The fierce wind howled, and yellow sand filled the air. This raging storm roared like a wild beast, shaking the mountains and forests. The terrifying spiritual energy, combined with the nearly tangible black demonic aura, pierced through the spatial constraints with a whip-like blood-colored long whip, directly entangling the claw of the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon that was about to strike Luo Jianqing, pulling the monstrous beast backward. “Roar! Who is it!” Under the scorching sun, a blood-red figure stood on the head of the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon. His body was surrounded by a serpent-like terrifying demonic aura, which seemed to ignite in the air, transforming into black long whips that continuously lashed the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon beneath Mo Qiu’s feet. The red-clothed demonic cultivator, as beautiful as a woman, sneered mockingly, “You lowly beast, do you even deserve to know my name? Die for me!” “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!” A great battle erupted. Boom! Boom! Boom! Luo Jianqing could hardly believe his eyes. Even though the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon was heavily injured at the moment and had fallen to the eighth stage realm, it was still equivalent to a person in the Unity stage. On the other hand, Mo Qiu, he clearly was only… His eyes widened suddenly, and Luo Jianqing looked at the person who was currently fighting fiercely against the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon in disbelief. “Late Nascent Soul stage!” One was in the Late Nascent Soul stage, while the other was a heavily injured Unity stage cultivator. There was a difference of two major realms between them! Demonic cultivators were already incredibly powerful among cultivators of the same stage. Mo Qiu was the only demonic cultivator Luo Jianqing had ever seen in his life, but Luo Jianqing himself had fallen into demonic cultivation in his previous life, so he knew that the power of demonic cultivators was far stronger than what ordinary cultivators could imagine. Moreover, this was Mo Qiu. The long whip that Mo Qiu wielded was no longer the same as the one Luo Jianqing had seen before. It was now adorned with intricate and exquisite patterns, with traces of demonic aura permeating every pattern, making it awe-inspiring. When this whip struck the body of the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon, it would let out a miserable howl, and its hardened steel-like skin would immediately rupture, spilling blood and flesh. The black long dragon twisted its body, flying up and down in the air. Meanwhile, the red figure skillfully wielded the whip, using terrifying demonic aura and majestic spiritual power to pressure the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon, forcing it to flee constantly. However, Mo Qiu didn’t show any mercy. It was such a shocking scene. A Nascent Soul cultivator was actually chasing down and forcing an eighth stage demonic beast to flee everywhere! “I surrender, I surrender! You are a demonic cultivator, and moreover, a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator. You wouldn’t want others to discover that you have come to the Thirty-Six Provinces, right? Let me go, and I won’t tell anyone that you’ve come here!” Mo Qiu retracted the whip drenched in fresh blood. He stepped on the head of the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon, exerting force with his foot. With a loud “bang,” the giant dragon was kicked to the ground, creating a huge crater! Just as the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon was about to lift its head, it was once again pressed down by Mo Qiu. Mo Qiu chuckled and said, “Threatening me?” The Golden Dragon wanted to retort angrily but dared not speak and withdrew instead. However, Mo Qiu didn’t give it another chance to beg for mercy. Instead, he narrowed his eyes dangerously and said, “You want to threaten me? Call your Four Great Demonic Lords to come, and I’ll have some fun with those beasts!” In the next moment, boom! All the black patterns on the blood-colored whip emerged, flying and arranging themselves in the air, transforming into a sharp and lethal spear. The moment this spear appeared, the surging demonic aura made Luo Jianqing unable to breathe. Even though he couldn’t see the battle between Mo Qiu and