Immortality and cultivation: Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.

"Which one?" Lin Yanyi pondered, but still couldn't figure out who it was.

No matter how clever Lin Yanyi was, she couldn't possibly guess that Master Li was Jiang Shi.

The "Hundred Illusions and Thousand Faces Technique" has been passed down to this day, but no one has ever mastered it.

Not to mention that Master Li is a master talisman maker, possessing the skill to create second-grade low-level spirit talismans.

Jiang Shi, on the other hand, was merely a cultivator who started as a menial disciple; the two were worlds apart.

Who would connect the two of them?

Even Manager Lin harbored doubts, yet could not be certain; he suspected everyone in the rogue cultivator market.

"What exactly are you plotting?" Lin Yanyi couldn't help but ask.

What exactly is the relationship between Jiang Shi and her? What is her father Lin Feiyu's conspiracy?

"You don't need to know! All you need to know is that everything I did was for you, for the Lin family!" Steward Lin said in a deep voice.

"The Lin family? Where is the Lin family anymore? The Lin family has long since fallen into ruin!"

"No! As long as you're still alive, the Lin family will not disappear. I will definitely help you reach the Foundation Establishment stage and revitalize the Lin family!"

Lin Yanyi's words made Manager Lin a little agitated.

But Lin Yanyi looked at her father calmly and didn't say anything more. She knew that she couldn't persuade him no matter what.

Manager Lin calmed down after a long while, no longer agitated.

He took something out of his storage bag and tossed it to Lin Yanyi.

"Accept this item, but remember not to remove it from your body or put it in your storage bag."

As he spoke, Steward Lin floated a blood-red jade pendant into the air and flew into Lin Yanyi's hand.

Then he turned and left, disappearing from sight.

Lin Yanyi looked at the blood-red jade pendant in her hand, stood there, and pondered for a long time.

The next day, Jiang Shi was still in seclusion.

But trouble was brewing outside!

As the night passed, a strange fog enveloped the entire outskirts of the scattered cultivator market.

"What's going on? Why is there such a thick fog?" Lu Wenming stood in the courtyard, looking outside with disbelief.

"Go and invite Master Li right away!" Liu Yue's expression changed, and he hurriedly ordered his servants to inform Jiang Shi.

There's definitely something fishy about this. The Sanxiu Market has been around for decades, and we've never seen weather like this before.

This thick fog may be related to the scourge of the demonic path.

This scattered market town is probably in imminent danger.

The outer disciples of Qingyun Sect were discussing it animatedly, and some even wanted to explore the mist.

However, after being persuaded by Liu Yue, everyone in the Liu family was ordered not to make any rash moves and to wait and see.

We don't know what threat the fog poses, so we must stick together. Dividing into teams on our own would be a big no-no.

A moment later, Jiang Shi strode over, his face grim.

If he had known this would happen, he should have run away yesterday.

Unexpectedly, I'm still trapped in this market town of rogue cultivators.

"How is the situation?" Jiang Shi asked Liu Yue.

"Master Li, this strange fog enveloped the entire outskirts of the loose cultivator market early this morning, completely surrounding this area."

"I have already arranged for some independent cultivators to investigate, but I haven't received any news yet," Liu Yue replied.

He had barely finished speaking when Zhou Ping rushed over anxiously.

"Lord Liu, all the rogue cultivators we sent out have disappeared! We can still faintly hear screams." Zhou Ping reported to Liu Yue.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yue and Jiang Shi felt a chill in their hearts.

"This matter must be related to the troubles of the demonic path! Junior Brother Lu, where is Junior Sister Lin now?" Liu Yue hurriedly asked.

Lu Wenming shook his head and said, "I haven't seen Junior Sister Lin since this morning."

"We didn't see her in the room either. Could it be that she went out last night and got trapped outside in the fog?"

Only Lin Yanyi can eliminate the demonic wolf. If this is also a threat from the demonic path, without Lin Yanyi, it would be difficult for the rest of them to get through this.

"Could it be that we're going to have to use that today?" Liu Yue thought to himself.

Just then, a noisy commotion came from outside the courtyard.

"Manager Liu, you have to save us!"

The independent cultivators outside gathered together and blocked the entrance to the Liu family's house.

These independent cultivators are now a disorganized bunch, without a leader, so they have no choice but to come to Liu Yue.

"You can't just abandon us!"

The sounds outside grew increasingly chaotic and louder.

Some of the independent cultivators even started pushing and shoving each other, and a dispute began.

Before the external threat even began, their own people started fighting.

"Quiet down, all of you!" Liu Yue's shout, imbued with spiritual power, resounded in everyone's ears.

Everyone was startled and stood frozen in place.

For cultivators without spiritual consciousness, the lower their cultivation level, the slower they become aware of their true nature.

Once everyone regained their senses, the scattered cultivators present fell silent, and no one dared to utter another word.

"Today we face this calamity, we must unite to fight the enemy. If anyone dares to speak nonsense again, I will kill them without mercy."

Liu Yue first calmed everyone down with words, and then he began to comfort them.

"Everyone, don't worry. With Master Li, the master of talisman making, and the geniuses of Qingyun Sect here today, we will surely get through this calamity safely."

After speaking, Liu Yue instructed his guards to maintain order, and then returned to the courtyard.

"The rogue cultivators are all settled in. They're currently in front of the Liu family's gate. These rogue cultivators can scout out the dangers of the mist for us before we make any further plans," Liu Yue said to the group.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As the saying goes, "It's better to die for a friend than for yourself."

No one acted as a saint and stood up for these rogue monks.

If Lin Yanyi were here, she might save the rogue cultivators and rush to the front herself.

But the others, including Jiang Shi, were not good people either.

After a while, Zhou Ping ran over.

"Lord Liu, the fog is starting to spread!" Zhou Ping shouted.

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Liu Yue immediately went outside; he wanted to investigate the situation himself.

Jiang Shi, Lu Wenming, and a group of outer disciples of Qingyun Sect followed Liu Yue out the door.

As soon as they arrived at the Liu family's door, they witnessed a scene that resembled hell.

Wherever the smoke spread, rogue cultivators were dragged into the mist by monsters.

Then a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the mist. It was utterly horrifying.

The rogue cultivators scrambled and stumbled as they ran backward, completely disregarding the decorum expected of cultivators.

They were like stray dogs.

It's no wonder they reacted this way; even cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage couldn't withstand the monsters lurking in the mist.

They cast spells, but to no avail; the spells—fire, boulders, vines, and more—vanished into the mist.

"What should we do?" Jiang Shi, Liu Yue, and Lu Wenming looked at each other, completely at a loss.

Even Liu Yue, a cultivator at the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage, had never seen such a scene.

"The fog is closing in. We need to unite and rush into it! Let's see what kind of monsters are inside!" Liu Yue shouted.

"Everyone, gather in my Liu family's courtyard!"