A daily divination, from family tortoise shells to immortal clans.

In Chen Qingmo's perception, the thin young man in front of him, with his Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation, posed virtually no threat.

He looked fierce, but deep fear lurked in his eyes.

Not wanting to delay anything, Chen Qingmo immediately took out the Silver Edge Sword and released his aura.

"thump!"

The thin young man's knees buckled and he collapsed to his knees.

"Please, senior, have mercy! I was forced into this situation; if I didn't rob people, I would be killed."

He actually burst into tears.

Chen Qingmo remained vigilant and asked from a distance:

"What's your name? How many times have you committed robbery?"

Seeing that Chen Qingmo had actually stopped, the thin young man hurriedly explained:

"Senior, my name is Yue Can, and I swear this is the first time I've ever done something like this!"

Yue Can's expression was solemn as he made a vow with his Dao heart.

"I was originally a rogue cultivator, but I was ambushed by bandits while I was out and about. They forced me to join them, or they would kill me."

"The leader was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. In order to survive, I had no choice but to feign compliance with them."

"They're hiding nearby; you can search for them, senior."

As he finished speaking, his voice trailed off, as if he didn't want the surrounding cultivators to hear.

Chen Qingmo pondered for a moment and decided to verify it.

While keeping an eye out for Yue Can's sneak attack, he headed into the nearby woods.

As he approached a thicket of bushes, he sensed a presence.

Chen Qingmo cast a fireball spell inside, and after the weeds and leaves were burned to ashes, there was no one in sight.

He scanned the area carefully with his divine sense and found that the aura had lingered for quite some time, suggesting that those cultivators had probably fled the moment he revealed his cultivation level.

Seeing that Yue Can was still waiting in the same spot, Chen Qingmo returned to his side:

"Those robbers escaped, so I'll believe you for now."

"No one is watching you anymore. Since you were forced into this, leave on your own now."

Chen Qingmo had been secretly observing Yue Can's reaction and was able to confirm that what Yue Can said was mostly true.

He didn't want to cause trouble. He hadn't lost anything, so it was more important to get to Shuangyang Ridge as soon as possible.

Without waiting for Yue Can's reply, he sped away.

After traveling for two hours, Chen Qingmo arrived near a small settlement.

Even before he entered, he could sense the presence of many cultivators inside.

It was nearly sunset, and people were starting to set up stalls to sell things around the gathering place.

Before Chen Qingmo came, he had inquired about Shuangyang Ridge.

It is said that there is an unwritten rule here: no one goes into the mountains at night.

It's not that Shuangyang Ridge is particularly dangerous at night, but rather that a misty fog would appear at the entrance to the ridge as sunset approached.

If you enter the ridge during the day, you can stay there at night. As long as you don't encounter any monsters or the like, it's quite safe.

Some rogue cultivators, relying on their strength, once tried to break into the miasma, but in the end, none of them came out, and not even their remains were found.

The monks who came here would find a place to rest nearby every night and wait for the sunrise the next day before going inside.

Over time, this led to the emergence of some small settlements, and some cultivators who wanted to earn spirit stones even opened inns.

In front of Chen Qingmo was one of several gathering places. The largest inn here was called Fuyun Inn, and it was said that the innkeeper had the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Those who can come here are at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining cultivation; without some strength, they simply cannot intimidate others.

Chen Qingmo did not go directly to the inn. It was not yet night, and there would not be many people at the inn, so he could not get any information.

He wandered around some vendors, hoping to find some hidden gems.

Unfortunately, after scanning around, he didn't find anything that attracted him. However, the appearance of one person surprised him.

Looking at Yue Can scratching his head in embarrassment, Chen Qingmo frowned slightly.

"Senior, we meet again."

As soon as he greeted him, Yue Can noticed that Chen Qingmo's expression was slightly cold, so he quickly explained:

"Senior, I didn't mean to follow you!"

"After you left, I was afraid that the bandits would come back looking for me, so I followed in the direction you went."

