In the following days, Lu Yi and Jiang Fan spent their time cultivating in the palace during the day and going out at night, hoping to encounter the demonic cultivator.

Unfortunately, they never ran into him.

As for Bai Yulong, he was so enamored with the brothels in the capital that he had no thoughts of leaving, indulging himself completely.

Lu Yi looked down on him, although he couldn't deny feeling a slight twinge of envy.

Meanwhile, the disaster relief efforts continued in full swing.

Starting from the second day, corrupt officials in the capital were investigated, and their confiscated wealth was used for disaster relief. This created widespread fear among the capital's officials, who trembled at the thought of being the next target.

Decrees were issued from the royal palace, all focused on providing disaster relief.

Among the refugees, stories of kind-hearted immortal masters showing mercy spread quickly. Even when Lu Yi went out for a stroll, he could hear these rumors.

Hearing such words gave Lu Yi a small sense of satisfaction.

……

Eight days passed quickly.

That night, Lu Yi was cultivating in his room when suddenly he sensed an unfamiliar presence land in the palace. A woman's voice rang out:

"Daoist Friend Lu Yi, Daoist Friend Jiang Fan! We've found the trace of that demonic cultivator!"

Lu Yi's eyes snapped open, a glimmer of light flashing within them.

In the next moment, Lu Yi's body disappeared from where he was sitting, and the door to his room was already open.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged woman with a worried expression stood anxiously. Her name was Qin Fang, one of the two Qi Refining cultivators Lu Yi had previously encountered aside from Li Qing. She was at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Judging by her age, she wasn't young anymore, and her talent was quite average. Like the other middle-aged cultivator, she had become a rogue cultivator after obtaining a cultivation technique by chance.

While Qin Fang was still panicking, Lu Yi's figure appeared suddenly, as if he had been there all along. He spoke calmly, "Where is he?"

Qin Fang's heart almost stopped in fright.

When did this Daoist Friend Lu arrive?! I didn't even notice!

Doesn't he know he could scare someone to death like this?!

Qin Fang quickly replied, "In the northern part of the city. Lord Li has already gone ahead!"

Lu Yi raised his eyebrows. Over the past few days, he and Jiang Fan had explored the entire capital. The central area of the city was the royal palace. To the east was the bustling commercial district, the west housed officials and wealthy merchants, the south was where commoners lived, and the north was home to the lower classes, full of gangs and chaos.

When Lu Yi and Jiang Fan had visited the northern area, some thugs had even tried to rob them because of their fine clothing…

While Qin Fang spoke, Jiang Fan walked out. His ordinary-looking face was serious as he asked, "Junior Brother Lu, shall we head over?"

Lu Yi nodded. "By the way, where is Senior Brother Bai Yulong?"

Jiang Fan's mouth twitched. "I just went to look for him. He's still at a brothel. Fortunately, it's not far from the northern district."

Lu Yi rubbed his forehead, looking exasperated. "Bring him along too."

Jiang Fan nodded.

Lu Yi turned to Qin Fang and said, "Daoist Friend Qin, head over first. We'll be there shortly."

Qin Fang nodded and left immediately.

Lu Yi and Jiang Fan turned into streaks of light and disappeared from the palace.

Lu Yi's speed required no explanation. Jiang Fan also had impressive talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have comprehended Foundation Establishment techniques while still at the tenth level of Qi Refining. Naturally, his speed wasn't slow either.

Following Jiang Fan's lead, Lu Yi soon arrived at a brothel called Spring Breeze Pavilion and found Bai Yulong.

When Bai Yulong heard that the demonic cultivator had appeared, he rushed out of his room, dressing hastily as he left. The two women following him wore expressions of disappointment, making Lu Yi feel awkward.

Jiang Fan, however, remained composed. "Let's go," he said calmly.

"Wait, let me finish putting on my clothes!" Bai Yulong shouted while tightening his belt.

The three of them moved swiftly along the rooftops, but Bai Yulong lagged slightly behind Lu Yi and Jiang Fan.

