Chapter 324

"My husband has thought of this, but alas, it's not a Youth-Preserving Pill—if I could take one, my beauty would last forever, and I would never grow old." Yin Linglong caressed the Morning Glory Jade in her hand for a while, speaking softly.

"Though the Youth-Preserving Pill is only a second-rank pill, its price nearly rivals third-rank spiritual pills. I'll keep an eye out for you—if I come across one, I'll buy it for you. If not, perhaps I can gather the pill formula and try brewing a batch for you." Wang Yu smiled as he gazed at his wife's exquisite face resting against his chest.

Many of the alchemical materials he'd collected over the years had been gathered by the Yin family, and since he had become a certified Alchemist, he had not hidden this from Yin Linglong.

When Yin Linglong first learned this news, she was overjoyed, but out of caution, she told no one else in the Yin family, and the alchemical materials they gathered were merely said to serve some other purpose.

Of course, Yin Linglong did not know that after countless simulated alchemy trials, Wang Yu's success rate far exceeded that of an ordinary first-rank Alchemist.

"My husband has only just established the Foundation—your need for spiritual stones to stabilize your realm is more urgent. The Youth-Preserving Pill can wait." Upon hearing Wang Yu's words, Yin Linglong's heart stirred, but after a moment's thought, she shook her head.

"I've already established the Foundation. The Yin family's cultivation resources should now shift toward you. The Yin family can continue gathering first-rank pill formulas and alchemical materials; once I brew first-rank cultivation pills, I'll send them to you. As for texts and scrolls, we've gathered enough—no need to collect more." Wang Yu looked at Yin Linglong's radiant face with tender affection.

With his current powerful spiritual sense, he could clearly see that Yin Linglong had already reached Qi Refinement Eighth Layer—slightly higher than his own cultivation level over a decade ago. With sufficient cultivation pills, she still had a strong chance of reaching Qi Refinement Peak within twenty years.

Yin Linglong's spiritual roots were even better than his own. Over the years, he had managed to exchange various grades of Enhancement Pills from the General Affairs Hall for her, along with other cultivation pills far superior to what he himself used.

But the Yin family's cultivation environment was utterly incomparable to that of the Four Symbols Sect!

Not only was the spiritual energy in the Yin family far weaker than that of the True Disciple Caves, but they also lacked vital auxiliary cultivation resources like small Spirit Gathering Arrays.

Had the Four Symbols Sect not strictly forbidden disciples from bringing outsiders into the mountain gate, he would have long found a way to bring Yin Linglong into the True Disciple Cave to cultivate alongside him.

But he had heard that some True Disciples circumvented this rule by recruiting concubines or servants from among the Outer Disciples.

"My cultivation level being higher or lower doesn't matter—as long as my husband is here, no one will dare to bully the Yin family. After all these years of development, though we're still not a mid-tier family, we've far surpassed our former state."

"My husband is now a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If you wish to advance as swiftly as you did in the Qi Refinement stage, becoming a second-rank Alchemist is your only path. I'll have the Yin family begin gathering second-rank pill formulas and alchemical materials." Yin Linglong pressed her cheek against Wang Yu's large hand, speaking softly.

"Linglong, second-rank pills and their formulas aren't so easily gathered—they require spiritual stones many times greater than first-rank ones. Though the Yin family has grown well, at the Foundation Establishment level, the second-rank resources they can provide me are already minimal."

"It's better to keep gathering first-rank resources and focus on helping you become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Only then can the Yin family truly rise to mid-tier status and offer me greater support."

"More importantly, becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator grants you two hundred years of life. I hope someone will grow old with me, sharing my entire life." Wang Yu spoke earnestly.

"My husband..."

Hearing Wang Yu say this, Yin Linglong felt a warm surge rise within her, and she called out, her voice filled with emotion.

Wang Yu looked at the radiant, dewy face in his arms, his heart stirred—he swept her up in his arms and strode toward the large bed, saying:

"Since you called me husband, then the husband must do what a husband should do."

The woman in his arms instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheeks flushed deeper, her beautiful eyes bright as autumn waters, brimming with boundless affection.

"My husband... I want a child. If not me, what do you think of Cai Die, the maid in the fourth household? She's already eighteen—clearly a good child-bearer..." Yin Linglong murmured, her voice barely audible.

Seven or eight days later.

A green flying boat shot into the sky from a mountain hollow, heading straight toward Taizhou.

Wang Yu sat cross-legged on the flying boat, holding a jade slip, using his spiritual sense to examine the examination task given by the Sunset Sect.

The Sunset Sect's task was not complex: traces of a first-rank beast had appeared near a village called "Maple Leaf Village" on the outskirts of Taizhou. Three Sunset Sect disciples who took the task to investigate had vanished without a trace, and no further news had come back.

These three disciples were two Qi Refinement Mid-stage Outer Disciples and one Alchemy Late-stage Inner Disciple—not weak at all. Hence, the Sunset Sect upgraded the task to Foundation Establishment level, making it a True Disciple examination task.

First-rank beast!

Qi Refinement disciples missing!

Wang Yu found this examination task genuinely intriguing—had more than one first-rank beast appeared near this village, or had a second-rank beast emerged?

According to the Sunset Sect's task description, if an unopposable second-rank beast appeared, the disciple was permitted to abandon the task without it counting as failure.

According to the map and markings in the jade slip, Maple Leaf Village lay precisely at the border between Taizhou and Jingzhou, and beside the village was a tiny cultivation family of only a few cultivators, founded long ago by a former Outer Disciple of the Sunset Sect.

The initial report of the first-rank beast had come from this family.

"Tong Family."

Wang Yu murmured the name, made his decision, and urged the flying boat to shoot toward Maple Leaf Village.

At this flying boat's speed, it would take roughly ten days to reach the destination.

At the same time.

In the deep mountains over thirty miles from Maple Leaf Village in Taizhou, a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old beautiful girl, drenched in blood, clutched a short sword and desperately sprinted through the dense forest.

Her whole body trembled, yet she dared not pause for a moment, nor dare to look back—as if something terrifying pursued her from behind.

Far behind her, at the foot of a certain mountain, a small village blazed with fire.

Above the flames, black mist rolled thickly, and occasionally, massive fireballs plummeted down.

Within the swirling black mist, something terrifying loomed.

Beneath the village's firelight, the scattered corpses on the ground each bore a shadow several feet long, gnawing relentlessly at the flesh—grotesque beyond words.

Ten days later.

A green flying boat appeared above the ruined village. Wang Yu stood atop it, gazing down at the devastation below, his expression darkening.

The Tong Family had been wiped out!

The traces beneath suggested this had happened only recently.