Ren Ping had made it clear in his email that dealing with any three of these five individuals would cause them to retreat.
"Mu Tianlin's backing is this expert from the Great Zen Temple. So, let's start with him."
He asked, "Old Li?"
Li Xuan Gui, who had been dormant, finally responded, chuckling, "What is it, kid?"
Ye Tian: "I'm going to kill some people. Is there anything you can help me with?"
Li Xuan Gui: "Killing people? With all the killing techniques you possess, you need my help?"
Ye Tian: "The people I intend to kill are also Human Immortals, with profound cultivation."
Li Xuan Gui: "You have body tempered by immortal energy and your spirit refined by purple light. Which Human Immortal can be your match?"
Ye Tian: "It's not enough. I need to have a hundred percent certainty."
Li Xuan Gui: "Then there's only this method."
Ye Tian asked, "What method?"
"Didn't you capture a Suan Ni? Take ten drops of Suan Ni blood, mix it with dragon bone powder and flour to form pills. In a moment of crisis, eat one, and your strength will increase severalfold."
Ye Tian: "Are there any side effects?"
Li Xuan Gui: "There are, but with your physique, it won't be a major issue. At most, you'll be weak for an hour or two."
Ye Tian nodded. He found the Suan Ni sleeping in the garden. After coaxing it for a long time, he managed to collect ten drops of blood. Then, he scraped some dragon bone to make bone powder and formed three pills.
After making the pills, he went to check on the transformed ginseng. Last time, he had hung the ginseng in a fish tank. Upon checking this time, he saw that the humanoid form had grown lush branches and leaves, completely transforming into a lifelike human figure. Its eyes had also opened, indistinguishable from a real person!
As Ye Tian appeared, the humanoid figure's eyes subtly shifted, as if greeting him.
Li Xuan Gui exclaimed, "This ginseng is about to become a spirit!"
Ye Tian: "Don't be so surprised. It was already on the verge of transformation."
Li Xuan Gui chuckled, "You're truly lucky, kid."
Ye Tian said to the ginseng, "I read in ancient texts that the sap of a transformed ginseng is called 'Heaven and Earth Spiritual Sap,' an ultimate treasure. Little ginseng, I am about to risk my life against someone. Could you lend me three drops of your spiritual sap?"
The ginseng's pair of eyes blinked gently, signifying its agreement.
Ye Tian smiled and used his immortal needle to prick its root. As the root was wounded, a drop of golden-red liquid gradually seeped out. He collected three drops.
He caught the three drops of spiritual sap with starch, then rolled them into small pills and kept them close to his body.
Next, he prepared talismans and weapons, making thorough preparations!
Afterward, he utilized the purple light within his inner core to begin opening the fourth spiritual aperture. The purple light had been completely absorbed by his inner core and converted into purple energy.
With his previous experience, the fourth spiritual aperture was opened in about half an hour, emitting a sound like thunder.
With all four spiritual apertures open, the newly generated purple spiritual energy possessed peculiar characteristics, bringing him immense comfort.
At five in the morning, he drove a sports car towards the direction of the Great Zen Temple.
The Great Zen Temple was seven hundred kilometers away. He drove at full speed, pushing the car to its limits. Only with his reaction ability could he drive so fast.
In two and a half hours, he arrived near the Great Zen Temple. After parking the car, he began the ascent on foot.
The email stated that this expert resided on a solitary peak behind the Great Zen Temple, named Shenxiu Peak. Stone steps spiraled upwards, leading to a temple built at the summit. The person was currently inside the temple.
This individual, with the Buddhist name Yuan Zhen, held a very high position in the Great Zen Temple. He was over one hundred and thirty years old, his cultivation having reached the Human Immortal level. Furthermore, he had mastered ten of the Great Zen Temple's ultimate techniques, with disciples spread across the land. Mu Tianlin was one of his more promising grand-disciples.
Upon reaching the foot of Shenxiu Peak, Ye Tian followed the stone steps upwards. After walking a few dozen meters, he encountered a wide platform with a stone bench. Seated on it was a young monk, in his early thirties.
The young monk had a lean physique, dark skin, and was short. He chanted a Buddhist greeting, "Benefactor, do you have business on Shenxiu Peak?"
Ye Tian replied, "I am looking for the old monk Yuan Zhen."
Hearing him directly address Yuan Zhen by his Buddhist name, the young monk's expression darkened. "Ignorant junior, do you know the status of the Old Ancestor?"
Ye Tian's expression remained unchanged. "I don't care about his status. My purpose here is to kill him."
The monk was enraged. He launched a flying kick, shouting, "Presumptuous!"
Ye Tian grabbed the monk's ankle and used his momentum to fling him. The monk crashed heavily against the mountain wall, let out a muffled groan, spat blood, and lost consciousness.
He continued upwards, reaching the mountainside, where he encountered another platform guarded by a middle-aged monk, around forty years old, tall in stature, with exceptionally large hands.