Chapter 126: Immortal Cultivation Secret Art (I)

Dusk gradually fell as a thin fog, soft as gauze, veiled the mountains and forests. Even during the day, the forest outside Lion Valley remained shrouded in a faint fog, but as night descended, it thickened steadily.

With a light tap of his toes, Lin Zheyu turned into a shadow and darted swiftly through the forest. He had been keeping watch here for ten days, yet had discovered nothing significant. The bandits of Lion Valley came and went daily, constantly herding refugees into the valley.

In just ten days, at least one thousand refugees had been taken inside. The bandits had also transported large quantities of grain and supplies from unknown sources; otherwise, feeding so many people would have been impossible.

Should I disguise myself as a refugee and slip into Lion Valley?

wondered Lin Zheyu.

Originally, he had planned to wait for those black-and-crimson-robed figures to leave and then strike. Unfortunately, ten days had passed, and not once had he seen any of them emerge. Only the bandits and the newly recruited refugees were seen entering and leaving the valley entrance. The strongest among them had barely broken through to the Blood Qi Realm. Lin Zheyu surmised that the one who had reached that level must have done so by consuming a Blood Pill.

No, those bandits aren’t fools. They wouldn’t bring anyone inside without a thorough inspection. If I want to sneak in, I’ll have to make myself look half-starved, skin and bones.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Zheyu dismissed the idea. Once he left the fog-covered forest outside Lion Valley, his vision cleared, and the surroundings grew much brighter.

Roar.

As Lin Zheyu passed Beast Roar Mountain, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from within the woods, but he remained unfazed. Deep within Beast Roar Mountain dwelled many fierce beasts, and whenever night fell, such roars often resounded through the range.

Rustling sounds filled the air as a gentle breeze brushed through, setting the leaves to whisper softly. Lin Zheyu moved swiftly through the forest. Due to the ongoing wars, there were far fewer hunters left in Beast Roar Mountain, and most commoners outside the city had already fled. Only a few city hunters, who relied on hunting for a living, still ventured out occasionally.

A deep howl suddenly tore through the stillness. Out of nowhere, a massive beast over two meters long, its fangs gleaming, burst from the forest and lunged toward Lin Zheyu. Its strength was formidable. Any ordinary peak Bone Forging Realm martial artist struck by it would be crippled, if not killed outright. However, its opponent was Lin Zheyu, merely pretending to be at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm.

Bang!

Without warning, Lin Zheyu sidestepped left, kicked off the ground. He then bulged his arm muscles as he drove a heavy punch straight into the beast’s skull. He didn’t draw his saber, not wanting to stain the carcass with excessive blood.

Crack.

The beast was sent flying, its skull cracking audibly as blood spurted from its eyes, nose, and ears. It crashed through two tree trunks before finally coming to a halt. Its body twitched, hooves scraping the ground as it struggled to rise. But after a few moments of struggle, its body jerked once more and went forever still.

Lucky me. I can bring a beast back on the way home,

thought Lin Zheyu. A faint smile appeared on his face as he slung the beast over his shoulder[1] and headed toward Songyi City.

"Senior Brother!" shouted Lin Zheyu.

Passing the city gate, he waved at Han Mo, who was on patrol. Ever since the rebel army had captured Baohe City, the City Guard had greatly reduced its raids against bandits, focusing most of its efforts on city defense.

Han Mo frowned slightly as he looked at the beast on Lin Zheyu’s shoulder and said with concern, "You went hunting again, huh? Junior Brother, it's dangerous outside these days. You should avoid taking unnecessary risks."

"I’ll be careful. I'm really fast, you know? Ordinary Organ Forging Realm martial artists can’t catch me. It’s not that dangerous," replied Lin Zheyu with a grin. He glanced over his senior brother and noticed that Han Mo had advanced to the Blood Qi Realm, feeling genuinely happy for him.

"Senior Brother, come by my place tonight for a barbecue. This Greenmane Beast’s meat is tender yet chewy. It’s a perfect match with wine," said Lin Zheyu, inviting him with a smile.

Ever since the young masters, Xu Qinyi and Ren Qingfeng, had left Songyi City, his life had grown dull; no one came calling for evening performances or theater outings anymore. Jia Yanyong, Xie Jiang, and Ning Hui occasionally invited him to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, but not too often, as daily visits would drain their purses and exhaust their bodies.

"Next time. I’m on patrol tonight. I heard the rebel army has reorganized its forces and plans to attack Guanning City soon. I just hope that the city can hold," said Han Mo, frowning with concern.

