The Qi Cultivators from the Huan Yuan Sect headed to Weii Country's Yunmeng Mountain to investigate.
Song Lin was still unaware that a local force had set their sights on him.
Yunmeng Mountain.
Song Lin consumed a Mica Ganoderma Pill.
Mica is revered as the essence of Earth Energy. Legends tell of ancient Qi Cultivators who subsisted solely on mica and dew, eventually ascending to become immortals.
After taking the Mica Ganoderma Pill, an intense heat surged through his entire body.
True Qi flowed through his veins, growing in strength.
After consuming three pills and spending three days digesting them, his True Qi increased by fifty percent.
The originally thumb-sized cluster of Red Dragon True Qi had now expanded to two fingers wide.
Name: Song Lin
Stage: Fetal Breathing Stage
Taoist Realm: Fifteen Years
Divine Skills: Lao Mountain Five Skills, Guang Chengzi Beidou Red Dragon Qigong, Red Scale Skill, Dragon Control Technique, Dragon Qi Red Emperor Fist, Red Dragon Flying Star Skill, Simple Yellow and White Skill.
His Taoist Realm had risen to fifteen years.
In the Real World, his Taoist Realm was three years, and upon entering a new world, he carried over his Real World cultivation rather than his previous cultivation from the Lao Mountain World.
"Not bad. I'll refine another batch soon," Song Lin thought to himself.
Having spent almost ten years in this world, Song Lin had a general sense of its purpose.
The greatest karmic event in this world is naturally the unification of the Qin Country.
If he could play a part in this, he wouldn't need to worry about accumulating karma.
Along the way, he could also collect this world's Taoist Skills.
This world is predominantly filled with Qi Cultivators, and their Qi Cultivation Techniques are vastly different from those of the Real World—they lack the concept of refining True Qi.
However, their research on the efficiency of moving True Qi far surpasses that of the Real World.
The Fetal Breathing Stage requires True Qi to reach a certain scale, after which one can break through the two bridges of Heaven and Earth to form the Grand Circulation and then start refining True Qi.
The knowledge from this world is quite helpful for his own True Qi cultivation.
Thinking of this, Song Lin continued refining pills.
As time passed, his pill-refining technique grew increasingly proficient; most methods listed under the Simple Yellow and White Skill were now second nature to him.
What surprised Song Lin even more was that using Red Dragon Qigong during the pill-refining process improved his control over the fire's intensity.
After all, the most challenging aspect is controlling the fire.
Originally, the success rate was no more than ten percent; now, it had increased by another twenty percent, bringing the total to thirty percent, comparable to an experienced veteran alchemist.
Real World.
Song Lin opened his eyes.
"The Beidou Red Dragon Qigong focuses on the True Qi's circulation path. With my experience from the Taiyin World, I should be able to master it quickly."
Other techniques could be skipped, but the Red Dragon Qigong was too helpful to ignore and was something he absolutely had to learn.
Upon thinking about this, Song Lin began circulating his True Qi in the Real World according to Red Dragon Qigong's path.
Normally, Song Lin would spend two hours working during the day, followed by four hours cultivating, and then use the remaining time to return to the Taiyin World.
After cultivating for four hours, Song Lin returned to the Taiyin World to continue his pill refinement and cultivation.
Elsewhere.
A group of people sped toward Weii Country's Yunmeng Mountain.
Leading the group was a woman.
The woman wore white robes, her beauty unmatched, with a flame-shaped mark on her brow. She rode a black horse with scales.
Beside her were two middle-aged men whose eyes shone with Divine Light, indicating mastery of Divine Skills; accompanying them was a young boy who resembled her but was far younger.
Behind them followed a group of giants, each standing three zhang tall, with hooked claws and jagged teeth.
The giants did not ride horses but ran on foot.
Soon, the group arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The woman dismounted and stood still.
Staring at the dark and eerie Yunmeng Mountain, a trace of disgust flickered in her eyes.
"Long Men, hide yourselves," the woman ordered, addressing the giants behind her.
The giants retreated into the forest.
"Nanjiang, this is Yunmeng Mountain, the place the Palace Master mentioned as the residence of Ghost Valley Master," said one of the Qi Cultivators behind her.
The woman, Nanjiang, was a disciple of Huan Yuan Sect. The young boy beside her, Nan Zi, was her younger brother.
"As sinister as expected—just as one would expect from a demon," Nanjiang remarked. "Even Confucius refused to set foot in Huu Qin; only creatures like this demon would ever aid the King of Qin."
