Though there are wine cups for toasting in the mortal world, how can they compare to the spring of eternal youth?

Two weeks later.

Four hundred miles away from Bright Moon Workshop, in the mountains and forests, a fierce wind rose, swirling leaves and branches into the air, mixing with the soil, and flowing past like turbid waves.

Every now and then, a sound like the earth shaking violently would erupt, accompanied by the roars of beasts, their roars tinged with a desolate pain, as if they were already injured.

Within the mountains, a gigantic spider, its body covered in green jade, wielded its four sharp, Great Saber- like legs, frantically attacking its enemy.

Meanwhile, the enemy opposite them was enveloped in a torrent of metal bursting forth with countless dazzling rays of light.

The surging Metal Elemental Spiritual Energy shone brilliantly, magnificent yet filled with sharp killing intent.

A series of metallic clanging sounds rang out incessantly.

The spider's legs, as large as Great Saber, were utterly unable to penetrate the protective barrier formed by the radiant torrent of metal. Instead, they were violently knocked open, and the thick carapace was torn open with gaping wounds, splattering blood everywhere.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, hurry! There's a huge thing over there, it should be attracting attention soon. Don't delay, take it down!"

At that moment, Zhu Xun's figure darted out from the nearby woods, urgently offering a warning.

Further away, the shadows of the trees in the mountains swayed, thousands of birds took flight, and the Sha Qi accompanied by a strong spiritual power could be clearly felt from a great distance.

It was as if some enormous creature was rapidly approaching.

"This aura is at least that of a Green-backed Water Spider at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level."

Chen Dengming sensed the aura remotely, feeling a slight joy while secretly being alarmed and wary.

He hadn't encountered a single Demon Beast at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level in the past half month, and he hadn't hunted a Qi Cultivation Seventh Level Green-backed Water Spider at the same level at all.

A spider demon of this strength would likely be considered a local overlord even in the spider nests on the southern border.

If we can hunt this big guy, even if we don't kill five Green-backed Water Spider, the Ming family will probably be able to let us off the hook.

"Hurry, Fellow Daoist Chen!"

Zhu Xun was extremely anxious, his heart pounding like a drum, fearing that another, even more powerful Demon Beast would rush in and create a pincer attack.

"No rush, Fellow Daoist Zhu. Moving too fast will scare everyone away, and we'll lose the big picture for a small gain."

Chen Dengming calmly responded with his voice, his aura sensing the Demon Spider rushing towards him rapidly through the forest.

In the past two weeks, he and Zhu Xun have hunted seven Demon Beasts, but only two of them were Green-backed Water Spider.

Until today, they finally managed to lure out a Green-backed Water Spider at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Level.

Upon discovering that the water spider was female, Chen Dengming had a sudden inspiration: instead of rushing to hunt it down, he would first restrain the Demon Spider, hoping that its Demon Spider would attract other male Demon Spider.

This was originally just an experiment, and Chen Dengming didn't have high hopes. Unexpectedly, the plan actually worked, and an even more powerful Demon Spider was attracted to it.

"Hiss!--"

Suddenly, the Green-backed Water Spider, at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Level, abruptly turned around and stopped fighting Chen Dengming, rushing towards the direction of the spider demon that had returned.

"Trying to leave? Did I Open Door?"

Chen Dengming snorted coldly, his arms trembled, and the external qi suddenly erupted in the form of Innate Qi Skill, as if a surging hot current had been ignited.

"Go!--"

With a wave of his arm, a torrent of metal surged forth, creating towering waves that emitted the smell of molten metal. It roared and surged like a raging torrent, instantly crashing into the green-backed water spider.

But just as it was about to hit the Green-backed Water Spider, it suddenly expanded, spiraling rapidly around the spider to form a vortex of metallic torrent. Streams of sharp air swirled at high speed, Buddhist Sect, trapping it.

The Green-backed Water Spider's legs barely touched it before it was violently repelled.

With a 'sizzle' sound, the foremost limb was even severed off, falling to the ground, flowing with dark green blood.