the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon clearly, he felt a familiar oppressive force. He had felt the same sensation when he threw the spiritual power bead from Xuan Lingzi earlier. The 70% attack of a Nascent Soul stage venerable made heaven and earth pale, and it almost exhausted the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon. If it weren’t for its innate skill, it would undoubtedly have perished. However, the terrifying aura on Mo Qiu’s whip lasted only for an instant and quickly disappeared. Although Luo Jianqing found it strange, he didn’t dwell on it. The black spear pierced directly into the head of the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon, and the monstrous beast let out a painful cry. It struggled for a while, but the black spear ruthlessly ground and stirred within its brain, ultimately causing this ferocious creature to lose its life completely. Mo Qiu put away his whip, directly storing it in his spatial ring. Instead of dealing with the beast’s corpse, he walked straight to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the heavily injured Luo Jianqing. Suddenly, he sneered and said, “Luo Jianqing, can I consider this as saving you once again? I don’t like owing any favors, so how do you plan to repay me?” Luo Jianqing was already weak and leaning against the mountain wall. He raised his head and smiled, saying, “You’re truly someone with a tough exterior but a soft heart… *cough*.” The cultivator in the green robe coughed and spat out a large amount of blood, his face already covered in the dirty fluid. Seeing this, Mo Qiu’s eyes narrowed, and he was about to reach out and help Luo Jianqing up but quickly withdrew his hand. He supported himself with his arm and said calmly, “Forget it, forget it. I may be soft-hearted. I can’t stand seeing this kind of beast bullying a delicate beauty like you. Alright, alright, I’ll go and retrieve the treasures and inner core from that beast’s body. You take some time to recuperate… Hey!” Mo Qiu immediately lifted the unconscious Luo Jianqing and examined his body using spiritual energy detection. After the examination, Mo Qiu’s mouth twitched, and he sighed inwardly, thinking, “Is this how the masters at Mount Taihua take care of their disciples? They didn’t provide any magic treasures or life-saving measures, yet they let you venture out like this? Xuan Lingzi really didn’t do enough for you…” Helplessly, he carried Luo Jianqing on his back. Mo Qiu initially thought of cradling him, but when he looked at the face covered in blood and dirt, and witnessed Luo Jianqing’s miserable appearance, his mouth twitched, and he decided it was better to turn a blind eye—it was just too unsightly. Mo Qiu retrieved another blood whip from his storage ring. With a flick of his wrist, the whip whistled through the air, piercing through the head of the Golden Yang Longevity Dragon and extracting a golden inner core. It was the inner core of a demonic beast that had once reached the peak of the Ninth Rank. It was invaluable and precious beyond measure in the world. However, Mo Qiu only glanced at it casually before continuing on his way, absorbing the spiritual energy within the inner core using his demonic qi to restore his own energy. When Luo Jianqing had fallen unconscious earlier, Mo Qiu had felt some concern, but more than anything, he was relieved. After confirming that Luo Jianqing was fine, Mo Qiu let out a sigh of relief. However, his complexion suddenly turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. While carrying Luo Jianqing on his back and moving away from the battlefield, he continued to curse, “Fortunately, I was at the Wanshou Mountain. Fortunately, the Nine Apertures Demon Sound Bell rang. Why is it that every time I encounter you, nothing good happens? In the past, it would have been just a Ninth Rank beast, and a single glance from me would have annihilated it. But now, I have to overdraw my spiritual energy… Did I owe you something in my past life?” As if answering Mo Qiu’s question, Luo Jianqing’s head hung limply on his shoulder. Mo Qiu turned his head and his gaze suddenly froze, causing his body to tremble slightly. However, he quickly pushed Luo Jianqing’s head aside disdainfully and berated, “So ugly, so ugly. Such a delicate beauty turned into this… tsk, tsk…” When Luo Jianqing regained consciousness, he saw a faint flickering light. Mo Qiu, dressed in