Chapter 1: Senior Brother, You Truly Have Courage!
Chapter 1: Senior Brother, You Truly Have Courage!
In the Mystic Azure Realm, within the Yu Kingdom, lies the bustling city of Green River. The streets, vibrant with throngs of people and a riot of blooming flowers, are lively with activity. At one roadside, a humble tea stall offers a large bowl of cool tea for just a copper coin.
A plainly dressed young man sits quietly there, sipping his tea and reflecting on the past year of evading capture. As a person who had traversed from another world, he felt somewhat embarrassed by his current lowly state. He is Chu Xuan, who twenty years ago crossed into the Mystic Azure Realm and became an outer disciple of the Infinite Sect.
Lacking a benefactor or any magical aids, he relied solely on his handsome appearance and mediocre talents. Fortunately, the Infinite Sect, being the strongest in the Yu Kingdom and ruling over three of its nine provinces, provided him robust support.
After ten years of diligent practice, Chu Xuan finally managed to refine his Qi and entered the Qi Refining stage, thus advancing to the status of an inner disciple.
Recognizing his ordinary aptitude, he delved into various fields such as Gu (you know Reverend Insanity?), poison arts, corpse refining, puppetry, and disguise. Although his cultivation level wasn't high, his diverse skills made him a formidable cultivator. At his peak, he ranked tenth among the inner disciples, nearly catching the eye of an elder who would take him as a direct disciple.
Then disaster struck.
The foremost ancient ancestor of the Infinite Sect succumbed to demonic possession during cultivation and met an untimely demise. Upon hearing this, the five righteous sects of the Yu Kingdom declared the Infinite Sect culpable of numerous misdeeds and marked for destruction. Outnumbered, the Infinite Sect was driven back in defeat.
A Nascent Soul elder and ten Golden Core elders, most of whom perished or surrendered in the ensuing battles, left only a handful to escape. The Sect Leader, Vice Leader, and the chief elders either died, fled, or defected. From its zenith to dissolution, the sect crumbled within a mere month.
Compared to those mighty Golden Core cultivators, Chu Xuan was merely a small fry, which ironically allowed him to escape with his life. Nonetheless, his identity forced him into a life of constant hiding.
A year had passed since the fall of the Infinite Sect. Many disciples had been captured and executed, yet he remained alive. His extensive knowledge of various magics had now become his means of survival.
Even as he sat quietly, every sound in the vicinity was audible to him, thanks to the "Listening Insects" he cultivated in both ears. These magical creatures amplified even the slightest noises, allowing him to hear extremely subtle sounds.
At that moment, another person approached, hesitating before taking a seat across from the plainly dressed youth. He whispered tentatively, "Heavenly King covers the earth tiger?"
"Pagoda subdues the river sprite lighter," responded Chu Xuan calmly.
Exhaling in relief, the man said, "Senior Brother, you are truly brave to choose this place for our meeting."
Chu Xuan continued to sip his tea. "We are just rule-abiding rogue cultivators; what is there to fear?"
The man swallowed nervously, nodding repeatedly, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan, this senior brother, once ranked tenth among the inner disciples of the Infinite Sect. Yet, a year had passed, and all the inner disciples ahead of him had been captured by the orthodox sects. Only Chu Xuan remained free, daring even to swagger about on the territory of the righteous sects. His audacity was indeed admirable!
"He Liang, did you bring the items?" Chu Xuan casually inquired as he sipped his tea.
He Liang nodded, pulling out a low-grade storage bag and passing it over. Chu Xuan received it and peered inside. His cultivation of blood arts required a vast amount of essence blood.
Whether from humans or demonic beasts, any being with essence blood would suffice. Harvesting it from mortals was the quickest method, but it reduced one's merit, and slaughtering too many could attract the scrutiny of the heavens.
Such actions could lead to severe celestial and terrestrial tribulations when attempting to reach higher realms of cultivation, making survival difficult.
Chu Xuan speculated that the accidental demise of the first elder of the Infinite Sect was not unconnected to his heavy killing. Now, with the Infinite Sect destroyed, the five orthodox sects were strictly investigating the slaughter of mortals.
Killing mortals at such a time was akin to courting death. Therefore, he had entrusted He Liang to bring him demonic beast blood pearls, refined blood that was compact, energy-rich, and suitable for cultivation.
