I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 231 A true immortal cultivator!
Xie Mansion.

As the night progressed, the snow began to fall heavier.

Xiao Hongtang, wearing a cotton jacket, was practicing swordplay in the yard late at night.

She was already sweating profusely, her hands and feet were numb, and she even had a slight twitch. But Xiao Hongtang gritted her teeth and not only did not stop, but she practiced even harder.

She didn't understand why her grandfather had to abandon his family to seek some kind of immortal fate.

The whole family lives together happily...isn't that great?
She also didn't understand why Little Grandpa always came and went in such a hurry. Little Grandpa was clearly so powerful. I heard that His Majesty had rewarded Little Grandpa with the title of Duke and the Chief Demon Suppressor of Yunzhou.

Isn’t this the number one person in Yunzhou?

Endless money, unimaginable dignity. A single word can decide someone's life or death.

But...why didn't Little Grandpa accept it? Why did he insist on going out and running around?
She knew that the younger grandfather and the older grandfather each had their own pursuits, and she could understand them, but she couldn't comprehend them.

She asked her father and second uncle.

My father always said: You will understand when you grow up.

But Little Red Sugar doesn't want to grow up.

Growing up... is so tiring.

But Xiao Hongtang is not a willful person. She always tries to understand others.

Moreover, she knew that growing up was an unstoppable thing. She was getting taller and taller, and although everyone still called her Little Red Sugar, few people hugged her and made her happy like they did when she was little.

Her family's demands on her are increasing.

Hope is growing.

Xiao Hongtang gradually felt the expectations and responsibilities from her family.

She clearly felt that the responsibilities on her shoulders were becoming heavier and heavier.

Moreover, there were many things she couldn't tell others.

You have to carry it all by yourself.

……

Crescent City.

Master Huang has been following the woman in pink skirt for several years.

The strength of this woman in pink skirt is average, only a ninth-grade grandmaster.

If Master Huang wanted to capture her, it would be a very simple matter. After all, Master Huang's strength has now recovered to the level of a third-grade master.

But Master Huang did not take action, because the woman in the pink skirt would secretly meet a man in black every six months.

This man in black was the one who rescued Jin Xiaotang.

However, because the man in black was very fast and stronger than Master Huang, Master Huang couldn't catch up or defeat him. So he tried to find out where the man in black and the woman in pink were meeting, how, and so on.

Then tell this to Xie An and Su Yuqing.

In this way, Master Huang felt that the guilt of losing Jin Xiaotang would be reduced a lot.

The reason why he was so upset about this matter was simply out of gratitude.

Xie An offered Xiaobai a bright future and a promising home, resolving Master Huang's biggest concern. Furthermore, Master Huang later learned that the four elder demons of Wulao Peak were dead, and that the peaks had been razed by Daqian. He concluded that following Xie An and the princess was his only chance of survival.

I was very grateful and always wanted to do something for Xie An and Su Yuqing.

Today is the day when the woman in pink dress and the man in black meet again.

Master Huang, dressed in night clothes, secretly followed the pink-dressed woman out of Crescent City, walked dozens of miles outside the city, and finally passed through Yumen Pass. After walking another four hundred miles, they arrived at Longmen Town, on the vast border of Yunzhou.

Longmen Town is the last inhabited town outside of the Cloud Wasteland. Crossing Longmen, one enters the vast Cloud Wasteland.

The Cloud Wasteland is home to many monsters, including many great master monsters. It also borders Northern Liang, so few dare to enter.

But Xie An had been there.

There is an abandoned ancient temple in Longmen Town.

Master Huang had followed the girl in pink skirt several times before, but he always disappeared near the ancient temple.

There is a door in the ancient temple.

Every time the woman in the pink skirt rushed into the gate, Master Huang would disappear when he rushed in.

very strange!
This time, Master Huang arrived at the ancient temple early and lay in wait.

Master Huang hid behind a big rock, concealing his breath, and stuck half of his head out to stare at the deserted gate of the ancient temple.

Not long after, the woman in the pink skirt slowly walked into the gate.

Master Huang widened his eyes and stared straight ahead, not wanting to miss any details.

The woman in the pink skirt entered the gate, looked around vigilantly, and after making sure that no one was following her, she quickly rushed to a huge stone statue nearby. She took out something that looked like a token and placed it in front of the statue. The statue actually opened its mouth.

The pink-dressed woman leaped into the statue's mouth with all her might. Then, there was a rumbling sound, and the statue's mouth slowly closed.

"So that's it..."

Master Huang didn't want to wait any longer, and immediately turned into a shadow and rushed into the mouth of the stone statue.

……

Xie Mansion.

Late at night, the snow is white.

Yuhe sat in the room, tidying up the school textbooks and books, and marking the homework handed in by the children.

