134: This is the path of spiritual practice.

Night.

The heavy snow had stopped. In the clear sky, like a washed azure, sapphires were embedded, stars twinkled, pure and flawless, without the slightest blemish.

Starlight fell, like a soft blue carpet, covering the icy land. This was the rare tenderness that winter bestowed upon the world.

Outside Apocalypse City.

Lin Qinghuang, in a tight black outfit and wearing a white jade mask, looked at Xie Weilou: "Millstone Town is nearly sixty li from Apocalypse City; we can reach it in half an hour."

Xie Weilou was also dressed in a black robe, having already transformed his figure and face. He looked at Lin Qinghuang with a strange expression: "Qinghuang, this is your disguise?"

Lin Qinghuang frowned: "What? Is there a problem?"

Xie Weilou chuckled: "To be honest, your disguise is very easy to recognize. You might as well not disguise yourself at all..."

Lin Qinghuang paused for a second. She formed a hand seal, and her figure gradually changed: "How about this?"

Xie Weilou nodded slightly: "Not bad! But it's still missing something."

He took out a precious jade and handed it to Lin Qinghuang: "This item has Restriction that can conceal your aura."

"Thank you."

Lin Qinghuang didn't stand on ceremony and directly accepted the precious jade.

She then said: "Let's go."

After speaking, she tapped her foot, and her figure instantly flew into the distance with extreme speed.

"......"

Xie Weilou smiled and followed her.

— — — — — —

After two quarters of an hour.

Xie Weilou and Lin Qinghuang arrived in a mountain forest.

Lin Qinghuang softly said: "Crossing this mountain forest and going ten li further will bring us to Millstone Town."

"Fellow Daoists, are you heading to Millstone Town?"

Just then, four cultivators appeared ahead: three men and one woman. The woman was at the early stage of Territory Expansion Realm, and the other three were all at Shackle Realm (Peak).

"......"

Lin Qinghuang glanced indifferently at the four.

The woman among them smiled lightly: "Fellow Daoists, this little one is Zhao Lin. There's still some distance to Millstone Town, and the journey is extremely dangerous. Millstone Town is also a mixed bag of people and extremely perilous. It would be good for us to go together and look out for each other."

In the depths of her eyes, a strong killing intent was hidden.

"Alright!"

Lin Qinghuang said expressionlessly.

The path to Millstone Town would hide many ambushers, specifically targeting lone individuals.

"Then..."

Zhao Lin's smile was very wide, but before she could finish speaking, she saw Lin Qinghuang instantly pounce on her.

"Hmm? Seeking death!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Lin's eyes. With a movement of her finger, a cold blade appeared from her waist storage bag. She gripped the cold blade and immediately attacked Lin Qinghuang.

The other three also immediately made their move, three streams of power blasting towards Lin Qinghuang.

Boom!

Lin Qinghuang waved her sleeve, and a powerful force erupted. Zhao Lin and the other three were instantly sent flying back, blood spraying out.

"Tuojiang Realm (Mid-stage)."

After stabilizing her body, a look of horror appeared in Zhao Lin's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, she turned and fled.

Lin Qinghuang took a step, instantly appearing in front of Zhao Lin. With a flick of her finger, a cold light flashed.

Pfft!

Zhao Lin's head instantly flew up, blood gushing out, turning her into a headless corpse.

After slaying Zhao Lin, Lin Qinghuang looked at the other three.

"Run..."

The three were startled and immediately fled for their lives.

Boom!

Lin Qinghuang flicked her finger, and a stream of power blasted towards the three.

"Ah..."

Before the three could escape far, they were instantly blasted into a bloody mist, leaving only three storage bags.

Lin Qinghuang skillfully took Zhao Lin's storage bag and picked up the other three. She casually tossed those three storage bags to Xie Weilou: "They are all low-grade storage bags, with some items inside. They're yours."

Xie Weilou took the storage bags and said with a faint smile: "Looking at your movements, so skillful, you must have done this kind of thing often! Qinghuang, you're like an evil cultivator!"

Lin Qinghuang put away the storage bag in her hand and said calmly: "The path of cultivation is just like this. They are all ambushers, so there's naturally no problem with me preying on them."

"Makes sense!"

Xie Weilou smiled indifferently.

The two continued to walk forward...

After crossing the mountain forest and going ten li further, a misty area appeared before them. There were two fiery red lanterns there, like the eyes of a demonic beast, crimson and eerie.

"To enter Millstone Town, a certain amount of resources must be paid."

A hoarse voice sounded, and beside the lanterns, a mysterious black-clad figure appeared.

Lin Qinghuang casually waved her hand, and a spirit herb flew towards the black-clad figure.

"You may enter..."

The black-clad figure took the spirit herb, glanced at it, and then moved aside, opening a path.

Xie Weilou and Lin Qinghuang stepped forward. A mysterious array was activated, and the surrounding environment instantly changed. They appeared in a brightly lit Ancient Town.

Inside the Ancient Town were many pavilions. Each pavilion was incredibly ancient, with blood-red lanterns hanging from the eaves. Various treasure pavilions, pill pavilions, and artifact shops were set up, looking like a black market.

But this place was even more extraordinary than a black market. The people here were basically all cultivators, and some of them had extremely terrifying strength, making people feel suppressed.

On the streets, there were many vendors, all cultivators, with varying levels of strength.

The stalls displayed all sorts of strange cultivation items: spirit medicines, spirit herbs, weapons, cultivation techniques, and so on; everything imaginable.

Lin Qinghuang slowly began: "Millstone Town is extremely extraordinary. There's a Profound Phase Realm Peak powerhouse guarding it. Under normal circumstances, no one will cause trouble here. If there's a conflict, it needs to be resolved outside the town."

Xie Weilou asked: "Where is the item you want?"

Lin Qinghuang pondered: "It's in a trading ground. There are more cultivators there, and countless good items. We'll go there now. If we're lucky, you should also have a huge harvest on this trip."

Xie Weilou said with a faint smile: "But I don't have many resources on me! Only a few spirit herbs and a few ordinary pills."

Lin Qinghuang said calmly: "Don't worry! I've prepared a lot of things for this trip. Whatever you see, as long as it's not too outrageous, I can get it for you."

"Successfully got a sugar mommy."

Xie Weilou's smile was rich.

The two continued to walk forward.

After walking for a while.

A huge trading ground appeared before them—the Millstone Trading Ground.

The gates of the trading ground were open, and there were many people entering and exiting, all of them cultivators without exception.

"Let's go."

Lin Qinghuang led Xie Weilou inside.

Upon entering the trading ground, they saw hundreds of stalls. Each stall was guarded by a cultivator, and there were many items on the stalls. The surrounding cultivators continuously observed and traded.

Lin Qinghuang looked around and said: "The item I want won't appear until later; it will probably require an auction. You can look around the stalls now. If you see anything you like, just tell me."

"......"

Xie Weilou didn't hesitate either and immediately began to browse the surrounding stalls.

"Hmm?"

Xie Weilou seemed to sense something. He walked to a stall on the right. There were many items on the stall, and a fist-sized fiery red bead was very conspicuous, emitting subtle fire-attribute power.

Moreover, on this bead, there were even obscure Restriction runes...