Lu Yi glanced at Bai Yulong and teased, "Senior Brother Bai Yulong, speed up. Or are your legs weak after spending so many nights in brothels?"

Bai Yulong's expression froze, and he retorted indignantly, "You two are just faster than me, okay?! A few days of fun can't possibly slow me down!"

Jiang Fan laughed, "Since Bai Yulong's legs are weak, we shouldn't wait for him."

"Are you two deaf?!" Bai Yulong's face darkened.

Just then, a loud explosion rang out.

The three of them froze and looked toward the source of the sound.

They had reached the western part of the city. In the distance, a cluster of low straw huts had been torn apart, with spiritual energy surging chaotically and waves of force spreading outward.

A crimson streak of light shot out, fleeing into the distance.

Jiang Fan's face changed. "Is that the demonic cultivator?! Damn, he's trying to escape!"

Bai Yulong frowned. "He's too far. Can we catch up? Li Qing couldn't stop him?"

They were still quite a distance away.

While they spoke, they saw a white streak of light flash past them, surrounded by swirling clouds.

Lu Yi's figure was wrapped in a cloud-like aura. Within a few breaths, he had already overtaken them, chasing after the crimson light.

Seeing Lu Yi's speed, Jiang Fan and Bai Yulong's eyes widened.

"Junior Brother Lu?! Isn't this speed a bit too fast?!" Bai Yulong exclaimed.

Jiang Fan was equally shocked. "At this speed, even Foundation Establishment cultivators at the second or third level might not match him… No wonder Junior Brother Lu is ranked first in the Qi Refining Trials."

……

In the distance, Li Qing, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, watched the crimson light flee with a grim expression.

After the last encounter, the demonic cultivator had become more cautious. Li Qing, still recovering from his injuries, couldn't stop him.

"Damn it, he's going to get away!" The middle-aged man beside him, also injured and struggling to stand, cursed.

At that moment, they saw Lu Yi streaking past in a flash of white light, chasing the crimson figure. His speed far surpassed the fleeing demonic cultivator.

Li Qing: "???"

Middle-aged man: "???"

Both were stunned into silence.

They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The middle-aged man hesitated before speaking. "Was that… Daoist Friend Lu? That was him, right?"

Li Qing nodded, still in shock. "I… I think so? It looked like Junior Brother Lu. But… how is he so fast?! I've seen Foundation Establishment seniors slower than that."

The middle-aged man looked equally astonished. "Daoist Friend Lu is only at the tenth level of Qi Refining, right? How can he be faster than Foundation Establishment cultivators?!"

The two stood in stunned silence before Li Qing urged, "We need to catch up!"

They quickly ran toward the direction of the crimson light.

Ahead, Lu Yi pushed his White Cloud Steps to its limit. Even at the eighth level of Qi Refining, he could already match Foundation Establishment cultivators at the third level in speed. Now at the tenth level, he was even faster.

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The crimson light moved at an ordinary tenth-level Qi Refining speed, allowing Lu Yi to close the gap quickly.

Soon, Lu Yi overtook the demonic cultivator and landed on the roof of a low shack, blocking his path.

Lu Yi sized up the demonic cultivator—a middle-aged man dressed in black night attire.

His expression was vicious, with faint traces of bloodlust flickering in his eyes, and his entire body exuded a strong stench of blood.

Seeing Lu Yi blocking his path, the demonic cultivator's expression changed, and he immediately stopped.

He stared intently at Lu Yi and rasped, "Who are you?! This has nothing to do with you, right?"

Lu Yi smiled slightly. "Inner disciple of White Cloud Sect—the one here to kill you."

Hearing Lu Yi's words, the demonic cultivator's face darkened. Without another word, blood mist erupted from his body, causing his aura to surge as he fled in another direction.

However, even though the demonic cultivator used an evil technique to boost his speed significantly, in Lu Yi's eyes, it was still nothing special.

With a single step, Lu Yi disappeared from his original position and reappeared beside the demonic cultivator.

A green spirit sword appeared in his hand. With a casual swipe, a flash of sword light cut through the air, slicing the demonic cultivator's body into two halves. Blood spurted out as the two halves fell heavily onto the filthy ground.

