Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

a few days later.

Qingshan Market, Mo Family.

"So they really found out Zhang Meng's background?"

Mo Xiaolin, one of the elders of the Mo family, showed a hint of interest on his face.

Beside him stood the elderly Mo Tao, who was in his seventies, and another young Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Mo family.

Three generations of Foundation Establishment cultivators—old, middle-aged, and young—gathered together, quietly listening to the reports from their clan members.

Before long, the three men, each with a different expression, looked at each other in amazement.

Several years ago, this cultivator named Zhang Meng was active in a place called Huoshi Xianfang in northern Yue Kingdom.

He then concealed his true realm and secretly infiltrated a secret territory of the Li Huo Sect in the area, suspected of stealing mysterious treasures.

He then escaped from the encirclement of five Foundation Establishment masters of the Li Huo Sect and also calmly escaped from the pursuit of late Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Since then, this person has disappeared without a trace.

"I didn't expect this person to be so capable, managing to escape from the pursuit of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. It seems that his true strength should be greater than that of an ordinary mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but inferior to that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Mo Xiaolin couldn't help but sigh.

"That was back then. Now, several years have passed. If this kid has truly benefited from the secret realm of the Li Huo Sect, his strength may have even improved over the years."

Mo Tao glanced at the other two and quietly added.

At this point, Mo Xiaolin and Mo Tao exchanged a glance, feeling incredibly fortunate.

After some inquiries, it was discovered that Zhang Meng not only appeared extremely difficult to deal with, but was actually incredibly audacious.

He dared to infiltrate the secret realm of another faction, brazenly seize treasures, and leave unscathed.

If we had pushed him to the brink a few days ago, even if we were to eventually suppress him, the best outcome would probably have been a lose-lose situation.

"In other words, this cultivator is very likely to possess a rare treasure! Currently, no one in Qingshan Market knows this, so our Mo family can try to see if we can eliminate him..."

At this moment, the youngest of the three, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, suggested something, his eyes showing a hint of eagerness.

They were young and impetuous, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.

This youngest Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Mo family seems to possess a greater adventurous spirit.

However, this suggestion was quickly rejected by the other two.

"That's not advisable. This person is an evil cultivator who doesn't follow any morals. It's best not to offend him."

Mo Tao, an elderly man in his seventies, refused without even thinking.

……

the other side.

In Qingshanfang City.

For several days, Lin Changsheng, disguised and shrunken, stayed temporarily in Qingshanfang Market to gather information.

Before long, they indeed found out about the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Luo Liangbi, a near-third-tier alchemist in this area, recently plans to sell a Foundation Establishment Pill that he refined in his earlier years.

However, they did not intend to hold a public auction, but instead gathered several powerful families near Qingshan Market to conduct a private, small-scale auction.

Regardless of who ultimately receives the Foundation Establishment Pill, it will ultimately strengthen the power of Qingshan Market.

This was something Lin Changsheng hadn't expected.

Suddenly, two figures, one fat and one tall, appeared beside Lin Changsheng, surrounding him.

Judging from the faint aura emanating from them, both of them were undoubtedly Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The slightly overweight person among them had a slightly higher cultivation level, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The taller and thinner one was slightly less skilled in cultivation, but at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, his cultivation was comparable to Lin Changsheng's.

"You two are blocking our way."

Lin Changsheng, disguised as Zhang Meng, raised an eyebrow and asked in a stern voice.

He sensed a subtle fluctuation of magical power on their faces, indicating that they had both used some kind of magic to conceal their true appearances.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng is indeed courageous. He remains so calm in the face of such a situation. He is indeed no ordinary person."

The slightly overweight man chuckled and said in a deep voice.

"Nonsense! This place is within Qingshan Market. We've followed the rules and haven't broken any laws. Do you think you can just start a fight here? Just say what you want."

Lin Changsheng looked somewhat impatient.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng, you are very bold. No one has dared to speak to me like this for many years. You should be glad that this place is within the market town.”

The man's words were gloomy, tinged with a sinister smile.

"This is ridiculous. Are you two trying to make fun of us for no reason? I think you two are the ones who should be thankful."

Lin Changsheng frowned and said fiercely.

"My name is Li Hu. You haven't forgotten that Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng snatched business from some of my men, have you?"

The slightly overweight man introduced himself with a smile.

"So you're the leader of those people? But we have our rules. Since we've run into a fellow highway robber, we can't break the rule of splitting the spoils, no matter who it is."

Lin Changsheng, disguised as a thug, glanced provocatively at Li Hu in front of him and said indifferently.

