.

But thinking about it, regardless of the form of development, the basic population construction was of utmost importance. If people were eaten up by demons and monsters, wouldn't cultivating become pointless?

"This is the mission we are going to accept. A large number of children are in a coma in the Southern Seal Kingdom."

"The specific details of the mission were not mentioned, but there were no casualties. It is just an ordinary investigation mission.

"We can relax. Even if we can't complete it, there won't be any danger."

Yu Banxia handed him a few pages of information.

Jiang Li took a few glances. Just as he said, it was just a simple inspection mission.

"Alright, I have no objections. When do we set off?"

Appraisal!

[Name: Yu Banxia, Gender: Male, Class: Cultivator, Level: Mid-stage Qi Refinement, Danger Level: Medium]

[Name: Qu Qianfan, Gender: Male, Class: Cultivator, Level: Initial-stage Qi Refinement, Danger Level: Low]

[Name: Wang Liuliang. Gender: Male. Class: Cultivator. Level: Initial-stage Qi Refinement. Danger Level: Low]

[Name: Lu Qianqian, Gender: Female, Class: Cultivator, Level: Initial-stage Qi Refinement, Danger Level: Low]

Jiang Li's appraisal skill swept through the seven people.

In the cultivation sect, it had been a long time since Jiang Li had used appraisal to scan people.

He was afraid to use it casually, if some powerful cultivator discovered this, he would be in deep trouble.

However, Jiang Li could be considered to have a deep understanding of the few of them. Their strength was definitely inferior to his, so there was no harm in appraising them.

Among them, the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm Yu Banxia was undoubtedly the strongest. The medium danger level meant that he already had the ability to cause some injuries to Jiang Li.

After they agreed to set off the next day, they left to make their final preparations.

Jiang Li arrived at the outer sect graveyard. The closer he got to the center, the lower the temperature became.

When he reached the center of the graveyard, he could see that there were many ice crystals mixed in the dark soil.

This was the place where he had always cultivated. The fifteen ghostwood tree wooden stakes were also buried here.

Jiang Li's interest was suddenly piqued. He walked up, squatted down, and slapped the ground with a single hand while letting out a low grunt.

"Impure World Reincarnation! Rise!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a pitch-black coffin slowly rose from the ground in the center of the circle formed by the fifteen ghostwood tree wooden stakes.

On top of the coffin, there was a thick and long chain wrapped around it. As the coffin rose, there was a rustling sound.

Alright, this was not 'Impure World Reincarnation', and inside this coffin was nothing more than a zombie.

Jiang Li had been in the outer sect graveyard for a long time, but he was not just meditating. He spent quite a bit of time selecting a complete corpse that was about to awaken into a zombie.

Furthermore, judging from the tombstone, it was originally a late-stage Qi Refinement disciple from seventy years ago. However, due to an accident, it died early on the path of cultivation and thus lay in this place where no one cared about.

Due to some special arrangements made during the sect's burial, the Yin qi and corpse qi were suppressed, preventing it from truly becoming a zombie for a long time.

It was not until Jiang Li dug it out and used the 'Zombie Puppet Technique' to plant the 'Zombie Seed' that the shackles binding it were released.

After dismantling the setup, the Yin qi and corpse qi that had accumulated for decades caused this corpse to transform into a bloodthirsty white zombie with an inch-long white fur in front of Jiang Li.

However, before the Zombie Transformation, the Zombie Seed had already been deeply implanted into the corpse. Even after the Zombie Transformation, the white zombie had no ability to break free from Jiang Li's control.

After some processing and guidance, Jiang Li placed the white zombie and a large pile of items of extreme yin into the coffin made of ghostwood.

Then, he used the chains that tied up a thousand prisoners who had been sentenced to death at the execution ground.

In the end, he buried the coffin into the Feng Shui formation core formed from fifteen ghostwood tree wooden stakes. It had been nourished by the dense Yin qi and corpse qi in the outer sect's burial mound for several months. Now, it could finally be used.

Grabbing the chain with one hand, Jiang Li lifted up the coffin, slung it over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

With his current strength, this coffin of more than a hundred kilograms of weight was nothing.

"Jiang Li, you…?"

The next day, when everyone gathered at the entrance of the Scripture Storage Valley, everyone, including the disciples guarding the entrance, were shocked by Jiang Li's 'luggage'.

They did not know if they should say that he was not afraid of death or that his brain was not good.

He brought a coffin with him when he went out on a mission?

To what extent was he afraid that he would not be able to have a place to sleep after he died…

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Chapter 33: Southern Seal Kingdom

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Faced with the crowd's doubts, Jiang Li could only explain that it was due to a special cultivation method that he had no choice but to do so.

They all knew that Jiang Li often stayed in the graveyard to cultivate. It did not seem unreasonable for him to bring a coffin when he went out now…

After settling the procedures, everyone rented a spirit colt carriage from the sect and set off.

The distance between the Southern Seal Kingdom and the Southern Seal Kingdom was not far. If they traveled day and night in the carriage, they would arrive in three days.

After all, it was impossible for the sect to let their disciples run too far to carry out missions.

Jiang Li and the others were seated in a carriage. They followed the path that someone had cut out and sped towards a certain direction.

During this period, they could not help but stop to rest and start a fire to cook.

Yu Banxia and the rest had experienced it before, so they knew what to take note of when they went out to camp.

Along the way, they did not have to worry about food and drinks. Lu Qianqian, that petite girl, actually sang well. From time to time, she would sing a few songs, bringing a lot of joy to the boring journey.

In this world, the Great Mountain Region was only a small region in the Nine Provinces and was relatively barren and remote.

However, to Jiang Li and the other Qi Refinement realm cultivators who could not fly, the vastness was unimaginable.

In any case, Jiang Li still could not remember how many mortal kingdoms there were in the Great Mountain Region.

The Southern Seal Kingdom was one of them. In terms of size and population, it was less than a third of the Great Goose Kingdom that Jiang Li originated from. Moreover, it was backed by a desert of sand. The land was dry, and its population was less than ten million.

It was said that this incident had a wide range of influence. There were as many as two thousand children who were unconscious. It was only because of this that the King of the Southern Seal Kingdom could no longer sit still and paid a price to send people to issue a commission in the Southern Seal Kingdom.

As they got closer and closer to the end of the journey, Jiang Li felt a bit strange.

The air became even drier. The soil along the way gradually turned from rich black soil to yellow soil and sand that were even more unfavorable to plant growth.

It was midsummer, and the flowers and trees by the roadside were supposed to be full of life.

However, at a glance, all the plants in the forest appeared to be wilting. The leaves of many plants were dyed with a withered yellow color of autumn.

Jiang Li had a Wood attribute spiritual root, so it was inevitable that he would be more sensitive to such matters than others.

Looking at the map provided by the sect, there was a huge desert behind the Southern Seal Kingdom that had no clear boundaries.

If the governance of the desert was poor and the soil was severely sandy, it was not impossible for the fertile land of the Southern Seal Kingdom to lose nutrition and moisture.

However… he looked at his surroundings. There were trees everywhere, and on the land around the villages and towns of the Southern Seal Kingdom, there was a large plot of rice farmland. So that was not it…

He muttered to himself as he had a bad feeling. Could the large-scale coma of children be related to this phenomenon?

After passing through the last dense forest, Jiang Li and the others stuck their heads out from the carriage. They finally saw the location of this mission, the Southern Seal Kingdom.

[Overdose of Clear Sight Pills, Added Status: Enhanced Clear Sight]

[Enhanced Clear Sight: Dynamic Vision increased by 200%, Vision Range increased by 200%, Night Vision increased by 50%. Duration: ] ()

Jiang Li himself was a cultivator, and he had sharp ears and eyes. Coupled with the effects of this buff, his eyes could already be used as binoculars.

With his current astonishing vision, Jiang Li could clearly see the city walls when others could only see them vaguely. In the farmland outside the city, the hardworking farmers could be seen, along with the soldiers who were guarding the city gate listlessly.

There was no martial law in the capital of the Southern Seal Kingdom. The soldiers and residents were very lax. It seemed that this country did not lie about the mission. There were no casualties and no clear enemies.

However, when Jiang Li and the others' carriage approached, they still did not see any children playing in the fields.

The spirit horses in the cultivation world were abnormally divine, and the carriage they pulled was also the size of a small room, far exceeding the standard of ordinary carriages.

Most importantly, there was a black coffin tied to the top of the carriage.

Therefore, all the peddlers and foot soldiers they met along the way looked at the carriage with a strange gaze.

However, to them, anyone who could sit in a carriage was definitely a noble. No one dared to be disrespectful.

"Tsk, these country bumpkins dare to stare at us. They really don't know anything. They don't have any respect for immortals."

Although they were only at the lowest level of the Qi Refinement realm in the cultivation world, in the eyes of mortals, they were no different from immortals.

Although it was somewhat shameful for them to say this, it was not wrong in the mortal countries.

It was just like how every time the Immortal Ascension Pavilion was selecting disciples with spiritual roots, the ruler of a kingdom had to bow and follow by his side.

"We have to show them what we can do first."

The carriage stopped in front of the city gate. Yu Banxia reached out a hand and a fireball grew bigger in his palm. Soon, it was the size of a basketball.

Flame Creation Art.

Yu Banxia had a strong fire attribute spiritual root, so he had chosen this technique with Jiang Li back then.

A few seconds later, the fireball suddenly shot upwards. As it flew, it turned into a vivid and lifelike flaming bird. It circled in the air for a while before disappearing with a puff.

Yu Banxia's flaming bird might be useless in actual combat, but it was more than enough to scare people.

This was especially true for the ignorant commoners of the uncivilized era. They would kowtow to a tiny monster, let alone an immortal like this.

In an instant, everyone near the city gate, regardless of age or gender, knelt down in a crowd.

"The Immortals of the Scripture Storage Valley have arrived! Why is the King of the Southern Seal Kingdom not coming out to pay his respects?!"

Driven by spiritual qi, the sound waves spread out.

After shouting, Jiang Li and the others urged their spiritual horses into the city. How could they, as immortals, wait for mortals?

The carriage slowly moved along the straight main road. The crowd knelt on both sides of the carriage, and no one dared to look up at the carriage.

Very quickly, in the direction of the royal palace, another carriage was rushing over. However, the other party clearly did not dare to crash into the immortal carriage, stopping at the end of the road from afar.

A middle-aged man dressed in gorgeous clothes ran over while surrounded by a group of servants.

"Lord Immortals! Are you the Immortals of the Scripture Storage Valley? I'm the King of the Southern Seal Kingdom, and I'm here to welcome you!"

The servants were also kneeling on both sides of the road. They did not dare to speak.

As for the middle-aged King, he clasped his hands and bowed. It had been a long time since he had done something like this.

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Chapter 34: The Sleeping Children

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

In the end, the reason why the King of the Southern Seal Kingdom treated them so well was because he had seen too few cultivators and did not understand them. Therefore, he was cautious and fearful.

Originally, there were many cultivators who had no future in the cultivation world and were greedy for riches and honor in the mortal world. Many of them would be willing to join a secular dynasty and become a freeloader or even control the royal family.

However, these secular dynasties had long been regarded as the private properties of the major sects of the cultivation world.

How could they allow those poor rogue cultivators to snatch their food?

Rogue cultivators were not allowed to join kingdoms and sects looked down on mortal kingdoms. This was the reason for the current situation.

Jiang Li and the others walked out of the carriage. The King of the Southern Seal Kingdom was surprised at their young age. In the eyes of the public, immortals were all white-haired old men.

But he did not dare to speculate.

"Lord Immortal Masters, you have come from afar. Please come to the palace and sit down. Let us arrange a grand banquet to welcome you."

This king was really enthusiastic, and the banquet he prepared must not be too bad. A few disciples had strange thoughts, but Yu Banxia, who was standing at the front, had no intention of enjoying it.

"We are here for the commission from the Southern Seal Kingdom. Hurry up and tell us the details."

"And where are all those unconscious children now? Take us there."

Since he said so, no one would refute him.

The king pulled a few officials from the side of the road. After giving them some instructions, he returned to personally lead the way for Jiang Li and the others.

"Lord Immortal Masters, more than two thousand children have fainted overnight. It has been thirteen days since then!"

"The best physicians and imperial physicians in our country have all seen them. They have used all kinds of herbs and precious medicine, but they just won't wake up."

"My poor 13th, 15th, and 17th child are all like this. I'm so anxious!"

"Immortal Masters, please save them!"

Everyone looked at each other. Your children are already like this and you still want to treat us to a banquet?

It seemed that no matter how much one loved something, once there were too many of them, their feelings would be diluted. Regardless of whether it was love or kinship, they were the same.

"No children starved to death after thirteen days of coma?"

"We asked the people to feed the children with clear porridge. Although the children were asleep, they were fortunate enough to eat it. That was how they managed to survive until you arrived."

Everyone understood and Yu Banxia continued to ask.

"Did anything special happen before or after the children fainted? Or did they eat anything special?"

However, this simple and ordinary question made the King of the Southern Seal Kingdom unable to answer for a long time.

"Forget it. You should let the people below ask. You have to ask every child's family and hometown. Don't miss any details."

Jiang Li's sudden words made Yu Banxia react. How could a King care about such trivial matters?

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll give the instructions immediately."

With a wave of his hand, a eunuch who had been following closely behind immediately ran over. After receiving the order, he immediately ran away to look for the officials to issue the decree.

Soon they followed the King into the palace.

Along the way, they could see many commoners carrying their children towards the palace.

There were also quite a few soldiers and officials walking through the streets to guide the people.

When the citizens heard that immortals had descended and could help them treat their children, they did not dare to delay. They either carried or brought their children and rushed to the palace.

By the time Jiang Li and the others arrived, the square of the royal palace was already covered with various colored cloths. One by one, unconscious children lay there in a vast array.

It was not that Jiang Li and the others were slow, but the King who was leading them was too slow.

He looked strong, but in reality, he was quite feeble. The only thing he was good at was to workout in bed. This journey had really exhausted him.

Jiang Li and the others were afraid that the King would pass out just like that.

"Immortal Masters, please come this way."

A few other "noble-looking" fellows stepped forward and took over the King who was exhausted. They led Jiang Li and the others to a side hall.

"Why are we still going there? Aren't all the unconscious children here?" Qu Qianfan did not understand.

He was born in the Pugilistic World and had not experienced so many twists and turns.

"Oh, how can we let the Immortal Masters treat the citizens under the scorching sun? It's better to go to the Imperial Physician Institution in our side palace and bring the children over one by one." An old man in luxurious clothes hurriedly replied.

But while he said that, the truth was that the people lying in the open field were the children of common farmers.

As for those who were lying in the Imperial Physician Institution and being carefully treated, they were all of royal blood.

Even the ones who had set up a shed next to the Imperial Physician Institution were all sons of rich officials.

This was the disparity of nobles and commoners!

"The more people there are, the more we'll be able to find the pattern. I think we should check the plaza first."

Jiang Li's sudden words caused the other disciples to be stunned, but they all stopped moving.

On one hand, Jiang Li's words made sense. On the other hand, how could a mortal's words compare to Jiang Li's?

The high-ranking officials and nobles' expressions immediately became a bit ugly, they felt a bit embarrassed, but even the King did not dare say anything, so how could they dare bare their fangs?

Jiang Li and the rest walked to a child's side.

It was a boy with a red face and a thick yellow snot on one side of his nose.

He was about ten years old, but Jiang Li did not notice anything unusual.

Although he was comatose, it was more like sleeping. Other than being unable to wake up no matter what, they would snore, turn over, and even talk in their sleep and kick their blankets.

He looked perfectly normal. Even someone who was drunk would be in a deeper sleep than them.

"Qianqian!"

Yu Banxia only called her name and Lu Qianqian immediately understood. She rubbed her slender fingers and three silver needles appeared between her fingers.

With a flash of silver light, the three needles entered the boy's body.

Fortunately, the parents of these children had already been chased out. Otherwise, if they were seen by others, the 'doctor-patient conflict' would probably erupt again.

"This needle of mine is smeared with the venom of the Red-Eyed Thorn Worm. It will cause intense pain if pricked. Mortals definitely cannot endure it."

Lu Qianqian was a sweet and petite girl, but to think she would use such a vicious hidden weapon.

After the silver needle entered the boy's body, the boy immediately reacted. First, his body shook, and then he began to squirm uneasily.

The eyes under the boy's eyelids also rolled quickly, and his eyelashes kept trembling as if he was about to open them at any moment.

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Chapter 35: Monk

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The few of them surrounded the child and watched as he twisted and rolled around. In the end, he actually cried in his sleep. However, his eyes refused to open no matter what, unable to wake up from his dream.

"It really is impossible."

Everyone was not discouraged. They had already expected this situation.

If the pain alone could make these children wake up, they would not be here.

The imagination of humans was boundless, and the torture of various countries was not to be trifled with.

Lu Qianqian looked interested.

Her small hand gently brushed across the boy's body, and the three blood-stained silver needles returned to her hand.

"How is it?" Everyone hurriedly asked. The reason why they were so confident this time was largely because of Lu Qianqian.

She was a doctor who had learned the medical skills of the cultivation world and was quite skilled.

"It's not poison, but… his blood smells a little strange."

Lu Qianqian squatted down again, and two balls of clear water appeared on her hands. She pressed them onto the boy's body and started a more detailed examination.

"Lu Qianqian must have had some experience before she joined the sect."

Although the Cultivation Hall in the Scripture Storage Valley had imparted such knowledge, it was only superficial and was not enough to support her to this extent.

"That's right. Qianqian's family has a medical legacy. Although they are not very powerful, they have their own specialties in healing and treating illnesses."

"They have a great reputation in the mortal world. Legend has it that there is no illness that the Lu family cannot cure."

Yu Banxia explained to Jiang Li, sounding very confident.

Jiang Li nodded. Seeing that she did not have any results for the time being, he circled around all the children and threw appraisal at them from time to time.

[Name: Zhao Ah-San, Gender: Male, Class: None, Level: None, Danger Level: None]

[Name: Zhang Ah-Niu, Gender: Male, Class: None, Level: None, Danger Level: None]

[Name: Zhang Xiaohua, Gender: Female, Class: None, Level: None, Danger Level: None]

Unfortunately, the level of appraisal was still not high enough, and it could not identify many useful things.

After a round, he still had some gains.

These kids were mostly between eight and fourteen years old, neither older or younger. So, what did they have in common?

After walking around, he realized that Lu Qianqian was still frowning and studying.

As for the others, most of them practiced offensive spell techniques, which were completely useless when it came to healing.

Hence, they were arranged to find some locals from the Southern Seal Kingdom to make inquiries. Yu Banxia requested for them to do everything in detail.

Logically speaking, they should have something in common with such a large-scale incident. What exactly caused them to become like this?

"Banxia, I have a spell that I can try too." Jiang Li politely informed Yu Banxia.

"Give it a try, just don't kill anyone." Yu Banxia saw that Lu Qianqian was perspiring more and more, and he started to feel uncertain. It was good to try something now if there was a chance.

Jiang Li flipped over a youth who looked slightly older than him. The back of his head was facing the sky as he lay on the ground.

He formed hand seals and muttered something. A green light flickered from his fingers and slowly flew into the back of the youth's head.

Zombie Puppet Technique!

This technique could even control broken corpses, so it was naturally easy to control living people.

If it was a cultivator, they could still resist with their spiritual qi and will, but these were just mortals.

"Stand up!" Jiang Li pointed his fingers at the youth on the ground. The green light was constantly entering the back of his head.

The young man's body was like a puppet with strings attached. Limb by limb, he moved stiffly. Under Jiang Li's control, his body stood up inch by inch.

"He's up! He's really up!"

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master! This is indeed the work of an Immortal!"

When the surrounding mortal officials saw this change, they immediately became excited and fanatical. They wanted nothing more than to kneel down and kowtow to Jiang Li, before erecting a monument for him.

However, right at this moment, the young man's expression suddenly became incomparably wrinkled and hideous, as if he was enduring an extremely great pain.

"Wake up!"

The external will forced the youth's eyes to open slowly. What surprised Jiang Li was that this fellow could actually resist.

His body spasmed and twisted, looking extremely strange.

One of his eyelids was pulled up forcefully, but what was exposed was still the white of his bloodshot eyes.

On the other side, his eyelids closed again after a little.

"He's actually able to resist!!?"

Jiang Li was shocked. This was his first time controlling a mortal, yet he actually did not succeed!

He could clearly feel that there was another tenacious will in this young man's body that was vying for control.

Could this young man be some peerless genius? Could he resist a mid-stage Qi Refinement spell technique with just the will of a mortal?

This was too exaggerated.

Jiang Li was still in shock when suddenly, an explosive shout came from behind him.

"Vile demon! How dare you commit such a crime!" The Buddhist Monk's voice roared like thunder.

Jiang Li only felt a gust of vicious wind coming from behind him at high speed. The hair on his back instantly stood on end.

Someone launched a sneak attack!

Subconsciously, he released his spiritual qi. The skin on his back instantly turned pitch-black and was even stiffer than a rock.

But in the next moment, a yellow figure flashed past him, bringing dust with it as it ran towards the youth that Jiang Li was controlling.

Ha!

A fist the size of a clay pot struck out, directly hitting the youngster's thin chest.

The sounds of bones breaking rang out in succession. The unlucky youth who might have been a heaven warping genius was flung like a rag. After flying through the air, he crashed heavily into the ground.

"Hmph! I can tell at one glance that you're not human!" In the end, the monk in yellow monk robes said this.

Jiang Li and the others were speechless.

The officials of the Southern Seal Kingdom did not know how to react.

"Erm… Senior Brother, who are you?" Jiang Li, who was the closest to him, spoke first.

The monk appeared out of nowhere. Before Yu Banxia and the rest could react, he had already passed through them.

The speed at which the other party approached was extremely fast, much faster than him when he was not under pill poisoning.

The punch was extremely powerful, and it was obvious that he was not an easy opponent.

However, this enemy did not attack him. Instead, he sent a weak mortal flying. He really could not tell what his opponent wanted to do.

"Hey, Junior Brother, don't stand on ceremony. We should help each other out when we leave the mountains to train. How can we not help when we see such vile demons hurting others?"

"This monk's title is Zheng Yuan, disciple of the Benevolent Travel Temple. Junior Brother, you are?"

The monk turned around with a forthright smile.

Jiang Li was infected by his confident smile and started to doubt himself.

Could it be that he had misjudged him? Was that young man really a hidden demon?

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Chapter 36: The Birth of the Demon?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"May I ask this Senior Brother how you determined that person was a demon?"

At this moment, Yu Banxia and the rest rushed over and stood together with Jiang Li. The spiritual qi in their bodies seemed to be gathering, ready to defend against any sudden attacks.

"How? Isn't it obvious?" At this moment, Monk Zheng Yuan was a little puzzled. His forthright smile slowly faded as he walked over to the youth he had sent flying.

"This demon's body was filled with Yin qi just now. He bared his fangs and brandished his claws, preparing to harm others. If he isn't a demon, what else can he be?"

Cough cough cough!

Right at this time, the youth who was lying on the ground like a lump of mud suddenly coughed a few times that sounded like his breath was clogged. After a lump of foam blood spurted out from his mouth and nose, his deeply sunken chest actually rose and fell again.

This youth was actually still alive.

"Eh? Why did that Yin qi disappear?" The cultivator who claimed to be a disciple of Benevolent Travel Temple scratched his head, still not understanding what had happened.

"Qianqian, go and see if there's any hope of saving him."

"Senior Brother, the Yin qi just now was actually the effect of my spell technique. This young man is indeed not a demon."

"He's the same as the other children in the square. It's only because of some unknown reason that he's been unconscious."

"Senior brother, please step back a bit so that our junior sister can see if she can treat his injuries."

Jiang Li explained the general situation of the children in the Southern Seal Kingdom. He raised his right hand and condensed a ball of Yin qi as proof.

Seeing the Yin qi in Jiang Li's hand, Zheng Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of displeasure, but it quickly disappeared.

"This… this is actually the case. There's such a strange illness?"

"Amitabha. I've accidentally injured a good person!"

"I have sinned, I have sinned!"

Zheng Yuan looked like a reasonable person. After knowing that everyone was wary of him, he retreated a distance.

"Junior Sister, please heal the injured."

"This is the Jade Bone Flesh Regeneration Pill of my Benevolent Travel Temple. I wish to express my apologies and hope to help this person."

As he spoke, he even took out a bottle of medicinal pills from his sleeve and handed it over.

Jiang Li and the others stepped forward to separate him from the injured. Only then did they allow Lu Qianqian to stand behind them and begin to heal her with spell techniques.

Yu Banxia took the pill carefully and opened it to take a sniff. He did not find anything wrong with it and felt much more relieved.

On one hand, their strength was limited. On the other hand, they had no relationship with that youth. They had no intention of standing up for him.

In reality, when Jiang Li released the Yin attribute spiritual qi just now, he was still guarding against the other party who might suddenly attack in the name of justice.

At the very least, in terms of cultivation base, a monk at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm was able to deal with all these rookies by himself.

Under such circumstances, it was better to resolve the issue and settle it properly.

"Senior Brother Zheng Yuan is righteous. We will do our best to save that youth. It's his fortune to be able to eat such a precious pill in his lifetime."

Cultivators who injured mortals and knew how to compensate them were actually quite rare.

Moreover, it was the Jade Bone Flesh Regeneration Pill, a famous high-grade Yellow-rank medicinal pill among Yellow-rank medicinal pills. Its effects were good but its production quantity was low.

Outer sect disciples like them were even unable to find a way to purchase it, so how could they bear to feed it to a mortal?

Speaking of which, this medicinal pill was probably more of a way to silence him.

After all, feeding a mortal pills was fine if it was a low-grade Yellow-rank, but a high-grade Yellow-rank medicinal pill was not much different from directly slapping him to death.

"Well, there's something else."

"Looking at the clothes of junior brothers and sisters, you must be disciples of the Scripture Storage Valley."

The relationship between the major sects of the Great Mountain Region was not bad.

It was said that there would often be interactions between disciples of the sect. In history, there were even many marriage relationships between the sects. It was very normal for them to know each other's disciple attire.

It was only because these rookies were inexperienced that they did not recognize him.

"That's right, we're disciples of the Scripture Storage Valley. We've come here to solve the problem of these unconscious children." Yu Banxia answered truthfully. It was unlikely that the other party had a feud with the sect. Otherwise, that punch would have landed on Jiang Li.

"Hmm, when you came, did you see a cemetery nearby, or some dangerous territory with especially deep Yin qi?"

Everyone finally understood what he was asking.

It turned out that he had asked the local officials for directions at the beginning. Then, he had suddenly seen the youth controlled by Jiang Li, which was why he attacked.

"I'm sorry, we've never seen the cemetery. But the King and officials of the Southern Seal Kingdom are around. They might be able to help you."

"Senior Brother Zheng Yuan, did something happen?"

The monk shook his head. It was unknown if he did not want to say more or if he did not understand the situation himself.

"If you haven't seen it, then forget it. Recently, this region hasn't been very peaceful. It seems that a demon has appeared."

"It's best if you don't leave the city here. After settling the matters here, don't stay and return to the sect earlier."

Jiang Li and the others looked at each other, and their expressions were unsightly. Could it be that the unconsciousness of these children was related to that demon? This was truly a troublesome mission.

"Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother Zheng Yuan. We will take note."

After thanking him, they introduced him to the King of the Southern Seal Kingdom and asked him the same question.

However, the local officials and the King's replies were disappointing.

"Cemetery? What's that?"

"Oh, a place where the dead are buried? I'm sorry, Immortal Masters and Master Monk, but we don't have such a thing."

"Our Southern Seal Kingdom has always done water burial. If a person cannot return to the arms of the Mother River after death, we believe it is the greatest blasphemy against the dead."

There was actually no ground burial in this country, so there was no way to talk about the cemetery.

The King and officials of the Southern Seal Kingdom had never even heard of the term "cemetery". It could be seen that this custom had been around for a long time.

Now that they thought about it, it was true that they had never seen any graves or tombstones on their way here. This was rather abnormal for a mortal country with limited transportation abilities. It was impossible for them to bury their corpses too far away.

Even in the modern era where cremation laws had been implemented for a long time, there were cement cemeteries everywhere on the mountain, but there were none here. It seemed that what they said was true.

Monk Zheng Yuan did not find what he wanted, but he reminded them in a distant and obscure manner that they should not spread the news of what had just happened and quickly left.

This was only the beginning.

News of the appearance of this "demon" seemed to have spread far and wide. As they were leaving, another four or five waves of cultivators arrived to inquire.

Among them were rogue cultivators and disciples from other sects nearby.

Their target was the same, but they were clearly not of the same faction.

After Jiang Li and the others met up with the two groups of cultivators, they unanimously believed that they should not be dragged deeper into this matter.

A bunch of newbies at the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm had yet to reach the stage where they could participate in such matters.

They retreated to the palace of the Southern Seal Kingdom, avoiding outsiders and letting the King and officials receive them themselves.

They continued to research the unconscious children. The sooner they completed their mission, the sooner they could leave this troublesome place.

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Chapter 37: The Smell in the Blood

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Qian Qian, how is it? Can he still be saved?"

In the inner hall of the palace, Lu Qianqian was holding a ball of water in one hand and a silver needle in the other. She was performing a complicated operation on the injured youth's body.

Monk Zheng Yuan was still a cultivator from Benevolent Travel Temple. His physical strength was extremely terrifying. Even Jiang Li, who had a tough skin and thick flesh, would not feel okay if he was punched.

Even if he had held back with that punch, it was already extremely lucky for a mortal like this youth to be able to still stay alive!

"It's hard to say yet."

"I used the Spring Water Technique to temporarily save his life. Then, I used silver needles and strings to stitch up his internal organs and reconnect his broken bones."

"However, this injury is still too severe. The chance of surviving is very low. I'm afraid there's not even a 10% chance."

Seeing that Lu Qianqian's forehead was covered in sweat, Yu Banxia stepped forward and wiped her forehead with a white cloth.

"Just do your best. Don't overuse your spiritual qi."

Yu Banxia was obviously not interested in saving the guy. If Zheng Yuan had not left a bottle of pills for them to save him, they might have given up long ago.

"There are only three Jade Bone Flesh Regeneration Pills in this bottle. The eight of us can't distribute them equally."

"For the market price, high-grade Yellow-rank medicinal pills usually cost ten spirit stones per pill. However, the quality and effect of these three medicinal pills have not been appraised, so the price will be lower when placed on the market."

"That's why if anyone needs it now, you can exchange for it using eight spirit stones each and split the amount amongst the others. If all of you don't need it, then we can distribute the sale amount after we return to the sect."

At this point, Yu Banxia took out the bottle of pills that Zheng Yuan had given him. He shook it gently, and the sound was crisp. Obviously, there were not many pills inside.

Yu Banxia did not rely on his cultivation level to get a larger share.

The distribution plan was very reasonable. It seemed that he still valued this new disciple circle and planned to continue managing it well.

"Very fair. If you have no objections, then give me that bottle of Jade Bone Flesh Regeneration Pill. Here are 21 spirit stones."

It was worth 24 spirit stones, but Jiang Li was also one of the eight, so he naturally had a share. Therefore, he only needed to give three spirit stones to each person.

Jiang Li had always been the type of person who could not look away when he saw medicinal pills. He naturally would not let this kind of opportunity go.

Other than him, the other seven people were only slightly richer than Yu Banxia. The others probably would not be able to fork out more than 20 spirit stones.

Therefore, these high-grade Yellow-rank Jade Bone Flesh Regeneration Pills ended up in his hands.

"Jiang Li, I can't believe you've earned so many spirit stones. Tell me what kind of missions you're doing in the Mission Area."

They were rather surprised by Jiang Li's generosity. Originally, they had thought that their last mission had gone smoothly, and that the new outer sect disciples were still considered to be wealthy. Never had they imagined that Jiang Li had already surpassed them silently.

"It's nothing much, Elder Red Hair from the Alchemy Hall took an interest in me so I am now his registered disciple. Sometimes, I will help out and earn some spirit stones."

He displayed his registered disciple identity token and received a round of envious gazes. A registered disciple who was primarily testing pills was still a registered disciple. As long as he did not say anything, who would know?

"Gasp! Jiang Li, you actually have a talent in pill refinement!"

"How long has it been since you entered the sect? You've already become a registered disciple of an elder! In fact, that's an elder of the Alchemy Hall! Jiang Li, you're really impressive!"

"Jiang Li! Big Brother Jiang! We'll have to rely on you in the future!"

"Jiang Li, why didn't you say so earlier? Congratulations!"

As expected, once he mentioned that he was a registered disciple, their attitude towards him immediately became even friendlier.

Jiang Li received the same treatment as when Yu Banxia broke through to the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm a few days ago.

There were all sorts of flattering words, and the words were basically the same, making him and Yu Banxia feel awkward.

"Pill refinement requires a lot of spirit stones. Right now, I'm just a handyman. I'm still far from being able to refine pills myself."

Jiang Li made a few excuses before moving away from this topic.

"Hah, it's finally over. I didn't expect that saving a mortal would exhaust me to this extent."

Lu Qianqian finally finished her treatment. The young man, who was about to lose his life, was successfully brought back to the world of the living. The result of the surgery was also perfect.

"But what can we do next?"

"When I was treating him just now, I checked his entire body. He was not poisoned nor did he have any other wounds. I still haven't found the reason for their coma."

"Sorry everyone, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint everyone this time."

Lu Qianqian, who was everyone's hope, said that.

It was impossible for everyone not to be disappointed. However, there was nothing they could do. How could they blame the young lady?

"Don't say that, Qianqian. This isn't your fault to begin with. Plus, we can't conclude so easily."

"I believe the coma this time is very likely related to the birth of that demon. Perhaps, we should wait a bit longer. When the monster is exterminated by other cultivators, those children might wake up on their own."

Yu Banxia seemed to be interested in Lu Qianqian and immediately comforted her.

"Qianqian, I remember you said that the previous child's blood had a strange smell, right?"

When they were showing off their love, Jiang Li interrupted them at an inappropriate time.

"Yes, but I didn't find any poison in the blood."

"I've also tested the blood with other animals. It doesn't make them sleep."

Lu Qianqian gave her conclusion. As a medical practitioner, she naturally would not let go of such an obvious abnormality.

But this anomaly had been proved harmless, and there was no point in bringing it up again.

"Does this child's blood have the same smell?" Jiang Li asked again.

"No… No, I should say that his blood has another strange smell." Lu Qianqian hesitated for a moment before explaining in detail.

"I've used silver needles to test the blood of these children. There's a little more smell in their blood than normal people. Although they're different, it's still there."

"However, I don't think that's a problem. The cultivation world is so big. The long-term effects of geography and climate will cause a huge difference between people."

"That smell is probably unique to the children of the Southern Seal Kingdom. It doesn't mean anything."

"Jiang Li, do you think this is the reason why they fainted?"

Lu Qianqian felt that Jiang Li was just a layman in terms of medical skills.

Human skin, eyes, and hair could be different in color. The difference in smell was nothing.

"No, I'm not sure what caused them to faint, but don't you think that him being alive is abnormal?"

"What are the chances of a mortal child surviving a strike from a late-stage Qi Refinement realm cultivator?"

"What if he survived not because of a coincidence?"

As he spoke, Jiang Li took out a crystal from his pocket and placed it in the heavily injured youth's hand.

A moment later, a layer of mist-like light slowly emerged from the crystal.

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"This… this is an Immortal Opportunity Stone?"

The Immortal Opportunity Stone could be said to be something that had changed their lives. Even after several months, everyone still remembered this type of crystal that was not that beautiful.

"Yes, this is an Immortal Opportunity Stone."

This was precisely the Immortal Opportunity Stone that Jiang Li had asked Yan Hong to buy from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion. When he went out on the mission, he felt that it might be useful, so he took it out with him.

"The Skill Imparting Elder once said that for those with spiritual roots, even if they did not embark on the path of cultivation, their bodies would automatically absorb the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth, and they would also have stronger bodies and longer lives than ordinary people."

"That's why I suspected that this young man has a spiritual root."

