No one knew when it began, but a dense fog had enveloped all of Leping County. The mist was thick and stagnant, refusing to disperse.

The Zhou Mansion.

The largest estate in the county seat.

No one knew just how vast the Zhou Mansion was, but it had two side courtyards to the east and west, each more than double the size of an ordinary family’s home.

It also boasted special areas like gardens and a family temple.

「This day.」

CREAK... CREAK...

The sound of turning wheels emerged from the fog as a dilapidated carriage slowly pulled to a stop before the Zhou Mansion.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a man stepped out.

He was dressed in white, with a light fur coat and a loose sash, carrying himself with a dashing air. He looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old.

"Elder Jiangg!"

"Brother Jiangg!"

"Immortal Master Jiangg!"

The few people who had followed the carriage all bowed in unison, their forms of address varying. However, the most common title was "Immortal Master," a designation implying the man was no longer a mere Mortal.

Jiangg Ke!

An Outer Sect Disciple of the Immortal Sect "Profound Clarity Sect," and also a hired Innate Elder of San Fen Hall.

Don’t be fooled by his appearance of a man in his thirties. According to Wan Shuai, he had already celebrated his seventieth birthday a few years ago.

But Innate Qi Refiners enjoyed long lives, easily living over a hundred years. At over seventy, he was still in his prime.

"Mm."

Jiangg Ke gave a casual nod to the group, his gaze turning to the dense fog nearby. He cupped his hands and spoke.

"Fellow Daoist Yuu, since you’re already here, why not show yourself?"

"Haha..." A hearty laugh came from within the fog.

"I still remember when we met years ago, I had to address you as Elder. How could I dare to arrive first?"

As the voice faded,

A group of people emerged from the fog.

The man in the lead was burly and powerfully built. A wide robe was draped casually over his shoulders, giving him a carefree look.

The long saber at his waist was a third longer than a typical blade, and even sheathed, it emanated a sharp Sword Qi.

Yuu Yuanliang!

An Outer Sect Disciple of the Immortal Sect "Celestial Yu Mountain," and also an Elder of the Celestial Yu Gang in Hejian Prefecture.

More than ten people followed him. The vast majority were disciples from the Sunx Family of Leping County. It was no secret that just as San Fen Hall stayed at the Zhu Mansion, the people of the Celestial Yu Gang stayed with the Sunx Family.

"You jest, Fellow Daoist Yuu."

Compared to Yuu Yuanliang’s enthusiasm, Jiangg Ke’s attitude was rather cold.

"Back then, you had not yet reached the Innate realm and were but a mortal body. Now that you are Innate, past seniority is meaningless."

"We are all Fellow Daoists!"

"True enough," Yuu Yuanliang nodded. His gaze then fell upon Xiao Gongdu and Elder Luo, a smile appearing on his face.

"It’s been many years. You two look quite worn out."

"Immortal Master Yuu." Xiao Gongdu’s face was filled with bitterness.

"The last time we met was over ten years ago, wasn’t it?"

"Thirteen years ago," Elder Luo said, stroking his beard with a sigh. "Back then, three people in Hejian Prefecture advanced to the Innate realm and successfully entered an Immortal Sect. Immortal Master Yuu was one of them. We witnessed the grand occasion of your ascension."

In terms of age, the two of them were much older than Yuu Yuanliang and had once been his seniors.

Alas.

He had become an Innate Qi Refiner in his forties and even entered an Immortal Sect, while they had wasted their lives away, with no hope of reaching the Innate realm.

Seeing him again now, the distinction between immortal and mortal was clear.

The comparison was inevitably disheartening.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Jiangg Ke’s brow twitched. He looked in another direction, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Besides you and I, there’s another fellow practitioner here?"

"Hee hee..." A giggle echoed as the fog in the distance parted, and a group of a dozen or so people walked out.

"My respects to you both, Fellow Daoists."

The newcomer was a young woman, her robes fluttering, her beauty exquisite.

People often use the phrase "beautiful as a Celestial Immortal" to describe a woman’s beauty, but no one truly knew what such beauty entailed. Now, upon seeing the young woman, that very phrase blossomed unbidden in everyone’s minds.

Beautiful!

A beauty so otherworldly and refined it seemed both real and illusory.

Everyone present stared at the newcomer, their breathing hitched, completely unable to look away.

’Something’s wrong!’

The Profound Light between Zhu Ju’s brows pulsed, and his mind instantly cleared. He realized a cold sweat had broken out on his back.

’Bewitching Technique! What a terrifying Bewitching Technique. A single move could enthrall one’s mind, making it impossible to break free. If one were to fight her...’

’The mere thought was horrifying.’

Looking at the woman again, while she was still beautiful, she no longer possessed that same soul-stirring impact from before.

But looking for more than a few moments still made his heart race. He felt as if this woman was bewitching to her very core, making him want to rip off her clothes and pounce on her.

"Hmph!"

Jiangg Ke snorted, and an Invisible Power swept across the area, startling Wan Shuai and the others out of their stupor.

"A Demoness from the Joyful Sect! You dare show your face in Hejian Prefecture?"

"Hee hee..." The woman giggled.

"Fellow Daoists, times have changed. Forget me, hasn’t a disciple from the Netherworld Sect also arrived?"

