Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Lu Yunfeng and Dong Xuan'er were not satisfied with Master Hongfu's judgment, and the two still wanted to take revenge on Murong Fan.

That day, Lu Yunfeng stood on the edge of the cliff behind the Seven Mysteries Sect, looking at the misty valley, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists so tightly.

The scene of my Foundation Establishment Pill being confiscated by the Enforcement Hall three months ago is still vivid in my mind—that pill, the size of a longan, was entirely... The pill was a deep amber color, with a faint golden light flowing slowly inside. It was a pill that exuded a faint spiritual energy and was supposed to be the key to help him break through to the Foundation Establishment stage after reaching the Qi Refining Perfection stage.

"Why is it that Murong Fan can so easily gain Elder Hong Fu's favor? Why can someone with such a lowly life achieve Foundation Establishment without dantian?" He kicked a pebble at his feet, watching it fall into the bottomless mist, just like his current state of mind.

She recalled that Murong Fan had given Chen Qiaoqian a Foundation Establishment Pill, and that Chen Qiaoqian had also obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill after returning from the Crimson Forbidden Land. "Gentle and kind-hearted, her cultivation is only at the twelfth level of Qi Refining," such thoughts flashed through Lu Yunfeng's mind, and a wicked thought of seizing her Foundation Establishment Pill suddenly arose in his heart.

He licked his chapped lips, a venomous thought creeping into his mind like a vine: "Take her elixir, ruin her purity, make Murong Fan suffer unbearable pain—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The scorching heat of July filled the dense forest behind the mountain with humid steam. Lu Yunfeng squatted beside a bluestone, pouring pale pink powder from an oil-paper packet into a kettle. This "Aphrodisiac Powder" was a forbidden drug he had secretly obtained from the black market using three months' worth of his monthly allowance; for just half a coin, it could disrupt the spiritual energy of a Qi Refining cultivator. out of control.

Lu Yunfeng deliberately chose this path, the only way to Ninglu Cliff, where ancient pines blocked out the sun and strange rocks were everywhere—the perfect place to kill and silence witnesses. He heard light footsteps in the distance, and immediately put on a gentle smile, hiding the water bottle in a crevice in the rocks behind him, pretending to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Chen Qiaoqian carried a bamboo basket as she turned around the mountain pass, fine beads of sweat glistening on her forehead, a few strands of her hair damp with perspiration. Today she wore a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the hem of which was stained with dewdrops from the grass leaves, and the bamboo basket already contained several herbs covered in morning dew.

"Senior Brother Lu?" She stopped in surprise, her clear almond-shaped eyes filled with a hint of doubt.

Lu Yunfeng quickly took out a water bottle from the crevice in the rock and handed it to her. The bottle was still cool with the mountain spring water. "Junior sister, have you gathered so many herbs? It's so hot today. Drink some water to cool off."

Watching the girl tilt her head back to drink, her fair neck was exposed, and her soft breasts were faintly visible. Beads of sweat slid down her neck and into her clothes. Lu Yunfeng's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and the greed in his eyes almost overflowed. His hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched quietly, and his nails dug deeply into his flesh.

After Chen Qiaoqian left, Lu Yunfeng silently counted his heartbeats. When he reached thirty breaths, he darted into the dense forest with the agility of a cat. He stared at the white figure ahead and suddenly staggered, a morbid sense of pleasure welling up inside him.

The bushes beside the mountain path rustled as Chen Qiaoqian leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily. Her originally fair cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and she felt an unusual heat rising from her lower abdomen. Her cheeks instantly turned crimson and hot, and her steps became unsteady.

She frantically circulated her spiritual energy, only to find that her dantian felt as if it had been plunged into a scalding hot iron, her spiritual energy churning like boiling water. "Not good!" She suddenly remembered the pot of unusually sweet spring water and turned to ask for help, but her legs were as weak as cotton and she couldn't muster any strength.

With her vision blurred, she saw a cave hidden by vines not far away, and with her last bit of strength, she squeezed inside.

Lu Yunfeng grinned maliciously as he parted the vines, the cave filled with the earthy smell.

Chen Qiaoqian huddled in the corner, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees, her skirt torn by a rock. "Junior Sister, what's wrong?" he deliberately drawled, throwing the water bottle to the ground with a crisp sound. "This Acacia Powder tastes much more invigorating than Dewdrop Grass, doesn't it?"

Chen Qiaoqian trembled with rage, grabbing a rock and hurling it at Lu Yunfeng: "You shameless scoundrel!" The rock shattered three feet away from Lu Yunfeng, who approached step by step, his eyes gleaming with greed: "Hand over the Foundation Establishment Pill!" He caressed Chen Qiaoqian's cheek wantonly, his hands beginning to roam over her body. "Let your senior brother pamper you properly, otherwise..."

He paused deliberately, his boots scraping against the gravel on the ground, making a grating sound. "In this desolate wilderness, even if you shout your lungs out, no one will hear you."

Just as Lu Yunfeng reached out to tear Chen Qiaoqian's clothes, a whooshing sound like mountain winds cutting through the air came from outside the cave.

A wisp of green, carrying a chilling aura, crashed through the vines at the cave entrance. Murong Fan's black iron sword grazed Lu Yunfeng's ear and embedded itself in the rock wall, the red ribbon on the sword tassel still trembling slightly.

"Lu Yunfeng," the boy's voice was colder than the mountain wind outside the cave, "do you know what the seventh rule of the third chapter of the sect's precepts is?"

Seeing the scene inside the cave, the anger in his chest almost overwhelmed his reason—Chen Qiaoqian's hair was disheveled, her eyes were glazed, and Lu Yunfeng's dirty hand was hovering in front of her collar.

