Rainwater slowly seeped into the potholes and depressions along the Official Road, accumulating into puddles of varying sizes.
The puddle, which was originally slightly murky, has now turned somewhat reddish for some reason.
The heavy rain was still falling.
On the Official Road, the caravan was already in disarray, with people and horses overturned and carriages overturned.
Corpses lay scattered on the ground, long since lifeless.
At the very front of the convoy.
Five Hearts Zen Master stood upright, his staff piercing straight into the ground to support his body.
His eyes were wide open, and a bloody hole had been pierced through his chest and heart.
The blood hole was as big as a bowl, and the blood stained his robes red.
The Monk Tanri, standing to the side, leaned against the bottom of the overturned carriage, his mouth full of blood. His chest cavity had been crushed by an unknown heavy weapon, and his chest and back were almost pressed together.
His eyes had been gouged out, leaving only two bloody holes, and he had long since stopped breathing.
"Have you found them?" Yan Xi asked the other four with a grim expression.
Li Fan of Spring Breeze Gate, Xia Pulian of Great River Gang, Falling Flower Palm Huang Li of Luohuazhang, and Zhong Xue of the White Plum Manor.
These four are the four remaining Great Grandmaster of the Sensing Gate.
This time, he took the initiative to contact them and come to cooperate with the Western Sect to hunt down Golden Ring.
Of course, they weren't after the Heavenly Maiden's insignificant treasure.
Rather, it might be hidden within the treasure trove: research and materials about Spiritization.
This is what they, or the forces behind them, want.
The Heavenly Maiden has been secretly conducting experiments on Spiritization, which is something many people know, but no one knows how far she has progressed.
At this moment, everyone's thoughts were focused on this.
The Four Seasons Envoys consist of two men and two women.
They all looked handsome men and beautiful women, as if they were only in their thirties.
Judging from their real age and appearance, it was clear that they had already worshipped the gods and achieved Spirit Vein.
If that were all, it would be fine.
What shocked Yan Xi was that these four people were all much larger than the average person.
Just like Zhong Xue from the White Plum Manor, judging solely by her figure and face, she is undoubtedly an exceptionally beautiful woman.
She has a curvaceous figure, a hot body, and a charming and alluring face.
But this person is 2.5 meters tall.
All parts of its body are enlarged proportionally.
Just by getting close, Yan Xi felt a strong sense of oppression from the height of the person, which affected the light she was receiving.
He is 1.8 meters tall and 2.5 meters tall. Apart from Zhong Xue, the other three are also extremely tall.
The shortest one is over 2.2 meters tall.
"This is the Golden Ring?" Xia Pulian raised her hand, and in her large palm lay three delicate, pure gold rings.
The ring is only the size of a quail egg, but its surface is covered with various Locked Script symbols, making it look quite appealing.
"Let me see." Yan Xi reached out to take it, but the other person dodged her.
"Yan Xi, you should know how to divide the things, right?" Xia Pulian said coldly.
She wore a pale yellow cloak over a black fitted leather jacket and pants, her long hair was tied in a ponytail, and her knuckles were covered with metal finger guards.
Just now, Monk Tanri was killed by her fist, which crushed his chest cavity with her bare hands.
"Splitting? Two of us, one of you, how about that?" Yan Xi said in a deep voice.
"What a joke! The four of us attacking together, and you're only going to take one?" Xia Pulian said coldly.
"It is rumored that the Heavenly Maiden has already taken the medicine, and it is likely that the medicine has taken effect and she may have already forgotten about this item."
In other words, this Golden Ring is the only clue that leads to the results of her years of research. Instead of fighting over it, why don't we work together to open this treasure, resolve the Human Seed, and give everyone and those behind it an explanation? What do you say?
Spring Breeze Gate Master Li Fan smiled gently and offered a solution.
They also knew who Yan Xi represented.
Unlike the four of them who huddled together for warmth, this Prince Yan appeared to be alone, but in reality, he had a powerful background.
Yan Xi glanced at the four people on the other side.
