The Loss of an Able Minister

---- Cold Crow Mountain Range, adjacent to Hong County

Thick miasma surged and churned like living things, and purplish-gray mist waves, carrying the stench of humus, washed over the Protect Body auras of each cultivator.

The mist condensed into a gel-like substance that clung to the hems of the Daoist robes, causing the cultivators to leave dark green, sticky trails on the mottled rock surface with every step they took.

Suddenly, a skeleton leaning against the giant tree emitted a crisp sound.

The leading cultivator looked up and saw a rusty flying sword stuck diagonally in his ribcage, the hilt wrapped with a half-broken, poison-resistant silk cloth soaked in miasma.

The leading cultivator's eyes narrowed as he recognized her as his fellow disciple who had gone missing just ten days prior.

After looking at the skeleton, the leading cultivator realized that he could hardly remember the delicate and lovely childlike face of his junior sister whom he had only parted with ten days ago.

Immediately afterwards, cold sweat seeped from his fair right hand, which was gripping the tortoise shell compass. As his knuckles brushed against the surface of the compass, he rubbed off a few pieces of the divination symbols, which had long been blurred by the miasma.

A rustling sound came from deep within the decaying wood.

The leading cultivator dared not be negligent and retreated abruptly, but his boot heel sank into the bubbling mud. The spirit boots made of First-Tier Superior-Grade Crescent Moon Rhinoceros hide were scalded to pieces, and his feet were covered in blood and flesh. At the same time, a cluster of crimson fungus was climbing up his calf.

Wherever the crimson mycelium passed, the Daoist robe turned to ash, and spiderweb-like black patterns appeared on the delicate skin of the leading cultivator. Ignoring the pain, he gritted his teeth and Hand Seals. As the detoxifying pill in his mouth suddenly dissolved, white Spiritual Qi, like a mist, emanated from his body.

The wisp of Spiritual Qi twisted into a ghostly green the moment it touched the mycelium. The dissolution of the mycelium did not immediately relieve the leading cultivator from his predicament. The putrid odor emanating from it caused his seven orifices to rot and his internal organs to ache terribly. Pill Formula felt slightly better.

If he was in such a sorry state, then the situation of his fellow disciples must have been even worse. Countless of them had their flesh rotting away, and even in this miasma-filled forest, a strong stench of rotting flesh could be smelled.

The leading cultivator was decisive. He took his flying sword, sliced off layers of rotten flesh, gritted his teeth, applied ointment, and then asked urgently, "Junior Brother Pan, have you chosen the location for the array base?"

A cultivator in plain clothes, also covered in blood, approached carrying a sword, his face showing some sorrow. "Senior Brother Gou, the miasma in this place is much denser than described on the previous map. The First-Tier Superior-Grade 'Dissolving Smoke Formation' we brought may not be effective enough. Even if we set it up, we won't be able to completely dispel the miasma here."

The cultivator surnamed Gou looked grim. The pain from his wounds made him grimace for a moment, but he still coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "Once the array base is selected, we can begin. We've traveled for so long; if we can't accomplish anything, how can our sect leaders explain ourselves to the state court and our master?"

Before the cultivator surnamed Gou could even finish speaking, and before Junior Brother Pan could even respond, two scarlet spots lit up from the depths of the miasma.

A Blood-Eating Demon Elk with giant horns and tiger-like toes walked across the swamp. A palm-sized Blue-Patterned Toad was parasitizing on its giant horn, its swollen venom sacs flashing with each breath.

The moment this Demon Beast appeared, it alerted all the cultivators present.

The cultivator surnamed Gou couldn't recognize the Blue-Patterned Toad, but he became cautious upon seeing the Blood-Eating Demon Elk, First-Tier Superior-Grade Demon Beast. This was because such Demon Beast often traveled in groups of three to five and possessed considerable combat power, far exceeding that of other beasts of the same rank.

