Reincarnation Immortal Venerable: Starting from the Ninety-Nineth Incarnation

The cloud boat landed steadily. Zhang Hao and Wang Lei were still a little unsteady on their feet. The wounds from the ambush by Zhao Hu and his men on their way back yesterday had not fully healed. There were still traces of blood on their cuffs and hems, and their faces were also a little pale.

Lin Wan'er still had lingering fear in her eyes. Li Yanzhou supported Shi Dazhuang, who was in much better spirits, and gently pressed his arm. Yesterday, Shi Dazhuang had taken a blow from Zhao Hu to protect everyone. Although he was not seriously injured, he was still somewhat weak.

Su Qingyao followed beside her, holding the neatly organized case files of the missing persons in Qingyang City in her hand. She still had a faint medicinal fragrance on her body, which she left behind when she treated the wounds of everyone along the way.

Inside the Hall of Affairs, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense. Elder Wei, who was in charge of assigning tasks and receiving reports, sat at his desk, flipping through the files of reports from various places. His fingers tapped lightly on the pages, and his expression was serious.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, put down the file, and glanced at the bloodstains and wounds on everyone. His tense expression softened slightly, and his tone became gentler: "You're back? Judging from your appearance, you've been through a tough battle. I hope nothing happened?"

Li Yanzhou stepped forward, bowed slightly, and handed over the dossier with both hands. His voice was steady and clear: "Reporting to Elder Wei, all of us disciples are safe and sound. The case of the missing persons in Qingyang City has been successfully solved. This case was caused by a demonic cultivator in the late stage of the Zhenxi Realm. That demonic cultivator was skilled in bewitching techniques and secretly controlled several low-level cultivators and mortals, using their life force to cultivate his evil arts. Fortunately, his foundation was unstable, and we disciples joined forces to kill him. The more than ten missing persons we rescued have all been handed over to the local government and the outer disciples of the sect. This is the detailed account of the case and the handover documents. Please review them, Elder."

He deliberately concealed Zhao Hu's attack on the way back and made no mention of Li Yanran's appearance. Li Yanran's betrayal of the sect and joining the demonic path was already a sensitive matter, and that person's thoughts were unpredictable and his whereabouts were even more elusive. There was no point in mentioning it. Moreover, he still couldn't figure out Li Yanran's true purpose for attacking that day. Saying it would only cause more trouble and might even attract questions from the sect's higher-ups.

Elder Wei took the dossier, slowly flipping through it. His finger paused on the lines "Demonic cultivators use evil techniques to absorb qi and blood" and "Bewitching and controlling cultivators and mortals." His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes before he slowly relaxed and nodded. "Well done, very well done. You are just an inner disciple who was recently promoted from the outer sect. This is your first time leading a mission independently, and you have managed to handle such a troublesome demonic cultivator and properly settle the missing persons. Elders Chaohua and Ruoxue did not misjudge you."

As he spoke, he took out a storage bag and several bottles of pills from under the table and handed them to Li Yanzhou: "This is a reward from the sect for you. Three bottles of healing pills are for you to repair your injuries. This bag of cloud-patterned copper coins has a full three hundred coins, which is enough for you to buy spiritual materials. You have been cultivating for a while now, so go back and rest for a few days. Don't be impatient for quick results. By the way, Elder Chaohua and Elder Ruoxue sent word early this morning that after you have settled your companions, you should take Shi Dazhuang to the Cloud Pavilion in the back mountain. They have something to discuss with you, and it seems to be about Shi Dazhuang."

"Disciple understands, thank you Elder Wei." Li Yanzhou accepted the reward with both hands, bowed again, and spoke respectfully.

After leaving the Hall of Affairs, Li Yanzhou first distributed three bottles of healing pills to everyone, then took out one hundred and fifty cloud-patterned copper coins and handed them to Zhang Hao: "Zhang Hao, you, Wang Lei, and Wan'er are still injured. You can take these cloud-patterned copper coins and divide them among yourselves. Focus on your cultivation and recovery. You don't need to come to the Cloud Pavilion with me. If anything happens, just let me know."

Zhang Hao quickly declined, "Senior Brother Li, how can this be? This mission relied entirely on you, Shi Dazhuang, and Junior Sister Su. We weren't of much help, so how can we accept your cloud-patterned copper coins?"

"Take it if I tell you to." Li Yanzhou said firmly, "Your injuries haven't healed yet, and you need spiritual energy and spiritual materials to support your cultivation. Take good care of your injuries so that you'll have the opportunity to fight side by side in the future. Besides, the sect's rewards were originally meant for us, so it's only right that they be distributed to you."

Wang Lei and Lin Wan'er also hurriedly persuaded Zhang Hao to accept the gift. Seeing this, Zhang Hao no longer refused and quickly bowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you very much, Senior Brother Li. If there is any need for you in the future, we will do our best to help you even at the cost of our lives."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zhang Hao and the other two returned to their respective residences to recuperate, while Li Yanzhou led Shi Dazhuang and Su Qingyao towards his own courtyard.

