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

"When I get back, I will definitely gather everyone together and fight them to the death. We can't let them continue to poison us!"

“That’s right, we can’t go on like this anymore!” Hearing his words, he nodded in agreement.

After this incident, they knew the Dark Gate would return. They were right; the Dark Gate wouldn't give up easily…

Yang Ling acted swiftly. He found a cave, sat cross-legged, and his aura surged outward like a giant wave, shattering many mountain peaks.

Seeing this, the Evil Cloud Saint felt somewhat embarrassed. To be honest, he could sense that Yang Ling's cultivation level was about to advance again.

It seems Yang Ling is truly extraordinary. The Evil Cloud Saint watched all this calmly, showing little reaction. In truth, it's quite normal that Yang Ling couldn't withstand the immense power he absorbed.

He wanted to see how long Yang Ling could absorb the knowledge. Yang Ling's current success was entirely due to his talent and innate abilities. He was very curious to see how Yang Ling would handle it.

Yang Ling felt as if the energy within his body was about to explode. His eyes widened as he rapidly circulated his internal energy, gathering it into a large fireball. He never admitted defeat, nor did he believe in fate.

When trouble comes, all one can do is vent it. He should have known better than to absorb so much essence. This incident taught Yang Ling a great lesson, showing him that one must act within one's capabilities and not be headstrong, otherwise, there will be no good end.

Yang Ling quickly calmed down. He had to find a way to get through this no matter what; it was no child's play.

After careful consideration, Yang Ling acted swiftly. Fortunately, things progressed smoothly. He transformed the excess energy within his body into white orbs of light and unleashed them, fully demonstrating his strength.

Seeing this, the Evil Cloud Saint nodded in satisfaction. It must be said, Yang Ling was indeed quite capable; he could even come up with such a method. No wonder he was someone the Saint had chosen.

At this moment, the Evil Cloud Saint's eyes lit up. He realized that Yang Ling now possessed the conditions to advance his cultivation level; if he wished, he could possess strength comparable to the female clan leader. The Evil Cloud Saint immediately stepped forward and said to Yang Ling:
"If you want to advance your cultivation level, you'll probably have to wait a bit longer. Judging from your current strength, there's still a lot of room for improvement; you haven't reached the crucial moment yet. Once you reach that level, your growth will naturally follow. So, there's no need to be in such a hurry; just take it slow!"

Yang Ling understood his meaning. Back then, the Evil Cloud Saint had advised him not to act rashly, and he had indeed heeded the advice and benefited greatly from it. This time, he would also heed the advice and plan carefully.

Of course, Yang Ling couldn't help but feel a little expectant.

If it truly comes to the point where an advancement is absolutely necessary, he will naturally choose to advance his realm. The Evil Cloud Saint nodded in satisfaction; Yang Ling's willingness to heed his advice truly surprised him. He had assumed that Yang Ling, with his greatly increased strength, would become arrogant, but this was not the case. In truth, who could compare to Yang Ling? Yang Ling's abilities were undeniable, far beyond the reach of ordinary people. He believed Yang Ling could definitely achieve it, and might even easily crush his opponents.

"I can feel my internal energy still increasing, and the essence of these people is greatly beneficial to me. They willingly offered their essence, and this essence is slowly gathering!" The fact that Yang Ling needed the essence of others had already spread, and coupled with the fact that he had saved everyone's lives, everyone was willing to contribute their essence. For ordinary people, contributing a little essence is not a big deal.

As for those who deserved to die, Yang Ling ruthlessly seized all their source energy, which was fundamentally different. Moreover, this area was vast, and once word spread, he would gain even more source energy this time. Of course, those people were doing so willingly.

