Chapter 214: Where is Lei Family City?
Chapter 214: Where is Lei Family City?
In the extraterritorial battlefield, on a desolate plain devoid of life, remnants of ancient walls and the bones of ancient beasts scattered about created a scene eerily unsettling.
Suddenly, a figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He surveyed the surroundings and nodded slightly.
"Good, no trace of the Nether Crocodiles," Chu Xuan observed, looking around at the largely identical landscape. He randomly chose a direction to proceed. There was no point in trying to discern one area from another; wherever he went would suffice.
As he continued, it wasn't long before he actually encountered another person. However, this person's body was swaying as if on the verge of collapse, seemingly severely injured. The man noticed Chu Xuan and showed a look of relief, rushing towards him.
Chu Xuan's instincts cautioned him.
The man called out, "I am Zhang Xingshan, a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Reincarnation Divine Church. Fellow daoist, do you have any healing elixirs? I shall repay your kindness abundantly in the future!"
Chu Xuan was quite surprised and responded respectfully, "So, it is senior Zhang. I am He Liang, a cultivator from the Majestic Sword Sect, and it's an honor to meet you, senior."
By now, Zhang Xingshan had closed the distance, allowing Chu Xuan to see the man's condition. The Nascent Soul cultivator from the Reincarnation Divine Church was covered in wounds, and his once dignified elder's robe was tattered, hardly befitting his esteemed status. His body was full of scars, and his spiritual Qi was nearly depleted.
Chu Xuan retrieved several bottles of healing elixirs from his storage bag, "Senior, I only have healing elixirs suitable for Golden Core cultivators here, which might be of little effect for you."
Zhang Xingshan approached swiftly, a flicker of sharpness in his eyes, "No matter, your willingness to offer healing elixirs is commendable."
As Chu Xuan looked down, Zhang Xingshan suddenly raised his hand. The scant spiritual Qi left in his body surged out, forming a gigantic maw that lunged at Chu Xuan!
Chu Xuan's eyes flickered coldly. The next moment, Two Arms and Four Arms burst out from his shadow. The two ghost kings, each equipped with their life-bound ghost weapons, attacked from both sides!
With a loud crash, a sound of unbearable breaking came from within Zhang Xingshan's body. He writhed in agony, utterly shocked. A mere Golden Core cultivator had two Ghost Kings bursting out from within him!
"You... you..." Zhang Xingshan wailed, attempting to flee by releasing his Nascent Soul. However, Two Arms and Four Arms were not about to let him escape. In the blink of an eye, they seized his dimly lit Nascent Soul figure, tore it in two, and devoured it on the spot.
Chu Xuan reached out, catching Zhang Xingshan's physical body and tossed it into the Corpse Nurturing Tower, while securing his storage bag at his waist. He then cast a Corpse Refining Blood Fire spell, cleansing the area of any remnants of battle, ensuring no traces were left behind. Only then did he deploy the Mahayana Swift Escape, quickly fleeing the scene.
When Zhang Xingshan had first spotted him, his excitement was palpable, as if he had seen a piece of walking meat. At that moment, Chu Xuan knew that the man's intentions were not to seek healing elixirs, but rather to capture him.
Healing elixirs for Golden Core cultivators were of little use to a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, devouring the flesh and soul of a Golden Core cultivator could be transformed through secret methods into a surge of Spiritual Qi and vitality, likely improving Zhang Xingshan's grave injuries significantly.
Clearly, that had been his plan in approaching Chu Xuan. Had it been any other Golden Core cultivator, they might have indeed fallen prey to Zhang Xingshan's scheme. After all, the Reincarnation Divine Church was a sixth-tier cultivation sect, revered as the 'upper sect' by most cultivators in the extraterritorial battlefield!
Zhang Xingshan, despite being a Nascent Soul elder of the Reincarnation Divine Church, was severely wounded and fleeing towards desolation—a sign he likely harbored some secrets.
"His storage bag might contain treasures, but I'll need to find a safe place to examine them," Chu Xuan thought as he continued to hasten forward.
Then, as expected, he got lost.
After aimlessly wandering the barren plains like a headless fly, Chu Xuan stumbled upon a massive, deep ravine, a sight that sparked a sense of familiarity within him.
"The Great Chasm!"
Finally, he had found a landmark.
This time, instead of heading to the Righteous Dao City where he had resided as Monk Huikong, Chu Xuan decided to go to Lei Family City. The Reincarnation Divine Church's search efforts would be most intense in Righteous Dao City, so it made sense to change his destination. Lei Family City was a good choice.
A day later, he arrived outside Lei Family City. However, the grand characters carved over the city gates had changed.
"Heavenly Sword City?"
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. What had happened to the Lei Family City? He looked towards the gate guards, clad in the robes of the Majestic Sword Sect, Golden Core cultivators. Had the city's allegiance shifted?
Chu Xuan didn't ponder much before following other cultivators into Heavenly Sword City. Upon entering, he made his way straight to a teahouse to partake in some tea. Naturally, drinking tea was secondary; his primary intention was to eavesdrop on the conversations of the other cultivators.
By the time Chu Xuan stepped out of the teahouse, he had gleaned knowledge about the majority of significant events that had occurred over the past two years. The Nascent Soul patriarch of the Lei family, Lei Mingyang, had been gravely injured by Yun Zhongyu and had been forced to flee, releasing his Nascent Soul. This weakened the Lei family's power considerably.
Seizing the opportunity, Shangguan Hao of the Majestic Sword Sect led a faction of cultivators from Majestic Sword City to invade Lei Family City. They ousted the Lei family, seized control, and renamed it Heavenly Sword City. With this acquisition, the Majestic Sword Sect nominally possessed two large cities and seven smaller ones, making their territory the largest on this battlefield.
However, it seemed Shangguan Hao had some conflicts with other Nascent Soul cultivators of Majestic Sword City. Rather than being the sect's second major city, this place seemed more like a private domain of the Shangguan family.
Intent on keeping a low profile, Chu Xuan had already altered his appearance and concealed his aura. To outsiders, he appeared to be nothing more than a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.
Chu Xuan rented a second-tier cave dwelling, set up his protective formations, and then returned to Blue Star. He had a gut feeling that Zhang Xingshan harbored secrets. Therefore, he approached the task of opening the man's storage bag with caution.
Nascent Soul cultivators' spiritual imprints are formidable. Despite Chu Xuan's soul being far more advanced than that of his peers in the Golden Core stage, it still took him five full days to completely erase the spiritual imprint from the storage bag.
"Quite a few medium spiritual stones, about two thousand pieces. All the pills, talismans, and magic treasures are gone. This guy was broke, wasn't he? Ah, but there is a Soul Breaking Spike; not bad at all."
Chu Xuan couldn't help but shake his head, though he could guess the circumstances. The man must have been through a fierce battle of life and death, likely consuming all his pills, talismans, and magic treasures during the fight.
As for the Soul Breaking Spikes, Chu Xuan had already obtained two from Yun Zhongyu's storage bag. With this one, he now had three.
"Ah, what's this box?"
Chu Xuan noticed a wooden box placed in the most secure compartment of Zhang Xingshan's storage bag. A look of curiosity flashed across his eyes. Opening the box, he found an ancient seed emitting a grey aura. The more he looked at it, the more ominous it seemed.
"What is this?"
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