Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

Upon arriving at the location of the earth vein tributary, Jiang Ming did not hesitate at all and immediately began to extract spiritual energy, starting from the eighth level and beyond.

The process went much more smoothly this time. Holding a wisp of earth vein energy in his hand, Jiang Ming carefully placed it into the treasure bottle.

He then went to the next location and found that the earth's energy had vanished. At first, he didn't think much of it, assuming that someone had beaten him to it.

They immediately set off for the next location and saw a group of people, two men and one woman, extracting the earth's energy.

Jiang Ming frowned, but did not step forward to interfere.

These rare and precious materials truly belong to whoever gets them first. Since they've already gotten there first, they should try their luck at the next place.

Just as Jiang Ming was about to leave, an old man cupped his hands and called out to him, his eyes full of hostility, "Kid, don't be too greedy."

Otherwise, you'll overeat and die. I've been scouting the earth's energy beneath the mausoleum for a long time, but you beat me to it.

"Considering you were unaware of the situation, I didn't intend to blame you. But why are you so greedy, trying to seize the earth's energy from a tributary?"

I never expected this old man to be so shameless.

Jiang Ming frowned slightly, carefully sensing the other party's cultivation level, but he wasn't afraid at all.

Both are at the eighth level, but the other party's cultivation is still at the initial stage at such a young age, which obviously means he has no background.

If he is a polite and reasonable person, spare his life.

Otherwise, Jiang Ming wouldn't mind measuring the strength of an eighth-order cultivator. "Old man, the best things in this world belong to the capable."

Why didn't you take the earth's energy from where it was? Is it because you don't like it, or because you're incapable of taking it? If that's the case, why blame me for taking the treasure?

"I have no complaints about you taking the earth's vital energy here, but I must make a profit from the remaining two tributaries..."

"Heh heh heh, young man, you've got some nerve." With a forced, cold snort, the old man took out a long spear from his storage ring, his eyes filled with malice.

"Would you like to test the sharpness of my spear?"

"Are you really going to make a move? Aren't you afraid that the forces behind me will retaliate against you?" Seeing the old man's lack of pragmatism, Jiang Ming's killing intent surged.

"Hmph, I've lived my whole life with my head hanging by a thread, and I've never known the meaning of fear!"

You're just a brat who's barely reached the eighth rank, are you tired of living?!

The imagery of a great forest enveloped Jiang Ming, a layer of green smoke rising from his body, his narrow eyes filled with decisiveness.

The spear was swung violently, and a dragon-shaped phantom instantly coiled menacingly around the old man, preventing Jiang Ming from getting close for a moment.

He's a very experienced old man.

The attack on the old man's consciousness failed, and the two sides were immediately locked in a stalemate. At the same time, the old man's accomplices also came over.

The weasel-faced man, his eyes filled with malice, held eighteen silver needles in his hand, clearly ready to launch a sneak attack.

The woman in palace attire gave a venomous smile, flicked her long whip, and said in a chilling tone, "Old Chen, why are you wasting your breath talking to him?"

Since this kid doesn't know what's good for him, let's send him on his way.

However, it's best to leave some breath. I especially like cultivators with delicate skin and tender flesh, hehehe..."

He unleashed the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls and waved his hand.

Suddenly, plumes of black mist surged into the sky, and vengeful spirits gathered, baring their fangs and claws as they attacked the group.

At the same time, the talisman in his hand shot out with a whoosh, heading straight for the weasel-faced man.

boom!

The precious light slammed solidly into the man's silver needle, the immense impact knocking his magic weapon to the ground.

A hint of apprehension flashed in the eyes of both the woman in palace attire and the old man.

Although Jiang Ming seemed to have a powerful background, the more powerful someone is, the more likely they are to be a target. After pondering for a moment, the two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with even more murderous intent.

"Prepare to die!"

With a snort, the woman in palace attire stepped in to help the man out of the predicament, while at the same time, the old man brandished his spear fiercely, charging towards Jiang Ming with unstoppable force.

Jiang Ming unleashed the Heaven-Refining Gauntlet and blasted it forward. Taking advantage of the old man's distraction, Jiang Ming immediately used the imagery of the Great Forest Tree to hold back the woman in palace attire.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he pierced through her chest in an instant, slaughtering her like a chicken or a dog, and put her corpse into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

The late stage of the seventh rank was nothing to mention. If it weren't for the old man helping to delay them, Jiang Ming could have killed her and the weasel-faced man in a single exchange.

Seeing Jiang Ming's swift and skillful attack, the weasel-faced man was immediately filled with fear.

With the elder's protection, they both quickly lost one person, clearly demonstrating the disparity in strength between the two sides.

