Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

A surge of power instantly flowed into every part of his body.

Lu Yuan felt his bones making a slight popping sound, as if his muscles and skin were being repeatedly kneaded and reshaped by an invisible hand.

Lu Yuan looked down at his hands and, with a little effort, could feel an inexhaustible power within his body.

He took out a dagger from his storage bag and lightly ran it across his palm.

The skin on my palm was slightly concave, but there wasn't a single wound.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but feel delighted.

"Is this the physical strength comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator...?"

Lu Yuan was filled with emotion, but he immediately composed himself.

He left his remaining fourteen years of life untouched for the time being, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

He got up and stretched, and after confirming that he was feeling fine, he put on his invisibility cloak and quietly left the house.

The night breeze was slightly cool.

Lu Yuan did not go directly to Zhu Meng. Instead, he wandered around the market, making sure no one was following him, before climbing over the wall and entering the backyard of Zhu's residence.

The light was still on in Zhu Meng's bedroom.

Lu Yuan did not approach rashly. Instead, he took out a sound transmission talisman, whispered a few words, and flicked it into the window crack.

A moment later, the door opened slightly, and Zhu Meng appeared in the doorway, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"It's me." Lu Yuan removed his invisibility cloak and stepped out of the shadows.

Zhu Meng paused slightly, then stepped aside to let him in, lowering his voice to ask, "Xiao Lu, what happened so late?"

After entering the room, Lu Yuan went straight to the point: "Brother Zhu, I have a question for you, and you must answer me truthfully. Who brought up the agreement between you and Yunshang?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Meng frowned slightly: "It was her. Moreover, she was the one who found out that Shi Guanhai was taking his apprentice into the mountains to search for Foundation Establishment materials."

As he spoke, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he subconsciously asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and explained in detail how he had been followed and his own speculations.

Zhu Meng's face gradually darkened as Lu Yuan spoke.

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "You mean, Yun Shang and Shi Guanhai are in cahoots? They set up this scheme not to kill Shi Guanhai, but to kill me?"

"It's just speculation," Lu Yuan said, not giving a definitive answer, "but we must be cautious."

Zhu Meng stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his expression shifting between light and dark.

"That's not right." He suddenly stopped and looked at Lu Yuan. "I'm practically a disciple of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect now. If they attack me, aren't they afraid of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect's retaliation?"

Lu Yuan calmly analyzed: "I think what the Azure Lotus Sword Sect needs is the Glazed Tile Sect. As for who the Glazed Tile Sect's leader is, they don't care."

Zhu Meng remained silent.

Upon closer examination, it is indeed possible.

He had heard his master mention that almost all families and forces believed that the Azure Lotus Sword Sect had ulterior motives for throwing out ten Foundation Establishment Pills at once.

After all, for the peaceful Jiuling Market, ten Foundation Establishment Pills are enough to disrupt the entire situation.

Those forces that obtain Foundation Establishment Pills and successfully increase the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators will inevitably seek more resources, and these will be their targets for plunder.

Besides the increasing number of independent cultivators in the market, there were also other families or sects that did not obtain Foundation Establishment Pills at this auction.

"There's another possibility."

Lu Yuan continued, "Shi Guanhai does intend to eliminate you, but not by killing you. He will use you as a weapon. Once you kill Shi Guanhai in the Nine Ridges Mountains, Yunshang will use the charge of fratricide to take you down."

"At that time, she will be able to eliminate both Shi Guanhai, her competitor, and you, her potential threat, killing two birds with one stone."

Zhu Meng's eyes finally changed.

He's not stupid; he's just caught up in the situation and hasn't considered certain things from that perspective.

Now, thanks to Lu Yuan's explanation, many things that seemed a bit off before suddenly connected.

For example, Yunshang was clearly at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, far surpassing him and Shi Guanhai.

Even if she were alone, dealing with Shi Guanhai, who was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, would not be difficult, so why would she need to cooperate with him?

"What a beautiful dress!"

Zhu Meng slammed his hand on the table, and the solid wood table shattered with a crash.

"What a remarkable Shi Guanhai!"

Lu Yuan looked at him quietly, and waited for his anger to subside before speaking, "Brother Zhu, now is not the time to get angry. Since they are setting a trap, we might as well play along."

Zhu Meng turned to look at him, a cold glint in his eyes: "You mean...?"

"Since they intend to make their move in the Nine Ridges Mountains, what will happen within those mountains is beyond their control."

Lu Yuan's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable certainty: "However, we need to make some arrangements in advance."

"For example, request more reinforcements."

……

Five days later.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Shi Guanhai led his disciples to the Jiuling Mountains.

They continued along the winding mountain road until they arrived at a place called Pine Breeze Valley, when suddenly a graceful figure appeared in front of them.

A beautiful female cultivator in flowing fairy dress descended from the sky and blocked their path.

Shi Guanhai looked around, then frowned and said, "Fairy Yunshang, why are you stopping my master and me?"

Yunshang stood with her sword in hand, a faint smile on her lips, but her tone was cold and indifferent: "Elder Shi, there is no need to be nervous. There are many cultivators in the Nine Ridges Mountains. I have come here only to lend you a hand."

"Master..."

Shi Guanhai's apprentice, named Shi Shaoqiang, was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He still harbored feelings of affection for this graceful and beautiful matriarch.

"Shut up!"

Shi Guanhai rebuked him sternly.

Then, a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. He glanced around again and said casually, "I'm only here with my disciple to find some Foundation Establishment materials. Why would I need Fairy Yunshang's help?"

Just as Lu Yuan had predicted.

He and Yunshang reached a consensus to deal with Zhu Meng together first, and then discuss other matters.

But this was already a case of dealing with a tiger for its skin, and he was worried that the fairy Yunshang in front of him might suddenly turn against him.

Therefore, while keeping an eye on Zhu Meng who might appear at any moment, he also carefully dealt with the sword-wielding female cultivator in front of him.

Yunshang walked slowly forward, her long sword shimmering with wisps of cloud-like light, clearly a low-grade spiritual weapon.

"Elder Shi, there's no need to panic..."

"This place is secluded and deep, a perfect spot for murder and burial."

Shi Guanhai's expression changed slightly, and he was about to speak when a gust of evil wind suddenly came from behind him.

He quickly dodged.

Unexpectedly, the person behind him never intended to harm him.

A black blade of energy tore through the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek, heading straight for Shi Shaoqiang's face.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Zhu Meng exuded a chilling aura with every move he made.

The strike unleashed with all one's might at this moment is even more unmatched.

Even Shi Guanhai wouldn't dare to take this blow head-on.

He quickly summoned a defensive magic artifact, which transformed into a light shield, blocking the panicked Shi Shaoqiang.

The sharp black blade energy landed on the light shield, which shattered instantly.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shi Guanhai pulled Shi Shaoqiang away from Zhu Meng.

When facing a Foundation Establishment stage physical cultivator, staying away from him is the best course of action.

Zhu Meng moved with incredible speed and quickly followed, launching himself out like a cannonball, leaving a half-foot-deep crater in the ground.

Shi Guanhai glanced at Yunshang out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was still standing in the same place, so he shouted loudly.

"Fairy Yun, if you don't act now, when will you?"