I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

The council hall of Yellow Maple Valley.

The atmosphere inside the hall was solemn today.

Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao sat in the head seat, making no attempt to conceal his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.

On either side of him sat two deacons at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Below, more than twenty Qi Refining stage disciples stood solemnly, each with a serious expression.

Some eyes showed tension, while others were full of determination.

Zhou Yuan stood in the crowd, his gaze calmly sweeping over his surroundings.

The disciples participating in the trial had varying levels of cultivation, but those who could stand in this hall were all among the best in the Qi Refining stage of the sect.

There were as many as six or seven people who had reached the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

Zhou Yuan's cultivation level can be considered to be in the top tier.

His gaze swept across the crowd and he quickly found Han Li.

Han Li stood at the back.

Not far from Han Li, Zhou Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly.

There stood an old man with white hair, who looked to be seventy or eighty years old. His face was full of wrinkles, but his aura was only at the eleventh level of Qi Refining.

But Zhou Yuan's heart was filled with turbulent waves.

A gesture of respect!

A Nascent Soul stage expert!

This person is a true being standing at the pinnacle of the human realm, but now he is disguised as an old Qi Refining disciple, blending into the crowd in preparation for entering the Crimson Forbidden Land.

Zhou Yuanqiang suppressed the shock in his heart, quickly looked away, and dared not look any longer.

Even a casual glance from someone of this caliber could attract the other party's attention.

He didn't want to be targeted by this big shot.

"quiet!"

When Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao's voice rang out, the hall fell silent.

"This Blood Forbidden Land Trial is related to the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills in my Yellow Maple Valley, and also to the path of each of you."

Zhong Lingdao's gaze swept over the disciples below, his voice steady and powerful, "The forbidden area is fraught with danger. Not only are there various demonic beasts and poisonous insects, but also disciples from the other six sects who are eyeing it covetously. Murder and theft are commonplace."

"Since you have chosen to participate, you must be prepared to die."

He paused, then continued, "As is customary, the sect will provide each disciple participating in the trial with a mid-grade spirit stone to help you recover your mana in the forbidden area."

As he spoke, he nodded to a Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Wang beside him.

The cultivator surnamed Wang stepped forward, holding a dusty gray storage bag in his hand.

"This bag is immune to divine sense detection. Each person draws one spirit stone from it, entirely based on luck."

The disciples stepped forward one by one, reached into their bags, and took out spirit stones that emitted a rich spiritual energy.

Zhou Yuan also stepped forward, reached into the bag and rummaged around for a moment before taking out a coin.

It feels warm to the touch, is entirely emerald green, and exudes a rich wood-attribute spiritual energy.

Mid-tier wood-attribute spirit stones.

Zhou Yuan remained calm. He had already exchanged three mid-grade spirit stones at the Tianxing Sect market, one of which was of the wood attribute.

When you enter the forbidden area, you can equip these spirit stones to greatly increase your mana recovery speed.

With the spirit stones distributed, the next step is to draw magical artifacts.

It was also a storage bag that isolated divine sense, containing more than twenty high-grade magic artifacts.

Although it's only of superior quality, in the Crimson Forbidden Land, having one more magic weapon means having one more chance to survive, and no one would complain about having too few.

Zhou Yuan's luck was so-so; he drew a water-attribute "Azure Wave Mirror," which had decent defensive capabilities, but it wasn't very meaningful to him.

He casually put it into his storage bag.

Just as all the disciples had finished receiving their gifts, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the main hall.

Everyone turned to look and saw a group of cultivators escorting a square-faced old man as he walked in.

Those managers who were usually so arrogant were now all respectful, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The elderly man, who was surrounded in the middle, looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His hair was gray, but he was in good spirits. His eyes were bright and piercing, and no one dared to meet his gaze.

Li Huayuan, a Core Formation stage cultivator!

Zhou Yuan understood immediately; this was the Core Formation Elder of Huangfeng Valley, and also the one who took Han Li as his disciple in the original story.

"Uncle-Master Li!"

Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao quickly stood up and, along with two Foundation Establishment deacons, respectfully bowed.

Li Huayuan nodded casually, his gaze sweeping over the disciples below before finally settling on Zhong Lingdao.

"Is everyone here?"

"Reporting to Martial Uncle, all the disciples participating in the trial are here," Zhong Lingdao said respectfully.

"Okay." Li Huayuan said no more, simply waving his hand, "Let's go!"

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the main hall first.

