The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Cao Jiang said disdainfully, "Jiang Chuan, you are still inexperienced in the ways of the world."

They were fleeing for their lives in a panic; they had no time to cover their tracks. If not now, when?

Jiang Chuan had some doubts, but he still nodded and said, "Brother Cao is right. Let's follow Brother Cao's advice and continue the investigation."

Tang Zhizhi was about to speak, but Jiang Chuan interrupted her. She didn't understand why Jiang Chuan was agreeing with Cao Jiang.

Kongkong, the young monk at the Hanging Temple, noticed the unusual aura emanating from Jiang Chuan.

He secretly observed and discovered that Jiang Chuan's sea of ​​consciousness was emanating a black aura, a sign of the obstacle of killing.

Kongkong didn't understand why Jiang Chuan wanted to kill Cao Jiang, but he was determined to stop him.

The four continued following the trail.

The forest was dimly lit, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Cao Jiang walked at the front, his eyes fixed on the marks on the ground, as if they were the path to success.

"The marks are getting clearer and clearer; they must be up ahead."

Cao Jiang said excitedly.

"Jiang Chuan, why did you go along with Cao Jiang even though you knew it was a trap?"

Tang Zhizhi asked in a low voice.

Jiang Chuan did not answer directly: "There are some things that are not convenient to say outright because the time is not right."

Kong Kong followed behind, keeping a close eye on Jiang Chuan's every move.

To understand Jiang Chuan's plan, we must start with his deal with Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei knew Tang Zhizhi's strengths and weaknesses, and worried that he would be controlled by her in the future, so he wanted to find someone to monitor her.

He felt that Jiang Chuan was both righteous and wicked, and extremely cunning, making him the best candidate.

Jiang Chuan, in order to obtain the important treasure in Jiang Wei's possession, agreed to the deal.

As for Cao Jiang, ever since he met Tang Zhizhi, he has been deeply attracted by her beauty, and his desires have grown wildly and he could not control himself.

Throughout the journey, his gaze kept unconsciously falling on Tang Zhizhi.

Tang Zhizhi was fully aware of his intentions and was extremely disgusted by them.

The dense forest was lush with foliage and dimly lit.

Before they knew it, a thick fog began to spread, its wisps enveloping the four of them.

The young monk Kongkong had been practicing at the Hanging Temple since childhood and was sensitive to changes in the atmosphere. At this moment, he felt that something important had been overlooked, but he couldn't figure it out for the moment, so he could only anxiously follow behind the group.

Cao Jiang seemed oblivious to the danger, constantly urging everyone to speed up, which looked very strange.

"Hurry up, everyone! There are still many dangers in the dense forest. Don't delay."

Jiang Chuan noticed that the fog spread quickly and had a fishy smell, which was definitely not ordinary fog.

Tang Zhizhi also realized that his condition was not good. The flow of true qi in his body was not smooth and was slightly stagnant. He secretly thought that something was wrong, but he did not know the reason.

Jiang Chuan thus determined that this was a deadly miasma.

Cao Jiang feigned composure and analyzed the situation: "Given the current situation, it's too late to turn back."

The miasma spreads quickly; any further delay will mean certain death.

As he spoke, he took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his bosom and poured out an antidote pill. "This is a secret antidote pill made by my Qingming Sword Sect. It cannot completely cure the poison of miasma, but it can support our return."

After saying that, he handed the porcelain bottle to Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan took the porcelain bottle, poured out two antidote pills without making a sound, pretended to swallow them but actually hid them under his tongue, and then handed them to Tang Zhizhi.

Cao Jiang chuckled to himself as he watched Jiang Chuan's actions. He knew that the antidote was poison, and if Jiang Chuan and Tang Zhizhi took it, his plan would be more than half successful.

Tang Zhizhi took the porcelain bottle, looked at the pills and hesitated; she already had suspicions about Cao Jiang.
However, being in a dangerous situation amidst the miasma and having no other choice, he thought of Kongkong and decided to feed him a pill.

At this moment, Jiang Chuan cried out, clutching his chest and collapsing to the ground, shouting, "This antidote pill is poisonous!"

Tang Zhizhi was greatly alarmed, and the porcelain vase fell to the ground.

Looking again at Kongkong, he had already fainted.

When Cao Jiang realized his plan had been exposed, he stopped pretending and revealed a sinister smile that sent chills down one's spine.

