A month later, somewhere in the northwest of the Middle Sky Continent, a stretch of mountains hidden in grey mist, there was a group of buildings covered in dark Yin Qi. The area was about ten acres, and there were towers, pavilions, and palaces among them. All of the buildings were enveloped by an ellipsoidal magic barrier.
Greyish-black Yin energy floated above the building, isolating it from the outside world.
Inside the magic barrier, one could see people wearing grey robes flying back and forth from time to time. It was quite lively.
In a secret room at the top of a ten-story black tower, a dove-faced old man wearing a purple robe was sitting cross-legged.
This person's face was as thin as a ghost, and his two eye sockets were deeply sunken. He looked as thin as a skeleton.
The dove-faced old man was meditating, holding a black crystal in each hand. From time to time, a faint grey Qi would fly out from the crystal and be sucked into the old man's mouth.
Suddenly, there was a fluctuation in the secret room, and a figure appeared out of thin air, standing two steps away from the dove-faced old man.
"Are you Old Man Wu of the Jackdaw Sect?" The figure was shrouded in a faint layer of black Qi, obscuring his appearance, but from his voice, he seemed to be a young man.
The dove-faced old man was frightened and was about to move when there was a sharp clang. An icy cold and sharp object pressed against his forehead, giving him a slight tingling sensation.
The dove-faced old man's body suddenly stiffened. He didn't doubt that if he moved, his head would immediately be pierced.
His secret chamber was completely sealed, and the entire tower was set up with countless Array Formations and Restrictions. However, the person in front of him was able to sneak in without making a sound. This was already a very clear indication of the problem.
"Could it be a cultivator at the Jin Dan stage?"
The dove-faced old man didn't dare to release his divine sense to sense the black figure's cultivation. His mind raced with thoughts, and he could only answer honestly:
"Yes, this junior is Wu Shen. May I ask what instructions Senior has for me?"
"Let me ask you, five years ago in the Copper Sun Mountain Range in the southeast of the continent, did you come into contact with a white-robed middle-aged cultivator with a face full of scars?" The black figure said indifferently. Although his tone was calm, there was a hint of killing intent in it.
The dove-faced old man felt a sudden chill in his heart. He tried his best to search through his memories. Finally, he recalled the long journey from a few years ago. He hastily said,
"Senior is right. I had just advanced to the Crystallization Period later stage at that time. I went to the Copper Sun Mountain Range to find a medicine catalyst. I once joined a hunting group, and there was indeed such a person in the hunting group."
"Very good. How much do you know about this person?" The black figure raised his voice.
"That person said his surname was Fan, and he was a Jin Dan stage loose cultivator. He was also one of the leaders of that hunting group. Regardless of cultivation technique or spirit tool, he was extremely powerful. However, he was eccentric and rarely communicated with others. I only stayed in the hunting group for half a year. After that, because I found the medicine I needed, I left the hunting group. After that, I didn't stay in the Copper Sun Mountain Range for long, so that's all I know about him. "
The dove-faced old man didn't know what the black figure wanted to know, but he also knew that he could only survive if he fully cooperated with the other party. So, he racked his brains and tried his best to recall the memory that was very common to him.
"Other than that, is there nothing else? Think about it carefully. Don't let go of any details. "The black figure instructed in an unquestionable tone.
"By the way, senior, I remember … that person should be an alchemist, and his alchemy technique is quite brilliant." The dove-faced old man seemed to suddenly remember something, and he raised his voice.
"Go on." The black gas around the black figure tumbled slightly.
"In that hunt, the hunting group once chased a golden eyed poisonous ape. When they chased it to the entrance of a valley filled with poisonous miasma, the cultivator surnamed Fan collected a few spiritual materials from the hunting group and casually refined a few poison dissolving pills. He asked us to wear it on our bodies to shield the poisonous miasma in the valley." The dove-faced old man said.
"Oh? Do you still have that poison dissolving pill? "The black figure's voice seemed slightly excited.
The dove-faced old man hastily replied, "I don't. After we killed the golden eyed poisonous ape, that person took back the poison dissolving pill."
The black figure was silent for a while. After a while, he said indifferently,
After a moment, he indifferently said, "Give me the name list of the members of the hunting group. Also, mark the locations of your battles in the Copper Sun Mountain Range on the map."
"Yes, Senior." The dove-faced old man stared blankly for a moment, but then his heart filled with joy. He hastily agreed and took out a yellow map. After carefully thinking for a moment, he marked a few locations on it.
Afterwards, he took out a blank Jade Slips and stuck it to his forehead. He formed an incantation gesture with one hand and released his mental strength, carefully copying the map onto it.
A quarter of an hour later, the black figure silently flew out of the Jackdaw Sect's tower and landed on a nearby cliff.
The black Qi on the figure's body slowly dissipated, revealing Liu Ming's figure. However, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was rather gloomy.
For the past month, he'd followed the information recorded on the Jade Slips and searched everywhere for the Thousand Illusions Devilman's whereabouts. However, his gains were minuscule.
