Immortal Path Space

The two sat by the window, and He Yuan eagerly cast a Spiritual Energy shield, enveloping them to prevent eavesdropping and block any prying eyes or spiritual awareness.

He Yuan leaned forward and asked, "Is what Fellow Daoist said earlier true? This matter is crucial to me and not a subject for jest."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist He," replied the red-faced Old Man. "I haven't been so idle as to use this matter to amuse myself with you."

The Old Man with the red face produced two Jade Boxes and placed them on the table in front of He Yuan.

He Yuan gently opened the box, revealing two golden Spiritual Medicines emitting a fragrant aroma. He took a deep breath and carefully chewed on two small root segments. His initially tense features gradually relaxed.

"Good, this is precisely the Spiritual Medicine I need. Moreover, its quality surpasses the two presented at the auction. How would Fellow Daoist like to proceed with the exchange?"

He Yuan felt a bit uneasy. Despite the tempting conditions he had offered earlier, being rejected at the auction had shaken his confidence.

"Let's proceed with the conditions you proposed earlier," said the red-faced Old Man indifferently.

"However, you must consider carefully. Once the Blood Contract is signed, there is no turning back. Within ten years, you will be bound to obey me. This is not a trivial matter and could even endanger your life."

"I have made up my mind. Rather than living in humiliation and submission, what difference does it make from death? I appreciate Fellow Daoist's reminder," resolutely declared He Yuan.

"Very well! I won't be sentimental. Rest assured, I am not an evil person, and I won't mistreat you."

The red-faced Old Man took a small yellow paper from his Storage Bag, adorned with peculiar runes and about the size of two palms.

This was the Blood Contract document, extremely difficult to produce, known only to a few major sects.

There were two types of Blood Contracts. The one they were using was the ordinary type, similar to Mortal Realm contracts, specifying terms that the signer must adhere to.

Violation would result in backlash, ranging from loss of cultivation to instant death.

The other type, a Master-Slave Blood Contract, was even more expensive. A tier-one Master-Slave Blood Contract cost fifteen thousand Spirit Stones.

They wrote the terms on the Blood Contract, then each forced out a drop of essence blood, which was quickly absorbed by the contract. The essence blood flowed through the runes, and after nine cycles, the entire Blood Contract turned to ashes with a soft "puff."

Only two drops of essence blood floated in the air. The two reached out, and the drops entered their foreheads.

After completing the Blood Contract ritual, the red-faced Old Man said, "Now that we are allies, there's no need to conceal certain things. My real name is Wang Hong; this face is just a temporary illusion."

The red-faced Old Man's face was shrouded in mist, and when it cleared, a plain young face was revealed.

"For the next few months, don't reveal our connection. You can continue as before. Currently, I am planning a major operation with some risk, but don't worry; I don't intend to use you as cannon fodder. I will personally participate. Provide me with your address, and I'll notify you when the time comes."

Since witnessing the Three Elements Formation, he had a bold idea.

He had already gathered information about the Lin Family. With over a hundred Qi Cultivation practitioners, they only had one Foundation Building cultivator, the grandfather of Lin Yun.

Lin Yun had three Spiritual Roots and was diligent in cultivation. He had ambitious aspirations, often taking the revival of the family as his mission. In his early twenties, he had reached the eighth layer of Qi Cultivation.

Due to his potential, he gained the favor of his grandfather, who saw him as the next family head.

The family members also regarded him highly, and due to his focus on cultivation, he had limited experience.

Over time, he became somewhat arrogant, having rarely faced setbacks.

Wang Hong considered that he had offended the Lin Family, and now, if he left the city, he would undoubtedly be hunted by them.

Over the years, every time he left the city, he had to change his identity to avoid the Lin Family's pursuit. His soldiers hadn't left the city at all during this time.

He was not afraid at the moment, but he dreaded the possibility of facing both the young and the old Lin Family members.

