"This kid must have some screws loose..."

Seeing Huangfu Yi come back carrying a decapitated head after supposedly going up the mountain to collect some leaves, a group of Lingwu vassal soldiers were exasperated, all casting glances and secretly marveling at his audacity.

"Why did you bring this thing back? No one's going to pay you for it."

Guo Aman curiously poked at the protruding eyes and twisted grimace of the dead Daoist with her knife sheath, tapping at the purpling tongue hanging out.

"Hiss... Some demons... Huff... can live even after being decapitated... Huff... take it a bit farther, and it's dead... Huff... I tied the rope again..."

Huangfu Yi handed a bunch of leaves to Aman, sucking in the cold air, clutching his ribs as he sat down for Qi Replenishment, his face covered in cold sweat.

The young Daoist appeared quite young but indeed had astonishing power. A single pointed finger penetrated through his Triple Armor, breaking a rib, directly injuring his lung. Any exertion made half his body ache to the core, and he could hardly walk back. If it had been a direct confrontation, he likely wouldn't have lasted two moves before being in mortal danger.

Fortunately, the opponent didn't seem to be much of a fighter. During the sudden attack, he clumsily stood up and stumbled over his robe, giving Huangfu Yi the chance to knock him over and finish him off. Thinking back on it now, he felt a little frightened.

"Hmph, showing off. Lift up your shirt."

Mr. Feng Sr. had already rubbed the medicinal ointment and wine on his hands, pressing it onto Huangfu Yi's wound to stop the bleeding and disinfect, fixing the broken bone and roughly bandaging it.

Sun Tiezhu, silent all along, helped by hoisting Huangfu Yi up, supporting him as the squad continued their journey towards the north towards the Dragon-locking Well.

"Huff... Huff..."

"Don't engage in breathing exercises."

Sun Tiezhu suddenly spoke, glancing at the head tied to Huangfu Yi's waist,

"He injured your lungs, sealing your Qi Veins. The Dao Breath entered your body, damaging your tendons, and you can't transfer energy for three months."

Huangfu Yi looked at him,

"You engage in Qi Refining?"

Sun Tiezhu nodded.

Huangfu Yi gulped, enduring the pain,

"Thank you... Huff... I'm fine..."

Sun Tiezhu paused for a while, then spoke in his usual quiet tone,

"You're from the Fire Department, aren't you?"

Huangfu Yi was startled, not knowing how his guard heritage was exposed, and couldn't help but cough.

Sun Tiezhu waited until he recovered a bit and casually said,

"Most cultivation techniques from the Fire Department are fiercely intense with incredible power but carry many hidden dangers. Prolonged use leads to a multitude of hidden ailments, posing the risk of sudden death. You should be careful."

"Thanks for the advice..."

After all, these were family-guarded secrets; how could Huangfu Yi be unaware of the hidden ailments and dangers.

Indeed, although the Immortal Venerable had long proven that Gang Fist was unbeatable, a Body Refiner could completely refine themselves and remain undefeated through countless battles, shatter the void, and ascend. But this doesn't mean Gang Fist has no technique at all. One could say the Immortal Venerable could smash the void with brute strength, and dealing with a mere Demon God or Demon Ancestor, small punches were sufficient.

Therefore, the Immortal Palace's twenty-eight constellations of Immortal Soldiers, guarding the four directions, naturally had formal cultivation and refinement methods passed down, known as the Plague Fire Thunder Battle, Gang Fist Fighting Qi combat skill of Four Main Methods.

The Huangfu family had guarded the Western Guards for generations. This Fire Division Battle Technique was naturally a family tradition, and Huangfu Yi had long committed it to memory. It's just that he had not practiced long, and his foundation wasn't stable, at most reaching sixteen-layered Gang Power, far from meeting the requirements for external Gang Qi. It was unexpected that Tiezhu noticed at a glance.

The world is indeed full of talented people... It's just a shame that most of them keep to themselves, unwilling to act, alas...

Back to the point, the Dragon-locking Well is north by the Jushi River. The place used to be a village, then a well, but the village was long abandoned. It's said to have emptied overnight, unclear if it was consumed by demon dragons or slaughtered by chaotic troops. No one has lived there for years, so the old Daoist used it to imprison a dragon.

Following the village path over the mountain, the village isn't even in sight yet, and distant dragon roars and beast howls can be heard, the earth trembles, as if some fierce beast beneath struggles desperately, a subterranean dragon flips, ready to break free at any moment.

Interestingly, Lingwu's soldiers are entirely fearless of the divine ghosts, evil people, and demon magic they're wary of but are unfazed by giant demon beasts like the Flying Dragon Tiger Beast.

The group chatted and laughed, planning if the Demon Dragon broke free, they might as well kill it, skin it, and divide it, tasting dragon meat and gall. They spoke convincingly, not boasting—likely anything a Gang Fist could kill they didn't regard seriously.

But unfortunately, though they were keen, they wouldn't get the chance. That Demon Dragon evidently hadn't escaped, and by the village entrance, they heard the sound of clattering chains from the well.

"Have a drink, rest a bit, then we'll head back to the city."

Mr. Feng Sr., seeing it was about time, led the group into the village. Passing the archway plastered with Daoist Talisman Yellow Paper, they felt somewhat reassured and stopped to rest by the well.

Guo Aman fetched water and handed it to Huangfu Yi,

"Here, Brother Bai, try the dragon soup."

Huangfu Yi, out of curiosity,

"Is this water safe to drink?"

"Of course, it is, otherwise that dragon would have been dead ages ago."

Sun Tiezhu also nodded,

"The water is mixed with Dragon Saliva and Dragon Blood, highly beneficial to Body Refiners like us for our cultivation. It's a little perk the old Daoist gave us.

That's why, although night patrol is exhausting, everyone comes around, just to have a sip of this water."

"I see. No wonder..."

No wonder the Immortal Soldiers are so money-minded and won't rise without profit...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.