May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

As Li Heng walked out of the side door of Wanbaoge, it was getting dark.

The streets and alleys of the outer market area of ​​Chixia Mountain are already deserted.

He didn't rush to use his magical artifact, but instead mingled slowly among the sparse crowd, like an ordinary rogue cultivator.

He spent almost all his savings over the years to buy the Blood Armor of Burial in his waist storage bag, but he felt that the spirit stones were well spent.

Soon, he felt some eyes looking at him.

These gazes come from all directions, and their motives are impure.

Li Heng's expression remained unchanged, but his pace quickened slightly as he turned into a quiet, narrow alley.

At this time, Li Heng looked to be in his fifties, with graying temples and a thin build. He had the cultivation level of the early stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining. In this outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain, he was the kind of fat sheep that had some wealth and was easy to take advantage of.

Li Heng wanted to see who was eyeing him.

In the alley, Li Heng pulled out a dusty gray "shuttle boat," the kind that costs ten spirit stones on the market, and slowly floated three feet off the ground toward the direction of the cave.

As soon as you stepped out of the market, a biting wind carrying the earthy smell hit you.

In the wilderness, clumps of withered grass swayed in the twilight, and in the distance, the faint roars of some unknown monster could be heard.

Li Heng quietly spread out his spiritual sense, controlling it to the weak level expected of someone at the early stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining, yet it was several times more solid than that of other cultivators at the same level. This was the benefit of Li Heng's long-term dedication to refining his spiritual power.

Someone is following us!

Li Heng thought to himself.

Three miles away, a subtle presence was quietly following Li Heng, like a shadow.

The other party was very cautious, always keeping this distance and using the terrain and darkness to hide. If Li Heng hadn't had such a strong spiritual sense, he would have hardly been able to detect them.

By comparing body shape and personal characteristics, Li Heng confirmed the identity of the person he was following.

This person is the Blood-Stained Old Man with Withered Fingers, a notorious traitor on the outskirts of Crimson Cloud Mountain. He specializes in targeting lone, low-level cultivators. It is said that even a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator once fell into his hands.

Rumor has it that this person has mastered a set of blood-based evil arts, making him very difficult to deal with when fighting for his life.

Li Heng flew for about half an hour and arrived at a desolate valley full of rocks.

This place is devoid of spiritual energy and is extremely desolate.

Li Heng slowly steered the gray shuttle boat to land behind the giant rock.

Just as he put away his magical artifact, a hoarse laugh came from behind Li Heng.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

An old man in a dark red robe emerged from the darkness. His face was withered, his eyes were sunken, his fingers were dry and brittle, and he leaned on a blood-red wooden cane in his right hand. He was none other than the Withered-Finger Blood Elder.

He glanced at Li Heng up and down, his greedy expression barely concealed: "I saw you came out of the Wanbao Pavilion, you must have gotten some good stuff. Why don't you lend it to me to broaden my horizons? I'll return it in three days."

The withered-finger old man spoke politely, but his tone was unusually cold. He casually took two steps, blocking Li Heng's left and right paths.

Li Heng turned around, his face feigning a perfectly timed pale expression: "S-Senior, what do you mean? I only bought some ordinary items, nothing of value. Why are you blocking my way?"

The withered-finger old man slammed his blood-red wooden staff on the ground and sneered, "Ordinary materials? Do you think the Wanbaoge auction house has ordinary goods? What are you pretending to be confused about, fellow Daoist?"

He no longer concealed himself; his aura, a perfect fifth level of Qi Refining, mixed with a thick stench of blood, pressed down upon him. This was the murderous aura accumulated from killing too many people; any low-level cultivator who encountered it would be terrified and their hands and feet would tremble.

Li Heng was so frightened that he took two steps back, his back against the rock, his voice trembling: "Senior, this junior is really..."

Before he could finish speaking, the withered-finger blood elder grew impatient. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his wooden staff suddenly burst forth with bloody light, sending three blood arrows straight at Li Heng's upper, middle, and lower body!

