54: conspiracy

The night was deep, and all was silent.

Under the ink-black darkness, the vast mountains outside Qinghe County were reduced to vague and menacing silhouettes.

The occasional hooting of an owl added a touch of desolation and eeriness.

A dark shadow, like a bat merging into the night, sped through the mountain forest. In a few leaps, it crossed the treacherous terrain that would take an ordinary person a difficult Climbing effort, arriving precisely outside a hidden cave halfway up a cliff.

The vines at the cave entrance stirred slightly as a black-robed figure slid silently inside.

Deep within the cave, in the clearing where Chen Linsheng had previously taken the Spirit Medicine, several torches now flickered in the crevices of the rock walls. The dancing flames cast shifting shadows, illuminating a figure standing quietly.

The man wore a plain white robe that looked out of place in the surrounding darkness. His face was bloodless, as pale as a patient who hadn't seen the sun for a long time. His hands were crossed inside his wide sleeves and held before his chest. His expression was indifferent, like a lifeless jade carving.

"Your subordinate, Zhang Zhifeng, pays his respects to the Envoy!"

The black-robed man threw back his hood, revealing a weather-beaten and naturally authoritative face. It was the leader of the Black Mountain Gang, Zhang Zhifeng.

He bowed slightly, his tone filled with respect.

The White Lotus Sect Envoy didn't even lift his eyelids, merely letting out a barely audible "mm" from his nose in response.

He turned and walked deeper into the cave without a word. His footsteps on the dry ground didn't make a sound.

Zhang Zhifeng didn't dare say much and followed silently behind him.

The torchlight elongated their shadows, projecting them onto the rock walls like creeping demons.

The fire occasionally flickered across Zhang Zhifeng's face. If any other prominent figure from Qinghe County were here, they would recognize this underground overlord with horror.

After passing through a narrow passage, the space ahead opened up into a more spacious natural stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, a simple yet sinister-looking altar was set up.

A complex Formation pattern was outlined with some kind of dark red Ore powder. At the eight positions of the Formation's core, black iron chains extended out, tightly locking a person's limbs, torso, and neck.

The person sat cross-legged in the center of the altar, head bowed and long hair disheveled, obscuring his face. But looking at his build and clothing, who else could it be but Zhang Yuchen!

His aura was weak, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep or his Divine Soul was imprisoned by some power.

Zhang Zhifeng looked at his son chained to the altar with a complex gaze. There was concern, but deeper down, there was a near-fanatical expectation.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his churning emotions, and turned to the White Lotus Sect Envoy, his voice carrying a hint of undetectable urgency:

"Envoy, has this 'Soul Transfer Great Art'... already been performed?"

Hearing this, the White Lotus Sect Envoy's crossed hands moved slightly, and a flicker of undetectable annoyance flashed in his indifferent eyes.

The Soul Transfer Great Art was one of the secret techniques of the White Lotus Sect. It could subtly alter another person's will and memory, possessing extraordinary mystery.

He had planned everything out, using that earth core fire lotus as the main ingredient to prepare a secret medicine. Before breaking through to the Jiaojin Realm, he would quench his entire body's muscles to ninety percent Perfection, laying a supreme Foundation, and then perform this art to completely control the important pawn, Zhang Yuchen.

However, man proposes, God disposes.

When he returned from his business, he found that his lair had been broken into while he was away!

The three Spirit Medicines he had painstakingly cultivated, which were on the verge of maturity, had vanished into thin air, looted entirely!

This was like carving meat from his heart!

Just who was it?

Killing intent boiled in his heart, but with no clues at the moment, he could only sigh in frustration.

Without the Spirit Medicines, many of his plans were disrupted. The ritual for the Soul Transfer Great Art required much preparation, and since this place had been exposed, it was no longer a good location.

Naturally, he wouldn't explain these reasons to Zhang Zhifeng in detail.

The Envoy suppressed his anger, his voice remaining cold and devoid of emotion: "This place will no longer do."

"Why?" Zhang Zhifeng was stunned, his brow furrowing slightly.

He had prepared for a long time for this day, even letting his own son take risks.

