He confessed his love for his master in his later years, and his cheat ability finally arrived.

Lu Changsheng looked around.

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, all twelve Soul-Capturing Banners were retrieved.

The Heaven-Devouring Cauldron also sank into the dantian.

As for the corpses of those people from before, he had already sent them to the Devouring Heaven Cauldron.

After all, the Taiyin Poison Spider is not picky about its food.

After doing all that, he carefully cleaned the scorched earth, the ashes of the thunder talisman, and the bloodstains and mud around the pool three or four times with the purification talisman and the burning dust spell.

In this way, all traces of the battle were completely erased.

After doing all this, Lu Changsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he flashed away like a night breeze sweeping through the forest.

They quietly returned to their outer residence once again.

Actually, after the foundation is successfully established.

Lu Changsheng would then be qualified to become an inner disciple.

But he knew it in his heart.

The saying goes, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind."

Once you enter the inner sect, it's impossible to keep a low profile even if you want to.

Therefore, since he did not bring it up himself, the sect did not directly pay attention to it.

After all, there are hundreds of thousands of outer sect disciples. If you don't say anything, how will the sect know whether you have reached the Foundation Establishment stage or not?

Half an hour later, Lu Changsheng was already sitting cross-legged in his dilapidated little house.

He sat cross-legged, concentrating his energy, as if he had never left.

......

three days later.

Inside the courtroom, the atmosphere was as cold as frost.

The hall master, Zhao Wushe, sat upright on the high platform, his brows furrowed.

The jade slip in his hand, which he used to communicate with his disciples, kept flashing, but for some reason, he was still unable to contact Liu Tong.

"Our eldest disciple, Liu Tong, led eight elite disciples out and hasn't returned yet. All the communication talismans have failed... Hall Master, what do you think...?"

A deacon reported in a low voice, his hands clasped in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wushe suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with a cold light.

"Liu Tong is my personally taught disciple, a Golden Core cultivator, and he's accompanied by trusted confidants like Li Yao. How could he possibly lose contact deep within the sect's territory?!"

After saying that, he suddenly stood up.

A chill emanated from him, and the temperature in the entire hall plummeted.

"I'd like to see who has the audacity to mess with someone from my Enforcement Hall! Do they think I, Zhao Wushe, am made of clay?"

In fact, Zhao Wushe originally intended to report this matter to the sect leader.

But then I thought, if this matter gets out of hand, it will only make the Enforcement Hall look incompetent.

Moreover, Liu Tong's trip did not follow formal procedures; he only verbally requested instructions. If this were to be investigated...

"Hmph! This is a trivial matter; why bother the sect leader?"

Zhao Wushe seemed to have made up his mind.

He first snorted coldly, then formed a hand seal, and a wisp of blue life flame ignited at his fingertips.

That was a life-bound flame that he had given to Liu Tong in his early years, capable of sensing his life and death.

The flames flickered, pointing southwest.

This is the direction of the Imprisoned Dragon Pool!

"It was there after all!"

Upon sensing the location, Zhao Wushe's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"Who dares to lay a hand on a disciple of the Enforcement Hall within the heart of my Upper Cloud Heaven Palace?!"

He took a step, the void trembled, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, he was already standing on the bank of the Imprisoned Dragon Pool.

The night wind was cold and damp, the pool water was as black as ink, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Zhao Wushe didn't waste any words.

He directly activated his divine sense, spreading it out like a tide.

Then, his divine sense swept over every inch of land and every leaf in turn.

However, apart from the faint remnants of lightning runes and a faint, almost imperceptible, fishy stench, there was no trace of any battle between cultivators.

There was no blood, no corpses, no fighting pits, and even the fluctuations of spiritual energy were cleverly concealed by some means.

All that remained was a chilling, violent, and highly toxic demonic aura that permeated the air.

That is.......

The aura of the Taiyin Demon Spider!

"Taiyin Demon Spider"

Upon realizing this, Zhao Wushe frowned instantly, his mind filled with doubts.

Although this place is near the Dragon Imprisonment Pool, it has always been protected by restrictions, and ordinary monsters dare not approach it.

Moreover, the Taiyin Demon Spider rarely appears, so why would it suddenly attack the law enforcement disciples here?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

So he squatted down and picked up a pinch of soil from his fingertips.

It sniffed the air and then looked into the depths of the pool.

"Could it be... that the sealed Xuanming Jiao triggered the geological changes, causing the monsters to rampage?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

After all, if it were truly a human act, how could nine cultivators, including one Golden Core cultivator, be killed so thoroughly that not even their bodies could be found?

Unless it's a Nascent Soul cultivator making a move, it's impossible for the entire sect not to notice if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to take action!

"It must have been the work of a demonic beast!"

Zhao Wushe made a decision immediately.

He slammed his palm on a boulder by the pool, sending stone chips flying everywhere.

"It seems Liu Tong and the others were attacked by a swarm of Taiyin Demon Spiders, accidentally fell into the pool, and were dragged into the abyss!"

He was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The attack by the monster was unexpected.

But ultimately it was the Enforcement Hall's dereliction of duty that led them to allow their disciples to enter dangerous territory.

"Someone come here!"

Zhao Wushe transmitted the command through his divine sense and shouted sternly.

"Seal off a hundred miles around the Dragon Imprisonment Pool and set up the 'Demon-Subduing Array,' strictly prohibiting any disciple from approaching!"

"Dispatch another patrol team to search for Liu Tong and the others' belongings. We must find them alive, or... find their bones!"

After giving the order, Zhao Wushe took one last deep look at the pitch-black pool before turning and leaving.

......

the other side.

Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged on the bed, with nine storage bags lined up in front of him.

Without a doubt, these all belonged to the disciples of the Enforcement Hall.

It took him a lot of effort to finally break the seal on Liu Tong's black-scaled python skin bag.

He probed with his divine sense, preparing to take inventory.

Suddenly, a deep humming sound came from within his dantian.

"Tsk, is this all you're working on all night?"

The voice carried a hint of mockery, and it was undoubtedly the Devouring Heaven Cauldron!

"What's wrong, Old Man, are you awake?"

"Sleep? Ha! Throw nine corpses in there, and my blood will surge and my soul power will churn. How could I possibly sleep!"

"However... that Taiyin Poison Spider seems to be about to advance in rank."

"If I swallow another Golden Core corpse, I might be able to condense a 'pseudo-core,' and perhaps one day be able to take human form."

"I know."

Having signed the master-servant contract, Lu Changsheng naturally had a complete understanding of the Poison Spider's condition.

After giving a faint reply, Lu Changsheng's gaze fell once again on the jade box in the bag.

"Old Tun, right now, this is what I'm more concerned about."

Following the gaze, inside the jade box, a seed the size of a jujube pit was shining brightly.

"Old Tun, do you know what this thing is?"

The Devouring Cauldron remained silent for a moment, then suddenly whispered:

"This thing... is not simple."

"If I'm not mistaken, these are the seeds of the Soul-Devouring Vine. If I nurture them with my primordial fire and irrigate them with the venom of the Taiyin Poison Spider..."

"It only takes three years for this thing to mature. When it does, one vine will sprout and ten thousand souls will wither. It specifically binds to the divine soul. Speaking of which, it's quite a rare and wonderful thing!"

"Really? Then it seems I've struck gold."

Lu Changsheng's lips curled up slightly.

As for the items in the other storage bags, most of them are not needed.

So he stopped caring about it.

"By the way," the Devouring Cauldron suddenly lowered its voice, "don't rush to eat that Taiyin Dew Fruit in your arms."

Why?

"This fruit is extremely yin. If you, with your foundation-building body, forcibly ingest it, at best your meridians will freeze, and at worst your soul will dissipate."

"If you ask me, it would be better to... keep it for your old flame."

"Ji Jiuyin?" Lu Changsheng was taken aback.

If I don't achieve the Golden Core stage soon, will I ever be able to see her again?

Just now.

"Squeak."

The door was gently pushed open.

Lu Changsheng looked up and saw a slender figure flash into the room.

The person was dressed in snow-white clothes and had eyes as clear as autumn water; it was Princess Taiping.

She closed the door behind her and quickly walked behind Lu Changsheng.

She then wrapped her soft arms around his neck.

She leaned forward, her red lips brushing against his ear, her breath sweet as orchids as she whispered:

"Senior... have you missed me?"

Bai Xue carried a faint fragrance of plum blossoms.

At this moment, her body temperature was slightly high; it was unclear whether it was from the heat or from embarrassment.

Lu Changsheng was taken aback.

This girl...

Clearly, once they tasted the sweetness, they couldn't stop!

He reached out and touched Bai Xue's palm.

"That's natural. There was a bit of a dispute with the disciples of the Enforcement Hall before, but it's all over now."

A hint of surprise flashed in Bai Xue's eyes, but Lu Changsheng didn't say anything, and she didn't ask any more questions.

She gently bit Lu Changsheng's earlobe and whispered:

"Senior...let me see if you're injured?"

Before she finished speaking, she had already straddled his lap, her delicate hands untying his belt, her fingertips sliding into his chest.

Lu Changsheng's breath hitched.

Since Bai Xue can be so uninhibited, why should I be reserved?

He could no longer restrain himself, pulled her close, and kissed her cool red lips.

The two rolled onto the bed, their clothes half-undone, their breaths mingling.

With skin as white as snow and a supple waist, her soft singing triggered the spontaneous flow of Taiyin energy within Lu Changsheng's dantian.

"Senior~"

"senior!"

"Ah! Senior!!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Just when their feelings were at their peak.

"Bang!"

The door was kicked open with a sudden kick!

A figure in purple stood at the doorway, her almond-shaped eyes wide open and her willow-leaf eyebrows raised.

"Fine! You two are doing this behind my back again!"

Before she could finish speaking, Mo Rou threw off her embroidered shoes and rushed to the bedside in three quick steps.

He made a move to lie down on the bed!

"I want it too! Why should only she get it?"

Lu Changsheng reacted quickly and grabbed her shoulder.

His voice was deep but left no room for argument: "Mo Rou, stop making trouble."

"Let's get down to business!"

Mo Rou was taken aback, and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Master, how did you know it was something important?"

Lu Changsheng slowly sat up, put on his clothes, and said solemnly:

"If it weren't for something important, would you be willing to leave your brother Feng behind to come find me?"

"Speak, what is it?"

Mo Rou smiled sheepishly, then took a deep breath and said in a very low voice:

"I just heard the news. The sect has issued an urgent order, requiring you to go on a mission."

"What mission?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"Exterminate the horde of demonic beasts entrenched in the Black Wind Ridge area. In recent months, several herb-gathering disciples have gone missing in that region, their remains never recovered. It is also rumored that demonic beasts have ventured into the Dragon-Trapping Pool, so the elders have ordered a cleanup."

Lu Changsheng frowned slightly.

"Who called the roll?"

"Elder Murong Yan, I don't know what she was thinking, but she chose you out of the blue."

Lu Changsheng didn't speak, but after thinking for a moment, he continued to ask:

"Who else was with us?"

"Just you and her."