A Meeting After Twenty Years

Having crossed the Puppet Covered Bridge, the next Daoist military camp seemed unpredictable, appearing and disappearing intermittently. The five prepared themselves and cautiously began their exploration.

These top-tier Foundation Establishment True Cultivator are no strangers to Dao soldiers. From ancient times to the present, this has been the only means by which lower-level cultivators can somewhat contend with higher-level cultivators.

The most famous Daoist soldiers within the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty were the three thousand Azure Dragon Guard, who were trained at the beginning of the Great Ancestor's uprising in Ascending Dragon Prefecture, the capital region. With this as their foundation, the Great Ancestor was able to resist two veteran True Lord of the previous dynasty when he first advanced to the Nascent Spirit Transformation.

More recently, there was the Yellow Chi Army, one of the Imperial Guards that Shen Lingfeng brought with him when he went to cultivate. Most of the recruits were from good families in the Capital Circuit, and they were always eager to fight. Defeating Golden Core and capturing generals and flags were commonplace for them.

It is said that the Xiezhi Iron Guard in Tie Liuyun's hands was trained by an old soldier who was wounded and retired from Shen Lingfeng's Yellow Chi Army, which is why it was able to retain some of its True Intention.

Even though the Xiezhi Iron Guard are far from being the Yellow Chi Army, Commander Tie can still dominate the Cloud Horn with this half-finished Daoist army. Not only can he be an honored guest of the Yue family in Han City Yue Household of Earl of Nan'an, but he can even go toe-to-toe with Fei Nanying head of the Fei family's She Mountain Hall in Ying Prefecture Fei Household.

Without this army of Dao soldiers, Tie Liuyun would have been nothing more than an insignificant Green Leaf Foundation Establishment. Not to mention his current status, where he is trusted by the Earl and favored by the Yue Household, even any Foundation Establishment from the capital region would not have given him a second glance. At best, he would have been a nobody who was ordered around by others.

The power of this army is evident.

Back then Exalted Cultivator Guanyu even used Second Tier Jade Crocodile to train Dao soldiers. The Cold Crow Mountain Range had quite a few Jade Crocodile populations back then, and they were quite prosperous. But today, there are very few left.

However, according to rumors, among the Jade Crocodile Dao Soldiers Exalted Cultivator Guanyu, there is one outstanding one that has grown into Third Tier Demon Beast, which is rare for the species.

Therefore, for the Jade Crocodile species, losing a large number of crocodiles can cultivate a powerful individual who can break free from the shackles of bloodline. It's hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing.

At this point, Yuan Feng had taken the lead among the five, a suggestion made by Chu Yanran.

Chu Yanran's words were quite fair, after all, the young master of the Yuan Household hadn't contributed much during the Puppet Covered Bridge incident. The Daoist Black Shoes naturally agreed, Lang Yi was even more pleased to see this. Even Yue Lan, who was on the same side as him, had nothing to say.

Yuan Feng was unwilling to incur public wrath at this time. Even though Yue Lan's alliance with him was relatively strong because she needed something from him, it would not benefit him at all if Lang Yi were to be forced to side with the Daoist Black Shoes and Chu Yanran.

That old man was quite skilled, and he didn't have many lives to spare. If it really came down to a fight, even someone as arrogant as Yuan Feng knew he wouldn't be able to defeat him.

However, while I understand, I also hold a grudge.

Holding the Slaughter and Extermination, Yuan Feng's face was gloomy and his heart was filled with resentment. "You surnamed Yue, you better remember this, with your filthy character, you still want to bite into Chu Yanran's sweet flesh?"

You're nothing but a despicable wretch, hated by everyone and even dogs. You can't even find anyone willing to back you up, yet you dared to negotiate with me beforehand.

Hmph, once I find the Toad and Osmanthus Fragrant Dew, I'll test the Mystic Union Method of Primordial Oneness on Chu Yanran first. How can such a fine piece of mutton fall into your dog's mouth?

And this old man Lang and the man in Black Shoes are both clueless and stupid fools. Once I refine my Golden Core Formation Pill and attain the highest level of cultivation, I will definitely take their lives.

Once I achieve the elixir, the Jingnan Yuan Clan will be able to enjoy great influence within the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court and the Two Instruments Sect, establishing their prestige for a thousand years! If I can go even further...

Now, in this turbulent time in Shannan Circuit, with the Immortal Dynasty weakened and wolves rising up everywhere, it is the perfect time for a fine young man to make his mark. A single step slower leads to another, but no one can hinder my Dao Path."

Yue Lan followed closely behind Yuan Feng, but her mind was entirely focused on Chu Yanran was at the back of the group.

For so many years, Chu Yanran, whom he had longed for, was finally going to be his!

Chu Yanran knew him when she came of age. At that time, he was a direct descendant of the Yue Household and inner disciple the Two Instruments Sect. He was exceptionally handsome and charming, and he didn't know how many women in Cloud Horn Prefecture admired him.