As she spoke, she glanced toward the fog-shrouded Zhou Mansion.

"Demoness!"

Yuu Yuanliang shouted. His long saber shot from its sheath with a clang, and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi for several yards around them roiled violently. He pointed his blade at the young woman and bellowed.

"Fellow Daoist Jiangg, eliminating the Evil Dao is an urgent matter! Why don’t we join forces and get rid of this Demoness first!"

Jiangg Ke raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk..." The young woman shook her head.

"Such Righteous Cultivators. The two of you stand by and do nothing as Zhou Jianmi of the Netherworld Sect uses the people of an entire city for his Alchemy, yet you want to attack me, a weak woman with no strength to even tie a chicken. How courageous of you."

"So ’urgent’ indeed!"

"Fellow Daoist Yuu," Jiangg Ke said.

"The Elixir inside is about to be completed. We shouldn’t create extra complications. Besides... breaking the formation will be more certain with three people."

He of course understood Yuu Yuanliang’s intentions.

If the two of them joined forces to eliminate her first, there would be one less person to compete with when the Elixir was ready.

However, the Methods of the Joyful Sect were bizarre. Even if they joined forces, they might not be able to take down this Demoness.

And even if they did!

They would likely not escape unscathed.

When the time came, how would they deal with the Innate Qi Refiner from the Netherworld Sect who was performing Alchemy inside?

It was better to team up for now. They could rely on their own means once they saw the Elixir.

"Miss."

Having made up his mind, Jiangg Ke cupped his hands.

"May I ask your name?"

"I am Qii Yao." The young woman bent her knees slightly.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

Her beautiful eyes swept over the people behind the two Innate Qi Refiners, pausing for a moment on Zhu Ju as a smile bloomed on her face.

Wherever her gaze passed, people looked away, clearly still frightened by the moment when they had lost control of their own minds.

"It’s about time."

Jiangg Ke turned to the people behind him.

"An Evil Dao Cultivator from the Netherworld Sect is using people for Alchemy. The laws of heaven cannot tolerate this. Furthermore, those who become Fallen Demons know only slaughter and cannot be allowed to escape and bring disaster to the world. After you go in, you must eliminate the Zhou Family members who have become Fallen Demons."

"As for that Evil Dao Cultivator..."

"Leave him to me."

He reached to his waist, and two thumb-sized jade stones appeared in his palm.

"This is called a ’Yin Sha Pearl.’ After you kill the Fallen Demon members of the Zhou Family, you can use it to absorb the Yin Corpse Evil Qi from their bodies. Bring them to me afterward, and you can exchange them for gold and silver."

He handed the two Yin Sha Pearls to Xiao Gongdu and Elder Luo, then, after a thought, took out two more.

This time, Zhu Ju saw it clearly.

Jiangg Ke’s hand touched the dusty cloth pouch at his waist, and two more Yin Sha Pearls abruptly appeared in his palm.

The pouch was only the size of a palm, and very flat. It was impossible to tell how much was stored inside.

’A storage pouch? A Qiankun Pouch?’

"You two take one each as well." Jiangg Ke looked at Zhu Ju and Wan Shuai, instructing them.

"Be sure to collect as much Yin Corpse Evil Qi as possible. If you don’t want gold and silver, that’s fine too. You will be well rewarded."

"Yes."

The two reached out and took them.

Zhu Ju held the Yin Sha Pearl, his heart stirring.

’Spirituality! This thing has such strong Spirituality, it’s almost on par with the Jade Hairpin Granny Niu has been refining for decades. It must be quite valuable.’

’He specifically told us to collect a lot of Yin Corpse Evil Qi. This stuff must be very useful to Cultivators.’

"Go!"

After giving his instructions, Jiangg Ke waved his hand and added in a low voice,

"Take care of the Fallen Demons. If you run into anyone from the Celestial Yu Gang or the Joyful Sect, show no mercy."

Zhu Ju instinctively glanced to the side.

Behind the Joyful Sect Demoness, Qii Yao, he saw several familiar faces among the dozen or so people.

Leng Xing, Hex Leshan...

There was also a trio—two handsome men and a woman, all dressed in white—whose aura was clearly different from the others.

’Inner Qi Release? Qi Circulation?’

It was the same behind Yuu Yuanliang.

Besides a few young people, there were also two senior Martial Artists from the Celestial Yu Gang whose Cultivation was likely on par with Xiao Gongdu and the others.

’Experts!’

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Ju went to the back of the carriage, took out the box he had brought, and opened it with a light tap.

CLICK!

The Breaking Army Armor!

As he put on the armor that weighed hundreds of pounds, his sense of security grew.

"Let’s go!"

The group of more than ten exchanged a look and strode toward the Zhou Mansion.

BOOM!

As Jiangg Ke formed a sword sign with his fingers, intersecting blades of Invisible Sword Qi shot out, shattering the Zhou Mansion’s heavy wooden gate, which weighed over a thousand pounds, into splinters.

The Sword Qi shrieked, rushing forward for several yards before dissipating.

In the blink of an eye, the invisible Sword Qi had carved deep gouges into the hard stone walls and packed-earth ground.

Inside his armor,

Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed.

’So strong!’

’Even wearing the Breaking Army Armor, I’m afraid I couldn’t block that one strike!’

’Is this the power of an Innate Qi Refiner?’