Five Hundred Steps into the Valley

"Brother Tan is too kind. Before the outcome is decided, everyone has a chance," the white-robed youth standing opposite said with a smile. He was tall and straight, neither fat nor thin, with well-defined features and a handsome appearance. Every move he made exuded the air of a noble young master.

This person is Ao Ziyi, one of the Eight Gold Tokens Constable.

The dark-faced youth opposite him was Tan Shaochong. The two were about the same age and had joined the Soul-Calming Office at the same time, where they were granted the Gold Token, so they had a very good relationship in private.

"Brother Ao, you jest. You've already reached the Early True Astral Force, while everyone else is only at the Pill Embrace Force. Who could be your match?" Tan Shaochong laughed. "However, there's one person we must be wary of: Lin Qing!"

Ao Ziyi nodded slightly. "This person does indeed have some skills. The fact that he was able to gain Wang Ling's approval shows that his martial arts Talent is amazing. A few days ago, Golden Treasure Tower released the latest Black List Scarlet List, and Lin Qing has rapidly climbed to 71st on the Scarlet List."

"Wow, tsk tsk, in all these years I've been in the Prefectural City, I've never broken into the top 100 of the Scarlet List."

Ao Ziyi spoke, a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes.

Before Lin Qing arrived, he was one of the most Talent Gold Token Constable in the Soul-Calming Office, but after Lin Qing arrived, his reputation was subtly overshadowed, which made him quite unhappy.

Fame and fortune are linked; those who are famous are more likely to profit.

"Brother Ao, don't worry. I heard he only reached the Pill Embrace half a month ago. How capable can he be? He's far inferior to you. If it were a one-on-one duel in the arena, you could kill him with a single slap," Tan Shaochong said.

"That's true, but it's hard to say what level his strength will have reached in three months," Ao Ziyi said.

"Three months is too short. Even if he's a peerless genius, so what? At best, he'll only reach the mid-stage of the Pill Embrace," Tan Shaochong added.

"Yes, no matter what, I'm going to get promoted to Constable Chief this time. If Lin Qing dares to stop me, I'll definitely cripple him!" A fierce glint flashed in Ao Ziyi's eyes.

The Luo Family Mansion.

"Master, something terrible has happened! Lin Qing has made it onto the Golden Treasure Tower Scarlet List, suddenly appearing at number 71! This little bastard's martial arts Talent is terrifying. If he continues to grow at this rate, he'll be Constable Chief no time. When will we ever get revenge for our son?" Madam Luo burst into the study and threw a piece of intelligence she had just bought from Golden Treasure Tower onto the table.

Luo Wandeng was practicing calligraphy when he was suddenly interrupted. A flash of displeasure crossed his eyes, but he did not get angry when he heard Madam Luo's words. He picked up the silk scroll on the table and quickly flipped through it.

"Don't panic, someone will deal with him. The people of the Yinyuan Sect hate Wang Ling to the bone. He is the person Wang Ling chose. Deng Qianyu and the others want to kill him even more than you and I do!"

"Yesterday, the Yinyuan Sect sent word that the reward for Assassination Lin Qing has been doubled. With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave souls. All we need to do is send people to keep an eye on Lin Qing and provide timely intelligence. Someone will eventually take action and kill him!" Luo Wandeng said unhurriedly.

"Then I'm relieved. By the way, Master, our Luo Family has been secretly collecting infants for the Yinyuan Sect Soul-Calming Office?"

"So what if the Luo Family has fallen? As long as I live, it's only a matter of time before I rise again. People are too foolish, calling the Evil-Worship Method, not knowing that it is the true method. By worshipping evil spirits and absorbing human blood to enhance martial power, one can not only break through bottlenecks and extend lifespan, but also increase growth speed several times over. Even if there are risks, it is worth the risk!" Luo Wandeng said in a deep voice, "Moreover, once the Spirit Descent ritual is successfully set up, everyone in the Soul-Calming Office will die. Joining the Yinyuan Sect is the right path."

"I will follow your arrangements, sir!" Madam Luo said no more.

The next day.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Two fast horses left Shichuan Prefectural City and sped along the Official Road toward the Blood Valley Forbidden Ground.