But alas, alas! By a twist of fate, Qi Buxiu came out on top! That lowly man, could he possibly have a single good quality?! Could it compare to even a single hair of mine?!

What we cannot obtain and what we have lost are indeed the things that linger in our hearts most in this world.

Chu Yanran, ironically, embodies both of these qualities, which is more than just a regret for Yue Lan.

"Qi Duoluo, you've chosen the right path. Qi Buxiu will be reduced to ashes by me, and as for you..." It took Yue Lan a while to suppress the surging killing intent in his heart.

He was unaware that Qi Buxiu was still inside the Spirit Artifact of the female cultivator Mi Li, engaged in a life-or-death battle with a Second Tier giant turtle.

"Good heavens!" Qi Buxiu cried out in despair, watching helplessly as yet another Second-Tier Lower-Grade talisman was shattered by a bolt of lightning from the battered giant turtle. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have listened to Yanran and wouldn't have entered this Mountain-Viewing cave abode." Although he said this, Qi Buxiu knew in his heart that being able to be husband and wife with Chu Yanran in this life was the greatest blessing for this old widower.

Chu Yanran actually came to Mountain-Viewing cave abode specifically for him this time.

Most people only know that Evergreen Vine can prolong the lifespan of cultivators in the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement stages, but few know that the roots of Evergreen Vine before it is harvested have the effect of nourishing the vital energy of Qi Refinement Refining cultivators.

Qi Buxiu was already ninety-three years old. According to common sense, even if he obtained Upper-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, the probability of him successfully establishing his Dao Foundation would be less than ten percent.

It wasn't that Chu Yanran couldn't get the Foundation Establishment Pill for him before, but rather that Qi Buxiu failed to take the pill thirty years ago, and was only able to save his life thanks to the spirit medicine that Chu Yanran had painstakingly obtained.

Qi Buxiu failed to establish his foundation, but not only did he survive, he also suffered no hidden injuries. This was far more fortunate than Chen Ye's fate. However, it left him with aftereffects: his dantian qi was difficult to cultivate, and his spiritual energy was difficult to liquefy.

According to the high-level Alchemist that Chu Yanran had specially sought out, if Qi Buxiu dared to attempt Foundation Establishment under such circumstances, he would be courting death.

Even under these circumstances, Chu Yanran did not give up. She continued to spend a lot of Spirit Stone and search for all kinds of resources, sparing Qi Buxiu effort to cure Qi Buxiu's serious illness.

It wasn't until the last year or two that Qi Buxiu's injuries had mostly healed, but by then he was already past his eighties.

Chu Yanran, the number one female cultivator in Cloud Horn Prefecture, went to great lengths to help her lover achieve Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Not only had she been planning the trip to Shannan Circuit for many years, but she also somehow managed to obtain an Upper-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill that even the most promising young masters could not obtain.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

Qi Buxiu knew that he had met the right person and that he had been blessed.

Back when Qi Buxiu was searching for minerals in the mountains with a basket on his back, he never imagined that the seriously injured female cultivator he rescued would repay his kindness with her body, allowing this old widower to live a life he never dared to dream of.

Qi Buxiu's experiences could be made into a picture book, which would likely be a bestseller.

While a certain sect leader had done a few heroic rescues of damsels in distress during his travels in various counties in his earlier years, he had never encountered a female cultivator like Chu Yanran.

Or rather, even if the Sect Leader Kang Da had devoted himself to helping the needy and punishing the wicked, working until he was 120 years old, he might not have encountered a female cultivator like Chu Yanran.

Such a remarkable woman, possessing affection, righteousness, talent, and beauty, is extremely rare in the cultivation world, perhaps even rarer than noble bloodlines of true dragons.

In this light, Yue Lan's resentment towards Qi Buxiu becomes understandable. If word got out about such a turn of events, how many people in Cloud Horn Prefecture wouldn't feel envious?

With another crisp "crack," the last Second Tier Mystic Wood Talisman that Qi Buxiu had cast was shattered by the giant turtle's hand. The scattered talisman light brushed past the old cultivator's ear, and beads of sweat rose on his back, wetting his clothes.

"Damn it, I'm done for!" Qi Buxiu gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with ferocity. He unleashed the two Hundred Swords Talisman he had left, and the sword shadows scraped against the giant turtle's raised carapace, making it creak and tremble with spiritual light.

"Roar!" The giant turtle let out a fierce roar, clearly enraged by the intense pain emanating from its carapace. As Second Tier Demon Beast, it was far superior to those mindless, stupid creatures.

Normally, apart from the powerful and numerous Jade Crocodile clan, they are considered a tyrant in this Jade Lake. They can bite any plump and delicious aquatic beast they see, and no one dares to disobey.

