Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 210 Tai Xuan Zhi Ling Peak, Zhang Xu Ling!
"What a pure and exquisite wisp of foolish mist! Hmm, so it's that old toad from Yue Mountain Taoist Temple, Pan Hu's disciple and grand-disciple..."

Master Zhang stepped on the light of escape, made a hand seal to condense spiritual light, and a wisp of white energy fell into his palm.

He couldn't help but clap his hands and chuckle, saying...

"When one is struck by the Mist and Gauze Heavenly Net, seven kinds of Mist and Gauze Qi arise: ignorance, greed, attachment, hatred, joy, anger, and fear. These Qi are transformed from the consciousness of living beings and can be used in medicine, to enhance cultivation, and even to refine magical spells and treasures... The more the better, the more the better."

The traces of immortals in the world are like the hidden scales of a true dragon; they leave behind all sorts of legends in the mortal realm with just a fleeting glimpse.

Thus, countless seekers of immortality flocked to the immortal mountains, seeking immortality and enlightenment, all in the hope of attaining eternal life.

But when the end is near, and the body and spirit wither, it is nothing more than a flower in a mirror and the moon in the water.

in this process.

The more obsessed one becomes, the more greed, attachment, hatred, joy, anger, and fear arise...

The misty vapor contained within becomes even more refined.

Once the immortals appear before you, you can gather them and transform them into provisions for the immortal path.

This is the descent of Taiyi to the mortal realm, an immortal appearing before one's eyes, a meeting amidst the mist and gauze.

The same applies between immortals of the upper and lower realms.

Even more brutal.

Even though Master Zhang is a Qi-gathering cultivator, his cultivation level is still higher than that of the Heavenly Pivot Saintess.

But as the saying goes, "slice the lean meat from the heron's leg and extract the fat from the mosquito's belly," so-called cultivation lies in these "sewing skills" that are sewn stitch by stitch.

No matter how small the gain, we dare not overlook it.

Zhang Shiyi rode a beam of light, his figure transforming into a tiny spore, less than a speck of dust, almost merging with the void, and headed towards Wuqing County.

Passing through Bajiazhuang, he seemed to sense something, and with a flash of light, he landed behind the mass grave in the newly relocated black market.

Although it was only dusk and the first signs of spring, the black market already had many stalls set up, with shouts and calls rising and falling.

The main problem is that the recent heavy snow has blocked the mountains and brought shipping to a standstill, causing prices to rise in the capital region, making life difficult and leaving everyone poor.

The black market vendors had no choice but to extend their working hours and set up their stalls earlier.

Entering the black market.

Master Zhang glanced indifferently at the old woman, her teeth blackened, who was living in a desolate grave not far away.

The old lady was accompanied by a chubby boy and a thin man.

Master Zhang discerned the feng shui and assessed the terrain, eventually finding a black market place where yin energy was leaking out.

With a flash of light, Zhang Shi landed here and disappeared into the bushes.

Time passed, the moon hung high, and people came and went in the black market.

Finally, it was almost time to close up shop.

The old woman waited all night, but no customers came to her door.

He couldn't help but show some displeasure, angrily knocking his pipe to the ground before tidying up his stall. He then tucked the chubby boy into his arms and skillfully headed towards the direction from which the yin energy was dissipating in the black market.

The thin man, He Qiqiang, followed silently behind the old woman.

There was a black rope tied around her ankle.

One end extended into the old woman's wrist.

"Good boy, your little Su has only recently been resurrected and her memory is fragmented, which is why her personality has changed so much... She's your own wife, so be patient with her and teach her a little more, she'll get better eventually."

Seeing He Qiqiang's tense face, the old lady couldn't help but gently comfort him.

"Don't worry, once I've settled my debts and gained some good fortune, I'll rebuild your martial arts foundation and make you a renowned master of true martial arts!"

At this point, the old lady paused, a look of suspicion in her eyes.

That's strange. Why hasn't the customer who switched from 'Hidden Sand' last time used it yet?
If you don't use it, the debt remains a mere formality, never truly materializing.

I was then unable to settle my debts and take away the power of destiny.

It turns out that the old lady had been operating in the black market for a century, not accepting money, but only bartering goods.

No matter what your customer requests, what treasures they want to buy, whether from the north or south, from the west or abroad, she can find a way to get them.

The reward was to retrieve the Wujin Mountain Treasure Lamp from a private agency in Wuqing County for her.

In reality, this Wujin Mountain Treasure Lantern is nothing special, nor does it possess any supernatural powers. It is merely an old gauze lantern, worthless.

In fact, the lamp originally belonged to the old lady herself.

It was specially placed in the county's private office for her fishing trips.

All that is needed is for someone else to bring the Golden Mountain Lantern, and then to exchange it for other goods.

In some mysterious way, a debt was formed between the two of them.

In terms of value, the Wujinshan Treasure Lamp is far less valuable than what the customer needs.

The more greedy the customer, the more outrageous their demands.

The greater the value gap between the two, the greater the causal debt, or in other words, the greater the indebtedness.

The old lady would then be able to profit from it.

This is a method that achieves a permanent solution but harms others for personal gain.

only……

Why didn't the last customer, that old man, use the Darkening Sand?
Judging from his appearance, he seemed quite anxious, perhaps preparing some trump card or backup plan.

It doesn't make sense that we haven't used it yet after all this time!
It's impossible that you buy it just to give yourself a sense of security and then leave it unused, never to be used again!

As the old woman was thinking, she passed by a place overgrown with weeds and filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

The next instant, a silent figure appeared behind the old lady, revealing Zhang Shi's appearance.

Zhang Shi attacked from behind without uttering a sound.

