A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Two days later, in a spacious and quiet room in Guiyuan Pavilion in Tianyan Town, Yuan Zhengze examined the ancient token in his hand, and his gloomy expression improved slightly.

It turned out that after he arrived at Jinyuan in the Songzhu Mountains alone, he found that the place was already deserted and the outer perimeter had been tightly guarded by Qingzhu Sect disciples who had noticed the danger.

He hid in the shadows and, after a brief investigation, combined with his keen senses as a cultivator, quickly learned the general outline of the situation: the Jin clan members had probably been completely wiped out by those two cultivators.

Although the cultivation world explicitly forbids cultivators from attacking mortals, some cultivators and desperate criminals disregard these rules and regulations, and countless mortals still die tragically at the hands of cultivators.

Moreover, for mortal families like the Jin Clan who possess relics of cultivators, their fate is sealed once they are targeted by cultivators.

"Alas... although the Five Profound Tokens have returned to their original sect, the descendants of my fellow disciples have all perished at the hands of the Tribulation Cultivators. It is truly hateful!"

After confirming the authenticity of the Five Mysteries Token, Yuan Zhengze thought of the tragedy of the Jin Clan and said in a somewhat cold tone.

After Zhou Ping and Gong Yiyi safely escorted the Zhou family to Tianyan Town, they did not reveal themselves but went directly to Guiyuan Pavilion to meet Yuan Zhengze.

Upon learning that all the members of the Jin clan had perished tragically, Zhou Ping also looked somewhat embarrassed.

Apart from Jin Jingtian, who harbored ill will towards him, the rest of the Jin clan had no grudges against him. On the contrary, the entire Jin clan had protected him during his growth. This was the main reason why he did not consider using the Soul-Severing Smoke even though it might endanger his family.

Although Zhou Ping was mature beyond his years, he was not a cold-hearted person by nature. The plight of the Jin clan members also made him feel resentful.

So many innocent people have died because of the Jin Clan's relics. I wonder what Jin Wanxuan would think if he knew from beyond the grave. Is it really worth it for this illusory cultivation career?

Besides these, there was another thing that also annoyed Zhou Ping.

He originally planned to wait until he had a firm foothold before returning to Jinyuan to inquire about Jin Yan's whereabouts from the elders and to make his relationship with her public.

In this way, as a cultivator, he not only had the ability to protect himself, but could also provide some assistance to the Jin Clan, at least allowing both sides to conduct friendly negotiations on an equal footing.

However, after this ordeal, all the Jin clan members that Zhou Ping knew of were tragically killed, and naturally, there was no longer any clue as to Jin Yan's whereabouts.

"You blockhead, aren't you going to see your family?"

Gong Yiyi, dressed in a white dress, sat on a rattan chair in the quiet room and asked Zhou Ping with a puzzled look.

The two escorted the Zhou family all the way to Tianyan Town. During this time, Zhou Ping did not reveal his whereabouts at all. Even after settling everyone in with Madam Chen, he did not show up to meet his relatives.

This puzzled Gong Yiyi, who was still a little girl at the time. After all, her family was her everything, and she cherished them dearly.

"I don't plan to show myself for the time being. My cultivation level is too low, and there's still the whereabouts of the old Daoist Mingxin unknown. My family is still relatively safe, and in order to avoid being noticed by those with ulterior motives, I can no longer easily contact them."

Zhou Ping answered without hesitation, having already given this matter careful consideration.

After returning to Guiyuan Pavilion, the group did not find Bond's accomplice, Daoist Mingxin. It was likely that Mingxin had become wary of Tongxin and Bond's prolonged absence and had fled on his own ahead of time.

With a cunning old fox like Mingxin lurking in the shadows, Zhou Ping dared not easily contact Chen Shi and his family. The schemes and plots of Tongxin Daoren still made him feel somewhat fearful.

If it weren't for his good fortune in being entertained by Yuan Zhengze and his friends at Baiweixian in Tianyan Town, he would probably have already fallen into the clutches of Tong Xin and his gang, and his family would have suffered a great calamity as a result.

The root of all this is that he has low cultivation level and no ability to protect himself, so he can only become a fat sheep and meat on the chopping board in the eyes of other cultivators.

The cruelty and survival of the fittest in the cultivation world are constantly redefining Zhou Ping's understanding.

"Regardless, I am still grateful for Miss Yiyi's help. Zhou Ping cannot repay her right now, but he will always remember it and never forget it!"

Zhou Ping stood up straight and bowed to Gong Yiyi, expressing his gratitude with a serious expression.

"Oh dear, you look so dull. I was just bored, not trying to help you."

Seeing Zhou Ping's dull and wooden expression again, Gong Yiyi instantly felt bored and waved her hand dismissively.

Zhou Ping seemed to be used to this, as the other party was of noble birth and did not take his affairs to heart at all.

But in his view, whether the other party was intentional or unintentional, they had provided him with considerable assistance, which he would naturally remember.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Yuan Zhengze's impression of Zhou Ping improved even further.

Being able to face one's own shortcomings and navigating the world of cultivation with caution is also a skill.

After all, among cultivators, those who live the longest are the ones who have the last laugh, even those at the Qi Refining stage with low cultivation levels.

........

Located in the northwest of Liang State, Dianyun Prefecture covers a vast area with many mountains, rivers, and lakes, presenting a completely different scene compared to the flat and arid Tianyan Prefecture.

The Zhonggushan Mountains, located in the southern part of Yunnan Province, consist of countless strange and dangerous peaks.

Due to the numerous mountains and dense forests, most of this area is sparsely populated, with only birds, beasts, poisonous insects, snakes, and scorpions.

But deep within the medieval mountains, in a cluster of towering peaks inaccessible to ordinary people, lies a completely different scene.

The clouds and mist are thin here, and the sunset glows with different colors. Houses and pavilions stand among the huge mountain peaks, creating a fairyland atmosphere. This is the Qinglian Xuanzong, one of the five major Xuanzong sects located here.

Ordinary people are naturally unaware that deep within the ancient mountains lies a great sect of immortal cultivators. They simply regard the magnificent and wondrous scenery that occasionally peeks out from the deep mountains as the work of heaven and marvel at it greatly.

In this continuous mountain range, besides the ancient and grand architectural complex, there are also some dark shadows flying around in the sky. Upon closer inspection, they are actually cultivators riding various flying boats and magical artifacts, busy running back and forth.

Yuan Zhengze has been back at the sect for two days, but he looks like he's in a bad mood.

The Five Profound Token that he brought back had already been handed over to his senior brother, the sect leader, Nan Lingzi.

But besides that, there was another troublesome item that he also handed over: the high-level puppet he had acquired from the Zhou family's blacksmith shop.

This item was originally intended to be returned to Zhou Ping, but when he told his fellow disciples about it in the Lotus Heart Hall of the sect, he was met with opposition from the others.

This made him feel like he had broken his promise, especially in front of a junior, which was quite embarrassing.