Without a second thought, the cultivator surnamed Gou bit his tongue and spat out his Essence Blood, intending to arouse the Law Artifact in his hand to be even more excited. However, the moment the blood droplet left his body, the Blue-Patterned Toad on the horn of the Blood-Eating Demon Elk deer let out a strange cry. The sound waves spread, and the cultivator surnamed Gou's Essence Blood was instantly swallowed by the surrounding mist, turning into several twisting black lines that burrowed back into his seven orifices.

The cultivator felt as if a cacophony of countless poisonous insects flapping their wings exploded in his ears. At the same time, his internal organs were in excruciating pain, and cracks appeared in the protective mirror on his chest. The shards of the mirror that splashed out reflected the asphalt-like turbid liquid seeping from his eyes.

"Be careful when casting spells, that toad is strange!"

The cultivator surnamed Gou was a Foundation Establishment in the sect, yet he had suffered such a calamity. How could the remaining cultivators dare to be negligent in the slightest? They immediately unleashed all sorts of Law Artifact, talismans, and Daoist techniques, and attacked the two Demon Beasts in front of them.

More than ten Blood-Eating Demon Elk emerged from the miasma, all of which were of First-Tier Middle-Grade. The Blue-Patterned Toad had a strange cry and used man-destroying techniques; the Blood-Eating Demon Elk had astonishing physiques and sharp horns. In an instant, they slaughtered the elite disciples of the Book and Sword Gate, causing them to cry out in agony and suffer heavy casualties.

"Go, go, go! Report back to the state court and our master, this place Non-Self to stop!" The cultivator surnamed Gou's face was mostly covered in yellow liquid, and in his panic, he was about to lead his fellow disciples away.

Suddenly, a bugle call came from the rear, followed by a group of neatly dressed Daoist soldiers in blue robes stepping forward.

The leader of the team, who carried Six-Leaf Azure Lotus Dao Flag, was not highly skilled, only at the Late Qi Refinement. Yet, he showed no sign of panic in the face of such a scene. His soldiers, without needing any orders, formed a battle formation, waiting only for their leader's command to advance and cut the beasts in front of them into pieces.

Before long, after assessing the quality of the beasts before them, the leader waved his hand and said, "Kill them, but don't harm the toads on their horns."

The cultivator surnamed Gou didn't care which group of Dao soldiers were coming from; seeing that reinforcements had arrived, he only wanted to leave.

However, the leader of the rear team glanced at him silently and was so Sha Qi by the Blood-Eating Demon Elk.

The leader of the group wasn't particularly interested in the pairs of expensive giant horns, but he paid considerable attention to the dozen or so Blue-Patterned Toad he had put into his spirit beast bag. After carefully storing them close to his body, he finally had a moment to glance at the cultivator surnamed Gou, and exchanged a few words of greeting with his hands.

"Chongming Sect Ye Pingshui greets fellow Daoist."

The cultivator surnamed Gou inwardly groaned, thinking to himself, "How did I run into their family here! Wasn't it because of that shameless Kang Dabao's sycophancy and attempts to curry favor with the powerful that they got this job monitoring various families? How come I'm seeing them so far ahead?"

Are these blue-robed Daoist soldiers the Qingjue Azure Jue Guard trained by the Chongming Sect? They certainly look formidable; I wonder if they can compare to the Tie Household's Xiezhi Iron Guard.

However, his expression remained unchanged, and he respectfully said, "Gou Shangyi of the Book and Sword Gate greets Fellow Daoist Ye. I will certainly report your kindness in helping me today to my master and the state court."

"Oh, so you're a fellow Daoist from the Book and Sword Gate and Ye Pingshui's expression suddenly turned even colder, his tone filled with icy intent: "If I had known, I would have waited until these Blood-Eating Demon Elk had devoured them before coming up to deal with them."

However, Ye Pingshui also knew that the situation was no longer the same as when the Tie Household led the Book and Sword Gate and other vassal groups to besiege Learning Forest Mountain. The two families still had to maintain a facade of civility to avoid causing trouble for the sect.

So he simply snorted coldly, then abandoned the heavily wounded Book and Sword Gate Sect troops and led his Azure Jue Guard away.