Jiang Li found a reason to express his guess. However, in reality, those with spiritual roots and latent talent were slightly better than ordinary people, but it was rather limited. His theory was actually rather far-fetched.

Jiang Li had such suspicions and even took out the Immortal Opportunity Stone to verify it. The most important reason was that his 'Zombie Puppet Technique' had been expelled!

Before the youth was injured by Zheng Yuan, the "seed" planted in his body was expelled from his body by a certain force.

If he had been able to resist Jiang Li's spell technique, it could be said that his willpower and talent were exceptional. However, to be able to achieve such a feat by himself was definitely not something a mortal could do.

Jiang Li guessed that there was indeed something in the children's bodies.

Those things were lodged in the bodies of these children, causing them to fall asleep. However, they could protect their lives when they were heavily injured and expel foreign objects when they were invaded. They could even bestow a host with a spiritual root!

"However, even if he has a spiritual root, this doesn't mean anything. Perhaps he didn't participate in the spiritual root test and was overlooked by the people from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion."

"The outer sect mission requires us to treat them and solve the problem of the Southern Seal Kingdom. If not, we will find out the reason and return."

"But what does an unconscious child have to do with our mission?"

They were still very confused as to why Jiang Li was saying all this.

"What if I say that the 2,000 youths in the square outside all have spiritual roots!"

Jiang Li's words were shocking without doubt.

"More than two thousand people? Do all of them have spiritual roots? That's impossible!"

Yu Banxia and the rest subconsciously denied Jiang Li's guess.

Even if spiritual root aptitude was not one in ten thousand, it was basically only one in a thousand people.

In the Great Mountain Region, there were hundreds of kingdoms, and each time the Immortal Ascension Assembly selected a soon-to-be disciple, they were less than 1-in-10,000.

The Southern Seal Kingdom was only a small country and they were in the capital. There were not many children between eight to fourteen years old.

If what Jiang Li said was true, then the ratio of children with spiritual roots and latent talent would far surpass 1-in-10. Then the Southern Seal Kingdom would truly become the land blessed by heaven.

If this was true, then the coma was no longer the issue.

"I can't believe it either. However, the world is huge, and there are all kinds of strange things. We should test a few more children first, and everything will be clear."

The reason why Jiang Li dared to say this was naturally because he had already tried it before.

After the monk left, he immediately used the Immortal Opportunity Stone to test dozens of children. All of them had positive reactions.

Spiritual roots were not radishes that could be found all over the streets. It was impossible for such a large number of spiritual roots to appear at the same time without any external influence.

He took back the Immortal Opportunity Stone and went to another room with everyone. There were many unconscious children lying inside.

They waved for the palace maids and nannies who were feeding the children to leave.

In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Jiang Li handed the Immortal Opportunity Stone to Lu Qianqian and asked her to test them one by one.

They blew out the lights, and the faint fog-like fluorescent light lit up the dim room.

One could be due to a bizarre coincidence, two could be due to fate, and three could be caused by heaven's will…

But what about four? Five, six, or even seven?

After more than a hundred children in this room had all been tested for their spiritual root aptitude, they were all so shocked that they could not speak.

"This… this Immortal Opportunity Stone… Is it broken?"

When everyone thought about it, it was indeed possible.

He quickly found a few children who were not unconscious to test it, but the Immortal Opportunity Stone did not react at all.

As such, they had no choice but to believe it.

"They… they really have spiritual roots!"

"This mission is no longer something we can handle. We have to report this to the sect as soon as possible!"

The faces of Jiang Li and the others who understood the situation became extremely serious.

"Then, does this mean that our mission has failed?"

In Lu Qianqian's mind, she was still fixated on saving the children. For a moment, she could not figure out the severity of the matter. She thought that if she asked the sect for help before the mission was completed, it meant that the mission had failed.

"Qianqian, the mission is no longer important."

Right now, whether they were unconscious or not, whether they could treat them, and whether they could find out the truth, were no longer the most important things.

There were more than two thousand potential cultivators with spiritual roots.

According to the price of the Immortal Ascension Assembly, even the worst quality of inferior-grade spiritual roots could earn them two spirit stones.

In the outer sect of the Scripture Storage Valley, although there were no missions to recruit new disciples, they would never reject cheap labor like outer sect disciples.

With such a large number of potential cultivators, as long as this news was sent back to the sect, no matter how stingy the sect was, they would definitely receive a huge reward.

Even if the eight of them were to divide the profits equally, it would definitely not be worse than Jiang Li's three months' worth of revenue from testing pills.

Yu Banxia explained, and the few of them quickly understood what she meant. They became extremely excited and nervous.

Now, a lottery ticket that could be exchanged for a large amount of cash was placed in front of them. It all depended on how they were going to win the lottery.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry back to the sect and report this!" A disciple said excitedly.

However, Jiang Li and Yu Banxia looked exceptionally serious.

"It's not that simple." Jiang Li shook his head.

"Do you still remember what the Benevolent Travel Temple's Monk Zheng Yuan said?"

"He said it's best not to leave the city and return to the sect as soon as possible after completing the mission."

"We do not know the exact details of the demon's appearance. However, due to certain reasons, many cultivators have been attracted over."

Everyone's excited faces darkened at this mention.

In just one afternoon, five or six waves of cultivators had arrived at the palace. It was enough to see that a considerable number of cultivators had already gathered within the confines of the capital.

Jiang Li and the others did not have social anxiety. The reason they entered the palace to avoid cultivators was to get away from trouble.

After all, the sect cultivators here were easier to talk to.

But in the case of rogue cultivators, although they usually appeared to be subservient, once they had a chance, they would turn into a demonic cultivator immediately and deal a fatal blow to you.

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Chapter 39: Twin Devils of the Thorn River

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Just as the monk had said, the Southern Seal Kingdom was not peaceful recently.

"Besides, there are so many sleeping children in the palace today. It must have attracted the attention of someone with ulterior motives. Maybe someone is already monitoring our movements. We have to be careful from now on!"

Jiang Li reminded them as everyone felt increasingly fearful upon thinking about it.

More than two thousand sleeping children were lying in the royal palace of the Southern Seal Kingdom. This situation could not be said to be strange, but very strange. People might think that the birth of the demon was related to this.

Even if that was not the case, if they met someone who was meticulous and discovered that all these children had spiritual roots, it was not impossible.

When the news was leaked, the rogue cultivators would capture these kids and sell them to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion. At the same time, they would also rob the few of them. That would be troublesome.

"Then what should we do?" Everyone could not make up their minds.

They were considered strong among the new disciples of the Scripture Storage Valley's outer sect, but they were just newbies.

At the end of the day, they were still at the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm and one of them was at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm. He had barely mastered a few spells and was considered a complete newbie.

It was fine to bully mortals, but against other cultivators, they were too weak.

"In the territory of the Southern Seal Kingdom, is it closer to Benevolent Travel Temple or Southern Seal Kingdom?" While everyone was at a loss, Jiang Li suddenly asked.

"The Scripture Storage Valley of course. Otherwise, this mission wouldn't have been issued to our outer sect." After Yu Banxia replied, he also thought of something.

"You mean to say…"

"That's right. Although we don't know the details, the appearance of the demon has attracted quite a few cultivators."

"Even the disciples of the Benevolent Travel Temple are here. There's no reason for our Scripture Storage Valley to not send people."

Jiang Li paused for a second and continued.

"When we were in the sect, we didn't hear any news about the birth of the demon. There are two possibilities."

"One, the news came after we set out on our journey."

"Two, the news is only spread among the inner sect disciples. Outer sect disciples have no way of knowing about it."

"I personally prefer the second possibility. Otherwise, a mere five days wouldn't be enough to gather so many cultivators."

When Jiang Li finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up.

"You're saying that it's very likely that the inner sect disciples and even sect elders of the sect are already here, or even in the city!" Lu Qianqian, who had swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill, looked much more energetic.

If there were sect elders around, they would definitely be able to ensure their safety. Ordinary rogue cultivators would not dare to act rashly.

"It's not just a matter of safety. Inner sect disciples and sect elders definitely have communication spirit stones that can be used to contact the sect. As long as we find them to help contact the sect, our mission will be completed immediately."

What they did not say was that perhaps most of the rewards would be taken away. But at this moment, this was already the best choice.

Late at night, four shadows suddenly flashed across the royal palace of the Southern Seal Kingdom.

Four figures flashed out from the side hall of the palace, avoiding the patrolling guards like ghosts. After a few light leaps, they crossed the outer wall of the palace and stood on the street outside.

"Everyone, be careful. Prioritize your own safety. Gather here in four hours!" Yu Banxia's voice came from under the black hood. As soon as he finished speaking, the figures dispersed in four directions and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

These four people were naturally Jiang Li, Yu Banxia, Qu Qianfan, and Wang Liuliang.

After some discussion, it was decided that the four strongest people would go out at night to scout for information and try to find the sect elders or inner sect disciples in the Scripture Storage Valley.

"I didn't expect that excluding Yu Banxia, that scholar-looking Wang Liuliang is the strongest amongst them."

Not only was Wang Liuliang close to the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm, but his martial arts were also very impressive. While everyone was still at the initial-stage of their Immortal Cultivation, this was still very useful.

Compared to his opponent's nimble technique, even though Jiang Li's speed was swift, it was slightly less agile and more clumsy.

He calculated in his heart that he would have to learn a travel-type body cultivation method in the future. His footsteps did not stop as he continued to run forward at high speed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as Jiang Li ran past a street, two long black nails that did not reflect the moonlight shot towards him from behind.

Jiang Li, who was running, did not notice at all that the two long nails pierced through his lute bones at an extremely vicious and tricky angle.

The huge force carried him along with the inertia of his running and sent him flying. He fell heavily onto the limestone road in front of him and lay there motionless.

"Haha, what disciple of a large sect? If he meets us brothers, he'll still be defeated."

"Big brother, the disciples of the sect are all very rich. Let me see what this guy has on him."

After Jiang Li fell to the ground, two figures walked out from the shadows in the corner.

The two of them were similar in age and looked similar, but they were a pair of notorious wandering cultivator brothers.

"Wait."

The man called Big Brother stopped his reckless younger brother and took out a few black nails from his body. He shook his hands and shot them out. After they pierced through Jiang Li's limbs and joints, he finally relaxed.

"Hehe, big brother is still the most vigilant."

"Hey kid! Don't pretend to be dead! It's your bad luck to have encountered us, the Twin Devils of the Thorn River! Hand over everything you have! Then, recite all the cultivation methods and spell techniques you know! Perhaps we can spare your life!"

The younger brother of the Twin Devils of the Thorn River walked forward and grabbed the heavily injured body on the ground. After that, he lifted the body up and revealed his face that was covered under the hood.

It was a terrifying face with a green face, sharp teeth, and black fur!

"Ah! A zombie!"

The rogue cultivator cried out in alarm as the ferocious black zombie bounced up from the ground.

Ten pitch-black fingernails directly pierced into the chest of the rogue cultivator's younger brother who was a foot away from him. An irresistible force pulled him closer and bit his neck.

With this bite, it would only take a few breaths of time to suck out all the blood energy in his body. At that time, even an immortal might not be able to save him.

"Ah! Damn it! Don't hurt my brother!"

The other rogue cultivator quickly took out two pieces of yellow paper and rushed forward to save his brother.

However, the moment he took a step forward, he stopped abruptly.

"Friend, where do you want to go?"

A voice of interest came from behind him. A hard, strong hand clasped his shoulder from behind.

A tremendous force came from his shoulder, causing the rogue cultivator to fall to his knees with a plop. Both of his knees smashed the limestone on the ground into pieces.

However, Jiang Li had long removed the pill poisoning's suppression and recovered his strength, he quietly followed behind the black zombie and suddenly took action now.

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Chapter 40: Interrogation

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"This is impossible! You're only at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm! How can you have such great strength!"

The older brother of Twin Devils of the Thorn River had his shoulder shattered by a single slap from Jiang Li, and he knelt on the ground while his knees were covered in blood. His body had suffered heavy injuries, and he was unable to stand up for a long time.

[Name: Wu Jiang, Gender: Male, Class: Cultivator, Level: Late-stage Qi Refinement, Danger Level: Medium]

[Name: Wu He, Gender: Male, Class: Cultivator, Level: Mid-stage Qi Refinement, Danger Level: Low]

(After removing the pill poisoning's suppression, his strength would increase and the danger rating would decrease accordingly.)

Jiang Li had just launched a sneak attack from behind and released his spiritual qi. Due to his limited ability to conceal himself, he was discovered by his elder brother Wu Jiang immediately. Naturally, he recognized his Qi Refinement cultivation immediately.

Wu Jiang actually had the ability to dodge, but the Twin Devils of the Thorn River were a pair of brothers who had a very good relationship.

Wu Jiang saw that his younger brother, Wu He, was on the verge of death, and he noticed that Jiang Li's cultivation was limited, so he intended to take Jiang Li's attack head-on and seize the chance to rescue his younger brother.

The plan was wonderful. Their brotherhood was touching.

However, following that, the abnormal force on Jiang Li's palm stunned him. He was instantly heavily injured and lost the ability to resist.

"Heh! One is at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement while the other is at the late-stage of Qi Refinement. You dare call yourselves the Twin Devils of the Thorn River?"

Jiang Li sneered. With a shake of his hand, a chain flew out from beneath his black robe.

The chains slithered around nimbly like long snakes, binding Wu Jiang in an instant.

Jiang Li grabbed the chained Wu Jiang and walked to the black zombie's side. He stretched out his palm and pulled out the six nails that had shot into the black zombie.

Zombies had almost no sense of pain, and their reaction to physical damage was much slower than humans. A few lousy quality nails could only deal limited damage to them.

On the other side, the younger brother of the Twin Devils of the Thorn River had already been sucked to near death by the black zombie's fangs.

Jiang Li forcefully controlled the black zombie to stop sucking blood and spared Wu He's life, trapping him under the zombie's armpit.

The man and zombie did not stop at all, continuing to run in one direction, quickly disappearing into the cover of the darkness.

[Consumed the Experimental Mad Strength Pill. Added Status: Muscle Stiffening]

[Status: Muscle Stiffening has been removed.]

[Consumed the Experimental Mad Strength Pill. Added Status: Mad Strength. After the effect ends, enter a state of weakness.]

[Mad Strength: Temporary Strength 5, Temporary Constitution 2, Base Strength 100%. Duration: 10 minutes] ( )

[Overdose of the Mad Strength Pill. Added Status: Blood Bursting Force. After the effect ends, heart failure will occur.]

[Blood Bursting Force: Temporary Strength 10, Temporary Constitution 4, Base Strength 250%. Duration: 10 minutes] ( )

This was the origin of Jiang Li's inexplicable burst of strength.

The "Mad Strength Pill", which was still stuck at the experimental stage, was refined using Jiang Li's useless pill formula.

It could be said that this time, the Twin Devils of the Thorn River had lost without any injustice.

Firstly, the black zombie attracted their attention and endured the sneak attack, turning his passive situation into an active one.

On the other hand, Jiang Li's strength could not be considered to be weak. This was the ten minutes of enormous explosion strength he gained after paying the terrifying price of 'heart failure' after the status ends.

Fighting a minor realm above him was not considered a challenge to begin with. Furthermore, this was a sneak attack, so they were taken down in one go.

Of course, these ten minutes would never pass, and the price of 'heart failure' would never come.

Jiang Li had originally come here to train his body before. Coupled with the immense brute force augmented by the Mad Strength Pill, how could an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator stand a chance against him once he got close?

The Twin Devils of the Thorn River were the best example.

Jiang Li did not leave the city directly. He brought the black zombie and made many turns in the alley. After making sure that no one was following him, he jumped a few times and silently entered the death row prison of the Southern Seal Kingdom.

A handful of medicinal powder that could not even be considered a medicinal pill was scattered. It could only be used against mortals, and soon, the dungeon, which had wailing sounds incessantly, slowly quieted down.

Bang! Bang!

The Twin Devils of the Thorn River were roughly thrown to the ground. In the dungeon, the excrement mixed with blood dried on the soil. The stench was shocking.

Wu Jiang and Wu He were thrown to the ground with their faces covered in dirt. It took a lot of effort for them to barely roll over and let their mouths escape the fate of continuing intimate contact with the excrement.

"Hey! You two! Stop pretending to be dead! It's your bad luck to have met me! Hand over everything you have and recite all the cultivation methods and spell techniques you know! Perhaps I can spare your lives!"

Jiang Li returned the words that they had said to him in exactly the same manner, causing the faces of the two rogue cultivators to turn pale.

He urgently needed to know what had happened in the vicinity of the Southern Seal Kingdom and what the situation was like. Was the Scripture Storage Valley's elders and disciples here?

This was related to their future operation and their safety. Now that two rogue cultivators had delivered themselves to his door, it gave him a way to obtain information quickly.

However, there were always some people who were unwilling to cooperate obediently.

"Hmph! Those who commit dangerous acts will eventually get caught. Make your move! If we, the Twin Devils of the Thorn River, frown, then we're not real men!"

"That's right! Make your move! Brat, you have only cultivated for a few years in the sect? You want us to be afraid of you? Impossible!"

Contrary to Jiang Li's expectations, the Wu brothers were extremely unyielding in their words. No matter how he tried to coerce them, they would not relent.

Being captured by him, knowing that death was at hand, not only did they not have the slightest awareness or attitude of a captive, they were even shouting all kinds of vulgarities.

They probably wanted to infuriate Jiang Li and kill them so that they would not suffer before they died.

Jiang Li frowned and took out the black nails that they had used before. He shook his hand and directly shattered their kneecaps.

This was also a technique taught by the elder in the Cultivation Hall.

It was true that the effect of shattering the patella was not as effective as the lute bones, and it was also inferior to just piercing through the Qi Sea.

However, it created a lot of pain. This method could force a cultivator to endure even more pain while awake.

The injuries on their bodies caused them immense pain.

Elder Brother Wu Jiang's body trembled in pain, but he gritted his teeth and did not make a sound.

His younger brother, Wu He, was rolling on the ground in pain, but he did not beg for mercy. Instead, he kept swearing non-stop and started cursing Jiang Li's eighteen generations of ancestors.

"You guys are really tough."

Jiang Li stabbed the remaining long nails into their bodies. The two of them rolled their eyes in pain, but they still looked like they would not speak no matter what.

Jiang Li looked at their performance and realized that his interrogation method was indeed too low-level.

Outlaws like them were bloodthirsty people who were ready to die at any moment.

After determining that they were going to die, a person's stubbornness would often be greater than they imagined. Since they were going to die anyway, they definitely could not let their enemies gain any more benefits.

Jiang Li understood this feeling.

Perhaps it would be more effective to give them some hope when dealing with such people.

Jiang Li quickly thought of an idea.

He smiled, suddenly looking impressed.

"You know, I really admire you two brothers."

"I like people like you who have backbone."

"You are very lucky. I won't kill you today. You don't have to suspect that I lied to you. We can sign a contract."

Jiang Li took out a contract from his body.

This thing cost five spirit stones each, and he only had this one on him.

The Wu brothers originally disdained Jiang Li's words and firmly believed that he was definitely lying to them.

However, when the contract paper unfolded in front of them, the eyes of the Twin Devils of the Thorn River finally lit up.

As long as they signed this, they could live!

"That's not all. Because of me, you guys are severely injured. If this goes out, the other rogue cultivators will not let you guys off, right?"

"I just have a problem. I'm too kind-hearted. I can't bear to see you guys like this."

Jiang Li once again put on a compassionate show, making a 180-degree turn with his initial fierce attitude.

"If you're injured, you have to take medicine. I'll even provide you with medicinal pills to recover from your injuries. Don't you think this treatment is appropriate?"

As he spoke, Jiang Li had already scribbled out a contract.

In general, it was an agreement that Jiang Li would not kill them and would let them off after four hours. Moreover, he would not deliberately pursue them for ten days.

The contract did not even require the Twin Devils of the Thorn River to answer any questions. It was as if Jiang Li was acting foolishly and suddenly wanted to let them go.

The clearly written contract was placed in front of the rogue cultivator brothers. The two of them looked at each other, not knowing what Jiang Li was planning.

However, the contract did not seem to be a problem. As long as they signed it, they would be safe.

Happiness came so suddenly that the two of them hesitated.

But in the end, they still could not resist the temptation of living. They dabbed some blood on their wounds and pressed the bloody fingerprint onto them.

"Yes, very good. Congratulations, both of you, your lives are saved."

"Now, let me heal your injuries."

Jiang Li 'kindly' took out a cloth bag from his body that gave off a slight burnt smell.

"There's no need! There's no need! Friend, we have our own medicinal pills, so there's no need to trouble you."

The Twin Devils of the Thorn River waved their hands repeatedly. They subconsciously felt that something was amiss.

The smile on Jiang Li's face grew even wider. Look, even the salutation had changed. Indeed, people could only achieve a win-win situation by getting along harmoniously with each other.

"Hey, you two, have you forgotten? Didn't you give me all your possessions just now?"

Jiang Li pointed at two small piles of things at the side.

"You! We didn't!"

"Wu He!"

"That's right! Friend, you are right. We did offer the items willingly."

Wu Jiang and Wu He gnashed their teeth in anger. That was the savings they had accumulated over many years. They had lost everything like this.

Rogue cultivators were like this. Other than a small number of heavy items, most of their wealth would be on them.

"Since you've taken our things, we're of no use to you. Now, can you let us brothers leave?"

One of Wu Jiang's shoulders was shattered, and he was unable to move his hand. He could only hold his breath and bow to Jiang Li with one hand.

After all, this was different from before. They already had hope of surviving, so they naturally had to be more polite to Jiang Li.

"Eh? I haven't treated you yet. Besides, we still have four hours, right? Don't be anxious, you two!"

Jiang Li opened the contract again and showed them the agreement inside.

"We don't need your treatment. Please keep your promise and let us live!"

One of Wu Jiang's hands was broken, and two of his legs were broken. At this time, he could not leave this place by himself at all.

After signing the contract, they, who had just been unafraid of death, started to become afraid.

"Hey, that's too serious. The contract is here. How can I dare to go against it?"

"Come on, my friends! It's time to take your medicine!"

Jiang Li kicked them to the ground and took out two charred and smelly pills from the cloth bag. He opened their mouths and stuffed one into each of them. He was afraid that they would not swallow it, so he used his spiritual qi to push the pills into their stomachs before he was satisfied.

Urgh! Urgh!

Just like Jiang Li, they violently retched and twitched.

"Bastard! What did you feed us!"

"You promised to let us go! You went back on your word! The contract will punish you!"

After Wu Jiang and Wu He recovered from their shock, they immediately started cursing.

Then, Jiang Li stuffed two more medicinal pills into their mouths!

Their auras visibly weakened rapidly.

Wu Jiang's aura had fallen to the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm. His younger brother, Wu He, had fallen to the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm.

Both of their faces turned dark and yellowish, looking weak and sickly.

"I promised not to kill you, and I also promised to let you go. However, that is four hours from now!"

"You want to know what these are? They're really nice!"

"They're called waste pills, have you heard of them?"

Jiang Li gently and elegantly took out two more waste pills from the cloth bag. He placed them at his nose and took a deep sniff. This smell was extremely pungent.

"Waste… Waste pills!"

"You demon! You actually fed us waste pills!"

The Twin Devils of the Thorn River lay on the ground, their faces filled with despair as they accused Jiang Li of his despicable actions.

"Aren't waste pills still considered pills? How dare you scold me, where do you think you are?"

After consuming another waste pill each, their auras became even weaker. Their bodies began to emit a terrible burnt smell as their spiritual qi circulation became even slower.

"I will tell you very responsibly that you will need to spend at least 20 years to expel the pill poison from the three waste pills."

"Find a mortal city and hide your identity for twenty years. After you recover, you can still be the Twin Devils of the Thorn River."

"But if you eat another waste pill, it will take fifty years. If you eat even more than that, I'm afraid you won't be able to return to the cultivation world for the rest of your lives."

"To be tortured by pill poisoning and spend the rest of your life at the bottom of the mortal world, or live and wait twenty years to cultivate again?"

"I'm not going to kill either of you. Now, whether or not you want to answer my question is entirely up to you."

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Chapter 41: Information

"We'll speak! Whatever you want to ask, we'll answer!"

Jiang Li was very satisfied with the attitude of the Twin Devils of the Thorn River.

This was how humans were. When they had nothing, they were not afraid of anything. However, when they had something, they would be afraid of losing it.

"Then, let's talk about it first. What's the matter with the birth of the demon in the Southern Seal Kingdom?"

Jiang Li asked the question that he wanted to know the most.

"You don't know? Forget it… we actually don't know much ourselves."

"We only heard of this news. A cultivator witnessed a zombie demon, a zombie demon that was transformed from a Golden Core cultivator who died nearby."

Wu Jiang was surprised by Jiang Li's question, but he, who was plagued by pill poisoning, no longer had the mood to consider these trivial matters.

"A zombie demon transformed from a Golden Core cultivator! Is this news reliable?"

"Furthermore, such a terrifying demon has appeared. It's one thing for you not to escape, but why do you dare to come over and join in the fun? Don't tell me you're here to eliminate the demon and defend the people."

When Jiang Li asked these two questions, the Wu brothers instantly became even more depressed.

This fellow barely knew anything about the general knowledge of the cultivation world. He was an extremely young child, yet their Twin Devils of the Thorn River had actually fallen into the hands of such a newbie. It was truly heart-wrenching.

"The news was spread by the Immortal Ascension Pavilion. They have a good reputation. This kind of information can't be faked."

"They also provided evidence that there was indeed a Golden Core cultivator who died here 70 years ago. His body was never found."

"As for why they came, aren't the Zombie Cores transformed from a cultivator's Golden Core and the treasures left behind by a Golden Core cultivator all things that can make us cultivators go crazy?"

As the saying goes, humans die for wealth and birds die for food.

The temptation of a Golden Core cultivator's legacy was something that even high-level cultivators of the same level could not resist, let alone these bottom-tier cultivators.

Although the probability was very low, what if they found the treasure? Almost everyone came with this thought.

Even Jiang Li could not help but feel tempted after hearing this news.

"Looks like the scope of this news and influence is very wide. How many cultivators have arrived? Where are they gathered? How many sects and forces have arrived? Where are they?"

Jiang Li asked another long string of questions. In the end, he simply took out a panorama map of the royal family of the Southern Seal Kingdom and asked the two of them to draw while talking!

Transforming a zombie demon was not easy, and it was even harder for a Golden Core cultivator to become a zombie demon. This was also why those cultivators were searching for graves or Yin lands everywhere.

If not for the proper time and location, how could a Golden Core cultivator suddenly transform into a zombie demon?

"Wait a minute. If that's the case, wouldn't the prime suspect be him?"

Jiang Li looked at the map. Sure enough, although the cultivators were scattered around, they were basically all scattered along the "Mother River" that ran through the Southern Seal Kingdom.

"You're right. The most likely lair of the zombie demon is in this Mother River."

Wu Jiang's eyes flickered. In the end, he did not conceal anything and told Jiang Li everything truthfully.

He felt that since he did not know much, this information might endanger Jiang Li and might help him take revenge.

"Moreover, a cultivator who specializes in Fengshui array formations calculated that once the corpse falls into this Mother River and is washed away by the river water, the final landing point will not be much different. It will be between these waters."

"Right now, most of the cultivators are there. The cultivators of the sect each occupy a piece of water to fish it out, while rogue cultivators can only try their luck in the cracks."

"I've said everything that needs to be said. You're a sect cultivator anyway. If you want to, you can try it there."

Jiang Li glanced at the map. Sure enough, he saw the name of Scripture Storage Valley on the four most spacious areas.

"Yes, you are very honest. An honest person needs to be rewarded. Now you are free."

Wu Jiang and Wu He were overjoyed. Then, they felt a pain in their necks and fainted.

"I've already interrogated them, but this contract is really troublesome. I really can't kill them like this."

"But to let them off like this is letting them off too lightly."

Previously, these two guys had wanted to kill him. With his petty personality, it was really hard to let them off just like that.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Li controlled the black zombie and carefully sucked away the blood of the Twin Devils of the Thorn River until they were anemic. He then fed them two waste pills each before letting the matter rest.

After consuming a total of five waste pills, the accumulated pill toxins were extremely terrifying. It was enough to suppress their cultivation levels to the limit of nearly a hundred years.

Pill poisoning would even slowly corrode them, permanently damaging their spiritual roots and lifespan.

In the next hundred years, they would become sickly people worse than ordinary people.

It was hard to say if the little lifespan of two Qi Refinement cultivators could last them until the end of the effect.

Only then did Jiang Li finally nod in satisfaction. When he saw that it was about time, he put on a black robe for himself and the zombie again, one after the other, he rushed towards an unknown manor in the bustling capital city.

Previously, when they came out, they had deliberately said, "Return to the palace and gather". That was just to fool people.

Their true meeting place was in this nameless manor.

As the saying went, homegrown flowers were not as fragrant as wild flowers. The current empress of the Southern Seal Kingdom was also very fierce. She did not allow the King to take in beauties and abandon governance.

However, this King was a lecher. More than ten concubines in the palace were not enough. He dug a tunnel from the ground to this manor and opened a crystal courtyard outside.

This made it convenient for Jiang Li and the others to secretly meet up.

When Jiang Li returned, the other three people had not arrived yet. It was unknown if they were seeking information or if they had already died under the obstruction of the malicious rogue cultivators.

In the manor, the other four companions had already arrived and were currently hiding in a house, waiting anxiously.

Jiang Li let the zombie hide in the corner and stand guard while he went back to report his safety.

Soon, four hours passed. The black zombie smelled a faint smell of blood.

It was the other three who were seriously injured. They supported each other as they walked back.

They were in a sorry state, but there were no pursuers behind them, which made the few people here heave a sigh of relief.

However, when the three of them returned and saw Jiang Li already sitting in the room leisurely eating fruits, their faces were filled with shock.

Just like Jiang Li, they were attacked by rogue cultivators. If not for the items from Yu Banxia's family protecting them, and because he saved the other two people in time, they would have died.

However, Jiang Li was alone. He had actually broken through the obstruction and returned here safely!

He did not even look injured.

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Chapter 42: Underwater Breathing

As the strongest person among the eight of them, Yu Banxia still had some arrogance and conceit.

In order to save his two companions, he had suffered quite a bit in the hands of those rogue cultivators.

When he looked at Jiang Li again, his appearance of leisurely meditating in the room was truly slightly uncomfortable.

"Qianqian, come and help heal their injuries!"

Lu Qianqian hurriedly stepped forward and began to heal the heavily injured Qu Qianfan and Wang Liuliang with her spell technique.

"I'm sorry, everyone. We didn't obtain much information this time."

Yu Banxia apologized humbly at first. Everyone waved their hands. It was already their greatest contribution that they could go out and lure the enemy away so that the others could retreat safely.

The other four who had fled in the dark had no right to blame him.

"Jiang Li, what about you? Did you find out anything?"

Yu Banxia looked at Jiang Li and asked again.

Previously, they did not know what happened in the Southern Seal Kingdom. They swaggered into the city and conducted a large-scale investigation. This caused them to expose themselves and be targeted by some rogue cultivators with ulterior motives.

It could be seen how important information was outside.

However, it was obvious that Yu Banxia did not expect Jiang Li to discover anything. After all, in his opinion, Jiang Li was only at the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm without much combat strength.

He only asked this because he saw that Jiang Li seemed to be lucky and held some hope.

Jiang Li didn't say anything further when he saw this, and he took out the map of the entire Southern Seal Kingdom and spread it on a long table in the room before starting to explain.

"We were truly unlucky to have encountered the birth of this demon."

"This has nothing to do with our mission. In fact, I have news from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion. The corpse of a Golden Core cultivator recently transformed into a zombie demon and attracted the attention of many cultivators…"

Jiang Li pointed at the map of the Mother River and explained, causing the others to be more and more surprised the more they listened.

In these four hours, he still had to deal with the rogue cultivators' attacks. How could he find out so much?

Even if they wanted to think he was lying, Jiang Li's explanation was very reasonable. Moreover, there was utterly no need for him to do this. What was the point of fabricating such a story to trick everyone?

Looking at the mottled blood on the map, it was obvious that he had experienced some ordeal to obtain this information.

"Jiang Li, it's not that I don't believe you, but how do you know all this?"

Yu Banxia's expression was awkward. In the end, he could not help but ask out of curiosity.

Jiang Li roughly explained the situation to them by lowering the strength of the two rogue cultivators who attacked him by a level.

"You're saying that you defeated a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator and an initial-stage Qi Refinement cultivator by yourself? You even captured them?"

"How… how is this possible!"

"Gasp! Jiang Li, could it be that you've already broken through?"

If he was still at the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm, it was absolutely impossible for him to achieve this. They were very certain of their judgment.

They all gasped upon realization.

In other words, Jiang Li had already silently surpassed most of them and had broken through to the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm after Yu Banxia.

"It's all luck. Your spiritual root aptitude is not inferior to mine. I believe you can all break through soon."

"Also, I wasn't really alone."

Jiang Li snapped his fingers and the black zombie pushed open the door from outside. Although the demonic and rotting smell was already covered by medicine, it was still very pungent when it got close.

The strength of a black zombie was roughly between the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm and the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. Although its weakness was obvious, if a cultivator was not prepared to deal with it, the advantage of having thick skin and immense strength was very prominent.

"Ah! A zombie!"

Lu Qianqian, this little girl, was clearly more afraid of ugly things like zombies. She immediately jumped behind everyone, not daring to take another look.

The others did not lose their composure. But when they first saw this thing, they were instinctively shocked.

However, after discovering that this thing was completely under Jiang Li's control, they put away the cheap talisman in their hands and only covered their mouth and nose. It was a little unbearable to endure this smelly corpse.

"Jiang Li, is this what you brought over using the coffin?"

Yu Banxia recalled the coffin.

"That's right, I still have to rely on the black zombie this time. Although it stinks a little, if it's useful, I can't care about such a minor detail."

Waving his hand, the black zombie retreated and disappeared into the darkness. Only then did the smell in the air become much better.

This time, everyone completely believed Jiang Li's information. They stared at the map and started to think together.

"If only I could contact the sect elders."

The river section where the cultivators gathered was the wide and slow riverbed of the Mother River. It was not very close to the Southern Seal Kingdom's capital.

It was basically impossible for them to do such a thing.

If they wanted to rush there, they would undoubtedly have to pass through the dangerous areas where many rogue cultivators were wandering.

If all of them were at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm or above, they could still give it a try.

However, it would be difficult for Jiang Li and Yu Banxia carrying the rest of them who were much weaker.

If that was the case, they might as well return to the sect and report the incident. It would be safer for them.

Of course, an accident might happen in these five days and their windfall would be gone…

After struggling for a short while, Jiang Li suddenly thought of something. It was the two spirit herbs that the Twin Devils of the Thorn River had given him.

"I might be able to try."

Jiang Li spoke, drawing the attention of everyone.

That night, Jiang Li did not stay for long before leaving the manor with the black zombie.

This time, the solution was very simple. The other seven people stayed in the capital and tried their best to cover up the situation of the unconscious children.

On the other hand, Jiang Li set out by himself, and he passed through layer upon layer of obstructions to head to the lower region of the Mother River to report to the sect elders.

It could be said that he had taken the most difficult task on himself. Regarding this, Yu Banxia and the others promised that Jiang Li would get the most benefits after this was over.

Jiang Li smiled and did not say anything.

Taking advantage of the night, Jiang Li and the black zombie jumped out of the city wall and ran all the way to the river.

He looked at the shadows that were vaguely following behind him and then looked at the river that could barely see the opposite shore.

Jiang Li did not hesitate to take out a bunch of water plants that were like kelp from the bag and directly stuffed them into his mouth.

Next, he and the black zombie dived into the murky water.

[Consumed fresh fish gill grass. Added Status: Underwater Breathing.]

[Underwater Breathing: Perform normal respiratory activities underwater. Duration: 2 hours] (-)

[Consumed fresh fish gill grass. Added Status: Algae Parasite.]

