The Demon Eye of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality

At noon on the second day, Mu Chunfeng finally arrived at the Black Pine Forest below Misty Valley.

Along the way, he encountered cultivators from other sects several times, but since he had a clear goal and did not want to cause trouble or waste time, he discovered them in advance and avoided them directly, without getting entangled in any unnecessary way.

Mu Chunfeng traversed the dense forest of the Black Pine Forest for half a day before taking out the Array Plate distributed by Huangfeng Valley.

On the gleaming white array plate, a dozen or so points of light of varying sizes flickered on and off. He glanced at them and couldn't help but sigh softly, "I didn't expect that we would lose so many fellow disciples in just one day in the forbidden area."

After confirming his location, Mu Chunfeng used the positional information from the Qi-Teng array to calculate that there were three fellow disciples closest to him, and two of them were stationary. He couldn't immediately determine which point of light was Han Li. Helpless, he could only slowly search for the nearest point of light, concealing his aura.

Night fell in the blink of an eye, and Mu Chunfeng was quietly moving through the shadows of the dense forest when the mechanical array disc in his arms suddenly became slightly warm.

He looked down and saw a point of light flashing rapidly on the array plate, heading straight toward him, while not far ahead, another point of light remained stationary.

"Found it." Mu Chunfeng was overjoyed. He immediately concealed his aura and quickened his pace towards the fixed point of light. When he arrived at the dense forest near the light, he was not in a hurry. He found a secluded spot behind a tree, sat down cross-legged, took out a mid-grade spirit stone, held it in his palm, and slowly circulated his cultivation technique to restore his mana. After all, as expected, a fierce battle was about to take place, and he had to get himself into peak condition first.

Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour later, a faint cry for help, tinged with sobs, came from the woods behind them. A woman's voice cried out anxiously, "May I ask which two senior brothers from Huangfeng Valley are here? Please, senior brothers, save my little sister!" Before she finished speaking, a disheveled figure stumbled and ran towards them. It was a female cultivator dressed in the robes of a Huangfeng Valley disciple, who was running desperately towards Mu Chunfeng's direction.

At this moment, Han Li was hiding in a tree hole not far from Mu Chunfeng.

From the first day he entered the forbidden area and was teleported to Wulongtan, he had always remained hidden in the shadows, never making a move easily. He had traveled stealthily all the way to the Black Pine Forest beneath the Misty Valley. He had planned to find a secluded place to meditate and recuperate for three days, waiting for the central area of ​​the forbidden area to open so he could wait in comfort. However, he did not expect that he had hidden himself so well. First, a fellow disciple rushed towards him, and then another one came. Judging from his appearance, he had been chased here by cultivators from other sects.

"Sigh, what a hassle." Han Li, hiding in the tree hole, frowned inwardly.

Regardless of Han Li's inner thoughts, Mu Chunfeng had already raised his voice and shouted, "Which fellow disciples are hiding ahead? Please show yourself and join me in rescuing our fellow disciple!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Han Li vaguely recognized it as Mu Chunfeng. He thought to himself: Since he has already noticed my presence, there is no point in hiding any longer. I can only work together to save my fellow disciples first.

Immediately, he moved swiftly, leaping out of the tree hole and landing not far from Mu Chunfeng. He bowed respectfully and said, "Senior Brother Mu, it's me."

Mu Chunfeng looked at Han Li and nodded, saying, "So it's Junior Brother Han. Perfect, let's join forces to take down the enemy." Han Li didn't say anything more and nodded slightly—the situation was urgent, so they had to act first.

A moment later, the female cultivator from Huangfeng Valley rushed up behind the two of them in a panic, panting heavily and crying for help.

She had barely steadied herself when a woman dressed in the robes of the Hidden Moon Sect slowly emerged from the woods behind her. She sized up Mu Chunfeng and Han Li, then sneered disdainfully, cursing at the female cultivator, "You little bitch, you think you can stop me by bringing two pieces of trash from Yellow Maple Valley to back you up? Today I'll show all three of you what I'm capable of!"