Although the children's handwriting was very illegible, Yuhe felt particularly happy when she read it and smiled from time to time.

Some children's homework is really too cute.

For example, there was a fat boy who left a deep impression on Yuhe. He even said that his dream was to become the biggest foodie in the world and try all kinds of delicious food.

It made Yuhe burst into laughter.

Opening a school and spending time with the children was a joy. At least it made Yuhe feel that such days were interesting.

It's not that she hadn't thought about continuing to follow Xie An and serve him. She even talked about this with Su Yuqing, but in the end she gave up.

On the one hand, the master's current heights were beyond her reach. She was nothing more than a burden and a vassal. If Xie An came to Yunzhou City to be the general manager, Yuhe would naturally be willing to help out.

It's simple, it's just that she has gotten used to this kind of life over the past many years.

Once inertia is formed, it is difficult to change. You don’t even need a reason to continue following inertia.

On the other hand, at Yu He's current level of martial arts, the so-called immortality... was still very far away and illusory. She simply couldn't bring herself to think about it. Moreover, she was still very young and, barring any unexpected events, she still had a hundred years to live.

In this way, over the long years, she followed Su Yuqing's example and started teaching and educating people.

This business is quite interesting.

Needless to say, it is very easy to exchange wonderful ideas with children. During festivals, parents will give gifts to their children, which are full of their expectations for their children.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door.

Yuhe frowned slightly. It was the middle of the night... everyone in the house was asleep. Could it be that a thief had broken in?

Thinking of this, Yuhe put on her coat and went out, but saw Master Huang who had not returned for a long time, and was immediately surprised.

"Master Huang!"

Master Huang looked exhausted. "It's Yuhe. Why aren't you sleeping so late?"

"Correcting some of the kids' homework. Has Master Huang eaten yet? I'll prepare some side dishes for you."

Master Huang said, "Okay."

Yuhe quickly prepared a few side dishes and brought them to Master Huang's room. Master Huang was indeed hungry, and he immediately devoured them with great relish. Yuhe, however, didn't rush to leave, but sat down to chat with Master Huang.

Hearing that Xie An had been here before, Master Huang immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks, "Brother Xie, have you been here before?"

"Well, I stayed for a few days and then left. But I left a letter for you. It's right next to your bed."

Master Huang immediately rushed into the bedroom and pulled out a wax-sealed letter from under his pillow. He opened it and read the contents. It began with a thank you and greeting, and then Xie An said he would also go to Crescent City.

Finally, Xie An said, "I've prepared a gift for Brother Huang, and I've accepted it. If you return, please meet me at Qixingzhai outside the city. I'm staying here secretly, so please, Master Huang, keep this secret. Also, please secretly call the princess."

There was also a small brocade box in the envelope.

After Master Huang opened it, he saw a emerald green pill, and the fragrance of the medicine was refreshing.

With Master Huang’s eyes, he could tell at a glance that this was... the innate elixir!
hiss!
Master Huang took a deep breath.

He knew very well what an innate elixir meant.

This means there is a chance to become a Martial Saint.

Even if it doesn't work, it will be of great benefit.

After a long moment, Master Huang's eyes grew hot. "Xie, brother, what a great opportunity! You even got the Xiantian Great Pill. Fortunately, fortunately, I finally figured out Jin Xiaotang's situation. I don't feel so guilty about taking the Great Pill anymore."

……

Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division.

The construction styles of the institutions in various locations of the Demon Suppression Bureau are similar.

However, the scale of Yunzhou Demon Suppression Bureau is much larger than that of Qingwu County.

The core high-rise building has eight floors.

Top floor.

Su Yuqing stood behind the railing, holding it with both hands, quietly watching the falling snow outside.

On the long table behind her were the Duke's seal and the seal of the Demon Suppression Commander-in-Chief.

These were all prepared for Xie An.

But Xie An did not come for a long time.

The meaning is already obvious.

Su Yuqing knew Xie An's thoughts and could understand them. After all, when they first met in Qingwu County, Xie An had expressed his ambition to pursue immortality. Now Xie An didn't care about wealth and power... It was completely within Su Yuqing's expectations.

But deep down, she still felt a little lost.

The matter in Qingwu County was resolved thanks to Xie An's two great help.

Su Yuqing remembers all the countless battles they had.

Slowly, Su Yuqing's lips curved up, "In that case, let me see how far you can go on the road to immortality."

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door.

It turned out to be a police officer who came hurriedly with Master Huang.

After dismissing the messenger, Master Huang walked up to Su Yuqing and said, "Princess."

Su Yuqing nodded: "Has there been any result regarding Jin Xiaotang's matter?"

Master Huang said, "God has rewarded me. After years of searching, I finally have some information. I received a letter from Brother Xie. In it, Brother Xie instructed me to take the princess outside the city for a chat."

