After parting with Zhao Shengyu, Li Tianyan and Cheng Qi left the capital together on a bull beast. A female ghost in white stood under the shadow of a tree by the roadside, kowtowing at their backs from a distance until they disappeared. When the two of them were no longer visible, the ghost vanished from the world.

Cheng Qi looked back and leaned into Li Tianyan’s chest, “Young master, why do you think the snake demon eats a seven-month-old fetus?”

“The souls from the underworld come into the fetus at seven-month-old. It’s when the Yin energy is at its strongest, which is a great tonic for the snake demon and helps her improve her cultivation, so the snake demon can reach the ninth level of peak cultivation in just a few years,” Li Tianyan explained, glancing at the unhappy Cheng Qi in his arms. The little shuanger seemed a little depressed after coming out of the dungeon.

“What happened in the dungeon?”

Hearing Li Tianyan’s question, Cheng Qi stared straight ahead and replied in a dull voice, “There are still many people who haven’t come out.”

“You mean? There is still people inside the dungeon?” Li Tianyan asked, having already guessed what was going on.

“Well, they don’t want to come with me,” Cheng Qi leaned into Li Tianyan’s arms and nodded.

Most of the women who were captured or bought by the snake demon were unwilling to leave but chose to stay in the dungeon to wait for death. Some even committed suicide as soon as they were freed. They said that even if they came out, they would have already died. Without relatives or a home, there would be no place for them in this world, and they had no desire to give birth to a fetus in their belly.

“Since this is their wish, you don’t have to think too much, you have don’t enough,” Li Tianyan comforted Cheng Qi, patting the person in his arms. “To save someone, the person must still want to live. Saving someone who wants to die may not necessarily mean saving them.”

“Yes,” Cheng Qi acknowledged, feeling a little sad. “Young master, where should we go next?”

“Back to Jincheng,” Li Tianyan replied with a smile, seemingly to have a plan.

Hearing this, Cheng Qi turned around to look at Li Tianyan, thinking he had misheard. “Are we really going back to Jincheng?”

“Yes, let’s go back and resolve some matters. I need peace of mind to prepare to build my foundation,” Li Tianyan explained.

“Young master is going to reach Foundation Establishment?” Cheng Qi realized that Li Tianyan had reached the late ninth level and had a mellow aura. If he found a place with sufficient spiritual energy to practice, he should be able to reach the peak in no time and achieved the Foundation Establishment. “When?”

“Something happened when I was setting up the Five Elements Bagua Formation,” Li Tianyan explained. “Because there was an extra black energy ball in my body, it’s no longer appropriate to practice according to the Five Elements Technique. This time, the Five Elements Bagua Formation gave me an enlightenment and I need to find my own path.”

Seeing Cheng Qi’s bright black eyes full of surprise, Li Tianyan felt inexplicably proud of himself. He had never felt this way before, no matter how high his cultivation level was, he always accepted his success as it was normal.

“Sure enough, the young master is the most powerful,” Cheng Qi exclaimed joyfully upon learning that Li Tianyan was not far from Foundation Establishment. At the same time, he felt a sense of urgency and resolved to practice harder to catch up.

Seeing Cheng Qi’s mood had completely recovered, Li Tianyan smiled and rubbed the top of his hair.

.

After the two of them walked for a while, a slightly older voice came from not far away, “You two little friends, please wait.”

When Cheng Qi heard the voice, he signaled the bull beast under him to stop and looked up to the source of the sound. There, he found an old man holding a gourd-shaped wine bottle, lying on the tree and waving to them. Cheng Qi recognized the old man at a glance as the person they met when they first arrived in the capital.

Thinking that this person was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and probably someone sent by Tianfan Immortal Sect, Cheng Qi’s face suddenly became wary. “Old man, what do you want from us?”

The old man lying on the tree sat up, looked at Cheng Qi, and said, “You are good at controlling ghosts, but this cultivation is dangerous and you will go astray if you are not careful. Little shuanger, you have to be careful.”

The old man’s warning failed to make Cheng Qi relax. “How did you know that I practiced Ghost Control Order?”

“When we were dealing with that fake cultivator on the outskirts of the Imperial City,” Li Tianyan answered for him. “The only thing that could escape my perception was with spiritual awareness was him. This old man must have been observing us secretly.”

“So, it’s you,” Cheng Qi said, his expression changing. At that time, Li Tianyan even looked back, insisting that there must be someone but he couldn’t detect it.

The old man smiled and did not refute, then turned to Li Tianyan with a profound expression. “Little friend, do you want to learn alchemy? I can make an exception and accept you as my disciple.”

Cheng Qi was stunned when he heard the old man’s words. Although this old man was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, with Li Tianyan’s alchemy skills, it seemed a bit difficult for the other party to want to be his master.

Li Tianyan looked at him with a half-smile but said, “Are you worthy enough to be my master?”

“I am a Xuan-level alchemy master. Even Core Formation Cultivators would come to me to ask for medicinal pills. My status in the sect is even comparable to the supreme elder of Core Formation. What’s there to be dissatisfied?” The old man became furious at Li Tianyan’s reaction.

He had expected the young man to be overjoyed at the prospect of becoming his disciple. However, Li Tianyan’s response was completely unexpected. “You don’t know how many people want to be my disciple and learn alchemy. You didn’t agree and you dare to dislike me.”

But Li Tianyan remained calm. “In that case, go ahead and accept those people as your disciples. I don’t need a master.”

“You…” The old man looked helpless and sighed inwardly, wondering why he had taken a liking to this stubborn young man.