After pressing the plus button for five seconds, the status of [Underwater Breathing] was permanently kept.

After pressing the minus button for five seconds, the [Algae Parasite] status was removed.

Ten breaths later, three figures flashed over from behind.

"Damn it! He escaped!"

"Second Brother, what's going on? Didn't they say that this is a group of rich rookies? Why are they so good at getting away?"

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Chapter 43: Drifting

The rogue cultivator in the lead was very displeased by Jiang Li's escape. He grabbed a rock the size of a basketball and smashed it into the river.

However, the water ripple was completely erased in the turbulent Mother River, not a trace could be seen.

"Big brother, I don't know either. We've all tried. Among those eight guys, two are at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm. The rest are all at the initial-stage Qi Refinement realm."

"They have no experience at all. We were standing in the crowd today and they didn't even notice us."

"Big brother, why don't we rush into the palace tonight? As usual, we'll keep the women and kill the men."

The shifty-eyed cultivator suggested.

Bang!

However, before he could smile, his big brother kicked him to the ground.

"Are you a fool? They're all disciples of a sect. If we can kill them cleanly and eliminate all evidence, fine. Now, one of them has escaped and you're still suggesting we make a move? Do you want to die?!"

The leader of the rogue cultivators had a hideous expression. He felt helpless towards his younger brother's stupidity, but at the same time, he was angry at the sect for oppressing rogue cultivators.

"Then… what should we do?"

The younger brother said weakly.

"What do we do? Find him, of course! Let's go find him along the river bank! I don't believe he won't come out and catch his breath!"

While these rogue cultivators were chasing along the river bank, Jiang Li and the black zombie were already brought down by the rapid flow of water.

Jiang Li chose to set off alone naturally not because of his sense of responsibility, nor did he have any intention to be a hero. His relationship with Yu Banxia and the rest had not reached that stage yet.

He chose to do this partly because of his mindset as a transmigrator, feeling that he was destined to have this fortuitous encounter. With such a precious treasure appearing, it was hard for him to not interfere.

On the other hand, it was due to his self-confidence. Although he was only at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm, he had tested his strength against the two unlucky fools, the Twin Devils of the Thorn River.

With the enhancement of the buffs, he could almost beat most Qi Refinement cultivators.

As for the stronger Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they were still busy searching for the zombie demon, so it was impossible for them to appear on the outskirts of the river. In addition, Jiang Li planned to follow the river trail and avoid most of the cultivators. His safety was actually very guaranteed. It might even be safer than staying in the city.

Thus, Jiang Li volunteered to accept this mission.

However… plans could not keep up with changes.

Bang!

A muffled sound of collision rang out from under the water. Jiang Li's skin was completely dyed black as he fiercely collided with a rock under the water.

A faint fishy smell surged in his throat. Jiang Li, who cultivated the Mountain Crushing Scripture every day, had suffered some injuries from that collision just now.

After colliding, Jiang Li's head faced downwards as he was wrapped by the water current and spun like a top while descending rapidly.

This feeling was really unbearable!

[High-speed spinning. Added Status: Dizziness.]

[Dizziness: Disorientated by 60 degrees, thinking speed decreased by 40%, Mind temporarily decreased by 0.3. Duration: 20 minutes] (- )

Although Jiang Li could swim, it was only at the level where he would not drown. It was completely incomparable to swimming like a fish.

The undercurrent was so strong that he could not maintain his balance.

Not to mention swimming, his entire body was being carried by the river water. He was going left three times, right three times, up three times, and down three times. He could not stop rolling at all.

In just a few minutes, Jiang Li was stunned because he spun too quickly. If not for his quick reflexes, he would not have been able to eliminate the dizziness in time. If the dizziness continued to stack, he might completely lose consciousness.

It was no wonder that the three rogue cultivators did not dare to chase after them. Qi Refinement realm cultivators would also drown in here.

The power of nature in this world was much greater than in his previous life. The power of the rivers and waves was enough to tear apart a person's body. If one did not possess superhuman swimming abilities, it was not impossible to be submerged by the river and drown.

Fortunately, Jiang Li had the fish gill grass, and the effect was indeed good.

Although his breathing was not as smooth as when he was on the ground, after the water flowed into his nose, it would produce a large amount of bubbles.

The oxygen that had fused into the water was extracted, so that he did not have to worry about drowning.

But that was all.

Bang!

Another rock collided with Jiang Li. A ball of blood appeared in the river and was quickly scattered by the current.

The status of [Underwater Breathing] could not help his swimming skills.

Jiang Li had also tried to resist the power of the water or go along with it in order to regain control of his body and reduce the collision with the hidden rocks.

However, how could such profound techniques be grasped in a short time?

He still continued to roll around and collide into various reefs.

However, during this ruthless collision, Jiang Li sensed that his Mountain Crushing Scripture was currently advancing by leaps and bounds. The effect of Body Tempering was far greater than the effect of him crashing into the mountain wall.

It seemed that this Mountain Crushing Scripture was really a self-torture cultivation method. The more ruthless the impact, the better the effects of his cultivation would be.

"No, if this goes on, I'm going to die!"

After being underwater for more than an hour, Jiang Li saw that his health bar had already fallen by a quarter.

Of course, the numerical value of his health and stamina could not completely display Jiang Li's physical condition, but it had a considerable reference value.

"No, I need to go up and catch my breath."

Wood Armor Technique!

He channeled his Wood-attribute spiritual qi and successfully cast the spell technique.

In the light filled with vitality, a layer of wooden armor quickly grew out and completely covered Jiang Li's entire body.

The wooden armor that covered his entire body moved upwards with sufficient buoyancy.

Jiang Li's nearly sinking body was constantly lifted up by the wooden armor to the surface of the water.

From time to time, a few undercurrents would form a whirlpool and pull him back into the water. However, this whirlpool could not last long and would dissipate soon.

The buoyancy of the wooden armor would never disappear. After going up and down, Jiang Li finally surfaced.

Jiang Li was a little speechless. He did not expect that his first attempt at using this Wood Armor Technique would actually be to use it as a life vest.

Being under the water was too dangerous. Cultivators with Water-attribute spiritual roots might fare better. But people like him were no different from ducks.

Jiang Li lay on the water surface, floating and sinking along with the waves. He was thinking about what to do next.

Floating on the surface of the water made him too obvious of a target. Furthermore, the movement speed was several times slower than underwater. It was obvious that he could not do that. In a while, the black zombie would probably be washed away.

However, if he entered the water again, his small body would not be able to withstand the impact.

Wait… the black zombie?

Jiang Li hurriedly used the 'Zombie Seed' to communicate with the black zombie. Although the zombie was sturdy, it did not know defense, so it was probably inferior to him. Could it be that it had already been shattered by the collision?

When he sensed the black zombie's condition, Jiang Li's expression became strange.

It was not that the black zombie was not injured, but its injuries were much lighter than Jiang Li's.

It did not move at all, flowing along like a motionless corpse. However, every time it was about to hit the rock, it would move away along with the flow of the water, so it did not suffer much damage…

Could it be that… all that he had done earlier was not only useless, but had an opposite effect?

Report chapter

Chapter 44: Piranha

Feeling the black zombie's current state, Jiang Li paused for a moment on the water surface. He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind, dispelling the Wood Armor Technique

Without the wooden armor's buoyancy, Jiang Li's body quickly sank into the churning river water.

He rolled and spun again. His body stiffened instinctively as he tried to resist the water flow.

Calm down! Calm down!

Relax! Relax!

Jiang Li endured the weightlessness in the water and relaxed his muscles.

Just like a game character who was not being controlled, he cast aside his body's feelings and watched as he flowed along with the waves.

At first, the intense spinning did not slow down, but instead sped up.

In the murky river, the shadow ahead grew larger and larger. It was clearly another rock!

Spiritual Armament! Mountain Crushing Scripture!

The impending collision made him instinctively want to defend himself.

However… even if he hit it, with his defense, he would not die, right… why not give it a try?

Give it a try!

Jiang Li removed the armament and relaxed his bulging muscles from circulating the Mountain Crushing Scripture.

He felt himself being propelled by the current. His head flew toward the rock.

Whoosh~

It was impossible for him not to panic. However, the outcome of his head being smashed did not happen.

Amidst the sound of liquid flowing, Jiang Li's body seemed to have no bones. Following that, the water flow that suddenly turned around twisted, and he actually barely avoided the hard rock.

It worked! He really avoided it!

Under the water, Jiang Li was overjoyed. He excitedly spat out a series of bubbles from his mouth.

This was indeed feasible!

With this successful experience, his confidence increased greatly. His body naturally became more relaxed as he followed the rapid flow of water.

After a long time, the sun rose. The gentle light penetrated the river, leaving only a mottled shadow on Jiang Li's face.

Gurgle~

A few air bubbles gushed out from his nose. Jiang Li stepped back from the cultivation state of the Ghost Wood Art. He sensed that the water around him had already become calm and gentle. With a thought, it seemed that he had already reached the gentle flow region.

At this moment, there was a slight tug and pain on his hair and skin.

He opened his eyes and saw a group of palm-sized fish that looked like axes tearing at his body.

He raised his hand and used Appraisal.

Compared to humans, Appraisal was much better for these weak and low-level ordinary creatures.

[Name: Sawtooth Piranha]

[Type: Aquatic Animal]

[Age: Mature]

[Gender: Female]

[Source of Nutrition: Meat]

[Habit: Crowd Hunting]

So, was he being targeted by a group of piranhas?

Jiang Li shook his head and hands, trying to shrug off the few piranhas that were hanging on his body.

However, unlike fishes that would be frightened away by abnormal activity, the piranhas were not afraid of humans, and they instead took Jiang Li's actions to be the struggles of the prey before death, causing them to become abnormally excited.

They bit Jiang Li's skin and hair and began to squirm crazily.

How could Jiang Li, a dignified Immortal Cultivator, be afraid of small fishes like these?

He grabbed a piranha and pulled it off his body.

A few serrated teeth could not break through Jiang Li's skin. Instead, they stuck onto his body and were pulled out from the fish's mouth.

"You want to eat me? Your teeth aren't sharp enough."

Jiang Li exerted strength in his hand, and he crushed the piranha that was still struggling in his hand into a bloody mess.

Just as he was about to do the same to the other sawtooth piranhas…

He suddenly noticed something amiss.

The water flow seemed to be… vibrating?

Liquid spread vibrations far better than gas. Soon, the vibrations became more and more obvious.

Not far from him, a dense black shadow was enveloping him at high speed.

Wait a moment… [Habit: Crowd Hunting]… Jiang Li suddenly felt his body go numb from his scalp all the way to his toes! Oh heavens!

The smell of blood earlier had obviously stimulated a large wave of sawtooth piranhas! They were now a hundred times more terrifying than stirring up a hornet's nest!

Jiang Li wanted to swim and escape, but he was not a Scaled Demon, so how could he possibly swim faster than a fish?

A dark cloud seemed to have shrouded over from the water, surrounding Jiang Li. Countless ferocious piranhas swam crazily, stirring up the water region as if it was about to boil.

Swoosh!

Hundreds of thousands of sawtooth piranhas swarmed forward. Jiang Li suddenly thought of something, and he stretched out his right hand into his bosom before taking out a jet black waste pill and directly crushing before spreading it in the river.

A ball of ink spread out in the already turbid river water. In just a few breaths, the few piranhas hanging on his body stopped moving. They released their mouths and fell to the bottom of the river.

The large group of piranhas that rushed over also stopped abruptly. They were extremely disgusted by the smell of waste pills, and they continuously moved around the inky region, not daring to take a step past the filthy area.

Damn it, he was almost scared to death!

Waste pills, waste pills, these were really good stuff!

Jiang Li was touched. A bag of waste pills was produced every day in the Alchemy Hall.

Each time they were put into the landfill, they had to be buried at least twenty meters underground. Otherwise, they would pollute the spiritual materials growing on the ground.

That touching smell and rich color made it look like a poison that was despised by others. It was completely harmful garbage.

But he did not expect that this waste pill would be of great help to him several times. As expected, he, Jiang Li, was a genius!

Just as he was praising himself for his wisdom…

From the corner of his eye, Jiang Li suddenly saw a yellow object shoot down into the water.

With his eyesight and experience, it was definitely a talisman.

Boom!

With the talisman as the center, the liquid was expelled, creating a temporary vacuum. The violent shock wave spread out in a sphere.

Wherever the shock wave passed, a large number of fish were unable to resist and were jolted unconscious, floating towards the water surface.

Jiang Li was a little far away. When the shock wave landed on his body, his mind went blank for a moment. He was almost stunned.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Another series of talismans shot into the water. The continuous series of explosions made the originally arrogant group of piranhas dizzy.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Jiang Li tore off the piece of driftwood used to balance himself and swung the chain that was wrapped around his waist.

Under the influence of the huge force, the thick and long chains shot straight down the river and wrapped around a rock.

On the other side, Jiang Li quickly put away the chain as it tightened with a clang.

After pulling, he quickly sank, avoiding the area covered by the talisman's explosion.

His feet finally stepped on the soil of the riverbed. Although his movements were still greatly restricted, the feeling of being on solid ground made him feel much more at ease.

Picking up a large rock at the bottom of the river, Jiang Li identified the direction of the water flow and continued forward.

Report chapter

Chapter 45: Fire Element Peak, Sword Cultivator

Drenched in mud and water, Jiang Li carried a rock that was half the height of a man from the river and walked up step by step.

Spit! Spit! Spit!

Jiang Li spat out. As soon as he got ashore, he began to clean up the large amount of sand in his nose and mouth.

He was dressed in rags and had a dirty look on his face. He was covered in mud and grass, and there were a few plump snails on his forehead.

He looked just like a water monkey.

Right when he was about to vomit, Jiang Li's movements suddenly stopped.

The muscles in his arms suddenly bulged. He threw the rock that he held with all his might.

Boom!

Halfway through the flight, a stream of light flashed and the rock exploded into pieces.

After piercing through the rock, the momentum of the stream of light decreased slightly. With Jiang Li's dynamic vision, he could barely capture the flying trajectory of the stream of light.

However… he could not dodge it!

Wood Armor! Armament Hardening!

Clang!

Jiang Li's hands that were covered in wooden armor and spiritual armament grabbed the stream of light tightly in its path.

A huge force assaulted him. Jiang Li's legs did not move, but he was still pushed back by the stream of light, creating two ravines on the ground.

The thing clutched in his hand struggled and radiated intense heat. It sought to plunge into his body and burn his heart.

The wooden armor covering his hand was quickly burned through by the intense heat.

Swish!

The dark skin covered by Spiritual Armament touched it directly.

A burning pain came and wisps of burnt fragrance floated. However, unexpectedly, this temperature was still within the tolerance range!

The status [Cool Skin] allowed him to resist the flames very well. The pitch-black hand grabbed the stream of light and forcefully resisted it.

With the enhancement of the status [Blood Bursting Force, Jiang Li's brute force was astonishing. He forcefully grabbed the moving light and slid for more than 20 meters.

He did not stop retreating until he was pushed back to the edge of the river.

In his hand, the dazzling light seemed to have exhausted its strength and dissipated. What remained in his hand was a long, dark-red sword.

"F*ck! It's a flying sword!"

Jiang Li cursed before he felt the flying sword in his hand burn again.

"Still not stopping?! Let me quench the fire for you!"

He looked at the turbid river behind him. In the next second, he hugged the red flying sword and turned around, throwing himself into the river.

A large amount of bubbles surged, as if the water surface was boiling. Steam continuously turned into white smoke.

"Damn it! My flying sword!"

A moment later, a figure in white arrived on a tree crown.

However, when he landed, he looked so anxious that those who did not know would think that his wife was having difficulties giving birth.

The white-clothed person looked to be very young, not much older than Jiang Li. His face was handsome and clean. In a few years, he would probably be another elegant Casanova who could make countless young girls go crazy.

On the chest of his white clothes, there was a small fiery red sword embroidered.

This meant that he was a disciple of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak's Fire Element Peak!

"Red Sky Sword! Retrieve! Retrieve! Retrieve!"

"Why isn't it working?"

The Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak's disciple made gestures at the boiling water. However, his precious flying sword was nowhere to be seen.

"Is it broken?! Damn this demon!"

He scratched his head anxiously.

Swoosh!

From under the water, a chain shot out, wrapping around him at an astonishing speed.

The disciples of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak were all skilled in the way of the sword. At this moment, his flying sword was snatched away and he was suddenly attacked. Before the disciple could react, he was caught in the chains.

The chain dragged him toward the water.

Although this disciple was at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm, his body had not been specially tempered, and his strength was far inferior to Jiang Li. Under the pull of the chains, he continuously slid towards the river bank.

Under the water, Jiang Li felt that victory was in his hands. He just had to drag the person who ambushed him into the water and give the other party an unforgettable beating.

Then, at the next moment, extreme joy turned to sorrow!

Sword Light Art!

On the finger of the Five Elements Peak disciple's right hand, a blazing red sword light that was two feet long suddenly appeared.

With a wave of his hand, a thin sword light and a chain that was two fingers thick crossed each other.

Without any resistance, the first part of the chain was cut off.

Although this chain had some background, in the end, it was only a mortal item.

The original material was too low-grade. It was fine when used normally, but once it collided with spells or even artifacts, the only outcome was destruction.

Jiang Li's heart ached. He had spent three whole spirit stones on this chain.

He immediately jumped out of the water, his hand already grabbing the hilt of the Red Sky Sword. He pounced towards the Five Elements Peak disciple who was only three steps away.

"Return my artifact!"

The disciple of the Five Elements Peak was shocked!

"What! That thing is actually an artifact?"

After saying that, Jiang Li had already arrived before him.

Jiang Li's momentum was like a ferocious tiger pouncing on its prey. He held the sword in one hand and formed a claw with the other. What was hidden in his strong body was a monster-like brute force. In just a moment, he could tear a weak Sword Cultivator into pieces.

However, the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak was indeed the leader of the four great sects of the Great Mountain Region. Their disciples were truly not cowards.

The white-robed Sword Cultivator did not dodge. Instead, he raised his finger and faced it head-on.

The two figures collided abruptly, and the slightly older Five Element Peak disciple was instead powerless like a child. Jiang Li grabbed his throat and forcefully pressed him to the ground.

However, Jiang Li's actions stopped abruptly.

Because the tip of the Red Sky Sword that was originally held tightly in his left hand had turned 180 degrees at this moment, and the extremely sharp blade was pressed tightly against Jiang Li's neck while emitting a slight burning sensation.

The air suddenly turned silent. The two of them faced each other, maintaining a distance that allowed them to kiss at any time. The stalemate lasted for seven to eight seconds.

During this period, Jiang Li's left hand continuously exerted strength as he attempted to use brute force to regain control of the flying sword. However, after a few tries, he confirmed that the strength of one hand was really unable to fix the flying sword in place.

A few seconds later, Jiang Li suddenly smiled brightly and broke the silence first.

"Senior Brother, do you think there's a misunderstanding between us?"

"I'm a disciple of the Scripture Storage Valley, Jiang Li. I accidentally fell into the water just now and had just come ashore. Why did Senior Brother use a flying sword to stab me?"

Jiang Li called out to him affectionately, but his hand was still tightly holding onto the other party's throat, and he had no intention of letting go at all.

However, after he said that, the other party finally came to his senses. It seemed like he had stabbed the wrong person.

The four great sects could not be said to be related by blood, but they were at least on the same side. Under normal circumstances, some small conflicts would not warrant fighting and killing.

Report chapter

Chapter 46: You're an Outer Sect Disciple!?

"Junior Brother, I was too reckless. I mistook you for a water demon and even damaged your artifact. I've really offended you."

"I am Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak's disciple Yin Qiu, Junior Brother Jiang Li, can you get up from me first?"

After all, persisting like this was unsightly. Jiang Li only felt the flying sword on his neck loosen. Clearly, this was the other party's sincerity.

After all, this was their territory. Jiang Li naturally could not attempt to kill him.

Immediately, his right hand that was holding the other party's throat loosened. He turned around and grabbed Yin Qiu's shoulder, pulling him up.

"Junior Brother Jiang Li, you're really strong. What's with your outfit?"

Yin Qiu first caressed the sword with extreme heartache for a long time. After he confirmed that there was no irreversible damage, he turned around to look at Jiang Li's tattered clothes.

"No, my brute force is nothing. Senior Brother's flying sword is the real deal."

After Jiang Li praised him, he looked at his naked body and had a helpless expression. He could endure the bite of the piranha, but his clothes could not.

"I accidentally fell into the water and met a group of piranhas underwater. I'm already lucky to be able to come up like this."

He had only brought one set of outer sect disciple robes. There were no clothes to change into.

However, he could not stay like this. Helpless, he could only use his Wood Armor Technique to produce a relatively thin wooden armor to cover his body.

"Right, Senior Brother Yin Qiu, my sense of direction is slightly bad. Senior Brother, please guide me in which direction all the senior brothers and teachers of my Scripture Storage Valley are in."

As Jiang Li spoke, he also picked up the broken chain. With a pained expression, he gestured at the two broken ends and attempted to match them.

That action made Yin Qiu's expression twitch.

"Swim downstream for ten… Forget it, I'll send you there. It won't be good if you get misunderstood by my Senior Brothers and Uncle-Masters and they attack you again."

He had not expected that Yin Qiu was so warm-hearted. As he spoke, he even helped Jiang Li out, causing Jiang Li to involuntarily sigh. There was warmth everywhere in the cultivation world.

However, this also made him sigh with emotion at the good cultivation atmosphere of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak.

The Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak was different from the other large sects. They did not have an internal division at all. Their disciples would directly become disciples of the five peaks and learn from their masters.

Perhaps in order to maintain a pure heart of the sword, although their sect had its own competition among the five peaks, there were very few internal conflicts.

The elder of the Outer Sect Cultivation Hall had also said that the disciples of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak were the easiest to get along with.

"Send me over. Senior Brother Yin Qiu, are you bringing me on Sword Kinesis Flight?"

Jiang Li subconsciously thought that the flying sword could definitely enlarge and fly with people.

"My sword… still can't carry the weight of people. We'll board a ship!"

Yin Qiu: Even if I can bring people with me, they must be my Dao companions. How can I bring you?

Jiang Li followed the Five Elements Peak disciple, Yin Qiu, along the river bank for a period of time, and he quickly saw a long and narrow small boat that was leaning against the shore.

Yin Qiu was the first to jump over, landing lightly on the small ship that was only slightly thicker than wood.

The water under the ship rippled twice, but the ship did not shake at all.

This was a movement technique… Jiang Li felt so bitter and jealous at this moment.

This was the difference between having a master and not having one. The other party's skills were clearly arranged for him. As long as he followed the prescribed order and continued learning, it would turn out well.

On the other hand, Jiang Li could only do things blindly. It was really miserable.

However, if he could win the sect competition, he would be able to enter the inner sect. At that time, he would have to find a reliable elder to acknowledge as his master.

"Junior Brother Jiang Li, why aren't you coming up?"

Yin Qiu clearly saw Jiang Li's embarrassment and urged with a smile.

"… I'm coming!"

Jiang Li rolled his eyes at the other party before suddenly stepping on the back of the small ship.

Jiang Li himself was a body cultivator, and his muscles and weight were not light. Coupled with the dozens of kilograms of iron chains around his waist, when he landed, the stern of the ship sank, and the bow of the ship rose up, almost causing Yin Qiu to be thrown out directly.

"You! You! You!"

The sword cultivator, Yin Qiu, finally stabilized the small ship with his qi. It seemed that he was indeed a sword cultivator. His Qi Nourishment skill was indeed astonishing.

"Forget it, forget it. Stand firm! Don't blame me if you fall!"

Yin Qiu used his foot to pick up a bamboo pole by the side. After grabbing it in his hand, he pulled it towards the water surface. The small boat shot out like an arrow.

Jiang Li had long guessed that this fellow was up to no good. He threw out the chains and tied them to the ship. No matter how fast it was, he would not fall off.

"Senior Brother Yin Qiu, what are those bamboo poles on the river?"

As the small boat sailed across the water, Jiang Li noticed that there were a few bamboo poles erected on the river from time to time.

One end of the bamboo pole was painted black and the other was painted white. The bamboo pole would rise and fall in the river from time to time, arranging in a disorderly manner. However, one could faintly see a pattern within.

"That's Yin-Yang Bamboo. It's used to detect Yin qi underwater. Didn't your master tell you?"

Yin Qiu did not suspect that Jiang Li was not from the Scripture Storage Valley. If that was the case, why would he be foolish enough to fall into their trap?

"Sigh, I'm just a small outer sect disciple of the Scripture Storage Valley. Who would teach me such things? Look at the artifact I'm using. It's barely worth anything…"

Jiang Li was complaining to himself here, but Yin Qiu did not want to listen anymore. He stopped pushing the boat and turned around to glare at Jiang Li.

"Outer sect disciple? You're actually an outer sect disciple!"

'I was actually pressed to the ground by an outer sect disciple!'

A dignified disciple of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak had actually fallen prey to an outer sect disciple of the Scripture Storage Valley. If word got out, he would be embarrassed.

If he knew that Jiang Li had only entered the sect for a few months, he would probably overturn the ship.

The flying sword on Yin Qiu's back trembled non-stop. He pulled out a small segment and stabbed it back again and again. He really wanted to prove himself.

However, there was not much space on the small ship. As a long-range fighter, he had experienced the consequences of fighting like this.

"When did your Scripture Storage Valley become so formidable? Even an outer sect disciple like you has such standards…"

Yin Qiu expressed his doubt, but after looking at the chain, he still agreed with Jiang Li. How could inner sect disciples be so poor?

"This is for you. Consider it your compensation."

As a disciple of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak, his strong confidence was shaken at this moment. After holding it in for a long time, he did not know what to say. He took out a stone from his body and threw it to Jiang Li.

[Name: Kun Steel Ore]

[Type: Ore]

[Metal Content: 57%]

[Formation: Slow Dripping Water]

[Description: Hard]

[Elementary Element: Kun Steel]

[Secondary Element: Silicon Dioxide]

"How can I accept this? I've also caused Senior Brother's flying sword to be damaged. I can't accept this."

As he spoke, he placed the ore into his pocket.

Report chapter

Chapter 47: Relaying to the Sect

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Kid from the Five Elements Peak, why are you here?"

Jiang Li and Yin Qiu pulled the boat along. After paddling for a long time, they saw a white robe on the surface of the water holding a stack of Yin-Yang Bamboos and stabbing them into the water.

As he slowed down and approached, he realized that it was a wooden puppet with a frown on its face.

When it saw them arrive, the wooden puppet very humanely wiped away the nonexistent sweat on its face and spoke to them.

Jiang Li was delighted to see the familiar puppet and hear a familiar voice. He had met someone familiar.

"Elder Weng Sanqi, I am disciple Jiang Li, Senior Brother Yin Qiu helped to bring me here."

The wooden puppet scratched its head in bewilderment, "Jiang Li… I seem to have heard this name before…"

Jiang Li: …Turns out our relationship wasn't mutual.

"Elder, I have a dual-attribute spiritual root. You've given me pointers before." Jiang Li reminded him at the right time.

"Oh, right, right, right. I remember now. There really is such a Jiang Li. Did you take the mission alone? Didn't an elder lead the team?"

Elder Weng Sanqi might have drank too much wine while hugging the wine jar, and his mind was not looking too clear.

"Forget it, forget it. I'm short-handed right now. Hurry up and come over."

"Yin Qiu, you've worked hard to take care of the disciple of my Scripture Storage Valley. I'll praise you the next time I see your Uncle-Master."

The puppet waved his hand and politely gestured for them to leave.

Yin Qiu naturally saw through his intention and did not show any displeasure.

"Elder Weng, you're too polite. Yin Qiu will take his leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Qiu tossed the bamboo pole to Jiang Li, and then the flying sword, Red Sky Sword, on his back was unsheathed. The elegant white-clothed sword cultivator stepped on the flying sword and stood with his hands behind his back as he flew along the surface of the water, leaving behind only a single sentence.

"Junior Brother Jiang Li, let's fight another day~"

Standing with that graceful posture…

As the longsword pierced through the wind, its sharpness reached the peak!

This was truly Immortal Cultivation!

On the other hand, without Yin Qiu to maintain his balance on the small ship, Jiang Li immediately started to lean left and right. A thick and thin bamboo pole was swung around by him like a balance beam.

If not for Elder Weng Sanqi who controlled the wooden puppet to step on the small boat, Jiang Li would probably have fallen into the water to enjoy the fish bites again.

"Speak. Now that he's gone, what did you want to tell me earlier with that subtle expression?"

Who said that Elder Weng Sanqi was drunk? Wasn't he very perceptive and meticulous?

"Elder, we've discovered something!" Jiang Li said seriously.

He tried his best to use simple and clear words to talk about the two thousand children with spiritual root aptitude.

"You're saying that there are more than two thousand children who had been tested positive for their spiritual root aptitude?" Elder Weng Sanqi also became serious.

More than two thousand people with spiritual root aptitude were equivalent to the number of disciples recruited in three or four Immortal Ascension Assemblies.

It could directly increase the number of outer sect disciples by a quarter.

To the Scripture Storage Valley, which had less than 300 years of history, it was already quite a good harvest.

But that was not the point.

The main point was, why did this group of children all have spiritual root aptitude?

Was this related to their coma?

Was it some special method that could allow mortals to have spiritual roots?

No, that was impossible! This idea was too bold…

Elder Weng Sanqi subconsciously denied this guess. After all, countless cultivators and mortals had tried to alter their destinies since ancient times, but they had all failed!

Even if one could really alter their fate and create spiritual roots, it would definitely be an extremely rare case. It was impossible for it to be produced on such a large scale!

However, even if that was not the case… even if one took ten thousand steps back and treated this kind of coma as only a special phenomenon, it was still a large-scale phenomenon that targeted those with spiritual root aptitude.

As long as they understood this phenomenon and the Scripture Storage Valley mastered this method, they could easily test their spiritual roots on a large scale and no longer need to rely on others!

Think about it, with such an advantage, the Scripture Storage Valley could easily loot a large number of disciples in the Great Mountain Region!

In time, when the next generation of disciples matured, the Scripture Storage Valley would definitely become the number one Immortal Sect of the Great Mountain Region!

As such, to the Scripture Storage Valley, the matters in the capital of the Southern Seal Kingdom were much more important than the Golden Core zombie demon!

"Elder Weng, there are seven outer sect disciples with me on this mission. They are still in the capital city, protecting the news from being leaked."

"However, their strength is limited. There are too many rogue cultivators gathered because of the birth of the demon. I'm afraid they won't be able to last long."

"It's precisely because it will take too long to return to the sect and report this that we were afraid of an accident, so I followed that disciple all the way down here to seek help from the elders!"

Jiang Li did not say it out loud, but his face clearly wrote, "This disciple had gone through danger several times and had worked hard to get here. Elder, don't forget my contribution!"

"You've done very well! I'll immediately notify the sect about this news. You won't be missing any rewards. Come over to my side first."

Weng Sanqi was a shrewd person as well, so how could he not see through Jiang Li's thoughts? However, not only had Jiang Li rendered a meritorious service, he had even offered this merit to him. So what if he rewarded Jiang Li for this?

The frowning wooden puppet patted the small ship.

Jiang Li saw that it was as if an extremely thin thread was connected to the small ship.

In the next second, the small ship was pulled by a huge force and sped towards the river bank at a speed several times faster than before.

Jiang Li could not even stand steadily while holding the chain. His body lowered, and he almost squatted down to hug the small ship.

Bang!

Two minutes later, the long, thin, and long boat that was like a shuttle suddenly rushed to the river bank. After sliding for dozens of meters, it finally stopped in a simple shed.

In the shed, a short cultivator with grayish-white hair and a rosy complexion was holding a communication spirit stone and saying something.

Who else could it be but the Elder of the Mystic Gate Hall, Weng Sanqi?

Jiang Li did not speak and waited silently at the side.

"Jiang Li, come over and tell us everything."

Elder Weng Sanqi handed the communication spirit stone over.

Jiang Li grabbed the spirit stone and felt a voice in his ear.

"The sect's team has already set off. Now, tell me everything you know in detail. Don't leave out anything!"

The voice on the other side was extremely stern, and it did not say what the outcome would be if Jiang Li lied. After all, it would only be ten times worse than the worst situation Jiang Li could imagine.

Jiang Li cleared his throat and spoke about everything that he had seen and heard along the way without holding any opinions, including the yellowed and withered plants in the forest and the few groups of rogue cultivators that had attacked them in the city.

Jiang Li still did not understand the reason why plants turned yellow. It might be better to let the sect investigate it.

As for those rogue cultivators, hehe, they had to pay the price for being so bold.

"Very good. If you recall anything else, report it immediately. Follow Elder Weng for this period of time."

With that, he hung up.

Jiang Li did not know who the other party was, but from Elder Weng Sanqi's attitude, it was obvious that the other party was a higher-up with a greater position than him.

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Chapter 48: Five Senses Enhancement

The importance of this news to the Scripture Storage Valley did not exceed Jiang Li's expectations.

If Yu Banxia and the rest were still on the first level, they would only see the thousands of spirit stones that the children could bring.

The sect stood at a higher angle and saw the second level. What they valued was this phenomenon itself, and they hoped to obtain greater benefits through it.

As for Jiang Li, he was probably at the third level.

"Kid Jiang Li, you've done well. You've encountered a great fortuitous encounter this time."

"As long as nothing unexpected happens, the sect will not treat you badly. You can even become an inner sect disciple directly."

Jiang Li returned the communication spirit stone. Elder Weng Sanqi looked to be in a rather good mood.

Just as he thought, the bulk of the credit should land on the other party. After all, identity and status were linked to one another, this was very normal.

As for what he meant by nothing unexpected, it naturally referred to…

"Elder, don't worry. What I said is the truth. There's no lie at all. There won't be any issue."

Jiang Li naturally knew what the other party was most worried about. It was none other than the truth of the information. He had confirmed this point over and over again, and there was no problem.

"It's good that you're confident."

"What's wrong? What a strange expression. If you want to say something, just say it."

After obtaining the benefits, Elder Weng Sanqi clearly spoke a lot more than last time. He saw Jiang Li's expression and wanted to speak but hesitated, so he could not help but ask.

"It's like this, Elder Weng. Apart from joining the inner sect, what else can I choose?"

Before the credit could be given to him, Jiang Li started to worry about this matter.

"Oh? Why? There are many benefits to being an inner sect disciple. Can't this satisfy you?"

Weng Sanqi's rosy face was a little puzzled and dissatisfied. Generally speaking, the inner sect was the lifelong dream of most outer sect disciples.

In particular, Jiang Li only had a medium-grade spiritual root. He felt that Jiang Li wanted more and was a little greedy.

"Elder, isn't the outer sect competition soon? I want to rely on my own ability to enter the inner sect."

Jiang Li did not say that those senior brothers in the outer sect were all trash, and he was afraid of wasting the reward from this opportunity. Instead, he said that he wanted to rely on his own hard work.

They were all the same, but one sounded scheming, while the other sounded commendable.

Jiang Li's answer stunned the elder, and his expression became much gentler.

These people were like this. They were so confident in their own beliefs that they liked to evaluate others with their own values.

Even if it was only a suggestion that was not accepted, it might still cause them to be dissatisfied. Therefore, before their statuses were equal or surpassed, Jiang Li still had to go along with their view.

"Oh? You're so confident in winning the outer sect competition?"

"No wait, you had a conflict with that disciple from the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak?"

Weng Sanqi did not notice it before, only now did he remember Yin Qiu's strange action and the last words he left behind.

The sword cultivators of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak were famous for their strength. Previously, he had actually invited Jiang Li to battle. It could be seen that Jiang Li definitely had his unique points.

"I had a little conflict with Senior Brother Yin Qiu at the beginning, but I didn't embarrass the Scripture Storage Valley."

Jiang Li modestly cupped his hands. However, his meaning was clear. He did not lose.

"You actually didn't lose against a disciple of the Five Elements Peak?"

