Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 330 Simultaneous Cultivation (Part 1)

"Phew... This tree is a bit heavy..." Just as Zhang Zheng's expression had calmed down a bit after seeing the tree about to be moved, Han Yi's expression suddenly changed and his breathing became rapid.

Click, click, click! !

The heavy tree trunk, suspended in mid-air, fell again, slamming heavily into Zhang Zheng's chest. A series of cracking sounds rang out, accompanied by numerous internal injuries.

Zhang Zheng, who was almost awake, was now completely seriously injured and fell into a deep coma.

Although there is no conclusive evidence to prove Zhang Zheng's wrongdoing, he is destined for death, but he cannot escape punishment either.

Even with a martial artist's recovery ability, such a severe injury would greatly diminish their future combat effectiveness.

After waiting for a while, while no one came over, Han Yi quickly sorted out the items he had taken from the man and stuffed them into his pocket.

This guy kept saying he was poor, had no connections, and lacked resources. But wow, he had over two thousand taels of gold notes in his pocket.

The difference before and after is so great that it's almost unbelievable.

Based on this guy's previous statements, including things like "any means necessary" and "acquiring as many resources as possible"...

Han Yi suspected that the two thousand taels of gold notes might be the reward provided by the Green Robe Alliance for him acting as an inside agent.

Therefore, he could only accept this ill-gotten gain, which was the price Zhang Zheng paid for daring to betray his companions and friends for personal gain.

"Lord You... we found him here..." A commotion suddenly broke out outside the official road.

Han Yi stood up and looked in the direction of the sound.

You Long led a large group of men, forming a long line of red torches, and moved rapidly toward this side along the official road.

Kong Liang had just sounded the emergency distress whistle when he finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

"Team." Han Yi stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"What's wrong this time?" You Long's face darkened, clearly because he was in a bad mood from working overtime late at night.

“Just now, a Green-Clad Alliance thief launched a sneak attack. Kong Liang and I joined forces to hold him back. In the end, when he realized that he couldn’t succeed in the short term, he fled in panic.”

Han Yi briefly recounted what had happened, and the rest was supplemented by Kong Liang, who had just woken up.

"Brother Han is right. We suddenly ran into the Green-Clad Alliance, a guy called Green-Clad Snake, who attacked without warning. I... I was drugged and knocked unconscious. The rest, I..."

"Kong Liang said with a wry smile.

He simply blew the emergency distress whistle, and truly knew nothing else.

"The Green-Clad Alliance, the snake... Dragon Snake Child?!" You Long's expression was not good at first, but when he heard that this matter was related to the Green-Clad Alliance, he immediately became serious.

But he wasn't particularly surprised by this.

The Green-Clad Alliance and the Demon-Hunting Society have always been at odds. It's quite normal for them to fight and suffer casualties each other frequently.

"Then what happened to him...?" He looked at Zhang Zheng, who had been rescued and was lying on a stretcher.

"You mean Brother Zhang? Just now, those Green-Clad Alliance members tried to escape, but Brother Zhang was brave and fearless, and stepped forward alone to stop them. I never expected... those Green-Clad Alliance thieves would be so ruthless..." Han Yi shook his head and sighed, and began to make up a story.

"No... I..." Zhang Zheng lay on the stretcher, his face full of bitterness. He had just been rescued, and after waking up, he felt pain all over his body, as if he had been repeatedly hit by a sledgehammer.

"No? Then how did you get injured?" You Long asked in surprise.

“I…” Zhang Zheng had no way to explain himself. He couldn’t very well say that after notifying the Green Cloaked Alliance, he was in the woods, leisurely making his way back, intending to wait for the Green Cloaked Alliance to finish dealing with the situation before returning to the scene.

But, for some reason, he was suddenly knocked unconscious by something. When he woke up, he was lying on a stretcher, and he had no idea what happened after that.

"Yes... Brother Han... is right." He finally gritted his teeth and admitted the truth.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's go back first. I'll report the Green Robe Alliance matter to my superiors and definitely get an explanation for the three of you." You Long waved his hand, giving Han Yi and the other two a carriage. He had seen information about this Dragon Snake before in the Demon Hunting Tower; it seemed he was just a second-level martial artist.

An insignificant nobody, couldn't even win a three-on-one fight, and was even seriously injured...

The warriors recruited by the Demon Hunting Association these days are getting weaker and weaker...

