Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

Han Li walked cautiously, as if avoiding something, and happened to pass by this gate.

Feng Yue's eyes lit up. This person had an ordinary aura and plain clothes. He looked like the kind of nobody with no background, and was exactly the kind of person who should be eliminated.

"That one is mine." Feng Yue said, and with a swift movement, his Cloud-Stepping Boots flashed with spiritual light, and he transformed into a blur as he chased after Han Li.

Han Li's expression changed. He thought the three people in front of the gate were a group of people, so he turned around and ran away.

The two disappeared into the forest, one after the other.

Lu Yan stood still, observing coldly. He hoped that Feng Yue could force Han Li to unleash his Heavenly Thunder Seed, thus reducing one threat.

As for Zhongwu, Lu Yan turned to look at him.

Zhongwu's eyes darted around, and he took a step back: "Well, let's not fight to the death. Fellow Daoist, you don't know, but actually, the maps provided by each sect are incomplete."

"How about this, you show me your map, and I'll show you mine, okay?"

Lu Yan said calmly, "Foolish. Even if I kill you, the map will still be mine."

As he spoke, he made a move to attack.

Zhong Wu's expression stiffened, and he took a step back: "Fine, you're impressive. But think about it, fellow Daoist, there are more than just the two of us around here. Experts from various sects are all waiting for the central area to open."

"Don't you have a clue how many people are hiding in the bushes, behind the trees, and underground? If you mess with me now, believe me, someone will immediately come out to take advantage of the situation."

Lu Yan's gaze shifted slightly, and his Illuminating Demon Eyes quietly activated.

Within the shared field of vision of the Phoenix Sparrow, there were indeed many figures in the surrounding grass, tree canopy, and underground.

Groups of two or three cultivators were hiding somewhere, all watching this direction.

Zhongwu, observing the man's silence, felt somewhat reassured and continued, "If we fight now, no matter who wins, we'll only be doing the work for someone else in the end. Fellow Daoist, you're not stupid, why bother?"

Lu Yan remained silent for a moment, then took out a map of the Qingxu Sect.

"Give me the map."

Zhongwu was taken aback, then chuckled and pulled out an animal hide from his pocket.

"Let's go."

-----

The Crimson Forbidden Land, Day Three.

A white beam of light shot into the sky, exploding in mid-air and transforming into a dazzling white sun. Countless white orbs of light shot out from the sun, showering the entire central area like a meteor shower.

The fog billowed, and the poisonous gas dissipated.

The stone palace, tower, and ancient trees that were originally shrouded in clouds and mist were all clearly revealed.

Light shot into the sky from all directions.

Those cultivators who had been hiding for two days had finally waited for this moment.

Lu Yan stood up, dusted off his robes, and strode towards the stone hall.

Lu Yan paused at the foot of a mountain wall.

A three-foot-long, blood-red centipede lay on a rock ahead, its entire body crimson, its hundred legs wriggling, guarding a vibrant green herb.

"Millennial Jade Scale Grass".

The phoenix peeked its head out from his shoulder and glanced at the centipede.

At Lu Yan's command, it transformed into a streak of light and pounced on the centipede.

Before the blood-red centipede could even react, it was torn into several pieces by sharp claws and eaten whole by the Illusionary Phoenix.

Lu Yan thought to himself: This setting is truly all-powerful, a god-tier weapon. This Illusionary Phoenix Sparrow is naturally immune to poison; no matter how venomous an insect or snake you are, it's nothing but a piece of cake in front of it.

Of course, this only applies to those of the same level.

Lu Yan walked over, put away the spirit herbs, and casually patted the head of the Illusionary Phoenix Sparrow.

"Well done."

The phoenix rubbed against his fingers and flew back to his shoulder.

Lu Yan continued forward and stepped into the stone hall.

Inside the stone hall, a wide pool of water lay before them.

Not far away, on a stone platform, sat an ornately designed treasure chest.

Lu Yan stood by the pool, his Illuminating Demon Eyes activated, and a black dragon was slowly swimming underwater.

He took a deep breath, circulated his spiritual energy, and prepared to unleash the Xuanming Sky-Tearing Claw.

