On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

Zhao Fan stowed the Green Leaf Boat and landed at the foot of a sheltered cliff.

Another day of searching, still to no avail. He leaned against the rock, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon, and exhaled a long breath.

Su Zixuan has been missing for seven days.

What seven days meant for a female cultivator who had fallen into the hands of a calamity cultivator? Zhao Fan dared not think about it too much.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. Now that the trail had gone cold, blindly searching would only waste time and energy. It would be better to calm down and re-examine all the suspicious points.

First, there are the statements of the two men.

Su Ziyuan and Su Zicheng said it was a person whose entire body was covered in strange blood, forcing them to set up an ambush here.

This description is too specific to be a fabrication. But if it really is Zhang Tie, why would he use such a roundabout method?

Given Zhang Tie's personality, if he truly knew my whereabouts, he would definitely take action personally.

He dared to face three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators head-on in the Blood Refining Formation. Now that he is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, why should he rely on others?

Moreover, those two are too weak; even if they succeed in their sneak attack, they might not be able to kill him.

If Zhang Tie really wanted revenge, wouldn't sending these two useless people just be alerting the enemy?

But if it wasn't Zhang Tie, then who was this person?

Zhao Fan frowned. Of all the people he had ever met, only Zhang Tie looked like this.

Could it be that in just a few months, a second person has appeared who practices this strange and demonic art?

It's not impossible, but it's extremely unlikely.

Secondly, there were traces of those who had been robbed and cultivated.

They led Su Zixuan westward, and when they reached that mountain hollow, all traces suddenly disappeared.

Either they used some means to conceal their presence, or they changed direction.

If they are concealing their aura, then they must have someone who is proficient in this art.

If the direction is changed, the mountain terrain to the north is more complex, making it the most likely option.

He searched the entire area within a hundred miles to the north, but found nothing.

Zhao Fan rubbed his temples, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.

He listed all the possibilities in his mind.

The first possibility is Zhang Tie. He has a valid motive. He killed Zhu Hao, so he would definitely seek revenge. Su San also ruined his plans in the Blood Refining Formation, and he also harbors resentment towards the Su family.

In terms of strength, he was at the sixth level of Qi Refining and possessed strange demonic arts. Originally, it shouldn't have been difficult for him to kill me, but if he felt it was unstable, it wouldn't be impossible for him to turn the two of them against him.

Given his personality, why didn't he take action himself?

Moreover, if they really wanted to kill me, why didn't they lie in ambush nearby?

As for the second possibility, it is that they are some kind of cultivators who have undergone tribulations.

Su Zixuan is a member of the Su family. Although she is not a wealthy or noble direct descendant, she can still exchange some spirit stones.

But if that's the case, why were these two turned against us? With such abilities, why would these cultivators even bother with someone as insignificant as Su Zixuan?

The third possibility is that it was Sun Yao or the group of cultivators who chased after her.

Sun Yao is cold and rational. If she returned to her cave afterward to check her life or death, she might find that she was not dead and could indeed use someone else to kill her.

The group of bandits who initially mistook Zhao Fan for possessing treasure may continue to pursue him.

But doubts remain: how were they sure they would come? And how did they know they would come looking for Su Zixuan?

Zhao Fan considered these three possibilities countless times, but he still couldn't determine which one was closer to the truth.

There is too little evidence.

The truth of the two men's confessions was hard to discern, the trail of the calamity cultivator had completely disappeared, and every clue pointed in a certain direction, yet all of them were broken.

Zhao Fan sighed and opened his eyes.

The sky had completely darkened, the night sky was dotted with stars, and a cool mountain breeze blew by.

He stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and looked down into the endless darkness to the north.

Anyway, let's keep looking.

He took out the Green Leaf Boat and was about to take off when he suddenly caught sight of a figure slowly walking towards him on the mountain path in the distance.

Zhao Fan's heart tightened. He immediately activated the Netherworld Mirror to conceal his figure and at the same time, he suppressed his aura to the extreme and silently moved in that direction.

As he got closer, he finally saw the person's face clearly.

He was a middle-aged man, burly and dark-skinned, wearing a sleeveless black linen outfit, his strong arms swaying slightly with his steps.

He was carrying a huge basket filled with various mineral materials, and was making a difficult journey along the mountain path.

Zhao Fan was stunned when he saw the person's face clearly.

He knew this person.

It was the same dark-skinned man who sold magical artifacts in the Yulin Mountain Market.

The burly man seemed very wary. Before Zhao Fan could get too close, he immediately turned his head and looked in Zhao Fan's direction.

"Which fellow Daoist is here? Please show yourself for a chat."

Zhao Fan was somewhat surprised. The black-clad man was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, yet he had sensed Zhao Fan's presence from such a distance. He was truly extraordinary.

"Fellow Daoist, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

Seeing that he had been seen, Zhao Fan took the initiative to put away the Youxuan Mirror and come out in order to show goodwill.

Upon seeing Zhao Fan emerge, the burly man was initially taken aback, but then a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

"It's you! It really has been a long time."

Seeing Zhao Fan, the burly man lowered his guard, put the things on his back on the ground, and sat down on a nearby stone.

Zhao Fan also sat down next to him.

"It has been more than half a year since we last parted. I have been waiting for you to come every month, but I have been disappointed every time. I never expected to meet you here."

The burly man spoke with some excitement.

"I wonder if you still sell pills? Your pills are of excellent quality. If you have any surplus, you can sell them to me. I am willing to buy them at a high price."

Zhao Fan had spent the past month recuperating from his injuries, so he had no time to refine pills. He had already sold all the extra pills he had on him at Zhoujia Market.

Faced with the black man's expectations, he could only tell the truth.

"I apologize, fellow Daoist. I've been busy lately and haven't been able to refine pills. Once I have a surplus of pills, I will definitely ask you to exchange them for a few more magical artifacts."

Upon hearing this, the dark-skinned man's eyes dimmed slightly, but he quickly recovered and smiled as he spoke.

"No rush, my cave is on a low mountain about a hundred miles north of Yulin Mountain."

"Fellow Daoist, you are welcome to come anytime you need."

After saying that, the dark-skinned man thought for a moment and then continued speaking.

"If you have nothing to do recently, fellow Daoist, please try to stay home as much as possible. I've heard that things have been rather unsettled around Yulin Mountain lately. A powerful demonic cultivator has appeared and has taken the lives of many fellow Daoists."

Hearing this, Zhao Fan perked up.

"Oh? This demonic cultivator is so powerful that he dares to commit violence at the foot of Yulin Mountain?"

The dark-skinned man nodded immediately.

"I've heard that this demonic cultivator possesses bizarre and extraordinary demonic arts, his entire body is covered in blood that seems to be alive, circulating throughout his body. Even cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining are no match for him!"

After he finished speaking, Zhao Fan was stunned. He looked at the dark-skinned man with a serious expression.

"How do you know these things, fellow Daoist? Did you witness them with your own eyes?"