After traveling for about half a day, they arrived at a clean and flat valley. There, Ye Pingshui led his troops to see Yuan Changsheng, who was resting with a battalion of local soldiers drawn from various families in Cold Crow Mountain.

"Junior brother, please check." Ye Pingshui's face lit up with joy, and he quickly handed the spirit beast pouch in his arms to Yuan Changsheng. The latter's lips curled up slightly, and then he carefully examined the Blue-Patterned Toad in the pouch with a pill in his mouth before finally breaking into a smile:

"Senior Brother Wild is really lucky; he found so many Blue Spirit Toad on his trip."

Ye Pingshui also laughed. Over the years, he had realized that he was not very talented in weapon crafting and that he would probably never become a top-grade weapon craftsman in his lifetime. So he followed his master Yuan Jin to study military strategy, but he still hadn't given up the skill he had practiced since childhood.

As he picked up a handful of spirit gold sand and sprinkled it onto a high-grade short axe whose blade already had a nick, he simultaneously formed Fire-Nurturing Instruction. Seeing the spirit gold sand crackle and pop as it was scorched by blue flames, slowly filling the nick in the blade, Ye Pingshui then spoke, seemingly distracted:

"If Master hadn't repeatedly warned us not to go too far, I might have found even more of these Blue Spirit Toad." Ye Pingshui paused here, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I wonder what the Sect Leader wants us to do with these Blue Spirit Toad?"

It wasn't just the Chongming Sect; Fei Nanying the entire Double Brightness Alliance this lucrative task of overseeing all the various factions.

However, the Sect Leader Kang Da insisted that these disciples, who could have waited patiently in the rear and enjoyed the fruits of others' labor, each lead the Azure Jue Guard, who were supposed to be transporting supplies in the rear, to scatter throughout the mountains to search for this unassuming demon toad. This made Ye Pingshui quite surprised.

Yuan Changsheng's face showed some sadness, but he didn't know how to respond. Just then, he saw Wei Gu, another leader, return with his troops.

The two men could tell that Wei Gu's group was in a sorry state; many of them were seriously injured, and they were also down to half their original number. They quickly went to help them.

"Junior Brother Wei, did you encounter Second Tier Demon Beast?" Yuan Changsheng asked with concern. Wei Gu, whose robes were torn, handed the spirit beast pouch to Yuan Changsheng before speaking in a deep voice, his face filled with lingering fear.

"These mountains are truly treacherous. We hadn't even encountered a single Second-Tier Lower-Grade Demon Beast along the way, but after traveling another twenty or thirty miles, we suddenly ran into a top-grade Second-Tier Supreme-Grade Wind Spirit Leopard."

Ye and Yuan Er gasped in shock, wishing they could break out in a cold sweat like Wei Gu. After all, even though Wei Gu's mastery of formations was unparalleled among the younger generation in the sect, he was still no match for such a ferocious beast.

Even within the entire Chongming Sect, apart from Kang and Jiang, there is probably no one who can rival Demon Beast of this rank.

Wei Gu's face was still deathly pale as he explained, "I didn't even have time to send out the messenger. Fortunately, Uncle Qin was leading troops nearby. He heard the commotion and came to check on things. When he saw the Six-Leaf Azure Lotus Dao Flag that I had displayed, that's how I was able to return alive."

The two people standing to the side both looked solemn, marveling at Wei Gu's good fortune in being rescued by Qin Sufu.

However, whether it was due to his superior skills and daring or his desperate desire to accumulate enough Merit Points for Foundation Establishment, this Junior Brother Wei actually traveled so far.

It should be noted that this time, the Han City Yue Household, having lost power in recent years, suffered a lot of suppression from the Fei Household. They gritted their teeth and took the lead, bearing the brunt of the casualties along with their subordinates.

As the son-in-law of the Yue Household, Qin Sufu naturally led a battalion of state soldiers to support him from behind.

