A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"I wonder who those divine senses are targeting... Could they really be lying in wait for me?"

After leaving the city, Zhou Ping glanced back at Jiyun City, which lay dormant like a giant beast, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

In such a vast city, finding a single person is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Since the other party has chosen to wait outside the Spirit Mountain Realm, they are naturally targeting these sect disciples.

Judging from the reaction of the other party when he appeared in the Qinglian Mountain gate formation, it is highly likely that they were targeting the people of his Qinglian Xuanzong sect.

With this deduction in mind, Zhou Ping's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Although it is unknown how many disciples of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect reside in the Spirit Mountain Realm at this time, he is merely one of them, and the possibility of him being noticed is actually negligible.

But whenever he thought about the huge sum of money he had, he couldn't help but direct all suspicions at himself, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"Only a few people know about this. Gu Caiwei shouldn't be one of them. Although I haven't had much contact with her, she is kind-hearted by nature, and I shouldn't be mistaken about her."

"The rest are Manager Wan of Wanbaoge, Master Fang, and Gu Caiwei's senior sister, Wu Yingxue."

"There's another possibility... Could it be that the Crimson Robe Society received some information? After all, two leaders at the late stage of Qi Refining have died. Given their nature, they certainly won't let this go easily."

After leaving Jiyun City, Zhou Ping flew more than ten miles before sneaking up to a dense tree. Using the stealth technique of the Floating Shadow Step, he hid himself. He wanted to observe further to see if anyone would follow him. Although the possibility was extremely small, he still felt it was best to be cautious.

Another discovery was that, once he started running, he was astonished by his incredible speed. With his current physical cultivation at the mid-stage of Body Refinement, after applying the Lightness Technique, his running speed could almost be described as swift as the wind.

Aside from not being able to fly, he felt that at his current speed, even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, using all their techniques, wouldn't be much faster than him.

Aside from the geniuses of those sects and the elites of families with deep foundations, Zhou Ping even felt that the escape speed of most late-stage cultivators, without special external assistance, should be far inferior to his.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ping couldn't help but smile, secretly thinking that he had gained another way to escape.

"Those two from Wanbaoge should not know my identity as a disciple of Qinglian, and I have never mentioned it to them from beginning to end. So it seems that only Gu Caiwei and Wu Yingxue are fully aware of my identity. If we exclude Gu Caiwei, then the rest are somewhat unfathomable..."

"The final invitation now seems to have some profound meaning."

After thinking about all this, Zhou Ping casually crushed the green leaf between his fingers into powder. Through the gaps in the branches, he stared blankly at the already somewhat hazy giant shadow of Jiyun City, remaining silent.

After about half a day, and having found no suspicious people following him, Zhou Ping finally felt relieved. He glanced at the map and headed off in one direction again.

Seven days later,

On the outskirts of Luoyun Prefecture, a blue flying boat descended from the sky, and a young man dressed in black stepped off. He wore a bamboo hat, which partially concealed his face, revealing only his slightly effeminate lips.

After observing his surroundings, he found a secluded spot, sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing, and waited for night to fall.

This person was Zhou Ping, who had disguised himself and rushed to this place.

Poria cocos seeds are different from the common Chinese medicine Poria cocos; they are a unique spiritual medicine in the world of cultivation.

It is cold in nature and highly toxic. A small amount of its medicinal liquid can be added to the refining of some pills as a medicinal guide to enhance their medicinal properties.

If used alone, it is a highly poisonous substance. Ordinary people will die if they touch it. If a cultivator is accidentally poisoned, his magical power will become unstable. He must immediately expel it from his body. Otherwise, if it invades his heart and abdomen, even a god will be powerless to save him.

Moonlight filtered through the hazy clouds, casting its glow upon the tranquil canyon.

Zhou Ping took out a pre-prepared face towel to cover his mouth and nose, put on soft leather gloves, and his whole body was wrapped in a layer of misty water. He took out a jade bottle from his storage bag, which contained several spiritual herbs, Poria cocos seeds, that he had just accelerated to maturity some time ago.

However, he has already dried and purified it, and ground it into powder.

Zhou Ping completely concealed his magical energy fluctuations, his figure transforming into a black shadow under the moonlight as he silently leaped onto a high ground. His gaze was fixed on the brightly lit town below, and his thumb gently tapped open the seal of the jade bottle.

After observing for an afternoon, Zhou Ping confirmed that there were no more merchants or travelers lingering in Cuishui Town. Now that it was late, the gates were tightly closed, and the town was in a state of rest.

Cui Shui Town, as the headquarters of the San Hua Gang, is different from the other San Hua Town. No ordinary people live there; it is inhabited by members of the San Hua Gang and a group of leaders, making it a den of wolves.

Zhou Ping was already filled with murderous intent towards these heinous robbers, but considering that there were several mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators among them, and having suffered greatly here before, he naturally wouldn't rashly go there again.

