Chapter 3

When the sun had just risen, Chu He set off on his journey. In his right hand, he secretly held a low-grade Wind Blade Spell Talisman, ready to throw it at the slightest sign of trouble.

The classification of spell talismans and magical treasures, from low to high, is: [Spell], [Treasure], [Spirit], and several other levels.

Spell talismans are composed of talisman patterns. Nine talisman patterns form a talisman acupoint, and nine talisman acupoints can form a simple talisman array.

A low-grade Wind Blade Spell Talisman has two wind-type talisman acupoints inscribed on the talisman paper. Once infused with spiritual energy and released, it can form two sharp wind blades.

Of course, the killing power of these two wind blades is limited, and they can generally only deal with cultivators whose cultivation is roughly the same as Chu He’s.

Although the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm is a small watershed, it only allows for the practice of some minor spells and the勉强 activation of low-grade spell talismans. To control a magical tool, one must reach the fourth level of the Qi Condensation Realm to have enough spiritual energy to drive it.

The plants in this world are far more lush than those on Earth, with tall shrubs and towering trees everywhere, resembling the tropical rainforests seen on TV.

Chu He circulated his spiritual energy, leaped onto a tree, and climbed all the way up, flying directly from the treetops.

In this world of cultivation, once one enters the second level of the Qi Condensation Realm, the power displayed by the circulation of spiritual energy is no different from that of martial arts experts seen in TV dramas. Entering the third level, one can cross rivers on a single reed, step on leaves, and easily leap over ten meters.

Chu He’s spiritual body, after being purified by the Cleansing Fire, allows his spiritual energy to circulate more efficiently than usual.

Since this world has spiritual energy, not only plants but also living beings benefit from it. During his journey, Chu He encountered sparrows several times their normal size, which almost frightened him off the tree. Moreover, he saw apes twice their normal size.

These animals were not afraid of humans. The sparrows flew to a higher sky out of curiosity when they saw him, while the apes were extremely fierce, immediately pouncing on Chu He, treating him as prey.

Faced with such a large beast, Chu He was initially startled but did not panic. His left hand quickly formed a spell gesture, and he released a small fireball about the size of a half-fist.

The ape, charging mindlessly, could not avoid the fireball and immediately let out a miserable howl. The scattered flames ignited its fur, causing it to flee in panic.

This is the benefit of reaching the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm, where one can cast minor spells. Although the power is not great, it provides a certain advantage against such large beasts. Of course, if the small fireball had not scared the ape away, he would have thrown the spell talisman in his hand. Chu He did not want to engage in close combat with this tough-skinned beast.

As Chu He was about to cross a small hill, a voice suddenly came from the high sky nearby:

"This trip had better be fruitful, or you’ll have to deal with the consumption of my spell talisman crane." It was a slightly hoarse voice.

"Relax, Senior Brother Hong. I got this information from my cousin, it’s reliable. If it weren’t for our close friendship, I wouldn’t have called you. Hey! A Chu family escapee!" A somewhat slick voice followed.

At the same time, Chu He clearly saw the other party. Combined with the words he had heard, he immediately knew something was wrong and used the Thousand-Pound Drop technique to forcefully land.

In the sky about ten meters away, there was a large bird with talisman patterns faintly visible, emitting a pale white light. On the bird sat two gray-robed cultivators, one fat and one thin, with a striking black nightshade flower embroidered on the cuffs of their sleeves.

The other party was actually a disciple of the Hundred Toxins Sect! What a narrow escape, and even worse, Chu He was still wearing the Chu family’s exclusive clothing, making his identity immediately recognizable.

These two had returned to collect the items from Chu He and others. The two innate experts who struck last night had no interest in the possessions of these small cultivators, but for these two cultivators at the Qi Condensation Realm, it was a windfall.

"That kid, where are you running!" The slick-voiced fat cultivator had already jumped off the spell talisman crane, rapidly forming a spell gesture in mid-air, and when he landed on the treetop, he shot a small black fireball directly at Chu He, who had just landed on the ground.

Upon meeting, both sides knew the strength of their auras and the levels of their cultivation. Seeing that Chu He was only at the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm, he naturally wanted to capture him personally.

Disciples of the Hundred Toxins Sect begin practicing poison techniques upon entry, making their combat power significantly higher than that of ordinary cultivators of the same level, especially at the Qi Condensation Realm. Therefore, this fat cultivator dared to take the lead in pursuing Chu He, who was of similar cultivation.

Moreover, he had a senior brother at the fourth level of the Qi Condensation Realm backing him up. Two against one, it would be easy to kill that kid.

As outer sect disciples of their cultivation level, their responsibility in the operation to eliminate the Chu family was to hunt down the low-combat-power escapees.

If they could kill Chu He, the credit, though small, would still be reported and could earn them some spirit stones. Most importantly, it would add a point or two to their credit in the sect.

Sect credit points are valuable. With enough points, one can even exchange for cultivation techniques that only inner sect disciples can practice. In his eyes, Chu He had already turned into shining credit points, and he had to try his best.

"Boom!" The small fireball exploded on the ground, creating a small pit, with flames shooting out in all directions. However, the target had already moved to the side, rendering the attack ineffective.

"Boom! Boom!" Several thin black smoke trails fell from the sky, exploding a few meters around Chu He, instantly filling the area with black smoke.

It was the thin cultivator who had taken action. After putting away the spell talisman crane, he intercepted Chu He.

Although the black smoke did not directly hit Chu He, he still grunted and fell over.

The black smoke was extremely toxic, causing the plants within a few meters to wither and turn yellow, almost devoid of life.

Disciples of the Hundred Toxins Sect at the Qi Condensation Realm practice the Five Toxins Technique. This thin cultivator, Senior Brother Hong, had already reached the level of merging two toxins. Even cultivators at the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm would choose to flee if they encountered such a technique, not daring to tangle with it.

The fat cultivator was overjoyed and shouted loudly, "You brat, dying like this without even experiencing my skills, you really got off easy."

Although he shouted loudly, he did not dare to go down from the tree, as the black smoke below could even affect him.

After waiting for a few breaths, the black smoke dissipated, and he landed to search the body.

The thin cultivator stood on the treetop, looking like an isolated immortal. Tasks like searching bodies were always taken by the fat junior brother, and he was happy to let him do it.

This return to the Qingling Mountain’s territory to collect items had to be swift and decisive, without any delays. If they encountered Qingling Mountain disciples, given the current relationship between the two sects, the other side would not let them off. Therefore, he used his full strength from the start, ensuring the prey was thoroughly dead.

Now, his mind was on the next task. He had heard that among the Chu family disciples being pursued by Senior Brothers Ding, there were two or three at the fourth or fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm. If true, this trip would definitely be fruitful.

Thinking of this, his eyes narrowed, and his mood improved greatly.

However, the situation below suddenly changed.