The Third Bowl of Spirit Dew

Perhaps due to the severity of his injuries, the longbow-wielding cultivator collapsed ten feet away from Jin Shilun before Jin could come to his rescue.

The two late-stage cultivators who were chasing after them were one with a face as black as ink and the other with a tall stature. Each of them carried a high-grade magic Law Artifact, and their wealth was not considered poor among Rogue Cultivator.

Although they had driven the longbow cultivator to such a desperate situation, both of them had clearly suffered serious injuries.

Upon seeing this, Jin Shilun felt much more at ease. After all, most Rogue Cultivator in the world were just like that. If a rogue Rogue Cultivator couldn't adhere to the eight-character principle of "bullying the weak and fearing the strong, seeking advantage and avoiding harm," he wouldn't live long.

Even though the two attackers ahead still wore fierce expressions, each wielding a gleaming sword or spear, Jin Shilun showed no fear. He leaped in front of the longbow-wielding cultivator, head held high, chest puffed out, and brandished his sword, shouting:

"Where did these rogue cultivators come from? How dare they act so presumptuously here?! This is under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Sect, a place for True Cultivator to cultivate in seclusion. Leave at once! If you are slow to leave, then don't blame me for punishing you for disturbing the peace and locking you up as spirit slaves!"

The moment those few words were uttered, the two cultivators in front of them changed color.

After all, the Chongming Sect is now a major sect with quite a few Foundation Establishment True Cultivator. Among all the Foundation Establishment in Cloud Horn Prefecture, only the Han City Yue Household can hold a dominant position.

Ordinary Rogue Cultivator would never dare to provoke such a powerful sect at the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, the two attackers were clearly ruthless characters accustomed to working with knives. Having known each other for many years, they naturally had a tacit understanding. After exchanging a glance, they simultaneously continued to stab Jin Shilun's vitals with their Law Artifact.

"You scoundrel!" Jin Shilun laughed and cursed, never expecting that his tried-and-true method would fail this time.

However, he was not entirely unprepared. The blade of his willow-leaf saber gleamed with spiritual light, first slicing through the short spear, then cleaving the long sword.

As the saying goes, "A master's skill is revealed at a glance," and the two immediately recognized Jin Shilun's prowess upon their first exchange. The latter's strike made the dark-faced cultivator's face even darker, and the taller cultivator's long face even longer.

At this moment, the sharp weapons in the hands of the three men were temporarily separated, the sound of metal clanging subsided, and during the brief standoff, the thoughts of both sides were different and varied.

Under normal circumstances, the two of them would never provoke a troublesome person like Jin Shilun.

Even Rogue Cultivator; they prefer easy targets who are gullible and naive. Who would be foolish enough to provoke such tough guys?!

Jin Shilun understood this principle, but the more abnormal their behavior, the less he wanted to let them succeed. Not to mention that the unconscious longbow cultivator was hiding a secret about Han Yundao's death, which he absolutely could not allow the two of them to take back.

Before either of them could make a move, Jin Shilun flicked the blade of his willow-leaf knife, unleashing a burst of blade energy that was far more ruthless than before.

The two men opposite them had good eyesight and knew how dangerous the situation was, so they each used their Law Artifact to block, but they had underestimated the swordsman's skills.

Even though "Selection of Spirit Saber Techniques" is only a Desolate-Tier Lower-Grade blade technique, it is not something that any Qi Refining Qi Refinement can underestimate.

The dark-faced cultivator used his shield to block a blade of energy. The shield, which was at least an inch thick, immediately shattered into pieces. The hot steel sand that fell from it left deep, scorched pits in the yellow earth beneath his feet.

This fellow never expected Jin Shilun's swordsmanship to be so profound, causing the low-grade shield in his hand to be reduced to a thin layer of skin after just one strike, almost breaking in two.

A hint of anxiety flashed across the cultivator's face. He panicked and was about to switch to a different Law Artifact when he felt a warm sensation on his left cheek.

A salty, fishy liquid ran down his cheek and across his mouth and nose. The dark-faced cultivator panicked even more. He glanced sideways and saw that his tall companion had been knocked out of his hand Law Artifact Jin Shilun's sword energy. His injuries had worsened, and he was spitting blood from all seven orifices. He was clearly beyond saving.