Unbeknownst to him, the Four Seasons Envoys's positioning had already shown signs of surrounding him.
A smile suddenly appeared on his serious face.
"In that case, I agree!"
He knew that although the Four Seasons Envoys had long since established their own households, the four of them were of the same ilk and had become sworn brothers and sisters.
If things really come to a head, even with his exceptional agility, he will only be able to return empty-handed.
July 27th.
The rain continued incessantly for a full week.
Near Great Capital, two garrison cities, Yangshuo and Yin Huai, both suffered from floods.
As the river level rises, villages and towns near the riverbank are flooded.
Landslides and mudslides struck suddenly, causing dirt roads to collapse.
Various troubles and disasters have emerged.
The torrential rains and floods brought the surrounding environment to a standstill, prompting the Ling Ting to swiftly issue a relief order. Troops and artisans were dispatched, and large numbers of farmers were mobilized to the disaster site for rescue efforts.
Large quantities of relief grain were mobilized from various places and transported to Great Capital.
Meanwhile, the Daoists of the Great Dao Sect also cooperated with the Ling Ting, dispatching a large number of Daoists skilled in alchemy and medicine to provide disaster relief.
Assembled Sages Institute issued an emergency notice, mobilizing more than half of the Daoist priests from the Heavenly Treasure Palace to assist in disaster relief.
In an instant, half of the Heavenly Treasure Palace was completely empty.
Heavenly Treasure Palace Dining Hall.
It was 3 p. m., long past lunchtime.
But at that moment, among the spacious rows of tables and chairs in the cafeteria, there was another person, head down, eating heartily.
A five-pound bowl of rice, served with braised pork and stir-fried vegetables, was gone in just a few large spoonfuls, as if it were water.
This man was burly and tall, with long hair tied up with a black One-Character Headband, and his dark blue Daoist robe could not conceal the faint outline of his muscles.
Are you still eating?
Suddenly, a helpless voice came from beside the person.
Zhang Qingzhi remained silent, holding a roster in his hand, and sat down in the opposite seat.
"I saw you eating when I arrived an hour ago, why are you still eating now?"
"Not enough, maybe he's still growing." The man looked up, revealing an ordinary face that was neither particularly handsome nor unattractive.
Although his facial features were ordinary, he possessed a strangely heroic air about him.
This man was Zhang Rongfang had been practicing the Golden Toad Skill for seven days.
During those seven days, he constantly observed and recorded the changes in his body.
The results showed that his weight was increasing almost every day, while his height remained unchanged at just over 1.9 meters.
However, his weight increased steadily at a rate of ten pounds per day.
Now, he weighs 260 pounds.
Clearly, this is a follow-up change resulting from the previous enhancement of the Golden Toad Skill.
The prerequisite for rapid weight gain is, of course, the need for a huge amount of food.
So these days, he eats several times his usual amount of food every day, making him a veritable glutton.
"You said you wanted to buy a batch of Blood Tonic that were over fifty years old? Does that still stand?" Zhang Qingzhi asked.
"What? You have it? Of course I can do math, but the quantity I need is quite large."
Zhang Rongfang looked up and said.
"I intend to use it to make Grain Avoidance Pill."
Grain Avoidance Pill is a general term for a class of pills.
The common Grain Avoidance Pill are similar to the Dust-Cleansing Pill, one pill lasts for one meal. They are easy to make and mainly consume grains and a small amount of medicinal herbs, fruits, eggs, and meat.
Then there are the graded pills, such as the Gem Pill. A low-grade pill lasts for one day, a mid-grade pill lasts for two to three days, depending on the individual's consumption. A high-grade pill can last for five days! This is the kind of pill Zhang Rongfang wants.
The refining of high-grade elixirs requires a large amount of medicinal herbs and grains.
Its characteristics are that it must be able to keep you full for a long time, provide a balanced diet, and not harm your spleen, stomach and intestines.
After all, most people don't have strong digestive abilities, and excessive density compression can lead to indigestion.