Confucius was known for teaching all people without discrimination; anything that Confucius refused to teach could only be either beasts or Qin people.
"Should we attack directly?" asked one of the men.
"No, we'll assess the situation first."
As Nanjiang was about to lead her team up the mountain, a woodcutter appeared ahead.
"Old man!" Nanjiang called out, stopping the woodcutter.
Seeing Nanjiang's striking appearance, the woodcutter assumed she meant no harm and smiled. "Young lady, are you here seeking refuge?"
"Precisely. My brother and I are here to seek refuge with the Immortal Ghost Valley Master."
"You won't have the chance to meet him, young lady. Are you hungry? Let me take you to eat first."
The woodcutter hefted his firewood and led the group into the mountain.
Nanjiang and the three others followed him up, where villagers warmly welcomed them and offered food.
Nanjing grew increasingly disgusted with the villagers' enthusiasm and their words of admiration for the Ghost Valley Master. Such petty bribes had bought their loyalty—utterly foolish.
Her master had explained that Ghost Valley was home to a millennium-old demon. Observing the situation now, Nanjiang's convictions seemed confirmed. These naïve villagers had been swayed by mere charity. If this demon were ever to gain power, it would spell disaster.
Today, she would kill the Ghost Valley Master and instruct the giants to eliminate all the villagers as well, cleansing the land with righteous energy.
After gathering information about the valley's whereabouts, Nanjiang's party approached its edge, where heavy mist obscured their vision.
"Nan Zi, use your Qi Observation Technique," Nanjiang said, gesturing to her brother. Mere Eye-blocking Techniques wouldn't deceive them.
"Sister, it's in the southeast," Nan Zi reported excitedly after pinpointing the flaw in the illusion.
Nan Zi was thrilled—this was his first time accompanying his sister to exterminate demons, and he felt both proud and exhilarated.
Nanjiang waved her hand, commanding ten Long Men to leap into the chasm.
"Kill everyone in the valley," Nanjiang ordered.
She followed them immediately.
Upon descending, they found five or six terrified servants staring at them in the forest.
"Attack!!" Nanjiang formed a hand gesture and spat flames, splitting into five fireballs.
Bang!
Flames struck one servant's head, pulverizing it like a watermelon before the poor man could cry out.
Meanwhile, a giant seized another servant, grasping his head in its massive hand and with a brutal twist, tore it off.
The giant stuffed the severed head into its mouth, devouring it ravenously.
Unmoved by the bloodshed, Nanjiang remained composed.
These giants were captured by Huan Yuan Sect from the overseas Giant Country—their immense strength, savage nature, and tendency to eat humans made them excellent warriors.
"Let's go—keep killing."
Emerging from the forest, they saw a Taoist Temple ahead.
Thick black smoke billowed from the main hall at the temple's center.
"Evil fumes cloud the air—truly inhuman."
"Attack!"
"Roar!!"
One giant roared and charged to the temple wall, shoving it forcefully.
Crash!
The surrounding wall collapsed amidst billowing dust.
Suddenly, a group of figures materialized ahead.
Leading them was a white-robed Taoist, accompanied by twelve blue-faced, sharp-fanged Ghost Soldiers.
The Taoist stared coldly at Nanjiang's group, his gaze lingering on the blood staining their bodies.
"Who are you? Why have you killed my disciples without cause?"
"Hmph—a demon! The Palace Master foresaw your future chaos and sent us to eliminate you," Nanjiang retorted.
Song Lin nearly laughed in rage upon hearing this.
He had lived in seclusion for years, offending no one—yet these people claimed he would someday cause havoc, so they came to kill him.
What kind of reasoning was this?
Seeing the Qi Cultivators and Abnormal Soldiers draw their weapons, Song Lin's eyes hardened.
So be it—they shouldn't blame him for being merciless.
Swish!
The Taoist disciples donned their Anti-miasma Masks.
An eerie miasma rose around them.
The miasma, infused with Pill Poison, was utterly terrifying—not only had its toxicity increased, but it also carried a scalding energy akin to steam.
The brash young boy at the forefront accidentally inhaled the miasma. His face turned dark green, and he foamed at the mouth before collapsing.
Song Lin grabbed Nan Zi by the neck, pulling him towards himself using a forceful motion.
"Sister!!" Nan Zi cried out for help.
Crack!
Nan Zi's neck snapped under Song Lin's grip, and he died instantly.
"Brother!!" Nanjiang shrieked.
Song Lin sneered and mocked, "I calculated this child's future and foresaw him bringing calamity to the Mortal World. Consider this a favor—I've rid you of your trouble in advance. You're welcome."