He slapped his forehead, exhaled, and spat out a mouthful of blood as his blood rushed to his head.

As soon as the blood arrow landed in the air, it sizzled and made a corrosive sound, and a light mist, as blue and indigo, rose up. It swept in all directions, just like a miasma that filled the sky and infected the mountains and rivers, and in the blink of an eye, it engulfed the old woman.

Upon closer inspection, one would discover that the light mist formed from the blood arrow was clearly composed of tiny, powdery particles, seemingly spores released by some kind of peculiar Ganoderma lucidum.

They're everywhere, like a maggot clinging to a bone! "Aaaaaah!!!"

A shrill scream sounded.

In the hazy light, pieces of dark pigskin fell from the sky.

The old woman spat out several mouthfuls of blood and essence. In the instant that the black pigskin concealed her figure, she darted out, her face deathly pale, like a female ghost.

He was staring at Master Zhang with a look of horror.

The old lady was especially heartbroken when she sensed Zhang Shi's presence.

Mid-stage Qi Gathering?

No, the later stages of Qi gathering, or even higher!
Your cultivation level far surpasses mine, and judging from your appearance, you seem to come from a superior lineage with a complete system that points directly to the Great Dao...

It actually deliberately hid in the bushes to ambush me?!

It seems they've been squatting there for quite a while!

The old lady quickly said...

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand! I am a member of the Furang Holy Sect. May I ask which immortal mountain you seek the Dao on?"

Zhang Shi was somewhat disappointed that his sneak attack had failed and he had not been able to kill the old lady in one blow.

He silently withdrew his hand, his gaze softening, and said calmly.

"Aoshan Taoist Temple, Taixuan Zhiling Peak, the Immortal Family of Qi Gathering, Zhang Xuling!"

Tai Xuan Zhi Ling Peak?
Are they members of the Zhang family from Tongzhou?

The old woman gritted her teeth and said,

"Fellow Daoist, we are complete strangers with no prior grudges or enmities. Why must we face each other in life and death?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuling gave the old woman a strange look and said,
"Didn't you tell me to come here and apologize, carrying thorns on my back, to see you?"

"I'm here, so don't try to run away."

……

"They escaped pretty quickly... Is that the Fu Rang Holy Cult's skin-changing technique?"

After a while.

Zhang Xuling squinted at the bloody pigskin at his feet, beneath which lay half of the internal organs and pig bones.

This seems to prove that the old woman was not human.

The surrounding area was a mess, with broken trees and cracked ground, almost reduced to scorched earth.

The air was still filled with lingering malevolent energy, drifting close to the ground like a thin veil covering the slope, preventing sunlight from penetrating.

No matter how much commotion had just occurred here, or how much the landscape had changed, the people in the black market not far away were completely unaware.

Even the few figures who occasionally passed by, shrouded in malevolent energy, were treated as normal, unaware that their lifespans had been inexplicably shortened.

Zhang Xuling shook his head, then reached out and scooped up some miscellaneous items from the ground.

Although the old woman escaped with her life hanging by a thread, she was completely naked and had no possessions to take with her.

"Hey, this lamp... How could this scoundrel be so shameless as to cheat mortals here? He's a disgrace to us all."

Zhang Xuling knew the old woman's purpose at a glance when he saw the Wujin Mountain Treasure Lamp, and couldn't help but shake his head, putting it into his pocket...

If the opportunity arises, I might extort a little.

Extorting an old lady.

Extorting ordinary people who have been harmed by the old lady.

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, no matter how small...

Then, Zhang Xuling looked at the chubby boy who was crawling on the ground, looking like a lucky doll.

The red rope that once bound him has been completely torn off.

Zhang Xuling chuckled softly: "It's actually a primordial demon. The Spirit Ginseng King has become a spirit. Why don't you quickly reveal your true form and come back to the peak with me to comprehend the Great Dao of Tai Xuan? It's better than being captured by the Yue Shan Dao Academy and used as medicine dregs."

The chubby boy looked at the Taoist priest in front of him and felt an instinctive sense of closeness. Without resisting, he rolled on the spot and transformed into a ginseng with lush green roots and leaves on its head, as long as his forearm.

With a whoosh, it slipped into Zhang Xuling's sleeve.

Zhang Xuling nodded in satisfaction and took a step to leave.

"Chang Immortal!"

Suddenly, a hesitant, trembling voice rang out.

He Qiqiang stared blankly at Zhang Xuling, his gaze filled with shock, awe, longing, and yearning...

thump!
Suddenly, he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading with Zhang Xuling.
"I beg the immortals to intervene and revive my little Su. I would be willing to serve the immortals as their slaves for ten lifetimes!"

"Alas!"

Zhang Xuling shook his head and said,
“You’re just a mortal whose foundation has been destroyed; you’re not qualified to be my slave… The dead cannot be brought back to life, and what is brought back to life is not the same person as before. Don’t be stubborn anymore, and don’t get involved with that old woman; it will only bring you misfortune…”

After saying that, Zhang Xuling was about to leave on his escape light.

Finally, he froze, looked up at the sky, and stared blankly.

He paused for a moment, then turned around, his gaze gentle, and bowed to He Qiqiang.
"Brother, what's wrong in Wuqing County? I need to find someone."

After a while.

Zhang Xuling drifted away.

He Qiqiang stood there, dejected and lost.

As the morning light spilled over the dark green peaks, it cast a flickering shadow at the foot of the mountains, obscuring He Qiqiang within it.

Not long after, he seemed to make some kind of decision, and the confusion and listlessness in his eyes disappeared.

With a resolute expression, he ran a few steps before plunging headfirst into the shadows at the base of the mountain peak, where the sunlight could not reach.

That was the direction the old lady fled in.

(End of this chapter)