"Hehehe, this is really interesting. It seems that Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng's rules also include me, Li. Does that mean that next time I encounter Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng while robbing, I'll have to hand over half of my loot to you?"

Li Hu, who was slightly overweight, laughed angrily and asked in return.

"That's natural. Now that we're here, we should establish some rules."

Lin Changsheng shrugged and nodded.

"Good, good, good."

"This is not the place to talk. Would Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng dare to speak with us in private?"

"It's alright if you don't dare, we have plenty of time in the future."

Li Hu smiled and said "good" three times in a row, his gloomy voice seemingly suppressing anger.

"Hmph, in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, there's no place we wouldn't dare to go."

Lin Changsheng sneered and then replied.

……

Half an hour later.

The three, including Lin Changsheng, appeared on a low hill more than 50 miles away from Qingshanfang City.

"Tsk tsk, you dared to come out with us all by yourself, not afraid of an ambush. Just for that courage, I admit you're a real man."

After they came out, the two removed the spell that concealed their appearance, revealing their true faces.

Li Hu, who was slightly chubby, looked fair and plump. Judging from his appearance alone, he seemed harmless and not intimidating at all.

The tall, thin man beside him appeared taciturn, with a cold gaze that hinted at a ruthless edge.

"Fellow Daoist behind, you've gone to so much trouble to conceal your aura, why don't you come out and have a chat openly?"

Lin Changsheng did not respond to Li Hu's words, but instead smiled faintly and spoke to the open space behind him.

"what!"

These words immediately caused Li Hu and the tall, thin man in front of him to change their expressions in shock.

After Lin Changsheng finished speaking, the scene fell silent for a few breaths.

A ripple suddenly appeared in the space behind him.

A surge of array power slowly emerged, and after a moment, the figure of a middle-aged woman in her thirties or forties, dressed in floral clothes and with a cultivation level at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, slowly appeared.

The beautiful woman in the floral dress looked at the fierce-looking thug in front of her, a hint of surprise and astonishment in her eyes.

She was extremely confident in her concealment formation.

The three of them have cooperated in this way for many years, and have even attacked and killed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Unexpectedly, the person saw through his scheme as soon as he arrived.

"Good lad, you've got some skills!"

A hint of surprise flickered in Li Hu's eyes.

This beautiful woman in colorful clothes is quite skilled in the art of formations, especially this formation that conceals her from others.

Even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it extremely difficult to detect the clues without careful examination.

Unexpectedly, this person easily noticed it.

"Fine, since we can't launch a sneak attack, let's make things more complicated and just take action!"

Li Hu felt a surge of anger when he saw the thug who seemed completely unconcerned despite being surrounded by the three of them.

The three of them each took out their magical artifacts, preparing to attack Lin Changsheng.

In an instant, the oppressive aura of three Foundation Establishment cultivators gradually erupted, pressing down on Lin Changsheng.

At that moment, a faint, peculiar fragrance filled the air.

But in just a moment, it vanished, as if it had never existed.

……

"Third brother, fourth brother, let's do it!"

With a shout from Li Hu, he took the initiative to act.

"call!"

A magical spear, about ten feet long, with a cold glint at its tip, shot out like a dragon, fiercely striking the thug in front of him!

On the other two sides, the tall, thin man and the beautiful woman in the floral dress both unleashed their respective abilities and magical powers, launching attacks one after another.

Seeing this, the thug surrounded by the three men quickly activated a second-tier life-saving talisman.

After barely withstanding the barrage of attacks from the three magic weapons, he quickly summoned a second-tier high-grade silver-glowing greatsword.

Although the magical artifact was of exceptional quality, it was no match for the combined efforts of the three.

The second-grade high-quality magic weapon, a greatsword, was forced to retreat steadily under the combined attack of the three cultivators.

Ultimately, it was sent flying by the magical spear activated by Li Hu, falling dozens of feet away, its surface dimmed.

His protective shield was shattered by the combined attack of the three.

"Fellow Daoists, spare my life! I am willing to hand over my treasures in exchange for my life!"

Only then did the thug realize the gravity of the situation. Terrified, he hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Hmph, with this kind of trash, I thought I'd met some tough guy."

A hint of disdain flashed in Li Hu's eyes, and his tone was contemptuous.

"It seems that this person was able to see through my concealment formation, so he probably has some special treasure."

The beautiful woman in the floral dress also revealed a confident smile, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"I was almost fooled by this guy, but I didn't expect him to be so useless."

Even the usually taciturn, tall, thin man couldn't help but speak in a deep voice.

The three men, filled with murderous intent, paid no heed to the villain's pleas for mercy and attacked together.

