In the world of cultivation, one grinds for proficiency and longevity.

As long as it's not close combat, I might be able to fight even someone at the third level of Qi Refining!

A faint light flickered between Chen Changqing's fingers, quite satisfied with the destructive power of "Spiritual Power Flick".

"Ah Jiang!"

The person in her arms was already dead, and the ugly woman's eyes were bloodshot.

Grief and anger instantly overwhelmed her reason, and she lunged at Chen Changqing recklessly.

If she had known earlier that Chen Changqing had killed the Wolf Fang Bee Queen, she would never have dared to underestimate her opponent so much.

Unfortunately, they were too far away before.

"Brother Chen saved us! Everyone, protect him!"

However, the boys were terrified and retreated, and none of them obeyed the order.

Li Erniu himself was also terrified, his face turning ashen, because the madwoman was rushing towards him.

But this simpleton gritted his teeth and stood up, blocking Chen Changqing's path.

call out!

The steel ball pierced the air.

Bang!

The impact on the spiritual energy shield only created a ripple before it bounced away.

Although it didn't break through her defenses, it still made her pause for a moment.

At the mid-stage of Qi Refining, one can release a spiritual energy shield.

It seems there is a significant difference between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining.

Unwilling to implicate Li Erniu, Chen Changqing used his light footwork to retreat rapidly into the uninhabited area.

"A master of innate martial arts! He has mastered the 'Spiritual Power Flick' technique!"

The ugly woman saw through Chen Changqing's true nature, and her murderous intent intensified. "You must not be allowed to live!"

She completely abandoned everyone else and rushed straight at Chen Changqing.

Chen Changqing remained calm under pressure, firing steel balls from his fingers in rapid succession. Although he could not break through their defenses, he could slow them down for a moment.

If the ugly woman doesn't stay...

Using the momentum of his forward movement, the steel ball could very well pierce her shield; if he stopped, Chen Changqing, who possessed worldly lightness skills, would immediately create distance.

"Let's see how many steel balls you have left!"

The ugly woman was both angry and annoyed.

A quarter of an hour passed in the chase.

Chen Changqing had only four steel balls left in his hand.

What should I do? I'm still too weak.

If the "Spiritual Power Flick" technique were even stronger, or if one had a suitable magical artifact...

That way you can break through her defenses.

Chen Changqing's face darkened as he quickly considered countermeasures.

"retreat!"

Just then, the leaf mantis in the distance suddenly shouted in this direction, its tone urgent.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Changqing noticed that a strange, one-horned python had appeared beside Zhou Dezheng.

The strange python was about the thickness of a water vat and three or four zhang long. The alluring beauty at the seventh level of Qi Refining was forced to retreat step by step in front of it.

Then, the strange python glanced at the ugly woman, swung its body, and pounced straight at her.

"hateful!"

The ugly woman dared not linger in the fight, glared fiercely at Chen Changqing, and fled swiftly.

The Ye family cultivators fled in panic.

Chen Changqing knew perfectly well that even with the addition of the strange python, the Ye family still had resources to spare.

However, it is not advisable to engage in a prolonged battle on Zhou's territory.

boom!

Losing its target, the strange python teleported and caught up with the last Ye family cultivator, smashing him into a pulp with a single slap.

Clean up the battlefield.

The Zhou family lost seven promising young talents, and another five were stung and turned into pig heads.

The Ye family lost one mid-level Qi Refining cultivator, one third-level Qi Refining cultivator, and a first-tier spirit beast.

It's hard to say who profited and who lost.

Chen Changqing recovered some of his magical power, walked towards the corpse at the third level of Qi Refining, and squatted down.

"Pah, a fake!"

They thought they could find a low-grade magic weapon, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be just a damaged and inferior item.

The cultivator was killed by Chen Changqing, and the Zhou family had no objection to his act of touching the corpse.

Unfortunately, the corpse of the wolf-tooth bee queen was taken away, otherwise it would have been quite valuable.

"Chen Changqing, well done."

Zhou Chengjun came over, panting heavily, and patted him on the shoulder heavily.

The Zhou family cultivators found Chen Changqing's performance incredible.