Wang Ling was running ahead, while Lin Qing was one step behind.

After further improving his strength, Lin Qing decided to try going to Blood Valley to see how far he could go. If he could find the corpse of that powerful Martial Artist, he might be able to seize the Unity Heaven Art in one fell swoop.

Such a divine skill is naturally best obtained as soon as possible.

The two continued on their way, dismounting twenty miles from the entrance to Blood Valley, and then used their Lightness Skill to quickly enter the valley.

The valley was still shrouded in white mist, and dark clouds continued to roll overhead. Whispers and the wailing of a woman could be heard intermittently.

"My lord, what level of cultivation is required to move freely within Blood Valley?" Lin Qing asked.

"Stepping into the True Astral Force presents an opportunity, or perhaps one's soul can reach the Day Roaming Realm," Wang Ling said.

"It's not too difficult," Lin Qing thought to himself.

"Being able to step into the depths of Blood Valley is only the first hurdle to overcome. The biggest problem in developing the Unity Force is Talent," Wang Ling said.

Lin Qing nodded slightly and strode into the depths of the Blood Valley. Wang Ling followed behind. Blood Corpse would occasionally attack from the side, but he didn't intervene, leaving it all to Lin Qing to handle.

Lin Qing didn't hesitate either, raising his hand and punching each one to obliterate them, swallowing their Blood Essence as nourishment for his body.

However, the improvement brought by swallowing Blood Essence was too small, and he would also suffer from the impact of Yin Qi. Lin Qing was unwilling, but with Wang Ling watching from the side, he had to act.

Each time he swallowed a piece of Blood Essence, a new piece of information would appear in his mind, which was part of the content about the Unity Heaven Art).

However, this information was still incomplete, chaotic, and extremely profound, and even with his current Exceptional martial arts Talent, he was completely unable to understand it.

"It's basically impossible to understand the Unity Heaven Art through conventional means. No wonder no one has succeeded in all these years. The only way I can do it is through the Rebirth Record," Lin Qing thought to himself.

As he pondered, he walked forward, and before he knew it, he had already walked five hundred steps. Looking back, he could no longer see the entrance to the valley.

As he took another step forward, the pain throughout his body intensified suddenly, and he began to experience numerous hallucinations.

After a moment's thought, Lin Qing decided not to go any further. He knew that his body had reached its limit.

"Five hundred paces, not bad, this distance is farther than I expected." A hint of joy flashed in Wang Ling's eyes.

The deeper he goes, the higher the quality of the Blood Essence Lin Qing can consume, and the more complete the Unity Heaven Art he can access.

"Five hundred steps is the limit. Let's go back first. I think it won't be long before I can walk freely in Blood Valley," Lin Qing said in a deep voice.

Wang Ling did not insist, and the two turned and left the valley, quickly returning to the town of Soul-Calming Office.

Three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the Soul-Calming Office, Lin Qing and four friends sat under a Ginkgo tree, eating and drinking.

The four people were Lin Shurou, Wei Dong, Li Ping, and Ma Ziye. "I rarely have time today, so we must get together properly. Come on, bottoms up!" Li Ping raised his wine glass and said with a smile.

"Drink!"

The five men drank their wine in one gulp.

"Lin Qing, I heard yesterday that Tan Shaochong, one of the Eight Gold Tokens, was Assassination people from the Yinyuan Sect Yuan Sect. You must be careful. After the battle at Wanghai Tower, the Yin Yuan Sect suffered a loss in the Yinyuan Sect. An informant reported that Deng Qianyu has increased the bounty for the Eight Gold Tokens' Constable, and your bounty is the highest among them," Li Ping said abruptly.

"My highest?" Lin Qing raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, you're currently ranked 71st on the Scarlet List, and you have a close relationship with Lord Wang. Deng Qianyu wants to kill you the most!" Li Ping said.

"Then I won't go out. I'll stay at the base and see who can touch me." Lin Qing smiled.

"That's only right. With your Talent, you should prioritize your life. As long as you don't die, you will definitely become one of the top experts in the Prefectural City in the future." Li Ping nodded.

"Is Tan Shaochong dead?" Wei Dong asked, sucking on the oil on his finger.