Bestowing a Treasure, Slaying

Little Willow Marsh.

Ye Qin guarded outside for a month, using up four Restriction-Breaking Talisman, but failed to break the formation.

The more he invested, the less willing he was to leave.

Elder Xu, who wielded a silver sword, saw no hope and left a few days earlier.

These days, everyone has their own things to do; who would waste time on something hopeless?

On the contrary, Chen Old Ninth from the Chen Household would come over every three days. Ye Qin would curse at him whenever he saw him, and the two would curse at each other, but they would not fight.

Today, Chen Old Ninth had verbally abused Ye Qin to the point of despair, and then he arrogantly walked to the edge of the island, forcing a smile, and said, "Holy Maiden, I am Chen Old Ninth of the Chen Household, and I have a request!"

The array's protective light barrier swirled and became transparent once more.

Hua Ran, dressed in a feathered robe, looked much better, her demeanor exuding elegance. "What brings you here, Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Chen Old Ninth said, "I wish to see your sect's [Spirit Illumination Scripture]. I've heard it can be cultivated to the Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation realms. That's my ambition, and I'm willing to block Ye Qin for you!"

Hua Ran looked at him like he was an idiot.

Ye Qin laughed loudly, "You, a Foundation Establishment Aristocratic Clan, dare to stand in my way, Ye Household?"

Chen Old Ninth, shameless as ever, said, "I'll just take a look. Anyway, you'll end up offering it to the Azure Mystic Sect."

Hua Ran: "You can't even look at it."

Zhou Ning was in a difficult position; where did these beggars come from, and he had to beg them by force.

Suddenly, his Divine Sense stirred, and he ignited a spark.

From Chen Old Ninth's sleeve, a bundle of transparent threads emerged, each one thinner than a hair, and began to drill into the array's protective barrier.

Zhou Ning slapped him back.

Chen Old Ninth was shocked; his Spirit-Binding Rope had actually been discovered!

This item was a rare treasure he obtained in his early years. It was less than ten feet long and could silently slip into formations. Once it entangled the Holy Maiden, it could pull her out in an instant.

Chen Old Ninth expressionlessly retracted the rope, stopped smiling, and turned to leave.

The Hua Ran sent a chill down my spine.

At that moment, a man with eagle eyes appeared. He stood in the sky and made a solemn declaration.

"Zhou Ning, how dare you coerce the Holy Maiden! Do you know your crime?"

The visitor was none other than an old acquaintance, Han Ziyue.

Zhou Ning, while eating melon seeds, said defiantly, "I haven't even brought up the old grievances your Han Household committed yet, and you still dare to act arrogantly on my turf?"

Han Ziyue was equally defiant, replying stiffly, "Stop making things up! The Su Household's third-tier Spirit Vein is something you fabricated!"

"You're a good-for-nothing, unable to see through the Su Household's true nature." Zhou Ning was too lazy to waste words with him.

"Ha, I was saying you had the fortuitous opportunity to Nascent Soul stage!" Han Ziyue retorted.

Then, he patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist. "Zhou Ning, my Han Household is Aristocratic Clan of beast tamers. Our ancestor's beasts are almost third-tier Demon Beast. You occupy Little Willow Marsh all by yourself, why don't you adopt a few Demon Beast?"

"As long as you're willing to let the Holy Maiden go out for a stroll, you can choose any of the young Demon Beast from my Han Household, including the Evil Wind Wolf and the Thunder Rock Python."

Ice-Eyed Winged Eagle --

Zhou Ning's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Okay, okay, I want the big one, with lots of meat!"

Han Ziyue furious. "How dare you eat my Demon Beast friend?"

Zhou Ning had investigated the Han Household before. They were Aristocratic Clan beast tamers, but they often used the guise of loving beasts to interfere in the affairs of other families.

The Su Household once had a small hill where they raised spirit deer. The Han Household jumped out and claimed that the Su Household's methods of killing the deer were too cruel and they couldn't bear it. Their ancestor was heartbroken when he heard about the deer's tragic death and cried for three days.

So the Han Household forcibly seized the hill.

