Chapter 86: Immortal Painting Has Spirit

Immortal Painting Has Spirit

"Senior Brother Li, be careful!"

With a light shout, Li Pingyan shook his shoulders and dodged a green light shot from afar in the nick of time. The light fell to the ground, burning the ground into scorched marks, and solidified into a drop of green liquid, rippling and rolling in the dirt pit, not mixing with the soil. Li Pingyan pointed his hand, sucked the green light into a small jade bottle, leaped up, and shouted, "Everyone, we have collected quite a lot of bamboo leaf green. We should retreat in time. In a few hours, I'm afraid this snake will be even harder to deal with!"

In the mountain forest, the lush vegetation had collapsed in many places, and there were several places where spiritual energy fluctuated incessantly, and the auras were mixed. Clearly, there were cultivators who had fallen here, and the light of magic tools crisscrossed. I don't know how many cultivators were fighting snakes here. Someone replied, "Senior Brother, you go first, we can hold on for a few more hours."

"See you in the city later!"

Li Pingyan didn't insist on his own opinion either, shouted "See you later", then pulled out, and galloped toward the city. Soon he arrived at the green city gate. As soon as he crossed the city gate, he felt the noise of the market in his ears, and there were many prosperous auras in the energy field around him. His brow couldn't help but frown slightly, but soon spread out. He found a firm and laughed, "Shopkeeper, do you accept any treasure materials or spiritual medicines?"

The shadow shopkeeper had now solidified like a real person, and his conversation was natural, just like a living person, only the accent was very strange, as if it didn't belong to the Langhuan Heaven. "Beast corpses, accept, medicinal materials, accept, insect shells, accept."

Li Pingyan took out his Qiankun bag, took out a spiritual beast he had killed, and exchanged it with the shadow shopkeeper for spiritual money. The spiritual money in the Hengze Heaven was also completely different from the outside world. It was a spiritual talisman paper, printed with colorful talisman patterns, and there were winding characters, but Li Pingyan couldn't recognize them.

The Hengze Heaven produces spiritual beasts, which can be sold at a high price in the Langhuan Zhou Tian. This is also the reason why cultivators from the Jin Bo and Pinghai sects also want to practice in the Hengze Heaven. However, Li Pingyan had to sell some spiritual materials to exchange for spiritual money for supplies, otherwise he wouldn't even have a place to stay. He had now integrated into the Hengze Heaven, and in this city, he only felt that there were cultivator auras everywhere, and no matter how he guarded, he couldn't guard against everything. In a dangerous place like the Hengze Heaven, he still needed a place where he could rest with peace of mind. After exchanging for spiritual money, he walked toward the inn in the city, wanting to rent a courtyard, and then return to the restaurant to wait for the companions he had met temporarily.

"Hundreds of cultivators have come to the Qingcheng Gate these past few days. It seems that the Hengze Jade Dew is very likely to manifest here. I don't know what the situation is in the Zhu City Gate and Black City Gate. I have to go to the other big cities in a few days."

There are many cities in the Hengze Heaven, and there is no sign of where the Hengze Jade Dew will manifest. Some people say that the more cultivators in a city, the higher the probability of the Hengze Jade Dew manifesting, but others say that the Hengze Jade Dew will specifically avoid the crowd and manifest quietly in the desolate places of the Hengze Heaven. Not every time the Hengze Heaven opens, cultivators can get the Jade Dew, so Li Pingyan just listened to these rumors. However, falling into the Qingcheng Gate, he was content with his situation, hiding for a few days, waiting for his aura to gradually merge with the Hengze Heaven, and being able to talk to the shadows with difficulty, he killed monsters and bought medicine here, and made a living.

The bamboo leaf green collected this time is a kind of external medicine used by cultivators during Foundation Establishment. The one produced in the Hengze Heaven is the best, and the selling price is also very high. Li Pingyan collected a bottle, and his mood was not bad. On the way, he saw several Langhuan Heaven cultivators, so he greeted them casually, but those cultivators' eyes lit up, came over to intercept him, and shouted, "Senior Brother Li is here—please come here, we brothers are worrying about not having enough manpower. There is a good business, are you interested, Senior Brother?"

Li Pingyan's heart moved, and he laughed, "Senior Brother Cao, what business? I just came back from outside the city, suffered a not-too-light-not-too-heavy injury, and I need to adjust my breath. If it is any powerful monster, please forgive me for not being able to accompany you."

Senior Brother Cao laughed, "Just now outside the city, a little brother of mine was intercepted by a pair of men and women, asked him to pick up two spiritual materials, and gave them ten Baozhi coins. Senior Brother Li, the Hengze Heaven has been open for ten days. Except for those little cultivators who took medicine at the beginning, our auras have gradually merged with this place and started to integrate. At this time, they haven't integrated yet, they must have a special foundation, and their actions are so naive—they will enter the city soon, Senior Brother, how about it? Wealth is sought in danger, even if there is nothing good on them, killing a few Sheng Sect disciples is ultimately a good thing for you and me."