Suddenly, the water surface exploded, and a pitch-black figure burst out of the water, opening its blood-red maw and lunging straight at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan was prepared. His footsteps, shimmering with spiritual light, moved three zhang horizontally in a wisp of green smoke, easily dodging the attack.

The black dragon missed its attack and fell to the ground, its scales as black as ink, its vertical pupils fixed on Lu Yan.

Lu Yan gave his opponent no chance to breathe, unleashing the full power of his Xuanming Heaven-Tearing Claw.

Five sharp claw-like rays tore through the air, instantly grabbing the black dragon's body and pinning it firmly to the ground.

The black dragon struggled frantically, its tail slapping the ground and sending pebbles flying, but the Xuanming Sky-Tearing Claw tightened its grip, rendering it unable to move.

Just then, Mo Jiao's entire body suddenly began to tremble violently.

Its body began to swell under the pressure. Beneath the dark scales, something seemed to be desperately trying to squeeze out.

tear.

The scales cracked, and the black dragon roared as its entire body began to shed its skin.

Its old skin split open from the top, revealing a shimmering silver new body beneath. Under that life-or-death pressure, the black dragon forcefully broke through from level one to level two.

Although it hasn't grown any new scales yet, its silver skin is incredibly tough, and its defensive capabilities are far superior to before.

In addition, its dragon bloodline makes it comparable to a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

After breaking through, Mo Jiao's gaze towards Lu Yan became increasingly cruel.

It opened its mouth and sprayed out a stream of purple liquid.

Lu Yan tapped his feet repeatedly, transforming into a wisp of green smoke as he moved through the hall.

The purple liquid spilled onto the ground, instantly corroding the hard surface into deep pits that emitted blue smoke and a pungent stench.

Lu Yan was not surprised but pleased, for this was why it was worthwhile to subdue them.

The black dragon spat out three mouthfuls of elixir, all of which Lu Yan dodged. Seeing that it couldn't hit its target, it simply pounced, its massive body charging wildly, its tail sweeping across the battlefield.

"drink!"

Lu Yan shouted, and seven balls of azure light lit up inside his clothes as he activated the spirit stones on the Azure Dragon Heartguard Armor.

His whole body emitted a crisp sound like popping beans; this was the third level of the Vajra Technique.

A flash of light appeared on the Xuan Yuan Turtle on his shoulder, and a layer of earth-yellow light shield enveloped Lu Yan.

The phoenix took flight, its crimson-gold flames spraying onto the black dragon's body, the flames burning even more fiercely than before.

Although the black dragon's silver skin was tough, it was gradually burned black.

Lu Yan flipped his hand and took out the Purple Lightning Hammer, unleashing a powerful cleaving motion that struck the black dragon's head with lightning.

The black dragon roared in pain.

A quarter of an hour later, the black dragon was covered in wounds, its silver skin charred black by the crimson flames, and it lay on the ground panting heavily, its breath weak.

Lu Yan took out the Forbidden God Token and waved it in front of him.

"Do you want to follow me to become an immortal, commanding all the other immortals? Or do you want to die as an unknown nobody in this forgotten corner?"

The black dragon roared angrily, still trying to struggle.

Lu Yan raised his hand, and the Arcane Heart-Slaying Nail floated before its eyes, gleaming coldly.

Mo Jiao stared at the nail, then looked at Lu Yan, and finally lowered his head.

A faint light flew out from between his brows and disappeared into the Forbidden God Tablet.

Lu Yan smiled with satisfaction, fed the black dragon a pill, and put it into his spirit beast bracelet.

He then went to the treasure chest, waved his hand to put it into his storage bracelet, and then collected the nearby Heavenly Spirit Fruit, Purple Monkey Flower, and Jade Marrow Fungus.

After collecting the medicinal herbs, Lu Yan was about to leave when he heard footsteps behind him.

He frowned slightly, then darted into the shadows of a corner.

Han Li entered from outside the palace gate, cautiously looking around before quickly hiding, as if someone was chasing him.

Lu Yan was surprised. Even without Zhong Wu's map, this guy still managed to find it? Could it be that the hand of fate was working again?

Then, the Demon Eye of Illumination was activated, and a group of people came in, led by Nangong Wan.