Chapter 22

Jun Wuming's face was as cold as frost, a flash of cold light passing between his brows. At this moment, he had just come to his senses and sensed an inexplicable presence, the direction of which was precisely where the Jade-faced Venerable had fled.

Following the vague感应, Jun Wuming felt as if there was an existence extremely close to him not far away, and the connection between the two seemed extremely strong. Even if Jun Wuming intentionally closed his senses, a mysterious force still welled up from the depths of his heart, as if there was an attraction from afar constantly drawing him.

It was as if an invisible thread in the universe tightly linked the two together!

Silent and speechless, he imagined that the Jade-faced Venerable must have used this opportunity to probe his thoughts with a powerful mental force. The deepest thoughts should be impossible to know, otherwise he wouldn't be so indifferent. After all, the secrets in his heart were too important, too terrifying.

"Hehe."

Suddenly, a mysterious smile appeared on Jun Wuming's face. He suddenly felt somewhat absurd, as this world is about giving and taking. The principle of the moon being full and then waning is something he was not unaware of. Having received such benefits, it was only right to pay a price.

"I seem to be too attached. After a long period of smooth sailing, I have become increasingly fragile." He said to himself with a self-deprecating tone.

As long as he improved his cultivation, a little trouble could be solved with a single sword strike!

His expression changed slightly, and a stream of dark water surged out, rippling with black light in the cave, appearing cold and mysterious.

On the surface of the river, the forces of life and death intertwined, rolling up waves on the black water. As the black divine water spread, the green moss in the cave withered and turned gray at a visible speed, and the life force was swept away by the forces of life and death in the river, merging into the black divine water, extremely strange.

Nodding lightly, this force of life and death was extremely strange and imperceptible. It seemed that the benefits gained from the yin-yang cultivation this time were also extraordinary. His face returned to calmness, and he stepped out of the cold cave, facing the morning light, chose a direction, and flew toward the foot of the mountain.

At the Dianchun Hall, the meeting hall of Lianyun Fort.

On the high emerald throne, the chief of the fort, Jun Yuanyun, wore a red brocade robe, his tiger-like eyes shining. The emerald throne was carved from a ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, a special seat for the clan leader, with the ability to calm the mind and spirit, unparalleled in its effectiveness.

On the luxurious back seat, the beautiful woman Lin Hong sat gracefully, wearing a white jasmine smoke silk robe, a trailing white smoke cage plum blossom hundred water skirt, and a soft smoke silk sash, exuding a delicate and alluring charm. Her face was incredibly beautiful, her phoenix eyes naturally seductive yet imposing, her hair combed into an elaborate bun, appearing elegant and grand.

Below, the seats were neatly arranged, with eighteen seats on each side, all emerald gold seats, the seats of the eighteen clan leaders, now empty except for a few people sitting there. In the back, numerous seats were occupied by several elders with silver spiritual patterns on their sleeves, sitting upright.

One of the elders stood up and said, "Chief, a batch of evil creatures has appeared near Qinglong Mountain at some point, wantonly robbing and abducting people. Livestock and people in the town often lose all their vital energy for no reason. I suspect that there are evil spirits causing chaos in Qinglong Town."

"Qinglong Town? Qinglong Mountain and Qinglong Ancient Town are at the intersection of our territory and the Ice Palace, making it difficult to handle!" Jun Yuanyun rubbed his brow, feeling quite troubled, as he was not good at dealing with such trivial matters.

Qinglong Mountain is the intersection of the two territories. Backed by Qinglong Mountain, there are many rare flowers and herbs in the mountains, often attracting herbalists to gather, forming a town. However, evil spirits often cause trouble, descending the mountain to abduct blood.

In recent years, Jun Wuming's master, Jun Qing, was stationed here, and few villains dared to cause trouble.

Don't be fooled by Jun Qing's elegant appearance and scholarly green robe. Outside, Jun Qing had the title of "Green Demon" due to his extremely cruel methods, often extracting souls and refining spirits, and loving to raise poisonous insects and flowers. Once caught by him, one would hardly escape the torment of his poisonous insects.

However, this time, Jun Qing wanted to advance to the fourth stage and returned to Lianyun Fort, so these evil spirits and villains began to stir again.

The beautiful woman in white on the back seat, seeing his difficulty, moved her eyebrows and was about to speak. But before she could open her mouth, she saw a young man in black quietly enter from the side door. Her phoenix eyes lit up, and she leaned over to whisper to the chief.

The chief, wearing a crimson brocade robe, glanced at the smiling woman beside him, then turned to stare at the black-clothed youth who had just entered, a fiery red light shining in his eyes. He suddenly said:

"Name, you go on this trip!"

Jun Wuming was startled upon hearing this. He suddenly looked up, meeting the chief's inquiring gaze, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. He glanced at the beautiful woman beside the chief and understood. Closing his eyes slightly, he considered for a moment and then nodded.

"I am willing to go."

Jun Wuming had long heard of Qinglong Mountain. The main mountain range of Qinglong Mountain is about a million miles long, with layer upon layer of peaks, ancient trees shading the sky, and many rare flowers and herbs in the mountains. However, the mountains are shrouded in toxic mists, and fierce beasts roam, with few people living there.

It connects the northern boundary of Lianyun Fort with the Ice Palace, serving as a natural barrier between the two major forces.

Qinglong Ancient Town, like Taoshan Ancient Town, is located at the foot of the mountain.

Jun Wuming had long been eager to visit this place. The Misty Forest is too dangerous and unsuitable for cultivators like him who have just broken through to the second stage. Qinglong Mountain, however, perfectly meets this condition. After a brief consideration, he agreed.

