Time flies, another month has passed.

    Since the emergence of spirit generals and spirit warriors, Chen Yun's progress in learning dragon-slaying techniques under the guidance of his mentor has been a thousand miles a day.

    As it happens, just yesterday, he has mastered the complete dragon-slaying technique.

    What is lacking at the moment is nothing more than thoroughly mastering the skills learned.

    As for He Fairy, she had been waiting here for about half a month, and then had to leave because of some urgent matters.

    However, before she left, she left an address for Chen Yun, instructing him to go to Dongji True Man's place after he completes the dragon-slaying technique.

    This morning.

    Just after Chen Yun finished practicing the fists that merged the Daoist Arts with dragon-slaying techniques, he was preparing to tidy up, and then read some Daoist sutras for a while.

    Suddenly, Zhongli Quan walked out from inside, nodding slightly and saying, "Chongyong, in these two months, your cultivation has improved greatly. Although you haven't reached the late stage of the seventh-level wizard, with the dragon-slaying technique mastered, you now have the ability to protect yourself. Now, apart from the techniques, there's not much I can teach you. Why don't you set off to meet Master Dongji?"

    Chen Yun quickly replied, "Student accepts the task."

    Zhongli Quan pointed to the shrine on the west side where spirit generals and spirit warriors were worshipped, "Take them with you as well. Perhaps you'll encounter demons and evil spirits on the way, which will allow you to accumulate some good karma."

    Chen Yun said, "Alright."

    Just as Zhongli Quan was about to turn around, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Have you sensed the Dao Qi in your body recently?"

    As for this matter, it's better not to mention it.

    Once it's mentioned, Chen Yun can't help feeling a bit troubled.

    Over the past two months in Qingcheng Mountain, with the help of the essence refining and vitality cultivation potion, his cultivation level had grown from the early to mid-stage of the seventh-level wizard. Although there was still a certain distance to the late stage, he believed that after finishing all the essence refining and vitality cultivation potion, even reaching the sixth-level wizard would be possible.

    The dragon-slaying technique has been mastered.

    The physical body and yin-shen cultivation haven't been neglected either.

    The Dao Qi, however, he hasn't sensed a bit.

    Chen Yun was really eager to be able to sense the existence of the Dao Qi and then manifest a powerful Dao body.

    What if one can't sense it?

    He replied frankly, "Reporting to Master, the student has not yet sensed it temporarily."

    Zhongli Quan showed no sign of disappointment, merely saying in a casual tone, "The Dao Qi within the Fire Jujube is hidden within your body. Only by sensing it and merging it with your spirit can it truly manifest as a powerful Dao body. Perhaps because your physical body is not yet strong enough, you haven't sensed the presence of the Dao Qi. As for this trip to pay respects to Master Dongji and learn the methods of physical cultivation, after learning and thoroughly training your body, you may be able to sense the existence of the Dao Qi and manifest a Dao body."

    Chen Yun blinked and asked, "Is sensing the Dao Qi related to the strength of one's physical body?"

    Zhongli Quan nodded and said, "There is a relationship between it, but it's not a certainty. It can be said that with a stronger physical body, the possibility of sensing the Dao Qi is greater. Of course, there are also people who use extreme methods close to death to trigger the Dao Qi."

    Chen Yun made a sound of surprise, "Is it possible to trigger the Dao Qi by being on the brink of death?"

    Zhongli Quan said, "Mhm."

    Chen Yun asked in a weak voice, "Has anyone succeeded?"

    Zhongli Quan waved his fan, "Yes."

    Oh, it seems that being on the brink of death can actually trigger the Dao Qi.

    Chen Yun pondered whether he should also find an opportunity to try it out and see if he can quickly trigger the Dao Qi.

    While thinking about it, he asked again, "What if I fail?"

    Zhongli Quan looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, saying, "If you fail, what can there be? Of course, you will be dead then."

    Chen Yun: "..."

    Got it.

    Better not to try it that way.

    Chen Yun cultivates Daoism for immortality, not to gain power.

    To be precise, gaining power is just a byproduct of the path to immortality.

    Of course, without strong power to protect, it's not possible to achieve immortality. For example, Tang Sanzang in "Journey to the West" himself may not be able to achieve immortality, but eating his flesh can bring immortality. Without the protection of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, it would be difficult to keep the "immortality."

    After all, immortality is not eternal life.

