The Evil Cultivator's Calculations, the Two Instruments Sect's Rich Reward

Daoist Peng sat cross-legged on the heated kang, his hands forming a hand seal. With a gentle flick, he easily summoned the last remaining life force from Shang Baijiang and the military academy.

The old man took a deep breath, and as the vital energy entered his stomach, his complexion improved slightly. However, Shang Baijiang and the military academy student were completely bloodless. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell at a glance that they were dead.

A Yin Qi instantly filled the small room, seemingly diminishing the warmth from the kang (heated brick bed).

Daoist Peng then took out a blood pill from his sleeve, swallowed it, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. Before a cup of tea had been brewed, the old man's complexion not only did not improve, but suddenly turned deathly pale.

Unable to suppress the foul blood gushing from his stomach, Daoist Peng closed his eyes and spat out a cloud of dark blood mist. The stench instantly filled the entire room, and the old man trembled, nearly collapsing.

He barely managed to steady himself, but his hand seals had already broken apart, and his internal spiritual energy was in complete chaos. The effects of the blood pill that the Shang Baijiang clan had condensed were completely dissipated. His first cultivation attempt after waking up was indeed a complete failure!

Having risen through the ranks of Rogue Cultivator and endured countless hardships to finally reach the Golden Core Peak, Daoist Peng was not discouraged. He simply opened his eyes and then casually spat out, "Cough, what a formidable old bird!"

Only Daoist Peng himself knew the severity of his injuries. Not only were all his meridians severed and his physical body destroyed, but even his Golden Core essence was almost completely lost. Unless he was extremely unlucky enough to encounter a cultivator with exceptional eyesight by his side, even an ordinary cultivator with fake False Core would only think of Daoist Peng lying in the boat awning as a mortal.

In other words, Daoist Peng was used to being cautious. While studying blood magic, he did not forget the orthodox methods of cultivation and nourishing the body's vital energy.

At the brink of life and death, the old man survived only because of this "Yingwei Xing, Bu Shi Qi Lu" (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) that he had cultivated for a hundred years.

However, it was also a stroke of luck. With his physical body on the verge of collapse, his life force was extremely weak. If it weren't for Shang Baijiang's good fortune in pulling him out of the river, he, a dignified cultivator, might have actually drowned in there.

Of course, Daoist Peng felt no remorse whatsoever for absorbing the Blood Qi of his savior's family and turning them into corpse puppets.

Having dedicated his life to cultivation, he had long since lost count of how many lives he had taken through wicked means. Shang Baijiang was not the first savior he had killed, nor would he be the last; to him, this was nothing to dwell on.

Now, all that Daoist Peng can worry about is healing his wounds.

"Where did my Storage Bag go?" Daoist Peng sighed. Half his life's savings were in it, and he had no idea where Storage Bag had scattered after he used the forbidden technique.

If he were still by my side, would this old man be in such a sorry state, reduced to the point where he has to resort to illusions to deceive even a few mere Qi Refinement?

"Fortunately, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner is still intact!" Daoist Peng felt slightly relieved after glancing inward at his natal magic Law Treasure. However, this Law Treasure had also been severely damaged by Fei Tianqin, and now it could only be nurtured in Daoist Peng's Dantian with a dim spiritual light.

But now that Daoist Peng himself is riddled with wounds, how could he possibly provide any assistance to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner?

"My injuries are too severe, and the spiritual energy here is too weak. If I stay here without any resources, I'm afraid it will take me thirty to fifty years to even reach the Foundation Establishment stage, let alone the Core Formation Core Formation!"

The old man felt extremely unlucky. He was already badly injured, but to make matters worse, he ended up in enemy territory. Otherwise, he could have simply sent a message to the Two Instruments Sect Pu Honggu.

But just by looking at how the gates of the mortals had been swept clean, Daoist Peng knew that the city was now heavily guarded. Even if he used all his skills, he could at True Cultivator for a while, and it would be difficult to last long. He was really in a difficult position.

