Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Chapter 217 Going and Returning

Five or six well-trained Foundation Establishment cultivators flew over and scattered around Lin Changsheng, forming a subtle encirclement.

"Is it Fellow Daoist Lin...?"

Among the group, Zhang Xiucai had naturally spotted Lin Changsheng long ago. After a moment's hesitation, he took the initiative to greet him, but they were not as close as they usually were in private.

There was a clear hint of hesitation in his expression.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang."

Lin Changsheng responded with a faint smile.

Seeing that Zhang Xiucai was somewhat embarrassed, he didn't speak too familiarly, but simply returned the greeting with a light fist salute.

"So it's someone Junior Brother Zhang knows."

Upon hearing Zhang Xiucai's greeting, the three or four Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Qinglan Sect around them were noticeably less wary than before.

“Senior Brother Wu, this is the owner of the ‘Lin Family Medical Talisman’ shop in Thousand Crane Immortal City. I have known you for many years.”

Following the lead of his fellow students, Zhang Xiucai began to introduce the topic.

At the same time, it deliberately emphasizes that Lin Changsheng opened a shop and did business in Qianhe Immortal City.

As he spoke, Zhang Xiucai subtly glanced at Qin Yue, who was standing silently not far away.

"'Lin's Medical Talisman'? That name sounds somewhat familiar?"

"Could this be... the 'Fortune Master Lin' who's all the rage in the market?"

The slightly chubby, fair-skinned young man whom Zhang Xiucai called "Brother Wu" first looked thoughtful upon hearing this, then suddenly remembered and said in a surprised tone.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you actually know Master Lin?"

"With such connections, it's really not kind of you, junior brother, to keep them hidden."

"This is what Senior Brother Wu jokingly said with a smile."

Judging from his appearance, he seemed very eager to get to know Lin Changsheng.

“Junior Brother Wu, this Fellow Daoist Lin’s abilities are far beyond what we’ve described; he’s no ordinary cultivator. We’re on duty for patrols, and we’re required to routinely check and question any suspicious individuals we encounter. How can we let him go unchecked just because we’re old acquaintances?”

Tie Antong of the Nangong family, a pseudo-Dan Master and a near-third-tier weapon refiner, holds a prestigious position. Yet, he's actually a traitor within the enemy ranks, having lurked here for years and nearly caused a major disaster? It seems Junior Brother Wu and Junior Brother Zhang need to further strengthen their sense of crisis and remain constantly vigilant.

Qin Yue chuckled, glanced at Lin Changsheng with a half-smile, and then turned to the other two, his words carrying a hint of advice.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Qin."

"Junior brother will keep in mind senior brother's teachings."

Zhang Xiucai and Wu Shixiong paused for a moment before responding solemnly.

The two men lowered their heads, and the plump Wu, the senior brother, gently touched Zhang, the scholar's shoulder, casting a questioning glance at him.

Scholar Zhang sighed deeply, his expression conflicted.

"Fellow Daoist Lin has made considerable progress over the years and has some skill. However, during this war, according to the instructions of the 'True Lord' of Shangqing Palace, all independent cultivators must accept the summons of the largest local power and are not allowed to move around at will. If Fellow Daoist Lin cannot provide a reasonable explanation today, please come with us to the Qinglan Sect's camp for investigation."

Qin Yue spoke calmly, without the slightest fluctuation. His arrogant gaze remained unchanged from years ago, scrutinizing Lin Changsheng before him, leaving no room for negotiation.

Upon hearing this, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Qinglan Sect around them exchanged glances, their eyes revealing strange expressions.

It was clear that Qin Yue and this Lin Fu Master had some kind of conflict.

The chubby senior brother Wu was also slightly taken aback. He looked at Lin Changsheng with some sympathy, then silently took a small step back, distancing himself from Lin Changsheng and the scholar Zhang beside him.

He was a completely different person from his previous enthusiastic and sociable demeanor.

Zhang Xiucai's expression also changed slightly, but he remained silent and did not say anything more.

He had already made up his mind that once he returned to the camp, he would find a way to inform Lin Xiurong of this matter as soon as possible.

Although the relationship between Lin Changsheng and Lin Xiurong is complicated, they are old friends and should not stand by and watch the other fall into trouble.

"I am a steward of the local Fengling Chamber of Commerce. I am away on official business for the Chamber of Commerce."

With a smile on his face, Lin Changsheng slowly took out an item that could prove his identity.

To everyone's surprise, after Lin Changsheng produced the certificate, Qin Yue didn't even glance at it, his eyes filled with a hint of mockery as he casually said:

"So it's a steward from the Fengling Chamber of Commerce. Then you're one of us. It seems there was a misunderstanding before."

"We just received a battle report from the front lines that enemy cultivators have infiltrated not far from here. In my capacity as the captain of the Qinglan Sect's rotating squad, I am recruiting Fellow Daoist Lin to temporarily join us and contribute to the fight against the enemy cultivators. I think Fellow Daoist Lin will not refuse, will he?"

Lin Changsheng looked at Qin Yue with a calm gaze, a hint of coldness gradually creeping into his eyes.

What if Lin refuses?

