Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

From a distance, the dense, black worms, like thousands of black lines, instantly enveloped Lin Changsheng and Xue Ningshuang.

Suddenly, a chilling aura swept through the room.

Upon contact with this aura, the numerous black worms instantly stiffened, a layer of frost condensed on their faces, and they all fell to the ground with a 'whoosh'.

Suddenly, Xue Ningshuang produced a deep blue Ruyi scepter, crystal clear, emanating a chilling aura.

"So these insects are afraid of ice!"

This scene was witnessed by Lin Changsheng.

With a flick of his wrist, a second-tier high-grade ice-attribute magic talisman radiating a deep blue aura instantly appeared in his palm.

After channeling magical power into it, a visible white mist immediately emerged, containing many small, granular blue ice crystals.

In the blink of an eye, the black worms surrounding it were also frozen solid.

It seems to have a similar effect to Xue Ningshuang's Ice Ruyi magic weapon.

After discovering the weakness of the black worm, the two of them used their respective methods to freeze most of the black worm in one go.

Xue Ningshuang seized the opportunity and activated the Ice Ruyi magic weapon in front of her, spraying a breath of icy energy at the black-robed man!

The man in black robes reacted quickly, immediately activating his magic power. The bamboo hat on his head emitted a dark gray luster, keeping out the oncoming icy aura.

Clearly, the bamboo hat he was wearing was also a magical artifact with considerable defensive capabilities.

Freed from the entanglement of numerous black worms, the massive Crimson Centipede once again burrowed underground, launching sneak attacks from the soil from time to time.

In addition to its own hard body, the Crimson Centipede has become capable of easily controlling the soil within a radius of several dozen feet due to its increasing demonic power over the past two years. This allows it to alter the terrain or release earth-attribute spells from it.

Under the influence of demonic power, the soil beneath the black-robed man's feet suddenly became uneven, sometimes soft and sometimes hard.

So much so that when he was fighting with Xue Ningshuang, he would stumble from time to time, and even half of his calf would sink into the ground.

Several sharp spikes suddenly emerged from beneath the soil, piercing the black-robed man's entire lower leg, causing it to bleed profusely.

Before he could catch his breath, the curved sword magic weapon activated by Lin Changsheng on his back was already slashing towards him!

'boom! ’

Left with no other option, the man in black robes once again activated his black bamboo hat to defend himself.

Despite taking a solid hit from Lin Changsheng, the bamboo hat magic weapon showed no signs of damage, only its surface luster became slightly duller.

The man in black robes looked around, then suddenly took off another spirit beast pouch and waved it around.

'Om! '

One by one, green, thumb-sized flying insects flew out.

Seeing this, Xue Ningshuang gave another soft shout, urging the Ice Ruyi to release a large amount of icy energy.

'puff! '

'puff! '

'puff! '

Unexpectedly, these green flying insects burst open as soon as they came into contact with the cold air, turning into a cloud of green smoke that spread through the air.

At the same time, some of the green flying insects came into contact with the protective magic shield around Lin Changsheng. Before any insect-killing methods could be used, these extremely fragile green flying insects burst open on their own, turning into green dust.

In a mere instant, the area within a radius of more than ten feet was already enveloped in a thick layer of green dust.

"Be careful, this is highly poisonous!"

Not far away, Xue Ningshuang, who had been confident of victory, changed her expression slightly and retreated instantly, while reminding Lin Changsheng's location.

"Want to go?"

Lin Changsheng chuckled, gave an order to Xunfengya not far away, and then methodically reached for the storage bag at his waist.

Although this green dust contains toxins, it can be easily neutralized by Changchun Gong.

Instead, according to his divine sense, the black-robed man took advantage of releasing a large amount of green dust to collect the black threadworms and used his escape light to try to flee.

Having received its master's command, the Wind Crow had been waiting in the air for a long time. Upon seeing the man in black take flight, it immediately flapped its wings and released several hurricanes mixed with wind blades.

Although the man in black robes activated his black bamboo hat to defend himself, his escape was interrupted.

"Oh!"

A dark shadow appeared above his head and delivered a powerful blow, blasting the black-robed man off his flying artifact. He crashed heavily to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.

It was an ugly puppet with two wings on its back, three heads and seven legs, and it exuded a chilling aura.

The sudden attack caught the man in black off guard, leaving him no time to even use defensive measures, and he was immediately seriously injured.

Sensing the weakening of the opponent's energy, Lin Changsheng remained expressionless and continued to issue commands to the Crimson Centipede, while simultaneously controlling the Qilin to launch a frenzied attack.

The mechanical puppets, which Lin Changsheng has improved many times, are fearless and will not have much impact on the target unless they are completely destroyed.