Elder Weng Sanqi's surprise was exactly the same as Yin Qiu's expression earlier. As expected, outer sect disciples were looked down upon.

They were disdained for having low aptitude, resources, and status at the lowest level.

"I really did not expect this. The disciples of the Five Elements Peak are not simple. You have only entered the sect for a few months and you already have such ability. It's no wonder you are so confident."

"Since you have such thoughts, I have a suggestion…"

After Jiang Li heard this, his eyes lit up and he seemed to be in thought.

"Elder Weng, I have a request."

If someone owed you a favor, it was best to cash-in on the spot. Otherwise, it would become worthless later.

Jiang Li understood the reasoning behind this, especially for people who drank alcohol every day and did not have a good memory.

At this moment, he could not be bothered about embarrassing himself. He cupped his hands towards Elder Weng again and requested.

"Speak. As an elder, I should give you some rewards in advance."

This was the reward Jiang Li deserved for handing over the credit of this mission to the other party.

"Elder, I want to learn the technique that allows you to see and hear the outside world through the puppet."

He really had no choice. The Zombie Puppet Technique could control zombies, but it could not share the five senses.

When he was close to the black zombie, it was not a big deal, but now, he had already been ashore for half a day, but the black zombie's condition was a little strange, as if it had sunk into something, no matter how he controlled it, it could not get out.

The weakness of the Zombie Puppet Technique in this aspect was too great. If he could make up for it, it was best to do so. At the very least, he had to find that black zombie first.

"You want to learn the Five Senses Technique?" Elder Weng Sanqi was slightly surprised.

"This Five Senses Technique is an unusual skill. It's not difficult to learn, but if this technique isn't paired with a puppet technique, it won't be able to produce much effect."

"Kid, you're a jack-of-all-trades already. Do you really want to learn this?"

He glanced at the registered disciple token of the Alchemy Hall that Jiang Li hung because his clothes were damaged.

"This alchemy skill is enough for a cultivator to study for life. You still want to learn puppet techniques?"

"Elder, I have another use for this Five Senses Technique. Please teach me."

Jiang Li thought to himself: Why is this elder so nosy? There is no choice but to assure him further.

"Alright, this is the jade slip for the Five Senses Technique. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

The elder took out a jade slip from nowhere and casually handed it to Jiang Li.

Jiang Li asked many difficult questions on the spot, and then he ran to a nearby house and sat down before starting to cultivate.

Unusual techniques like these were not part of the five elements or Yin-Yang. They were magical spell techniques that used a cultivator's wisdom to see through the mysteries of the world. Incantations, secret talismans, rituals, and everything unorthodox were included.

Just as Elder Weng Sanqi had said, it was not difficult to cultivate this Five Senses Technique. At the very least, the most basic mastery was not difficult.

However, if he wanted to reach Elder Weng's level, who could simultaneously send out dozens of puppets and control them for an entire day, it was still quite difficult.

The Five Senses Technique was divided into two parts: spell technique and spell seal.

Under normal circumstances, cultivators had to first make hand seals on puppets or other objects with the five orifices, leaving behind passageways and nodes that could allow their minds to enter.

Through a spell technique, one's five orifices would be connected to it, achieving the effect of the five senses being connected.

[Five Senses Technique Level 1, learned.]

[Using the Five Senses Technique. Added Status: Five Senses Enhancement.]

[Five Senses Enhancement: The orifices of the ears and eyes are interlinked. Duration: 3 seconds] ( )

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Chapter 49: Underwater Cemetery

The first time Jiang Li successfully used the Five Senses Technique, six hours had already passed.

This was the lowest standard. It could be seen that his enlightenment attribute of 1.1 was indeed not considered good.

This was his first time using the Five Senses Technique, so the effects were naturally not good. Not only did he only open two of his five orifices, but he could only maintain it for three seconds.

However, the status bar that immediately appeared and the clarity of the connected senses made him feel joy internally.

As expected, the Zombie Puppet Technique, which had a stronger connection with him, could also be used as the sensing node of the Five Senses Technique.

This was enough.

Jiang Li used the Five Senses Technique again. After the status [Five Senses Enhancement] appeared, he directly pressed the plus button. The time jumped to 63 seconds.

A single press of the plus button would increase the duration by one minute. After holding it for five seconds, the duration would become infinite.

[Five Senses Enhancement: The orifices of the ears and eyes are interlinked. Duration: ] ()

After his status changed to this state, the connection that he felt would be cut off at any time finally stabilized and flowed smoothly.

So be it if he only connected the eyes and ears, for a total of two orifices.

The mouth and nose were not very useful to zombies anyway.

On the other hand, the fifth orifice 'tongue' that represented a qualitative change could not be grasped in a short period of time, so Jiang Li did not force it.

He did not wait any longer. He slowly sank into his consciousness and connected his vision and hearing to the black zombie through the orifice node.

It was as if he had an extra pair of eyes and ears. The overlapping of his senses made him feel a little confused.

He could not multi-task yet, so he could only concentrate fully on controlling the black zombie.

In front of him was a murky and dim liquid, and in his ears was the sound of drums caused by the high pressure of the river water.

Compared to his previous experience when he dived, it felt a little slow, but there was not much difference.

At this moment, the black zombie was still lying in the water without any desires, slowly floating without any accidents.

However, when Jiang Li controlled the black zombie to splash around in the water and flipped over to take a look, the scene before his eyes was vastly different from before.

In the murky river water, there were actually dense patches of ghostly green flames floating.

Under the black zombie's feet, there were rotting bones, as well as bloated and rotting corpses. Countless broken limbs were like ordinary leaves in the forest, covering the riverbed in layers.

Perhaps the quality was inferior, but there was a massive number of them! It was more than ten times or a hundred times more magnificent than the outer sect graveyard of the Scripture Storage Valley!

"How is this possible?"

Jiang Li's main body opened his eyes and ran to the riverside to look down. He did not see anything.

Not only that, but the Yin-Yang Bamboo on the river surface that was arranged in an orderly fashion did not move at all.

This should not be happening. In his senses, it was clearly in this region.

Moreover… Moreover, he had come all the way under the water and had clearly not seen a single corpse in this area of the river. This did not make sense!

Why couldn't he see anything when he was down there? How did the black zombie get in so easily?

Could it be that it was a place that could only be entered by a corpse?

The expression on Jiang Li's face changed several times. In the end, he undid his belt by the riverside and soaked it in water. Only then did he return to his seat with a satisfied expression.

His attention returned to the black zombie. He controlled the stiff body to swim upwards.

For a zombie, that was very difficult.

After trying a few times, Jiang Li gave up and could only control the black zombie to continue exploring.

He moved forward step by step among the white bones. Night vision was not a problem for zombies. Moreover, with the ghost fire dotted around like stars in the sky, his vision was still quite clear.

As he walked, Jiang Li was surprised to discover that there was actually a type of fish living in this dangerous underwater land filled with Yin qi.

It was an extremely ugly deep-water lantern fish. They ate the rotting corpses at the bottom of the sea. A small lamp hung on their foreheads, illuminating the small area in front of them, floating around underwater like ghosts.

"Is this a Ghost Lantern Fish? I remember that the records only mention this kind of spiritual fish in ancient times. It's completely extinct now. I didn't expect to see it here."

The black zombie continued to move forward. In the deep and silent underwater space, it was like a traveler who was lost in the desert and would never get out.

Unknowingly, a day and night had passed.

Elder Weng Sanqi received another call from the communication spirit stone and received good news.

The flying ship of the sect had already arrived at the Southern Seal Kingdom and had successfully brought away the two thousand children.

It was said that when the flying ship arrived, the capital was in a mess. A few rogue cultivators were stirring up trouble, planning to flee immediately after grabbing a handful. As a result, the flying ship made a move, and the thieves were executed on the spot.

Unfortunately, two of the seven outer sect disciples died.

Of course, such a small matter would not be taken to heart by the sect elders.

It could be seen from how they called this good news.

After a series of checks by the sect's professionals, it was confirmed that all those children had spiritual root aptitude!

Therefore, Elder Weng Sanqi could not hide the smile on his face. He found Jiang Li and encouraged him again, saying that he wanted to seek credit for him. The reward that they had agreed on earlier was not a problem.

During this period of time, the other inner sect disciples who were stationed here with Elder Weng had also returned.

They were a little surprised that there was an outer sect disciple who only knew how to meditate all day, but they did not probe deeper.

Each time they rested, they would only meditate for a few hours before riding the small boat again and paddling into the river. They were busy as if their goal was clear.

After a long time, the black zombie under the water kept walking in one direction.

Finally, from a certain moment on, Jiang Li discovered that the ghost flames around him seemed to have become more concentrated.

No matter what, it was good to have some changes!

He controlled the black zombie to adjust its direction several times. As he walked, with his zombie body, he could clearly sense that the yin qi was becoming denser.

In the outside world, the most obvious result was that the number of bones on the ground decreased, and in their place were countless perfectly preserved mortal corpses.

This was very interesting.

He was now basically certain that this underwater graveyard was where the zombie demon was hiding. However, he did not know what kind of secret this place had.

Continuing forward, Jiang Li seemed to have seen a coffin floating in the underwater graveyard far away from the countless corpses. Countless ghost flames surrounded it.

At this moment, his body was gently shaken.

He opened his eyes and saw that it was Elder Weng Sanqi and a few inner sect disciples.

"Jiang Li, it might be dangerous later on. Move back a little more and don't get close to the river bank."

"Elder, what are you doing?"

Jiang Li's eyes narrowed. Behind Elder Weng, a few inner sect disciples and dozens of wooden puppets carried several corpses.

Some of these corpses were beasts and some were humans, but they all had a common trait. The surface of the corpses was covered in talismans.

Obviously, he was not the only smart person!

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Chapter 50: Yin Corpse

Many cultivators had occupied this region for such a long time. Some went to the sky while others went to the water. They nearly flipped over this entire region.

If no one discovered this abnormality, they could forget about cultivating with such brains.

Now, it seemed that not only had they discovered the problem, but they had also found a solution.

At this moment, Jiang Li was no longer the naive kid from back then. After these few months of lessons in the Cultivation Hall, although he was not confident in other aspects, coupled with his Appraisal skill, his understanding had already improved greatly.

Many basic knowledge of the cultivation world could no longer stump him.

The corpses in their hands were covered in talismans. They were formed by combining the three attributes of "Wind, Fire, and Earth". It was a spirit talisman trap.

It was said to be a device that was often used to guard the sect ruins and tombs of cultivators. It could be triggered and controlled remotely. Once it was ignited, the power would be extraordinary!

Therefore, it was best to avoid such things.

These were the words of the Lecture Elder.

Now, the disciples and puppets were carrying at least fifty of such corpse bombs. It seemed that they wanted to stir up some trouble.

"Don't ask so much. Find a safe place to stay. If you can't do it yourself, go find Yin Qiu from the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak. He should be hiding too."

Elder Weng Sanqi clearly did not want to speak with him anymore. After reminding him, he led the disciples and puppets towards the river.

His short figure appeared extraordinary at this moment. Dozens of puppets behind him cried or laughed as they surrounded him, forming a strange array.

Above the river, the wide surface of the water glistened under the night light. There were at least hundreds of cultivators, some flying in the sky and some stepping on the water, waiting in the sky above the Mother River.

"There's a full moon tonight. I'm afraid there will be a decisive battle!"

Jiang Li did not know how powerful a Golden Core zombie demon was. At the very least, he was not interested in experiencing it personally at the moment.

Jiang Li decisively stood up, patted his bottom, and turned around to leave. He jumped into the forest beside the river in a few steps, and his figure flew into the dense forest. Some of the obstructions in the vines were knocked over by him, and his speed kept rising.

After running for a few minutes, he jumped onto the treetop. With his eyesight that was several times that of others, he could barely see the Mother River.

Only then did Jiang Li stop. He hurriedly found a tree hole and strangled a large snake inside before hurriedly entering to continue meditating.

His consciousness returned to the black zombie's location. However, he looked around and saw that there were either bones or corpses. There was nothing that could be used as a defensive shelter.

He did not know what to do, so he squatted down and used the foot-long zombie nails to quickly dig up the bones and corpses on the ground.

Bones and corpses with an overall structure were obviously easier to dig than dirt.

Soon, he dug a small hole for it. He controlled the black zombie to jump down and started to dig around. He placed the surrounding corpses on his body and completed the disguise.

Through the gaps in the bones, he could still see the situation outside.

While Jiang Li was digging the hole, the cultivators above the river finally began to move.

The leaders of the major sects issued the orders.

One corpse after another was thrown into the river. Plop. Plop. After splashing around, they sank into the water.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes… Time passed slowly, but the cultivators above the river were confident and continued to throw corpses into the river.

It was a wonder where they had gotten so many corpses.

The corpses of wild beasts were easy to get, and it was not difficult for a group of cultivators to do so, but could it be that those 500 human corpses were all prisoners?

As the "bait" corpses were thrown in, above the river, the cultivators could not sense anything, but the black zombie in the underwater graveyard felt the entire world start to tremble slightly.

The source of the tremor was underground!

"Something is coming out!"

In the next moment, more than a hundred huge tentacles that were as thick as a person's arms shot out from under the riverbed covered in bones!

It was as if a demonic dragon was dancing. The huge tentacles only stretched out a few times before stirring up the entire underwater graveyard to become turbid.

Countless ghost flames floated along with the flow of the water. From the black zombie's perspective, it looked like a parade of hundred demons.

Jiang Li originally already felt that the black zombie was going to die this time, but those huge tentacles ignored it. Instead, they began to continuously extend, as if they were attracted by something, reaching towards the pitch-black top of the underwater graveyard.

These tentacles were small in size and their tips were only as thick as a child's arm. After reaching a height of a hundred meters, they pierced into a layer of pitch-black liquid.

So it seemed that the top of this place was not solid?

This liquid stratification structure was probably very similar to the "thermocline" geological phenomenon on Earth in his previous life.

Between the upper and lower layers, due to the huge difference in temperature, there was a discontinuity in pressure.

The high pressure below supported the liquid layer in the middle, forming another layer of riverbed. As time passed, the upper layer of the riverbed became stiff and solid, completely separating the two water regions into several completely unrelated ecosystems.

This was probably the reason why the underwater graveyard was formed.

A moment later, the tentacle retreated into the sky above the liquid body. It pulled down a corpse covered in yellow talismans!

"Could it be that the black zombie was pulled down from above like this?"

What exactly were these tentacles?

Jiang Li wanted to throw an Appraisal at it, but his main body was not there, so he could not use it.

At this moment, another tentacle grew out of the riverbed beside the black zombie. While he was shocked, he saw the markings on the surface of the tentacle.

These were not tentacles. They were extremely thick roots!

More and more roots poked out of the riverbed, extending to the top of the graveyard. After passing through the surface, they pulled down more corpses that were covered in talismans.

The cultivators above the river were also calm. After discovering that the corpses that had been thrown down had disappeared, they did not immediately move.

It was not until the number of remote-controlled bombs reached a terrifying number that the few cultivators led by the various large sects sent a signal to each other and formed hand seals at the same time.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flames of explosion lit up at the same time. All kinds of talismans had clearly been made waterproof, and they still displayed shocking might under the deep water.

Even with the black zombie's slow body, he felt the surrounding water pressure increase.

The corpses covering the surface were washed away by the water. The black zombie was also swept up by the shock wave, floating in the murky water.

One side of the membrane of its ears was directly pierced through, while the other side also temporarily lost its hearing with only a buzzing sound remaining.

But at this time, when its hearing was almost completely useless…

Die!!!

A wavelength of different frequencies was directly transmitted into Jiang Li's mind through the Zombie Puppet Technique.

Something had been angered by the explosion!

Before the black zombie that was blown up could sink to the bottom, everything turned black. An extremely thick tree root wrapped around it.

Next, the world spun. A large amount of water collided with the black zombie, it seemed like it was thrown out by the tree root.

A moment later, as if it had broken through a soft and sticky barrier, the surrounding water environment suddenly changed. From the ghastly underwater graveyard, it returned to the normal river water above. Even the zombie could not sense any Yin qi.

What was it doing!

As he wondered, the black zombie's momentum did not stop.

With a splash, water splattered as the black zombie flew into the air heavily.

In the spinning black zombie's perspective, Jiang Li saw that in the sky, a group of cultivators who were stepping on artifacts were displaying their abilities, all types of gorgeous attack methods smashing into the water like meteors.

Their target was the countless corpses that were thrown out along with the black zombie.

Most of the corpses had been shattered by the spell talismans as soon as they had left the water.

However, there were too many corpses that were thrown out, and the speed was too swift. Endless corpses were tossed out of the water, and it was inevitable that some of them would slip through the net.

Growl!

The corpses that had not been shattered in time were instantly transformed by the moonlight!

An inhuman roar came from their throats. Their pitch-black tongues were seven feet long!

Borrowing the momentum of the tree root, they pounced at the hundreds of cultivators in the air.

Yin Corpses!

Yin Corpses had no life, no soul, and no thoughts. They were evil creatures that were mobilized by the Yin qi, and they were even more dirty and vicious than zombies and ghosts.

A sword light flashed past. Under the enhancement of spiritual qi, the incomparably sharp spirit sword easily cut a Yin Corpse that pounced over like cutting tofu from head to toe.

However, not only was that cultivator not happy, he was even flustered and exasperated as he hurriedly retreated, controlling his artifact to continuously rise up.

The reason was that after the Yin Corpse was cut open, the thick black liquid inside directly poured out like exploding magma.

The sticky liquid that carried strong poison and Yin qi touched the spirit sword and the cultivator's body. It was as if hot oil had been poured, immediately emitting sizzling sounds.

The light on the cultivator's body and artifact immediately dimmed as they were corroded by the sinister liquid.

The cultivators who had originally stopped above the surface of the water were even more unlucky. For some reason, those Yin Corpses did not sink in the water.

Unlike zombies, the Yin Corpses were not as stiff and slow. Their bodies were stronger than that of animals, and they quickly ran across the water.

In an instant, the cultivators on the surface of the water were surrounded by a group of Yin Corpses. They could neither advance nor retreat, and they were badly battered by these Yin Corpses that were only slightly stronger than wild beasts.

This method of corroding one's artifact and Dao body was truly disgusting.

It was easy for them to slash the Yin Corpses with their swords, but even if they killed them, they would still be splashed with the disgusting liquid. It was simply a huge loss even if they obtained victory!

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Read Cultivation! My Augmented Statuses Have Unlimited Duration Chapter 51 - Golden Core Zombie Demon online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 51: Golden Core Zombie Demon

To deal with such disgusting enemies, only long-range attacks would be acceptable, but once they were within range, the outcome would be disastrous.

"Damn it! Everyone rise up! Keep your distance!" Someone shouted, but everyone was already running for their lives.

Fortunately, they had already asked all the Qi Refinement realm disciples to leave before the operation began. Otherwise, if they were to be splashed with such liquid, they would at least be half dead.

As for the black zombie, its luck was quite good. The cultivator closest to it had clearly suffered a great loss from the Yin Corpse. It had been too short a time, and he had not been able to tell the difference between the two.

Therefore, the cultivator did not dare to use his artifact. Instead, he broke one of the black corpse's arms and sent it back into the river.

"So close, so close, this zombie was almost crippled."

On the surface of the river, the Yin Corpses and cultivators were engaged in a heated battle. Jiang Li controlled the black zombie and obediently retreated to the bottom of the river.

In the riverbed beside them, there was still a steady stream of Yin Corpses. According to the terrifying number of corpses in the underwater graveyard, if they were all Yin Corpses, even if they stood still and were attacked by the cultivators above, there might not have enough long-range firepower to eliminate all of them.

This Mother River was clearly like a dangerous hornet's nest.

At this moment, in the black zombie's gaze, a source of Yin qi that was as bright as a torch suddenly appeared!

It was the coffin that was surrounded by countless ghost flames in the underwater graveyard, which had been thrown out as well by the tree roots!

The Yin qi wrapped around it was so dense that the black zombie's body trembled. It almost swallowed its stiff tongue.

Boom!

The coffin suddenly exploded as the river water rose. The coffin lid and body flew in two different directions.

What appeared on the spot was a beautiful female cultivator in a robe with a pale face and tightly shut eyes!

The surrounding turbid river water was expelled by an invisible force, forming a huge hole with the female cultivator at the center!

Pressure! The formless pressure spread everywhere!

Bang!

Without even having time to react, the black zombie was actually forced by the female cultivator's pressure to kneel down stiffly.

Wait, this should be the suppression between a high-level zombie demon and low-level zombies!

This female cultivator was the Golden Core zombie demon!

Boom!

The wave rose a thousand feet high. The Golden Core zombie demon suddenly rushed out of the water. Without even using an artifact, its figure flashed past like a fleeting shadow. It actually relied on just a mouthful of corpse qi to surpass all the cultivators present.

"Don't you dare leave, vile demon! Take this, Mystic Gate Puppet Formation!"

Elder Weng Sanqi, who had been resisting the pressure of the Yin Corpses and staying on the water surface, had been waiting for this moment.

The 37 wooden puppets did not move at all because they wanted to ensure that the foundation of the Mystic Gate Puppet Formation was complete.

At this moment, the Golden Core zombie demon broke through the water surface and landed in his Puppet Formation.

As Weng Sanqi struck out with a spell technique, the 37 puppets moved out at once in unison.

They were like scattered beads on the ground that were suddenly pierced by a string. They quickly gathered together and formed a spherical cage, trapping the Golden Core zombie demon inside.

Boom!

The beautiful Golden Core zombie demon slapped its claw fiercely onto the puppet cage.

However, the runes on the 37 wooden puppets lit up at the same time, and they spread the pressure in a mystical manner.

How could an elder of the Mystic Gate Hall who had a Void Core in his body be easy to deal with?

After all, the Golden Core zombie demon was only a zombie demon that had been transformed after death. It was impossible for it to retain its strength when it was alive. Elder Weng Sanqi believed that he was still capable of temporarily trapping this zombie demon with his Mystic Gate spell techniques.

Boom!

Then, the Golden Core zombie demon slapped with its claws again. The light on the 37 wooden puppets flickered quickly before suddenly dimming.

Elder Weng's rosy face suddenly turned pale. He could not hold back his blood and spat it out!

His expression was aghast. How was this possible! This zombie demon was less than a hundred years old. How could it be so powerful!

"Hurry up and help!"

Originally, he had thought that he could seize the initiative and directly capture this Golden Core zombie demon. In the future, he could refine it into his Golden Core puppet, and would definitely be able to increase his strength by a level.

However, at this moment, he could not be bothered about this.

"Amitabha! Let me help you!"

"See through suffering and vices! Ananda Golden Light!"

A Buddhist chant sounded in the air. The Benevolent Travel Temple's Dharma Master, who was at least two meters tall and liked to use reason to convince people, descended from the sky.

He pressed his palms together, and golden light shone from them.

When the golden light shone on the puppet cage, it seemed to be dyed with a layer of gold paint, causing the entire cage to become golden and brilliant, looking extremely firm.

Moreover, when the golden light shone on the zombie demon in the cage…

Ssss!

As the saying went, everything in the world had its own weaknesses. Just now, all the cultivators were badly battered by the countless Yin Corpses.

But at this moment, the Ananda Golden Light had the same effect on the zombie demon.

Strands of black smoke rose incessantly. The skin on the beautiful face of the Golden Core zombie demon was like a piece of paper that had been lit, and it was burned into pieces of ash by the golden light, causing it to become a horrifying sight.

Roar!

The Golden Core zombie demon roared in pain, causing all the cultivators' eardrums to tremble.

What followed was a thick mouthful of pitch-black corpse poison that could not be dissolved.

Although the Ananda Golden Light had a restraining effect on it, it was not that exaggerated. The corpse poison of the Golden Core zombie demon was long and spewed out like a column, forcefully rolling over while resisting the golden light.

"My robe!"

"My puppet!"

In the next moment, two figures flew back. The monastic robe of the Dharma Master was already pitch-black. Six of Weng Sanqi's puppets had also been corroded to pieces.

The puppet trap formation was broken by a mouthful of corpse poison.

The two of them felt sorry for their artifacts and did not dare to fight head-on, but they had given the enemy the chance to break out.

After escaping, the Golden Core zombie demon ignored everyone else and chased after the Benevolent Travel Temple's Dharma Master.

It seemed that the zombie demon would also bear grudges. That golden light just now had thoroughly offended it.

"Le Kong! Stop it for a breath of time!" Just as Dharma Master Le Kong was covered in injuries from the Golden Core zombie demon's attack, a voice sounded beside him.

It was Weng Sanqi's two puppets.

Le Kong was just about to curse when he saw five sword lights speeding over from the corner of his eye. He immediately understood what Weng Sanqi meant.

He no longer fled. Instead, he tore off the tattered monastic robe, revealing a muscular body that was like an iron tower.

"Buddhist Light Protection! Evil demon, face your demise!"

His bulging muscles were covered in gold paint. He turned around and blocked the zombie demon's claw, almost getting beaten up.

Fortunately, two puppets flew over from the side and grabbed the zombie demon's hands from both sides. When they were free, they also leaned forward and grabbed the zombie demon's collar bone.

Creak! Creak! Creak!

Under the tremendous force, the joints of the bones emitted a jarring sound.

Le Kong's strength and the two puppets were still inferior to the slender Golden Core zombie demon.

However, as long as they could control it for a breath, it was enough!

Five golden lights instantly arrived!

The Shu Mountain's Five Elements Sword!

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Chapter 52: Fish in Troubled Waters

The Shu Mountain's Five Elements Sword was a combination technique of the five elemental branches' sword cultivators of Shu Mountain. It contained the profundity of the five elements combined, and the power of the five swords combined was boundless.

The sword cultivators of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak specialized in maximizing the attacking power of flying swords. After the five elements combined, the terrifying destructive power increased exponentially.

This was also one of the reasons why the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak was so powerful. Any five-person group could form this Five Elements Sword Formation after a few days of practice.

No one in the same cultivation level was their match. Even if one was a rank higher, it would be very difficult for them to withstand this terrifying sword formation.

The Golden Core zombie demon was caught by the Benevolent Travel Temple's Dharma Master and Elder Weng Sanqi's two puppets. It could not break free for some time!

Seeing the five flying swords leaving a five-colored rainbow in the air and arriving instantly, the Golden Core zombie demon suddenly let out a miserable cry!

Black fog rolled out from under its robe and instantly spread out, circulating in the air and forming a pitch-black sphere.

The five streaks of light that were about to hit the zombie demon suddenly slowed down and transformed into five sword lights that brushed past the black fog ball.

The sword cultivators of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak did not dare to take the risk of accidentally killing their comrades by attacking forcefully.

On one hand, it was due to their sense of justice, but more importantly, if they angered the Benevolent Travel Temple because of this and caused the two sects to fall out, then it would be troublesome.

However, because of this, Benevolent Travel Temple's Le Kong got into trouble.

Originally, he could only block the Golden Core zombie demon for a breath or two by risking injuries. At this moment, the flying swords turned around and flew back, causing the pressure to intensify on Master Le Kong.

Amidst the rolling black fog, vigorous and deep screams were constantly emitted. It was hard to imagine what kind of cruel treatment Master Le Kong had suffered.

A moment later, a figure flew out of the black fog.

The surrounding cultivators were all shocked. They saw that the Golden Core zombie demon was holding onto a muscular arm. It was Master Le Kong's right arm that was forcefully torn off!

His severed arm fell from the black fog. His body was covered in blood and no one knew if he was dead or alive. After being caught by Weng Sanqi's puppet, he was quickly sent away for emergency treatment.

As for the Golden Core zombie demon, its closed eyes finally opened. The two eyeballs that should have existed inside had vanished, leaving only two terrifying holes as they stared in the direction of the five flying swords.

The flying swords of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak were extremely fast and powerful in attacking, but the attack pattern was similar to the fighter planes in Jiang Li's previous life.

After each attack, it had to "return" and increase the buffer distance before it could unleash the maximum strength.

This would result in the Five Elements Sword Formation's attack needing a considerable cooldown time for high-level cultivators.

At this moment, the Golden Core zombie demon stepped on thin air and rushed towards the direction where the five flying swords returned at high speed.

It seemed that this Golden Core zombie demon would instinctively deal with the greatest threat to it.

"Everyone! Stop it!" Someone gave the order.

It was the leading elder of the Hundred Tempering Mountain, which had the most people present. Dozens of artifacts with the power of the Foundation Establishment realm and more talismans of various colors flew out, expanding a spiritual qi net that could easily destroy the mountaintop and envelop the rising zombie demon.

However, this barrage of low-level attacks was scattered and chaotic, it was not worthy of the zombie demon's attention.

Boom!

The zombie demon slapped with its claws. Relying on the fact that its body was harder and its cultivation level was higher, it directly endured the attacks and broke through the interception net that enveloped it.

Its speed rose again as it chased after the fire attribute spirit sword.

Zombies were afraid of lightning and fire, and the considerably higher level zombie demon similarly did not like these two types of extremely positive attributes, so it chased after the fire flying sword relentlessly.

The fire attribute sword cultivator was also dumbfounded. He was only at the Foundation Establishment realm. The five of them had used the Five Elements Sword Formation together and could even sneak attack a Golden Core zombie demon.

Wasn't it courting death to let him fight the zombie demon alone?

Therefore, he could only hook his fingers desperately in an attempt to let his precious flying sword escape the pursuit of the zombie demon.

However, things did not go as he wished. The flying sword's speed was actually inferior to that of the zombie demon. It approached bit by bit, and as the zombie demon followed the flying sword, it was about to fly to the cloud they were hiding in.

"Senior Brother! Quickly change the direction of the flying sword!"

The other four sword cultivators watched anxiously and hurriedly reminded him. Unfortunately, he was too frazzled and could not see the truth. The fire-type sword cultivator only cared about controlling his flying sword to escape and did not think so much.

"What? What are you saying? Hurry up and help… Ah!"

The fire sword cultivator was anxious. A flying sword was everything to a sword cultivator. It was the most important thing in their lives. How could he give up so easily?

However, with this interruption, there was a sudden change. The fire sword cultivator suddenly hugged his head and knelt down. Huge mouthfuls of blood gushed out.

His Life-Bound Flying Sword had been severely damaged!

"Zombie Core! It's the Zombie Core!"

Some cultivators cried out in alarm. It turned out that after the zombie demon approached the fire flying sword, it did not hesitate to use its strongest technique and spat out the Zombie Core, ruthlessly striking the flying sword.

A Zombie Core transformed from a cultivator's Golden Core was extremely terrifying.

The fire flying sword was heavily damaged. The flowing light that covered the sword completely disappeared and it could not fly anymore. It fell down powerlessly like a piece of scrap metal.

In the air, there was only one Zombie Core the size of an eyeball left.

"Quick! Quickly destroy its Zombie Core!"

The Zombie Core was the strongest thing in a zombie demon's body, but at the same time, it was also their greatest weakness.

Once the Zombie Core was destroyed, even if the zombie demon's body was intact, it would instantly die.

The other four flying swords were originally flying in the opposite direction and were not far from each other. At this moment, they seized the opportunity and did not escape. They turned around and stabbed towards the Zombie Core.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The sound of flying swords entering flesh could be heard. In the end, the flying swords still did not pierce the core. The zombie demon recalled the Zombie Core in an extremely short time and used its body to withstand the full brunt of the four flying swords.

With a gulp, the Zombie Core was swallowed by the zombie demon, and the opportunity to kill it was lost.

Four flying swords were ejected from its body, transforming into sword lights that flew towards the location of the five people from the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak.

"You guys leave first. I'll stop it!"

As the flying sword went back, on a cloud artifact, the Five Elements Peak's leading elder stepped out from the crowd and stood in front of the five disciples.

"Elder! We must stay and fight together!"

The disciples of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak had deep ties and could not easily part with one another.

"Go!"

However, under strict orders, they could only ride the sword light and escape.

The sword cultivator elder did not let them take the fire-attribute disciple away. This was because he was clearly the zombie demon's target. Therefore, he chose to protect himself and let the other disciples escape.

Immovable Mountain! Thick Earth Sword Wall!

The sword behind the elder was unsheathed, forming a yellowish-brown sword wall that blocked at the front of the cloud artifact.

The flying zombie demon collided fiercely with the sword wall!

Guh!

Amidst the intense collision, the fire sword cultivator disciple spat out another mouthful of blood.

With his Life-Bound Flying Sword suffering such damage, the fire-attribute sword cultivator had already lost half his life. He lay on the cloud artifact in the air, gasping for blood.

His eyes were blurry and he could barely see. However, a few breaths later, the voices of his senior brothers and junior brothers that surrounded him vanished.

Only the furious roars and gasps of the Uncle-Master of the Earth Element Peak beside him made him feel even more terrified.

He did not want to die yet! He had a top-grade fire attribute spiritual root and had been tested to possess an extremely powerful Sword Heart talent in the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak!

After joining Shu Mountain, he had been given high hopes by the sect. He was granted the flying sword Burning Rainbow, and had spent five years establishing his Sword Bone Dao Foundation. In the entire region of the Great Mountain, he was undoubtedly a prodigy!

One day! One day, he would stand at the peak of the cultivation world. How could he die here?!

However, boom!

The intense airflow made him sway.

The fire sword cultivator endured his injuries and looked up. His four senior brothers were shouting anxiously in the distant sky. The Uncle-Master of the Earth Element Peak spat out blood and was sent flying by the sinister claws.

In front of him, there was a pair of pale feet.

The Golden Core zombie demon was still unwilling to let him go!

His body was lifted up by a cold hand.

Guh!

At this moment, the fire-attribute sword cultivator finally knew something… It turned out that the feeling of being bitten on the neck by the zombie demon was not that bad after all…

A few seconds later, the fangs of the Golden Core zombie demon loosened, and the fire sword cultivator's corpse fell from the sky. The other sword cultivator disciples did not have time to catch the corpse. It fell into the river with a plop, causing a group of Yin Corpses to fight over it.

The power of a Golden Core zombie demon was beyond the expectations of all the cultivators present. In a short period of time, the Dharma Master of Benevolent Travel Temple fell to the ground. The fire-attribute sword cultivator of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak perished, and even the Earth Element Elder was heavily injured.

Although they were only Foundation Establishment sword cultivators, without the Fire Element Sword, their strongest attack, the Five Elements Sword Formation, was equivalent to being crippled.

If they were compared to a group fighting the boss, in just a short period of time, the tank and DPS in the team had all fallen. How could they fight this zombie demon next? They would probably have to risk their lives!

Hundreds of cultivators threw aside the overwhelming number of Yin Corpses and concentrated their attacks. Some rogue cultivators who were not welcomed in the first place fled when they saw that the situation was not good.

On the river, after the appearance of the Golden Core zombie demon, hundreds of cultivators were in a mess, suppressed by the demon until they could not raise their heads.

Below the river, the black zombie controlled by Jiang Li ran to the place where the coffin had fallen.

With the black zombie's ability to sense Yin qi, even if this area was already dyed black by the Yin Corpses' black blood, he could easily find his target.

First, he found the coffin lid. Then, he carried the coffin lid and found an intact coffin not far away.

After reassembling the coffin, the overflowing Yin qi immediately dissipated.

What a treasure! Jiang Li was very excited.

Although he had not seen much of the world and could not recognize the material of this coffin, a Golden Core cultivator lying inside and transforming into a zombie demon was enough for him to believe that this was a great treasure.

Then, with a clang, a blazing sword with a slightly curved blade fell.

Thump! Another white-robed sword cultivator's corpse landed before the zombie as well.

Jiang Li: ???

Chapter 53: Zombie Demon's Demise

"This seems to be a sword cultivator from the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak?"

Jiang Li went up to take a look. The clothes on that sword cultivator were almost identical to Yin Qiu's, but the small insignia on his chest had an additional sword.

The corpse looked pale and shriveled, but other than the four bloody holes on its neck, the other areas were quite intact. There were no obvious external injuries.

At this moment, the riverbed beneath the sword cultivator's corpse suddenly started to fluctuate slightly.

Jiang Li's heart stirred. He knew that the roots of the graveyard were coming up to collect the corpse.