This person was none other than the renowned Treasure Girl of the Hidden Moon Sect. As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and unleashed nine shimmering white Yuan Pearl magic artifacts, which hurtled through the air as they attacked directly.

Mu Chunfeng and Han Li both summoned their defensive magic weapons to block in front of them, while the female cultivator from Huangfeng Valley had already destroyed all her magic weapons and could only cower behind the two of them, not daring to even show her head.

Seeing that both of them possessed top-tier defensive magical artifacts, Duobao Nu's eyes narrowed slightly, and she waved her hand, summoning seven or eight gleaming flying knives.

Seeing this, Mu Chunfeng used the Xuanjin Shield to firmly protect himself while a flash of light appeared at his waist. He took out the Li Huo Sword, made a sword incantation, and pointed it from afar. The Li Huo Sword, carrying rolling flames, rushed straight towards Duobao Nu. Halfway there, it collided with the flying knife, producing a piercing metallic clang.

Han Li dared not be negligent at all. He immediately took out the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade. With a flick of his fingertips, the eight child blades shot out like streaks of light at the opponent's flying knife. He held the mother blade, touched the ground with his toes, and pounced out like a ghost, wanting to engage in close combat with Duobao Nu.

As expected, this woman of many treasures lived up to her reputation. Her spiritual light suddenly surged, and a thick protective shield instantly spread out. As soon as Han Li's Golden Cicada Mother Blade got close, it was shaken back by the spiritual force of the shield, and the blade hummed incessantly.

At the same time, Mu Chunfeng controlled the Li Huo Sword to knock down several of Duo Bao Nu's flying knives. He then flipped his wrist and injected more powerful magic power into the sword. The Li Huo Sword's spiritual light surged, transforming into a crimson fire dragon several meters long, roaring as it rushed straight at Duo Bao Nu. Han Li also steadied himself and waved his hand. The eight blades surrounded him again, launching a fierce attack from all directions like a swarm of bees.

However, Duobao Nu remained unfazed, and with a flick of her wrist, an ancient bronze mirror appeared.

The mirror swelled several times in size as it met the spiritual light, and a cold, azure light shot out, like an invisible shackle, fixing the Fire Sword and the eight sub-blades in mid-air, unable to move an inch.

"Heh, is that all you've got? You dare to meddle in other people's business?" Duobao Nu sneered, tossing her other hand. A pitch-black crystal ball rose into the air, surrounded by eerie black energy, and rushed straight toward the two magical artifacts that had been immobilized.

Upon seeing this, the female cultivator from Huangfeng Valley, who was hiding behind the two, exclaimed in alarm, "Senior brothers, be careful! That crystal ball can erode the spiritual power of magical artifacts!"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Mu Chunfeng's eyes. He no longer held back and flicked his finger. Ten mid-level talismans shot towards the crystal ball like meteors. The talismans exploded in the air, turning into a sky full of fire.

But the black mist on the crystal ball swirled and swallowed up all the flames, without even causing a ripple.

Upon seeing this, Duobao Nu burst into laughter and casually put away the Qingning Mirror. The Li Huo Sword and the Jin Fu Zi Mu Blade, which had been suspended in mid-air, instantly lost their spiritual power support and fell to the ground with a "clang," their spiritual light dimming by more than half.

Duobao Nu's figure soared into the air, and her magical power gathered wildly without reservation, pouring it all into the pitch-black Spirit-Eroding Crystal Ball. The black aura surrounding the ball became increasingly dense and eerie. She stared at Mu Chunfeng and Han Li below with a mocking expression, her eyes full of triumphant confidence, as if she had already foreshadowed their defeat.

But just as she was feeling smug, a muffled "thud" suddenly rang out, and a long sword gleaming with a cold light pierced through her back without warning. Hot blood gushed out, instantly staining her pure white Hidden Moon Sect robes red.

From the shadows of the forest, a bald, burly man with a face covered in scars slowly emerged. His figure was as imposing as an iron tower, and he exuded a chilling aura of violence—it was none other than Feng Yue, the notorious madman of Tianque Fortress!

