Years of accumulated knowledge in obscure arts had taught Zhu Hong many things, so feeling frustrated, he decided to wander the desolate mountains, hoping to try his luck and see if he could find some hidden treasures within the woods.

At his level, his life expectancy was already beyond what ordinary people could dream of, but he still hoped to live even longer and to reach higher realms of cultivation. Zhu Hong had seen descriptions of the Immortal Realm in ancient texts, and he longed for that elusive world just as much.

However, as a solitary cultivator, he could never gather the massive resources required to reach the peak of Primordial Infant and then enter Spirit Refining. Despite having accumulated a little through robbing other solitary cultivators over the years, it was far from enough.

Therefore, he would never miss any opportunity to obtain resources for cultivation.

The endless expanse of mountains before him made Zhu Hong feel that they were extraordinary, but he couldn't articulate exactly what set them apart. Still, relying on his Primordial Infant realm, he could sense that the atmosphere here was somewhat special. It differed greatly from ordinary landscapes.

As a result, he had already lingered here for over ten days, but without gaining anything.

Just as Zhu Hong was becoming disheartened and ready to leave, he saw two figures flying toward him from the distant sky, far away.

Zhu Hong sat on a massive boulder at the peak of a tall mountain, squinting his eyes as he observed the two approaching figures, scanning them up and down without cease.

"They look like... two fairly strong cultivators?" In Zhu Hong's eyes flickered a light, erratic and uncertain, as he watched the man and woman. Then, he noticed that the man was actually carrying a huge coffin!

"What is he planning to do?" Zhu Hong wondered, full of curiosity and furrowing his brows.

Chu Mo, while flying mid-air, suddenly felt a warm sensation from the Sky Cosmos Mirror against his chest, a warning sign.

Chu Mo paused slightly, then turned his gaze towards the mountains in the distance. After looking for a while, he finally spotted Zhu Hong sitting at the top of a tall mountain.

Zhu Hong did not recognize Chu Mo, and Chu Mo did not recognize him either, for they had never encountered each other before.

Chu Mo watched Zhu Hong from afar, glancing at him with the Sky Cosmos Mirror, and felt a chill in his heart—the other was a Primordial Infant stage cultivator leaning towards the mid-phase!

Truth be told, as long as they weren't at the peak of Primordial Infant, Chu Mo now dared to engage in battle with them.

However, if possible, Chu Mo preferred to avoid conflicts with cultivators in the later stages of Primordial Infant because at that level, they usually had plenty of life-preserving means. Unless he could launch a surprise attack, the fight would be taxing and it would be easy for the opponent to slip away.

Fighting such powerful adversaries often meant injury was inevitable. Chu Mo wasn't afraid of getting hurt, but in the Spirit Realm, an injury meant a reduced ability to defend oneself, making it easier to encounter danger. Not to mention, he had his disciple, Fang Lan, whose cultivation level was not very high, by his side.

As for the Primordial Infant mid-phase cultivator before him, he posed no real threat to Chu Mo. He had just slain one of the geniuses from the Ouyang Family, also a mid-phase Primordial Infant stage cultivator!

The only concern was his disciple Fang Lan by his side.

But now Chu Mo had to confront this Primordial Infant mid-phase cultivator directly because the place he intended to bury Jin Ming was right under the mountain where the latter was sitting!

Hopefully, he won't actively come looking for trouble, Chu Mo thought to himself, leading Fang Lan as they flew towards the other side.

It was only now that Fang Lan finally saw Zhu Hong on the mountain, her expression changing slightly, and she looked at Chu Mo somewhat nervously, whispering, "Master..."

"What's wrong?" Chu Mo paused briefly, glancing at Fang Lan. "Do you know that person?"

Fang Lan quietly affirmed, trying not to look at Zhu Hong on the mountain. Despite the distance, she still conveyed to Chu Mo through a voice transmission, "Master, that person, it seems to be Zhu Hong!"

