Refining Ruins Cauldron

After cleaning up the mess, the two set off together, heading deeper into the secret realm.

The sooner the better; the earlier you prepare, the greater your chances of success.

Gu Qingyun simply let the corpse puppet Xuanse follow behind him. Even just standing there, this late-stage Foundation Establishment fighter was extremely intimidating.

Xu Qingran was extremely envious.

The dark aura was exceptionally powerful, and crucially, it felt no pain or discomfort, showing no fear of death—a veritable killing machine.

This deterrent power is unparalleled.

"I really envy my junior brother's luck."

In response, Gu Qingyun said calmly, "This is all thanks to Elder Wei's favor."

These words completely blocked Xu Qing's path forward, leaving him with no choice but to laugh awkwardly, put his mind at ease, and continue on his way.

Along the way, they encountered many spirit beasts, but their strength was much weaker than before.

Moreover, spirit beasts are not stupid; under normal circumstances, they will not recklessly throw their lives away.

After dealing with several powerful Foundation Establishment spirit beasts, the others dared not offend them anymore.

That saved a lot of trouble.

After several collaborations, Gu Qingyun could tell that Xu Qingran had been hiding her true abilities.

Her strength at the late Foundation Establishment stage was undoubtedly genuine; none of those spirit beasts could withstand a single blow from her.

However, she wasn't the only one who knew how to hide.

The two have only recently started working together, so it's still unknown how much of what they say is true or false.

Gu Qingyun wouldn't be foolish enough to truly open up to him.

As for dividing the Daoist Spirit Fruit equally, Gu Qingyun simply ignored that as nonsense.

Faced with such tempting opportunities, how many cultivators could resist?

It's entirely possible that they might commit murder and robbery, and seize everything for themselves.

Let's go and see.

If there is any disturbance, self-preservation is the best policy.

In the blink of an eye, a day has passed.

The two sped along and finally arrived at Taiyi Canyon.

The mountains here are continuous and varied in height, with many cliffs and steep ridges, and the drop is extremely large.

As soon as he reached the entrance, Gu Qingyun sensed something was amiss.

"This fluctuation...it's an array!"

With just one glance, Gu Qingyun recognized the function of the formation in front of him—to prohibit flight!

Once inside the canyon, even a Golden Core expert would have to proceed on foot!

What surprised Gu Qingyun the most was that the formation spread throughout the entire canyon!

How terrifying must the person who set up the formation be to be able to support such a large area?

"A fifth-grade Wind-Stabilizing Formation?! Impressive!"

Just then, a voice came from behind them, and Gu Qingyun and the other looked over warily.

There was a group of more than a dozen people, all dressed in the same Liuli Sect attire.

The one who spoke just now was the pale-faced young man at the head of the group, holding a folding fan, with an elegant demeanor, as he slowly walked towards them.

The other party's attention seemed to be focused on Xu Qingran, so the two must have met before.

"Fairy Qingran, I never expected to meet you again."

The pale-faced youth smiled indifferently, completely ignoring Gu Qingyun.

Xu Qingran clearly didn't like this person. She frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed Gu Qingyun's arm, looking quite intimate.

"Zhao Qingshan, we don't seem to know each other very well, do we?"

This incident nearly made Zhao Qingshan sick with anger, and his face immediately darkened.

His gaze finally fell on Gu Qingyun, a hint of resentment in his eyes, and he gave a disdainful smile.

"Oh, so there's a disciple of the Longevity Sect here?"

"Gu Qingyun".

Gu Qingyun simply stated his name and didn't bother to explain anything else.

If others don't like him, there's no need for him to try to please them.

However, it was the faint fragrance emanating from beside him and the unique softness that caught Gu Qingyun's attention more.

However, Xu Qingran seemed to be deliberately trying to provoke Zhao Qingshan, and while they were talking, she leaned closer to Gu Qingyun.

The boy nearly burst into flames; the resentment in his eyes turned icy cold, concealing murderous intent.

