The next morning, it was foggy and rainy.
The paper crane was flying in the air, squeaking and swaying from side to side as if it was drunk.
"What's wrong? You said you wanted to go back so early in the morning, but why are you so depressed?"
Tao Fengnian stared at the listless Jiang Yuebai and asked with concern.
Jiang Yuebai sighed deeply. Last night, Wan Niang smashed the phoenix crown and died with a smile on her face. Hong Tao, a seven-foot-tall man, pounded the ground and cried bitterly.
Wan Niang's words "we won't see you in the next life" and Hong Tao's heart-wrenching cries are still ringing in my ears.
"Grandpa, do you think the Great Dao is compassionate or ruthless? Why did Wuwei Shanren say the Great Dao is ruthless, but Senior Brother Hong..."
Tao Fengnian thought about how he saw Hong Tao preparing a coffin from afar in the market this morning, and he roughly guessed what was going on.
After pondering for a moment, Tao Fengnian said, "For cultivators, practicing Qi is only the beginning, and building a foundation is the real entry into the Dao. If you want to build a foundation, you must first cut off worldly ties. Only when worldly ties are cut off can you be free of worries and move forward without hesitation."
"Although I don't know what happened to Hong Tao, in my grandfather's opinion, if you place too much emphasis on worldly ties, you will easily develop inner demons. At that time, my grandfather failed to build his foundation because of his inner demons."
Tao Fengnian recalled the two times he had built his foundation. He saw his wife at the last moment each time. She told him the vows they made when they got married and asked him to reincarnate into the underworld with her and continue their relationship in the next life.
He knew that this was all because he couldn't let go, and because he hadn't found a reason to hold on no matter what.
But it’s different now. Tao Fengnian looked at Jiang Yuebai with a slight curl of his lips. He will definitely succeed in building his foundation for the third time.
Jiang Yuebai frowned, "Does that mean that the Dao is ruthless? But I don't think that's right. I think that although Senior Brother Hong is heartbroken, he is more determined than before and will definitely succeed in building his foundation."
"You are still young. You will understand some things when you grow up and have more experience."
Jiang Yuebai remained silent. Tao Fengnian did not disturb her thoughts, but quietly took out the flying core boat that Jiang Yuebai gave him for training.
Seventh-grade magic weapons are mostly used by cultivators in the foundation-building stage. Now that he has completed his Qi training, it will still take him a few days to practice. However, he will only use this thing temporarily and will return it to Jiang Yuebai when she reaches the late stage of Qi training.
Jiang Yuebai thought for a long time, but couldn't figure it out and stopped thinking about it. He took out the glass bottle and continued to sacrifice to the Ice Beetle King. After this one sacrifice, it worked.
However, with her current spiritual awareness, it is difficult for her to control the ninth-grade strange insect, and she can only activate ice armor or freezing once.
The paper cranes flew high and low, close to the top of the tree line for half a day.
The sky and the earth were dark, the fog was growing thicker, and wolves were howling in the forest.
After Jiang Yuebai finished practicing the Ice Beetle King, a chill ran down his spine and he shivered suddenly.
"wrong!"
Tao Fengnian's expression turned stern, and he took out a golden bell talisman and threw it up.
Before the talisman's light appeared, several thorny green vines shot out from the woods below.
Bang!
The paper crane was torn into pieces among the vines. Tao Fengnian protected Jiang Yuebai and fell from a high altitude, hitting the moss-covered ground heavily.
The woods were dark and Jiang Yuebai felt severe pain all over. Before he could see the situation clearly, he saw Tao Fengnian take out his pipe and take a deep puff, exhaling a large cloud of white smoke that instantly enveloped the two of them.
"grandfather?"
“Stop talking!”
The wooden box was stuffed into Jiang Yuebai's hands. She was protected by Tao Fengnian behind her and saw him throw out a small flag from the storage bag, which turned into golden light and disappeared in the white smoke.
Then he took out a sickle with a chain from the storage bag, held it in his hand and was fully alert.
Jiang Yuebai swallowed his saliva, hugged the wooden box, and clenched the glass bottle hidden in his sleeve. White smoke filled the air all around, and he could not see anything.
