Starting with Taoist priests from Maoshan to cultivate immortality

Zhou Dali laughed heartily, took out a broad-bladed longsword, and skillfully dislocated the two hind legs of the giant wild boar, saying:

"This is the 'Black-Toothed Boar,' a monster at the second level of Qi Refining."

Only its two hind legs are edible; the rest of its body is poisonous and has a sour and astringent taste.

I picked it up and weighed it in my hand:

"We've got our dinner sorted out."

The cross-eyed monk gave a thumbs-up, his face showing admiration:

"Brother Dali, you're amazing!"

Others turned to look.

This has always been the case in the cultivation world: as long as you demonstrate sufficient strength, you will earn the respect of others.

With Zhou Dali as their backbone, the atmosphere in the team became more harmonious.

Along the way, they did not encounter a single wild animal.

It seems this black-toothed pig is indeed an exception.

Two hours later, they arrived at the Blue Fish Swamp, where the Crimson Gold Serpent lived, and the group stopped to rest.

Zhou Dali took out a map, on which various traps in the swamp were marked:

"This swamp is full of miasma and mud pits, which are difficult for even cultivators in the mid-stage of Qi Refining to escape."

I've marked these places; please remember them.

Everyone was intently recording the locations on the map.

They were amazed; Zhou Dali truly lived up to his reputation as a cultivator who had roamed Tianmen Mountain for many years, and his considerations were indeed thorough.

"Clang, clang—"

Suddenly, a series of bone-crackling sounds rang out from the bushes ten meters away.

The group's eyes flashed with vigilance, and they prepared for battle, quietly surrounding the enemy.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a campsite, with a square-faced man in the middle rhythmically striking two large bone sticks.

"What's going on?" Everyone wondered.

Zhou Dali, with a complicated expression, explained:

"This is how we at Tianmen Town mourn, to show that all his comrades have sacrificed their lives."

Zhou Dali stepped forward and bowed, saying:

My condolences, fellow Daoist.

"Huh?" Zhou Dali exclaimed in surprise when he saw the face of the person playing the drum.

"Aren't you Brother Ren Hai?"

I had your stir-fried chicken with mushrooms a few days ago.

Jiang Yu's eyebrows twitched as he scanned the area up and down.

This is the husband of the eldest sister-in-law of the Ren family.

He clearly remembered that three days ago, he went to Tianmen Mountain to look for the Crimson Gold Grass and then lost contact with it.

It seems that there is no danger to his life.

Ren Hai's expression was sinister, and his body was surrounded by a black aura.

"Is it Dali?"

Zhou Dali nodded vigorously and said:

"It's me, Brother Ren Hai. What happened?"

Ren Hai sighed:

"Alas, three days ago, I went with four other fellow Daoists to seize the Crimson Gold Grass."

As it turned out, the crimson-gold serpent was advancing in rank, reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, and we were all wiped out.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining?" the others exclaimed in surprise.

"Then we've wasted our trip?"

Ren Hai shook his head and said:

"Not entirely. That crimson-gold snake is currently shedding its skin and only has half of its cultivation level."

If we join forces, we might be able to kill him.

The expressions on everyone's faces changed. Although this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the risks were still quite high.

If the Crimson Gold Serpent completes its molting ahead of schedule and its cultivation level increases further, they will be in big trouble.

Zhou Dali looked up and asked:

What do you all think?

Since this is a temporary team of independent cultivators, we still need to ask for everyone's opinions.

The cross-eyed cultivator stepped forward and said directly:

"Is there any need to say more?"

"Of course, we should seize this opportunity to kill that beast; we can't have made this trip for nothing."

Jiang Yu's purpose in coming here was to kill the Crimson Gold Serpent, so he naturally agreed.

The others pondered for a moment, and then all nodded in agreement.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Ren Hai excitedly stood up:

"Very good!

My son is saved, but I don't know how his condition will improve.

Jiang Yu took the initiative to say:

"Brother Ren, I helped out at Sister Ren's place this morning. Ah Xu's condition is currently being managed with the herbal medicine. As long as he takes the 'Red Gold Grass' in time, he can be cured completely."