Lu Yi glanced at the corpse on the ground and, after confirming there was no more breath, nodded slightly.

'Mission accomplished. That was pretty easy, wasn’t it?'

Not only was this a sect mission, but Lu Yi had also issued a task to himself after accepting the sect mission.

[Task]

Kill the demonic cultivator in Mohe Kingdom’s capital (Completed)

Reward: 2 drops of Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk

Claim reward: Yes/No

Compared to regular tasks, this reward was quite generous, considering the opponent was merely a Qi Refining Stage Level 10 demonic cultivator.

Even Lu Yi's monthly trial tower tasks only rewarded Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk when defeating Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Lu Yi happily claimed the reward and stored it in his spatial ring.

Then, Lu Yi examined the corpse, pulling a spatial ring from it.

Inside the spatial ring, there were only a few bottles of mid-grade Qi Condensation Pills and several bottles of pungent-smelling pills, likely poisons.

Additionally, there were some blood-colored crystals.

These blood-colored crystals contained violent spiritual energy, likely created using forbidden techniques by the demonic cultivator.

For ordinary cultivators, these crystals were more potent than spirit stones and regular pills.

But for Lu Yi, they were useless.

Lu Yi decided to destroy them. Judging by the demonic cultivator's practice of capturing people for cultivation, these crystals were probably refined from the missing victims.

'Utterly inhumane.'

Lu Yi felt that destroying them was the right choice.

Besides these, the demonic cultivator only had a few low-grade spirit stones, making him incredibly poor.

Lu Yi felt speechless. He had never seen such a broke Qi Refining Level 10 cultivator.

Fortunately, there was the mission reward.

Just as Lu Yi finished inspecting the spatial ring, he sensed several auras approaching from behind.

Turning around, he saw Li Qing and the middle-aged cultivator quickly running over. Further back, Jiang Fan, Bai Yulong, and Qin Fang were also hurrying toward them.

When Li Qing and the middle-aged cultivator reached Lu Yi, they glanced at the corpse on the ground. Their pupils contracted, revealing shocked expressions.

Li Qing cupped his hands toward Lu Yi, his eyes carrying a hint of reverence. "Senior Brother Lu Yi, your strength is astonishing! That demonic cultivator wasn’t weak, yet he couldn’t withstand even one strike from you!"

From afar, Li Qing had seen Lu Yi cut down the demonic cultivator with a single sword stroke.

It was worth noting that the demonic cultivator’s strength surpassed Li Qing’s!

The middle-aged cultivator beside him also looked respectful. Although Lu Yi was only at Qi Refining Level 10, his power was terrifying.

"Fellow Daoist Lu Yi, as expected of a disciple from White Cloud Sect. I am truly impressed."

Lu Yi smiled, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and said, "Junior Brother Li, carefully check if this is the demonic cultivator."

Li Qing nodded and, along with the middle-aged cultivator, carefully inspected the corpse.

Afterward, Li Qing returned to Lu Yi and nodded. "This is indeed him!"

Lu Yi smiled. "In that case, the mission is complete."

Lu Yi inwardly complained, 'This mission was so time-consuming. It took eight days of waiting here, a week to travel, and another week to return—more than half a month in total!'

Li Qing laughed. "It’s all thanks to Senior Brother Lu."

While the three were talking, Qin Fang, Jiang Fan, and Bai Yulong also arrived.

Seeing the corpse on the ground, Jiang Fan and Bai Yulong both heaved sighs of relief.

If this demonic cultivator had escaped, who knew how long it would take to find him again?

For them, it would mean more waiting.

Of course, Lu Yi suspected that Bai Yulong wouldn’t mind staying longer.

After all, he could continue visiting brothels.

Once the group confirmed the demonic cultivator’s identity, they returned to the royal palace.

…………

Mohe Kingdom—hundreds of kilometers from the capital, deep in the mountains.

Inside the mountains was a massive cave, and in its center lay a giant blood pool. The pool boiled with blood, emitting faint screams as though from the souls of the damned.

