A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"Who exactly is this Mist Woman? Why are you all so afraid of her? Has no one thought of eliminating her?"

The man surnamed Xie's expression changed, but seeing that the Third Mistress had offered him a way out, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.

Before setting off, the two women had mentioned the Mist Maiden of the Yin-Yang Forest, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time and hadn't asked any questions. Now, seeing how cautious they were, he finally asked about his doubts.

"Brother Xie, you may not know this, but this mist maiden is neither a demon nor a ghost. She is a unique being in the Yin-Yang Forest, and has existed here for countless years."

The second lady withdrew her gaze from the depths of the forest, tilted her head slightly to look at the man, and continued to transmit her voice.

"As for this woman's cultivation level... there is no definite answer, but one thing is certain: even Foundation Establishment stage cultivators cannot gain any advantage in her hands. There are even rumors that Core Formation stage cultivators entered her in their early years, but they all retreated in a sorry state. After they came out, they were very secretive and never revealed anything about what they had experienced inside."

"What?! Even a Core Formation stage cultivator has failed to achieve anything?"

Upon hearing this, the man surnamed Xie's eyes widened in shock.

"Fortunately, the Yin-Yang Forest is vast. Based on our years of experience, we judge that after this woman has surveyed an area, she will almost never appear in this area again for the next ten days or so. That will be the best time for us to make our move."

"I see... It was Xie Tang just now..."

"Silence! She's here!"

Before the man surnamed Xie could finish speaking, he suddenly heard a low shout in his ear. He quickly shut his mouth and then focused his attention on the woman's gaze.

In the depths of the distant jungle, a white figure faintly appeared, surrounded by white mist, like a forest sprite. Trailing a long trail of mist behind it, it moved through the jungle. Seemingly slow, it seemed to have covered a distance of several dozen feet in the blink of an eye, leaving those who witnessed this scene in astonishment.

Fortunately, the place where everyone was hiding was far from the mist woman's patrol route. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the woman finally disappeared completely from everyone's sight.

"Brother Xie, let's wait a little longer until the mist woman is far away before we make our move."

The Second Lady nodded to the man surnamed Xie and transmitted her voice.

After confirming that the Mist Woman had left, the latter narrowed his eyes, a renewed surge of passion rising within him.

"Your Highnesses, it is said that this Illusionary Sea Deer is a treasure trove, and its antlers are a highly nourishing and longevity-promoting substance. If we could present this to the young master, we would surely receive a generous reward!"

Upon hearing the man mention the effects of deer antler, the two women blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for them. However, they nodded vigorously, wondering if the young master would look at them differently and bestow favor upon them if he saw this.

......

"Walking in the direction of the stars, mimicking their trajectories, thereby... sensing the heavens and earth, and drawing upon the power of the stars to benefit oneself..."

Zhou Ping sat cross-legged on the flying boat, looking at the obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient text, trying his best to decipher the meaning of each character as he moved forward.

Fortunately, there were some annotations added by Fei Tu, which should be his insights and experiences while cultivating this book. This gave Zhou Ping an easy advantage, making it much easier for him to read.

Fei Tu was also "invited" by Zhou Ping to the flying boat. The reason was simple: the two of them could travel in the sky with excellent secrecy, and at the same time, they could avoid the possibility of running into other cultivators.

"You reached the Qi Refining stage thanks to this ancient book?"

After looking through it for a while, Zhou Ping looked at Fei Tu, who was standing still on the flying boat, with a strange gaze and asked a soul-searching question.

He was now completely certain that this ancient book was an artifact from a very long time ago. He didn't recognize most of the characters in it, and he had only read a few pages of Fei Tu's annotations. Moreover, he could only vaguely understand the true meaning of the book.

From Fei Tu's words, Zhou Ping learned some hidden details. Fei Tu had actually managed to reach the first level of the Qi Refining stage with just this ancient book, which was almost like a "heavenly book," without any guidance or instruction. Moreover, he had even figured out an extremely fast movement technique from it. Such talent and comprehension shocked Zhou Ping.

"Reporting to the Immortal Master... I was just bored and enjoyed practicing with weapons, so... I practiced with this tattered book every day, and unexpectedly... I actually succeeded..."

When Fei Tu saw Zhou Ping looking at him strangely, with a hint of something indescribable, as if he were somewhat jealous, he couldn't help but tense up and started to stammer.

"Tell me... how did you come to know this book? You should know it's a remarkable book, so why... did you still dedicate it to me?"

Zhou Ping straightened his face again, reverting to his previous indifference. He had just felt a little unsettled because he had thought about his own cultivation aptitude and compared the two.

"I found this book by chance in an abandoned Taoist temple a few years ago. Seeing that it was still relatively well-preserved, I brought it home."

Fei Tu glanced furtively at Zhou Ping with his triangular eyes. Seeing that Zhou Ping didn't react, he hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"As for why I'm offering it to you, Immortal Master, it's because I almost lost my life at your hands. I'm afraid that if I dare to hide my abilities again, you might find out and I won't even have a chance to back out. That's why I'm bringing it out directly..."

Zhou Ping calmly observed Fei Tu, secretly assessing the truthfulness of his words. Seeing Zhou Ping's still deep gaze and expressionless face, Fei Tu felt a pang of guilt, so he coughed and continued...

"Ahem! Actually, there's another reason... I've had a photographic memory since I was a child, so... so I already know this book by heart. It wouldn't be a problem to offer it to the Immortal Master."

After Fei Tu finished speaking, Zhou Ping finally reacted. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and looked at Fei Tu with twitching lips, unsure of what to say.

It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy...

After a long silence, Zhou Ping finally spoke under Fei Tu's uneasy gaze.

"Tell me the exact location of the Taoist temple where you obtained this book. You'd better not make things up. I am very familiar with the geography and landscape of the Great Liang Kingdom. If I find any inaccuracies, you can forget about getting the antidote."

"Yes, yes, yes! I will tell you everything I know and would never dare to lie to the Immortal Master!"

When Fei Tu saw the fierce look in Zhou Ping's eyes, he hurriedly bowed deeply, looking very confident.

After the latter nodded in tacit agreement, he began to explain the origin and history of the ancient book in detail.

After a long time, a flying boat glided across the sky and arrived above a dense forest in the Yin-Yang Forest. It quietly stopped, rose a short distance, and then disappeared into the distance, gradually merging with the clouds and mist in the sky, transforming into a dark cloud floating in the air.