In the Central Continent, there are frequent disputes between Mao Sects, but in the secret realm, they are naturally allies and rarely fight to the death. The reason for this is not difficult to understand. Sheng Sect disciples are arrogant and superior in the Langhuan Zhou Tian. What they rely on is not their own excessive talent or cultivation, but the luck of being able to join the Sheng Sect.

Disciples of the Mao Sect respect disciples of the Sheng Sect, mostly out of respect for the sect forces behind them. When it comes to cultivation, they are not without confidence in their hearts. In the Hengze Heaven, Grotto-Heaven True Persons cannot intervene, nor can they calculate karma. Things that cannot be done on ordinary days can be done here. Even if it is just out of curiosity, they are eager to try. Furthermore, if many Sheng Sect disciples of the same generation are lost, there will be fewer strong opponents to compete with for precious materials, spiritual elixirs, and even fortune and opportunities during cultivation. Therefore, these Mao Sect disciples are not busy fighting each other at this time; before the Hengze Jade Dew manifests, they can still maintain harmony and search for spiritual materials together. However, many Sheng Sect disciples, in order to reduce risks after entering the Hengze Heaven, will deal lethal blows while on the jade boat heading to the Treasure Cloud Sea, eliminating some troublesome Mao Sect disciples one step ahead of time.

Li Pingyan is a disciple of the Jin Bo Sect and was known to everyone at the Treasure Cloud Ferry. This Senior Brother Cao is also a Mao Sect disciple, so the two naturally shared a degree of trust. At this moment, Senior Brother Cao spoke bluntly: most of those who still appear raw in their actions after Foundation Establishment are Sheng Sect disciples. Judging by their behavior, they are the kind of Sheng Sect disciples who are doted upon by their sect elders, and thus are ignorant of the world, possessing cultivation but remaining naive and innocent. The Qingcheng Gate has so many cultivators, yet they dared to expose the secret that they had not yet merged into this place, and they had not even killed to silence witnesses, instead giving the young disciples money—they were far too soft-hearted. Senior Brother Cao said, "It might just be those little bald donkeys from the Wuyou Temple. Those who chant Buddha and lecture on scriptures are pedantic; whatever precepts they hold, they hold. If they hold the precept against taking life, then they cannot kill people casually."

Li Pingyan heard that it was a pair of men and women, his brow couldn't help but frown slightly, and asked, "How is the cultivation of these two?"

"The woman is about the late Foundation Establishment, and the man is the middle Foundation Establishment?" Senior Brother Cao's tone was not very certain. "The man is probably carrying some magic treasure, his aura is dim and unpredictable, my little brother can't taste much."

He first said the female cultivator was late Foundation Establishment, Li Pingyan's brow smoothed out, and then said the male cultivator's aura was dim and unpredictable, his expression moved, and he asked, "Is it a cloud-covered appearance?"

Senior Brother Cao was also relaying, and didn't know much about this, so Li Pingyan refused to go with him to besiege the two, using the excuse that his aura hadn't recovered, fearing that he would be a bit strenuous against the late Foundation Establishment Sheng Sect disciple. Senior Brother Cao didn't force him either. Fortunately, there were many cultivators here, so he didn't force it, turned around and went to contact others. Li Pingyan called him again and said, "It's better to be careful. If Brother Cao wants to act, you might as well bring more fellow Daoists."

Senior Brother Cao laughed, "I know, Senior Brother Li, don't worry, I won't be greedy for money and throw away my life for such disciples."

As he spoke, the two bowed and said goodbye. Li Pingyan found an inn to stay. After entering the room, after thinking about it, he took out an immortal painting from his arms, pointed it lightly, and the scroll opened by itself. A beauty walked out of the painting, her appearance was seven points similar to Meng Lingyue, opened her cherry lips slightly, and asked, "What are your orders, Young Master?"

Li Pingyan said, "You go to the city gate to see the scenery, sit for a while, and when I want you to come back later, I will call you in my heart."

That beauty curtsied and turned, walking gracefully out of the elegant room. Li Pingyan watched her go until she was far away; not knowing what he was thinking, he smiled slightly, sighed, and stopped letting his imagination run wild. He sat cross-legged and adjusted his breathing for several hours. The field of influence around them began to fluctuate. Influenced by this, Li Pingyan gradually woke from his meditation. With a thought, he floated out of the room and darted to the top of the city gate. The beauty was sitting on a low wall at the top of the Qingcheng Gate, resting her chin on her hand and looking into the distance. Li Pingyan asked, "Did something happen just now?"

