"Eh, did I just imagine things? I think I saw Elder Zheng and a beautiful Female Immortal Master going out of the city together?"

"I saw it too. It really seems to be Elder Zheng."

"It’s so late, Elder Zheng and that Female Immortal Master, just the two of them going outside the city, what are they planning to do?"

"Shh, let’s not inquire about the affairs of important people. Just keep an eye on the city gate!"

Atop Zhenlian City’s city wall, the City Lord and the Immortal Masters had already eaten and drank to their fill and gone to rest; only a team of Guards remained, laboriously rotating their shifts on the city wall.

Earlier, in a moment of daze, they saw two figures taking advantage of the darkness to leave in a hurried manner.

They recognized who the man was, yet everyone shared a knowing smile. Who said that heroes saving the world couldn’t indulge in women?

Maybe it was the beautiful Female Immortal Master who was being proactive!

At this moment, a Guard suddenly halted his steps, his pupils filled with fear. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Old Four, what’s wrong?"

The person in front turned his head, asking curiously.

The Guard laboriously raised his hand, pointing to the south side outside the city, his voice trembling:

"Is that... the Red Flame Fox?"

Everyone turned their heads in shock, only to see on the distant Qilian Mountain stood a Demonic Fox emitting red flames all over its body, its eerie double pupils coldly watching them, eyes full of murderous intent.

"The Red Flame Fox!"

"It’s truly the Red Flame Fox!!"

"A Seventh-Grade Demonic Beast is here! Quick, report to the City Lord!"

...

"Junior Martial Uncle Zheng, where’s Senior Brother Chun?"

As chaos descended upon Zhenlian City, dozens of miles away in a mountain forest.

The spring water trickled down the mountain, the scenery picturesque, the night breeze gently brushing, making one feel relaxed.

Zheng Shengmo and Lin Qingchou ran to this spot and finally stopped. Lin Qingchou looked around but could not find any trace of Chun Ningzhi.

"No need to worry, niece. Ningzhi should be on his way."

Zheng Shengmo smiled at Lin Qingchou: "Ningzhi is an Upper Grade Spirit Root. If he were to engage in Dual Cultivation with a Top-Grade Spirit Root, both parties need to connect, Spirit Flesh must merge. Let me check again whether your Spiritual Power matches."

Zheng’s blunt words made Lin Qingchou feel embarrassed and annoyed, thinking how Junior Martial Uncle Zheng could be so indelicate, it was truly inappropriate.

But since he was Senior Brother Chun’s Master and intended to matchmake her with Senior Brother Chun, she naturally could not refuse. Thus, she extended her pale, white wrist and said respectfully:

"Please, Junior Martial Uncle."

Zheng Shengmo gave a gentle smile, placing his fingers on Lin Qingchou’s wrist.

In the next moment, Lin Qingchou’s expression changed: "Junior Martial Uncle, what are you doing?"

A surge of mighty Spiritual Power suddenly erupted from Zheng’s fingers, instantly entering her body, confining her Cultivation!

"Niece, although your appearance and talent can’t compare with Ye Xiyue, you can still reluctantly help me break through the Nascent Soul Realm."

Zheng Shengmo’s smile grew more amicable, his tone filled with incomparable kindness:

"Qingchou, you won’t refuse your Junior Martial Uncle, will you?"

Lin Qingchou’s body stiffened, unable to move, an ominous feeling surged in her heart, she asked in a trembling voice:

"Junior Martial Uncle, what are you talking about?"

Zheng Shengmo moved his hands to her shoulders, fingers tightly clenched into her soft skin, his smile gradually becoming sinister:

"Qingchou, your Junior Martial Uncle has been stuck at the Nascent Soul Peak for years, unable to break through. I need a Top-Grade Spirit Root to pair with me to help break through the bottleneck. You are a disciple of the Zhenyang Sect, you should help your Junior Martial Uncle cultivate!"

While Zheng Shengmo spoke, his hands continued to roam, leaving Lin Qingchou petrified, tears streaming down her face, yet her expression still bore disbelief.

"Junior Martial Uncle Zheng, are you joking with me? Where is Senior Brother Chun? Why hasn’t Senior Brother Chun come?"

Zheng Shengmo chuckled: "Qingchou, don’t you understand? Ningzhi values his Master greatly, upon hearing you could aid my cultivation, he couldn’t be more delighted. He asked me to convey to you that you should cooperate with your Junior Martial Uncle well."

Whoosh!

With a gasp, Lin Qingchou’s white dress was suddenly torn away, she raised her hand to hide her body but found herself unable to move.

It was only at this moment that she understood what Zheng Shengmo intended to do to her, although her face still showed incredulity.

"This is Senior Brother Chun’s intention? No, no, you’re lying to me! Senior Brother Chun wouldn’t do this!"

"Stop, please don’t! You are my Junior Martial Uncle, how could you... Ah!!"