That person seemed to be exceptionally cautious. Every time he stayed in a place or came into contact with someone, he'd cleanly erase all traces of him.
This time, Liu Ming had gone to great lengths to ask around and finally found the dove-faced old man who'd had direct contact with the Thousand Illusions Devilman. However, he hadn't been able to pinpoint his exact whereabouts.
Liu Ming sighed and muttered to himself, "However, knowing that the Thousand Illusions Devilman is an expert in alchemy is a small harvest. If I could obtain the medicinal pills refined by him, that would be even better."
The Netherworld Soulsearching Technique could rely on scattered auras to sense the general location of the body within a certain range. Even the magic power left over from refining medicinal pills was enough for him to use.
The reason why he was able to kill so many evil cultivators in a short span of two years was because of this mystical tracking technique.
Liu Ming's expression became cloudy and uncertain. He flipped his hand and a white light flashed in his palm. The Jade Slips that the dove-faced old man had given him appeared in his hand.
Speaking of which, the dove-faced old man was quite tactful. Not only did he list out the members of the hunting group from five years ago, he also gave Liu Ming a rough understanding of their identities and origins.
However, the names of the majority of the members were vague and could only be referred to by their surnames.
These kinds of hunting groups formed by rogue cultivators were usually cultivators who came together by chance. Because they had the same goal, they formed long term or short term organizations. Generally, they would enter dangerous areas to hunt demon beasts, explore ruins, and collect spiritual materials and herbs.
Because they had the freedom to stay or leave, the members were quite complicated. They were wary of each other and usually didn't reveal their real names.
According to Liu Ming's judgement, the majority of the people on the list were untraceable. However, the leader of the hunting group, in addition to the Thousand Illusions Devilman surnamed Fan, there was also a Jin Dan cultivator surnamed Zuo.
About this person, the dove-faced old man explained in detail,
"Zuo Gongquan, the leader of a small sect in the Copper Sun Mountain Range area, the main recruiter of the hunting group …"
"It's good to have a name. Since this person and Thousand Illusions Devilman are the leaders of the hunting group, he should know more about it than the dove-faced old man." After Liu Ming thought about it, he cast the Daiyue Jade Boat with a wave of his sleeve. After he landed on it, the flying boat turned into a red shadow and flew away.
…
The Copper Sun Mountain Range was a medium-sized mountain range near the southeast of the Middle Sky Continent. It spanned tens of thousands of miles from west to east. There were many copper iron veins in the mountain range, so it got its name.
The natural aura in this mountain range was rich. Beastkin frequently appeared in it, and there were a lot of spiritual grasses. Many cultivators often came here to hunt. Among them, there were many Crystallization Period cultivators and even Jin Dan State cultivators. In addition, there were also some small sects that took root here.
There was a flat col in the east of the mountain range. More than a hundred buildings of different heights were arranged here, forming a medium-sized market.
It was noon at the moment, and the flow of people in the market was like a river. It was noisy and unusually lively.
In a conspicuous position in the central square of the market, there was a magnificent three-storey wooden pavilion with a huge glossy black plaque hanging on the door. The words' Treasure Trove Pavilion 'were written on it in golden lacquer. Under the direct illumination of the sun, it shone brightly and was exceptionally eye-catching.
The space inside the pavilion was also quite spacious. Rows of counters were neatly displayed in it. The counters were filled with elixirs, talismans, spiritual grasses, beastkin materials, etc. From time to time, people came in and out of the shop.
The business was so prosperous, so the shopkeepers and workers in the shop were naturally full of smiles. They worked even harder to serve the business in the shop.
After the old shopkeeper talked with a customer who came forward to inquire, his eyes involuntarily glanced at the stairs leading to the second floor.
Speaking of which, in this market, the slightly larger shops all had the backing of a great power.
Just now, the real owner behind the scenes of Treasure Trove Building, Biyan Sect Master Zuo Gongquan, who rarely came to the shop, brought a middle-aged cultivator in a green robe up to the second floor.
When the owner came to inspect the shop, the staff naturally had to be more attentive and strive to leave a good impression.
At the same time, in a private room on the second floor of the pavilion, an old man in a leather robe was sitting on the main seat. He had broad shoulders and a tall figure. Even though he was sitting, he exuded a majestic aura.
Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man in a green robe. His face was sallow, and he looked sickly. Only a pair of bright eyes gave people a feeling that he couldn't be underestimated.
"Mr. Ye, so you're a cultivator of the Heavenly Shadow Demon Sect. I'm sorry for not recognizing you." Zuo Gongquan looked at the black token in his hand. The token was engraved with three simple characters. He immediately returned the token to the man in a green robe with a solemn expression. At the same time, he cupped his hands.
Although the Biyan Sect had some fame in the Copper Sun Mountain Range, it was at best a third-rate sect. It couldn't be compared to a ten-thousand-year-old sect like the Heavenly Shadow Demon Sect.
In the eyes of the old man, the aura of the man in a green robe opposite him was chaotic and hazy. Even with his Jin Dan Intermediate Divine Sense, he couldn't see through the man's true cultivation. Naturally, he thought more highly of the man.
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