Under the continuous bombardment of the 'four unlikes', with the Crimson Centipede below constantly launching sneak attacks and causing trouble, and the Wind Crow above watching intently, the man in black robes was now trapped with nowhere to go, completely cutting off any possibility of escape.

Finally, Lin Changsheng seized the opportunity and used his curved sword magic weapon to kill him completely!

……

Before long, the toxic dust dissipated.

The scene was left in a mess.

Besides the three mutilated corpses of the black-robed men, there was also a thick layer of dead black worms and green flying insects.

These insects are cultivated using special methods. As long as their master is alive, they can continuously hatch and regenerate by consuming their master's magical power.

Once their owner dies, these insects will also lose their vitality in a short period of time.

Lin Changsheng glanced at the girl in the yellow dress not far away, and Xue Ningshuang.

The former did not participate in the battle directly, but was only frightened and had consumed a lot of magic power while maintaining the mountain-protecting formation.

Xue Ningshuang seemed to be affected by the green dust, but it wasn't serious.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, these people do not seem to be ordinary Tribulation cultivators."

Xue Ningshuang looked at the corpses and said solemnly.

As they spoke, the charming woman kept looking Lin Changsheng up and down.

Looking at the handsome young man in front of her, whose appearance had not changed at all over the years, Xue Ningshuang's watery eyes were filled with surprise and curiosity.

If Lin Changsheng hadn't visited Miaoyin Peak after he first entered the Foundation Establishment stage, the two would have become acquainted long ago.

She even thought that this was a veteran Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been at the Foundation Establishment stage for many years.

Exquisite second-tier talisman-making skills, ferocious second-tier spirit pets, powerful second-tier puppets, and self-cultivation of second-tier body-refining techniques.

In addition, his own pure and profound magical energy is already very close to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

In just a few decades, my previously unknown neighbor has grown to this extent!

If it weren't for the calamity that befell Ping'an Peak today, her impression of this neighbor would still be from many years ago, when she was bullied by fake Core Formation cultivators from outside, yet she always swallowed her anger and never expressed any dissatisfaction.

"The insect control technique this person possesses is definitely not something an ordinary rogue cultivator or a small force can achieve."

Lin Changsheng said in a deep voice.

Looking at the dead insects scattered on the ground, he couldn't help but think of the insect cultivator he had encountered in the Wanfeng Mountains a few years ago.

Are all these people together?

“The two seniors, mindful of our past friendship, have generously offered their assistance. On behalf of the patriarch, I express my gratitude. Please, seniors, move to Ping An Peak for a short rest.”

At this moment, the girl in the yellow dress stepped forward and greeted her with the respect due to a junior.

They also extended an invitation to Lin Changsheng and Xue Ningshuang to visit Ping An Peak.

"You must be the Du Yue girl that Brother Du mentioned to me back then."

Lin Changsheng took a quick look and found that the girl in the yellow dress had delicate features and a quiet temperament, belonging to the type of girl from a modest family.

But he still doesn't quite resemble the Du Hongzhou I remember.

Perhaps sensing Lin Changsheng's gaze, the girl in the yellow dress became slightly reserved.

"Fellow Daoist Du is now also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I suggest that we treat each other as equals."

Lin Changsheng said with a faint smile.

“Yes, Sister Du Yue, look at Fellow Daoist Lin, with his delicate skin and tender appearance. He’s about your age, so he doesn’t look like an elder at all. If you call yourself a junior, wouldn’t that make us all sound old?”

Xue Ningshuang smiled and jokingly replied in return.

Seeing the two of them like this, Du Yue stopped insisting and, somewhat awkwardly, addressed them as fellow Daoists, inviting them to enter Ping An Peak.

As for the three cultivators who had previously undergone tribulations, none of them possessed any plants that could verify their identities.

Lin Changsheng and the others had no choice but to first search the three people for their storage bags and other valuables, leaving the rest at the scene for the Nangong family to investigate.

Years later, when Lin Changsheng returned to Ping An Peak, he found that although the name had not changed, the various items on display were very different from what they had been back then.

The entire dojo looks much more refined now.

Afterwards, Lin Changsheng and Xue Ningshuang inquired in detail about the reason for the attack by the robber cultivators.

The goal is to analyze the other party's identity or motives.

But Du Yue knew nothing about this.

All she knew was that a few days ago she was refining weapons at the dojo when she suddenly sensed that the protective array left by Du Hongzhou was under attack.

After a moment of panic, she tried her best to keep the formation running, and then Lin Changsheng and Xue Ningshuang arrived.

Although they had no way of knowing the identities of the others, Lin Changsheng and the other two took this opportunity to discuss and reach a consensus.

The three peak masters are located close to each other, which is a natural advantage.

In the future, if any of their dojos are attacked, the other two must immediately come to their aid, forming a similar alliance.