At this critical moment, the dark-faced cultivator suddenly calmed down. "Let's go! We can't let him stay!"

As soon as he made up his mind, he flicked his sleeve, and eighteen low-grade throwing knives were divided into six groups, each forming a three-element formation, and aimed at Jin Shilun's vital points.

The latter was clearly not yet fully recovered; he only managed to block two sets of flying knives before retreating.

Taking advantage of the moment, the dark-faced cultivator leaped to the side of the tall, dying cultivator, but instead of helping him, he picked up the latter's Law Artifact and Storage Bag, affixed a valuable high-grade Divine Movement Talisman, and left.

What are companions, what are sworn brothers? Compared to one's own life, what are they worth cherishing even a little?!

Jin Shilun withdrew his sword and did not give chase. He knew the importance of the matter at hand; the most important thing now was to get the cause of Senior Brother Han's death out of the fallen longbow cultivator.

As for the life and fortune of this dark-faced cultivator, they are of little importance compared to this. After reporting to the sect, Elder Ye Zhengwen, the external affairs elder, will issue the mission in the Merit Points Hall and set a reward. It will be enough time to invite two close fellow disciples to kill him later.

Jin Shilun sighed again, cursing himself for his poor eyesight. He hadn't realized how badly the two were injured. He should have waited until later to unleash his killing move. If he had been more patient and lured them away, the dark-faced cultivator would have had no chance of escaping!

However, old thieves like the black-faced cultivator, who are skilled in combat, are inherently difficult to kill. Jin Shilun has learned a lesson from losing two Storage Bag that he should have obtained this time.

Thinking of this, he let out a long sigh, then gave a bitter laugh and sighed for a while.

The opponents were ultimately two late-stage cultivators accustomed to fierce battles. With their two sword auras unleashed at full power, he had also lost most of his strength and could not sustain the fight for long.

If it weren't for the Heavenly Thunder Seed Coin I just acquired as a trump card, this victory would have been somewhat lucky. Why would I even be eyeing someone else's Storage Bag?!

Jin Shilun was on high alert, silently reciting the "Heart-Calming Scripture" to calm his arrogance. Suddenly, he heard a whooshing sound, which made his hair stand on end, and he drew his sword to meet the attack.

With a clang, a dark-colored feathered arrow was cleaved in two by a willow-leaf blade and fell to the yellow earth.

At this moment, the longbow-wielding cultivator, who had been feigning unconsciousness, coughed up another mouthful of blood. He forced his eyes open, his surprise barely concealed, and spoke in a voice barely audible, "You still have the strength to spare?!"

"I've been keeping an eye on you," Jin Shilun said, his face ashen. He drew his knife, took the longbow cultivator's precious bow, and sealed the latter's Dantian. When he spoke again, he showed no anger at the longbow cultivator's ungrateful act, but simply asked in a deep voice, "Who killed Senior Brother Han? Now you can tell me, right?!"

"Your Chongming Sect is indeed formidable. Han Yundao was quite remarkable back then, and you are no less so. Our Lin Household's defeat was not unjust." The longbow cultivator gave a bitter smile, which quickly turned cold as he said in a low voice, "I want to see your Foundation Establishment. I have nothing to do with you."

"So they're remnants of the Chang County Lin Household." Jin Shilun didn't speak, but simply took the Storage Bag from the longbow cultivator's waist.

Upon seeing this, the latter merely chuckled dismissively, "Your Chongming Sect's craftsmanship is indeed renowned far and wide."

Ignoring his laughter, Jin Shilun pressed several acupoints on the longbow cultivator, firstly to stop the bleeding, and secondly to Spirit Sealing, causing the fellow to truly faint. Only then was the matter considered resolved.

After a brief Restore Spirit recovery, Jin Shilun picked up the seriously injured cultivator and headed towards the Chongming Sect.

He had only gone halfway when he bumped into Wei Gu, who was riding Desolate Ox to help him repair the Spirit Gathering Formation. Seeing his anxious appearance, Wei Gu naturally asked curiously, "Junior Brother Jin, why are you in such a hurry? Have some Evil Cultivator attacked again near Chongming City?!"