"The people from the Immortal Hunting Division have been active in the Prefectural City recently, capturing several Fellow Daoists on the periphery of the 'Holy Sect'."

The Envoy looked out into the endless darkness outside the cave with a deep gaze, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.

"According to reliable information, their next direction of investigation is likely this Qinghe County. This place is no longer safe; we must move immediately."

"The Immortal Hunting Division?!"

Zhang Zhifeng's expression changed slightly. That was the government agency specifically responsible for handling "extraordinary" incidents. Their methods were ruthless, and their power was immense; they were the nightmare of all practitioners of the dark arts.

If they were truly targeted, it would be a total disaster.

"Then... Envoy, where should we go?"

Zhang Zhifeng asked in a low voice, his mind racing as he thought about what other sufficiently hidden locations were in the county.

The White Lotus Sect Envoy slowly turned his head. On that pale, bloodless face, a very subtle yet chilling smile appeared for the first time. He looked at Zhang Zhifeng and said word by word:

"Isn't the county town being strictly inspected lately? Perfect, the darkest place is under the lamp. We'll go to your residence."

Zhang Zhifeng's pupils shrank suddenly, a moment of bewilderment flashing across his face, but it was immediately replaced by determination.

He cupped his fists heavily: "Yes! Your subordinate will go and make arrangements immediately to ensure nothing goes wrong!"

...The scene shifted to the residence in the west of the city, inside the cultivation room.

In the giant bathtub, the dark red medicinal liquid that had once been magnificent like flowing starlight was now crystal clear, as if it were just a tub of ordinary water.

Chen Linsheng sat cross-legged in the water with his sturdy upper body bare, the water line just reaching his chest.

His breathing was steady and long. Beneath his skin, blood and Qi seemed to move like dragons and snakes, emitting a subtle but powerful hum.

Suddenly, his tightly closed eyes snapped open!

A sharp light burst from his eyes, like a flash of lightning in a dark room!

"Heh!"

He opened his mouth and exhaled, and a condensed arrow of white Qi shot out with a sharp whistling sound. With a "poof," it actually pierced through the closed window paper several feet away!

Flesh Refining Realm, attained!

Chen Linsheng stood up, bringing up a splash of water.

Standing in the bathtub, he looked down at his renewed body, feeling the surging power deep within his muscles, his heart filled with unspeakable joy.

He could clearly "internally view" the three muscles he had successfully quenched.

What shocked him most was that the completion of the quenching for these three muscles wasn't the usual seventy or eighty percent of ordinary Martial Artists, but an unprecedented hundred percent Perfection!

Crystal clear, full of blood and Qi, flawless and pure!

Furthermore, the cultivation of Python Dragon Strength had reached fruition, forcefully breaking through!

[Martial Skill: Python Dragon Strength (Minor Achievement)]

[Progress: (0/2000)]

[Divine Effect: Dragon Force Emergence. Sinews and Bones Chime Together; Wild Bull Collision. Begins to nurture "Dragon Force," gaining instantaneous explosive power. Sinews and bones spontaneously chime during movement, greatly increasing quenching efficiency. Can perform violent short-distance, straight-line collisions with the body, with a terrifying momentum.]

He lightly clenched his fist. His arm muscles bulged, and a low, powerful chime spontaneously came from his sinews and joints, as if a python or Dragon was awakening within his body.

He had a strong premonition that with this as a Foundation, the subsequent quenching of his entire body's muscles would be like splitting bamboo, far exceeding ordinary people!

"Is it because of the 'Hunyuan True Body'..." Chen Linsheng thought to himself.

This special Physique, formed from the Fusion and transformation of two Perfection-level Cultivation Techniques, was indeed extraordinary. Not only did it allow him to complete his tenth Skin Quenching, but at the very beginning of the Flesh Refining Realm, it also demonstrated a Heaven-Defying ability to mold his Foundation.

He stepped out of the bathtub, dried himself, and changed into clean clothes.

Although he had been in seclusion for three consecutive days, he now felt full of energy and vigorous blood and Qi, in a better state than ever before.

"I wonder if Master has finished his investigation."