Su Yuqing nodded: "Okay."

……

Xie An spent a long time in Crescent City, but to no avail. Finally, he returned to Seven Star Village in a depressed mood.

Yunzhou is a very unusual place.

Legends of immortality abounded in this region, and countless knights and heroes from other lands, as well as martial arts masters, flocked to Yunzhou in search of immortality. Xie An had never seen so many masters gathered in one place. In a place like this, even the appearance of a martial arts saint wouldn't be surprising.

After all, didn’t a martial saint as powerful as Chen Yuer also stay outside Yunzhou City in search of immortality?

"Third Master, you're back."

Mrs. Ma was preparing medicinal herbs outside the yard. When she saw Xie An, she bowed and saluted.

Xie An nodded slightly, "Have there been any outsiders in the village recently?"

Since I can't find any clues in Crescent City, I can only put my hope on Master Huang.

Madam Ma said, "A few days ago, a man and a woman came. I arranged for them to stay in a separate courtyard. They said they were old friends of yours. I dared not neglect them."

"lead the way."

Led by Mrs. Ma, Xie An arrived at the gate of a villa.

Mrs. Ma probably knew that Xie An had something to say to his old friend, so she found an excuse to leave. Xie An pushed open the gate and saw two acquaintances sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard drinking tea.

Even with the snow covering the ground, the woman in the aqua blue dress was still as stunning as ever.

"Princess, Brother Huang."

Xie An walked over with a smile and bowed slightly.

Master Huang held Xie An's wrist eagerly and said, "Brother Xie, you really made me wait for a long time. If I had to say something, the princess had prepared the titles of Duke and General Director for you, and it would have been fine if you hadn't accepted them. But why are you acting like a bandit leader here?"

Xie An glanced at Su Yuqing and found that Su Yuqing was standing quietly beside him, looking at him with a smile on her face.

Xie An said, "It's not that I don't want to accept the position, but I'm afraid that if I accept it, I won't have the time to handle the affairs and responsibilities involved. That would make things difficult for the Princess."

Su Yuqing smiled faintly and said, "These are not important matters. Seeing that you are safe, I am relieved. The scenery here is beautiful, quiet and refreshing. If you have anything to say, sit down and talk."

Xie An sat down. Seeing his old friend again, he was naturally in a good mood. "I see that Brother Huang looks very good and his blood is strong. Has he regained the strength of a third-grade master?"

Master Huang said, "Thanks to the Princess giving me a postnatal vital energy pill, I've finally recovered. But there's nothing to be happy about. The Princess is so young, yet she's already a second-rank Grandmaster. That's truly astonishing talent."

Xie An was very surprised by this. He could not help but look at Su Yuqing carefully, and said with a sincere smile, "Congratulations, Princess."

Six years ago, Su Yuqing was a third-rank master.

Now he is of the second rank.

The pace of progress is quite fast.

However, Su Yuqing was very calm about this. "The Qingwu County incident has been weighing on my mind for over twenty years. Since it was resolved, my mind has been cleared up. I've made great progress. As for you, I see that your Qi and blood are exceptional. Although you aspire to immortality, you should never slack off in your martial arts."

Xie An said: "It's only the fourth rank, not worth mentioning."

Su Yuqing: “…”

Master Huang: “…”

Seeing each other again after six years, everyone has achieved something, and we are naturally full of joy and happiness.

Drinking tea and listening to the snow is very pleasant.

Then, Xie An changed the subject, "When we parted in Qingwu County, Master Huang brought Jin Xiaotang to Yunzhou. Does the Princess remember our agreement?"

Six years ago, Xie An was still trembling with fear in front of Su Yuqing, feeling inferior to her... There was nothing he could do about it.

But now, Xie An found that he no longer had this feeling in his heart.

Strength gives people courage.

Su Yuqing said, "Of course I remember."

When Guang Chanzi was first arrested, both parties agreed to extract Jin Xiaotang. Unbeknownst to the court, Su Yuqing and Xie An came to Yunzhou to seek immortality from the Jin family.

Xie An said seriously: "To be honest with you two, I have already found the initial fate of immortality..."

Apart from the matter of Chen Yu'er, Xie An did not hide anything else and told everything.

After hearing that Xie An had discovered the bronze door, Su Yuqing and Master Huang were both incredulous. They stared with their eyes wide open, stunned for a long time before slowly coming to their senses.

Finally, Xie An said, "The ancient city of Kongsang should be real. The bronze gate is just a part of it. As long as we find this ancient city, we should be able to find the spiritual energy for cultivating immortals. Madam Ma, who received you before, was originally named Jin Yuping and is a member of the Jin family. However, she is not very old, not as old as Jin Xiaotang. She knows the Jin family's residence, but she doesn't know much about the Jin family... If we can find who rescued Jin Xiaotang, and then find out some information, things will be easy.