Fang Lan didn't actually recognize Zhu Hong, but she had heard many people describe what Zhu Hong looked like.

Back when Chu Mo and the big rooster entered the Illusionary God Realm, Zhu Hong had unleashed a massacre, inflicting heavy damage on the Three Great Families. Thus, those survivors from the Three Great Families had almost all memorized the appearance of this demon. Even if he were turned to ash, they would likely still be able to recognize him.

"Really?" Chu Mo's eyes sparkled with light.

"Should be, right? He looks almost exactly like the descriptions given by those people." Fang Lan hadn't seen Zhu Hong with her own eyes, so she didn't dare to be completely certain.

In Chu Mo's heart, however, a plan was forming. If this person really was Zhu Hong, then he would not let the man go no matter what.

Regarding the tragedy caused by Zhu Hong, Chu Mo always felt very sorry for the Three Great Families of Jinxiu City. Ever since the tragic event that occurred in the Royal City of Chu Kingdom in the Mortal Realm, Chu Mo had sworn in his heart to protect everyone around him. Although the people of the Three Great Families of Jinxiu City were not exactly his close friends or relatives, they had died because of him.

This filled Chu Mo's heart with immense guilt, and he had sworn that if he ever met Zhu Hong, he would certainly kill him to avenge those who had died.

While Chu Mo was pondering this, his feet did not stop moving, and he continued to fly towards the mountain where Zhu Hong was located along with Fang Lan.

Zhu Hong was trying to think of an excuse to stop these two people when he saw them flying directly towards his mountain. Joy instantly filled his heart.

"Two esteemed daoists, I am Zhu Hong..." Zhu Hong stood up and sized up Fang Lan and Chu Mo as they drew closer, particularly Fang Lan, which surprised him so much he could hardly contain himself!

What a spiritually-endowed woman!

Cultivators view people differently from ordinary folk. They don't just look at a person's appearance but also at the temperament emanating from them!

When Fang Lan was still a simple girl from a small town, her temperament was in no way inferior to that of the refined ladies from the city; otherwise, she wouldn't have captivated a discerning young master like Jin Ming. Now, after continual cultivation and with the advantages of being born with a small spiritual body becoming increasingly evident, her temperament had become even more noble.

"I am Wang Zhi, and this is my friend, Lan Fang." Chu Mo casually fabricated a fake name and then greeted Zhu Hong with a fist and palm salute, "May I ask, what brings you here, friend?"

By now, Zhu Hong had already felt the aura of a Golden Core stage cultivator emanating from Chu Mo, and sensed an even weaker aura from Fang Lan. He laughed heartily, not bothering to maintain his disguise, and said with a smile, "Esteemed daoist, I was indeed waiting here for the two of you, weren't I?"

"Oh?" Chu Mo raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhu Hong, "I don't know you, so why would you be waiting for us?"

As he spoke, Chu Mo had already flown to the mountain, placing Jin Ming's coffin to one side, then turned slightly to shield Fang Lan behind him.

Seeing the wariness in Chu Mo's eyes, Zhu Hong found it amusing. In his view, the two of them were as weak as ants, and regardless of their defensive posture, what use would it be?

Zhu Hong sneered and looked at Chu Mo: "Friend, do you have the ability to foresee the future? You've even brought your own coffin, not bad, not bad. It spares you from being exposed in the wilderness. To be a good person through and through, I will later put you into this coffin and bury you on this mountain. Hmm, the material of this coffin is quite exquisite... made from top-grade wood!"

"Are you joking, friend?" Chu Mo's expression grew cold.

"Who is joking with you? Hurry up and hand over anything of value on you to this old master. Then, I'll give you a quick end. Otherwise…" Zhu Hong wore a grim smile as he advanced towards Chu Mo.

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It's the third night watch today, and suddenly my eyes are feeling very uncomfortable, both dry and gritty, probably irritated from staring at the computer screen too long. Allow me to rest for a bit.

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