Enraged by this, Tang Zhizhi drew his sword and demanded, "Cao Jiang, why did you do this?"

Cao Jiang looked indifferent and sneered, "It's normal for a few people to die in this miasma."

"If you all die, the treasure will all be mine."

Tang Zhizhi understood that the situation was critical. She did not take the antidote pill, but the miasma had already entered her body, causing her internal energy to become disordered.

As Cao Jiang was a sword cultivator from the Qingming Sword Sect, his cultivation level was already higher than hers. She had no other choice but to accept the humiliation from Cao Jiang, even if she could not escape death.

Seeing the critical situation, Jiang Chuan could no longer pretend.

Feigning pain, he questioned Cao Jiang: "Cao Jiang, why are you alright after taking the antidote?"

Cao Jiang laughed loudly and mocked, "Jiang Chuan, you are truly foolish."

I didn't swallow the antidote pill at all; I hid it in my hand.

From the very beginning, everything was under my control.

"Your Cloud Sea Immortal Sect is nothing special."

He spoke with smug pride and boastfulness, as arrogant as if he controlled the world.

Tang Zhizhi listened to Cao Jiang's words and became completely disappointed in Jiang Chuan, feeling that he had fallen into a desperate situation because he had trusted Cao Jiang too easily.

Without another word, she swung her sword and stabbed at Cao Jiang.

Cao Jiang, his face filled with greed, shouted, "Tang Zhizhi, you have nowhere to go in front of you and are surrounded by miasma behind you. You can't escape now."

Submit to me, and I'll spare your life!

Tang Zhizhi, born into a prestigious family and known for his noble character, angrily retorted upon hearing this: "Cao Jiang, don't even dream about it! I would rather die than submit to a despicable person like you!"

Having said that, he drew his sword and attacked Cao Jiang.

However, the miasma poison took effect, causing Tang Zhizhi's internal energy to become disordered, and his sword moves to become weak and powerless, making him clearly no match for Cao Jiang.

Just as Cao Jiang was about to kill Tang Zhi, Jiang Chuan, who was pretending to be poisoned, made a move and flicked out two antidote pills.

Cao Jiang was shocked, realizing he had been tricked, and roared, "You Jiang Chuan, how dare you scheme against me!"

Jiang Chuan stood up, holding the black jade sword, and said in a deep voice, "Cao Jiang, today is your death day!"

He then reassured Tang Zhizhi, saying, "Miss Tang, don't be afraid, I'll deal with this villain."

Cao Jiang had previously underestimated Jiang Chuan, relying on his cultivation and trump cards, and sneered, "Jiang Chuan, don't think you can do anything to me by playing some tricks. Today, you will all die!"

Jiang Chuan said no more, and wielded his sword, displaying a sword technique that combined the Five Elements Sword Manual, the Great River Sword Intent, and the Righteous Qi Sword. The sword intent was fluid and the power was strong.

Cao Jiang dared not be careless and quickly swung his sword to defend himself.

The two engaged in a fierce sword fight, their sword energy crisscrossing and causing damage to the surrounding trees.

Some were cleanly cut in half by the sword energy; others were shattered into pieces, leaving the dense forest in a mess.

Tang Zhizhi watched the battle from the sidelines, utterly shocked.

Compared to the mountain gate tournament a year ago, Jiang Chuan's swordsmanship has improved far too much, and every strike is full of extraordinary momentum.

During their fight, Cao Jiang also felt that Jiang Chuan was very powerful. Although he was skilled in swordsmanship, he was restricted at every turn and could not use his full strength. He complained bitterly.

Jiang Chuan sensed that the air was faint and the situation was critical.

We must act swiftly. Cao Jiang might have an antidote for the miasma; we must subdue him quickly.

Jiang Chuan unleashed the "Great Sun Golden Wheel Sword Manual," causing the black jade sword to spin rapidly, transforming into a giant golden wheel. The golden wheel was covered with runes, radiating golden light and exuding powerful sword energy.

Upon seeing this powerful sword move, Cao Jiang felt fear and turned to flee before the move could be completed.

Jiang Chuan shouted, "Cao Jiang, you can't escape!"

He hurled the golden wheel at Cao Jiang. The golden wheel was extremely fast and quickly caught up with Cao Jiang.

