Lian Yunzhi originally planned to return to the Lian Family first before casually finding a place teeming with demon beasts for some training. However, just as he descended Spirit Mountain, Fang Tianxin’s Voice Transmission Jade Token lit up again.
“Did you have any nightmares last night?” Fang Tianxin’s voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.
“No.” Lian Yunzhi raised an eyebrow. “Did you? Weren’t you not meeting Mu Cheng last night? If I guessed right, you took a Clear Heart Pill last night too.”
Fang Tianxin: “……”
Fang Tianxin: “……Let’s not talk about that. Did you know the Xiao Yun Mountain Secret Realm has been taken by the Chen Family? I heard it’s officially theirs in seven days, and after that, you can only enter but not leave. Everyone’s planning one last run through it. Are you going?”
Go? How could he not?
After witnessing the miraculous healing effects of that purple-gold Immortal Pill, Lian Yunzhi had wanted to explore that cave again. If he could find another purple-gold Immortal Pill, it would be like having an extra life.
Lian Yunzhi immediately turned around and went to rendezvous with Fang Tianxin.
As for why he didn’t head to the Xiao Yun Mountain Secret Realm alone?
Well… he had reached Foundation Establishment Peak, so how could he not inform his best friend?
.
Fang Tianxin was now at Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation and still couldn’t perform Imperial Sword Flight, so he was gathered at the Relay Station outside the city with a group of Qi Refining Stage fellow cultivators, waiting to board the “Qi Refining Bird.”
The “Qi Refining Bird” was an enormously massive bird with pitch-black feathers, a flat back evenly covered in hard scales, and a docile temperament with almost no offensive capabilities.
Several years ago, a Qi Refining cultivator encountered it in an open small secret realm and formed a contract with it. The cultivator thought he’d gained a powerful combat asset due to its size, but the giant bird turned out unsuitable for battle and only good for carrying passengers.
The cultivator wasn’t disappointed and instead started a passenger transport business, making a fortune. The business boomed so much that cultivators came and went frequently, gradually forming a not-insignificant Cultivation Market around the Relay Station.
This nameless giant bird, always laden with Qi Refining Stage cultivators, was jokingly called the “Qi Refining Bird” by the cultivators.
When Lian Yunzhi arrived, Fang Tianxin was picking out seat cushions at the Cultivation Market with two fellow cultivators.
“The scales on the Qi Refining Bird’s back are getting harder and harder. Last time, it wore a big hole in my robe. This time, I need to pick a good cushion…”
The blue-clothed cultivator muttered to himself for a while without response. Puzzled, he looked up and saw his companions staring in one direction with earth-shattering expressions: “Lian Yunzhi… Foundation Establishment Peak…”
“Lian Yunzhi! You’re at Foundation Establishment Peak!”
No one was more shocked than Fang Tianxin. Last night, this guy was only at Foundation Establishment Mid Stage—how was he at Peak today?! He tossed aside the cushion in his hand and strode toward Lian Yunzhi, who had just jumped down from his flying sword. He itched to grab his shoulders and shake: How did you do it? Teach me quick!
Lian Yunzhi gave Fang Tianxin a look that said, “I’ll explain in detail when fewer people are around,” and merely said calmly, “I luckily encountered some fortuitous opportunity.”
He then nodded to the other two cultivators in greeting: “Long time no see.”
These two were also acquaintances. The one in blue robes was Mu Cheng’s cousin, Mu Qinglin—one of the people who accompanied Mu Cheng in fighting crickets eight years ago.
The other was Chen Zhiyuan from the Chen Family. The Xiao Yun Mountain Secret Realm they were heading to had been seized by his family, but rumor had it the Chen Family rules were strict, requiring family disciples to hand over sixty percent of their gains from the secret realm. That explained Chen Zhiyuan’s presence—he was taking advantage of the tax-free period to grab more.
Mu Qinglin and Chen Zhiyuan: “……Long time no see. Congratulations on breaking through to Foundation Establishment Peak.”
Lian Yunzhi: “Thanks.”
Mu Qinglin and Chen Zhiyuan exchanged a glance, reading the despair in each other’s eyes.
—First Mu Cheng was gone, and now Lian Yunzhi showed up.
—Heavens, are you going to let us ordinary-Spiritual Root cultivators live?!
Fang Tianxin, Chen Zhiyuan, and Mu Qinglin hailed from the Fang Family, Chen Family, and Mu Family among the Four Great Families, respectively. Dressed plainly and using folding fans to partially cover their faces, they hadn’t drawn much attention. But with Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator Lian Yunzhi’s appearance, the other three’s identities were instantly exposed, sparking endless discussions. Some even wanted to crowd over for chit-chat.
To escape the fuss, the four turned and entered a shop.
The shop was a chain store run by the Fang Family. As soon as the four entered, the shopkeeper closed the doors and cleared out the customers, leaving a quiet space for the young masters.
With no one around, the four spoke freely. Chen Zhiyuan opened with, “Mu Qinglin, I heard your cousin went missing—is that true?”
Mu Qinglin frowned, his tone laced with disgust: “That wild bastard isn’t my cousin.”
After a pause, he added, “He really did go missing. Grandfather figured blood is blood after all, so he sent people this morning to prepare his corpse. But the body was gone.”
Lian Yunzhi’s fingers paused while browsing fabrics.
Fang Tianxin, shocked, mouthed to Lian Yunzhi: No way, did you bury Mu Cheng?
Lian Yunzhi: “……”
Fang Tianxin rubbed his chin, pondered, then mouthed silently: Or did they drag him back to feed to demon beasts?
Lian Yunzhi ignored him, trailing his fingers over a row of clothes as he said to the shopkeeper, “Package all these up for me, and these shoes and socks too.”
Fang Tianxin stared at the clothes and shoes that clearly didn’t match Lian Yunzhi’s tastes or size, his eyes widening bit by bit.
“What if he didn’t die and escaped?” Chen Zhiyuan asked from the side.
“Impossible.” Mu Qinglin’s tone was certain, his expression light. “His Spiritual Root was crippled, his meridians shattered, and as a mortal, he took eighty-one lashes of the Soul-Stirring Bone-Shattering Whip. Unless an Immortal Pill appeared, there’s no way he survived the night.”
“And these too—package them all up.” Lian Yunzhi pointed to another row of undergarments and fabrics. “All the fabric in this color as well.”
The shopkeeper moved swiftly, soon packing everything and handing it to Lian Yunzhi, who stored it in his Storage Bracelet.
Fang Tianxin’s gaze suddenly fixed on Lian Yunzhi’s finger, his expression odd: “You got… bitten?”
Lian Yunzhi looked down at his index finger. After advancing to Foundation Establishment Peak, the severe bite wound had healed considerably, leaving only a faint itch, but the tooth marks were still clearly visible—definitely a bite.