Wei Gu actually managed to bump into them, which means they've all ended up near the vanguard, far exceeding the area set by the masters. He's caused trouble for many fellow disciples and left the masters indebted to him. Even if Wei Gu finds a lot of Blue Snow Toads, he'll probably get a good scolding when he returns to the sect.

Yuan Changsheng had no time to worry about his junior brother. He simply went to the side to help a fellow disciple bandage his wounds, and said:

"The Cold Crow Mountain Range stretches for several miles, each with its own unique dangers. In the past, many Mountain Barbarians had established themselves in our Ping and Jin counties. During the Pingrong campaign, General Shen Lingfeng led troops to slaughter them and set up military camps to keep watch for a while. Therefore, even after more than two hundred years, the Demon Beast are still not strong."

However, the foothills adjacent to Hong County are quite different; they are truly extremely dangerous.

In just over a month, the number of comrades who have passed away has already exceeded two thousand. Yet, we have only come halfway through this journey, and the treacherous terrain we have cleared is far from stable. We don't know if things will revert to the same course in the future.

"Junior Brother Yuan, have you collected enough Blue Spirit Toad?" Upon seeing Wei Gu's fate, Ye Pingshui immediately lost his arrogance and dared not utter those boastful words of "I am free."

Yuan Changsheng nodded in agreement and said calmly, "The amount set by our sect leader is indeed sufficient, even slightly exceeding it. If the other disciples haven't found enough, we can share some with them."

"Then let's head back?" Ye Pingshui suggested, putting away his short axe.

"Let Junior Brother Wei rest a bit more." Yuan Changsheng comforted the junior beside him for a while, but when he looked at Blue Spirit Toad, a bit of worry arose in his heart.

They said they were going to rest, but in reality, only a short while had passed. The group was about to break camp and leave, and had already set off on their respective flying boats when a beam of light appeared from behind.

As they drew nearer, it became clear that it was a golden-horned flying boat. The boat slowed down upon seeing the Chongming Sect's group, and then a tall cultivator disembarked, asking in a questioning voice, "Changsheng, what are you doing here?"

Yuan Changsheng was also surprised to see Qin Sufu, and quickly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Uncle! This junior is about to return home."

"Are you here looking for some spiritual treasure?" Qin Sufu asked, guessing. Then he added, "On this ship, I have the complete carcass of a Second-Tier Supreme-Grade Wind Spirit Leopard, as well as more than ten Second Tier Demon Beast of various ranks, thousands of First Tier Demon Beast, and hundreds of spirit medicine. Go aboard and see if there's anything you want to take."

Yuan Changsheng did not interact much with Qin Sufu, mainly because after the latter joined forces with Yue Household, he found it difficult to get too close to his brothers from the Chongming Sect.

Yuan Changsheng had only seen this uncle a few times during difficult times, and they had never spent time alone together; they could almost be said to have had no interaction. Now, seeing him in person, he realized that what his teachers had said was true—this Uncle Qin was indeed generous.

However, Yuan Changsheng was not a greedy person, so he declined.

Seeing this, Qin Sufu didn't ask any further questions and said, "Are you going back to the rear? My Yingzhou troops have many wounded and need to retreat and rest. You should come back with me on my flying boat. This place is dangerous, and it will be much safer with me here."

Everyone's eyes lit up. They realized that with Qin Sufu looking after them, they would be much safer. Yuan Changsheng didn't refuse and immediately bowed in thanks. "Then thank you very much, Uncle."

The journey was not entirely smooth, and they encountered three or five Second Tier demonic birds along the way. Although the three forces of Ye, Yuan, and Wei were no longer afraid after joining forces, they were still bound to lose some lives.

In particular, the Cold Crow Mountain militia under Yuan Changsheng's command, though numerous, were of mixed quality, and casualties were bound to be significant.

However, with Qin Sufu's Golden Horn Spirit Boat, this problem was no longer an issue. The latter didn't even need to lift a finger; the Foundation Establishment cultivators under the Dianjun Mansion were enough to clear away any obstacles.

