Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

It was past midnight when Yi Yang left the Huajian Alliance.

At this time, the streets of Dongcheng were gradually becoming more crowded, the steam from the wonton stalls rose into the air, and the vendors were shouting their wares at the top of their lungs.

Yi Yang walked through three main streets and turned into a narrow alley. He changed out of his official robes, put on a gray cloth outer garment, and put the token into his inner pocket to disguise himself.

When he left the city, the guard glanced at his temporary pass and didn't ask any questions, clearly not recognizing Yi Yang.

Qingfeng Ridge is located on the official road from the prefectural city to Qingzhou. It is at least a hundred miles from the prefectural city to Qingfeng Ridge.

Without riding a horse, Yi Yang swiftly used the "Crossing the River by Touching Water" technique and ran north along the official road.

About half an hour later, he looked around and turned onto a side road leading to the mountains.

The road narrowed and the trees on both sides grew denser, and the outline of Qingfeng Ridge emerged from among the trees.

Ning Xiong's case file clearly states that Ding Xiang died on a gentle slope on the east side of Qingfeng Ridge.

When Yiyang arrived, the sun was already high in the sky.

The slope is gentle, surrounded on three sides by low trees, and directly opposite is a gravel path leading up the ridge.

The terrain is open and offers a good view, but there are no natural hiding places on either side.

The sentence Ning Xiong had written in his notes came to mind: "Given Ding Xiang's perception range, it's impossible for him to be within ten paces before discovering the ambush. Unless he was lured to a specific location."

Yi Yang squatted down and placed his palms on the ground.

His spiritual energy spread outwards from his body, probing in all directions, trying to see if there were any remaining clues.

The area of ​​two hundred zhang encompassed the entire gentle slope and the surrounding woodland.

There is no residual true energy.

There was no trace of internal force.

The soil on the ground was loose, and a year's worth of rain had washed everything clean.

There were no old wounds on the tree roots, and no gaps left by splitting were visible on the stone surface.

Yi Yang stood up and walked around the gentle slope.

When a True Qi Realm expert makes a move, it's impossible for them to leave no trace.

A fist strike can shatter a rock two people high, and the sweeping aftershock of a sword strike can cut down a large tree. It can be said that a battle between experts at the True Qi Realm will produce a great commotion.

But no trace was left here.

It was excessively clean.

"This is not the primary scene of Ding Xiang's death," Yi Yang concluded in his mind.

This cannot be simply explained by the passage of time. There are absolutely no signs of fighting here. If a fierce battle had taken place here a year ago, there would have been some damage to the environment.

You should know that Ding Xiang is a martial artist in the mid-stage of True Qi. He can detect the movement of anyone within a hundred feet of him.

Unless the one who makes the move is a martial artist far stronger than him, it would be possible to resolve the situation quietly, but is that even possible?

Yi Yang was unsure how many True Qi Realm leaders the Nine Evil Sects had around the city, or whether there were any martial artists at the late or perfect True Qi Realm stage.

Based on his observations at the scene, he could only conclude that this was not the primary location where Ding Xiang died.

He arrived too late; there was nothing more he could receive at the scene.

But it wasn't entirely fruitless.

Since Ding Xiang didn't die here, it means there are still variables. Once we find the location where the Nine Evil Cult members took their own lives, the truth will come out.

Yi Yang did not rush to leave Qingfeng Ridge. He walked up the gentle slope and followed the gravel path deeper into the ridge.

Ning Xiong noted in the case file that Ding Xiang ultimately deviated from the original official road and turned towards Qingfeng Ridge.

What could possibly attract a mid-stage True Qi expert here?

As you climb higher, the path becomes increasingly difficult, with loose stones turning into jagged rocks and low trees becoming dense forests.

Yi Yang walked for about 15 minutes and crossed a mountain ridge.

He stopped in his tracks.

Because the hillside in front sloped down, through the gaps in the trees, one could see movement halfway up another low hill on the opposite side.

There's something there.

Yi Yang narrowed his eyes, his powerful mental energy probing in that direction.

Hidden halfway up the low hill opposite is a building.

It's not an exaggeration to say that it's hidden.

The building was mostly hidden by the surrounding pine forest, and its roof was covered with dark gray tiles, which were similar in color to the rocks.

If it weren't for the fact that Yiyang Station's location allows you to look down through the gaps in the trees, most people wouldn't even notice it.

Sensing that something was wrong, Yi Yang stood still.

Located thirty miles from the official road, Qingfeng Ridge is not considered a desolate wilderness, and there are quite a few merchants and martial artists coming and going.

But he had never heard anyone mention this building.

There was no indication of this in Ning Xiong's case file.

Yi Yang's mind raced. A hidden building deep in Qingfeng Ridge, right next to the site of Ding Xiang's murder.

coincidence?

Sixty years of survival experience taught Yi Yang that there are no such coincidences in this world.

He didn't go directly there.

We retreated to the back of the ridge and found a sheltered spot to sit down.

The "Hidden Breath Without Form Technique" is activated, drawing the true essence of Yi Wood into the depths of the meridians, and pressing down layer by layer the Qi on the body's surface.

He was reduced from the mid-stage of True Qi to the first level of Inner Qi.

Then, the pressure is applied from the first level of internal energy to the third level of qi and blood.

In the end, he became an ordinary mortal who looked like he was going up the mountain to collect herbs.

The whole process took less than ten breaths. After it was done, even Yi Yang's breathing rhythm changed, and the rise and fall of his chest was no different from that of an ordinary old farmer.

After confirming that he had finished gathering his breath, Yi Yang got up and took a detour.

Instead of taking a straight route, he descended the slope from the north side of the ridge, passed through a dense forest, and then circled up the back slope of the opposite low mountain.