Yang Ling remained remarkably calm. Seeing this, the Evil Cloud Saint knew that Yang Ling had guessed his thoughts and hadn't stopped him. This was because Yang Ling's idea was correct. It had to be said that taking Yang Ling as his disciple was his wisest choice. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but urge him again:

"You'd better hurry up and improve your cultivation level, then rebuild my body. We've only found two or three materials so far, and we still need to find a perfect physical body for me. You've blasted all those bodies to pieces; how could any of them have survived?" Yang Ling touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly. They were really pushing him too far; otherwise, he wouldn't have acted this way.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the people from the Dark Gate acted swiftly, but they only managed to ambush some who attempted to escape. The rest seemed to have left using some kind of magical artifact, thus failing to find any trace of them. Most importantly, the people of the Dark Gate had all perished at Yang Ling's hands. Yang Ling killed their men and then escaped unscathed—how could this not infuriate him? Just who exactly is this Yang Ling?

"We've only captured a small portion of them. What about the rest? Should we eliminate them all?" He cautiously reported to the man before him, the strongest expert in their Dark Sect. He hadn't expected this matter to alarm him. The man the Dark Sect had sent was Fei Tian, ​​whose cultivation was even higher. He looked at the remaining few and said expressionlessly:

"A bunch of useless trash! What good do you think capturing them will do? Instead of wasting your time talking nonsense with me, you should investigate who exactly killed our people!" Fei Tian pondered. If the other party was truly strong, could they be hiding their strength? Otherwise, how could they have killed so many people? But if they really reached that level, he was somewhat helpless. Who could possibly capture such a person?
Fei Tian was very puzzled. It seemed that this person who appeared out of nowhere not only wanted to hinder their plans, but also wanted to ruin their good deeds.

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and as if he had thought of something, he said to the person next to him:
"I'll stay here today, but go and fetch that old man. Tell him I want to see him!" They understood what he meant; that old man was the one who helped Yang Ling improve his cultivation level. This old man's status was quite extraordinary these days, having risen to such prominence and still being so highly regarded.

Even he dared not disobey the other party's orders. After a while, a man walked over. The old man sat down in a chair and looked at Fei Tian.

"What do you want with me? I've already done what I promised you last time. What brings you here this time? Does your ambition go beyond this? Or perhaps..."

"Enough! You don't need to be so arrogant in front of me, and I haven't provoked you. Besides, you've done so many good deeds lately, can't I settle accounts with you?" He knew Fei Tian was referring to that guy who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he was actually a little annoyed. Wasn't Fei Tian a member of the Dark Gate? Why was he being made to come see him so openly? He was Fei Tian's savior. But he couldn't show it too obviously.

"Alright, when you told me about this before, you didn't mention that such a powerful being existed."

"How would I know before? Besides, this person must be hiding very well! Aren't you all very capable? Catching this person should be a piece of cake for you, right? So I believe this won't be difficult for you. With your strength, you can definitely handle it."

The old man's words were flattering, and the man couldn't refute them. They were right; they'd always looked down on these guys, but having to ask them for help when they needed it was embarrassing. Especially this old man, with his arrogant attitude—who did he think he was?

"Alright! It's your incompetence to begin with! I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you!" He waved his hand dismissively. Actually, he had already used his detection abilities, but the man's aura seemed to have been deliberately concealed, making it impossible for him to find him. He suspected this person came from somewhere else. Since that was the case, they would set a trap to find this guy.

"Listen to me, lure this guy out, and then I'm going to skin him alive! His essence must be the purest and most useful!"

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Yang Ling gazed calmly at the powerful aura emanating from the distance. He could clearly sense that something extraordinary was hidden within it, seemingly far stronger than any opponent he had encountered before. But Yang Ling was not reckless; he wouldn't foolishly walk into a trap. It seemed the people of the Dark Gate had already become suspicious of him.

He fell into deep thought, then realized it made sense; after killing so many people, it was understandable that they would notice. His cultivation level wasn't yet high enough, so it was best to keep a low profile. Yang Ling felt the primal power within his body, and his heart was filled with joy.

If he could become even stronger, he would be invincible among those of the same cultivation level. As for facing even stronger opponents, he didn't know how he would fare. He pondered his next move when, just then, Yang Ling sensed an even stronger aura appearing, and many thoughts flashed through his mind. This person didn't seem to be from the Dark Gate.

