From a country cook to a master chef

Zhong Liang threw a punch, his body moving with the movement, rushing towards the Taoist at an extremely fast speed.

The next second, Zhong Liang passed straight through the Taoist's body. Realizing what had happened, he immediately clenched his fist and angrily said, "Dodge, dodge, dodge! You old Taoist priest, all you know is how to dodge! Thirty years have passed, can't you change this stinky temper?"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist's figure vanished for a moment, then reappeared not far from Zhong Liang, still beaming with smiles, and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Zhong, your Blood Hand Pagoda is renowned far and wide, this humble Daoist dares not take your punches and kicks head-on."

Zhong Liang snorted coldly, put his hands behind his back, and said rudely, "Hmph, you Taoist priest bullied my disciple first, but now you don't dare to take a punch from me. Aren't you afraid of losing face for your Hengyue Sect?"

"Hehe, among all the Core Formation cultivators in the Six Sects Alliance, there are very few who dare to take a punch from Blood Hand Pagoda. Even if you manage to take it, it will only increase your reputation for nothing. I, this humble Taoist, will naturally not do something that doesn't bring you any benefit." The Taoist waved his whisk and laughed.

"Then let's stop talking nonsense and quickly get the six sects to work together to open up a spatial rift and send these little guys in so we can find that treasure as soon as possible. That way, those bastards from Wushan can go back to where they came from."

Zhong Liang's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his aura was overwhelming. He stared at the Taoist and said with resentment, "Last time, opening the Netherworld Ghost Land cost the lives of seven of my inner disciples. If it happens again this time, then you six sects can pray for yourselves next time."

"Haha, please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhong. Having learned from the previous experience, the disciples of the six sects will also focus on practicing some physical techniques in addition to their cultivation. This time, when we enter the Netherworld Ghost Land, we will not be as helpless as before, and will not have to rely on the disciples of Tianwu Mountain for escort."

The Taoist stroked his white beard and said with a smile, "As for the spiritual herbs and plants obtained from the Netherworld Ghost Land, we will follow the usual rules and divide them 40/60 between the Six Sect Alliance and Tianwu Mountain."

"No." Zhong Liang refused outright, his expression solemn. "If more than two of my inner court disciples are lost on this trip, Tianwu Mountain shall receive 80% of the medicinal herbs obtained during the journey."

"Eighty percent?"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest was astonished, then frowned and said with displeasure, "Fellow Daoist Zhong has gone too far. It wasn't just your Tianwu Mountain disciples who suffered losses in the past. For you to take 80% of the losses is simply unreasonable."

Listening to the conversation between the two big shots, Lin Jue, standing at the back, was secretly shocked by the level of danger of this trip. If calculated based on the previous death toll, the mortality rate for entering the Netherworld Ghost Land was as high as 60%.

At this moment, no matter how Lin Jue thought about it, he felt that this trip was very dangerous and not a good thing.

Although the Netherworld Ghost Land has a large number of tempting medicinal herbs and spiritual plants, it is also fraught with dangers, and it is no exaggeration to call it a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.

Upon hearing the Taoist's words, Zhong Liang's expression suddenly changed, and he said in a low voice, "If that's the case, your six sects may enter the Netherworld Ghost Land on their own. As for the little girl from the Misty Cloud Sect, we'll trouble you to escort us back to the mountain."

"No, no, no, Fellow Daoist Zhong, please don't act rashly. This matter is of great importance, and we will need the assistance of your disciples on this trip." The Daoist hurriedly stopped Zhong Liang, who was about to leave. After a moment's thought, he didn't want to waste any more words and said solemnly, "Three-seven, at most three-seven, and the treasures obtained must belong to our six sects."

"Do monks not lie?" Zhong Liang's face showed a look of doubt. "We martial artists have no interest in cultivators' magical treasures."

"I won't fight."

The Taoist priest replied abruptly, then flew into the air. With a thought, he transmitted the terms he had agreed upon with Zhong Liang to the other five sects of cultivators.

Seeing the Taoist priest fly off to greet the cultivators from the six sects, Zhong Liang pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the ten inner court disciples and said in a solemn tone:

"Listen carefully, once you enter the Netherworld Ghost Land, the cultivators' magical power will be sealed. If you encounter any danger, you will need to step in to resolve it. This matter concerns an important magical artifact in the cultivation world, so you must cooperate with them fully."

