A sage master under the pine tree imparted the Dao and taught longevity.

"Senior brother, things might be getting tense in the Great Wilderness Mountain area lately..."

Chen Chuan put down his wine glass, his expression slightly changing: "What do you mean by that?"

Bai Pu lowered his voice: "On the border of Qian Kingdom, there is a group of demonic cultivators in the Qi Refining stage. They use the name of my Qingyuan Sect to intercept and kill rogue cultivators in the mountains in order to refine evil pills. They have already killed dozens of people. The sect leader is furious and has ordered all the peaks to send people to surround and kill them."

"The sect sent out disciples from the three peaks, thinking they could capture them in one fell swoop. Who would have thought that the group of demonic cultivators were so cunning? Upon hearing the news, they abandoned their nest in the Qian Kingdom and fled all the way, eventually entering the Great Wilderness Mountain."

Chen Chuan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "The Great Wilderness Mountain is vast and sparsely populated, with deep mountains and dense forests. If that group of people intends to hide, they will not be easy to find."

"That makes perfect sense." Bai Pu nodded.

"Therefore, the sect leader issued an order, commanding the nearby peaks to send men into the mountains to encircle and suppress them, and Guanyun Peak was among those to be dispatched."

He paused, then looked up at Chen Chuan with a solemn expression: "Senior brother, I came to the Great Wilderness Mountain for two reasons: first, to visit him, and second, to eliminate those demonic cultivators."

Chen Chuan's hand holding the cup paused slightly.

Seeing Chen Chuan's expression harden slightly, Bai Pu said solemnly, "Although you have already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, that group of demonic cultivators are insidious and cunning, and they are used to using despicable methods. We must be wary. If any unfamiliar cultivators come to visit in the next few days, do not trust them easily."

As he said this, he reached into his sleeve and took out a talisman.

The talisman was made of ochre-yellow paper with intricate patterns drawn on it using cinnabar, giving it the appearance of mountains and exuding a sense of weight and solidity.

"This talisman is called the 【Earth-Condensing Talisman】."

Bai Pu handed the talisman to Chen Chuan and lightly touched its surface with his fingertip.

"It was made by an elder with an earth elemental root in the sect. It is a third-tier talisman and cannot be activated by anyone other than a cultivator with an earth elemental root. It is perfect for you, Senior Brother."

Chen Chuan took it, and as his fingertips touched the talisman, he felt a thick, steady earth elemental energy flow into his body through his hand, subtly harmonizing with his own spiritual root. He thought to himself, "A third-tier talisman? This item is extremely valuable..."

Bai Pu waved his hand and laughed, "Between you and me, why bother with such things? Just consider it New Year's money for my three little disciples."

In this world, cultivation techniques and talismans are all divided into nine ranks.

First- and second-tier talismans, such as the [Jia Ma Talisman] and [Chuan Yin Talisman], are available to everyone.

However, starting from the third rank, some cultivation techniques and talismans require a compatible spiritual root to be mastered.

If a cultivator with a metal spiritual root forcibly uses this [Earth Condensation Talisman], the spiritual energy will clash, not only rendering it ineffective but also risking a backlash.

"Once this talisman is activated, it can condense a thick earthen barrier around the enemy to imprison them. Even a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment would have to suffer a bit."

Bai Pu continued, "That group of demonic cultivators are skilled at using insidious methods such as poisonous miasma and bone needles. Having this talisman on your person provides an extra layer of protection."

Chen Chuan carefully put the talisman into his sleeve, cupped his hands and said, "Junior brother is very thoughtful."

Bai Pu smiled slightly, stood up and brushed his robes: "It's getting late. Tomorrow I need to go to Cuiwei Peak to meet with Senior Brother Lu to discuss the strategy for the encirclement and suppression. I'll take my leave now. I'll meet with you again after this is over."

The two walked to the outside of the temple.

Bai Pu lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped onto the crane's back. The white crane flapped its wings and took off, disappearing into the vast snowstorm in an instant.

Chen Chuan watched Bai Pu's figure disappear into the wind and snow, stood alone outside for a long time, and then turned around and went inside.

Outside the courtyard, snow-covered pine branches fell in a soft rustling sound.