After sighing, Daoist Peng pondered, "I've only recovered to the First Layer of Qi Refining. Just the time it took to drink a cup of tea to confuse that Qi Refinement brat has already depleted most of my hard-won Qi!"

The knots were tied and untied, then tied and untied again. The old man finally calmed down, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

"It may take three to five months to reach the Middle Qi Refinement. By then, the city's martial law should have been lifted, and I might be able to find an opportunity to quietly leave the city to find the few separate residences I left behind years ago. Once I've recovered a little more of my vitality, I can send a message to the Two Instruments Sect. But, can I really return to the Two Instruments Sect?!"

Even a cunning rabbit knows to have three burrows, let alone Daoist Peng, a seasoned Evil Cultivator who has weathered countless storms over the years. Even if he were to take refuge under the banner of the Two Instruments Sect, he couldn't possibly not make any arrangements outside.

The old man knew perfectly well that he and the other cultivators of the Two Instruments Sect were not truly fellow disciples. They were all wary of him, fearing that this filthy outsider Evil Cultivator his place.

Even if he and Pu Honggu grew closer due to mutual interests, was there truly any affection between them?

Daoist Peng couldn't answer this question. In fact, even the disciples and grand-disciples he had taken in at Black Sand Peak of the Two Instruments Sect couldn't be completely trusted by this old man.

While those who practice Evil Cultivator, who sever all ties of emotion and righteousness, may lack much of the karma and human relationships they experience and attain a carefree and unrestrained existence, making their cultivation extremely efficient, they also find themselves unable to trust anyone once they reach that point, a truly lamentable situation.

Daoist Peng had already thoroughly grasped this principle, so he did not indulge in sentimentality at this time. He simply straightened his face, narrowed his eyes, let out a long breath, repeated the hand seal, and flicked his finger.

Two streams of life suddenly burst forth from the old man's seven orifices, splitting halfway through their journey and slowly seeping into the Baihui acupoints of Shang Baijiang and the military academy student.

In just a few breaths, as the complexions of the two corpse puppets visibly became rosy, Daoist Peng's back hunched over even more.

The blood pill he had just used was far less effective than Daoist Peng had anticipated, and his plan to quickly restore his cultivation had failed. Unable to escape in the short term, he still had to attach his Divine Sense to the two corpse puppets to travel outside and gather information.

The two corpse puppets stretched their slightly stiff bodies and walked out of the room together.

Just as they closed the door, Daoist Peng looked inward again for a moment, his gaze lingering on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which was being nurtured in his Dantian without any movement, as if deep in thought.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Elder Ye, and Elder Duan, we have thoroughly investigated every household in Chongming City. We did manage to find three or five Evil Cultivator hiding in the city, but they were all Qi Refinement the early or mid-stages of Qi Refining, and their cultivation Cultivation Method were substandard. They were all killed by our disciples. Apart from that, we haven't found anything else unusual."

Jin Shilun, the Chongming City's garrison disciple, and Song Cheng, the assigned disciple from the Punishment Hall, stood in the city lord's mansion and reported to the three True Cultivators at the head of the household.

How could such a massive city with a population of millions only uncover a few filthy cases after such a thorough search?

There were several thousand martial artists of various ranks who were beheaded or forced into labor, but these were minor matters that could be handled by Kang Rongguang of the City Lord's Mansion. There was no need to mention them and trouble the masters and elders in the sect.

"Hmm," Sect Leader Kang Da responded calmly. The five states under the jurisdiction of Cloud Horn Prefecture Court were so vast that it was unlikely that the thing that Mo Hegu, a Golden Core cultivator, was searching for could be found in his own territory.

To be honest, even if what the Golden Core cultivators are looking for is truly within the jurisdiction of the Chongming Sect, there's little chance that these Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement disciples would discover it.

Therefore, in all fairness, there is not much difference between doing this or not. However, since Fei Nanying and other senior cultivators have made it clear that each family should conduct its own investigation, Kang Dabao would not dare to go against the grain at this time.