red, was sitting by the fire, roasting meat. The golden sheen of oil reflected a vibrant glow in the firelight. Seeing Luo Jianqing, Mo Qiu raised his gaze and said with a smile, “Awake?” Luo Jianqing struggled to sit up and replied bluntly, “You can tell just by looking that I’m awake.” Mo Qiu widened his eyes and exclaimed, “I saved you, Luo Jianqing, and this is how you show your gratitude?” Then Luo Jianqing smiled faintly, bowed in gratitude, and said solemnly, “Thank you, Mo Qiu.” Mo Qiu found it a bit difficult to accept this sudden display of politeness. The two of them stared at each other for a while, and in the end, Mo Qiu waved his sleeves and discreetly looked away, saying, “You… you should go wash your face. I can’t stand looking at you in your current state.” Luo Jianqing: “…” After cleaning the dirt from his face, Luo Jianqing quickly returned to the cave. He didn’t know where they were, but surprisingly, Mo Qiu had found a cave filled with piles of various treasures. The two of them sat in front of this mountain of treasures and ate their meat. Luo Jianqing curiously asked, “Is this your treasure trove?” Mo Qiu shook his head and replied, “You were unconscious for several days. I gave you some pills, but you still didn’t wake up. After I killed that beast a few days ago, to prevent those so-called righteous old guys from finding us, I carried you and ran away. Along the way, we happened to encounter a very hospitable little snake. It offered its own cave to us and even generously gave us its mountain of treasures.” Luo Jianqing suddenly had a bad feeling and asked, “Where is that… snake now?” Mo Qiu’s eyes curved with a smile, and his beautiful face was full of amusement. He said, “It was too kind-hearted and didn’t want us to go hungry, so it willingly let us roast and eat it.” Luo Jianqing: “…” Who would believe such nonsense if you said it out loud! After chatting for a while, Luo Jianqing learned that Mo Qiu had indeed coincidentally arrived at the Wanshou Mountain this time. Mo Qiu was currently at the late stage of Nascent Soul, but he had encountered a bottleneck. He wanted to come to the Wanshou Mountain to fight and gain experience against demonic beasts, hoping to enhance his combat ability and see if he could achieve a breakthrough in critical situations. As early as when Luo Jianqing was discovered by theGolden Yang Longevity Dragon, Mo Qiu had already heard the sound of the Nine Aperture Demon Sound Bell. He naturally knew that Luo Jianqing was in danger, and the Nine Aperture Demon Sound Bell also informed him of Luo Jianqing’s location, so he immediately rushed over. …According to Mo Qiu’s words, he was wandering around on the way and didn’t rush, just casually coming to take a look. However, Luo Jianqing didn’t believe it. The two of them had been living in the Flame Flow Valley for three years, and he knew very well how his friend was so contradictory in his words. Judging by the speed at which Mo Qiu flew over at that time, it was obvious that he had used his full strength, but he still stubbornly refused to admit it to save face. Luo Jianqing didn’t point it out either. After finishing the roasted meat, he looked at Mo Qiu, with the words on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, he swallowed them. Seeing this, Mo Qiu sneered and said, “If you have something to say, just say it. I hate the dilly-dallying of those righteous cultivators. Luo Jianqing, when did you learn to be so indecisive like them? Do you want to ask me how I reached the late stage of Nascent Soul in just two years?” After hesitating for a moment, Luo Jianqing nodded lightly. Mo Qiu shrugged and said, “Because I have extraordinary talent.” Luo Jianqing raised an eyebrow and asked, “Extraordinary talent with a low-grade constitution?” Mo Qiu immediately stood up angrily and exclaimed, “You, Luo Jianqing, you ungrateful person!” Luo Jianqing laughed and pulled him back, saying, “Stop boasting and tell me, I’m curious about what you’ve experienced in these two years.” Mo Qiu sat down angrily and took a bite of the roasted meat while saying, “You suspect that I killed people and absorbed their spiritual power?” Luo Jianqing shook his head directly. “I believe in you.” Mo Qiu suddenly paused, his gaze deep as he looked at Luo Jianqing, and after a long while, he said, “But what if I really did kill people? What if I indiscriminately slaughtered