The Confucian and Taoist Sages of Mortal Cultivation

The jade slip contains a diagram of a wind-attribute formation.

This formation is called the "Eight Gates Wind Annihilation Formation," and it is the ancient restriction that guards the Crimson Forbidden Land.

"It seems that Wu Sangchong did indeed obtain quite a lot from the Crimson Forbidden Land thanks to his Wind Spirit Root aptitude."

Yang Qingyuan thought to himself, "No wonder the Hidden Moon Sect has a much better understanding of the Crimson Forbidden Land than other sects. Not only can they make the Moon Sun Pearl, but even Nangong Wan knows about the hidden treasures within the secret realm. She probably obtained the information after raiding Wu Sangchong's cave."

He continued to peruse the jade slip, and saw that there was a small wind-attribute formation attached to the back of the jade slip, called the "Gate of Life Formation".

The sole function of this array is to sense the Eight Gates Wind-Slaying Array outside the Crimson Forbidden Land, thereby guiding cultivators into the Crimson Forbidden Land; it is essentially a short-distance teleportation array.

Finally, there are some annotations by Wu Sangchong.

Through these annotations, Yang Qingyuan also learned that the underground palace that Wu Sangchong had his descendants build was not a tomb at all, but a prototype of the Life Gate Formation.

Wu Sangchong himself did not expect that when he purchased the array materials, he squandered a large amount of spirit stones, which attracted the attention of a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator, having identified Wu Sangchong's weakness for lust, arranged for several Qi Refining stage female cultivators to lure him into a trap, framing him for using the evil technique of absorbing yin to replenish yang.

Fortunately, Wu Sangchong sensed the danger, wielding the Wind and Thunder Fan, and forcefully defeated the enforcement team, escaping to safety and returning to the tomb in Eagle Sorrow Gorge.

However, his physical body was also destroyed, and he could only survive by relying on a divine herb from the Blood Forbidden Land's inheritance.

The effects of the Spirit-Nourishing Grass are somewhat similar to those of the Soul-Nourishing Wood, as it nourishes the soul, strengthens the spirit, and allows the primordial spirit to reside within it without dissipating.

In order to make the most efficient use of the parasitic grass, Wu Sangchong did not hesitate to become a ghost cultivator. Although this extended the lifespan of his primordial spirit, he is now exhausted.

But at this very moment, he overheard Yang Qingyuan's plan to enter the Crimson Forbidden Land, so he conceived the idea of ​​possessing and seizing Yang Qingyuan's body, wanting to use Yang Qingyuan's physical body to go to the Crimson Forbidden Land again, retrieve the key item for setting up the formation, and thus monopolize the Crimson Forbidden Land.

The key item for setting up this formation is called the "Divine Wind Token," which is the identity token of the master of the Crimson Forbidden Land. It is currently stored in the underground cavern of the Crimson Forbidden Land and guarded by the Ink Dragon.

Once Yang Qingyuan obtains the Divine Wind Token and completes the repair of the Life Gate Formation, he will be able to freely enter and exit any part of the Crimson Forbidden Land except for the core area.

"This is a bit tricky," Yang Qingyuan thought to himself. "This token eventually ended up in the hands of Nangong Wan, a Core Formation cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect."

"It seems that without fighting this woman, there's no way to get the Divine Wind Token."

Fortunately, he is not without a chance of winning.

Yang Qingyuan took out the Wind and Thunder Fan from his storage bag and examined it carefully.

He had just personally experienced the power of this top-grade magic weapon. It destroyed the top-grade magic weapon, the Mountain-Splitting Axe, with a single strike and also knocked away five flying swords. It truly deserves to be called the most lethal magic weapon.

Moreover, the Wind and Thunder Fan's power increases by 30% in the hands of a cultivator with a Thunder Spirit Root, making it enough to crush ordinary talisman treasures.

Yang Qingyuan carefully put the fan into his storage bag, and then continued to count the treasures.

In Wu Sangchong's storage bag, there were also a large number of valuable wind-attribute materials, all of which were array materials for setting up the Life Gate Array.

Yang Qingyuan put these things into his storage bag, preparing to try to set up the formation after obtaining the Divine Wind Token.

After confirming that there were no treasures left behind, he took out the Azure Leaf Magic Artifact and headed straight for Yellow Maple Valley.

Time flies like an arrow, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. The day of the Crimson Trial has arrived.

After half a year of arduous training, Yang Qingyuan successfully broke through to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

The five flying swords and the Azure Wood True Shield were also restored to their original state under the nourishment of magical power.

Even the two-headed geese awoke, but perhaps because it had devoured Senior Brother Lu, a cultivator with the wind spirit root, this bird had mastered the beginner-intermediate level spells 'Wind Blade Technique' and 'Wind Control Technique'. Not only did its flight speed increase significantly, but its attack power also increased several times over.

The sudden disappearance of "Senior Brother Lu" did indeed cause a small commotion in Huangfeng Valley.