The black zombie quickly moved. It used its intact hand to grab the corpse and dragged it to the side.

The riverbed quickly stopped wriggling, and the root did not reach out. It seemed that, like the black zombie, as long as the corpse remained in motion, the root below would not react to it.

He dragged the sword cultivator's corpse and picked up the flying sword midway. Jiang Li controlled the black zombie to open the coffin lid and placed the flying sword and the corpse inside.

Huh?

Jiang Li watched as the sword cultivator's corpse fell into the coffin and disappeared the moment it landed.

What… was going on?

The coffin ate him?

Wait, wait!

This was the cultivation world. Could it be that this thing had a hidden space inside?

Jiang Li suddenly became excited. Spatial equipment was a good thing.

According to his knowledge, even Golden Core elders might not have storage artifacts. That kind of thing was very precious and rare.

After some thought, the black zombie grabbed the edge of the coffin, turned around, and lay inside.

The moment the black zombie's back touched the coffin, the surrounding environment suddenly changed. From a narrow space that could only allow a person to lie down, it became an empty rectangular space that was eight meters long, four meters wide, and four meters tall.

It was probably smaller than an ordinary classroom. The sword cultivator's corpse and damaged flying sword were lying on the side.

On the whole, the black zombie saw that the space in the coffin was mostly filled with river water. A few Ghost Lantern Fish had entered and were slowly swimming around, providing stable light to the space.

There were some miscellaneous items piled at the side. They looked quite old.

Just as he was about to search for treasure…

Buzz buzz~

As if the signal was not good, the connection through the Five Senses Enhancement became intermittent. The connection was unstable, and a large portion of the vision sharing he received was also missing!

Oh no!

There was a shielding effect in the artifact space!

Before the connection was completely severed, Jiang Li controlled the black zombie and hurriedly climbed out of the coffin.

Fortunately, this thing had no owner. Otherwise, he would have walked into a trap.

Feeling the connection restored, Jiang Li heaved a sigh of relief.

At this moment, many more corpses landed on the river.

In line with the core values of Immortal Cultivation, Jiang Li dragged the coffin and began to loot the corpses everywhere.

However, unlike the sword cultivators who were not far away from him, the corpses of the other cultivators landed without any pattern. Most of them were far away as well.

Coupled with the large number of Yin Corpses' deaths, the black blood that flowed out reduced the visibility underwater. The speed at which the tree roots pulled the corpses was also very fast.

Most of the time, Jiang Li was unable to make it in time, and he relied on his luck to seize three corpses before completely giving up. He dragged the coffin and went downstream as he started to gradually leave this battlefield.

The battle on the river had gradually reached its climax.

In the beginning, when the Golden Core zombie demon had just been born, although it was powerful, its expenditure was not little at all.

It had used corpse poison several times and its body had been pierced by the flying sword. It had even spat out the Zombie Core in its stomach for attack.

This was especially true when facing the Five Elements Sword Formation. The large amount of corpse qi that emitted from its body was equivalent to a cultivator forcefully burning their cultivation. It was a technique that consumed a great deal of energy and was very self-destructive.

Although it had a vast number of Yin Corpses helping it, they could not fly.

After rising up, the Golden Core zombie demon fought hundreds of enemies alone.

It did not have enough wisdom to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. When faced with a siege, it would lose sight of one thing and be distracted by the other. By relying on its instincts, it gradually exposed more flaws. The rate at which the Yin qi was expended was like a broken floodgate. The injuries on its body, big and small, were also rapidly accumulating.

As time passed, after nearly fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators died, a few Core Formation cultivators finally found an opportunity to heavily injure the Golden Core zombie demon.

(Void Core, True Core, and Golden Core all belonged to the Core Formation realm)

At this moment, on the scene, the aura of the Golden Core zombie demon had already weakened to the limit. The part below the waist had long disappeared. At the open wound of the huge abdomen, some organs that had lost their function were hanging there, swaying, looking abnormally terrifying.

It was the result of a full-strength strike by the leading elder of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak with the help of the rest.

The few sect elders and a Void Core rogue cultivator surrounding the zombie demon also had chaotic auras and were all injured.

Their wounds were covered in a black stench that was slowly spreading in all directions. The intense corpse poison was also challenging their limits.

At this moment, as long as they swarmed over, they would be able to hack the zombie demon to death.

However, they had their own considerations and did not dare to step forward.

It was because the Golden Core zombie demon seemed to know that it was going to die. That final trump card, the Zombie Core, was kept in its mouth, ready to be spat out at any time.

With the current state of the cultivators, they would probably be unable to endure this attack. Whoever went up would be the one to die.

Elder Weng Sanqi was also depressed. At this moment, it would be good even if only one more puppet was left.

But the next moment, his face, which had turned pale from blood loss and corpse poisoning, suddenly revealed an expression of ecstasy.

The expressions of the other cultivators changed drastically at the same time. However, they were not overjoyed, but more complicated expressions like worry and distress.

That was because, in the distant horizon, a flying ship was flying through the air, enlarging rapidly in his vision.

When it got closer, there was a red building symbol on the flying ship, which meant that it was the ship of the Scripture Storage Valley!

"Little zombie demon! How dare you cause trouble!"

Arrays lit up on the ship. Under the control of the cultivators in the ship, terrifying spiritual qi fluctuations erupted, as if it could kill all the cultivators here with one strike.

"Elder Duan! Don't damage the Zombie Core!" Weng Sanqi shouted anxiously.

They were all elders of the Scripture Storage Valley, so they naturally knew him.

"Alright!"

Two white spiritual qi beams, one large and one small, shot out from the bow of the ship.

One of them scattered on the river surface, instantly turning the water into ice, freezing a large number of Yin Corpses along with the river surface.

One shot towards the zombie demon, freezing the Zombie Core that it spat out along with the remaining half of its body into an ice sculpture!

The Golden Core zombie demon had finally been killed, and it was not Jiang Li's turn to worry about splitting the spoils of war.

At this moment, Jiang Li had already run downstream. On a small branch of the Mother River, a broken piece of chain shot out from his hand, and he pulled out an ancient coffin from the bottom of the river.

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Chapter 54: Yin Burial Coffin

This coffin looked gray and inconspicuous. Touching it gave it a smooth and cold feeling on the rock surface, but one could see that there was a wooden pattern on the material used.

After leaving the water surface, water droplets quickly streaked across the surface of the coffin. It was as if water was placed on the surface of a non-stick pan. Soon, it became dry and clean.

"This divine artifact is awesome, it even has nano coating technology. Good stuff! Good stuff!"

This was the first time Jiang Li had picked up a magic artifact, so he naturally liked it no matter how he looked at it. No matter what special characteristics the coffin revealed, in his eyes, it was an extremely formidable and impressive display.

[Name: Unknown Coffin]

[Type: Dharma Artifact]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Note: Make a fortune with the coffin.]

He threw an appraisal over and did not obtain any useful information. However, this made Jiang Li feel even more delighted.

If it could not identify anything, it meant that the quality was not low.

After walking around the coffin twice, he reached out and picked it up to test its weight.

It seemed that the coffin was made of solid materials. Judging from the strength needed, it should weigh at least 500 kilograms.

However, what was this artifact used for? It could not be used to smash people or simply lie down and wait for death, right?

He just did not know if there would be any other changes after refining it.

As he thought this, Jiang Li pushed open the coffin lid and reached his hand into it to search.

A moment later, he took out the fire flying sword.

There was an obvious indentation on the flying sword's body, and the entire sword body also showed a slight bend. Jiang Li tried to infuse spiritual qi into it but received no response.

However, a flying sword still was a flying sword. Even if it could not be used, the sharpness was undeniable. The edge of the blade was cold and shiny. It would not be a problem to use it to cut a rock.

Jiang Li flipped the sword over and used the tip of the flying sword to press against his palm. Then, he slashed forcefully, and a hole appeared. Blood instantly flowed out.

It was really difficult for mortal swords to break through his skin now. If he did not happen to find this thing, it would not be easy for him to drip some blood.

Jiang Li did not waste any time. His bloody hand quickly slapped the coffin.

As he muttered, blood kept flowing out. However, it did not flow to the ground like the river. Instead, it slowly filled the coffin and seeped into it along with the Yin-attribute spiritual qi.

[Yin Refinement Technique Level 4]

This was the third technique that Jiang Li had grasped.

The Yin Refinement Technique of the Yin-attribute was a support-type spell mainly used to refine artifacts and strengthen them!

Apart from having some innate fiendish characteristics, the chain that Jiang Li had been using all this time was under the effect of the Yin Refinement Technique.

Jiang Li had once caught two ghosts attracted by the Yin qi in the outer sect graveyard and used them as materials to refine the chains twice, allowing it to obtain the ability to change directions to a certain extent during the tossing process.

Otherwise, Jiang Li had never learned any whip technique before, so how could he use the chains to such an extent in a short period of time? After tossing them out, he could wrap whatever he wanted, and there was almost no failed attempt.

At this moment, Jiang Li was using his blood as the catalyst to refine this coffin for his own use.

In the beginning, because the coffin's grade was not low, the refinement process was quite difficult.

However, the coffin might have been lonely because no one had entered it for a long time.

Or perhaps the material of the coffin was special, and it enjoyed the delicious taste of living human blood.

A moment later, the speed at which the blood and Yin qi seeped into the coffin suddenly increased. In a short while, the blood that was flowing out was completely absorbed. A suction force then acted on the wound on his right hand.

This was interesting. This thing could actually suck blood?

Jiang Li felt his hand tighten. The originally smooth coffin surface suddenly stuck to his palm. Under the suction force, blood flowed out at a speed several times faster than normal. This coffin seemed to want to suck his entire body dry!

[Bloodsucking Wood has come into contact with a wound. Added Status: Acute Blood Loss.]

[Acute Blood Loss: Lose 10 Health Points per second, accelerated blood loss, and the healing of the wound is slowed. Duration: 30 minutes] ( )

Bloodsucking Wood? One could sense an ominous aura from this name.

Duration of 30 minutes? Every minute was 60 seconds, and 10 Health Points were lost every second. That was 18,000 Health Points, a total of six to seven times the upper limit of his current Health Points.

If he was stuck to it and could not break free, he would be sucked dry and end up like the fire attribute sword cultivator of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak.

However, since the status bar had already popped up, Jiang Li did not panic for the time being. Instead, he borrowed the characteristics of the Bloodsucking Wood to continuously let his blood and spiritual qi enter, accelerating the refinement process.

Two minutes later, Jiang Li's face was pale as he got rid of the status. However, his palm was still stuck to the coffin and could not escape.

Ordinary humans would be on the verge of death after losing more than 30% of their blood. He was a cultivator who had spiritual qi to protect his body. He only needed 50% or less blood to maintain his life.

However, such a huge amount of blood loss still made him feel weak.

He could not care about this for the time being. With statuses helping to restore his blood vitality, this blood loss would recover in less than two days. The most important thing was to quickly refine this coffin.

The amount of blood invested had already far exceeded the requirements of the Yin Refinement Technique, so every time the bleeding status popped up, he would decisively cancel it.

Then, he threw in more Yin-attribute spiritual qi and continued to refine it.

The grade of this coffin was absolutely not only at the Yellow-rank, otherwise, the difficulty of refining it would not be so high!

Although Jiang Li had temporarily removed the blood loss status, the wound was still there after all. Every half a minute, the special feature of the coffin's Bloodsucking Wood would cause him to start bleeding again.

He could only continuously remove the status before continuing to refine it.

At this moment, he realized that it did not even take five seconds for him to click on the minus button 30 times in a row. The clicking speed that he had trained hard in his previous life finally came in handy, saving him a lot of health points.

Half an hour later, Jiang Li released his right hand and fell to the ground, panting heavily.

The refinement of an artifact was too difficult. Not only did it almost suck him dry, but under the condition of Accelerated Qi Recovery, his spiritual qi was also almost completely sucked dry too.

Didn't it say that two drops of blood would make a divine artifact recognize him as its master? Why was it that when it came to him, picking up an ownerless coffin could cause so much trouble?

Fortunately, it finally succeeded! Now, he could inspect it freely.

He immediately threw out another appraisal.

Appraisal was an unscientific skill. Half an hour ago, there was no information provided at all.

However, half an hour later, after the coffin was completely refined by Jiang Li, this thing was now considered to be Jiang Li's own equipment. There would naturally be no difficulty in appraising it.

[Name: Yin Burial Coffin]

[Type: Dharma Artifact]

[Grade: High-Grade Profound-Rank]

Chapter 55: Confidence?

[Name: Yin Burial Coffin]

[Type: Dharma Artifact]

[Grade: High-Grade Profound-Rank]

[Characteristics: Space, Blood Sucking, Yin Burial]

[Main Material: Bloodsucking Wood]

[Status: Yin Qi Leakage]

[Note: Simply necessary for long distance travels.]

High-grade Profound-rank!!!

What the heck!

Jiang Li was shocked. He had originally thought that as long as he could obtain a low-grade Profound-rank artifact, he would be satisfied.

However, it was indeed the inheritance of a Golden Core cultivator!

This coffin that looked ordinary and could only be sold for three taels of silver in the mortal world was actually a high-grade Profound-rank artifact!

Although the Yin Burial Coffin might be leaking Yin qi because it had been ownerless for too long and had not been maintained effectively, high-grade Profound-rank was still amazing, it was a high-grade item that ordinary cultivators might not be able to see in their lifetime.

Great! Great!

With a wave of his hand, the coffin floated up and shrunk automatically. Soon, it transformed into an exquisite small coffin that was the size of a palm and flew into Jiang Li's palm.

It could be powerful, small, light, or heavy. There was also a space inside.

Jiang Li did not know the capacity of other storage artifacts, but this coffin was shockingly large.

Even if it did not have any other function, just being a storage artifact would probably be worthy of the high-grade Profound-rank.

Jiang Li grinned and chuckled foolishly. He stuffed the coffin into his arms very lovingly before standing up and slowly walking towards the Scripture Storage Valley's flying ship in satisfaction.

'Eh? Did I forget something?'

'Damn, I've almost forgotten to retrieve the black zombie!'

Jiang Li was eager to keep the treasure, but he forgot about the black zombie who had worked hard this time.

He quickly returned to the coffin and retrieved the black zombie before returning.

After the flying ship arrived, there was no loud sound for a while. The battle should have ended already.

As expected, nothing happened when he cautiously approached.

The originally turbid Mother River turned pitch-black. Under the illumination of the rising sun, it emitted a suffocating stench!

It was no wonder that those Yin Corpses were not liked by cultivators. They were simply biological weapons.

The fish in this river were definitely dead. It would probably take at least 50 years before the ecology could gradually recover.

On the river, there was still a large amount of floating ice.

Many cultivators were shattering the floating ice and casting special fishing nets to find things. Their goal might be the cultivator corpses or the ownerless artifacts of a fallen cultivator. In any case, they were not fishing for sure.

"Jiang Li, you're back. Are you injured?"

Jiang Li returned to the original location of the Scripture Storage Valley's camp. He did not see Elder Weng Sanqi, but he saw Yu Banxia, Lu Qianqian, and the rest.

"It's just a small injury. Why are you guys here?"

As soon as Jiang Li finished asking, he realized that he had asked a stupid question. The flying ship was still floating in the sky. Shouldn't they be here?

"We followed the sect's flying ship. Elder Weng Sanqi and the few inner sect senior brothers here have all gone into the ship to recuperate from their injuries."

"Elder Duan asked us to come down and clean up the battlefield ourselves. If there are any gains, it's considered ours."

They were injured? Jiang Li was stunned. His main body was far away, and the black zombie was hiding at the bottom of the river. He really did not know what the situation was like just now.

"Cleaning up the battlefield? I saw quite a number of cultivators fishing in the river just now. What else can we find in the river?"

Jiang Li could not expose the fact that the black zombie had been hiding in the water. That would bring about unnecessary trouble, so he immediately put on an act and asked.

"Actually, there aren't any good gains. The elders and inner sect senior brothers don't think much of it. It's only useful to us outer sect disciples and some rogue cultivators. Look at this."

Yu Banxia led Jiang Li to the side. Lu Qianqian was using her Water-attribute spiritual qi to condense water and wash the few things on the ground.

Jiang Li understood immediately that they meant the artifacts of the dead cultivators.

When a cultivator's corpse fell into the river, it would be dragged away by the underwater tree roots and could not be salvaged.

The only things that could be salvaged were these broken artifacts.

"I don't think these artifacts can be used anymore."

The water of the Mother River had already been completely dyed black by the Yin Corpses' blood. These artifacts had been soaked in the river for so long. Unless they were Yin-attribute to begin with, it would be strange if they could still be used.

"They can't be used, but a portion of the materials in the artifacts can still be used after smelting. Jiang Li, you should choose one too."

Jiang Li realized that there was still such a thing. However, as someone who had already made a fortune, he had already lost interest in such trivial benefits…

Jiang Li felt regretful in his heart. Damn it! If he had known earlier, he would have let the black zombie search around more!

Due to Yu Banxia and the others' kindness, Jiang Li could only reluctantly choose a dirty, hook-shaped artifact and keep it in his bag.

"Jiang Li, thank you so much for your help in the mission. If not for you notifying the sect in time, all of us would have died there yesterday."

"You contributed the most to this mission. After the sect rewards are distributed, you should receive the biggest share."

After a pause, Yu Banxia spoke about the previous mission. The others did not look too good either.

After all, the dangerous life and death situation had only happened yesterday.

Two of their companions had died, and the five of them were all injured. Their bodies were covered in thick bandages, and they looked much more miserable than Jiang Li.

However, Yu Banxia still mentioned their previous agreement and wanted to share their gains with him.

Jiang Li was actually slightly embarrassed. Because under the care of Elder Weng Sanqi, the sect had decided to reward him far more than the others.

"We're all friends, why are you saying this?"

"I've heard about the two of them. I'm sorry. If I could have been faster, perhaps they wouldn't have died."

Everyone fell silent again. Jiang Li was not very familiar with the two disciples who had died, but the relationship between the five of them and the dead disciples was pretty good, so they would probably be very depressed. He expressed this, but it was unknown if it could be considered as comforting the living.

"I already said we are friends, why are you saying all this? If you want to blame someone, blame those greedy rogue cultivators."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. The rewards given by the sect this time are extremely generous, and it's enough to support our cultivation for a long time. For the next period of time, we don't need to go on missions anymore."

"I plan to cultivate well and participate in the outer sect competition this year!"

Even Jiang Li was surprised after hearing Yu Banxia's words.

The outer sect disciples were not all weak. There were many seniors with high-grade spiritual roots at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm.

Their cultivation levels were higher, and they were more proficient in their spell techniques and had more experience. How could a first-year cultivator resist them?

Forget about the anomaly Jiang Li, but where did Yu Banxia get his confidence from?

"Are you serious?" Jiang Li asked in surprise.

"Isn't it just participating in the outer sect competition? There's no need to be so nervous. Even if you can't win, accumulating some experience can allow you to obtain an advantage in the future."

Oh, so that was the case. Jiang Li had thought that he had also obtained some great opportunity in the Southern Seal Kingdom.

"In that case, count me in as well."

Jiang Li stretched his body, and the bones in his entire body crackled. It was merely an outer sect competition, so they should just wait for him to beat them all!

Report chapter

Chapter 56: Big Fish, Maha

Jiang Li, Yu Banxia, and the others boarded the sect's flying ship again. However, this time, it seemed a little crowded.

After all, there were more than two thousand children on the ship. They could only make do with a few people sharing a room.

Soon, the flying ship returned to the sect. When they disembarked, Jiang Li discovered in surprise that many of the children who had fainted earlier had already woken up.

After asking around, he learned that after the inspection by the sect's professionals, these children were in a state of extreme thirst for spiritual qi because of unknown reasons. Because their spiritual qi demand was unable to be satisfied, they spontaneously fell into a slumber.

The solution was very simple. They only needed to use a simple array formation to pour the spiritual qi of one to two spirit stones into the unconscious child's body and they would automatically awaken.

This matter was done together with the test of spiritual root grade.

Jiang Li, Yu Banxia, and the rest took their rewards from the outer sect affairs hall.

Yu Banxia and the others got 300 spirit stones, while Jiang Li got 500 and also a special one-time use token!

(A portion of the rewards was taken away by the elders.)

It was very inconvenient to have a large bag of 500 spirit stones, so Jiang Li directly exchanged 400 of them for four precious medium-grade spirit stones from the counter.

The exchange rate between medium-grade and low-grade spirit stones was generally 1: 100.

However, due to the rarity of medium-grade spirit stones, in the outside world, the exchange rate between medium-grade and low-grade spirit stones was slightly higher. It could only be maintained under the supervision of the sect.

Therefore, as long as the person-in-charge made use of this position, he would be able to earn a steady income from the price difference. It was quite a good job.

At that time, the inner sect senior brother of the outer sect's affairs hall acted a little displeased.

Yu Banxia and the rest did not dare to frown. However, Jiang Li felt that everyone would be on equal footing after the outer sect competition. Why would he be afraid?

Moreover, he was a rich inner sect disciple after all. Wasn't it too demeaning to bear grudges for these few spirit stones?

He completely ignored him and acted as if he did not see it, decisively exchanging for the spirit stones.

When he returned to his room, he directly stuffed the spirit stones into the Yin Burial Coffin. Jiang Li did not care about anything else and directly ran to the window at the head of the bed and picked up the ordinary clay pot.

It was exactly the same as before he went out. There was still nothing growing.

After pushing aside the soil, the spiritual root seed was still lying there perfectly fine. It did not seem to have changed at all and there were no signs of sprouting.

However, Jiang Li noticed that the two spirit stones beside the seed had already completely lost their luster. The spiritual qi within had already completely disappeared, becoming an ordinary jade stone with a poor quality.

"It's good that there's a change. I'm just afraid you're a dead seed."

"But the soil doesn't seem to be attractive to this thing."

Jiang Li took the seed and slowly observed it while consolidating the information in his mind.

He did not know much.

1: This seed is called a spiritual root seed and it has the ability to absorb spiritual qi from spirit stones.

2: The spiritual root seed originated from a certain Scaled Demon tribe.

3: More than two thousand children who had spiritual root aptitude were affected by external forces.

Jiang Li could only temporarily assume that those 2,000 children had their spiritual roots obtained because of the spiritual root seed.

Then, where did this spiritual root seed come from? Was it really just a natural treasure, or was there some other purpose?

Even refining a magic artifact used up half of his blood. It would not be so simple to obtain a spiritual root for no cost whatsoever.

Jiang Li was now rather wary of whatever he picked up.

After some thought, he went out and ran to the outer sect kitchen to grab a live fish that was nearly 10 kilograms.

He returned to the small house and found a large basin of water.

He looked at the spiritual root seed in his hand and then at the live fish in the basin.

"You're in for a treat."

Jiang Li first took out the Immortal Opportunity Stone and carefully tested this fish. This was called the control variable method.

Otherwise, if this fish was talented and actually had a spiritual root, then his experiment would have been for nothing.

After waiting for a moment, there was indeed no reaction.

Jiang Li took out the spiritual root seed, opened the fish mouth, and stuffed it in.

The first thing he tried was the simplest way of swallowing.

After all, illnesses were often caused by ingestion. The two thousand children could not do too many strange things in their lives.

If the spiritual root seeds had different forms and were mixed in the wild berries to be eaten by them, it was very possible.

Jiang Li moved a bench to sit at the side and stared at it without blinking.

One minute, two minutes. The big fish in the basin did not react at first, but slowly, it started to feel uneasy.

The fish flipped its tail wildly, as if in pain.

Two minutes later, the spiritual root seed that he had stuffed into the fish earlier was actually spat out.

After the fish spat out the seed, it even showed signs of resisting the seed. It swam to the side of the large wooden basin and tried to maintain a distance from it.

What was going on?

Jiang Li picked up the seed from the water basin and looked pensive. He leaned close to smell it.

Other than the addition of a fishy smell, there was also an additional pungent smell on the seed that made people want to vomit.

However, when the seed was held in Jiang Li's hand, the pungent smell quickly vanished, and it transformed into an alluring fragrance that caused Jiang Li to secrete a large amount of saliva.

This thing… knew how to choose a host?

The expression on Jiang Li's face became extremely interesting.

This was just like how you would find it hard to accept the toy doll if it really moved one day even though you treated it as family.

Jiang Li knew that everything was possible in the cultivation world, but to think a seed could still be picky by changing its smell, he was quite surprised.

"However, if you can only change your smell and have no other ability, then I'm sorry."

Jiang Li rummaged through his house and could not find anything. He then ran out and knocked on Lu Qianqian's door to borrow a few needles and threads from her.

While Lu Qianqian was still confused, he rushed back.

The big fish in the basin seemed to have sensed something and started to squirm uneasily in the basin.

However, in the next second, Jiang Li's palm grabbed its throat.

The fish mouth was ruthlessly opened again. As a grass-eating fish, its teeth were barely sharp.

The spiritual root seed was stuffed into the fish mouth again. Jiang Li did not wait for it to spit it out. He picked up a needle and thread and directly sewed the fish mouth shut.

His skills were not good. The stitches were a little ugly and rough, but they were definitely sturdy enough.

Soon, the large fish struggled as before. However, its mouth was sealed, and it could not spit out.

He took another thin rope and tied the Immortal Opportunity Stone to it.

The fish struggled more and more, its fish eyes already somewhat bulging out.

However, Jiang Li did not care. He only replenished the water in the water basin from time to time to make up for the amount of water that splattered because of the big fish's struggles.

After a full ten minutes, the unlucky fish finally slowly calmed down. It looked exhausted, and even its swimming became a little crooked.

However, the Immortal Opportunity Stone hanging on his body released a layer of misty light.

"Oh look, a fish with a spiritual root."

Jiang Li grabbed the fish that was already dizzy. His dual-attribute spiritual qi seeped into its body, and he started to check it inch by inch.

Indeed, just like the two thousand children, there was no foreign object in its stomach.

That spiritual root seed had actually transformed from a solid seed to a spiritual root without a body?

A green light flashed in his hand, and Jiang Li used the Zombie Puppet Technique. A moment later, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Hmph, since when can a fish resist my control?

But why was the fish not asleep?

Could it be that the two spirit stones it absorbed previously had already filled the gap in spiritual qi, so it would not fall asleep after forming a spiritual root?

It was possible.

Appraisal!

[Name: Maha Scaleless Fish]

[Type: Aquatic Animal]

[Age: Mature]

[Gender: Male]

[Nutrition Source: Green Algae]

[Habit: Swimming]

[Note: Not recommended for consumption.]

After throwing an appraisal skill, he discovered that the bottom line of the fish had changed from "soup can be made" to "not recommended for consumption", just like the spiritual root seed.

Now, Jiang Li could basically confirm that the spiritual root seed was the root reason why 2,000 children had spiritual roots.

However, Jiang Li still did not know the origins of this thing.

However, spiritual root aptitude was determined by birth. This was common knowledge in the cultivation world. Now, it suddenly appeared on a large scale. This kind of mysterious seed that could easily create spiritual roots only needed to be consumed.

One could imagine just how important this matter was. As a Qi Refinement cultivator, he definitely did not have the confidence to intervene.

At most… it was just beating around the bush. First, he would search for more information, in case he could adapt to the situation in the future.

Jiang Li thought for a moment before casting his gaze towards the large fish in the basin.

Then, it seemed that this fish was already useless. So, what could he do to retrieve the spiritual root seed? It was impossible for him to really teach a fish to cultivate.

Currently, he did not know a reliable source to get spiritual root seeds. It was still a very precious sample. He could not give up easily.

That Scaled Demon treated this thing as a treasure and entrusted it to its tribesmen. Clearly, it should more or less know the effects of this seed.

Therefore, this seed had most likely been consumed before. Logically speaking, there should be a way to remove the spiritual root seed.

Could it be that the Scaled Demon's white body was related to this?

But under what circumstances would the Scaled Demon turn white?

Jiang Li pondered for a long time, but he did not have any clue. He had not even had the time to cultivate previously, and he did not have the time to study aquatic creatures like the Scaled Demons.

Then, he would put aside the Scaled Demon and think from another angle.

Spiritual roots were invisible and formless. What could affect them?

A moment later, Jiang Li thought of something, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Cough cough, Brother Fish, no matter what, I've let you see the scenery of the cultivation world, so don't blame me later on. If you can survive, I'll set you free."

He reached into the small coffin in his arms, and after exploring for a while, he grabbed a few black pills from inside.

Waste pills! Waste pills again!

After excessive pill poisoning, it would begin to permanently damage the spiritual root. Then, could the spiritual root seed still stay in such a body?

"Hey, Fishy, it's time to take your medicine."

Jiang Li held the waste pill and leaned forward. Crystal tears flowed out from the eyes of the Maha Scaleless Fish.

Alright, that was just a joke, the eyes of a fish could not produce tears.

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Li picked up a dried seed from the water basin. He was very satisfied.

As for the fish, it did not get the chance to be released in the end. After the spiritual root seed was spat out, its entire body suddenly became limp and it could not be any more dead.

Report chapter

Chapter 57: Scripture Imparting Hall

Jiang Li threw this dead fish that was already smelly into a small river outside the Scripture Storage Valley and found Yan Hong, who was stationed in the trading area.

He asked Yan Hong to let two disciples make a trip to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion.

Other than buying some basic spirit pills and talismans that the Scripture Storage Valley did not have, they could inquire about the current situation of the White Scaled Demon and the location of the Scaled Demon tribe.

Jiang Li had no intention of testing the spiritual root seed personally. He could only do this for the time being and put the damaged and shriveled spiritual root seed into the coffin.

Yan Hong was still the same chubby and naive-looking man. However, it was said that his business had been doing quite well recently. He had already made a name for himself in the outer sect and was starting to have a stable income of spirit stones.

Of course, it was not much.

After readily agreeing to Jiang Li's request, Yan Hong suddenly pulled him to the side and said softly in a serious tone.

"Jiang Li, did you and Yu Banxia receive a lot of spirit stones for this mission?"

"It can't be completely considered a mission. There were some unexpected situations and it was an external reward given by the sect," Jiang Li answered.

After all, they had all received those spirit stones from the outer sect's affairs hall and had not gone through the process of the outer sect mission area. It could be said that these were rewards of the sect and not from the mission.

As for that mission, it was hard to say if it was completed by them.

"Sigh, you guys were too careless. Someone saw you collecting the spirit stones!"

Yan Hong squeezed his round face together, looking very worried.

"So what if we're seen? There are so many people coming and going every day in the Outer Sect Affairs Hall. It's hard for us not to be seen."

Jiang Li acted very indifferent. It could not be that some Golden Core big shot wanted to kill him for these few hundred spirit stones, right?

"Sigh, you don't know. Now, the entire outer sect has spread the news that you guys were lucky enough to obtain a windfall. It's said that you have a few thousand spirit stones. There are many people who are green with envy."

When he heard Yan Hong's words, Jiang Li suddenly recalled that there seemed to be many people discussing similar topics along the way. However, he did not pay attention to it at that time.

Now, he was shocked. It had only been a few hours, how could such trivial news spread so quickly?

"Jealous? Together, we did indeed earn two thousand spirit stones. But what can they do to us? New disciples are protected by the sect in their first year."

Seeing that Jiang Li was still unmoved, Yan Hong became even more anxious.

"Why aren't you worried? For some reason, another 2,000 new disciples suddenly joined the outer sect today. Many people say that we, the current batch of disciples, are already senior disciples and the sect won't take care of us anymore."

"Even if they don't dare to attack openly now, what about in a year? Don't we still have to stay in the outer sect?"

Only then did Jiang Li recall that Yan Hong had yet to break through to the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm.

For an ordinary high-grade spiritual root, staying in the outer sect for three to five years was normal. It was understandable for him to be worried now.

"I forgot to tell you. I'm already at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm. I'll join the inner sect during the outer sect competition in two months. I'll protect you in the future."

Jiang Li had only exposed his breakthrough to the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm when he was out on a mission. Therefore, Yan Hong did not know about it yet.

"Alright, alright, alright. You have to protect me. You have to be careful of one person in the future. He has only recently broken through to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm and is worrying about not having a target to exploit. We are all… Wait, what did you say just now?"

Yan Hong obviously did not listen to Jiang Li at first. He only suddenly reacted as he spoke.

"You're at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm!? Who's the one with a high-grade spiritual root, you or me? I…"

Even when Jiang Li left, Yan Hong was still in disbelief, doubting his life. He had even forgotten about the threat of a certain outer sect senior brother.

Thinking about it, the devastating blow of this "my friend ranked among the top" could make him work harder in his cultivation in the future.

To be honest, Yan Hong's help previously saved Jiang Li a lot of trouble.

Jiang Li actually hoped that Yan Hong could continue to help him in the future.

Even though as a businessman, he did not need much cultivation and strength.

But just like in his previous life, salespersons called themselves sales managers. Without a certain status, it was difficult for others to listen to you seriously.

In the cultivation world, cultivation was the first measure of status.

Take Fu Zhong from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion for example. In the Great Mountain Branch, everything was handled by him alone. He was excellent and experienced in managing the business and was worshiped by Yan Hong every day.

However, because he was at the Foundation Establishment realm, the highest he could become was a deacon. He would never be able to take the place of the Pavilion Master even if the position was often switched among the various higher-ups.

At the very least, Yan Hong had to reach the Core Formation realm or something in the future. Otherwise, he would not be able to become a proper businessman.

As for the threat of whoever Yan Hong mentioned, he really did not take it to heart. If he wanted to cause trouble for Jiang Li, he had to be strong enough first.

What made him happy was that Yan Hong did not borrow any spirit stones from him in the end.

Although it was not a big issue, it directly reflected Yan Hong's character.

He was currently on the rise in his development. It was impossible for him to not need more spirit stones and be able to resist the urge to take a share of the loot. This was very important for their future interactions as friends.

After leaving the trading area, Jiang Li headed straight for the inner sect.

After showing the command token in his hand, Jiang Li headed to the Scripture Storage Pavilion once more.

This token was the reward given to him by Elder Weng Sanqi.

It was said that this concerned the founding of the sect and was an extremely rare opportunity.

Although all inner sect disciples would obtain such a token when they first entered the sect, it was only one-time use. If they wanted to obtain it, they could only accumulate a large number of sect contribution points before exchanging for it.

Jiang Li chose to give up on directly joining the inner sect and chose this token instead because he wanted to enjoy this benefit again in the future.

He arrived at the Scripture Storage Pavilion with ease. Elder Li was sitting at the entrance, holding a jar of wine and enjoying life.

"Elder Li," Jiang Li stepped forward and bowed as he cupped his hands.

"Hmm, as usual, go in and look for cultivation methods and spell techniques yourself."

The working attitude of this Scripture Storage Pavilion's Elder Li was always so unrestrained. He basically made the Scripture Storage Pavilion into a buffet. As long as one paid enough spirit stones, they could do as they pleased.

"Elder, I want to go to the Scripture Imparting Hall!"

Jiang Li had another request this time. He opened his hand and placed the small token in his palm to show the other party.

Elder Li finally raised his drooping eyelids and looked at the token.

With a wave of his hand, the command token automatically flew into the other party's hand. Elder Li used a secret technique to carefully inspect it for a long time before nodding.

"That's right, it's the token for the Scripture Imparting Hall. Hehe, kid, your luck is pretty good. It's rare for outer sect disciples to obtain this thing. Follow me."

Elder Li had clearly forgotten who Jiang Li was long ago. After glancing at his outer sect disciple uniform, he was slightly surprised.

However, he didn't say anything else and brought Jiang Li into the Scripture Storage Pavilion. After he opened a hidden door, a stone staircase appeared on the ground.

In the faint light, they descended.

As they went deeper, the air gradually carried an ancient smell.

The stone walls of the passage were crisscrossed with sword slashes and ravines, as if someone had once fought a great battle here.

Finally, at the end of the passageway, his field of vision opened up once more. Jiang Li was already able to see a damaged hall towering in the vast underground space under the dim glow of the luminous pearls.

Report chapter

Chapter 58: Great Carefree Bodhisattva Heart Sutra!

