This day marked a turning point for the Medicine Gang. In a secluded mountain valley, nestled within a verdant bamboo forest, a middle-aged man in white brocade robes stood before a small bamboo courtyard. His face was fair, almost scholarly, yet his eyes held a chilling coldness. Accompanying him were two gray-haired elders, one stout and the other gaunt. As soon as the trio arrived, the resident of the bamboo house sensed their presence and a weathered voice echoed from within. “To what do I owe the pleasure of three distinguished guests? I was not informed of your arrival, or I would have greeted you from afar. Forgive my impoliteness.” “Li Changfeng, the Gang Leader is here! Why aren’t you coming out to pay your respects?” The stout elder’s lips twitched as he spoke coldly. “Oh, it’s Fatty Chen and Brother Wang. I didn’t expect to trouble you two.” “Li Changfeng, you dare return? The murder of disciples is a grave offense. As a former elder of the gang, you slaughtered dozens of our elite disciples. Today, you cannot escape your fate.” “Hmph, our gang? Brother Wang, why don’t you ask the person beside you why those disciples died?” A moment of silence hung in the air within the bamboo forest before a roar of anger erupted. “The old fox is trying to weasel his way out of this. If you hadn’t stolen the gang’s sacred medicine and murdered those disciples, why would the Gang Leader have issued a kill order?” The stout elder sneered.
“Gang Leader, Li Changfeng joined our gang solely to steal the sacred medicine. Now that his treachery is exposed, today is his day of reckoning.” Cough, cough. The man in brocade robes allowed his companions to speak, only interjecting with a soft cough. “Elder Li, if you surrender peacefully, I am willing to show leniency.” “Ha ha, show leniency? The Gang Leader is truly magnanimous. Are you abandoning the vengeance for your disciples?” “Alas…” Hearing Li Changfeng’s laughter, the Gang Leader sighed melancholically. From within the bamboo house, Li Changfeng’s voice echoed once more. “Words are futile. What you seek is inside. If you have the skill, come and take it.” Following this, silence descended upon the bamboo house. The surroundings became eerily quiet, and the atmosphere grew heavy. The Gang Leader and his companions exchanged a somber glance before stepping towards the bamboo house. Inside the bamboo house, Li Changfeng whispered to Zhang Ling, “Immortal Master, they have entered.” Seeing Zhang Ling’s expressionless face, as if he had everything under control, Li Changfeng felt reassured. Li Changfeng was a first-rate expert himself, but he had been injured, greatly diminishing his strength. His confidence in this situation stemmed from the presence of the cultivator. Zhang Ling silently mobilized the Qi within his body, his expression indifferent, masking his inner tension. The three outside the bamboo house were all first-rate experts. Two days prior, Li Changfeng had briefed him on the Medicine Gang’s top fighters. The Medicine Gang Leader was not only skilled in medicine but also a first-rate expert with formidable poison techniques. The two elders, one stout and one gaunt, were both elders of the Medicine Gang. The stout elder, despite his size, was proficient in a powerful palm technique. The gaunt elder excelled in agility and had deadly throwing techniques, making him particularly troublesome. Mentally reviewing the trio’s abilities, Zhang Ling flicked his left hand, instantly conjuring a vine that stretched seven or eight yards in front of him. This sight startled Li Changfeng, causing him to retreat several steps. Zhang Ling’s icy gaze remained fixed on the bamboo door, wielding the vine to its full potential. Facing three first-rate experts, he couldn't afford to be careless. The trio outside were only two yards away from the door. The gaunt elder launched the first attack.
