Immortality and cultivation begin with alchemy and accounting.

The old man opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy pupils.

"After refining, even if you put the smokebird feather in your storage bag, it can still sense our messages."

"The Zhan Yue Dao Companions haven't responded. Either they're planning to leave the group and cut off contact with us... or they've already died!"

The bald, burly man's expression also turned serious: "With such a huge profit, they wouldn't have withdrawn from the group without a reason. In other words, those two are most likely dead?"

The old man scoffed, "If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get wet. The vast sea has swallowed countless cultivators' remains and fragments."

We evil cultivators live on the edge, making many enemies. Life and death hang in the balance, and who knows, you or I might face that day too.

The burly man shrank back: "I'll stop after I finish this one."

Then he chuckled and said, "If I hide in the market and spend all my time at the Fragrance Pavilion and gambling dens, I probably won't be able to spend all the spirit stones I earn."

"Surely hiding in the marketplace won't lead to a violent death, will it?"

The old man did not speak.

The burly man then asked, "So what do we do? Recruit some more people?"

The old man shook his head: "The basic layout is complete. Once those demon bastards bring back that spiritual object, even without Zhan Yue Dao Companion, it won't have much of an impact."

Those little devils already felt that because there were too many people, everyone would get less benefit.

Besides, with so many people, there will be too much gossip, and it won't be easy to find a reliable cultivator in a short time. They probably won't be happy if we add more people.

The bald, burly man hesitated: "Originally, with Zhan Yue as our Daoist partner, we were evenly matched with those demonic brats. Now that Zhan Yue has perished, what about you and me..."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly: "How many spirit stones do you have left?"

The bald, burly man glanced warily at the old man, then chuckled sheepishly, "You know, I spend spirit stones like water..."

"snort!"

The old man snorted, "I have no interest in your wealth. I just want to remind you to bring more life-saving magical artifacts and talismans before you go to the island."

Then he said earnestly, "Those demon cubs are fellow cultivators. In our Vast Sea, the cohesion of our group is extremely strong."

Without Zhan Yue as my Daoist partner, if we continue to be outwardly friendly but inwardly hostile as before, I'm afraid they'll devour us completely, leaving not even a trace!

"Old man, I still have some savings. If you don't have enough, I can lend it to you, and you can pay me back later."

"With the addition of powerful magical artifacts and talismans, even if those demon cubs harbor rebellious intentions, we will be able to handle them with ease!"

Upon hearing this, the bald, burly man looked thoughtful.

……

On Nianzu Island,

As the Azure Bell rang, the Bai family cultivators all fled towards Nianzu Island.

In an instant, streaks of light of various colors appeared in a chaotic display, like a cluster of stars falling toward Nianzu Island.

The clan assemblies are divided into those of cultivators and those of mortals. The clan assemblies of mortals last longer and are held on their respective islands of residence.

Those who came to Nianzu Island today are all cultivators.

Even Bai Mingyuan and Bai Ling'er didn't come along; they were entrusted to the care of several mortals.

Baek Hyun-kyung followed Baek Hyun-gu and his wife all the way to the center of Nianzu Island.

Nianzu Island is surrounded by towering mountains, but from the air, the center of the island appears to be a valley.

The valley is called Seeking the Dao Valley. It is a vast space filled with countless restrictive formations.

The Bai family's ancestral hall is located in Xundao Valley.

Perhaps due to the formation, the entire Seeking Dao Valley was shrouded in a light red mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

Normally, this place is not open to the public; to enter, one needs to obtain a specific token.

At today's clan gathering, a passage was opened in the valley's formation, allowing passage.

Countless Bai family disciples followed the passage into Seeking the Dao Valley.

Upon entering the formation, Bai Xuanjing immediately sensed the swirling mist surrounding her, rushing towards her.

This wasn't the first time he'd experienced this situation, and knowing that the fog wouldn't harm him, he simply let it be.

As the mist touched her skin, Bai Xuanjing felt a sense of familiarity, exactly the same as when she was detected by the array in the underground fire chamber passage.

"Could this fog also serve a reconnaissance purpose?"

Bai Xuanjing was curious.

Although the clan had come into contact with these mists before, he had not felt that he was being probed.

Although this time it felt unusual, the fog was no different from previous years.

"Perhaps it's because I've cultivated the Fire Refining Spirit Technique, and my divine sense has improved, making me more sensitive to detection?"

Bai Xuanjing had a vague guess.

He had been practicing the Refining Spirit Technique, although he hadn't even perfected the first level.

However, he could sense that the strength of his soul had significantly improved.

More importantly, this Refining Spirit Technique seems to be able to enhance his soul's sensitivity.

This point was not mentioned in any of the classic texts Bai Xuanjing had come across, including the "Refining God with Fire Technique".

It is unclear whether this is a characteristic of the "Separation of Fire and Refinement of Spirit Technique" or a general feature of the Refinement of Spirit Technique.

After passing through the formation, the scenery suddenly opened up before us.

A simple and rustic ancestral hall sits in the middle of a valley.

The ancestral hall is shaped like a black stone palace, with forbidden symbols covering the roof tiles, and is extremely spacious.

In front of the stone hall, there is a huge stone wall with a magnificent scroll painted on it, containing countless cultivators and demonic beasts.

Six of them were depicted as giants.

The six individuals each have a different appearance and ritual implements.

Some held alchemy furnaces in their left hands and swords in their right, some rode on demonic beasts wielding double maces, and others carried talismans and talisman brushes...

Their style also reveals the cultivation path they excel at.

These were the six ancestors of the Bai family.

The entire scroll depicts the Sixth Patriarch leading his clansmen in a campaign against demonic beasts.

The originally noisy and bustling crowd immediately became quiet after entering the Valley of Seeking the Way.

Even when they talk, it's in hushed tones, or even through telepathy.

The entire ancestral hall is filled with a deep and quiet atmosphere.

At the top of the steps of the ancestral hall, there were more than ten chairs, in which sat twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators and a Supreme Elder of the Bai family who was at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage.

The Bai family cultivators divided themselves into different areas based on seniority, position, and cultivation level.

After entering the Valley of Seeking the Dao, Bai Xuanjing separated from Bai Xuangu and his wife, and became one of the Xuan generation cultivators in the Bai family at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

The Bai family's Xuan generation of cultivators constitutes the majority, and there are hundreds of cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Seeing that there was no one familiar around, Bai Xuanjing intended to sit down casually, but unexpectedly a hand was placed on her shoulder.

Turning my head, I saw Bai Xuanle.

"Brother Xuanle!"

Bai Xuanjing politely bowed, a smile appearing on her face.

Whether it was a misperception or something else, Bai Xuanjing vaguely felt that Bai Xuanle's aura seemed to have become more solid, indicating that he had made progress in his cultivation.

Bai Xuanle nodded, chuckled softly, and asked in a low voice, "How's the Demon-Feeding Pill refining going?"

Bai Xuanjing replied without hesitation, "It's already finished being refined. I was just planning to send you a message via paper crane after the clan meeting, and then give you the pill."

Bai Xuanle said with a relaxed expression, "Okay, thanks to you. Don't rush to leave after the clan meeting. I'll treat you to a cup of tea at Yujing Mountain."

There is a teahouse run by the Bai family on Yujing Mountain.

After a moment's thought, Bai Xuanjing agreed.