The heart-wrenching screams mixed with the sound of trickling water blended into the air, startling a few birds, then ignored by anyone else.

...

Half an incense stick later.

Zheng Shengmo stood up, a satisfied smile on his face, stepping on the scattered fallen petals on the ground. Strands of blood mixed with the soil quickly became filthy.

"No, no... Senior Brother Chun, you’ve come? Really good."

Lin Qingchou lay on the ground, looking dazed, unable to distinguish between crying and laughing, clearly in a state of insanity.

Ignoring the already broken Lin Qingchou, Zheng Shengmo walked to the side and sat cross-legged, attempting to use the tiny amount of Innate Spiritual Qi he just absorbed to break through the Nascent Soul Realm.

Although the Innate Spiritual Qi contained in this acquired Top-grade Spirit Root of Lin Qingchou was minimal, it was enough for Zheng Shengmo.

He had been lingering at the Nascent Soul Peak for years, only one step away from the door.

Now with this bit of Innate Spiritual Qi, he had confidence to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm.

The Sect Leader was seriously injured at Celestial Ridge Mountain, in seclusion for over a year, with his life or death unknown, and that Tantai Mingyue’s cultivation was inferior to his own, yet she took the position of Deputy Sect Leader.

Once I reach the Divinity Transformation Realm, I’ll be the number one in the world, let’s see who dares oppose my ascension to the position of Sect Leader!

Zheng Shengmo was excited, his long-held wish about to be fulfilled, he immediately sped up his spiritual power, wrapping the bit of Innate Spiritual Qi, and entered his Spirit Field.

In an instant, Zheng Shengmo’s expression changed!

"This spiritual energy... is poisonous?!"

He quickly circulated his cultivation technique, trying to expel the poisonous Innate Spiritual Qi from his body, but the toxin was fierce and cunning, even burrowing deep into his Spirit Field, spreading rapidly through his meridians as it mingled with his blood.

Puh!

Zheng Shengmo spat a mouthful of fresh blood, his face ashen, horrified to find his spiritual power depleting rapidly, his cultivation diminishing with it!

"How could this be?! What kind of poison is this?!!"

Zheng Shengmo rummaged through his Storage Bag and stuffed dozens of Spirit Pills into his mouth, desperately circulating his cultivation technique, trying to muster his spiritual power and safeguard his cultivation.

But the poison had already seized his Spirit Field, spread throughout his meridians, causing his cultivation to fall continuously.

Nascent Soul Eighth-Layer, Nascent Soul Seventh-Layer, Nascent Soul Sixth-Layer...

An hour later, Zheng Shengmo finally managed to suppress the toxin within his body.

But his cultivation had fallen to the Nascent Soul First-Layer.

Zheng Shengmo, drenched in sweat, his face ashen, turned his head to glare angrily at Lin Qingchou:

"How can you have poison in your body?! Did you do it on purpose?"

Lin Qingchou, slightly regaining her senses, found herself naked, screamed, hastily covered her vital parts with her hands, curled up completely, looking at Zheng Shengmo with fear:

"Junior Martial Uncle Zheng, why, why did you do this to me?!"

"You slut! How dare you carry poison?!"

Zheng Shengmo kicked Lin Qingchou in the abdomen, her body rolled back several meters, breaking countless large trees, hitting a mountain wall before stopping. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her face deathly pale.

Zheng Shengmo’s figure flashed, grabbing Lin Qingchou by the neck and lifting her up, his eyes filled with sinister red veins:

"Where’s the antidote?!"

Lin Qingchou’s eyes were lifeless, only tears flowed. Zheng Shengmo was furious:

"This was your plan, wasn’t it? Tell me, who instructed you?!"

"Zheng Shengmo, do you think you’ll die today?"

Suddenly, a cool voice sounded, a petite silhouette appeared slowly from across the mountain spring. Her features were delicate, her demeanor fragile, yet her eyes held boundless killing intent!

"Ruo Mei?"

Zheng Shengmo stared at the unexpectedly appearing figure, horrified:

"It’s you! I never even noticed you, who are you?"

Ruo Mei stood by the gently flowing spring water, looked coldly at Zheng Shengmo across:

"This place should be very familiar to you, right?"

Zheng Shengmo squinted his eyes: "What do you mean?"

Ruo Mei continued: "Three days ago, you led a group of Zhenyang Sect disciples on this mountain peak where you encountered Feiyu, Hunting Cloud, Tiger Boar. Although your cultivation was enough to fight them, you feared death, using that group of disciples as human shields, and fled yourself."

"The next day, their corpses floated down the spring, where we happened to pass by and found them."

"Those corpses still carried traces of your spiritual energy, so I immediately discerned their cause of death."

"Cowardly and selfish, harming disciples, assaulting juniors, haha, no wonder they call you the Leader of the Righteous Path!"