The beauty said, "From this place, about two or three hundred miles away, there is fighting, many people died, and many people rushed over."

As she was speaking, streaks of light appeared, and many people had returned from afar to the city. Only after arriving at the city wall did they land, their expressions very heavy, shaking their heads and saying, "A group of twenty people, all folded."

"Where is this a fat sheep? It's a spirit goose that pecks people!"

"I don't know which Sheng Sect disciple is so ruthless... Sigh, first this Poison Sect disciple, then this pair of ruthless mandarin ducks, this Sheng Sect disciple is really arrogant, I'm afraid they treat us all as straw dogs."

Senior Brother Cao and others went outside the city to kill fat sheep. This matter was known to many people. At this time, everyone knew that they had all folded in the mountain forest. Although there were no good words in their mouths, they couldn't help but feel horrified: twenty people against two, ten times the number, and there were definitely no lack of late Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they were all killed on the spot. The attack means of this Sheng Sect disciple could also be said to be somewhat terrifying.

"We'd better avoid it..."

"Yes, yes, otherwise if they break into the city, it won't be good."

Most of them had integrated into the Hengze Heaven and could sense the shadow aura. To them, the aura in the city was complicated. But to those two Sheng Sect disciples, they hadn't integrated yet. Walking into this city, what they sensed were Langhuan Zhou Tian cultivators, but everyone couldn't sense them immediately. The situation of attack and defense was obvious. Although these two could not be enemies with hundreds of people no matter what, if they were dragged down, they would eventually die here. But once they saw the ferocity of these two, no one wanted to be the sacrifice to drag them down, and they all retreated, especially those Mao Sect disciples who shouted and killed, retreating the fastest. On the contrary, those En Sect and Ping Sect disciples whose medicine had taken deep effect were indifferent to this, and were still keen on trading with shadow residents, doing some chores entrusted by them, wanting to earn some pointers or even cultivation method inheritance that they couldn't get outside.

Li Pingyan was also a Mao Sect disciple, but he didn't leave, still sitting leisurely on the low wall. The beauty sat beside him without saying a word, her figure gradually fading. When she was about to dissipate, Li Pingyan injected magic power, and her figure solidified again. She looked at Li Pingyan and laughed, "Young Master, do you have any orders?"

Li Pingyan shook his head and said, "Accompany me for a while."

He was here, and the painting fairy had no effect, so he could pack it up, no need to waste magic power. But Li Pingyan still maintained her form. The beauty sat and stood beside him for a while, and walked along the low wall, enjoying herself. The longer her figure was maintained, the more vivid her expression became, no longer as stiff as when she first walked off the scroll.

Unknowingly, the sunset had fallen behind the mountain, and the evening glow reflected the sky red. The beauty jumped on the wall, her clothes fluttering and rings jingling. Li Pingyan turned his head to look, she looked back and smiled, running with small steps, her posture agile and ethereal, as if she were a heavenly girl, "Li Lang."

Li Pingyan looked at her smile and couldn't help but smile slightly, responding, "Hey."

The painting fairy's expression gradually solidified, and her figure gradually shattered and became transparent, turning into a bubble. A scroll flew out of Li Pingyan's arms, burning without wind, swallowing the woman in the painting. He looked at the dancing and jumping posture on the scroll with the firelight, frowned slightly, and whispered, "Absorbing spiritual sense, probing human hearts, this immortal painting really contains Demon Sect restrictions."

He was not surprised by this, and had expected it long ago. It was just that the speed of the painting fairy's spiritual growth was much faster than Li Pingyan had thought, which inevitably led to a few more considerations. Just as he was frowning, a light laugh came from afar, and someone transmitted his voice into his ears, "Senior Brother Li, you are so bold. If the person who came wasn't me, I'm afraid you would be dead by now."

Li Pingyan raised his eyebrows and smiled sincerely, "Although I am not talented, the skill of greasing the soles of my feet is enough."

He rose and darted before the Qingcheng Gate, exchanging greetings with the handsome youth that Both Both Ruan Ci had transformed into. He thought to himself, "Cloud-covered and mist-shrouded; it is indeed Junior Sister Ci. I have long felt her aura was ethereal and elusive, and now it is completely different from before. It seems the treasures she carries are far more than just the jade plaque gifted by the Sword Envoy."

Both Both Ruan Ci introduced the Yu Yu Yu Niangzi beside her to him. Yu Yu Yu Niangzi had a high and elegant bearing, cold and beautiful, and spoke little. She greeted Li Pingyan but didn't say a word. Both Both Ruan Ci said, "She is my junior niece, but let's talk about each other, otherwise Yu Yu Yu Niangzi will be at a loss."

Not from the same sect, the seniority doesn't need to be so strict, which is common. Li Pingyan responded accordingly. Both Both Ruan Ci glanced at the scroll again and laughed, "You also bought this immortal painting? Why did you burn it?"