A shrill, painful roar suddenly erupted from the Green-backed Water Spider's mouth. It struggled and thrashed through the torrent of metal, yet it could not tear apart the vortex of qi formed by the Innate Qi Skill circulation method.

"This one is yours later!"

Chen Dengming suddenly turned to Zhu Xun, and then patted his Storage Bag.

The shimmering, luminous Wu Ling Duo suddenly roared out, growing larger with the wind into two giant claws, each a full ten feet in size, which abruptly flew towards the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level Demon Spider that roared and charged out of the forest.

Two loud metallic clangs rang out, the force of the impact reverberated, and the ground trembled violently.

The charging Demon Spider was actually stopped by two giant claws that were ten feet long. The huge impact forced the Demon Spider to its head down on the ground, almost making it fall face-first into the mud.

"Hiss!--"

The Demon Spider roared angrily, suddenly opened its mouth, and spat out streams of white, viscous venomous liquid, like a barrage of cannonballs.

Chen Dengming's figure, however, was already as elusive as a phantom in the clouds, swiftly dodging the attack a step ahead.

Suddenly, he casually unleashed Fireball Technique, which exploded on the spider demon, creating a loud roar.

The spider demon roared again, as if it were shaking mountains and shattering peaks. It opened its ferocious mouth and let out a roar that sounded like rolling thunder.

A powerful spiritual force erupted, causing the air to tremble and the surrounding leaves and paper strips to shatter and scatter.

The powerful sound waves formed like tangible ripples, spreading in all directions.

This sound wave is powerful enough to shatter eardrums; the sound condenses into streams of air that strike the enemy's eardrums like iron.

Chen Dengming frowned and had no choice but to immediately channel his Spiritual Qi into his ears to counteract the sound waves.

Almost simultaneously, the Demon Spider at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Level on the opposite side was also frantically crashing into the torrent of metal, forcibly breaking through despite its injuries.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, leave this to me!"

Zhu Xun shouted urgently.

"Good!"

Chen Dengming suddenly clenched his fist, and the torrent of metal formed by the flowing qi abruptly contracted. With a series of clangs, Qi Cultivation Fourth Level Refining Demon Spider, and then transformed back into a torrent that flew towards him.

"Hiss!--"

A foul wind arose, and a large swarm of sticky, putrid venomous liquid, accompanied by spider silk, suddenly gushed out from the side.

Chen Dengming remained calm, Geng Jin Luo suddenly flew out from his body, growing larger and larger.

With a loud 'clang,' a piercing gong-like sound erupted, blocking out a large amount of spider silk while simultaneously neutralizing some of the Demon Spider's sonic waves.

However, at that very moment, the Demon Spider, at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level, suddenly exerted its power fiercely, its body radiating a brilliant green light, and forcibly broke free from Wu Ling Duo.

"Clang clang clang" --

Eight spider legs left deep, half-inch-deep marks on the ground, resembling chisel marks, as they charged wildly towards Chen Dengming.

"Whoosh--"

Several spider legs leaped into the air, slashing towards Chen Dengming like a forest of knives, tearing the air apart in layers of ripples.

Chen Dengming had already used his Divine Wind Leg to retreat, his robes fluttering as he moved quickly, and his white hair at his temples dancing in the wind.

His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he made a hand seal.

"Combine!"

Wu Ling Duo flew back at his command, and suddenly clasped its two claws together in mid-air, forming a giant fist that resembled two hands clasped together, causing the air to tremble and hum, radiating a strong spiritual power.

The next moment, the giant fist slammed down hard into the spider leg.

Bang!

Two astonishing forces collided, unleashing a powerful burst of Spiritual Qi energy that shattered.

The Qi Cultivation Seventh Level Demon Spider screamed in agony, its legs nearly twisted and broken from the blow. It staggered backward and crashed violently into the rock wall behind it. With a loud 'bang,' the rock wall shattered, sending rocks flying and dust billowing everywhere.

The ground collapsed and shattered under the immense impact, breaking into pieces.

At this moment, the torrent of qi, now reduced to more than half its original size, swept past Chen Dengming.