Perhaps it was because Lin Changsheng displayed remarkable skills this time that the three-person alliance was implicitly led by Lin Changsheng.

Finally, Du Yue took out two second-tier mid-grade magic artifacts and gave them to Lin Changsheng and Xue Ningshuang respectively, as a 'fee' for their help in getting Ping An Peak out of trouble.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stage made a move by producing two mid-grade second-tier magic artifacts, although most of them were left behind by Du Hongzhou back then.

However, the two were still quite surprised by Du Yue's 'generous' behavior.

In fact, Lin Changsheng did not intend to gain any benefit from this action.

Firstly, Du Hongzhou had already 'prepaid' the fees in advance, requesting help in taking care of Ping Anfeng's descendants.

Secondly, he also wanted to take this opportunity to intimidate the wandering bandits around him, so that they would not easily provoke him in the future.

Lin Changsheng guessed that Xue Ningshuang's appearance was likely due to her receiving 'benefits' from Du Hongzhou.

Given Du Hongzhou's mindset at the time, it was entirely possible that he would ask two neighbors to look after the temple for the sake of his descendants.

Ultimately, at Du Yue's insistence, the two accepted the magical artifact.

This action also made Lin Changsheng look at this woman with higher regard.

……

Half a day later, Nangong Yue arrived on behalf of the Nangong family to deal with the matter of the robbery and attack.

This also serves as a way for the family to express their condolences to the Peak Master of Ping'an Peak who was attacked.

“Fellow Daoist Du, I need to take these personal belongings of the cultivators back as evidence. The clan will have someone investigate this matter thoroughly later. Of course, we will assess the value of these items and compensate them with spirit stones or other resources of equal value in a few days.”

When asked about the personal belongings of the three cultivators who had undergone tribulation, Nangong Yue made a special suggestion.

"This attack on the cultivators was entirely thanks to Brother Lin and Sister Xue's help. As for the fate of the stolen items, I naturally have no right to interfere."

Du Yue spoke clearly and responded politely.

"That's a matter between the three of you. We just need these magical artifacts and items commonly used by cultivators. Through special means, we have a chance to identify their main cultivation method or the secret techniques they possess, thereby deducing their specific identities."

Nangong Yue smiled and nodded, then looked at Lin Changsheng and Xue Ningshuang and explained.

"Being able to assist the Nangong family in investigating the identity of the traitor is also a good thing for us peak masters. Moreover, the Nangong family is willing to compensate with other equivalent resources, which saves me the trouble."

Xue Ningshuang immediately expressed her opinion.

"Mr. Lin had no objections."

Lin Changsheng nodded and said.

He was only concerned with whether the Nangong family could stabilize the order of the surrounding dojos as soon as possible, and he didn't really care about the identity of the tribulation cultivator.

At most, we can learn which faction the other party belongs to and take precautions in the future.

……

A few days later.

Lin Changsheng was feeding the spirit fish by the lake.

Meanwhile, he listened quietly to Tian Fu report on the surrounding area.

Yesterday, another local Foundation Establishment stage peak master was ambushed and killed by a thief.

However, it was not a direct attack on the dojo.

It turns out that it wasn't just Lin Changsheng.

Other local peak masters who were nearby also took the initiative to form an alliance and fight together against the calamity cultivators.

The peak master who was killed the day before was killed after receiving a distress call from a neighboring peak master. He was ambushed and killed by the bandits on his way to provide assistance.

Ultimately, the Nangong family confirmed that the so-called distress message was merely a tactic deliberately released by these cultivators to lure the peak master out of the dojo.

For a time, the local Foundation Establishment cultivators were filled with unease.

Half a month later, Nangong Yue, weary from his journey, finally took the initiative to visit.

This time, he brought four thousand spirit stones and some feed made by the Nangong family to increase the demonic power of demonic beasts.

This can be considered compensation for taking away the items belonging to those men in black robes.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, have you ascertained the identities of those Tribulation Cultivators?"

Lin Changsheng casually accepted the storage bag and asked a question in a seemingly casual manner.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, we have known the identities of these people for a long time, but we have not announced them to the outside world yet. Of course, if Fellow Daoist Lin is willing to become an enshrined member of our clan, then the identities and purposes of these Tribulation Cultivators will no longer be a secret.”

Nangong Yue said half-jokingly.

Lin Changsheng knew that his display of skills no weaker than those of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator had brought him back into the Nangong family's sights.

However, the Nangong family is currently facing both opportunities and crises. It is precisely the time when they need to expand their manpower and have people work for the family, which is inconsistent with their goal of peaceful cultivation.

So he politely declined again.

As for the identity of the Jie Xiu, since the Nangong family is unwilling to disclose it, Lin Changsheng will not take the initiative to ask.