Since the last battle of Jiazi Xuhao, Wei Gu has abandoned the carefree attitude he had when he was Rogue Cultivator.

Over the years, Wei Gu has worked diligently in the path of array mastery. Through hard work and sincere learning, he is only one step away from becoming First-Tier Superior-Grade array master. In terms of cultivation, he has also broken through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, and it seems that becoming a late-stage cultivator will not be long before he does.

If Wei Gu achieves the previous accomplishment, he will become the first formation steward since the sect Sect Leader Kang Da took over the sect;

If one achieves the latter accomplishment as soon as possible and becomes one of the few late-stage cultivators among the inner disciple, one might gain the favor of the sect leader and elders, be promoted to True Disciple, or even be directly accepted into the sect.

Therefore, Wei Gu has not left the sect in recent years unless there are special circumstances. Only when invited by a sect leader or disciple like Jin Shilun will he take the time to help.

So when Wei Gu saw Jin Shilun in such a hurry, he felt a little eager to try his luck.

It should be noted that the current Sect Leader Kang Da and the other elders of the Chongming Sect are not as easy to meet as they were a few years ago.

Wei Gu was somewhat better off, as he still held the position of a formation disciple and could be considered a senior member in terms of experience, so he could be seen during holidays.

It's not so certain for other newly initiated disciples; they might not even see the true faces of a few True Cultivator Foundation Establishment even after several years of training.

However, in recent years, even for someone of Wei Gu's status and position, the opportunities to leave a good impression on the sect's higher-ups to gain favor have become increasingly rare.

Therefore, if he could help Jin Shilun, the town garrison commander of Chongming City, drive away a few ignorant Rogue Cultivator and gain some praise from his superiors, Wei Gu would be more than happy to do so.

"Senior Brother Wei, this..."

"This bastard! This bastard is the Lin Household cultivator who attacked and killed me, Senior Brother Han, and Senior Brother Duan back then!!" Wei Gu's eyes immediately turned scarlet, and with his eyes wide open, he almost bit his teeth to pieces.

He grabbed the longbow-wielding monk's hair, scrutinized his blood-stained face for a long time, and said angrily:

"It was him, no doubt about it!! Back then, it was him and several other villains from the Lin Household who ambushed and killed us. Senior Brother Duan protected me to the Tanggu County, where we sought help from County Magistrate Tie to save our lives. When we asked him to send troops to aid Senior Brother Han, we searched all the way there, but all we found was Senior Brother's body!!"

This is the thing that Wei Gu has been most resentful about over the years.

Over the years, he had always thought that if he had put more effort into improving his combat skills back then, he might not have become a burden to Han and Duan, and Han Yundao would not have died.

Upon seeing his enemy, he was naturally extremely excited and almost rolled up his sleeves to tear the longbow cultivator's head off.

"That scoundrel!" Jin Shilun gritted his teeth in anger, but still managed to stop Wei Gu.

He had the deepest friendship with Han Yundao, and the scene of his first meeting with his two senior brothers, Han and Duan, in Niuli Stockade immediately came to mind. He wished he could chop the unconscious longbow cultivator in his hands into a pulp on the spot.

At this moment, however, Jin Shilun must know what is important and prioritize saving his life.

"This fellow was attacked and killed by two Rogue Cultivator earlier. He told me that he knew who the real murderer was who killed Senior Brother Han, so I saved him." Jin Shilun, carrying the longbow-wielding cultivator, led Wei Gu back towards the Chongming Sect.

Filled with resentment, the two men arrived at the mountain gate and saw Han Xundao on duty under the archway.

This was terrible; tears welled up in Wei Gu's eyes and were almost overflowing.

This piqued Han Xundao's curiosity, and he wanted to ask, but the two men wouldn't tell him. Instead, they went straight to Duan Anle, who was in charge of things at the gate. The latter had just finished dealing with the messenger sent by Governor Zhu Tong to urge for military supplies and was finally able to rest.

The defenses that the state government has set up in White Sand County are now in dire straits under the relentless attacks of the Jingnan Yuan Household.

