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

This valley did not disappoint Chen Qing.

Over the next hour or so, Chen Qing led Dan Yu and Yin Yue around the valley and discovered several more spiritual herbs. Although their grades were not high, they were plentiful.

As Chen Qing picked the herbs, he silently estimated the amount in his mind.

These spiritual herbs, along with those gathered yesterday, and the contents of that Blood Spirit Abyss cultivator's storage bag—that guy, though not a very good person, actually had over three hundred spirit stones, several bottles of pills, and five or six bloodstained magic artifacts in his storage bag. Clearly, he had robbed many cultivators before encountering Chen Qing, and selling them would definitely fetch a lot of spirit stones.

As for the other Blood Spirit Abyss cultivator's storage bag, Chen Qing didn't retrieve it. He had a feeling that there were probably still those giant skeletons underground, and if he had to come back again, he wouldn't have enough talismans to use.

"I've earned at least a thousand spirit stones from this trip."

Chen Qing felt a surge of emotion.

No wonder so many people are desperate to get into the secret realm. Although many die, those who come out alive all make a fortune.

Chen Qing put the last spiritual herb into his storage bag and was about to call Dan Yu and Yin Yue to leave when the Blood Spirit Token in his bosom suddenly became slightly warm.

Chen Qing's expression changed, and he immediately took out the Blood Spirit Token.

On the token, a blood-red light spot representing the aura of a cultivator was flashing rapidly. Judging from the intensity of the light spot, it was probably around the sixth level of Qi Refining, and it was approaching his direction at an extremely fast speed!

Chen Qing frowned, about to lead Dan Yu and Yin Yue away, when he saw three more Qi Refining Level 8 lights chasing after the blood-red light from a distance, their speed equally impressive.

One against three.

In the span of four breaths, the four points of light had closed a considerable distance.

"unlucky."

Without saying a word, Chen Qing raised his hand and patted the spirit beast pouch, putting away Dan Yu and Yin Yue, then turned and walked in another direction.

He had no desire to get involved in such matters.

However, after he had only taken a dozen steps, the aura behind him suddenly changed direction and rushed straight towards him!

"Shifting the blame eastward?"

Chen Qing understood, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He'd seen this trick many times before—people being chased would deliberately run towards crowded places, hoping to cause a fight between the pursuers and passersby so they could escape in the chaos.

It was a bit of a loss, but it really worked.

But the question is, why should Chen be the one to take the fall?

Without further hesitation, Chen Qing patted his storage bag, and the Azure Leaf Boat transformed into a streak of azure light, landing on the ground. He leaped onto it, channeling his spiritual energy into it, and the Azure Leaf Boat soared into the air, preparing to depart in another direction.

However, at that moment—

"Fellow Daoist ahead, please wait!"

A clear, crisp female voice came from behind. Though the voice was urgent, it was as melodious as pearls falling onto a plate.

Chen Qing ignored him, and the Azure Leaf Boat's spiritual light shone brightly, increasing its speed even further.

"Fellow Daoist! I offer a Foundation Establishment spiritual item as payment; please lend me your assistance!"

The woman's voice rang out again, her tone tinged with urgency, yet still maintaining restraint and coolness.

Chen Qing paused slightly in his movements.

A Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object?

He frowned, his mind racing as he made his calculations.

Foundation Establishment spiritual items are extremely rare and expensive; even with money, you might not be able to buy them. He's currently at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and although he's still a long way from Foundation Establishment, it's always good to be prepared.

Moreover, judging from the woman's tone, she didn't seem to be making things up.

"That's interesting."

Chen Qing muttered to himself, but remained outwardly calm. The speed of the Qingye Boat increased instead of decreasing, and it continued to fly forward. He was not going to be foolish enough to turn back just because of a few words.

Seeing Chen Qing walk away without looking back, even quickening his pace, the woman's voice finally betrayed her anxiety: "Fellow Daoist! I... I swear on my Dao heart that if I utter even the slightest lie, may I be struck by lightning and my cultivation never advance an inch for the rest of my life!"

Chen Qing's heart stirred.

That's a really strong oath!

Those who cultivate immortality value cause and effect above all else. Swearing an oath with one's Dao heart is no joke. Once broken, at best one's cultivation will stagnate, and at worst one's inner demons will backfire, making life worse than death.

"It seems there really is one."

Chen Qing's eyes flickered, and the speed of the Green Leaf Boat finally slowed down. He turned his head and his gaze fell on the figure that was rapidly approaching.

The newcomer was a female cultivator who looked rather ordinary. Her features were unremarkable, and her figure was decent, though not as voluptuous as the female cultivator who was killed yesterday. However, she possessed a unique temperament—her back was straight, and her steps were light. Even while fleeing for her life, she exuded a sense of composure.

However, Chen Qing didn't care about any of that.

His gaze fell on the female cultivator's feet, where several silvery talismans were affixed to the surface of her shoes, their spiritual light swirling around them—clearly some kind of speed-enhancing talisman. No wonder she could run at such speed with only a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation level; it was all thanks to these talismans.

"They're certainly willing to invest."

Chen Qing muttered to himself, then his lips moved slightly, and a telepathic message was sent precisely into the female cultivator's ear: "Give me the Foundation Establishment spiritual item first, or forget about it."

The female cultivator paused slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

Seeing this, Chen Qing added, "I also swear on my Dao heart that if you hand over the Foundation Establishment spiritual item, I will save your life. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and my cultivation never advance again."

Upon hearing this, the hesitation in the female cultivator's eyes vanished instantly.

She bit her lip, decisively took out a spiritual herb from her storage bag, and tossed it towards Chen Qing.

Chen Qing reached out and took it; it was icy cold to the touch, and a refreshing spiritual energy emanated from his palm.

It was a pure white spiritual herb, its leaves as translucent as ice crystals, and its stems shimmering with a faint blue halo. The entire herb exuded a cool and otherworldly aura, as if it were a celestial plant that had grown from ten thousand years of ice and snow.

"Ice Lotus?"

Chen Qing was overjoyed.

This is one of the eighteen main ingredients needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and it is an extremely rare one—the Ice Heart Lotus only grows in extremely cold places, and it is hard to find even one in the outside world. If it were auctioned on the market, it would be worth at least two or three thousand spirit stones, and it is priceless!

Chen Qing used his spiritual sense to carefully scan the Ice Heart Lotus three times to confirm that it had not been tampered with before carefully putting it into a jade box and then into his storage bag.

Having accepted the Foundation Establishment item, Chen Qing finally had the time to carefully examine the female cultivator.

Aside from the speed-enhancing talismans on her feet, her Taoist robe was also torn in several places, revealing glimpses of the silver silk armor underneath, indicating she had been through more than one fierce battle. However, her breathing was still relatively stable, and she hadn't suffered any serious injuries.

"Come up."

Chen Qing waved to the female cultivator.

The female cultivator didn't stand on ceremony. She lightly landed on the Azure Wind Boat with a tap of her toes, then sat down cross-legged, took out a pill from her storage bag, swallowed it, and began to regulate her breathing to recover her magical power.

While keeping a wary eye on the female cultivator, Chen Qing glanced behind him.

Three figures rushed out of the woods, all wearing dark red robes, with blood-red eyes and exuding a strong murderous aura.

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