Back in the courtyard, Li Yanzhou looked at the two of them, a faint smile playing on his lips. He turned and went inside, carefully putting away the storage bag and pills. After tidying his robes, he said to the two, "Alright, let's go. Let's not keep the two elders waiting."

The three of them walked along the blue stone path behind the mountain toward the Cloud Pavilion. The path was lined with spiritual bamboo, and when the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, exuding a sense of tranquility, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of bamboo.

Along the way, they encountered many disciples cultivating in the back mountains. Upon seeing Li Yanzhou and his companions, they all stepped aside to pay their respects. When their gazes fell upon Shi Dazhuang, they were always filled with curiosity and inquiry. Some even whispered among themselves, "That must be Shi Dazhuang, right? I heard he could kill the Black Wind Bear with his bare hands. He looks rather simple-minded." "Senior Brother Li is also amazing. He just broke through to the early stage of the Breath Control Realm not long ago, and he defeated Wang Meng in one move. Now he has made another contribution. He truly has a bright future ahead of him."

Shi Dazhuang couldn't understand the crowd's discussion; he just looked around curiously, occasionally reaching out to touch the bamboo by the roadside, muttering to himself, "The bamboo is so green, can we eat it?"

Su Qingyao smiled and took his hand: "Dazhuang, you can't eat bamboo. When we get back, I'll make you some sweet pills that taste much better than bamboo."

Shi Dazhuang immediately nodded, no longer thinking about Lingzhu, and obediently followed the two forward.

Yunting is located halfway up the back mountain of Qiyun Sect, surrounded by spiritual bamboo. Inside the pavilion, there is a stone table and four stone benches. On the stone table is a set of exquisite tea set. Elder Chaohua and Elder Ruoxue are sitting on the stone benches brewing tea. The fragrant aroma of tea wafts in the wind, making it a very pleasant place.

Seeing the three approach, Elder Hua smiled and waved, saying gently, "Young friends, come and sit down, don't be shy."

Shi Dazhuang ran over first, stood respectfully by the pavilion, scratched his head, and gave a simple, honest smile, saying in a loud voice, "Greetings, Elder!"

Elder Chaohua looked at him with a smile in her eyes and pointed to the stone bench beside her: "Sit down, there's no need to stand. Dazhuang is so capable, he's a little hero of our sect."

Shi Dazhuang was stunned for a moment, then looked at Li Yanzhou. Seeing Li Yanzhou nod, he carefully sat down, placed his hands on his knees, and sat obediently like a well-behaved child.

Li Yanzhou and Su Qingyao also walked into the pavilion and sat down. Elder Chaohua poured a cup of tea for each of them. The tea was clear, fragrant, and sweet, instantly dispelling the fatigue of the past few days.

"Elder Wei has already sent word about the matter in Qingyang City." Elder Chaohua looked at Li Yanzhou, her tone gentle yet with a hint of approval. "You did very well. You remained calm and decisive in the face of adversity, dealing with the demonic cultivators and properly settling the missing persons. You have not let us down in our initial intention to promote you."

"This disciple dares not accept such praise. It was all what this disciple should do. Thanks to Qingyao, Dazhuang, and the three fellow disciples for their help, otherwise, the case could not have been solved so smoothly," Li Yanzhou said, bowing, without taking credit for anything.

Su Qingyao quickly replied, "Elder, you flatter us. We just did what we were supposed to do. It was mainly because Senior Brother Li gave the right instructions."

Elder Ruoxue put down her teacup, her gaze falling on Shi Dazhuang. Her expression gradually became serious, and her tone became more solemn: "The main reason I called you here today is for Dazhuang. Last time, when the wild beasts went berserk in the back mountain, Dazhuang killed the Black Wind Bear with his bare hands. We both felt that his physical body was quite special, unlike that of ordinary cultivators. We have always wanted to test it properly. Today is a good day. Since you have returned from Qingyang City, we will take this opportunity to see what is so extraordinary about Dazhuang's physical body."

Li Yanzhou's heart stirred, and he turned to look at Shi Dazhuang, saying softly, "Dazhuang, do whatever the two elders ask you to do later. Don't be afraid, it's just a test of your strength, the elders won't hurt you."

Shi Dazhuang nodded as if he understood, clenched his fist tightly, and said earnestly, "Dazhuang is strong and can help the elders. Dazhuang is not afraid!"

Elder Chaohua smiled, stood up, walked to the open space outside the pavilion, and said to Shi Dazhuang, "Dazhuang, come here and throw a punch at me with all your might. Don't hold back. Don't worry, I won't get hurt."

Shi Dazhuang was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up from the stone bench, strode to the open space, took a deep breath, his muscles tensed instantly, the veins on his arms bulged slightly, and his huge fist, accompanied by a whistling sound, slammed hard towards Elder Chaohua.

Although he was simple-minded, he knew his limits. Halfway through his punch, he subconsciously held back a bit of his strength, afraid of actually hurting the elder.