As a faction close to the Capital Region Faction, Chongming Sect, though remaining an observer, understood the principle of mutual dependence.

The Battle of Old Ox Mountain is still fresh in our minds. The red characters on the tombstones of Chu Huer and others have not faded yet, and not many people have forgotten the tragic days when Chongming Sect was on the front line, facing the swords and spears.

Without delay, Jin Shilun explained the matter clearly in just Three Words. Duan Anle's usually composed face suddenly showed a hint of urgency. He grabbed the longbow-wielding cultivator's hair from Jin Shilun's hand, and then, just as Wei Gu had done before, scrutinized the man's face for a long time before sighing and saying:

"It's him, there's no mistake."

"Second Senior Brother, this fellow will only reveal who the murderer is when he sees the senior officers." Jin Shilun's tone was filled with resentment, and he almost clenched the knife handle in his hand until it was wet.

"Grandmaster Black Shoes took Third Uncle to Tengwen Prefecture. Master has been in seclusion for seven days and hasn't come out yet. Second Uncle is refining the Essence Blood of Second Tier Black-Pupiled White Ape. Uncle Ye went to Jin County to inspect the local militia because Master was not here. Martial Uncle Pei is also in seclusion. According to Third Junior Brother, they all seem to be preparing for the transformation of Spiritual Qi into liquid. They must not be disturbed."

Duan Anle counted on his fingers and realized that among the elders in the sect, only Zhou Yixiu, Sun Fu, and Niu Kuang still had time. However, the former never cared about such matters, and the latter two were even less likely to gain the trust of this Longbow cultivator.

It would be difficult to satisfy this fellow's demands in a short time.

"How about we go find a few of our master's wives?" Jin Shilun really didn't want to wait a moment longer.

Duan Anle thought about it and felt that this was a good idea, but before he could speak, he swallowed his words and said softly, "Let's ask Junior Brother Yuan to treat this fellow's injuries first. After I talk to him, we'll make further plans."

Although Duan Anle was younger, he had served as a senior disciple in the Chongming Sect for many years and often managed sect affairs, so he had accumulated considerable prestige. His words had made his point clear, and Jin and Wei could not refute them.

Wei Gu hurriedly went to find Yuan Changsheng, who was now an advanced Alchemist. However, Pei Yi had been wholeheartedly preparing for the Foundation Establishment stage all these years, so Yuan Changsheng mostly took advantage of the support of Sect Leader Kang Da to seek guidance from the Alchemist sent by the Fei Household.

Therefore, Yuan Changsheng's progress in Dao of Alchemy cultivation was not slower than Kang Dabao had expected. In another ten years or so, Yuan Changsheng should be able to advance to the level of First-Tier Middle-Grade Alchemist.

However, if he wants to go further, Chongming Sect will find it difficult to provide him with any more assistance. After all, it would be unwise to invest a huge amount of resources in a junior like Yuan Changsheng, whose Dao of Alchemy talent is only average.

The longbow-wielding cultivator was seriously injured; even though Yuan Changsheng was sweating profusely, he could only barely save his life.

During this time, Jin Shilun also skillfully searched through the longbow cultivator's Storage Bag. After looking through it, he said, "No wonder those two Rogue Cultivator Yixin to take the longbow cultivator's life. It turns out there is a Reed Flower Pill in here that can increase the probability of Foundation Establishment."

The temptation is immense, and it would be difficult for an ordinary person to resist such greed.

After the longbow-wielding cultivator opened his eyes and drank the bowl of spiritual water handed to him by Yuan Changsheng, he smiled and asked Jin Shilun, "Where is your master?"

"This is my senior Senior Brother Duan, Chongming Sect," Jin Shilun replied coldly.

The longbow-wielding cultivator had regained some strength this time. After carefully examining Duan Anle for a while, he finally spoke:

"I recognize you. You're Duan Anle, right? You've certainly gained quite a bit of prestige these past few years. I've heard that even some rogue cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage are willing to associate with you as equals. I think you were one of the Chongming cultivators that Uncle Jiu and I chased down back then?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Gu became even more enraged. He pulled out a jade ruler and was about to smash the longbow cultivator's mouth open.