Later, Core Formation True Person from the Azure Mystic Sect went to the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range, slew a great demon, and used it as a sacrifice, thus gaining widespread fame.

The Han Household, of course, remained completely out of the public eye.

Zhou Ning shouted, "Come on, Wan'er, take my pheasant!"

The colorful pheasant was immediately presented, and Zhou Ning crushed it to death, began to bleed it, and pluck its feathers.

Han Ziyue, outside the formation, laughed in extreme anger.

In front of him, Zhou Ning set up a stove, stewed a pot of chicken, and made cornbread, which he baked until it was fragrant and sweet.

The group ate a big meal, Han Ziyue couldn't stand the aroma and stormed off in anger!

This boy is nothing but a Rogue Cultivator, yet he dares to privately harbor a holy maiden.

He ruined the grand feast of dividing up the entire Leping Commandery. If he weren't a nominal guest of the Azure Mystic Sect, his ancestor would have already come to kill this scoundrel!

Another half month passed, Ye Qin finally gave up.

Little Willow Marsh has regained its former tranquility, with rippling blue waves, swaying willow branches, and the spirit turtle crawling ashore to bask in the sun.

Even Qi Refining cultivators come to the door to purchase cultivation pills.

Inside the room, Pharmacist Lan was alone, his expression shifting constantly.

She has a strong gambling addiction; otherwise, she wouldn't have become a disciple of Little Willow Marsh.

Before the Holy Maiden arrived on the island, Zhou Ning sent her to collect many spiritual herbs, such as the Jade Saliva Flower. Later, Ye Qin was guarding outside, so she never went out, and Zhou Ning naturally didn't mention it again.

But Pharmacist Lan knew that Zhou Ning didn't have many resources and would eventually have to send her out to buy medicinal herbs.

"Zhou Ning once said that if I served him for ten years and he was satisfied, he would bestow upon me a Foundation Establishment material."

"There are still six or seven years left. What should we do if he's not satisfied?"

Moreover, the earlier one begins Foundation Establishment, the better. With each passing year, the chances of success diminish, not to mention the need to find partners for alchemy.

"Zhou Ning is a man of his word, as can be seen from the Cultivation Resources Jia Tingwan usually uses for cultivation. If we volunteer, we can win his favor."

Finally, Pharmacist Lan made up her mind and stepped out of the courtyard.

Upon seeing this, Jia Tingwan asked, "Sister Lan, is something on your mind?"

How do you know?

"I could tell from your expression," Jia Tingwan said.

She had been learning alchemy from Zhou Ning for many years, and sometimes when something went wrong, she could tell the result just by looking at Zhou Ning's expression.

Pharmacist Lan rubbed his cheek, his smile becoming more natural, "And now?"

"Your sister is so beautiful."

Pharmacist Lan knocked on the gate of the courtyard, and Zhou Ning's voice came from inside. "Come in."

Zhou Ning, dressed in black with his hands behind his back, was admiring the flowers and trees in the courtyard.

Saintess Hua Ran sat quietly on the bench, looking at the ancient book in her hands, occasionally taking a sip of her flower tea.

Pharmacist Lan said, "Senior Zhou, I intend to go to Fortune Star Market to retrieve the Jade Saliva Flower and exchange the Lesser Exploding Essence Pill with Senior Zhao."

Because the sales volume of this pill was so high, Pharmacist Lan had previously signed an agreement with the Zhao Household to have them sell it. Otherwise, with people buying the pill every day, Falling Ning Island would never be peaceful.

Zhou Ning was slightly surprised. "You're going? There might be a big boss waiting outside?"

The Pharmacist Lan smiled gently, her eyes clear. "Since you have agreed to serve you, senior, it is the perfect time to help you with your troubles. Besides, the late handover of the pills might have a negative impact."

Zhou Ning looked at her, then suddenly tossed out Storage Bag: "Inside are the pills for this trip, and also a life-saving puppet. Throw it out if you encounter danger."

"Thank you, Senior." Pharmacist Lan withdrew.

As she disappeared into the horizon in her white dress, Hua Ran said apologetically, "I've dragged you all down."