Suddenly, a deep and mournful melody was heard, the air swirled, ripples appeared with the rise and fall of the melody, and the white smoke was dispersed.
Jiang Yuebai's head was buzzing and he had trouble concentrating on the music. He felt the sky was spinning and the trees were doubled.
"This is a sound cultivation method. Don't relax when you use your energy to resist it."
Tao Fengnian tapped Jiang Yuebai's forehead, and he woke up instantly, quickly concentrating on circulating his spiritual energy.
There was also a scarred male cultivator wearing leather armor and carrying a big knife under the tree. He was standing next to the gray-haired wolf, staring at it with ill intentions.
The black-clothed woman has reached the seventh level of Qi training, the scarred man has reached the ninth level, and the wolf demon has at least reached the seventh level of Qi training.
Before the other party could say anything, Tao Fengnian said, "You rob people for money, so I will give you everything I have. There is no need to hurt anyone's life."
As soon as he finished speaking, the scarred man looked up at the woman in black.
The woman in black raised her eyebrows. "I've robbed people so many times, but this is the first time I've seen you being so polite. Just hand over everything you have and I'll let you go."
Jiang Yuebai looked at Tao Fengnian with wide eyes. Tao Fengnian swiftly threw the storage bag, pipe and sickle in his hand at his feet. The surrounding area was dimly lit with golden light, like an upside-down bowl, protecting the two people and their things.
"All my valuables are here. Once we go far enough, this formation will dissipate on its own."
The black-clothed woman lowered her eyes and looked around, her gaze landing on Jiang Yuebai, "Hand over hers too."
Tao Fengnian turned his head to look at him. Jiang Yuebai gritted his teeth and struggled for a while, but finally resigned himself to his fate and pulled out the storage bag from his lapel and threw it on the ground, just holding the wooden box tightly.
She knew there were flowers in the wooden box. Although she didn't know what kind of flowers they were, Tao Fengnian held them in his arms when he slept, which meant they were very important.
"Put down the wooden box, too."
After these words were spoken, Tao Fengnian tensed up all over.
"There's nothing but a worthless plant in the wooden box."
Tao Fengnian opened the lid of the wooden box and showed the contents to the woman in black.
"I am the spiritual farmer of Tianyan Sect. This thing was found for a Yuanying Zhenjun who loves to grow flowers and plants. It just looks a little weird, nothing special. I have given all my property to you. There is no need to make trouble."
The woman in black really couldn't see anything special about the flowers and plants, and when she heard Tao Fengnian reveal his identity, she felt a little apprehensive.
At this time, the scarred man under the tree pointed his sword and said, "Stop talking nonsense. If I tell you to hand it over, hand it over quickly, or I'll chop you up and feed you to the wolves."
Tao Fengnian's resistance was obvious, and the woman in black immediately became suspicious.
"Old man, are you kidding us? You're giving us junk on purpose, but the flower is the real valuable one?"
Tao Fengnian sighed, "Since you insist on having it, I'll give it to you."
Tao Fengnian turned to face Jiang Yuebai, and as he placed his hands on the wooden box, he quickly said, "Stay in the formation and don't move."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Fengnian turned around and threw out two fiery red round beads.
Boom! Boom!
As soon as the fire started, Tao Fengnian picked up the sickle on the ground and swung it out.
clang!
The sound of swords clashing was heard, and Jiang Yuebai saw that Tao Fengnian's sickle was tightened in his hand, and he staggered forward and almost fell.
Looking ahead again, the fire had dissipated, and the charred vines in front of the woman in black turned into ashes and fell to the ground. The scarred man held a sword in front of him with a sickle hooked on it, and a wolf demon stood beside him with red eyes and bared teeth, saliva dripping.
"You old man, you're looking for death!!"
The scarred man pulled hard and Tao Fengnian flew up into the air. The demon wolf roared and pounced on him, heading straight for his face.
"grandfather!"
Jiang Yuebai dropped the object in his hand, made quick hand gestures and shot out with his fingers, and the sharp edge of Gengjin flashed like electricity.
Phew!
Blood splattered, the wolf whimpered and fell to the ground, its eyeball shattered by the sharp edge.
(End of this chapter)