"Don’t worry. It should be fine. I saw tens of thousands of soldiers marching along the official road recently, heading there as reinforcements. With that many troops, they should be able to hold it," said Lin Zheyu.

In recent days, nearly every day brought the sight of thousands of troops passing by, and the largest force numbered well over ten thousand men. The leader of that ten-thousand-strong force was terrifying; his blood qi surged with overwhelming force, so dense that even Lin Zheyu could not discern his true cultivation.

"Let’s hope so..."

Han Mo sighed softly. Although he had already arranged a path of escape for his parents, wife, and children, no one truly wished to abandon their home and live as strangers in a foreign land. If the rebel army’s advance could be halted and Songyi City preserved, that would be the best outcome.

After chatting briefly with Han Mo, Lin Zheyu carried the beast home on his shoulder. Ever since he had slain Xing Penghai and his son, life had returned to its former calm. The fifth elder of the Xing Family no longer came to seek him out.

Upon returning home, Lin Zheyu cleaned and prepared the Greenmane Beast, then enjoyed a hearty meal. His appetite had grown enormous; if he ate freely, even such a large beast would not last him a full day.

After dinner, Lin Zheyu practiced the Sixfold Saber technique in his courtyard. He had cultivated this saber art entirely through hard work, never once relying on Origin Force, and now he was close to achieving perfection. Under the bright moonlight, silver-white gleams flashed across the courtyard.

Swish, swish, swish.

The saber edge sliced through the air, producing sharp swishing sounds as fierce winds howled around him. After more than 2 hours of practice, Lin Zheyu finally stopped to rest.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 0]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Perfection), Sixfold Saber (Advanced Mastery: 37%), Golden Goose Technique (Eighth Stage: 40%), Ten Thousand Troop Steps (Fifth Stage: 48%), Poison King Body (First Stage: 0%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 5%)]

Lin Zheyu glanced at the data within his consciousness and saw that his Sixfold Saber technique had advanced slightly once again. Over the past 10 days, he had accumulated another 4 units of Origin Force, pushing his Golden Goose Technique to 40% progress in the eighth stage.

To save money, he paired each unit of Origin Force with eight sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction. After each enhancement, he could restore about 10% of his blood qi.

The next morning, Lin Zheyu cultivated for two hours as usual and then took up his saber and left the city. He arrived outside the entrance of Lion Valley and settled into his usual hiding spot. He refused to believe he couldn’t catch sight of those black-and-crimson-robed figures if he kept watch long enough.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Time flowed by slowly. Sitting cross-legged on a tree branch, Lin Zheyu practiced the Tortoise Breath Grand Method while keeping a close eye on the valley entrance. Through relentless training over this period, his Tortoise Breath Grand Method had finally advanced by 1%.

After reaching the third stage, the method’s difficulty skyrocketed, and each additional percent required a full month of dedicated cultivation. If he were to enhance it using Origin Force instead, he estimated it would take roughly 10 units to reach perfection in the third stage.

"Someone’s coming again!"

Lin Zheyu’s ears twitched slightly, and he stopped cultivating. He quietly stood up and concealed himself among the branches to observe the newcomers. This time, thirty-eight people arrived with twenty-five horses. Each horse carried heavy burlap sacks, their hooves sinking deep into the soft earth. When he got a closer look at the people, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

So it’s that old man. I’ve been looking for him for so long without success, but who would’ve thought I’d run into him here?

Lin Zheyu was deeply astonished. Among the group, the strongest were three elderly men, each appearing to be in their fifties or sixties. One of them was none other than the fifth elder of the Xing Family, who had once tried to recruit him. The old man’s strength was not worth worrying about, as he was merely at the first transformation of blood qi.

One of the other elder’s blood qi was far denser, having reached the second transformation, likely not far from the third. The last elder was the most formidable. His presence was faint and concealed, likely through a special technique to mask his aura, leaving Lin Zheyu unable to gauge his strength. Even so, Lin Zheyu could faintly sense a palpable sense of danger radiating from him.

Could that old man be a fourth transformation Blood Qi Realm expert?

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.

Holding his breath, he activated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to its fullest, concealing himself behind the trunk. He watched as the group disappeared into Lion Valley.

"For the Xing Family to send such powerful fighters this time, they must be after something major," murmured Lin Zheyu, gazing toward the valley’s entrance.

He quietly remained hidden, continuing his watch and waiting for the Xing Family group to emerge. He had a feeling that this time, he was about to catch a big one.

1. I’m not sure how he did that considering that the beast is 2 meters long. ☜