Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Then, Yang Ling flashed to the old man's door and gently knocked.

The old man's voice came from inside very quickly: "I'm cultivating. If it's just a trivial matter, Young Master Yang, you should forget about it. I don't have the time for that." Yang Ling scratched his head at the old man's words, probably because he was afraid of being bossed around by him recently. He said calmly, "This time, I mainly wanted to ask you for a favor. Now that the matter has been resolved, I naturally don't need your help anymore. It's another important matter."

For a long time, there was no sound from the old man inside. After a while, the old man finally said, "Are you sure? If you're lying to me, then hand over all the treasures."

The old man knew that Yang Ling valued those treasures highly, and that he had quite a few good things on him.

Clearly, he wouldn't dare to easily believe Yang Ling's words without offering some incentives.

There was no other way. Yang Ling had called him out to deal with so many people recently. Even though he was strong, he couldn't be used like this.

Yang Ling didn't treat him like a human being at all. He couldn't let him work himself to death and not get any benefits, could he?

Yang Ling coughed lightly and said, "Senior, you weren't like this before. Give me back the innocent and adorable senior you used to be. You didn't say this when you made your vows to me. Besides, I'm planning to go back to the Qin family now, and I'd like to invite you along. What do you think?"

Yang Ling casually brushed it off, mainly because he was afraid the old man would keep asking him for more benefits, which wouldn't do.

The next second, the old man opened the door, stared intently at Yang Ling, and asked, "Why did you have to go back? If you ask me, the spiritual energy in the Qin family's place isn't as rich as this. Even the Yun family can't compare to this place. Why do you want to go back? Isn't it good here?"

"I have some good news for you. It's said that some treasures are about to appear in the world. Don't you want to get a piece of the pie? You can get whatever you want inside. Such a good opportunity, aren't you tempted?" The old man frowned slightly. How could Yang Ling possibly know about such a good thing?
He would really like to go if he did as Yang Ling said, but he was also a little worried that Yang Ling was fooling him and making a fool of him.

"You're not trying to fool me, are you? Even though I'm old, I'm not that easy to fool. Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Yang Ling appeared very sincere, her eyes watery.

"Senior, aren't you being a bit too harsh? Would I really lie to you? How could I possibly lie to you?" The old man turned his head to the side, ignoring Yang Ling.

After all, Yang Ling had lied to him quite a few times, so he couldn't trust her at all. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Alright, when are we leaving? When are you planning to leave?" Anyway, he really wanted such a good opportunity, so why not take it now?

Yang Ling patted the old man on the shoulder and said, word by word, "Pack your things, we'll be leaving soon. After all, it's such a good opportunity, we have to act quickly, or the things will be gone." The old man was stunned by Yang Ling's words, and while he didn't believe him at all, he didn't believe him at all.

Yang Ling then prepared to bid farewell to the Chen family head, giving him some instructions and making arrangements before going to find Qin Xiaoxiao. As for Ying Zheng, he was still engrossed in cultivation, and Yang Ling couldn't do anything about it, so he had no choice but to prevent him from going. Qin Xiaoxiao appeared quite indifferent, saying, "You guys go yourselves. I don't have that much energy. Besides, it would be quite boring to accompany you."

"Then I might have to trouble you. You know the situation here is rather complicated, and we're worried about encountering something on the road. We'll need your help." Qin Xiaoxiao glared at Yang Ling and said, "Don't give me that. Just get out of my sight."

Hearing Qin Xiaoxiao's words, Yang Ling finally felt relieved. He knew Qin Xiaoxiao's temperament all too well; this girl was the type to be stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. It was impossible for her not to care, but on the surface she would pretend to be indifferent.

A slight smile played on his lips as he led the old man away. Along the way, they saw many people attempting to break through the outer barrier. However, this barrier was not so easily breached. Seeing this, the old man couldn't help but sigh.

"These people are really going all out to get what's inside; their madness is beyond words!"