Zhou Yuan and his disciples quickly followed.

Upon exiting the main hall, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.

In mid-air, a giant silver python, over twenty feet long, was hovering there!

The giant python was covered in silvery scales that reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, and had a huge, black horn on its head, making it look ferocious and terrifying.

The enormous body brought a terrifying sense of oppression, and many disciples turned pale.

Li Huayuan stood atop the giant python's head, hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind.

"Everyone up here, stand still!" Li Huayuan's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "My Silver-Armored Horned Python's flying speed is much faster than your flying mounts; it will only take two days to reach our destination!"

The disciples dared not slack off and used their lightness techniques to leap onto the giant python's broad back.

The silver-armored horned python's back is covered with thick scales, making it very stable to stand on.

After all the disciples had stood still, Li Huayuan gently stroked the giant python's single horn.

"Walk!"

The silver-armored horned python let out a deep hiss, and its massive body suddenly moved, transforming into a silver streak of light that shot into the sky!

The wind howled, and the scenery rushed past.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and conserved his energy.

He knew that the upcoming journey to the Crimson Forbidden Land would be the greatest test he had faced since he began cultivating immortality.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The silver-armored horned python flew over thousands of mountains and rivers, finally landing on a desolate mountain peak.

A considerable number of people have already gathered here; judging from their attire, they are disciples from other sects.

Li Huayuan put away the silver-armored horned python and led the Huangfeng Valley disciples to find a place to settle down.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on the spot, conserving his energy.

Shortly after, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the distant sky.

Everyone looked up and saw a few star-like lights twinkling in the azure sky, gradually growing larger.

A moment later, a series of black dots appeared.

Below the black dot, silver light shimmered, as if riding on starlight from beyond the heavens.

"It's Xue Hongling from the Qingxu Sect!"

One of the disciples recognized him.

Sure enough, the black dots drew closer and closer, revealing a group of cultivators dressed in gray Taoist robes.

Most of them were dressed as genuine Taoist priests, holding whisks, with their hair in Taoist buns, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

The leader was a middle-aged Taoist priest with a refined appearance, who arrived gracefully, stepping on a long, snow-white silk ribbon.

"Haha, I didn't expect it to be Benefactor Li leading the team again this time. Fuyunzi is very polite!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest landed in front of Li Huayuan, cupped his hands and smiled.

Li Huayuan raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Fuyunzi, you cunning old Taoist priest, you really tricked me last time, don't even think about trying that again!"

"What are you saying, Benefactor Li?" Fu Yunzi chuckled. "It's only natural to accept the consequences of a bet; there's no question of who cheated whom."

"Come on!" Li Huayuan waved his hand. "I said I wouldn't gamble, and that's final!"

Fu Yunzi rolled his eyes, not annoyed at all, and instead took something out of his storage bag.

"Benefactor Li, how about we make another bet? This time, the items I've brought will definitely tempt you..."

He flipped his palm over, and a white, blood-streaked sphere appeared in his hand.

As soon as the sphere appeared, it emitted a strong demonic aura and a bloody smell.

"This is..." Li Huayuan's pupils contracted.

"The inner core of the demonic Bloodline Flood Dragon!"

Fu Yunzi laughed and said, "Is Benefactor Li sure he doesn't want to gamble with this humble Taoist?"

Li Huayuan stared at the inner core, his breathing quickening.

"How do you want to bet?"

Li Huayuan was finally moved.

Seeing this, Fu Yunzi pressed his advantage, saying, "The rules are the same as last time: whichever disciple brings out the most spiritual herbs from the Crimson Forbidden Land wins. If you win, the inner core is yours; if I win, you refine two more pieces of essence for me..."

Li Huayuan's expression changed, but in the end he couldn't resist the temptation of the Blood Thread Dragon's inner core.

"Alright! Let's bet!"

"readily!"

The two were about to make a vow by high five.

However, Fu Yunzi's palm struck not Li Huayuan's outstretched palm.

Instead, it was a dirty hand that appeared out of nowhere!

This hand was covered in grease and grime, and it looked like it hadn't been washed in a long time.

It suddenly appeared between the two, blocking Fuyunzi's palm.

Fu Yunzi's smile froze instantly, replaced by a mournful expression.

"...Senior Qiong..."

Li Huayuan was also stunned. He turned to look at the owner of the hand and was shocked.

A disheveled man with messy hair was grinning at him.

"Fellow Daoists, this betting game is so interesting, why don't I join in as well?"