Zhou Ning chuckled, "It's alright, your brother should be awake by now. I need to go refine some pills too."

The moment Pharmacist Lan left Falling Ning Island, he regretted it.

She recalled the scene of the Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting outside the formation that day; even a slight aftershock could have killed her.

But there was no turning back; she herself wasn't confident she could do it.

"Fortune favors the bold!" Pharmacist Lan encouraged.

Between Little Willow Marsh and Fortune Star Market, there is a mountain called Little Azure Mountain.

There was a temple in the mountains, from which came seductive moans that stirred the imagination.

A burly man, at the Foundation Establishment stage, stood outside the temple.

This man followed Chen Long's advice and had his wife use her beauty to stake out Alchemist Zhou when he was out. However, after three days of waiting, they still couldn't find Zhou Ning.

Once someone has committed murder and robbery and reaped huge profits, it's hard for them to turn back.

One day, he continued to have the beautiful woman pretend to be weak and powerless, seducing male cultivators who passed by.

It turned out that the male cultivator was actually Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he raped his wife right in front of him.

The burly man was furious, but dared not speak out.

That Foundation Establishment cultivator was none other than Ye Qin. After he finished, Ye Qin claimed that his wife was very juicy.

The burly man immediately bowed and begged the magistrate to take him in as his underling. He offered his wife free of charge and secretly did dirty work for him.

So, over the years, he continued to kill and rob people using Ye Qin's information, taking 80% for Ye Qin and 20% for himself.

During one of his robberies, he killed a disciple of the Aristocratic Clan and unexpectedly obtained a key ingredient for Foundation Establishment. He then used Ye Qin's method to refine pills and successfully obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill. The burly man took the pill and miraculously became Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He even considered himself a chosen one.

After Foundation Establishment, his courage increased greatly, and he even had the urge to win back his wife.

As a result, he was brutally beaten by Ye Qin.

He then realized the terrifying strength of Ye Qin and lost all will to resist.

"Brother-in-law, didn't you say you wanted me to come out and enjoy life with you?" the short female cultivator asked him, carrying a large sword.

The burly man spat. "Damn it, if you don't go out and sell yourself, how am I supposed to take you out to enjoy life?"

He had offered this woman to Ye Qin, but Ye Qin said he preferred married women.

The strong man then planned to find her a husband, but he was unable to find one.

Ye Qin walked out of the temple and said, "The Pharmacist Lan from Little Willow Marsh is out today. Go and capture her."

The burly man respectfully accepted the order and set off on the flying boat.

Ye Qin's eyes flashed with malice. "Zhou Ning, you're not going out, are you? Let's see how long you can hide like this!"

Two days later.

Pharmacist Lan received twenty Spirit Stone from the Zhao Household at Fortune Star Market for buying Spirit Stone.

This amount would have taken her ten years to earn before.

The Storage Bag also contained expensive Tier 3 spiritual items, Jade Saliva Flower, and numerous medicinal ingredients, the total value of which was unknown.

It's unbelievable that Alchemist Zhou, with only the Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivation, possesses such wealth.

Even those in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage would be extremely envious.

If that's the case, he'll probably give me the Foundation Establishment materials in ten years.

"This adventure was worth it," the Pharmacist Lan felt much more at ease.

Just then, a burly figure shot into the sky from the woods below.

The burly man swung a dragon-patterned staff, laughing wildly, "Little beauty, leave her here for me!"

The Pharmacist Lan paled, "Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

She quickly released a small shield and stepped forward to block it.

However, the heavy dragon-coiled staff, with a single blow carrying terrifying force, knocked the small shield away!

The burly man, carrying a large club, grinned cruelly. "Should I smash you to death, or kneel down and beg me?"

The Pharmacist Lan released another puppet draped in a straw raincoat. Looking at the light and airy puppet, she felt despair.

"Does Alchemist Zhou really not want me to live? This puppet isn't even at the late stage of the first rank, is it?"

After all, Pharmacist Lan had worked with Lin Qing and others on Luyou Island for the Su Household, so he was very familiar with puppets of all ranks.