innocents? The blood on my hands is all from cultivators. I’ve killed countless people along the way.” His words seemed half true and half false, and Luo Jianqing slowly restrained his smile. The two of them silently locked gazes for a while, and Mo Qiu suddenly looked away and casually said, “I was lying.” “I know,” Luo Jianqing replied. “If… it were true, and one day we meet on the battlefield, I will have to kill you. But other than that, Mo Qiu will always be the life and death friend of Luo Jianqing.” Mo Qiu’s fingers on his knee gradually tightened, and after a long time, he suddenly threw half of the roasted meat into the fire and laughed, “I tell you the truth, and you don’t believe it. You still insist on mocking me. I truly have extraordinary talent. Mo Qiu has never killed anyone before, as I’ve told you before. You also know that being a demonic cultivator is not easy. The more blood on our hands, the harder it is to advance in the future.” Luo Jianqing nodded, “I know. My master told me before that the Demon Lord was trapped in the late Mahayana stage for thousands of years because he had killed too many people in the past and couldn’t advance. My master said that the Demon Lord might have remained in the late Mahayana stage for his entire life. It’s a good thing you don’t follow his path.” The smile on Mo Qiu’s face suddenly froze, and then he said in a strange tone, “Anyway, my talent is better than yours.” Luo Jianqing glanced at him sideways, “Yes, yes, you’re two minor realms above me, okay?” Mo Qiu sarcastically said, “You still can’t accept it? Who saved you this time?” Luo Jianqing nodded speechlessly and said seriously, “It was you. Thank you, Daoist Mo, for saving my life!” Mo Qiu waved his hand, “Forget it, forget it.” The two of them exchanged a few more words, and Luo Jianqing also made it clear that his body was indeed fine. After confirming that the surrounding environment was safe, Luo Jianqing hesitated for a moment and finally couldn’t help but tell Mo Qiu about the Ninth Grade Pill. Upon hearing about the Ninth Grade Pill, Mo Qiu was also greatly shocked. However, after carefully listening to Luo Jianqing’s detailed account, he believed that the Ninth Grade Pill kept in the storage ring had probably regained a certain level of power. After all, it was a Ninth Grade Pill equivalent to the human Tribulation crossing stage. If it really regained its full power, the two of them would be far from a match for it. After discussing for a while, Luo Jianqing provided the magical treasure while Mo Qiu contributed his efforts to jointly set up a Demon-Sealing Soul-Locking Array. The two of them spent ten days setting up this complex high-level formation. Luo Jianqing was basically running errands, while Mo Qiu kept chanting spells and incantations, putting in a lot of effort. When the formation was finally completed, the two of them rested and restored their spiritual power. Then, they looked at each other, and Luo Jianqing released the pill from the storage ring. In the moment the pill came out of the storage ring, a gentle and lingering fragrance instantly dispersed. Luo Jianqing whispered, “Lock!” In an instant, the formation burst forth with countless rays of light, locking the pill’s fragrance within the Demon-Sealing Soul-Locking Array, preventing it from dissipating even a bit. A small green pill floated in the center of the formation, seemingly in a dormant state without any movement. Mo Qiu looked up and down, while Luo Jianqing took a step forward and said, “Senior, there’s no need to hide.” A long time passed without a response. Luo Jianqing smiled and said, “Since Senior isn’t responding, don’t blame me for wiping away your consciousness!” As he finished speaking, Luo Jianqing started to manipulate his fingers as if performing hand seals. However, in the next moment, a sigh of resignation suddenly sounded, and an illusory scholar’s figure flew out from the pill. Its form was not as condensed as when Luo Jianqing first saw it, swaying as if it was about to disperse. It carried a simple ancient qin on its back and gazed at Luo Jianqing with complex eyes. The pill paid no attention to Mo Qiu who was beside them, but focused intently on Luo Jianqing. It was also the first time Luo Jianqing saw the true appearance of this Ninth Grade Pill. It was an elegant and refined scholar, not particularly handsome, but with gentle features that were warm