A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Three days later, high in the sky above Luoyun Prefecture, a high-speed flying boat was flying rapidly through the clouds.

At first glance, this magic boat looks about 80-90% similar to the lotus leaf flying boat that Zhou Ping obtained from the Azure Lotus Profound Sect. However, upon closer inspection, it can be seen that this boat is completely incomparable to the one in Zhou Ping's hands, both in terms of size and exquisite craftsmanship. As for its flight speed, it is far inferior.

On the flying boat, a young man in brocade robes stood quietly at the front, gazing blankly at the mountains and rivers rushing past below, without moving for a long time.

In the rear half of the airship, a man dressed in tattered black clothes was fast asleep. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be in his fifties or sixties, with an ordinary appearance. If you got closer, you could hear his even breathing, as if he had been sleeping there for a long time.

Luoyun Prefecture is located on the northernmost border of the Liang Kingdom, bordering the Tianyun Kingdom to the north. It was named after the Liang army's great victory over tens of thousands of Tianyun cavalry in this area during the early days of the kingdom's founding.

This state has a unique topography. When viewed on the map, it resembles the waist of a gourd from the immortals. One side is backed by the Hidden Thunder Mountains, and the other side faces the Sea of ​​Thin Mist to the east. The upper and lower parts of the gourd are respectively the two kingdoms of Tianyun and Daliang.

Although Luoyun Prefecture is not large in area and ranks last among all the prefectures of Liang Kingdom, it has always been a key location for the Liang Kingdom to station heavy troops due to its special geographical location.

If the secular world is like this, how much more so the world of immortal cultivators who have connections to the heavens?

Because the two countries are adjacent, and the Hidden Thunder Mountains and the Mist Sea on both sides are extremely dangerous, the cultivation world of Liang Kingdom regards this place as an important base for communication with the cultivation world of Tianyun Kingdom. Various factions have deployed a large number of their elites here, and the number of cultivators far exceeds that of other states.

In such a uniquely blessed environment for cultivating immortality, a sacred place for cultivation like Jiyun City naturally emerged.

Given that most prefectures in the Liang Kingdom are named with the character "镇" (town), Jiyun City is one of the few prefectures named with the character "城" (city), apart from the capital of the Liang Kingdom, which shows its large scale and magnificent presence.

.......

As dusk fell, the black-clad man who had been sleeping soundly in the airship finally frowned, struggled to open his eyes, and listened to the whistling wind in his ears. He was startled at first, then suddenly sat up, looking around at his surroundings with suspicion and uncertainty.

"You're awake."

At the bow of the flying boat, a young man in brocade robes, with his back to the man in black, spoke without turning his head.

Upon hearing this, the latter hurriedly cast a surprised and suspicious gaze in that direction, and finally realized that he seemed to be on a magical artifact flying at full speed, and the man in the brocade robe in front of him seemed to be the owner of this vessel.

"May I ask, fellow traveler, where is this place, and why am I here?"

Upon hearing this, the young man slightly turned his head to look behind him, and a sharply defined profile came into the black-clad man's view. Then, his voice remained cold as he spoke.

"This is the territory of Luoyun Prefecture. We will be able to reach Jiyun City soon."

"Jiyun City!? Fellow Daoist, you're also heading to Jiyun City?"

The man in black looked startled and asked in surprise, then seemed to suddenly remember something, hurriedly stood up from the airship, bowed, and said...

"My name is Zhou Ping. Thank you for saving my life, fellow Daoist!"

The man in black was Zhou Ping, who had previously been captured by the Three Flowers Gang, but for some reason, his face looked so old now.

Before the young man in the brocade robe could respond, Zhou Ping's face once again showed a look of horror. His eyes widened as he stared at his hands. He seemed to have noticed the abnormality in his body and couldn't help but exclaim.

"My hand! How did this happen!?"

He rolled up his sleeves in disbelief, staring at his withered, aged arm and the faint wrinkles that were reappearing on it. He was so shocked that he froze on the spot.

I'm only seventeen or eighteen years old, how come my body looks so old?!

Just as Zhou Ping was feeling unsettled and confused, the words of the young man in brocade robes drifted into his ears, dispelling his doubts and surprise.

"When I arrived, you had already had too much of your essence extracted by the Sanhua Gang. With your vital energy suddenly depleted, it is normal for you to suffer such a deterioration."

"The Three Flowers Gang? Extracting their essence!?"

Zhou Ping blankly repeated the words of the young man in brocade robes, his aged face gradually filled with gloom, his hands clenched tightly, the veins on them appearing even more distinct due to the dryness of his skin.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhou Ping recovered from his astonishment. He slightly circulated the Qingyuan Technique and found that his cultivation level had dropped from the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage to the peak of the fourth level. He couldn't help but take another deep breath, his face turning ashen. However, this only lasted for a moment before he slowly regained his composure. But the hatred in the depths of his eyes became even more intense.

"Regardless, Zhou Ping remains grateful to Fellow Daoist Qin for saving his life, and if given the opportunity, he will repay him a hundredfold!"

"We should arrive at Jiyun City in about an hour. I wonder if Junior Brother Zhou will be traveling with me to the sect's headquarters, or if he would like to explore the city on his own?"

The young man in the brocade robe seemed unconcerned about Zhou Ping's gratitude, and instead changed the subject to continue asking questions.

Arriving at Jiyun City in just one hour?! Junior Brother Zhou?!

Zhou Ping's expression, which had just begun to ease, changed color again at the words of the young man in the brocade robe.

"How long has Zhou Ping been asleep here with you, fellow Daoist? And why do you address me as your junior brother?"

He voiced his doubts one after another, his mind filled with confusion. He estimated that even if he flew by magical artifacts after leaving Flower Creek Valley, it would take him at least half a month to reach Jiyun City. How could they have arrived here so quickly?

Furthermore, the other party addressed him as Junior Brother Zhou. Could it be that the other party was also from the Qinglian Xuanzong sect, which is why he was saved by the Sanhua Gang?

But how did he find out his identity, and how did he know that he was trapped in the Three Flowers Gang?

At this moment, Zhou Ping was filled with questions. He had no idea what had happened to him while he was unconscious. When he woke up, he found himself to be an old man over fifty years old, and the place he was in was only an hour away from Jiyun City. All of this gave him a headache.

"You have been unconscious for three days since I first met you. The reason I call you junior brother is because we accepted the same sect mission."

The young man turned around expressionlessly and slowly explained to Zhou Ping.

Qin?

"You...you're Qin Changqing!?"

Zhou Ping blurted out in astonishment, staring at the handsome young man standing quietly on the flying boat, and remained in shock for a long time.

As the sun set and the sky glowed like evening clouds, a young man in a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns exuded a dazzling and otherworldly aura. Beneath his calm and handsome appearance, Zhou Ping was struck by a unique temperament and brilliance belonging to a young prodigy.