However, Zhang Rongfang plans to refine a batch of improved Grain Avoidance Pill. He intends to reduce the optimization of digestive capacity and instead cram more calories and nutrients into them.
Anyway, now that he's practicing the Golden Toad Skill, his requirements for how well food is digested have started to decrease.
"Alright, I've recently shown signs of a breakthrough in my Civilian Skill, and I plan to purchase a Purple Fragrance Spirit Refinement Pill to prepare for that breakthrough."
Brother Zhang, the medicinal herb supply is sourced from my hometown. I'm responsible for maintaining relationships between the two sides, and I'll take one-twentieth of the profits. Is that acceptable?
Zhang Qingzhi clearly explained the situation.
He was also giving a small fee to cover his troubles. He personally inspected and checked the medicinal herbs before sending them to the Heavenly Treasure Palace and distributing them to the other Pill Master in the Pill Hall.
If anything went wrong, he would have to go up and make amends.
"No problem." Zhang Rongfang nodded; the commission was very reasonable.
"Alright then."
Zhang Qingzhi immediately began to list the names of the medicinal herbs and the years they were produced.
He had only listed a few items when he suddenly paused, his eyes widening in surprise as he realized Zhang Rongfang was no longer responding.
"Brother Zhang?" Zhang Qingzhi waved his hand in confusion in front of him.
"It's nothing," Zhang Rongfang, regaining his composure. He smiled and continued reporting.
But his mind was no longer on the medicine.
At this moment, in the Attribute Panel he saw, a new attribute was clearly emerging in the row representing Free Attribute Points.
It's done!
"It's been shortened from one point every ten days to one point every seven days!" At this moment, Zhang Rongfang truly felt the power of the Golden Toad Skill.
Although eating is troublesome nowadays, Attribute Points come quickly.
If you switch to a high-concentration Grain Avoidance Pill, you can say goodbye to this life where you have to spend a lot of time eating every day.
'This is only the First Layer.'
After finishing his meal, he bid farewell to Zhang Qingzhi and quickly returned to his residence to carefully examine the changes in his body.
Back in the Backyard of the small building, in a simple training ground.
Zhang Rongfang changed his clothes, prepared a towel and a water cup, and then walked to the center of the field.
His body moved nimbly, his fists and palms striking like the wind, constantly practicing the seven Talisman Art of the Great Dao Sect.
He felt changes in his body after practicing it just once.
Bang.
The only metal black doll in the yard was struck hard in the chest, then fell backward, swaying back and forth.
This doll is exceptionally heavy, weighing over a thousand kilograms, standing two meters tall and one and a half meters wide. It also utilizes the principle of a roly-poly toy, bouncing back when reversed.
Zhang Rongfang struck the puppet with his bare hands, knocking it down in a series of blows as it bounced up.
With each strike, the doll bounces faster and faster, and the force of the bounce becomes stronger and stronger.
The Metal Plate on the ground used to hold the doll in place began to loosen and crackle.
Finally.
Zhang Rongfang's right arm muscles suddenly tightened, and he struck out with tremendous force.
He didn't use any Breaking Limit Skill or activate the Critical State in this move.
It was just a normal move.
But this time, the power and speed of the attack were much stronger than usual.
Thump! The doll was thrown back violently, even more so than before.
"It's at least 30% faster! What an amazing Golden Toad Skill!"
Zhang Rongfang instantly dodged the bouncing puppet, sighing inwardly.
"Need a sparring partner?" A cold voice came from a corner of the courtyard.
Zhang Rongfang looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the person standing in the corner was none other than Daoist Mingyuan, whom he had fought before.
Ming Yuan still had that indifferent expression, dressed in a black outfit and wearing a black crescent crown.
I wonder how long he watched from the corner.
"Is that okay?" Zhang Rongfang asked earnestly.
"Okay." Ming Yuan stepped forward, and in one step it seemed like a leap, standing a few meters away from Zhang Rongfang.
"The Golden Toad Skill is a very powerful Sensing Gate. I have fought against masters of the Golden Toad Skill before," he said calmly.