"Really?" Ren Hai stepped forward and gripped Jiang Yu's hand tightly.

"Young man, thank you so much."

Jiang Yu frowned. He noticed that Ren Hai's hands and feet were ice-cold, as if he were a dead thing.

The others also felt a chill.

Zhou Dali laughed heartily:

"Brother Ren Hai, you're so scared you're freezing cold. You should warm yourself up by the fire."

Ren Hai shook his head and refused:

"No, I don't have much time left!"

"Let's hurry, or we'll miss our chance once the Crimson Gold Serpent has finished shedding its skin."

Everyone nodded seriously.

After searching, they found the Crimson Gold Serpent in a deep swamp pit.

Its body is five or six meters long, and it shimmers with blue and red light. Its body twists and struggles constantly, and it has already shed most of its molted skin.

Directly in front of the Crimson Gold Serpent, there grew more than a dozen three-inch-long spiritual herbs, their crimson gold glow shimmering.

The grass stems are translucent, with golden elixir slowly flowing inside.

This is the Red Gold Grass.

The companion plant of the Crimson Gold Snake.

After it sheds its skin, it needs to eat this to fully recover.

"Let's do it!"

Everyone used their skills, magical artifacts, and spells to attack the crimson serpent.

The crimson-gold snake's eyes showed panic. It twisted and struggled, using its tail to grab all the crimson-gold grass and quickly darted into the depths of the swamp.

Zhou Dali said urgently:

"Chase it! Don't let it get away!"

After chasing for about 500 meters, a stone house appeared in the swamp ahead.

At the entrance of the stone house, there were the corpses of five monks.

They appeared to be covered in wounds from some kind of sharp thorns, and their fate was extremely tragic.

The cross-eyed cultivator looked closely, then pointed at Ren Hai and stammered:

"He...he...is dead!"

Upon looking, everyone indeed saw Ren Hai's body.

"It was a ghost!"

Jiang Yu understood immediately; he had noticed Ren Hai's unusual behavior from the moment he spoke.

Ren Hai's body became ethereal. He unconsciously glanced at his palm, his brows furrowing as he said:

"I died... I remember now... My companions and I took advantage of the Crimson Gold Serpent shedding its skin to steal the Crimson Gold Grass."

It turned out to be a trap deliberately set by the Crimson Gold Serpent, designed to lure us here.

Ren Hai seemed to recall something terrifying, and frantically waved his hands, saying:

"Run!"

"Hehe, it's too late to run now!"

A sharp, piercing voice rang out from inside the stone house.

Click click click!

Bone spikes emerged from the swamp floor, forming a huge cage that trapped Jiang Yu and his group inside.

A skeleton with black bones and gray mist swirling around its joints emerged from the stone house.

He was formed from the bones of a person who died unjustly and is skilled at manipulating bones.

His cultivation level has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Two eerie blue flames flickered in the hollow eye sockets of the withered skeleton as it gently stroked the head of the crimson-gold serpent.

"Good job, little one, you've attracted another batch of toys."

The giant head of the Crimson Gold Serpent scraped back and forth against its bones, showing no signs of weakness or molting.

The skeleton clapped its hands, its eyes flickering with eerie blue flames:

"It's so great to be able to play games again!"

He didn't take Jiang Yu and the others seriously at all, treating them only as toys to pass the time.

He glanced at Ren Hai and said:

"I never imagined that you would turn into a vengeful spirit."

"From now on, if you obey me, I will spare your life; otherwise, your soul will be scattered to the winds!"

Ren Hai's eyes revealed a struggle:

"My son... I have to save him."

The skeleton's jaws swayed up and down, emitting a chilling laugh.

"You've already become a ghost, and you're still thinking about living people?"

That's truly tragic.

Someone like you doesn't deserve to be my subordinate.

I will make you watch your son die, bit by bit, and be forever consumed by regret.

Everyone frowned.

This skeleton demon is a complete freak.

Ren Hai roared:

"No, I'm going to fight you to the death!"