The three apprentices had just finished setting off firecrackers and were playing around the ancient pine tree. Seeing his solemn expression, they all stopped laughing and stood properly.

"Shu'er, Xiao'er, Mo'er," Chen Chuan called out.

"Follow me into the hall."

The three looked at each other, not daring to say anything, and filed in.

Inside the main hall, Chen Chuan sat upright on a futon, his gaze sweeping over the three young faces, and said in a deep voice: "What your Uncle Bai just said is that there have been demonic cultivators roaming around in the Great Wilderness Mountain recently. They are insidious and cunning, and they specialize in harming cultivators."

Although I don't want you to be filled with fear, this matter concerns your safety, so I have to speak out.

Upon hearing this, Shu'er's face paled slightly, and she subconsciously moved closer to Xiao Jin. Xiao Jin's expression hardened, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Master, this disciple has entered the Qi Refining stage and is willing to serve the temple."

Chen Chuan nodded and said gently, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Starting tomorrow, you and I, master and disciple, will take turns on duty. During the day, we will continue our cultivation as usual, but at night one of us must be on alert, patrolling inside and outside. We must not slack off. Shu'er and Mo'er, you two must not go out these days. Keep the doors and windows tightly closed, and call out loudly if anything happens."

Shu'er and Shen Mo responded in unison.

For the next few days, the master and apprentice took turns on guard duty, and nothing happened.

By dusk on the fourth day.

Chen Chuan was drawing talismans in the hall when he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart as an invisible pressure emanated from afar.

"Boom!" A loud noise came from afar.

He put down his pen, pushed open the door, and went out.

In the courtyard, Xiao Jin stood on a high place, his gaze fixed on the southeast.

Shu'er and Shen Mo also ran out upon hearing the sound, looking up in the direction of the sound.

Dozens of miles away, deep in the mountains, a dazzling light suddenly appeared on the horizon, like a golden rainbow piercing the sun, tearing through the heavy twilight.

Immediately afterwards, a thunderous roar rolled in, causing the ground beneath our feet to tremble slightly. Several pillars of crimson and cyan light shot into the sky, intertwining and illuminating half of the sky with flickering light.

Chen Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky with a complex expression. After a long while, he sighed softly, "The cultivators of the Qingyuan Sect must have already clashed with those demonic cultivators..."

He withdrew his gaze, turned to his three disciples, and said in a deep voice, "You all must immediately strengthen the guard. Xiao'er, stay with me outside the temple. Shu'er and Mo'er, go inside and close the doors tightly. Do not leave without permission."

The three of them agreed in unison.

Shu'er pulled Shen Mo and quickly retreated into the temple, the door creaking shut behind them.

Xiao Jin stood beside Chen Chuan with his sword. About half an hour later, when it was completely dark, they suddenly heard staggering footsteps coming from the mountain path.

Chen Chuan stared intently and saw a figure stumbling out of the forest, his Taoist robe tattered, his body covered in blood, and his face as pale as paper.

Upon seeing the lights of Songjian Temple, a glimmer of hope appeared in the man's eyes, and he called out in a hoarse voice, "Senior...save me...I am a disciple of Cuiwei Peak of the Qingyuan Sect..."

Seeing this, Xiao Jin was about to leave the magic array to help him up.

Chen Chuan grabbed his arm and said in a deep voice, "Wait."

Having cultivated for over sixty years, he had witnessed far too much of the wickedness in people's hearts. Moreover, Bai Pu had just repeatedly warned him that demonic cultivators were cunning and habitually used underhanded methods, so he had to be wary.

So he looked closely and indeed noticed a few suspicious points.

He had cultivated in the Qingyuan Sect for forty years and was well aware of the sect's rules. The waist badges worn by disciples in the sect were usually tied to the left waist with a blue rope, but this person's waist badge was hanging on the right waist. Such a subtle detail would be easily overlooked by someone who was not a member of the sect.

He remained expressionless, only speaking calmly: "To be honest, this old Daoist also cultivated in the Qingyuan Sect for forty years. You say you are a disciple of Cuiwei Peak, then tell me, what words are engraved on the stone tablet standing by the Sword Washing Pool on the back mountain of Cuiwei Peak?"

Upon hearing this, the person lying on the ground stiffened slightly.