Cultivation starts from devouring the Dao fruits

"After the transformation of the Spirit Root, I've become slightly younger and more handsome!"

Zhao Yu took out a mirror and glanced at it, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a hint of a smile.

Through continuous transformations, Zhao Yu had become completely different from when he had first crossed over; he had regressed from a decadent middle-aged cultivator to a handsome young man.

"Spirit Root transformation, when shall we celebrate?"

Zhao Yu's mouth slightly raised again, and he stood up to leave the Quiet Room. After bathing and changing his clothes, he left the Mountain Wolf Ridge.

In the study at the Ling family headquarters by Linghe Lake, Ling Qianxue was dealing with various family affairs.

Suddenly, the door opened. Ling Qianxue frowned slightly, looked up, and saw Zhao Yu. She immediately stood up, smiling as she walked towards him: "Brother Yu, you're here!"

Ling Qianxue came up to Zhao Yu, her eyes lighting up: "Eh? Brother Yu, you seem to have become even younger and more attractive!"

"I've made some gains in my cultivation!"

Zhao Yu smiled slightly and wrapped his arm around Ling Qianxue's slender waist, waving his hand to create a breeze that shut the door.

Instantly, Ling Qianxue's pretty face blushed a shedding a bewitching charm that elicited affection.

After their rendezvous, Ling Qianxue tidied herself up and soon regained her sharp and efficient demeanor as the female head of the Ling family.

Ling Qianxue softly pleaded: "Brother Yu, recently several bands of marauding cultivators have appeared near Linghe Lake. The strongest among them are known as the Three Fiends of Lin Mountain, each possessing a cultivation level above the later stages of Qi Refinement! Could you help me eliminate them?"

With Zhao Yu's reputation as a fourth level Body Refinement cultivator and the generous benefits offered by the Ling family, many Loose Cultivators had joined the Ling family.

However, the Ling family could only barely defend themselves, struggling to maintain control of the Nine Depths Mountain Market and the headquarters at Linghe Lake, let alone confront a band of robbers at the Great Circle of Qi Refining.

Zhao Yu frowned slightly and asked, "Is there a lead?"

Ling Qianxue replied, "Three days ago, they ambushed and killed ten of our family's guards outside the Nine Depths Mountain Market. We have their corpses in our possession."

Zhao Yu said, "Take me to the bodies!"

"Alright!"

Ling Qianxue led Zhao Yu to a room where the bodies were kept.

In that room lay ten mutilated corpses.

"From the condition of the bodies, the Three Fiends of Lin Mountain seem to use magic artifacts that are hooks, swords, and knives, each possessing the attributes of wood, fire, and metal. These are also characteristic of the Three Fiends."

"At the time these ten guards were killed, you were in closed-door cultivation. I didn't dare to disturb you, so I also didn't use the Soul Chasing Talisman to track the Three Fiends. To catch them, we can only set up traps to lure them into action, or wait for their next move to track them down,"

Ling Qianxue said slowly as she looked at the ten bodies.

"White Ghost Emperor!"

Zhao Yu slapped the Ghost Nurturing Jar, and the ghastly-faced White Ghost Emperor appeared.

Zhao Yu pointed at the ten bodies and commanded, "Find the killer of these ten!"

The White Ghost Emperor's face turned fierce, his pupils suddenly displaying dark Curse Seals.

Zhao Yu, through the White Ghost Emperor's vision, suddenly saw streaks of pitch-dark resentment spreading towards the distance.

Ling Qianxue said, "These bandit cultivators always act cautiously; this time, however, they left behind ten corpses, which is rather suspicious. It's very likely a trap meant to lure our enforcement team out of the market. Of course, it's also possible that our enforcement team's cultivators arrived too quickly and startled them away."

In the Cultivation World, there are countless secret Immortal Techniques to track down murderers, including the Soul Chasing Talisman, Questioning Ghosts, and some secret techniques can even trace a murderer through the residual spell essence left behind.

Usually, experienced bandit cultivators, after killing ordinary cultivators, would eradicate all traces with the Fireball Technique. This way, they could sever many clues.

Of course, the Cultivation World possesses numerous Strange and Unusual Techniques, and even secret techniques that allow the transference of a murdered cultivator's resentment onto another cultivator.

However, such techniques are very eerie, mysterious, and rare, typically controlled by major factions of the Demon Path; it's hardly possible for them to appear in minor places like the northern desolations.

Zhao Yu said, "Even if there's a mastermind setting up traps, considering he resorted to such tactics, he's likely not a formidable character. Otherwise, he could have directly stormed into Jiuchen Mountain market and wreaked havoc."

Generally, a market has one Foundation Establishment Expert stationed there. With the support of the grand array and the market defense team, even two or three Foundation Establishment Experts would find it hard to break through.

The Jiuchen Mountain market has suffered continual severe damage and no longer holds significant power. If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator infiltrated Jiuchen Mountain market, he could easily slaughter at will within, plunder countless valuables, and then leave comfortably.

Ling Qianxue also nodded slightly.

Zhao Yu quickly departed from Linghe Lake along with the White Ghost Emperor.

In Changyang County of Cang Country, the Flowery Dress Pavilion in Liuyang City is claimed as the number one Green House of the county. Through generations, all the celebrated Oirans of Changyang County hailed from the Flowery Dress Pavilion, where the elite often gather. Legends even claim that Immortals have descended to enjoy a spring night with the Oirans.

In a private room on the fifth floor of the Flowery Dress Pavilion.

"So this is the beauty of the Flowery Dress Pavilion? What a disappointment! She's far inferior to the enchantresses of the Thousand Mysteries Sect!"

A bald cultivator with several knife scars on his face, holding a voluptuous beauty from the Flowery Dress Pavilion, grumbled with dissatisfaction.

A cultivator dressed like a scholar, handsome in appearance and possessing the Great Circle of Qi Refining, said with a faint smile, "After all, she is merely a mortal beauty, naturally no match for female cultivators. However, I've heard that the Oiran of the Flowery Dress Pavilion is usually outstanding. I wonder what kind of beauty she holds this time."

A brawny cultivator with short hair and a heroic appearance, also at the Great Circle of Qi Refining, said slowly, "Second brother, if you like the Oiran, just buy her out. She's just a mere mortal, it won't cost much."

Surrounding these three cultivators, the beauties of the Flowery Dress Pavilion served them diligently with sweet smiles, seemingly oblivious to any conversation, as though they hadn't heard anything. Beside their ears, were strands of black threads, one of which stretched all the way to the right hand of the bald man.

The bald cultivator's eyes flickered with a sinister gleam, "What beauty can a mortal have? Too bad, Ling Qianxue didn't take the bait! Big brother, once we succeed, can you let me have Ling Qianxue? I've never toyed with a Family Head of a Foundation Establishment clan before!"

The short-haired cultivator replied indifferently, "Alright! However, you must give up everything else completely!"

Among cultivators, many are devoted solely to the grand path and care little for earthly desires.

The bald cultivator grinned and said, "It's a deal!"

As the three cultivators chatted leisurely, billows of smoke began to rise from a stage below the Flowery Dress Pavilion, where a gorgeously dressed, voluptuous and sexy woman with skin white as jade and exquisite makeup stepped onto the stage, dancing gracefully like a colorful butterfly.

"It's truly Song Xiangjun! Touted as the most outstanding Oiran of the Flowery Dress Pavilion in a century!"

"Her dance moves like a butterfly! So beautiful!"

".….."

From various parts of the Flowery Dress Pavilion, waves of admiration echoed.