The Terrifying Path of Immortal Cultivation

A figure appeared at Jixia Academy.

It was noticed by the shadow paper figure set up by Li Qing not far from the main gate of the academy.

"Zhou Suhua, has he arrived? He should have finished reflecting on his actions."

With a hint of contemplation in his eyes, he did not approach, but quietly ate his food.

Throughout the night, he controlled the shadow paper figures to search everything, not closing his eyes for the entire night.

"Take it slow, there's still plenty of time."

...

Time always passes quickly, and in the blink of an eye, two days have passed. Li Qing frowned tightly, looking somewhat weary.

In the past two days, apart from eating, he had hardly rested.

He worked for ten hours a day, searching for any suspicious traces and people.

He dug out 10 individuals who seemed to be undercover agents of the Demon Dao, all of whom bore traces of Demon Dao techniques.

Although they tried to conceal it, in his eyes, these deceptions were easily exposed.

After all, with a comprehensive understanding of all schools of thought, every kind of technique was thoroughly understood by him, and even the slightest fluctuation would not escape his notice.

He even had the shadow infiltrate the yamen, investigating various yamen records, including food, supplies, and personnel information.

Even the collections of some wealthy households were also visited by him, and all of it was recorded in the Jade Tablet.

Now, Li Qing's understanding of Dragon Path City had almost surpassed that of all previous generations. Even the inheritances of the families here, which had been passed down for generations, could not compare to his.

However, to his regret, the undercover agents he found were all of low level and did not possess high-level cultivation, at most reaching the Foundation Building level.

Moreover, there was no information about the Zhou family's conspiracy.

"Something's not right. I must be missing some crucial information."

"So, the Jade Tablet still cannot deduce the entire conspiracy."

"This conspiracy must be crucial, otherwise it wouldn't be so secretive, and collecting so much information still wouldn't reveal it."

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Li Qing thought, "I should go to the library again and see if there are any books I haven't read."

"This Human Tribulation is not as easily overcome as I thought."

"It truly lives up to being a calamity guided by the machinations of fate."

Muttering to himself, Li Qing left his room and once again set up a thread.

In the corner of the door threshold, he dropped the hair he obtained from Zhou Xinglong.

With a cold smile, he murmured, "You won't find it the first time, but the second, third, or fourth time, you will eventually, heh."

...

Soon, he arrived at the library, where Mr. Xu was still sitting there, enjoying his reading.

Seeing Li Qing's arrival, a hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Why do you look so weary? Have you encountered some trouble?"

Li Qing nodded slightly. "Indeed, there's a bit of trouble."

"My friend's Human Tribulation seems to have some clues, but I always feel like something is missing."

"He seems to lack some crucial information. These past few days, we've been analyzing everything we've seen about Dragon Path City."

Feeling somewhat troubled, he said, "So I came to ask again."

"Is there any information about Dragon Path City in the library that I haven't seen?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu furrowed his brow slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "There are still some secrets about Dragon Path City that are not recorded in ordinary books."

"They are all in some forbidden books, not allowed to be viewed by others."

"Unless there is the consent of the master."

Hearing this, Li Qing felt somewhat disappointed. "That's truly troublesome."

"I'm very curious why your friend wants information about Dragon Path City?"

"Could his Human Tribulation be related to the past of Dragon Path City?"

"If it's really serious, it might be better for him to avoid the calamity. Once the calamity involves the past or ancient secrets, it might attract terrifying anomalies."

"By then, one wouldn't even know how they died."

Li Qing nodded. "I will talk to him. It's just that my friend is a bit stubborn."

Mr. Xu shook his head. "Sometimes being too stubborn is not good."

"By the way," Mr. Xu seemed to remember something and a smile appeared on his face.

"You seem to like reading. There's a book club in the past few days. Are you interested in joining? It's composed of merchants from various places in Northern Zhou. They often come and go, bringing various new books, storytelling novels, or some rare ancient books."

"Maybe there will be something interesting. Do you want to go? It's a good way to relax and think from a different perspective, and you might make some discoveries."

Li Qing's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Sure, where is it?"

"It's at the Seven Treasures Pagoda in the west of the city. It has been set up as the venue for the book club. There will be many readers there."

"It's tomorrow. If you want to go, it's best to go early, otherwise the book club might be bought out by others."

Li Qing's eyes lit up. "Okay, I'll go take a look tomorrow."

Mr. Xu nodded. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'm happy to guide young people."

"Haha, thank you very much, Mr. Xu," Li Qing said with a laugh.

...

The next day, Li Qing did not go to the Seven Treasures Pagoda. Instead, he sent a shadow paper figure, quietly blending in.

He didn't forget that he had offended the Zhou family, and with the Human Tribulation on him, once he left Jixia Academy too far, he might encounter a disaster.

Until he thoroughly understood the entire content of the Human Tribulation, he wouldn't take it lightly.

Even buying materials was done using the shadow paper figure dressed in a black robe.

As someone who pursued the ultimate survival, he would never take risks easily.

The shadow paper figure was attached to Li Qing's spirit and had already arrived at the Seven Treasures Pagoda.

The Seven Treasures Pagoda had a total of 7 floors and was built by a monk who had once come to preach in the Northern Continent.

Unfortunately, despite the monk's eloquence, he didn't have many followers and ultimately ended up in frustration.

The Seven Treasures Pagoda had also become a scenic spot, with literati and inkmen often coming here to watch the sunrise and sunset.

Today, many merchants had set up their book stalls inside the Seven Treasures Pagoda.

Those who wanted to buy books could go up one floor at a time and then come down one floor at a time.

Early in the morning, many readers had already arrived, including young people, middle-aged people, and even the elderly.

Li Qing's shadow was lurking in the shadow of a person.

At this time, the gate of the pagoda had not yet opened, and a group of readers were chatting.

A young scholar of fifteen or sixteen said, "Have you heard? It seems that there have been quite a few children turning into dried corpses in the east of the city recently."

"Some say it's the work of demons."

Upon hearing this, an elderly scholar frowned.

"Don't talk nonsense about supernatural things. Do you really believe in such rumors? I really don't know what kind of sage books you've been reading."

The young scholar's face turned red upon being rebuked by the elder, muttering a few words.

"Old pedant, it's just a street rumor, and I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"An old man who relies on his age to sell himself."

Words spoken unintentionally may be taken to heart.

Li Qing, in the form of the shadow paper figure, suddenly had a flash of insight upon hearing this. "Have I been foolish?"