Mortal: Starting on the Yin Island, his physical body defies the starry sea

Chapter 68 Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment

"Huh? What is that!"

"Senior Brother Zhou, don't come any closer! I'm not a woman!"

"Senior Brother Hou, quickly help me hold onto Senior Brother Zhou! No, why are you here too..."

...

A jumble of screams and tugging sounds came from outside the cave. Fan Jingmei's lips curled into a cold smile as she thought to herself:

"The secret medicine that my master's wife gave me is indeed very effective. I must ask for more to keep on hand in the future."

Thinking of the passionate scene between the three Crimson Fire Island cultivators, even though life and death were at stake, Fan Jingmei couldn't help but smile.

Taking advantage of the precious time that had been delayed, Fan Jingmei arrived at Luo Qing's secluded retreat.

For nearly three months, she kept her promise and never set foot in the area where Luo Qing was in seclusion, for fear of disturbing his foundation building.

But with a formidable enemy at her doorstep, she had no choice but to risk everything to break through.

"You rascal, are you done yet? Three formidable enemies are coming to our door!"

Why don't you help me deal with this first, and then continue your seclusion!

Fan Jingmei knew Luo Qing's methods well; with his strength, if the opponent underestimated him, one of them would be killed instantly.

In a two-on-two situation, they might not be without a chance of winning.

After waiting for a few breaths and seeing no response, Fan Jingmei could no longer bear it, so she pushed open the crudely made stone door and rushed inside.

However, as soon as she saw Luo Qing in the most spacious part of the cave, she forcibly swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Luo Qing was shirtless, like a little golden statue, dancing wildly with his fists and feet. Each swing created a dark shadow, clearly indicating that he was practicing some kind of secret technique.

More importantly, the aura emanating from Luo Qing at this moment was actually that of a genuine early Foundation Establishment cultivator!

"That damn guy actually did it. But judging from his current state, could it be the legendary enlightenment?"

Could he really be a genius?!

Fan Jingmei knew that a state of enlightenment was rare and could not be sought after. If someone interrupted her during an enlightenment, she would definitely want to kill them as soon as possible.

But right now is really not the time!

......

At the other end of the cave, Zhou Yuan lay cross-legged on the ground, his face flushed red. His spiritual energy was in disarray. He gritted his teeth, channeling his inner energy to dispel the remaining medicinal effects within his body, while roaring furiously with eyes blazing with fire:

"Damn it! Once we catch whoever set up this trap, I'll skin them alive, grind their bones to dust!"

Hou Jin, standing to the side, was in no better shape. He tried his best to activate his cultivation technique, but his hands still trembled uncontrollably, and his face was red and blue. He was clearly still recovering from his embarrassing moment.

"No, Senior Brother Zhou, leave this girl to me!"

Tang Guan had just changed into a clean red robe; his previous clothes had been torn to shreds. His eyes were filled with such venom that they seemed to drip ink.

"I'll make him taste the bitterness of soul-searching and spirit-refining!"

After a short while, the two finally managed to expel the effects of the secret medicine and got up one after the other.

Then Zhou Yuan gave a sharp shout, and two Golden Sun Dogs, each the size of a calf, with golden fur all over their bodies and their backs burning with crimson flames, barked twice and led the way for them.

Soon, they discovered signs that someone had lived in the cave.

The three of them remained silent, focusing solely on their pursuit.

Before half an incense stick's time had passed, the Golden Sun Dog in front suddenly stopped and began barking wildly at a boulder directly in front of it.

Zhou Yuan and his two companions quickly stepped forward and were astonished to see a slender figure bound to the boulder.

To their surprise, the man, upon seeing them, showed no sign of panic. Instead, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and he took the initiative to greet them.

"Is that a fellow Daoist from Crimson Fire Island?"

Zhou Yuan frowned, his heart filled with vigilance. He stopped ten feet away and asked in a deep voice:

"Who are you? Why are you imprisoned here?"

"That's wonderful! It really is a fellow Daoist from Crimson Fire Island!"

Fan Jingmei immediately put on a look of joyful tears and eagerly called out:

"Help me! I am Fan Jingmei, a disciple of the Master of the Miaoyin Sect. I accidentally fell into this secret realm and was kidnapped and imprisoned here by an evil cultivator from Whale Corpse Island!"

Zhou Yuan and the other two exchanged glances, and Hou Jin spoke first:

"I remember that a female cultivator from the Miaoyin Sect did indeed accidentally fall into the secret realm."

Tang Guan added, "The Golden Sun Dog didn't sense the presence of a second person, so the evil cultivator is probably not here right now."

Fan Jingmei's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately followed their lead:

"If you three have come here for the thief from Whale Corpse Island, then he is indeed not here at the moment."

But he returns every few days, at most every three days, and he always makes it back here!

"From what you're saying, you've been imprisoned here by that evil cultivator?"

Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject, staring sharply at her, "But I observe that your aura is robust and you are unharmed. Why would that evil cultivator use precious Golden Fire Spirit Stones to nourish you?"

Fan Jingmei thought to herself, "She's really troublesome," and then a look of sorrow appeared on her face, her eyes darting around, and her voice choked with emotion:

"This matter... this matter is truly difficult for me to speak of. I beg you three fellow Daoists to spare me some face."

"No way!" Tang Guan was most unwilling to accept the disappointment of coming to nothing, and immediately shouted angrily, "If you don't explain yourself clearly today, we will treat you as an accomplice of that evil cultivator and deal with you along with him!"

"Okay, okay! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Fan Jingmei seemed startled, tears welling up instantly, and she sobbed as she said:

"The reason that thief spared my life was because he needed to perform a dual cultivation technique with me!"

"I...I have suffered untold humiliation these past few days, I wish I were dead! I beg you three fellow Daoists to have mercy and save me from this hellhole!"

She wept bitterly, tears streaming down her face, her humiliated appearance truly heartbreaking and moving to tears.

"I see!"

Hou Jin suddenly realized and turned to Zhou Yuan, saying, "Senior Brother Zhou, no wonder that evil cultivator wasn't tainted by the Golden Sun Fire. It seems he's been relying on dual cultivation techniques to restore his mana. Only this woman used the Golden Fire Spirit Stone, which is why the Golden Sun Hound could only track her aura."

"Senior Brother Zhou, what should we do with her?" Hou Jin asked again.

Zhou Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile as he retorted:

"Do you think you've done too much?"

Hou Jin and Tang Guan were stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and smiled knowingly.

At the same time, Fan Jingmei finally figured out the key.

The reason why the other party was able to keep chasing her without being able to find Luo Qing was because she had absorbed the spiritual energy of the Golden Fire Spirit Stone, which made her aura firmly locked onto by the two spirit beasts!

Just as she was pondering a solution, Zhou Yuan's expression suddenly darkened, and he said in an icy tone:

"Fellow Daoist Fan, stop talking nonsense! You have clearly colluded with that evil cultivator, working together in the same boat. When we were fighting the evil cultivator, you launched a sneak attack, almost killing Junior Brother Tang!"

Fan Jingmei had anticipated this; the sorrow on her face vanished instantly, and her voice turned cold:

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext. Fellow Daoist Zhou's ability to fabricate stories is really not that great."