    After a brief conversation with his master, Chen Yun packed his belongings and, accompanied by the images and plaques of the spirit generals and spirit warriors, set off on his mount.

    Actually, it would be fine not to bring the images and plaques of the spirit generals and spirit warriors. They can be summoned at a distance. However, if the journey is very far, even the spirit generals and spirit warriors would need time to arrive. If an emergency occurs, it might be too late for them to arrive in time to save oneself. Therefore, it is more convenient to bring them along.

    Once Chen Yun had left, Zhongli Quan frowned and looked down the mountain, "The master disciple of the Yinshan sect, Yin Wuxi, has come to visit. I cannot directly intervene, should I let Laozhi come over to deal with him?"

    After a moment of thought, he suddenly burst into laughter, "Can I protect Chongyong for a moment, but can I protect him for a lifetime?"

    ...

    On the other side.

    The master disciple of the Yin Mountain Sect, Yin Wuxi, after being goaded into a few words by Xie Lingxiao, decided to avenge the death of Xie Wuming.

    He rushed to the foot of Mount Zhongnan at the first opportunity, hoping to wait for Chen Yun's arrival.

    However, Yin Wuxi waited for half a month and saw not a single hair on Chen Yun's body.

    At the time, he thought that Chen Yun must have been practicing in seclusion.

    Later, he learned from some of the long-term workers who went down the mountain to purchase daily necessities at the Transmission Hall that Chen Yun had left the Mount Zhongnan long ago and gone to Qingcheng Mountain to practice.

    This angered Yin Wuxi, who had been waiting in vain for half a month, and he vowed to find Chen Yun and make his life a living hell.

    Then...

    Mhm, he waited for over a month at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain.

    Yin Wuxi did not see any trace of Chen Yun.

    This was mainly because he had never seen Chen Yun and could only judge from the power of cultivation. Since no one who had cultivated internal elixirs had come down the mountain, he hadn't been able to wait and find him.

    At the same time, Yin Wuxi suddenly realized that today, a cultivator who had cultivated internal elixirs was riding a tiger spirit down the mountain alone.

    Yin Wuxi secretly observed the young Daoist who had cultivated internal elixirs and found that his cultivation and power were consistent with Chen Yun's. He then followed him, intending to find a place for revenge.

    While seeking revenge, Yin Wuxi was not a cruel killer of the innocent. After all, the Yin Mountain Sect had always claimed to be a side sect of the Daoist school and would not commit such acts of wanton murder.

    Therefore, he would seek an opportunity to determine whether the other party was indeed Chen Yun.

    If so, I'm sorry, but I will definitely kill him without delay.

    If not, he wouldn't do anything to the other person.

    Being close to Qingcheng Mountain, Yin Wuxi refrained from acting on impulse.

    It was only after tailing for nearly four thousand to five thousand li that he finally revealed his form.

    ...

    Chen Yun had just ridden the tiger spirit over Longquan Mountain.

    The Daoist sect of Master Dongji is not too far from Qingcheng Mountain, roughly about ten thousand li away.

    According to the speed of the tiger spirit, Chen Yun thought he should be able to reach Mount Jinquan and meet Xie Ziran before tonight.

    The tiger spirit was flying through the sky in the midst of soaring clouds.

    Suddenly!

    The tiger spirit, as if sensing something terrible, suddenly plummeted from the sky and landed in a dense forest.

    Chen Yun had not yet reacted when he suddenly heard the tiger spirit calling out, "Master, are you tired?"

    The tiger spirit's entire body tensed up, and its eyes were locked onto a certain spot deep within the forest, "Master, I can sense a terrifying, evil, and incredibly powerful aura locked onto us from the front. It seems that it is specifically targeting us."

    Chen Yun is not as powerful as the tiger spirit, and animals are generally more perceptive than humans.

    After hearing this, Chen Yun immediately realized that there was indeed a situation.

    His enemies were few, mainly the Huangjin Sect and the Yinshan Sect.

    There was no need to worry about the Yellow Turban Cult; his master had long since resolved the issue.

    Then, the powerful entity locking onto him from the front is most likely a disciple of the Yinshan Sect.

    While appearing composed on the surface, Chen Yun secretly took out the Red Gold Demon-Slaying Sword, the Tiny Dog, and a series of magical artifacts, preparing to respond to any crisis at any moment.