However, they had to part ways halfway through their journey. Qin Sufu was in a hurry to report back and did not want to appear in front of his brothers to avoid being accused of seeking credit. So he sent another yellow-faced Foundation Establishment to lead the Double Brightness team back to the rear and handed them over to Kang Dabao.

Qin Sufu was indeed a man of great influence, but how could the Sect Leader Kang Da be a stingy person? This yellow-faced Foundation Establishment naturally received generous thanks, and when he left, he had a bright smile, as innocent as a child.

But after he left, Kang Dabao's expression suddenly turned cold.

Ye Pingshui and Wei Gu were completely unaware of the situation. They thought that Wei Gu had offended their sect leader by targeting too many disciples this time, so they immediately fell silent and dared not utter a word.

Only Yuan Changsheng immediately understood and handed over a spirit beast bag filled with Blue Spirit Toad to Sect Leader Kang Da.

The latter remained silent, and after probing the area, finally let out a long sigh of relief. He then instructed, "Changsheng, come with me. You two take your men down and await further instructions."

As soon as he spoke, the younger generation respectfully responded. Yuan Changsheng was anxious and impatient, but dared not speak. He simply lowered his head and followed his senior uncle past the low tents until they arrived at the most luxurious military tent in the rear.

The military tent occupied a large area, and a pool of newly lit Second Tier earth fire was burning inside. As soon as Yuan Changsheng entered, his face was burned by the fire. Only after he made a hand seal to activate the spiritual restriction on his magic robe did he feel much better.

A towering Pill Furnace floated in mid-air amidst the earth fire. The two uncles, Yuan and Jiang, who had just found various spiritual objects, and the two fellow disciples, Duan and Ming, all had ashen faces and surrounded the large-bodied Luan Attendant Luan as protectors.

The latter's expression remained solemn, and his hand gestures changed repeatedly, so fast that Yuan Changsheng could not make out the details, only seeing afterimages.

As the final, profound hand seal closed, the surging crimson flames within the tent scorched the spiritual seal on the brocade, creating glass-like patterns. The twelve yellow talismans engraved on the Pill Furnace body flickered under the licking of the earth's venomous fire.

Each time the furnace lid vibrated, the medicinal fragrance escaping from the gaps would give way to a slightly fishy, sulfurous odor, and would startle the magma below, causing it to burst open like red lotus blossoms.

Attendant Luan's expression was extremely serious, his hands, with bulging veins, hovering in the air and forming a fire control incantation, completely ignoring the fact that the corners of his top-grade magic robes had been burned with honeycomb-like holes by the flying sparks.

Suddenly, his neck stiffened, and the cold sweat that had just seeped out of his skin turned into white mist and steamed. He coughed lightly and exhaled foul air, which not only made Yuan Changsheng below look pained, but also caused the black iron bell hanging from the Pill Furnace handle to crack like spider webs.

"Why is it taking so long?! Has the Blue Spirit Toad arrived yet?!"

The Sect Leader Kang Da, was so drunk that he lost his temper for a long time. He immediately poured out the entire bag of Blue Spirit Toad. Without Luan Attendant Luan him, he knew how to handle this spiritual ingredient.

With a flick of his finger, these hideous creatures let out miserable howls, and then the blue markings and poison sacs on their bodies were extracted, melting into a pool of gray spiritual liquid, which slowly approached the Pill Furnace.

Yuan Changsheng was also a rank -Alchemist. He could see that although his master's technique was still rough, he handled the spiritual materials in one go with almost no obstruction. He knew that he must have used his powerful Divine Sense to forcefully accomplish this, and he was secretly shocked.

After all, based on what he had seen and heard in various classic texts, this was something that even ordinary Pill Master would find difficult to accomplish.

However, those in the tent had no time to marvel at Kang Dabao's Divine Sense. They only saw him attach a layer of spiritual energy to the gray spiritual liquid to prevent it from being vaporized by the earth fire and instead pour it directly into the cracks of the pill lid.

