Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level Late Stage

"If he had collided with an Immortal like that, did that Clan Cultivator simply let that Innate Martial Artist go?"

The young cultivator was somewhat dumbfounded.

He could more or less guess what had happened next.

"How do you know that cultivator didn't make a move?"

Patriarch Zheng glanced at the young cultivator.

Then he said blandly,

"At the time, that cultivator did not act in public, but murderous intent had already arisen in his heart. Afterwards, he followed closely behind, intending to finish the other party off. Unfortunately, that Innate Martial Artist was no fool, and his methods were astonishing. He actually escaped that Clan Cultivator's tracking."

"Later, that cultivator used his connections to hire several low-level cultivators to capture the Innate Martial Artist's family as a threat. Unexpectedly, those cultivators were successively lured into traps and slain by the Innate Martial Artist."

"In the end, with no other choice, that cultivator used his connections to seek his family's help."

"But under that family's efforts to surround and capture them, the Innate Martial Artist still ultimately escaped with his family. They went elsewhere and vanished from that family's sight."

"Originally, that cultivator's family did not think much of it. So what if he had disappeared? He was merely an Innate Martial Artist."

"But ten years later, that mocked Innate Martial Artist returned. When he once again stood before that family's gates, he was already a Spirit Essence Realm Ninth Level cultivator."

Patriarch Zheng did not need to say anything more; what followed was easy enough to imagine.

The young cultivator

was stunned speechless,

because not long ago, he had read a novel fabricated from tales of strange people and extraordinary events. It was said to have been written three years ago by an Anonymous author, telling the story of a youth whose family had fallen into decline and whose Immortal Sect fiancée had broken off their engagement.

After being cast aside, that youth had also declared, in humiliation, words like, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river."

After leaving to undergo training following the broken engagement,

he had also encountered similar oppression from an Immortal Sect Family, only to return and kill his way back after his cultivation rose.

Some of its plotlines

were almost cut from the same cloth.

He had not expected something similar to have truly happened in River Pond Town.

Reality truly was more fantastical than fiction!

Unfortunately, that novel had abruptly ended just as the three-year agreement was about to culminate in a great battle. Three years had passed without a single word of continuation from the author, making the young cultivator itch to tie that author up and lock him in a dark room to write the rest.

As for the young cultivator's thoughts,

Patriarch Zheng naturally had no way of knowing them.

He merely said blandly,

"That family's conduct was never particularly good to begin with. Fortunately, we had not helped them surround and capture that Innate Martial Artist, so no enmity was formed."

"Perhaps because he feared the deterrence of the Cloud Water Sect, after destroying that family, he did not make things difficult for us. Yet after that incident, all four of our families were filled with lingering fear."

Patriarch Zheng sighed.

"Cultivation is a path that defies the heavens. A person's opportunities and fate have always been difficult to determine. How do you know that among those who participated in that mission yesterday, there will not be an Important Figure in the future?"

"Our Zheng Family guards that Spirit Fruit Grove and can steadily produce Spirit Items without end. As long as our lineage remains stable, that is enough. There is no need at all to walk those crooked side paths."

"Those Yao monkey corpses might indeed provide the family with several cultivation seedlings who successfully gain Qi Sense if they were all withheld."

"But doing so might provoke a Great Enemy of the future. By then, you could even drag down the entire family! The loss would far outweigh the gain."

"Third Brother, aside from cultivation, you must interact more with matters beyond our walls in the future. Do not let your vision become too narrow!"

With that,

he patted the young cultivator on the shoulder.

Patriarch Zheng then left with his hands clasped behind his back.

As for what happened behind him,

Zhang Qingyuan, who had left River Pond Town and was hurrying toward the Seventeenth Branch, naturally knew nothing of it.

At that moment, Zhang Qingyuan stood atop a reed.

Imitating the description of crossing a river on a single reed from a martial arts novel in his Previous Life,

he followed the river,

cutting through the water surface like a sharp arrow and stirring up white ripples as he sped Lightning Fast toward the downstream.

Scenes of green mountains and clear waters flashed past on either side.

Zhang Qingyuan was in high spirits.

He touched his Storage Bag, sensing the additional twenty Spirit Stones within, along with a jar of Monkey King Wine.

His heart grew even more jubilant!

Those extra twenty Spirit Stones were what Zhang Qingyuan had earned from selling the Yao Monkey King's corpse to the Zheng Family.

Actually,

a Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level Yao Monkey King was not worth that price.

After all, even the corpse of a Spirit Essence Realm Eighth Level Crimson Fiend Yao Python only fluctuated between twenty and thirty Spirit Stones.

It was merely because Patriarch Zheng happened to know an Alchemist. Not long ago, that Alchemist had spent twenty Spirit Stones seeking the corpse of a Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level Yao Monkey King, supposedly to use the Monkey King's brain to refine a pill.

Thus, the Zheng Family offered Zhang Qingyuan twenty Spirit Stones for this Yao Monkey King corpse.

Zhang Qingyuan had already been troubled over how to dispose of the Yao Monkey King's corpse.

With the Zheng Family's high offer,

he naturally sold it directly to them.

The Zheng Family had purchased it at the Alchemist's original price

firstly to befriend Zhang Qingyuan,

and secondly to use this opportunity to establish a connection with that Alchemist, making it more convenient to ask for help in the future should they need anything.

Both sides had their needs fully met.

A win-win cooperation!

"I've struck it rich!"

Sensing the wealth in his Storage Bag, Zhang Qingyuan could not help exclaiming.

This mission

had encountered a few extra twists and turns,

but it had also brought him, out of nowhere, a fifty-year Quasi-Entry Grade Spirit Peach, twenty Spirit Stones, and a jar of incomparably precious Monkey King Wine. If the mission settlement after his return was included as well,

then Zhang Qingyuan's harvest from this mission was even greater than Last Time in Azure Mountain Town!

"If every mission brought in gains like this, that would be wonderful!"

Zhang Qingyuan thought greedily.

Of course,

he also knew that this was merely wishful thinking.

Under normal circumstances, missions would not bring much additional profit. This was simply his own opportunity and luck.

But that did not stop him from being happy.

In his delight,

Zhang Qingyuan suddenly wanted a mouthful of wine to celebrate.

He happened to have Monkey King Wine.

So he simply stopped caring about anything else.

With a flip of his palm, he directly took that jar of Monkey King Wine from his Storage Bag. With a light pat, the clay seal opened by itself, and an incomparably rich fragrance of wine immediately drifted out.

At merely one sniff, the Spirit Essence Inside the Body of Zhang Qingyuan faintly seemed to stir restlessly.

No longer hesitating,

he raised his head

and poured a Large Opening into his mouth.

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

An indescribable flavor exploded inside his mouth, crashing against Zhang Qingyuan's taste buds as the wine's aroma spread.

Zhang Qingyuan was not fond of drink, though he occasionally had some.

It could be said that,

whether in his Previous Life or this one,

not a single wine he had ever drunk possessed even one-tenth the deliciousness of this Monkey King Wine!

The unforgettable flavor lingered over his taste buds,

transforming into a warm current that sank into his Dantian.

Then,

Boom!!!

The mellow spiritual energy and wine strength spread from within his Dantian toward the meridians in every direction, surging through the meridians Around the Body. In an instant, it rolled up Vast Spirit Essence, like a Tsunami Flood battering the circulation Inside the Body!

A small bottleneck barring the realm ahead

was instantly broken open beneath the flood's impact!

Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level Late Stage

had been achieved!