This spell is both poisonous and swift; an ordinary Qi Refining Stage 4 cultivator would never be able to dodge it.

However, Li Heng was no ordinary person. He moved immediately, not to dodge, but to charge forward.

In that instant, his hunched back straightened, his black and white hair moved without wind, his faint aura disappeared, and was replaced by a powerful aura like a volcano, as he unleashed his full power at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He's stopped pretending!

Within Li Heng's body, solidified spiritual energy surged through his meridians, giving him a strong sense of security.

Li Heng made a hand seal with his left hand and cast the basic spell Xuanbing Shield. A pale white ice shield instantly appeared on his body. The three blood arrows collided with the ice shield, leaving only three shallow arrow marks before dissipating.

At the same time, he joined his right fingers like a sword, the fingertips enveloped in a wisp of golden light. It looked slow, but in the blink of an eye, it reached the chest of the withered-fingered old man.

This is a basic spell, Sharp Metal Finger.

"You've been hiding your cultivation level?" The withered-finger blood elder's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly raised his staff to block.

"Ding!"

When the fingertip touched the wooden cane, it produced a metallic clanging sound.

Withered Fingers Blood Elder felt a strange, immense force come from him, and his tiger's mouth instantly cracked open, almost causing him to drop his wooden staff.

This power is terrifyingly condensed; it is definitely not something an ordinary Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator could unleash!

The withered-fingered old man was terrified, hastily retreating and biting his tongue to spit out a mouthful of blood onto his staff: "Blood Demon Entanglement!"

The blood-red patterns on the staff came to life, twisting into several crimson tentacles that coiled around Li Heng. This was his signature spell; the tentacles were filthy and vicious, capable of corroding magical artifacts and corrupting spiritual energy, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Li Heng neither dodged nor flinched, letting the tentacles wrap around his body.

The withered-finger old man was overjoyed and was about to unleash his magic to completely subdue his opponent when he saw Li Heng's skin glow with a jade-like light.

The crimson tentacles, touched by that faint light, melted away rapidly, like snowflakes touching a flame!

"How is this possible? My crimson tentacles have stopped working?" The withered-fingered old man's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.

Logically speaking, even a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining wouldn't dare to directly confront his Blood Fiend Power, so why did Li Heng, who was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, directly dissolve it?

The withered-finger old man couldn't understand it.

Li Heng, on the other hand, appeared quite calm, as if he was not at all surprised by this situation.

It's actually quite simple. Ever since he embarked on the path of cultivation, he has been constantly consuming discarded pills to refine his spiritual power.

Therefore, his spiritual power can quickly transform from the lowest gaseous state to a liquid state, and then from a liquid state to a solid state.

This solid spiritual energy is completely pure and without any impurities. How could such impure blood energy possibly pollute it?

On the field, taking advantage of the opponent's momentary lapse in concentration, Li Heng began to get serious.

"You withered-fingered old man, try my methods!"

Li Heng took a step forward, his figure moving like a ghost, his right hand spread out five fingers, a dazzling white light shining from his palm, and he blasted it towards the withered-fingered old man.

There was no earth-shattering sound, only invisible ripples spreading outwards. Wherever the white light passed, many rocks turned to dust, and the ground was plowed into a trench ten feet deep.

The withered-finger blood elder was the first to be hit. His protective aura was as fragile as paper, and he was sent flying back more than ten feet, crashing hard into a nearby dark and hard rock wall.

With a "crack," the withered-fingered old man broke several bones, and a stream of blood gushed out.

"Spare me! Senior, I beg for mercy!" He struggled to beg for mercy, his eyes filled with fear of Li Heng.

This is nothing like the fifth level of Qi Refining! Even a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining doesn't possess such terrifying spiritual power!

But Li Heng didn't give him a chance. He drew a sharp spiritual sword and swept it across the neck of the withered-finger blood elder, and his head rolled to the ground instantly.

Even in death, the withered-fingered old man's eyes remained wide open, filled with panic and fear.