Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

"Master is doing well. Before he went into seclusion, he told me to come out and play chess with Uncle-Master Chen."

Upon hearing this, Chen Liangdao chuckled and teased:

"Has Yu Mingqiu gone into seclusion again?"

"This time he's preparing to break through to the late Golden Core stage, isn't he? That lousy chess player, he better not try to cheat just because he has higher cultivation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Liangdao smiled amiably again, then his expression changed slightly, and his tone became serious:

"Zhao girl, did you see that traitor Yuanhua in Linlang City?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shen felt his heartstrings tighten like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he felt the gaze of this Golden Core expert fall upon him once again.

Zhao Ying remained expressionless and replied calmly:

"Reporting to Senior Uncle Chen, my sister and I did indeed see Senior Brother Han in Linlang City. No, Han Yuanhua has betrayed Yunhe Mountain and joined the Blood Soul Sect."

"Oh?"

Chen Liangdao raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion.

Zhao Ying raised her eyelids and looked directly at Chen Liang, saying:

"Back then in Linlang City, he was acting with cultivators from the Blood Soul Sect and even tried to intercept them."

Upon hearing this, Chen Liangdao's expression became even more serious.

He remained silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze from Zhao Ying to the distant night sky, and sighed softly:

"As expected... that traitor has finally come to this."

His tone seemed to contain both regret and relief.

Li Shen listened silently, head bowed, his mind racing.

Judging from Chen Liangdao's reaction, he had clearly anticipated Han Yuanhua's defection.

But that intense killing intent from just now was indeed there.

What exactly does this person want to do?

"Who is this?"

Chen Liangdao looked at Li Shen again and suddenly spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

Zhao Ying stepped half a step to the side, making way for Li Shen:

"Reporting to Senior Uncle Chen, this is Fellow Daoist Li, a rogue cultivator who is now the talisman master of my Zhao family. He is here in Linlang City to participate in the exchange meeting with my sister and me."

"A rogue cultivator?"

A strange light flashed in Chen Liangdao's eyes. He looked Li Shen up and down, then nodded and said:

"Pseudo-spiritual root... Qi Refining Level 7, his cultivation is barely qualified at this age. However, since he is a talisman master, it seems that he has quite a talent in miscellaneous studies such as talisman dao."

Li Shen felt a chill run down his spine.

The other party saw through his true cultivation level at a glance, and his tone was somewhat meaningful.

He immediately cupped his hands and said:

"Senior, you flatter me. I was merely lucky to have some minor opportunities."

"Hehe, no need to be modest."

Chen Liangdao waved his hand, then suddenly changed the subject:

"Do you know the current situation of Yuanhua?"

Li Shen was shocked upon hearing this.

Fortunately, he had anticipated that the other party might ask about this, and just as he was about to give his prepared remarks, Zhao Ying interjected:

"Reporting to Uncle Chen, Han Yuanhua is dead."

"Dead?"

Chen Liangdao frowned slightly and subconsciously asked in return:

"How did you die?"

Zhao Ying recounted the battle with the Blood Soul Sect in detail.

However, she was not entirely honest.

Knowing full well that Han Yuanhua was killed by Li Shen, Zhao Ying chose to tell Chen Liang a different story:

The real intention was to capture Han Yuanhua and bring him back to Yunhe Mountain, but unexpectedly, he was used as a pawn by the Blood Soul Sect and refused to submit even at the cost of his life, so they had no choice but to execute him on the spot.

Zhao Qian, standing to the side, showed no surprise whatsoever, as if the events had indeed unfolded as described.

Li Shen lowered his head, his emotions a jumble of thoughts.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ying would risk offending a Golden Core expert to take this matter upon herself.

After listening, Chen Liangdao fell silent for a while.

After a long while, he murmured with a sense of loss:

"That traitor Yuanhua..."

As soon as he finished speaking, two streaks of light shot out from the right side of the flying boat almost simultaneously.

