Beyond the Pass

"Strange, the Great Qian Dynasty has been established for over forty years now. Logically, most of the demons and monsters around it should have left by now. How can cultivators still be dying around the Great Qian?"

Having served Fang Zelin for a long time, the medicine boy is no longer the same as before; he now knows a little about the affairs of the cultivation world.

Generally speaking, given the current situation in the Great Qian Dynasty, many demons have left, and given that they just fought with cultivators, there is unlikely to be any further battles between the two sides.

However, nothing should be taken as absolute.

Perhaps these two fellow Daoists intervened because they saw demons harming people.

It's not impossible that he was defeated and killed.

Regardless of the circumstances, we must investigate. At the very least, we need to find out how these two died.

"Yes, we'll have to go and see for ourselves to find out exactly how they fell."

Fang Zelin responded and said he had already prepared the items.

I don't know if it's some kind of demon causing trouble, but since we're going, we naturally have to be well prepared.

"Bearing the Heavens, come with me on this trip."

After packing everything up, Fang Zelin waved to Bearing the Heavens, who was standing to the side.

Upon hearing this, Bearing the Heavens flew over slowly, responded, and landed directly in front of him.

"You two, stay home and wait."

Before leaving, Fang Zelin turned and glanced at the tiger and deer demons.

These two demons have been with him for quite some time, but Fang Zelin hasn't taught them anything yet.

Normally, Fang Zelin would sit aside and meditate, while the two demons cultivated on their own.

Now that I've seen that these two demons are of decent character, I plan to teach them a lesson when I return next time.

"Yes, Immortal Master!"

Upon hearing this, the two demons instantly understood Fang Zelin's meaning and were overjoyed.

Judging from the immortal's words, he is already preparing to teach them!

After giving his instructions, Fang Zelin immediately took to the air on his sword and flew towards Zhen'an Pass.

Bearing the Heavens, perhaps because he hadn't been out for a long time, seemed extremely excited at this moment. With a clear cry, he carried Fang Zelin straight up to the heavens.

The surrounding clouds kept retreating, and a protective layer appeared on Fang Zelin's body, blocking the strong winds coming towards him.

"I never learned to fly before, and I really envied those who could. Now that I've finally learned, I find the journey itself more meaningful than the experience of getting there step by step."

Fang Zelin looked down at the towering mountains below. These roads, which would have taken a long time to traverse on foot, had now receded behind him in the blink of an eye.

This situation made Fang Zelin think for a moment, and he felt that it was more fulfilling to take things one step at a time and be down-to-earth.

After a moment's thought, Fang Zelin saw the thousands of mountains and rivers beneath his feet rush past in an instant, and he could see Zhen'an Pass in the distance.

As the altitude gradually decreased, Fang Zelin looked around and immediately locked onto the direction.

The disciple who reported earlier said it was in front of the rain pavilion outside Zhen'an Pass.

When Fang Zelin landed, there was no one else around, but one of the people in the rain pavilion was an acquaintance.

"Senior, you've arrived!"

Upon seeing this Zhenke, who was in the rain pavilion, immediately stepped forward with a joyful expression.

"It's you who's guarding this place."

Upon seeing Zhenke, Fang Zelin was slightly taken aback, then glanced around. "Are you alone?"

"Yes! Master said I can handle things on my own now, so I can come and help you with this matter, senior."

Upon hearing this, Zhenke's body flashed with spiritual light, and a small flying sword flew out from her sleeve, circled around her once, and then flew back into her sleeve.

Fang Zelin was taken aback for a moment upon seeing this, then smiled.

"Great! You're capable of handling things on your own now!"

Thinking back to the disciples who once followed their master and fought demons alongside him, Fang Zelin couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

Time really flies.

Hearing Fang Zelin's praise, Zhenke smiled. Although she had been cultivating for more than forty years, she still looked like she was in her early Zhenke.

After catching up briefly, Fang Zelin glanced around and asked, "Where did those two fellow Daoists die? Have you found out anything?"

Upon hearing this, Zhenke's expression turned serious, and she said, "Senior, please follow me."

With that, Zhenke led Fang Zelin out of the rain pavilion and headed forward.

"I have cast a spell here to prevent anyone from trespassing. Please take a look, senior."

Zhenke led Fang Zelin to the lakeside, and Fang Zelin's expression immediately turned cold.

On the lakeshore, two corpses lay covered in wounds, their eyes gouged out and limbs severed, being fished out of the lake with fishing rods.

Fang Zelin stood by the lake, looking into the dark eyes of the two fellow Daoists in front of him, and suddenly his heart sank.

Have you found any clues?

Fang Zelin took a deep breath, somewhat unable to bear looking at the corpses of his two fellow Daoists.

Zhenke shook her head upon hearing this, also feeling somewhat reluctant to look at the two corpses. "Before you came, I had already inquired in Zhen'an Pass Zhen'an Pass, and none of the people there heard any sounds of fighting outside the pass."

"These days haven't been any different from usual."

No movement?

So, the guy who killed these two fellow cultivators must have extremely high cultivation?

"Apart from that, are there any other useful clues?"

"I did hear some useful information. The other day, some herdsmen outside the pass said that before sunset, a very strange dark cloud appeared on the horizon and flew dozens of miles away in no time."

"Judging from the timeline, it should be that the two fellow Daoists met at the time of their deaths."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin began to ponder.

Judging from these words, it must have been a demon who made a move, but it seems difficult to discern which demon made the move based on the Law Technique used.

After all, there are many demons who can cast Law Technique like Black Cloud.

"Did that demon fly off in the direction of Northern Liang?"

"Yes, it flew towards Northern Liang."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin frowned even more deeply. Could it be that the demons of Northern Liang had learned that there were cultivators from Northern Liang in Great Qian and had come specifically to assassinate them?

If it were the fellow Daoists of Northern Liang who thwarted the plans of some demons, it wouldn't be impossible for those demons to do such a thing.

Some demons, even before they take human form, are inherently vengeful. If they do not cultivate the righteous path after taking human form, their malevolence will gradually increase.

It's not unusual for cultivators to ruin your plans and then travel thousands of miles to hunt you down.

"That's a bit strange."

Fang Zelin glanced in the direction of Northern Liang, then looked down at the two corpses in front of him.

He stepped forward and gently straightened the clothes of the two corpses. At that moment, the two corpses moved slightly, their mouths suddenly opened, and half of their tongues fell off.