But the commotion lasted for less than six months before it gradually subsided, and no one mentioned "Senior Brother Lu" anymore.

Huangfeng Valley treated "Senior Brother Lu" as a missing person and then nothing happened, which made Yang Qingyuan, a fellow cultivator with a different spiritual root, sincerely lament the coldness of human relationships.

If he goes missing, this will most likely be the outcome.

One morning six months later, Yang Qingyuan received a message from Sect Leader Zhong, asking him to meet him in the council hall.

When he arrived at the council hall, he found that more than twenty Qi Refining stage cultivators had already gathered inside, all sizing each other up.

Sect Leader Zhong and other Foundation Establishment cultivators have not yet shown up.

Yang Qingyuan immediately spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

"Senior Brother Yang! You've reached the thirteenth level of Qi Refining!" Han Li greeted Yang Qingyuan as he walked in, his face showing a look of shock.

"As expected of someone with a lightning spiritual root, their cultivation speed is incredibly fast."

"In just two and a half years, they have left me far behind."

Yang Qingyuan used his Heavenly Eye Technique to examine Han Li and chuckled, "Junior Brother Han has also broken through to the eleventh level of Qi Refining. Congratulations!"

Upon hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking to himself, "In the past two and a half years, I've consumed over a hundred pills, yet I still can't keep up with Yang Qingyuan's cultivation speed."

Just then, another familiar face walked in—it was Chen Qiaoqian.

Yang Qingyuan was secretly surprised. He had only taken Lu Yunfeng's Foundation Establishment Pill, but had not touched Chen Qiaoqian's storage bag. Logically speaking, Chen Qiaoqian did not need to participate in the Blood Trial at all.

At this moment, Chen Qiaoqian was clearly different from before. She was dressed in light makeup and had become cold and beautiful. She exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, causing the young men who were attracted by her appearance and tried to talk to her to leave empty-handed.

But it was precisely this aloof and arrogant temperament that aroused a desire to conquer among the male disciples in the Qi Refining stage around her, who kept stealing glances at Chen Qiaoqian.

Chen Qiaoqian also saw Yang Qingyuan and walked straight over.

Han Li, who was standing next to Chen Qiaoqian, noticed the chill emanating from her and wisely took two steps back to make way for her.

"What is it?" Yang Qingyuan asked softly, his tone softening as he recalled their night together in the ancient tomb.

When Chen Qiaoqian saw that Yang Qingyuan had broken through to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, realizing that his talent was even greater than Lu Yunfeng's.

The other Qi Refining stage male cultivators couldn't help but frown when they saw Chen Qiaoqian walking towards Yang Qingyuan.

Chen Qiaoqian took out a blood-red talisman with the character "Chen" written on it from her bosom, handed it to Yang Qingyuan, and said coldly, "Keep it."

Yang Qingyuan didn't recognize the talisman either and didn't know what the other party's intention was.

"This is our Chen family's Blood Refining Talisman." A middle-aged cultivator in his forties walked up to Chen Qiaoqian and stopped to introduce it. "Once activated, this talisman will allow you to be teleported to the same place as me when you enter the Crimson Forbidden Land."

This middle-aged cultivator had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a dignified bearing. He wore a yellow silk robe from Yellow Maple Valley, and his cultivation was at the peak of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. His appearance was somewhat similar to Chen Qiaoqian's.

Immediately afterwards, he cupped his hands to Yang Qingyuan and introduced himself: "My name is Chen Qiaotian, and I am Chen Qiaoqian's elder brother. I have entered the Crimson Trial on the orders of Sect Leader Zhong."

"A few days ago, my seventh sister suddenly approached me and asked me to help protect a cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining after I entered the Crimson Trial."

"I suppose it must be you, Junior Brother. But I didn't expect you to have already broken through to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining."

"It seems that Chen's seventh sister went to unnecessary trouble."

The Qi Refining stage disciples nearby all showed fear upon seeing Chen Qiaotian, indicating that this person was indeed quite capable.

Yang Qingyuan waved his hand and refused, saying, "No need. I wish to act alone from now on."

These words caused the cultivators present to turn their heads and whisper among themselves.

"Who is this person? He actually refused the Chen family's offer!"

"Yes, they don't even respect Chen Qiaotian."

Yang Qingyuan rarely appeared in public, so very few people knew him as a cultivator with the lightning spiritual root; at most, they had only heard his name.

Chen Qiaotian was taken aback when he saw Yang Qingyuan refuse so decisively.

Chen Qiaoqian's face darkened, and after letting out a cold snort, she turned and walked out of the palace gate.

It is clear that her appearance this time was not to participate in the Blood Trial, but specifically to deliver talismans to Yang Qingyuan.

The male cultivators present were quite surprised to see Yang Qingyuan keeping his distance from this icy beauty. They whispered among themselves, "Who is this person? He even rejected the great beauty, Senior Sister Chen."

"Senior Sister Chen is the legitimate daughter of the Chen family."

"I've always dreamed of climbing this high branch."