"I make no secret from you, Fellow Daoist, that I have practiced a Body Refining Technique, which makes my physical body quite resilient, and my resistance to poison stronger than that of an ordinary cultivator," Liu Su said with a flattering expression, explaining.

"So, you are a Body Cultivator. No wonder you still attempt to counterattack despite the dire situation," Yuan Ming said as he stopped three yards away from Liu Su.

"What do you mean by that, Young Master Yuan? I sincerely intend to surrender, with no second thoughts," Liu Su hurriedly responded.

"Is that so?" Yuan Ming sneered and raised his hand, pointing a finger.

A stream of azure Sword Qi shot out, aiming at Liu Su's right arm.

Yuan Ming's Divine Sense was powerful, leaving no place hidden from his sight. The muscles there appeared calm, but in reality, every muscle was tensely charged, ready to launch a fierce attack at any moment.

Suddenly, Liu Su's expression turned as cold as water. Her tall figure sprang out from a puddle and easily dodged the azure Sword Qi, hurling herself at Yuan Ming like a cheetah, seemingly unaffected by the wounds and severe poison on her legs.

Yuan Ming was slightly startled, and his figure shot backward, while the Cold Star Sword and the Nine-Ring Gold Saber flashed and slashed at Liu Su in a crossing motion.

A flash of green from the spirit beast bag on Liu Su's waist, and a blue, strange snake leapt out, positioning its body in front of her.

With a "puth" sound, the blue snake was cut into three pieces, yet its head could still move and spat at Yuan Ming.

A cloud of green poison mist rolled out, instantly engulfing an area within several yards, rapidly turning all the plants and grasses within it yellow and withered.

Yuan Ming swiftly summoned the Shuiyun Banner to shield his entire body, keeping the poison mist out, while the Cold Star Sword slashed backward in mid-air.

A giant Sword Qi, about ten feet long, chopped the blue snake's head clean in two, killing it instantly.

However, a blurred figure swiftly streaked from the other side, arriving in an instant beside Yuan Ming. It was none other than Liu Su.

Her right arm suddenly enlarged, whirling with bulging blue veins on the surface, emitting a metallic luster akin to a Vajra Pestle, and struck fiercely on the Shuiyun Banner.

The Shuiyun Banner rippled like waves, dipping deeply, as Liu Su's fist hit Yuan Ming's chest.

With a "clang" sound, Yuan Ming, along with the banner, was knocked back, but a slender, silk-like needle shadow also flickered through the void, piercing through Liu Su's head.

The next moment, Liu Su suddenly shot forward, her right fist still aimed at delivering a fatal blow to Yuan Ming. Yet mid-air, her body abruptly froze, the look in her eyes swiftly faded, and her tall figure fell to the ground.

Yuan Ming's figure, having been smashed back several yards, barely touched the ground before he immediately leaped up.

The Shuiyun Banner "whooshed" open, revealing his silhouette.

Yuan Ming's expression was slightly pale, yet he appeared unharmed. His garments on his chest were scattered like tatters, revealing a set of golden inner armor made from Golden Flower Poison Python scales.

If not for this armor, his vital parts on his chest would have been directly hit, likely resulting in his death or severe injury.

The resilience of a Body Cultivator's physique was beyond his expectations, and even depleted of mana, they could still launch such a fierce counterattack, giving him a new understanding of their strength.

Yuan Ming soared and in a flash, appeared beside Liu Su's body, pressing his palm on her head as threads of crystal light seeped inside.

Liu Su's Divine Soul was on the verge of completely dissipating. He seized the last chance to Soul Search her, and moments later withdrew his hand, his expression grave.

Liu Su knew significantly more things than Lin Liumu did.

The assassins sent by Changchun Temple to kill Yuan Ming were only the three of them, but they had also anonymously hired the Guangli Scatter Alliance from Da Jin.

The members of the Guangli Scatter Alliance were currently lying in ambush on the road back to Da Jin, waiting for the right moment to strike, while Xu Changqing and the other two followed the guards sent by General Yuan to track Yuan Ming, who unexpectedly acted alone, leading them to take their chance and attack.

Regrettably, Xu Changqing, overconfident in his Foundation Establishment strength, underestimated Yuan Ming, resulting in their demise in a foreign land.

According to Liu Su's knowledge, the strength of the Guangli Scatter Alliance was not to be underestimated, containing as many as ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Though not all were deployed for this mission, the majority were involved.

Yuan Ming silently pondered for a moment, then removed Liu Su's storage magic tool, and using a storage bag, separately collected the bodies of the three. He summoned the Green Cloud Crane to fly away from the area.

After flying tens of miles, he found a secluded valley to land in and began inspecting the items obtained from Xu Changqing and the others.

He first picked up a white Jade Shuttle and, after a brief exploration with his Divine Sense, discovered it contained three runes, identifying it as a high-grade Flying Artifact.

Intrigued, Yuan Ming paused his inspection and tossed the Jade Shuttle forward, simultaneously casting a spell with a wave of his hand.

The Jade Shuttle hovered in front of him, slowly expanding until it was about ten feet long and half a foot wide.

Yuan Ming jumped onto it, channeling his mana from the soles of his feet into the Jade Shuttle.

The Jade Shuttle suddenly emitted a brilliant white light, transforming into a long rainbow shooting forward; everything around rapidly receded backward, incomparable even to spiritual birds like the green cloud cranes, but the consumption of mana was immense.

Yuan Ming secretly felt fortunate that he had previously killed Xu Changqing with lightning speed. Had his initial strike missed and allowed that man to escape with this magical artifact, it would have been impossible to catch up with the speed of a green cloud crane.

