Practice begins with immortality

In the wilderness, a group of Qi-refining cultivators were moving forward cautiously, their faces filled with tension and vigilance. These people were Wang Bai's neighbors in the outer district.

Wang Bai also mixed in with the crowd. He used the dead tree breath-concealing technique to disguise himself as a Qi-refining cultivator to avoid danger.

Suddenly, a massive city appeared ahead, its walls towering into the clouds, emanating a powerful aura. The leading cultivator excitedly shouted, "Everyone, it won't be long before we reach Yingxian City! Yingxian City is protected by a massive formation. Once we enter, we'll be safe!" Upon hearing this, hope surged in everyone's hearts, and they quickened their pace.

However, at this moment, a strong pressure from the foundation-building force suddenly came from above, causing everyone to stop. They looked up and saw an old man in a gray Taoist robe standing in the air, looking down with an indifferent look.

"Oh no! It's the Foundation Establishment cultivator, Old Man Black Soul! He specializes in robbing Qi Refining cultivators!" Someone cried out in horror, recognizing the old man's identity.

The next moment, a flash of sword light appeared, and the person who had just spoken was instantly beheaded, with blood gushing out.

"You dare to call my name directly? You deserve to die!" The old man said indifferently, as if he had just killed an ant and didn't care at all.

"Hand over your storage bags now! If anyone dares to keep any, they'll be punished just like that!" As the old man's cold words fell, the people on the ground suddenly became agitated. However, after a few flashes of sword light, the scene returned to calm. With no other choice, everyone took out their storage bags.

Seeing this, the old man immediately used his object control technique to gather all the storage bags. At that moment, a black light suddenly struck him. The old man's face changed drastically, and he quickly dodged. Fortunately, his quick reaction narrowly avoided the disaster.

"That was a close call! The power of that attack was definitely that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" The old man was still in shock, and at the same time, he realized that things were getting tricky. He looked around nervously and shouted, "Which fellow Taoist is here? Please come out and see me!"

Before he could finish his words, he saw a flying sword flashing with cold light, streaking from a distance like a meteor, heading straight for the old man. Seeing this, the old man felt a little relieved. He secretly congratulated himself and said, "It's just a low-grade spiritual weapon. It seems that this cultivator has just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and hasn't even had time to replace his spiritual weapon yet."

Immediately, the old man unleashed his superior spirit sword, meeting the incoming inferior spirit sword without hesitation. The two flying swords clashed in mid-air, emitting a resounding clash. The inferior spirit sword, naturally no match for the superior, was shattered into countless fragments. However, at that moment, the inferior spirit sword suddenly erupted with dazzling lightning, instantly forming a powerful ball of lightning that completely engulfed the old man.

"Oh no! It's a second-level thunder talisman!" the old man cried out in horror, and hurriedly tried to escape the lightning zone. But how could Wang Bai let him escape? He quickly cast a spell, and once again, a black light shot out, hitting the old man's head accurately, penetrating his skull directly.

Then, Wang Bai used his object control technique to skillfully snatch the old man's storage bag. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, completed in an instant. Due to the powerful force of the thunder talisman, the people around him had no time to react, and no one realized that it was Wang Bai who killed the old man.

"Is he dead?" One person looked at the broken body of the old man in front of him and said with some doubt. He really couldn't believe that this existence that made them so terrified could die so easily.

"It seems a passing senior has killed this dark soul old man. We are saved!" Another person said with joy. He was so excited that he almost jumped up, his eyes full of excitement and gratitude.

Everyone came back to their senses, their hearts filled with relief and joy. They knew that if that mysterious elder hadn't come to their aid, they would have all become the Dark Soul Elder's prey. Now, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Let's go! Let's hurry up and head for Yingxian City," someone suggested. The others chimed in, agreeing. They immediately packed up their belongings and set out again for Yingxian City.

Arriving at the gates of Yingxian City, they saw a group of armored soldiers standing on the city wall. These soldiers were all Qi-refining cultivators, weapons in hand, staring solemnly ahead. One of them, who looked like a leader, saw Wang Bai and his group approach and immediately shouted, "Who are you? Tell us your origins and purpose immediately, or we will be merciless!"

His voice was loud and stern, which made people feel awe.

Wang Bai and the others felt a pang of anxiety when they heard this, but they still replied respectfully, "Fellow Daoists, we are fleeing from the Chiyufang Market in the Luoxia Mountains. Please give us some space and allow us to take refuge in the city."

After hearing this, the man glanced sharply at the crowd, as if examining them for signs of abnormality. After a moment, he asked again, "Do you have any proof?"

Wang Bo and others nodded quickly, indicating that they did have evidence.

Afterwards, the leading monk immediately pulled out the token he had been given upon entering the Akajuma Market and handed it to the soldier on the wall. He also took out a storage bag filled with spirit stones and gave it to the leader-like soldier.

The leader took the token and storage bag, carefully checked them, and confirmed that they were correct. He nodded, indicating that they could pass.

Wang Bai and others breathed a sigh of relief and finally entered Yingxian City smoothly.