Moreover, he planned to join a sect. The foundation he left in Azure Void City couldn't be easily abandoned, considering the substantial monthly income of tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Additionally, he had dozens of subordinates here. With the Lin Family constantly lurking nearby, he couldn't leave them without concerns.

If he joined a sect, he would undoubtedly travel between the sect and the city, posing potential security risks.

Furthermore, in recent years, the Lin Family had been making subtle moves, often sending loose cultivators to harass his shop.

If he left, the Lin Family might intensify their actions, and the remaining people might not be able to handle it.

It would be best to resolve this issue before leaving.

Since the moment he saw the Little Three Elements Formation, he had a crazy idea: to gather a group and hunt down a Foundation Building cultivator.

That night, Wang Hong gathered his forty-five subordinates.

Among them, Zhang Chunfeng had the best aptitude and the highest cultivation level, having reached the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation. He was responsible for Battle Formation Drills.

Skinny Monkey had four Spiritual Roots and, with the assistance of numerous elixirs, had reached the fifth layer of Qi Cultivation. He managed the Spirit Wine store.

Zhao Ning lacked Spiritual Roots, was at the second layer of Qi Cultivation, and the third layer of Body Refining. He managed the Elixir store.

The rest were at the first or second layer of Qi Cultivation, and the second or third layer of Body Refining.

In recent years, Wang Hong had also recruited some laborers for various mundane tasks such as brewing, cooking, and basic processing of Spirit Herbs. This allowed the soldiers to focus on cultivation, resulting in rapid progress.

Now, the forty-five individuals stood in a neat formation in the courtyard.

"Everyone, after years of hard work, our strength has skyrocketed. However, we've been stuck in Azure Void City, unable even to leave the city gates.

I'm giving you three months of preparation time. After three months, I will personally lead you out of the city for a hunt.

During these three months, each person will receive an extra three hundred contribution points to exchange for suitable elixirs and further enhance your strength.

In three months, it will be time to showcase our strength! Do you have confidence?"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Wang Hong spoke some motivating words and then dismissed the crowd, leaving behind a few leaders.

"Zhang Chunfeng, you've been at the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation for some time now. Can you break through to the later stages within these three months?"

Zhang Chunfeng pondered for a moment and replied, "I haven't made any progress in my cultivation level in the past few months. It seems like I've reached a bottleneck, and the chance of a breakthrough in three months is not very high."

Wang Hong took out two small porcelain bottles and casually tossed them to Zhang Chunfeng.

"Here are twenty mid-grade Condensing Qi Pills and one Barrier Breaking Pill. Break through to the later stages of Qi Cultivation within these three months.

Your task is the most crucial, and you'll also be responsible for training the others. Tomorrow, take Skinny Monkey with you, bring some Spirit Stones, and each of you purchase a high-grade defensive Magical Weapon."

"Yes!"

"Great, great! I want a sturdy tortoise shell too. In future battles against cultivators of the same tier, I'll let them have a taste of it within three moves."

Skinny Monkey joyfully shouted. Among the forty-five subordinates, only Skinny Monkey lacked the solemn and serious demeanor expected of a military person. Being the youngest and a late addition, he had previously served as a miscellaneous laborer. Now in charge of the Spirit Wine store, he had become more active and lively.

Ignoring Skinny Monkey, Wang Hong continued, "Xu Lun, you're in charge of logistics. Each person will be supplied with a hundred pounds of Demonic Beast meat daily for these three months."

At the same time, he produced two golden Spiritual Medicines, the mutated Astragalus.

"Add this as well. Stew it together with the Demonic Beast meat. Add two pieces for every hundred pounds."

"General, what kind of Spiritual Medicine is this? I've never seen it before."

"This is a mutated Astragalus. It greatly replenishes essence blood. I've tried it, and it's very beneficial for Body Refining. After using it, you can come find me again."

"In addition, during this time, we need to prepare some marching supplies and purchase some Talismans."

After arranging everyone, Wang Hong had a lot of preparations to do himself.

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