The female cultivator from Huangfeng Valley behind Mu Chunfeng and his companion trembled in fright and exclaimed in shock, "It's Feng Yue, the madman from Tianque Fortress!"

Feng Yue's lips curled into a ferocious grin, his voice rough and hoarse like the grinding of a millstone: "You do have some knowledge." With that, he strode toward the corpse of Duobao Nu, and with a wave of his large, fan-like hand, he reached for the storage bag at her waist.

In that split second, Mu Chunfeng's eyes suddenly sharpened, and with a flick of his finger, several mid-level talismans, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, rushed straight towards Feng Yue like meteors.

Feng Yue reacted with astonishing speed, suddenly stepping back to the side. At the same time, a yellow silk umbrella in his hand opened with a "whoosh," and the umbrella surface shone with spiritual light, forming a thick light screen that blocked all the talismans outside.

The explosion of the talisman and the resulting burst of flames made the scars on his face appear even more grotesque and terrifying.

"You brat, you dare to ambush me? Then die first!" With a furious shout, Feng Yue's figure flashed, and his speed suddenly soared to the extreme. Like a ghostly black shadow, he rushed straight at Mu Chunfeng. The air around him was torn apart by his figure, emitting a piercing shriek.

Mu Chunfeng possessed the divine sense of the early Foundation Establishment stage, which was just enough to capture his movement trajectory. However, the opponent's speed was too fast, and there was no time to recall the Li Huo Sword. He could only subconsciously hold the Xuan Jin Shield in front of him.

"Clang! Clang!" Two deafening explosions rang out in succession. Feng Yue's two heavy swords slammed into the Xuanjin Shield. The terrifying force forced Mu Chunfeng to retreat repeatedly, his hands going numb. His internal magic power surged violently, and he almost lost his breath.

Seeing that he could not break through the defense, Feng Yue's eyes flashed even more fiercely. He put away his long sword, grabbed the yellow umbrella with both hands, and smashed it down on Mu Chunfeng with tremendous force.

The two top-tier magical artifacts collided violently, and a blinding burst of spiritual light instantly shattered, sending shockwaves sweeping around and causing the surrounding trees to rustle and shed leaves.

Mu Chunfeng felt a tightness in her chest, a sweet, metallic taste rising in her throat, and her internal energy was being depleted at an accelerated pace.

Han Li was not idle either. Taking advantage of Feng Yue's fierce attack on Mu Chunfeng and his inability to pay attention to other things, Han Li's spiritual power surged at his fingertips. He once again controlled the Golden Fuzi Mother Blade. The nine blades were like a golden torrent, piercing straight into Feng Yue's major acupoints.

Feng Yue snorted coldly, recalled the yellow umbrella with his backhand, and swept it horizontally. With a few crisp clangs, he deflected all the blades. The speed of his reaction and the strength of his power made Han Li frown slightly.

Mu Chunfeng was also angered by the beating. He originally wanted to save his magic power to deal with the subsequent changes, but it seemed that he would not be able to escape without going all out.

He slammed his hand on his storage bag, and the Azure Dragon Flag he had seized from Lu Feng that day was now in his grasp. With a flick of his wrist, a clear dragon's roar echoed through the forest, and a solid dragon-shaped spiritual energy roared out, its scales clearly defined, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced on Feng Yue. Han Li followed closely behind, his figure flashing as he once again engaged in close combat with the mother blade, while the child blades surrounded him from all sides, forming a pincer attack.

Feng Yue's expression changed slightly. Not daring to be careless, he quickly opened the yellow parasol and desperately resisted the impact of the dragon's spiritual power. The spiritual light on the parasol surface fluctuated violently and was almost broken.

The attack from both sides left him momentarily overwhelmed, and his weaknesses gradually became apparent.

A glint flashed in Mu Chunfeng's eyes. Without further hesitation, he poured most of his magical power into the Azure Dragon Banner and hurled it toward Feng Yue.