'puff'

'puff'

'puff'

In an instant, the three men's magical weapons pierced through the villain's body, brutally killing him!

"Fourth brother, go see what good stuff this kid has on him."

Li Hu retrieved his magical spear, shook off the blood, and felt utterly bored.

Immediately, the tall, thin man stepped forward, took off the storage bag, and the three of them began to examine it together.

But the result surprised them slightly.

The storage bag was completely empty; there was nothing inside.

"Something's wrong!"

Li Hu was suddenly startled and shouted!

'puff'

'puff'

'puff'

The next moment, the three of them, realizing what had happened, felt their bodies go limp and collapsed to the ground one after another.

With a flash, the mangled corpse on the ground vanished without a trace.

Not far from them stood a fierce-looking man, watching the three of them with a calm smile, completely at ease.

But to the three of them, that smile was utterly sinister.

"You actually used poison!"

Feeling the limp and weak sensation inside his body, Li Hu was both shocked and furious.

"When did this happen? How could it have managed to keep the three of us Foundation Establishment cultivators completely unaware and trap us in an illusion? It must be at least a high-grade second-tier poison!"

The beautiful woman in the floral dress had a flicker in her eyes, and her words carried a hint of fear.

The tall, thin man remained silent, but his face was ashen. His gaze toward Lin Changsheng was filled with struggle, as if he wanted to beg for mercy.

"It seems the level of the cultivators here is really not that great. We haven't even broken the restraints yet, and you're already so weak and powerless."

Lin Changsheng said with a faint smile.

Actually, he was also somewhat surprised.

The poison that was previously released to the three people was a new toxin that Lin Changsheng had come up with a sudden idea a few years ago. He extracted hallucinogenic dust from the surface of the 'Blood Illusion Mushroom' and combined it with the 'Heavenly Poison Master's' many years of experience in making poisons.

Originally, the only idea was to weaken the three's fighting power so that the opponent could not exert their full strength.

However, he had underestimated the power of this toxin.

Even mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators are powerless against this poison.

This is the power of 'poisonous cultivation'.

It can be unexpected and impossible to defend against.

No wonder that back then, the 'Heavenly Poison Master' was able to stand out among cultivators of the same level thanks to his superb poison skills.

Although he was amazed, Lin Changsheng knew in his heart that this kind of 'poison cultivation' was too extreme.

Once it is restrained or targeted, it becomes difficult to exert its influence.

For example, this toxin made from 'blood mushroom' dust is spread through the air in the form of extremely fine dust.

It is difficult to be effective once it encounters wind or fire.

Furthermore, his own Everlasting Spring Technique, which he cultivated, naturally countered this poison.

Therefore, this method of poison cultivation can only be used as an auxiliary technique, to catch people off guard.

"Hmph, you just used poison to cheat. I, Li Hu, may have lost today, but I'm still not convinced!"

Li Hu shouted loudly, his neck stiff, his words filled with resentment.

On the contrary, the beautiful woman in the floral dress and the tall, thin man remained silent.

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, the villain in the guise of Lin Changsheng flew into a rage.

He immediately flicked his wrist and sent a pill emitting a vibrant green color into Li Hu's mouth.

Before long, the latter felt his magical energy gradually recover, and the feeling of weakness subsided.

Before he could react, he suddenly felt a gust of wind rushing towards him, so fast that it was almost impossible for him to react!

Li Hu's heart skipped a beat as he watched the thug approach him in an instant.

He immediately and hastily activated his magic power, releasing a defensive shield befitting a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

'boom! ’

The next moment, the thug stretched out a palm, which seemed to be enveloped in a layer of dark aura.

With a 'crack', it easily shattered the protective shield around him.

At that moment, Li Hu felt almost threatened with death!

Almost instinctively, he slapped out a small silver shield-like magical artifact and held it in front of him.

However, under this palm strike containing immense power of blood and qi, both the person and the magical artifact were blasted away.

"puff!"

The powerful impact made Li Hu feel a tightness in his chest, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his breathing noticeably weakening.

Li Hu's eyes were filled with horror. He endured the intense pain in his chest and secretly used his magic to recover.

I glanced at the second-tier mid-grade defensive magic weapon on the ground. It had a faint handprint on its surface, emanating a dark aura that was constantly corroding the magic weapon's spiritual power.

"If we want to develop our business here in the future, we need to pull off a big heist to make a name for ourselves. We've already reached an agreement with some families in Qingshan Market, but we're still short-handed. Are any of you interested in participating?"

Lin Changsheng, disguised as a thug, spoke calmly with an expressionless face.