Chapter 67

"Ha!!"

A light shout rang out in the mountains and forests.

But strangely, this sound wave didn't cause much disturbance; it was even far less than a wild beast's roar, as if something had contained the sound, making it effective only within a certain range.

But the large rat demon directly in front of that sound felt completely different.

The deafening sound, especially the divine sense that directly attacks consciousness, shook it so its eyes rolled up, its whole body stiffened in place, trembling uncontrollably.

Immediately after, a flash of cold light passed, and the rat demon completely lost its vitality.

"Not bad for a rat, its sense of smell is indeed sharp; I clearly dispersed the medicinal scent, yet it still found its way here."

Just as Yunhe had finished packing up the things in the cave and was about to leave, he bumped into this rat demon the moment he stepped out.

He was about to leave, and yet it came running to him of its own accord.

However.

This First Stage Late rat demon, despite facing the "Thunder Sound Technique," still had no ability to resist.

This shows how strongly the Thunder Sound Technique restrains demonic beasts.

This was also Yunhe's first time using the Thunder Sound Technique against a First Stage Late rat demon.

No wonder, in the River Stream Market, the Lei brothers, as rogue cultivators, could come and go freely in the vast mountains and forests, acting without restraint.

With such a means to restrain demonic beasts, as long as one doesn't encounter a beast horde, there's really no need to worry too much.

It's also no wonder that the people of the Qingzong Sect and the Wei family find it so hard to locate them; once they burrow into the mountains, others must both fear the demonic beasts and search the vast mountains, while they only need to hide.

"I also don't know how great the restraining effect of the Thunder Sound Technique infused with divine sense would be on second-stage demonic beasts."

The monster beast token on his chest warmed slightly, intercepting a wisp of demonic power from the rat demon's forehead.

But what surprised Yunhe was that he felt no Spiritual Power from this rat demon, meaning it was not a demon beast controlled by a cultivator.

"Also good."

Although he lost a contribution, he doesn't lack this bit now.

He slapped his storage bag, and the wind-riding boat appeared before him.

The 'buzzing' sound gradually faded; amidst the residual thunderous echo, Yunhe faintly saw a cluster of shadow drifting out from the rat demon's body.

He blinked in slight surprise.

"Soul?"

Every person, every demon beast, as long as they possess life, possesses a 'soul'; the difference is only in strength.

It is said that those who cultivate the demonic path treat the 'soul' as a kind of power, which is why there are rumors of demonic cultivators slaughtering villages and cities to collect souls for refining demonic cultivator Magical Artifact.

This was Yunhe's first time seeing the so-called 'soul'.

"I heard that some special ghosts, having died in certain places, cultivate into ghost cultivators, and even some extreme cultivators abandon their bodies to cultivate the ghostly path."

He recalled some rumors he had seen in the Qingzong Sect's canon.

"Isn't it said that a soul does not leave the body under normal circumstances? Even if the body dies, the soul, lacking a vessel, will only slowly dissipate, ultimately returning to nothingness; the difference is merely the speed of dissipation."

Yunhe felt doubt arise.

He lightly tapped his storage bag and took out a talisman.

"Soul-Guiding Talisman!"

One of the upper-grade first-rank talismans recorded in Liu Hongyuan's Jade Slip, which he had not used since its creation.

Sizzle—

As the Soul-Guiding Talisman burned, the vague soul became clear, shifting from transparent to a light green.

However, Yunhe only had the Soul-Guiding Talisman and no vessel to hold the soul; when the talisman's effect faded, the light-green rat demon's soul turned transparent again and slowly drifted toward a certain place.

"Is someone guiding the soul?"

This thought flashed through Yunhe's mind.

"It could also be an extremely yin location or an extremely yin object."

He shook his head.

He stepped onto the wind-riding boat and headed toward Qingshan City.

Regardless of the reason, it was not something a Qi Refining cultivator like Yunhe, who had just seen a soul for the first time, could consider.

In any case, this mission was over for him.

The howling wind brushed past his ears.

"Junior Brother, please accept it."

Before the Affairs Hall of the Qingzong Sect, an attendant in charge of contribution exchanges solemnly handed a Jade Slip to Yunhe.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

After Yunhe performed a salute, he then received the Jade Slip.

"Introduction to Alchemy, Lower Volume!"

This volume contains the formulas for three upper-grade elixirs.

Just to exchange for this Jade Slip, he had nearly exhausted all the contribution points he had earned from hunting rat demons recently.

There's nothing to be done; only the upper and middle volumes of 'Introduction to Alchemy' circulate in the market,

while the lower volume seems to have vanished into thin air, making it extremely hard to find.

Yunhe actually understands this situation.

Cases where disciples are taught while their masters starve to death are not uncommon in the cultivation world.

Likewise, cherishing one's own broom is also a common state in the cultivation world.

Yunhe cannot say whether this situation arose because cultivators are mostly selfish and self-interested, or because the situation made cultivators become self-interested.

It's like the chicken-and-egg dilemma, impossible to untangle.

Within the sect, this situation is only slightly better.

Of course, it's only a little.

Put away the jade slip.

Yunhe walked toward the Service Hall.

After repaying all the dues he owed for his months away, the sect would no longer care about this service disciple.