But today, he was first teleported to this cramped space by a female cultivator of unknown origin, and then suffered a great loss from this weak and hairy monkey in front of him.

How could one not be angry?

The giant turtle had seen cultivators use talismans before, but cultivators as wealthy as Qi Buxiu were rare. In less than half a day, he had already used no less than twenty Second Tier talismans.

It was a clever one; it slipped a Second-Tier Upper-Grade Mountain-Moving Talisman among many inconspicuous First Tier talismans, and in one fell swoop, it caused the giant turtle to suffer a great loss.

Its smooth, thick carapace cracked in an instant. The giant turtle hadn't suffered such a severe injury in almost a hundred years. If it hadn't been for its rich experience in combat, it would have been completely defeated by this talisman!

The turtle may not be able to say the idiom "The donkey in Guizhou is exhausted", but he knows the meaning.

Seeing that it had withstood the last two sword talismans from the hairy monkey opposite it, and that the latter now had almost no means of counterattack, the giant turtle disregarded the sticky blood flowing down its back, which had stained its limbs red and soaked its feet. It first exhaled a burst of thunderous energy, and then rushed out at high speed!

"Damn it!" Qi Buxiu's face hardened. He had been fighting to the point of exhaustion, but decades of living in a gentle home had not completely extinguished the fighting spirit he had displayed in his past life-or-death battles.

At this critical juncture of life and death, the old cultivator knew that if he wanted to live, there was only one way: to fight to the death!

"Crack!" Qi Buxiu's last two defensive magical Law Artifact, which he had summoned to block his way, were shattered one after another by the lightning energy, as if they were made of paper. The scattered fragments of the Law Artifact pierced his slightly emaciated chest, almost cutting his body in two.

"Pain!" Qi Buxiu vomited blood, feeling as if 206 bones in his body were broken. He was so shocked by the powerful impact that his scalp tingled, and he could only stare blankly as the giant turtle's enormous body got closer and closer to him!

"Yanran, I'm afraid I'm..." At this moment, Qi Buxiu's face showed three parts guilt, three parts pleasure, three parts regret, and one part inexplicable sorrow.

In contrast, the giant softshell turtle that lunged at them seemed delighted. It appeared to have already tasted the delicious flesh and blood, and was already chewing on the tender tendons and bones.

Wait, the giant turtle's eyes went black for a moment, and when they lit up again, it felt like the first light of day.

"So, I've finally escaped that cramped place?"

The giant turtle couldn't tell whether it should be happy or sad. It only saw several more corpses of Jade Crocodile lying beside it. The organs and limbs of these overlords of the Jade Lake were scattered all over the ground, and thick blood splattered on every part of the stone chamber in front of it.

"Senior brother, he's still alive!" A clear male voice rang out.

"Thanks to the protection of the Dao Madam Qi, I can finally give an account to Lady Qi." The male voice was much calmer, but it still couldn't hide a hint of relief.

"Kill them!"

"Crackling sound!" The giant turtle felt a sudden coolness, a burning sensation, and a lightness in its body, and then it could no longer hear any sound.

Its thick carapace, which it had always been so proud of, was completely shattered by a blazing sword light, and the exposed tender flesh was instantly roasted and burned into charcoal.

Seeing this, Sect Leader Kang Da curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Little Sanzi really loses his mind when he's angry. We finally got another Second Tier Demon Beast like 'Hidden Six,' but this back armor is useless. We should keep the rest of its flesh and blood to make provisions for my Little Qi!"

Now is not the time to talk about these things. Kang Dabao first carefully examined Master Qi's pulse, and some excellent pills that the sect leader's wife had carefully prepared beforehand were also put into the old cultivator's mouth.

Jiang Qing didn't say anything for a moment. The sect leader had seen his disheveled appearance beforehand, which Double Brightness Sword Immortal quite embarrassed. So he ignored the Mi Li female cultivator who was sitting cross-legged to regulate her breathing and heal her injuries, and began to dissect the Jade Crocodile corpse in front of him by himself.

The four Jade Crocodile that had followed him and the female cultivator Mi Li through the underwater spring into the stone chamber had all perished here after the arrival of Sect Leader Kang Da.

What Jiang Qing had to admit was that the current Sect Leader Kang Da, in terms of combat skills, had already surpassed his own as the Chongming Sect.

Unbeknownst to him, he seemed to have once again become the towering tree that sheltered his junior brothers from the wind and rain. When they were young, as long as their senior brother, the sect leader, was around, there was no danger, and little Jiang Qing could rest easy.

As Jiang Qing was pondering this, he heard the Sect Leader Kang Da speak up, "Fellow Daoist Zhang Household, have you come to seek my Chongming Sect?"

The veiled female cultivator stopped practicing her cultivation, removed the veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, and said softly, "It's been almost twenty years, and I've finally seen you again, Sect Leader Kang."