He maneuvered the Jade Shuttle back and forth, experiencing a speed he had never felt before, and played around for an hour before returning to the valley to continue examining Xu Changqing's possessions.

The golden hooked sword, the black inkstone, and the golden pearl were all mid-grade magical artifacts. The golden hooked sword was offensive, the black inkstone defensive, and the golden pearl was the most peculiar—an auxiliary magical artifact that could suddenly burst into dazzling golden light, blinding enemies and even causing temporary blindness, which could prove highly effective in certain situations.

This Xu Changqing, indeed a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Da Jin Changchun Temple, possessed belongings far surpassing those of his same-stage peers from the Southern Border.

Yuan Ming then inspected Xu Changqing's storage magic tool, which was also quite rich in contents, including nearly a thousand spirit stones, along with a green token, two white medicine bottles, a jade box, and a piece of paper.

One side of the token bore the three words "Chang Chun Temple," while the other side was inscribed with "Gu River," which seemed to be Xu Changqing's identity token.

However, his real name no longer mattered, as everything, following his demise today, would become bygones. As time passed, even the memory of such a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Chang Chun Temple might be forgotten.

The world of Immortals is such cruel, and although their lifespan is longer than that of ordinary people, they are more easily forgotten.

Yuan Ming collected his thoughts and turned his attention to the two medicine bottles.

Contained within the jade bottles was a milky-white elixir, which from its aura, was identified as a Strengthening and Nourishing type. The rich medicinal scent was far superior to that of the Golden Flower Pill, and it should enhance the cultivation of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator considerably, deserving a high value.

As for the jade box, it was sealed with a silver talisman.

Yuan Ming spent some effort to break it open and found a piece of yellow wood inside, emanating a strange fragrance that invigorated the spirit and brought a sense of tranquility and peace to the soul.

The fragrance emitted by the yellow spirit wood seemed to have a unique effect on soothing the mind.

Yuan Ming could not identify the origin of the wood, but since he had begun learning incense making, he fostered a keen interest in various items related to incense making he encountered. Presuming this wood could be used in incense making, he carefully returned it to the jade box, reapplying the silver talisman.

He then opened the piece of paper, only to read: "Collect 500 spirit stones, deadline within three months, assassinate Jin's Yuan Ming, cancel the task if overdue, and additionally compensate three times the deposit. This serves as proof. Signed by Wu Xuming of Guangli Alliance."

The document was dated a month ago.

He then started inspecting the storage magic tools of Lin Liumu and Liu Su.

As Qi Refining Cultivators, the items in their storage tools far paled in comparison to those of Xu Changqing. Except for Lin Liumu's white flying wheel, all were low grade, with the total spirit stones amounting to only about five to six hundred. Other items like elixirs and spiritual materials were also of low grade, providing little use to Yuan Ming who was already at the Thirteenth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Yuan Ming put aside Liu Su's storage tool, playing with a copper bottle.

Over the past two years, he had continually used the Fur Cloak Skill, moderately strengthening his physical body; however, it was still far inferior when compared to Liu Su, a Body Cultivator.

Yuan Ming envied Liu Su's robust body, regretting that her storage tool did not contain the Body Refining Techniques she practiced. During the soul search, he also failed to find memories of her cultivation practice in time, only discovering a body refining elixir called "Copper Skin Pill" inside this copper bottle.

The pill was meant to be used in conjunction with body refining techniques to make one's body as tough as ironstone, impervious to blades. Without the body refining technique, Yuan Ming dared not recklessly consume the pill and decided to store the copper bottle away, beginning to consider his next moves.

Considering the Guangli Scatter Alliance was ahead, returning directly from the Southern Border to Da Jin through the Northern Territory would significantly increase the risk.

Although he considered his strength unmatched in the Qi Refinement Realm and could even contend against an early-stage Foundation Establishment opponent like Xu Changqing, he was not so arrogant as to think he could face six or seven Foundation Establishment Cultivators. For now, it seemed he would have to find an alternative route.

"Who could be so determined to kill me?" Yuan Ming pondered for a moment, recalling certain figures in his mind.

He took out a piece of Black Incense and placed it in the incense burner, recalling Lin Junsheng's appearance and related memories as his consciousness was soon engulfed in darkness. When he awoke, he found himself in a room.

At that moment, Lin Junsheng was sitting cross-legged, forming hand gestures and running a cultivation technique.

Yuan Ming, experiencing Lin Junsheng's perspective, felt somewhat surprised—not because Lin Junsheng was cultivating, but because the scene before him was exceptionally clear, much clearer than any previous possession.

"What is going on now?"

Yuan Ming quickly thought of a possible reason: the Black Incense he used this time was newly made from the incense ashes of the City Lord Mansion; it seemed that different incense ashes yielded varying effects in possession.

He quickly composed himself. Since he couldn't control the other's body, he simply closely sensed the cultivation technique Lin Junsheng was running, and the next moment, he was stunned.

The technique Lin Junsheng was practicing felt eerily familiar, remarkably similar to the Nine Elements Technique. Could it be that this person had been accepted into Chang Chun Temple?

As the premier Cultivation Sect of Da Jin, Chang Chun Temple was extremely strict in accepting disciples. Even children of high-ranking officials had to possess adequate aptitude.

Yuan Ming faintly remembered that both he and Lin Junsheng, as youths, had once attempted to become disciples, yet despite having Spirit Roots, their talents were quite ordinary, and they were bluntly turned away. It was unexpected that over time, Lin Junsheng had been accepted into Chang Chun Temple.

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