A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Zhou Ping hid among the people of the Longquan Sword Sect, following them as they hurried down the mountain.

Now that they were getting further and further away from Jin Yuan, and knowing that the cultivator was unlikely to be nearby, Zhou Ping's heart gradually calmed down.

Without the shadow of the cultivators, he was undoubtedly much safer. At least, it would be difficult for the disciples and members of the Longquan Sword Sect to detect that an outsider had infiltrated their ranks.

Led by Mo Liancheng, the group circled around to Cangsong Cliff, passed through the bamboo mist forest, and then climbed over the three-zhang-high wall in the deserted training ground, secretly leaving the Qingzhu Sect.

Zhou Ping followed the crowd, familiar with the surroundings. However, to his surprise, none of the Qingzhu Sect's patrolling disciples, who were supposed to be guarding the area, were to be seen. This allowed the Sword Sect's forces to escape with ease.

It seems that the Green Bamboo Sect had already arranged an escape route for them. I wonder if this was the work of the Green Bamboo Sect Master and Ma Liuyun.

Thinking of Ma Liuyun, Zhou Ping suddenly worried about the safety of his family. After leaving the sect, he immediately broke away from the group and rushed towards Qingyang Town in a flash.

.........

In the Golden Garden, the Copper Heart Daoist quietly hid in a large tree, his eyes slightly closed, sensing everything around him.

It has been quite some time since Liu Feng entered Jin Yuan. Although he had some confidence in his disciple's abilities, he couldn't help but feel a little worried after seeing the Jin Clan's guardian battle puppet.

This old ancestor of the Jin clan is no ordinary person. Who knows what kind of hidden tricks he might have up his sleeve? If Liu Feng is caught off guard and suffers a sneak attack, then the lineage of his Bronze Sheep Temple will be cut off.

Although he was worried about his beloved disciple's safety, Tongxin Daoist did not search aimlessly like a headless fly after rushing into Jinyuan.

Instead, he found a place where he could sense the main gate and the main road and hid there, waiting for the others to arrive. He believed that they would be able to take him to the place he wanted to go.

After Jin Haiming led his men back to Jinyuan, he first arranged for the clansmen to patrol the entire Jinyuan in groups of three, looking out for each other.

Then, he himself controlled the Jin Clan war puppet, leading more than ten martial arts elites, straight to Jin Jingtian's residence.

As for Jin Hong and the other two who had lost their fighting ability, they went back to their residences to recuperate.

Not long after arriving at Jin Jingtian's residence, Jin Haiming's face turned solemn as he looked at the Jin clan guards who had been beheaded.

The guard showed not a trace of panic on his face until his death; his wide eyes were filled with confusion.

This indicates that the opponent struck and killed him without warning.

Such bizarre methods sent chills down everyone's spines.

"There are other people here, everyone stay alert!"

Jin Haiming took a deep breath and reminded him in a deep voice.

He didn't dare voice his suspicions, fearing that if others heard them, they would become intimidated and be defeated without a fight.

After examining the guard's wound, he noticed that there were no blunt force or sword cuts on his neck, and the cut was as smooth as a mirror. Immediately, a terrifying guess came to his mind.

There is also a cultivator in the Golden Garden!

The guard's wound was exactly the same as that of the clansman who had been cut in half at the waist by the Taoist priest at the gate; he had been killed by a celestial magic spell.

Jin Jingtian's residence was empty, and no signs of a struggle were found.

At Jin Haiming's instruction, everyone carefully examined every detail in the main hall, but found no clues.

Just as Jin Haiming was frowning and pondering, a clansman suddenly ran over and whispered in his ear,

"Elder, the back door of the patriarch's main hall is open. Could they have gone out from there?"

"The back door? To the ancestral hall!"

Jin Haiming's old face twitched, and he hurriedly gave the order.

After everyone left, in the shadows outside the main hall, Tongxin Daoist slowly nodded.

So that's the place. He had noticed the huge building located at the deepest part of Jin Yuan when he observed it from afar a few months ago.

At first, I thought it was the Jin clan's meeting place, but I never expected it to be the Jin clan's ancestral hall.

Upon seeing the two massive black iron gates open, Jin Haiming raised his hand to stop the crowd behind him, and gave one of them a serious look.

Upon seeing this, the tribesman immediately understood and quietly slipped inside alone.

In just a moment, he ran out with a look of terror on his face, his voice trembling as he spoke to Jin Haiming.

"Elder...Elder! The clan leader...he...he..."

"What do you mean, 'him'?! You can't even speak clearly! Come in with me!"

Seeing the other person's panicked and unsettled state, Jin Haiming pushed him aside and quickly stepped inside.

His mind was preoccupied with the relics of the Fourth Patriarch, and he rushed inside before the other person could finish speaking.

"What... what is this?!"

Jin Haiming stared blankly at the dark figure in the dark room, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Jin Jingtian remained seated with his arms outstretched, his entire body stained black with the deadly poison. Judging from his appearance, he had long since lost all breath and had been dead for some time.

"Jing Tian!!"

Jin Haiming let out a mournful cry and was about to step forward to touch the other person's body.

Upon seeing this, the two clansmen behind him immediately stepped in front of him to block his path.

"Elder, be careful! The clan leader is poisoned; you mustn't touch him!"

"How could this happen? How could this happen? Who poisoned him! With Jing Tian's skills, how could he be ambushed by such a low-level method!?"

Jin Haiming's eyes widened in fury as he roared.

The Jin clan is currently in dire straits, and the tragic death of Jin Jingtian, the pillar of the clan, has thrown him into complete disarray.

Although the two often argued, in the face of the greater good of the clan, those were just trivial family matters that could not be discussed openly, and neither of them ever held a grudge against each other because of them.

But now, this martial arts grandmaster of the Jin clan has died here in such an inexplicable way, how could he not be in a state of utter turmoil?

Personal life and death are minor matters; the survival of the nation is of paramount importance!

Jin Haiming's grief was not over Jin Jingtian's death, but over the safety of the entire Jin clan.

"Elder, there is another corpse outside, but... we can no longer make out its features."

A Jin clan disciple cautiously approached Jin Haiming's side and said nervously.

At this moment, everyone was already terrified by the scene before them, and a trace of worry that was hard to hide was on each of their faces.

"lead the way....."

Jin Haiming remained silent for a moment, seemingly to compose himself, and then gave the order in a slightly hoarse voice.

As the group turned over another corpse outside the dark room, an exquisite token came into view.

Jin Haiming glanced at the mangled corpse, then examined the remaining clothing and tokens on it. He sighed softly, and a young, taciturn figure flashed into his mind.

"I know who this is now, and the spirit seed of my Jin clan is gone..."

After he finished speaking, his already wrinkled face seemed to age even more in an instant.