Although there are only ten of you, you are all elite disciples of my inner court. Do not disgrace the inner court. Be on your best!

The Netherworld is fraught with danger and unpredictability. Once inside, remember to act with extreme caution, remain calm in the face of adversity, and avoid reckless behavior. Fellow disciples, remember to help and support one another.

At this point, Zhong Liang paused slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Each of the six sects will send three to five disciples to participate in this trip. They have storage bags to store the precious medicines and spiritual plants. Anyway, they will give us 70% of them afterward. After you go in, besides protecting them, what you need to do is hunt down as many strange beasts as possible."

The strange beasts are unique wild animals found only in the Netherworld Ghost Land. Beast crystals, containing a vast amount of vital energy, are born within their bodies. These crystals are extremely beneficial for martial artists' cultivation; absorbing just one beast crystal is equivalent to three months of arduous training.

Lin Jue kept everything Zhong Liang said firmly in mind, while the other nine people were dumbfounded and greatly shocked. Everything in the Netherworld Ghost Land was full of temptation and challenge for them.

Seeing everyone speechless, Zhong Liang pondered for a while and then made up his mind: "After this mission is completed, aside from the inner academy's rewards for you, the academy has decided that anyone who returns alive will be accepted as a disciple."

Hearing that Uncle Zhong was so serious about his promise, everyone became excited and showed no fear of the Netherworld Ghost Land, eager to try it out.

Lin Jue, however, remained completely calm and composed.

Lin Jue was also very tempted by Zhong Liang's promise, after all, the person in front of him was a real Divine Harmony Realm martial artist, comparable to a Core Formation stage cultivator in the immortal cultivation world.

He knew very well that if he had such a top martial artist as his master to guide him on his path of martial arts, he would definitely avoid many detours and have a better chance of advancing to the Divine Illumination Realm or even the Divine Union Realm in the future.

Seeing Lin Jue remain calm and composed, Zhong Liang didn't say anything more. He smiled slightly and turned to look at the five factions' encampment.

In this world, you reap what you sow; you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

To become a disciple of Zhong Liang, one must risk one's life venturing into the underworld.

Although becoming an inner court disciple allows one to enjoy various preferential resources, one must also obey the inner court's arrangements.

With a sigh, Lin Jue stopped thinking about it and followed Zhong Liang's gaze to look at the Yin Kui Sect's encampment not far away. He was startled.

The disciples of the Yin Kui Sect were all wrapped in white strips of cloth, resembling living mummies, an extremely eerie sight that sent chills down one's spine.

The Beast Taming Sect cultivators all wore animal skin cloaks, all black, with the fur on the surface gleaming with an oily sheen.

The cultivators of the Spirit Talisman Sect looked very scholarly, and their robes were covered with mysterious runes on all sides.

The Crescent Moon Sect is mostly populated by female cultivators. Each of its disciples is as beautiful as a flower, charming and alluring, making those around them drool and lose their composure.

Although the cultivators of Hengyue Sect and Yanxia Sect wore different clothes, at least they didn't look strange at all.

After scanning the encampments of the five factions, even with Lin Jue's astonishing perseverance, he couldn't help but secretly glance at the location of the Crescent Moon Sect.

The waves were surging and the sights were dazzling.

It is said that the disciples of the Crescent Moon Sect are all unparalleled in their charm; a single flirtatious glance can make a man weak in the knees, utterly bewildered.

Seeing it now, it truly lives up to its reputation.

After admiring it for a while, Lin Jue finally came back to his senses with satisfaction, calmed his mind, and looked up at the sky with a peaceful and quiet mind.

Six experts from the six sects who had reached the Core Formation stage formed a circle in the air, each with a solemn expression, and each summoned a magical artifact that floated in front of them.

As the magical power of the six magical artifacts intertwined and condensed into a long sword, the Hengyue Sect Taoist quickly activated his magical power, transforming it into a giant hand that grasped the long sword and used the Great Sword Technique to pierce the sky.

In an instant, the wind and clouds surged, and amidst the deafening roar, everyone felt the ground beneath their feet shake violently.

Looking up, a huge sword shadow flashed with cold light above the originally dark sky.

The Taoist priest, wielding a giant sword, cleaved a shocking crack in the clouds and sky.

At the edge of the crack, lightning raged and leaped, like silver snakes dancing wildly. Inside the crack was a bottomless, deep, and eerie dark space.