Actually, not even the Service Hall would care much, let alone the sect.

The vast Qingzong Sect has thousands of disciples, plus many inner sect disciples; who would focus their attention on a mere service disciple?

Even though this service disciple is a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Even by a conservative estimate, the Qingzong Sect has at least several hundred late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Returned to the bamboo grove.

Having been away for several months.

The bamboo grove hadn't changed much, except that a thick layer of dust covered the hut, and the weeds outside where the bees were kept had grown several rounds higher.

After using several Dust Avoidance Talismans and sweeping away the weeds with his sword, he restored the place to its original state.

Opened the spirit bee bag.

Released all the Red Pattern Spirit Bees.

Although he still had plenty of spirit stones, the honey of the Red Pattern Spirit Bees remained his most reliable source of earning spirit stones, with no alternative.

Next, he would likely stay in Qingshan City for a very long time.

Yunhe let out a long sigh.

Sitting cross-legged in the bamboo grove, as he entered meditation, his mind gradually calmed.

Not even two days passed.

When Qian Dajiang, who had come to the bamboo grove for a stroll, discovered that he had returned and learned that his contribution from this mission was insufficient to place in the top three, he responded with sarcastic ridicule.

He repeatedly condemned Yunhe for the shameful act of secretly signing up despite saying he wouldn't go.

Harping on this matter, he nagged him for nearly half a month before finally letting Yunhe off.

Time flew by.

After returning to the Qingzong Sect, aside from Qian Dajiang occasionally stopping by to chatter, Yunhe's life became monotonous and regular.

Besides cultivation, most of his time was spent either drawing talismans or attempting to concoct elixirs.

Every month he went to the Qingshan City market to sell some spirit honey and elixirs, while purchasing the Spirit-Replenishing Pill he needed for his cultivation.

Apart from that.

It was simply handing the talismans to Liu Hongyong to help sell, while also listening to various happenings in Qingshan City, thus maintaining a certain awareness of the outside world and not becoming out of touch.

It must be said that retail indeed earned considerably more than wholesale to the talisman shop, and Liu Hongyong's livelihood barely stabilized.

As for Yunhe, they felt genuine gratitude.

Even at year's end, they specially bought some gifts to visit the Qingzong Sect's gate to express their thanks.

During this time.

Also happened an incident that was neither big nor small.

The Ma Family patriarch's 200th birthday!

Because Yunhe and Ma Boyuan could barely be considered to have exchanged life-saving favors, he received an invitation sent by Ma Boyuan, as did Qian Dajiang.

At that time, the entire Qingshan City became much livelier.

Lanterns and decorations were hung everywhere, and red cloth was laid on the roads.

In Qingshan City, the other four of the five great clans—Tang, Liu, Wei, and Shangguan—each sent their Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators to pay congratulatory visits.

Even the Qingzong Sect specially sent the Service Hall steward Cao Guozheng.

It can be said that they gave the Ma family full face.

On the day of the birthday celebration.

Yunhe, Qian Dajiang, and three other cultivators who had come to Qingshan City sat together at one table.

While drinking, they watched the dance of scantily clad performers.

As the current head of the Ma family, Ma Boyuan personally came to offer a toast, displaying his skill in long-sleeve dance to the utmost, even attending to their otherwise unremarkable table.

When the Ma family patriarch Ma Zhen'nan finally appeared, the birthday celebration reached its climax.

Just the guests presenting their congratulatory gifts took a full half hour.

At first Yunhe wondered why these clans, and even the Qingzong Sect, gave them so much face.

Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators personally came to pay their respects.

The Ma family patriarch's 200th birthday indicates he doesn't have much longer to live.

Foundation Establishment cultivators have a maximum lifespan of four sixty-year cycles, but most only live to about two hundred plus a few twenty-year increments at most.

Until he saw the Ma family patriarch.

Beneath the cultivator's outwardly vigorous appearance lay a wisp of black qi coiling beneath his glabella.

Because his lifespan is short and the Ma family has no new Foundation Establishment cultivators, the patriarch would do anything to ensure the clan's continuation.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator with no scruples can be far more dangerous than a stable clan's Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

He merely has a short lifespan; that does not mean he lacks the ability of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, truly seeing a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator whose lifespan is nearly exhausted came as a significant shock to Yunhe.

The Foundation Establishment stage that all Qi Refining cultivators dream of, the respected, revered, and feared Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, also has a day when its lifespan runs out!

A lifespan of two hundred years—whether you call it much or little, it's not insignificant.

No matter how glorious he was in life, in death he is nothing more than a handful of yellow earth.

Having experienced this birthday.

It made Yunhe's resolve to seek the Dao even firmer.

Even though he now has five hundred years of lifespan, comparable to a Golden Core great cultivator, but eventually it will be exhausted.

When his lifespan is exhausted, what will he have left?

Just a handful of yellow earth, nothing more.

Therefore.

In order to live longer, the only way is to constantly improve one's cultivation base!

Afterwards.

Yunhe, whose resolve to the Dao had been strengthened, found his days increasingly dull.

In such a dull and monotonous life.

In the blink of an eye, four years passed.

During these four years.

Yunhe's cultivation base also finally broke through again.

Reached the ninth level of Qi Refining!

(End of chapter)