Realizing something was wrong, the man immediately turned into a streak of light and vanished into the distance.

"Chen Gong, I swear to kill you!" The old man frowned, his heart filled with rage, as he saw the man abandon him and run away alone.

Before he even lost, one of his teammates died and the other ran away.

Even though he wasn't afraid of Jiang Ming, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache at this moment. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in his mind, and he said with a forced smile.

"Kid, you're a good boy. How about you stop here?"

Chen Gong possesses many treasures, including the earth's ley lines. It would be extremely unwise for us to fight to the death here and let him gain an easy advantage.

"You old pig, do you think you can live much longer?" Jiang Ming sneered, completely ignoring the old man's temptation.

He observed very carefully in the dark. The earth's energy was in the old man's hands. As for that weasel-faced man, he couldn't escape.

Jiang Ming had already locked onto him using the Qi of the Great Forest Wood.

The sensation will be felt within a radius of 100 miles.

"Fine, that's arrogant enough. Then go to hell!" The old man sneered, clearly having anticipated Jiang Ming's refusal.

He was talking so much just to stall for time and wait for the spell to solidify.

"Old man, you think you've been secretly preparing your spell all along, right? Take a closer look..." he said casually, offering a reminder.

Seeing the empty palm, the old man's face stiffened slightly. He sensed something was wrong and immediately fled in the opposite direction.

In this way, at least one of him and Chen Gong will survive.

In this way, at least his grandson can be protected.

He unleashed his magical longsword and the Myriad Souls Banner in pursuit, launching a barrage of attacks that nearly surrounded the old man, making it difficult for him to defend against them.

With a clang, a sword pierced through the old man's body. Jiang Ming quickly pursued and grabbed the old man's neck with his large hand, which was like a steel cable.

Without giving him a chance to speak, he suddenly squeezed and killed him.

After throwing the corpse into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and questioning him briefly, Jiang Ming figured out the old man's background.

The old man's name was Wu He, the woman's name was Bai San Niang, and the fleeing, weasel-faced man's name was Chen Gong.

This group of people were all thieves who committed all sorts of evil deeds and rampant crimes. They roamed around Tongzhou and Yongzhou, taking orders from a leader named Zuoshanhu.

That person was at the late stage of the eighth rank and was renowned in the area.

Raising an eyebrow, Jiang Ming felt no fear of this person. Even if a mere Tribulation Cultivator was not weak, he posed no threat to a sect disciple like himself.

They figured out the interpersonal relationships around the old man.

Jiang Ming immediately gave chase in the direction Chen Gong had fled.

This guy fled like a stray dog, and has now gone dozens of miles away, with pursuers chasing after him.

Jiang Ming finally arrived, but under the cover of the image of the Great Forest Tree, even though he was already behind Chen Gong, the man still did not react at all.

After all, he was only at the seventh level of cultivation and had no idea about Jiang Ming's methods, let alone how to break free from the constraints of the imagery.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it all, that old bastard Wu He is such a swindler."

Now look what's happened! He finally had a chance to make a small fortune, but greed has caused it all to go down the drain.

Listening to Chen Gong muttering to himself all the way, Jiang Ming couldn't help but find it amusing. He smiled slightly and followed behind Chen Gong calmly.

In a short while.

Outside Tongzhou city, there is a secluded mountain village.

Inside the room, mandarin ducks frolicked in the water, looking exceptionally happy.

Chen Gong kicked open the door and looked at the annoyed young man on the bed, his eyes full of helplessness. "Don't look at me like that. If it weren't for the emergency, I wouldn't have come here to bother you."

"Urgent? How urgent can it be?" Wu Jiang said irritably as he put on his clothes, glancing at Chen Gong's somewhat covetous gaze.

He turned around, picked up the clothes from the ground, draped them over the woman behind him, and said sullenly, "What happened? Tell me quickly."

thump!

With a soft thud, Chen Gong, who had been perfectly fine just moments before, collapsed to the ground in a sorry state, a huge gash opening in his chest, from which blood flowed incessantly.

Having clearly lost all hope, Wu Jiang looked around in panic at the empty surroundings, his heart filled with horror. He immediately realized that his father's search for the earth's vein energy had likely gone awry.

In an instant, his bloodlust surged to the sky. He pulled out a long sword from his storage ring and began slashing wildly in all directions. The sword light flashed continuously, yet there was still no sound around him.

The woman who had just been intimate with him was now lying in a pool of blood.

Looking around in despair, Wu Jiang knew he was no match for his opponent and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy, "Senior, please don't kill me."

All the treasures I possess, and the wealth I've amassed over the years, are yours.

