A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

The look of surprise on Zhou Ping's face was not only because Qin Changqing had severely injured two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the blink of an eye, but also because of something else.

That was the pitch-black puppet that stood firmly in front of him, blocking the combined attack of two Tribulation cultivators for him.

The appearance of this puppet was too familiar. Apart from a slight difference in color, it was exactly the same as the dark green battle puppet that Qin Zhong had exchanged with it.

With the same imposing physique and the same terrifying face riddled with holes, it's clear at a glance that they are of the same lineage.

Considering Qin Zhong's determination to obtain this item and Qin Changqing's background, Zhou Ping instantly understood everything.

These two combat puppets must have been made by a prominent figure in the Qin family of Dianyun, or perhaps even bestowed upon them by the Heavenly Punishment Ancestor!

Zhou Ping never expected that this combat puppet would be so powerful. Although he had heard that it could withstand the strength of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he felt a strange pang of jealousy after witnessing its terrifying combat power in Qin Changqing's hands.

"No wonder that old bastard Qin Zhong, a Foundation Establishment stage senior, was willing to lose face to exchange it from me. His behavior is too disgusting!"

Zhou Ping muttered a few curses to himself, and once again marked Qin Zhong's head with a heavy slap, thinking to himself that if he ever made something of himself in the future, he would definitely teach this old bastard a lesson!

Just as Zhou Ping's mind raced, Ma Hualong, who had collapsed beside him, tremblingly raised his uninjured right hand and pleaded with Qin Changqing, who had approached him, with a look of terror on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Chang... I am the fourth leader of the Crimson Robe Society. If you are willing to show mercy, I will surely reward you handsomely..."

Qin Changqing gave him a cold look, and before he could finish speaking, his closed sword fingers shot out a beam of cyan sword light, instantly piercing his heart and silencing his cries for help.

Gu Caiwei, standing to the side, looked at Qin Changqing with a pale face. Like a frightened bird, she unusually did not immediately step forward to entangle him, as if it was the first time she had seen such a ruthless side of him.

Normally, whether she was in the Gu family of Dianyun or the Bihua Xuanzong, she was always surrounded by a large number of protectors. Although her cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage, she had only fought against others a handful of times. At most, it was just some sparring among fellow disciples. She had never seen such a bloody scene before.

Zhou Ping, on the other hand, appeared much calmer. Although he was shocked by Qin Changqing's ruthless methods, he thought of the latter's reputation in the sect and sighed inwardly that his reputation was indeed well-deserved.

As for the tragic deaths of the two cultivators, he only showed a slight change in expression and then had no further reaction. He recalled that the fate of the bronze sheep Guan Liufeng was far more bloody and gruesome than this scene.

After his previous battle with several low-level fox crows, he still felt a strange excitement lingering in his body, as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself.

This surprised even himself. Could it be that he secretly longed for such a battle?

"These two are minor leaders of the Crimson Robe Society. They have robbed and killed many fellow cultivators over the years and are already notorious. It is only by chance that I have encountered them this time. You don't need to think too much about it."

Qin Changqing raised his hand and beckoned to the two corpses. Two storage bags, one red and one green, flew into his hand. After sensing them briefly, he expressionlessly put them into his sleeve.

He then glanced at the several magical artifacts scattered on the ground. Having lost their owner, they had long since lost all their spiritual power and now lay quietly on the ground. He spoke again,

"This 'Mother-Child Spirit-Breaking Shuttle' has a terrible reputation, so I'll take it and use it to claim the reward. The remaining items aren't very useful to me, so you two can divide them up. That way, my trip won't have been in vain."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping's eyes lit up. Apart from the top-grade diamond-shaped shuttle, the worst of the magic artifacts on the ground were at least mid-grade, which was much more powerful than the three magic artifacts he had hastily bought to make up the numbers.

Qin Changqing's words at this moment undoubtedly tempted him, but since the other party had single-handedly taken on this battle, he had no credit to speak of. So he could only purse his lips and turn his gaze to Gu Caiwei beside him.

Seeing that both of them were looking at her, Gu Caiwei quickly shrank her fair neck, seemingly still reeling from the bloody scene. She could only mutter a disgusted remark.

"Such a disgusting magical artifact, I...I don't want it!"

Upon seeing this, Qin Changqing was speechless for a moment, seemingly expecting the woman to answer in this way. He figured she must have a better magic weapon. So he narrowed his starry eyes and looked calmly at Zhou Ping, who was standing quietly to the side without saying a word.

Although he didn't know much about Zhou Ping, he had personally examined Zhou Ping's storage bag when he rescued him from the Three Flowers Gang.

He clearly remembered that besides a few spiritual plant seeds with their spiritual energy completely sealed, there were only some common flying needles and other hidden weapons. He hadn't even seen a single magical artifact, making the place practically penniless.

Even with the two low-grade defensive magic artifacts he now possesses, his wealth is still extremely meager compared to that of an ordinary Qinglian disciple. Now that an opportunity has presented itself, it remains to be seen what choice he will make.

"To be honest, I am indeed lacking a few decent magical artifacts for protection. Since Senior Brother Qin and Fairy Gu don't think much of these artifacts, then Zhou Ping will accept them without further ado."

Zhou Ping straightened his expression, raised his hand and bowed to the two men respectively, then continued,

"But one cannot accept something for nothing. Since I have accepted these magical artifacts, I will definitely use the corresponding spirit stones to compensate you both. Please do not refuse, Senior Brother and Fairy."

"Forget about compensation. These magical artifacts aren't so easy to obtain. If you take them, be prepared to bear the consequences. Don't show them off in public easily. If the thieves from the Crimson Robe Society recognize you, you'd better think carefully about the consequences."

Qin Changqing waved his hand casually in refusal, though his tone remained aloof, a hint of satisfaction seemed to flicker in the depths of his eyes.

If Zhou Ping didn't even have the courage to accept a magic weapon from a cultivator who had undergone tribulation, then such a fellow disciple would truly be looked down upon by Qin Changqing.

"You don't need to feel guilty. The reward I can receive in Jiyun City for successfully killing these two cultivators is much more generous than this sect mission. You can accept it without any guilt."

Then, seemingly in high spirits because he had successfully killed the Fire Toad and the Jade Serpent Gentleman, Qin Changqing turned and walked toward the Fox Crow's corpse. After sealing the porcelain bottle filled with spiritual blood, he casually added a remark.

"I don't need your compensation!"

Gu Caiwei finally recovered. Seeing Qin Changqing leave, she hurriedly said something and followed after him, leaving Zhou Ping with a bitter smile. Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, he silently put the magic artifacts on the ground into his storage bag.

A few days later,

A cyan flying boat sped out of the outer edge of the Hidden Thunder Mountains. Three cultivators, two men and one woman, were vaguely visible on it. Without stopping, it flew southeast and soon disappeared into the distant horizon.