I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

One day later.

Chen Qing rode alone on his horse along the mountain road in Linyuan County.

Xu Gui's leg wound didn't look deep, but because the scarred man's ghost-head knife was covered in poison, Xu Gui was experienced and carried detoxification pills with him, so the injury wasn't too serious.

Before parting, Xiao Chunan patted Chen Qing on the shoulder: "After I settle Master Xu down and finish handing over the mission, I'll come to Half Moon Lake to find you. We'll have a good drink together then."

Chen Qing readily agreed.

As for the storage bags of those four cultivators—

While Xiao Chunan wasn't paying attention, Chen Qing slipped the four bottles of Qingyuan Pills that Xiao Chunan had given him into the young woman's storage bag, claiming they were Xiao Chunan's spoils of war.

Xiao Chunan opened it and immediately wanted to split it equally.

Chen Qing and Xu Gui exchanged a glance, both knowing the truth, and decided that whoever killed the person should keep the prize.

In the end, Xiao Chunan couldn't persuade the two of them, so she had no choice but to accept it. She then forcibly stuffed a storage bag and a bottle of Qingyuan Pills into Xu Gui's hands, saying that Xu Gui had held off the strongest scarred man and should rightfully get a share.

Xu Gui could not refuse and finally had to accept it.

Chen Qing did the same, taking out the bottle of kickback to show that he had also received one. In the end, he only took a storage bag as "spoils of war." As for the spirit stones and pills inside, they were better than nothing. The real big prize was definitely from the scarred man.

"drive--"

Chen Qing snapped out of his thoughts, gently urged the dragon-scaled horse, and turned a bend in the mountain.

A ring-shaped mountain range stretched out before us, not high, but continuous and rounded, like a giant bowl turned upside down on the earth. In the depression in the center of the mountain range, a pool of clear water lay quietly in the embrace of the mountains.

Half Moon Lake.

The lake is about five or six miles in circumference and is shaped like a crescent moon, hence its name.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, there is a wide mudflat to the north, from which a small river flows and meanders into the distance.

Chen Qing reined in the reins, and saw a thin, veil-like light enveloping the entire lake and the area below the mountainside. If one did not look closely, one would only think it was mist formed by the evaporation of water vapor.

"I didn't expect there to be a formation in this Crescent Lake. Not bad, it greatly increases the safety."

Chen Qing dismounted.

He took out the sect token that represented his identity from his storage bag, infused it with spiritual power, and a beam of azure light shone from the token, shooting into the thin veil of spiritual light.

A moment later, the light parted to both sides, revealing a passage about ten feet wide.

Chen Qing led his horse inside.

The passage slowly closed behind him, transforming back into that veil of ethereal light.

Stepping into the formation, a not-too-dense spiritual energy rushed towards him. Chen Qing took a deep breath and felt as if every pore on his body opened up, an indescribable feeling of comfort.

"A mid-grade first-tier spiritual vein, although much weaker than my little courtyard on Beast Taming Peak, will belong exclusively to me from now on."

Chen Qing inwardly praised him, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings—

Seven or eight large willow trees were planted by the lake, their branches drooping over the water and swaying gently in the wind. Behind the willow trees was a three-story building built against the mountain. Although it could not compare to the grandeur of the palaces within the sect, it was still quite elegant.

Three people were standing in front of the small building.

The man in the lead was an old man with wrinkled skin and white hair, a withered face, and an empty blue Taoist robe that looked like it was hanging on a clothes rack. Behind him stood two young women in plain clothes, with delicate features, lowered eyes, and they looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.

Chen Qing glanced at them and muttered to himself, "This senior brother is already so old, yet he still has two maids with him. He really knows how to enjoy life."

When the old man saw Chen Qing enter, he looked him up and down, coughed twice, and asked, "Are you the junior brother who took over the guard duty?"

"Indeed." Chen Qing cupped his hands in greeting. "Chen Qing of Beast Taming Peak greets Senior Brother."

"I am Zhao Mingde from Xuanzhen Peak, and I have been sitting in this Half-Moon Lake for twenty years." The old man waved his hand. "No need for formalities. My days are numbered, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll just explain what needs to be explained so I can return to my sect and await my death sooner."

These words were so blunt that Chen Qing didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Zhao Mingde didn't care and continued speaking to himself: "Linyuan County is not big, only about 300 li in circumference. There are two cultivation families in the county, one surnamed Lin and the other surnamed Yang. Neither of them are very big. Remember to collect the spirit tax every year."

