Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo, disguised themselves and stealthily infiltrated Ningyuan City.
"Senior brother, I think if there's truly someone with malicious intentions trying to ambush us, the best way is to catch them off guard."
"Very likely, they might be lurking near your old friend, Chixia," Li Fan communicated through telepathy.
Zhang Qianmo's face blushed slightly, and he pondered for a moment, "Junior brother, you make sense. Let's first go to the Drunken Immortal Tower and take a look."
Li Fan followed Zhang Qianmo to the vicinity of the bustling restaurant at the center of the city.
Opposite the restaurant was a large stage.
At this moment, a play was being performed, surrounded by common people enjoying the spectacle.
On the Drunken Immortal Tower, with its windows wide open, one could faintly hear the laughter of several women and young men, indulging in merriment.
As soon as Zhang Qianmo arrived, his eyes were fixed on a woman on the stage dressed in opera costume, exuding extraordinary charm.
As if firmly glued, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
Meanwhile, Li Fan searched for Chu Liang and others among the crowd.
Perhaps thinking that Zhang Qianmo and Li Fan hadn't arrived yet, Chu Liang didn't conceal his figure much, only hiding his aura among the onlookers.
Without much effort, Li Fan found him.
"Senior brother, why does that person look a bit familiar?"
Li Fan awakened Zhang Qianmo, who was immersed in Chixia's performance, and conveyed the appearance of Chu Liang through telepathy.
"Hmm? Seems a bit familiar. Who is he?" After a while, Zhang Qianmo recalled who Chu Liang was.
"Chu Liang? Wasn't he expelled from the sect a long time ago because he couldn't cultivate? How did he end up here?" Zhang Qianmo was surprised.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Fan added, "This Chu Liang doesn't seem like an ordinary person. It appears he's hiding his cultivation."
Zhang Qianmo nodded in agreement, "Indeed, there's something fishy about this. Junior brother, let's surround him from front and back, then use the 'Spring Thunder Shock' simultaneously to subdue him. Afterward, we can interrogate him thoroughly."
Information about the 'Spring Thunder Shock' immediately surfaced in Li Fan's mind, a mental attack technique from the Purple Sky Thunder Art.
It could create a shock similar to the first sound of spring thunder in the heavens and earth, causing a momentary loss of control over the opponent's body.
"Compared to the Purple Sky Thunder Art, most of the cultivation techniques I've seen before seem to focus on improving cultivation levels, as if deliberately cutting off many such methods," Li Fan thought, making a brief comparison.
After the acknowledgment, they dispersed into the crowd and approached Chu Liang.
Chu Liang's vigilance seemed a bit too low.
It wasn't until Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo were close that he vaguely sensed something was wrong.
Looking at Zhang Qianmo, who suddenly appeared in front of him, fear flashed across Chu Liang's face.
However, before he could react, he was hit by two successive 'Spring Thunder Shocks' from the front and back.
His eyes lost focus, and his body stiffened, unable to move.
Zhang Qianmo approached, subdued him, and quietly brought him to an uninhabited dwelling.
In this place, Chu Liang had regained consciousness. His eyes were filled with hatred, glaring at Zhang Qianmo.
"Are you Chu Liang? Why are you here?"
"In just over thirty years, you've transformed from an incapable mortal into a Foundation Building cultivator."
"What forbidden technique did you use?"
Zhang Qianmo's expression was cold, asking sternly.
Chu Liang snorted coldly, remaining silent.
"Do you think if you don't speak, I won't be able to find out?" A hint of disdain flashed across Zhang Qianmo's face.
"As a miscellaneous cultivator, how would you know the methods of our orthodox sects!"
With that, Zhang Qianmo's five fingers formed claws, grabbing towards Chu Liang's head.
In an instant, Chu Liang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"An outsider, how would you know the methods of our prestigious sect!"
With that, Zhang Qianmo's five fingers turned into claws, grabbing towards Chu Liang's head.
In an instant, Chu Liang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
The expression on his face became extremely painful, and his eyes gradually lost their luster.
However, Zhang Qianmo remained unmoved, firmly gripping Chu Liang.
In the end, Chu Liang's pupils dimmed, leaving only his body convulsing unconsciously.
"Bang!"
Casually throwing Chu Liang, who had already lost his utility, to the ground, Zhang Qianmo stood tall on the spot, remaining silent for a long time.
"Senior brother, what's going on?" Watching this scene, which was extremely similar to soul searching, Li Fan's eyes flickered.
However, he didn't make any inappropriate moves for the time being, just asking aloud.
Zhang Qianmo didn't immediately answer but kept murmuring something.
"Extracting the essence of heaven and earth..."
"Sacrificing the soul of heaven and earth..."
"Defying the principles of heaven and earth..."
It seemed like his mind had suffered a great shock, making it difficult to maintain composure for a while.
"Senior brother!" Li Fan had to speak again to wake him up.
"Exhale..." Zhang Qianmo took a deep breath, slowly recovering from the shock.
His face became extremely solemn, "Junior brother, I'm afraid the severity of this matter exceeds our imagination."
"We need to quickly resolve the affairs here, return to the sect, and report to the sect leader and ancestors."
Li Fan exclaimed, "What exactly happened? Why would it be necessary to alert the ancestors?"
Zhang Qianmo briefly explained the matter about the Immortal Sage spreading the Dao, a new technique that didn't require spiritual roots for cultivation.
"There are three accomplices in the city, and the steward Song has also cultivated the new technique, now reaching the Golden Core realm. Follow me to first capture those three Foundation Building accomplices."
"What about the steward at the Golden Core realm?" Li Fan couldn't help but ask.
"Don't worry, leave it to me. Just a chicken and a dog, nothing more," Zhang Qianmo showed a hint of disdain on his face.
Li Fan nodded without refuting.
Next, the two of them easily captured the remaining three Foundation Building cultivators attempting an ambush.
"Junior brother, wait for me here and keep an eye on these people. I'll take care of steward Song and then come back for you." Zhang Qianmo instructed.
Li Fan also checked the knowledge he had acquired from possessing Li Chen's body and didn't find the soul-searching technique Zhang Qianmo had just used.
So, he tentatively asked, "Senior brother, how is this soul-searching technique used? I have some free time, and maybe I can extract useful information from the minds of these people."
Zhang Qianmo was slightly stunned, scrutinizing Li Fan for a moment before smiling, "Who was it that said this soul-searching technique was too cruel and refused to learn it before?"
"Today, we were almost ambushed, experiencing the dangers of the cultivation world. Has your aversion to it loosened?"
"Junior brother, remember. In the struggle for the Dao, even half a step cannot be retreated."
"The kindness of women cannot be afforded."
"Don't just talk about this soul-searching technique. Even using more brutal methods, such as refining puppets with a cultivator's body or sacrificing souls to refine magical instruments, when necessary, they must be used!"
As Zhang Qianmo spoke, he pointed at Li Fan's forehead, transmitting the technique called the "Purple Sky Observation Soul Technique."
(End of this chapter)