Suddenly, the blood pool exploded, and a cold-faced middle-aged man emerged. His expression was gloomy and furious, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Damn it! My blood puppet!! I don’t care if you’re a White Cloud Sect disciple—just a mere Qi Refining Stage cultivator!"

His eyes burned with murderous intent, and the blood pool boiled even more violently.

…………

Early the next morning, at the gates of the capital.

King Mo Ling of Mohe Kingdom, along with several ministers and Li Qing’s group, stood at the gate to see Lu Yi’s group off. The corrupt officer who had initially welcomed them had already been executed for embezzlement.

With the mission complete, Lu Yi’s group planned to return to their sect for cultivation.

Mo Ling cupped his hands gratefully toward Lu Yi. "Thank you, Immortal Masters, for bringing that demonic cultivator to justice!"

Lu Yi smiled. "It’s what we’re supposed to do."

Then, he glanced at Mo Ling and said, "You’ve done a good job with disaster relief these past days."

Saying this, Lu Yi took out a porcelain bottle and tossed it to Mo Ling.

"This is a reward. Keep up the good work. The next time I visit, if I see the people of Mohe Kingdom living well, the rewards will be even better."

Over the past few days, Mo Ling had indeed performed well in disaster relief, reducing the number of refugees significantly.

Mo Ling hurriedly caught the porcelain bottle, his eyes filled with joy.

'Better than three top-grade Qi Condensation Pills? What kind of treasure is this?'

He quickly nodded; his face determined. "I will ensure the people are well cared for!"

Lu Yi nodded, bid farewell to Li Qing and the others, and then rode off with Jiang Fan and Bai Yulong on their unicorn spirit horses.

On the way, Bai Yulong looked back at the capital reluctantly and sighed. "Ah, those girls… Who knows when I’ll see them again?"

Jiang Fan glanced at Bai Yulong and chuckled. "If you’re so unwilling, you can stay. Lu Yi and I will head back."

Bai Yulong straightened his face. "The girls are just entertainment. Cultivating on the immortal path is what truly matters! I, Bai Yulong, will surely become a Golden Core or even Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Lu Yi glanced at him but didn’t mock him. Instead, he checked his task panel.

The disaster relief task was complete, and it was time to see the rewards.

[Task]

Mohe Kingdom Disaster Relief (Completed) Reward based on relief performance.

Rewards: Heavenly treasures—Glazed Jade, Golden Azure Stone, and 20 drops of Thousand-Year Spirit Milk.

Claim reward: Yes/No

Looking at the rewards on the panel, Lu Yi felt pleasantly surprised.

The rewards were quite generous.

Spending only three top-grade Qi Condensation Pills in exchange for such valuable treasures was an incredible bargain.

Glazed Jade and Golden Azure Stone were rare heavenly materials. They could be used as main materials for crafting treasure-grade artifacts or fused into magic tools to enhance their quality.

However, crafting required artifact-forging skills, which Lu Yi lacked. He planned to take these materials back to the sect and ask the artifact-forging elders to create treasures for him.

As for the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, it was self-explanatory. With 20 more drops, Lu Yi’s stock of Thousand-Year Spirit Milk now exceeded 50 drops.

Up until now, Lu Yi had been using Hundred-Year Spirit Milk for cultivation. But as his cultivation level increased, he required larger quantities. At this rate, even Hundred-Year Spirit Milk might become insufficient, and he would need Thousand-Year Spirit Milk to continue progressing.

Moreover, Hundred-Year Spirit Milk’s true value lay not just in cultivation but also in enhancing one’s innate talent.

Lu Yi had improved his cultivation aptitude significantly using Hundred-Year Spirit Milk. However, it seemed he had reached a limit, and further enhancement might require Thousand-Year Spirit Milk.

The remaining Hundred-Year Spirit Milk could be given to his parents when he returned to improve their talents as well.

Lu Yi stored the rewards in his spatial ring and continued chatting and laughing with Bai Yulong and Jiang Fan as they traveled back to their sect.

……

Late at night, the next day.

The three of them camped in a desolate area. Bai Yulong gathered some firewood and lit a bonfire. He and Jiang Fan both looked expectantly at Lu Yi.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Yi smiled helplessly. "Fine, we’ll have tiger bone ginseng soup."