"The Lin family is located in Qingxi Valley, eighty miles south of Half Moon Lake. There are eleven Qi Refining cultivators in the clan, including one in the late stage, three in the middle stage, and seven in the early stage. Their main product is Qingxi Stone, which is a mid-grade first-level refining material. They also grow sixty acres of spirit rice, which can be harvested twice a year."

"The Zhao family is located in Chiyan Mountain, a hundred miles northeast of Half Moon Lake. There are seven Qi Refining cultivators in the clan, two of whom are at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and five at the early stage. They have thirty acres of spirit fields, which are used to grow a kind of spirit herb called 'Cold Smoke Grass,' which is an auxiliary material for refining several first-order pills and is quite popular in the market. They also have some spirit fruit orchards, which are not worth much money."

Zhao Mingde paused for a moment, then added, "These two families are fairly honest; they always pay their spirit tax on time every year. Just be polite when you collect it. If anything changes, report it to the sect immediately."

Chen Qing noted them down one by one and nodded in agreement.

The Lingyun Sect's territory spans six thousand miles, and all cultivation sects and families within its borders that occupy spiritual lands, spiritual veins, or markets must pay spiritual taxes.

Seeing that he agreed, Zhao Mingde took out a palm-sized token from his storage bag. It was dark blue-black with the character "阵" (array) engraved on the front. He handed it to him and said, "This is an array token. The 'Azure Water Spirit Ring Array' on the lake is controlled by it. You're lucky. This array was originally a mid-grade first-level array, but I strengthened it a lot in my spare time. It's also connected to the spiritual veins in the lake, so it can be called a high-grade array."

Zhao Mingde handed the token to Chen Qing and then briefly explained the method of control.

Chen Qing listened attentively and took notes.

After Zhao Mingde finished speaking, he suddenly lowered his voice and his expression became more serious: "Junior Brother Chen, there is something I need to remind you of."

"Please speak, senior brother."

"Linyuan County is located on the edge of Lingyun Sect. Five hundred miles to the north is Blood Spirit Abyss, which was created by the 'Blood Skull Secret Realm' a thousand years ago. Five hundred miles across from Blood Spirit Abyss is Qian Kingdom, which is under the jurisdiction of the 'Blood Soul Sect', one of the six major sects of the Demonic Path."

"This has created a no-man's-land around Blood Spirit Abyss, making it quite unsafe."

"I've gotten old these past few years and haven't bothered with it. Occasionally, there are calamity cultivators appearing in the county, so keep an eye out."

"However, those cultivators who have undergone tribulations don't dare to come to Half Moon Lake. It's one thing to ambush a lone disciple in the wild, but it's another to attack a sect's spiritual vein. They wouldn't dare even if they had ten times the courage."

Chen Qing nodded, his heart not flustered.

Although the "Blood Skull Secret Realm" was only a third-tier secret realm, for some reason, it was not conquered by cultivators for ten years, and its eventual disappearance was quite abrupt.

The Blood Spirit Abyss, which was left behind, stretches for hundreds of miles from north to south and thousands of miles from east to west. It is surrounded by malevolent energy and blood energy, and contains many creatures left behind from the secret realm of that time, making it a natural boundary.

While it's not impossible for all life to be wiped out inside, once you enter, you'll be contaminated, which will have a significant impact on your health. Unless there's absolutely no other way, most people will choose to travel through the side paths in special locations.

When Chen Qing accepted the Half Moon Lake mission, he had already inquired about the risks involved.

After Zhao Mingde finished explaining, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had unloaded a burden.

He glanced back at the small building, then at the two maids, and suddenly winked at Chen Qing: "Junior brother, these two girls were sent by the city lord of Lin Yuan City. If you like them, keep them. If not, Lin Yuan City is only fifty miles away. Just reveal your identity as a member of the Lingyun Sect, and plenty of people will fawn over you."

Upon hearing this, the two women trembled slightly but dared not utter a sound.

Chen Qing's lips twitched, and he cupped his hands, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, Senior Brother."

Zhao Mingde laughed heartily and didn't force the issue. He led the two maids outside, and the spiritual light merged, blocking out the old figure from view.

Chen Qing stood under the willow tree, watching the figure disappear into the distance. He turned to look at the three-story building, then at the crescent-shaped lake in front of him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

From this day forward, this area of ​​spiritual lake and land within several miles will be his territory!

[New book recommendation period, please vote, fellow readers!]