Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

The four of them passed through the narrow crevice one after another, only to find it completely empty, which startled them.

A young male cultivator cursed at another male cultivator of similar age:

"If you hadn't been so reluctant to part with that top-grade magic artifact, we wouldn't have arrived here so late!"

The male cultivator who was being scolded turned ashen-faced and retorted:

"It was clearly you who coveted those few Fiery Sun Grasses and insisted on taking the long way! Now you're blaming me?"

The young cultivator was about to retaliate when he was interrupted by a rebuke from an old man.

That's enough.

The one who spoke was a stern-faced old man in black, whose aura had reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

The two arguing male cultivators immediately fell silent.

The old man in black scanned the empty stone chamber with a sinister look in his eyes, his gaze finally settling on the charred marks left after the fire.

"Someone beat me to it."

The old man in black spoke in a cold voice. He squatted down, picked up a bit of the remaining ashes with his fingers, and sniffed it. "It hasn't been long, no more than two hours, and they even took the ashes with them."

"What?"

The two who had been arguing earlier were taken aback and asked in return, their faces showing a mixture of shock and anger.

"Could it have been done by the other three Foundation Establishment families in the market?"

The old man in black paced slowly, his gaze falling on several newly left marks.

After a long silence, he said coldly without even lifting his eyelids:

"The fact that they were able to pinpoint this location and break through the defensive formation suggests that this possibility cannot be ruled out."

"hateful!"

The young male cultivator was extremely anxious:

"I had planned to use the demon-hunting operation as a pretext to secretly infiltrate the area. I had been preparing for this for a long time, but now that someone else had intercepted my plan, how could I accept this!"

Just as he was complaining, the old man in black suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if he had sensed something terrible, and said urgently:

"Quick, let's go! Someone's coming, and it's a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. This is troublesome!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man in black unhesitatingly summoned a high-level second-tier talisman, the Light Escape Talisman.

Suddenly, a blinding light burst forth, engulfing the four figures. They transformed into a streak of light and shot through the crack, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

After about half a cup of tea's time, three figures wrapped in wide black robes landed silently outside the cave in a small, jet-black, dull, shuttle-shaped boat that was only about ten feet long.

When the small boat landed, not even a blade of grass was disturbed, which shows the skill of the operator.

Before the leader could speak, a black-robed cultivator beside him quickly entered the cave.

In no time at all, she came out and reported to the leader in a low voice:

"Holy Maiden, the place has been completely emptied out, and the spiritual energy has been stirred up into a mess. There's no trace of it left."

After listening, the leading black-robed cultivator did not respond. After a moment of silence, he removed his hood, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty.

She parted her red lips slightly and said calmly:

"We were just passing by to look at the Foundation Establishment treasures of the Yin Soul Sect. If they're gone, they're gone. We should just investigate in secret which Foundation Establishment family or which disciple from the three major sects took them. We shouldn't ruin the sect's important affairs."

The female clerk who was reporting was about to respond, but after a moment of eye contact, she blushed and her heart pounded. She immediately lowered her head and said in a trembling voice:

"Yes, Holy Maiden!"

...

The campfire crackled occasionally.

Li Shen sat in a spot a little distance from the fire, using his divine sense to be alert to his surroundings.

He could sense that, apart from Shi Yong, almost no one in this group was taking a proper rest.

Li Shen wasn't particularly concerned about this, since everyone was in the prison and had to spare some attention to deal with unexpected events.

Even if someone is on duty, one should still be wary of others.

Suddenly, Li Shen opened his eyes, his expression slightly surprised.

Did someone use a telepathic technique on him?

"Fellow Daoist Li, I haven't had a chance to properly thank you before."

The speaker was Chen Qiao.

"If it weren't for your timely rescue, I probably wouldn't have made it here alive. If Fellow Daoist Li doesn't mind, come to my house after this trip, and I'll thank you properly."

He was stunned for a moment, his mind racing.

Why should I come to your home to express my gratitude?

He subconsciously glanced at Liu Feng's position, who was scratching his head with his back to him, unsure if Liu Feng had noticed.

Li Shen initially wanted to refuse the invitation, but then realized that he didn't know how to use telepathy, so he had no choice but to give up.

Fortunately, the other party did not continue to transmit audio.

The next day, early in the morning.

The mist in the valley had dissipated considerably, leaving only a thin layer floating in the air.

Li Shen and his group stood scattered at different points, and after a night's rest, they were in relatively good condition.

Li Shen stood at the back, subconsciously focusing his attention on Liu Feng.

This trip has been dangerous enough; we can't afford any more trouble.

Before entering the valley, Zhao Ying, the team leader, told everyone about some of the monsters and terrain information in the misty valley.

Shi Yong then distributed the antidote pills to prevent the miasma in the valley.

After taking the antidote pill, Li Shen and his group entered the valley.

After an unknown amount of time, the group, having had a smooth journey, began to become more alert.

In this situation, there is a possibility that later-stage monsters may appear in the surrounding area.

Li Shen stood at the back of the group, maintaining his divine sense outward, and held a mid-grade gold shield talisman in his hand.

He knew what he was about to face.

Soon, Zhao Ying, the team leader, raised her hand to stop everyone in their tracks.

The fog around them had thickened considerably without them even noticing.

Something is approaching.

Zhao Ying whispered warily:

"The aura is strong, everyone be on alert!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the mist on the left side of the group suddenly surged, and then a huge crimson figure pounced out!

"It's a Crimson-Striped Python! Scatter!"

Zhao Ying shouted sharply, summoning a small blue shield to protect herself. At the same time, she made a hand seal, and several wind blades shot out.

Zhao Qian followed closely behind, took out the double-ring magic weapon she had used before, enlarged it instantly, and firmly wrapped it around the snake's body.

Just as she was about to recite the incantation to trap the crimson python, the python began to frantically shake its body, actually smashing the double-ring magic artifact to pieces!

Even a mid-grade Tier 1 Beast Locking Ring couldn't do anything to it!

Zhao Qian immediately realized she was in big trouble; her opponent was at least a late-stage Tier 1 expert.

"Sister, she's at the late stage of Tier 1!"

As soon as Zhao Qian expressed her opinion, her older sister Zhao Ying immediately rejected it.

"Late-stage peak of Tier 1, approaching Tier 2."

After saying that, Zhao Ying drew the white jade short sword without hesitation, threw it forward, and chanted an incantation, causing the sword to suddenly grow several times larger.

The greatsword, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slashed fiercely towards the head of the crimson python!

But it simply raised its body and pushed off, sending the giant sword flying back with a clang.

A deafening clang, like metal clashing, echoed through the valley. The white jade giant sword flew backward and retracted, falling into Zhao Ying's hand.

Zhao Ying groaned, her face turning slightly pale, clearly having suffered a bit of a shock.

Just as she was about to make her next move, the crimson ring-shaped patterns on the red python's body suddenly lit up!

A massive ball of flame erupted directly from the flames!

Zhao Qian and Zhao Ying immediately dodged, while Li Shen and the other two behind them all used defensive techniques to resist the aftershocks.

When the flames subsided, the Crimson Python disappeared into the thick fog!