The Princess is currently in charge of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division and has extensive access to information. Does she know anything about the events in Kongsang Ancient City?"

This time, in addition to fulfilling his original promise, Xie An also wanted to find out more about the Kongsang Ancient City from other sources through the princess's information channels by asking Su Yuqing to come and discuss things.

What's more, the matter of finding the immortal fate involves a wide range of matters and has a profound impact, so Xie An naturally needs more help.

Su Yuqing shook her head. "Several years ago, I searched through all the files of the Demon Suppression Division and asked many old people in the city, but I didn't find out anything about the ancient city of Kongsang. I think this ancient city is extremely mysterious and unknown to ordinary people."

Xie An felt a little disappointed after hearing this.

But after thinking about it for a while, I think it is very reasonable.

If the ancient city of Kongsang was so easy to find, Yunzhou would not be what it is now.

Master Huang then said, "I found some information about Jin Xiaotang being rescued..."

After listening to Master Huang's story, Xie An finally understood part of the reason.

After Master Huang followed the woman in pink skirt into the mouth of the giant stone statue, he discovered that there was a large underground passage underneath the statue. The passage was very long and finally led to an ancient underground village. The village was full of all kinds of strange people and it was very weird.

All the ancient houses in the village were hung with red lanterns, especially an extremely strange ancestral hall, which was hung with obviously larger red lanterns, which looked very scary.

Master Huang felt a strong threat and left.

Xie An was shocked when he heard this.

The red lanterns in the ancient village described by Master Huang are very similar to those provided by the man in black, Nineteen.

To further verify, Xie An asked, "Brother Huang, do you still remember what the man in black was wearing?"

Master Huang thought for a moment and said, "He's wearing a black robe with a hood. His strength is above mine, so he must be a second-rank. I heard the woman in the pink skirt call him... Ghost Master."

It’s Ghost Master again!

Second rank...

After combining the information from both sides, they both realized a fact: there was a large organization behind the Ghost Master. The fact that a Ghost Master was a second-grade Grandmaster was truly terrifying.

"Does the Princess know of any martial arts sects in or outside of Yunzhou that possess more than a dozen second-grade Grandmasters?"

Su Yuqing frowned and shook her head. "A sect of this strength is extremely rare in all of Daqian. Aside from the Yunzhou Daoist Academy, there shouldn't be another force in Yunzhou that's this powerful. I think it's some force that's developing in secret."

A sect with more than a dozen second-grade masters is already extremely terrifying.

You know, there are only five third-grade grandmasters in Wulao Peak, and they are still stirring up trouble in Nanzhou.

The power organization of more than a dozen second-grade masters... has exceeded everyone's imagination.

Indeed, if Ye Nantian opened a sect and cultivated it with care, he could also cultivate such a sect. However, Ye Nantian's ambition was not to do so.

After some discussion, everyone divided the work and cooperated.

Su Yuqing went to the Demon Suppression Division to send people to investigate the Ghost Lord Organization. Master Huang stayed in Qixing Village, ready to lead the way to the ancient temple.

Before leaving, Su Yuqing called Xie An to an uninhabited hill outside Qixingzhai.

"Xie An, if such an organization really exists, you need to be extremely careful. Yunzhou City is different from other cities. Although it nominally belongs to Daqian, our Daqian does not actually control Yunzhou. The Demon Suppression Division is mostly an empty shell with a false name. The real ruler of this place is Yunzhou Daoyuan."

Xie An was not surprised by this. He had lived here for over two years and had long known that the government was weak, bandits were rampant, and talented people from all over the world gathered here. It was very different from other prefectures.

Xie An had also learned the reason: Back then, Emperor Jingtai, relying on the Martial Saint Ye Nantian, had unified the 35 states, but Yunzhou was the only one he couldn't take. It was Emperor Jingtai who personally went to Yunzhou City to negotiate peace, offering to honor Taoism as the state religion and jointly establish the Demon Suppression Division. Only then did Bai Yujing back down and allow Yunzhou to be incorporated into Daqian's territory.

For hundreds of years, Daqian has not dared to easily strengthen its control over Yunzhou, so the actual controller of Yunzhou is still Yunzhou Taoist Temple.

"The Princess is saying that the Demon Suppression Division might not be able to find out information about the Ghost Lord Organization?"

Su Yuqing said, "It's like this. Yunzhou Daoist Academy and the Demon Suppression Division are at odds. Director Zhang Shuibo is particularly hostile to our Daqian. If I can't find out, you can take the token personally handed down by Bai Yujing and go to the Daoist Academy. There should be information about the Ghost Lord Organization there."