The person in front was dressed in a purple dress, with a light veil covering her face. Her fragrance preceded her arrival, and her powerful aura clearly indicated that she was a Golden Core cultivator.

Following closely behind was a middle-aged man in a yellow and white robe, his beard and hair were gray and fluttering gently in the night wind, and his demeanor was as calm and composed as a mountain.

It was Li Zhuisheng, the law enforcement elder of the Jade Sword Sect and a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"Greetings, Elder Li."

Zhao Ying and Zhao Qian immediately bowed respectfully.

Li Shen quickly followed suit and bowed, but felt a slight sense of relief.

The elders of the Jade Sword Sect arrived in person.

Even if this Elder Chen of the Yunhe Sect really had some ulterior motives, he would never dare to make any rash moves at this moment.

Chen Liangdao also respectfully cupped his hands:

"Greetings, Brother Li. And this gentleman is?"

"Elder Xuan of Zixia Palace."

Li Zhuisheng spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:

"I encountered Elder Xuan by chance in Linlang City and followed the trail of the demonic path all the way here."

Zixia Palace?

Li Shen's heart stirred.

When he first arrived in Linlang City, he had seen the flying boat of Zixia Palace, but he did not expect that there was a Golden Core elder sitting on it.

Li Zhuisheng's gaze finally settled on Zhao Ying, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of authority:

"Zhao Ying, I just heard you say that you were ambushed by the Blood Soul Sect in Linlang City?"

Zhao Ying remained composed and respectfully replied:

"Reporting to the elder, that is indeed the case. The Blood Soul Sect, along with Han Yuanhua who betrayed Yunhe Mountain, pursued us all the way to the Fallen Soul Forest."

"Explain in detail."

Zhao Ying then recounted the events again, exactly as she had told Chen Liangdao earlier.

"It seems there's a traitor within the demonic sects in Linlang City, most likely Qi Wengxuan. But there's also a traitor in Yunhe Mountain, Han Yuanhua..."

Li Zhuisheng frowned slightly as he read the name.

Chen Liangdao quickly took over the conversation, sighing:

"Brother Li, to my shame, he is indeed a wicked disciple. Since leaving the Blood Forbidden Ancient Battlefield, his character has changed somewhat. It wasn't until another Yunhe Sect disciple, who had also entered the ancient battlefield and was seriously injured, awoke that we learned this wicked disciple had betrayed the sect and joined the Blood Soul Sect."

He paused, then said:

"This matter stems from our Yunhe Sect's lax discipline, but what's even more hateful is that these demonic villains dared to set their sights on our Yunhe Mountain!"

"The demon thief..."

Li Zhuisheng snorted coldly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:

"It's a pity we arrived too late, and those Blood Soul Sect thieves escaped. Otherwise, we would have definitely crippled their cultivation."

He suppressed his anger, looked at Zhao Ying and Zhao Qian, and said in a calm tone:

"Are either of you injured?"

Zhao Ying immediately replied respectfully:

"Reporting to the elder, my sister and I have only depleted some of our vital energy. We will be fine after a few days of recuperation."

Li Zhuisheng nodded and pointed with his finger.

A jade bottle floated into Zhao Ying's hand.

"Here are two second-tier Qi-Nourishing Pills. Please accept them and take good care of your sister."

"Thank you, Elder."

Zhao Ying bowed and put the jade bottle into her storage bag.

Li Zhuisheng withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over Li Shen without lingering, and said in a calm tone:

"Now that the demonic path has made its move, you should return to Yunhe Mountain for now. During this period, the demonic path has been acting rampantly, so stay in the mountain and do not go out."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zhao Ying and Zhao Qian bowed simultaneously.

Li Shen also bowed and took his leave.

The airship started up again, gliding through the night sky and continuing its journey to Yunhe Mountain.

As the night breeze grew cooler, Li Shen stood at the stern of the boat, gazing at the three Golden Core cultivators behind him, his heart unable to find peace for a long time.