"Judging from their posture, what they want involves an astonishing amount of profit!" the old man couldn't help but sigh. That's precisely why they racked their brains and tried every possible way to break the barrier. Unfortunately, everything they did was in vain. Even so, these people remained undeterred, constantly devising ways to get in. Seeing this, Yang Ling quickly reminded the old man.

"When we go out, we must be as quiet as possible, otherwise we'll easily attract attention. You've taken care of so many people before, which has already made some people wary. They've definitely been watching you secretly, haven't you noticed?" The old man's lips twitched, inexplicably feeling that Yang Ling's words were utterly offensive. Sometimes, he really wanted to teach Yang Ling a lesson, but in the end, he held back.

Yang Ling first went to the Sword Sect. The Sword Sect was some distance from the Chen family, and after a long journey, he finally found the Sword Sect Master. The Sword Sect Master was somewhat surprised to see Yang Ling. After all, he had heard that Yang Ling had been doing very well lately, and that he actually had the time to come here.

"What brings you here? What do you need me for?"

"I've heard all the news. Our situation is all over the place, everyone knows about it, and even different forces from other places are eyeing us covetously. Haven't you considered that?" Yang Ling felt compelled to remind the Sword Sect Master. The Sword Sect Master had been incredibly busy lately, and looked quite haggard. Yang Ling noticed his exhaustion but remained calm; it wasn't surprising to him.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Please don't think like that. I never even considered that possibility, right? Anyway, things are completely different from what you imagine. We still need to clarify things, right?" Yang Ling comforted the Sword Sect Master, though he knew perfectly well what was going on, he just didn't show it. He actually quite disliked being suspected. After a long while, Yang Ling finally spoke.

“I may have to leave for a while and won’t be staying here for a period of time. I’ve heard that a priceless treasure is about to appear in the world, and I plan to go and try to win it. Such a good opportunity cannot be missed easily, otherwise it would be such a pity!” he said, emphasizing each word.

Upon hearing Yang Ling's words, the Sword Sect Master didn't show much surprise, as he had already expected it and didn't find it particularly strange. Before leaving, Yang Ling even planned to leave something for the Sword Sect Master, just in case.

"I specially left some things for you, which happens to coincide with the fact that your Sword Sect is slowly developing."

"I especially hope that one day I can see your Sword Sect become even stronger than those other forces!" When Yang Ling took out those things, the Sword Sect Master was completely stunned when he looked at the elixirs and herbs laid out in front of him. No way, Yang Ling had given him a huge surprise; he hadn't expected this at all.

He swallowed hard, taking a long time to recover. "How did you do that? I'm so curious about what you've been through to have so many good things. It's truly impressive!" He stared intently at Yang Ling. Yang Ling, however, felt it was nothing special; these things were just a drop in the ocean for him. The old man stood to the side, his facial muscles twitching slightly. In truth, anyone who had met Yang Ling knew that this was indeed just a drop in the ocean for him, far from ordinary.

"Indeed, it's just a drop in the ocean. For him, it's a piece of cake." The old man's words made Yang Ling glare at him. If he didn't speak, no one would think he was mute. Yang Ling smiled and took out some more things. When the Sword Sect Master saw Yang Ling take out more things, he quickly waved his hand, indicating that it was enough, and that this much stuff was sufficient.

Yang Ling nodded. "That's good, since that's enough."

"Alright, I'll be going now. These things should be enough for you for a while. Focus on your cultivation; I don't know how long it will be before I'm back!" Yang Ling's words made the Sword Sect Master gasp. They didn't intend to linger any longer and left immediately.

After all, without some strength, it would take a lot of effort to go back and forth like this. Yang Ling remained very calm.

Watching Yang Ling's departing figure, the Sword Sect Master had a vague premonition that Yang Ling would definitely become stronger in the future, to an unprecedented degree.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a group of serpentine monsters looked at each other in bewilderment. The expression on the face of one of the serpentine monsters changed instantly, and it naturally dared not make any move.