“Under the summons of the ‘True Lord’ of Shangqing Palace, no one in the Yue Kingdom could ‘disobey’.”

Qin Yue spoke casually, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, the war on the front lines is of utmost importance. You should follow Senior Brother Qin's arrangements for now."

Zhang Xiucai and Lin Changsheng had known each other since their youth and were quite familiar with each other. Seeing that Brother Lin was showing signs of anger, he quickly tried to dissuade him.

Qin Yue is an arrogant man who is also meticulous and shrewd. He always thinks of reasons before doing anything and always takes the moral high ground into account.

If Lin Changsheng were to yield to Qin Yue's words in this situation, he might only suffer some humiliation; but if he couldn't stand Qin Yue's provocations, he would only give the other party an excuse to attack.

Furthermore, the former is already a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, highly valued by the sect's senior members, and his combat strength is among the top of all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In addition, there were other Qinglan Sect cultivators present.

In Zhang Xiucai's view, it was not a wise choice to clash with Qin Yue at this time, and it was even in line with the other party's wishes.

Conversely, one can temporarily comply with the other party's demands and then try to contact Lin Xiurong later, hoping to mediate between them.

"I apologize, but I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I will explain this to the Nangong family when I have the opportunity in the future."

Ignoring Qin Yue in front of him, Lin Changsheng slightly clasped his hands in the direction of Zhang Xiucai, and immediately took out a near-third-tier escape talisman and attached it to the flying boat magic artifact under his feet.

"boom!"

In an instant, a massive surge of spiritual energy erupted.

The sudden, overwhelming force caused the people in front of them to change color instantly.

Under the effect of the near-third-tier escape talisman, the flying boat magic artifact beneath Lin Changsheng instantly generated tremendous thrust, transforming into a stream of light that broke through the encirclement of several people and rapidly disappeared into the distant horizon.

"Stop this man!"

Qin Yue reacted extremely quickly. Almost the instant Lin Changsheng made a move, he activated a small, top-tier second-order magic weapon, resembling a flying leaf blade, and slashed towards Lin Changsheng with a sharp and fierce aura!

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators besides Zhang Xiucai, under Qin Yue's orders, also activated their attack methods and joined in the attack.

But Lin Changsheng, who was flying away, seemed to have anticipated this, and immediately activated a near-third-tier defensive spell after breaking through the encirclement.

A sturdy, earth-yellow protective shield appeared around the entire flying boat artifact.

Several loud 'bangs' rang out, and although the defensive magic shield shook slightly, it remained intact.

Lin Changsheng had already transformed into a streak of light, flying fifty or sixty feet away in the blink of an eye.

"Fellow Daoists of the Qinglan Sect, I shall take my leave now."

From afar, Lin Changsheng's cheerful voice could be heard.

This series of actions was incredibly fast.

No one expected that even after Qin Yue had invoked the summons from the Shangqing Palace's 'True Lord,' someone would still dare to ignore it and flee in front of him!

In addition, near-third-tier escape talismans are already rare, and their speed far surpasses that of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

By the time Qin Yue and the others realized what was happening and tried to give chase, it was too late.

"This Forest Talisman Master resisted the summons and fled in fear after we questioned him. He is most likely a spy from an enemy country. I will report this matter truthfully when I return to the camp."

Qin Yue retracted the willow-leaf-shaped magic weapon, suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice.

"Brother Lin, why are you doing this..."

Scholar Zhang sighed inwardly.

Lin Changsheng ignored Qin Yue's warning and secretly fled Xi Danhe's family, which already displeased the other party.

Now that Qin Yue is acting out of a sense of righteousness and personal vendetta, as long as we temporarily comply with him, there will always be a solution when we return to the main camp.

Lin Changsheng chose to flee, and now he's been branded a traitor within the enemy's ranks; he probably won't be able to escape now.

……

More than half an hour later.

Led by Qin Yue, the Qinglan Sect group was heading to the location indicated in the intelligence report.

We are preparing to deal with a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators from an enemy country who have infiltrated the Yue Kingdom to cause trouble.

Because of the previous incident, Qin Yue's face was gloomy, and the atmosphere in the group was slightly oppressive.

At the same time, a streak of seven-colored light approached from the distant horizon, heading straight towards them.

In just a few breaths, a burly figure landed on the spot amidst a rainbow of light.

A burly man with a fierce-looking face was revealed.

With fierce and brutal features, he seemed born to be a villain. Just by looking at him, his imposing presence was already diminished.

The moment he landed, the seven-colored light behind the big man vanished instantly.

"Hey, a good dog doesn't block the way. What are you little brats doing blocking our path? Move aside a bit."

The thug tilted his head, picked at his ear with his little finger, and snarled dismissively.

"Who are you? You seem somewhat unfamiliar."

With his own strength, he didn't even take five or six Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Qinglan Sect seriously. For a moment, Qin Yue was unsure of his true strength.

"Don't pry into my identity, kid. Anyway, we're in a hurry to kill a few people from the Qinglan Sect, so you lot better get out of my way!"

The thug chuckled as he looked at Qin Yue and the others before him, speaking with utter impunity.

