A month later, somewhere in the northwest of the Zhongtian Continent, a stretch of mountain ranges hidden in the gray mist, there was a group of buildings covered in a dark and gloomy atmosphere, with an area of almost dozens of acres, among which there were tall towers, attics, palaces, and a layer of ellipsoidal faint mana barrier shrouded all the buildings inside.

A gray-black yin qi gently wafted over the building, isolating the place from the outside world.

Within the mana enchantment, people in gray clothes can be seen galloping back and forth from time to time, which is quite lively.

In a secret room at the top of a black tower with more than ten floors, an old dove-faced man in a purple brocade robe was sitting cross-legged.

The man's face was as thin as a ghost, and his two eye sockets were deeply sunken, looking like a skeleton.

The dove-faced old man was meditating and cultivating, holding a black spar in each hand in his arms, and from time to time a faint gray gas flew out of the spar and was sucked into the old man's mouth.

The void in the secret room suddenly fluctuated, and out of thin air, a figure appeared, standing two steps in front of the dove-faced old man.

"Are you the old black man of the Jackdaw Sect?" The figure was covered with a faint black aura, and it was difficult to see the face, but it seemed to be a young man listening to the voice.

The dove-faced old man was frightened, and was about to make a move, when there was a sharp sound, and a cold and sharp thing pressed against his forehead, and a slight tingling sensation came.

The dove-faced old man's body suddenly stiffened, and he had no doubt that if he moved again, his head would be pierced immediately.

His secret room was completely closed, and there were countless formation prohibitions arranged up and down the entire tower, but the person in front of him could sneak in quietly. That's pretty telling.

"Could it be a monk from the True Dan Realm?"

The dove-faced old man didn't dare to release his divine sense to sense the cultivation of the black figure, and the thoughts in his heart turned sharply and he secretly guessed. I had to answer honestly:

"Yes, the junior is none other than Ushen. Dare to ask what the seniors commanded?"

"Let me ask you, five years ago, in the Tongyang Mountains in the southeast of the continent, you once came into contact with a middle-aged monk in white with scars on his face, right?" the black figure said lightly, although his tone was gentle, but there was a faint evil aura.

The dove-faced old man's heart suddenly chilled, and he tried his best to collect the ups and downs of memories from his mind, and finally recalled the long trip a few years ago, and said hurriedly:

"What the seniors said is good. At that time, the younger generation had just advanced to the late stage of crystallization, and went to the Tongyang Mountains to find it in order to attract medicine, and once joined a hunting group, and there was indeed such a person in the hunting group. ”

"Very well, how much do you know about this person?" the black figure's voice raised a little.

"That person claimed to be surnamed Fan, a loose cultivator of the True Dan Realm, and one of the leaders of the hunting group, both in terms of exercises and spiritual weapons, he was very powerful. However, he has a withdrawn personality. Seldom communicate with people. The younger generation only stayed in the hunting group for half a year, and then left the hunting group because he found the medicine he needed, and then did not stay in the Tongyang Mountains for much longer. So that's all there is to it. ”

The dove-faced old man didn't know what the black figure wanted to know, but he also knew that only by fully cooperating with the other party could he survive, so he searched his intestines and scraped his stomach. Desperately trying to recall that memory that was so common to him.

"Nothing else? Think about it. Don't let go of any detail. The black figure commanded in an unquestioning tone.

"That's right, senior. I remember...... That person should be an alchemist, and his alchemy techniques are quite skillful. The dove-faced old man seemed to suddenly remember something, and said in a raised voice.

"Go on. The black qi around the black figure rolled slightly.

"During that hunt, the hunting group once pursued a golden-eyed poisonous ape, and when they chased to the mouth of a valley full of poisonous miasma, the monk surnamed Fan collected a few spiritual materials in the hunting group, and casually refined a few poison pills, which we wore on our bodies to shield the poisonous miasma in the valley. The dove-faced old man said.

"Oh, is that poison pill still on you?" the black figure's voice sounded slightly excited.

"No, after killing the golden-eyed poisonous ape, that man asked for the poison pill back. The dove-faced old man said hurriedly.

The black figure was silent for a while, and after a while, he said lightly:

"Give me a list of the people in that hunting group, as well as the locations where you fought in the Tongyang Mountains, and mark them in detail on the map. ”

"Yes, Senpai. The dove-faced old man was stunned when he heard this, but then he hurriedly agreed with joy in his heart, took out a charred map, and after thinking carefully for a while, he marked a few places on it.

Then, he took out a blank jade slip, pasted it on his forehead, pinched it with one hand to release his spiritual power, and carefully copied the map into it, which was very obedient.

A quarter of an hour later, the black figure flew silently out of the Jackdaw Pie's tower and landed on a cliff not far away.

The black qi on the figure slowly dissipated, revealing Liu Ming's figure, but at this moment, his brows were furrowed, and his expression was quite depressed.

In the past month, according to the information recorded on the jade slip, he has tracked down the whereabouts of the thousand phantom people and demons, but the gains are minimal.