The result of failing to do something is no different from not doing it at all, but the former is due to a lack of ability, while the latter is due to disobedience. These are very different in nature.

After thinking for a while, Sect Leader Kang Da spoke calmly, "The Two Instruments Sect and the State Court just had a battle, and the Liangyi Sect suffered a minor loss. It's hard to say whether they will take some action to retaliate in the near future. These are turbulent times, so Old Ye, you should stay here for now and take charge of the overall situation."

Shilun and his junior disciple Song will lead the disciples of the Punishment Hall to remain in Chongming City, cooperating with Elder Ye to guard the gates. Any unusual activity must not be concealed; report it to me immediately!

"Yes,"

"Anle, go and summon the spirit bird to quickly deliver a message to Wild Fox Mountain, instructing Second to immediately lead the Azure Jue and Crimson Zhang guards to thoroughly search all four hundred-plus households on Cold Crow Mountain. Also, tell Fourth Brother at Jia-Chou Military Stronghold not to miss anyone."

"Disciple understands!"

After making the arrangements, Kang Dabao took Duan Anle and returned to Little Ring Mountain. They were originally short of resources for cultivation, but this time, after fighting alongside the state court, their luck was indeed good, and they managed to acquire some Storage Bag without much effort.

If there's nothing else to do lately, I can cultivate properly for a while. No wonder Sect Leader Kang Da seems a bit anxious. You see, even Golden Core cultivators have already entered the fray recently, and Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation level isn't quite enough at this point.

------ Two Instruments Sect, Rosy Lake Mountain

"Junior Brother Mo, you've suffered!" Although Pu Honggu's words were meant to be caring, they contained no warmth whatsoever, making Mo Hegu's ears sting, as his face was already slightly pale.

Apart from Qiu Yunsheng, who was Outer Dao work for the heretical sects, the other four cultivators were all seated on the stone table atop Rosy Lake Mountain. Slightly different from the last meeting, the Grand Elder of the Two Instruments Sect Pu Honggu, now had a rather frighteningly gloomy expression, quite different from the kind and benevolent elder he usually was.

Everyone else sensed the awkward atmosphere and dared not speak, but Mo Hegu, having been singled out by Pu Honggu, had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply, "Senior Brother, you flatter me. It's just my duty, and I dare not complain of hardship!"

"Hmm," Pu Honggu murmured meaningfully. Mo Hegu, though seriously injured, dared not show his anger and could only retreat behind the desk with a belly full of grievances.

Seeing Mo Hegu's fate, the cultivators' faces also darkened. They were unaware that Daoist Peng was involved in two major matters: colluding with Demon Cultivator and refining the Crimson Realm Life-Prolonging Pill. Therefore, Pu Honggu was extremely anxious and troubled.

They could only see that Mo Hegu was seriously injured, but they didn't even receive a decent word of comfort from him, which was truly pitiful.

It should be noted that this battle was indeed caused by Mo Hegu being spied on on his return journey, which resulted in the Two Instruments Sect suffering a somewhat humiliating defeat.

However, Mo Hegu was also ordered by the Grand Elder of the Two Instruments Sect to abandon his own cultivation and go out to do things. Pu Honggu's behavior is indeed somewhat disheartening.

Li Yun didn't know whether Pu Honggu felt ashamed because Mo Hegu couldn't defeat Yue Lin and Yuan Buwen, two False Core, or because he was troubled by the long absence of Daoist Peng. But the atmosphere was too heavy at the moment, and someone had to step forward to try and turn things around.

"My junior brother just sent another talisman to inquire about the situation at Fearless Tower, and it seems that She Fu Yi received some news."

"Junior Brother Li, what news?!" Pu Honggu's interest was piqued, his expression softened, and he asked urgently.

Seeing that Pu Honggu was so nervous, Li Yun first suppressed her surprise before speaking slowly, "She Fu Yi said that a month ago, a cultivator saw from afar that the old bird of the Fei Household was chasing a Blood Shadow Evil Cultivator, who had no power to fight back and could only flee for his life."