Bai Yulong grinned happily. "Lu Yi, I’m counting on this soup to keep me alive! The soups we had in the palace these past few days were awful."

Even Jiang Fan swallowed his saliva and nodded. "Lu Yi’s cultivation talent is already extraordinary, but who would have thought his talent for spiritual cooking surpasses most others too? In just a few months, your tiger bone ginseng soup has become this effective."

Lu Yi smiled. "Unfortunately, I only know this one recipe. If I knew more, I could prepare a variety of spiritual dishes."

He took out the tiger bone ginseng soup and handed it to the two.

"This one is already amazing. It even boosts body refinement."

"Bai Yulong is right. My body refinement technique has already reached the minor achievement stage, and your soup played a big role." Jiang Fan nodded.

Lu Yi chuckled. "Drink it while it’s hot."

The two didn’t hold back. Having enjoyed several such meals, they were deeply grateful and kept it in their hearts. They immediately began drinking the soup.

Just then, Lu Yi’s hand froze, and he turned to his left.

That direction led into the dark night. Stars sparkled, casting light over the barren land.

Jiang Fan noticed Lu Yi’s expression and frowned. "Lu Yi, what’s wrong?"

Lu Yi’s face turned serious. "Someone’s coming."

Hearing this, Bai Yulong stopped drinking and also looked in the same direction.

At that moment, a violent aura rapidly approached them.

The aura was immensely powerful, causing Jiang Fan and Bai Yulong’s expressions to change drastically. Even Lu Yi frowned.

'Damn it. Could we be this unlucky? Running into a powerhouse during a mission? Judging by this aura, it might be an evil cultivator—and possibly coming for us.'

Jiang Fan shouted, "Run!"

The three turned into streaks of light, fleeing into the distance.

However, the violent aura moved faster than them. In mere moments, a blood-colored light flashed and blocked their path.

The three immediately stopped and warily looked at the figure before them.

It was a middle-aged man with a sinister expression, dressed in blood-red robes. A dense scent of blood surrounded him.

This familiar scent instantly reminded Lu Yi of the evil cultivator they had encountered in Mohe Kingdom.

But this blood smell was even stronger.

Lu Yi’s mind raced.

'Weren’t they just ordinary evil cultivators?! What’s with this guy?'

Beside him, Bai Yulong’s face paled as he squeezed out, "Foundation Establishment peak?!"

Jiang Fan’s expression darkened. "His aura feels exactly like that evil cultivator…"

The man’s eyes swept over the three and revealed a cold smile. "Run? Go on, keep running!"

Bai Yulong said, "Senior, we are inner disciples of White Cloud Sect. Our elders are Golden Core and Nascent Soul realm experts. If you harm us, they won’t spare you!"

The man sneered. "White Cloud Sect? So what? If I clean up properly, who will know it was me?"

Blood energy surged around him, sealing off their escape route. He said coldly, "You shouldn’t have meddled. Do you know how hard it is to create blood puppets? I spent 230 years making just three, and you dared to destroy them?!"

With every word, the man’s aura grew stronger. Jiang Fan took out a talisman, causing the man’s eyes to narrow.

"Do you know how much longer it’ll take me to collect enough blood essence to reach the Golden Core stage now?"

"Three mere Qi Refining cultivators dared to cost me so much? Whether you’re from White Cloud Sect or not, you must die today!"

The man reached out, unleashing a blood mist toward them. Jiang Fan activated his talisman, forming a water barrier around them.

Boom!

The blood mist clashed against the barrier, creating a loud explosion. The barrier trembled but held.

Jiang Fan said, "This won’t hold for long!"

Bai Yulong’s face was grim. "What do we do?"

Lu Yi, however, remained calm—though inwardly confused.

He realized something strange.

A Foundation Establishment peak expert should feel overwhelmingly threatening. But… he felt nothing.

'Wait… am I already strong enough to handle someone at Foundation Establishment peak?'

Lu Yi wasn’t sure whether he was being overconfident or not.