บท 110: Chapter 110: Schemes
Inside Wanbao Pavilion, both Lu An and Xiao Qian had grim expressions after the incident. Fortunately, Young Master Zhuang had eventually backed off and didn't make things difficult for them.
Having paid the spirit stones and obtained the Ice Cloud Sword, they were preparing to leave. The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before calling out to them.
"Friends, you might be in for a big trouble."
Lu An raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you say that? Does that person have some background?"
"Not just background; he's from the Zhuang family."
"You know the Zhuang family, don't you? They are the relatives of the current Grand Marshal!"
Lu An's mind stirred as he recalled what the Palace Master had mentioned when he first arrived in Wanren City. The city's fame was partly due to the Grand Marshal Zhuang being from there.
Grand Marshal Zhuang was known for his iron-fisted rule. During the joint invasion by the Han and Zhao armies against Qi, he single-handedly held back the combined forces of three hundred thousand cavalry with only fifty thousand troops for over a month.
He kept them from advancing beyond the isolated fortress of Zhishang City, which still displays the large "Stop" character he wrote back then.
His Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivation made him a top figure in the Great Qi Kingdom, with only the current National Teacher and Prime Minister being his equals. These three were the pillars of the Great Qi, with even the Qi Emperor being inferior as he was only in the Nascent Soul early stage.
After thinking for a moment, Lu An's expression became serious. "I observed that Young Master Zhuang is a debauched person. How could such a hero as Grand Marshal Zhuang support this kind of family disgrace?"
The shopkeeper shook his head and explained, "Grand Marshal Zhuang wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters. If he were to find out, he might even clean up the house himself."
"But as the saying goes, it's easier to see the King of Hell than deal with a troublesome ghost."
"This matter might never reach Grand Marshal Zhuang's ears. Furthermore, all the families in Wanren City give face to the Zhuang family, so they wield considerable influence here."
"The Young Master Zhuang you offended is the second son of the Zhuang family's direct line, a typical young dandy who will repay grudges."
"Now, it seems that this matter might not end well."
Hearing this, Lu An clasped his fists in gratitude to the shopkeeper. "Thank you for informing us. Otherwise, we would still be in the dark."
"With the prohibition against fighting in Wanren City, if we are cautious, we should be safe for now."
He did not mention that they would soon take a teleportation array to the capital. Regardless of how powerful Young Master Zhuang was, he shouldn't be able to chase them to the capital.
After inquiring further about the Zhuang family's information, Lu An and Xiao Qian left.
Back at the inn, Lu An chose not to go out again to avoid any trouble. He had bought some Foundation Establishment pills and replenished the Qi Gathering Stones used in the Qi Gathering Formation, so he took the opportunity to focus on his cultivation.
He sat cross-legged in the Qi Gathering Formation, with a Qi Gathering Talisman attached to him, and then took a Longqing Pill.
The pill dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth and flowed down his throat into his dantian. An astonishing amount of spiritual energy burst forth from his dantian, spreading through his meridians.
Lu An was pleased. The Longqing Pill, combined with the Qi Gathering Formation and Qi Gathering Talisman, proved to be exceptionally effective.
To avoid developing a tolerance from using the same pill repeatedly, he had bought two bottles of each of the three Foundation Establishment pills. Since the Longqing Pill was so effective, the other two types should also be quite good.
In the following days, he remained in his room, focusing on closed-door training. Xiao Qian sat beside him, consolidating her Foundation Establishment late stage cultivation.
One day, a knock sounded at the door, and Lu An slowly opened his eyes. With a slight movement of his divine sense, he saw who was outside.
He opened the door, clasped his fists, and asked, "Friend Lu, what brings you here today?"
The visitor was Lu Jinqiu from the Artifact Hall. They had spent five months together on the flying boat, and Lu An had consulted him on artifact refinement, so they were quite familiar.
Lu Jinqiu smiled slightly and said, "Brother Lu, you asked me last time how to enhance the power of your Soul Devouring Sword. I've found a solution."
