「Two days ago.」

「On the day the River City Dark Web Branch was annihilated.」

「In a great mountain within the Southern Tri-Province.」

An Elder in a black robe held a small, ancient-looking cauldron, which was trembling intermittently.

With each tremor, the Elder's expression grew more grave, and he would occasionally spit a mouthful of blood onto the cauldron. As the blood splattered onto it, the cauldron seemed to come alive, absorbing the liquid. After absorbing the blood, the trembling cauldron gradually calmed down.

After this was repeated several times, a faint smile appeared on the Elder's face.

"Success!"

His eyes brimming with joy, the Elder caressed the small cauldron lovingly.

"High Priest!"

Just then, a knock came from the door.

The Elder's expression darkened instantly as he grunted, "Haven't I told you? Do not disturb me unless it is a matter of utmost importance!"

The person outside seemed to fear the Elder, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Elder Sang Ge and Du Ta's soul worms are dead!"

"What?!"

Alarmed, the Elder abruptly stood up and strode out the door. At the entrance stood a young man in strange attire, his face adorned with colorful makeup. Several bulging pouches hung from his waist.

"When did this happen?!" the Elder roared, a terrifying aura erupting from him.

The young man fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed frantically. "Just now!"

"Who did this? Junior Brother Sang Ge was protected by the Gu King, and Du Ta had two Hidden Guards with him. How could they have died?" Though furious, the Elder was also shocked.

While Sang Ge wasn't the strongest in the village, according to the standards of the outside world, he had the cultivation level of a Grandmaster. With the Gu King's protection, he should have had more than enough power to escape from two Grandmasters, even if he couldn't win the fight.

And yet, his Junior Brother Sang Ge was dead. So was his disciple, Du Ta! The two Hidden Guards, who were among the organization's most powerful forces, were also dead. This was clearly too much for the Elder to accept.

"According to our subordinates' investigation, they were killed in River City by someone named Lin Wudi. The specific details are still unknown," the young man said.

"Lin Wudi?"

The Elder snorted coldly. "And who is this Lin Wudi?"

The young man replied honestly, "We don't know. We're still investigating."

The Elder scoffed, "Useless! You can't even handle such a simple task!"

With a slap to the small cauldron he held, a colorful shadow shot out from its opening.

"High Priest, spare me!"

The young man screamed in terror, but the shadow was incredibly fast, landing on him in the blink of an eye.

It was a butterfly with a skull pattern on its wings!

The young man watched in horror as the butterfly landed on his face.

HISS...

A piercing scream followed, and the young man's entire body melted into a puddle of blood. It had all happened in a matter of seconds.

"Hmph. Useless trash. You're lucky I didn't throw you into the Dragon Lair, yet you dared to beg for your life!"

The Elder recalled the colorful butterfly, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"This Gu King," he mused to himself, "could easily rank in the top three in all of the Miao Territory."

He then snorted coldly. "But to dare kill my Junior Brother and my disciple... I will have my revenge for this!"

Lin Wudi, is it? I will remember this name!

***

「River City.」

Lin Mu awoke from his seclusion. Feeling the density of the Spiritual Energy within his body, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. After a period of consolidation, Lin Mu had finally broken through to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining.

It wouldn't be long before he could break through to the tenth level. By then, he would have many more techniques at his disposal. Against the likes of Zhang Daoyun, he could hold his own in a fight. After his conversation with Guan Chengye, Lin Mu had started to take Zhang Daoyun seriously. The priority now was to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

I wonder how their preparations are going.

After some thought, Lin Mu dialed Cheng Bugui's number.

"Venerable Master, the matter you asked me to look into has been thoroughly investigated." Cheng Bugui's tone was deeply respectful, even over the phone.

Lin Mu said, "Speak."

"Reporting to you, Venerable Master, the Chen Family has indeed made some moves recently." After eradicating the Dark Web, Cheng Bugui absorbed some of its forces, and his influence now made him the number one figure in River City's underworld. He was the most suitable person to investigate such matters. "When the Fang Family from Jiangling came to River City, their first stop was the Chen Family. The Family Head, Chen Tianxiong, met with the Fang Family People for several hours," Cheng Bugui reported in detail.

As expected, the Chen Family has made its move.

Lin Mu asked, "Anything else?"

"Also, the Chen Family is planning to invest in our company, but this is just a rumor we heard from their side. I can't confirm if it's true," Cheng Bugui said with a laugh. He knew a little about the relationship between his Venerable Master and the Chen Family.

Lin Mu also laughed. "If they really want to invest, you know what to do."

"Yes, Venerable Master!"

After hanging up with Cheng Bugui, Lin Mu made another call to Liang Yue, the Liang Family Head.

"Venerable Master, I was just about to call you," Liang Yue said, sounding excited to receive Lin Mu's call.

"Have you found the things I asked for?" Lin Mu asked, his own excitement growing.

He was now at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining and on the verge of breaking through to the tenth. He needed to start preparing the materials for Foundation Establishment. He was confident that he would definitely break through to the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining within three months.

The Liang Family's medicinal herb business was second to none in River City. With their numerous channels, they were the most qualified to find the herbs required for cultivation.

"We've only found four of the types you listed. We haven't been able to find the remaining three," Liang Yue said with some trepidation. He was worried the Venerable Master would blame him for his inefficiency. But the medicinal herbs the Venerable Master required were simply too rare. Of the four types they did find, two were considered treasures of the Liang Family's own collection. But since the Venerable Master required them, it was his duty as a subordinate to do his utmost.

"You've done well," Lin Mu said. "After all, the herbs I need are uncommon. Finding four types has already exceeded my expectations."

Hearing Lin Mu's praise, Liang Yue felt a wave of relief. He quickly added, "Venerable Master, I actually know the location of the other three herbs. I was just about to send people to retrieve them."

"Oh?"

Lin Mu was surprised. The medicinal herbs he had asked Liang Yue to find were all needed to concoct the Foundation Establishment Pill. In the Immortal Realm, they were commonplace, but on an Earth where Spiritual Energy was depleted, finding even one was a matter of incredible luck. Yet Liang Yue had found four and had leads on the other three. This was a pleasant surprise for Lin Mu.

"Where?" Lin Mu asked impatiently.

"Southern Sky!"

Liang Yue explained, "The Southern Tri-Province is in the southwestern part of our country. It is filled with dense forests and deep mountains and has been slow to develop. As a result, many rare medicinal herbs can be found there. Many of our Liang Family's herbs are sourced through channels in that region, but..." Liang Yue hesitated.

"But what?"

"But the three herbs you require are in a village in Qianzhou, Southern Province. The people there are very xenophobic, which makes it difficult to purchase or trade for these three herbs."

Lin Mu pondered for a moment before asking, "When are your people heading to Southern Sky?"

"Venerable Master, you mean..."

"That's right," Lin Mu said. "I plan on making the trip to Southern Sky myself."

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