"The quality is good," Chu Xuan nodded slightly, tossing ten small spiritual stones to He Liang, who greedily pocketed them. Just as Chu Xuan was about to leave, he sensed something amiss. The snack stands, vegetable stalls, rouge shops, and meat shops around seemed to have changed hands. Even the voices were different. He was subtly but surely under surveillance, including by some with the potent aura of the Foundation Establishment stage.
He glanced at He Liang. The face Chu Xuan wore was a new human skin mask he had fashioned that day; apart from He Liang, no one knew he was Chu Xuan.
'Seems I'll need to change my face again.'
"Junior brother, I need another item," he suddenly said.
He Liang nodded, "Please instruct, senior brother."
"Do you have any Spirit Blood Pills?"
He Liang nodded earnestly, "I have two, taken from the sect's treasury when I fled."
Chu Xuan lowered his voice, "I need Spirit Blood Pills, as many as you can find."
He Liang paused, puzzled. "But those are needed by Foundation Establishment stage cultivators who are severely injured. Senior brother, you..."
He suddenly realized, "I understand! Senior brother, have you found Uncle Liu?"
Uncle Master Liu, fully named Liu Zhenxiong, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, was one of the few members of the Infinite Sect who had yet evaded capture by those righteous cultivators.
Chu Xuan spoke coldly, "Do not ask questions that should not be asked."
He Liang quickly covered his mouth, "I understand, I understand."
"Hand over the Spirit Blood Pill," demanded Chu Xuan, extending his hand.
In a low voice, He Liang replied, "The Spirit Blood Pill is too precious, Senior Brother, surely you don't have enough spirit stones?"
Chu Xuan remained silent.
In haste, He Liang suggested, "How about this? Take me to see Uncle Master Liu, and I will join you. In times like these, we should stick together, Senior Brother."
Chu Xuan sternly refused, "No, the risk is too great!"
He Liang sighed deeply, then reluctantly pulled out a spirit stone and placed it in Chu Xuan's hand.
"Just one medium spiritual stone! Not a stone more!"
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
A small spiritual stone, a byproduct of the spirit stone veins with low purity, was generally circulated among Qi Refining stage cultivators.
A medium spiritual stone, significantly purer and larger, was mostly exchanged among Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
A single medium spiritual stone could be traded for a hundred small spiritual stones.
Unexpectedly, He Liang possessed one.
"Given your sincerity, I am reluctantly reassured," Chu Xuan nodded slightly.
He Liang breathed a sigh of relief, "Let's go quickly, Senior Brother. With a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator like Uncle Master Liu for protection, I can rest easy."
Chu Xuan nodded, "The location is in an abandoned residence in the east of the city, follow me."
After speaking, he tossed a copper coin on the table and promptly rose to leave.
He Liang hurried after him.
After their departure, six observing cultivators immediately approached the tea stall.
The leader, a middle-aged cultivator exuding an aura of sage-like wisdom and clearly at the Foundation Establishment stage, exclaimed with joy, "He Liang has followed him; we must have hooked a big fish!"
"Follow them immediately, capturing this big fish will earn us all commendations!" he ordered in a low shout.
"Yes!"
Moments later, at the eastern city residences.
The middle-aged cultivator and his companions arrived at the site, swiftly encircling the nearby homes, sealing them off completely.
"Uncle Master, when do we move in?" asked a young disciple.
"Wait for the signal!" the middle-aged cultivator whispered back.
Shortly after, a loud explosion was heard. The door of the house was blown off its hinges.
He Liang was hurled out, blood spraying wildly as he fell through the air. In agony, he screamed, "Below! Liu Zhenxiong is underground! They've discovered me!"
The eyes of the middle-aged cultivator lit up, and he bellowed, "Charge in! Capture them alive!"
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
The righteous cultivators swept past He Liang, storming into the residence.
Inside, indeed, there was a dark, vast hole leading underground.
The middle-aged cultivator and his followers entered, finding a labyrinth of numerous passageways and numerous traps and pitfalls.
After a lengthy search, a cultivator exclaimed, "Uncle Master, there is a mummified corpse here, its face skinned!"
The middle-aged cultivator paused, then recognized the body in a burst of rage, "This is He Liang! That one outside was Chu Xuan! Quick, chase them, we've been deceived!"
However, by the time they returned to the surface, there was no trace of "He Liang" to be found.
"Damn that Chu Xuan! He has escaped again!"
The middle-aged cultivator was uncontrollably furious.
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