"court death!"

Qin Yue's expression gradually turned cold, and a murderous intent surged in his heart.

This person seems to be intentionally concealing their presence, making them difficult to detect.

However, without the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator, one's level is at most the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Originally, out of caution, I wanted to find out who this person was.

But now it seems that this thug was probably after them.

Since that's the case, Qin Yue naturally doesn't intend to hold back anymore.

At Qin Yue's call, four or five Foundation Establishment cultivators around him also attacked in anger.

As disciples of the Qinglan Sect of Yue Kingdom, this identity is what they are most proud of. Even cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm outside the sect treat them with great respect.

How could she bear being humiliated like this by this scoundrel?

"Hehe, you're the one who shouts the loudest, but you look like you'll die young."

The thug chuckled, a surge of powerful blood energy coursing through his body and concentrating on his massive fist. At the same time, a subtle, dark aura formed a coating on the surface of his fist.

In an instant, it seemed as if the air itself was compressed and deformed by the immense force, hurtling straight toward Qin Yue!

"Late stage of the second tier of body refinement!"

As the momentum increased, Qin Yue felt that the power of the thug's punch was extraordinary, and his expression changed drastically!

The second-stage late-stage body refinement realm was already comparable to his own realm.

This person's punch contained not only a vast and rich power of blood and qi, but also a chilling aura. Its power surpassed that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator and even approached the realm of a pseudo-core cultivator.

"Ding!"

A crisp sound, like metal clashing, rang out.

The second-tier magic weapon that Qin Yue summoned was immediately blasted away by the powerful blood energy, and several traces of dark aura corrosion were left on the bright white surface of the magic weapon. Its luster dimmed instantly, and a large amount of spiritual energy was lost.

"This man is too strong to fight! Let the others hold him off first, and I'll make my move when the opportunity arises!"

The moment they clashed, Qin Yue was greatly alarmed and immediately realized that this person's strength was no less than his own!

At the same time, Zhang Xiucai and others unleashed their magical weapons, bombarding the villain.

"boom!"

"boom!"

With an even more powerful burst of blood energy, the burly man actually withstood the attacks of these Foundation Establishment cultivators' magical artifacts by virtue of his late-stage second-tier body refinement realm.

Even their magical artifacts were toppled and swayed under the impact of this astonishing power of qi and blood.

'Whoosh! '

A pearl emitting a dark, eerie glow spewed from the villain's mouth!

A cold and dark aura emanated from it, instantly transforming into a dark light that corroded and destroyed any magical artifacts it touched.

Two Qinglan Sect disciples, one in the early and middle stages of Foundation Establishment, were caught off guard and struck by the pearl, instantly dying on the spot.

Another person was also invaded by this cold and dark aura, and collapsed with serious injuries.

"Wow... What an amazing body cultivator!"

The chubby Wu Shixiong looked frightened and involuntarily moved closer to Zhang Xiucai.

Unexpectedly, the villain seemed to have identified Qin Yue, who had retreated behind the crowd, and activated the Dark Pearl, transforming it back into a dark light, pressing closer step by step.

"Hmph, do you really think I'm afraid of you!"

Qin Yue snorted coldly and took out a gleaming, lively 'pseudo-magic weapon'!

But before he could activate the object in his hand, he suddenly froze on the spot.

The next moment, the thug's punch, brimming with the power of blood and qi, landed solidly, and Qin Yue's chest visibly caved in.

"puff!"

A mouthful of hot blood, containing pure magical power and shattered internal organs, spurted out.

Qin Yue's life force rapidly diminished, and he lost his vitality in the blink of an eye.

The thug looked at the corpses in front of him with satisfaction, then reached out and took the fake magic weapon left behind by Qin Yue into his hand.

After doing all this, the thug looked up at Scholar Zhang and Senior Brother Wu behind him and gave them a friendly smile.

That devilish smile sent a chill down their spines, nearly scaring them out of their wits.

Just when they thought they were going to follow in their footsteps and were about to muster their courage to fight back,

The thug leaped lightly, his entire body soaring into the air, enveloped in a stream of seven-colored light, and disappeared into the distance!

"This...this...Junior Brother Zhang, this thug...let us go? What do you think?"

Having narrowly escaped death, Brother Wu was quite frightened, and his tongue was somewhat unresponsive.

"Regardless of what this person intends to do, it would be best for the two of us to leave this place as soon as possible. If he regrets his decision and returns, that would be terrible."

Zhang Xiucai breathed a sigh of relief, calmed his trembling body, and looked at the storage bags left on Qin Yue and the others, falling into deep thought.

"Senior Brother Wu, the situation in the entire Yue Kingdom is tense right now. We have lost several Foundation Establishment cultivators this time, and they will definitely be investigated when we return. Before that, we need to plan ahead and it would be best to coordinate our statements..."

Senior Brother Wu understood the implied meaning and looked at the calm and collected Scholar Zhang with some surprise.

If a fellow disciple is attacked and dies, the resources he leaves behind must be confiscated and handed over by the sect to their respective descendants.

He never expected that his usually taciturn junior brother Zhang would have such courage and boldness at this crucial moment!