We walked for almost half an hour longer than usual.

But this road avoids any possible sightings from the front.

Yi Yang followed the edge of the pine forest and reached the back of the building.

It wasn't until we got closer that we could see the whole picture.

That wasn't a building, but a small temple.

The courtyard wall was built of rough stones and was no more than six feet high. There were no iron nails or broken pieces of porcelain on the top of the wall. The main gate faced south, and an old wooden plaque hung above the lintel.

"Zhenwaji Temple".

The three characters were carved in a fairly standard manner, but most of the paint had peeled off, making it look quite old.

Yi Yang crouched in a clump of bushes outside the back wall, spreading his mental energy.

The temple is small, with two courtyards. In the front are the main hall and a side hall, and in the back are the monks' quarters and a kitchen.

In the middle of the courtyard stands a crooked pine tree, with a stone table and benches placed beneath it.

Then Yi Yang frowned.

There are people in the temple.

Fourteen.

Fourteen auras, all belonging to martial artists.

The weakest level is Qi and Blood, level four; the strongest level is Internal Qi, level two.

This desolate temple has fourteen martial arts monks.

Yi Yang's hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of the Xuan Yuan sword behind his back.

He quickly went through it in his mind.

He had seen many temples, large and small, from Yunlin County to Suining Prefecture.

It's not uncommon for monks in reputable temples to practice martial arts, but the proportion wouldn't be this high. In a small temple with only a dozen or so people, everyone was a martial artist, the strongest of whom was at the second level of internal energy cultivation.

This configuration would be enough to form an elite squad in the Sky Patrol Division.

Yi Yang slowed his breathing a little, then huddled motionless in the bushes.

No rush, let's see if there are any other issues first.

From afternoon until dusk, Yi Yang remained crouched outside the back wall.

During these few hours, the monks' activities were very regular. They chanted scriptures in the morning, practiced martial arts in the afternoon, and ate dinner at dusk. During their martial arts practice, one could hear the dull thuds of fists and feet striking wooden stakes, the force of which was not light.

But no one left the temple.

Fourteen people were locked inside the courtyard, with no contact with the outside world.

After dark, a few oil lamps were lit in the temple.

Yi Yang moved to a lower spot in the back corner, pressing his ear against the wall.

Two monks were talking in the courtyard.

The sound wasn't loud, but Yi Yang's five senses were operating at the True Qi Realm level, so he heard it clearly.

"Has the host not returned yet?"

"He went out this morning, taking Wu'an and Wujue with him. He said he was going down the mountain to run some errands."

"What is it?"

"He didn't say. Don't pry into his hosting duties."

"I wasn't asking, just casually. The batch of medicinal herbs that were moved in yesterday hasn't been sorted yet, and since the head of the household isn't here, we don't know where to put them."

"Just put them in the warehouse."

"The warehouse is locked."

"Then let's wait until the host comes back before we talk about it."

The two stopped talking and their footsteps dispersed.

Yi Yang chewed over this conversation twice in the darkness.

The host led his people out, and the medicinal herbs and warehouse were locked.

A deserted temple with a special storeroom for storing medicinal herbs.

Moreover, the host personally locked the warehouse door.

Yi Yang leaned his back against the wall and adjusted to a comfortable position.

He planned to wait until the host returned before taking advantage of the opportunity to eliminate them all.

It's past midnight.

Most of the lights in the temple had been turned off, and the sound of snoring could be heard from the monks' quarters.

Two monks on night duty sat at the entrance of the main hall in the front courtyard, taking a walk around the courtyard every few quarters of an hour.

Yi Yang's spiritual power was like a net, encompassing all the movements and disturbances within the entire temple.

Early midnight.

Footsteps came from the direction of the mountain road.

three people.

The leader had a deep and powerful aura, and his internal energy flowed smoothly and forcefully.

Three levels of internal energy.

Yi Yang's eyelids twitched slightly.

It turned out to be a monk abbot with the third level of internal energy.

Hidden within this dilapidated temple is a powerful expert at the third level of internal energy.

The three entered through the main gate. The monk on night duty went to greet them and whispered a few words of report.

The host's voice was very low, and he only replied with two words: "Understood."

Then the three parted ways. The two monks who went out with the abbot returned to their respective quarters, while the abbot walked alone to the backyard.

Yi Yang heard the sound of the carrying pole being put down and the dull thud of the box hitting the ground. They had returned with their goods.

The host didn't stop, passing through the moon gate in the backyard and entering the innermost separate room.

The door closed.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Yi Yang waited another quarter of an hour.

After confirming that everyone in the temple was breathing steadily, he climbed over the back wall.

It landed silently.

With his boots treading on the soft mud, Yi Yang moved close to the shadow of the wall.

The backyard was small, with three monks' quarters lined up in a row. The innermost one was five or six steps away from the others, and there was a low fence in front of it.

The host's room.

Yi Yang approached and probed in with his spiritual power.

Inside the room were a bed, a desk, and an oil lamp that had been recently extinguished. Thin wisps of smoke were still rising from the wick.

but--

nobody.

Yi Yang stopped in his tracks.

He checked it again.

There was no sign of life inside. No heartbeat, no breathing, not even the faintest fluctuation of internal energy.

The room was empty.

Just a few breaths ago, Yi Yang heard the door close with his own ears.

Since then, there has been no second sound of the door opening, no sound of the window being pushed open, and no trace of anyone leaving.

A master with three levels of internal energy entered the room and closed the door.

Then the person disappeared.

Yi Yang leaned against the wall, his palm resting on the hilt of Xuan Yuan's sword, the turbidity in his eyes fading.

The water here is deeper than he thought.