He would give anything for his son.

With a casual wave of his long, pointed hand, the skeleton bound Ren Hai with a curved bone and slammed him to the ground.

"A great opportunity!"

Zhou Dali's eyes narrowed, he lowered his hips and twisted his waist, gathering his qi and blood in his fist, and blasted it out like a heavy cannon.

Clang!

The powerful fist struck the skeleton's chest, producing a metallic clang.

"How is that possible?"

Zhou Dali felt his fist go numb, his face filled with disbelief.

His strongest move had absolutely no effect on the skeleton demon.

The skeleton opened and closed, its bones gleaming with a chilling smile.

"My bones are as hard as century-old black iron. Your strength is like an egg hitting a rock."

Whoosh!

The skeleton demon slashed through the air with its finger bones, sending dozens of sharp spikes piercing into Zhou Dali's two calves and penetrating his muscles.

Ah!

Zhou Dali let out a painful roar and his body slammed to his knees.

The other rogue cultivators' pupils constricted sharply, and they retreated repeatedly.

The cross-eyed cultivator's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, begging for mercy:

"Grandpa Ghost, we wandered in by accident, please have mercy and spare us."

Jiang Yu frowned:

If begging for mercy had worked, these five cultivators wouldn't have died.

The skeleton's joints cracked and spooked, its sinister laughter echoing.

"I can give you a chance to live."

You can leave once you've dealt with just one of them.

With a wave of his hand, three cross-shaped bone frames appeared on the ground, binding Jiang Yu and the other two to them.

The skeleton ghost chuckled sinisterly:

"They have completely lost their ability to move. The choice is yours."

He pulled a bone blade from his shoulder and threw it in front of the cross-eyed monk.

The cross-eyed cultivator, his lips deathly pale, staggered as he gripped the bone blade in his hand, and said in pain:

"Don't blame me, I just want to live."

Seeing this, the skeleton felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

He most enjoys seeing scenes of humans killing each other.

Looking back, the reason he ended up like this was because he was betrayed by his comrades.

He harbored deep resentment and became a ghost, trapped in this swamp for a hundred years.

The skeleton's expression was ferocious, and it roared inwardly:

"Kill! Even the best comrades are no match for life and death."

The skeleton urged:

"Hurry up!"

I have to entertain important guests later, I don't have time to waste here with you.

Despite the excruciating pain, Zhou Dali said to the cross-eyed cultivator:

"Don't listen to this evil spirit's nonsense. Even if you kill us, it won't let you go."

The cross-eyed cultivator was experiencing tinnitus and frantically shook his head.

The skeletal demon's body condensed with malevolent energy, and it roared:

"Quickly stab!"

The cross-eyed monk was breathing heavily.

He bit his tongue hard, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"You motherfucking skeleton, I'll fight you to the death!"

He gripped the bone blade tightly, unleashing all his spiritual energy, which transformed into a long sword that slashed at the withered bone demon.

The ghostly light flickered in the eye sockets of the withered skeleton, and it said:

"How dare you spoil my fun! Die!"

The skeleton demon's ribs broke off and transformed into a pale chain, easily dispersing the spiritual energy gathered by the cross-eyed cultivator.

A ghostly claw appeared at the end of the chain, carrying a chilling aura, and reached for the cross-eyed cultivator's heart.

The cross-eyed monk closed his eyes, resignedly awaiting his death.

Boom!

The skeleton born from the withered bone demon was broken.

Jiang Yu, holding the Thunder Pestle, landed in front of the cross-eyed cultivator.

It's sizzling!

A bolt of lightning struck, shattering the ghostly claw.

The skeleton demon stared wide-eyed, not expecting Jiang Yu to be able to break free from his restraints.

The pupils of others were also shocked, something they hadn't expected.

"I'm not dead!"

The cross-eyed cultivator opened his eyes, lost all his strength, and collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Yu's cheerful voice rang out:

"Heaven helps those who help themselves."

He hadn't originally planned to make a move, but the cross-eyed cultivator's performance earned his approval.