and clear. Its gaze was like a cup of fragrant tea, with a bright tea color and emitting waves of tea fragrance. As Luo Jianqing looked into its eyes, he suddenly felt himself entering a peculiar state and gradually became dazed. But Mo Qiu’s voice resounded sharply, “Luo Jianqing, wake up!” Luo Jianqing suddenly froze and woke up abruptly. At this moment, there was no need for further words. Luo Jianqing directly retrieved the Shuang Fu Sword from his brow and looked at the scholar with a cold expression, saying, “Senior, I respect you as the rare Ninth Grade Pill in the world. That’s why I didn’t immediately wipe away your consciousness. But don’t take advantage of others too much! The world treasures go to the capable, so don’t blame me for being disrespectful today!” As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Jianqing raised his sword, preparing to erase the pill’s consciousness while it was still not fully restored. However, unexpectedly, the scholar spoke softly, saying, “You are not him, you are not the person we have been waiting for.” Luo Jianqing held his sword in his right hand and sneered, “You won’t ever see that person again in your lifetime.” The pill didn’t pay attention to the sarcasm in Luo Jianqing’s words and simply said, “But you possess his flower.” Luo Jianqing suddenly froze and asked, “His flower?” The pill nodded gently and extended its right hand. Suddenly, a delicate and small green lotus flower appeared in its palm. The green lotus was simple and elegant, with its petals quietly unfurling. The pill said, “It’s this flower.” Luo Jianqing exclaimed, “Are you talking about… the ‘Nine Lotus Heart Scripture’?” Various thoughts flashed through his mind as Luo Jianqing recalled for a while before asking, “Is the person you’ve been waiting for related to the ‘Nine Lotus Heart Scripture’?” The pill, Qing Jun, smiled lightly and shook its head. “I don’t remember who he was anymore, but he was my master. I have been waiting for him here for tens of thousands of years. Before he left, he asked me to play the zither for him on the mountaintop, awaiting his victorious return. However, that day he did not come back, and the world changed. Since then, I have never seen him again.” Luo Jianqing furrowed his brow in confusion. “Victorious return? Senior, I’m not sure who you’re referring to…” Qing Jun said, “I am called Qing Jun. On that day, I was refined from the pill furnace, and the heavens and earth underwent changes. My master named me Qing Jun amidst the vast green clouds. Those events are too distant, and I have almost forgotten them.” Luo Jianqing asked again, “What exactly happened on that day…” Qing Jun’s eyes turned cold, and it suddenly said, “That is not something you can manage.” Luo Jianqing fell silent, and on the side, Mo Qiu sneered and said, “What a joke. Is there anything in this world that I can’t handle?” Qing Jun looked at Mo Qiu strangely and said, “When you regain what you once had and break through the limitations that have bound you throughout your life, perhaps then you can manage it.” Mo Qiu’s face changed drastically, and he remained silent. Luo Jianqing’s gaze lingered between Mo Qiu and Qing Jun for a while. He had a hunch that Qing Jun might have discovered Mo Qiu’s secret, a secret that was related to his rapid cultivation progress. However, Luo Jianqing didn’t inquire about it because it was Mo Qiu’s secret, and as long as Mo Qiu didn’t reveal it, he wouldn’t press him. However, there was something that Luo Jianqing couldn’t avoid facing. He looked at the elegant scholar and said, “Senior, the flower you mentioned is an exclusive possession of my sect. In the entire world, only my master and I have it. If possible, I actually don’t want to erase your consciousness. I have heard from the alchemy grandmasters in my sect that the most precious aspect of a Ninth Grade Pill is the innate pill spirit that comes into existence upon its formation. If you remain, this pill would truly be a genuine Ninth Grade Pill.” When Qing Jun heard about the Nine Lotus flower, a glimmer of light flickered in its eyes. Luo Jianqing noticed all of this, and after finishing his words, Qing Jun fell into a silent contemplation. It asked, “So, what do you hope to accomplish by using me?” Luo Jianqing clasped his hands and said, “I hope that you can help me heal someone.” Qing Jun calmly replied, “I was originally created by my master