He shook his head, but then he realized that Han Yi and the other two were only temporary members, so it was normal that they weren't very strong.

But he could never report such a disgraceful thing to his superiors. If word got out, his team's performance would be a slap in the face to him.

As for the claim that it was to avenge Han Yi and the other two... it's so late at night, he'd definitely go back and sleep soundly with his beautiful concubine first, and talk about it later.

Of course, if he ever has the chance to encounter Long Shezi in the future, he wouldn't mind slapping him to death as revenge.

Inside the carriage, Han Yi and Kong Liang sat in a row, while Zhang Zheng lay opposite them. The air was thick with silence.

"Brother Han, was I really injured by those Green-Clad Alliance members?" Zhang Zheng suddenly asked, looking aggrieved.

What kind of thing is this? For no reason at all, I just fainted.

When I woke up, this is what I looked like...

"Brother Zhang... to be honest, what I just said was just my guess. The Green-Clad Alliance members suddenly appeared, and I managed to deal with them for a long time. In the end, they probably saw the reinforcements coming, so they retreated and ran away."

Therefore, when I saw Brother Zhang's injuries, and considering his upright character, I knew it must have been you who intervened.

Han Yi's face was filled with sincerity and admiration.

“…” Zhang Zheng was speechless and turned his head to look at Han Yi.

He suspected Han Yi was involved. That Dragon Snake was someone he had contacted and instructed; how could he possibly harm him?

We're all on the same side, and we have no other interests involved, so why bother?

However, this Dragon Snake is truly a piece of trash. When he met him and dropped off the reward, he was disdainful, saying that he would definitely defeat his opponent within ten rounds... Now it seems that he is also a piece of trash, and was actually beaten and forced to flee in panic.

Wait!

Suddenly, when the topic of payment came up, Zhang's expression changed, and he felt a pang of anxiety, as if he had realized something.

His hand trembled as he reached for the gold notes in his pocket, and the moment he touched them, his eyes welled up with tears.

The purse was shriveled and limp, clearly empty.

So, could it really be that the dragon and snake were behind this?

This person looks sinister and treacherous. Could it be that he was enraged when his sneak attack failed, and because of the gold notes, he turned around and double-crossed the other person?

The more Zhang Zheng thought about it, the more likely this possibility seemed.

"..." Han Yi sat opposite him, watching his every move with deep eyes.

If Zhang Zheng dares to cause any trouble, he'll slap him to death.

As an inside agent, do you really think you didn't leave behind any evidence along the way?

As for why Zhang Zheng was kept behind at the time, it was simply because they were afraid that things would be difficult to explain later.

The Green-Clad Alliance launched a sneak attack, and the three-person team barely managed to repel them, at the cost of one member being seriously injured.

This statement is clearly more convincing than the truth.

"Alright, thank you for your kind words, Brother Han, in front of Team Leader You earlier." Zhang Zheng thought for a long time, and although he felt aggrieved, he still managed to force a smile. What a mess this was! Not only did he fail to betray his teammate and lose his reward, but he also got beaten up and seriously injured for nothing.

I didn't even get to eat any mutton, but I got into all this trouble.

"Oh." Han Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "We're all teammates, helping each other is only natural..."

Zhang Zheng was sensible enough not to fall out with him.

As for the possibility of retaliation from Zhang Zheng afterward, Han Yi didn't think much about it; there was no need to.

I guess it's probably nothing serious. This piece of paper is already useless and has no value anymore.

Without the Demon Hunting Society's backing, the Green-Clad Alliance would no longer be able to recruit him as an inside agent.

As for Zhang Zheng's fate, a disciple from a small sect with no background, suffering from severe injuries from which he could never fully recover, would be fortunate enough to live out his remaining years in peace...

After escorting the three back to Huayang City, You Long left on his own. Zhang Zheng, after notifying his family, was also taken away by them.

Han Yi declined Kong Liang's offer of a late-night snack and a drink, and headed towards Jingtian Manor.

With these two thousand taels of gold notes, plus the rewards he earned from clearing out monsters during this period, he could focus on his cultivation for a while.

The monthly tuition fee is 120 taels of gold, and these 2,000 taels are enough for his tuition for a year.

…....

…....

At dawn, the lake shimmered with light, the water was crystal clear, and birds chirped and chattered on the shore.

As usual, Han Yi was by the lake nourishing his qi and blood, and exercising himself.

