Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Xia Dong closed his eyes and went over the contents of the jade slip in his mind several times. Only after he was sure that he had memorized every word and every detail without any omissions did he suddenly open his eyes.

Then, he clasped his hands together, held the cracked jade slip between his palms, and with a sudden burst of energy, rubbed it vigorously.

With a muffled "poof," the fragile jade slip instantly turned into a puddle of fine powder, which drifted away from between his fingers, completely erasing its trace from the world.

Xia Dong's gaze then fell upon the Penglai Dao Sect token, which was engraved with intricate totems. To be honest, there was absolutely no way he would follow the wishes of the jade slip's owner and become the "destined person" to deliver the token to the Duke of Qi's mansion in the capital.

Even if the other party promises him tremendous benefits, he won't touch them.

This involves a major case that involved the deposed crown prince back then!

Let alone the fact that he is just a minor character in the Qi Refining stage who has just touched the threshold of cultivation, even a great cultivator like Senior Lone Moon would probably not fare well if he got involved in such an unfathomable vortex of royal politics.

"This guy looks like he comes from the Duke of Qi's mansion." Xia Dong looked at the white bones on the ground and sighed softly.

The Daoist families of the Great You Dynasty have always been fond of intermarrying and forming intricate networks. Xia Dong thought that since the original owner of this body was also a Daoist disciple with a mysterious background, perhaps going back a few generations, he was actually related to this deceased inner guard.

As for that token, it seems to be of extremely great importance.

Although Xia Dong was determined not to deliver the letter to the Duke of Qi's mansion, that did not stop him from leaving it there.

Although he had never even heard of the Penglai Dao Sect, the fact that the other party valued it so highly indicated that it was of extraordinary significance.

He decided to keep it for now, thinking it might come in handy someday. He wiped it clean and put it into his storage pouch.

Having taken the other person's belongings, Xia Dong didn't want the remains to continue to be exposed. Now that the Ghost-Faced Spider was gone, other things might disturb the remains in the future.

He walked to a corner with relatively soft soil at the edge of the nest, took the small medicinal hoe he had used to cultivate the spirit field, and used his strength to dig a deep pit. Then, he gently moved the skeleton that radiated a jade-like luster into the pit and covered it up little by little with gravel and soil.

Into the ground is safe.

Xia Dong didn't erect a tombstone for him, or even leave a raised mound; he simply leveled it completely. Let him return to dust, to ashes.

After finishing all this, Xia Dong patted the dirt and ice shards off his hands, and a sudden, indescribable sadness welled up in his heart.

Today, this illustrious Transcendent Realm expert died here. At least I happened to pass by and collected his remains.

But the path of cultivation is one of fighting against fate, fraught with danger at every step. If one were to die a violent death in the world someday, who would come to collect one's body?

In his mind, Xiao Hong's timid yet dependent face flashed by; then, Qin Wan's beautiful face appeared.

"Xiao Hong will definitely do it, and Qin Wan... probably will too."

Xia Dong gently shook her head, completely dispelling the lingering sorrow about life and death in her heart.

The cultivation world is inherently cruel and ruthless. Instead of wallowing in sorrow and lamenting the passing of spring, it's better to focus on how to live longer and go further.

He calmly looked around and immediately made a decision in his mind: he had to leave this abandoned mine as soon as possible.

Right now, his greatest reliance—the ancient bronze bell in his sea of ​​consciousness—remains in a state of lifeless stillness, completely unresponsive.

As for when it will recover, Xia Dong has absolutely no idea.

In the dark and unpredictable depths of the earth, no one knows whether other unknown dangers may lurk.

Staying there for too long inevitably leads to unexpected incidents.

Although I didn't fully understand the Taiyin Divine Light this time, my divine sense finally broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining. I still have two Yin Spirit Pills left. Once my divine sense is fully refined, I can continue to break through with the help of the Yin Spirit Pills.

They also obtained the Yin Spirit Jade and the Mysterious Token, making the trip worthwhile.

Well then, it's time to stop while you're ahead.

The restrictions on the Taiyin Divine Light are still there; we can continue studying them after the ancient bronze bell is revived. That way, even if another accident occurs, we'll have a strong ability to protect ourselves.

Xia Dong quickly calculated her next plan in her mind.

"Let's go back to Tiger Hill Cave first."

He had been managing that place for a long time, and now it was a good time to go back and install the Illusion Array Plate to conceal the spirit field.

Tiger Hill Cave is now his place of refuge, and he needs to manage it carefully step by step.

Once he safely returns to Tiger Hill Cave, he can finally calm down and properly study and continue to practice his talismanic skills.

According to the Taiping Yinfu Jing, with the blessing of this natal talisman seed, his talisman-making process will undergo a qualitative leap.

He planned to use the mysteries of the talisman seeds to seclude himself in his cave and quickly produce a large batch of high-quality low-level talismans.

Judging by the time, the goods that Lao Zhao had previously purchased have been almost completely used up.

Taking advantage of this trip back, I'll deliver the newly drawn talismans to Old Zhao to complete the delivery.

Having sorted out all his thoughts, Xia Dong no longer lingered.

He immediately activated his Wind Control Technique, his figure moving like a light, fleeting shadow, traversing freely through the rugged, dark underground passage.

Without making a sound, he quickly moved along the original route towards the outer edge of the abandoned mine.

Upon reaching the mine entrance, Xia Dong skillfully put away the illusion array plate he had set up earlier and carefully placed it back into his storage bag.

Afterwards, he found Qin Wan, who was inspecting the mine, and briefly explained that he needed to return to the county town to handle some personal matters and then go into seclusion for a period of time.

Qin Wan knew he was steady and diligent in his cultivation, so she didn't ask any questions. She just told him to be careful on the road and to remember to come back to find her before the auction.

Then, the two parted ways outside the mine.

A day later, Xia Dong returned to the Tiger Hill forest, travel-worn and exhausted.

As soon as they stepped into the hidden area outside the cave, the giant snake guarding the area keenly sensed Xia Dong's familiar aura.

It immediately emerged from its hidden corner, its enormous and terrifying body appearing extremely docile in front of Xia Dong.

The giant snake brought its enormous head closer and gently sniffed Xia Dong's robes, emitting a low hiss that clearly showed its affection.

Xia Dong smiled slightly, skillfully reached out, and touched the snake's cold, hard head.

Then, Xia Dong's gaze fell on the spirit field outside the cave, which was irrigated with the silt and excrement of spirit fish. There, the "purple-spotted leaves" and the delicate "green corn" had sprouted seedlings, their tender leaves exuding spiritual energy, presenting a scene full of vitality.

Looking at this vibrant land before him, Xia Dong's nerves, which had been tense from the life-or-death struggle and the silence of the ancient bell, completely relaxed, and he felt inexplicably at ease.

He took a deep breath of the fresh, grassy air. Even though he had transmigrated to this world of cultivation where demons roamed and the strong preyed on the weak, the farming habits ingrained in his bones from his previous life still deeply influenced him.

With food in hand, he felt at ease. Looking at the thriving spiritual plants, his plans for the future became increasingly clear.

Next, he needs to focus his energy on digesting the gains from this trip to the Yinling Mine.

At the same time, through talisman making and elixir refining, he gradually tempered and solidified his divine consciousness.

Practice hard!

Keep practicing hard!