So, who exactly is this person? He recalled the information he'd gleaned from the female family head and suddenly realized that there was a powerful figure in the east, known to all as Elder Wan. Elder Wan was unbound by any power, yet still possessed immense strength, deeply respected and renowned. However, it was said that he had joined the Dark Sect, which was how he reached his current extraordinary level. Yang Ling guessed that this aura belonged to Elder Wan, and several countermeasures flashed through his mind.

Yang Ling remained remarkably calm, feigning nonchalance, though inwardly he was somewhat worried about being discovered. After Elder Wan left, he was consumed by rage. His strength was roughly equal to Fei Tian's; why should he be bossed around by Fei Tian?
He grew angrier the more he thought about it and was about to vent his anger when he subconsciously looked up and noticed that someone dressed in unusual attire was not an ordinary person. Everyone in the vicinity had long been slaughtered by the secret gate, yet someone still remained. He didn't think much of it at first. However, he still wanted to find someone to ask about the mysterious person. After a moment of hesitation, Yang Ling finally realized that the aura was indeed directed at him.

His heart tightened. To fight this opponent would be like throwing an egg against a rock; with his current strength, he was probably no match. Moreover, with the even stronger Elder Wan by his side, he dared not make any rash moves.

The man approached Yang Ling, and Elder Wan stared straight at Yang Ling.

"How did you end up here in such a remote place?" Yang Ling concealed his aura and original appearance, looking no different from an ordinary person, and even weaker than an ordinary person.

"Young man, what are you doing here? By the way, you must have seen what happened the other day, right?"

"I heard that person was dressed in black, wore a mask, and possessed extraordinary aura and skills. Have you seen him?" Yang Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the other party hadn't recognized him and was only there to gather information. He answered cautiously:
"I've seen that man too. He was incredibly skilled and had an imposing presence. No one could see his face clearly, only that he was extremely powerful. He killed everyone from the Dark Gate!" Old Wan fell into deep thought. He had now joined the Dark Gate, so he didn't think much of what Yang Ling said. He knew that the Dark Gate had many experts, some of whom were no less formidable than them.

But his strength should not be underestimated.

"You don't actually think that person is that amazing, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Ling broke out in a cold sweat. This old man talks too much; why ask so many questions? Besides, isn't asking so many questions just asking for humiliation? He was still somewhat curious: in their hearts, was he, the "old hand," stronger, or was that kid who appeared out of nowhere more capable?

Furthermore, he had heard that the mysterious man was worshipped by many, and some even hoped he would kill everyone and rebuild their homes. Yang Ling coughed and said:

"I don't have any particular thoughts. Many people probably think the same way, but I only pray that I can survive. I don't dare to hope for much more. With my strength, I'm really nothing!" Elder Wan nodded in understanding of Yang Ling's words. After all, there are plenty of people who want to live. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Forget it, there's no point in talking to someone like you. Just leave!" Yang Ling turned and left. To be honest, he didn't think Old Man Wan would be so kind as to let him go. He knew that before he understood the other party's intentions, he had to escape quickly. Yang Ling acted swiftly, and just as he was leaving, as he expected, the old man attacked him directly.

Without hesitation, he fled. His reaction was swift; he was utterly astonished to discover that Yang Ling had escaped from his grasp. How had Yang Ling done it? This guy had been hiding his strength quite well; he had never imagined it. Judging from Yang Ling's cultivation level and status, he was indeed extraordinary, yet he hadn't sensed his power at all. Just who was this person?

He felt he should still give chase; perhaps it was related to the mysterious person the Dark Gate was investigating? Yang Ling fled while trying to see if the man had noticed him. Fortunately, he hadn't. They were moving extremely fast. The man was surprised to find that Yang Ling had run so far, and that Yang Ling's movements seemed to be deliberately provoking him. He was somewhat astonished; this man was indeed very strong, not just a name without substance… (End of Chapter)