    At the same time, he shouted loudly towards the front, "Whomever Daoist friend is blocking my path, please reveal yourself for a meeting."

    Knowing the location of the enemy is vastly different from not knowing where the enemy is.

    That is why Chen Yun deliberately informed the other party of his awareness in order to let them appear.

    As expected, a grim voice came from the front, "It's such a pity that even my mount has to remind you of my presence. I really don't know where you've gotten your strength to kill my younger brother."

    As the words fell, the sky, which was high and clear at noon, began to grow dark.

    Then, a succession of ghostly screams and howling wolves echoed through the forest.

    Squeaking and rustling sounds filled the surroundings.

    It seemed as if countless things were approaching.

    Chen Yun quickly loosened his spiritual awareness to investigate the surroundings.

    Suddenly, he witnessed a terrifying scene.

    In the depths of the forest, at some unknown time, there had appeared a dense swarm of unknown tiny insects.

    These tiny insects, each the size of a nail, had a golden sheen on their bodies as if they were impervious to weapons.

    Around these tiny insects, faint shadows of spirits were gradually manifesting from black qi, making up over a thousand entities.

    Upon seeing this, Chen Yun's expression changed.

    Of course, he knew what these tiny insects with a metallic appearance and the spirits formed by black qi were.

    Since he had made an enemy of the Yinshan Sect, Chen Yun had been actively seeking information related to the Yinshan Sect.

    These metallic insects are known as Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole).

    Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole) originated from ancient Druidic magic and black arts, which placed various toxic insects in a sealed jar, allowing them to kill each other. After one year, the last one remaining had transformed in appearance and color, taking on the shape of a silkworm with golden skin.

    Since Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole) is difficult to cultivate, once one is successfully cultivated, each is extremely terrifying. Not only are they indestructible by steel blades or fire and water, but they also contain terrifying toxins. If a person were bitten by one, death would be imminent.

    That is not the most terrifying aspect of the Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole).

    The most terrifying thing about the Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole) is that if it penetrates into a human body, it will gradually consume the person's soul!

    A single Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole) is already rare, yet there are thousands of them here?

    If it were just the Jin Can Gou (Golden Silk Mole), Chen Yun might still have a chance to escape.

    But unfortunately, there are also thousands of yin soldiers watching eagerly around them.

    Using his spiritual awareness, he could sense that these yin soldiers' strength might not match his own spirit generals and spirit warriors, but each was almost equivalent to an inferior mage.

    More importantly, Chen Yun also sensed the presence of an especially terrifying "ghost general" lurking among them.

    Chen Yun couldn't determine the level of this "ghost general" at all.

    It could be because Chen Yun was surrounded.

    A black figure gradually materialized from the depths of the forest.

    Chen Yun tightly grasped the Red Gold Demon-Slaying Sword and examined the other party's appearance.

    This was a middle-aged man with a tall and slender figure, surrounded by flowing black qi. It was evident that he practiced evil arts.

    With his current strength, even if he summoned three hundred spirit soldiers, he would not be a match for the other party.

    At that moment, Chen Yun had a judgment, and he even felt that it might be a luxury to escape.

    He knew that he must remain calm at this moment and find a way to escape.

    Thinking of this, Chen Yun deliberately acted composed, delaying time and said, "May I ask your name, fellow Daoist? Why are you blocking my path?"

    Mhm, he knew very well that the other party was from the Yinshan Sect.

    However, to delay time, he had to act foolish and pretend to be crazy.

    The other party didn't immediately launch an attack but held victory in his hand, saying, "Oh? Chen Chong, as a Daoist teacher, do you really not know who I am? I am the main disciple of the Yinshan Sect, Yin Wuji. You killed my junior brother Xie Wuming. Today, I have specially come to seek your life!"

    "Ah?" Chen Yun acted surprised and confused, bowing his hands and said, "It seems that I am speaking with Daoist Yin Wuji of the Yinshan Sect. I am Zhang Qian. I don't know who Chen Chong Yong is? I really do not recognize him."

    Yin Wuji was taken aback and said with a hint of suspicion, "Aren't you Chen Pu?"

    Chen Yun acted even more confused, "Who is Chen Pu?"

    Yin Wuji was a bit confused. He hadn't seen Chen Yun's true appearance, and now seeing Chen Yun genuinely seeming not to know anything, he was puzzled beyond belief. He wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

    (Chapter ends)