"Thank you for the reminder, Princess. If there is really no other way, I will do it."

"By the way, I have something to ask you. Please answer truthfully." Su Yuqing suddenly turned around and looked at Xie An, "Did you save the Beiliang witch?"

Xie An was greatly surprised. "Why would the princess think so?"

“Others don’t understand you, but I do.”

Xie An was silent.

It’s not that Xie An doesn’t trust Su Yuqing’s temperament and character, but because... Su Yuqing’s position is here.

At this point, Xie An knew that he could no longer hide it. "If I say yes, what will the princess do?"

Su Yuqing said, "I am not my father, nor am I Ye Nantian. I do not want to see another war between Beiliang and Daqian, and I do not want to see the lives of all people in the world suffer. Therefore, the Beiliang witch cannot die in Daqian. At least not until my Daqian has the strength to defeat Beiliang."

Xie An suddenly turned around and looked at the stunning woman in front of him. He never expected Su Yuqing to say such words.

To be honest, Xie An admired Su Yuqing very much.

Some even think that this woman should become an emperor, which would be a blessing for the world.

……

Su Yuqing left.

Xie An returned to his residence, with Su Yuqing's words still echoing in his mind.

"Your eldest princess has been here. You two were having a very happy chat, but why do you look unhappy?" Chen Yu'er walked out of the room at this time and said indifferently.

Xie An recovered and thought to himself: What do you mean by "my eldest princess"? Why does it feel like Chen Yu'er is trying to point fingers at others?

Xie An replied cautiously, "It's all right. When old friends meet, they always have to chat for a while."

Chen Yuer snorted softly, "She does have a nice appearance, but she's a bit pretentious."

Xie An wanted to ask where it was installed.

But after thinking about it, I decided not to ask.

Chen Yu'er seemed to know what Xie An was thinking. "She is just the eldest princess, but she is always worrying about the emperor's affairs. Even if Emperor Jingtai likes her, he will still feel uncomfortable. If this continues for a long time, it will not be a good thing."

Xie An's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly sighed that Chen Yu'er saw through everything.

In fact, deep down, he has always thought so.

But that was someone else's business, and Xie An couldn't interfere. Moreover, Xie An always felt that Su Yuqing was an extremely intelligent person, and should know exactly what he was doing and what risks he would face.

Seeing that Xie An was in a bad mood, Chen Yu'er didn't continue the topic and asked, "Did you hear any news about Jin Xiaotang?"

Xie An also came to his senses and told the truth.

Chen Yuer listened carefully and frowned, "There really is a Ghost Organization. It's worth checking out."

Xie An agreed with this, so he took out the simple map drawn by Master Huang, spread it out on the long table, and had a discussion with Chen Yuer about the action plan.

The final decision was that if the eldest princess did not send any news about the Ghost Organization within seven days, they would take action.

……

Seven days later.

Crescent City, red lights shining.

A woman in a pink dress left under the cover of night, quickly left the city, crossed the Yumen Pass and headed straight for Longmen Town.

When she didn't notice, three men in black followed her.

These three people are Xie An, Chen Yuer and Master Huang.

As for Madam Ma, she did not come along due to her lack of strength, but stayed in Qixing Village to prepare the Xiantian Great Pill.

"It's that ancient temple. Let's go in and wait first." Master Huang noticed that the woman in the pink skirt was about to enter the ancient temple, so he suggested that the three of them go in and wait first.

So the three of them rushed into the ancient temple first, hid behind a big rock and waited.

Xie An took a quick look around. This was an ancient temple that had been abandoned for many years. Various Buddha statues were lying on the ground, and there were also huge stones piled up randomly.

It has a bit of a Stonehenge feel.

The huge Buddha statue that Master Huang mentioned was more than ten feet tall and stood next to the messy Buddha statues.

The cold and dry night wind blew in, hitting my face as sharp as a knife.

There is a lack of water in the desert and the air is extremely dry. Ordinary people will not be able to adapt if they live there for a long time.

Not long after -

Da da da.

A light sound of footsteps came in. It was the woman in the pink dress. She looked around and found that there was no one, so she took out the token and placed it on the Buddha statue.

With a rumbling sound, the Buddha statue opened its mouth and the woman in pink skirt jumped in and disappeared.

Master Huang: “Right now.”

The three immediately followed and entered the Buddha statue's mouth.

There was a dark and lightless passage that went straight ahead.

Xie An and the other two followed the passage forward. After twists and turns, the space around them became increasingly wider. They also heard the sound of an underground river.

After walking a few miles, the three of them were completely shocked by the scene before them.

It turned out to be an underground village built on a subterranean river. Some people washed clothes in the river, while others fished. Along the river stood rows of ancient houses, each with two red lanterns hanging from its doorway.