to save someone’s life. Unfortunately, by the time I was refined, that person had already died in an unknown location, and even their remains couldn’t be found. In the current world, the highest cultivation level is only in the Nascent Soul early stage. I was originally meant to save a powerful cultivator at the Nascent Soul late stage who was on the brink of death. Even if someone now suffers from near-fatal injuries, I can still save them.” Luo Jianqing was overjoyed and grateful, saying, “Thank you so much, Senior!” However, Qing Jun continued, “No need to thank me. I just want… to request that you bring me to your sect.” Luo Jianqing furrowed his brow in hesitation, as if carefully considering the matter, but in reality, he was incredibly excited. With the pill spirit, the Ninth Grade Pill would truly come to life. Moreover, the pill spirit had agreed to help save Xuan Lingzi, and they were originally heading to Mount Taihua. Now that the pill spirit had taken the initiative to ask, it was the best outcome. Quickly, the two of them reached an agreement and settled on the following course of action. On the other hand, Mo Qiu didn’t agree. Seeing that the pill spirit was about to follow Luo Jianqing back to Mount Taihua, Mo Qiu extended his arm to block Luo Jianqing and his face turned dark. He said, “I want to go to your sect as well.” Luo Jianqing remained silent for a moment, then said, “Mo Qiu, shouldn’t you be returning to the Mo family?” Mo Qiu replied, “I want to go to Mount Taihua. I heard that in a few days, it will be the biennial grand competition of the sect. I’ll go and cheer for you. With me there, no one would dare to bully you, and you will definitely be able to win the top spot.” Luo Jianqing sighed and said, “Even without you, I am the only Nascent Soul disciple of Mount Taihua.” Mo Qiu exclaimed, “How can Mount Taihua be so declining, with only one Nascent Soul disciple?” Luo Jianqing’s face turned dark immediately. He said, “Can you really count how many years my generation of Mount Taihua’s disciples have been cultivating? Besides, isn’t that your extraordinary talent? Look at the current younger generation. I thought Yan Su reaching the late stage of Nascent Soul would be the strongest, but who knew such a freak like you would appear.” Mo Qiu happily accepted the praise but didn’t give up on his plan to go to Mount Taihua. He persistently persuaded Luo Jianqing for three days. When the two of them were about to leave Wanshou Ridge, Mo Qiu directly threatened, “Luo Jianqing, I saved your life twice, and you won’t even agree to this request?!” Luo Jianqing sighed and said, “Mo Qiu, it’s not that I don’t want to, but because… you are a demonic cultivator. Don’t come with me out of Wanshou Ridge. Cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage cannot hide their identity as demonic cultivators. As long as there are cultivators of higher realms, they can easily recognize you as a demonic cultivator.” Upon hearing this, for some reason, Mo Qiu surprisingly asked with a pleasant mood, “So you refused me because of this?” Luo Jianqing nodded. Mo Qiu smiled and said, “You can rest assured. As long as I don’t reveal myself proactively, even your master, Xuan Lingzi, wouldn’t be able to detect that I’m a demonic cultivator in front of me.” Luo Jianqing asked suspiciously, “Really?” Mo Qiu nodded, “Of course, it’s true.” Qing Jun on the side also nodded its head softly and said, “He’s telling the truth.” And so, like that, the two of them, along with the pill spirit, left Wanshou Ridge and returned to Mount Taihua together. On that day, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky near Mount Taihua. The green mountains were beautiful. Two disciples guarding the mountain gate were idly chatting when suddenly they saw three streaks of light flying towards them from a distance and swiftly stopping in front of Mount Taihua’s gate. The two disciples stared at the three individuals, their eyes widening. One of them stood there with his mouth wide open in astonishment, while the other remained stunned for a while before suddenly turning around and shouting in panic, “Oh no, oh no! The eldest senior brother has returned with his wife and child!” Luo Jianqing, who was just about to speak, remained silent. Mo Qiu, dressed in red, also fell silent. Qing Jun, who had transformed into a childlike form due to its weakened state, remained speechless.