His face was cold, and the Spiritual Qi he gathered quickly erupted. It was as if a ball of flame was ignited within his body, and the torrent of qi was rapidly controlled by his hands, forming a coiling energy.

"Surround them!"

With a shake of his arms, streams of energy formed sharp, powerful jets of air that collided with each other in the air, creating gusts of air as sharp as blades that swept towards the Demon Spider opposite him.

The Demon Spider opposite him, at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level, had its black fur standing on end, and its pale blue eyes were filled with terror. It felt a deathly fear originating from the depths of its soul.

The next moment, its massive body was engulfed by wisps of sharp, blade-like energy, and was frantically torn apart.

"Roar!--"

The Demon Spider suddenly let out a terrifying roar, its voice distorted.

Its entire body surged with Spiritual Qi, its spiritual power soared, and its body radiated green light, forming a protective shield that forcefully pushed half of its head out of the vortex.

Large swaths of metallic, blade-like air collided with its green carapace, sparking from the friction, but failing to cut or shatter it immediately.

"Qi Cultivation High Level Demon Beast is indeed powerful and troublesome!"

Chen Dengming frowned, feeling that he could no longer control the wandering qi, unable to contract it, and it even began to show signs of dissipating.

The Demon Spider's exoskeleton is incredibly strong.

He suddenly took a deep breath and made a hand seal.

The Ice Spirit Blade flashed with a cold light, appearing suddenly like a fleeting shadow. It flew out in an instant with a 'whoosh,' its sharp blade shadow faster than anyone else, aiming straight for the Demon Spider's brow.

"Clang!!--"

A metallic vibrating sound suddenly erupted, shaking the eardrums, and the Ice Spirit Blade was knocked away by the buzzing.

The Demon Spider also felt a sharp pain in its head, as if it had been hit hard by a huge stone roller. Its head twitched backward, and its mind went blank for a moment.

Chen Dengming's long hair flew wildly on his head like flames, his eyes focused as bright and piercing as flames and lamps, as he once again focused on forming hand seals.

The powerful Spiritual Qi within his body was mobilized, surging like a volcano.

The Method Formula is complete.

A large fireball appeared and suddenly exploded, shooting into the vortex.

Boom!--

A ball of flame had just erupted.

Immediately following, another burst of intense flames transformed into a vortex of high-temperature air, forming a large fireball, which was launched from Chen Dengming's palm.

The fireballs, launched in rapid succession, were like a barrage of cannonballs, bombarding everything in their path!

Boom! Boom!

A continuous roar suddenly filled the woods.

Buzzes of blazing flames exploded like dazzling fireworks, shaking the mountains and forests, and gradually transformed into a giant pillar of fire that engulfed the Demon Spider.

"Hiss!!!"

The Demon Spider's powerful body was fiercely burned in the terrifyingly hot pillar of fire, cut and strangled by the wildly swirling Gold Spiritual Energy, as if it were trapped in a terrifying fire tornado, and instantly became stiff in pain.

A dozen or so breaths later.

With a dull thud like a mountain collapsing and a jade pillar being toppled, the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level Refining Demon Spider, radiating intense spiritual power, crashed to the ground.

Its massive, dark green body, still shrouded in Spiritual Qi, was covered with black charred marks and large, dense gashes. Some of the dark green blood had burned and congealed on its body, while some was slowly flowing out.

After confirming that the Demon Spider was completely Life Force, Chen Dengming breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking back at Zhu Xun, who was still entangled with the half-crippled Qi Cultivation Fourth Level Demon Spider, he said helplessly.

"Hey! Legendary demon hunter, are you ready or not? How much longer?"

While manipulating his magical Law Artifact to attack the Demon Spider, Zhu Xun moved with relative agility, sweat beading on his forehead as he responded.

"It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon!"

Tears streamed down his face as he silently questioned the heavens: what kind of monster had he encountered?

Normally, slaying Demon Beast below the Qi Cultivation High Level is as easy as cutting melons and vegetables, but to be able to deal with this Qi Cultivation High Level Spider Demon Beast so quickly is simply terrifying.