Cao Jiang was unable to dodge in time and was struck by the sword energy. He flew out and crashed to the ground, suffering serious injuries.

To Jiang Chuan's surprise, Cao Jiang was still alive.

The heavily injured Cao Jiang forced a sinister smile and said, "Jiang Chuan, you think you can kill me? I've already crushed the distress jade token, and my Supreme Realm senior brother will be here soon. That will be your death day!"

Jiang Chuan sneered: "Cao Jiang, stop bluffing."

"I have a way to make you disappear before your senior brother arrives."

As he spoke, Jiang Chuan raised his sword, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Cao Jiang.

At this moment, Cao Jiang blocked Jiang Chuan's attack.

Jiang Chuan was startled and used his spiritual power to sense the changes in Cao Jiang's internal energy.

The originally pure true energy quickly dissipated, replaced by sinister demonic energy.

"You...you're actually a demonic cultivator?"

Jiang Chuan was shocked and blurted out.

Tang Zhizhi, who was standing to the side, was also astonished upon hearing this.

The forces of good and evil in the cultivation world reject each other, making forced dual cultivation almost impossible; any attempt will inevitably result in the body exploding.

Cao Jiang laughed and admitted, "That's right, I am a demonic cultivator."

So what if you know? You can't do anything about it.

Jiang Chuan was furious, knowing full well the dangers of demonic cultivators. If Cao Jiang escaped, it would bring disaster to the cultivation world.

At this moment, Jiang Chuan activated the power of his Purple Mansion and unleashed the "Long River Sunset" move from the game "Sword Three".

The sword energy surged forth, rushing towards Cao Jiang.

Cao Jiang's expression changed slightly. He activated his demonic energy and used "Shadow Escape," disappearing in a flash.

Jiang Chuan's sword energy fell, tearing the earth apart, but it did not harm Cao Jiang.

As the sword energy dissipated, Cao Jiang had already disappeared into the jungle.

Jiang Chuan understood that it would be difficult to kill him in a short time.

Jiang Chuan looked at Tang Zhizhi and said in a deep voice, "Miss Tang, Cao Jiang's matter is serious. I need to report it to Senior Brother Xue Xing as soon as possible."

Tang Zhizhi nodded, then remembered something and looked at Jiang Chuan, saying with dissatisfaction, "Jiang Chuan, you knew Cao Jiang had a problem, so why did you still let Kong Kong take the antidote?"

Jiang Chuan sighed and explained, "Miss Tang, I have no regrets."

I had already realized that the antidote was not a lethal poison, and I was confident that I could resolve the problem before the rescue arrived.

I never expected him to be a demonic cultivator; that was completely unexpected.

Tang Zhizhi's dissatisfaction lessened slightly.

Looking at the unconscious Kongkong, he said to Jiang Chuan, "The most urgent task is to detoxify Kongkong."

The lingering poison from the miasma is in his body; it could be dangerous if not cleared.

Jiang Chuan nodded: "Don't worry, Miss Tang, I'll detoxify you right away."

After speaking, he circulated his innate pure yang true qi, first channeling it into Tang Zhizhi. Tang Zhizhi's disordered true qi gradually stabilized, and the discomfort disappeared.

Immediately, Jiang Chuan dispersed the remaining miasma and poison.

Then he said to Jiang Chuan, "Miss Tang, the remaining poison from the miasma in Kongkong has been cleared."

He's just unconscious; his life isn't in danger, and he'll wake up after a day or two of rest.

Tang Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you, Jiang Chuan."

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to escape today."

Jiang Chuan waved his hand: "Miss Tang, you're too kind."

The matter of Cao Jiang is of great importance; we must leave as soon as possible to deliver the message and prevent him from harming the cultivation community again.

Tang Zhizhi nodded, and the two rested for a while before preparing to take Kongkong away from the dense forest.

Jiang Chuan carried the unconscious little monk Kong Kong on his back, his toes lightly touching the gravel, his dark robes fluttering in the mountain wind.

Tang Zhizhi gripped the horizontal sword at his waist, the blade still stained with undried blood, the cloud and thunder patterns on the hilt flickering in the twilight.

"Do you really think there's something fishy about Cao Jiang's jade pendant?"

Tang Zhizhi suddenly spoke, her voice like an icicle in a mountain stream, carrying a chilling cold.