Upon seeing this scene, Attendant Luan Gongfeng checked the situation inside the furnace with his Divine Sense, and his whole body immediately relaxed considerably. However, he still did not speak, but simply nodded slightly to Kang Dabao.

The latter's expression relaxed, but his tone remained unchanged. He simply instructed Yuan Changsheng beside him in a deep voice, "After leaving the tent, send word to those fellow disciples who are still scattered outside collecting the materials for the Mystic Sha Qi-Continuing Pill, and tell them they can return."

"Yes," Yuan Changsheng replied, his heart still heavy with worry, but he couldn't ask any questions here. After agreeing, he and Sect Leader Kang Da looked intently at the Pill Furnace that had been thrown into the air.

Those inside the tent lost track of time, only to hear a sharp crack as the hand seal in Attendant Luan Gongfeng's palm suddenly snapped open, radiating a burst of spiritual energy.

The lid of the Pill Furnace, suspended above the earth fire, was wide open, and a large cloud of pure energy overflowed, spreading to every corner of the military tent in an instant.

A hint of joy finally appeared on Attendant Luan's face. He dispersed the Condensing Pill Finger Technique and pointed with his halberd finger. A pill brimming with spiritual energy immediately emerged from the furnace and was Attendant Luan's palm.

Dark patterns like spider webs covered its surface, and fluffy blood vessels floated deep within the translucent paste, like the meridians of a living creature frozen in ice. With each turn, it exuded a cold and damp aura. The moment the fingertip touched the shell, a few wisps of green smoke shot out from the cracks, carrying the sweet and pungent smell of blood, flesh, and spiritual herbs, making one's nose tingle.

Attendant Luan Gongfeng coughed a few times, unable to hide his joy as he spoke, "It's also luck! After half a century, I've refined this Mystic Sha Qi-Continuing Pill again, and I actually succeeded on the first try! It's no wonder your junior brother's life wasn't meant to end!"

Attendant Luan but be excited. Although he was a rare Third Tier Alchemist, due to the limitations of his cultivation, he could only produce a few third-tier pills with enough confidence. Being able to refine the Mystic Sha Qi-Continuing Pill, a life-saving elixir that was considered troublesome among Third-Tier Lower-Grade pills, certainly involved a lot of luck.

All the cultivators in the tent were deeply moved, bowing their heads and saying, "Thank you so much for saving our lives, senior!"

Attendant Luan snorted lightly, clearly not impressed by the scene. He thought to himself, "Why hasn't that Pei brat succeeded in his Foundation Establishment yet?! If he really dies in vain, wouldn't I be at a huge loss?"

However, this incident happened so suddenly that it was uncertain whether the letter to the capital would reach the Kuai Household. Even though Attendant Luan couldn't bear to see them so anxious, he was still asked by the Sect Leader Kang Da to refine the pills again.

Although he was unhappy, he had already come to a conclusion: since he had already placed a large bet, he had no choice but to continue betting to avoid losing everything in one go.

Since the previous Attendant Luan Gongfeng was willing to take out his most treasured possessions to help Pei Yi continue his Dao Path, the materials for this Mystic Sha Qi-Continuing Pill, though also precious, are far inferior to the former, so he is naturally more willing to give them away.

After all, apart from a few rare items, most of the ingredients for the pill were incomplete. The rest were mostly urgently searched for in Cold Crow Mountain and purchased from various markets by Kang Dabao's disciples.

Attendant Luan naturally put in a lot of effort this time, but he didn't pay much in real money, which shows he was willing to spend it.

Just as Attendant Luan placed the pill into the jade bottle, summoned a warm breeze, and slowly handed it to Sect Leader Kang Da, a messenger talisman entered from outside the tent.

Suddenly, the expressions of all the cultivators, including Luan Attendant Luan, tightened.

Kang Dabao suppressed his panic and forced himself to remain calm. As he gripped the jade bottle in his hand, he reached out and took the letter to read it.