But using poison is his specialty. If he launches a sneak attack using this method, it will undoubtedly make his subsequent revenge plan safer and simpler.

After entering the world of cultivation, he saw all sorts of strange and wonderful spiritual plants, among which the most poisonous ones undoubtedly broadened his horizons and greatly increased his interest. Combined with the poison techniques he had learned in the mortal world, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

With the help of the breeze, Zhou Ping stretched out his arm, tilted the bottle slightly with trembling hands, and the colorless and odorless crystalline powder was swept into the air. After swirling a few times, it was scattered down into the town of Cui Shui below.

As more and more powder was poured out, Zhou Ping hurriedly spread his divine sense and controlled a trace of magic power, like an invisible hand, to gather most of the powder together and then push it towards the most magnificent and tallest pavilion in Cui Shui Town.

He first intended to deliver the poison powder from the Poria cocos seeds to the attics of several ladies of the Three Flowers Gang, so that their subordinates would not become suspicious after being poisoned.

After all, a cultivator's simple defensive water shield can block most poisonous powder attacks. If the opponent is aware of this in advance, it will be extremely difficult for him to succeed.

After estimating the time, Zhou Ping quietly made his way towards Cui Shui Town. With his current ability to conceal his aura and his mastery of the Floating Shadow Step, he was confident that he would not be detected by anyone.

Unless the other party is deliberately targeting him with their divine sense, he will not be easily discovered.

Whizzing!

After he raised his hand and fired two silver needles that had been quenched with deadly poison, the two guards on the city wall fell to the ground without warning.

"Strange...why is there still no movement?"

Zhou Ping hid atop the city wall. In the open space of the town, there was a great commotion. The members of the Three Flowers Gang seemed to be drinking and eating meat. However, the magnificent pavilion not far away was completely dark and silent, which made him somewhat suspicious.

According to his estimation, the poisonous powder from the Poria cocos seeds should have already seeped into the person inside, and it's impossible for them to be completely unresponsive. Even a cultivator would panic immediately upon being poisoned, and wouldn't remain silent as they are now.

........

"Old Feng, that rich man's wife yesterday was really something! That ass, that figure, tsk tsk tsk! You're the one with the best taste, knowing to share with us guys!"

"Hehe, since I've used you all anyway, I'll just throw you guys into the wilderness to feed the wolves. It's not a waste to let you guys have a taste before I die."

In the open space of Cuishui Town, several burly men were drinking and feasting, with lewd laughter occasionally drifting over, prompting those around them to indulge in their boisterous revelry.

"That's true loyalty! A big thumbs up to Third Master! When the rest of us brothers get our hands on a big shipment like that someday, we can't forget Third Master's kindness!"

A burly, shirtless man with a thick beard became increasingly excited as he spoke, and stood up to toast the ugly man with a yellow face and narrow eyes on the other side of the table.

But amidst the shouts and clinking of glasses, no one noticed that tiny specks of crystalline dust, like fine sand, slowly drifted down from the air, like smoke or mist, and first landed on the shirtless, bearded man.

The sallow-faced, narrow-eyed, ugly man, addressed as Third Master, peered up at the sky through the figure offering a toast, his small eyes widening as he stared at the glistening dust that was falling on the other man, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"This is......"

Before he could react, the shirtless man suddenly convulsed, his body turning blackish-purple, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, howling in pain before falling silent again.

"Ah! Me!"

"My! My eyes!"

"What the hell is this?! Help me!"

.........

Zhou Ping, who was secretly observing, stared at the crowd below with a gloomy expression, his face extremely unpleasant.

Only when screams began to echo from all sides of Cui Shui Town, and the town boiled over like a pot of oil, did he take a deep breath and turn to sneak towards the pavilion in the center.

"The poisonous mist from the Poria cocos seeds has completely dissipated..."

"I just didn't expect... that the Three Flowers Gang would be even more filthy and despicable than I imagined. They don't even spare their employers who pay them, raping and kidnapping them at will. They are utterly inhuman!"

Recalling the piles of white bones he had seen in Flower Valley, he had initially thought they were the work of the local monsters. Now it seemed that the Three Flowers Gang, which occupied the area like a malignant tumor, was more like the culprit!

Along the way, Zhou Ping took in the miserable state of the Three Flowers Gang members. A sinister aura appeared on his eerie face under his bamboo hat, and there was no trace of pity in his eyes. Instead, a strange pleasure rose in his heart. The mysterious sandalwood hidden deep in his chest seemed to sense everything around him. After a strange light flashed across its rough surface, it fell silent again.

Zhou Ping was completely unaware of Chen Xiang's unusual behavior. At this moment, he frowned deeply, his heart surging with murderous intent. He seemed to have finally made a decision and slipped into the pavilion.

Cuishui Town is in such a mess, why is there still no movement inside?

"No matter what, we must uproot the Three Flowers Gang today!"

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This chapter is over 3,000 words. I'll try to increase the word count of each chapter in the future, gradually improving. Thank you for your feedback and support.