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark shadow blocked Wu Jiang's vision. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he instantly slashed forward with his long sword, which pierced through Wu He's chest.

"Father? You're not dead!" In a panic, Wu Jiang, who had been manipulated at will, drew his knife and was immediately thrown into a daze.

Why would someone stab their own father with their own knife? This doesn't make sense!

Amidst the confusion, Wu He, who had been silent all along, stretched out his withered hand and ruthlessly pierced his own son's chest.

He died with his eyes wide open, never understanding who killed him until his last breath.

Slowly revealing himself, he collected the corpses on the ground into the Myriad Souls Banner. After some interrogation, Jiang Ming instantly figured out where Wu Jiang's savings were.

After rummaging around on the roof beam for a moment, Jiang Ming took out a small storage bag, opened it, and looked at the treasures inside. His eyes lit up.

These seemingly ordinary cultivators have accumulated a considerable amount of wealth in their lifetime; the three of them together have gained 20,000 spirit stones!

Moreover, they are all mid-grade spirit stones. It seems that this is the common property of the group, but now it has all benefited Jiang Ming.

You should blame yourselves for messing with the wrong people.

He coldly lit the fire in the furnace, burning the house to the ground.

Jiang Ming returned to the branch vein again to absorb the energy of the earth vein.

Including the earth's energy obtained from Wujiang.

He harvested a total of four strands this time, which, according to market prices, are worth a full 80,000 spirit stones.

Fortunately, this risky venture resulted in the refinement of a rather dangerous ley line.

Otherwise, if one only chooses ordinary earth vein energy and manages to collect even a wisp, it would be considered extremely fortunate, let alone extracting any additional benefits.

Tongzhou City.

Cheng family.

Looking at the earth vein energy in her hand, Cheng Ya was stunned. After thinking for a long time, she scratched her head, somewhat incredulous, "You're giving me this? It's too valuable. I don't have any resources to exchange for it right now."

"You can return the resources to me when you have better ones. You're already at the late stage of the seventh rank, and you're not far from the eighth rank."

This strand is for you; please help me get rid of the remaining two strands.

Jiang Ming shook his head calmly; he trusted Cheng Ya completely.

Cheng Ya's character is impeccable, and her cultivation aptitude is also above average.

Even if the most outstanding disciple of a century-old family cannot offer enough resources for exchange now, given time, he will surely bring great benefits to himself.

"Actually, there's no need to go to such lengths. Generally speaking, a cultivator can only collect a wisp of the earth's energy."

Only those with strong fortune can collect extra earth vein energy to sell. This stuff is hard to buy, but there's never a shortage of buyers.

"If you don't mind, you can sell it to the Cheng family. The price will definitely satisfy you..." As one of the best young members of the Cheng family.

Cheng Ya was fully aware of these inside details.

Many disciples in the clan who failed to gather the earth's energy were just one wisp of earth's energy away from reaching the eighth rank.

Once this thing is in her hands, it can be exchanged for a huge favor.

Some disciples do not hold prominent positions in the clan and are stuck at the seventh-level perfection stage, unable to break through.

As long as she lends a helping hand, she won over the hearts of the people. With the help of a few powerful disciples, she might be able to try to compete for the position of clan leader in the future.

After all, the ancestor only has a few decades left to live, and the family has been looking for a suitable successor.

"Okay, it's up to you. Just give me the spirit stones later." Nodding, Jiang Ming was happy to oblige Cheng Ya, knowing she had her own plans.

Since it's all about selling things anyway, and the prices are generally similar, selling to acquaintances is naturally better. There's no fear of being cheated, and there won't be any complications...

Feeling Jiang Ming's trust, Cheng Yaxing's eyes softened, and she nodded, solemnly expressing her gratitude.

"Thank you, I'll go get the spirit stones right away, wait for me..."

After waiting patiently for a moment, Cheng Ya handed over a bag of spirit stones, containing five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, which translates to fifty thousand spirit stones!

The returns are quite good, even more than the pre-paid amount.

Without hiding her plan, Cheng Ya frankly revealed her tricks for winning people's hearts. Seeing that Jiang Ming did not object, she felt somewhat relieved.

Recalling their first meeting, she couldn't help but feel a little lost. With her head down, she said softly, "Don't you think I'm very materialistic now?"

"No, don't worry, do whatever you want, I support you." Jiang Ming smiled gently and didn't explain further.

Under the pretext of returning to his sect, he bid farewell to the deeply moved Cheng Ya and headed straight for the Ye Family Chamber of Commerce.

You can't hide your concern for one person, but you have to keep it a secret when you care about two. Cheng Ya has already made arrangements, so the remaining wisp of earth vein energy will naturally be given to Ye Tao...