Jiang Chuan turned his head and caught a glimpse of her sideburns sticking to her face with sweat, and the corners of her lips still bearing traces of blood from the fierce battle. She seemed more down-to-earth than when they first met.

He chuckled, flicking the bronze bell hanging from his waist with his fingertip: "If those old fogies at the Supreme Realm really accepted the message, why would they leave us starving in this desolate wilderness? The spirit-guiding array on that jade tablet—"

He suddenly lowered his voice, "It looks like it was carved with the reverse scale of a third-tier snake demon. Smell it, it's sour and has none of the pine scent that a proper spirit-guiding jade should have."

Tang Zhizhi recalled that when Cao Jiang took out the jade pendant earlier, there was indeed a faint fishy smell.

Her grip on the knife tightened, the blade sparking as it scraped against the stone: "If it's really fake, then why did he..."

"Why did you pretend to lure us here?"

Jiang Chuan suddenly stopped and looked at the layered mountain shadows in the distance. "Do you remember the Crimson Flame Blade at his waist? The scabbard is engraved with the Fire God Mountain's Fire Pattern."

Tang Zhizhi's pupils suddenly contracted.

The corpse they found at the foot of the mountain half a month ago had a charred palm print on its chest from the burning of the Li Huo Jin – a technique known as "Crimson Flame Burning Heart" only a direct disciple of Huoshen Mountain could use.

A mountain breeze swept through the valley, rustling the dry leaves.

Jiang Chuan suddenly sniffed the air and glanced at the bushes on the left: "That little guy Qinglin has probably made a catch. Let's go take a look."

Before he could finish speaking, a green shadow suddenly darted out from the bushes, transforming into a giant python as thick as a bowl, coiled on a branch. With its forked tongue flicking in and out, a purplish-red spiritual fruit fell with a "plop" to Jiang Chuan's feet.

Tang Zhizhi's grip on the knife tightened, but then Jiang Chuan raised his hand and patted the python's head: "How old are you? Still acting like a kitten carrying food?"

Qinglin flicked its tail in dissatisfaction, and its python body suddenly shrank, transforming into a small snake about a foot long that coiled around Jiang Chuan's shoulder, its bright snake eyes staring at Tang Zhizhi.

Jiang Chuan bent down and picked up the spirit fruit, his fingertips brushing against the scales on the peel: "The third-tier spirit fruit, the Purple Heart Fruit, is just right to replenish Kong Kong's vital energy."

He tossed two to Tang Zhizhi, took a bite himself, and the flesh burst open in his mouth, sending a sweet burst of spiritual energy down his throat and into his dantian.

Tang Zhizhi held the spirit fruit in his hand; the touch of his fingertips was warm and smooth, like the skin of a living creature.

She suddenly recalled the scene when Qinglin strangled the Shadow Spider:
The serpent was only as thick as a bowl, but it swelled into a ten-zhang-long python. As the serpent coiled around the spider, the black spider was shredded into pieces before it could even struggle.

"Your spirit pet..." she suddenly said, "does it seem to be a descendant of the ancient Azure Phoenix?"

Jiang Chuan almost choked on the fruit: "Girl, you have a good eye!"

He wiped his mouth, his fingertips tracing the green scales of the snake. "I found the egg in Qingluan Valley three hundred years ago. It recognized me as its owner as soon as it hatched."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "But don't tell anyone. If those old fogies find out that I've turned the Azure Phoenix bloodline into a gluttonous snake, they'll probably chase me all over the continent."

Tang Zhizhi smiled slightly, but quickly regained her cold expression.

She took a bite of the spiritual fruit, and its sweetness exploded on her tongue. Sure enough, the spiritual energy in her dantian became more active.

As darkness fell in the distance, stars began to appear on the mountain peaks.

There is an open area ahead.

Jiang Chuan suddenly pointed ahead, "It's sheltered from the wind and has a wide view, perfect for spending the night."

The two stopped on a bare rocky plain.

Jiang Chuan put down Kongkong, took out a piece of charcoal from his Qiankun bag, made a hand seal with his fingertips, and the flames "poof"ed up, reflecting the shimmering light in his eyes.

Tang Zhizhi sat down against a huge rock, the blade of his knife resting on his knees, but his gaze couldn't help but drift toward the campfire.

The charcoal lumps even had faint golden veins, clearly indicating that they were exorcising charcoal made from the bones of high-level demonic beasts. (End of Chapter)