"Don't worry, senior, I will definitely not bother you."

After saying that, Yue Can turned and left.

In fact, he had his own agenda. He wanted to use Chen Qingmo's influence to intimidate the cultivators who had been robbing him, so that he could truly ensure his safety.

But seeing that the other party was already somewhat annoyed, he wisely stopped lingering.

Chen Qingmo saw that Yue Can left easily and didn't say anything.

This person kept calling him "senior," clearly trying to get closer to him.

However, Chen Qingmo's cultivation level was only above average among this group of cultivators. He was struggling to protect himself, so he had no extra energy to care about others.

As darkness fell, Chen Qingmo bought some talisman-making materials and several ancient books before heading to the Fortune Inn.

"Sir, would you like to have a meal or stay at the inn? For meals, we have various common dishes as well as some foods rich in spiritual energy. For lodging, we still have a few ordinary rooms left."

At the entrance, the waiter's face was full of smiles; he was also a cultivator.

"Checking in at a hotel."

"Alright, one spirit stone per night, no credit allowed."

The waiter warmly welcomed Chen Qingmo inside, and after he paid, led him to his room.

Upon entering the room, Chen Qingmo clicked his tongue in amazement. A regular room cost one spirit stone per night, and he dared not imagine how many spirit stones the Earth and Heaven rooms in the inn would require.

This inn is really profitable; its income in one night exceeds the annual earnings of an average mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"No wonder it's so expensive, this shop is quite honest."

Chen Qingmo originally thought this place was just an ordinary inn, and wondered why so many cultivators would come to stay here.

He carefully sensed the surroundings and discovered that a miniature spirit-gathering array had been set up in the room.

After tidying up briefly, Chen Qingmo arrived at the inn's lobby.

If you want to get information, you have to come to places like this where there are lots of people and lots of gossip.

He found a corner, ordered a pot of tea, and listened attentively to the conversations of the people around him.

"Brother Zhang, stop keeping me in suspense, what's the news?"

"Brother Song, you're new here and probably don't know that barbarian tribes roam Shuangyang Ridge."

The man surnamed Song's expression hardened, and he put down his teacup, gently tapping the table.

"Brother Zhang, don't try to scare me. How could barbarian cultivators possibly cross the natural barrier of the Abyss Sea Mountains?"

The two made no attempt to conceal their voices, and Chen Qingmo heard them.

He only learned about the barbarian tribe recently.

On either side of the Yuanhai Mountains live human cultivators and barbarian witches, respectively.

Although the mountain range is a natural barrier, there are also many places that connect the three sides.

The barbarian and witch tribes are neighbors, and although there are disputes, they are small in scale. Both sides mostly fight against the human race. It is at this time that the righteous and demonic paths can form an alliance.

When the external enemies cease hostilities, friction will arise between the righteous and the demonic paths, and if this continues, there will be no end to it.

Just as Chen Qingmo was thinking about this, he heard the man surnamed Zhang continue:

"Brother Song, it is said that the barbarian shamans would sneak in through some flat areas, and Shuangyang Ridge is one of them."

"This is common knowledge for the cultivators here; it's just that you newcomers don't know much about it."

After saying that, he turned to look at Chen Qingmo.

"Fellow Daoist, you've been listening for so long, why don't you come over for a cup of tea and have a chat?"

"Then I'll trouble you for a moment."

Chen Qingmo did not refuse the invitation.

"Waiter, bring these two some spiritual food."

"Fellow Daoist, you are very generous. Let me introduce you. This fellow Daoist is Song Tou, who has only been here for a short time. My name is Zhang Hao."

"I don't know your name yet, so you must have just arrived."

Zhang Hao sighed in admiration and then asked.

"Brother Zhang has a good eye. My name is Chen Bai, and I do indeed know very little about Shuangyang Ridge."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Qingmo decided not to reveal his real name.

Zhang Hao nodded, looking at the two of them:

"Since Brother Chen has been listening the whole time, would either of you be interested in joining the team hunting down barbarians?"