"To cultivate the Nine-Bend Cold Yin Palm, one must increase one's vital energy and disperse one's internal energy. However, dispersing one's internal energy will damage the body, causing a decrease in the total amount of vital energy and greatly reducing one's strength." Breathing in the refreshing air by the lake, he frowned, his thoughts racing.

He still hadn't decided whether or not to dissipate his power.

Some time ago, he had to fight to clear out the monsters, so he put this matter aside.

But now that he has ample time to cultivate, this matter has begun to become a source of worry for him again.

The Cold Yin Nine-Bend Palm, as a true skill, must have far greater power and potential than the Qian Yang Skill and Flying Dragon Skill he practiced.

However, there are also advantages to pursuing multiple disciplines.

When he fought against the Green-Clad Alliance and Dragon Snake, if it weren't for the fact that he had mastered two advanced martial arts techniques, resulting in abundant and vigorous qi and blood, and his body being strengthened to a certain extent, he would have been much stronger.

He was probably already successfully ambushed by Long Shezi back then.

He is a martial arts master, specializing in two types of martial arts that require internal strength.

Each martial art technique that allows one to enter a state of internal strength comes with different special effects. Mastering two techniques at their peak will greatly increase one's strength simply due to the added special effects.

This is also an important reason why Han Yi had the upper hand in his battle against Long Shezi.

Not to mention, if the power is dissipated, the ultimate move, the Reverse Scale Form, will inevitably disappear.

His reverse scale state is a major factor that makes him far stronger than other martial artists of the same level, allowing him to easily defeat enemies of the same rank.

Clearly, once his reverse scale state disappears, his overall strength will inevitably drop by a significant level.

This made him somewhat unwilling, and it was also the reason why he never dissipated his power.

"If there were other ways... to cultivate at the same time..." Han Yi's head was starting to ache from thinking.

"This matter must be carefully considered..." He glanced at the sky and prepared to ask others for their experience and insights.

…....

…....

Nine-Bend Courtyard.

Jiuqu Academy holds a Q&A session every week, focusing on answering questions and doubts encountered by disciples during their cultivation.

Such teaching activities, which are similar to lectures, should, in principle, be led by the head of the college.

However, within the Nine-Bend Academy, apart from the academy's head, Zhong Yunxiu, Zhong Han is the most skilled.

In addition, Zhong Yunxiu had many other things to do, so Zhong Han usually took over the teaching duties.

Han Yi arrived at Jiuqu Courtyard at just the right time. He found a good spot near the front and nodded to Senior Sister Zhong Han, who was sitting on the futon above.

Zhong Han responded with a smile.

Time passed slowly, and soon more disciples arrived one after another. But after waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than half of the twenty-odd prayer cushions were still empty. Han Yi glanced around and saw that either the rich young master Sun Zheng, who had joined at the same time as him, was sitting in the back, or his junior brothers and sisters who had joined later were sitting there.

This is actually a normal phenomenon. The number of disciples in the inner court of Jiuqu Academy is not large to begin with, and it usually stays at around twenty or thirty people.

Among them, many people were either in seclusion cultivating diligently or out on missions, and were not even in the courtyard.

Furthermore, these kinds of educational activities are originally aimed at new disciples like Han Yi who have just started their studies.

As time passed, Zhong Han glanced at the empty prayer mat and then at the hourglass timer not far away.

This hourglass timer has two semi-elliptical white glass layers, with scales engraved on the outside and sealed fine sand inside. It can keep time for a day by alternating directions.

This timepiece had just become popular in the Central Plains. She really liked this rare item, or rather, she cherished such exquisite and small objects.

"Alright, it's time. Let's begin today's morning lesson. Today we'll be discussing the first level of the Cold Yin Nine-Bend Palm..." She stood up and smiled.

Han Yi sat upright in the audience, listening attentively.

It must be said that Senior Sister Zhong Han, who teaches with great seriousness, has a unique charm.

She wore a pure white robe, her hair was tied up high, she had long legs and a narrow waist, and her sleeves were rolled up, revealing her lotus-root-like forearms.

Whenever she gets to the important points, she carefully observes everyone's reaction, trying to discern anything suspicious from their expressions, actions, and whether they dare to make eye contact.

If most of the disciples understood a certain point, she would continue. If many still had questions, she would repeat the explanation again.

However, this also led her to discover Han Yi, a problem child.