The Straw Puppet, disguised as a raincoat, flew towards the burly man.

The burly man stared at the tattered puppet, a sneer playing on his lips, "Where did this piece of junk come from?"

He then raised his dragon-patterned staff, preparing to smash her away with one blow, then capture the girl on the flying boat and present her to Ye Qin.

Just as he raised the stick halfway, he suddenly saw the puppet raise its face, revealing empty eyes.

The burly man felt a chill run down his spine; something inexplicably sinister was amiss.

He suppressed the strange feeling and slammed it down hard.

The next moment, the Straw Puppet flashed and suddenly appeared in front of him.

Before the burly man could even make a defensive move, the puppet's arm under its raincoat rose up.

A punch landed lightly on the burly man's head from above!

"Bang!"

The burly man felt an overwhelming force surge forth, and his consciousness instantly dissipated.

His entire head was smashed open, his skull shattered, and red and white matter splattered everywhere.

Pharmacist Lan stared at the horrific scene, suddenly stunned.

Just moments ago she was a fully-fledged Foundation Establishment cultivator, but the next instant her head felt like it was going to explode, and the top of her head seemed to go numb.

"What level of puppet is this?"

Fortunately, she was a pharmacist and had seen many horrific injuries, so she wasn't frightened.

She swung out her rope- Law Artifact, hooking the burly man's Storage Bag from a distance.

Just then, another figure suddenly appeared in the surrounding area, and a large bell-shaped Law Artifact descended from the sky, perfectly trapping the puppet and enveloping it.

The Pharmacist Lan was startled, recognizing the person, and his heart sank.

Ye Qin's face darkened, his eyes turning sinister. "Fine, fine, I didn't expect you to have such a trump card. Zhou Ning has really been good to you!"

He listened to the continuous roaring sounds emanating from the bell, but he was still unable to break through it.

"You must hold a high position in his life. I'd like to see his reaction after I capture you."

As Ye Qin spoke, he released a millstone-shaped magical Law Artifact that spun around his body.

At the same time, he took out a glittering golden talisman engraved with a flag pattern.

The Pharmacist Lan recognized the item and immediately found it absurd. A Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator was actually using Talisman Treasure to attack her, Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator?

As Ye Qin channeled his Law Power into Talisman Treasure, he approached Pharmacist Lan Pharmacist Lan, sizing him up with a cruel smile, "Still a novice, very well!"

Before he could finish speaking, a voice rang out from behind Pharmacist Lan: "Good my ass!"

Zhou Ning revealed himself, opened his mouth and spat out a dazzling golden light.

"Zhou Ning, you still dare to leave the island?" Ye Qin was overjoyed; the opportunity had come without any effort at all!

At the same time, he noticed the golden light and a thought flashed through his mind, "A talisman?"

Why are talismans being spat out of the mouth?

Then, he saw a golden arc streak appear, arriving in an instant, so fast that he had no time to react.

A set of thin lines appeared on the surface of the black millstone, stretching all the way to his face and across his neck.

The Talisman Treasure in his hand immediately went dark, its spiritual power supply cut off.

As Ye Qin's consciousness drifted away, she heard Zhou Ning's sarcastic voice. "I'm out, so what?"

His head and neck fell together, Ye Qin was overwhelmed with immense terror. "My head is gone?"

"I was killed by a Foundation Establishment Early Stage?"

"I finally broke through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and now I still need to—Sister-in-law—"

Both parts of the body crashed to the ground and smashed to pieces.

Zhou Ning used his Divine Sense to travel thirty miles to confirm that no one was watching.

He skillfully collected the spoils of war, then launched a fireball, burning the two Foundation Establishment cultivators to ashes.

Then, looking at the stunned Pharmacist Lan, his figure gradually disappeared, and a calm, unwavering voice rang out. "Return to the island."

The Pharmacist Lan trembled slightly and quickly accepted the order.

She rode the flying boat, feeling dizzy and disoriented, her mind a jumbled mess.

Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and he's dead just like that—am I dreaming?

She lost her usual tranquility, constantly looking around.

Zhou Ning's voice came again. "Don't turn around, I'm behind you."