The cold wind rustled in the golden sunlight, forming unique clouds. Vast clouds spread across the sky, creating endless beauty.

Leaving the meeting hall, Jun Wuming greeted the passing elders one by one, made some preparations, and was ready to set off.

However, he had to stop before the training ground in front of the hall.

Looking at the little girl in front of him, pouting and blinking her big eyes, Jun Wuming felt helpless.

This little girl is the personal maid of the beautiful woman Lin Hong, and grew up with Jun Wuyou, Jun Wuyi, and Jun Wuming, being their childhood playmates. Although their statuses are vastly different, the five of them are like siblings.

"Gift?"

Looking at the small, cute girl pouting and extending her tiny hand, Jun Wuming smiled bitterly. He considered himself unlucky to have run into this little devil. It seemed he wouldn't get away without giving something. However, another thought crossed his mind.

"Xiu'er, look, I really don't have a gift this time. Can you forgive your brother this time? I promise to make it up next time."

Jun Wuming rubbed his hands slightly, a forced smile on his face, no longer his usual calm self. He knew he had to pacify the mischievous little girl to leave.

"Bad Third Brother, you always think of Sister Bi'er, always remember Sister Bi'er. I don't care. Last time, you only gave a gift to Sister Bi'er. What about me?"

The little girl looked unhappy, her cheeks puffed up, and she glared at the black-clothed youth, afraid he would run away.

Jun Wuming felt speechless. By heaven and earth, he had searched the Luming Pond to the bottom and found only one mature Luming Pearl, which happened to be seen by Lin Bi'er, so he gave it to her. He didn't expect the little devil in front of him to find out and relentlessly chase him for over half a month.

Seeing her stance, Jun Wuming felt a headache. This little girl was very persistent. His eyes darted around, and his right hand secretly moved back, secretly using the Divine Water Dao technique. A cold force quickly formed in his hand, with his mind as the craftsman and the Yin essence as the fuel.

In a few breaths, he completed a small, exquisite craft, while saying, "Xiu'er, I forgot this time, but I will remember next time. Look how gentle and well-behaved Sister Bi'er is."

"Wah, Brother Ming only knows how to bully me. I am not gentle, and I am not as well-behaved as Sister Bi'er. You all don't like me."

The little girl immediately became upset, rubbing her snow-white hands to wipe her tears, crying and running away.

Seeing the little girl cry, Jun Wuming felt distressed. This was a disaster. He moved quickly, blocking her path, and while soothing her, he took out the Azure Water Lotus he had collected a few days ago.

A green light flashed, and a palm-sized jade box revealed a lotus platform emitting a faint azure light. In the bright sunlight, the lotus was graceful and elegant, its green stamens swaying in the wind, and a fragrant aroma spread, invigorating the spirits of the disciples in the training ground, as if their strength had increased by three parts, showing the lotus's ability to clear the mind and calm the spirit.

This lotus was a medicinal herb that Jun Wuming had casually collected from the medicinal garden next to the Yin Essence Spirit Vein. At the time, the Grand Elder was in a hurry to check the spirit vein and did not notice that the restriction on the medicinal garden connected to the Yin Essence Spirit Vein had a small breach. So, Jun Wuming took the opportunity to steal two lotuses and several precious herbs from the lotus pond. The Grand Elder must have discovered this by now and was jumping with anger.

In fact, when the Grand Elder, Lin Ji, discovered the theft, he indeed jumped with anger. However, he couldn't go to Jun Wuming to argue, not only because of their blood relationship but also for the sake of his reputation.

However, there is a saying that a son's debt is the father's responsibility. The Grand Elder had visited the old residence of the Qing clan several times, but unfortunately, Jun Wuming's master, Jun Qing, was in a closed retreat, so he couldn't get any compensation. He was feeling frustrated, and during the river bottom incident, he held back his anger, not warning Jun Wuming about the Red Sun Ascension Gate and even taking the opportunity to drag another Grand Elder away, hoping to create some trouble for Jun Wuming.

Jun Wuming did not feel ashamed about stealing from the medicinal garden. After all, the Grand Elder was his great-uncle, and family doesn't need to be so formal. However, he did not overstep, as the herbs he took were not unique in the garden.

Seeing the little girl's tears turn to a smile, Jun Wuming breathed a sigh of relief. "Xiu'er, this is a special Yin Essence Jade Hairpin I made for you. Don't be fooled by its faint light; it is not an ordinary item. If someone is injured by the light from the hairpin, they will be frozen and their soul will be corroded. This is for your self-defense, but don't worry, it won't hurt you. I have infused a strand of your aura into it, and you can use it after a slight cultivation."

Seeing the little girl's delighted expression, Jun Wuming quickly handed her the newly made Yin Essence Ice Crystal Jade Hairpin to prevent her from complaining again.

The little girl's red, pouting face showed a hint of embarrassment. She rubbed her red, big eyes, flipped her hand, and a green jade talisman appeared in her palm. She quickly pushed it into Jun Wuming's chest, stomped her foot, and ran away, her delicate voice calling out, "This is what the lady asked me to give you. Take care of yourself!"

Jun Wuming was puzzled, watching the fleeing little girl. She was like a weather vane, changing from sunny to rainy. What was she up to?

Shaking off the chaotic thoughts in his mind, he came to his senses, gently pinched the jade talisman, and infused a bit of his power. A message flowed from the jade talisman into his mind, and Jun Wuming's expression turned serious.

Indeed, the matter of Qinglong Mountain was not simple!