But it's not exactly shocking or outrageous.

After all, the Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator who was killed was just a greenhorn; the direct cause of the first-order demon beast's death was that the hidden weapon was poisoned.

Surviving a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator's pursuit, even if only for a brief delay, is by no means an easy feat.

This child possesses both exceptional character and courage!

The Zhou family head secretly regretted it.

The seedlings like Chen Changqing, who were rejected by the sect, were deemed to lack potential, so the Zhou family naturally wouldn't focus on cultivating them.

In addition, cultivation families place the utmost importance on loyalty.

As for Chen Changqing, who was older and had a background in the underworld, he had long been labeled as "difficult to cultivate loyalty in."

"So poor!"

Chen Changqing finished counting the spoils of war.

Besides a broken pseudo-magical artifact, I also obtained two spirit stones, dozens of spirit fragments, and a first-grade low-level lightness talisman.

There wasn't even a storage bag.

Spirit fragments are a smaller unit of goods than spirit stones; one spirit stone is equal to one hundred spirit fragments.

One hundred spirit fragments are not enough to exchange for a single spirit stone.

"You'll get used to it. This is the reality of the lower levels of the cultivation world," Zhou Chengjun comforted him.

Chen Changqing gave a wry smile as a response.

At this moment, a whooshing sound suddenly arose, and a large number of cultivators rushed in from the direction of Emerald Lake.

"Dezheng, what happened?"

The leader was an elderly man with sharp eyes and a slightly hunched back, emanating powerful magical energy.

"Greetings, Third Elder!" Zhou Chengjun and the others bowed respectfully.

The visitor was Zhou Qingrong, the third elder of the Zhou family.

Qi Refining Level 9.

"The leaf mantis led a group to ambush us."

If it weren't for the one-horned python I acquired recently, I'd probably have been in serious trouble this time.

Upon seeing Zhou Qingrong, the Zhou family head finally felt relieved.

While narrating, he glanced at Chen Changqing unintentionally.

If he hadn't killed the first-tier poisonous bee queen first and then assassinated the Ye family cultivators, the Ye family's scheme would have succeeded.

"Are these the seedlings of immortality?"

Zhou Qingrong exuded an invisible pressure just by standing there, his eyes sharp as knives.

"Greetings, Elder."

The group of teenagers tensed up, as if they were being locked onto by a ferocious beast; the invisible pressure made them feel uncomfortable.

Chen Changqing lowered his head at the opportune moment, showing respect.

Zhou Qingrong merely glanced at him, and the terrifying aura subsided, the pressure dissipating.

"Father, are you alright?"

A clear and melodious girl's voice rang out.

Like spring water flowing into my heart, it dispelled the tension and fatigue I had just felt.

The surviving boys couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound.

The girl was only seventeen or eighteen years old, with bright, sparkling eyes and pearly white teeth; she was like a fairy from a painting.

The young men were stunned, as if they had never seen such an elegant and refined woman before.

However, many teenagers covered their faces with their hands or simply turned their heads away.

He didn't want her to see his face, which looked like a pig's head, after being stung by poisonous bees.

"Ruoyun, why are you here? I'm fine, I just used up too much of my magic power."

"We didn't bring any medicine, so we'll distribute some to the boys."

Zhou Dezheng looked at his daughter with eyes full of love.

"I brought it, let me see."

Zhou Ruoyun, who had studied medicine, quickly took out medicine from her storage bag and distributed it to the boy who had been stung by poisonous bees.

She didn't laugh at anyone.

He even personally and gently applied the medicine to the two of them.

"I wish I'd been stung too."

Li Erniu drooled and muttered to himself.

"Useless. But...it is indeed pleasing to the eye."

Chen Changqing couldn't help but take a second look.

But he only admired it; he wasn't moved by it, since his goal was to achieve immortality.

The medicine she brought was very effective; in just a short while, the swelling in the boy's sting site gradually subsided, and he would likely recover completely in no time.

Many people are grateful.

I also remembered her name.

Zhou Ruoyun.

The Zhou family's precious daughter, the apple of their eye.