Raise a sword!

Just like Jiang Peng was always wary of Tiancan Daoren.

Beneath his seemingly compliant demeanor, Tiancan Daoren was constantly plotting to possess Jiang Peng's body.

Looking at her bluish left little finger, Jiang Peng secretly felt a bit lucky.

Despite all his calculations, he could never have foreseen that the Heavenly Crippled Daoist's backup plan would be a strange contraption that would be harmless to puppets but would immediately cause harm to cultivators.

While it seemed that the puppet's exploration of the cave was foolproof, Tiancan had already harbored malicious intentions when he brought up the matter.

But before coming into contact with that poison jar, no matter how hard Jiang Peng racked his brains, he could never have imagined that such a method existed in the world.

"What a pity, senior, despite your careful planning, you still underestimated my purple flame. Consider yourself unlucky to have encountered me; if it were anyone else, you would most likely have succeeded," Jiang Peng said without changing his expression.

The remnant Daoist Tiancan pressed on, "What is the origin of that purple fire? For the sake of this dying man, could you tell me the truth?"

A faint smile played at the corners of Jiang Peng's lips.

After a moment of silence, he gently shook his head.

"no."

The next moment, the purple fire within his body suddenly surged.

The Heavenly Crippled Daoist let out a painful wail, and the screams fell into Jiang Peng's ears, even causing him to feel a slight tinnitus-like discomfort.

However, the wailing did not last long.

Jiang Peng's left little finger rapidly changed color, its originally bluish skin gradually turning bright red. Then, its body could no longer contain the purple flames, and flames began to emerge from its little finger.

During this process, the remnant soul of the Heavenly Crippled Taoist had already vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever.

After examining herself with her divine sense and confirming that there were no further hidden dangers in her body, Jiang Peng finally extinguished the purple flame.

He sat down on the ground, slightly out of breath, leaning against the rock wall behind him.

"The consumption of the Purple Flame is far too terrifying. If I hadn't purified the poison gas from that poison jar into pure spiritual energy, I'm afraid my spiritual power wouldn't be enough to completely annihilate Tian Can with the Purple Flame. Forcibly annihilating him might even damage his very foundation."

After resting and recuperating for a while, Jiang Peng got up.

I had been planning to weigh my gains from this trip, but then I remembered that my entanglement with the Heavenly Crippled Daoist had ultimately caused some disturbance.

Although the passage he was in was above the cave, and there were hidden methods set up by Tian Can, it had not been discovered for over a hundred years.

However, neither stabilizing one's cultivation after absorbing pure spiritual energy nor refining Heavenly Steel with the Purple Gold Cauldron can be accomplished overnight.

This place may seem safe, but it's not a place to stay for long.

So Jiang Peng got up and carefully made her way out of the cave.

...

There were no disturbances during the departure from the underground ruins.

During this time, they encountered several groups of independent cultivators who were also exploring the ruins. Some of them, upon seeing Jiang Peng alone, showed a hint of eagerness in their eyes.

But in the end, no one actually took action.

They were probably worried that Jiang Peng dared to appear alone in the cave, perhaps because she had some kind of backing.

When they left the cave, it was already broad daylight outside.

Jiang Peng did not intend to stay in Wuqing Valley. Moreover, after experiencing the customs and culture of Chen Kingdom, he even planned to return to Cangshan Sect in one go.

As he followed the steps all the way to the top of the cliff, at the entrance to the Valley of Heartlessness...

Amidst a rustling sound, a figure hidden in the canopy of a tall tree ahead emerged.

At the same time, Jiang Peng once again sensed the same faint, lurking divine senses that had been secretly observing her as before.

"Leave some money for the journey," the man in the tree said succinctly.

Jiang Peng took out the inferior jade pendant from her bosom.

"We already paid the toll."

Upon hearing this, the person in the tree first looked Jiang Peng up and down, then beckoned and said, "Bring me the jade token."

Jiang Peng tossed the jade pendant over.

The person in the tree took the jade token, glanced at it casually, and then suddenly raised his hand and pointed.

"Take it down!"

The next moment, the others who had been hiding at the intersection and watching Jiang Peng suddenly made their move.

Jiang Peng's divine sense had already been on guard against her surroundings since she was being targeted.

He instantly sensed two flashes of fire behind him, which seemed to be either spells or talismans, making it hard to tell. However, judging from their power, the person who made the move must have a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation level.

Jiang Peng frowned slightly, and with a light tap of her foot, she was already in mid-air.

At the same time, he made a hand seal with one hand and with a thought, he unleashed the "Danyang Fire Control Technique".

Although this method is a fire control technique used in alchemy, Jiang Peng only discovered after receiving guidance from Qin Yuan, a disciple of Danyangzi, that the "Danyang Fire Control Technique" could also be used to control the fire techniques used by others during magical battles.

The two fierce flames flew to within two or three zhang of Jiang Peng, but were suddenly blocked by an invisible force and could no longer advance. They then vanished into thin air, leaving only a heat wave in their place.

Jiang Peng, the one who started all of this, was not satisfied with the outcome.

"Unfortunately, my cultivation is not enough to make others' fire magic backfire on me," he thought to himself.

According to Qin Yuan, if one cultivates the "Danyang Fire Control Technique" to a high level, one can easily transform other people's fire techniques into one's own.

However, Jiang Peng had only been exposed to the true teachings of this method for a short time, and could only barely eliminate it.

Even so, it still greatly alarmed the person who had launched the sneak attack.

"This person is no ordinary individual; all of you, do not hold back!"

As the sound rang out, three more methods targeting Jiang Peng appeared from the surrounding mountains and forests.

A throwing knife appeared, but Jiang Peng blocked it with her exquisite sword.

A thunderclap sounded behind her. Jiang Peng couldn't dodge in time, but she managed to withstand the attack with her bare body. Some charred marks appeared on her body, but she wasn't seriously affected.

The most difficult one to deal with was the person in the tree earlier.

After the person fully revealed himself from the treetops, Jiang Peng realized that he was a tall, burly man with a powerful presence in every gesture, a rare physical cultivator.

Among independent cultivators, body cultivation is often a secondary practice, with qi absorption being the primary focus.

Upon seeing this person, Jiang Peng immediately realized that his cultivation level seemed to be only at the third level of Qi Refining, but the sense of threat posed by his direct approach to Jiang Peng was no less than that of an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

With a single flip, he became a blur, moving so fast that Jiang Peng could barely see it.

"That's fast."

Jiang Peng's pupils contracted. Fortunately, she had sensed the danger from the other party early on and kept her divine sense locked on.

The moment the opponent approached, Jiang Peng waved her hand, and the Linglong Sword twirled in mid-air to block in front of her chest, forcing the body cultivator in front of her to change direction.

Then, Jiang Peng shielded her chest with both hands and forcefully took the powerful kick from the opponent.

bang——

With a muffled thud, Jiang Peng's figure flew backward and landed in the dense forest beside him.

It was clear that the body cultivator's eyes were wide open, showing no joy whatsoever at the successful attack.

The foot felt off, so when I kicked the man, the impact made him hurt.

"Oh no, chase them!"