The man seemed to be unusually cautious, and every time he stayed in a place or someone he came into contact with, he would wipe out a trace of qiē cleanly.

Liu Ming finally inquired this time, and found the dove-faced old man, who had had direct contact with him, but he didn't expect to find his exact whereabouts.

"However, being able to know that the Thousand Illusion Demon Essence is good at refining pills can be regarded as a small gain, and it would be even better if you could get the pills refined by this person. Liu Ming sighed and muttered to himself.

The Netherworld Soul Seeking Technique can sense the approximate location of the body within a certain range with some sporadic breath, even if the mana remaining in the refining pill is enough to cast a spell.

He was able to kill multiple evil cultivators in a row in just two years, and he also relied on this magical tracking secret technique.

After a period of uncertainty on Liu Ming's face, he flipped it with one hand, and the white light flashed in his palm, and the jade given by the dove-faced old man appeared in his hand.

Speaking of which, this dove-faced old man is also quite familiar, not only listing the list of people in the hunting group five years ago, but also the approximate identity and origin of these people he has learned.

However, most of them even have vague names, and can only be called by such and such a surname.

For this kind of hunting group composed of casual cultivators, it is usually monks who gather together by chance, because of the same purpose, to form a long-term or short-term organization, generally entering some dangerous areas, doing some tasks of hunting demon beasts, exploring ruins, and collecting spiritual materials and spiritual grass.

Because they are very free to go and stay, the members are quite complicated, wary of each other, and usually do not reveal their real names.

According to Liu Ming's judgment, most of the people on the list were people who could not be traced, but the leader of the hunting group, in addition to the monk surnamed Fan who was under the pseudonym of the Thousand Illusion Demon, also had a Zhendan monk with the surname Zuo.

Regarding this person, the dove-faced old man explained in detail:

"Zuo Gongquan, in the area of the Tongyang Mountains, the head of a small sect, and the main recruiter of the hunting group......"

"It's good to have a name and a surname, since this person is the leader of the hunting group with the Thousand Illusion Demons, he should know more about him than the dove-faced old man. After Liu Ming thought about it for a while, as soon as his sleeve robe was raised, he sacrificed the Daiyue Jade Boat, and after floating on it, the flying boat turned into a red shadow and galloped away into the distance.

......

Tongyang Mountain Range is a medium-sized mountain range close to the southeast of Zhongtian Continent, spanning tens of thousands of miles from west to east, and most of the mountains are copper and iron ore veins, hence the name.

The vitality of heaven and earth in this mountain range is strong, among which demon beasts are frequently infested, and there are many spiritual grasses, and there are often many monks who come here to hunt, including many high-level monks in the crystallization period and even the True Dan Realm, in addition, there are also some small sects that have taken root here.

In the east of the mountain range, there is a flat mountain pass, where more than 100 buildings of different heights are arranged in shadows, forming a small square market.

At this moment, it is noon, and the flow of people in the market is like a river, noisy and cut, and it seems to be very lively.

In the conspicuous position of the central square of Fangshi, there is a three-storey magnificent wooden attic, and there is a huge black and shiny plaque hanging on the door, on which the three gold lacquer characters of 'Treasure Building' are written fairly, which are sparkling and eye-catching under the direct sunlight.

The space in the attic is also quite open, and the rows of counters are neatly displayed in it, which is full of pills, talismans, spirit grass, demon beast materials, etc., and from time to time people come in and out of the store.

The business is so prosperous, the shopkeeper and the guys in the shop are naturally full of smiles, and they are even more diligent in greeting the business in the shop.

After a conversation with a guest who had stepped forward to inquire, the old shopkeeper who was in his mid-middle years of life involuntarily glanced at the stairs leading to the second floor.

Speaking of which, in this square market, the slightly larger shops are supported by forces behind them.

Just now, the real owner behind the Treasure Tower, Zuo Gongquan, the head of the Biyan Gate, who rarely comes to the store, took a middle-aged monk in a green shirt to the second floor.

When the owner comes to inspect the store, the people below naturally have to be more attentive and strive to leave a good impression.

At the same time, in the private room on the second floor of the attic, an old man in a leather robe sat on the main seat, his shoulders were broad, his back was broad, and his figure was tall, even when he was sitting, he exuded a majestic atmosphere.

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man in a green shirt, with a sallow face and a sickly look, only a pair of bright eyes, giving people a feeling that should not be underestimated.

"Ye Daoyou turned out to be a monk of the Heavenly Shadow Demon Sect, Zuo is really disrespectful. Zuo Gongquan looked at a black token in his hand, and three ancient words were engraved on the token, and immediately returned the token to the man in the green shirt with a solemn face, and at the same time arched his hand.

Although the Blue Flame Sect has some fame in the Tongyang Mountain Range, it is only a third-rate sect at best, and it cannot be compared with a 10,000-year-old sect like the Heavenly Shadow Demon Sect.

In the eyes of the old man, the man in the green shirt on the opposite side had a chaotic and hazy aura, and with his mid-stage true Dan divine sense, he couldn't even see how the other party really cultivated, and his heart naturally looked up to the other party a little higher. (To be continued......)