Murong Fan raised his right hand, and the Xuan Tie sword flew back to his palm on its own. The blade reflected the dim light from the cave wall, making Lu Yunfeng's terrified face appear deathly pale.

"I should have thought it was you," Murong Fan's voice was deep and thunderous. "You have framed me many times. Last time in the Crimson Trial Grounds, I couldn't bear to kill you because of the contract with Ancestor Linghu, and I hoped that you would repent. But you have tried to kill me time and time again, and this time you have resorted to such despicable means!"

Lu Yunfeng forced himself to remain calm and took a half step back, a poisoned dagger sliding out of his sleeve: "Murong Fan, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have the protection of the elders and the ancestor!" Before he finished speaking, he suddenly threw the dagger at Chen Qiaoqian and then took out the Azure Dragon Flag to attack. At this moment, an azure dragon attacked Murong Fan fiercely. Taking advantage of the moment when Murong Fan turned around to block, he summoned a Xuan Tie Flying Shield to protect himself.

"Trying to leave?" Murong Fan sneered, his left hand forming a hand seal, and several icicles suddenly fell from the cave ceiling. Lu Yunfeng couldn't dodge in time, and his left shoulder was slashed open by the icicles, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone, and blood instantly stained his clothes.

The Xuan Tie Flying Shield hummed under the strain of Murong Fan's palm strike. Lu Yunfeng realized that he couldn't get close at all. The opponent's spiritual power was like a surging river, and every collision made his blood and qi surge. The Azure Dragon was also shaken and fled in all directions, not daring to go forward.

He caught sight of a crack in the cave wall, suddenly bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. Strange blood patterns appeared on his shield: "Blood Escape!" Black mist instantly enveloped his entire body, and he turned and burrowed into the crack.

Murong Fan's eyes narrowed, and the Xuan Tie Sword transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the black mist and leaving a trail of blood droplets in its wake.

"Trying to run?" Murong Fan conjured golden runes at his fingertips, the "Evil-Breaking Seal" personally passed down by Ancestor Linghu. The black mist melted away like ice and snow upon touching the golden light, revealing Lu Yunfeng's horrified face.

"Murong Fan! Why do you haunt me like a ghost?" he roared hoarsely, pulling out a "Bone-Corroding Talisman" crafted using a secret technique. The black talisman expanded in the air to a size of ten feet, transforming into countless poisonous bees that swarmed towards Murong Fan. The young man neither dodged nor evaded, but clasped his hands together, unleashing golden Buddhist light like a blazing sun, instantly turning the poisonous bees to ashes upon contact.

Lu Yunfeng was blasted backward by the Buddha's light, crashing heavily into the stalactites, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He watched as Murong Fan approached step by step, and for the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.

Lu Yunfeng suddenly remembered something: "Dong Xuan'er! It was Senior Sister Dong who asked me to..."

Murong Fan ignored his explanations, his sword tip aimed directly at Lu Yunfeng's brow. Lu Yunfeng was furious, gritting his teeth, "The victor is king, the loser is villain! That little bitch was just lucky! My plan was to rape and kill her first, then steal her elixir to help me build my foundation, but you, you bastard, ruined everything! I, Lu Yunfeng, am not a coward; kill me if you want!"

Murong Fan sheathed his sword and turned to run towards Chen Qiaoqian in the corner. The girl was already in a daze, her slender fingers weakly fiddling with the ribbons of her skirt. Her robe was half-undone, revealing a section of her smooth, alabaster breasts that rose and fell with her rapid breathing. Her body leaned softly against the stone bed, her slender waist swaying and twisting unconsciously, like a willow in the wind, unable to bear the tingling, itchy sensation that emanated from her very bones.

As Murong Fan walked towards her, In an instant, she murmured to herself, her thoughts filled with a delusional infatuation and chaotic emotions.

Seeing this, Murong Fan quickly sat down cross-legged, placed his palms on her back, and slowly channeled his pure wood-elemental spiritual energy into her. This aphrodisiac was extremely potent; wherever the spiritual energy passed, her meridians felt as if they were being gnawed by ants. Although it did not completely eliminate the corrosive effects of the aphrodisiac, it did indeed calm Chen Qiaoqian down.

Murong Fan remembered the Qingling Powder he had obtained from a previous sacrifice and quickly gave it to Chen Qiaoqian.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Qiaoqian's eyelashes trembled slightly. She opened her eyes and saw Murong Fan's pale face. Suddenly remembering the humiliation she had just suffered, tears streamed down her face like broken pearls: "Senior Brother Murong..." Murong Fan wiped away the tears on her cheeks. He took off his outer robe and draped it over the girl, covering her tattered skirt.

Chen Qiaoqian looked at the traces of the fight on the ground, but could not find Lu Yunfeng's body, which made her extremely worried about Murong Fan.

"Don't be afraid, it's all over now. Senior Brother Lu is dead! No one will scheme against you anymore," Murong Fan comforted him softly.

To avoid future disputes, he ultimately sacrificed Lu Yunfeng.

After the sacrifice was completed, the altar's progress increased to 23%, indicating that Lu Yunfeng's spiritual root and cultivation level were indeed quite high. From the other party's storage bag, Murong Fan obtained magical artifacts and talismans such as the Azure Dragon Flag, the Mysterious Iron Flying Shield, and the Bone-Eroding Talisman.

Murong Fan carried Chen Qiaoqian out of the cave. The setting sun was dyeing the sky blood red. Neither of them spoke, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. Chen Qiaoqian seemed to be able to hear Murong Fan's heartbeat.

The girl's shyness made her even more certain of Murong Fan's character and conduct. In this tranquil atmosphere, their relationship seemed to be quietly growing closer.