Jiang Li was sizing up the dilapidated hall, thinking that no one would come and fix it.

Elder Li, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked, "Kid, do you know why the Scripture Storage Valley is called the Scripture Storage Valley?"

"It's because our sect has the largest Scripture Storage Pavilion in the Great Mountain Region and the most number of cultivation methods."

This was what Weng Sanqi had told him when he had chosen to join the sect.

"Yeah, the Scripture Storage Pavilion. Do you know where the cultivation method manuals in our Scripture Storage Pavilion came from?"

Elder Li walked closer to the dilapidated hall and touched the missing corner of the door. He sighed.

This time, he did not wait for Jiang Li to answer and started talking.

This allowed Jiang Li to finally know some of the sect's history and secrets.

When he first joined the sect, he knew that the Scripture Storage Valley was formed because of the appearance of an ancient ruin more than 200 years ago. Many rogue cultivators joined forces to occupy the ruin.

However, he had never known what that ruin was. Now, after hearing what Elder Li said, he knew that the foundation of their sect was the dilapidated hall in front of them.

After walking around the entire hall, one could see that there were a total of four doors.

On the four doors were respectively written with the words 'Spirit', 'Dharma', 'Body', and 'Technique'. These four words represented the four Great Daos that cultivators cultivated.

As long as one entered one of the doors, they would be able to obtain a precious inheritance from the ancient times.

The most precious thing was that it was said that this Scripture Imparting Hall would impart the most suitable inheritance according to the aptitude of the disciples who entered. Even if the cultivation method was incomplete, it would still be extremely helpful to cultivators.

Wait… incomplete cultivation method?

Jiang Li suddenly recalled the ancient cultivation method, Deadwood Extraction Method, that was only incomplete in the Qi Refinement realm.

Could it be that the many incomplete ancient cultivation methods in the Scripture Storage Pavilion were all inherited from the sect's elders?

Elder Li gave an affirmative answer to Jiang Li's question.

This Scripture Imparting Hall was a ruin left behind by an ancient Immortal Sect many years ago. After being cleansed by time, its power was no longer as great as before.

Furthermore, it had been ravaged by the great battle when the ruin had appeared. It had suffered even more serious damage.

Moreover, the cultivation system of the ancient era was very different from now. It was difficult for them to repair it even if they wanted to. In order to prevent it from causing destruction again, they could only temporarily maintain the original state.

It was also because of this that the function of the Scripture Imparting Hall was severely damaged. What kind of inheritance one could obtain inside depended on their talent and opportunity.

Over the years, countless inner sect disciples and higher-ups of the sect had entered the Scripture Imparting Hall, and they were like ants moving house as they comprehended and copied down the ancient cultivation methods bit by bit. This was the reason why the Scripture Storage Pavilion had such a large number of incomplete ancient cultivation methods.

Coupled with the cultivation methods and spell techniques of many rogue cultivators, it formed the current number one Scripture Storage Pavilion of the Great Mountain Region.

After hearing Elder Li's explanation, Jiang Li glanced at his pitiful enlightenment value that was still only 1.1, and he was obviously slightly depressed.

"Now, make a choice. Which of the four doors do you want to enter?"

Without a doubt, the four doors represented spirit refinement cultivation methods, qi cultivation methods, body cultivation methods, and Dao spell techniques.

Jiang Li pondered for a long time before finally speaking, "I want to enter the Spirit Scripture Hall."

The reason was simple. He already had the Qi Refinement cultivation method and spell techniques, but the spirit refinement cultivation method was extremely precious and not something he could come into contact with at this moment.

There was still a chance for him to come to the Scripture Imparting Hall in the future. The most important thing now was to complete the huge shortcoming of spirit refinement.

"Mm, a smart choice. If you have good luck and comprehension, this inheritance might be able to increase your chances of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future."

Elder Li's reminder made Jiang Li understand a little. Even if he only gained one spirit refinement cultivation method, it would be extremely helpful to his breakthrough in cultivation.

"Then, I'll have to trouble Elder Li."

Elder Li took out two medium-grade spirit stones and embedded them in the grooves on both sides of the door of the Spirit Hall. He then took out the token from before and used a special technique to send out a spiritual light that shone on the door of the hall.

With a creak, the door slowly opened.

"Enter the main hall and sit cross-legged facing the stone tablet!"

"You only have two hours! Hurry up!"

The energy expenditure of this hall was truly huge. Just opening it for two hours required two medium-grade spirit stones.

Before Jiang Li could sigh with emotion, he hurriedly ran into the hall under Elder Li's urging.

There was an empty space in front of him. In the middle of the hall was a pitch-black stone tablet that had been cut in half. It was very eye-catching.

What exactly did the cultivators of the past do in this Scripture Hall? Couldn't they find a place with no one around to beat their brains out? Why did they have to beat up this rare ancient inheritance to such an extent?

Jiang Li had no choice but to forget about the complaints and concentrate before sitting down on a meditation mat before the stone tablet.

As he sat on the mat, this slight change in weight happened to activate a small array formation that had been set up beforehand.

The array formation lit up slightly. An incense burner was placed in front of the meditation mat, and a yellow joss stick automatically lit up.

"Amitabha, oh Goddess of Mercy. Please give me a super awesome cultivation method." Sitting on the mat, Jiang Li prayed without rhyme or reason.

This time, though, his attempt at metaphysics seemed to have some effect.

Somehow, something warm enveloped him, and his consciousness gradually calmed down.

Something whispered in his ear. He did not hear or answer anything, but the voice seemed to know the answer.

A moment later, the voice spoke again.

It was still extremely soft and indistinct.

Jiang Li wanted to hear that voice clearly, but his brows furrowed deeper and deeper. However, he still did not obtain anything. His chest rose and fell, and his mood gradually became anxious and uneasy.

It was not until a wisp of fragrance entered his nose that his brows slowly relaxed and his mind quietly became empty and clear.

The whispers could finally be heard intermittently.

It was clearly just sections of words that were not connected, but each and every syllable sounded like thunder striking in his ears, enlightening him.

When every clear syllable sounded by his ear, Jiang Li felt as if he was about to achieve great enlightenment at any time.

Golden light, lotus, purple bamboo… The worldly music was profound, turning into blurry images that made Jiang Li completely immersed.

It was as if the secret of the world was right before his eyes. As long as he took the first step forward, he would be able to grasp everything in his palm.

However, that feeling was also eternally unreachable.

Unknowingly, Jiang Li's mind was completely immersed in this. His mouth was stammering, and it took much effort for him to read a few words with difficulty.

"Great… Carefree… Bodhisattva… Heart… Sutra!"

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Chapter 59: A Long Lecture

[Smelling the Concentration Incense. Added Status: Focused Spirit.]

[Focused Spirit: The mind is at peace. Cultivation speed of spirit refinement cultivation methods will increase by 50%. Enlightenment will increase by 2 points. Duration: 60 minutes] ( )

[Comprehending Dao in the broken Scripture Imparting Hall. Added Status: Slowly chanting the Great Carefree Bodhisattva Heart Sutra.]

[Slowly chanting the Great Carefree Bodhisattva Heart Sutra: Level of Completion (0/3000), Completion rises by 0.1 everyday. Duration: 2 hours] ( )

A few notifications suddenly popped up on the interface, causing Jiang Li to temporarily break free from the trance of listening to the lecture.

After a moment of daze, he quickly opened the interface to check.

So this thing in front of him was the Concentration Incense. This was something that could not be bought even if one wanted to.

It could also assist in cultivating the spirit refinement cultivation method and increase one's enlightenment. It was really useful.

Looking down, Jiang Li was stunned.

What did he see?

Great Carefree Bodhisattva Heart Sutra?

Was this the Bodhisattva that he knew of?

What… What was the situation in this world during ancient times? How could there be such powerful Buddhist figures?

Could it be a coincidence?

Perhaps it was just the same name?

That was possible.

However, just based on this name, he had really picked up a treasure this time.

If this was the cultivation method inheritance of that goddess, he would be extremely impressive.

Even if there were powerful enemies surrounding him, he would have 3000 avatars. Let's see how many they could kill!

Jiang Li could not help but chuckle, and then his eyes glanced down.

Great Carefree Bodhisattva Heart Sutra (0/3000), 0.1 completion per day.

Eh… 0.1 a day?

This speed was too slow!

He… he had to roughly calculate. If he wanted to completely comprehend this Heart Sutra, even if he did not sleep or rest, he would at least need 30,000 days!

Was there any hope left?

Jiang Li counted with his fingers. Damn!

82 years and 70 days…

This was a little difficult.

The duration was only two hours.

In other words, if he wanted to complete this Heart Sutra without a cheat, not only would he need to spend 82 years and 70 days here…

With his comprehension ability, he also needed at least 720,000 medium-grade spirit stones, which was 72 million low-grade spirit stones… and this was under the condition that the Scripture Imparting Hall would not stop functioning.

Jiang Li could not help but gasp.

Then, he decisively pressed both statuses to reach infinite duration.

82 years was fine. In the cultivation world, powerful figures could easily preach for hundreds or thousands of years. This was nothing surprising.

Although the status was already made permanent, Jiang Li still calmed his mind and immersed himself in comprehending and listening to the scripture.

However, he still had some mood for the outside world as he calculated the time.

Two hours later, the two medium-grade spirit stones were completely expended. The faint light in the hall gradually disappeared, and the Concentration Incense in front of him was immediately extinguished.

Jiang Li, who had noticed the changes in the outside world, decisively stopped listening to the lecture in order to avoid arousing Elder Li's suspicion. He acted as if he was in a daze and was extremely unwilling to wake up, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He walked out of the door. Elder Li was still waiting there.

"How is it? What's the name of the legacy you obtained? Record everything you remember into this jade slip."

Jiang Li received the jade slip and nodded. He knew in his heart that this was the rule of the Scripture Hall. Generations of people continuously supported it. One day, they might be able to completely empty out the Scripture Hall.

He did not plan to lie. In these two hours, with his understanding, even if he obtained the help of the Concentration Incense, he would not remember much.

However, one thing was for certain, the level of this Heart Sutra was truly high. Jiang Li could sense that just by chanting a few words, it would already be of great help to him. It might even increase his mental spirit and enlightenment slightly.

He placed the jade slip on his forehead and sent in all the words he had noted down.

"Looked down and beheld that five Skandhas were all empty… and were saved from all suffering and difficulty."

"All dharmas are marked with emptiness; they are neither produced nor destroyed, neither increase nor diminish… There is no suffering, its origin, cessation, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering; There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment."

A moment later, Elder Li took the jade slip and examined it. He was neither happy nor disappointed.

"Oh it's this Heart Sutra. It's not bad. The sect has already recorded it down. If you submit this content, you won't be able to obtain any Contribution Points."

"However, after you join the inner sect, you can apply to read all the contents of this scripture recorded by the sect. Those copies are not complete and cannot be cultivated. However, it will be very helpful if you are compatible with them."

When Elder Li said this, Jiang Li was slightly surprised.

So, someone had already inherited this scripture before. It seemed like other than his cheat, there was nothing special as he had imagined.

After Jiang Li left the lecture hall, he could still continue to listen and comprehend the scripture. Although he was not interested in what Elder Li said about reading the version copied by his predecessors, he still displayed his pleasant surprise at the appropriate time.

After following Elder Li and slowly leaving the Scripture Hall, Jiang Li casually exchanged two more cultivation methods from the Scripture Storage Pavilion before returning to his outer sect hut in satisfaction.

Cultivating, reciting scriptures, cultivating, reciting scriptures… A few more days passed like this.

Jiang Li sat cross-legged on a meditation mat in the room. On the small table in front of him were more than ten bottles of different medicinal pills and porcelain bottles.

Some of these pills were bought from the sect's Alchemy Hall.

Some were bought from the Immortal Ascension Hall by Yan Hong.

Some of them were additional gains from the previous mission.

Among them, there were some basic medicinal pills like Spring Rejuvenation Pills, Detoxification Pills, Inedia Pills, Stamina Pills, Vigor Pills, Golden Spear Pills, Beauty Pills, and so on. Jiang Li had already eaten quite a number of them since a long time ago.

(Satiety could recover stamina, but Inedia was naturally more effective.)

This also allowed him to obtain many buffs such as [Healing Rejuvenation, [Inedia, [Detoxification, [Strengthened Body, [Energy Burst, [Sturdy Force, [Unbreakable Golden Spear, and [Whitening Moisturizing]…

All in all, they would allow his physical strength to recover faster, his health points to recover faster, reduce his need for sleep, and buff his various attributes to be stronger. It would also allow him to cultivate better… and at the same time, prepare his body in advance to satisfy female cultivators in the future.

The most effective one was the secret healing pill "Jade Bone Flesh Regeneration Pill" given by Benevolent Travel Temple's disciple Zheng Yuan at that time.

The status brought about by this pill, [Jade Bone Flesh, was combined with the [Healing Rejuvenation] brought about by the Rejuvenation Pill.

Not only did it allow Jiang Li's health points to finally recover every second, it also made his bones harder every time he was injured and healed.

However, there were also some medicinal pills that Jiang Li had yet to turn into permanent statuses.

Tendon Strengthening Pill, Body Tempering Pill, Organs Refinement Pill, and Bone Tempering Pill.

Among these four, two were medium-grade Yellow-rank and two were high-grade Yellow-rank. Both were Yellow-rank pills used to increase physical fitness and accelerate the cultivation of body cultivators.

It could be said that just by eating them, even if Jiang Li did not cultivate the Mountain Crushing Scripture, his body would slowly become stronger.

However, they all had one flaw. After consuming them, one's entire body would feel soreness everywhere.

Most importantly, this kind of soreness was not especially intense. It was a normal reaction when his body was filled with energy and his body was strengthened.

It was just like how the [Manly Vigor] status would make Jiang Li's blood flow to certain places from time to time. This was not a side effect and could not be eliminated directly.

It was fine for a day or two. Jiang Li could just practice the Mountain Crushing Scripture or something to expend the excess energy.

However, over a long time, the constant soreness would be really unbearable. Especially if Jiang Li took too many pills, he really would not be able to endure it without crashing into the wall every three minutes.

So he had no choice but to continue delaying until the person Yan Hong sent finally brought back what Jiang Li wanted.

Jiang Li then placed these bottles of medicinal pills on the table.

[Consumed the Mind Relaxation Painkiller Pill. Added Status: Mind Relaxation Painkiller]

[Mind Relaxation Painkiller: Relax the nerves, relieve pain, eliminate anxiety, and improve sleep. Duration: 6 hours] ( )

[Overdose of Meridian Relaxation Pill. Added Status: Meridian Relaxation.]

[Meridian Relaxation: Stretch the muscles and bones, stimulate the blood, and clear the meridians. Duration: 6 hours] ( )

These were two pills prescribed by a Lu family medical cultivator who often stayed in the Immortal Ascension Pavilion.

He could not take too many painkillers, which would cause his other senses to become less sensitive.

However, there was no such problem with the Meridian Relaxation Pill.

The Lu family's medical practitioner said that he had eaten too many potent pills, causing his blood essence to be too strong and uncontrollable.

This kind of illness was commonly seen by second-generation heirs of sects who were too lazy to cultivate. It was not the first time he had seen it.

If he did not want to take medicine, he could cut open the blood vessel and let out some blood. It would also be very effective.

The reason why Jiang Li felt sore and painful was because his cultivation was insufficient, and the buffs were too great. If the excess blood essence was not circulated, it would cause bruising.

After eating this pill, it could help circulate blood essence and accelerate the absorption and strengthening of the body. Naturally, it was the right medicine for this situation.

However, he also said that eating this medicinal pill was only treating the symptoms but not the root cause. Strengthening his body and practicing the cultivation method was the best solution.

Jiang Li could only be speechless towards this. It was not like he had not cultivated before. He really could not cultivate more than what he already did.

Even the second-generation heirs of sects would definitely not be able to eat pills like him. What could he do if he did not stop eating them 24 hours a day?

Fortunately, the Lu family's medical practitioners lived up to their reputation. The medicinal pills they gave were very effective.

After Jiang Li ate the four types of medicinal pills again, his body only felt warm and hot, as if someone was massaging his entire body. His blood flow was very comfortable. He no longer felt any pain or swelling.

[Strengthened Muscle, [Strong Body Tempering, [Five Elements Organ Tempering, [Hundred Tempering Bone Strengthening].

The statuses that benefited initial-stage body cultivators finally appeared.

"I finally ate all these bottles of pills. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to eat and sleep in peace if I didn't have these good buffs with me."

"I heard that the Lu family's Spirit Moxibustion Technique is also top-notch. I need to get Qianqian to give me a full treatment someday. When the time comes, I'll be able to retain the status. Wouldn't I be profiting again?"

Jiang Li was very satisfied with the contents in the porcelain bottles. He sat in the room lazily and planned how to get Yu Banxia to agree to lend him his little girlfriend for some time.

Knock knock~

At this moment, someone knocked on the door of his room.

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Chapter 60: Yu Banxia's Betrayal

"Today's meal disciples are quite diligent. They came at this time."

Jiang Li thought about it and felt that since he did not call for service, it should be Yan Hong's subordinate coming to deliver food.

Although he no longer needed to eat, he still kept this habit to prevent others from seeing through him.

The door creaked open.

It was Lu Qianqian.

'Oh goodness, she likes me! Should I reject her? What should I tell Yu Banxia after this?'

Several thoughts flashed through Jiang Li's mind. But in the next second, Lu Qianqian directly knelt down.

"Brother Jiang Li, please save Banxia!"

Lu Qianqian's action surprised Jiang Li. He hurriedly helped her up and brought her into the house.

"Sister Qianqian, you can't do that. If you have anything to say, tell me inside."

Jiang Li helped Lu Qianqian to the tea table in the house and sat down. Only then did he notice that her eyes were red and swollen. She must have been crying for a while.

"Don't worry! What happened? Tell me slowly, what happened to Yu Banxia?"

"Ba… Banxia and I…"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before Lu Qianqian could catch her breath, the sound of someone slamming the door could be heard again.

This time, the person was even more impolite. The wooden door frame was smashed until it shook.

Jiang Li immediately frowned.

"Who is it?" He asked loudly.

The sound of the door being smashed paused. Immediately, there was the sound of swords being unsheathed. Clearly, the people outside were not good people. There were at least seven or eight of them.

However, they did not directly kill their way in. Instead, someone replied loudly.

"Outer Sect Law Enforcement Hall! We are under orders to search the area! Outer Sect disciple Jiang Li, open the door immediately!"

The Outer Sect Law Enforcement Hall… Jiang Li's heart sank. He looked at Lu Qianqian, who was sitting beside him with a terrified and uneasy expression. It seemed that her problem was related to the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall outside.

However, what could Yu Banxia have done?

The chain around his waist automatically landed in his hand. Jiang Li raised his hand and waved it. Spiritual qi blew at the door bolt, and the door opened.

A group of ten disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall who were dressed in pitch-black disciple robes entered in a single file. They surrounded Jiang Li very rudely.

"The Law Enforcement Hall is under orders to search. I hope you can cooperate!"

The leader of the group had a fierce and sharp aura. He did not hide his Foundation Establishment cultivation at all.

"Lu Qianqian! Why are you here! You're not allowed to leave the room until we find out the truth!"

That person pointed the knife at the tip of Lu Qianqian's nose. It was just a step away from touching her skin, causing her to shiver in fear.

"Senior Brother, there's no need to be like this."

"What crime have we committed that requires the Law Enforcement Hall to go through such trouble?"

Jiang Li stood at the side and directly stretched out his hand to grab the blade. He then pushed the tip of the blade to the side by 20cm before he spoke to this Senior Brother of the Law Enforcement Hall.

The captain of the Law Enforcement Hall's team revealed a surprised expression.

Although he did not use spiritual qi, he was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator after all. He already had his Dao Foundation, but this mere mid-stage Qi Refinement realm cultivator pushed his blade away. This guy was really strong physically.

"You don't know?" He asked this, but his eyes were always staring at Jiang Li, trying to find any trace of panic or other suspicious expressions on Jiang Li's face.

"I don't know. I have to go to the Alchemy Hall every day to help Master Red Hair refine pills. I rarely pay attention to the news of the outer sect."

"Junior Sister Qianqian is my friend. She came to find me today, but before she could say anything, you entered."

Jiang Li subtly moved the bottom of his robe, revealing the registered disciple identity token of the Alchemy Hall.

He did not know what had happened, but he was unhappy with the actions of the Law Enforcement Hall.

However, the Law Enforcement Hall represented the sect, and their strength was far above his. Jiang Li knew that he could not do anything about it, so he could only use this method to seize a certain opportunity to speak.

Sure enough, after the captain saw the token, his cold expression slightly improved.

The long blade that was currently secretly contesting with Jiang Li was withdrawn with a swoosh, and only then did he speak.

"Outer sect disciple Yu Banxia betrayed the sect! He's guilty of a heinous crime!"

"All relevant personnel must be investigated by the Law Enforcement Hall! If they resist, we are ordered to kill them without mercy, understand?"

It was clear that the identity of a registered disciple was still not enough to make the other party pay attention to him. After retracting his long blade, he said coldly.

"Yu Banxia defected? How is that possible!" Jiang Li was shocked that Yu Banxia had actually betrayed the sect. That was something he would never have expected.

The other party had no motive, and most importantly, he did not have the strength to do such a thing. Could it be that the sect could not control a small Qi Refinement realm cultivator?

Therefore, his first reaction was disbelief.

Jiang Li turned to look at Lu Qianqian again. However, her eyes were dark, and she cried even harder.

What…?! The world was changing too quickly.

"Do I have to lie to you? We need to search your house. You can choose to resist."

The people from the Law Enforcement Hall were not interested in explaining to him. After all, it was their own decision whether to explain or not.

"Go ahead!"

It was just a house, and it was originally an asset of the sect, so Jiang Li temporarily held back his anger.

He was indeed closer to Yu Banxia and the rest. Now that one of them had defected, the others might be implicated.

From what they said, Lu Qianqian was the first person to be investigated.

Fortunately, the rules of the Scripture Storage Valley were more comprehensive. There were rules to restrict ordinary disciples, and there were also special rules to restrict law enforcers.

Therefore, although these ten guys had fierce and unfriendly gazes, they only searched the room and did not search Jiang Li's body directly. They did not bring Lu Qianqian back to the Law Enforcement Hall to interrogate her either.

Otherwise, if this female disciple was brought back to the Law Enforcement Hall by them, it would be a small matter if she was beaten up. The worst case scenario would probably be getting locked inside for a few years and having babies soon after.

Jiang Li and Lu Qianqian stood there and could only watch as the ten disciples jumped up and down in the room, throwing things around.

In just ten minutes, his cabin, which was originally of the best quality in the outer sect residential area, had already become ragged. There were holes everywhere, and there was not even a place to step on.

Why did they have to destroy things as they searched? That was because if a person hid something, they would know how to hide it in a secret place. In the cracks of the wall, under the bed, it was extremely difficult to find without using some destructive methods.

Jiang Li understood this kind of violent search that was similar to those in movies and TV dramas, but who wouldn't be angry when faced with this situation?

"Senior Brothers, have you searched enough?"

Jiang Li picked up his teacup and took a sip. He could not contain his anger much longer, so his expression could not help but become extremely gloomy.

"What's that around your waist! Take it out for me to check!"

One of the law-enforcement disciples showed him what was called "rules are made to be circumvented".

They were not allowed to search the body. But if they were to use orders, threats, and scare tactics to make the other party hand it over, wouldn't that be considered not breaking the rules?

If the disciple really took it out, that artifact would probably be treated as a suspicious item and brought back for investigation.

"Senior Brother, if you want to see it, you can come take it yourself."

At this moment, Jiang Li felt fortunate once more. The sect he chose at that time was the Scripture Storage Valley, and not the Hundred Tempering Mountain.

If this happened in the Hundred Tempering Mountain, regardless of whether he was at fault or not, it would be almost impossible to turn the tables.

"Hmph! You better behave yourself! If you offend the Law Enforcement Hall, it won't end well for you!"

That disciple did not succeed and was clearly very unhappy. He immediately left some harsh words.

"Mo Xing!" The captain called out, and the fellow called Mo Xing stopped speaking.

"Outer sect disciple Jiang Li, you registered for the Outer Sect Grand Competition, right?"

The captain walked over to Jiang Li's side once more, and then he took out a list and pointed out Jiang Li's name on it.

"Senior Brother, do you have anything to say? Could it be that I don't even have the qualifications to participate in the Outer Sect Grand Competition?"

Jiang Li and Yu Banxia had returned to the sect to receive their rewards and had already registered at the Outer Sect Hall. The other party should be holding a disciple list.

He had never had a good impression of this kind of person who grasped power and became lawless. When he replied, he naturally did not have a good tone.

"No, no."

"I just want to tell you that the outer sect competition has been brought forward, and the method is different from usual."

"Take this. We'll gather at the sect's airship port tomorrow."

"Let's go!"

The other party placed a wooden tablet on the only table that was still intact.

Then, he led the group away.

Jiang Li recognized that thing. It was the entry and exit token of the sect.

In the past, they would only need to apply to the elders when they entered the inner sect. Now that they were suspected, they would have to bring this with them wherever they went.

"Qianqian, can you tell me what happened?"

Lu Qianqian, who was stunned, finally woke up from her dream. Her words were in a mess as she tried her best to tell Jiang Li everything she knew.

Lu Qianqian actually did not know much.

Actually, when she returned from the previous mission, she had already noticed that Yu Banxia had changed.

He paid less attention to her and was often in a daze. There were even a few times when he talked to thin air.

At first, Lu Qianqian did not think too much about it. She thought that he was under a lot of pressure due to the death of his teammates.

Then, last night, Yu Banxia suddenly ran over and said that he wanted to take her away. However, he could not explain exactly where he was going and what he was going to do.

Lu Qianqian, who had sensed the abnormality, naturally was unwilling to comply.

After that, a great figure suddenly appeared in the outer sect. It was the "Elder Duan" they had seen during the last mission!

Yu Banxia did not say anything else and left with Elder Duan.

Lu Qianqian was initially only puzzled and did not think too much about it. However, the next day, there was news that some sect elders had fled with their disciples!

When the Law Enforcement Hall came to look for her, Lu Qianqian finally realized the severity of the matter.

It was impossible for her not to worry about her boyfriend who was currently missing.

Coupled with the fact that she was frightened by the people from the Law Enforcement Hall, she immediately panicked!

However, in the Scripture Storage Valley, Lu Qianqian had no relatives. Among the people she knew, Jiang Li was the strongest. He was at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm and was also a registered disciple of the Alchemy Hall.

In her understanding, Jiang Li was already considered a person with some sort of "authority" in the outer sect.

So, when she had no other choice and was at her wits' end, she sought Jiang Li's help, and that scene from before occurred.

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Chapter 61: The Change to the Outer Sect Grand Competition

As Jiang Li listened to Lu Qianqian, he also recalled Yu Banxia's odd behavior.

On the flying boat back to the sect, Yu Banxia suddenly expressed his confidence in participating in the Outer Sect Competition.

At that time, Jiang Li had already felt that it was a little strange, but after hearing the explanation of the other party, he did not think too much about it.

However, now that he recalled it, the other party's confident appearance was clearly the same as his. He was completely confident.

It seemed that he had really encountered something special when he was in the Southern Seal Kingdom. Or rather, an "opportunity".

But, again, why had he defected?

No! It did not matter what Yu Banxia thought now.

In this matter, the one who took the lead was clearly Elder Duan.

That Elder Duan possessed a powerful variant ice spiritual root and was deeply trusted and valued by the sect.

Therefore, they had sent him to the Southern Seal Kingdom to bring back the two thousand unconscious children.

Not only that, but he had also brought the flying ship to the downstream of the Mother River in time to reinforce it and successfully dealt the Golden Core zombie demon a fatal blow.

Logically speaking, he should have no reason to defect.

Or rather… was defection not his own decision?

"It seems that this situation is much more terrifying than I imagined."

Before Lu Qianqian could calm down, Fatty Yan Hong ran over anxiously.

Ever since he entered the sect, he did not have much contact with Yu Banxia and the rest, so the checks he received were relatively light.

However, after hearing the news, he hurriedly ran over out of worry.

Of course, he was only worried about Jiang Li.

"Jiang Li! Have you heard?"

The nimble fatty rushed into the small house. When he saw the messy room and sobbing Lu Qianqian, he immediately understood that Jiang Li had heard about it.

"Jiang Li, go to the Outer Sect Affairs Hall immediately! Quickly cancel the registration for the Outer Sect Grand Competition!"

Yan Hong could not say anything else and pulled Jiang Li out.

"What happened again? What's wrong with the Outer Sect Grand Competition?"

Jiang Li felt a headache coming on. He only wanted to fight in an arena where he could crush his opponent. Why was it so difficult?

"There's no time to waste. Leave with me quickly, or else it'll be too late when the name list is confirmed!"

Yan Hong was very anxious, but his strength was worlds apart from Jiang Li's. He could not move at all.

"I think… it's already too late."

Jiang Li took the wooden tablet on the table and handed it to Yan Hong.

"The people from the Outer Sect Law Enforcement Hall came just now and asked me to gather tomorrow."

"What's the change in the outer sect competition? Tell me."

Yan Hong took the token and immediately became devastated, looking like he was beating his chest and stamping his feet.

"Jiang Li, you don't know this, but the Outer Court Competition this time is for you to assist in the pursuit of the defected disciples!"

Jiang Li learned from Yan Hong's knowledge in the trading area.

It turned out that last night, Elder Duan had led his disciples and several others to seize the sect's flying ship and defect.

However, because they forcefully used the flying ship without permission, their tracks were quickly exposed and they were pursued by the sect.

In the end, the flying ship was shot down by the sect elder while chasing after them. Elder Duan brought his disciples to hide in a mortal city and was still fleeing.

For some reason, the sect was unwilling to attack mortal cities on a large scale. Inner sect disciples were relatively precious and could not be casually sent into the city to risk their lives

It just so happened that it was time for the outer sect competition. The higher-ups of the sect directly changed the content of the competition and let the outer sect disciples enter the city to search.

As long as they could find the location of a defected disciple, they would be able to stand out among the outer sect disciples and enter the inner sect.

The sect made it sound easy, but even someone with a good brain could sense the danger within.

Jiang Li's fingers knocked on the table.

Yan Hong's news brought him quite a bit of pressure.

This action of the sect was no different from sending outer sect disciples to their deaths.

So what if they found the location of the defected disciple?

Among the group of defectors, there was a powerful Core Formation realm elder.

Even if he sent out a signal and won the competition, so what? That outer sect disciple would definitely die.

How could he have the fate to become a high and mighty inner sect disciple?

Forget about Core Formation elders, even against a Foundation Establishment inner sect senior brother, Jiang Li did not have much confidence.

However, the sect clearly did not give them any room to refuse. Once the name list was out, this order was absolute. Jiang Li and the others had to go no matter what.

Jiang Li was a little worried now, but he was also more puzzled.

Why was the sect so unwilling to harm mortals on a large scale?

Moreover, it was not only the Scripture Storage Valley, but the entire cultivation world.

Logically speaking, it was inevitable for the hearts of people to change after one grasped a formidable strength.

Even if most cultivators could abide by the Dao Heart and root out the strong while supporting the weak, what about the minority? What about the demonic cultivators?

Even in a game, there were many players who would slaughter a novice village. Jiang Li did not believe that such a demonic cultivator had never appeared in the cultivation world in all these years.

However, from what he knew, such a massacre was extremely rare. It was so rare that it had only happened three times in the past hundreds of years.

It was not that Jiang Li was cold-blooded and bloodthirsty, but even if he was kind-hearted, he could not be stupid enough to think that the entire world was pure and good.

In the cultivation world where individual power could easily wipe out a country, the probability of this was really so low that it was strange.

From what he knew, there were at least ten cultivation methods that could allow one to advance by leaps and bounds through large-scale slaughter. What kind of mentality made cultivators so "friendly" towards mortals?

Furthermore, once Elder Duan hid in the human city, the sect became timid.

It was the same as what he had seen and heard in the Southern Seal Kingdom when he was on a mission.

This did not make sense!

Jiang Li could not figure it out, which meant that there was definitely some key information hidden that he did not know.

It was not that the cultivators were unwilling to slaughter them, but they could not or did not dare to!

"Brother Jiang Li… if you met Banxia… could you…"

While Jiang Li's thoughts were in a mess, Lu Qianqian, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke again.

She did not finish, but her meaning was obvious.

She hoped that when Jiang Li went to search, he could let Yu Banxia live or help him out.

Jiang Li was speechless. Firstly, their relationship had not reached that stage. Secondly, Jiang Li admitted that he did not have the ability to do that.

Now, it was no longer a matter of letting Yu Banxia off.

It was because he, Jiang Li, was also facing a huge life and death crisis.

After sending Lu Qianqian off, Yan Hong stayed behind for a while. He took out a lot of things and placed them on the table, letting him take whatever he could use.

It made Jiang Li feel touched.

"It's not convenient for me to travel around now. I still have 400 spirit stones here. Can you help me buy something?" Jiang Li handed over four medium-grade spirit stones and spoke softly to Yan Hong.

"Leave it to me!" Yan Hong patted his chest and left, while Jiang Li continued to sit there.

He reached into his robe and gently rubbed the small coffin.

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Chapter 62: Conflict at the Gate

The next morning, Jiang Li got ready and set off.

At this moment, the outer sect was also filled with gloomy clouds.

A large number of the most elite outer sect disciples were originally preparing for the outer sect competition at this time.

However, now, they had to participate in a mission that was akin to throwing their lives away. It would be strange if they could still be happy.

It was obvious that the sect was also under martial law now. From time to time, disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall in black clothes could be seen patrolling all over the sect.

Jiang Li held the wooden tablet and passed through many obstructions before finally arriving at the gathering point.

There were approximately 500 outer sect disciples waiting here. Out of all the outer sect disciples now, they were the strongest 20%.

They were clearly much older than Jiang Li, and they should be seniors who had stayed in the outer sect for quite a number of years.

After all, all the disciples who were originally going to participate in the Outer Sect Grand Competition had to be at least at the upper level of the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm.

According to the cultivation speed of medium and high-grade spiritual roots, the youngest batch was about 18 or 19 years old.

On the other hand, even though Jiang Li had body cultivation and a robust figure, he was still very easy to notice when he was less than 14 years old.

This was equivalent to a junior high student walking into the gathering hall of high school students and college students, quickly attracting a lot of attention.

In this defection incident, even if sect elders and inner sect disciples defected, these outer sect disciples were still not qualified to criticize them.

There was no other reason. They did not have the right to do so.

Therefore, as the only outer sect disciple who betrayed them, Yu Banxia was undoubtedly the target of everyone.

These outer sect disciples did not dare to criticize the sect, Elder Duan, or those inner sect senior brothers. Then, there would only be one target left.

Even Jiang Li, who was familiar with Yu Banxia, was implicated.

From time to time, there would be people pointing and whispering in his direction, but Jiang Li paid no attention to them. He only stood at the back of the crowd and waited quietly.

"Is everyone here?"

Soon, a sound came from the front. Immediately, there was a spiritual qi ripple. The people from the sect's Law Enforcement Hall were checking the number of people.

Outer sect disciples had stayed in the outer sect for so many years, and there were very few arrogant and unyielding figures. So, it caused Jiang Li to be slightly disappointed. This time, there was no situation of late or absent individuals.

The outer sect disciples boarded the ship in order. This time, they did not board the large flying ship that Jiang Li and the others had taken earlier.

Instead, it was replaced by a pitch-black, long, and narrow warship.

The functionality of the warship and the flying ship was different. The decorations inside were also more simple and practical.

Soon, the warship started to rise into the sky, and it continued to accelerate. A violent feeling of pushing on the back could be felt, and the shaking was obvious. The experience of riding this was much worse than the flying ship from before.

"Outer sect disciples, the incident in the sect this time was quite sudden. I believe you've heard the reason."

After the speed of the warship gradually stabilized, an elder finally came out to explain the situation.

