A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

As evening approached, Zhou Ping finally arrived at his lodging in a place called "Sanhua Town" before dark.

Upon entering the town, he looked around at the deserted streets with a puzzled expression, muttering to himself.

"How come there's not a soul in the streets of such a large town before it even gets dark?"

As he walked along the street, several jet-black silver needles appeared between Zhou Ping's fingers without him even noticing.

Something unusual must be going on. This was the first time he had ever seen such a quiet town, so he couldn't help but be cautious.

Before long, a bright light finally appeared in Zhou Ping's eyes. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be an inn.

"Sir, are you looking for a place to stay?"

As Zhou Ping arrived at the door, a young waiter came out to greet him with a smile and asked him questions. Judging from his appearance, the waiter was probably around the same age as Zhou Ping.

"Young man, a regular room will suffice."

Zhou Ping clasped his hands in a fist salute to the waiter and replied politely. At the same time, his eyes lit up as he secretly used his Heavenly Eye Technique. After confirming that the other party was just an ordinary mortal, he gradually lowered his guard.

"Alright~ Please come in, sir~"

With a shout, the waiter bent down and gestured for Zhou Ping to enter. He then deftly pulled the clean white towel from his neck and wiped the tables and chairs repeatedly.

"Please have a seat, I'll arrange a meal for you right away."

Zhou Ping silently took out a small piece of silver from his pocket, placed it on the table, and looked at the waiter's shining eyes as he spoke.

"I'm quite hungry after traveling this far, young man, just do as you see fit. But there's something I don't understand: why are there so few people in town at this hour?"

Although Zhou Ping had taken the fasting pill and felt no hunger, he did not refuse the waiter's arrangement in order to get some useful information from the other party.

Furthermore, after leaving the sect, he had relied entirely on the Bigu Pill to maintain his bodily functions, and his mouth was already so dry that he was extremely happy to be able to eat something.

Upon seeing the loose silver, the waiter's smile widened, and he quickly replied,

"Sir, you don't know this, but within this area of ​​a thousand miles, our Sanhua Town is the only place to stay. Outside, besides the vast wilderness, there are only wolves and tigers. It's extremely dangerous!"

"Even in town, it's not necessarily safe after dark. Wild animals often appear, and there are even cases of monsters eating people. Over time, the people in town no longer dare to go out after dark."

"monster?"

Zhou Ping narrowed his eyes, keenly noticing this unusual word.

How could ordinary people in the secular world know about demons? Even he only learned about the existence of gods and demons after becoming a cultivator. It seems that this place is not an ordinary mortal town.

"Young man, what kind of monster are you talking about? A legendary demon?"

"That's right! Sir, you might not believe it, but there really are monsters around here, the kind that eat people!"

Seeing Zhou Ping's surprised expression, the waiter quickly lowered his voice and explained, his face saying, "You have to believe me."

"If that's the case, isn't the government going to do anything about it?"

"Manage? How can we manage it? Our area is at the border of two states, a place neither mother nor uncle cares about, just a valley plain with no rare resources, nobody wants it!"

Under Zhou Ping's tacit approval, the waiter carefully collected the loose silver from the table and, in response to Zhou Ping's continued questioning, engaged in a casual conversation...

Back in his room, Zhou Ping lay on the clean bed, closed his eyes, and carefully recalled the information he had received from Xiao Er.

It seems that if we want to get through this Flower Valley, we should really consider the "Three Flower Gang".

It turned out that Zhou Ping learned from the waiter that it would take about ten days to traverse the entire Huaxi Valley.

There are only two places to stay along the way: one is Sanhua Town, where he is now, and the other is Cuishui Town, which is on the other side of Huaxi Valley.

Both towns are controlled by a force called the "Three Flowers Gang". Anyone who wants to cross Flower Valley, whether they are merchants or tourists, must pay to ride in the Three Flowers Gang's escort convoy.

For an ordinary person to embark on this journey alone would be suicidal. Not to mention the various wild beasts roaming the valley, food supplies alone would be a major problem, and they would only starve to death halfway through the journey.

Even large caravans passing through this area, without the escort of the Three Flowers Gang, would be secretly slaughtered by wild beasts and monsters, suffering extremely tragic ends, and very few would be able to leave this place safely.

As a cultivator, Zhou Ping naturally had the ability to traverse this place alone, but considering the vastness of this valley, even if he drove the flying boat with all his might, it would take at least four or five days. The energy consumed in this process was not something that could be easily summed up in a few words, and he did not believe that he had that much magical power to squander.

Furthermore, if he were to encounter the monster the waiter mentioned, he wouldn't be confident of escaping unscathed.

Who knows what rank those demons are?

If it were an ordinary wild beast, with his current strength, Zhou Ping believed he would not be afraid at all and could easily kill it.

However, if some low-level demonic beasts suddenly appear, the trouble will be much greater. Although these demonic beasts have not yet developed intelligence, their combat power is indeed stronger than that of Qi Refining stage cultivators of the same level due to their thick skin and tough flesh.

If they encountered a demon beast whose cultivation level was comparable to the late stage of Qi Refining, let alone Zhou Ping, even a genuine late stage Qi Refining cultivator wouldn't dare say they could leave unscathed.

"The Three Flowers Gang is able to run rampant here, so it must not be an ordinary secular force. There must be many experts among them, and it's even possible that they are cultivators..."

Zhou Ping opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them, and a sense of wariness rose in his heart towards the Three Flowers Gang.

Then, Zhou Ping got up and sat cross-legged on the bed. He took out a porcelain bottle containing white powder from his storage bag, tilted his head back, and poured some into his mouth.

After swallowing it with some water, he then took out a Golden Marrow Pill and put it in his mouth.

The moment the pill entered the mouth, it transformed into streams of pure medicinal liquid, continuously converging towards the dantian.

After traveling for more than half a month, Zhou Ping hadn't had a proper cultivation session in a long time.

The inn is relatively quiet now, which is perfect for me to meditate and cultivate in my spare time, and also to refine and absorb the remaining Golden Marrow Pills.

For Zhou Ping, improving his cultivation level even a little bit is better than standing still.

As for the white powder he had previously ingested, it was the Qingling Powder that he had successfully prepared before leaving the sect.

The preparation of this antidote does not require a high age of the ingredients. Therefore, not long after Zhou Ping settled in the Qinglian Xuanzong, he had already accelerated the ripening of the main ingredients he obtained from Li Jiuxi and started taking them early.

After all, since it can cure elixir poisoning, the sooner it is taken, the more beneficial it will be to one's cultivation.

Just as Zhou Ping was immersed in cultivation, a faint sound of footsteps came from the stairs on the first floor.

Not long after, a deep voice sounded from outside the door of his room.

"Sir, are you resting?"