He considered himself to be quite capable in combat, even among cultivators of the same level, but when facing Demon Beast of the same realm, he could only manage a meager struggle before fleeing.

Against a Demon Beast a level lower than itself, it can be said to be able to cope, but it cannot be said to be able to kill it with certainty, especially the Green-backed Water Spider, which is more powerful than ordinary Demon Beast.

Chen Dengming's strange yet incredibly powerful fighting style has greatly shocked him in the past two weeks, and he has wanted to learn some of it. However, apart from the positioning, many of the amazing techniques seem to involve unique secrets that he cannot imitate.

Seeing that Zhu Xun should be fine and would be able to deal with the little spider demon at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Level soon, Chen Dengming didn't bother to interfere anymore.

Taking out a Low-grade Spirit Stone from his Storage Bag and holding it, Chen Dengming quickly recovered nearly half of his depleted Spiritual Qi. His gaze sharpened, sweeping across the distant mountains and forests like a tangible blade.

Whoosh--

In an instant, the air in the mountains and forests began to stir.

Several cultivators quickly darted out, greeting Chen Dengming with smiles and clasped hands in a salute, indicating that they were merely observing and meant no harm.

They then quickly slipped away, their hearts pounding.

Chen Dengming calmly withdrew his gaze, and with a thought, the two Gu Worm that had been lying in ambush in the distance flew back.

"Buzz!--"

The Golden Silkworm and Blood Centipede Gu streaked across the Demon Spider's corpse in two arcs, excitedly rushing towards it and beginning to feast.

These two Gu Worm have consumed a lot of Demon Beast Flesh and Blood over the past half month, and their aura is becoming increasingly strong, seemingly only one opportunity away from breaking through.

However, for now, these two Gu Worm are only good for dealing with cultivators below the Qi Cultivation High Level. Against Demon Beast, which are thick-skinned and resistant to poison, their effectiveness is limited, and they are also prone to injury.

Chen Dengming rarely used two Gu Worm when dealing with Demon Beast.

Not long after.

Zhu Xun has also successfully eliminated the Demon Spider.

This time, they hunted down one Qi Cultivation Fourth Level spider and one Qi Cultivation Seventh Level Demon Spider. Together with the two they had hunted down before, they had already successfully completed the Ming family's mission.

A single Demon Spider at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level is as dangerous as three or four ordinary Demon Spider. Without this behemoth, the safety of the area around Bright Moon Workshop can be guaranteed.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, this corpse of Qi Cultivation High Level Demon Spider is definitely worth a fortune, surely more than fifteen Mid-grade Spirit Stone. Are you really going to trade it to the Ming family at half price?"

At this moment, Zhu Xun approached from the side, feeling somewhat sorry for Chen Dengming.

Chen Dengming glanced sideways at Zhu Xun, "Otherwise what? I haven't hunted enough Spider Demon Beast. If I don't trade this one to the Ming family, all my efforts will be in vain. I'll just accept the loss."

Zhu Xun depressed, "That's more than just a little; we've lost a lot."

"How about this, I'll help you ask around and see if any other cultivators who have hunted spider demons are willing to sell their corpses. We can buy a few, and we can sell this big one ourselves."

"Never mind. I'll ask the Ming family again later and try to get a good price."

Chen Dengming shook his head.

He knew that Zhu Xun was making plans for him.

After all, the two had an agreement that the corpse of the Demon Spider they hunted would belong to Chen Dengming alone. Even if the corpse of this Qi Cultivation High Level Refining Demon Spider was sold, Zhu Xun would not benefit from it. However, he still did not intend to go through that trouble.

Selling to the Ming family, even at a 50% discount, would still result in a significant loss.

However, finding other cultivators in the Marketplace to buy the spider demon's corpse might not be so easy.

Even if things go smoothly, they'll buy it at full price and then sell it to the Ming family at half price.

In the end, he might only earn an extra five Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Five Mid-grade Spirit Stone are indeed a considerable sum of money, but there's no need to go to such lengths and annoy the Ming family.