"The rumors that all of you know are correct! After the former outer sect elder, Duan Shuang, seized the treasures of the sect, he led his disciples and an outer sect disciple away from the sect!"

"What you need to do this time is to find their traces in Cloud Stream City!"

The disciples below felt their hearts turning heavy. Previously, there were still rumors, but now, they did not even have the slightest bit of hope.

"However, you don't have to worry. Duan Shuang and the others have already been heavily injured by the sect elders. Your mission this time is only to find the location where they are hiding."

"Next, each of you will receive a lightning cracker. As long as you find one of them, toss it into the sky to create a commotion. There will be no need for you to do anything else, the sect elders will take action."

"There are a total of 11 disciples who fled with Duan Shuang. Among them, five are Foundation Establishment disciples, and six are Qi Refinement realm disciples. As long as you find one of them, it will be considered as passing the competition and allowed to join the inner sect. This is a portrait of all of them. You must carefully take a look and remember them clearly!"

Hearing this elder's words, the outer sect disciples could only helplessly accept reality.

They could only comfort themselves with the words "danger and opportunity coexist together". After all, in the previous years, only the top three were qualified to enter the inner sect.

The others would either wait for the next year or rely on their cultivation to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

However, if they were lucky this year, there were twelve people who had the chance to enter the inner sect.

Soon, lightning crackers were distributed to everyone.

It was a bamboo tube the size of an index finger. On one end was a rope, and the other end was sealed with red paint.

Jiang Li followed the method taught by that disciple and tied the end of the rope to his wrist. At that time, he only needed to shake his wrist to activate the signal.

"Senior Brother, can you give me a map of Cloud Stream City?"

While the other outer sect disciples were crowded together to look at the map, Jiang Li went to a law enforcement disciple and asked for a map.

The map given by this cultivation sect was indeed different. Apart from having extremely high accuracy, there were also various Feng Shui positions marked in detail.

Jiang Li studied it for a while.

"It seems that I'm thinking too much. This city doesn't seem to be built according to some array formation. At the very least, one will not die after entering it…"

The speed of this warship was clearly much faster than the flying ship.

After Jiang Li squeezed into the crowd to look at the portrait, the warship shook violently again and began to slow down.

They had arrived at their destination.

Just like that, the sect left all the outer sect disciples at the city gate of Cloud Stream City.

Following that, the ship rose to the sky and slowly circled around the city with the other two flying ships.

"Three warships. The sect is really sparing no expenses."

Jiang Li, who was watching the ships rise up, suddenly turned to the side and avoided a palm that grabbed him from behind.

"Senior Brothers, what do you want to do?"

He calmly turned around and looked at the five people who had already surrounded him.

"Hmph, you know that we're senior brothers, yet you still dare to dodge! Immediately kneel down and kowtow to apologize. Perhaps us senior brothers can spare your life."

The five of them were at least a head taller than Jiang Li. At this moment, they surrounded him like he was a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

"Oh? Sect disciples are not allowed to kill fellow disciples. Senior Brother, you must have forgotten about that."

Jiang Li was still calm and collected. It did not look like he was surrounded. It felt like he was the one who surrounded the five people.

"Ha, Junior Brother, you've misunderstood us. Our senior brothers want to complete the mission quickly, so we can only sacrifice you."

"Moreover, death and injuries are common in the past outer sect competitions. Now, with such a situation, who would care about our lives?"

"Just obediently let me break your limbs and don't resist. You can suffer less in that case!"

The person in the lead clawed out again. A metallic luster flashed between his five fingers, and his momentum was extremely ruthless as if he was about to grab Jiang Li's shoulder in the next moment.

Slam!

However, Jiang Li's expression did not change as he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the other party's wrist, causing the sharp claw to be unable to advance an inch.

"Oh, so we can actually kill each other? That's great." Jiang Li murmured as he continued.

"Junior Brother is only at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm. How can I possibly help you complete your mission?"

At this moment, their situation also attracted the attention of the other outer sect disciples.

Apart from a portion of disciples who did not like to meddle in other people's business, everyone looked over with interest.

It was normal for seniors in the outer sect to bully the younger generation, but those few people claimed that they had a way to use Jiang Li to complete the mission, so it naturally drew the attention of many disciples.

"Hmph! Stop pretending. Your name is Jiang Li! You're friends with that traitor Yu Banxia, right!"

"Don't deny it! My people saw you come back from a mission with their own eyes and collect spirit stones from the Affairs Hall."

As the person who was grabbed by Jiang Li spoke, he ceaselessly increased the strength in his hand and tried to withdraw his arm. However, it was in vain.

"So what?"

Jiang Li finally recalled that this person was probably that guy who Yan Hong had mentioned to him before. What was his name again? He did not remember at all.

"Hmph! How about it? After we beat you to death, we'll hang you on the city wall and let the sun shine on you! You'll be pecked by a hundred birds! Let's see if your friend can come out to save you!"

When the surrounding onlookers heard this, some of them felt that this method was too cruel and harmful. It should not be used on fellow disciples.

However, some people's eyes lit up when they heard that. Yu Banxia was the weakest among the twelve targets. He could be said to be the first choice for all the disciples.

As long as they could find him, not only would there be no danger, they would even be able to join the inner sect easily. Why not?

Of course, the chances of successfully luring Yu Banxia out might not be high, but what was the big deal about sacrificing Jiang Li to give it a try?

In the eyes of everyone, even if the youngest Jiang Li was lucky enough to reach the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm, he would definitely be the weakest. How could he stir up any waves before them?

"Senior Brother is really planning well, but what if I'm unwilling?"

The palm that was suffused with a metallic luster was obviously a metal attribute spell technique. The other party had been struggling with all his might, but the spell technique seemed to be unable to increase his strength, and he was unable to withdraw his right hand from Jiang Li's grasp.

However, as Jiang Li spoke, he gradually increased his strength. His hand was like an iron hoop that slowly tightened. The pain that gradually increased made this senior brother's face flush red.

"It's not up to you!"

"Damn it! Let go of me!"

He finally could not keep a straight face anymore. He kicked over, trying to save himself.

However, things did not go as he wished. Jiang Li's kick was faster and more ferocious than his!

A foot poked the opponent's lower abdomen like a pile driver. The crisp sound of bones cracking could be heard.

This outer sect senior brother was at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. At the same time that he was sent flying, the ulna bone and radial bone on his right wrist were also broken.

The bloody contents of his stomach formed a beautiful arc in the air. The intense pain almost made him faint.

However, this was not the end, a chain flew out from Jiang Li's waist.

However, what was slightly different from before was that there was an additional pitch-black metal hook on the tip of the chain.

This was what Jiang Li had salvaged from the Mother River when he was reforging the chain. It was a hook-shaped damaged magic artifact that he had forged together with the chain.

Pew!

The chain caught up to the senior brother and the sharp hooks pierced into the flesh. Immediately after, the thick and long chain suddenly tightened. It hung the other party in the air for a moment before being pulled back by brute force.

Jiang Li, on the other hand, was already prepared. The muscles on his shoulders bulged as he suddenly kicked his feet, and he collided fiercely with the flying figure.

Mountain Crushing Scripture's first move—Mountain Crushing Demon Ape!

This collision occurred at full force. The moment his opponent collided with him, his bones crackled like beans and broke into countless pieces.

When his limp body slid down from Jiang Li's body, the four people who were still standing beside him finally recovered from their shock. They looked at Jiang Li with fear in their eyes and retreated with trembling legs.

The battle had happened too quickly!

They had no time to react.

Who would have thought! Who would have thought that a new disciple who had been forced into a corner by the five outer sect senior brothers would suddenly retaliate!

In just a short breath of time, he had directly killed a senior brother at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm!

"How… how is this possible!" One of them muttered.

"Senior Brothers, how high do you plan to hang me?"

"I am afraid of heights. When Senior Brother hooks me to the wall, please hang me lower, okay?"

As Jiang Li spoke, his figure had already vanished on the spot. When he appeared again, he had already grabbed a person by the neck.

Before he could beg for mercy, the fragile cervical spine bent 90 degrees. The body slumped.

"Then, Senior Brothers, what do you think?"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Two people died in a row. One of them was even a slightly famous late-stage Qi Refinement realm cultivator in the outer sect.

The remaining three people were not just frightened, they had completely lost the courage to resist.

"Junior Brother Jiang Li! No! Senior Brother Jiang Li! Senior Brother Jiang Li, please spare us!"

"We didn't want to! It's all Wu Han! It's all Wu Han's doing! That's why we did such a wrong thing!"

"Senior Brother Jiang Li, we were blind to not recognize Mount Tai! We don't dare anymore! We really don't dare anymore! You're a magnanimous person, so please let us off!"

The three of them were quite smart. They did not take Jiang Li's bait and only knelt down and begged for mercy. They called Jiang Li, who was much younger than them, senior brother.

However, this was the rule of the cultivation world. Whoever was stronger was the senior brother.

The way they knelt and begged for mercy was very ugly, but it was also to protect their lives for the time being.

Jiang Li glanced at the flying ship that was still circling in the sky, and he grunted coldly before putting away the chain.

"If you want to live, fine! After signing the contract, your lives will be in my hands!"

Jiang Li threw out a yellow contract. The conditions on it were extremely strict. It could be said that Jiang Li could completely control their life and death in the future.

"This… Senior Brother Jiang Li… can you…"

When they saw that Jiang Li had really put away his weapon, they thought that he was merciful and looked at the strict conditions of the contract. They actually wanted Jiang Li to give in.

However, when they raised their heads, Jiang Li was already not before them.

Behind them, black hands grabbed the back of their necks from both sides. The chain also flew out and wrapped around the neck of the person in the middle.

"Submit! Or die!"

Chapter 63: Entering the City

They even wanted to hang him on the city gate to be dried and cured. How could Jiang Li let them off?

Gulp ~ Gulp ~

The sounds of gulping rose and fell. Jiang Li's ruthlessness allowed these outer sect disciples who originally looked down on him to quickly understand one thing—this new person was not someone to be trifled with.

"Junior Brother Jiang Li, forgive others when possible. We're all fellow disciples of the same sect. Isn't Junior Brother's actions a little too excessive?"

The three kneeling people bit their fingers and were about to write when suddenly, another person in the crowd stood up.

That person looked very honest, but the conceit in his eyes made people dislike him.

"Senior Brother, you are?"

Jiang Li's expression was gentle, but it was obvious that the gentleness he put on was not so perfect. It only made people feel even more terrified.

"My name is Guo An. I'm a few years older than you. Everyone in the outer sect calls me Eldest Senior Brother!"

As Guo An spoke, he even displayed his late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation. Judging from his aura, he was indeed much stronger than the guy earlier.

But this person… was not only conceited, he was obviously narcissistic. Who would say that about themselves?

If he found a lackey with a loud voice to specially praise him from the side, it would not be so awkward.

"Oh? I've only heard that the Eldest Senior Brother of the sect, Chu Yunxuan, is the best amongst his peers. He's peerlessly talented and wise!"

"I didn't expect that there would be a Eldest Senior Brother in the outer sect as well. I'm sorry for my disrespect!"

It was unknown if Jiang Li was praising or mocking him, but in short, Guo An felt uncomfortable listening to him.

"Then, Outer Sect's Eldest Senior Brother, why didn't you, the Outer Sect's Eldest Senior Brother, come out to uphold justice for me when I was bullied by the five of them?"

Jiang Li calling him 'Outer Sect's Eldest Senior Brother' multiple times was completely intentional, but Guo An did not dare to really refute him on this point.

If he, Guo An, really dared to remove the outer sect in the title, he would be calling himself the Eldest Senior Brother of the Scripture Storage Valley.

Not to mention whether Chu Yunxuan would have any objections, none of the inner sect disciples would forgive him.

"Junior Brother has already killed two people in a row. Your mistake has already been made. If you still don't stop…"

"If the sect elders find out, I'm afraid Junior Brother will have to make a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall."

Gasp…! These two sentences immediately made Jiang Li furious.

Such people actually existed, they actually appeared in front of him!

When it came to key questions, he would pretend not to hear them and not answer them directly. Instead, he would only say what he wanted others to hear.

He did not dare to really make a move against Jiang Li. This time, he even dared to use the sect as his excuse.

"Do the three of you want to die?!"

Jiang Li did not speak to him anymore. He tightened his grip on the necks of the three people on the ground, forcing them to quickly sign.

The three of them still wanted to make a final struggle and wait for that "Outer Sect's Eldest Senior Brother" to stand up for them.

However, Guo An stood on the spot, not moving at all while he muttered nonsense to Jiang Li.

It was not until Jiang Li squeezed their necks that they signed the contract helplessly.

"Carry those two guys and follow me!"

Jiang Li stood up and directly walked towards the city gate. The outer sect disciples that were between him and Cloud Stream City all moved aside.

The three people on the ground were unwilling, but the contract had been signed. They did not even have the chance to resist.

They could only carry the corpses of his former companions and follow Jiang Li into the city.

"A new disciple is actually so ruthless!"

"He directly killed two of his fellow disciples! He's simply lawless!"

"He's not in the sect. If he was, he would have been executed by the Law Enforcement Hall!"

"Senior Brother Guo An, you must take action!"

"Yeah! Otherwise, us senior disciples will all lose face!"

As soon as Jiang Li left, many people gathered around Guo An. They spoke one after another, wanting this senior brother to make a decision.

Guo An's expression constantly changed.

In terms of being the Outer Sect's Eldest Senior Brother, he really did not title himself. However, after so many years, he had yet to enter the inner sect and had instead become the so-called "Eldest Senior Brother" in the outer sect. Speaking of which, it was really not necessarily a nice title to have, given the embarrassing connotation.

"Enough! What do you mean by losing face? Junior Brother Jiang Li is defending himself!"

"Although his attitude is bad, he is still our junior brother, a junior! We need to be more tolerant and loving. We can't rely on our strength to bully him!"

"This matter ends here. If he does it again, I, Guo An, will definitely capture and kill him!"

Guo An decisively changed his mind, gaining the trust of his subordinates by shifting the topic. He received cheers immediately.

"Eldest Senior Brother is benevolent!"

"Eldest Senior Brother is wise!"

Over at Jiang Li's side, after entering the city, he walked around aimlessly for a long time with his three new subordinates.

The three disciples did not dare ask further. They saw green light bloom on Jiang Li's hand as he walked in front. A moment later, he threw three grayish-green wooden masks at them.

"Put on the mask!"

The three of them looked at each other. When they saw Jiang Li wear a mask himself, they also pressed the wooden mask on their faces.

Following that, Jiang Li stopped in front of an ordinary residence.

"The three of you wait at the door. I'll go deal with the body."

Jiang Li took the two corpses and entered the residence.

After a few breaths of time, plop, plop. After two heavy objects fell into the water, Jiang Li walked out from the residence. He clapped his hands, and it seemed like he had thrown the corpse into the well.

"Let's go find an inn to stay at."

Although the three of them had their complaints, they were unable to voice them out.

They could only take it that they had followed a new leader who was powerful but lacked wisdom. At this point, being able to keep their lives and return to the sect was already their greatest wish.

They walked back to the main road of Cloud Stream City. There were not many people on the streets, and they were all in a hurry.

As mortals, the residents here might not know much, but the huge ship flyings in the sky far away could directly tell them about the situation in Cloud Stream City.

Moreover, yesterday, a notice came from the city lord's mansion to notify the entire city that twelve demons had infiltrated the city. If they discovered anything, they had to immediately report it!

There were also Immortal Masters in the city who came to capture the demons and everyone had to cooperate fully.

To the people, they did not need to know about the defection issue. Just the terms demon and Immortal Master were enough to let them understand what to do.

Jiang Li and the others moved into the most prosperous restaurant in the downtown area.

After that, Jiang Li ordered a large table of food and wine and asked someone to bring them to his room.

However, he did not let the three of them enjoy it. With a wave of his hand, he chased them out to collect information.

More and more food and wine were placed on the table behind him, but Jiang Li did not move. He only took out eight pairs of pitch-black chopsticks and placed them on the table.

With his back facing the table, he stood by the window of the inn's house and looked at the beautiful city outside.

Strangely, behind him, the sounds of toasting and laughing soon sounded.

It was as if there were eight people eating heartily behind him!

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Chapter 64: Inviting Demons to a Banquet

After a long time, the sound of moving bowls and chopsticks gradually ceased. Jiang Li turned around and saw that the entire table of dishes and wine had been completely consumed.

At the eight directions of the Eight Immortals Table, eight tiny shadows had unknowingly sat down.

They raised their heads and tilted their heads, either lying down or sitting down. They actually ate and drank their fill before the table and slept soundly.

"Everyone, are you satisfied with your food?"

It was as if Jiang Li could not smell the stench. He walked forward and gently patted the table.

However, the eight figures sitting on the chairs were all drunk and did not hear him at all.

It was not until Jiang Li slapped the table a few more times that the eight of them woke up in a daze.

Squeak!

When the eight of them woke up and saw Jiang Li beside them, they let out a strange cry and immediately tried to escape.

However, Jiang Li had already sealed the doors and windows with talisman papers.

He pulled a chair over and sat down, watching the eight shadows scurry around the guest room.

After a short while, when the eight guests saw that they were truly unable to escape, they trembled as they crawled out from the shadows and stood before Jiang Li like eight tiny figures.

"Friends, I've set up a banquet to invite you to eat food and drink wine. It's not good for you to leave without saying goodbye after eating."

Jiang Li looked down at the eight guests standing in a row on the floor in front of him.

The eight guests were shifty-eyed and their fur was shiny. They were less than three feet long! They were four long-bearded weasels and four black-furred rats!

After Jiang Li returned to the sect, he had exchanged for another Yin attribute spell technique, and it was the famous Spirit Summoning Technique!

If an Immortal Buddha executed this technique, he could easily summon the Heavenly Star Spirits or eight hundred Enlightened Monks!

If a certain Monkey King were to execute this technique, he would be able to summon the Deity of Thunder, or even the Deity of Mountains and Rivers!

However, later on, this world seemed to have experienced a calamity of heaven and earth. Dao techniques were crippled, and there were no Immortals or Buddhas to be found.

The orthodox Maoshan Immortal Sect with a background that covered the Three Realms had also been reduced to dust and lost many people.

The great Dao technique—Spirit Summoning—was simplified countless times. In the end, it could only communicate with some lonely ghosts and demons, or be used to invite ghosts to possess the user.

It was almost completely in an unorthodox position now.

Now, the cultivation world was flourishing again. All kinds of buried Daoist texts and secret scriptures were dug out by people again, and only then did Jiang Li learn it in the Scripture Storage Pavilion.

Of course, Jiang Li did not have much expectations for this technique.

From its introduction, one could tell that the key to cultivating this spell technique was not whether one was skilled or not. This Spirit Summoning Technique relied heavily on the user's reputation.

Therefore, Jiang Li used the temptation of a table of sumptuous food and drinks to invite a few weasels and rats that could barely be considered to be 'spirits'.

(In certain texts, those who had yet to gain human form were called spirits, and those who could already become human-like were called demons. There were also some who say that awakened animals were called demons while plants were called spirits.)

Despite how they stood there and cupped their hands in a respectful manner, as if their cultivation was not shallow, the truth was, as long as an experienced hunter brought along three to five hounds, he could make them cry.

"Squeak squeak, many… thank you for your hospitality, master host! We, Old Huang and Old Hei, and our descendants are grateful!"

After the eight spirits chattered for a while, a rat spirit wearing a red robe walked forward and actually spoke in human language to Jiang Li.

"Oh? You can actually speak?"

Jiang Li was surprised. This rat spirit had only barely developed intelligence. The demonic power and spiritual qi in its body were practically negligible. It could actually speak like this?

"Squeak squeak, it's my fortune. I secretly ate a few drops of lamp oil in a dilapidated temple outside the city. I don't know why, but my throat has turned soft, so I can spit out human words."

As the rat spirit spoke, its voice was a little indistinct, but the words it spoke were indeed true. It was not using some sinister technique.

"Hmm, this is quite interesting. Brother Rat, you are very fortunate."

"Then, friends, since you are not leaving, why don't you answer a few questions?"

Jiang Li prepared a banquet and used the Spirit Summoning Technique to invite them over. It was not because he was bored, but because he had something to ask them for help.

"Master host, please ask. We've eaten wine and meat. We'll tell you everything we know."

Little spirits of their level were only capable of fleeing. Now that they were trapped in the room and were at someone's mercy, how could they dare to not obey?

"Two nights ago, a flying ship crashed outside the city. A total of 12 heretics fled into the city. You're the locals here. Have you seen those suspicious people?"

The eight spirits gathered together and chattered again. Then, the red-coated rat raised its head again and cupped its hands towards Jiang Li.

"Master host, we've never seen such heretics."

"We saw the ship that crashed outside the city, but we didn't dare to go forward."

Jiang Li was slightly disappointed, but this was something that he had expected.

If the whereabouts of the defected cultivators led by a Core Formation elder could be discovered by this group of tiny demons, they would have been captured long ago. Jiang Li did not expect them to help find them at all.

He asked a few more questions, and the rat spirit answered them one by one. Jiang Li opened the map and drew out a few details in a few places.

"There's another river under Cloud Stream City?"

Under the guidance of the mice, Jiang Li drew a crooked line that penetrated the entire city.

This rat was good at swimming, so it knew the underground river well.

"Yes, master. This Cloud Stream City is named because of this."

Jiang Li studied the curve of the dark river. It flowed from the eastern part of the city into the underground. After it penetrated the city, it directly converged with the river outside the city, turning from hidden to open. In fact, there was not a long section underground.

As long as the sect elders were not stupid, they would definitely guard the entrance to the river. It was unlikely that Elder Duan Shuang, Yu Banxia, and the rest could escape through it.

This news did not seem to have much meaning.

Jiang Li kept the map and looked at the eight spirits again.

"Friends, thank you for your information."

"This time, the food and drink were prepared in a hurry, so it might not suit your palate. If you'd like to give me face, you can come back tomorrow."

"At that time, Old Huang's favorite chicken banquet and Old Hei's favorite pig oil tofu will definitely be prepared perfectly."

After asking, Jiang Li invited them again with a smile on his face. In order to show his sincerity, he even tore a talisman paper and left a way out for them.

However, when they heard the words "chicken banquet" and "pig oil tofu", how could the eight spirits walk away?

Even though their stomachs were as bloated as rubber balls, they still could not help but drool from the corners of their mouths.

"Squeak squeak, master, is that true?" The red-coated rat asked excitedly.

"Of course it's true. I'm a person who likes to make friends. Every time I go to a place, I have to hold a banquet for three days and invite the guests to eat their fill."

"I'm not afraid of guests eating too much, I'm only afraid of guests eating too little. If you don't believe me, you can come here tomorrow to take a look. I'll definitely prepare food and drinks for you."

"Not only that, you can also bring your family and friends along. I won't reject anyone. The more people who come, the happier I am!"

Jiang Li and the other immortals came here with the sect backing them up. They naturally had special privileges in the city, so he was naturally generous.

"Squeak, squeak, master is so generous! Squeak, squeak! We will definitely announce master's banquet and bring our elders and children to attend it."

The eight tiny demons were visibly excited as they chattered and wanted to leave.

"Wait, wait. I still have something to say." Jiang Li hurriedly stopped them.

"Squeak, squeak, master, please let us know if you need anything."

The few demons could not reject him. There was still a big meal waiting tomorrow, so how could they not curry favor now?

"It's like this. I've recently encountered some difficulties and urgently need some souls or ghosts to use. I'm afraid this matter will spoil the mood of the guests."

Jiang Li was afraid that they would not dare to come tomorrow. He spoke very politely and comforted them like he was coaxing a child.

He wanted the lowest and weakest type of ghost or soul.

They could not fly, could not run, and could not even walk. They could not speak or have any intelligence. They could only float in the place where they died in a daze. A gust of wind could blow them away like garbage.

Even a few small demons with little intelligence could easily capture them.

"Squeak, squeak, what are you saying, master? Although we are demons, we are also demons that follow etiquette. When guests come to eat, how can we come empty-handed? Tomorrow, we will each capture a few souls. Master, don't worry."

This rat's speech was getting better and better. Jiang Li did not believe that it understood etiquette. However, the old weasel beside it was probably quite cultured.

It should have been teaching it from the side, and this rat was learning on the spot.

"No, no, no. You can't do that. It was my whim in the first place. How could I dare to take your things for free?"

Jiang Li put on a troubled expression. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke with joy.

"I've got it! I don't want these spirits for free. At tomorrow's banquet, I'll definitely set down a million gold and silver items. When the guests bring the souls, they'll be given gold and silver!"

When Jiang Li said this, the demons were overjoyed.

Rat spirits and other spirits were different from other mountain spirits. The small demons of these two races lived near humans almost their entire lives and interacted directly or indirectly with them.

They were the most tainted with the secular aura. They had learned all kinds of crooked methods in the mortal market and were just like mortals who could not stop coveting gold, silver, and money.

Their strength was completely not worth mentioning, and ordinary cultivators would not think much of them.

However, Jiang Li did not mind. After all, their cost was low, so money in the mortal world could be used.

"The master is generous! The master is generous!"

"May I ask, master, is there a limit to the demand for souls?"

The moment the red-coated rat called out twice, the old weasel beside it whispered in its ears again.

As expected of Old Huang, it immediately thought of something. If there was really a restriction, they would definitely not call for other small demons and would instead enjoy it themselves.

"Haha, you guys call me master, how would I dare let the guests dampen my spirits? Relax, I won't reject anyone!"

"Moreover, if there are a lot of guests, I will give generous gifts to you, my eight friends!"

"Thank you, master!" Only then did they finally feel at ease. After bowing to Jiang Li again, they lined up and walked out of the open door.

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Chapter 65: Mortal World's Money

After the eight demons left, Jiang Li summoned the attendant of the inn to clean the room.

This Earth-ranked guest room was already smelly because of those demons. Clearly, there was no way to stay in it.

Jiang Li found the owner of the inn and told him about the banquet tomorrow.

Jiang Li's request was for twenty tables of meat and wine to be served immediately after midnight. However, the boss wiped away his cold sweat and apologized repeatedly in fear.

"Master Immortal Master, it's not that I'm unwilling, but our store has limited manpower and insufficient materials. We really can't set up such a huge banquet!"

How could Jiang Li not know what he was thinking? This inn had more than 20 large tables in the main hall alone. They usually had to provide food for many of the guest rooms. A single banquet was a little tiring, but it was definitely not difficult.

All that was lacking was money.

Jiang Li smiled as he stretched out his hand and pressed down on the inn owner's wrist. Yin attribute spiritual qi corroded the mortal's flesh and blood, and after gently pressing down, a green-black mark appeared on his wrist.

When the inn owner saw this, he immediately turned pale with fright and hurriedly knelt on the ground, shouting, "Immortal Master, please spare me!"

"Don't worry, as long as you do your job well, the money will be yours. However, if you deliberately oppose me and something goes wrong with the banquet, this thing will take your life!"

How could the boss dare to say no? He kowtowed as if he was pounding garlic with his head, agreeing extremely readily.

Jiang Li had no intention to lower himself to the level of a small figure, but the thoughts of these insignificant people could sometimes spoil things.

Without putting his life in danger, he would definitely cut corners.

As for gold, silver, and money, the tavern definitely would not be able to afford it. He still needed to find someone to "borrow" some.

"Heh! Those three fellows went to scout the vicinity and still haven't returned!"

Jiang Li looked for his new subordinates. As expected, the three of them had other intentions and did not return after leaving.

It seemed that they were still planning something.

If they were to find a target and become inner sect disciples, so what if Jiang Li had a contract? With the support of the sect, wouldn't they be able to suppress Jiang Li as they pleased?

Indeed, such subordinates were unreliable.

Fortunately, Jiang Li originally did not expect them to be of any help. So long as they stayed at the side and acted as three obvious 'baits', it would be fine.

Without his subordinates by his side, Jiang Li could only leave the inn alone and walk towards the city lord's mansion.

Cloud Stream City was not affiliated with any country.

There was once a small piece of spiritual wood forest here, it was a small wooden settlement that served the Scripture Storage Valley.

After the spirit trees were destroyed, this place was also abandoned by the sect. However, due to its superior geographical location, more and more mortals gradually gathered and eventually formed this city.

Therefore, there was only the city lord here and no officials.

Jiang Li walked into the city lord's mansion. The guards guarding the gate had been exhorted over the past two days that they could not afford to offend anyone wearing such clothes. Therefore, no one stopped him.

"Where is your city lord?" Jiang Li grabbed a servant and asked.

"The city lord is having a meeting with the Immortal Masters in the main hall."

Immortal Masters?

Jiang Li immediately understood the thoughts of the other outer sect disciples.

Apart from the flying ship flying in the sky outside, there were definitely sect elders overseeing this Cloud Stream City.

The most likely place was undoubtedly the city lord's mansion.

As such, the city lord's mansion that was most likely guarded by sect elders naturally became the safest headquarters. The outer sect disciples naturally wanted to run there.

Under the guidance of the servant, Jiang Li arrived at the main hall. Before he even stepped in, a series of loud chatter sounded from inside.

After hearing a few words, Jiang Li knew that those late-stage Qi Refinement realm disciples were currently splitting up the search areas and tricking mid-stage Qi Refinement realm disciples to move together with them.

When the time came, they would take the credit and risk others. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Jiang Li did not knock and directly walked over. With a glance, he saw that three familiar fellows were clearly sitting in the crowd.

Jiang Li's eyes under the mask widened, causing the three of them to hurriedly lower their heads in fear.

Since the three of them were here, the information that Jiang Li wore a wooden mask was naturally spread out.

The outer sect disciples recognized Jiang Li.

"Haha, Junior Brother Jiang Li is here as well. That's perfect. We're arranging a search plan. Junior Brother Jiang Li, come join us."

"After all, our opponents are former sect elders and inner sect senior brothers. There's strength in numbers."

Guo An was naturally the host of this meeting. He immediately sent an invitation to Jiang Li.

"Senior Brother, there's no need to be so polite. You guys can just discuss it. I'm not good at these things; it's best not to get involved."

"The three of you, hurry up and come over. If you continue to cause trouble for our senior brothers and sisters, I won't forgive you."

Jiang Li casually refused them, and then he looked at the three of them. As he spoke, he even took out the contract from his pocket and intended to activate it.

This kind of contract paper of the lowest level could only be activated once. If it was distributed to three mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, it might not necessarily be fatal, but it would definitely cause them to be heavily injured and on the verge of death.

The three of them hurriedly took out the wooden mask and put it back on before hurriedly running to stand behind Jiang Li.

After that, he walked past the group of cultivators and directly arrived before the city lord who had been standing at the side.

Jiang Li directly stated his request. He wanted money, food, and manpower.

The city lord was naturally unwilling, but he could only agree on the surface and promised Jiang Li that he could bring people to the major banks in the city to directly move the money.

Jiang Li could not be bothered to pay attention to him. He brought away 30 men and seized more than half of the city lord's treasury.

"This Jiang Li really doesn't know anything. Senior Brother Guo kindly invited him, but he actually has such an attitude!"

"That's right! At this time, he's actually only thinking of robbing the mortal world. This kind of person definitely doesn't have a future!"

"As cultivators, gold and silver are nothing but feces, but that Jiang Li only knows how to plunder feces. Haha, he's only worthy of being associated with mortals."

After Jiang Li left, this group of senior brothers launched verbal attacks at him again, and they were rather disdainful towards his actions of storing away gold and silver…

With the dozen heavy chests of gold and silver in place, the assembly of the banquet naturally became simple.

With the help of 30 men, they used bamboo poles to support the frame. After covering it with oilcloth, the simple and crude table was completed.

A large amount of ingredients were brought back.

Of course, most of them were roosters, hens, eggs, and a large amount of lard.

Most of the demons that came were probably those two types. Naturally, most of them were prepared for them.

Jiang Li had three of his "subordinates" oversee the situation as cashiers.

Five taels of silver for one ghost, and five taels of silver was one living soul. This meant to say, for each deceased person, the demons would be able to obtain ten taels of silver. To the demons, this price was no different from getting money for free.

Jiang Li prepared 700,000 silver ingots here.

In this Cloud Stream City, the population was only about 400,000. The souls and ghosts could not exist forever, so it should be very sufficient.

However, he did not know if the souls gathered were enough to help him repair the coffin.

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Chapter 66: An Impossible Number

After dealing with these chores, it was already five to seven in the evening.

Jiang Li raised his head to look at the sky. Dark clouds had already drifted over from an unknown place and completely covered the sky, causing the dusk to become extremely gloomy and oppressive.

"Manager, please give us a superior room!"

When Jiang Li walked into the inn, a red-clothed woman and a maidservant were chatting with the owner of the inn.

However, because Jiang Li had brought more than 30 people to stay here, the guest rooms in the inn were already full, so they probably could not book rooms.

"My madam is going back to her hometown to visit her parents, but the sky is already dark and it's about to rain soon. Manager, please help us. It's fine even if we don't take the superior room."

It was also a custom for women to go home to visit her parents. Three months after she got married, she should return to her family to visit her parents and tell them how she missed them.

However, the timing to return home was also quite specific. When the sun rose in the morning, the morning air was full of vitality and fortune. It was an auspicious sign, which was the best time to return.

At noon, when the sun was the strongest, the yang qi was strong. It meant peace, which was a secondary choice.

Night time was a taboo in the tradition. Coupled with the dark clouds covering the sky, going home now would probably be treated as an ominous sign.

If she had unreasonable parents, they might not even let the daughter enter the house.

That was why the two of them came to the inn. They wanted to rest for the night and return tomorrow morning.

"Madam, please don't make things difficult for this small store. We really don't have a guest room available. Otherwise, why would we deliberately not do business?"

The boss kept rejecting them.

The mark left behind by Jiang Li on his wrist could still be seen clearly. It was the work of an Immortal. Even though it was neither painful nor itchy, he firmly believed that so long as he was disobedient, he would die on the spot.

Therefore, how could he dare to touch Jiang Li's brow and make him give up his room?

"What happened?" Jiang Li walked into the inn and asked.

The boss hurriedly abandoned the two of them, and he ran over to Jiang Li before bowing and cupping his hands. After that, he told Jiang Li everything in detail.

Jiang Li looked at the two of them. People of this era married early, and the madam and maidservant were not much older than him.

"Get the men to squeeze in and make room for them."

He threw two appraisals over and did not find anything abnormal. He did not plan to make things difficult for the two, so he gave them a chance.

"Yes, Master Immortal!" The boss cupped his hands again as he replied.

The two women heard this and turned around to thank him.

However, as soon as they turned around, Jiang Li was immediately slightly disappointed.

"The novels are indeed full of lies. How can anyone be a beauty? Forget it, forget it. I'll go back and meditate."

He cursed silently and waved his hand before returning to the room.

After tossing aside his thoughts and meditating with rapt attention, Jiang Li quickly immersed himself in the lecture of the Great Carefree Bodhisattva Heart Sutra.

Although this Heart Sutra was still very incomplete, Jiang Li had already experienced its miraculous effects.

This Heart Sutra seemed to really have a deep connection with that entity who had three thousand incarnations!

Currently, Jiang Li's speed of comprehending the sutra was less than 1/3000. However, reading it every day had unexpectedly caused his other two spell techniques to advance by leaps and bounds.

Those were the two minor paths that were related to the technique of incarnation, the Zombie Puppet Technique and the Five Senses Technique!

The seed of the Zombie Puppet Technique was planted deeper now. Not only was his control stronger, it could also borrow spiritual qi from the main body to where the zombie was. Although the spiritual qi borrowed was limited, it could already increase the zombie's strength by quite a bit.

The Five Senses Technique had improved even more. In a short period of time, he had already connected all five senses. Although he was not like Elder Weng Sanqi, who could control dozens of puppets at the same time, the puppets' words and actions were no different from ordinary people under his control.

This Heart Sutra was especially good at observing the outside world!

Jiang Li began chanting the Bodhisattva Heart Sutra.

His hearing gradually became sharper, and all the tiny sounds around him were clearly heard.

A world composed of voices quickly formed in his consciousness.

In the shadows in the corner, a cockroach was eating the rice that had fallen a few days ago.