The Azure Dragon Banner swelled several times in size in the air, transforming into a thick dragon several meters long, with overwhelming momentum and a world-destroying force, as it fiercely crushed towards Feng Yue.

Feng Yue exerted all his strength to activate the Yellow Silk Umbrella, which groaned under the strain, desperately resisting the immense power of the dragon, unable to retreat even half a step.

Seeing this, Han Li understood that this was the best time to kill. He unleashed his spiritual power without reservation and fully activated the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade. The nine blades transformed into an indestructible golden rainbow, carrying a sharp killing intent, and fiercely stabbed towards Feng Yue's unsuspecting back.

At this critical moment of life and death, Feng Yue hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fellow Daoists, wait! Let's talk this out!"

Han Li remained unmoved. He channeled his spiritual power into his fingertips, and with a muffled "pfft," the golden rainbow formed by the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade pierced through his back without any obstruction, emerging from his chest. Hot blood gushed out, splattering all over the ground.

Feng Yue let out a piercing scream, the fierce light in his eyes dimmed instantly, and his body went limp as he collapsed. The yellow parasol and longsword in his hands fell to the ground with a thud, their spiritual light dissipating. Feng Yue, the notorious madman among the seven sects, thus perished at the hands of the two combined.

Whew—Mu Chunfeng and Han Li both breathed a sigh of relief, their nerves, which had been tense for so long, finally relaxed.

Mu Chunfeng raised her hand and rubbed her temples, forcibly calming the surging magical power and agitated mind within her body; Han Li's face was slightly pale. Having encountered two top-tier Qi Refining stage enemies, Duobao Nu and Feng Yue, in succession, he still felt lingering fear, and his fingertips were still slightly cold.

After catching his breath, Mu Chunfeng walked towards the corpse of Duobao Nu. With a flick of his fingertips, he snatched the storage bag from her waist. He then walked to Feng Yue's corpse, turned to Han Li, and said calmly, "Junior Brother Han, how about we divide these two treasures equally?"

Han Li thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement—in this fierce battle, both of them had given their all, so it was only reasonable for them to divide the treasure equally.

The female cultivator from Huangfeng Valley standing to the side was looking at the two of them with her big, watery eyes, her face full of expectation.

Mu Chunfeng glanced at her, secretly thinking: She hid in the back the whole time without lifting a hand or exerting any effort. Did she really want to get a share of the pie?

Before the two could even count their treasures and break down their loot, hurried footsteps suddenly came from afar. Two disciples dressed in the attire of the Spirit Beast Mountain rushed over. Upon seeing Mu Chunfeng and his companions, they ran towards them without hesitation, clearly intending to take advantage of the chaos while the two were exhausted.

Before Han Li and the female cultivator could react, Mu Chunfeng flicked her fingertips, and twenty mid-level talismans flew out instantly, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, heading straight for the two disciples of the Spirit Beast Mountain.

The two had assumed that after the great battle, the remaining people would be exhausted and were only thinking about taking advantage of the situation. They did not expect Mu Chunfeng to act so swiftly, throwing twenty talismans with a wave of his hand.

Because of the distance, and because Mu Chunfeng only did it casually and did not use his full power, although he did not kill the two on the spot, he still blasted them into dust and blackened clothes. They scrambled backward and fled, never daring to look back.

Han Li watched the talisman flames slowly dissipate across the sky, a hint of helplessness flashing across his face. He thought to himself: It's good that I can draw talismans; I really don't feel the slightest bit of heartache when I scatter them.

After a brief discussion, Mu Chunfeng took out a high-level defensive magic artifact and five defensive talismans from his storage bag and handed them to the female cultivator, saying in a calm tone, "Junior sister, the depths of the forbidden area are too dangerous. You should go back to the outer perimeter of the forbidden area and stay there safely. These things are enough to protect you."

After saying that, he told her to leave as soon as possible. The female cultivator took the things, bowed and thanked him, and turned to walk towards the outer perimeter.

But just as she turned around, Mu Chunfeng flashed, his fingertips pointing like knives, and delivered a precise chop to the back of her neck. The female cultivator didn't even have time to cry out before she softly fainted.