Standing before it was the strongest of all the demonic beasts. The beast roared, "I told you before that something big was about to happen in that remote place! You went there and came back empty-handed! Do you know how much of a loss that is for us demonic beasts? If we had had the chance to stay there, we might have gotten what we wanted!"

The serpentine beast dared not argue; it hadn't expected such a drastic change in that place. By the time it realized what was happening, it was too late, which was why it was so angry. These beasts possessed intelligence, no less than humans.

"Alright, I won't do anything to you. But you have to get this done. I heard something's going to happen with the Qin family soon. You must get what we want before those people do. Don't be afraid of them; our strength will gradually devour them in the future!"

Even with the impending calamity, those of them with exceptional strength still have a chance to reach the very top. Rumor has it that once one reaches the pinnacle, it's no ordinary feat. It calmly withdrew its gaze…

The monsters finally made up their minds to prove themselves and were determined not to let this opportunity slip by, otherwise it would be a great pity.

When Yang Ling arrived again, he could hear the voices of the people around him. It seemed quite a few people had come, and everyone was discussing the matter. Clearly, this incident had been a significant blow to them; the news had spread far faster than Yang Ling had imagined.

"Look, they found out pretty quickly, the news spread so fast!" Yang Ling said, leaning closer to the old man. The old man wasn't surprised at all.

For the old man, this was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I just heard a rumor that several powerful families have sent a number of experts to a remote place. I heard there is a barrier there that even those experts can't break."

"Is it possible that even the heads of a few powerful families can't do anything about it?"

"You don't even know this? Of course not. I've heard that the barrier isn't something an ordinary person can handle. It involves the Heavenly Dao, so it's not something we can change at will."

"You might not know, but that place was originally tiny, but because of this incident, it's now being fought over by various forces!" They chatted amongst themselves, and Nanze listened, a smile creeping onto his face; he found it quite amusing. After their journey, they arrived at the Yun family's residence.

It's said that the treasure will appear at the border between the Yun and Qin families; there's still time. Yang Ling's return naturally intends to find Qin Yixian, which surprised him somewhat, as Qin Yixian is completely different from what he was a few months ago. Yang Ling seemed to have anticipated Qin Yixian's presence and arrived early.

The old man followed behind Yang Ling; this was the first time he had ever seen Qin Yixian.

I heard that Qin Yixian is the young master of the Qin family and is exceptionally talented. But when I saw him, he didn't seem to match the rumors at all. His appearance startled Yang Ling. This was the first time Yang Ling had ever seen Qin Yixian like this.

Yang Ling immediately sat down opposite Qin Yixian. For people like them, what could be more admirable than sitting down and having a proper talk?
Qin Yixian stopped what he was doing, took a deep breath, met Yang Ling's gaze, and asked the same question again.

"I still want to ask, if you discovered that what you've been desperately pursuing was actually something you shouldn't have pursued at all, and that the person you've always respected is actually a villain, what would you do?"

These words left Yang Ling completely bewildered, but he would never forget the words left behind by the Evil Cloud Saint after his previous conversation with that old man.

For a moment, Yang Ling fell into deep thought. He knew in his heart that Qin Yixian must know something.

Why did the Evil Cloud Saint suddenly fall from grace after all those strange events that happened to him? And why was he hunted down by so many people?

It turns out that the Qin family patriarch was behind all of this.

Later, the Evil Cloud Saint managed to escape with great difficulty, managing to separate a wisp of his consciousness, only to be suppressed again by the Qin family patriarch.

Yang Ling knew all of this perfectly well, but Qin Yixian would likely find these truths hard to accept. He still held a sliver of hope for the Qin family head, even though the Qin family head didn't treat him like a son; in his heart, the Qin family head was still a remarkable figure. (End of Chapter)