In the gap between the wooden window, a fly smelled food and twisted its body in an attempt to squeeze into the room.

In the room next door, two workers were using moist cloth to wipe the dust and stains on the table…

The voices that entered his ears became clearer and clearer, and the range of Jiang Li's hearing became larger and larger. Soon, a few familiar voices entered his ears.

"Da Qiang, what are you afraid of? Can he hear us from so far away?"

"But… but are we really going to do this? We can't beat him."

"That's right. Even Wu Han, who is at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm, is no match for him. How can we stand a chance? Moreover, he has a contract with him."

When Jiang Li heard this, he noticed that it was the voices of those three fellows, and it seemed like they were plotting something. He immediately calmed down a little.

"No, I suspect that kid is actually not that powerful!" One said this in a "wise" tone.

"What do you mean? Quick! Speak carefully!" The other two immediately asked.

"Didn't all of you notice that kid Jiang Li's way of walking has become slightly strange after he entered the city?"

"Now that you mention it, I remember it too. He didn't seem to be walking like this at first, but then his walking speed suddenly slowed down, and… and he became much stiffer."

"But what does that mean?"

The other two people also noticed Jiang Li's abnormality, but they did not understand the reason.

"It's a pill!"

"Medicinal pill?" The other two still did not understand.

"That's right. We've asked around before. That kid, Jiang Li, is actually still a registered disciple of the Alchemy Hall. He definitely has quite a few medicinal pills on him."

"Don't you guys find it strange that a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator like him could kill Wu Han? I suspect that he ate some sort of strengthening medicinal pill to become so powerful."

"At that time, it was not that he did not want to kill us, but he no longer had the ability to kill us. That was why he tricked us into signing that contract!"

"Then, do you remember? He deliberately avoided us and stayed alone for several breaths of time. That must be the side effects of the pill. He needs to take other pills to suppress it!"

"Then, his movements started to slow down. He stayed in his room and did not come out. I'm sure that he must be very weak right now. He doesn't have much strength!"

The other two followed his words and came to a realization at the same time. Immediately, anger surged in their hearts.

"Damn it! Then we've been tricked by him!"

They were naturally furious that they had been tricked into signing such a contract by such a weakling.

"But now that the contract is in his hands, there's nothing we can do?"

"That's why we need to plan this carefully. When he lets down his guard, we'll counterattack! At that time, we'll let him have a taste of signing a contract himself!"

"Right, let's hang him again. We'll do as he says and hang him lower! Let him not be afraid of heights!"

If Jiang Li used some effort to counsel them, it was actually not difficult to subdue them to a reliable extent.

However, Jiang Li did not do that. The three of them were originally bait used to test an idea.

The chance of surviving in the end was not high, so it was not worth his effort.

While Jiang Li cultivated the sutra and listened to their secret plots, the sky completely darkened outside.

They did not know that in a dark corner, there were already a few pairs of eyes staring at them.

At night, under the cover of the dark clouds, Cloud Stream City was completely pitch-black.

Only this inn was still lit. It was even busier in the back kitchen, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

All kinds of exquisite dishes and bowls were carried to the dining table, and the seal on jars of good wine was removed and placed at the side after diluting them with water.

Jiang Li had specially instructed them to mix water in the wine so that the spirits would not be too drunk to help him.

Soon, on the 20 Eight Immortal Tables, pairs of pitch-black bamboo chopsticks were neatly arranged, awaiting the guests' good news.

The smell of meat and wine spread far and wide, to the extent where the children next door could not stand it and moved away that very night.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

Finally, with four knocks on the door, it was finally past midnight!

In the dark night, pairs of glowing eyes lit up. Clearly, no one was walking on the road, and the noise suddenly sounded, but it was clearly as noisy as the streets of the city.

All sorts of demonic guests presented gifts and took their seats. The 20 Eight Immortal Tables were quickly filled.

Jiang Li had still underestimated the enthusiasm of these spirits. He hurriedly instructed his subordinates to set up more dining tables and seats. He even knocked on the doors of a few restaurants overnight and asked them to start a fire to help cook.

However, although delicious food was tempting to these spirits, gold and silver were even more tempting to them.

Jiang Li only saw countless black shadows lining up to exchange gold and silver before rushing into the bamboo shed. After eating quickly for a while, they left from the other side and hurriedly went to capture more souls.

Jiang Li was overjoyed when he saw this. This scene was much better than he had expected.

However… he felt a strong sense of strangeness in his heart.

There seemed to be something wrong, but he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

It was not until four hours later that the owner of the inn hurriedly went upstairs and spoke to Jiang Li that he finally came to a realization!

"Master Immortal! Master Immortal! This is bad!"

"The silver! It's about to run out!"

Jiang Li was stunned on the spot. 700,000 taels of silver… was not enough!?

Wait!

Five taels of silver for one ghost, and five taels of silver was one living soul… Did they capture nearly 70,000 souls in one night!?

Impossible!

Jiang Li's first reaction was disbelief!

He suspected that those three guys were dishonest and had given out too much money.

After all, ordinary souls would completely dissipate after seven days without the nourishment of Yin qi.

How could there be so many souls in a city with a population of only 400,000?

But thinking of the long line of spirits, it seemed that this was the case.

He walked to the window and looked at the pitch-black night sky of Cloud Stream City.

"Elder Duan Shuang… what exactly have you done to this city!"

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Chapter 67: Missing

Jiang Li ran down and looked at the bamboo shed where the banquet was held.

The three underlings who harbored ill intentions were already busy to the point of dizziness. However, they were at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm after all. They were still capable of taking on such high-intensity tasks.

Behind them, six large white sacks as tall as a person were already full. The seventh sack was also about to be filled.

There was only half a box of silver left. It could not last long.

Gasp!

Jiang Li could not help but gasp. This was the first time he knew that the Soul Capturing Bag could be filled so fully.

This time, he had only brought ten bags with him when he went out. He did not expect that he would be able to fill seven of them in just a short time.

This was nearly 70,000 human souls. In Jiang Li's two lifetimes, it was questionable whether he had even seen 70,000 people.

With so many dead and their souls captured, Jiang Li felt his scalp go numb.

However, now was not the time to think about this.

Jiang Li hurriedly called the 30 burly men over. He first took out the gold, jewels, and other non-standard valuables from the city lord's mansion and temporarily replaced them.

Then, he called a few carriages and got them to knock on the door of the nearby bank to move the silver.

Jiang Li carried seven large sacks and left in an empty direction.

After the emergency operation, the silver was replenished. The souls in the Soul Capturing Bag were also transferred to the coffin, and the cloth bags were freed to be used again.

One after another, vaguely visible souls were sent into the coffin. Jiang Li should have been excited that the Yin qi in the coffin had been replenished, but he was still unable to feel happy.

So many were dead… and why exactly were they doing this?

Shouldn't cultivators not slaughter mortals wantonly?

Another four hours passed.

The next day, around seven to nine in the morning.

It did not rain that night, but the dark clouds did not seem to dissipate.

The originally bright sky was also dark and oppressive because of the thick black clouds.

At this moment, a small flag at the entrance of the inn suddenly shook more and more.

Soon, a violent wind blew from the northeast to the southwest, blowing the small flag so hard that it was kept straight the entire time.

The weather could no longer be described as strange.

With such thick clouds and such strong winds, how much rain and thunder would it rain?

Knock knock~

There was another knock on the door.

Jiang Li exited from the state of listening to the Heart Sutra. He waved his hand and used his spiritual qi to open the door.

The person who appeared at the door was none other than one of the three lackeys, Da Qiang.

At this moment, he had a look of panic on his face and wanted to say something but hesitated.

"If you aren't working hard down there, why did you come up to me?"

Just based on the content of their secret plan, Jiang Li did not believe that they would come to him with good news.

"This… this… Senior Brother Jiang Li, Ah Niu… he's gone!"

Da Qiang hesitated for a long time before finally saying this.

Jiang Li's gaze flickered. He knew that this Ah Niu was the fellow who had 'seen through' him.

He immediately closed his eyes and attempted to use his five divine senses to communicate with the wooden mask on Ah Niu's body.

The masks Jiang Li gave them were naturally not for decoration.

The mask had eye holes and could barely satisfy the conditions. He could use the Five Senses Technique to mark it.

But as he sought to communicate, the mark was broken.

After exhaling, Jiang Li's mood could not help but become a little nervous.

He guessed that the defected cultivators might attack the outer sect disciples who entered the city, but he did not expect their speed to be so fast.

This made things a little tricky.

"When did he disappear? How? Why did you only tell me now?"

Jiang Li calmly looked over, but it gave Da Qiang a shock.

They had been plotting for a long time and had given themselves a lot of encouragement, they were determined to overthrow Jiang Li's tyranny.

However, before they could start doing anything, they lost one of their teammates. Naturally, all their plans were for naught.

They immediately lost their bearings, so Da Qiang gritted his teeth and ran to Jiang Li to seek help.

When he heard Jiang Li's questioning, Da Qiang who was feeling guilty could not help but tremble in fear.

"We… we're not too sure either. Two hours ago, a fellow disciple from the city lord's mansion came over and said that he had something to discuss, so Ah Niu followed him."

"We… we thought he would be back soon… but just now, another senior brother from the city lord's mansion came to look for their person. He said he was called away by Ah Niu… and didn't go back."

"We… only then did we realize that something was wrong…"

Da Qiang had a crying expression on his face. Clearly, he was shocked by the sudden change in events.

"You guys actually didn't inform me when you had something important to discuss! You even left on your own! Hmph! Go back to work! Otherwise, I'll teach you a lesson!" Jiang Li reprimanded Da Qiang before frowning again.

However, there was another commotion at the banquet!

"Wow! A few of our senior brothers and sisters have gone missing! I think it's this bunch of demons behind this!"

"Watch me slay these demons and uphold justice! I'll avenge my fellow disciples!"

A few outer sect disciples who came from the city lord's mansion could not find their companions and saw a large number of spirits and small demons entrenched here. These fools did not consider the strength of these small demons but directly linked the two matters together.

One raised his weapon and was about to kill.

These small demons were practically all at the bottom of the hierarchy. Their cultivation levels were insignificant. If they could not even block a talisman, how could they survive under the 'magical artifact' of a Qi Refinement cultivator?

Clang!

Just as the line of demons were about to be hit, a thick chain with an iron hook flew over in time and knocked back the "magic artifact" that was lashed out.

Everyone was an outer sect disciple to begin with. Some were poor while others were rich, but they were actually not much different.

Just from the fact that there were so many mortal weapons sold in the outer sect trading area, it was obvious that most of them were not of good quality.

On the other hand, after the chain in Jiang Li's hand was broken last time, it was tempered and strengthened with the Kun steel given to him by Yin Qiu, causing its hardness to increase greatly.

Coupled with the iron hook on the top of the chain, although it was stained by the Yin Corpse's blood, it was originally a magic artifact of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Its hardness was not reduced.

Not only did he not lose out in this collision, he even gained a slight edge.

"Why did you attack my guests!" Jiang Li's tone was furious.

Why were these people always spoiling his plans!

"It's you! Jiang Li! You actually colluded with these demons to commit evil! Quickly tell us! Where are our senior and junior brothers?!"

That person's weapon was knocked away by Jiang Li, and he noticed that there was a slight chip on the edge of the blade. His heart immediately ached endlessly, and he shouted loudly at Jiang Li.

"Collude with the demons? Hmph, I'm afraid you don't know what the Spirit Summoning Technique is."

"I invited these guests here to gather information about the evil cultivators for the sect, but you deliberately caused destruction here! I wonder if you've already betrayed the sect!"

The sinister chain danced around Jiang Li's body. He took step after step forward, and those people retreated step by step.

With his feat of instantly killing a late-stage Qi Refinement realm disciple, these few people did not dare to really attack him.

However, there was one thing that Ah Niu was right about. The current Jiang Li was indeed strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Therefore, when facing these people, he could only choose to use such a method to scare them away.

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Chapter 68: Spare Me, Immortal Master

"Junior Brother Jiang Li, don't be angry. This is all a misunderstanding. We are all from the same sect. How can we clash with weapons? Everyone, it's best to quickly put away your artifacts."

At this moment, Guo An, who had identified himself as the "outer sect's Eldest Senior Brother", walked over from afar. There were several other late-stage Qi Refinement realm disciples beside him.

Although he spoke empty words, it eased the conflict between them.

Of course, the truth was that although both sides looked fierce on the outside, in their hearts, they both thought that they definitely could not win and did not want to really fight.

Since Guo An had given everyone an excuse, they naturally resolved the issue and put away their weapons.

"Senior and junior brothers, please move so as not to scare my guests. There are quite a number of them, and the efficiency of finding people is comparable to 50 senior and junior brothers."

Since Jiang Li said this, they could not say anything.

Because the goal of this "Outer Sect Grand Competition" was different. Apart from competition, the most important thing was to find the defected cultivators.

If they were to sabotage each other and engage in vicious competition, they might be beaten to death.

Jiang Li let them sit in the inn and comforted the small demons present. He compensated them with some gold and silver and made the spirits enthusiastic again.

"Senior brothers, tell me about it. What's going on?"

They sat together and brewed a pot of tea. The few of them matched the information they had.

They discovered that eleven people had disappeared the previous night. Moreover, most of them had witnesses who said that they had been called away in public.

The most horrifying thing was that the people who called them away were all among these eleven people. It felt like a chain, one by one, they tricked the others out of their sight and disappeared.

"Did they all betray us?" One person guessed.

"How is that possible? Right now, the entire Cloud Stream City is surrounded by the sect elders. Isn't betraying them courting death?"

Actually, not to mention now, with Elder Duan Shuang leading the group, the actions of the twelve people who had defected previously were no different from courting death.

With such an inescapable net, how long could they escape?

"It's also possible that they've been controlled."

There were many methods in the cultivation world. It was not strange to control a few Qi Refinement realm disciples. This theory was quickly accepted by everyone.

However, this fact also made the outer sect disciples panic even more.

It was not only them who were hunting the defected disciples. The defected disciples were also organizing and planning to hunt them!

This was very terrifying. Other than Yu Banxia, everyone else in the group of defected disciples had overwhelming combat power.

They would have no chance of winning if they clashed. They could only pray that reinforcements would arrive in time to save them.

However, if they were to include the prerequisite of being ambushed, the difficulty would rise by a few levels.

"Then what should we do? Should we just wait here and die?"

"If they have methods to control cultivators, wouldn't we be unable to trust the fellow disciples next to us?"

"Why don't we report this to the sect and get them to let us out? We won't be able to find them at all."

"Hmph, did the sect leave us any communication spirit stones? Moreover, they sent us here to die in the first place. How can the mission be stopped just because of a little loss?"

As they spoke, the outer sect disciples' conversations were filled with negativity.

Jiang Li sat at the side and did not speak for a long time.

This was because from the time they sat at the table until now, no one had mentioned that a large number of people in the city had died.

From morning, Jiang Li and the others had exchanged for a large amount of silver taels. According to this exchange, the number of souls he had received in these few hours had at least exceeded 100,000!

That meant the death of a hundred thousand people in a short period of time!

The death toll of this number directly took up a quarter of the city's population.

It did not matter if the entire city was under martial law now, or if every family was confined and did not move around.

The five hundred over Qi Refinement realm cultivators were not fools. Their search could not be limited to walking on the streets. It was the most basic thing to search from house to house.

A hundred thousand corpses… Even if they were all buried in the ground, the large number of empty buildings would still be rather suspicious. It was definitely impossible to hide from the cultivators' eyes.

However, now, no one mentioned such an important thing openly. It was strange.

Then there was only one explanation… All the outer sect disciples present were fools!

Jiang Li immediately beat about the bush and asked them a few questions, but he quickly overturned this conclusion that he had obtained with great difficulty.

There did not seem to be any large-scale empty buildings in this city. Almost all of them had living people.

He looked at the banquet outside and was in disbelief.

Everyone in the city was still alive. Where did these souls come from? Did they fall from the sky?

"Senior brothers and sisters, look at these three people. They're different from the other eight. They all went out alone and disappeared. Perhaps we should start from them."

Jiang Li rubbed his head and pushed aside his thoughts as he pointed out three people on the missing list.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

The others were originally giving up on themselves, so when they heard Jiang Li's opinion, they looked over successively.

"Look at the order in which they disappeared. It was the former who came forward and tricked the latter away. But these three people are different. They started the chain of disappearances and no one saw who called them away."

"According to Senior Brother Guo An, these three people disappeared while patrolling. Then, is it possible that the place where the three of them patrolled is where the defector disciple and the others are hiding?"

"Perhaps they were captured because they ran into the defected disciples."

Jiang Li gave this guess.

"That's worth a try."

Everyone's expressions were a little excited and solemn.

After all, even if they found the target, it was hard to say whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

The locations of the three missing targets were different, so they began to discuss the distribution.

However, Jiang Li did not plan to investigate with them. He still had his own plans.

"Junior Brother Jiang Li, are you really not going with us?"

Before he left, Guo An continued to invite Jiang Li, expressing his regret for not being able to come with him.

Jiang Li cupped his hands and sent them off.

After obtaining their information, Jiang Li felt that he had to go out and personally investigate.

Before he left, he explained the situation at the banquet again. Because the mortals of the gold and silver exchange office were unable to fulfill their duties and because one of their subordinates had disappeared, they were currently short of manpower.

Jiang Li spent a huge sum of money to invite the talking red-coated rat to help "collect" the cash.

After confirming that the operation here was good and that nothing would happen for the time being, Jiang Li left and entered a residential courtyard.

Jiang Li pushed open the door. The wooden door bolt was as if it was made of paper and easily broke, not putting up any resistance.

"Spare me, Master Immortal! Spare me, Master Immortal!"

"This old man doesn't know anything!"

Then, Jiang Li saw the two people inside hurriedly standing up from the bed in the room, hugging each other while repeatedly shouting for mercy.

Were the Immortal Masters that terrifying? It seemed that his fellow disciples had often tyrannized the city.

While Jiang Li was thinking of this, he seemed to have forgotten what he had done. It was not any better.

[Name: Wang Darong, Gender: Male, Age 61, Class: None, Level: None, Danger Level: None]

[Name: Zhang Xiaomei, Gender: Female, Age: 16, Class: None, Level: None, Danger Level: None]

Jiang Li casually threw two appraisals over and was speechless.

These two people were clearly sleeping together just now. 61 and 16, this was really a crime punishable by death.

"Hey, get up. Answer a few questions." Jiang Li asked.

"I don't know anything! I don't know anything! Lord Immortal Master, please spare me! Lord Immortal Master, please spare me!"

However, there were still two sentences in response. It seemed that he could not ask anything from them.

Jiang Li had no choice but to leave. He directly leaped onto the roof and flew several blocks before landing in another house.

This time, he was afraid of scaring others, so he did not directly break in. Instead, he politely knocked on the door.

A moment later, someone came to open the door. However, just as the door opened, that person saw Jiang Li and immediately ran to the corner of the wall. He squatted down and hugged his head while repeating that sentence repeatedly.

"Spare me, Master Immortal! Spare me, Master Immortal!"

Perhaps some people were just more timid, Jiang Li thought.

He found another family nearby and finally met someone who dared to speak to him.

The moment he opened the door…

When an old lady saw Jiang Li's attire, she roared angrily. She picked up a broom by the side and threw it at Jiang Li.

"You damned monster, I'll fight it out with you!"

Who was Jiang Li? How could he be hit by a broom?

He went past the old lady and went into the room, seeing a young girl holding her torn clothes while kneeling on the ground and sobbing.

Without needing them to say anything, Jiang Li already understood what had happened.

Without saying anything, he left a silver ingot on the table and left the courtyard.

Jiang Li ran around the city, randomly choosing a house to go in and check.

However, it was indeed as the other outer sect disciples had said. There were no large-scale deaths and empty buildings in this city.

The development of the situation made Jiang Li's head hurt even more.

Until…

"Master Immortal! Spare me! Master Immortal! Spare me!"

"Father! Mother! It's Lian'er! Don't you recognize me?"

"We don't know anything! We don't know anything!"

Jiang Li's figure landed on a wall. Before he even appeared, this voice already sounded in his ears.

He raised his eyebrows and chose to continue watching quietly.

In the courtyard below, a middle-aged couple and a servant were kneeling on the ground while holding their heads and begging for mercy.

Before them was not an outer sect disciple of the Scripture Storage Valley, but a young woman in a red dress and a servant beside her.

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Chapter 69: Finally Here

Wasn't this red-clothed woman the "madam" who he had met at the inn? She was about to return home to visit her parents.

The woman in red stepped forward and tried to pull her parents up from the ground with the servant girl.

However, it was useless. The two middle-aged parents kept repeating all sorts of begging. Their bodies were huddled together and they were unwilling to give any more reaction.

The woman in red was so anxious that she was about to cry. However, her parents still did not notice her and treated her like an "immortal" as they hugged her head and begged for mercy.

When she returned home, her family did not recognize her.

Moreover, although humans were essentially repeating words throughout their lives, the words that they repeated were too similar. It was a little strange.

The scene before him finally caused Jiang Li to slap his forehead and notice that something was off.

He ran to the other residences again, this time not going in himself.

Instead, he took out gold and silver ingots from his pocket and threw them into the house.

Some people were bewildered at first, but after discovering the gold ingot, they were overjoyed.

This was a normal reaction.

Some people were initially suspicious, but after discovering the silver ingots, they started to thank the heavens.

This was a normal reaction.

However, in a portion of the residences, the glittering gold and silver rolled past the mortals inside. However, they only took a glance before ignoring it.

This was very abnormal.

This caused Jiang Li to feel that the hundreds of thousands of souls were most likely from them.

Still unwilling to give up, he found the death row prisoners' dungeons in Cloud Stream City. After strangling a few of them, he sent his Yin attribute spiritual qi into his eyes to take a look, but none of their souls left the body.

This time, there was no longer any doubt.

Elder Duan Shuang and the others had used some unknown method. In a short period of time, half of the city had already died.

Nearly half of the residents in the city had already become zombies without souls. This situation was even more horrifying than seeing 200,000 skeletons.

Jiang Li was already planning how to leave a way out and escape at the critical moment.

When he returned to the inn, the sky, which was already dark, turned even darker.

Jiang Li returned to his room to listen to the Heart Sutra. At the same time, he used his extremely developed sense of hearing to envelop the surroundings of the inn, trying his best to not miss out on any clues.

Apart from the time when the Soul Capturing Bag was about to be filled and he had to personally transfer it, his monitoring had never relaxed.

However, the next night passed peacefully.

Through the expenditure of silver, Jiang Li roughly calculated the number of souls he had already obtained.

Due to the strong wind on the ground, it caused a lot of trouble for the demons to capture the souls of the dead. Their speed was reduced.

However, that number still steadily broke through 200,000, accumulating towards an even higher level.

While Jiang Li was fine, the city lord's mansion was not so lucky.

The day before, they still did not find anything useful.

On the contrary, eleven people just happened to disappear that night, making all of them nervous and suspicious.

They wished that they could stay in the city lord's mansion and report this matter. Many disciples did not have the guts to investigate it anymore.

Slam!

On the morning of the third day, in the world that Jiang Li observed through his hearing, a drop of water the size of a bean suddenly fell from the sky and exploded on the ground.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

A breath later, rain poured down!

Jiang Li's ears were instantly filled with a large amount of noise, making him helplessly withdraw from the monitoring.

A true Heart Sutra technique definitely did not have such a drawback.

However, relying on just a few incomplete scriptures, reaching this level was already his limit.

Looking at the rain outside that seemed to be deliberately opposing him, Jiang Li was not angry.

He closed his eyes and calmed his mind before continuing to meditate peacefully.

Time passed slowly.

The raindrops formed an exaggerated line, but it was also firm and illogical.

The rolling dark clouds in the sky seemed to contain an infinite amount of water that could go on forever.

The water accumulated on the streets grew higher and higher, and soon, it covered the steps of the house. From the third day onwards, there were no longer any mortals on the streets of Cloud Stream City.

It was unknown if they were locked up at home by the wind and water, or if they had already died under the hands of Elder Duan and the others.

The tables and chairs of the banquet had already been moved to the second floor of the inn.

Due to the effects of the wind and rain, there were fewer demons coming and going compared to two days ago.

However, Jiang Li was generous and raised the price of souls by several times. Moreover, there were indeed many souls everywhere in the city, it was a rare opportunity to make a fortune.

This was why a group of small demons was still willing to gather souls for him despite the storms.

On the third night, in Cloud Stream City, the shallowest water accumulation on the streets could already easily cross one's knees.

A large amount of wooden junk was washed out, floating in the water on the street.

"Da Qiang! Da Chen!"

At the banquet that was already quite cold and empty, an outer sect disciple suddenly appeared at an unknown time and softly called out to the two disciples who were currently "distributing the silver taels".

After three consecutive days of work, Da Qiang and Da Chen, who were already numb from working so hard, turned their heads in a daze.

After seeing the person's face, the two of them jolted awake.

"Ah Niu! It's you!"

"Where have you been the past two days? We all thought you were dead."

The three of them had always had a good relationship and had a foundation of trust.

Coupled with the fact that Da Qiang and Da Chen had been working in the shed, no one told them the severity of the situation!

Therefore, they did not suspect anything when they saw Ah Niu, whom they had not seen for two days, suddenly appear.

"Hush! Be gentler. Follow me!"

Ah Niu pointed at the location of Jiang Li's room, telling them not to be loud. He then beckoned them to leave with him.

"Go? Where? That Jiang Li won't let us go." Da Qiang and Da Chen were still a bit afraid of Jiang Li.

"Relax, I've already found a way to deal with him. He'll be fine. Follow me."

This Ah Niu looked a little unfamiliar to the two of them, but they were friends for many years after all. Amidst his promises and temptations, Da Qiang and Da Chen finally chose to believe him. They abandoned their job of "collecting money" at the banquet and quietly left through the back door of the inn.

Right after they left, Jiang Li woke up from his meditation.

"He's finally here!" He muttered something, as if he had been waiting a long time.

Jiang Li ran to the second floor. Sure enough, Da Qiang and Da Chen were no longer where they were. There were only two green-gray masks left on the table and a red-coated rat that was busy moving around.

"He's cautious, but it's useless!"

Jiang Li took back the two masks and the last two bags of souls. However, he did not take away the gold and silver on the ground. He instructed the demons to continue collecting souls and not cause any commotion.

He quietly left the inn, following behind the three people from afar. He stepped on the floating logs on the water, following in a certain direction.

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Chapter 70: Changing Body?

"Ah Niu, where are we going?"

Against the storm, the three of them stepped on driftwood at one moment and leaned on the roof at the other. Without exquisite movement techniques, it was indeed quite difficult to walk.

"Don't worry. You'll know when we get there."

Ah Niu stood steadily in the wind and rain. When his voice was heard, it was slightly muffled by the wind, so the two of them did not notice the emotionless coldness in his words.

Da Qiang and Da Chen were a little helpless, but they had already followed the other party out. Since they could not turn back, they could only follow their 'friend' and continue forward.

After walking for a long time, Ah Niu finally brought them to a large and thick tree.

"Is this it? What are you showing us?"

At this moment, the two of them were already exhausted to the point of gasping for breath. Even if they were at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm, they would not have much stamina left after working overtime for three consecutive days. Coupled with the fact that they had been rushing all the way here, they were really exhausted.

However, the tree was located in a good location. It seemed that because of the higher altitude, the surrounding area was not flooded by water. The feeling of being on solid ground made them feel much more comfortable.

Ah Niu reached out and patted the tree. The tree immediately split open, forming a tree hole that could fit a person.

"Come, come in first. You'll know when you come in." Ah Niu replied.

After asking several times, Ah Niu refused to give a positive response. The two of them finally noticed something amiss.

Coupled with the unfamiliarity between the other party's two days of absence and words, the two of them looked at each other and took a step back.

"Ah Niu! Are you…"

Bang! Bang!

But it was too late!

Unknowingly, a black figure had already flashed behind them. After two muffled sounds, the eyes of Da Qiang and Da Chen rolled back as they lost consciousness.

The black shadow stepped forward and pried open their right hands. Sure enough, in their palms, they were already holding onto the lightning cracker that the sect had given them, ready to trigger it at any moment.

The black figure skillfully removed the lightning cracker and stuffed it into his pockets. At this moment, Ah Niu walked over.

"Junior Brother, how could I forget you when I have good things to share? Don't worry, you'll become an inner sect disciple soon."

He and the black shadow dragged the two of them into the tree hole. After that, the tree hole closed, and no one could see any abnormalities on the surface.

A moment later, the water nearby suddenly churned slightly, and a person wearing a grayish-blue mask emerged from the bottom of the water.

"You want to shake me off after throwing away your mask? You're looking down on me too much."

Long after the first person disappeared, Jiang Li had already forcefully planted a seed in the two of them. As long as there was no special shielding like the Yin Burial Coffin, it was very difficult to escape his pursuit.

Jiang Li walked forward step by step and broke free from the puddles. In order to not be discovered by them, Jiang Li relied on the fact that he was not afraid of drowning and dived all the way from the bottom.

"What's with this tree? Is it a Wood attribute spell technique?"

Jiang Li patted the tree but did not find any issues. He had a Wood attribute spiritual root, but even he could not discover this entrance. The person who set it up really had some methods.

However, he did not have to care about this matter. As long as he confirmed the exact location, all he had to do was report and ask for help.

He raised his wrist and shook it towards the sky. Jiang Li was about to shoot the lightning cracker.

A glaring red light blossomed in his palm. In the next moment, the red light shot straight up into the sky. In the pitch-black night, it drew a striking red line before exploding into a ball of light that could light up the surroundings.

The brightness could be seen clearly even by the flying ship floating far away from the city.

Furthermore, the red line and bright spot, which were based on some unknown technique, did not dissipate for a long time in the wind and rain, becoming the most conspicuous sign.

On the other hand, Jiang Li was slightly surprised, and he sized up the surroundings under the illumination of the ball of light.

He had deliberately slowed down just now, but no one came out to stop him?

"Junior Brother, are you looking for me?"

On the tree, the tree hole opened again, and the black figure from before walked out unhurriedly.

Under the illumination of the ball of light in the sky, Jiang Li finally saw the other party's face clearly.

"Oh? Is Senior Brother Guo An here to relax?"

The person who came out of the tree hole was the so-called outer sect's Eldest Senior Brother, Guo An!

Guh!

While the two of them spoke, their movements were not slow in the slightest. Jiang Li's hand struck towards the other party's chest.

However, he was still too late. His black fingernails had just touched the other party's clothes when a golden needle more than two feet long pierced through his body.

His attack lost its threat immediately.

This golden needle magic artifact had a special power. Jiang Li's body instantly slowed down, and his attack movements seemed to have been slowed down by ten times. It was easily dodged by Guo An.

Pew! Pew!

His slow movements were utterly unable to effectively dodge or counterattack. Another two golden needles were inserted into his body, and the spirit energy on the three golden needles formed a special kind of shackle. This time, "Jiang Li" was completely unable to move.

"Senior Brother Guo An… or rather, one of the inner sect senior brothers, looks like you don't plan to kill me right now?"

Jiang Li, who was sealed by the golden needles, did not stop talking. He still calmly and amicably chatted with the other party.

Guo An paused, then returned to normal. Without answering his question, he dragged "Jiang Li" into the tree hole.

"Senior Brother is really cold. We're all fellow disciples of the same sect. We can't fight like this, right?"

Guo An remained silent.

"Alright, alright. Senior Brother Guo An, if you let me off, I'll introduce you to Elder Red Hair and make you his registered disciple. The benefits are good!"

"You don't want that? Senior Brother's appetite is too big. How about I introduce you to a Dao companion?"

"You don't want this either? Looks like I'm really doomed this time."

"Then, on the account that I'm about to die, answer me a question. Senior Brother, why didn't you stop me from giving the signal earlier? If the sect elders come, you wouldn't have a good ending, right?"

Jiang Li tried all sorts of nonsense, trying to divert the other party's attention and not pay attention to some of the small actions on his body.

It was unknown what "Guo An" was thinking in his heart. He glanced at the chattering Jiang Li and actually opened his mouth to reply.

"Once you join us, so what if the sect elders come?" As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Jiang Li into the tree hole.

Jiang Li was surprised by his confidence.

Logically speaking, although the soul control method and possession method were not full of flaws, it was very difficult to hide them from a careful inspection.

Even Jiang Li, a transmigrator, did not dare to have his soul inspected by others.

Could their methods really be so heaven-defying that even the sect could not discover them?

After entering the tree hole, there was a long and narrow path in front of him before suddenly opening up.

Under the illumination of a ball of spiritual light, there were dozens of people in this small underground space.

"Yu Banxia! The others as well…"

Jiang Li immediately saw Yu Banxia lying motionless at the side and ten white-clothed traitors lying beside him!

They, who had always been feared by the outer sect disciples for the last few days, were lying on the ground at this moment, their chests rising and falling weakly. They were on the verge of death!

Their hair had turned white!

It was not only them, there were also more than twenty outer sect disciples who had been confirmed to be missing. They were also lying on the ground with completely white hair, and they looked as if their entire bodies had been hollowed out and were lying on the ground waiting to die.

Jiang Li recalled the white-haired Scaled Demon he had encountered on his journey to seek immortality and the large fish that had immediately started to turn soft and smelly after the seed was removed.

He roughly understood something.

It seemed that Elder Duan Shuang and Yu Banxia had already encountered something when they were in the Southern Seal Kingdom and had been parasitized by the spiritual root seed.

This caused their personality to change. When they returned to the sect, they suddenly defected for unknown reasons.

It was one thing to be able to parasitize and control mortals!

But that thing could actually control cultivators… including Core Formation cultivators!

It was shocking and unheard of!

When Jiang Li recalled how he had placed the spiritual root seed in front of his nose to smell it and had nearly sent it into his mouth, he could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He looked around again and observed the environment carefully, but he did not find the Core Formation realm Elder Duan Shuang.

It seemed that the body of the Core Formation realm was indeed different. It was not easily abandoned like the body of the Qi Refinement realm and the Foundation Establishment realm.

Elder Duan Shuang, who was being controlled, should have separated from them.

On the other side, there were another ten people standing there, and they were all outer sect disciples that Jiang Li had seen earlier. Some of them had been confirmed to have gone missing long ago, and some of them were unknown to him.

It was possible that they had been disguising themselves all this while, or they had just been captured.

For some unknown reason, in a short period of three days, these 11 rebels had changed their bodies at least two to three times.

From the looks of it, they were planning to change their bodies again.

Their target was naturally the three of them who had just been captured.

Da Qiang and Da Chen were placed on the ground. Their mouths were roughly pried open, and two people directly knelt on their bodies, their mouths wide open as they retched.

Jiang Li noticed that the two people's hair started to quickly turn white from the ends of their hair. At the same time, something rolled up their throats and was about to come out.

"The lightning cracker has been used. Hurry up!"

"Alright!"

"Guo An" also threw Jiang Li to the ground. A mid-stage Qi Refinement female disciple that he had seen previously stepped forward and directly pressed him down.

At this moment…

Guh! Guh! Guh!

On the side, Ah Niu, Da Qiang, and Da Chen spat out a mouthful of blood at the same time. They looked as if they had suffered a heavy blow at the same time, and their expressions instantly turned extremely ugly.

"It seems that your methods are actually not that brilliant. At the very least, your memory absorption is incomplete."

It was Jiang Li who had directly triggered the contract, causing the three of them to be on the verge of death.

If they knew about this contract, they would definitely not dare to choose these three bodies.

The two parasites pressing on Da Qiang and Da Chen's bodies had hair that had turned completely white. The spiritual root seeds were already in their mouths, but they could only stop. They could neither swallow nor spit!

"You're courting death!"

"Guo An" stepped forward, grabbed the mask on "Jiang Li's" face, and abruptly tore it off.

However, what appeared before their eyes was a rotting, black zombie face!

It turned out that the one wearing a wooden mask and appearing in front of everyone as Jiang Li was a black zombie all along!

Sizzle! Sizzle!

"It's not over yet, everyone. I still have a big present to give you!"

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