Contentment makes the world vast; greed makes the universe narrow.

Misfortune arises from desire, while fortune arises from self-restraint.

Everything should be done in moderation. Trying to take everything at once is like trying to win all of your opponent's chips at a gambling table; you might end up giving up even more.

The two spider demon corpses were too big.

Fortunately Zhu Xun, the butcher, was indeed skilled at butchering oxen.

After some processing, the two spider demons shrank by half in size, easily fitting into Chen Dengming's Storage Bag, which was eight zhang in diameter.

The two immediately set off.

Chen Dengming changed his route as usual, and took the opportunity to visit Leshangou, which is 200 miles away.

Since the Luo Family moved there, a new Marketplace has been built. Although it does not have Spirit Vein, the Luo Family Lineage has been selling their accumulated Daoist techniques and Law Artifact as a gimmick, which has attracted many cultivators.

The Luo Family's move was naturally aimed at attracting a large number of cultivators, recruiting some of them, rapidly expanding the Lineage's power, and replenishing the talents who died in battle some time ago.

Admittedly, even if guest cultivators recruited in this way sign Dao Heart Contract, they are unlikely to be very loyal and reliable.

Just like the previous Lineage war, many of the Luo Family's retainers would rather break their Dao Heart Contract and pay the price than follow the Luo Family to their deaths, abandoning each other when disaster struck.

However, with more guest cultivators, they can at least make a lot of contributions to the development and operation of the Lineage in normal times, and they don't necessarily have to participate in life-and-death battles.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you don't have some kind of dao companion in the Luo Family, do you?"

"It's a convenient route, maybe 200 li along the way. Heh heh, isn't that considered taking a detour?"

Above the mountains and forests, Chen Dengming and Zhu Xun flew on their flying devices. Zhu Xun a knowing smile and chuckled.

Chen Dengming rolled his eyes. "We're not really dao companion, just friends over there who helped me when I was weak. Now that they're having a hard time, I'm just giving them a little help in return."

Didn't I already tell you when we passed by yesterday?

Chen Dengming asked suspiciously, "Is your friend reliable? Did he actually deliver my letter?"

"Of course there is. That kid, dares to try and fool me?"

Zhu Xun glared at him, then chuckled obsequiously, extending his little finger and saying, "Fellow Daoist Chen, in front of you, I, Little Zhu Xun, am just this. But in front of me, Little Zhu Daoist Liu, I am just this too."

He beamed with pride, gesturing with his little finger, and boasted, "Back when I was fighting against the Demon Beast, he was watching from the sidelines, just like the two of us today. His admiration for me is just like my admiration for you, Fellow Daoist Chen."

"Alright, enough nonsense!" Chen Dengming said irritably. "Since there's no problem, let's fly quickly. You'll hand the things over to my friend later, and then we'll leave as soon as possible."

Having said that, with a flash of sword light, Chen Dengming's speed increased dramatically, and he quickly disappeared into the air.

Zhu Xun immediately followed, teasingly saying, "Fellow Daoist Chen, why are you in such a hurry to leave? My time is precious; I can wait for you all night so we can reunite after such a long separation. Don't Little Zhu me when you leave."

Whoosh--

A golden spear shot out from the front, startling Zhu Xun, who quickly dodged and immediately shut his mouth. He shook his head and chuckled, realizing that this Fellow Daoist Chen's relationship with that friend was probably not yet settled, but it might be much more than that of ordinary friends, which was why he was having some concerns.

But judging from Fellow Daoist Chen's fanatical dedication to cultivation and the talent he has displayed, how many beauties among the Rogue Cultivator could possibly be his companions, sharing joys and sorrows?

The Luo Family were merely impoverished friends of a maid; they would inevitably never catch up to her in the future, and it would ultimately become a regret.

This truly makes one wonder what the fairy's intentions are, as the blue phoenix and white crane dance together. Even if there are wine cups shared in the mortal world, how can they compare to the fountain of immortality?

(I updated over 11,000 words today! Please vote for me, my friends! I've been updating a lot lately, haven't I?)