Upon seeing this, Han Li froze, his expression instantly tense, and he subconsciously reached for the storage bag at his waist.

Seeing this, Mu Chunfeng sighed and quickly explained, "Junior Brother Han, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to kill her. It's just that she just witnessed me unleashing the Azure Dragon Banner. The origin of this banner cannot be revealed. I'm afraid that after she leaves the Blood Forbidden Zone, she might inadvertently reveal this matter, causing unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing this, Han Li suddenly realized what was happening, and his tense nerves instantly relaxed, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Mu Chunfeng then asked Han Li for a Forget-Me-Not Pill, pried open the female cultivator's mouth and fed it to her, then placed her in the tree hole where Han Li had previously hidden, and set up two concealment talismans at the entrance of the hole to ensure that she would not be discovered by other cultivators.

Afterwards, Mu Chunfeng and Han Li thoroughly cleaned up the battlefield traces and, following the map of the forbidden area, slowly headed towards the Stone Forest, intending to go together to the bronze gate in the northeast of the central area to enter the core area of ​​the forbidden area.

On the way, the two divided up all their spoils: Mu Chunfeng received the Spirit-Eroding Crystal Ball and the Yellow Silk Umbrella, two top-tier magic artifacts, while Han Li took the Azure Condensation Mirror and the Cloud-Stepping Boots; the spirit stones, talismans, and spiritual herbs in the two storage bags were divided equally between the two.

As expected, both Duobao Nu and Feng Yue had a Foundation Establishment Pill in their storage bags, which was naturally one for each person, a fair distribution.

The only thing Han Li initially cared about was the mysterious golden page he found in Feng Yue's storage bag, which he wanted to add to his possession.

Mu Chunfeng voluntarily gave up most of the talismans and spirit stones, and Han Li gave up the competition accordingly. After all, he had no idea what the use of this inconspicuous golden page was, and it was not worth arguing with the powerful Mu Chunfeng for a thin piece of unknown use.

The two traveled at high speed for several hours and arrived at the Stone Forest, where they unexpectedly discovered Han Yunzhi hiding in a crevice in the rocks.

Upon seeing the two, Han Yunzhi's eyes flashed with surprise, and she quickly emerged from the crevice in the rocks. Han Li spoke first, asking calmly, "Junior Sister Han, why were you hiding here?"

Upon hearing this, Han Yunzhi's eyes reddened slightly, and she said pitifully, "I've lost my storage bag and map, and I don't know where to go. I can only find a secluded place to hide first, lest I encounter any misfortune."

Seeing her like this, Han Li couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. He whispered a few words to Mu Chunfeng and finally decided to take her along.

Afterwards, the three of them traveled together, heading towards the entrance to the central area of ​​the forbidden zone.

During the journey, Han Yunzhi suddenly spoke up and said softly, "Senior brothers, I entered the forbidden area this time only to find a Blazing Sun Flower. Could you two help me and accompany me in the search?"

Then, with tears in her eyes, Han Yunzhi explained that she was looking for the Blazing Sun Flower to save her brother, who was suffering from a strange poison.

Han Li immediately nodded in agreement, intending to accompany Han Yunzhi to find the Blazing Sun Flower.

Mu Chunfeng smiled and politely declined, "I won't go. With Junior Brother Han there, I'm sure he can protect Junior Sister Han. I have some personal matters to attend to and need to go to a place to collect some spiritual herbs, so I won't keep you two any longer."

Upon hearing this, Han Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief—not traveling with Mu Chunfeng actually made him feel much more at ease.

He always felt that being with Mu Chunfeng was particularly "unlucky": that time when Senior Brother Lu took away one of his long-cherished Foundation Establishment Pills; and when they met by chance in the forbidden area, he encountered Duobao Nu and Feng Yue, two of the top Qi Refining stage enemies among the seven sects.

Although the two got along fairly well, and Mu Chunfeng didn't harm him, Han Li still harbored a lingering sense of wariness towards him.