A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"Senior Brother Qin, Zhou Ping knows his cultivation is shallow. He probably has no strategy to deal with a level two demon beast. The best course of action now is to retreat as soon as possible."

Zhou Ping stepped forward, his expression solemn as he whispered to Qin Changqing. Seeing the other's calm gaze, he changed the subject and continued...

"But since Senior Brother Qin brought these two here, asking me and Fairy Gu now is probably just out of politeness, isn't it? Has Senior Brother Qin already made a decision?"

"good!"

Qin Changqing nodded seriously, turned around and waved to those behind him before continuing.

"If that level-two fox crow really just recently advanced, then its condition must still be in a weak period. Just like cultivators, the difference between advancing to level two and advancing to foundation establishment is not much. Both consume a lot of vital energy. After successfully advancing, we cultivators have various pills to make up for the loss, but demon beasts are much worse off. Most of them will choose to hide in a secluded and safe place until their vital energy and strength are restored before they dare to show themselves."

Qin Changqing paused, and only nodded in acknowledgment when he saw the other two unfamiliar cultivators approaching.

"These two are both cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refining. If the fox crow is truly in a weakened state, the three of us working together, with some prior arrangements, have a good chance of severely injuring or even killing this demon."

When the two unfamiliar cultivators arrived, they wore friendly smiles. When their gazes fell on Gu Caiwei's elegant and refined figure, a hint of amazement appeared in their eyes.

As for Zhou Ping, after sensing his cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining and his aged face, the two of them simply ignored him and didn't give him another glance.

"My name is Liu Sheng, a rogue cultivator from Jiyun City."

"I am Ma Hualong, a rogue cultivator from Jiyun."

Two rogue cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining arrived at the open space where the three were, raised their hands in unison, cupped their hands in greeting to Qin Changqing and Gu Caiwei, and introduced themselves.

Seeing that the two of them didn't even glance at him, but only focused their attention on Qin Changqing and Gu Caiwei, Zhou Ping curled his lips expressionlessly, secretly pleased that he could avoid a round of insincere pleasantries and flattery with them.

After observing the two for a moment, Gu Caiwei's bright eyes flashed, and she stared at the slightly shorter and stouter cultivator for a few more seconds. Her eyes narrowed, and just as she was about to speak, Qin Changqing stepped forward slightly, stopping her from saying anything.

"My name is Chang Qing, and this is my younger sister, Chang Wei. We have long yearned for Jiyun City, which is why we recently traveled here."

Qin Changqing nodded to the two with a smile, but his words made Gu Caiwei's expression freeze for a moment. However, she quickly recovered and bowed gracefully with a smile, without saying anything more.

Zhou Ping stood behind the two men, unnoticed by anyone. Upon seeing their strange response, a look of surprise flashed across his face. His mind raced, and although he was somewhat confused, he secretly became a little wary.

"Haha! So it's Fellow Daoist Chang. What do you two think of my previous suggestion?"

Liu Sheng, a short, stout man among the unfamiliar cultivators, squinted his eyes and asked Qin Changqing with a smile.

Another cultivator named Ma Hualong, like Zhou Ping, silently stood behind Liu Sheng after introducing himself, remaining silent. However, after seeing Gu Caiwei's reaction, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

"If it is true, as Fellow Daoist Liu says, that a magic array can be set up here to trap this demon, then my brother and I are willing to join you in slaying this demon."

"only......"

Qin Changqing paused at the end of his sentence, glancing meaningfully at Liu Sheng and the other man.

"Of course, of course! As Fellow Daoist Chang said before, the second-tier spiritual blood of this demon shall belong to you and your brother."

Liu Sheng readily assured Qin Changqing, and Ma Hualong beside him nodded silently in agreement.

Everyone knew very well that although only the spirit blood of fox crows was the most valuable, that only referred to the low-level fox crows.

Once it advances to the level of a second-tier demon beast, in addition to its most precious spiritual blood, which can be used as material for drawing second-tier spirit talismans, its body and claws have also reached the level of rare spiritual materials, which are more than enough to make some special low-grade magic weapons.

The most precious part is its beak, whose hardness and sharpness make it suitable for use as a specific component in certain mid-grade offensive magical artifacts, further enhancing their destructive power.

"Then I'll trouble you two to set up the Yin-Yang Illusion Formation here. My sister and I will lie in ambush here later. You two just need to lure that demonic bird over."

Qin Changqing nodded in satisfaction, cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Sheng and the other man, then turned to look at Gu Caiwei and Zhou Ping to the side and gave instructions.

"Your cultivation is still insufficient, so there's no need for you to participate. Just provide covert support. If any low-level fox crows follow, those that slip through the net are yours to handle. With your cultivation, you should be able to deal with them easily."

The four people in the room, apart from Qin Changqing, nodded indifferently after hearing his arrangements, and then began to prepare themselves.

.......

Two hours later,

As a loud bird cry rang out, the group of people who were hiding around the clearing saw a slightly disheveled figure shoot out of the dense forest from afar, followed by a series of sharp cries of varying sizes coming from the jungle behind him.

In a short while, several giant birds with wingspans of nearly two zhang appeared in the sky above the dense forest like a whirlwind. With a flap of their giant wings, they swooped down towards Ma Hualong, who was fleeing.

Zhou Ping hid behind a huge stone wall, watching this scene in shock. He didn't know when, but a small black shield and a golden longsword had appeared in his hands.

Qin Changqing and Liu Sheng, who were standing to the side, also frowned, but soon after, when they saw an even larger demonic bird emerge from the sky above the dense forest, their faces showed satisfaction.

As Ma Hualong fled, he immediately sensed the giant demonic bird that had suddenly appeared in the sky behind him. He gritted his teeth and increased his escape speed several times over.

Seeing that several demonic birds had already followed Ma Hualong and rushed across the open space where the formation had been set up, Liu Sheng and Qin Changqing noticed that the fox-crow leader, who had chased to the edge of the forest, suddenly hesitated and couldn't help but feel anxious.

The intelligence of fox crows is already higher than that of ordinary demon beasts, and the fox crow leader, who has advanced to the second level of demon beast, will undoubtedly be even more agile.

It seemed to have sensed danger, its dark eyes darting back and forth, while its crimson head, unlike other crows, twisted nimbly, constantly surveying its surroundings.

The people who were lying in ambush held their breath and dared not make the slightest sound, for fear of disturbing the demon.

As Ma Hualong ran wildly, he saw that the fox-crow leader refused to enter the clearing and only lingered at the edge of the forest. His face hardened, and he took something out of his storage bag and waved it at the fox-crow leader behind him while shouting.

Phew! !

The demonic bird, which had been somewhat hesitant, turned blood red with its dark eyes upon seeing what Ma Hualong held in his hand. With a high-pitched cry, it flapped its massive wings and flew towards him, accompanied by gusts of wind.

-----------

My whole family has been battling the flu these past two days, and we're all running high fevers. I was thinking of taking a few days off, but then I remembered all the hard work you guys put into recommending the game every day, and considering how infrequent my updates are, I decided to keep updating no matter what.

Humans are inherently lazy. If I stop updating today, I'm afraid I'll keep stopping. So, even if the updates are few and the word count is low, I'll try my best to update. Thank you all for your recommendation votes.