With a flick of his wrist, a small pebble shot out, striking the bamboo door with a soft thud. With a creak, the bamboo door slid open to the side. Through the gap, the interior appeared dark and indistinct. “A charade.” The stout elder muttered darkly, thrusting his palm forward, unleashing a gust of wind. Unable to withstand the force, the bamboo door was torn from its frame and sent flying into the house. A shadow flickered, and the gaunt elder darted through the opening, hugging the door as he advanced. Zhang Ling amplified his extraordinary senses throughout the house, constantly observing the trio’s movements. Seeing one person rush into the house, he controlled the vine to move along the ground. Upon entering, the gaunt elder immediately rolled to the ground, avoiding any potential surprise attacks. Then, with remarkable agility, he flipped back to his feet, flicking his hands in front of him, releasing several glints of cold light in all directions—a flurry of throwing knives. In that brief moment, he roughly assessed the situation inside the house. A figure stood directly ahead. Without hesitation, he produced a long sword and thrust it straight at the figure. However, as he attacked, a thick, dark shadow silently coiled around his feet. The gaunt elder seemed to sense something amiss and tried to move, but it was too late. A massive force yanked him to the ground, and darkness enveloped him. Before he could react, something wrapped around his arm. He managed to let out two gurgling cries before his neck was twisted into a grotesque knot, killing him instantly. “Ah, stop!” With a resounding boom, the stout elder roared. His furious bellow sounded like a dragon’s roar or a tiger’s howl, causing ears to ache. He surged into the house, his aura heavy. With his roar, the stout elder’s body crackled and popped, swelling in size as if inflated. The muscles on his arms bulged, turning a bluish-black hue, like cast iron. With a forceful grip, he seized the long, dark shadow in his hands. He strained to tear apart the weapon that had killed the gaunt elder. To his shock, the texture in his hand felt wrong, as if it wasn’t a weapon at all. Only then did he realize that the long object was a vine as thick as an arm. “Careful!” At the same time, a shout rang out from behind him. With a deafening crash, a layer of blackish-green mist filled the bamboo house, obscuring vision. The stout elder realized what was happening and quickly released his grip, retreating backward. However, the vine he had released swiftly coiled around his body like a black serpent, trapping him. Zhang Ling flicked his arm, commanding the vine to crush the stout elder. The Medicine Gang Leader had just entered and stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him, his face etched with shock. He instantly regained his senses and retreated from the bamboo house. Seeing him flee, Zhang Ling scoffed. The vine suddenly elongated, transforming into a whip and lashing out. The Gang Leader’s expression changed drastically. He dodged to the side, but the vine was too fast. It quickly changed direction and struck him hard on the back. Using the force of the blow, the man propelled himself more than two yards forward, rolled on the ground, and tried to escape. Zhang Ling fully activated the vine’s attack, extending it further to ensnare the Gang Leader’s legs. A series of crisp bone-breaking sounds echoed as the vine crushed his legs. “Ah, you, you are…” The Medicine Gang Leader screamed, his face contorted with terror. But then, as if experiencing a final burst of energy, he laughed maniacally. He waved his sleeves, releasing a cloud of purplish-black mist that spread in all directions.
Zhang Ling quickly jumped back, but the vine that had wrapped around the Gang Leader flailed uncontrollably. His heart sank as he retracted the vine, noticing purplish spots appearing on its surface, accompanied by a burning sensation that extended to his left arm, causing it to tingle. The mist was highly poisonous. Zhang Ling’s face darkened, but after sensing that the purple spots were slowly fading and that he seemed to be unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Gang Leader’s body, however, was directly corroded into a skeleton by the mist, a gruesome death. Li Changfeng emerged from the bamboo house, swallowing hard, and asked in a low voice, “That was the Medicine Gang’s secret poison mist. Immortal Master, are you alright?” “What, did you hope I would be harmed?” “No, no,” Li Changfeng said, bowing obsequiously at Zhang Ling’s dark expression. After a moment of silence, Li Changfeng respectfully bowed to Zhang Ling. “Thank you, Immortal Master, for avenging me.” The fight had left him drenched in cold sweat. He had initially thought the youth’s cultivation was low, but he had dispatched three first-rate experts in short order. Such methods were befitting of a cultivator. Although it wasn’t his first encounter, he was still wary of the cultivator’s abilities. “Now that these three are dead, where is what you promised?” Zhang Ling asked, expressionless, watching the vine slither around him under his control. Li Changfeng chuckled dryly and quickly said, “Please wait a moment, Zhang Immortal Master. I will retrieve it immediately.”