Lu An was delighted to hear this. The Soul Devouring Sword was currently only a second-tier inferior artifact, and if it weren't for its unique effects, he would have almost discarded it. The prospect of improving it was indeed great news.
"What's the method?"
Lu Jinqiu patted his chest confidently and said, "Your Soul Devouring Sword feeds on Yin and Fiendish Qi. As long as you find a place rich in Yin and Fiendish Qi, you can enhance it."
Lu An raised an eyebrow, his expression showing a hint of doubt. "Friend Lu, in two days we are scheduled to take the teleportation array to the capital."
"In such a short time, where can we find a place with such Yin and Fiendish Qi?"
In fact, Lu An did have a suitable location in mind—the Jade Coffin Secret Realm. However, he later discovered that Fiendish Qi was even more suitable for the Soul Devouring Sword than Yin Qi. The Soul Devouring Sword absorbed Fiendish Qi much more effectively than Yin Qi, and now with the Nine-turn Blood Soul Banner, he had a natural restraining power over Yin Souls and could control them.
Thus, he had not touched the remaining scattered souls in the Jade Coffin Secret Realm. He intended to refine the Nine-turn Blood Soul Banner completely first, and then collect all the Yin souls into the banner.
Lu Jinqiu was unaware of the Nine-turn Blood Soul Banner and assumed that Lu An was simply looking to enhance the Soul Devouring Sword. He confidently continued, "This is what I wanted to discuss with Brother Lu. About three hundred miles southeast of Wanren City, there is a place full of Yin and Fiendish Qi."
"It is teeming with countless scattered souls and extremely potent Fiendish Qi. Many passing cultivators have fallen victim to it."
"After hearing this news, I immediately went to check it out. After confirming its authenticity, I came to inform Brother Lu."
"This place seems tailor-made for you; you definitely should not miss it."
Upon hearing this, Lu An's heart stirred. Could it be that both the Soul Devouring Sword and the Blood Soul Banner could be improved here? The Soul Devouring Sword absorbs Fiendish Qi, and the Blood Soul Banner collects Yin souls—this was indeed a perfect opportunity.
However, his brows soon furrowed. The Yin and Fiendish Qi was located outside the city. He had not planned to go outside before heading to the capital. Now, Lu Jinqiu was leading him out of the city—was this a coincidence or was there another purpose?
After pondering for a while, he reassured himself that even if there were ambushes, as long as it wasn't someone in the Core Formation stage personally taking action, he could handle it. And if he missed this opportunity to deal with the Yin and Fiendish Qi, he might not get another chance.
Deciding that he should act, he replied, "Thank you for informing me, Friend Lu. May I ask where exactly this Yin and Fiendish Qi place is?"
"There is no need for thanks. The talisman technique you taught me previously has been very beneficial. I will personally take you there."
With only two days left before their departure, there was no time to waste. The two of them set off immediately.
They flew for two hours before Lu Jinqiu stopped and pointed to a large basin in the wilderness.
"This is the place. The basin is surrounded by mountains, and it is filled with scattered souls. I don't know how it was formed."
"If we had come a few days later, Wanren City might have sent cultivators to clean it up. Arriving now is just right."
Lu An nodded. The basin was shrouded in a gray mist that even his divine sense couldn't penetrate deeply. However, with the Nine-turn Blood Soul Banner and its ability to restrain souls, he was confident in facing even Foundation Establishment late-stage souls.
Approaching the edge of the basin, he found the Fiendish Qi becoming more intense. Lu An was delighted; the location was as he had hoped. If he could absorb all the souls and Fiendish Qi within, both the Soul Devouring Sword and the Blood Soul Banner would surely become much more powerful.
He didn't hesitate and immediately flew into the basin. As soon as he entered, a Xuanming Grand Formation rose up, enveloping him.
Lu Jinqiu stood outside, a sly smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Lu An, my apologies. If you want to blame someone, blame Young Master Zhuang for offering such a generous reward."
"This formation contains six Foundation Establishment stage souls, one of which is even at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Enjoy!"
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