However, just a few breaths later, he shuddered, his face contorted in pain. Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing's expressions changed drastically, and they rushed over, but after reading the letter, they all clenched their teeth and remained silent for a long time.

Attendant Luan, having lived for over two hundred years as Rogue Cultivator and become Third Tier Alchemist, must be an incredibly astute individual. Seeing this scene, how could he not know what had happened?!

In an instant, his overflowing joy vanished into nothingness.

Attendant Luan fat face and extremely ugly expression, did not speak to the other cultivators. Instead, he rushed to Kang Dabao's side, roughly pried open his hand, took back the Mystic Sha Qi-Continuing Pill that he had painstakingly refined, and started to leave.

"Kang will forever remember the kindness of his fellow Daoist friends."

"Ha, you..." Upon Attendant Luan sneered, his heart filled with rage. He was about to turn around and shout a few curses when he saw the word "servant" stuck in his throat. Just as it was about to slip out from between his teeth, he saw the utterly indifferent eyes of the Sect Leader Kang Da.

Attendant Luan then realized that although he held a superior position in the Fei Household, Kang Dabao had recently become more valued than when he had just defeated Funeng, so there was no reason for him to antagonize the latter.

After all, this lowly sect leader, at present, seems to be one of the most promising people in the She Mountain Hall, besides Fei Bofeng and Fei Zhongyun, who are both Golden Core seeds, to achieve advanced cultivation.

So he just snorted coldly and left the military tent with a displeased look on his face.

At this moment, even though the younger generation knew the situation perfectly well, they still clung to a sliver of hope and stepped forward. Yuan Changsheng was the most anxious, yet he took the slowest steps. Although they were only a few feet apart, he couldn't get close for a long time.

Halfway there, Yuan Changsheng dared not approach the letter any longer. He stammered to Sect Leader Kang Da, "Sect Leader Uncle."

The latter sighed sadly, summoned a wisp of pure energy, transformed it into a palm, and slowly clamped the talisman into Yuan Changsheng's hand with his fingers.

"Changsheng, you have no master anymore."

"How... how did that happen?"

The token fell to the ground, and sobbing could be heard from inside the tent.

The Sect Leader Kang Da had no time to grieve. He instructed Yuan and Jiang, "Tell Changsheng to go back and handle the funeral arrangements. The matter of opening up this place is entrusted to us by the Fei Household and cannot be delayed. The rest of you, each perform your duties. After everything here is settled, you can go back to see Junior Brother Pei. I have to go out and take care of something. Second and Third, you two take care of things here."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother."

"I'm sure the Third and I won't make any mistakes."

After giving his instructions, Kang Dabao was about to leave the tent, but after taking only a few steps, he stopped, turned around, and said, "Don't forget to inform the entire clan and that everyone should wear mourning clothes."

----State Military Camp

"Rest well. Your injuries aren't serious. We'll definitely remember you when we announce your contributions!"

"Thank you, Commander!"

"You fought bravely at the forefront, slaying ten beasts of the same rank. Your military achievements have been recorded, and your land and Spirit Vein have been allocated. Once we return to Xuanwei City, I will promote you and award you a higher rank!"

"Thank you, Commander Xie. Once my injuries have healed, I will fight for you again!"

"Don't worry, I will arrange a future for your Spirit Root offspring, regardless of their aptitude."

"It's a pity I can no longer fight for the army; I have no regrets in this life!"

After comforting the wounded soldiers and bringing them out of the tent, Qin Sufu spoke to his attendant beside him, "This time in the mountains, I also found a cluster of spiritual herbs. These herbs are very mild and can be used by ordinary people. When we left a month ago, there was an epidemic around Hancheng. Later, bring this herb back to Master Yue's alchemy school and tell them that I told them to treat the common people without delay."

As soon as the attendants received their orders and withdrew, Qin Sufu's Divine Sense stirred, and he saw a close friend standing in front of the camp.

Brother Kang

"Brother Daoist!"

After the commotion subsided, both of their expressions hardened, and they asked in unison, "You knew all along?"

After the wind died down, there was no more sound.