Instead of resisting, Gu Qingyun took the opportunity to pull Xu Qingran into his arms, his fingers tracing her waist.

I must say, it's quite soft.

This girl is using him as a shield, so why should he be polite?

The sudden initiative startled Xu Qingran, causing her body to stiffen involuntarily.

She turned her head and looked at Gu Qingyun with surprise in her beautiful eyes.

Although my actions were not very ethical, the way I took advantage of this situation was far too blatant.

Seeing Gu Qingyun's nonchalant expression, Xu Qingran's face flushed slightly.

This guy!

He's not as honest as he seems on the surface!

"Senior sister, if you're going to act, then don't give yourself away, or this silly boy will see through it."

Gu Qingyun deliberately transmitted his voice.

Xu Qingran didn't believe a word of this. She glared at Gu Qingyun reproachfully, her eyes full of threat.

Wait!

If you dare take advantage of me, you'll regret it later!

Xu Qingran took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and managed a slightly strained smile, her pretty face flushing.

In Zhao Qingshan's eyes, this coy behavior was clearly flirting!

His anger surged straight to the top of his head!

His face was so black it looked like ink could drip from it.

"Gu Qingyun? Never heard of him. Is he some useless nobody from some backwater corner of the Longevity Sect? A mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to speak to me?!"

Zhao Qingshan snorted coldly, no longer caring about saving face.

Upon hearing this, the disciples of the Glazed Tile School behind him all looked on with predatory eyes, ready to pounce.

At a single command, the crowd swarmed forward, determined to deal with this useless member of the Longevity Sect first.

Despite Zhao Qingshan's elegant demeanor and refined manner, his cultivation level is undoubtedly at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, just one step away from the completion of Foundation Establishment. His strength goes without saying.

A terrifying pressure swept over him, directly confronting Gu Qingyun.

"You little beast, it's not too late to retreat now. Don't blame us for not giving you a chance!"

"A piece of trash dares to enter the Taiyi Secret Realm? So eager to die?"

"Hmph! Senior Brother Zhao, why are you wasting your breath talking to him!"

The disciples of the Glazed Tile School spoke in unison, mocking Gu Qingyun and adopting a murderous stance.

Gu Qingyun remained expressionless, but his eyes turned completely cold.

All I did was hug your sweetheart.

Why are you in such a hurry to take your own life?

Not to mention, Xu Qingran has absolutely no interest in you.

Peak late-stage Foundation Establishment, what incredible skill!

Gu Qingyun sneered inwardly, but had no intention of sticking his neck out.

Zhao Qingshan is a scoundrel, and Xu Qingran beside him is no better, at least not at the moment.

He didn't speak, but he didn't loosen his grip on the beauty either. He subtly took half a step back, protecting Xu Qingran in front of him.

Others might not notice, but Xu Qingran certainly did.

They were immediately dumbfounded.

You little bastard, you not only took advantage of me, but you're also trying to hide!

Is he even a man?!

Gu Qingyun didn't care about any of that and completely ignored Xu Qingran's resentful gaze.

How could a mere Foundation Establishment stage cultivator like myself possibly defeat so many members of the Glazed Tile Sect?

Not to mention, there is also a prodigy at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

It's understandable to want to protect yourself and stay out of the way.

In Zhao Qingshan's view, the two were clearly exchanging glances, which made him so angry that his neck turned red.

With repeated provocations, do they really think I wouldn't dare to kill them?!

"Want to die?! Then I'll grant your wish!"

Swish!

A flash of cold light appeared, and a gleaming black longsword materialized out of thin air. Zhao Qingshan's aura surged, and his killing intent was fully revealed!

A magical artifact!

Moreover, the quality is not low; it should be considered mid-range.

Zhao Qingshan took a step forward suddenly, his spiritual energy emanating a faint blue color, indicating that he possessed a wood spiritual root.

Just as they were about to attack Gu Qingyun, at that very moment...

"How dare you, a lowly member of the Glazed Tile Sect, act so presumptuously!"