At the end of the rows of ancient houses, there is a stone staircase winding upwards, leading to a huge ancestral hall embedded in the stone wall. Four huge red lanterns are hung at the door of the ancestral hall, which looks very strange.

Xie An extracted Nineteen's memory and knew that this place... was the underground ancient village that Nineteen mentioned.

Since the three of them had just entered this place, in order not to attract other people's attention, they hid behind a rock and watched. Master Huang said softly: "Xie, brother, is this the place?"

Xie An nodded heavily, "This is it. This should be where the organization behind Master Gui is located. But I don't know where the woman in the pink dress went."

Chen Yu'er pointed to the stone steps outside the ancestral hall in the distance and said, "Look at those stone steps."

Xie Anyun looked carefully and saw that the woman in pink skirt was walking along the stone steps towards the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was very far away from Xie An. Fortunately, Xie An had extraordinary five senses and eyesight, so he saw a small figure. Otherwise, he would not be able to see it clearly.

The woman in the pink dress arrived at the main entrance of the ancestral hall and knelt respectfully. A moment later, a man in black emerged, took a cloth bag from the woman, and then handed her a small brocade pouch.

The woman in the pink skirt received the brocade bag, thanked happily, and then walked down the stone steps happily.

From beginning to end, the woman in pink skirt never entered the gate of the ancestral hall.

The woman in the pink skirt descended the stone steps and returned to the village. She didn't leave, but checked into a separate courtyard. Before closing the door, she looked around cautiously, making sure no one noticed her before retracting her head back through the gate.

Master Huang said, "According to previous patterns, this woman will stay in the villa for three days before leaving. I also want to go to the villa to see what's going on, but... don't underestimate these people in the village. They are all powerful martial arts masters. Even the children catching fish in the river are at least martial arts masters. There are martial arts masters among those older children."

Xie An looked around and saw that there were fifty or sixty villagers stranded on both sides of the dark river, including about ten children. In other words, there were more than forty martial arts masters within sight.

It's really too scary.

After some discussion, the three decided to wait behind the rock and check on the villagers.

Observe for a day.

These villagers are really normal.

In the morning, the village women took their clothes to the river to wash, and three or five children followed them to the river to catch fish. Some children accidentally splashed water on the village women, and they would be scolded by the village women.

After washing clothes, the women took their children home, leaving the underground river empty. However, an old man would take his son to the river to fish. Regardless of whether he caught any fish or not, the old man would take his son home at dusk.

The lighting here is poor, and it is entirely illuminated by the red lanterns hanging everywhere.

At night, the underground river was empty and deserted, and the whole village was quiet, with only the sounds of flowing water and the wind.

Xie An still didn't rush into the village. Instead, he asked curiously, "Why do the villagers here have to use red lanterns for lighting? Wouldn't it be brighter to just use candlelight?"

Master Huang was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Could it be that this red lantern is particularly important to them, representing some kind of totem?"

Xie An said, "That's probably the case. Miss Chen, there's no one in the underground river right now. Should we go into the village and take a look?"

Although there are many masters here, Xie An also has a ceremonial guard.

Second level Martial Saint!
The scene of Chen Yu'er easily killing more than twenty Grandmasters in Dayin Mountain, Qingwu County, was still vivid in my mind. Chen Yu'er was even more powerful than before, so he didn't necessarily underestimate the villagers.

Chen Yu'er said, "I'll have to go and see her sooner or later. Let's go and visit the girl's home."

The three of them turned into three afterimages, quickly crossed the dark river, walked along the deserted road, and climbed over the wall as quickly as possible to enter the villa of the woman in pink skirt.

The courtyard was quiet, and two red lanterns were hanging above the door of the living room.

The candlelight flickered, emitting a scarlet light. It reflected on the faces of Xie An and the other two, making them look particularly frightening.

The door to the living room was not closed. Through the half-open door, one could see the woman in the pink dress kneeling on the floor, her head bowed to the ground, her hands spread out on the ground, holding a burning rag doll in her palms, as if begging or praying for something.

There are still words in his mouth.

"Ancient Master Wu Ling, divine messenger who travels through darkness and mist, I plead with you with my blood and soul... to become your most loyal servant..."

Upon hearing this, Master Huang was horrified and was about to rush into the living room to capture the woman in the pink dress. However, Chen Yu'er held out her hand to stop him. "She's unconscious right now. She's using some secret method to communicate with Master Wu Ling, trying to gain some kind of gift from him. She doesn't know we're here."

Master Huang finally stopped and said, "She said Master Wu Ling... What is Master Wu Ling?"

Chen Yuer shook her head.

Demon King, Wu Ling, Kong Sang...

Xie An felt that he was getting closer and closer to the truth about the ancient city of Kongsang.