The cross-eyed monk couldn't believe it:

"Is that Brother Li?"

The ghostly flames of withered bones flickered:

"You used a magical artifact to conceal your cultivation level?"

Jiang Yu nodded and said:

"good."

His cultivation at the third level of Qi Refining was fully displayed.

The skeleton ghost said seriously:

"If that's the case, why don't you reveal your full cultivation level?"

Jiang Yu simply said:

"This is it."

The skeleton demon didn't believe it at all and shouted:

"You treacherous human, do you think I'm a fool? That I'd fall for your tricks!"

Jiang Yu sighed helplessly. These days, no one believes you if you tell the truth.

Jiang Yu struck a pose and said:

"Okay, I'll deactivate it now."

ha!"

The skeleton demon dared not be careless.

The faces of the others were filled with hope.

However, Jiang Yu's cultivation level was still at the third level of Qi Refining.

The ghostly flames glowed in the eye sockets of the withered skeleton.

"You're really just a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator?"

He felt humiliated; a powerful ghost at the late stage of Qi Refining was actually frightened by a human at the early stage of Qi Refining.

This is an utter disgrace.

Dead!

Despair returned to the faces of the others.

Jiang Yu made the first move, flicking his Thunder Pestle to unleash a storm of thunderclouds.

The skeleton demon darted away, easily dodging the attack.

However, Jiang Yu's target was not him, but the crimson-gold snake behind him.

It's sizzling!

The Crimson Gold Serpent was temporarily paralyzed by the lightning. Jiang Yu instantly moved forward and took the Crimson Gold Grass in his hand.

A golden coin appears, with a line of small characters appearing in the center:

Intermediate Quest [Worldly Affairs]:

Teaming up with other independent cultivators, they obtained the Crimson Gold Grass, and their cultivation was complete.

Reward received: Dao Power +11.

The skeleton ghost's brow was bent, and it was unclear what Jiang Yu was up to.

A cluster of soul fire appeared in the socket of his left eye, and dozens of green lamps floated out, their flames burning into a fireball that drifted toward Jiang Yu.

The skeleton demon chuckled sinisterly:

"No matter what methods you have, my flames are designed to burn souls; you don't even deserve to be a ghost."

Jiang Yu smiled slightly and said:

"Really? Then we'll have to see if your fire element is stronger, or mine?"

when!

The gong that startled him appeared in Jiang Yu's hand, and he struck it sharply.

The skeleton ghost was terrified and unable to move.

This magical artifact is not only effective against ghosts with painted skins and those skilled in illusions, but it is also remarkably effective against ordinary ghosts.

Jiang Yu said in a deep voice:

"The Heavenly Mandate Treasure Talisman, imbued with Daoist power."

Thirty points of Dao power disappeared, and the Burning Wind and Departing Fire Spell was completed to a minor level!

"Burning flames ignite the heavens, swirling winds whip up the lingering clouds!"

Jiang Yu chanted the incantation, and towering flames gathered in front of him. With a gentle turn of his hand, wind and fire intertwined.

A wave of heat swept through the entire space, scorching the skeleton cage black, and causing the water vapor in the swamp to sizzle and bubble.

"go!"

As Jiang Yu shouted, a storm of flames suddenly shot out, heading towards the bodies of the skeleton demon and the crimson serpent.

laugh!

The surface of the Crimson Gold Serpent instantly vaporized, and the body of the Bone Demon cracked open, bursting into flames from the inside out.

"what!"

They let out painful cries, writhed wildly, and rolled into the nearby swamp, trying to extinguish the flames.

However, the fire of the foehn wind, like a maggot clinging to bones, scorched their bodies and could not be extinguished.

Finally, both were completely reduced to charcoal during the continuous burning.

The Heavenly Mandate Treasure Talisman, with a copper coin appearing on the left:

"Dangerous Mission: Exorcising Demons and Slaying Evil"

Having slain the Crimson Gold Serpents on the outskirts of Tianmen Mountain, the task is complete.

Reward received: a superior-grade magic artifact, the Spirit Binding Lock.

……