Pu Honggu's expression, which had just relaxed, suddenly hardened, and his old eyes narrowed as if deep in thought.

Upon hearing Li Yun's words, not only Pu Honggu realized it, but everyone present was certain that the one being pursued by Fei Tianqin was none other than the Daoist Daoist Peng all the cultivators had been searching for.

But Pu Honggu was more shocked than the others.

"That old bird is actually so skilled in combat? No wonder there are rumors that many True Person in the imperial court respect his seniority and are willing to humble themselves before him."

After Daoist Peng completed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, Pu Honggu showed no reaction on the surface, but he knew in his heart that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would have little chance of surpassing the former.

However, Daoist Peng was completely overwhelmed by Fei Tianqin and had no power to fight back.

Upon reading this, Pu Honggu suddenly felt a sense of relief that he had managed to withdraw from Old Ox Mountain in time. "Luckily, I had foreseen this. If I had shown up then, that old bird from the Fei Household probably wouldn't have had the nerve to bully the weak, and would definitely have come to fight. At that time, it wouldn't have been as simple as losing a few good-natured False Core; I'm afraid even Junior Brother Mo and Junior Sister Huang wouldn't have returned unscathed."

It took the old man a while to calm himself down. He saw that although his fellow disciples remained silent, their eyes were all fixed on his black robe. Pu Honggu was not in a hurry. After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke, "What else did that woman She Fu Yi say? Is Junior Brother Peng still alive?"

Li Yun thought for a moment before speaking, "That woman She Fu Yi, didn't sound very certain either. She only said that if Junior Brother Peng is still alive, he should be able to be found near Pingrong County in Cloud Horn Prefecture."

Pu Honggu murmured, "Pingrong County? After the chaos, it was a barren place. There shouldn't be a single family with any False Core skills there. If I remember correctly, that seems to be the territory of the Fei Household's eldest son-in-law?"

Li Yun nodded in agreement. "Back then, the Daoist Black Shoes also came from this place, and he did some favors for that Fei Household son-in-law. That fellow just defeated the abbot protecting Original Response Temple, and was highly regarded and at the height of his power."

Pu Honggu frowned slightly upon hearing this, not out of fear of a nobody Sect Leader Kang Da, but because Fei Nanying, who was in charge of the Fei Household, would certainly not hesitate to plant spies among such a junior.

In this way, if Pu Honggu were to personally go to Pingrong County, it would indeed cause him a lot of trouble. You should know that when Fei Nanying at Old Ox Mountain, he had been pressing Li Yun with many questions, which meant that he had already sensed some signs of trouble.

Having figured this out, the old cultivator turned to Li Yun and said, "Have She Fu Yi continue to send people to search. If Junior Brother Peng is still alive, Fearless Tower must verify the truth! Junior Brother Li, go and tell She Fu Yi that if she can find out Junior Brother Peng's whereabouts, in addition to the previous promises..."

Pu Honggu's expression turned solemn. After observing the hesitation of his fellow disciples, he made up his mind. "Golden Core Formation Pill, I can grant you a spot in the Fearless Tower."

"What?!"

"Senior Brother!!"

The cultivators were startled and stood up abruptly, even the most composed Li Yun was filled with surprise.

But Pu Honggu, who was usually very kind, put on an air of absolute authority this time. Even though none of the cultivators agreed, the old cultivator raised his brow and made the final decision. "Stop talking, Junior Brother Li, do as you say!"

"Senior Brother!"

"Junior Brother Li?"

"Junior brother obeys."

After the meeting ended in discord, the cultivators had different thoughts. Although Li Yun was unwilling, she quickly wrote a letter and rushed to a gauze tent.

As ten slender fingers gently unfolded the talisman, a slight smile appeared on the face of the woman behind the gauze curtain after a quick glance.

"Go and send a message to my dear granddaughter, inviting that young Kang to come and see me."