Master Huang was also shocked when he heard this: "So what should we do now?"

Chen Yu'er said, "This woman must be using secret methods to offer sacrifices to the witch spirit in order to receive the witch spirit's grace and pass on her skills."

Spread the Dharma?

Xie An silently recited these two words in his heart, opened his five senses and qi sense to pay close attention to the woman in the pink skirt.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the ground around the woman in the pink dress had been marked with a regular triangle in blood, and the woman was kneeling in the center of the triangle.

As the doll in her hand gradually burned, the triangular bloodstains on her body actually burned, turning into scarlet blood and fire, penetrating into the Niwan Palace between the eyebrows of the woman in the pink dress.

When the last ray of blood and fire penetrated the woman's brow, a triangular blood mark appeared. The blood mark glowed, lifting the woman in the pink dress into mid-air. A moment later, the blood mark on her brow disappeared, and the woman fell to the ground, already unconscious.

This situation was too bizarre, and Xie An and the other two looked at each other in surprise.

Chen Yu'er said, "Go in, capture her and interrogate her."

……

The woman in the pink dress woke up slowly and opened her eyes to find herself tied up, her mouth stuffed with a rag and bandaged, making it impossible for her to speak. She immediately looked around in horror and saw three men in black sitting opposite her.

"Woooooo~"

The woman in the pink skirt groaned.

Master Huang held the knife to the neck of the woman in the pink dress. "We have a few questions for you. Answer them exactly as they say. If you dare to scream, you will die before you even scream. Understand?"

The woman in the pink skirt nodded repeatedly to show that she understood.

Master Huang then untied the bandages and rags from the pink-dressed woman's mouth. The woman breathed a sigh of relief and asked in fear, "Who are you? What are you going to do to me? This is the wizard's residence. If you mess around... you won't end well..."

Before she could finish her words, the knife in Master Huang's hand cut the skin on her throat, and trickles of scarlet blood oozed out. The woman in the pink dress was so frightened that she dared not say anything more.

Master Huang said, "Don't you know me?"

The woman in the pink dress looked Master Huang up and down. "How do I know you? Are you the one who's been following me?"

Master Huang said harshly, "A few years ago, you hired a man in black to kidnap a woman in Misty Rain Alley."

The pink-dressed woman suddenly recalled this long-ago event. "I was merely seeking information. The robbery was perpetrated by the Thirteenth Master. If this has offended you, please forgive me. I truly had no idea. It was the Thirteenth Master who ordered me to do it."

"Thirteenth Master? Who is he?" Xie An asked at this time.

The woman in the pink dress looked at Xie An. Because Xie An was wearing black clothes and a hood, she could not see Xie An's appearance clearly, but she could feel that the man in front of her was a dangerous person. If she didn't say anything, she would probably die.

After a moment, the pink-dressed woman gritted her teeth and said, "I don't know Thirteenth Master's origins. I'm just helping him roam around Crescent City's red lanterns to gather information. If I do my job well, I'll have the opportunity to meet Thirteenth Master once every six months and receive the spirit doll bestowed by Master Wu Ling. I swear, what I say is true. If I lie, I'll be struck by lightning."

"What do you want this puppet for?"

The woman in the pink skirt gritted her teeth and shook her head, "I can't say that!"

Without thinking, Xie An said directly: "Brother Huang, chop off one of her hands. And peel off her face at the same time."

hiss!
The woman in the pink dress gasped, probably not expecting this man to be so vicious and cruel.

They would chop off hands and peel off faces at any time.

Chen Yu'er played the good cop at this time, "You're a smart person. You should know that we have no ill will towards you. Otherwise, you would have died countless times during your sacrificial prayer ceremony just now. As a girl, if your skin were peeled off, it would be worse than death."

The pink-dressed woman's heart skipped a beat; she was finally afraid. "You also hope to receive the blessing of Master Wu Ling. That way you can cultivate immortality. I can help you and introduce you to the Thirteenth Master."

Xie An was shocked. "With the blessing of Master Wu Ling, can I become an immortal?"

"Yes. Many people in this village are like this. However, they need to serve Master Wu Ling for many years and receive blessings forty-nine times before their spiritual roots can be opened and they can begin cultivating immortals. I have only received blessings six times, so I still have a long way to go. But I have benefited greatly and am now a martial arts master."

After hearing this, Xie An and the other two were shocked.

Can the spiritual roots be opened with the blessing of the witch spirit?

What a joke.

What is reverse metamorphosis?
Chen Yu'er felt somewhat unbalanced.

Xie An was an exception, so Chen Yuer tolerated it.

But she feels unbalanced because others have this shortcut.