The two originally intended to meet at the Baoyun Ferry, but the jade boat Both Both Ruan Ci and others took had Poison Sect disciples hiding, and it was noisy at the Baoyun Ferry, so it was not convenient to meet. Li Pingyan didn't look for contact either. Seeing each other at this time, there were many things to ask each other. Li Pingyan also knew that the two women hadn't integrated into the Hengze Heaven, so he simply leaped onto the roof. The three sat on the eaves, and Li Pingyan took out a pot of spiritual wine from his Qiankun bag, which was brought into the Hengze Heaven from the Langhuan Zhou Tian. The three of them faced the moon and wind, tasting wine while chatting about their feelings.

"Many of the goods at the Baoyun Ferry were bulked and sold by our Jin Bo Sect, but I haven't seen this immortal painting at the Jin Bo Firm. I bought one out of curiosity, and thought it was drawn by a Ping Sect disciple. I wanted to let this woman do some ears and eyes running errands, but this painting is full of spirit. I bought this painting for less than a month, and occasionally dispatched it three or four times, and it could capture spiritual sense and peek into memories. Even the most profound magic tool cannot be so flexible just by its own restrictions, and it seems to exceed the limit of the magic tool."

The painting had been burned to nothing. Li Pingyan looked at the black dust flying in the air, frowned, and said, "I suspect..."

Yu Yu Yu Niangzi pulled Both Both Ruan Ci's sleeve, Both Both Ruan Ci said, "Ah, you also thought of it? Yes, I thought so too when I heard it."

The three looked at each other, knowing that the other party thought the same as themselves. Li Pingyan said it out, "Maybe that Zhou Zhi Mo is not a disciple of the Yanshan Sect who entered the Hengze Heaven, but just guarding the way for him, and this immortal painting is a move casually laid out by the Yanshan disciple. This son has sneaked into the Hengze Heaven, secretly presiding over the magic tool, planting magic thoughts, and waiting for the right time to turn these hosts into magic slaves for his own use."

The Demon Sect's means are the most treacherous, and a trace of worry flashed in Yu Yu Yu Niangzi's eyes, but she still didn't say a word. Li Pingyan looked at her, only feeling that her aura was intimidating, and even he was not her enemy for one move. He couldn't help but secretly admire, secretly thinking, "This Feather Junior Sister has such a master style, but she is willing to guard the way for Junior Sister Ci, and is so liver-and-brain-smeared for Junior Sister Ci, and is so taciturn. Could it be... is she a dead soldier raised by Junior Sister Ci's teacher? I'm afraid, I'm afraid Junior Sister Ci's identity is not as simple as the Sword Envoy's wings."

"Yanshan?"

Both Both Ruan Ci didn't notice his trace of speculation, and replied firmly, "This is not Yanshan's usual means, otherwise someone would have told me."

In the Central Continent, there are only two Demon Sect Sheng Sects. Yanshan is powerful, while the Xuanpo Sect is elusive and rarely seen. It is very low-key on weekdays, and it is not every secret realm that will send disciples. Li Pingyan said, "Not Yanshan, could it be the Xuanpo Sect? That immortal painting is so spiritual, if it is not a Sheng Sect disciple, I am afraid there is no such brilliant Dao lineage."

He treats the difference between Sheng Sect and Mao Sect with equanimity. At this time, he said what he was worried about, analyzed it with Both Both Ruan Ci, and asked about the matter of Both Both Ruan Ci and Yu Yu Yu Niangzi luring and killing Mao Sect disciples. Both Both Ruan Ci frowned, "It's not for money. When we were at the Zhu City Gate, we were like this. We gave rewards for asking people to do things, but we were reported, and a group of people came to kill us, and we killed them back. Later, walking in the Hengze Heaven, I thought of following the example. First, it is very profitable, and second, it can identify cultivators who are hostile to us in this place, and strike first. At that time, I thought this would happen three or four more times, and we should integrate into the Hengze Heaven. After that, we wouldn't deliberately deceive people, but I didn't expect..."

Li Pingyan was shocked, "Is it that you haven't integrated into the Hengze Heaven at all until now?"

Both Both Ruan Ci shook her head, Yu Yu Yu Niangzi reached out and scooped on the tile, her plain hand passed through it without any obstruction. Li Pingyan changed color, "What went wrong? In this way, the Hengze Jade Dew—"

Before he finished speaking, the two women's expressions changed drastically. Li Pingyan was a step slower to feel the change in the energy field. He was horrified to pull out his sword, turned around to meet the sharp and unstoppable sword intent coming from the energy field.

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Sorry, sorry for the wait, everyone. I think it was because of the allergy medicine at two o'clock, I fell asleep directly, and only woke up now.

I'll send you red packets for this chapter to apologize.