Chapter 444: Renowned Reputation of Wang Qingshan

In a dense black forest, fifteen immortal cultivators walked slowly, led by a tall, thin man in his early forties with a stern expression, who commanded respect without needing to show anger.

There were four Foundation Establishment cultivators and eleven Qi Refining cultivators. The middle-aged man had the highest cultivation, at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment.

"Uncle Seven, we've been wandering here for over a month now," a girl in a yellow dress complained softly, pouting her lips. "I don't see any second-tier demonic beasts here. I think we should look somewhere else to avoid wasting time."

"It's only been a little over a month; let's keep looking!"

"But we've all..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the middle-aged man abruptly stopped and whispered, "Be careful, there's something underground."

No sooner had he spoken than the ground not far ahead began to undulate, and a scarred yellow giant scorpion emerged from beneath the earth.

The yellow giant scorpion's aura was weak, clearly having exhausted its demonic energy.

"A low-grade second-tier demonic scorpion! It seems to have exhausted its demonic energy," she exclaimed. "I happen to be in need of a second-tier spirit insect."

The girl in the yellow dress summoned a palm-sized yellow cloth bag. It expanded in the wind and hovered above the yellow demonic scorpion's head. A powerful suction force suddenly appeared, drawing a large amount of dust and pebbles into the yellow cloth bag.

The yellow demonic scorpion let out a strange cry, showing some resistance. However, having exhausted its demonic energy, its resistance was futile.

The girl in the yellow dress performed a hand seal. The yellow cloth bag glowed with countless yellow runes and emitted a large swath of yellow radiance. The light enveloped the scorpion's body, and the yellow giant scorpion rapidly shrank and was absorbed into the yellow cloth bag.

"Hehe, after wandering for over a month, we finally have some harvest," the girl in the yellow dress said, putting away the yellow cloth bag with a beaming smile.

Just then, a Two-Eyed Mouse emerged from underground.

"A second-tier Two-Eyed Mouse! This is quite rare. If we sell it, it'll fetch at least eight hundred spirit stones."

The smile on the girl's face deepened, and she was about to summon her magical artifact to capture the Two-Eyed Mouse.

Before she could act, the Two-Eyed Mouse burrowed back underground and vanished, disappearing without a trace.

"Be on guard, someone is approaching," the middle-aged man said, his brows furrowing slightly and his expression solemn.

Soon after, ten immortal cultivators approached them, who were precisely Wang Qingshan and his group.

The Two-Eyed Mouse emerged from underground and climbed back into the spirit beast pouch on Wang Qingshan's waist.

Wang Qingshan's gaze swept over the constantly bulging yellow cloth bag in the girl's hand. His eyes narrowed, and he spoke politely, "That low-grade second-tier demonic scorpion is in your possession, isn't it? That was our prey; please return it to us, fellow cultivators."

"What a joke!" the girl in the yellow dress retorted, unimpressed. "The scorpion doesn't have a name written on it. Why should I return it to you? Just because you say it's yours, it is?" She had been wandering in the mountains for over a month, only finding some spirit herbs a few decades old, and had long been frustrated. She had finally encountered a second-tier demonic insect that had exhausted its demonic energy; how could she possibly give up a prize that was practically in her hands?

Hearing this, Wang Qingshan's expression turned cold. "What if I insist you return it to me?" he said. The opposing party had four Foundation Establishment cultivators, but Wang Qingshan showed no fear. Such incidents were common when hunting demonic beasts, so he was used to it.

"Return it? Why should I give you what's mine?" the girl in the yellow dress scoffed, showing no apprehension. "Do you think we're afraid of you just because you have more people?" She then summoned three gleaming flying daggers.

Seeing this, Wang Qiuming and the other Qi Refining cultivators of the clan immediately each took out a yellow flag. With a gentle wave, a yellow light flew out from each, and the eight yellow lights converged, forming a yellow light barrier about ten feet wide, enveloping them.

Wang Qingshan performed a sword incantation. A crisp sword hum rang out, and nine misty green longswords flew out from the green sword box on his back, hovering above the yellow light barrier.

Wang Qingjun also took out a crimson banner, clearly ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Upon seeing the nine misty green flying swords, the middle-aged man's expression changed. He suddenly remembered something and immediately instructed the girl in the yellow dress, "Min'er, return that demonic scorpion to them."

"Uncle Seven, why are you afraid of them? They only have two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and we outnumber them."

The middle-aged man glared at her and ordered unceremoniously, "Didn't you hear me? Return that demonic scorpion to them, right now."

"Uncle Seven, why are you so afraid of them?" the girl in the yellow dress pouted, her face twisting into a bitter expression.

"Twelfth Sister," a yellow-robed youth explained through a spiritual message, "they are from the Wang family of Green Lotus Manor. The one leading them should be Wang Qingshan. This person is a sword cultivator who has never been defeated. The Wang family excels at refining puppet beasts, and it is rumored that every member of their demonic beast hunting team possesses a second-tier demonic beast. Quickly return the second-tier demonic scorpion to them! Didn't you see they've already set up a defensive formation? If we fight, we'll be the ones at a disadvantage."

Upon hearing the name 'Wang Qingshan', the girl's beautiful face subtly changed. She hastily summoned the yellow cloth bag, performed an incantation on it, and released the yellow demonic scorpion.

Wang Qingshan was a name known to every immortal cultivator's family member. It was rumored that Wang Qingshan was a sword cultivator, and with his formidable sword art, he could slay second-tier demonic beasts as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. He had even single-handedly slain a high-grade second-tier demonic beast; his immense reputation was well-deserved. It would be utterly foolish to risk one's life over a second-tier demonic scorpion against Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingjun summoned a yellow cloth bag and collected the yellow demonic scorpion.

Wang Qingshan performed a hand seal, and the nine green flying swords flew back into his sword box. He cupped his fist towards the other group and said politely, "Thank you very much."

The middle-aged man forced a smile and said politely, "It was all a misunderstanding. We have other matters to attend to, so please, feel free to proceed." He waved his hand, leading his clan members to retreat, their faces full of vigilance.

Wang Qingshan, of course, wouldn't be unforgiving after getting what he wanted. He instructed Wang Qiuming to dismantle the formation.

"Seventh Uncle, they seemed quite afraid of you?" Wang Qiuming asked curiously.

"Afraid of me? I didn't do anything," Wang Qingshan said earnestly. "Qiuming, if you encounter such situations in the future, you must not be unforgiving when you have the upper hand. If your strength is insufficient, never act impulsively. You must endure when necessary. A moment of patience brings calm, and a step back opens up a wider path. Do not be rash or act with reckless bravado."

"Understood, Seventh Uncle."

"Alright, let's head back quickly!" Wang Qingshan waved his hand, leading his group away. "This is Tang Nation territory after all; we shouldn't linger."

Just then, a massive 'rumbling' sound echoed from behind them.

Wang Qingshan instinctively turned his head to look. A ripple appeared in the sky, a thousand feet high, and a blue light emerged. In less than two breaths, the blue light transformed into a blue vortex several feet wide.

The blue vortex continued to expand, and faint blue electrical arcs could be seen. It looked as if something was about to emerge.

"What is this?" Wang Qingjun wondered, his face full of curiosity and a hint of excitement. "Could it be a treasure appearing in the world?"

Ten breaths later, the vortex was a hundred feet wide, and a colossal golden palace could be vaguely seen, appearing and disappearing.

The golden palace seemed to be crafted from some kind of beautiful golden jade, transparent and sparkling. Its gates were covered with profound runes that ceaselessly flowed up and down, giving it an eerie and unfathomable aura.