This matter was of such great importance that Xie An did not dare to believe the pink-dressed woman's one-sided statement. He activated the seal on his palm, emitting a burst of white light that enveloped her. The pink-dressed woman immediately felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy. She trembled all over and lay on the ground twitching non-stop.

After a while, Xie An withdrew his hand, panting, and the woman in the pink skirt fainted.

"What she said is indeed true." Xie An said the information he extracted, "There is indeed a great wizard here, living in the ancestral hall on the stone wall. Thirteenth Master is one of the ghost masters, but he is very powerful. The villagers here are all devout believers of the great wizard. They all believe that as long as the master of the witch spirit blesses forty-nine times, their spiritual roots can be awakened. After all, the great wizard relied on the blessing of the witch spirit to eventually become an eight-armed monk and start cultivating immortals."

Chen Yu'er heard the key information, "The eight-armed man is the eight-armed monk?"

"Yes."

Chen Yu'er was silent.

The situation here was far beyond her expectations.

After a while, Chen Yu'er muttered to herself, "Wu Ling... This place is close to Beiliang, how come I have never heard of Wu Ling."

Xie An said: "The woman in the pink skirt should be a peripheral believer here. She doesn't know much about the situation in the ancient village. If you want to know more information, you need to find the Thirteenth Master."

Chen Yu'er said, "If there is an eight-armed cultivator here, I think his strength is comparable to that of a Martial Saint. We really can't be careless."

Xie An deeply agreed with this.

Master Huang said, "So, there is a true immortal cultivator here. Where does this person's spiritual energy come from?"

Xie An shook his head, "This is also what I want to understand."

If the eight-armed cultivator's spiritual energy source was the same as Xie An and Chen Yu'er's, relying on the spiritual plants nurtured by the Martial Saint, then it would be fine. But if the eight-armed cultivator had a stable source of spiritual energy... then he would be rich.

Chen Yu'er was silent for a long time, then said, "It would be best if we could meet the Eight-Armed Monk. But this place feels very strange, and I don't know what the Eight-Armed Great Wizard's temperament is like. If we were to fight, I wouldn't be very confident."

Xie An said, "This is easy. Just arrest that Thirteenth Master and ask him, and you'll know."

"How do we capture the Thirteenth Master?"

"The pink-dressed woman has relevant memories. When she leaves in two days, Master Thirteen will come to this courtyard to meet her and instruct her on the next mission."

"can."

……

Two days later.

early morning.

Although it is early morning, there is no such thing as morning or evening in the underground ancient village.

Thirteenth Master left the ancestral hall early, holding a book in his hand, and walked down the stone steps. When he arrived at the village, countless villagers took the initiative to greet Thirteenth Master.

The Thirteenth Master was already accustomed to these things, and just waved his hand casually as a greeting.

However, compared to a few years ago, Thirteenth Master was much more cautious. Occasionally, when villagers asked him a few questions, he no longer answered them.

Mainly because Nineteen died.

The wizard was very angry and asked everyone to be careful with their words and actions so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.

The Thirteenth Master always maintained this caution and came to the house of the woman in the pink skirt.

The Thirteenth Master attaches great importance to Xiaoyue, the girl in pink skirt.

The main reason was that several years ago, the pink-dressed woman had provided Thirteenth Master with information about Jin Xiaotang. He had captured Jin Xiaotang and handed her over to the wizard. He was appreciated by the wizard and later received a blessing. Not only did his strength greatly improve, but with a few more blessings, he could begin his cultivation.

By that time, he could become a disciple of a wizard and practice Taoism under him.

Before this, the Thirteenth Master didn't want to cause any trouble.

dong dong dong.

Thirteenth Master knocked on the courtyard gate, but received no response. Noticing it was ajar, he curiously walked in and spoke with his usual condescending demeanor, "Xiaoyue, you've done a good job. Over the next six months, continue to find two more martial arts masters who meet the requirements, and your mission will be complete."

Still no response.

Thirteenth Master was very curious. He pushed the door open and entered the living room. Seeing Xiaoyue sitting behind the long table in a daze, he frowned unhappily. "What are you daydreaming about? Come and take the album. If you do your job well, you will definitely get some benefits. I've said a lot of good things about you in front of the wizard..."

Before he could finish his words, the Thirteenth Master felt a strong threat approaching rapidly. He instinctively tried to use his secret weapons to resist, but the cold tip of the gun was pressed against his neck, cutting his skin and causing trickles of blood to seep out.

He wanted to resist and shout, but he found a force as strong as a mountain hanging down from him, pressing down on his whole body and imprisoning the secrets in his body. He couldn't even speak.

Martial Saint!

There is a Martial Saint here!
The Thirteenth Master turned his head with difficulty and saw a woman in black holding a spear with the muzzle against his throat.

This woman is a Martial Saint! ?

(End of this chapter)