With tears in his eyes, Yuan Changsheng stopped Wei Gu. He and his younger brother Yuan Ruyi had been raised by Han Yundao since childhood, and now that both of them were gone, he was naturally heartbroken.

But he was more composed than Wei Gu, who was much older than him, and repeatedly advised, "Senior Brother Wei, please calm down and listen to him."

"It is indeed me, Duan. I remember you too. Your archery skills back then were quite remarkable; my falcon almost met its end at your hands," Duan Anle said calmly, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Well, putting everything else aside, you're someone who can make decisions, so I'll tell you." Even though his life and death were in the hands of his enemy, the longbow-wielding cultivator still had a somewhat reckless air about him.

He glanced at the sorrowful faces of everyone in the hall before calmly uttering, "It was Gui Xiang who killed Han Yundao back then!"

"What?!" The most astonished person in the arena was none other than Jin Shilun, who had captured the longbow-wielding cultivator and brought him over.

He instantly recalled Gui Xiang's warm smile in the market. The Heavenly Thunder Seed, though lying quietly deep in his Storage Bag, burned his skin until it turned red and made him furrow his brow in pain.

"My Lin Household has declined, and in recent years we have been ostracized by the other two families in the Changning Sect. So I went out to study for several years. In a shop in Anshui Market, I saw my Ninth Uncle's Golden Law Artifact and your Han Yundao's Flying Sword."

The old repairman who sold these two Law Artifact back then was very good at bargaining. The shopkeeper charged too much, but he didn't want to make less profit, so they kept them until I went to buy them!

I bought back Uncle Nine's golden gourd Law Artifact, and spent the better part of half a year befriending the shopkeeper, fabricating a story about the seller's appearance. Using this information, I went to the Fearless Tower to buy information—it was Gui Xiang! Gui Xiang killed my Uncle Nine and your Han Yundao, but pinned the blame on my Lin Household!!"

The hall fell silent for a moment, and Duan Anle once again sized up the longbow-wielding cultivator.

The latter has clearly had some fortuitous encounters over the years; otherwise, he wouldn't have both the Reed Flower Pill in hand and Spirit Stone to buy information from the Fearless Tower. It's likely that this is why he was targeted as a fat sheep by the Rogue Cultivator.

However, these matters were irrelevant to everyone in the hall. Duan Anle pondered for a long while before finally speaking, "Since you've told us everything you know, why should we spare your life?!"

The longbow-wielding cultivator was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he laughed nonchalantly and said, "Haha, who in Cloud Horn Prefecture doesn't know that your sect leader is vindictive and good at bullying women? Ever since I fell into your hands, I never thought I could return alive."

Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, you have plenty of ways to extract information from me. I only ask that once your family learns that Gui Xiang is the murderer of Han Yundao, you don't forget this grudge just because he's now a son-in-law of the Yue Household. I only ask that you also inform the Lin Household of this matter, so that my elders may remember the revenge for my ninth uncle!

Duan Anle nodded, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration, and said softly, "Fellow Daoist, please take care!"

With a "thud," a round object rolled down. Duan Anle was a meticulous person and had prepared Ice Script Talisman beforehand to seal the bowl-sized scar on the longbow cultivator's head, thus preventing the room from being filled with a fishy smell.

"Second Senior Brother, it's something I wanted to tell Master." Jin Shilun was a man of deep thought, and once he calmed down, he realized something was amiss.

Duan Anle picked up the severed head from the ground, his expression unchanged, but his tone was filled with indignation. "I know, but I couldn't help myself!"

"Let's go wait outside Master's courtyard!"

----Inside the Sect Leader's Room

"Drip, drip, drip," drops of colorless spiritual dew were slowly dripping from the gourd's mouth. Sect Leader Kang Da's expression was extremely serious. He only breathed a sigh of relief after watching the last drop of spiritual dew fall into the large bowl.

Unaware that his disciples were waiting for him outside the courtyard, he sighed and thought, "I wonder if my Second's chances of reaching Foundation Establishment will increase after taking the Spirit Dew for the first time and improving his aptitude?!"